If you are social distancing properly (as you should be), you are probably finding yourself with lots of extra free time. I know I am. Trying to think of something interesting to do with this time, I decided to continue a hobby I picked up last summer. For four months from May to August, I would listen to a different album every day. No repeats, front to back, no skipping songs. I found this was a great way to expand my music taste and listen to tunes I wouldn’t typically give the time of day. Although I dropped off during the school year, there is no better time than now to restart my daily listening. Here are my weekly listens.
- Monday, April 6: My Head Is An Animal by Of Monsters and Men
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This album reminds me so much of middle school. Everyone knows their biggest hit, ‘Little Talks.’ Each song on My Head Is An Animal sounds like it would be in a coming-of-age movie trailer. I like the harmonies between the two main singers. They have a specific tone that defines their music. Overall, a very soft album.
- Tuesday, April 7: Hot Fuss by The Killers
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My mom owned this CD when I was little and I really wanted to give it a relisten. This is the first album I ever noticed the separate ear tracks on. If you listen to ‘Mr. Brightside’ you’ll know what I mean. It’s a more aggressive album than I’m used to but it’s very emotionally charged and filled with great lyrics. My favorite lyric was “I’m so much older than I can take.”
- Wednesday, April 8: FIRE ON MARZZ by BENEE
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I’ve been a huge fan of BENEE for about a year now so I’m a frequent listener of her first EP. She’s such a cute and talented person. Lately, her music has been blowing up on Tik Tok which is very exciting. I love how her songs aren’t super deep and they’re just about random dreams or experiences she’s had. The cover art of this album is amazing and its unique sound just makes me want to dance.
- Thursday, April 9: Malibu Nights by LANY
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Malibu Nights is such an iconic breakup album. Every song is about Dua Lipa too, which makes it that much better. For such a sad album they do a great job of keeping the songs upbeat. I know the main singer, Paul Klein, wrote all of the songs in one period. Because of this, you can kind of see how he heals throughout the album which is pretty neat. These songs are great for singing while you’re driving. I’m a huge LANY fan and it’s 75% because of this album.
- Friday, April 10: Superclean, Vol. II by The Marías
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I didn’t know much about this band, but I have a few of their songs on my playlist so I thought I should give them a more thorough listen. If you’re looking for makeout music (which, at the moment, you probably aren’t), this is it! All of the songs feel very sultry, clean, and floaty. They mix Spanish and English which I love. Their sound can feel a bit repetitive, but overall it’s put together well. A pretty good album, but nothing insanely special.
- Saturday, April 11: How To Be A Human Being by Glass Animals
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This album is… insane. Each song on the album is about a character depicted on the cover. I found it hard to describe this music. Funky? Psychadelic? It’s very mysterious and full of confidence. The lyrics are strange, the songs are full of odd sounds, and the synth work is admirable. The whole thing is a conglomeration of memories, experiences, and great sounds and words. As a whole, combined with the music videos and characters, the album feels like an entire little universe of its own.
- Sunday, April 12: Shame, Shame (Deluxe Edition) by Dr. Dog
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This is the first album I illegally downloaded and burned onto a CD. I’ve been listening to it since my sophomore year of high school and it has weirdly meant a lot to me. The album feels very folk-esque and has lots of great guitar parts. There are two main singers in this band and I like how they bounce back and forth, sharing the lead vocals. I enjoy how the songs are about nothing in particular, but still feel very personal.
Mixing up my weekly listens has already expanded my music taste a ton. And I’m just getting started! If you are looking for more music recommendations you can check out my Spotify.
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