Brad Ruggles » Monday Mixtape

Monday Mixtape: Worship Mix

Brad Ruggles — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:03:35 +0000

It’s been quite a while but, at long last, here is another Monday Mixtape for your musical pleasure. This Mixtape features some of my favorite worship songs I’ve been enjoying lately. There are some brand new songs and some that are just new to me.

There’s a few amazing songs from LifePoint Illuminate, including one of my favorites, I See The Poor, a song with amazingly deep and rich lyrics talking about our responsibility to the poor and hurting in our world (click here to watch a video about the story behind the song). There’s a few from Elevation’s new worship album Kingdom Come as well as a track off of Kristian Stanfill’s brand new EP Day After Day. I also threw in some great covers of older songs by Seventh Day Slumber’s worship album and a track by Laura Story off of the Catalyst Music Project album.

Beautiful Things

Album: Beautiful Things
Artist: Gungor

Day After Day

Album: KS (Day After Day) EP
Artist: Kristian Stanfill

The Church

Album: Kingdom Come
Artist: Elevation Worship

I See The Poor

Album: Children Of Light
Artist: LifePoint Illuminate

Mighty To Save

Album: Take Everything
Artist: Seventh Day Slumber

We Will Go

Album: Children Of Light
Artist: LifePoint Illuminate

We Are Forgiven

Album: Kingdom Come
Artist: Elevation Worship

From The Inside Out

Album: Take Everything
Artist: Seventh Day Slumber

What A Savior

Album: Catalyst Music Project
Artist: Laura Story

This City Is Yours

Album: Kingdom Come
Artist: Elevation Worship

Name Above All Names

Album: Children of Light
Artist: LifePoint Illuminate

The Earth Is Yours

Album: Beautiful Things
Artist: Gungor

I’m especially loving Gungor’s album Beautiful Things. I recently heard them lead a worship set at Catalyst and immediately bought the album on my iPhone to listen to on the way home. It’s been playing ever since. The title track Beautiful Things has a great message about God’s ability to transform everyday ordinary things into something beautiful (cleverly depicted in their great album artwork). The last track in this week’s mix, The Earth Is Yours, is probably one of the best worship songs I’ve heard about environmental stewardship.

What songs or albums are you worshipping to these days?

Monday Mixtape: Sweet Letdowns Mix

Brad Ruggles — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:26:57 +0000

It’s been a couple of weeks since our last Monday Mixtape. I’ve titled this week’s mix “Sweet Letdowns” to sum up a list of songs that are beautifully morose. The first song on the list, 9 Crimes by Damien Rice is always my go-to sad song. Mid-way through the list is a painfully sad song by William Fitzsimmons called I Don’t Feel It Anymore (also known as The Sparrow And The Crow). We had a chance to see Fitzsimmons perform this song live when I saw him in concert last year and it was just as emotionally charged live as it is on the album.

So if you need a song to match your dark and cloudy mood this list will be perfect for you. If you’re not feeling down check ‘em out anyway. It’s always nice to have songs like this saved away for a rainy day.

9 Crimes

Album: 9
Artist: Damien Rice

All The Way Down

Album: Once (Movie Soundtrack)
Artist: Glen Hansard

Bitter Song

Album: Bitter Song
Artist: Butterfly Boucher

I Don’t Feel It Any More

Album: The Sparrow And The Crow
Artist: William Fitzsimmons

I Hurt Too

Album: Apple Tree
Artist: Katie Herzig

Everybody Hurts

Album: In Time – The Best of R.E.M.
Artist: R.E.M.

Sunday Best

Album: All the Stars and Boulevards
Artist: Augustana

Samson

Album: Begin To Hope
Artist: Regina Spector

Learning How To Die

Album: Winter (EP)
Artist: Jon Foreman

Lonely

Album: Yael Naim
Artist: Yael Naim

Keep Breathing

Album: Be OK
Artist: Ingrid Michaelson

I Will Follow You Into The Dark

Album: Plans
Artist: Death Cab for Cutie

I always try to pick my favorite song from the list. I won’t go with the obvious this time around since I’ve already raved enough about 9 Crimes. I think I’ll pick I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab for Cutie. It’s a great sad song about a person who promises his love and devotion to his lover, even past the grave. Not the best song to listen to over a candle-light dinner with your special someone but it’s a nice sentiment nonetheless.

What is your favorite “sad song” for when you’re feeling blue?

Monday Mixtape

Brad Ruggles — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:09:07 +0000

Here’s another Monday Mixtape to wet your musical whistle. This mix has some songs off of some of my favorite albums. Several of the albums represented have seen some SERIOUS play time in my iTunes library like Black Swan by Athlete, Coming To Terms by Carolina Liar or Strict Joy by The Swell Season. I think you’ll enjoy what I whipped up for you today.

Black Swan Song

Album: Black Swan
Artist: Athlete

When You Are Near

Album: Coming To Terms
Artist: Carolina Liar

Pressure Suit

Album: Memory Man
Artist: Aqualung

After Afterall

Album: The Sparrow And The Crow
Artist: William Fitzsimmons

Ticket Taker

Album: Oh My God Charlie Darwin
Artist: The Low Anthem

Stones Under Rushing Water

Album: The Outsiders
Artist: NeedToBreathe

An Ocean And A Rock

Album: Sea Sew
Artist: Lisa Hannigan

Shine

Album: Decade Fades
Artist: Trent Dabbs

I Can Barely Breathe

Album: I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child
Artist: Manchester Orchestra

Falling Awake

Album: Gary Jules
Artist: Gary Jules

Closer

Album: We Were Here
Artist: Joshua Radin

I Have Loved You Wrong

Album: Strict Joy
Artist: The Swell Season

As always, it’s tough to pick my favorite song in the list but if I had to choose one song out of this week’s Monday Mixtape I’d go with Stones Under Rushing Water by NeedToBreathe. Such a great acoustic melody. There are some really great albums overall on this week’s list so if any of them are unfamiliar to you be sure to check out the other songs on the album as well.

Which song/album is your favorite from this week’s Monday Mixtape?

Monday Mixtape: Amazing Covers

Brad Ruggles — Mon, 17 May 2010 01:47:09 +0000

This week’s Monday Mixtape (check out previous Monday Mixtapes here) features some of my favorite covers of popular songs by a wide range of artists. There’s always something fun about discovering an artist’s take on a song that is totally different than the original. Sometimes waaaay different. Take Diane Birch’s slow, soulful rendition of the one-hit-wonder dance song What Is Love (yes, the same What Is Love from the popular SNL skit). Who knew that song could sound so beautiful when slowed down and played against the backdrop of a vintage Rhodes?

So here’s my pick of amazing covers for this week’s Monday Mixtape:

Hey Ya

Album: Obadiah Parker Live
Artist: Obadiah Parker
Originally Performed by: OutKast

Hurt

Album: American IV – The Man Comes Around
Artist: Johnny Cash
Originally Performed by: NineInchNails

The One I Love

Album: These Friends of Mine
Artist: Rosie Thomas
Originally Performed by: R.E.M.

Imagine

Album: Instant Karma
Artist: Jack Johnson
Originally Performed by: John Lennon

Yellow

Album: Sweetheart
Artist: Jem
Originally Performed by: Coldplay

What Is Love

Album: iTunes Session EP
Artist: Diane Birch
Originally Performed by: Haddaway

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Album: Crucify EP
Artist: Tori Amos
Originally Performed by: Nirvana

Single Ladies (also YouTube)

Album: Tribute To Famous People
Artist: Pomplamoose
Originally Performed by: Beyonce

(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Album: The Covers Record
Artist: Cat Power
Originally Performed by: The Rolling Stones

There are so many great covers in this list. All of them are strong in their own right…The Man In Black’s cover of Hurt by NineInchNails (sends a shiver down my spine), Tori Amos’ haunting version of Smells Like Teen Spirit, or Jem’s peaceful cover of Coldplay’s Yellow that is an absolute must-have for any romantic playlist (just sayin). Also be sure to check out the YouTube video of Pomplamoose’s Single Ladies (featured in a post last year) that went viral and launched their online popularity.

So which of these covers is your favorite? Got any other covers you’ve especially enjoyed? Leave a comment below so I can feature them in my upcoming Awesome Covers Mix Part 2!

Monday Mixtape: Storyville Freedom Mix

Brad Ruggles — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:27:17 +0000

I have a unique mix of artists to feature on today’s Monday Mixtape. I was recently brought to Seattle to learn more about something called Storyville Live. Storyville Live is a series of private in-home concerts across the country featuring hand-picked artists and fresh-roasted coffee. It’s called the “Freedom Tour” because, in addition to being an amazing night of music in an intimate in-home setting, it is also raising funds and awareness for one of my favorite organizations, International Justice Mission, to help combat human slavery in our world.

While Lisa and I were Storyville’s guests in Seattle we had the opportunity to experience several of these in-home concerts ourselves. I was blown away by the stories, songs and quality of these musicians. Willy Porter did things on the guitar that I have never seen done before – seriously, you have to see it to believe it. Grace Pettis (daughter of well-known singer/songwriter Pierce Pettis) was recently named NPR’s 2009 Mountain Stage New Song winner. And Jonathan Kingham (joined by Ryan Shea Smith) put on a concert that easily ranks as one of the most enjoyable and entertaining I have ever been to.

All That’s Missing Is You

Album: That Changes Everything
Artist: Jonathan Kingham

What You Didn’t Want To Know

Album: Grace Pettis
Artist: Grace Pettis

Breathe

Album: High Wire (Live)
Artist: Willy Porter

It’s Only Love

Album: That Changes Everything
Artist: Jonathan Kingham

Love Is There

Album: Grace Pettis
Artist: Grace Pettis

Available Light

Album: Available Light
Artist: Willy Porter

She’s So California

Album: Smooth Out The Lines
Artist: Jonathan Kingham

Jesus On The Grill

Album: High Wire (Live)
Artist: Willy Porter

Heard Enough Now

Album: Grace Pettis
Artist: Grace Pettis

Grace (Acoustic)

Album: Smooth Out The Lines
Artist: Jonathan Kingham

I saved the best for last in this list. “Grace” by Jonathan Kingham has been my most-played song over the last week since I returned from Seattle (both versions are amazing but I prefer the Acoustic version). The words are so rich and deep. If you don’t check out anything else on this list at least download that song. You’ll thank me later.

There’s a good chance many of these artists are new to you like they were to me before last week. I only hope you get the chance to see them live in concert like I did. They’re great artists, talented songwriters, entertaining performers and genuinely nice people.

As always, if there’s an artist or song on this list that you especially enjoyed, be sure to leave a comment and let me know!

Monday Mixtape: Seattle Music Mix

Brad Ruggles — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:35:05 +0000

Since I’m in Seattle today I thought it would be fun to feature some Seattle artists on today’s Monday Mixtape. In addition to some of the more popular grunge rock bands of the 90s (such as Nirvana & Pearl Jam), Seattle is also home to artists like Death Cab for Cutie, Brandi Carlile, Fleet Foxes and Foo Fighters as well as the popular Indie label Sub Pop.

So in honor of Seattle contribution to the music world, here is today’s Monday Mixtape: Seattle Music Mix.

I Will Possess Your Heart

Album: Narrow Stairs
Artist: Death Cab For Cutie

Dashboard

Album: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Artist: Modest Mouse

Such Great Heights

Album: Give Up
Artist: The Postal Service

Turpentine

Album: The Story
Artist: Brandi Carlile

Electric Twist

Album: Bomb In A Birdcaage
Artist: A Fine Frenzy

Be Thou My Vision

Album: The Only reason I Feel Secure
Artist: Pedro The Lion

Mykonos

Album: Sun Giant (EP)
Artist: Fleet Foxes

Home

Album: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Artist: Foo Fighters

No One’s Gonna Love You

Album: Cease To Begin
Artist: Band of Horses

I Will Follow You Into The Dark

Album: Plans
Artist: Death Cab For Cutie

It was actually really difficult to decide which songs from these Seattle artists to include in this mixtape. There are so many amazing tracks that are equally good. Be sure to check out other songs by these great artists.

Who is your favorite Seattle Artist?

Monday Mixtape

Brad Ruggles — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:03:49 +0000

Here’s a Monday Mixtape for you featuring some random songs from some great artists. Some I’ve known about and enjoyed for quite a while now (such as Brandi Carlile and She & Him) while others are new to my music library (like Melanie Penn and The Civil Wars).

Circus Song

Album: Wake Up Love
Artist: Melanie Penn

Way To You

Album: XOBC (EP)
Artist: Brandi Carlile

Charmed Life

Album: Ten Out of Tenn, Vol. 3
Artist: Joy Williams

Over It Over Again

Album: Volume Two
Artist: She & Him

M79

Album: Vampire Weekend
Artist: Vampire Weekend

Can’t Say No

Album: Songs For A Sinking Ship
Artist: April Smith & The Great Picture Show

Ten Cent Blues

Album: Combinations
Artist: Eisley

How You Remember

Album: Burn & Shiver
Artist: Azure Ray

Poison & Wine

Album: Poison & Wine Single
Artist: The Civil Wars

Burn Out My Eyes

Album: The Life You Always Wanted
Artist: The Bittersweets

I’m especially fond of “Poison & Wine” by The Civil Wars. I’ve listened to it at least a dozen or so times in the last week – such a beautiful melody. Also check out the amazing music video they made for the song. And if you’re into live music and/or free music, download The Civil Wars – Live At Eddie’s Attic.

Here’s the list of the above songs in this week’s Monday Mixtape iMix on iTunes.

Are any of these songs new to you? Which do you like best?