What's so good?
By Lauren Sloss | August 26th, 2011
Well, after a marvelous summer in San Francisco, I’m packing my bags and heading back to Brooklyn. I love Brooklyn, I really do. But I’m a California girl at heart, and the West Coast is imprinted on me like DNA.
So, my move back east comes with an onslaught of contradictory emotions — excitement and sadness, elation, and heartbreak. It’s hard feeling such a pull to two places, but I know I can count on my handy music library to help me sort through the confusion.
While this playlist veers a little more on the Brooklyn side, don’t let it fool you as to where my loyalty lies: I may be Brooklyn-bound, but I’m always one to give into the westward pull of manifest destiny when it comes down to it.
"The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You"
I listened to this album on repeat as I was packing to move to New York, almost exactly a year ago. I listed to it on the flight, looking out the window, okay, yes, crying. Why was I leaving a city and a life I loved for a new one? What on earth could make it worth it? The answer was obvious: New York made it worth it. San Francisco is home and always will be, but New York is magic. It's undeniable. And as I listed to the soul wrenching openings lines, "Oh Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in/Are you aware the state I'm in?" I felt like I was listening to my own version of the Statue of Liberty's promise.
Download from:
IndieShuffle (right click save as)
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"Billy Bragg and Wilco - California Stars"
Be still my West Coast-loving heart. This is the song I listen to when it starts snowing in New York. It's the song I listen to when I miss home so much it hurts. And it's the song I put on in my car when, immediately after getting back to San Francisco, I go out driving in the golden hills of California. It's got some gorgeous slide guitar in addition to tugging at my sentimental heartstrings.
Download from:
IndieShuffle (right click save as)
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"Justin Townes Earle - One More Night in Brooklyn"
This album was one of my absolute favorites last year. And this track, a sweet finger-picking tune evokes both the beauty of Brooklyn, and the homesickness one can feel under New York's weight.
Download from:
IndieShuffle (right click save as)
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"The National - All The Wine"
I know -- this song is negatively ironic in its egoistic declarations. But I still can't help but grin every time I hear the line, "I'm a perfect piece of ass, like every Californian." I mean, it would be funny if it wasn't true, right?
Download from:
IndieShuffle (right click save as)
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"The Black Keys - Brooklyn Bound"
Have I mentioned lately how much I love the Black Keys? Yeah, still do. And this raw, growling track off their first album The Big Come Up is blues rock at it's best.
Download from:
IndieShuffle (right click save as)
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
I'm a San Francisco based-writer with Brooklyn ties and a taste for adventure. I am music-obsessed, live show addicted, and more often than not can ...learn more →
