the 10-year old self-indulgent pet playlist
07/04/2024
i present to you my "pet playlist". it dates back to december of 2014, a statement that makes me feel old, and is still being maintained by me! every once in a while i add or maybe remove a couple of songs. right now it contains around 80 tracks, some of which i added shortly after discovering, while others are songs that i've known for a while and that were repurposed for the playlist. they may or may not be part of my core musical preferences; what matters is that they follow a loosely-defined theme, one that is summarised by the playlist's title: you've got the power and control.
as revealed in a previous blog post, edgy tastes have occupied a space in my brain for the better part of my life, including but not limited to: power dynamics, corruption, domination and submission, delusions of grandeur, punishment, masochism, obsession and insanity. this playlist thus encapsulates all of those concepts.
since it contains songs from all phases of my life and very different genres, i organised it in such a way that the first 3/4 or so are more pop-sounding, easier listens (although with some exceptions to spice things up!), while the latter 1/4 are heavier and less likely to appeal to the average listener. i think i did a decent job crafting an interesting and logical progression!
the playlist's title is taken from the first track, "Blame" by Bastille. this is a really influential track for me: 2014 was the year i discovered that band, by influence of a close friend from school, and it very quickly became one of my favourites. it softened and expanded my music tastes, introducing me to indie-rock/pop after a strong industrial metal and metalcore phase. at that time Blame was still unreleased and only existed in recordings of live or radio performances, teasing us with a decidedly heavier tone than their first studio album and much darker lyrics that appealed specifically to me and my friend. well, eventually Blame was released officially, along with a music video that was... really nothing like we all imagined haha, and in truth i haven't kept up with the band or enjoyed their latest releases much, but the significance of the track remains.