‘Tis the season— and I’m not talking about the winter holidays coming soon. It’s time to reflect on the past year through Spotify Wrapped, one of the most highly anticipated data-crunching events of everyone’s year.
Were you surprised by your most played songs? Or did you expect them all along?
Personally, I interact with music in a bit of an odd way: I’ll listen to the same song on repeat for days, if not more, at a time. If it’s catchy, I can listen to it over and over without growing sick of it, until the next song comes around to replace it.
If you can imagine, I don’t find my top five songs to really reflect who I am or what my music taste is.
(For example, we’re not going to talk about “P power” by Gunna featuring Drake being my number four song of the whole year.)
When it comes to top artists, however, there is more consistency overall. For an artist to be in your top five, that means something: there’s established history there.
Hence why I’m more than willing to share my top artists and even go so far as to recommend albums by them that I thoroughly enjoy.
Who knows, come this time next year, one of these artists may find a way into your next Spotify Wrapped.
- “wings” by bts
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Almost a year ago, I gained a new curiosity: what was the deal with Kpop?
All I knew about the genre then were a few names like BLACKPINK, BTS and Twice and the online interactions of seemingly rabid fans that would blow up in other online spheres due to their sheer ridiculousness.
From a pure pop culture standpoint, I wondered about the grip Kpop appeared to have on its dedicated fans. What made the music so addictive and the parasocial relationships something on an entirely different level?
So, naturally, I did some research.
I spent the previous Fall break watching music videos by the most popular Kpop groups. The conclusion after my week-long binge was that, yes, I did in fact enjoy Kpop.
The further natural progression was to pick a group to really get into. BTS seemed like the most obvious choice as they’d taken the world by storm in the past few years.
Go big or go home, right?
Initially, I was skeptical. Surely I could withstand the charm of these seven men?
Come the end of December 2021, I was a mere insect in the Venus flytrap of BTS.
Flash forward to present day and they’re my number one artist of 2022. Figures.
The 2016 project “Wings” put BTS on the map, both in South Korea awards-wise and in the West. Drawing inspiration from Herman Hesse’s Bildungsroman “Demian,” this album carries on the storyline established by their previous project, delving into the theme of temptation and seduction by evil.
From a casual listening standpoint, the album is full of bops that make you want to get up and dance. “21st Century Girl,” a bit silly, still brings a smile to your face; how can you deny seven beautiful men insisting “everyone wanna love you girl!”
Or, the braggadocious refrain in the fourth installment of BTS’s rap cyphers: “I love, I love, I love myself; I know, I know, I know myself,” telling their haters they should “love [themselves].” It’s hard to be depressed when you’re blasting a song like that.
Beyond the boasts lie songs with intense emotion, such as Jimin’s solo song “Lie” or Taehyung’s “Stigma.”
The music video for “Blood Sweat & Tears” ties in to the main storyline behind the album and leans into the sensual. It’s endearing as the push to be sexy occasionally stumbles into the awkward when the members appear to try almost too hard. Yet, the more subtle moments are when the seduction truly shines through.
Years later, the experience, confidence and success shines through each of BTS’s performances and videos.
It’s still nice to have the time capsule that is the video below.
- “Ultraviolence” by lana del rey
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Ever since I was eleven years old, I’ve been listening to Lana Del Rey’s music.
Concerning, I know.
But hey, “Summertime Sadness” was an absolute banger when it came out in 2012, and “Blue Jeans” deeply resonated with me as someone just barely in the double digits, for a reason I still cannot place to this day.
What I’m really trying to say is, Lana Del Rey has been one of my top artists for almost a decade. I don’t say this with some sense of pride, either. Frankly, I find the woman annoying at best.
Although, I’d be lying if I said her music didn’t scratch some part of my brain.
Her discography tends to be a familiar source I’ll draw from when I’m in one of my song-on-repeat phases.
I haven’t listened to her much in the past few weeks, but that song at the start of November happened to be “Shades of Cool.” Her powerful vocals and the background music as she croons about how her man is “unfixable” all feels very cinematic.
- “Caprisongs” by fka twigs
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FKA twigs is an authentic woman who crafts her art with all her heart.
As a singer, producer and dancer, all with wicked fashion sense, she’s one artist to keep an eye on. If you’re not listening to her yet, get on with it!
“CAPRISONGS,” released Jan. 14, 2022, was one of my beloved albums of the year and saw me through the beginning of spring semester.
It’s evident twigs is growing into her own as more than just a creator or performer, but also as a human being. Vulnerable moments come in the form of heavy confessions, but the light-hearted, fun atmosphere carries through most of the album with the integration of conversations and laughter into her songs.
True to her nature as a dancer, “CAPRISONGS” has songs you can vibe to in a club or in a room of close friends getting ready to go to one.
- “Succession: season 1 (hbo Original series)” by nicholas britell
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One of these is not like the others…
I’m a fan of movie and television soundtracks for a few different reasons.
A good score perfectly complements the media it is made for, heightening the emotion of the scenes it backdrops.
Good scores also happen to be helpful to listen to when you’re trying to do your work and you can’t listen to music with words.
Nicholas Britell has created music for movies like “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.” He also creates the music for HBO’s latest hit show, “Succession.”
Most of his music for it includes famous classical pieces brought to life in a new way just for the prestigious show (which, by the way, you should totally watch if you want bragging rights about having good TV taste).
Included below is the opening for the show, one of the best theme songs in my opinion. Nothing gets me more hype for the show than Britell’s opening. That’s exactly what a theme song should do.
That’s another reason why I’m a fan of listening to original soundtracks: it can make something as mundane as walking to your class feel like you’re a character in some drama.
- “In rainbows” by radiohead
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Radiohead, my beloved.
No bands seem to get more crap on the internet by the internet than Radiohead, Weezer and Carseat Headrest.
Some of it seems fair. Most of it is nonsense, like with Radiohead, about how their fans are sad losers. Also pretty fair.
I have a friend who didn’t want to get into Radiohead because the only song they know by the band was “Creep” and they wrongfully assumed the rest of the discography was like that song they hated (which, get in line— Radiohead hates that song, too). It wasn’t until I introduced them to a few other songs that they changed their mind on the band.
Open minds, people, please.
Radiohead genuinely has very good music. “In Rainbows” is one of my favorites by them.
Granted, some of their music videos are a bit odd, but I promise their music really is a vibe.
I hope one of these albums or music videos caught your interest.