A good day, a bad day, your worst day, music is a solution to reach past your circumstances and touch your soul. If you’ve had a particularly long day of classes and studying or you just feel weighed down by the world, music is the best remedy. It can help you feel at peace when your mind might be racing or you’re struggling to smile. If you need some relaxation in your life, here are the artists and albums you might not know about that you should really get into. I encourage you to not not only listen to the songs, but to really try these artists out:
Bon Iver
Known best by their song “Skinny Love,” this indie folk band has some of the most mellow, tranquil music to take you to a different place. The name Bon Iver comes from the French phrase “bon hiver” meaning “good winter” and that's exactly how they make you feel. They won the 2012 Grammy award for the Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album for their album "Bon Iver." Majority of their album "For Emma, Forever ago" was recorded while singer-songwriter Justin Vernon spent three months isolated in a cabin in Wisconsin. Although I encourage you to listen to every album and every song equally, my favorite album to listen to is "Bon Iver" on my record player and a few of my favorite songs are:
“Rosyln”
“Re: Stacks”
“Holocene”
“Minnesota, WI”
Alt-J
Listening to a band that’s more upbeat with lyrics that make absolutely no sense really encourages you to let go and stop trying to make sense of your life. My dad showed this band to me, and I originally thought they were completely weird and now my favorite concert I’ve ever been to was Alt-J with my family. This Indy rock band’s symbol is a capital letter delta, Δ, which is used in scientific studies to indicate change or difference. Their first album, "An Awesome Wave, "won the 2012 British Mercury Prize. Their second album, "This is All Yours," went straight to the UK number one. I listen to their album "This is All Yours "on my record player on repeat. I haven’t listened to their latest album, "Relaxer," quite as much. A some of many of my favorite songs are:
“Taro”
“Ms”
“Last Year”
"Pusher"
Frank Ocean
First a ghostwriter, then a member of the rap collective Odd Future alongside Tyler, The Creator and his gang, this independent artist and photographer from Long Beach, California is one of my personal favorites. His independent style and his incredible vocals are so soothing, sweet, and different. His first album "Channel Orange "was critically acclaimed and reached number two on Billboard 200 which I remember listening to on repeat during study hall as a freshman in high school. Last year, when I was a freshman in college, after four years of waiting, Frank released his second album "Blonde" which debuted at number one in the US and the UK. A few of my favorite songs that help me breathe easy are:
“Self Control”
“Godspeed”
“Pink Matter”
“Lost”
“Bad Religion”
The xx
The first and only instrumental I ever listened to and enjoyed was from this English indie pop band. The beats produced by band member Jamie xx are memorizing even without words. The rest of their songs include the dual vocals between the other two members: the light and airy voiced Romy Madley Croft, and the deeper yet still soft-voiced Oliver Sim. The two vocalists met at a school for the arts in London. A couple of my favorite songs are the instrumental “Intro” and random songs dispersed through their albums like:
“Crystalized”
“Islands”
“Dangerous”
“A Violent Noise”
Daniel Caesar
Recognized as R&B or Indie Soul, this almost brand new Canadian artist is my new favorite. Once I got over my Khalid phase as he became more popular, this artist hit me with “Get You” which reached over 10 million streams on Apple music and I was hooked. His songs are based off of both religion and unrequited love. He plays the guitar, piano, and vocals and is called the Golden Child by some. Although I’m still a basic fan listening to his hits, I’m dabbling more and more into his his other music to help me unwind. My favorite songs are of course:
“Get You”
“We Find Love”
“Hold Me Down”
