Raquel Delgado, ‘20

January 2020

Top 10 Recommendations for Music Lovers who love any type of music. 

10. 19 by 99 Neighbors - This song starts with melodic voices, agonizing almost as if they’re drowning in misery. It’s the beginning that shapes the whole song that comes afterward. I don’t know exactly what genre this song is in. The beats and certain verses tell me it’s hip-hop/rap, but from the other verses of the song, it could also be alternative or pop. It’s a nice blend between synth and voice. The filtering on the voices is pleasing, and there’s also a nice separation of every track. 

9. Solid Wall of Sound by A Tribe Called Quest - Now, this song honestly feels like an experiment of sound. It’s pretty fun to listen to this song,as Q-Tip, Phife Dog, and Busta Rhymes exchange bars over beats produced by Q-Tip and with a sample of “Bennie and the Jets.” The song talks about being able to vibe to music, and let go of aggression and violent thoughts. At the end of the day, the song stresses, music brings everyone together. 

8. Vacant by KRAZ - This song gives me major Gorillaz vibes, but at the same time, it’s a unique song. To me, this is a song one would play on a cloudy day, maybe going to the store to get food, or just trying to get to the train station. It’s one of those songs with a nice bass and drum line; it keeps the song going. The song itself is loopy, and it’ll just suck you in.  The artist himself, KRAZ, isn’t well known, as his YouTube channel only has 140 subscribers. It’s amazing how I was able to stumble upon this gem of a song. 

7. Sincerity is Scary by the 1975 - This song is ultimately a feel good song. It’s ironic though, that the lyrics give such a different message. The song speaks about how nowadays it’s very hard to be sincere with people in serious situations because then that means people have to be more human. In today’s world, everyone is ironic, sarcastic, cynical or sardonic. It is hard to be real with them, since everyone is making sarcastic, ironic and sardonic comments rather than saying things they really mean. Matty Healy, the frontman, best describes the song’s intentions in a genius interview when he says, “It’s harder to be really sincere...Because you have to be really human..” 

6. Your Best American Girl by Mitski - It’s such a nice indie rock song, but the lyrics yet again contrast with the sound. In this song, the guitar is harsh yet playful almost. Mitski’s voice comes out softly, the harsh guitar still playing with a bit of white noise in the background. In this song, Mitski is talking about loving someone so much, yet separating  due to major cultural differences. The message given here is that, yes: sometimes culture can get in the way of loving someone. The real question that lies here is if we should try to break down this cultural barrier. 

5. Fallingwater by Maggie Rogers - In this very epic moving song, Maggie Rogers describes herself as falling water going through a very tough relationship breakup. The song itself shapes itself to be falling water, as the beat gets louder and breaks down by the second verse. The beat is a metaphor for when Rogers started to break down like water, it’s a metaphor for when everything started to spiralm and suddenly she was not in control of what was happening in her life. When I first listened to this song, I honestly believed Rogers was talking about herself, not being able to love herself as much as she wanted to, hence why she’s so out of control now. This song can mean anything to the listener. It is fluid, just like water. 

4. MTME by Alexandra Savior - This is another song that has to do with breakups and love, but it’s not so much the beginning stages of hurt. It’s more about the bitterness in the aftermath. The song has darker sounds, with a lot of synth and heavy bass. I can also hear a bit of a telephone/megaphone filter on Savior’s voice, which by the way, was cutting through the music very clearly. Savior’s voice sounds like it’s dripping velvet. Near the end, the sounds get jumbled up, and it’s a mass of confusion, signifying the confusion and bitterness after a breakup. Again, when I first heard this song, I seriously thought this song wasn’t about love at all, rather just being evil because you felt like it. 

3. Soapy by Naira Marley - This song was so fun to hear. Afro-beat is one of the few genres of music I barely hear people talk about, and I don’t know why. In this song specifically, Naira talks about his experience in prison and how people wanted to see him fall. But this is a song with a happy beat and somewhat happy lyrics too. Marley says to dance “soapy” (a dance move he created) because it is a victory dance. He says no matter if there are people in prison, outside of prison, living well, suffering badly, they should dance “soapy.” To me, this is such a good message, even if it’s in a different language. This song just goes to prove that language is NOT a barrier at all when it comes to music. 

2. Janet by Berhana - This song is light and almost bubbly. The inspiration for this song was Janet Hubert,who played Aunt Viv in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. There is some history behind this actress as she eventually was replaced by a lighter skinned woman to play Aunt Viv. Hence in the chorus when Berhana sings,“wonder if you’ll dismiss me/ Maybe light-skin Aunt Viv me” he’s referencing to Hubert being replaced because she had dark skin. In the context of the song, Berhana hopes that this girl he likes won’t replace him with someone who everyone thinks would be better. These lyrics point out the unfairness of colorism, and the preference of light skin over darker skin tones. Overall the song is fun to listen to, but it has a double meaning. 

1. Sondela by Tresor ft. Msaki - This song is so soft and has such a good beat. The song is sung in Xhosa (Msaki’s verse and the chorus) and Swahili (Tresor’s verse). It is pure poetry. Tresor’s and Msaki’s voices blend in smoothly together and create a sense of serenity within the song. Msaki starts off the song and goes into the chorus with Tresor supporting her in the background. Next is Tresor’s verse in Swahili. They both go into the chorus again, their voices on top of one another. The chorus roughly translates to “Come to me (2x)/ Baby, come to me/When the sun sets/You have a home in me/Babe, you have a home in me/You have a home in me/When it's cloudy.” They both then take a moment and sing the bridge in English, and then they go back to the chorus. I find it amazing that these two artists found a way to convey a love story in 3 languages. It goes to show music is far beyond language. It is rather the connection and the art of the message the artist is trying to portray. The song overall makes me happy every time I listen to it. Sondela is a masterpiece of sound creativity, voice blending, and poetry.