Playlist-making is one of my favorite art forms. I'll compile them for any event, occasion, season, time of day, mood, or weather. My friends usually ask me to for music suggestions, so they recommended I share it here.
It's a misty, cool October Day, and all of the changing leaves are under a week of on-and-off rain, but the autumn vibes are still in the air, college football is on our TV, and these songs are all on my fall playlist.
Spotify link: Weekly Mixtape
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
It's a classic for a reason. Stevie Nicks is somewhat of an idol of mine, and my reasoning for that can be summed up in the simple elegance of her vocals on this track. A good song tells a story. A great song tells a story well. A work of art uses every note to make the story known, every word and its inflection to show you the story in detail. From the intro, the piano accompaniment is used to provide movement, the song rising and falling with the repeating melody, giving life to the lyrics about climbing mountains and about being brought down by them.
Text painting is an underutilized tool in modern music, but this song is a great example of its importance.
Suit And Jacket by Judah & The Lion
It's your average screamo, hip-hop song with folk instruments, summarizing the millennial generation's collective abhorrence of being told to "trade their youth for a suit and jacket." It regrets that life moves quickly, but recognizes that tomorrow isn't promised. While mourning how many people have exchanged their dreams for practical pursuits, the lyricist is comfortable to stand alone in clinging to the idealistic visions of his youth.
It is a fact that I watched Peter Pan too many times growing up, but this song resonates with me for many of the same reasons that caused me to wear out that VHS tape.
Gone, Gone, Gone, by Phillip Phillips
I judge songs by their percussion, and this one caught my attention the first time I heard it because of its driving beat throughout. This eventually building towards the lyric "like a drum, my heart never stops beating for you." This was the first song I heard by the unfortunately-named songwriter, but it wasn't the last. Who knows, he might show up on another of these posts in the future.
Speed of Sound by Coldplay
You know Viva La Vida. If you're my parents, that's where your knowledge of Coldplay begins and ends. This song just sounds like a fall evening to me, the dark skies and the cold nighttime air.
There are times when I choose songs because of their deep, poetic lyrics, but other times I choose them purely for the vibe they create, much like instrumental soundtracks. This is one of them.
Too Much To Ask by Niall Horan
This is the most recently released song on this week's mixtape. You've probably heard it on the radio if you listen to any stations of the pop/rock variety. There are plenty of singer-songwriter ballads in the world, many of which I could live without, but this one pulls me back in with its unique vocals (his Irish accent is more noticeable on this song than his other tracks) and soft electric guitar slides which remind me of one of my favorite artists, John Mayer.
There's an explicit label, but as it exists, I think it's a beautiful song.
I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on these songs, so feel free to drop them in the comments.
- Grace
No comments:
Post a Comment