I’m trying to put together a fairly mellow CD; something I can put on and forget about, basically. The only real limitation I’ve put on it is that I’d like to use no more than one song by any given artist. Also, I’d like to find a song in which the vocals begin before the instruments to start the CD off.
Here’s what I’ve got so far (in no particular order), to give some idea of what I’ve got in mind:
Portishead - Glory Box
Mahavishnu Orchestra - You Know You Know
E Nomine - Seance
Rasputina - Herb Girls of Birkenau
Utada Hikaru - First Love
Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground
Joseph Kilna MacKenzie - Sgt. MacKenzie
I’m not so sure about the vocals before the music, but for my most recent mellow cd I threw in:
Iron and Wine - Upward Over the Mountain
Low - In Metal
The Postal Service - This Place is a Prison
Absinthe Blind - The Break
Songs: Ohia - Two Blue Lights
Cat Power - Colors and the Kids
I also threw in some Calexico and Yo La Tengo, but they’re borderline mellow depending on what song you include and what songs are before and after them.
Also put on some Royksöpp for that chilled house vibe. And you can never go wrong with Bjòrk - try something from Vespertine for that wrapped up in a blanket feeling.
I’m having a hard time the the ‘vocals before instruments’ thing, too, but here’s a few good tunes:
Dead Can Dance - “The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove”
Moloko - “The Time is Now”
Vanessa Daou - “Show Me”
Thievery Corporation - “Transcendance”
Leonard Cohen - “By the Rivers Dark” and “Alaxandra Leaving”
Massive Attack - “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game”
Supreme Beings of Leisure - “Never the Same”
John Martyn - “Sunshines Better”
Lyle Lovett - “Simple Song”
The World of Skin - “Please Remember Me”
This Mortal Coil - “Song to the Siren”
If only I could get my friends to agree, the tasteless savages!
There’s also:
Wilco
American Analog Set
Eels
Film School
Mogwai
Sin Ropas
Sigur Ros
Belle & Sebastian
Mars Volta
Mojave 3
Califone
…though I don’t have particular songs to recommend for them. Perhaps someone else could make suggestions, but generally any song by them would fit your criteria.
Sigur Ros- Svefn-g-englar, Agaetis Burjun
John Lennon- Look at Me
Rolling Stones- She Smiled Sweetly
Cowboy Junkies- Sweet Jane
Loudermilk- Ash to Ash, 97 Ways to Kill a Superhero, Mai, Attached at the Mouth
Sonic Youth- Superstar
Cat Power- Maybe Not, Werewolf, To be a Good Woman, I Don’t Blame You
Velvet Underground- Heroin
Nico- These Days
Some excellent music suggested on this thread. I’ll add:
Wilco - Radio Cure, Ashes of American Flags, Via Chicago
Mojave 3 - In Love with a View
The Minus Five - The Days of Wine and Booze
Beck - Guess I’m Doing Fine
Morcheeba - Blindfold
Coldplay - The Scientist
Andy Stochansky - Lake Alaska 4:00 A.M., Hymn
Ron Sexsmith - Gold in Them Hills (or pretty much anything else off of Cobblestone Runway)
