Music and Me

 

            If you know me, you’d see me 90% of the time with some sort of music flowing into my ears, whether it be blaring my car’s speakers, the Air pods in my ears (shameless plug), or the speaker on my desk. I consider myself independent, except when it comes to having my music. Point being, music is apart of my life as an expression, an escape, or just for my background.

            With my love of music, it is so difficult to choose one piece that is my current go to. Matching my current atmosphere, the piece Lying Through Their Teeth by Krooked Kings. According to Slug Magazine’s Billy Swartzfager, Krooked Kings is an indie-rock band based from Salt Lake City, Utah. The band seems to not receive much publication because the only way I jumped onto their following list was due to a low viewed TikTok on a random afternoon. The band includes the two founders, Oli Martin and Paul Colgan that pulled the group together with Dave Macey, Matt Monnosson, and Jay Flynn. Their music truly appeases me, especially this piece currently. I think the reason I love this band after such a short stint of listening to them (a month), is because of the harmonies that they can meet, they do both consonance and dissonance which works perfectly with my intense emotions. I hope to hear more songs about life produced by them soon.

https://youtu.be/NB6Clp7XNe4 

            Music, as I said before, means a lot to me. I love listening to it, singing it, humming it, screaming it, quoting it and even just feeling it. There are several pieces of music that I am deeply connected with such as “No Pressure” by Mahalia, “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen, “Jenny from the Block” by Jlo, “Searchin’ My Soul” by Vonda Shepard, and the “Put Your Records On” cover by Alessia Cara. The one I have more of a story than just crying in my car in an empty parking lot, singing to the top of my lungs with my best friend, dancing in the kitchen of my childhood home, and listening to at least once a day to get me through. The story of learning my love to feel the music especially with the ones I love belongs with the song “Crunchy Granola Suit” by Neil Diamond. Although I do not listen to this song often, when it comes through speakers, I will always think of the truck rides through backroads to my whatever under the sun lessons with my grandfather. He had a Neil Diamond CD in his radio at all times, younger me would instantly click to track eight of the CD he had burned of his favorites. The tempo would inspire all sorts of dance moves and giggles in the passenger’s seat of that old red dodge. I would bounce to the quick and constant meter and flail my arms to all of the texture of the, “Da-da, da-da-da” and the “Dee-dee,dumm”. This song will always remind me of a warm time and bring a smile to my face.

https://youtu.be/bbANTGyuOp4

 

To my understanding, I am not picky about my music but there are at least a handful of songs that I refuse to listen to that some say is, “lyrical genius” and “heaven beats”. My life would be much better if I didn’t have to listen “Camelot” by NLE Choppa for someone to boost themselves up. The rhythm and beat seem to be chaos to me, it is probably more so the lyrics that I dislike, but the two combine to a skip button for me. All respect to rappers, such as 21 Savage, Lil Wayne, and J. Cole to name a few, who I believe do right by the genre but currently rappers like NLE are missing the mark with what rap is to me.

https://youtu.be/0II-EFw9J0A

            So the idea of me disliking rap is out of the picture, another song that I would rather not listen to is, “God’s Country” by Blake Shelton. While Shelton fit all of the tractors, guitar strums, beers, and religion into this track, I feel like he missed working the right dynamics of his high notes into the piece. The harmony is actually confusing to me, I am unsure what he was trying to portray or accomplish with this song, is it empowering or haughty? Anyhow, all my respect to Blake Shelton for his contribution to the country genre but I think he should stick to his ”Honey Bee” phase.

https://youtu.be/xZjosn2u1gA

    I have so much respect for artists, even those that are not my favorites simply for them putting their work out there for others to enjoy and experience. You can agree or disagree with my music presented here but this is me, this is listening with Alyssa.
 

References: 

Swartzfager, Billy (2019). Local Review: Krooked Kings. Salt Lake City, Utah. SLUG MAG.