AOP Podcast: Italian Music from Sunday Dinner to 3am

When it rains, do you put on music to cheer yourself up, or lean into the misery? 🌧️ The plans are canceled. The couch is calling. Christian checked the forecast, Patty brought the whiskey-and-chowder vibe, and Rob brought the feelings. Robert LaFrance, Christian Godbout, and Patty Pino build three very different rainy day playlists. Christian takes the weather literally, with The Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Carpenters, and a little sunshine at the finish. Patty captures a New England autumn afternoon through classical music, blues, and powerful voices like Adele, Tori Amos, and Björk. Rob leans into beautiful sadness with The Cure, ambient piano, trip-hop, and a darker cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop.” Along the way, we debate where “Purple Rain” belongs in a playlist. Rob says it’s the finale. Christian says he still has more to say. Patty explains why classical music belongs in the rain, and Rob shares how a Gregory Alan Isakov performance sent him further down the beautiful-but-sad rabbit hole. What’s your essential rainy day song? And do you want your playlist to match your mood or change it? Tell us in the comments. PLAYLISTS: Rob’s Beautiful & Sad Rainy Day Songs, Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/aop-beautiful-sad-rainy-day-songs/pl.u-d2b0WqjT2Y7KB Christian’s Rainy Day Songs, Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1SKeQeNURfvMIaNnDmXxGn Patty’s Rainy Day, Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/67KzyOEsO74IkFJtroxgRi CHAPTERS: 00:00 Rainy day outtakes 00:43 Cheer up or lean into it? 02:20 Three playlists, three different approaches 03:39 Where does “Purple Rain” belong? 05:36 Patty’s playlist: whiskey, chowder, and autumn rain 06:57 The Who and a first-boyfriend memory 08:23 Why classical music fits a rainy day 09:06 Adele, Tori Amos, and voices for the melancholy 10:25 Peter Gabriel, autumn moods, and Papadosio 12:54 Christian’s playlist: from blues to grunge 13:35 The Doors and “Riders on the Storm” 14:33 The Carpenters and “Rainy Days and Mondays” 15:11 Prince, “Purple Rain,” and the Super Bowl downpour 16:25 T-Bone Walker, Led Zeppelin, and finding the sunshine 17:14 Introducing John to Led Zeppelin 18:02 Rob’s playlist: permission to do nothing 18:31 Ambient piano and easing into the mood 20:28 The Cure’s “Plainsong” and beautiful sadness 21:37 A darker take on “Teardrop” 21:57 Gregory Alan Isakov and the “Are you okay?” texts 23:01 The Smiths, Zero 7, and trip-hop discoveries 24:30 Building toward a dramatic finish 26:43 What would jam-band fans add? 27:40 Björk and two versions of “Hyperballad” 28:20 Final laughs and a questionable tattoo idea 29:09 Share your rainy day songs Trust us, not the algorithm. Subscribe for great songs worth discovering and music opinions worth arguing about. #RainyDayPlaylist #MusicPodcast #ArtOfThePlaylist

What’s the one song that belongs on every fire pit playlist? 🔥That first cold night. The smell of woodsmoke. Friends heading outside with a drink and a jacket they didn’t think they’d need. The fire does half the work. The music does the rest.Christian Godbout, Patty Pino, and Robert LaFrance bring three different takes on the soundtrack for a night around the fire. Patty shares her boyfriend Jeff’s playlist, mixing southern rock, classic rock, and hip-hop, with a few song dedications thrown in. Rob brings sing-alongs, air guitar favorites, and the story behind Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life.” Christian mixes familiar favorites with an unexpected closer.From Nirvana’s unplugged “All Apologies” to The Church’s “Under the Milky Way,” there’s room for loud choruses and quieter moments. Just don’t ask Rob to keep the volume down for the neighbors.What’s your must-have fire pit song? Tell us in the comments.PLAYLISTS:Rob’s Fire Pit Playlist, Apple Music:https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/fire-pit-playlist/pl.u-aZb0v36sJqGDVChristian’s Campfire Anthems Playlist, Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6KEjuDbakQhR6QhnpWI6JzJeff’ Lights my Fire-Pit Playlist, shared by Patty, Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2tPLbOJ1UO2BOicGDaGV1jCHAPTERS:00:00 Fire pit nights and the music that fits02:15 Friends, backyard fires, and guitar sing-alongs03:01 Jeff’s fire pit traditions and mix CDs04:37 “Jeff Lights My Fire Pit”05:36 Southern rock, hip-hop, and chill energy06:36 Jeff’s song dedications to Patty08:00 Rob’s playlist: sing-alongs and air guitar10:12 The story behind Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life”12:08 Discovering Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden14:14 The Church’s “Under the Milky Way”15:13 Nirvana’s unplugged “All Apologies”16:49 Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”17:44 Christian’s playlist and finding the right volume21:26 Keeping the neighbors up21:55 Follow the show and share your picksTrust us, not the algorithm.Subscribe for songs worth discovering and music opinions worth arguing about.#FirePitPlaylist #MusicPodcast #ArtOfThePlaylist

Music stirs the soul, but sometimes the songs we love don’t exactly match the personality we present to the world. 😏Those are our “guilty pleasure” tunes — the songs and genres we might hesitate to admit we love… until now!On this episode of AOP: The Art of the Playlist, we’re confessing our musical guilty pleasures. You may be surprised, amused, or perhaps even horrified by some of our selections. And who knows? You might just discover your next guilty pleasure playlist favorite!🎧 Listen in. Judge us if you must. And then confess your own..Rob’s Surprising Song Selections on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/aop-guilty-pleasures/pl.u-d2b0deXT2Y7KB.Christian’s Expansive Personality Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0yFvloQGJLv30fikO4Njzs?si=0ZfMecSPRYWjzJPDCpJLPA.Patty’s Very Specific Genres of Music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3hkgXuZLefUtS2nCZUjyRm?si=LRTvK1KRSF-HV65hB2yMdw. ..#AOP #TheArtofThePlaylist #ArtOfThePlaylist #MusicPodcast #Podcast #MusicLovers #MusicDiscovery #Playlist #Playlists #GuiltyPleasure #GuiltyPleasureSongs #GuiltyPleasureMusic #SecretFavorites #SongsILove #MusicConfessions #DiscoverMusic #MusicDiscovery

🎶Welcome to AOPTTT! One tune, three versions - how do artists interpret, adopt, and adapt a song? Which musicians’ recording captured the spirit of the song, the instrumentation, the lyrics? Join The Art of the Playlist Podcast for Triple Threat Tunes - Shorts/Reels exploring three versions of a tune on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & YouTube Shorts. Will you add one to your next playlist? Follow and enjoy! 🎶 . . Rob’s TTTune “Lovesong” on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/aop-triple-threat-tune-lovesong/pl.u-e98ldKjC07m5W . Patty's TTTune “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0w8Ss2HyfTWMcIXGGdsqqR?si=GLTDV1g-QKi__LD_DHMTgA . Christian’s TTTune “Hurt” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1q96wcPcZTvfFFyGbRKKtU?si=G4zHpFTdTb6G9_waF4LffQ&utm_source=copy-link&pi=jlx-w6szR5-18 #AOP #triplethreattunes #musicpodcast #playlist #whodiditbest #hurt #NIN #johnnycash #keepyourhandstoyourself #lovesong #thecure

🎵 From Marvin Gaye to SZA, R&B never stopped evolving.We brought in a Gen Z R&B obsessive to argue about where the genre came from, where it’s going, and whether Drake actually beat Kendrick.On this episode of The Art of the Playlist, Rob, Christian, and Patty are joined by special guest James LaFrance, college basketball player, social media influencer, and lifelong R&B fan.We start with the roots of R&B in gospel, blues, jazz and jump blues, then follow its evolution through Motown, Memphis soul, Philadelphia soul and funk, all the way to the modern sounds of Frank Ocean, SZA, Drake, Brent Faiyaz, Bryson Tiller, PARTYNEXTDOOR, The Weeknd, Olivia Dean, Sienna Spiro, Summer Walker and more.James brings a Gen Z perspective with his massive “Read Receipts Off” playlist. Christian digs into classic soul and Motown. Patty explores everything from ’80s R&B to international artists. And Rob builds a modern R&B playlist inspired in large part by the music James has introduced him to over the years.Along the way, we get into:🎧 Shuffle vs. sequencing. Is a playlist still supposed to tell a story?🔥 Drake vs. Kendrick. Yes, we went there.😬 Can you separate the art from the artist?🎤 What actually counts as R&B anymore?🌍 Why some of the most interesting R&B may be happening outside the U.S.❤️ And what happens when the kid you introduced to music starts introducing music to you.Different generations. Different definitions of R&B. Four very different playlists.Trust us, not the algorithm.🎧 Listen to the playlistsJames, “Read Receipts Off”https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/read-receipts-off/pl.u-MDAWeMjC127xokRob, Modern R&Bhttps://music.apple.com/us/playlist/aop-modern-r-b/pl.u-76oNod6F8bRLNChristian, Classic R&B / Funk and Soulhttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/1RvIwHBe7MhEwbuT09BUTy?si=20zIn8SnTZOLFYRZ1LZ3fAPatty, “Soulfully Groovy”https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5cH7nT1gsUcTjbkqSDutn4?si=BuHEIIywRcui2aRipwoE6g🎶 Featured artistsMarvin Gaye • Aretha Franklin • Stevie Wonder • Al Green • Otis Redding • James Brown • Earth, Wind & Fire • Al Jarreau • SZA • Frank Ocean • Drake • The Weeknd • Bryson Tiller • Brent Faiyaz • PARTYNEXTDOOR • Tory Lanez • Summer Walker • H.E.R. • Olivia Dean • Sienna Spiro • Kelela • Sabrina Claudio • Meshell Ndegeocello and more.#TheArtOfThePlaylist #AOP #RnB #RnBMusic #RhythmAndBlues #ModernRnB #ClassicRnB #SoulMusic #MusicPodcast #MusicDiscovery #MusicHistory #Motown #FrankOcean #SZA #Drake #TheWeeknd #BrysonTiller #BrentFaiyaz #PARTYNEXTDOOR #OliviaDean #SiennaSpiro #MarvinGaye #StevieWonder #ArethaFranklin #GenX #GenZ #TrustUsNotTheAlgorithm