It’s that time of the month! At the end of every month, I will try to highlight personal favorites from my monthly playlists. With November starting this week, I am excited to share with you some songs from my ’10.20’ playlist on Spotify!
Freezing – Bren Joy
The overarching theme is well-integrated in the vocals and production of the song. Joy reveals his internal dilemma of doing everything he can for someone he likes, but he also doesn’t want to overstep his boundaries and risk losing his interest. The chorus explodes into booming unified and harmonized vocals that likely draw parallelism to his desirous urge to risk it all for his interest, “even if the water’s still freezing,” since he’s only set on tonight and not whatever future they may have together. It’s such a subtle addition, but I love the sound of the water drip. It ties in the production with Joy’s ‘jumping in the water’ allusion.
Lessons in Love – Level 42
This is a relatively old song! It was released as part of Level 42’s ‘Running In The Family’ album in 1987. One should never be so quick to dismiss a song solely because it was from another time! The underlying synth, accompanied with a kick-snare pattern for most of the song, adds a funky and groovy vibe to the beat. The bass, adding the acute texture to the song on the low-end, brings the punchiness to the song. The best part is the transition into the chorus. The words, “All the dreams,” transition into the chorus in a triplet, with the synths and cymbals coming down on each note in the triplet. It adds that extra oomph to it, and I’m here for it!
Different Songs – Set It Off
The song’s buildup into the chorus is phenomenal. The song leads with a rhythmic electric guitar, and the lead vocal enters. In the next eight measures, a full-sounding clap comes in, emphasizing each beat. Transitioning into the pre-chorus, we have stacks on stacks of harmonies resembling a full choir of “ah’s”, and we feel the climax into the chorus resolving soon. The chorus zips in with a powerful percussive fill, and the distorting bass comes in and makes you want to jump and dance like crazy! The song’s musical angst relates to the song’s unfortunate reference to a relationship fizzling out. Before, the couple couldn’t get enough of each other. But, now, they can’t seem to understand each other, and they’re singing “different songs.”
Plot Twist – NIKI
Her production is nothing overpowering as her stacks of vocals, instead, add to the fullness of sound within the song. I love the song’s use of percussive hits in the rhythm of the words NIKI uses to transition from one idea to the next in the chorus. In the song, NIKI understands life inevitably changes and has its twists and turns. Then, she meets someone who, on the surface, is just another human being. However, she discovers that, on the inside, this person opens her eyes to a more forgiving world. As a result, she’s appreciative of those “plot twists.” My favorite lyric is NIKI’s way of describing humans: “And we’re all still just stories above concrete, X amount of heartbeats.”
Relationship – Anthony Ramos
If Anthony Ramos rings a bell, you may recall him from his role as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Broadway musical Hamilton. Right from the opening bass line, layered finger snaps, and hand claps, you are lured in. The song’s production is relatively simple; it’s the melody and rhythmic feel to the song that I greatly appreciate. The way Ramos effortlessly flows from one note to another and sings with perfect tone in his vocal ad libs is truly admirable. The song revolves around Ramos’s puzzlement behind what he considers to be properly labeled as a relationship. His other half, however, is inconsistent. Some days it’s them against the world, and other days, it’s only him.
Wonder – Shawn Mendes
If you haven’t listened to this song, definitely watch the music video. The production value is insane, and the imagery is beautiful. Speaking of production, this song’s pulsing kick in the verse and chorus create an anthemic atmosphere within the song. The stacks of Shawn’s harmonies in the intro and chorus add a sort of celestial feel to the song. The pre-chorus is my favorite section! The cadences following through so effortlessly from his falsetto to his mixed voice are beyond fascinating! And lyrically, his words may be so specific to him, but they can speak volumes to us. My personal favorite was: “I wonder, if I’m being real. Do I speak my truth or do I filter how I feel?”
I hope you enjoyed yet another set of breakdowns of my favorite songs from my monthly playlist!