The everlasting winter finally made way for a lovely spring, so let’s embrace the warmer weather with music that takes us to the beaches of California or an outside party with friends on a hot summer night. Here are ten songs that I’m loving at the moment.
1. Aer – “Pretty Lady” (Around Me)
Aer is the pop/rap duo consisting of musicians David Von Mering and Carter Schultz. Since 2010, they have been topping the charts. In 2011, their EP “What You Need” topped the iTunes hip-hop chart and their 2012 album “The Bright Side” topped the iTunes album chart. Their music takes you to a place where sunglasses are a must and a light jacket is completely unnecessary.
2. Chiddy Bang – “Bad Day”
Even if you aren’t going through a rough break-up, we might have that one person that we wish bad things upon (even though that isn’t particularly nice). Chiddy Bang’s song “Bad Day” has an upbeat tempo, but the lyrics are filled with venom. Which is perfect, so you can sing and dance along all while venting and still not bother your friends.
3. Passion Pit – “Sleepyhead”
Passion Pit consistently releases feel-good songs that make you want to jump and dance around. Despite the title, you are not going to fall sleep after listening this song. I suggest putting this on when you are having a less-than-spectacular day, and it’s also the perfect tune to listen to in between classes.
4. Lana Del Rey – “This Is What Makes Us Girls” (Demo 2)
There are two types of fans in the world. First, there’s the fan that hears an artist’s beloved song when it occasionally comes on the radio and will jam out, and then there is the fan that scours the earth looking for any unreleased track of an artist and will fall in love with everything the artist releases. The latter is how I feel about Lana Del Rey and her unreleased demo of “This Is What Makes Us Girls.” It has the same lyrics as the original studio version, but the beat, drums and strings create a fantastic new song.
5. Florence and the Machine – “Take Care” (Drake Cover)
As part of their Live Lounge session for BBC Radio 1, Florence and the Machine covered Drake’s “Take Care” and did a fantastic job. Florence’s vocals add a completely different tone and because it’s live, the song sounds so raw and ethereal. Basically anything that Florence and the Machine touch automatically turns to gold.
6. Iggy Azalea – “Fancy” feat. Charli XCX
First, if you have seen the video, you know it’s gold. If you think otherwise, then you haven’t seen Clueless and you’re not really a ‘90s baby. Second, the song is the perfect “getting ready” song in the morning. What more do you need – the song and video have everything from great outfit ideas to a rhythmic beat that keeps you on schedule for that 9 a.m. class you hate.
7. Dana Williams and Leighton Meester – “Dreams” (Fleetwood Mac Cover)
The gorgeous Dana Williams, who some refer to as the modern-day Ella Fitzgerald, is an up-and-coming artist that has an incredibly soothing voice. Her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” is the perfect song to listen to at the end of a crazy day. With the help of Leighton Meester (yes, Blair Waldorf can sing), this song is absolutely heavenly.
8. Bastille – “We Can’t Stop” (Miley Cyrus Cover)
There are some people out there that simply refuse to listen to Miley Cyrus. But honestly if you are one of those people, you are missing out. Even if you are, Bastille might persuade you to listen to a little Miley with their own spin on her hit “We Can’t Stop.” They make the song their own by changing some lyrics and beats. But the message is the same: Don’t stop because people are judging you, just keep doing your own thing.
9. Bastille – “Thinkin’ Bout You” (Frank Ocean Cover)
I particularly love Bastille’s covers. The band covers popular songs and transforms them into tracks that could have been created in another universe. With Frank Ocean’s hit, they do just that. There aren’t that many changes to the lyrics. Yet, at first listen, it’s hard to decipher if it’s an original song of theirs or not.
10. Kid Cudi – “Dat New New”
Personally, I think Kid Cudi is timeless. I love his music at any time of the day, no matter how good or bad I feel. “Dat New New” is from Cudi’s mixtape “Lost in Space.” Despite the profanity, which I have to excuse when listening to his music, the song is so good. The meaning behind the song is lost among fans, myself included. But with a beat this good it’s okay if the meaning is lost, since you get lost in the song anyway.
You can listen to this playlist on Soundcloud here!