June 2016

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Gardenias & Mint

Happy June! We’re so very in love with spring, and while it’s been humid as f*ck, we’re not complaining, because at least it’s warm and sunny so we can bust out sandals and tanks.

G&M will be hanging out this weekend in Boston for Reg’s birthday (yay!), and we will most likely spend Saturday day lounging by the river, talking, tanning and listening to this playlist. Sounds like heaven to us!

Click here for a listen on Spotify.

june 2016

absolute loser // fruit bats

lover come back // city and colour

chateau lobby #4 (in c for two virgins) // father john misty

southern sun // boy & bear

capsized // andrew bird

lost in the light // quiet life

coffee // sylvan esso

yeah right // toro y moi

cannons // youth lagoon

mahgeetah // my morning jacket

let her go // mac demarco

yeah i’m changing // tame impala

Sweet Beats // April 2016

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Gardenias & Mint

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Permission to completely girl-out for a minute? Christa and I are utterly in love with NBC’s Nashville. It’s just so juicy! We have no shame in it and want to share our adoration with the world.

That said, whenever we’re in the midst of a season, it always makes us wish we had some country flare to our blood. While we’ve never really been into modern radio country, other types can definitely hit home with us. Of course we love the folky stuff, but we’re also lovers of all things oldies and bluegrass. This month’s playlist wanders along the folk path, but if you’re in the mood for something a little more old school and twangy, check out this playlist from a couple of summers back.

Or give this month’s a listen here!

april 2016

hurricane lamp // jeffrey foucault

lodi // jeffrey foucault

if i go // jake mcmullen

howling light // j. tillman

ulysses // current swell

there i go again // amos lee

long way from home // the lumineers

down on the bottom // the new basement tapes

decision day // field report

old ties and companions // mandolin orange

even the darkness has arms // the barr brothers

blue ridge mountain // hurray for the riff raff

Sweet Beats // September 2015

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Gardenias & Mint

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So I don’t know how things are around your neck of the woods, but Bean Town is pouring, and it ain’t stopping any time soon. Sadly it seems like this may put a hiccup in our plans to go on a girl’s weekend hike in NH, so we’re currently trying to schedule other activities. Hopefully we can find some goodies! In the mean time, while I’m cooped up in my office, I’ve crafted a mellow rainy day playlist to pass the hours.

Click here for a Spotify playlist

september 2015

living proof // gregory alan isakov

arizona // ed masuga

meet me in the woods // lord huron

big time nashville // shakey graves

timothy // tallest man on earth

fire and the flood // vance joy

crystals // of monsters and men

ashamed // dear tick

from eden // hozier

fire // jake bug

the mountain // heartless bastards

afterglow // jose gonzales

skin & bones // quiet life

wildest dreams // ryan adams

shake // the head and the heart

real desire // dan auerbach

Sweet Beats // May 2015

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Gardenias & Mint

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Man, the last couple of months have done a number on me. Back in the beginning of April, my landlord of 4 years told my 3 roommates and I that she had decided to put our home on the market. She needed to do it for personal reasons, and while we totally understood and wanted to help her, it was a lot of information to take on very quickly. We live in a big 5 bedroom house with an attic, basement, and storage galore. Needless to say we had some stuff accumulate over time.

She needed us out as quickly as possible, and almost immediately began to have open houses. After a couple of weeks of very intensive searching for a new place, we found a really nice space only a quarter mile away from where we already live. Right after we signed on and had accepted the change, our landlord decided to take the house off of the market. We had the option to stay, but after weighing out the pros and cons, decided that the move made the most sense for us. We’re downsizing for sure, but I’m actually a little excited about that. Our current place is almost too big — so many things accumulating in the nooks and crannies! Also, the new place has central air, can I get an amen to no more sweaty Boston summer sleepless nights?

The big move is happening this coming weekend, and while I’m sad to give up such a beautiful place that was my first home in a new city, I’m ready to make the new place ours.

Here’s hoping that this playlist helps to chill you all out, as it has for me! Click here for the list on Spotify.

may 2015

01. boardwalks // little may

02. only memories remain // my morning jacket

03. broken // jake bugg

04. simple as this // jake bugg

05. depreston // courtney barnett

06. ashamed // deer tick

07. snaggle tooth // vance joy

08. second chances // gregory alan isakov

09. ojai // ray lamontagne

10. homecoming heroes // the head and the heart

11. the glow // esmé patterson

12. house of winston // shakey graves

13. burn card // the barr brothers

14. she lit a fire // lord huron

15. st. roch blues // hurray for the riff raff

16. blue ridge mountain // hurray for the riff raff

Sweet Beats // April 2015

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Gardenias & Mint

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This weekend we’ll be throwing a big birthday bash for several friends/roommates in Boston, so naturally I’m in party playlist mode. I will warn you, this mix is pretty random. You may think at one point that I’ve gone a little mental, but it’s pretty much just a sample mix of a much more epically-scaled one that I’ve created for the night-of. I spared you all of the Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen, but that’s not to say that they won’t be played. OH, they’ll be played.

Click here for a link on Spotify

april 2015

01. soul man // save & dave

02. me, myself & i // de la soul

03. kryponite – feat. big boi // big boi

04. bassment party // the cool kids

05. the seed (2.0) // the roots

06. should i stay or should i go // the clash

07. it’s tricky // run-dmc

08. roses // outlkast

09. got to give it up (part 1) // marvin gaye

10. let’s dance // ramones

11. rock & roll // the velvet underground

12. all caps // madvillain

13. restless leg // har mar superstar

14. we don’t sleep // har mar superstar

15. new beat // toro y moi

Sweet Beats // February 2015

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Gardenias & Mint

Lately I’ve been finding myself straying from my typical love of breathy folk music (#chickmusic) for something with a little more beat. This type of tune just feels so right when doing a little evening yoga before bed, walking home from the train, or sinking into the couch to get into the photo editing zone. I’m definitely the day-dreaming type, and all about detaching from everyday stresses to take in a few intrinsic moments. What kind of things have you guys been doing these days to unwind?

Click here for a link on Spotify.

february 2015

get good (infinitefreefall remix) // st. south

every other freckle // alt-j

don’t wanna fight // alabama shakes

hospice gates // lower dens

the stars in spring // epic45

great escape // washed out

no stranger // small black

party talk // craft spells

lately // memory house

genesis // grimes

suddenly // junip

inside out // spoon

james dean // dale earnhardt jr. jr.

bloodflood pt. II // alt-j

image via

Sweet Beats // January 2015

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Gardenias & Mint

This winter has been doing some work on me in terms of my health. I’ve been trying to stick with that resolution to exercise regularly, but it seems like every time I get into a rhythm my body chooses to shut down and get the flu… and then I faint on a train. Did that actually happen? Yes. Luckily I didn’t fully lose consciousness, a kind samaritan gave me his seat, and I was already on my way to the doctor. So it was pretty much a best-case-scenario.

Anyways, this playlist will hopefully help us all out with the fitness routine, granted we’re all in good health! I’ve found these songs to have a pretty solid beat that’s ideal for zoning out to. You can get a good run on with Lion Babe, Blacroc is perfect for strength training, and stretching feels amazing while zoning out to M.I.A. Get out there and kill it, ladies.

Click here for the link on Spotify.

january 2015

treat me like fire // lion babe

jump hi // lion babe feat. childish gambino

seasons (waiting on you) // future islands

eyes be closed // washed out

ain’t nothing like you [hoochie coo] // blackroc

talk is cheap // chet faker

fineshrine // purity ring

pretty girls // little dragon

sugah daddy // d’angelo

stolen dance // milky chance

step to my girl // souls of mischief

space // m.i.a.

Image via Bouffants And Broken Hearts

– – –

rkv

Sweet Beats // September 2014

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Gardenias & Mint

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Mostly, these playlists keep me company during my morning commute, which means easy listening. Not like, light 100.5 easy listening with Kenny G., but rather your indie guitar with soft vocal harmonies and such. I’m just a much more pleasant person in the morning if there’s calming music in my ears and a vanilla latte sprinkled with cinnamon in my hand. Is that so wrong? I didn’t think so.

So friends, if you too need a little soft musica in the morning, click here to listen on spotify.

01. the future pt. 1 // voxtrot

02. can’t get it out of my head // telekinesis

03. day go by // karen o

04. bad bad love // alexander

05. friend of the devil // grateful dead

06. daughters of the soho riots // the national

07. to connect // floating action

08. gun shy // widowspeak

09. don’t throw me away // the mumlers

10. day glo // brazos

11. arizona // ed masuga

12. so long, marianne // leonard cohen

13. wanna be on your mind // valerie june

Sweet Beats // August 2014

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Gardenias & Mint

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I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been a bit of a stress-case these days. Maybe it’s my end-of-summer melancholia? Whatever the reason, soothing folk/indie kind of music just has a way of easing my nerves and bringing me back to reality. Few things make me happier than a long walk in late summer with warm sounds ringing in my ears.

Hope you all find this month’s playlist equally tension relieving.

01. northern sky // nick drake

02. gentle moon // sun kil moon

03. humiliation // the national

04. watching the wheels // john lennon

05. all the king’s horses // robert plant and the strange sensation

06. photograph // ringo starr

07. keep me in your heart // warren zevon

08. wide world // blessed feathers

09. loved/dark // alison may

10. the light (her hands her leaves) // alexi murdoch

11. that stable song // gregory alan isakov

12. one red thread // blind pilot

13. ghost // jeremy messersmith

14. blood // the middle east

Sweet Beats // July 2014

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Gardenias & Mint

These next couple of weekends are going to involve a whole lot of lounging in the great outdoors. This coming Friday Christa and I are heading up her to family’s home in rural New Hampshire, and the following weekend we’ll be hanging with old friends on the beach in Old Lyme, CT. Sometimes when things are this relaxed, I just want some twangy bluesy folky goodness to accompany me.

If you’re in the same boat as myself, click here to enjoy.

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01. cross road blues // robert johnson

02. truckin’ little woman // big bill broonzy

03. when the levee breaks // memphis minnie

04. louis collins // mississippi john hurt

05. will you miss me? // woody guthrie

06. i walk the line // johnny cash

07. fixin’ to die // bukka white

08. the blizzard’s never seen the desert sands // tallest man on earth

09. ripple // grateful dead

10. along about daybreak // bill monroe

11. can i sleep in your arms // phosphorescent

12. laundry room // the avett brothers

13. american hearts // a.a. bondy