Buick Encore Presents, One Playlist For Driving Around NYC
by Carl Camilla Lane
This One Playlist for Driving Around NYC is brought to you by the all-new 2013 Buick Encore, the luxury crossover that’s always the perfect fit. Learn more.
Driving in and around New York City can be alternately beautiful and maddening, full of fits and starts and unexpected obstacles (most of whom are pedestrians). But regardless of whether you’re cruising up 9A through Inwood Hill Park over the magnificent Henry Hudson Bridge, or on the Belt Parkway zooming across Brighton Beach on a misty morning (or even stuck in traffic during your morning commute), you soon realize that NYC is a magical, magical place. And while there are infinite playlists for this infinite city, here is just one for your enjoyment.
James Blake, “Retrograde”
Let’s start off slow. James Blake writes perfect morning music. Retrograde is a lovely, slightly mournful-sounding tune for your early journey through the restless hordes of sleepy-eyed NYC commuters. Relax, you’ll get to your destination on time. Probably. We wish you the best of luck in any case.
St. Vincent and David Byrne, “Who”
Who, indeed, would have thought that a funky, mellowed-out, middle-aged Dave Byrne and a young, prog rock-inspired St. Vincent would make such a great team. “You,” the opening track from their collaborative album, Love This Giant, makes for great NYC driving music. With its almost ridiculous, staccato horn riff and punchy bass groove, the track is by turns calming and invigorating. A great track for people watching out your car window in SoHo or the Lower East Side.
The Notorious B.I.G., “Juicy”
“Juicy” is one of the most iconic tracks off of Biggie’s most iconic record, Ready to Die. And it encapsulates everything that is great and magical about the city. A classic rags-to-riches tale with one of the grooviest, most feel-good beats ever, “Juicy” is a vivid, time-traveling journey through poverty, youth, and success in NYC. Horatio Alger wished he could write like this.
John Coltrane, “Giant Steps”
Manic, joyful and dizzyingly complex, John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” is an exuberant tribute to the messy, beautiful stuff of life. it also makes perfect NYC driving music. With its quick walking bass line and impossible chord progressions, the track perfectly captures the speed and richness of city living. Try giving this track a listen while cruising along the West Side Highway just as the sun goes down.
Sly Stone, “In Time”
Miles Davis was supposedly so impressed with the opening track from Fresh that he made his band listen to it on repeat for a full 30 minutes. It’s easy to see why. “In Time,” with its bizarre, dissonant catchiness and offbeat rhythmic accents, captures everything that is pure and good about funk. The track is a straight up celebration of creativity, movement and desire. A great night time track to get you revved up for the weekend.
The Beastie Boys, “Hello, Brooklyn”
The Beastie Boys are beloved for a reason. The reason is because they write songs like “Hello, Brooklyn.” Play this track and ride around Brooklyn with the windows down and the system up, as they say.
Arthur Russell, “Make 1, 2”
Arthur Russell played it all: disco, electronic, funk, chamber pop. His music is raw, rhythmic and a third word that probably doesn’t exist. He’s just excellent. “Make 1, 2” is Russell basically perfecting disco (an awesome, tragically misunderstood genre) by injecting a healthy dose of intelligence and emotion into its sturdy funk melodies.
Sonic Youth, “Bull in the Heather”
Sonic Youth’s jagged, dissonant, exotically-tuned music defined a new kind of cool in the New York City’s 80s No Wave scene. “Bull in the Heather” represents perfect mid-period Sonic Youth, balancing precariously between their earlier pure noise efforts and later melodicism. The song is utterly cool, so you will feel utterly cool listening to it while cruising the L.E.S pretending it’s 1994.
Steve Reich, “New York Counterpoint (Part I)”
Steve Reich, along with Philip Glass, Terry Riley and others, defined an entire genre of contemporary minimalist music in the Downtown scene of 60s and 70s NYC. “New York Counterpoint” is by turns quick, plodding, overwhelming, melodic and strange. Like its namesake city, the composition is itself an a journey through multiple ambiances. The staccato rhythms of clarinet and bass clarinet have a wild feel to them, like sudden bird calls. Give this a listen anywhere in NYC. This is the perfect soundtrack to exploring the concrete jungle.
Perfume Genius, “Take Me Home”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrpr5ARPO84
Closing out the set is young Mike Hadreas, AKA Perfume Genius. “Take Me Home” is very sad song, and downright dark lyrically. Musically, however, it perfectly captures the feeling of resignation after a long day. When Hadreas sings “Take me home/Tend to me/Baby, lay me down easy/For I have grown weary on my own,” we can all relate.
Image Credit: Flickr User Jorge.Cancela