I love making playlists. Making them for people or for my mood is always a delight. I can revisit a moment, a feeling, a person by simply playing music. (My friends from home and I have a collaborative playlist for each other in which we add songs that remind us of each other. It's quite possibly one of the best things I've ever experienced, even if that is a bit of an exaggeration.) When I make these playlists, I always have a few songs that stand out. Selected from my favorite playlists, and in no particular order, here are my current favorite songs.
1. "Timshel" by Mumford & Sons
"And "You are not alone in this/As brothers, we will stand and we'll hold your hand."
Mumford & Sons have long defined my music taste. Their second album "Babel" is one I can and will undoubtedly listen to for hours. "Sigh No More," their debut album, is just as riveting. I found "Timshel" on an 8tracks playlist a while ago. Since then, the song has nestled itself into a soft and sentimental corner of my heart — a corner shared with my close friends and, synonymously, my loved ones.
2. "LOVE. FEAT. ZACARI." by Kendrick Lamar
"Sipping bubbly, feeling lovely, living lovely/Just love me."
Kendrick Lamar always creates some of my favorite songs. LOVE. is one of those songs of which I can never get tired. It's at once both relaxed and stirring. His lyrics, too, are always incredible.
3. "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Toploader
This song is a cover of the original song by King Harvest, and though the two are different in tone, I enjoy this version more. It's upbeat and happy and cheerful — the perfect song for a sunny day, when any cloud is absent from the sky.
4. "Call Me In The Afternoon" by Half Moon Run
My sister — similarly in love with creating playlists — has this song on a playlist called "The Best Songs Ever Written." I can't help but agree with her. This song, particularly the Spotify Session version, is spectacular. Half Moon Run has created a beautiful and powerful song — one I can both play either when I'm relaxing or when I want to jam out.
5. "Postcards from Italy" by Beirut
There's something distinctly melancholy about this song. I speak particularly about the instrumental section that dominates the middle and ending of the song, which though outwardly cheery, something of sadness lurks below it. It adds a depth to the song I thoroughly enjoy every time I listen to "Postcards From Italy."
6. "1901" by Birdy
7. "The Louvre" by Lorde
Lorde is my favorite artists, so it's no wonder than one of her songs should make it onto this list. I enjoy "The Louvre" not only because of Lorde's incredible vocals or the backdrop of instruments with which they are paired; Lorde's lyrics are top-notch, always. They're intensely evocative, unabashedly personal, and deeply purposeful. They add indescribable life and allure to the song.
8. "Us" by Regina Spektor
"Us" has such a distinct and positive energy about it. I first heard of the song after my sister watched, and loved, "500 Days of Summer." It's a wholly entertaining song, a listen that leaves me inextricably overjoyed and content every single time.
