Songs of the Week Volume IV
It's that time again! We're back with the music of the student body of our school! Submit songs you like with a small explanation of why you like them or what they are to either 16murphyc@peabodystu.org or in the comments of this article. The playlist can be found here and the archive can be found here. We're going to be doing a Halloween theme next week, so choose songs that fit that if you want to see them included next week! Until then, enjoy these songs submitted by a variety of students of Peabody High School!
Adam Whelton:
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24
I like this song because it has a unique vibe.
Sam Minton:
Machine Gun Kelly - A Little More feat. Victoria Monet
This is one of the 1st singles off of MGK new album "General Admission" which drops on October 16th. The song talks about how people should be focusing on loving and helping one another and not hating or fighting with each other. The song also ends with a powerful statement about how you should never give up on your dreams and always stand up for what you believe in.
Alana Smith:
Troye Sivan - Touch
This song is one of the songs that is in Troye Sivan's first EP. It talks about him falling in love. So this is definitely for the romantic song lovers out there.
Martin Garrix vs Matisse & Sadko - Dragon
This is an EDM type song. It is a song that makes you want to get up and dance crazy. If your looking for an upbeat type of mood, definitely listen to this song.
Evan Murphy:
Matt Montgomery with Brian Adam McCune - On Top of the World
This is a good song. What makes it even more impressive is the time restraint of a single day of recording. Some of the musicians got their music the night before recording and only had one day of practice. Many of the musicians had never met Matt Montgomery, the lead singer, until the day of recording.
Brett Dennen - Comeback Kid
Everybody loves a comeback so come on back now, come back come back. Everybody loves an underdog singing that's my dog. That's my do-o-og. Nah nah-nah-nah nah nah-nah nah nah nah that's my do-o-og. Catchy 'aint it?
Connor Murphy:
Brendan Benson - What I'm Looking For
Finding a place in life is hard. It's easy to get lost in what you want to do with your life. Brendan Benson uses this bouncy tune to admit that, while he doesn't know what he wants from life, he wants to do something more worthwhile than what he's doing know. With some of the clearest vocals I've heard from artists with his indie rock background, Brendan Benson definitely has something that will strike a chord in many, especially young people who are expected to make decisions about life in college or even high school.
Titus Andronicus - In A Big City
This is a song about losing your identity. Patrick Stickles, the lead singer, sings about being lost in the crowd having come to a place like Brooklyn. In New Jersey, he felt like an individual, but in such a densely populated place, he's just a statistic. And it's even harder for him to stand out in a consumerist society, where success can only come in the form of money. These lyrics really speak to me in a way that few others do.
Natasha DaSilva:
The Band Perry - If I Die Young
This first one is a little bit of a sad one. However, this is such a beautiful song. I chose this song because of its lyrics. Every time I sing this song I get teary-eyed at the lyrics "so put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls". Its so hard for me to explain why, but I just had to choose it.
Twenty-One Pilots - House of Gold
Again, I can not give a solid reason for choosing this song. In the first week of "songs of the week", I also chose a song by TOP. Their songs are my "songs of everyday".
Demetri Cassidy:
Flying Lotus - Breathe Something, Stellar Star
Breathe Something/Stellar Star: This comes from the producer's 2008 album, Los Angeles. This song features a clear example of the producer's signature sound: dreamy jazz-influenced melodies combined with glitchy, lo-fi synths and hard-hitting hip-hop percussion. It's a fun little song that's nice and easy to listen to.
Tim Hecker - Live Room
This comes from the Canadian musician's 2012 album, Virgins. Unlike the previous song, this is much longer, and requires a lot more patience. However, it's also very rewarding for those willing to sit through the whole thing. The song features fragmented piano playing, melancholic synths hanging in the background, and some of the nastiest blasts of bass I've heard in music. It's not for everyone, but for those willing to sit through it, it's a very excellent song.
Edgar Castro:
Deafheaven - Dream House
I'll close my post-rock preaching with this. Maybe. Deafheaven's Dream House, off of their album, Sunbather, is very different from any post-rock song I've ever heard before. Of course, I guess it can be argued that it isn't even really post-rock, but it's close enough that for the purposes of this post I'll consider it as such. Instead of focusing on varying textures and energy dynamics, Dream House approaches post-rock with a full-on wall of sound powered by guitars that sound like vacuum cleaners that persists for the majority of the song, interrupted only by a quiet section in the middle. The song overall is incredibly high energy, and yet, at the same time, it's very soothing and beautiful because of the melody. High energy and soothing at the same time - paradoxical, isn't it? The lyrics are also interesting, although hard to make out without looking through the lyrics sheet or search results on Google. The lyrics of the first half are sort of iffy to me (I'm not exactly a fan or follower of metal, so they aren't exactly my type), but the lyrics of the second half are nice, especially given their very short length. Overall, it's a very interesting song. There's a lot of stuff going on in it.
Jenny Hval - That Battle is Over
In an interview with Noam Chomsky for the 150th anniversary of The Nation, the interviewer, John Nichols, alluded to an observation by Tony Benn that stated that there was a point in time in recent history where countries around the world were suddenly choosing among the various movements, essentially, which ideology would become dominant within their respective borders. In response, Chomsky said, "They all had the choice. It was the same in all of them, and it depended who won." It's clear which one won the United States over: neoliberalism. Past that choice, the mainstream ideology is very difficult to unseat: parts of Europe have remained firmly social democratic for a very long time, and meanwhile, the United States, and also most of the first world overall, has remained relatively neoliberal - Citizens United and the Trans Pacific Partnership are strong indicators of this.
Jenny Hval's That Battle is Over is a protest, a critique of that supreme neoliberal victory over all of the other movements and ideologies in the world and its effects on the common people, and it's catchy, to boot. She sings about the corporate degradation of the public's self esteem and its control over the minds of the public; she laments over the hits that the other movements have taken as a result of neoliberalism's victory - "You say I'm free now, that battle is over, and feminism is over and socialism's over, yeah, I say I can consume what I want now" - and she criticizes the obsessive consumerism and overly individualistic tendencies of much of modern society. And on top of all of these large ideas is an interplay of organs and very bassy drums that's very unique and, well, catchy. Underneath them and Hval's strong and melodic singing and whispering, the protest almost goes unnoticed and the song can almost be enjoyed somewhat like a normal art pop song.