This may be the most personally relevant article that I've written yet. I say this because I completed the longest paper I've ever been assigned (20 pages) just seconds ago. And I really mean seconds. I can smell the ink drying as I type this. I'm kind of trying to bask in that nice afterglow that only comes along once or twice in a semester when I've accomplished something that I've have been dreading for months, but all I really want to do right now is listen to music and relax.
If you feel like doing the same here is a playlist that I'm putting together as I write this.
Recommended for you
1. Joanna Newsom - "Sprout and the Bean"
Joanna Newsom is the queen of songwriting that sounds harmless on the surface only to later reveal these weird twisted dimensions you didn't notice the first time around. It's so great. This song has a childlike quality that gives the listener the impression that it is a sweet fairytale narrative about nature. However, the more you listen to it the more unnerving the pleasant sound of the harp becomes. Eventually the lyrics seem to be about either a loss of faith that Joanna experienced or an abortion. Both are equally as gloomy and a far cry from the innocence I used to think this song conveyed.
2. Grimes - "Oblivion"
Few songs make me want to either sulk or dance quite as much as "Oblivion." This song is interesting because it is a pop song that is about that eery feeling of walking home at night and feeling like someone is following you. While that is a creepy and unsettling image, I love that Grimes (real name Claire Boucher) recorded such dark lyrics under one of her catchiest songs. The constant interplay between being contagiously fun and lyrically ominous helps this song to jump out at me every time I hear it.
3. St. Vincent - "The Party"
St. Vincent (real name Annie Clark) is another musician who is no stranger to writing catchy songs that are frayed at the edges. "The Party" perfectly captures that feeling after a big event is over where you're just sitting there, wondering if you should leave yet or not. Clark imbues this song with a wistful melody and lyrics about pockets hanging out like surrender flags that make it one of her most listenable songs. The highlight of "The Party" is a vocal refrain at the end that sounds like the music is being carried off on the breeze.
4. Aphex Twin- "Avril 14th"
I almost always listen to this calm, two minute piano solo by Aphex Twin (real name Richard D. James) after "The Party." The two songs work so well together because they both have the same melancholy tone despite the fact that they are separated by genre. Normally I listen to a lot of wordy songs because I enjoy seeing how artists transcribe the sound of their music into a poetic expression, but for songs like "Avril 14th" I prefer the lack of lyrics. Some songs convey a mood so well that words would simply get in the way.
5. Portishead - "Glory Box"
Don't let the odd name fool you. Portishead is one of the most easily accessible bands of their time thanks to the way they blend Billie Holiday style jazz vocals with alternative rock instrumentation. "Glory Box" is anchored by Beth Gibbons' sultry lounge music vocal performance and an overdriven guitar part that would sound at home on an early Radiohead or Smashing Pumpkins record. It's this unlikely mix of smooth and distorted that makes this song so oddly charming.
What songs do you celebrate with?
