To kick off my new series, I’m going to shuffle my playlist, rate the first five songs, and finally clean out some less enjoyable tracks. Before we get this show on the road, a fair warning: this playlist hasn’t been cleaned in over five years.
“Stadium Arcadium” by Red Hot Chili Peppers – 8.2/10
Starting off strong, this is a masterpiece written by musical geniuses. While the album of the same name is widely praised and commercially successful, the title track itself is considered a deeper cut rather than a mainstream hit. I don’t think I would delete any RHCP songs from my playlist, and this is no exception.
“Winter Song” by The Head and the Heart – 7.9/10
A bit of a switch-up from the last song, this absolute banger of an indie song always gets me humming along to the euphonic vocals. Fun fact, this was actually the first concert I went to at The Greek Theater, and I recommend checking out their music.
“Afterthought” by Tame Impala – 7/10
This is a newer addition to the mix, so in theory, it should align with my tastes quite a bit. However, with Kevin the GOAT’s (AKA Tame Impala) rising popularity, combined with my prior fascination with his music, I’ve listened to every song on this album far too many times, dropping my current opinion of this song by a good 1.5. If I disregarded my overconsumption of this song, it would likely have been settled between an 8 or 9. Anyways, if Tame Impala’s less mainstream songs aren’t on your go-to playlist, I beg of you to try listening to them at least once. Please.
“Non-Stop” from Hamilton 8.5/10
One of my favorite songs from the musical, no explanation needed (but you get one anyway). This song is the Act I finale of Hamilton, and plays its role as a beautiful culmination of the show’s musical and thematic elements. It’s a non-stop, high-energy track that brilliantly weaves motifs from previous songs to take the show to the next level. I love it, next.
“Blame It On the Tetons” by Modest Mouse – 10/10
THIS SONG IS PEAK. You have to trust me on this, okay??? If you aren’t used to experimental music, I IMPLORE you to just try this one song because Modest Mouse is absolutely insane, and I think this is a nice, not-too-weird song to get a taste of their music. They have great lyrics in all of their songs, a diverse range of styles, and I owe it all to my brother for introducing me to them. This song specifically is super calm, and I love it a ton 10/10 I am recommending this aggressively; I’m so glad this song came up.
My conclusion? Apple Music Shuffle is rigged because I listen to all of these songs regularly–not that I’m complaining. I hope that I convinced you to listen to at least one new song! Thanks for tuning in people, I’ll see you next issue.