Art

What Editors Like: Welcome Earworms for COVID-19 Listening

Leilah Weinraub for Cultured 2018.
Leilah Weinraub for Cultured 2018.

What do our editors like? "As far as a playlist I have been listening to, my good friend Edgardo Osorio of Aquazzura made a playlist on Spotify called 'Happy Summer'. It’s the perfect playlist to have on morning to night!" -Laura de Gunzburg, Contributing Editor

"My daughter Shari, who is an anthropologist by profession as well as a Hatha Yoga and breath work instructor, has inspired and changed my typical musical go-tos by helping me chill. Her selections of Billie Holiday, Django Reinhardt and Krishna Das have helped me to relax….if even for an hour." -Gail Feldman, Publisher

“There are two albums I’m listening to. The first, Piñata (2014), is a cinematic soundscape: using vivid imagery, soulful samples and comedic twists, the creative duo of Freddie Gibbs and Madlib fashion a world refreshingly removed from the current reality of pandemic land (also highly recommend a @freddiegibbs follow on Instagram). The second is First Album (2009) by Miss Kittin. It’s a self-aware piss take on club excess, debauchery and depraved characters. I listened to this album on a whim, but Miss Kittin and The Hacker’s 2001 record is a necessary reminder of life pre-COVID-19. I hope we can all return to the after-hours world it depicts soon.” -Katie Brown, Art Director

Album cover of Zion & Lennox’s Motivando A La Yal
Zion & Lennox’s Motivando A La Yal

"I’ve been re-visiting former favorite albums, now that I have enough sedentary time to listen to something beginning to end. Some are standing the test of time, others not so much. One all around winner is Zion & Lennox’s Motivando A La Yal (2004), which is just the right mix (for me) of energy, angst and nostalgia." -Isabel Flower, Executive Editor

"Fortunately, most of my rituals haven't changed, but I've started praying more. I do a deep breathing exercise and then I'll burn lavender incense and a Roman and Williams Guild candle. I try to watch the sunrise each morning. For music, I've been rotating Lana Del Rey, Young Thug, and Nina Simone." -Killian Wright-Jackson, Contributing Features Writer

"I’ve been taking this time to savor the stillness and spending time with albums old and new, front to back. While listening, my brain is flooded with old memories and feelings from times in my life I never sit and think about so I’ve been writing those down and finding pleasure in dissecting the details." -Tanima Mehrotra, Contributing Photographer

"I’ve been mostly listening to 'music for concentration' on Spotify and then always Lana Del Ray on drives with my kids." -Sarah Harrelson, Editor-in-Chief

"I’m currently listening to Bossa Nova, as I find it soothing. Depending on my mood I listen to ’80s, jazz, hip hop, disco and/or house music. I can’t live without Prince and listening to Motown tunes from the ’60s always puts me in a good mood." -Lori Warriner, Associate Publisher

"I am bad at fending for myself, which is why I'm indebted to my friend Taylor who put together Primavera Playlists, a music sharing project. He's going city by city and Paris is next. If you are loving the rush of studio conversations, William Jess Laird's podcast, Image Culture, which predates this rush to make everything digitally distributable is dedicated and substantive if you are into that kind of thing. "- Kat Herriman, Features Editor