Hello again! Que lo Kayslee’s back with some brand new jams to get you through the first (or second, or third) cold snap of the season. This week’s new music is “new to me” for the most part, recommended by other purveyors of cold weather music. Enjoy!
“What are We” by Virginia to Vegas
I heard this song in my school’s cafeteria this past weekend. It is similar in style to Harry Style’s “Adore You” (featured in a previous Saturday Shuffle), but with softer vocals. The singer talks about a girl he’s made friends with, and their friendship has taken a turn towards romantic involvement. He asks the object of his affection where they stand, and asks to discuss their feelings for each other. I appreciated the vulnerability of the song’s tone, and the beat was nice too.
“Before You Go” by Lewis Capaldi
this is another beautifully vulnerable song. Lewis Capaldi’s vocals are everything I love in a male singing voice: strong and powerful, with a wide vocal range and amazing expressiveness. The lyrics are even better, with a message that’s open to interpretation. “So, before you go, was there something I could’ve said to make your heartbeat better… It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless.” *ack, the feels!* This song was originally written about a breakup, but it also speaks to general feelings of unworthiness (which gives the “before you go” line a whole new meaning…). A beautiful song overall, even if you don’t read that much into the lyrics, and a nice form of catharsis in its way. Great for cold weather soul-searching :).
“Fake A Smile” by Radford
This song was recommended to me by this post, vis a vis the WordPress reader :). A nice chill guitar-and-expressive-male-vocals song for cold winter days. Similar encouraging, you’re-worth-it feel to the lyrics, which is really nice. The chorus has a nice old-fashioned (don’t know how to describe it other than “late 90s style”) guitar line. Also a hint of strings in the background, with a quieter instrumental line for the verses that crescendos into the chorus. This song is well-suited for long drives (or walks, or bike rides) alone with lots of time to think.
“All Praise” by Sean Curran
I heard this song at a college worship night event this past Sunday, and the lyrics resonated with me. The instrumental track has the characteristic reverent piano, pounding drums, and an added tambourine detail that I appreciated. The vocals start out quiet, then soar into the chorus, another characteristic common among contemporary worship songs. I especially appreciated the line “You’re my greatest miracle,” which reminded me to honor God above all else, even my favorite songs.
“Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness at 25” by The Smashing Pumpkins
I discovered this album because of this post by WardCulture, and I really appreciated it. the group fits into the “alt rock” category, which I haven’t explored as much as other genres, but I enjoyed this album. I especially appreciated the softer songs, such as “1979,” which include a very chill electric guitar line, expressive vocals, and the occasional dose of piano. Would recommend for rainy days for sure :).
“I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts
I recently finished a novel (won’t say which one to prevent spoilers), but let me just say, the author of said novel is an absolute GENIUS. At the end of an epic adventure in five volumes, he low-key dropped a reference to this song, and I was absolutely SHOOK. Once I finished dying of laughter, of course I had to listen to this song, which if you didn’t know, is the theme song to the show Friends. Enough said there; even if you don’t watch the show, we’re probably all familiar with the peppy guitar and catchy lyrics of this classic.
Happy Saturday!
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