I’ll admit, I have yet to do a deep dive into Lucy Dacus’ entire discography. Despite this, I have listened to a good bit of her and “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” is my favorite of hers. It’s core theme comes across in the title, the desperate wish to be anything other than the “funny friend.”
The lyrics describe a feeling I’ve felt many times, as I’m sure many have: the feeling of being on the sidelines and wanting to be valued outside of being the butt of the joke. In the lyrics, Dacus considers all of the ways she can escape this role, asking if she can be “the cute one,” a member of a band, a gossip, the smart one and many other roles. The song caps off with the lyric “That funny girl doesn’t wanna smile for a while.”
This track is the first track and first single on Dacus’ debut album “No Burden.” In 2015, she told Fader in an interview that whilst constructing this song she was considering: “how stressful it is to be pegged as a certain type of person and feel the need to always live up to that identity people assign to you, especially if you’re the ‘funny one.’” This taps into something I’ve felt often, a feeling of being socially trapped into one role.
Dacus has poignant lyrics in other songs about not being valued in the way she deserves. In “Brando,” the ninth track on her 2021 album “Home Video,” she laments: “You called me cerebral / I didn’t know what you meant / But now I do, would it have killed you / To call me pretty instead?” It’s heartbreaking to be undervalued.
However, “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” is my favorite example of this from Dacus. It taps into a very real feeling in a simple way, and I love that in a song.
Here’s to freeing yourself of situations that don’t value you,
I like Spotify Wrapped. I have enjoyed the fun graphics and data breakdown since its inception and sharing it, along with seeing everyone else’s on social media, is a fun way to cap off the year.
However, knowing your data is being collected and is going to be packaged up into a graphic you’re going to want to share can skew your listening habits. At least it does for me.
The same goes for other streaming data-collectors like Last.fm. There have been times I have gone out of my way to not listen to something or stream it on a different platform so that it wouldn’t count as a scrobble. If you’re not insecure about any of the music you listen to, this may be a non-issue for you, but I know that I, and many others, are insecure about listening to certain artists, bands or genres.
These fun ways to track your data and find out interesting facts about the music you listen to (like, for instance, last year one of my top genres was Weirdcore), should be lighthearted and fun. But, with the increasing pressure to share your Spotify Wrapped or follow your friends on Last.fm, the music we listen to has become a performance for others.
Obviously, the competitiveness of music-listening has been around for ages, and didn’t begin with these stream-collecting platforms: but it has increased my personal awareness that every part of myself, even the music I listen to, can be curated as a performance for others rather than for my own personal enjoyment.
In 2022, here’s to listening to what we want, when we want, even if it involves Glee Cast being in your top five artists.
I am not necessarily qualified to give music predictions, but as a WKNC employee, I can pretend that I am. Therefore, listed below are my top music predictions heading into the rest of 2022.
I predict that…
Rap/Hip-Hop songs will play a bigger role in general music charts.
A$AP Rocky and Rihanna will put out a single together.
Electronic music will begin its take over of traditionally indie local DIY scenes.
Grunge music will make an even bigger return.
Paris Texas will blow up.
Tik-Tok will continue to dictate music trends.
Ski Mask the Slump God will put out an incredibly divisive mix.
We will see the rise of more female rappers.
Boy Harsher will continue to move back their tour dates until the eventually cancel them all.*
*This one is not really a prediction but perhaps a personal expression of sadness.
I look forward to seeing how accurate (or inaccurate) this list may become in 2022.
I understand that some people only cared about Spotify Wrapped 2021 the day (and maybe day after) it dropped. That being said, I still care. Elliott Smith was my top artist but sixty-four of my Top 100 Songs on Spotify were rap. As the Assistant Underground Music Director, this makes sense. Which rap songs you may ask? I’m not going to list all of them, but here are some favorites:
“Baby I’m Bleeding” by JPEGMAFIA
“New Slaves” by Kanye West
“Just How It Is” by Young Thug
“girls like drugs” by Paris Texas
“EAST” by Earl Sweatshirt
“Ghost (In the Shell)” by MAVI
“Throw Dem Gunz” by Lil Ugly Mane
“Campbell” by redveil
“Primma Donna” by Vince Staples (feat. A$AP Rocky)
“Please Forgive” by Powers Pleasant (feat. Denzel Curry, IDK, Zombie Juice & Zillakami)
“Jailbreak the Tesla” Injury Reserve (feat. Aminé)
Here’s to rap music being the most transformative and flexible genre,
It’s finals season, and I just wanted to offer some solidarity in this wild portion of the semester. No study playlist, no tips, just solidarity.
I’m also a student and it’s a very grueling thing to be: a lot is expected of us all at once. It is extremely difficult to work, do school, extra-curricular activities and have friends. People will hear this statement and brush it off by saying “such is life.” Yes, but that doesn’t make this time any less difficult.
I sincerely hope that everyone’s finals are going well thus far and that everything works out the way you need it to. I hope that professor is lenient with their grades, you get a curve on your toughest exam and that your hard work pays off. More than that, I hope you’re taking care of yourself to the best of your ability (you need sleep)!
I am not even supposed to use exclamation marks in these posts, and I should be using them sparingly but ideally not at all… that’s how much I want you all to be getting sleep during finals.
Encouraging tidbits can seem shallow and empty, but just know this is all very sincere from me.
I have three projects and two tests this finals period, all due within a 72 hour period. Needless to say, I’m also a bit stressed. But, it’ll all get done. It always does.
Howdy y’all! In my semester off during my freshman year, I spent my time working as a barista at a small stand-alone coffee shop. I had total control of the music at 6:30 a.m. in the morning – a total dream! Using my knowledge of coffee and music, I bring you the recommendation guide to translate your favorite drink into a new song to listen to.
Espresso Drink Song Recommendations
If you order an americano (shots of espresso + hot water), listen to Wet Dream by Wet Leg. Anybody who orders an americano is ready to start their day, and this upbeat song feels like a bright morning brisk walk around the neighborhood.
If you order a latte (shots of espresso + milk + optional flavor), listen to New Song by Maggie Rogers and Del Water Gap. Like a latte, this song is dependable and consistent for relaxing after those long days.
If you order a lavender honey latte (shots of espresso + milk + honey + lavender syrup), listen to Fall in Love with You. by Montell Fish. This song is warm, dreamy, and ultra-comforting, similar to this drink.
If you order a seasonal drink (pumpkin spice latte, peppermint mocha, etc.), listen to White WInter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes. Chances are you start decorating for Christmas the day after Halloween, and nothing pairs better with a peppermint mocha than this buttery smooth Christmas-lite song.
If you order a cappuccino (espresso shots + splash of milk + foam), listen to Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens. Cappuccinos originated in Austria and were further developed in Italy. Mystery of Love was used in a movie that took place in Italy. Romanticize your cappuccino.
If you order a red eye (shots of espresso + brewed coffee), listen to As the World Caves In by Matt Maltese. This song is dramatic, emotional, and sultry. Also, are you doing okay?
If you order a dirty chai (shots of espresso + chai), listen to Coming Back by James Blake featuring SZA. Coming Back, which samples Lake Shore Drive by Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah, is easy and mellow. SZA’s feature adds something equivalent to shots of espresso in a regular spiced chai.
Non-Espresso Drink Song Recommendations
If you order matcha in any capacity, listen to Je te laisserai des mots by Patrick Watson. Romanticize your walk to class, matcha in hand, with this beautiful French song. I highly advise reading what the lyrics mean if you don’t understand French (like me). So lovely.
If you order a frappuccino (blended beverage – Starbucks coined this term), listen to I Know A Place by MUNA. Frappuccinos are a staple in the Starbucks menu, and I Know A Place should be a staple in your current playlist if this is your drink.
If you order a brewed coffee, listen to You Needed Love, I Needed You by Angelo De Augustine. This song is melancholy, similar to sitting at your window on a rainy morning with a good old cup of joe.
If you order a London Fog (earl grey tea, water, vanilla syrup, steamed milk), listen to Love in the Time of Socialism by Yellow House. Sweet and comforting are just two similarities between a London Fog and Love in the Time of Socialism.
If you order a chai, listen to Clay Pigeons by Michael Cera. Michael Cera’s cover of Blaze Foley’s Clay Pigeons sounds like it should be smack dab in the middle of a coming of age movie. Enjoy your warm chai with this homely cover.
I hope you enjoy this song recommendation guide and feel inspired to try a new drink! Linked here is a Spotify playlist with all of these songs.
It is nearly the holiday season, so I’ve been brainstorming gifts to get for my loved ones as well as items I may want for myself. But there are some things that I want that can’t be fulfilled by a gift wrapped up in a box, and most of those things are weird music concepts. Like for example, how is one supposed to ask for a Taylor Swift cover of the entire “XO” album by Elliott Smith? I’ve deemed these things my music wishlist, and I’d like to share it with you all.
The following is my music wishlist:
For the band Rilo Kiley to get back together and tour
A Fiona Apple Tour
For me to be able to see every artist I like in an intimate venue
Concert tickets to be less expensive
A Maggie Rogers and Phoebe Bridgers collaborative album
A time machine to see old artists/bands at their prime
A Taylor Swift “Hot Ones” Interview
“All I Wanted” by Paramore to be performed live
Fiona Apple to cover the entire “Let It Be” album by The Beatles
A Frank Ocean Tour
There are legitimate reasons that most (if not all) of these things will never happen, but, in my dream world, those barriers wouldn’t exist. Do you have any music-related pipe dreams that’ll probably never happen?
I recently watched “Blade Runner” and “Palm Springs” back to back. These are two movies that, while both technically being sci-fi, are very different in tone and worldbuilding. And when viewed so close together, it becomes a lot easier to compare elements of the two, such as their soundtracks.
For all the flying cars and flashing button panels of “Blade Runner”, the world depicted is not an optimistic version of the future. Characters are lashed with rain the moment they step outside into a grimy world of corporate overlords and murderous androids, and all of this is evoked in the soundtrack. Composer Vangelis was playing with synthesizers before it was cool and from the get-go his mark was made on the movie. “Opening Titles”, the iconic theme, hits with the intensity of a heavy guitar solo but with a futuristic bent that never veers into cheesiness, instead ringing out over the bustling streets and feeling if not triumphant, at least pioneering.
The presentation of “Palm Springs” is in sharp contrast to this. Where the rainclouds of “Blade Runner” felt like a weight on that movie’s shoulders, there is barely a cloud in the California sky, with bright and warm colors that contribute to the movie’s generally upbeat atmosphere. The soundtrack mirrors this with a playful backing that glides over the unfolding scenes. The track playing during the movie’s climax (whose title I won’t give away because it’s kind of a spoiler) was the high point: a subtle melody not so much propelling the action along as matching it step for step.
These are distinctly different experiences, but there’s a reason I’m comparing them here. Both stay with the listener long after the credits roll with sneaky but very present earworms present. Being soundtracks, they rely heavily on repeated motifs and even tracks being used multiple times to create a narrative just through music and to call back to earlier scenes. “Blade Runner” uses these thematic threads to turn up the tension as the titular android hunter closes in on his targets. “Palm Springs” does this in a similar fashion, but as this is a romantic-comedy first and foremost, it races alongside the plot towards the inevitable conclusion without ever feeling formulaic.
A soundtrack is maybe a movie’s most underrated asset. When a soundtrack really hits, you often won’t consciously notice it because of how interwoven it is with the events onscreen. “Blade Runner” and “Palm Springs” both use music to skillfully walk the line between letting the plot play out without interruption and enhancing the emotions the audience takes away from the movie. The dark dystopia of 2019 Los Angeles and the sunny, maybe even too sunny, titular desert come to life with strings and synthesizers and without the works of Vangelis and Cornbread Compton, these amazing movies wouldn’t be the same.
I recently was loaned/given a car by my family to bring to campus this semester since I’d be living driving distance away from campus. This car was previously owned by my sister, who inherited it from my dad, who had it after my mom. Essentially, everyone in my immediate family has owned this car before I have, thus meaning there’s random things that belong to everyone scattered around my car. Particularly, in the center console there are thirteen CDs that belong to individuals in my family. Let’s take a look at those CDs.
Albums
“River of Dreams” — Billy Joel (two copies)
“Whitney” — Whitney Houston
“Best Shots” — Pat Benatar
“21” — Adele
“Hell Freezes Over” — Eagles
“25” — Adele
“Daydream” — Mariah Carey
Best Of’s
“20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of ABBA” — ABBA
“The Essential Bruce Springsteen” — Bruce Springsteen
“Greatest Hits” — Elton John
Mixtapes
Tune Time 2013
One of my mom’s old coworkers would make mixtapes every year for the best/most popular songs of the year. 2013 included the likes of “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers, “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, and “Feel This Moment” by Christina Aguilera and Pitbull.
My Mom’s Favorite Songs
My dad used to love making mixtapes back when CDs were still culturally very relevant. This particular burned disc is 12 of my mom’s favorite songs including: “Last Dance” by Donna Summer, “Brandy” by Looking Glass, and “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.
So, clearly my family has taste (although I’m fairly certain most of these are my mom’s, they were enjoyed by all). Next time I drive I’ll pop in one of these at random and see what they have to offer.
Spotify's curated recommendations - screenshot by Erie Mitchell
I’ve been doing some spring cleaning this October, and have been reorganizing the way I listen to my Apple Music library. And it hit me that the way I, and most people my age, organize songs into a genre or mood based playlist that we can carry around in our pockets would not have been possible 15 years ago. Playlists as not just a way of listening but as an art form are so ubiquitous now that they’re just a fact of life, a noun that we all use. Both Google search trends and mentions of the word in books actually peaked in the late 2000s to early 2010s, right around the time Spotify was really entering the public consciousness. So despite the fact that we’re using playlists more than ever, we think about the fact that we use them less, you just throw one together without considering what the alternative might be.
This massive trend has completely reshaped how the music industry presents itself to the listener, with a varying degree of subtlety. The biggest albums of the year now see a 20+ song tracklist as a bare minimum, with more songs meaning a guaranteed increase in streams regardless of the average quality of the record. Even with records that stay around my personal sweet spot of 10-15 songs, I find myself listening through once, seeing which songs really stand out to me, and then extracting those to a playlist whose theme fits the music of that artist, something I explored as well in my review of latest album by TORRES.
This approach to listening to music has its pros and cons. For one, I don’t really get a chance to have an album and all of its quirks really grow on me unless it’s already an album I really liked being revisited and becoming an album I love. “Suck It And See” from Arctic Monkeys is an album that transcended the way I’ll often leave the album behind; it went from being a cover I would see when the few songs I had from it played off my Arctic Monkeys playlist to being one of my favorites of the last decade. But the reason I went back and got to connect with the album is because Arctic Monkeys have been my favorite artist since sophomore year of high school, and I can only imagine how many albums that, had I been willing to give them another chance, would have become an integral part of my memories the way my favorite albums have.
On the flip side, I find playlists make for a more consistent listening experience on a day to day basis, especially when I just want to get something done and music isn’t my main focus at the time. Very few albums have zero filler, but all those hours spent perfectly sculpting a playlist late at night pay off when you’re doing homework and don’t need to switch through five windows to find the music player to skip a mediocre track. Your personal playlist is ideally nothing but battle-tested songs that will always come through. There’s a level of artistry involved too; building smaller playlists and carefully choosing which songs make the cut lets me engage with music in a way I wouldn’t be able to otherwise.
Playlists have also become a way of discovering music that’s very interesting to think about. Discover Weekly on Spotify is a lot of people’s go to for finding new songs they would probably like, but all streaming services have pre-made playlists that fit specific moods to draw from as well. Finding new music has less of a barrier in front of it than ever before, a new song is no longer an individual financial investment, like buying a record or downloading an individual iTunes track. On the contrary, if you’re paying for Spotify Premium, you want to get the most out of your monthly subscription and listen to as much as possible.
Being able to look at a homepage of a streaming service and seeing an algorithmically curated “for you” section in some ways lets individual listeners have more power over how they listen to music, but in other ways little has changed from when record companies started to dominate the industry. Algorithmically generated is key here, platforms can get you listening to a lot of music in a very narrow breadth within a wider genre or subgenre without ever having to leave one’s auditory comfort zone. Also many of those genre playlists on Spotify have their slots bought and paid for by record companies to promote their new material anyways, making music discovery in some ways no more organic than in the past, just with a new coat of paint.
Pros and cons aside, playlists aren’t going anywhere. Spotify has more than 30 million new listeners worldwide since 2020 and it’s not alone in this wider industry trend. As someone who grew up in the streaming era, I’ve never known life without them and I’m always looking for the next song to really tie the whole playlist together. I just have to make sure I know why my listening habits are the way they are, and to never listen to an album on shuffle.
