So, for the super bowl I was looking for some music to pump me up. I didn’t really care particularly for either team (If Alex Smith wasn’t on the side line I would be rooting for the 49ers). I still wanted to get pumped up. I mean it’s the frickin’ Super Bowl. So I put together a mixtape. Hope it pumps you up!
1 – House of the Rising Sun – The Animals
This song is that cool, calm kind of crazy. It’s the kind of song that slowly gets my blood boiling, and I love the music video. This song is one of the originators of badassery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwAw9ThDQmk
2 – Can I Kick It – A Tribe Called Quest
I’ve been listening to a lot of 90s hip-hop lately. It just makes me feel good. The beats are classy and jazzy, and the rhymes are smooth. It just feels so… cool.
3 – REVOFEV – Kid Cudi
This song got my attention as one of the songs they would play in Assembly Hall before Illini games. It got me pumped up to watch the Fighting Illini. I still listen to this song before any kind of competition I’m in.
4 – Ali in the Jungle – The Hours
This song was on a nike add during the 2010 olympics. It was really inspiring. It was right at a time in my life when I was really into Muhammed Ali too. This song will make you want to do your best, and then some.
5 – No Need For a Leader – Unknown Mortal Orchestra
This album is coming out this week and I really suggest that you listen to it. Just like Tame Impala’s hit album earlier in the year, this album has a classic psychedelic rock feel. If you are looking for a new album to sink your teeth into, here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsTHsXeXnd0
6 – Unbelievers – Vampire Weekend
This song gets me pumped because I am just so excited for Vampire Weekend’s new album. The first week of May could not come sooner. I saw Vampire Weekend in September of 2010, it was the second best show I’ve ever seen. Here’s their Halloween performance on Jimmy Kimmel.
7 – Month of May – Arcade Fire
If Vampire Weekend was the second best live show I’ve ever seen, Arcade Fire was the best. They have such a crazy stage presence, they just go nuts, and this song is their craziest. It’s just constant energy. This song gets going.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUMyfPY1TRQ
8 – Northern Lights – St. Vincent
I would make a lot of really questionable decisions in order to get a coffee date with Annie Clark of St. Vincent. She rocks more than just about anyone in the music industry, and on top of that she’s gorgeous.
9 – Second Chance – Peter, Bjorn and John
I heard this one on a commercial just before the Super Bowl and thought, “This song is really damn good, I should put in on my mixtape.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxcHS27DuEo
10 – The Pretender – Foo Fighters
This song kicks ass. The Foo Fighters was one of the first rock bands I got really into. I still remember going to my first rock concert to see the Foo Fighters with my dad. They played this song second. Get pumped up.
