Hello friends,
Today I'm back to bring you an episode that I didn't write. I picked out four songs from listeners' Wrapped survey responses, and today we have Elliot, Eric, Victoria, and Alex here to tell us about their personal top track from last year. Let's see what they have to say.
From Elliot:
I've never really been a big hip hop buff, but over the past year or so Healy has slowly worked his way into a lot of my bread and butter playlists. His music has a kicked back, casual air about it that's polished and really easy to get into. I'm a big fan of the production on "Reckless" (shoutout Biskwiq) – it's textured but not busy, catchy but not repetitive, rhythmic but not robotic. The melody and kicks feel as much a part of the song as the lyrics, instead of just being there like a plain chip for the rap salsa. Also, how can anyone say no to a little lo-fi sampling? You KNOW I'm out here studying/relaxing to these chill beats.
From Eric:
Ever since it popped up on my Release Radar one day, the whole album, Wake Up, Sunshine, including the opening track, "Some Kind of Disaster," has been my go to for some fun, feel good music. Its soft opening, which transitions to a pop punk anthem gets me pumped up every time. As the months at home have worn on, I've kept coming back to this. We're all living through some kind of disaster right now, and "It’s all downhill ’til it’s a climb / Through blood and tears but I don’t mind / I’ll just keep singing on and on and on."
The Seattleites among us might also empathize with the track "January Gloom" as we head further into our winter as well...
If you want to read a good review of the album that expresses my thoughts much better, check this out.
From Victoria:
Happy New Year all! According to my Spotify Wrapped, Kaskade was my top artist of 2020 and I spent over two thousand minutes listening to his music......and that doesn't include his live sets on SoundCloud or YouTube. I'm a huge EDM fan and Kaskade has been a driving force in that genre for over a decade.
I'm not sure if I could pick a favorite track of his to be honest. Clearly, though, this one is right up there. This is also one of those rare instances where I believe the remix (at least this particular one) is better than the original. Make no mistake, the original is a truly fun song. It's full of flirty vocals from Meghan Trainor and a bouncy, pop-like rhythm that you can't help but dance to.
Why do I like LöKii's remix better? I'm glad you asked. LöKii dials back the vocals and focuses on the beat, transforming this pop track into something much more rhythmic with a deep house vibe (making it much more low-key.....LöKii). In doing so, the track becomes something you not only hear, but feel.
I'm one of those people that always seems to attach memories to songs. Ever hear a song and remember where you were and what you were doing when you first heard it? This is one of those songs for me. I hope you love it as much as I do!
From Alex:
To Tanner's dismay, who thought for sure my top track would be "Innerbloom" by Rüfüs Du Sol, I put this track on repeat a few too many times. However, I've always been drawn to music that features spoken word. It has the unique ability to take you to a different time and place.
Public Service Broadcasting teleports you in this way through the use of archival audio from World War II and The Blitz or the Cold War's Space Race. In their latest studio album, Every Valley, the duo tell the story of the Welsh coal industry's rise and fall in the 1950's. Sampling documentaries, interviewing local townspeople, and even recording on site in the Ebbw Vale, the album beautifully captures the romanticism, grit, and ultimate abandonment of this way of life.
The final track on the album, "Take Me Home," is all choir voices, just like it might have been when sung by the coal workers of the time. In context with the rest of the album and decline of the coal industry, it is a fitting capstone for the album as it is a somber allegory for the final closure of the mines and fading hope of the miners that the industry may one day return.
Of course, don’t forget to reply with what you liked, didn’t like, and what you’ve been listening to.
And, as always, this week’s tracks are added to the collectors for all weeks' tracks on Spotify and Apple Music.
Cheers,
Tanner