“Zombie,” - The Cranberries: Probably the band’s most well-known song, this track is a classic alternative rock/grunge protest anthem. The band hails from Ireland, and this song was written by the band’s lead singer Dolores O’Riordan about the bloody terrorist attacks from the IRA or Irish Republican Army, during the conflict between Northern Ireland and Ireland known as “The Troubles,” which lasted for almost 30 years and cost the lives of over 3,500 people, 1,935 of them being civilians. O’Riordan’s vocal delivery is haunting and the distorted grunge guitar riffs are a great backdrop. Hearing an Irish artist talking about this issue, especially with the song being directly influenced by a specific terrorist attack which killed a 3 year old boy, and a 12 year old boy, makes this conflict feel all the more real. The band make it clear that while they’re Irish, they’re firmly against the IRA.
“Memories,” - Maki Otsuki: This song is entirely in Japanese, but it plays at the ending credits of one of my favorite anime, One Piece. I have no idea what the lyrics mean currently, but it just fills me with an indescribable happiness. The guitar passages in this song are simple, but sound amazing.
“Don’t Smile,” - Sabrina Carpenter: One of my favorite tracks off of Sabrina’s breakout new album, Short n’ Sweet, I love the bedroom pop elements of this track. Sabrina’s voice sounds angelic on this track, and I love the dreamy synths featured in the instrumental.
“Murda Something,” - A$AP Ferg featuring Waka Flocka Flame: I love the instrumental of this track with that exotic string instrumental. It’s a total trap banger, and both rappers killed it, but Ferg is easily the best part of this song. His flow and delivery are energetic.
“Radio/Video,” - System of a Down: One of my favorite songs from my favorite band, the alternative metal group known as System of a Down. I love the alternating sound that goes from the calm vocal deliveries, gentle guitars and soft drum rhythms in the verses, to the heavy distorted guitars and crashing drums in the chorus. I especially like the guitar solo in the bridge and the frenetic gradual speeding up to the final chorus. Hearing this song live was a dream come true for me. It’s lyrically pretty simple, as lead guitarist Daron Malakian sings about his childhood neighbors Danny and Lisa, who actually got him into Kiss and metal music, as a whole.