Run your fingers through my hair locomotive chug - "Cry to Me" Solomon Burke

"Cry to Me" Solomon Burke

R.I.P. Patrick Swayze. If you're a real girl, you'll recognize this song from Baby and Johnny Castle's jealousy-inducing sensual dance turn romp scene in "Dirty Dancing." This song is painful and happy; it sways and chugs, lurches and pops. It hurts so good like an Otis Redding jam.

When to play it: If you're lucky, at a Baby/Johnny re-enactment; washing dishes happily in your underwear and a man's white button down; slow dancing with an intriguing stranger in your living room at 3AM.

Side note: Watch the scene here.

Dainty vocal dance makes big sound - "The Limit to Your Love" Feist

"The Limit to Your Love" Feist

This song moves me in two directions: calm serene green road or sad tear-filled meaning of life reflection. What I love about Feist's songs is that the individual musical components are extremely simple, but her voice is so beautiful, it skips and hops over the chords and notes; it's a loosely woven gossamer, sparkly scarf.

When to play it: After yoga; while thoughtfully reflecting on a lost love under your covers.

How you'll feel: Light.

Side note: I once met a guy from Austria named Gerald Voggenberger at a bar; he came to my house to tell me about his dead grandmother, harp about his love-less broken relationship with his live-in girlfriend, translate "Major Tom" by Peter Schilling for me, and make me listen to the "most beautiful song of all time," this one (true story).

Angelic three-piece orchestral blanket - "10 Mile Stereo" Beach House

"10 Mile Stereo" Beach House

As we come upon the one-year anniversary of Beach House's January 2010 release, I might as well post one of their most amazing tracks. I saw Beach House open for Vampire Weekend a couple months ago, and this song stuck with me. The nursery rhyme-simple loop starts small and builds into a rich ambient stadium sound - really moving live.

How you'll feel: Like you're floating in a sea of warm non-stinging jelly fish.

How you'll move: Eye-closed bobbing and swaying.

Grunge love scream dirty maneater - "Violet" Hole

"Violet" Hole

I hope that you've forgotten about this song, and I'm reminding you. Because to hear it again is a dream! My dear friend was Courtney Love for Halloween, and he reminded me of this amazing song. There is a jazzy snare drum, simple rocking guitar hooks, and obscene disgusting unharmonic screaming! LOVE LOVE LOVE. This song makes me want to be a rockstar, screaming and thrashing around on stage, spitting on audience members and showing my ripped panties (ok maybe not that last part). Girls don't rock like this anymore.

Enjoy.

How you'll feel: Powerful.

How you'll move: Ugly-faced thrashing.