Weekly Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Mh1ONaN0f5T4FVDc6IAUw?si=4550f3c8544d46b4 

Nick’s picks

1. fun. – “The Gambler”
2. Chris Stapleton – “Either Way”
3. Sleeping Orchard – “At Home With The Thursday Night Blues”

Like most people raised in the 2000s and the 2010s, I remember fun. for their big hits, “We Are Young” and “Some Nights.” Led by vocalist Nate Ruess and featuring guitarist (now, producer extraordinaire) Jack Antonoff, fun.’s earlier music is a unique touch into the growing pains of artists about to make it big. “The Gambler,” with its soft yet constant piano, is a look into youthful romance and the dreams that young love inspires. Ruess’ powerful vocal performance and an orchestral backing full of strings create an almost trance-like aura that places the listener at the center of this glance into the past.

Chris Stapleton is the purest continuation of the lineage of the country ballad. Now, those who hate country music, please do not go running because you read the blasphemous “c-word.” I, like you, once preemptively dismissed any music with the moniker. Stapleton’s flexible vocals go from a soft but growling falsetto to a full, deep howl in seconds. His cries of “But I won’t love you either way” hand the listener a glimpse into the life of jilted lovers. Backed by a simple acoustic guitar, Stapleton’s voice hits the listener essentially by itself, fully isolated. Sometimes, space like this shows the frailty or faults in a voice, but for Stapleton, all we get is the soul. I’m not sure if I can call it country, but this song hits deep emotions “Either Way.” 

“At Home With The Thursday Night Blues” came out only a few months ago. It does not sound like it. Rather, it feels like something that took wiping away decades of dust and grime at the bottom of a record crate to find. The song’s simple lyrics are full of depth and grit. Clear from the start, the lyrics “Don’t take it lightly, there’s a pain in my head / and I know it makes me sad” epitomize the melancholy aura that surrounds this song. Its simple orchestration adds to this feeling. Made up of a few simple guitar lines, a very muted drum, bass, soft piano and vocals, the song is haunting. It has no chorus and no hook. It is just pain – honestly and truly the blues.  

Sarah’s picks

1. Wallows – “Pleaser”
2. Taylor Swift – “The Great War”
3. Childish Gambino – “Les”

Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters and Cole Preston make up the three-member indie rock band Wallows. Minnette is best known for his role as Clay Jenson in the hit TV show “13 Reasons Why.” Wallows’ song “Pleaser” was the first song the band ever released back in 2017. The song is sung from a boy’s perspective in a romantic relationship, and it’s about how he can’t tell the girl he’s with that he loves her. Throughout the song, he can’t talk about his feelings out loud so he describes what he does instead: stays silent, smiles and writes his confession on his shirt sleeve. Although the song has an uncertain mood, the rhythm is upbeat and fun.

“The Great War” was released in October 2022 as one of Taylor Swift’s bonus tracks off her “Midnights” album. In the song, Swift is reflecting and remembering a distraught time which she names the ‘great war.’ The song describes a time of mistrust and misguidance, whether that be from a friend or past lover. The lyrics “There’s no morning glory, it was war, it wasn’t fair / And we will never go back” indicate that she survived what she went through, and even though she will curse their name, the worst of it came to an end.

Donald Glover, more famously known as Childish Gambino, released “Les” in his 2011 album titled “Camp.” Glover describes how he met a girl in New York City who he quickly falls in love with. This girl quickly becomes his sole focus even though he’s “an awful guy.” Throughout the song, he describes how love is the East Side of New York City, which is why the song name “Les” is an acronym for Lower East Side. The song in its entirety has an alternative rock beat, and at some parts, a soft violin or cello can be heard in the background. The chorus is arguably the best part of the song because of its repetitiveness and hypnotizing pacing. With the chorus repeated four times, Gambino’s seducing voice keeps you wanting to finish listening to the song.