June means many things to many people — the end of school, the beginning of spring, Father’s Day. Here at Flavorpill, we’re also celebrating LGBT Pride Month. It’s an intense moment for queer rights, from the frustratingly slow progress our federal government has made on repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to the two-steps-forward-three-steps-back fight for same-sex marriage. And tough times call for great music. That’s why we’ve asked several of our favorite LGBT musicians to put together non-traditional pride playlists to soundtrack this year’s festivities. You know, so we don’t have to endure hour after hour of “I’m Coming Out.”
Our second mix comes from Owen Pallett, formerly known as Final Fantasy. Earlier this year, Pallett released Heartland (Domino), an orchestral pop symphony with some of the year’s best lyrics, to great and well-deserved critical acclaim. His playlist is a seamless combination of new, queer indie rock (Girls, The Hidden Cameras), classic post-punk (Public Image Ltd., Pere Ubu, Wire), and delightful randomness.
1. Girls — “Lust For Life” (from self-titled) ytaudio(iu3mGQtncbY) 2. Huggy Bear — “Pansy Twist” (from Taking The Rough With The Smooch) ytaudio(Ye6qklNclYs) 3. Fifth Column — “Kangeroo Court” (from To Sir With Hate) 4. The Hidden Cameras — “High Upon the Church Grounds” (from Ecce Homo) (live version) ytaudio(ydfIBroHHe4) 5. Altered Images — “I Could Be Happy” (7″ version) ytaudio(k1O3aoBhgXY) 6. Life Without Buildings — “The Leanover” (from Any Other City) ytaudio(0SL4_DsUlH8) 7. Imperial Teen — “Our Time” (from On) ytaudio(s76KX3Jpx-M) 8. Lykke Li — “Dance Dance Dance” (from Youth Novels) ytaudio(modXbqbsAvs) 9. Katie Stelmanis — “Believe Me” (7″ version) ytaudio(SJi26Eo6hgc) 10. Public Image Ltd. — “Flowers Of Romance” (from Flowers Of Romance) ytaudio(hv-jLbEJuBQ) 11. Wire — “Map Ref. 41°N 93°W” (from 154) ytaudio(XZ2RvSHK_B8) 12. Pere Ubu — “Ubu Dance Party” (from Dub Housing) ytaudio(mKCBCiwj5AU) 13. Tomboyfriend — “Dance Dance Revolutions Co.”