The Playlist: Graphic Designer Timothy Goodman

We first spied the work of designer, illustrator, and art director Timothy Goodman when Ace Hotel asked him to create a hand-drawn mural in one of the rooms of its New York outpost (below).

Since then, the Cleveland-native has moved to San Francisco to set up shop with Apple Inc. Check out a few of the tunes he’s blasting through his earbuds in this week’s Playlist.

What do you listen to while you work? I love listening to TED talks and raunchy stand-up comedy while I work (I always need the ying and yang!). During basketball season, I like to have an NBA game on the background while I work at night. As for music, I listen to an array of stuff like indie rock, oldies, hip-hop, jazz, blues, classic rock, chillwave, and Latin—it just depends if it’s 2 AM or 2 PM!

Above: Goodman’s illustration for the May 11 Time cover.

How do you listen? When I’m working, I usually listen to my computer speakers or my iPhone with headphones. But my favorite time to listen to music is when I’m walking down the street, or while in a car on a road trip.

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Playlist: White Iris Records’ Andy McGrath and Black Iris’ Rob Lowry

We are trying something different this week. Here are two playlists – one to get you fired up and the other one to keep you focused. We approached two men who are deeply involved in the music world. Andy McGrath is the general manager of White Iris Records which launched last year. It’s the label counterpart to commercial music collective Black Iris – and Rob Lowry is the assistant producer at Black Iris. They recently renovated their offices and studio in Los Angeles’ Echo Park with the help of interior designer Wendi Weger (watch out for an interview with Wendi next week).

Above and below: Wendi Weger “We needed to transform a pretty gray and drab office space. One requirement was that the design be functional in terms of soundproofing certain areas, so we made a curtain out of accordioned industrial felt, covered one wall entirely in cork, wrapped sound-absorbing panels in burlap, and incorporated lots of rugs and other textiles.”

Above: Wendi “With this part of the office we started to skew west coast beach rather than midwestern lake because Daron has his surf boards hanging up, so we gave him a 10 foot marlin over his desk and at that point each room took on a unique identity.”

Andy McGrath’s Inspiration Playlist

1. Chad VanGaalen ‘Phantom Anthills‘ - for me, this is productivity and inspiration embodied in a song!

2. FIDLAR ‘Wake Bake Skate‘- this one puts a hop in my step every time I hear it.

3. Computer Magic ‘Grand Junction‘- this track is super fun.

4. Dawes ‘Love Is All I Am‘- these dudes have a super classic, bright, SoCal sound. This is the first Dawes song in a line of many that that would encapsulate so many emotions for me. Probably my favorite music video of the past 10 years, too. These guys inspire me everyday. Yes. Every. Day.

5. Guards ‘Sail It Slow‘- this song is huge.

6. Averkiou ‘Holland & Headaches‘ - This band rips so hard. It’s Jesus and Mary Chain meets Ride meets My Bloody Valentine. They get extra points for the inspiring Boyd Shropshire created album art.

7. Other Lives ‘Landforms‘ - there’s a calm and focused aspect to this song. It’s like a cool breeze or a cool wave rushing overhead. Refreshing.

8. Waylon Jennings ‘Lonesome, On’ry and Mean‘ - Waylon looking real rough in this video but absolutely crushing this MEGA JAM is inspiring in and of itself. Taken from Cowboy Jack Clements old ’70s show.

9. Unknown Mortal Orchestra ‘Ffunny Ffriends‘- another breezy jam.

10. King Tuff ‘So Desperate‘- feel’s like a road song. Makes me wanna get outside, explore and interact..

Above: The vending machine is stocked with various snacks and drumsticks – just in case.

Rob Lowry’s Thinking Person’s Playlist

1. Superhumanoids ‘Mikelah‘ - There’s nothing like a great opening track; it sets the mood for the entire album. Unfortunately, this track is a single, so you have to build your own soundtrack around it (and they set the bar pretty high). Superhumanoids have a subtle and beautiful romanticism about them that puts them stories above the sudden resurgence in 80’s-influenced music. “Mikelah” is a sweeping, gorgeous accomplishment.

2. Julianna Barwick “The Magic Place” - One would think layered harmonies and strings of oohs-and-ahhs would become tired and redundant over the course of a four-minute song, but Julianna defies logic. This song feels like you’re flying blindly through the clouds only to come out on the other side to find everything you were ever looking for.

3. Bill Callahan “Jim Cain” - Bill has a voice that centers you upon impact. His spoken/sung vocal delivery, paired with the beautiful strings and finger-picking backing the track, brings to mind a walk in an enchanted forest at dawn.  If your mind’s not clear by song’s end, there are deeper seeds planted.

4. Sade “Your Side” - No one does it better than Sade. The track is so smooth, it sounds like the entire thing has been auto-tuned.  Her voice brings a peace of mind that few others can. Completely organic, completely intuitive.

5. Explosions in the Sky “Postcard from 1952” - Equal parts understated and epic, “Postcard” brings you from calm to chaos and back to peace in a way no vocal melody could have ever justified.  This song’s able to heighten emotions within you without being overbearing or forcing you to feel a certain way.  The soundscapes on this track are so wide open but immediately intimate, like you’re wrapped in a sleeping bag on an open field.  Explosions gives so much and asks so little in return.

6. Josh T. Pearson – “Honeymoon’s Great! Wish You Were Her” It’s a powerful and strange feeling when you already know what the lyrics to a song will be before the vocals kick in. Josh T. Pearson has a Masters’ in this.  And because you know what he’s going to say, it allows more time to spend focusing on the intricacies of his instrumentation and the feeling he’s emoting, which is a key to being able to concentrate on other various endeavors.

7. Twin Shadow – “Tyrant Destroyed” Sometimes, a song feels so familiar and comfortable it’s as if you were lying in a bed made of its arrangement.  George Lewis Jr. has had this affect on me, and “Tyrant” is the perfect example of something that completely occupies and embodies your being while allowing you to focus your mind elsewhere. It’s the song in the background of your day-in and day-outs, complimenting but not overbearing.

Above: Wendi “My friend and frequent collaborator Matt Sams had that wallpaper in his house and I became obsessed. You can find it here: www.cavernhome.com. It’s called Blackbird.”

The Playlist: MacFadden & Thorpe

This week, Brett MacFadden gives us a look inside MacFadden & Thorpe, the three-year-old design studio he runs with business partner Scott Thorpe (and their musician-by-night intern Clive). Listen up to this smart mix compiled by all three designers from their San Francisco-based workspace.

What do you listen to while you work? Like most designers, music is an important part of our creative process and our tastes are eclectic, worldly, sophisticated, massively edgy, and, indeed, beyond pioneering. We listen to Internet radio a lot and to more classic rock than our interns might appreciate, but that they quietly tolerate. We love classic rock because it’s generally older than us. We also like classic-country, classic-rap, classic-jazz and classic-cal. Scott would like to emphasize that we do not like Vampire Weekend, and I (Brett) support that, even though I saw them last year in Berkeley and it was a not unpleasant experience.

How do you listen? If we listen together, it’s traditionally though my iMac, which has decent speakers. But I recently brought a small Altec Lansing speaker in from home (a great product by the way) and now Scott is enabled to play music as well. Often I like to stream one of two great public radio stations—KEXP in Seattle or The Current in Minneapolis—then it takes the pressure off of being the DJ, and provides a steady wash of new music. Although, lots of times I’ll be playing one of these stations and I look around and everyone else has put their headphones on.

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Playlist: Alison Williams of The Academy of Archivists

Photo: Cara Robbins

I asked Alison Williams, who is the co-founder of The Academy of Archivists, to help me pin down exactly what she does. “I’ve been describing myself lately as a creative entrepreneur.  I have my own company and I work with other companies, brands and artists to help develop their identities and get their work to the people who should see it, in whatever form that takes.  I talk to people, think about things, observe, strategize, write, create.  I feel lucky to have a job that I enjoy, working with amazing people.” And what role does music play in all that? Well, read on to find out.

What do you listen to while you work? When I’m writing I need music that is inspiring but not distracting, so I’ll listen to opera, or something without words.  I love the soundtrack from Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie Poulain by Yann Tiersen.  On the other hand when I am feeling daunted by a project or need to brainstorm I’ll either go to an album that I am entirely familiar with or something totally unknown.  When I’m working with other people I am open to what they want to listen to.

Photo: Cara Robbins

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Unplggd: Listen While You Work

Maybe it’s about time you finally update from those tiny and tinny sounding computer speakers you’ve lived with. For small space dwellers, an iPod dock can be an advisable option for music/audio entertainment. Consider one of these higher end docking units, a little bit pricey compared to cheaper, more common models. But what they lack in budget conscious price, they make up in sound quality…and looks. Here are our favorites.

B&W Zeppelin The Zeppelin is a speaker system with an iPod docking station that fills a room with deep, lifelike sound, and delivers musical detail that you won’t believe your iPod is capable of. We love the simple design and easy to use interface. 30-pin iPod connector, 3.5mm mini jack analogue/optical, digital USB 2.0 slave (for software upgrades) it also outputs S-video (via mini DIN).

We’re currently in the process of testing out their latest Apple Airplay-compatible, Zeppelin Air, an updated model which improves on the original in both features and sound. Review in detail coming soon.

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The Playlist: Music and Tech Veteran James Lynch III

To say that music and technology have guided the career of James Lynch III is putting it mildly (read his extensive bio here). Now the Chief Technology Officer at ecoReserve.org, he’s working to help protect endangered land—all while listening to a library of music that’s almost 14,000 songs strong. Here’s a list of tunes that recently showed up after he hit “shuffle.”

What do you listen to while you work? Although I will occasionally listen to entire albums, I usually put my 13.5K song collection on random.

How do you listen? Through Bose speakers or with my headphones on.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? I have feeds from a ton of music blogs coming into Google Reader, and I hear about new releases from them, and from friends of mine. I used to share office space with The Rights Workshop, a music-supervision and licensing company, and discovered a lot of new music through Brooke Wentz and her team.

Does music influence your work? Before ecoReserve, I worked as software architect for Creative Allies, a startup that enables musicians to post jobs for creative content (CD covers, t-shirts, etc.) and have their fans compete to create the piece chosen by the musician. The team behind the project was made up of music business veterans as well as younger folks, and we all wound up listening to a lot of music by the artists involved in our initial launch. This is an example of the opposite of what you’re asking… for years, my work has influenced the music I’ve heard, rather than the opposite.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? I use SonicLiving.com to find out about gigs that interest me. Having spent years in and around the “music biz” such as it is, there are friends whose taste I trust implicitly (Cerentha being one of them!), and I always check out anything they send my way. I probably recommend more music to friends than they recommend to me.

If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be? What a question!!! Hmm. ecoReserve, my current project, allows people to create their own nature preserves for as little as $25… so it would be something connected to nature—maybe Peter Gabriel, something apocalyptic: “Here Comes the Flood.” When I had my prepress company in New York, things ran at an insane pace… perhaps “Burning Down the House” by Talking Heads.

JAMES’ PLAYLIST
Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough), Steve Earle

Capital Punishment (from “Back in Town), George Carlin

Sparrow, Ken Stringfellow

I Feel Fine (Beatle’s cover), The Harvey Averne Dozen

Bottomliners, Brian Eno

I Want You Around, The Hunting Accident

My Son Cool, Guided By Voices

Eleanor Put Your Boots On, Franz Ferdinand

Tough Guy, Beastie Boys

Bummer In The Summer, Love

California Stars, Billy Bragg and Wilco

Under Your Breath, Whiskeytown

Nobody Loves You When You’re Down and Out, John Lennon

Entertain, Sleater-Kinney

Fussing and Fighting, Bob Marley and The Wailers

See How We Are, X

Images: James Lynch III

The Playlist: Maria Popova of Brain Pickings

It should be no surprise that this week’s Playlist from Brain Pickings’ Maria Popova—our favorite curiosity cicerone and curator of eclectic interestingness—is loaded with musical resources and discoveries we’ve not yet covered on Lifework. Take a moment to get out your thinking cap, then sit back and enjoy a few tunes from her constantly changing workspace.

What do you listen to while you work? If I am to bill myself a curator, I kind of have to walk the walk in all aspects of life. And music is a big part of mine, so I take great care to curate specific thematic playlists for myself (and, occasionally, others). I think music has a tremendous impact on your mood, mindset, and creative outlook, and playlists are to music what “functional beverages” are to drinking—a potent blend of ingredients designed to serve a specific physiological or psychological purpose. I have different playlists for writing long-form content (some classical music, some drawn-out indie tunes), for tweeting, for research, for technical work, for design.

I also have a few podcasts I listen to at work every once in a while—I really like Coverville, a treasure trove of cover music. I love CD Baby’s 60’s Pop Podcast. NPR’s All Songs Considered is a staple. I’m quite the music geek, so most of the emerging artists they feature aren’t really new to me, but the show is beautifully curated and narrated.

How do you listen? Headphones,always. Playing from my laptop. In fact, I can’t work or concentrate without headphones on. Even if there’s nothing playing. It’s just how I’ve wired my brain to signal focus time.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? I actually take a lot of pleasure in curating my own playlists. But, on occasion, I like the sort of controlled serendipity that recommendation engines offer. Pandora, every so often, manages to surprise me in wonderful ways. Stereomood also has some neat thematic mood playlists. I’ve been getting more and more into Spotify.

Does music influence your work? Absolutely. It’s a less direct influence than saying a specific song or album is reflected in a specific piece of writing. But I certainly have certain types of music that I use to get myself in certain creative spaces and mindsets. For example, I have a playlist I use for long-form writing, which features some classical standbys—Vivaldi, mostly—and a bit of Eastern-inspired indie music. I’m particularly taken with Taken By Trees’ latest album, East of Eden. That’s Victoria Bergman’s solo project. She’s probably best known as the female vocal on Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks.” For this album, she traveled to Pakistan and incorporated a lot of Pakistani folk influences into her signature Scandinavian vocal sensibility. Beautiful work.

And when I do research for a story, I like to dig out some of those dusty vintage gems— Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Shirley Basey—often with a modern remix twist.

Then for my Twitter time, which is really quite a lot of time, I listen to incredibly eclectic stuff across my entire music library—from ethnic-inspired dub and pop like Balkan Beatbox and Fool’s Gold to jazz classics like Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong to some indie favorites, any list of which would be tragically incomplete. But a few all-time favorites include Emiliana Torrini, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Zee Avi, Angus & Julia Stone, Federico Aubele, and Kings of Convenience.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? I don’t really read any of the music blogs. Some of the new music I discover is actually through some sort of recommendation algorithm based on my existing likes. I use Amazon’s recommendations quite a bit; I find they hit the spot. Pandora, of course, is also great for that. But I’m a big believer in human-curated content, so the majority of new discoveries come from a handful of well curated new music podcasts I subscribe to: NPR’s All Songs Considered, KCRW and KEXP’s song of the day podcasts, and Wired Underwire.

As far as taste goes, though, I can’t really say anything influences mine. After all, these recommendations and new music discoveries are only effective to the extent that they reflect my existing taste, which is pretty static in terms of the actual musical qualities of what appeals to me. Certain types of rhythms, a certain lyrical sensibility, a few very specific touches like handclaps and vocal harmonies. You can outsource discovery but you can never outsource taste—what you actually like, what makes you happy, rather than what you broadcast liking as a badge of the type of person you are, your brand. Music should always be about what makes you happy.

If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be? Probably something very diverse and eclectic like Thievery Corporation. They mix elements of acid jazz, dub, Middle-Eastern, bossa nova, lounge, even reggae, and are very much about creative collaborations—their roster of guest vocalists spans an incredibly wide spectrum of talent, from David Byrne to Pam Bricker to The Flaming Lips to Emiliana Torrini. That’s what Brain Pickings is all about—the cross-pollination of disciplines and ideas as a petri dish for creativity.

MARIA’S PLAYLIST

Walk in the Sky, Bonobo (ft. Bajka)

Where Do I Begin (awayTEAM remix), Shirley Bassey

Like a Child, Junior Boys

Sweet Tides, Thievery Corporation (ft. Lou Lou)

On the Radio, Regina Spektor

Keep It Quiet, Ra Ra Riot

Day By Day, Taken By Trees

Hold Heart, Emiliana Torrini

Failure, Kings of Convenience

Strictly Rule, Vetiver

Made Up Love Song #43, Guillemots

Sweet Darlin’, She & Him

Blue Skies, Noah and the Whale

Images: Maria Popova

The Playlist: Writer Alissa Walker & Designer Keith Scharwath

When a couple has a lovingly restored Seeburg Select-o-matic living in their home, you should probably assume that they have the kind of musical tastes that’ll make you sit up and take notice. Such is the case with freelance writer Alissa Walker and freelance illustrator, graphic designer, and art director Keith Scharwath. Take a listen to the tunes that fill their workday (and perhaps, occasionally, their jukebox).

What do you listen to while you work? Keith: We work together in the same room most days where we listen to a balance of music and public radio. The music we listen to runs the gamut: Punk, jazz, rock, blues, folk, hip hop, reggae, funk, techno, metal, you name it. When you spend as many as 16 hours a day in the studio, one or two genres just don’t cut it. Some favorites artists: New Order, Alice Cooper, Bo Diddley, John Coltrane, The Clash, Ra Ra Riot, The Clash, Blitzen Trapper, Public Enemy, David Bowie, The Budos Band, Serge Gainsbourg, Vampire Weekend, The Misfits, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, Daft Punk, Guided By Voices.

Alissa: I love listening to music—and I especially love singing along—but if it wasn’t for Keith being the DJ, I’d probably just listen to public radio all day just so I don’t have to think about what to play. We mostly listen to Los Angeles’s amazing station KCRW, where I’m an associate producer on a design show called DnA: Design and Architecture. We especially appreciate Henry Rollins’ Saturday night show, and secretly wish he might someday take over the daily morning show. We also love This American Life, Studio 360 (where I sometimes appear as a guest) and Radiolab, which we stockpile and listen to in batches on the weekends.

How do you listen? Keith: We have an extensive MP3 collection that we listen to off of the computer. Mostly through speakers, though I sometimes listen through headphones when I need to keep the thrash metal down so Alissa can make phone calls.

Alissa: We also have a 1950s Seeburg jukebox filled with 45s downstairs as a backup if the computer ever goes down.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? Keith: We have a subscription to eMusic and sometime Pandora makes an appearance.

Alissa: Yes, lately I’ve been loving my Pandora One account, which is actually pretty great for parties.

Does music influence your work? Keith: Music for me is an integral part of the creative process. I find myself listening to music that directly relates to the content I am producing. If I am designing a skateboard, I will listen to the soundtrack for the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys. Or if I am creating an illustration about anguish over unemployment, I will listen to something dark and brooding like Joy Division or The XX. Music can be a tool for providing inspiration.

Alissa: I would have to say that the lyricism of rap and hip hop inspires me to be more poetic in my writing. I love the way that people like Kanye West or Jay-Z play with language. When Kanye writes something like this, from “Flashing Lights”—“She don’t believe in shootin’ stars/But she believe in shoes and cars/Wood floors in the new apartment/Couture from the store’s department”–it describes a character, and sets the plot, but it’s also incredibly fun to read. I try to write like that, even when I’m writing an article or essay.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? Keith: I think the most likely sources are friends who are also music lovers. Film soundtracks are another great source. Websites are not a great source. The best music should always be discovered organically.

Alissa: Keith is constantly coming across incredible new artists. I also have some great friends who write about music and are always recommending new bands.

If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be? Keith: “[I’m Not Your] Steppin’ Stone” by The Monkees is my personal anthem.

Alissa: Huey Lewis and the News.

ALISSA AND KEITH’S PLAYLIST

Like New, Deerhunter

Better, Faster, Stronger, Daft Punk

Elected, Alice Cooper

Gut Feeling, Devo

Can’t You Hear Me Knocking, The Rolling Stones

All the Way, New Order

Nervous Breakdown, Black Flag

Teen Age Riot, Sonic Youth

Pills, Bo Diddley

Wild Mountain Nation, Blitzen Trapper

What Would Wolves Do, Le Savy Fav

Too Hot to Stop, The Bar-Kays

The Underdog, Spoon

No Cars Go, Arcade Fire

P.S. Also, while not exclusively musical, the videos from the Adult Swim show Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and the comedy site Funny or Die are on pretty heavy rotation in the studio. Those are more like a break in the day to keep us inspired. And laughing.

Images: Alissa Walker

The Playlist: Alicia Cornwell & Tony Bevilacqua of Chroma Lab

Want a bit of color? Check out these pick-me-up playlists from Alicia and Tony of Boston-based Chroma Lab, a bright little company providing specialty, hand-painted finishes for interiors, furniture, and more.

What do you listen to while you work? In general, Tony and I listen to different kinds of music while working. Tony likes indie and classic rock/pop, and I like pretty much anything from the 60s (especially girl groups), and upbeat stuff I can sing along and bounce to. There’s some middle ground, fortunately, and it’s called Talking Heads! We usually take turns listening to albums when we work together, since marriage–and a business partnership–is a compromise.

How do you listen? In the studio, we put the iPod through the tiny second hand stereo (our studio gets really messy and paint splattered), and on job sites we listen to the iPod through headphones so we don’t disturb our clients. We listen to NPR on the radio, too.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? Tony uses eMusic, and we both find Newbury Comics a reliable place to get good used cds. We both like all the college radio stations Boston has to offer, especially MIT’s station.

Does music influence your work? Not really, to be honest. Our inspiration usually comes from color and other visual cues. Music helps us to create a nice atmosphere while we work though, and we appreciate that.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? We occasionally find new music though friends, college radio, and eMusic. But most of the music we listen to we’ve been into for a long time. We’re both pretty settled in our musical ways and neither of us can stay up late enough to go to concerts and shows anymore to discover new things!

If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be? We’d never claim that our work is as awesome as the groups we listen to. But in terms of the mood or feeling it creates, perhaps Cambridge-based Passion Pit. Their music is super vibrant and colorful, and we like to think our work is similarly fun to live with.

TONY’S PLAYLIST

Month of May, Arcade Fire

Taxman, The Beatles

Mr. Dash Dash, Detachment Kit

The Swish, The Hold Steady

Tragic Monsters, Les Savy Fav

Jellybones, The Unicorns

ALICIA’S PLAYLIST

I’m Waiting for the Day, The Beach Boys

If You Find Yourself Caught in Love, Belle & Sebastian

This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody), Talking Heads

Sleepyhead, Passion Pit

Young Bride, Midlake

Needle in a Haystack, The Velvelettes

Playlist: Music to our Ears

A good idea is a good idea…anywhere in the world.  Vienna-based Tulga Beyerle, Thomas Geisler and Lilli Hollein of Neigungsgruppe Design who founded Vienna Design Week just released their office playlist. Our playlist series has been one of the most popular things we’ve done at Lifework – seems you all listen to a lot of music! You can check out Neigungsgruppe Design’s list here. I like it. What do you think? Makes me want to go to Vienna and check out their design week.

For the playlist head over to bene.com…it’s worth it for the nice design work they’ve done on the site.

Amy Feezor returns next week with a top secret playlist (so secret I don’t even know what it is…)