The Monthly Mixtape: February 2025
Hey there, music lovers! Welcome to another edition of Word of Mouth's Monthly Mixtape series, where we share the soundtrack that's been fueling our creative engines each month. You know how sometimes a song just perfectly captures your mood or helps you power through that challenging project? That's exactly what these playlists are all about.
These mixtapes are inspired by everything from the shows we've been binging to the coffee shops where we've been camping out with our laptops. You'll find a delightful mix of new discoveries, tracks that are new to us (how did we miss these gems?), and those beloved classics that never seem to lose their magic. Consider this our musical journal, a little window into what's been inspiring us lately.
I was absolutely certain this month's mixtape would be the thinnest one yet. With a major surgery scheduled and February dedicated to recovery, I figured my musical horizons would be pretty limited.
WRONG.
It turns out recovery time is perfect for catching up on shows and movies, which led to an unexpected wealth of musical discoveries. While many of the films I watched featured traditional scores rather than contemporary music, binging The Bear and diving into SNL's musical history provided plenty of inspiration.
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music - Can we talk about Questlove for a moment? The man is a creative genius – check out his book Creative Quest if you need convincing. That intro mashup had me legit getting chills. More than the anniversary special or the Homecoming concert, this documentary rekindled what SNL meant to me growing up. Remember that electric feeling of seeing your favorite band on that legendary 8H stage? Or discovering an artist for the first time and having your mind blown? This special reminded me of when tuning in wasn't just something I did – it was something I lived for.
The Bear - Here's a fun industry tidbit: To keep costs down, Christopher Storer and Josh Senior (the creative masterminds behind this intense culinary dramedy) handle the music supervision themselves. The result? A soundtrack unlike anything else on television. After the emotional rollercoaster of Season 2's "Fishes" episode, ending with that deep-cut Weezer track was exactly the emotional release I needed. (Reader, I laughed so hard from the whiplash I nearly burst a stitch.) While Season 3 might not have hit the heights of previous seasons IMO, the Nine Inch Nails instrumental tracks (especially the premiere looping the same Ghosts track, Together), REM, and yes, more Weezer, were bright spots throughout.
Valley Girl - Let's be honest: Not the greatest film, but the soundtrack? Absolute fire. Two Sparks songs!? 😍 Almost made up for the disappointment of never seeing Nic Cage wear that iconic outfit from the movie poster. Almost.
