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| Photo by Jarred Gastreich |
It didn’t take us long to fall in love with Dots Not Feathers. In fact, it didn’t take the city of Saint Louis long to fall in love with the indie-folksters, either. Since DNF first made waves on the local scene with the release of its first album, A Thousand Novels, the band has been the go-to act to open for an array of national, like-minded (sounded?) acts that swing through town: S. Carey, Nicole Atkins, Or, The Whale…
On top of those impressive bills, Dots Not Feathers is gearing up to release its second EP, Come Back to Bed, on Tuesday June 14th at our first Speakers in Code sponsored show! We’ll exclusively preview a track from the EP next week, but to tide you over, we’ve got a handcrafted 10 to Spin from the five members of the band.
We now present to you, “The 2 A.M. Playlist,” a crazy-eclectic mix of songs to play when you’ve got insomnia, an early wake-up call…or you just haven’t been to bed yet. Thank you, Dots Not Feathers!
1 Animal Collective – My Girls [picked by Ravi Raghuram]
It’s the perfect first minute and a half and then the bass kicks in, and you can’t help but hit the gas. This song is night driving.
2 Kinno – Don’t Walk Away [picked by Ravi Raghuram]
This infectious jam marries the sound of 1990s R&B hits like Boyz II Men’s “On Bended Knee” and 2000s classics like Justin Timberlake’s “My Love.” When you wake up alone in the middle of the night, Kinno will share your woes.
3 If You Would Come Back Home – William Fitzsimmons [picked by Katy Durrwachter]
The Sparrow and the Crow is an album William wrote about his divorce. The songs are extremely tragic but also remind me of an extremely destructive relationship and break up that I was personally able to overcome. This song is perfect to listen to late at night and reflect on lovers lost and hope for the future.
4 Coffee – Copeland [picked by Katy Durrwachter]
This song seems rather self-explanatory. It tells of late night coffee and conversations in a small town. I grew up in southern Missouri, acting like a “big city kid” in a small town. I can’t even begin to count the trips to various twenty-four-hour diners throughout the years.
5 Radiohead – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi [picked by Ryan Myers]
This song always treats me right when I’m driving through the city late at night. The music flows with the cars around me, and just sounds to me, like a city in motion.
6 Bon Iver – Re: Stacks [picked by Ryan Myers]
If I’ve ever got a lot on my mind, this whole album talks me through it. However, this song specifically, speaks. Every second and every word understands right where I am and how badly I need to feel it at the time.
7 Further Seems Forever – The Moon is Down [picked by Jonathan Goldstein]
This album was what got me through high school, whether it was driving at 6:00 A.M. to marching band practice or at 2:00 A.M. finishing procrastinated homework (yes, four hours of sleep). This song, the title track to the album, played a huge role in inspiring me to start playing music.
8 Sleeping at Last – Needle and Thread [picked by Jonathan Goldstein]
This is, in my opinion, the most underplayed band of our generation. If you have never listened to “Sleeping At Last,” go home, put some headphones on, and listen to ANY of their beautifully orchestrated masterpieces.
9 Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 – Gustav Mahler [picked by Stephen Baier]
Mahler is one of my favorite orchestral composers, and I’ve spent so many nights listening to this beautiful piece working on homework, writing, practicing, etc. It’s interwoven into my day-to-day life.
10 Edith Piaf – Je n’en connais pas la fin [picked by Stephen Baier]
Edith Piaf is amazing. Besides the fact that singing in French is fun, it’s an amazingly well-orchestrated song that I continually feel like I’m listening to for the first time. Also, I’m a sucker for waltzes. There was a year in college that I listened to this song every night along with whatever Edith Piaf recordings I could get my hands on.