Staff Picks

Staff Picks: Music

Rainbow Music
Photo of Managing Editor James DykemanNovember
James Dykeman
Managing Editor

 Zen Indie Focus station on Spotify

This station contains a mix of indie instrumental music that I like to listen to while studying. The songs tend to be downtempo and don’t contain lyrics, which can be distracting to me while studying. The benefit of listening to the same mix each time I study is that it trains my brain to know when it’s time to get to work. I like atmospheric soundscapes that drift in and out with gentle beats that are relaxing and creative.  Some people I know like to listen to rock or pop music but I like gentler background music. If you are like me, check out this Spotify station and see how you like it!  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWU6Vfrf87eTG?si=mrGxxdDvQeuDr7Ae8HMAsQ

Juana Jones, Outreach Coordinator
Juana Jones
Outreach Coordinator

Fighting exhaustion with music

Due to work increases and school I have had to revert to my 4 hours of sleep a night to get all the things I need to do done. Due to this, exhaustion slowly creeps up on me from time to time. The easiest way for me to fight exhaustion is with some hype/fighting music such as “Last Resort” by Papa Roach or “Fighter” by Gym Class Heroes. These songs seem to have a way of allowing me to focus in on what I need to and push through the exhaustion. The link below is to my work in progress “car music list” which is my go to to find these songs.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1cPwmpCAMjjxlQp2ZCIYKOfSZ5q6sSvp

Photo of Chris Klepach
Chris Klepach
Art & Life Editor

 If spring had an album

In this time when us students are stressed and in dire need of finding the perfect background tunes with some swinging notes, Casiopea has had me covered with their 1982 album “Mint Jams”.  This album is great if you need something funky to put on for fun or to help you create that mental bubble to work on your assignments. If spring is about the arrival of something completely different, than this album would fit that description perfectly. To a western audience outside Japanese culture, the album is obscure but despite being thirty-eight years old, it holds up very well.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GEI3PpXEAo&t=694s

Jessica McWilliams
Jessica McWilliams
Photo Editor

Sounds of Summer

My favorite album to listen to is “Sounds of Summer” by The Beach Boys. It’s actually a collection of their best works rather than a studio album. My friend gave it to me for my birthday a long time ago and it’s something I listen to all the time and it never fails to cheer me up. The album has a lot of my favorite songs like “Kokomo” and “Do You Wanna Dance”. I also listen to a lot of Christian music. My favorite song is “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again”. It’s about learning to live with a new normal after something awful happens.  The singer, Danny Gokey, wrote it after his wife died unexpectedly and I listened to it a lot after my grandpa passed away.

“Sounds of Summer” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdNRiZ0kwR8&list=PL29ikJCZP_tBI44EXjGZOO7yI5Fh3TOUQ

“Tell Your Heart To Beat Again” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F77v41jbOYs

Opinion Editor Debra McRoberts
Debra McRoberts
Opinion Editor

Turn it up

I can’t focus on homework while listening to music as I find it distracting, and I get lost in the music. However, I enjoy listening to music when I’m cleaning, driving, and relaxing. I enjoy rock music and bands such as AC/DC, Judas Priest, and Metallica. I also enjoy Skillet and Imagine Dragons. When I’m driving, I go with any kind of music, but if it’s a song that I love, I’ll turn up the radio and sing along with it, not caring if I’m driving alone or with my friends. 

Photo of Web Editor Andrew Schneider
Andrew Schneider
Web Editor

Is there any other?

It’s no secret that I love Iron Maiden. I tell anyone who will stop and listen. If you’ve never had the joy of listening to The Greatest Band in the History of the World I highly recommend them. The classic metal band has been around with primarily the same lineup since 1975 and yet their new material is just as good as the their old material. (Their 2015 album “The Book of Souls” debuted at number one in 43 countries.) Iron Maiden’s literary lyrics draw on sources from Edgar Allen Poe and Umberto Eco to C.S. Lewis and the Book of Revelation. Personal favorite songs include “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, “Blood Brothers”, “When the Wild Wind Blows” and “The Red and the Black.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F3eRabNAzI

Alexis Haggstrom Creative Director
Alexis Haggstrom
Creative Director

A bit of everything

I’ve been putting my recent self-isolation to use by memorizing lyrics to songs that I’m currently obsessed with as well as updating myself on new releases. One particular song that I can’t get enough of is “See Through” by The Band CAMINO. It took me down the rabbit hole of exploring new artists as well as revisiting ones I already love. 5 Seconds of Summer’s fourth studio album, “CALM” and Niall Horan’s “Heartbreak Weather” are two albums sitting in my recently played folder. However, none of these artist’s are my go-to for studying. While doing homework, I tend to put on classical music or play an instrumental soundtrack from Harry Potter or a Disney film. 

Images courtesy of Google, Juana Jones, Juana Jones | Kirkwood Communiqué and Jessica McWilliams | Kirkwood Communiqué

Categories: Staff Picks