I used my excuse, and became inconsistent. On my original introduction / proposal post, I said that I would post a list on a weekly / biweekly basis, and here I am, posting my favorite songs with a week in between.
In a way, I am glad I decided to give myself a break in-between. I had spring break last week, and it was perhaps one of the most relaxing academic breaks I could have asked for.
I went to New York, and visited my older sister, met a bunch of her friends, and traveled through Connecticut, New York, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. I guess I really went around the east coast quite a bit. I enjoyed it a lot.
Without further ado, my top 5 songs of the week…
Funny how such a name can carry a song. This song is pretty generic, and Mura Masa’s name is the driving force of its popularity.
The song starts with some kind of Japanese language sample, which is sort of unique.
There are steel drums, which introduces a “tropical” feeling, which is refreshing, as the song only sort of goes downhill from that point.
At 1:02, the song reaches a breaking point, where the sound is incredibly reminiscent of Flume. The over-genericized sound is stale, mundane, and repetitive.
I suppose the only reason why such a song is in my “favorite songs” list is only because it was just good enough for the time that I listened to it. “What if I go” released during my spring break, and being able to hear something ostensibly “fresh,” was nice.
In clothing today, we have brands like H&M and Forever 21, that are in the are labeled “disposable fashion.” These low quality garments fade, and fall apart very quickly. I suppose this is sort of a “disposable” song to me, such that the music will quickly fade out of style.
Something that I should also point out is Bonzai’s incredible vocals. It’s very easy to forget about a good vocalist, as I think vocalists are more easily noticed when their work is lackluster.
wherever you’re going i’m going with ya babe, going with ya babe
4. You Will Forget Me (TRAILS REMIX) — Mothica
My younger brother sent me this song.
I would have never listened to such a song, given the album artwork, which exudes the feeling of a “chill” song.
While I like relaxing and nonchalant songs, I don’t necessarily like the word ‘chill,’ and dislike associating with such a word.
TRAILS is not a “no-name” artist, but before this song, I had never heard of them. In such a situation, when I hear a remix that I like, whether it be from an artist that I know, or an artist that I do not, I try listening to the original song, in effort to pay homage to the original song.
Frequently, I find myself enjoying the original song just as much, or sometimes even more than the remix.
However, this was not the case with the original. I found the original to be too slow for my tastes. It was not enough for me.
Typically, with such a song, and a lesser known artist, “TRAILS,” I would listen to the original song and try to enjoy it.
However, this remix is so far removed from the original song, that I find the original incredibly difficult to enjoy.
I suppose this song is your basic bare-bones song with a somewhat boring synth, but at 1:06, a bubbly and interestingly rich and lustrous sound is introduced with a beat that is founded on a (xylophone?)
The sound is so incredibly unique, yet so fitting for the vocals that it is definitely one of my favorite parts of the song. The sound for the segment is most certainly the song’s focal point.
I found myself returning to this incredibly light and exuberant sound time and time again.
The xylophone segment subsides at 1:46, and returns to its original bland synth. Most interesting to me is the unique popping sound that draw my attention away from the generic, and honestly mundane, synth. The popping samples are reminiscent of of Djemba Djemba’s “Yah Pop”
For the song’s generic sound, and “chill” aesthetic, I’m surprised this song does not have at least 1M plays. Time will tell of course.
follow your heart tonight / you never leave my side / will I be winding down / I’m going back (back… back…) / follow your heart tonight / you never leave my side / will I be winding down / I’m going back (going back)
First a caveat, I am not a huge fan of Ariana Grande’s antics off of the stage, and her legato vocals, and indistinguishable spoken word. That said, I am a fan of her tone, and musical talent overall.
After downloading “My Everything (Deluxe Edition) [2013]” sometime last year, I finally came across this song from playing through music on shuffle. Typically, I would just skip this song, as it features Childish Gambino, someone I’m not incredibly fond of, but I was on a MegaBus ride for 4 hours, feeling too tired and ‘lazy’ to want to switch the song.
I’m glad I felt that way at the time.
I immediately regretted listening, because the song captivated me.
I loved the catchy vocals, and chorus. The electric guitar at the transition to the chorus was perfect, and reminds me of the beach.
I also am entertained by the fact that Ariana is potentially alluding to some Justin Timberlake songs, with lines like “want you to cry me a river,” (from one of my favorite albums of all time), and “what goes around comes around.”
These of course are age-old adages, but as a huge fan of Justin Timberlake, I’d love to believe that he was the reasoning behind such lines.
I don’t have much to say about Childish Gambino’s part, aside from the fact that it is a rap. Nothing outstanding to me, but nothing awful. I’m indifferent.
This song also actually samples Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out.”
If I could change one thing, I would utilize the 808 sample [thanks for the ID Morgan] at 0:18, and at other segments more often, and in the beginning.
I really fell for this song, along with My Everything. But that is a song for another week.
2. Stop Me Cold (Prod. Picard Bros & Djemba Djemba) — LIZ
The song kicks off with an incredibly smooth bass line, which is followed by a cheesy clapping sample that is almost ‘cringe-worthy’.
However, LIZ’s incredibly melodic and solid vocals make for an incredible, nonchalant but smooth song.
The aesthetic is a little unusual; and imbues a ‘retro’ aesthetic (which I suppose compliments the album artwork), in that the choice of synths have an ‘older’ feeling to them.
Nonetheless, I feel as if it brings an especially unique approach to a very unique song.
I suppose I don’t have much else to say, besides the fact that this song is incredibly solid.
I’ve listened to this song since its release in 2013, and I still have not gotten sick of it… yet.
one look, stop me cold / I wanna be the one, I wanna be the one /oh-oh-oh / Don’t spill ‘bout them other girls / no I don’t needa know / no I don’t needa know / I can tell you were watching / how you looked the other way / and it made me feel so vulnerable
yeah it took / one look to stop me cold / I’ll never let you go / I’ll never let you go
This has been a favorite song of mine for quite some time.
I didn’t want to write on this song sooner, because I have emotions and feelings attached to this song.
This song reminds me of sadness, heartbreak, depression and anxiety. Now that I am starting to move past these feelings, I wanted to write about one of my favorite songs right before it hit 1M plays on SoundCloud.
It’s interesting how a certain song can act as a sort of reminder of a particular time during your life, and it will stay associated to that specific time or instance forever. Music is special and awful in that way. To me, this song is sort of a point on a timeline, and instead of dissecting the musical aspect of the song, I am going to talk about the feelings it brings me.
But before that, I want to point out that KUČKA’s vocals are incredibly smooth, and are reminiscent of Aluna’s, which is meant as a compliment. The wavering synth, and the chord progression gets to me every time.
Depression is a feeling that is hard to understand, and hard to experience vicariously. Whenever someone told me that they were “depressed,” I sort of ignored them, and shook them off. I don’t like being surrounded by negativity, yet I’m negative a lot. Something that I’ve discussed before is the fact that I dislike inconsistency, and crave stability, although at times I fail on both counts.
I feel better now. Sometimes I still feel hurt, and sad. I did a lot of things wrong. When things aren’t going your way, you can’t really put things into perspective until time passes. It’s incredibly cliché, but time heals us all. I needed that time to understand my thought.
Time gave me the opportunity to separate my thoughts and emotions, and allowed me to really dominate my thought without letting it affect my mental state.
My experience has been incredibly difficult, but if there’s anything that I’ve learned, it’s that you can improve yourself, and the best you can do is to try to create the best version of yourself. Now that I don’t spend my time with that person I cared and still care for, I am free to do more things. I have begun lifting weights, and I have begun this blog, and have allowed myself to have a radio show. In fact, I am incredibly thankful for what I have been given.
It’s hard to understand, and when you do, you almost want to ask for repentance. It’s such an odd idea and feeling.
but I understand ya better now / I just got a text from you boy, told you that you’re waiting outside / don’t think you’re around for goodbyes / it felt like I went back in time
edited by julian yamamoto
all images belong to their respective owners
