“Pawn Shop,” - Sublime: A long song at 6 minutes, this is one of my personal favorites off of Sublime’s self-titled record of 1996, and I consider it to be an underrated gem. The fuzzy main guitar riff isn’t super complicated, but it’s incredibly fun to listen to. The verses and chorus are very simple, the track is more of a showcase of the band’s instrumental skills with the aforementioned guitars, funky bass, and reggae style organs.
https://youtu.be/gAQ7fGXHFJ8?si=HCT-xga2J2RNnR-Z
“Unchained (The Payback/Untouchable),” - James Brown and 2Pac: A legendary mashup of two great songs from a classic Tarantino film, Django Unchained, it’s funky, has the sound of a spaghetti western, and the guitars, horns, and violins are cinematic as all hell.
https://youtu.be/t5uAX0pyD_I?si=Cy6bgS9KP--Xh2Ny
“Miserlou,” - Dick Dale & His Del-Tones: Another song I first heard in a Tarantino film, this time being Pulp Fiction. It’s one of the greatest surf rock songs of all time, but it’s not a song original to Dick Dale, he just popularized it. It’s a folk song called “Misirlou,” that originated in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and nobody knows who created the song to this day, which is fascinating to me. There’s been numerous versions of this song that have been recorded, but as a surf rock fan it’s easily my favorite version. I highly recommend to go around YouTube and listen to the different versions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKpsuGMeqHI
“Swimming,” - Flawed Mangoes: This is a track I’ve been listening to on repeat for the past three days or so. The many layers of soft electric guitars are absolutely gorgeous, and when I’m worried or sad about something this has been my go to song to help put my mind at rest, as well as find peace within myself. It’s downtempo and features no percussion or vocals. A great song for relaxing, as well as studying.
https://youtu.be/oSEIUNERy9o?si=nOmfXMyBq8VaOVPx
“Idea 10,” - Gibran Alcocer: A gentle instrumental ballad with very low-key acoustic guitars, and a heavy use of piano. This song is emotional, but doesn’t need words to convey it, it’s communicated through every note that the pianist floats through.