If This Isn't Nice, I Don't Know What Is
Still Woozy
After a number of hit singles, alternative musician Sven Gamsky, more commonly known as Still Woozy, released his long-awaited debut album If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is on August 13th. With 13 upbeat tracks, Still Woozy dedicated this album to expressing the most authentic version of himself, opening up about what it’s like to be stuck inside his head. After speaking with him on the development of this project, we were able to take a peek into the meticulous mind of Sven Gamsky and gain intuition on his process of creativity.
This solo Still Woozy project came to be when Sven broke away from his hometown rock band and decided to pursue creating music that was meaningful to him and his life experiences. He began to produce music with feeling based sounds, capturing and transferring life's simple pleasures into smooth guitar riffs or animated beats. One moment Sven specifically spoke about was the time he was playing around and found a guitar tone that seemed to mimic the feeling of a thick and warm blanket. With this, he discovered he wanted to emulate wavelengths like direct feeling based sound across the entirety of his album. In the track These Days, Still Woozy created a guitar loop that he loved so much it became a “new form of therapy” to him, listening to it on repeat to get out of a negative headspace.
With his debut album, Still Woozy wanted to create a place of solace for those struggling with mental health in the same way he found peace through its creation. During the development of his new tracks, Still Woozy felt he was able to take the time he needed to focus on where he wanted to take his music career and experiment more with finding his personal sound. Sven also mentioned that this album was the first time he shifted the focus of his lyric onto himself rather than the external factors in his life. While his previous tracks had all been written about his partner, Sven used this album to open up about his personal mental health and struggles.
Although this album navigated the struggles of being stuck inside your own head, Sven still managed to bring an overall light-hearted sound into each of his tracks. Still Woozy experimented with his creation process by inserting more energy into his beats. When asking Sven about his production process for creating new music, he explained that he always starts with instrumentation. After finding a sound that emulates specific feelings or memories in his life, he lets his lyrics develop and flow throughout the melody. The time he takes to intertwine these two is what creates such a unique sound across Still Woozy’s discography.
When creating his instrumentation, Sven loves to hide Easter Eggs throughout his music for himself. He calls them little soundbites, adding little noises and verses that catch the audience's ear and remind him of moments from his life. One example is the line “I locked you out and you fell asleep, you 007’d your way back in, I’ll never question you ever again”, from the track “Get By”. This was a funny story his friend had told him, and decided it was too great to not include in the track. While his Easter eggs might not be apparent to fans, he and his loved ones can always hear their experiences weaved within his music.
His new lyrics and freshly curated high energy sounds are what Sven is mostly excited for in his upcoming live tour. He can’t wait to feel the power of music when hearing his crowd sing alongside him and connect with one another through the emotions he brought with his new tracks. The If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is tour is definitely one you won't want to miss, so make sure to grab tickets to your nearest venue with the link below!
If there's one thing we can take away from chatting with Still Woozy it’s that he doesn't want to be put in a box. There are too many influences in the world to make one type of music and Still Woozy is looking forward to exploring far more than one!
(Interview courteous of °1824 x Universal Music Group, check out their Instagram: @1824)
Featured Tracks: Woof, Rocky, Get By
Sidney Giles and Aerin Schnaid
DUALITY
Duke Dumont
With the release of singles including “Need U (100%)” “I Got U” in 2014-15, United Kingdom based DJ Duke Dumont exploded into the scene of electronic dance music. Dumont continued to awe his audience with more upbeat tracks like “Ocean Drive” and “Red Light Green Light”, but it was not until March of 2020 that Dumont released his first full length album, Duality. Duality combines the style of all of Dumont's previous work, bringing the low tempo of underground UK clubs alongside euphoric vocals to create an atmosphere full of lust and emotion.
The title Duality encompasses the purpose behind Dumont's debut album. Tracks like “The Power” and “Nightcrawler” embrace the hot and sweaty rave culture, using deep house beats to take listeners into a trance of movement. On the other hand, Dumont uses high pitched synthesizers and melodic lyrics in duets like “Together” and “Let Me Go” to create an emotional experience with the power of harmony and repetition. In “Together” the repetition of the line “we come together” backed by the dreamy combination of drums and a rising synthesizer, the track brings bodies closer and makes hearts full. Another heart wrenching ballad in the final track in Duality, Let Me Go. With RY X performing the vocals, Dumont backs his deeply angelic voice with contemporary piano and ramping percussion, and ultimately brings back the short and sweet synth beat so commonly heard in the underground scene.
“NO GENRE, NO BOUNDARIES, NO RESTRAINTS AND NO FEAR,” declared Dumont on Facebook when announcing his production of Duality. Dumont triumphantly lived up to his goal of creating Duality with his heart on his sleeve, exceeding expectations and breaking into new realms of electronic music. While Duality is labeled as a Dance album, its wide variety of sounds and voices make the album almost genreless, bringing an unparalleled album into the world of electronic dance music. Each of the ten tracks in Duality create a realm of their own, reflecting Dumont's declaration. Tracks like “Therapy”, “Ocean Drive”, and “Love Song” make you want to throw your hands out the window and drive down the coast, where “The Power” and “Obey” get you on your feet and move with the beat. The ballad of “Overture” followed by “Let Me Go” will take your breath away, but the catchy tunes of “The Fear” and “Nightcrawler” will have you singing along to every word.
Duke Dumont's debut album opposed expectations, bringing together ten tracks with an infinite amount of purposes. Throughout Duality, the looping beats of house music combat breathtaking instrumentals and vocals to create duality within each track.
Featured Tracks: Together, Let Me Go
Sidney Giles
WHAT KINDA MUSIC
Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes
An unexpected duo came together to create a record that brings all new kinds of inspiration and ideas into the world. Both rooted from the London jazz scene, Yussef Dayes brought his arrhythmic, perfected drums to Tom Misch’s multi-instrumental talent to create a groovy album, one for the late night vibe that you just can’t switch off. What Kinda Music can be heard and enjoyed while hanging out, walking, dancing, driving, sleeping, it is just a pleasure of sounds that reveals jazz music can resume in modern day. Tom Misch talks over collaborative work in a documentary posted on YouTube to explain how working with other musicians can be more inspiring, and it allows the most gifted individuals to bring out the best in each other. Tom Misch tells NPR, "I remember going to a local school in my area and seeing this guy play drums — he was about 9 at the time. I remember thinking 'This guy's amazing at drums,' and then fast-forward 15 years, when I'm working on this record, I realize that guy was Yussef." Once the duo entered the studio, it became an organic experiment where they turned testing the waters with no future vision to a record with 10 full-length tracks. Misch and Dayes combined jazz, hip/hop and electronic prospectively paving themselves into their own genre.
Misch and Dayes went an unconventional route by recording live jam sessions which granted their listeners the ability to soak up all the raw sounds and fluidity of their collaboration. Along with a few others on the album, the single, Kyiv, is an improvised piece filmed on camera that just felt right. The album in its entirety feels so raw and innovative, you can literally hear the way the two vibe off of each other. Freddie Gibbs, being the only vocalist featured on the album, managed to bring the dreamiest sound, unlike his usual work, to the dreamiest instrumentals on the song Night Rider, making it feel so cohesive with the beat. The mellow track was an instant hit with the phenomenal bass line by Tom Diresseler, it is a track that can be left on loop as you drive through the night. Misch’s exceptional taste in artists doesn’t end at Gibbs, The Real is sampled from Aretha Franklin’s recording of Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing, a soulful touch to an electronic rhythm. The record in its entirety is a complete powerhouse.
What Kinda Music exhibits that music is truly an expression. Loaded with unique sounds and personal meaning, Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes have managed to touch many people with their art. The feeling you get when you first hear the intro What Kinda Music, is one of a kind, something you wish you could hold onto forever. They pushed their limits and revealed a side to them with great potential. This is just the beginning, the opening of doors, to a whole new style of genre blending.
Featured Tracks: Tidal Wave, Lift Off (Featuring Rocco Palladino)
Aerin Schnaid
Sources:
Simon, Scott, and Will Jarvis. “Tom Misch On Making 'What Kinda Music' And Seeing Yussef Dayes At A
Talent Show. NPR, 25 Apr. 2020,
FREE NATIONALS
Free nationals
Until the release of their debut album, the Free Nationals were known strictly as Anderson Paak’s backing band. Made up of four male members, this retro-funk group played behind Anderson Paak for nearly 7 years before creating a masterpiece of their own. In 2019, the Free Nationals released their first album, Free Nationals, and rocked the indie world with 13 smooth tracks featuring many well known artists including Daneil Caesar, Syd, Benny Sings, and of course, Anderson Paak. Composed of guitarist Jose Rios, keyboardist Ron “T.Nava” Avant, bassist Kelsey Gonzales, and drummer Callum Connor, the Free Nationals broke away from their career as a backing band to create a solo and soulful debut.
One track that grew quickly popular from Free Nationals was Time, which was a single released before the album dropped, featuring Kali Uchis and Mac Miller. Mac Miller devastatingly passed away 9 months before this track was shared with the public, which made the song far more powerful. This became the first posthumous release from Mac Miller, and touched the hearts of many. Mac Miller's smooth vocals with Kali Uchis’ raspy tone knotted perfectly with the instrumentals of the Free Nationals and made for a dynamic and powerful track. Time has a beautiful and effortless take on jazz, sending a message of letting love go and taking time to grow, a sentimental message to hear coming from the voice of an angel.
Compiled with a wide range of instruments and electronic sounds, the Free Nationals took their experience from working behind Anderson Paak and created a perfectly balanced R&B album. From smooth jazz to upbeat R&B tracks, Free Nationals is a groovy funk album providing good vibes and chill times. Their track Eternal Love brings in the voice of Chronixx anchored with light bass and drums to create a peaceful slow jam, while Gidget, featuring Anderson Paak and T.Nava, takes on the playful style of Paak, incorporating upbeat soul and twangy electronic beats. Throughout the entirety of this blissful album, the Free Nationals captured the essence of a carefree, sweaty, slow summer day and bottled up all the emotions of love and bittersweet romances. Free Nationals is a butter-smooth and seamless album that brings together the expressive instrumentals of the Free Nationals with the voice of a wide variety of artists to create a modern R&B album.
Featured Tracks: Beauty & Essex, Eternal Light
Sidney Giles
Sources:
Hobbs, Thomas. “Free Nationals Break Down Every Track on Their Bouncy Debut
Album.” Highsnobiety, 16 Dec. 2019, www.highsnobiety.com/p/free-nationals-track-by-track-
interview/.
FRANK
Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse was an artist who sought to perform for the pure enjoyment of her audience. Taking influence from her childhood in London, Amy was a low-key jazz club performer that could hypnotize a crowd. Her addition of slight humor and witty remarks were just a few of the unique traits that set Amy apart from other R&B artists of her time. Amy was an old soul, taking after artists of the Jazz Age. Her liveliness and dedication is what drew in producers like Mark Ronson to aspire to collaborate with her unique sound. Amy Winehouse left an evident impact on her fans and on the music industry in its entirety, and there is no better way to describe the respect and love the world had for her than by hearing other influential artists speak on her impact.
Tyler, the Creator is a huge fan of Amy Winehouse, tweeting back in 2016, “WHEN AMY SAYS ‘FRANKS IN THERE AND I DONT CARE’ ON 'TAKE THE BOX' MY HEART MELTS. SO EFFORTLESS BUT TIMED. AND THOSE NOTES OH MAN SO GOOD”. Take The Box in its entirety is so gracefully put together and a must-listen off the album. The jazz influence on hip hop artists stemmed partly from Amy’s passion for the genre. She gave jazz the capability to be modernistic, and brought it to life in a new era. Her vocals were also discussed in a Frank Ocean interview with Zane Lowe, where Ocean explained how he thought Amy Winehouse's 2006 album Back To Black marked her out as the voice of a generation. She blurred the lines of what is typical for music, being a true inspiration to so many artists we know and love today.
Frank is narrated by a hopeless romantic who used blues to patch her pain. It is instrumentally overcoming, with the inclusion of the Saxophone in the introduction of Teo Licks, the memorable keys in You Sent Me Flying, and her self-produced guitar chords throughout the album. It is genre mixing, as she sang on a few hip/hop focused beats due to the style of her career-long producer, Salaam Remi. Remi’s In My Bed beat was made originally for the American rapper, Nas, but Amy always had a vision and never settled for less. She used the same beat, added chords, and created the astonishing hit, In My bed. This single, along with others on the album, have contradicting yet relatable narratives. Amy was this extrovert story-teller that had her fans head over heels for her. Frank is an album that flows from start to finish. The album is accommodating to many different tastes, and has that classic sound that allows everyone to feel the music.
Amy sings authentically herself. Her music will be heard and cherished for decades to come, and the Late Amy Winehouse will never be forgotten.
Featured Tracks: You Sent Me Flying / Cherry, Mr. Magic (Through the Smoke)
Aerin Schnaid
Sources:
“Amy Winehouse Talking About Her Frank Album.” Amy Winehouse Forever,
amywinehouseforever.org/557/interviews/amy-winehouse-talking-about-her-frank-album/.
“Frank by Amy Winehouse.” Genius, genius.com/albums/Amy-winehouse/Frank.
BLOOM
RÜFÜS DU SOL
Australian based trio RÜFÜS DU SOL has quickly become one of the world's most popular electronic acts, using euphoric melodies with deep club beats to captivate their audience and leave them hypnotized. When producing their second album, Bloom, the group dove deep into the world of club music while visiting Berlin, branching out from the steady rhythm of their debut album, Atlas. Featuring festival ready tracks such as “Like An Animal” and “You Were Right”, RÜFÜS DU SOL topped Australian charts with Bloom and took their music international, playing shows and festivals across the world.
To create Bloom, Guitarist and vocalist Tyrone Lindqvist, keyboardist Jon George, and drummer James Hunt wrote a portion of their album in Berlin surrounded by the influence of night life, and the remainder in Australia, where the group allowed their writing to come and flow naturally. The writing environment for RÜFÜS DU SOL has a large impact on their tracks, allowing them to dive into their surroundings and break away from reality. Once they moved to LA, the group had a personalized studio built for them by a friend where their writing environment became “this escapist realm where we would ... walk in and instantly be transported” (WBUR interview). The feeling of escape is translated into their music, especially in Bloom, where the raw sounds of each track have the power to mesmerize the hearts and souls of listeners.
Bloom is a carefully sculpted electronic album, bringing together the emotions and sounds of life into a vibrant compilation of tracks. Love is the most common theme across Bloom, with tracks such as “Daylight” and “Hypnotized” expressing the passion and addiction love can bring with lines like “I will give it all for you.” Later in the album, “Take Me” and “Until the Sun Needs to Rise” share the pain that comes from a heart torn in two, and the struggles of an unknown love. Opening with “Brighter”, this album takes you on a journey of love and melancholy, and sends you off with the the groups most beautiful work, “Innerbloom”, which closes the album in a euphoric release of the final words of “If you want me, If you need me, I’m yours.” “Innerbloom” is undeniably the group's best work, a nine minute track that flows from rhythmic to ethereal sounds, creating movement and emotion.
Bloom has a heartbeat, bringing music to life and giving it purpose. The consistent beat across Bloom allows the album to flow from each track to the next, telling a story from start to finish. Full of emotion and electronically euphoric beats, RÜFÜS DU SOL has a unique sound that brings their audience into an emotional trance, using their powerful beats to create a musical experience.
Featured Tracks: Until the Sun Needs to Rise, Innerbloom
Sidney Giles
Sources:
Hobson, Jeremy. “Electronic Trio RÜFÜS DU SOL On Escapism, Songwriting And Who They'd Share
Burrito With.” Electronic Trio RÜFÜS DU SOL On Escapism, Songwriting And Who They'd Share
A Burrito With | Here & Now, WBUR, 5 June 2019, www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/06/05/rufus- du-sol.
“Interview, RÜFÜS - Bloom.” Savage Thrills, 4 Feb. 2018, savagethrills.com/music/interview-rufus-bloom/.
NORMAN FUCKING ROCKWELL!
LANA DEL REY
Lana Del Rey (A.K.A Lizzy Grant) is best known for her poetic writing and angelic voice. She is a cinematic artist, always painting a story for her listeners. This peculiar story-telling of glamor and a twisted lifestyle has made her recognizable from the beginning of her journey in the industry. However, it was not an easy ride up to stardom for Del Rey. Before she found her fitting into the character of Lana Del Rey, Lizzy Grant went through a few different names, low-key club gigs, and labels before finding her place. She released her first album under an alternate stage-name, that to some of her fans felt as if it mysteriously fell into the abyss, but ultimately she bought back it’s rights and took it down from all platforms after her current label couldn’t find the funds to keep it afloat. With new management and a name she was satisfied with, Lana Del Rey released her debut album, Born To Die which happened to feature songs from the first album that were fitting the vibe. But in reality, her pseudonym isn’t a key factor to understanding her music because although she sings in the first person, Del Rey constantly mixes personas and never truly shows which is her true identity.
Being a mix of psychedelic rock and pop while also having a lullaby feel, Del Rey captivates her audience with every one of her self-written tracks. With each studio album she comes out with, Del Rey continues to prove her talent and is never short of life-changing music. Norman Fucking Rockwell! is an album that tells a story about authenticity in the art world, but allows us to hear it with our own interpretation. She uses her music to showcase the artist’s efforts to exploit everyday American life and the toxicity of living in high status cities and neighborhoods; this is a concept she has been singing about for a long period of her career. For this project, Del Rey worked heavily with the incredibly talented singer and record producer, Jack Antonoff. In an interview, she talks about how much fun the two of them had making the album, and how the theme was just a funny way to address real world cultural issues. Also, their inclusion of surf elements and the electric guitar appearances are mentioned to be inspired by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Instrumentally, the duo maintained a consistent tempo throughout the album, while also managing to make each track memorable in their own way. She closes the album with the song, hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have- but I have it. It is used to relay her optimistic feelings regardless of her troubled state in a world of hostile people. This is a glimpse into the future, a powerful message to the female gender, that people should be afraid of the confidence and strength of a woman.
Lana Del Rey’s music makes you feel a sense of power and connection, whether or not you are able to resonate with the words. Norman Fucking Rockwell! is a charming and distinctive album and Lana Del Rey’s style is eternally unique.
Featured Tracks: Happiness is a butterfly, Mariners Apartment Complex
Aerin Schnaid
Sources:
“Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey.” Genius, genius.com/albums/Lana-del-rey/Norman-fucking-
rockwell.
Harris, Paul. “Lana Del Rey: The Strange Story of the Star Who Rewrote Her Past.” The Guardian, Guardian
News and Media, 21 Jan. 2012, www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jan/21/lana-del-rey-pop.
LETS BE STILL
THE HEAD AND THE HEART
The Head and the Heart is an acclaimed indie folk band of six members, including lead vocalists and guitarists Jonathon Russell and Josiah Johnson, who met at an open mic night in Seattle in 2009. Only a year later, the two had welcomed four more members into their group, and produced their debut album, The Head and The Heart, which grew quickly acknowledged thanks to their most well-known song, "Rivers and Roads." After going on tour with several bands including Dr. Dog, Vampire Weekend, and Dave Matthews, as well as headlining several of their own shows, The Head and the Heart produced their sophomore album, Let's Be Still.
Let's Be Still embraces the raw sounds of acoustic guitar, piano, and violin, creating a unique indie folk album with hints both pop and rock. The Head and the Heart took the sounds of bands like Mumford and Sons and Fleet Foxes to develop their own folk sound, and further evolve these instrumentals with powerful lyrics and harmonies. The band writes their music as a group, with a little extra help from their only female member, Charity Rose Thielen, who spends her time outside this group writing for other artists. The words behind the sound of The Head and The Heart are one of the most essential aspects of their group, as songs like "Gone" and "These Days Are Numbered" are heavily dependent on the dramatic playing of their powerful words. In "Gone," the repetition of the line “gone are the days” has the power to evoke emotions from the listener, which is a common theme throughout the entirety of the album Let's Be Still. The poetic nature of the lyrics bring deep meaning to each stanza, and show that this album was meant to be heard as more than background music. The contrast between the short and elegant tune of "Springtime" leading immediately into the buoyant and carefree tune of "Summertime" demonstrates the effort in creating the album as a powerful whole rather than as individual songs. While the album has a range of rhythms, from the upbeat tune of "Shake" to the slinky and soothing tones of "Josh McBride," each poetic song reveals a beautiful and purposeful message.
Reaching number 10 on the Billboard 200 in 2013, Let's Be Still has become a highly recognized album in modern day indie folk, and set a high standard for their following albums. The Head and the Heart picked up the pace and brought more funk and edge to their more recent releases, Signs of Light and Living Mirage, albums worth giving a listen to if you enjoy the sound this band has developed for themselves. The Head and the Heart has yet to fail in creating a cheerful yet meaningful album, embracing the struggles and exhilarations of love and life and bringing them alive with the power of music.
Featured Tracks: Josh McBride, Gone
Sidney Giles
Sources:
“The Head and the Heart.” Spotify, open.spotify.com/artist/0n94vC3S9c3mb2HyNAOcjg.
PLASTIC BEACH
GORILLAZ
In honor of its tenth anniversary, Plastic Beach (2010) is celebrated for its conceptual statement and the groups’ efforts to establish a newer pop sound. As the first animated hip-hop band, Gorillaz remains one of the most phenomenal creations in music’s history, continuing to provide us with fresh and original ideas. In 1998, cartoonist Jamie Hewlett teamed up with Damon Albarn to create the group and begin their journey with their misfit/outrageous fictional band members; Murdoc, 2D, Noodle, and Russel. Damon was most known for being the lead singer of the British rock band Blur, but decided to ditch the spotlight and take on a new project, putting himself under the radar as a vocalist, instrumentalist, and primary lyricist of Gorillaz. Using their imagination, Hewlett and Albarn introduced characters with deep backgrounds and stories of how they found each other, which helped the fans see each member in a completely honest light.
Gorillaz are constantly putting out bold concepts with thoughtful meaning. The constant theme of the album revolves around the concept of saying farewell to the planet's natural beauty and accepting the digital age. In their album, The Plastic Beach is referred to as the most remote land on earth, but eventually, the distant harmful factories still reach this refuge (found in the track Rhinestone Eyes). This album openly addresses the environmental issue we face with pollution. However, instead of asking for change, the group uses their work to explain what would come from the world’s actions and advises us to accept the fate of the destroyed beaches and dark times. The album begins with a classic intro, and leads us into the first track featuring the legend, Snoop Dogg, on Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach, drawing an appreciated hip-hop audience.
By looking at their impressive array of collaborators, it’s no secret that Gorillaz is highly respected in the music industry. They managed to get a ton of big rappers, we’re talking Snoop Dogg, Posdnous from the hip hop trio De La Soul on the track Superfast Jellyfish, and Mos Def, who adds retro vibes to the track Stylo. Alongside Damon Albarn, Bobby Womack is the third vocalist on Stylo, which is an absolute gem of a group. I mean really, could you imagine these three incredible guys in the studio working on this heaven-sent song? Speaking of angelic songs, lead singer of Swedish band Little Dragon, Yukimi Nagano, has a cosmic voice that is unique and complementary to the electronic/indie pop sound her group is known for. Her vocals are featured on two tracks, Empire Ants and To Binge. Gorillaz perfectly blends Nagano’s voice to enhance clarity in the purpose of the album, and the peace it intended to bring. Her style has grown popular since her feature in Plastic Beach, and is seen as inspiration in current female artists.
To conclude, the most indescribable song on this album is White Flag. With the use of the strings, bongos, The National Orchestra of Arabic Music featured, and a smooth flow into a Jamaican reggae rhythm, you won't find a track like this on any other album. Beautifully engineered, along with the album in its entirety, Gorillaz uses Plastic Beach to push the envelope and reach far ahead of its time. Innovative, experimental, genre-blending, and maybe even intergalactic, there is nothing like the incredible hypnotic synth arps or synth leads in almost every track of Plastic Beach. This album was appreciated back in 2010, now in 2020, and will be 10 years from now.
Featured Tracks: Empire Ants, White Flag
Aerin Schnaid
Sources:
“Gorillaz – Plastic Beach [Tracklist + Album Art].” Genius,
genius.com/Gorillaz-plastic-beach-tracklist-album-art-annotated.
Superdream
Big Wild
Released in February of 2019, Superdream is Big Wild’s debut album. The perfect mix between electronic, indie, and pop, Superdream takes you on a euphoric ride that can
be played anytime, anywhere. Jackson Stell, producer of Big Wild, grew up creating hip-hop beats throughout high school, but altered his style of producing after a life-changing trip to Big Sur, CA. The impact of this trip is clearly reflected in his first album, which fuses nature and sound into twelve beautiful tracks. Speaking to his release of Superdream, Steel has said “this decision gave me the voice and musical identity I had been searching for all along. It marks a new chapter in my music, one that is more ‘me’ than anything else I’ve released.”
Superdream goes best alongside nature, whether you are watching the waves crash, driving through the mountains, or hiking in the desert. Songs such as "Awaken," "She Makes Magic," and "Joypunks" are the perfect blissful melodies to listen to with the sunset, while tunes such as "City of Sound" and "6’s to 9’s" are seemingly curated to sing along to while driving down the coast. Big Wild uses his platform as an artist to intertwine music with the voices of nature, creating luscious soundscapes for all occasions.
Each one of Big Wild’s 12 tracks on Superdream was composed with heavenly visions, and with the capability to take a listener into a new world of sound. This alluring debut by Big Wild has introduced a new and expressive type of music into the world of electronic sounds, and has brought an abundance of attention to his work. Big Wild was originally discovered after his release of "Aftergold," featuring Swedish singer Tove Styrke, as well as his EP, Invincible. When the esteemed duo Odesza discovered Steel and invited him to join their tour in 2015, Big Wild quickly became a well known artist, and has blown everyone away with his release of Superdream.
Big Wild’s delivery of Superdream fused the beauty and sounds of nature with the world of music, creating a uniquely serene electronic album that can instantaneously bring a smile to your face.
Featured Track: Awaken
Sidney Giles
Sources:
“About Big Wild.” Big Wild Music, bigwildmusic.com/about.
THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL
LAURYN HILL
Timeless and masterful, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill introduces a unique sound where she intended to develop her style apart from The Fugees, her former Hip-Hop group with Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel. As her first solo record, Hill’s debut into rap flows gracefully with her iconic singing range beginning with the Hip-Hop influenced track, Lost Ones, and right into her R&B/soul track, Ex-Factor. The album was universally appreciated, going 8 times platinum in the United States, and giving Hill the honor of becoming the first female artist to receive 5 Grammy Awards. She is so clearly impactful on other music artists, specifically Ex-Factor being sampled by Drake’s 5 time Platinum single, Nice for What. The album stands out by including dialogue towards the end of most tracks, portraying the significance of love through discussion in a classroom full of students navigating through what they feel is their definition of love and what it means to them.
That constant theme of love is introduced as a learning process for Hill as she navigates through relationships and heartbreak throughout the record. In the track Superstar, she preaches “Come on baby, light my fire… Music is supposed to inspire”. This repeated line so powerfully explains her efforts to teach her experiences through her work, asking for someone to allow her to use her career in a meaningful way. The recurring message of educating others with her platform is used as Hill includes the power of a gospel choir creating incredible anthems.
To contribute a sentimental sound, Hill features the legend Carlos Santana in To Zion. Santana adds a beautiful Spanish guitar influence, curating an acoustic sound for Hill’s written song to her first-born son. Lastly, with a dreamy harp and an incredible drum break to prelude one of the most instrumentally genius tracks of the album, the song When It Hurts So Bad significantly reveals how heavily reggae influenced her music is.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill may seem to be solely surrounded by romance, but her use of biblical references scattered across the album display all of Hill’s emotions in an angelic and strong delivery. This album is organic and free flowing, while simultaneously assembled perfectly. Lauryn Hill’s first and only album remains one of the most brilliantly composed albums, changing Hip-Hop forever.
Featured Track: To Zion
Aerin Schnaid
Sources:
Iandoli, Kathy. “10 Ways 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' Changed
Everything.” TIDAL, 25 August 2018.
read.tidal.com/article/miseducation-lauryn-hill-20-years.
EL CAMINO
THE BLACK KEYS
Bringing together sounds of old blues and classic rock to create a modern alternative album, The Black Keys created El Camino. Childhood friends Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney came together in 2001 as The Black Keys, self producing albums and building an underground following until they were signed by Nonesuch Records in 2006. The Black keys slowly grew more and more popular, but it was their release of Brothers in 2010 that brought them an abundance of praise as well as three Grammy Awards. Only a year after, El Camino was released, an album that brought a taste of the 80’s into the newer alternative world, but kept listeners on their feet, grooving alongside the raw vocals and instruments of The Black Keys.
With top hits including "Lonely Boy" and "Gold on the Ceiling," El Camino quickly became a renowned album. With Carney on drums and Auerbach on guitar and vocals, the two developed a sound that brought their garage rock sound to life by adding a fun and modern kick, bringing rock back to a newer generation. The influence of 80’s rock in El Camino is highly apparent, as the band name dropped The Clash as inspiration, and had strong backlash from The White Stripes for sounding too similar to Jack White’s unique style. In "Little Black Submarines," the song opens up with a beautiful acoustic and voice layover, and erupts into a seemingly Zeppelin inspired combination of drums and guitar.
By using inspiration from some of the greatest rock bands in history, The Black Keys were able to create a phenomenal album that had everyone on their feet and embracing the upbeat alternative style El Camino brought to the table. With this album, The Black Keys slightly strayed from their sounds in their previous album, Brothers, by adding more acoustic and indie rock sensations, even using bits of pop to create catchy hits. You can't help but want to jump up and sing along to songs like "Run Right Back" or top hit "Lonely Boy," which won two Grammys on its own. In 2012, El Camino also received a Grammy for best rock album, and had a nomination for best album of the year. El Camino, along with Brothers, will both remain acclaimed albums for many generations, and successfully brought rock back into a generation that had begun to stray from its originators of music.
Featured Track: Little Black Submarines
Sidney Giles
Sources:
Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. “The Black Keys: Biography & History.” AllMusic,
www.allmusic.com/artist/the-black-keys-mn0000755918/biography?1585249492372.