Conference Playlist

Imagine, if you will, spending a week in a beautiful hotel in Colorado Springs for an annual conference. The environment is gorgeous and your clients are some of your favorite people yet you can't really sleep and your skin is so dry that you choose to not shower but every other day just to feel normal. When I wasn't running around meeting with clients and wondering if I was allergic to the hotel I was standing on my balcony looking at the radar towers of NORAD and dreaming of disappearing in the mountains.
I'm going to skip over all the tedious work details of the week and focus on the music. First, we have the party. The conference usually concludes with a party that in the past has generated the best stories. Immortalization at this company is guaranteed for you if you've gone overboard at the party. This year we were all pretty low key, but I did two-step with a customer, which was extremely unexpected. It also could have been dangerous since I had been drinking wine and I'm notoriously clumsy when I'm drinking. Anyway, at some point, the dj announced that [enter my name here] must stay on the dance floor for a two-step and that my partner's identity would be revealed in a few seconds. The floor cleared and I stood there and saw one of my clients from California walking towards me. We two-stepped to Brooks & Dunn's "Boot Scoot Boogie." Later, he and I paired up again during a disco classic. It was a lot of fun. One of my favorite moments was when practically EVERYONE was on the dance floor dancing to Sister Sledge's 'We Are Family." It was an evening filled with laughter and sentimentality. I wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible.
All seriousness aside, it was also an evening during which I discovered that one of my coworker's knows the all the lyrics to "Ice Ice Baby". I must say that was a little surprising.
The evening ended with J and me both noticing a beautiful half moon rising over the mountain and a decision to grab one more bottle of wine before calling it a night.
Finally, I wanted to publish my conference playlist. In our rooms we had iPod attachments to the clock radio so I was able to listen to this music during my off times. Don't be scared. I sometimes pepper my playlists with indie songs. This time it's the dominant genre. I'm not subconsciously mourning the loss of The OC, though I think I will miss it. I'll be wearing Scandinavian leather again as soon as it turns warm. -K

Nothin' No - David Vandervelde
There is something very Marc Bolan about this Chicagoan's voice. That plus the guitar in this song makes it a gorgeous throwback to glam rock. Where is my mandrax and feather boa?

One Night Only (disco version) - Dreamgirls soundtrack
I love disco. I do.

On Call - Kings of Leon
J and I decided that we would have a moratorium on each other's bands this year since both are coming out with new albums and promised each other to listen with open minds. This year I've promised to be open minded about Kings of Leon's latest coming out soon. I don't know if it's the ambience or if it's just a really good song, but I liked this one the first time I heard it.

Flathead - The Fratellis
Love this song. But, I foresee me being totally sick of it soon.

Albion - Babyshambles
It's too bad that Pete Doherty's personal struggle with drugs has made him such a tragicomic figure. After watching a documentary on him I've come to realize that there is a lot of good music coming out of this guy's mind. He's a fool, but he's a fool that represents human weakness in an unexpectedly identifiable way.

U+Ur Hand - P!nk
Hell yes. P!nk will kick ur ass.

Smile - Lily Allen
There's just something about this song that I can't get out of my head. It's got an easy feeling to it.

Number 1 - Goldfrapp
Sexy, sexy, sexy woman, that Allison Goldfrapp.

Up the Bracket - The Libertines
This is just good brit rock. The Libertines was Pete's first successful attempt at putting a band together. Too bad it all fell apart.

Do the Whirlwind - Architecture in Helsinki
This is an odd inclusion, I know. It's very ambient/techno but melodic as well.

Chips Ahoy! - The Hold Steady
These guys have a lot of buzz surrounding them, but I hope they keep their local band sound. There's something very unpretentious about their sound that can be so rare in the indie scene.

Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams
I haven’t listened to too much of his music, but these lyrics are so longing. I can't get enough of this song.

Yankee Go Home - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
I could not listen to the lead singer Alec Ounsworth's voice for too many songs in a row because it's just like Gordon Gano from Violent Femmes. Gives me hives. HOWEVER. This song is pretty ok.