One could say that Edgar Allan Poe was the original "Goth". His macabre poetry and short stories are timeless literary classics and his life was not much more upbeat than his writing. Both his parents died when he was a child, he suffered from depression and drug addiction, his wife/cousin died after two years of marriage and he himself died at the young age of 40.

Poe continues to be a muse for all things horror. Many artists, writers, filmmakers and musicians that lean to the dark side of the human condition count Poe as a major influence.

Legendary composers like Debussy and Rachmaninoff sited Edgar Allan Poe as an influence, but for this playlist I wanted for focus on modern music that has been inspired by the work of Poe.

You'll find rock, alternative, hip hop, folk and metal in the list, but no matter how diverse the genres most of the songs work to capture the eerie undercurrent that transformed Edgar Allan Poe into legend.

Songs Inspired By The Writings of Edgar Allan Poe

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The All Music Guide lists 21 musicians who have, at some point in their career, been part of the renaissance rock unit Jethro Tull.

This playlist selects songs by bands that are connected to Jethro Tull through at least one member. It contains a mix of celtic folk, classic rock and progressive rock, just as one would expect, but not as much flute as you would find on the typical Tull record.

If this playlist were in a visual medium, you would also notice a reduction in man-tights and codpieces. So count yourself lucky.

Band family trees are a great way to become familiar with the connections between groups through common group members. And many times they can turn you on to an artist you were not familiar with, especially if you're a fan of the band being traced. For example, most won't be surprised by the Jethro Tull connection to Ian Anderson's solo material, Fairport Convention and Pentangle, but Black Sabbath, Whitesnake and The Proclaimers? Yes, it's true, and you can dig

Are you an political independent having a hard time deciding which party to vote for this November? Don't hurt yourself combing through all the issues and listening to the talking heads.

Instead, just decide which color has the better songs and you'll know who to vote for.

Blue is a color that holds a multitude of meaning for the songwriter. It's representation of sadness and despair have even given the color it's own genre in "the blues". It's also the color used to represent the democratic party, so if you like this playlist better than the red one, vote for Obama or Clinton in November depending on who gets the nod.

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1. Blue - Lucinda Williams

2. Blue - Joni Mitchell

3. Blue - Miles Davis

4. Blue - Rain Parade 

5. Blue - The Jayhawks

6. Blue - The Verve

7. Blue - Smashing Pumpkins 

8. Blue - The Samples

9. Blue - Frank Sinatra

10. Blue - Buffalo Tom

If I decided to base these playlists on the political leanings of the artists included it simply would not have