“Someday,” - The Strokes: A song that helped get me through a dark period of depression, it’s probably my favorite track from The Strokes. I love the guitar riffs on this song, the reminiscent lyrics, and the nostalgic feeling it gives me. We don’t appreciate the present in the moment, and we look back at it through rose-tinted glasses in the future. It’s very relatable, and the lyrics are very melancholy, even though the tone of the song sounds very upbeat and happy. The lyrics discuss a relationship that was hopeless from the start, and how lonely the singer feels without her. “I see alone we stand, together we fall apart,” is one of my favorite lines from this masterpiece.
“3005,” - Childish Gambino: One of my favorite songs from multitalented creative, Donald Glover AKA Childish Gambino, the instrumental is one of my favorite of his, his flow and lyricism on this track got me hooked on it when I was an edgy 13 year old. It’s hard to believe this song and the Because the Internet album are almost 11 years old, as the sound has aged phenomally. Glover is not only a very skilled rapper, but a talented singer. I like the lines, “Yeah mi casa su casa, got it stripping like Gaza. Got so high off volcanoes, now the flow is so lava.” It’s another track that makes me feel nostalgic for summers of my youth.
“Misery Business,” - Paramore: My favorite Paramore song, I love lead singer Hayley Williams’ powerful vocals and impressive range. The different heavy pop-punk guitar riffs whether it’s in the verses, chorus, or the bridge, they are incredibly memorable, as former guitarist, Josh Farro did a great job on that front. It’s another song I grew up playing on repeat, and even though the “whore,” lyric is something that Hayley Williams regrets writing, I generally don’t even notice the line, because I’m so preoccupied with how amazing her chorus is, and how excellent Farro’s guitar riffs are.
“My Seven Bizzos,” - 2 Live Crew: A classic 80s hip hop track, from Miami rap group, 2 Live Crew. It’s incredibly raunchy, but they pushed the boundaries for what could be said in contemporary music, especially hip hop. Their fight against the charges of obscenity leveled against them, and victory in 1994, reinforced the need for freedom of speech, and freedom of expression in all forms of media, especially music. Musically, I love the “Voodoo Child,” sample, and all of the members’ humorous verses. Definitely one of the most underrated songs of the 1980s.
“Souls of Black (Alcatraz Revisit),” - One of the most underrated metal bands of the 1980s, I first heard this song in Rockband 2, and while the original version of “Souls of Black,” is phenomenal, the Alcatraz version sounds so much darker and hellish, in my opinion. It’s crazy what such a small difference as key makes.