Category: Blog

Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 5/18

ArtistRecordLabel
1OVERMONOEverything U Need [EP]XL
2INTERPLANETARY CRIMINALNobody [EP]Shall Not Fade
3PROSPA“The Thrill” [Single]Rave Science
4PLANET 1999Devotion (Deluxe)PC
5FIT OF BODYPunks Unavailable [EP]2MR
6NAMASENDA“Wanted” [Single]PC
7BLUE HAWAIIUnder 1 House [EP]Arbutus
8GILLIGAN MOSSGilligan MossForeign Family Collective
9ARCAKiCk iXL/Beggars Group
10GEORGE CLANTON AND NICK HEXUMGeorge Clanton And Nick Hexum100% Electronica
Categories
Weekly Charts

Daytime Charts 5/18

TOP CHARTS

ArtistRecordLabel
1REMEMBER SPORTSLike A StoneFather/Daughter
2SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVEEntertainment, DeathSaddle Creek
3ELI SMARTBoonie Town [EP]Polydor
4HYPOLUXOHypoluxoTerrible
5BLACK MIDICavalcade [Advance Tracks]Rough Trade
6CRUMBIce MeltSelf-Released
7FAYE WEBSTERI Know I’m Funny haha [Advance Tracks]Secretly Canadian
8ICEAGESeek ShelterMexican Summer
9LUCY DACUSHome Video [Advance Tracks]Matador/Beggars
10NAVY BLUESong Of Sage: Post Panic!Freedom Sounds
11SQUIDBright Green FieldWarp
12ARLO PARKSCollapsed In SunbeamsTransgressive/PIAS
13BROCKHAMPTONROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINEQuestion Everything/RCA
14JAPANESE BREAKFASTJubillee [Advance Tracks]Dead Oceans
15SHYGIRLSIREN (Basement Jaxx Remixes) [EP]Because
16DREAMWEAVERCloud9MagicCrafters
17BEAU DEGAHoly CannoliSelf-Released
18MAASHO“Sad Machine” [Single]Self-Released
19DRY CLEANINGNew Long Leg4AD/Beggars Group
20ORIELLES, THELa Vita OlisticaHeavenly/PIAS
21INDIA JORDANWatch Out! [EP]Ninja Tune
22TIERRA WHACK“Dora” [Single]Interscope
23PINK SIIFU AND FLY ANAKINFlySiifu’sLex
24AVALANCHES, THEWe Will Always Love YouAstralwerks
25RATBOYSHappy Birthday, RatboyTopshelf
26SPELLLING“Little Deer” [Single]Sacred Bones
27CARIBOUSuddenly RemixesMerge
28MAGDALENA BAYMini Mix Vol. 2 [EP]Luminelle
29SPUD CANNON“Juno” [Single]Good Eye
30BICEPIsles (Deluxe)Ninja Tune

TOP ADDS

Top Adds Entry for WKNC 88.1 FM

Download CSV

ArtistRecordLabel
1SQUIDBright Green FieldWarp
2ICEAGESeek ShelterMexican Summer
3BLACK MIDICavalcade [Advance Tracks]Rough Trade
4SILVER SYNTHETICSilver SyntheticThird Man
5SHELTER BOY“Absence” [Single]Cascine
6FAYE WEBSTERI Know I’m Funny haha [Advance Tracks]Secretly Canadian
7PAUL JACOBSPink Dogs On The Green GrassBlow The Fuse
8DOUGLASAshesJ’aime Trop
9KID LE CHATLuck Comes Too Late [EP]Self-Released
10TOTHYou And Me And EverythingNorthern Spy
Categories
Music News and Interviews

Koreless Releases First Single in 5 Years

There is a near-infinite supply of buzzed-about electronic producers that haven’t released much music but are, according to at least someone you know, going to be the next big thing. These artists often release a couple of singles, maybe an EP, and then promptly fall off the map before releasing an album. This isn’t to say that the “reclusive electronic DJ,” archetype never pans out, just that you should approach the next two paragraphs with an abundance of caution because Koreless might never be heard from again after today.

Koreless is a British producer working in the vague spectrum of ambient, IDM, and experimental. He tends towards the more compositional end, composing music that is neither dance nor chill, which may or may not be your taste. He released an EP back in 2013, but his last publication of any kind was in 2015. However, he just dropped a new single adding up to around eleven minutes of new material.

Why am I talking about a random single from a producer with no album despite a ten-year career? Well, because the production is just that good and the sounds are fairly high budget. That leads me to believe maybe this will actually pan out into a full album since there appears to be some effort and at least a little money involved, but honestly the single stands on its own. Despite being entirely electronic, and fairly dense, both sides of the single have a clear sense of songwriting, you can follow a progression from beginning to end and the sounds are affecting without pandering to a given vibe or being overly moody. It’s great electronic music, so I guess I’ll throw the dice for a prediction: Koreless has a bright future ahead of him.

Categories
Music Education

Songs to Weave To

WKNC 88.1 blog

By DJ Lil Witch

With the lockdowns a year ago, people have been getting crafty. Making bread, decorating, and making art was at an all-time high. I want to keep the quarantine hobbies alive and well. I am a fan of textile art, specifically weaving. It is a craft that is meticulous but satisfying. To that end, it is something you can get lost in for hours. I have found it is a great time to listen to albums all the way through. My vinyl collection has been getting more attention since I started weaving. But if playlists are more your speed, I have you covered with a mix I made with a relaxing folk weaving vibe as well as more electronic tracks to craft/weave to.

You can find my weaving playlist on Spotify, but one song to highlight is “Weave Me The Sunshine” by Peter, Paul and Mary. It’s the most thematically appropriate song for weaving in my opinion but your crafting songs could be anything from metal to ambient. Blast these tunes and we can get crafting.

Weave at Home with A Beginners Cardboard Loom Guide

You will need: A piece of cardboard, scissors, measuring tape, pen/pencil and yarn (one thin yarn for warping the loom, and others of varying colors and textures to weave with but other materials like paper or ribbon can be substitutes).

Step 1: Make the Loom

Gather the piece of cardboard, scissors, measuring tape and pen/pencil. Mark the top and bottom with dash marks 0.5 cm apart and 1 cm deep. Following the guides you just made, use your scissors and cut slits being careful to keep them a similar length. Now you have a cardboard loom. You can make these any dimensions but a rectangle is standard.   

Step 2: Preparing the Loom

For this step, you will take the cardboard loom you just made and some thin yarn or any material you have (I imagine floss could work well). Take the end of your yarn and make a double knot. Slip the knot into the first notch on the top of the loom, the side with the knot will be the back of the loom. Once that knot is secure, pull the yarn down to the first notch on the bottom. Thread the yarn through and around to the next notch on the top. Keep going until the loom is full or the width you want for your weaving. Both sides should be covered in yarn (called the warp).

Step 3: Start weaving

You are almost there. Now it’s time to begin the actual weaving process. Take a piece of yarn and begin threading it over and under the warp. You can leave a tail hanging out. Once you get to the end, bring the yarn to the next row by threading it the opposite way. Make sure to push each line down tight. It takes practice and you might mess up, but you can always pull the yarn out and redo it. After a while, this process will be second nature and intuitive. 

Once you run out of the yarn you started with you can add more of the same kind or a new color. You pull the old yarn to the back of the weaving on a stitch that goes under the warp, tucking it between the weaving and the loom. Then you can take the new yarn and tuck the end of it one strand over from the old yarn. Without tugging too hard, begin weaving with the new yarn, following the pattern you created. There will be two tails in the back but we can deal with that later.

Step 4: Additions 

As you continue weaving you might want to add things like tassels. Tassels are pretty simple. You just need a piece of yarn. Fold it in half so it looks like a lowercase “n”. Take one leg of the “n” and wrap it around and through the middle of the warp yarn. Take the other leg and wrap it through the middle and pull down. These can be over two warp strings or several depending on your preference. Try out a bunch of things and see which you like best. You can do a couple of rows of tassels to bulk it up or you can make shapes with them. 

Step 5: Take the Weaving off the Loom

Once you’re happy with your weaving you can cut it off the loom. Turn the loom over to the back and cut the warp in the middle.

Once the strings are cut you can gently remove them from the tabs on the top and bottom of the loom. There are a couple of ways to finish off a weaving. I like to take two strings and tie them into a double knot and go along until all of the strings are tied. It keeps the weaving from unraveling. I like the look of knots across the top and bottom but if you don’t you can tuck the strings into the back of the weaving with a large-eyed needle. As a final step you can take the tails you left out in the back of the weaving and tuck them into the back of the weaving. 

And you are done. You have a beautiful weaving to remind you of all the songs you listened to while making it. You can hang it up, turn it into a patch, bag or pillow. The opportunities are endless.

Categories
Classic Album Review

Album Review: Let the Sun Talk by MAVI

By Silya Bennai

ALBUM: “Let the Sun Talk” by MAVI 

RELEASE YEAR: 2019 

LABEL: New York Lab / UnitedMasters 

RATING: 8.5/10 

BEST TRACKS: “Eye/I and I/Nation,” “Self Love” and “Sense” 

FCC: Explicit

“Let the Sun Talk” leaves no room for personal thoughts during its thirty-two-minute runtime, but it seems as if MAVI may have already read our minds through the exploration of his own. Human truths presented as personal ruminations, MAVI’s debut album is a bright light of pro-Black, anti-capitalistic poetry wrapped in smooth, flowing instrumentals. 

Born Omavi Minder, MAVI spent much of his childhood and adolescence locally; Charlotte, North Carolina, to be exact. The 21-year-old neuroscience student showcases a clear influence from American rapper Earl Sweatshirt, but brings a fresh and introspective taste of youthfulness to the ever-altering subgenre of alternative hip-hop. 

“Eye/I and I/Nation”, the second track of the thirteen-track album, captures the struggle of loving and being loved while simultaneously figuring out who you are as an individual and community member. This track was my personal introduction to MAVI and I still find myself coming back to this line: “I got puddled pride and troubled eyes ’cause I’m an artist.” MAVI is able to both highlight the truth behind the “tortured artist” stereotype while casting a shadow of irony on the inherent narcissism of the self-identified creative. 

The fourth track, “Self Love”, boasts the most listens of any of MAVI’s solo songs and for good reason. The warm and full beat is accompanied by MAVI’s breathy and constant flow of self-doubt and reflections on familial love. Perhaps no one worries like a mother does for her child, and the resulting comfort and guilt of this fact is present on this track as MAVI explores it from the child’s perspective. 

“Sense”, which includes production from the aforementioned Earl Sweatshirt, is one of the shorter tracks from the album, but proves impressive upon every listen. MAVI’s dexterous lyrical flow is especially evident on this tightly crafted, and of course, introspective track. If anyone ever asks you what kind of songs MAVI makes, look no further than “Sense”. He says it best himself on this track: “I make the kind you gotta read, baby.” 

Here’s to reading songs, 

Silya Bennai

Categories
Classic Album Review

Album Review: “More Adventurous (U.S. Release)” by Rilo Kiley

More Adventurous Album Cover
"More Adventurous (U.S. Release)" by Rilo Kiley

ALBUM: “More Adventurous (U.S. Release)” by Rilo Kiley

RELEASE YEAR: 2004

LABEL: Warner Bros. Music, Brute/Beaute Records

RATING: 9/10

BEST TRACKS: “Portions for Foxes,” “Accidntel Deth,” and “It’s a Hit”

FCC: Explicit

The early 2000s were a time in which much indie music was being created, and in my opinion, this is some of the best of it. With singles “It’s A Hit,” “Portions for Foxes” and “I Never,” this album is chock-full of indie rock bangers. Rilo Kiley, a California-based band, has a very beachy sound, which can best be seen in tracks “A Man / Me / Then Jim” and “The Absence of God.”

Band members Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett are responsible for the writing of all eleven tracks on this 44-minute-long album, and they did an excellent job. They juxtapose a happy major-key sound with sad and poetic lyrics. Two of the album’s tracks, “Ripchord” and “It Just Is” are about the then-recent and tragic passing of singer-songwriter Elliott Smith.

There are moments where the lyrics feel kitschy and awkward, as they try to be political but at some points just fall short, but not enough that it ruins the listening experience of the album.

Jenny Lewis’ vocals carry this album, as Blake Sennett only did vocals on a couple tracks on this album, unlike in Rilo Kiley’s previous works. Her vocals particularly shine on “I Never” and “More Adventurous.”

“Portions for Foxes,” the strongest track on the album, is used consistently in the television series “Grey’s Anatomy.” Other tracks, like “I Never” and “Ripchord” were also frequently featured in various soundtracks in the 2000s.

Overall, this album feels like an embodiment of 2000s indie pop/rock, and is one of my favorite albums of all time.

Until next time,

Caitlin

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Jack Antonoff: Pop Music Connoisseur

Jack Antonoff performing
Image courtesy of Tyler Garcia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Jack Antonoff is a musician, writer and producer, who has been a part of many corners of the pop music industry. From being the guitarist and percussionist in Fun., to producing the soundtrack for the film “Love Simon”, to heading two of his own bands (Steel Train and Bleachers), to writing and producing for artists like Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent, The Chicks, Lana Del Rey: Jack Antonoff has done it all. He has done a great job of not only making a name for himself but also creating a sound for himself. So what makes his producing and writing so great? Grandiosity, honesty and a whole lot of synths.

As summed up in a review of Bleachers’ second album “Gone Now” by Pitchfork, Jack Antonoff doesn’t create the sleek and palatable pop music that is typical of the Top-40 Charts. His sound, especially in his solo projects, is chock-full of horns, bright piano, synths and samples. The grandiosity of his second album, “Gone Now,” was compared to Elton John in a Rolling Stone review. This same larger-than-life sound coupled with a good hook makes many of the songs he writes/produces addicting. Some examples of this being “Cruel Summer” and “Out of the Woods” by Taylor Swift, “Green Light” by Lorde and “Strawberries and Cigarettes.” Not everything he produces is as extravagant as those though, he also knows how to produce a down-to-earth ballad as can be seen in “Crowded Places” by Banks and much of “folklore,” Taylor Swift’s eighth album. 

There’s a certain honesty that comes with a song written by Antonoff. The best example of this radical honesty is, “I Wanna Get Better,” the hit single off of Bleachers’ first album, “Strange Desire.” Antonoff has been very open about losing his younger sister, Sarah, to cancer when he was 18. “I Wanna Get Better” is an autobiographical excerpt from that low period in his life. Many of the songs he writes and co-writes have themes of self-improvement and/or insecurity, “The Archer” by Taylor Swift and “Liability” by Lorde are great examples of this. Much of his work with Bleachers touches on themes of growing up in New Jersey, young love, childhood and heroes. It all feels very authentic, and, like the New York Times put it, sets him apart from the methodical and scientific approach to pop music others in the industry favor.

The mixture of extravagant instrumentals, authenticity in his songwriting and his love for synths is Antonoff’s signature, and his approach has been rewarded with critical acclaim. He’s won four Grammys for his work and is still actively creating. He recently released two singles at the end of last year, “45” and “chinatown (feat. Bruce Springsteen)” ahead of an album release that should be coming sometime in 2021. Until then, you can check out a playlist by Spotify user Nathaniel Cruel that has every song Antonoff has ever produced.

Until next time,

Caitlin

Image courtesy of Tyler Garcia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Categories
Music News and Interviews

T-Time Interviews Tigers Jaw

What’s up, everyone? This is T-Time, host of In the Garage– the show that brings you the best of garage rock, DIY, and emo! Back in March, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ben Walsh of Scranton’s own Tigers Jaw. At the time, they were amping up the release of their 6th studio album, “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me.”

So what was the direction for this upcoming album?  I’ve listened to a couple of singles, and they seem a lot more synth-based…

Yeah. So for this, for this album, we really wanted to capture sort of like the live energy of when we play shows, which is kind of ironic, because there’s no live shows happening right now. But we really wanted to have sort of like a very punchy, sort of openly mixed album with not a whole lot of layering. So it’s pretty reminiscent of how many instruments are happening in a live setting for us. So we definitely experimented a lot with more, more keyboard tones on this record. Brianna was definitely, you know, in her creative element with that, so there’s definitely a couple different instrumental voices in there compared to some previous stuff.

Other than not being able to tour, how else has the pandemic affected recording and rehearsals?

So, we’re a little bit scattered, you know, our drummer lives in the Detroit area, and I live in the Philadelphia area, and then Colin and Brianna both live in northeastern PA. So sort of tighter restrictions about getting together and travel and everything. There’s only been a few, a few situations over the past year that we’ve even seen each other. So it definitely made it tough to get together. A few times we were able to get together and practice and do some music videos and things like that. But fortunately, this record was made prior to the pandemic.

I was wondering how you guys got all that done in such a weird time.

Yeah, we were getting the mixes of the record back, basically, in February 2020, when all the news was coming out, and everything was being pretty rapidly updated. We had the record almost ready to go. And then we were like, “Everything is different now. Like, we’re not going to be able to just put this record out, we will have to sort of rethink how we wanted to roll it out.” Yeah, so this has been a project a couple years in the making. It wasn’t intended to be that way. But it feels good to finally be able to release the record now.

Personally, I like it when artists take their time. I don’t care if it takes a year, I don’t care if it takes five years– if an album is good an album is good.

We try not to get any sort of schedule, like, “Okay, it’s been a couple of years, it’s been two years, we need to do a record.” We make music when we’re feeling inspired. So we’ve always kind of done things in a way that felt natural.

Who are your guys’ inspirations?

I think for me, personally, I was really just drawn to… I remember being a kid and hearing like Fleetwood Mac and Tom Petty songs on the radio driving around in the car with my parents, and just hearing like, the simplicity of those songs, but they’re incredible. So, you know, being sort of inspired by that. That style of songwriting where it’s like, a good song is a good song–there’s something about it that you can just feel. And then you know, a few years down the line just getting more so into punk music and starting to play guitar, play drums, and things like that. It was just there was a really cool music and art scene in Scranton, where I grew up, and it was just like this really supportive and creative environment. So it was really inspiring to get involved. One of my older cousins played in a band, and I went to go see him and was just like, I fell in love with that sort of lifestyle, and it inspired me to want to play in a band.

So what about other Philadelphia or Pennsylvania artists? The ones that come to mind are mewithoutYou, Modern Baseball, etcetera. Have you guys had any interaction with them?

Yeah. So we’ve actually been able to go on tour with mewithoutYou and we played with Modern Baseball many years ago. But, we’ve gone on tour with Jake’s project Slaughter Beach, Dog, so it’s a really small world you know? And we’ve been around for a while, we’ve been lucky to meet a lot of really incredible musicians from not just PA but from all over. But there’s something happening in PA where there’s just a lot of really great talented artists.

What genre would you guys consider yourself? I know a lot of people say that you’re emo or pop-punk or folk-rock, but I want to know what the band thinks.

Yeah, it’s a tough question. Because, you know, whatever, how people classify things, I think, can be a good thing. But sometimes it can limit people, like if they feel like, “Oh, I don’t like such and such type of music,” but we’ve always just really considered ourselves a rock band. But we pull from a wide array of influence. Not every song is gonna sound like it belongs in the same category. But right now, we just make guitar rock music, I guess, in the simplest sense.

Yeah, I’ve listened to you guys’ discography, it’s a pretty diverse sound. You listen to your debut record, and then you go and listen to your most recent singles. There’s a lot of similarities, it’s the same band, but it’s definitely a different sound.

Yeah, there’s, there’s common threads that are kind of hard to really describe. But you more so feel them than anything else.

A lot of DJs at the radio station really want to know the answer to this question, it’s kind of dumb. But the self-titled Tigers Jaw album… the album cover… the pizza… was it good?

Oh, it was incredible. So the pizza on the cover is from a place in Scranton, Buona Pizza, and it was right in downtown Scranton. Anytime we would be practicing or playing a show or going to a show, that would be our hangout spot either before or after. So when we were walking around shooting pictures for the Run For Cover release of that record, we naturally just went there, because we always went there. And Brianna took that picture and we ended up rolling with that. A lot of people do ask about it, but it’s great pizza. Just classic greasy mall pizza. If you’re ever in Scranton, check it out.

Thank you so much for speaking with us today, Ben!

We appreciate you having me!

Categories
Playlists

Top 10 Led Zeppelin Deep Cuts

tony morelli, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

I try not to write *too* much about Zeppelin, considering they’re the biggest, greatest rock band in history, and there are about 1,000,000 other blogs out there dedicated to them. Then again, they are the BIGGEST, GREATEST rock band in history. It would be shameful of me not to give my favorite group a little love every once in a while.

“Stairway to Heaven” is one of the most played songs of all time. To this day, it’s on constant repeat on nearly all commercial rock radio stations. You’re sure to have heard the screeching “Immigrant Song” (even just from “School of Rock”) or the thundering “Kashmir.” Tracks like “Whole Lotta Love” and “Black Dog” fall in the same category: wildly popular and played millions of times.

But what about the songs in between their hits? To me, these are the tracks that made Led Zeppelin so great. From their early bluesy rock to soft acoustics, there are tons of gems throughout their discography that receive little recognition today. Here are some of my favorite that I just can’t let fall through the cracks:

1. How Many More Times – Led Zeppelin

This is the last track on their first album and my all-time favorite song. Ever. It takes so many twists and turns that it keeps you on your toes throughout the entire eight minutes.

2. Out On The Tiles – Led Zeppelin III

You’d never guess this song is off their “acoustic” album. Featuring a heavy, upbeat riff, it’s some of Jimmy Page’s best guitar work. Something I love about this song is how you can hear him saying “Stop!” in the background (1:23), which was accidentally left in during one of their takes.

3. The Rover – Physical Grafitti

The riff in this song is INSANE. It was a favorite concert performance for the band but didn’t get much recognition beyond that. The last minute of the track takes a crazy turn as Jimmy Page switches rhythms.

4. When The Levee Breaks – Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV)

For most fans of Zeppelin, this isn’t so much of a “deep cut” per se, but it definitely wasn’t performed live very often due to its highly produced nature. Using layering and the natural acoustics of the old house it was recorded in, it’s one of the most atmospheric tracks they’ve ever produced.

5. Trampled Under Foot – Physical Grafitti

This is one of the funkiest songs on their discography. Pulling inspiration from Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” bassist and organist John Paul Jones really shows off his skills on the Clavinet.

6. Boogie With Stu – Physical Grafitti

This song was recorded as a jam session with Rolling Stones road manager, Ian Stewart, who happened to stop by the country home Zeppelin was staying at to record their album. There was an old piano in the house, which Page tuned his guitar to while Stewart played.

7. Tea For One – Presence

“Presence” was one of Led Zeppelin’s least celebrated albums, but released at a very difficult and harrowing time for the band. The emotional intensity of the album really speaks to this, especially in “Tea For One.”

8. I Can’t Quit You Baby – Led Zeppelin

Back from their bluesier days, this cover of Willie Dixon’s “I Can’t Quit You, Baby” was included on their original performance lineup. It’s a fantastic song that highlights their ability to take the blues to new levels.

9. I’m Gonna Crawl – In Through the Out Door

“I’m Gonna Crawl” is the last song on their last album (excluding “CODA,” which was a collection of archived tracks released after the band broke up). It’s a melancholy yet beautiful track.

10. Travelling Riverside Blues (29/6/69 Top Gear) – BBC Sessions (Live)

If only there were more live albums like this. Though it was recorded in 1969, this song didn’t make it onto any studio albums until “CODA.” It’s a great, romantic little blues track 100% worth taking a listen to.

Image courtesy of Tony Morelli, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Categories
Miscellaneous Short Stories

Summer Rewind: Spotify and Summers Past

One of my favorite things about Spotify is the curated playlists made just for you, especially the yearly rewinds; it’s so interesting and gratifying to see how my listening habits change over the years. There was one playlist that caught my eye recently called “Your Summer Rewind,” which features some of my most-played songs from past summers. As I scrolled through the playlist, memories flooded back of when, where, and who I was during those summers.

There are the classic upbeat summer songs about being happy and loving the sun, like “Shotgun” by George Ezra, “Sunflower,” by Rex Orange County, and “Sunshine” by Tom Misch. But most of the songs are all tied to a specific memory,  place, or person.

Summer 2019, the summer before my freshman year of college, I was very emotional about leaving home, I even made a whole playlist about it. That explains “Nobody” by Mitski, “A Little More” by Catie Turner, and “A World Alone” by Lorde. A few weeks into college, I couldn’t stop listening to “Halo” by Beyonce, so that too, wormed its way onto my playlist.

Summer 2018, I listened to “Blonde” by Frank Ocean all summer, so “Pink + White” and “Nights” made it on the list. I remember listening to “Nights” for the first time at the pool with my friends, looking up at the stars, feeling whole. That summer, my friends and I decided it would be fun to memorize the rap in “Determinate,” a song from “Lemonade Mouth,” a Disney Channel Original Movie. I listened to it dozens of times, trying to keep up with the fast-paced lyrics, so many times, that it too made it onto my Summer Rewind.

Summer 2016, I was still mostly listening to pop music, and Jon Bellion had just come out with “The Human Condition.” “Guillotine,” was my favorite song off of that album, and it used to be my most played song of all time. Other songs from that album found their way on the list: “Maybe IDK” and “Morning in America,” just to name a couple.

Summer 2015, I discovered my love for music, and became obsessed with Troye Sivan. His debut album “Blue Neighborhood” and preceding EP “WILD” had yet to come out, so I was listening to “Happy Little Pill” on repeat. I can’t listen to it anymore because of the strong nostalgia it gives me, transporting me back to when I was freshly fourteen years old and not even a freshman in high school. But Spotify doesn’t know that, so onto the playlist it went. 

The playlist is only fifty songs, but it felt like going through old photo albums, reading old texts, and opening a time capsule all at once. When I look through playlists from summers past that I made, I am reminded of the experiences I curated and fantasized, the summer I wish I had; that is not always representative of how things go, or what I end up listening to, it’s subjective. Spotify, a program made with code and algorithms, shows me the tracks I actually listened to most, a third party view of my past.

<3,

Caitlin