Parsons Playlists: Emotional Classical Music

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Amy (class of 2025) which explores how classical music can convey many emotions.

Emotional Classical Music

When people hear I enjoy listening to classical music, they often assume it’s the soft repetitive music most associate with studying. However, classical music is much more than just something to put on in the background. It is compelling storytelling, music I am not able to listen to while working because I am too enthralled by the story unfolding in my ears to pay attention to anything else. This is why I created this playlist: to show new classical music listeners that classical music is not a one-size-fits-all genre, it can convey anything you want it to.

Richard Wagner – Die Walkure, Act II: Ride of the Valkyries

Dimitri Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: IV. Largo

Dimitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93: II. Allegro

Gustav Holst – The Planets, Op. 32: 1. Mars, the Bringer of War

Carl Orff – Carmina Burana, Introduction, Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: O Fortuna

Johann Sebastian Bach – Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565: 1. Toccata

Johann Sebastian Bach – Orchestral Suite No. 2 in No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067: VII. Badinerie

Giuseppe Verdi – Requiem, Dies Irae

Sergei Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet Op. 64, Act 1, Scene 2: Dance of the Knights

Antonin Dvorak – Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 “From the New World”: IV. Allegro con fuoco

Pyotr IIyich Tchaikovsky – Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23, TH 55: 1. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Requiem in D Minor, K. 636 Sequence: VI. Lacrimosa Dies Illa

Pyotr IIyich Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No. 10, Scene. Moderato

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSwAwMtTLDwg9SWLgHg8b8oTYudIv8wSu&si=_wDnpCg7fHAYvRkS

And here it is on Spotify:

WDCE Charts 10-18-23

Did you know that the University of Richmond has its own radio station?

WDCE 90.1 Logo

WDCE 90.1: UR Radio is the voice of independent radio in Richmond, VA and has been student-run and operated since 1960.
Students have used it as a launching pad for careers in radio or other mass communications, and also as an engaging extra-curricular activity. Community members and UR alumni also continue to play an important role in the station.

As a new feature on our blog, we plan to regularly share chart information from WDCE as reported to the North American College and Community (NACC) Radio Chart.

Here’s the WDCE Top 30 from October 18, 2023 (click the image to see a larger version):

WDCE chart 10-18-23

For comparison, here is this week’s national NACC chart (click the image to see a larger version):

NACC  chart 10-18-23

You can stream WDCE live here: https://live365.com/station/WDCE-90-1-FM-a39711

WDCE graphic 10-18-23

Arachnophonia: OutKast “Aquemini”

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Deisy (class of 2024) and features OutKast’s 1998 album Aquemini. Thanks, Deisy!

OutKast

Aquemini

OutKast - Aquemini

The dynamic duo that swept the Hip hop scene in the late 1990s/early 2000s, OutKast consisted of André 3000 and Big Boi. With only six studio albums and 32 singles, OutKast made a big name for themselves in hip hop, and disbanded in 2007. They have very memorable songs that many have heard in movies and radio such as “Hey Ya!” And “Ms. Jackson.”

Many of their albums live in the Parson Music Library at UR. My favorite of the bunch must be Aquemini, released in 1998. Their music is the type to transition into our current media in the best way possible. This album can be a refreshing break from the current hip hop and musical scene. Songs to check out form the album include: “Chonkyfire,” “Mamacita,” and “Da Art of Storytelling.” Aquemini is definitely worth checking out from Parsons Music Library.

Parsons Playlists: Re-Watching Gilmore Girls

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student assistant Nicole (class of 2024) featuring some tunes from the TV series Gilmore Girls.

Re-watching Gilmore Girls

Lorelei and Rory Gilmore

It’s finally the season to take out your cozy sweaters, order pumpkin spice latte, prep your Halloween costume and, most importantly, re-watch your favorite comfort show: Gilmore Girls!! Here is a playlist with some iconic tunes from the show, and other songs that remind me of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore.

The La’s – “There She Goes”

Carole King – “Where You Lead”

Sam Phillips – “Reflecting Light”

Sam Phillips – “If I Could Write”

The Cranberries – “Linger”

Cigarettes After Sex – “Don’t Let Me Go”

boygenius – “Cool About It”

boygenius – “Not Strong Enough”

Phoebe Bridgers – “Moon Song”

Phoebe Bridgers – “Savior Complex”

Taylor Swift ft. Phoebe Bridgers – “Nothing New”

Taylor Swift – “This Is Me Trying”

Taylor Swift – “Mirrorball”

Taylor Swift” – “You’re On Your Own, Kid”

The Script – “Breakeven”

The 1975 – “About You”

The 1975 – “Robbers”

Cocteau Twins & Harold Budd – “Sea, Swallow Me”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57Zeyes–6Een-75dqodJMZWLj&si=-bx9lzSrIqMf9zXz

WDCE Charts 10-11-23

Did you know that the University of Richmond has its own radio station?

WDCE 90.1 Logo

WDCE 90.1: UR Radio is the voice of independent radio in Richmond, VA and has been student-run and operated since 1960.
Students have used it as a launching pad for careers in radio or other mass communications, and also as an engaging extra-curricular activity. Community members and UR alumni also continue to play an important role in the station.

As a new feature on our blog, we plan to regularly share chart information from WDCE as reported to the North American College and Community (NACC) Radio Chart.

Here’s the WDCE Top 30 from 10 October 2023 (click the image to see a larger version):

WDCE  Chart 10-11-23

For comparison, here is this week’s national NACC chart (click the image to see a larger version):

NACC chart 10-11-23

You can stream WDCE live here: https://live365.com/station/WDCE-90-1-FM-a39711

WDCE collage 10-11-23

Arachnophonia: Nilsson

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item(s) in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Eli (class of 2024) and features a couple of albums by and a biography of American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (1941-1994). Thanks, Eli!

Harry Nilsson

Harry Nilsson

This Arachnophonia post is centered around Harry Nilsson, an underrated and somewhat forgotten artist, at least by younger generations. Known for his “pioneering vocal overdub…, returns to the Great American Songbook, and fusions of Caribbean sounds,” Nilsson was an international phenomenon in the early 1970s. Sometimes referred to as the “American Beatle,” Nilsson is best known today for his songs “Without You” and “Everybody’s Talkin’,” both of which have over 100 million plays on Spotify.

Aerial Ballet
Nilsson - Aerial Ballet

I find Nilsson to be somewhat of an outlier in his stardom. He achieved great success, winning Grammy awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance & Best Male Contemporary Vocal Performance and produced three international top 10 singles. Yet, Nilsson rarely performed live and never took regular tours. He instead remained relevant through his consistent innovation and unique role within the music industry. Music historians credit Nilsson as the inventor of the “mashup,” thanks to his 1967 cover of the Beatles’ song “You Can’t Do That,” which Nilsson overlaid with vocals from over a dozen other Beatles songs.

Nilsson Schmilsson
Nilsson Schmilsson

Nilsson existed during a transient musical space, providing a smooth link between the psychedelic music of the 60s and the classic singer-songwriter era of the 70s. Rolling Stone lists Nilsson as number 62 on the “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time,” and The Beatles themselves once revealed that Nilsson was their favorite American artist. In a musical world so dominated by The Beatles, Nilsson managed to differentiate his sound while collaborating with the superstars. He became friends with John Lennon and Ringo Starr and became a strong gun control advocate after Lennon was assassinated in 1980. Nilsson died in 1994 from a heart attack while recording his final album Lost and Founnd, which was posthumously released in 2019.

Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter by Alyn Shipton
Nilsson Bio

My personal favorite Nilsson album is Aerial Ballet, released in 1968, while his most popular album is Nilsson Schmilsson, released in 1971. Both are available on CD at Parsons Music Library as is the leading biographical work on Nilsson, Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter, by Alyn Shipton.

Parsons Playlists: Sunday Afternoons in the Fall

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Deisy (class of 2024) featuring songs to play on a Sunday afternoon in the fall.

Sunday Afternoons in the Fall

Solitude

Jo Stafford – “You Belong To Me”

Billie Holiday – “Solitude”

Doris Day and The Mellomen – “Again”

Thee Sacred Souls – “Can I Call You Rose?”

Joey Quinones – “Don’t Tell Me”

Aaron Neville – “Tell It Like It Is”

Joe Bataan – “I Wish You Love, Pt. 1”

Minnie Riperton and Stevie Wonder – “Give Me Time”

Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes – “I Miss You, Pt. 1”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZezQBIGRZb4UpjIF5dYw7RFG&si=aZCU7rDFdl1Hkiz-

WDCE Charts 10-4-23

Did you know that the University of Richmond has its own radio station?

WDCE 90.1 Logo

WDCE 90.1: UR Radio is the voice of independent radio in Richmond, VA and has been student-run and operated since 1960.
Students have used it as a launching pad for careers in radio or other mass communications, and also as an engaging extra-curricular activity. Community members and UR alumni also continue to play an important role in the station.

As a new feature on our blog, we plan to regularly share chart information from WDCE as reported to the North American College and Community (NACC) Radio Chart.

Here’s the WDCE Top 30 from October 4, 2023 (click the image to see a larger version):

WDCE chart info 10-4-23

For comparison, here is this week’s national NACC chart (click the image to see a larger version):

NACC chart info 10-4-23

You can stream WDCE live here: https://live365.com/station/WDCE-90-1-FM-a39711

WDCE 10-4-23

Arachnophonia: Taylor Swift “folklore”

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Marissa (class of 2025) and features Taylor Swift’s 2020 album folklore. Thanks, Marissa!

Taylor Swift

folklore

Taylor Swift - folklore (album cover)

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020, American singer-song writer Taylor Swift released her 8th studio album titled folklore. This album was vastly different from anything she had produced previously, drawing in a new crowd of indie folk fans.

While Swift’s usual songs are written about events that took place in her personal life, folklore takes a different route: each song tells a fictional story with the same cast of characters throughout the album. The tracks “cardigan”, “betty”, and “august” all center around a love triangle between the characters Betty, James, and Augustine. Most of these songs include only Taylor Swift‘s vocals, however the track “exile” features the band Bon Iver as well.

If you are interested in anything Taylor Swift, learning more about this love triangle, or are already a fan of indie folk music, I’d recommend checking out this CD today from Parsons Music Library. You can find the item here: folklore.

Parsons Playlists: Time Capsule

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Kiran (class of 2024) featuring songs from her freshman year at UR.

Time Capsule

Here are some of my favorite songs from freshman year of college, that I look back on now as a senior! Inspired by our proclamation tradition of letter writing to our senior selves. Happy listening!

Joji – “Gimme Love”

Glass Animals – “Life Itself”

Arctic Monkeys – “Fluorescent Adolescent”

MGMT – “When You Die”

Declan McKenna – “Be An Astronaut”

Flo Milli – “In the Party”

Beach House – “Space Song”

Fleetwood Mac – “Little Lies”

Chuck Mangione – “Give It All You Got”

Doja Cat – “Streets”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57Zex5GQDz1Ty_duNM-yTOL_Ej&si=9eaLBgg8CmZxlC__