Five of the best things I’ve found because of Spotify playlsits
Words and Picks by Jennifer Boylen
Streaming can be a very sensitive subject when it comes to music. Don’t get me wrong, streaming may be very convenient but it will never replace buying a record and supporting the artists I love. That being said, whenever I want some fresh sounds while I’m at work or doing stuff around the house I open Spotify, pick one of their playlists and enjoy. Some of my favorites include ‘Your Favorite Coffee House, ‘Rainy Day’ and all of the morning/daytime/evening acoustic series. Most of the time, I find myself just skipping through songs and turning on my own music library anyway, but these playlists have also become a meca of new music I would have never picked up on my own. Here are five of the best songs I’ve found because of Spotify.
Panama – “Always”
Panama is an electronic band from Sydney, Australia. “Always” is a sort of indie-electronic, synth pop piano driven track with catchy melody and striking falsetto vocals. It’s a great mix between computerized sounds and genuine musicianship and I can’t get enough of it.
Cam Nascon – “Maybe, Maybe”
“Maybe, Maybe” is a song that I came across while sitting at my desk on a rainy day. Cam Nacson has a very distinct, sweet, and almost raspy voice. He matched his undeniable passion form his vocals with and acoustic guitar and string section. This track is dripping with emotion and is an almost painful love song. It’s beautiful and I’m glad I found it.
Broods – “Sleep Baby Sleep”
I’m pretty sure I found this song on a playlist tiled “Happy Hipster” which is utterly ridiculous, but this song speaks for itself with an instrumental of simply a drum machine and simple piano chords and strings. Broods is a duo from New Zealand and vocalist Georgia has a style typical to Lana Del Ray but still uniquely her own. The layering between her and Caleb is a also great mix on this track.
Alt-J – “Every Other Freckle”
Highlight just released a review of Alt-J’s new record in our latest issue, but I didn’t give the band much thought until “Every Other Freckle” caught me by surprise on the train one day. This song is described as “strange and erotic” and both I would agree with. But the bands creativity and talent is undeniable, especially on this track. Both the other singles of their new record, “Hunger of The Pine” and “Left Hand Free” are great as well (regardless of the details behind Left Hand Free).
Civil Twilight – “Fire Escape”
One time, I saw Civil Twilight open a show in Cleveland, Ohio about five years ago. I fell in love with them during their set and bought their EP before I left that night. Between then and now I had sort of forgotten about this band until “Fire Escape” came on a playlist the other day. Civil Twilight has driving percussion, breathy vocals and a very arena-style sound. This record and front man Steve McKellar have been compared to U2 on several occasions and this band deserves way more attention than they’re already getting.
