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Live Local Music

Valentine’s Day Playlist

Posted by Christopher Will on 02/14 at 07:32 PM

Valentine’s Day is a holiday filled with love, longing, and little candy hearts.  This Valentine’s day, here are five songs that you can enjoy while cuddled up with your better half, or in the comfort of your own solitude.

1.    Cover-band-turned-rising-pop-duo Karmin, are prepping for the release of their first album and have been dropping singles to gather hype for the debut.  Their most recent single, “Brokenhearted,” is a fun, sparkling love song, built from a foundation of power-pop style synthesizers and spunky guitar riffs.  “This is more than a typical kind of thing, felt the joints in my bones when you were touching me.  Oh, oh, didn’t want to take it slow..,” lead singer Amy Heidemann sings, breaking down into a rap-infused pre-chorus before belting out into the chorus, “see I’ve been waiting all day for you to call me baby.  So let’s get up, let’s get on it, don’t you leave me broken hearted tonight.”  This kind of sweet and vulnerable affection is a perfect addition to any Valentine’s day playlist, and Karmin has crafted a sugary sweet pop confection for everyone to enjoy, single or taken.  You can buy “Brokenhearted” on iTunes here.

2.    Kaskade’s Fire & Ice, released this past October, is chock full of iconic dance tracks and collaborations that would make even David Guetta green with envy.  One of those songs is the dark, sexy house track “Lessons In Love,” featuring rock band Neon Trees.  “All day, all night, I got the lights in my eyes, and I’m falling for you.  Keep cool, stay tough, but that’s never enough, and these are the lessons in love.” Neon Trees frontman Tyler Glenn’s powerful voice soars over the crunching synths and eerie beeps. The intense and club ready sound compliments the obsessive need that bleeds through the lyrics.  You can find Fire & Ice for digital purchase here.

3.    British boy band The Wanted are taking a step on American soil with their dance floor love anthem “Glad You Came,” which has already peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The track is much more party-oriented lyrically, but still has some good, romantic one liners like, “you cast a spell on me, spell on me, you hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me.” Riding through the airwaves on a suavely written Ibiza-inspired electro smasher, The Wanted are making young women swoon everywhere with their foreign accents and boyish charm.  If “Glad You Came” doesn’t scream “perfect love song” to at least 90% of American females, then I don’t know what does.  Buy “Glad You Came” on iTunes here.

4.  Charlie XCX has been lighting up the blogosphere with her soft, Lily Allen-esque electro pop, and earlier today released a song appropriately titled “Valentine.” It’s a beautiful piece of music, immersed in yearning and fantastic songwriting.  “Lying by the sofa, I wanted to kiss you, I wanted to kiss you, but I couldn’t get up close, no I couldn’t get up close.” She coos in the chorus, igniting the heart with her awkwardly broken-hearted musical story.  By the time she delivers the song title, “will you be my Valentine?” it’s with such pained desperation that you can’t help but feel sorry for the melodic goddess.  She shines especially in the bridge, surrounded by soft clicks and ambient pianos, and delivers one of the best pop music references ever put into song, “I’m starting to worry that I’m sounding like the Fray.” This is a song for those dejected single folk, who are spending tonight wishing they could be in someone else’s arms.  It’s ok, Charlie XCX feels your pain.  The song is up for free download here.

5.    With Nicki Minaj slowly sliding down the proverbial toilet bowl of mainstream sophomore slumps, Harlem-born newcomer Azealia Banks is primed to take her place.  Like Nicki, Banks has an affinity for intertwining dance and rap, and showcases a singing voice that isn’t quite as refined as it is unique. Unlike Minaj, Banks has some serious indie cred, which is more evident than ever in her track “NEEDSUMLOVE (SXLND).” Banks wrote the song to Machinedrum’s track “SXLND” back in early January, and since then it’s blown up across the internet.  Bank’s singing flows over the hand claps, chopped vocal samples, and complex beats, as she asserts her affection for a man who is currently with someone else.  Though this is a rather taboo track for a day like Valentine’s day, Banks songwriting is touching and honest.  She croons her affection for the man, and pleads for him to choose her over his current partner. “Cause I’m down for everything you need and who you are, and my door is always open and I’m never far.  You are my star.”  This is another Valentine’s Day song for those single people, and is also just a innovative pop song in general.  The song is not up for purchase, but can be streamed on her Soundcloud page here.