Music

Friday Playlist: Obscure Love Songs

16 songs for your not-so-typical romance.

Our friends Joey and Mark made us this playlist. We asked them what it was about and they said: “Romance. Love. New beginnings. Self-evolution. The place where love and longing meet.” Sounds good to us.

Illustration by Minna

Joey Koneko is the bass player for Claire’s Diary and also has a solo music/multimedia project called Koneko.

Mark Andrew Steffan is a performance artist with a musical act called the Untitled Tilda Swinton Project.

35 Comments

  • Tyknos93 September 14th, 2012 11:23 PM

    Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Omg I forgot how much I love that Lissy Trullie song and that masculine voice of hers.

  • nacho-breath September 14th, 2012 11:50 PM

    i just rediscovered that veronica falls song recently♡ i love haunting love songs – they always seem more romantic to me for some reason (see: pretty much every dead man’s bones song)

    also i love love lydia and nina simone, great selection!

  • caro nation September 15th, 2012 12:07 AM

    FRANTIC ROMANTIC BY THE SCIENTISTS.

    NUMBER 1 OBSCURE LOVE SONG.

    but the addition of Psychic TV was in good taste.

    • caro nation September 15th, 2012 12:11 AM

      And Lydia, who frightens me.

  • Markintheheart September 15th, 2012 12:21 AM

    YES!

  • Markintheheart September 15th, 2012 12:34 AM

    I am that old lady

  • Joey Koneko September 15th, 2012 1:37 AM

    I hope everyone enjoys!!! <3

  • canadaaustin September 15th, 2012 1:49 AM

    stay monkey is the best julie ruin song/one of the best songs ever. period.

  • returnal September 15th, 2012 1:58 AM

    omg dirty beaches and chromatics, wondrous!

  • Chimdi September 15th, 2012 2:08 AM

    this is the first playlist I’ve ever listened to, due to my slight obsession w/Joey Koneko…this is really nice. I think I’ll start listening to Julie Ruin! Thanks for taking your time to dig up songs from your ipod/mind and organize them into playlists for teenage gurlzz to listen to :)

  • emine September 15th, 2012 2:23 AM

    VELVEEETTTTTTT <3333333333333

    LOOOOVE THIS PLAYLISTT!!!

  • MissKnowItAll September 15th, 2012 8:38 AM

    I saw the title and I thought “I love You” by Alex Clare!

  • Serena.K September 15th, 2012 10:07 AM

    UM THIS IS PERFECT

  • enwarhola September 15th, 2012 10:19 AM

    Chromatics! Yes!

  • Carmela September 15th, 2012 1:58 PM

    Beautiful.Beautiful.Beautiful!

  • marinamonster September 15th, 2012 4:54 PM

    the dum dum girls cover of “there is a light that never goes out” is perfection and so is this whole playlist o m g

  • bethleeroth September 16th, 2012 10:23 AM

    God, I love the Shangri-Las. Even just talking about gift receiving. Is anyone else obsessed with the way she said “baubles”?

  • psychedelia_delia September 16th, 2012 12:14 PM

    okay. shangri las and dirty beaches. this indeed is true love.

  • angst September 16th, 2012 12:32 PM

    it always makes me really sad that I won’t have rookie all weekend, but the friday playlists are what get me through it. I really love them
    http://onmyroadtofindout.blogspot.com/

  • Abby September 16th, 2012 2:53 PM

    I love it!!!

  • Abby September 16th, 2012 3:20 PM

    OMG ALSO… has anyone seen Hocus Pocus and the song I’ll put a spell on you in it??? I’ll be super excited if I’m not the only one who got remind of that because of track 14!!

  • la fee clochette September 16th, 2012 5:12 PM

    rad, man!!!

  • Anek September 16th, 2012 6:39 PM

    “The Zombies” should never be forgotten!

    My most favourite “obscure” love songs are
    I’m Not In Love – 10cc
    Crown Of Love – Arcade Fire

    Maybe even more obsessive than obscure.

  • eggzonable September 18th, 2012 11:44 AM

    What about The Smiths? Not even ONE song????

    • all-art-is-quite-useless September 20th, 2012 12:01 PM

      This is the one problem with this other wise perfect playlist… a smiths cover (an awesome one, though), but no actual smiths…?

  • AprilC September 18th, 2012 7:48 PM

    OMG! I love this playlist<3

  • mmooney September 19th, 2012 12:38 AM

    I love all the rookie playlists! I always listen to them when im trying to do homework, some are more conducive to focused learning than others.. <3

  • Dagitab September 19th, 2012 11:04 AM

    SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS

  • Cutesycreator aka Monica September 23rd, 2012 11:52 AM

    Such an awesome playlist, thanks!

  • pinkbullets92 September 26th, 2012 12:02 AM

    Julie Ruin sounds like Poly Styrene :3

  • Grimalkin September 29th, 2012 3:05 PM

    Really like this mix! Wish I’d made it, very good selections.

  • dickfossil October 22nd, 2012 2:41 PM

    this is my favorite rookie playlist ever! my roomates hate me for playing it so often.

  • sophiethewitch October 27th, 2012 1:02 PM

    Jonathon Coulton has some pretty strange love songs, too.

  • hoggster December 26th, 2012 4:34 PM

    LOVE THIS :D I also adore M+Ms by Blink 182 – memories made with my surprisingly unpunky boyfriend :)

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