Shuffle Selects: September 23rd, 2018
- Nathan Kamphuis
- Sep 23, 2018
- 4 min read
And so it begins. I could begin by giving a ton of insight behind why I decided to start this blog, or I could just get right to the music. I'll try to meet those two ideas in the middle.
For some background, I am currently studying at the University of Waterloo, however I am on a co-op term. What this means is I have a lot more free-time to do things I enjoy (like talk about music), rather than spending every waking hour either in class, doing work, or in such a mentally tired state that I don't want to do anything but browse Instagram or listen to Discover Weekly in peace. Now, let's get down to the music.
How This Works:
For those of you who don't know how this is all going to go down, here's how it works.
First, I go to my massive Spotify playlist that contains (currently) 1500 of my favourite songs on the planet. Then, I hit shuffle, and the first five songs on shuffle that come up, I share with you and tell you why I like them. At the end of those five songs, I will select one more song of my choice that I want to share. Sound good? Okay, let's get started.
Song 1: Foster The People - Helena Beat
Anddd we're off to a good start. Who doesn't love Foster the People? Specifically, who doesn't love their debut album Torches which this song is taken from? This song brings back memories. I remember hearing this song on the radio years ago while driving home on the highway with my older brother and thinking "damn, these guys are good!". I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of their new stuff, they've ventured far from the Indie-Electronic sound that made their 2011 debut so great. Unfortunately, their big single "Sit Next To Me" along with all of Sacred Hearts Club sacrificed everything that made me like them in order to make dance music for the masses.
But that's beside the point. Helena Beat combines a catchy chorus, exciting verses, and interesting lyrics such as " Yeah yeah and it's okay, I tie my hands up to a chair so I don't fall that way." that make for an exciting listening experience. Strongly recommend checking out the rest of the album.
Other good songs by this artist: "Coming of Age", anything off of Torches.
Song 2: Rainbow Kitten Surprise - Matchbox
Despite the strange band name, Rainbow Kitten Surprise has pumped out three great albums in the past five years, those albums being Seven + Mary, RKS, and How to: Friend, Love and Freefall. These successes have not gone unnoticed, their first break came when "Devil Like Me" became an underground hit from their first album. When I first heard "Mr. Redundant" off of Discover Weekly three years ago, I'd bet that they didn't have any more than 200,000 Spotify listeners. Now after the success of their latest album, that number has climbed up to 1,334,396 monthly listeners. After listening to this song, I hope you understand the hype.
Other great songs from this artist: "It's Called: Freefall", "Mr. Redundant", "Devil Like Me", "Painkillers", "When it Lands", and many more.
Song 3: Shakey Graves - Family and Genus
There are many reasons why I like this song. The steady beat and repeated guitar riff almost makes you feel like you've started marching through someone else's thoughts, and the slightly haunting but lovely vocal entry of "If, if I, if I ever wander on by" sets the stage for a fantastic song worthy of many repeats. Some people also swear that their live performances are way better than their studio recordings. Personally, I beg to differ, I think this studio recording does the song perfect justice.
Other good songs by this Artist: "Roll The Bones - Audio Tree Live Version."
Song 4: The Strokes - Reptilia
It's easy to see why this song is one of the biggest hits of The Strokes' career. The guitars are perfect, hence why it was featured in Guitar Hero 3, which only served to further the song's popularity. And Julian Casablanca's vocals feature likely the best rasps that we've ever heard from him on a studio album during lines such as "You're in a strangeeeeee part of this town". It's also a great song to run to. If you somehow haven't heard this song before, then you've been missing out!
Other good songs by this artist: "Someday", "Last Nite".
Song 5: alt-J -Breezeblocks
Few combinations of song and video help us visualize and experience the creepiness of an artist's music more than alt-J's "Breezeblocks". alt-J kind of appeared out of nowhere in 2012 with their massively popular album An Awesome Wave and the awesomeness (pun intended) of that album hasn't quite been outdone by the band since. It features back to back hits on tracks 3 and 4, the triangular song "Tesselate" and "Breezeblocks", and is followed up later by "Fitzpleasure" and finally "Taro". I wouldn't listen to these guys if you're trying to fall asleep, but any other time is perfect. I'd also recommend checking out their Tiny Desk Session. Warning: the lead singer doesn't look like what you'd expect!
Other good songs by this artist: "Tesselate", "Left Hand Free", "In Cold Blood".
Personal Pick: Delta Sleep - Camp Adventure
So much can be said about this song, but I'll leave it up to your ears to take what you wish from it. It's a storytelling song with ambient sounds that combined with the drums and title produce a vivid image in my mind.
Other good songs by this artist: Honestly, the rest of their music kinda sucks, but Camp Adventure is a major exception.
Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more music coming soon!
- Nathan Kamphuis
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