Playlist 12/10/08

Theme: Good Songs, 2008

Ribs Out - Fuck Buttons
Halfway Home - TV On the Radio
L.E.S. Artistes - Santogold
Headshock - Tapes 'N' Tapes
88 - The Cool Kids
Tell the World - Vivian Girls
Nothing Ever Happened - Deerhunter
Death to Los Campesinos - Los Campesinos!
Red and Purple - The Dodos
Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend
Meadowlarks - Fleet Foxes
A Milli - Lil' Wayne
Shared Islands - High Places
Dance Dance Dance - Lykke Li

Playlist 12/3/08

Theme: New Jack Swing

With Guest DJ Ramona "Ball Twiddler" Gilbert

Iesha – Another Bad Creation
Ain’t Too Proud to Beg – TLC
All 4 Love – Color Me Badd
Humpin’ Around – Bobby Brown
Can We Talk – Tevin Campbell
Motownphilly – Boyz II Men
If I Ever Fall in Love – Shai
Don’t Walk Away – Jade
Never Gonna Get It – En Vogue
Whatta Man – Salt ‘n’ Pepa (feat. En Vogue)
Anything – SWV
Come and Talk to Me – Jodeci

Playlist 10/29/08

Theme: Songs for the Undecided

Which Side Are You On? - Natalie Merchant
I Don't Know What I Want Us to Do - Peter Bjorn and John
I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself - The White Stripes
Can't Make Up My Mind - Sonique
Possibly Maybe - Bjork
He Doesn't Know Why - Fleet Foxes
The Body Says No - The New Pornographers
Who Cares? - Gnarls Barkley
I Can't Make Up My Mind - The Zombies
How Can I Be Sure? - The Rascals
Should I Stay or Should I Go? - The Clash

Playlist 10/8/08

Theme: Songs for Lowering Your Self-Esteem

Self-Esteem – Offspring
Loser – Beck
Waste of Paint – Bright Eyes
I Hate Myself For Loving You – Joan Jett
I Wanna Be Your Dog – The Stooges
Three Peaches – Neutral Milk Hotel
Creep – Radiohead
Basket Case – Green Day
Sour Times (Nobody Loves Me) – Portishead
Suicidal Thoughts – Notorious B.I.G.
You Make Me Feel Like a Whore – Everclear
Rape Me – Nirvana
Nothing but Sunshine – Slug

Playlist 9/24/08

Theme: Songs About Carnivals, Circuses, and Clowns

Theme from It
Carnival – The Cardigans
Coney Island Shuffle – Andrew Bird
Panis Et Circenses – Os Mutantes
Theme from 8½
Carousels – Beirut
Carousel – Iron and Wine
Death of a Clown – Dave Davies
Tears of a Clown – Smokey Robinson
Sleep – God Speed! You Black Emperor
The Carnival is Over – The Seekers

Pllaylist 9/17/08

Theme: Money Money Money Money...MONEY!

For the Love of Money – The O’Jays
Gimme Some Money – Spinal Tap
Deception – Blackalicious
If I Were a Rich Man
Dollars and Cents – Radiohead
We’re in the Money – Goldiggers of 1933
Money – Pink Floyd
Money in My Pocket – Dennis Brown
C.R.E.A.M. – Wu Tang Clan

Playlist 6/25/08

Theme: Best Songs of 2008 (The First Six Months)

Great DJ - The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing
Headshock - Tapes 'N' Tapes - Walk It Off
Magic Doors - Portishead - Third
Knee Deep at ATP - Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...
Carolina Drama - The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Rising Down - The Roots - Rising Down
Dr. Carter - Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
88 - The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale
Oliver James - Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Soul on Fire - Spiritualized - Songs in A&E
Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Head Spins - High Places - 03/07 - 09/07
Fools - The Dodos - Visiter
The Crow - Subtle - Exiting Arm
Good Friday - Why? - Alopecia

Playlist 6/11/08

Theme: Fuck, It's Freezing

A Winter’s Tale – Queen
In the Cold, Cold Night – White Stripes – Elephant
The Chills – Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block
Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) – Digable Planets – Reachin’
In this Home on Ice – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Cold Blooded – Common – Like Water for Chocolate
Cold World – GZA – Liquid Swords
Snowbound – Genesis
Snowball – Devo
Out there on the Ice – Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
Cold as Ice – Atlas Sound – Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel
Cold Hands – Black Lips – Good Bad Not Evil
Cold Light – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell
Winter – Dodos – Visiter

Playlist 6/4/08

Theme: Songs that Stick it to the Man

Revolution – Beatles
Fuck the Police – N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton
Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday
When the President Talks to God – Bright Eyes
Bombtrack – Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine
California Uber Alles – Dead Kennedys
Get Up Stand Up – Bob Marley
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – Gil Scott Heron
5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO – The Coup – Party Music
Fight the Power – Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet
Talking World War III Blues – Bob Dylan
War – Edwin Starr
White People for Peace – Against Me! – New Wave
Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) – Marvin Gaye
Post-War – M. Ward – Post-War
The Message – Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five

Playlist 5/28/08

Theme: Golden Years of Underground Hip Hop (1997-2002)

Hip-Hop – Dead Prez – Let’s Get Free (2000)
Definition – Black Star – Black Star (1998)
The Guidelines – Aceyalone – Book of Human Language (1998)
Walkie Talkie – DJ Shadow – The Private Press (2002)
Deception – Blackalicious – A2G EP (1999)
Jayou – Jurassic 5 – Jurassic 5 EP (1997)
Oakland Blackouts – Hieroglyphics – Third Eye Vision (1998)
Umi Says – Mos Def – Black on Both Sides (1999)
Act Too…The Love of My Life – The Roots – Things Fall Apart (1999)
1-9-9-9 – Common (feat. Sadat X) – Soundbombing II (1999)
Nothing But Sunshine – Slug – Anticon: Music for the Advancement of Hip Hop (1999)
8 Steps to Perfection – Company Flow – Funcrusher Plus (1997)
The Light – Pharoahe Monch – Internal Affairs (1999)
Innerlight – Zion I – Mind Over Matter (2000)
Daylight – Aesop Rock – Labor Days (2001)

Playlist 5/21/08

Theme: All Blue

Blue Light - Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Blue Turning Gray - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Blue Jean - David Bowie - Tonight
Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan
Black or Blue - Suede - Dog Man Star
This Side of the Blue - Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
Blue Diamonds - The Long Winters - When I Pretend to Fall
Blue Flowers/Blue Flame - Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams
Blue Flowers - Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonycologist
Blue Orchid - White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Blue-Eyed Soul - Wilco - A.M.
Blue Monday - New Order - Blue Monday
Almost Blue - Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom
All Blues - Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

Playlist 5/7/08

Theme: For the Birds

Blackbird - The Beatles - The White Album
Little Bird - White Stripes - De Stijl
Fake Palindromes - Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
Freebird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Caged Bird - RJD2 - Magnificent City Instrumentals
Rockin' Robin - Bobby Day
Surfin' Bird - Pee-Wee Herman
Whither the Invisible Birds - Deerhoof
Black Bird - The Beautiful Girls - Learn Yourself
Bird Flu - M.I.A. - Kala
Three Little Birds - Bob Marley - Legend
Bird Dog - The Everly Brothers
Turn! Turn! Turn! - The Byrds
Flightless Bird, American Mouth - Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Bring Down the Birds - Herbie Hancock - Blow Up
Celerity (Celebrity) - Charlie Parker (Bird)

Playlist 4/30/08

Sky Blue Sky - Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Amsterdam - Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block
E-Pro - Beck - Guero
No One's Gonna Love You More - Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
We Can Keep Our Clothes On - Ellen Adams - Night Owl
In Our Nature - Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature
Black Swan - Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Chinese Translation - M. Ward - Post-War
Israelites - Desmond Dekker
Protection - Massive Attack - Protection

Playlist 4/16/08

Comfy in Nautica - Panda Bear - Person Pitch
The Rip - Portishead - Third
Slim's Return - Madlib - Shades of Blue
Three is the Magic Number - Bob Dorough
Magic Number - De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
Twenty Three - Four Tet - Pause
Endless Railway (Sentiment Mix) - DJ Krush - Stepping Stones
II B.S. (Remix of Mingus) - RZA - Impulse!
One in a Day - Koushik - Be With
Tape Loop - Morcheeba - Who Can You Trust?
Teardrop - Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Round-Trip - Eric Truffaz - The Dawn
Even After All - Finley Quaye - Maverick a Strike
Apache - Incredible Bongo Band - Bongo Rock

Playlist 4/9/08

Theme: Songs to Listen to As You Study for a French Foreign Language Exam

Kronos Quartet - String Quartet 5 No. 3 - Philip Glass
Mc Solaar - Qui Seme Le Vent Recolte le Tempo - Qui Seme Le Vent Recolte Le Tempo
Serge Gainsbourg - Le Chanson de Prevert
The Dodos - Red and Purple - Visiter
Jacques Brel - Ne Me Quitte Pas
Nina Simone - Ne Me Quitte Pas
Sunset Rubdown - Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days - Random Spirit Lover
Superbus - Radio Song
Gnarls Barkley - Run - The Odd Couple
Stereo Total - L'Amour a Trois
MF Doom - Potholderz - Mm..Food
Madvillain - Money Folder (Fourtet Remix)
Madvillain - Money Folder - Madvillainy
Sister Nancy - Bam Bam
Ansell Collins - Stalag 17
Dr. Dog - Fool's Life - Easy Beat
Portishead - It Could Be Sweet - Dummy

Update

Sorry folks,
Until further notice, the radio show will not be Pick a Category but just another radio show. My life is sort of on hold right now until I finish this damn masters thesis.

If you want to design a category show yourself, let me know.

Otherwise, I'm just going to play good tunes and random shit during my Wednesday slots.

Apologies and stay tuned for updates,
Dave

Playlist 3/19/08

Theme: Songs Dave Likes (sorry, busy week)

It’s Oh So Quiet – Bjork – Post
Two Headed Boy – Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Optimistic – Radiohead – Kid A
Province – TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
Phenomena – Yeahs Yeahs Yeahs – Show Your Bones
Mansard Roof – Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Disorder – Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
Scapegoat – Atmosphere – Overcast!
Brandenburg – Beirut – Gulag Orkestar
Nancy Sinatra – Bang Bang
Picture Book – The Kinks – Village Green Preservation Society
Staring at Me – M83 – M83
Cactus – David Bowie - Heathen
Sink the Seine – Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer
Please Don’t Tell Me to Do the Math – Los Campesinos – Sticking Fingers Into Socks

Playlist 3/12/08

Theme: Songs About Major U.S. Cities

Omaha – Tapes 'n' Tapes – The Loon
Award Tour – Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders
San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) – Scott McKenzie – San Francisco
Chicago – Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
Lost in Boston – The Walkmen – A Hundred Miles Off
Francis Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle – Nirvana
Moving to L.A. – Art Brut – Bang Bang Rock and Roll
Miami – The Tough Alliance – A New Chance
Ooh Las Vegas – Gram Parsons – Grievous Angel
Graceland – Paul Simon – Graceland
House of the Rising Sun – The Animals
New York New York – Nina Hagen - Fearless

Show for 3/12/08

Songs about major cities in the United States.

Playlist 2/20/08

Theme: Catch the Clap! Twice! (Songs featuring the double handclap)

If You're Happy and You Know It - Barney & Friends - I Love to Sing With Barney
Rock the Casbah - The Clash - Combat Rock
Private Eyes - Hall & Oates - Private Eyes
It's 5! - Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die
Chicks and Dicks - Junior Senior - D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat
Please Mr. Postman - Carpenters - (cover)
My Boyfriend's Back - The Angels - My Boyfriend's Back
Make it Clap - Busta Rhymes (feat. Spliff Star) - It Ain't Safe No More
The First Single - The Format - Interventions and Lullabies
No Fun - The Stooges - The Stooges
We Used to Be Friends - The Dandy Warhols - Welcome to the Monkey House
You're So Damn Hot - Ok Go - Ok Go
Close to Me - The Cure - The Head on the Door

Theme for Wednesday

Catch the Clap! Twice!

Songs featuring double handclaps.

With guest DJ Jules Simon.

Requests to pickacategory at gmail. Songs must have DOUBLE handclaps. Synthesized handclaps OK.

Playlist 2/13/08

Theme: No Reason to Cry - Songs to Play Before Valentine's Day, 2008

My Funny Valentine – Miles Davis – My Funny Valentine
Don’t Get Me Down – The Walkmen – A Hundred Miles Off
I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are) – Grand Puba – 2000
I’m Leaving You Because I Don’t Love You – Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala
Crown of Love – Arcade Fire – Funeral
I Put a Spell On You – Nina Simone
Young, Gifted & Black – Bob & Marcia (cover)
Young Girl Bluez – Biz Markie – Weekend Warrior
Hey Boy – The Blow – Poor Aim
Les Lumieres Pt.2 – Bell Orchestre – Recording a Tape The Color of Light
Street Lady – Donald Byrd
Debra – Beck – Midnite Vultures

Theme for 2/13/08

No Reason To Cry: Songs to Play on the Day Before Valentine's Day, 2008.

Requests to pickacategory at gmail.

Playlist 2/6/08

Theme: "Put a Little English On It"

I’m Afraid of Americans – David Bowie – Earthling
No Lucifer – British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?
Village Green Preservation Society – The Kinks – Village Green Preservation Society
Has it Come to This – The Streets – Original Pirate Material
Just a Rascal – Dizzee Rascal – Boy in Da Corner
Random – Lady Sovereign – Vertically Challenged EP
Pull up the People – MIA – Arular
Move It – Cliff Richard – (single)
Sun Drums And Soil – Four Tet – Everything Ecstatic
Close To Me – The Cure – The Head on the Door
Disorder – Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
Falling Down – Muse - Showbiz
Numb – Portishead – Dummy
Witness – Roots Manuva – Run Come Save Me
Unfinished Sympathy – Massive Attack – Blue Lines
Idioteque – Radiohead – Kid A

Theme for 2/6/08

"Put a Little English On It." Songs by English artists.

Nice and general this week.

Send requests and Branston pickle to pickacategory at gmail.

TIME CHANGE: Pick a Category will start at 11:00 p.m. (EST).

Playlist 1/30/08

Theme: Dorm Room Intimacy Songs

(Song Title - Artist - Album)

Between the Bars - Elliott Smith - Either/Or
Pink Moon - Nick Drake - Pink Moon
Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez - Veneer
Heartbeats - The Knife - Deep Cuts
Fade Into You - Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See
Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois - Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinoise
Radio - Davis Jones - The Heartland
Sprout and the Bean - Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
Painter in Your Pocket - Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
House of the Rising Sun - Cat Power - (cover)
She Sends Kisses - The Wrens - The Meadowlands
First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
Atoms for Peace - Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Gotholympians - Andrew Bird - Fingerlings
This Bitter Earth - Dinah Washington - This Bitter Earth

After the show (random tunes):

I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges - The Stooges
The What - Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Houseclouds - Liars - Liars
Mass Appeal - Gang Starr - Hard to Earn

Theme for 1/30

Wednesday's show:

Songs to Play in Your Dorm Room When You’re Trying to Show Her You’re Introspective, Sensitive, and Possibly the Singer-Songwriter Type, But Not in a Corny Dave Matthews/Ben Harper/Jack Johnson Kind of Way Because Then It's Obvious That All You Want Is to Get Laid, Which Is Partially True--You Do Want Intimacy--But the Wholesome, Soul-Searching Kind Set to Tasteful and Intellectually Invigorating Music That's Not Too Philosophical Because Then It Might Seem Dry and Defeat the Purpose of Your Easing Into Her Pants.

Requests to pickacategory at gmail.

Playlist 1/23/08

Theme: "You Put the 'B' in 'Subtle'"

(Song title - Artist - Album)

Get Out of My Life, Woman - Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Orchestra feat. Joe Williams - [?]
Nitemare Hippy Girl - Beck - Mellow Gold
Bitches Ain't Shit - Dr. Dre - The Chronic
Let's Impeach the President - Neil Young - Living With War
Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey - Gene Harris - Astral Signals
Saturday Night Live skit (1982) - "Ebony & Ivory" with Eddie Murphy & Joe Piscapo
Formed a Band - Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock 'n' Roll
Common People - Pulp - Different Class
My Cup - E-40 feat. Suga T - Grit and Grind
Big Bottom - Spinal Tap - This is Spinal Tap
Ddiamondd - Battles - Mirrored
So What - Anti-Nowhere League - B-side of "Streets of London"
Tent In Your Pants - Peaches - Impeach My Bush

After the show (random tunes):

Ambulance - TV On the Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
Sexy M.F. - Prince - Love Symbol Album
The Final Comedown - Grant Green - The Final Comedown
Meat Grinder - Madvillain - Madvillainy
Shake It Off - Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Just a Friend - Biz Markie - Weekend Warrior
Patti Lee - Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
At the Bottom of Everything - Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
White People For Peace - Against Me! - New Wave
Is This Love - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!

Update: You Put the "B" in "Subtle"

Everyone seems to hate this theme. Too bad...we're still doing it.

To clarify, we won't be playing only bad songs. All of the pieces will, in some way, spell out their ideas and sometimes go overboard, whether by hit-you-over-the-head musicianship, barefaced lyrics, or ridiculous metaphors. This doesn't necessarily mean the songs will suck.

Listen and judge. Send barbs and violent threats to pickacategory.

You Put the "B" in "Subtle"

Theme for Wednesday, 1/23:

You Put the "B" in "Subtle": Songs That Suck at Tact, Finesse, Obscurity, Self-Effacement, Wordplay, Metaphor, Basically Anything That Requires Complex Thought.

Request away: pickacategory [at] gmail [dot] com.

Playlist 1/16/08

Theme: Best of 2007
Critical and personal favorites of last year.

Special Guests: Shay Azoulay

(Titles in Song-Artist-Album order)

1) "The Prayer" - Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City
2) "Keep the Car Running" - Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
3) "Us Placers" - CRS (Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Pharrell) - [Single]
4) "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" - Radiohead - In Rainbows
5) "St. Apollonia" - Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
6) "We Were Born the Mutants Again With Leafing" - Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna Are You the Destroyer
7) "In the Mood" - Talib Kweli feat. Kanye West - Eardrum
8) "Paper Planes" - MIA - Kala
9) "Lovesong of the Buzzard" - Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
10) "Shirin" - Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
11) "Innocence" - Bjork - Volta
12)"Declare Independence" - Bjork - Volta
13) "Don't Make Me a Target" - Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
14) "Fireworks" - Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
15) "Rehab" - Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
16) "Simple X" - Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
17) "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" - LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

After the show, random tracks (not necessarily 2007):

"Is There a Ghost" - Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
"We've Been Had" - The Walkmen - Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone
"The Warning" - Hot Chip - The Warning
Something by Sean Lennon
"Reckoner" - Radiohead - In Rainbows

Beginnings

Welcome to the Pick A Category playlist blog.

Pick A Category is a radio show on Washington Heights Free Radio (WHFR.org) featuring music that follows a different theme each week. Tune in Wednesday evenings at 10 p.m. Eastern here.

Click on the audio stream to listen.

Requests are welcome! Send in the title of the song, the artist, a brief explanation as to why it fits an upcoming show's category, and, if you want, an interesting tidbit about the song. Multiple requests OK. Send correspondence to pickacategory [at] gmail [dot] com.

Playlists will be posted here every week, following the show. Announcements of themes for the upcoming show will be posted Sundays (or Mondays).

If you want to get on the mailing list please send an email to the address above and type "subscribe" in the subject line.