Featured Image: There are some amazing beats out there right now—here are some of our favourites. | Courtesy of Pexels
4:44
Matt Dionne
Editor-in-Chief
Now that I have a (temporary) Tidal account, I’ve been listening to Jay-Z’s 4:44. I was first introduced to rap by Jay-Z’s The Blueprint, and have been a fan of the genre ever since, and especially a fan of him as an artist.
Produced by No I.D., 4:44 explores several themes, and is much more than just a response to Beyonce Knowles’ Lemonade, as many people have claimed—it does undoubtedly address Lemonade, particularly the line “Leave me alone, Becky” in “Family Feud,” a direct response to a line from Lemonade’s “Sorry.” However, the album deals with several other things, such as his relationship with his mother, what it’s like being black in America, and the challenges of marriage—particularly in staying faithful, and even killing his ego Jay Z (spelled without the hyphen).
4:44 is another strong addition to an already impressive resume, proving that Jay-Z is still at the top of the rap game.
Melodrama
Emilie Miranda
Executive Editor, Online
The one album I haven’t been able to stop listening to since its June release is Lorde’s Melodrama. Its tracks are by turns soulful and vengeful, mixing both electronic and pop vibes with new wave beats and a classic piano.
While “Liability” and “Writer in the Dark” may make you want to cry into your tea, “Homemade Dynamite” and “Perfect Places” will have you swaying along, while questioning what exactly society expects of us 20-somethings. As a break-up album, Melodrama deals with themes of loneliness and romance, but will leave you with a sense of peace and self-acceptance.
Spotify’s Discover Weekly
Rowan Campbell
Creative Director
I don’t really seek out specific musical artists—rather, I listen to genres of music that I feel capture a mood I am feeling at a particular time of day. As such, my music tastes tend to be about as turbulent and eclectic as my bipolar mood swings. These days, I’ve been listening to a lot of doom metal and psychedelia. In the past, I have often stuck only to specific songs and albums that I knew, but Spotify’s discover weekly feature—I’m not sponsored by them, I swear—has truly expanded my horizons this past year to musicians I never would have found on my own. The creators I have been listening to the most on a consistent basis nowadays are groups and artists such as Beach House, Chelsea Wolfe, Jefferson Airplane, Yeasayer, Blondie, Animal Collective, Monster Rally, the Cults, and the soundtrack to the 1986 musical “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Jazz
Munirul-Haq Raza
News Editor
My journey into jazz began after listening to 90’s hip-hop classics, like Nas’s Illmatic, AZ’s Doe or Die, Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the 36 Chambers, A Tribe Called Quest’s Beats, Rhymes and Life, or Mos Def and Talib Kweli’s Blackstar. These albums led me to look more into the jazz and soul samples that they used. After listening to some original samples, I fell in love with old school jazz, and I’m currently listening to Ahmad Jamal’s melodic piano playing, in pieces like “Poinciana,” and Idris Muhammad’s phenomenal drum play, found in songs like “Peace.” When I want to relax after a stressful day, I also often put on Yussef Kamaal’s Black Focus, calming my brainwaves for the rest of the day.
Funk
Dennis Bayazitov
Assistant News Editor
Few styles will get you jamming in a more contagious groove quicker than funk—not to mention, challenge your rhythmic syncopation skills, unique chord progressions, and melodic technique so rigorously.
What I appreciate most, however, has to be the power funk has to liven up just about any other genre. Add a fat bass line to a fire verse, and you’ve got a killer hip-hop track—or some syncopated clavinets to a pop song, and you’ve just given it an extra bounce. Mix in some funk with a ballad, and there you’ve got an inviting slow jam.
Whether it be classics like Earth, Wind & Fire or Funkadelic, alternative rockers like the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Rage Against the Machine, or experimental rappers like Kendrick Lamar, there’s a vein of funk out there for everyone, ready to infect you with its groove.
Crack-Up
Angelica Babiera
Arts Editor
The Fleet Foxes, an American indie-folk band, released their new album on June 16 this year, and I haven’t stopped listening to it since. Crack-Up gives its listeners luscious harmonies and epiphanic lyrics about the true meaning of life. The opening song introduces listeners to an individual trying to find himself in the midst of the chaos of life. By the final track, he finally understands everything—enlightening us to the fact that, in the end, everything will be alright. Ultimately, Crack-Up explores the idea of the ups and downs of life, in a very mellow and powerful album.
Nahko Bear and Medicine for the People
Jodie Vanderslot
Health Editor
My recent discovery has been Nahko Bear and Medicine for the People. Their music isn’t one thing in particular—it’s a fusion of several different genres and cultures. The first video I watched was the lead singer himself, Nahko Bear, playing acoustic and singing “Wash it Away,” a solo performance on the gondola. They’re an acoustic, folk type band, playing music for the mind and soul. Nahko just released “Dragonfly,” from his new album, My Name is Bear, which is set to release on October 20. Russ has also been releasing a lot of new singles recently, following his debut album that came out in May, There’s Really a Wolf. He’s a rapper and songwriter with kind of a pop style. His lyrics are incredibly powerful, and the music he comes up with is sure to stay stuck in your head.
ABBA
Alexander Colle
Sports Editor
My answer? It’s gotta be ABBA. In a world where racial tensions are rising, nuclear bombs can go off at any moment, and a reality TV host is in charge of the most powerful nation on Earth, my only real protective instinct is to go to the best Swedish pop-disco musical group that this world has ever known. Just like Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke sang in the song, “Present Tense,” on his band’s most recent album, A Moon Shaped Pool: “As my world comes crashing down/I’ll be dancing/Freaking out/Deaf, dumb, and blind.”
Honestly, what’s a better way to deal with the end of the world than to dance your ass off to “Dancing Queen” in the middle of the house, wearing nothing but pajama bottoms and a bare chest? Let me stay in my fantasy.
Rock
Anna Voskuil
Copy Editor
The 80’s was undoubtedly one of the greatest generations to bring us head-banging guitar rifts, electrifying instrumentals, and lyrics to make it the most revolutionary musical movement of the ages—especially when it came to the rock genre. This decade didn’t shift rock—it invented it. Drawing inspiration from hits like Foreigner’s “Jukebox Hero” and Van Halen’s “Panama,” it’s no wonder that the countless rock bands of today continue to keep the genre thriving—most notably, bands like Tally Hall—a more obscure group out of the bunch, but undoubtedly one to give a listen to. With hits like “Turn the Lights Off,” or “Ruler of Everything,” their original twist within the rock genre is sure to keep this relishing brand of music as slamming as ever.
Alan Walker
Basma Elbahnasawy
Photo/Video Editor
Considering his hit song “Spectre” is one of the most-used instrumentals all over the world, Alan Walker has shaped the way music is heard and perceived by an audience. His music has the rare ability to be enjoyed with plenty of people in a social setting, such as a party, as well as during a solo moment of deep introspection.
Walker covers his face with a mask to not only maintain anonymity, but to also create a movement in which anyone can feel like they are him. Further, this anonymity is a sign of unity; by encouraging the public to focus on how we are alike in situations, rather than how we may be different. One of the prime examples of his message can be heard in his song “Faded,” which now has over 225 million views on YouTube. The song’s lyrics explain the scenario of someone who is lost and trying to find something, its universal message resonates with a diverse group of people, which is the reason why Walker’s music is so popular around the world.
