The alternative playlist
Sports Editor Evie Hyde
March 25, 2015
Coconut Records produces the kind of music you’d want to listen to while staring out the window on a rainy day. They have an indie pop sound with a slightly electronic feel. My favorite songs are from their 2007 album, Nighttiming: “West Coast,” “Nighttiming,” and “It’s Not You, It’s Me.” They could be described as slightly sad music, presented in an upbeat way, using bittersweet phrases and notes in most of their songs.
This group produces electronic pop music with rap sections. While that may sound like any pop song, Twenty One Pilots is not your average group. They use a much more advanced diction for their rap sections, which are more like slam poetry, and sing about different issues than most artists. They use extended metaphors and have great lyrics. My favorite song is “Kitchen Sink,” but I’m also a fan of their more popular songs, such as “Migraine” and “Car Radio.” Most of their music can be found on Spotify, but they have some older, unpublished music available on Soundcloud.
Using strong beats and multiple instruments and effects to create an indie rock feel, the Strokes combine a slightly rough voice with rhythmic and well-chosen lyrics to create a pleasing sound that often tells a story. Using drums and guitar to run a rhythm throughout most of their songs, they keep an upbeat and uplifting sound even when the singer’s voice turns a bit sour. My favorite popular songs are “Someday” and “Last Nite.”
The Arctic Monkeys constantly quoted song, “Do I Wanna Know,” has incredibly relatable lyrics, pasted over a beat with a memorable guitar intro. If you get into them, you’ll keep crawling back to them for more. Some of their more popular songs are “R U Mine?” and “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High.” Their signature is the strong repeating guitar riffs running under most of their songs, and continuous drum rhythms that keep the music going.
The electronic beat and smoothed over sound of the 1975 has drawn attention to the 1975 via social media. My favorite song, “Chocolate,” has a steady beat, lyrics that blend together in a lilted voice with great word choice for a very pleasing sound. This tends to be a pattern for most of their music. Most of their song titles are one-word long, and while their sound is similar throughout, it’s easy to pick your favorite by the rhythms and sound patterns throughout each song.
