We are finally back around to post! Rahee and I pushed our way through finals (THANK GOD). Look below for a visual of my personal struggles with finals.
Point is, I probably would not have survived finals if it wasn't for some music therapy. So, here is a band that got me through the weeks--The Middle East!
Two weekends ago, I was in the beautiful city of Atlanta visiting my best friend. It was a wonderful visit, full of good food and lots of naps and a bit of sightseeing. The highlight of the trip was the Bonobo concert we attended, with Chet Faker opening. The concert was set in the gorgeous Egyptian Ballroom at the Fox Theatre. My best friend introduced me to Chet Faker after studying abroad in Australia last year, and I've been listening to Bonobo for a few years now, so both of us had been looking forward to this concert all semester. It did not disappoint: even a couple weeks later, I'm still thinking about how amazing the two musicians were and what a unique show it was!
I have been familiar with Young the Giant since the time they formed as the Jakes. Ever since they changed their name, Young the Giant has become a major musical force in the music industry. Hailing from California, Young the Giant melds lyrical guitars with catchy and musical charm--their first album, self-named Young the Giant, has established the band's distinctive style in the music community. Originally unsigned, Young the Giant has certainly made a mark for themselves; they are now signed with Fueled by Ramen. With their versatile musical styles and smooth vocals, Young the Giant is certainly a monumental presence to be watching out for--I am certain that they will shape music in the future.
I tried to delay Fall as long as I could this year. I only recently switched out summer clothes for sweaters, I refused to eat anything with pumpkin in it, I listened to my summer songs... Don't get me wrong, I love autumn, but I also love the sun and all things summery. But with temperatures dropping and the beauty of St. Louis autumn colors, I'm finally ready to dig into the pumpkin pie and get my Fall on.
Which is why I've been listening to "California Sunrise" by Dirty Gold recently.
I am so so happy that I got to see Daughter live in St. Louis just a couple months ago. Hailing from London, Daughter is a beautiful trio of people. They have such a quirky and sweet demeanor, masked and intertwined with the immeasurable depth and feeling of their music. The lead singer, Elena Tonra, is the absolute cutest person--when I saw her live, she was so nervous and shy, but absolutely endearing. Elena's voice slays me. There is so much aching emotion in her lyrics and music; her songs really allow me to reflect about life on a deeper level. So many feels.
Hey guys! Happy Halloween! We hope everyone is having a wonderful fall. We definitely are--despite some of the rainy days (though it may remind Rahee of home)--because its SWEATER WEATHER!!! :D Our past few weeks have been pretty hectic at school, but cozying up and studying with hot drinks and good music has definitely made studying more bearable. Kind of.
Here are some musical obsessions that have gotten us through the hard times. Like some RUL HARD times....
I stumbled upon The New Division through my Purity Ring Pandora station (read: the reason Pandora exists), and immediately fell in love with the band's M83-esque sound. The New Division is one of those bands that perfectly captures the kind of music that I love: 80s-inspired synth, not-too-chill chillwave and moody ooh-ooh-oooooohs. They have that hip LA-noir swag thing going for them (think The Neighbourhood), which I'm very into these days.
I cannot express how obsessed I am over Kishi Bashi. His music is so enthusiastic and animated, and just makes me want to blissfully frolic around. I am so impressed with his use of violin and vocal effects. I mean, how could you NOT be?! He uses HIMSELF as rhythms and layers......I do not understand how creative he is! Kishi Bashi = beatboxing + rhythms + octaves + layers + harmony + looping = HAPPINESS. I may or may not have listened to his songs on repeat for a while. Actually....from today. This is the perfect way to mark my Kishi Bashi anniversary...right?? The complexity and pep of his pieces makes me so happy. He has yet to tour in the Lou, but you can bet that I WILL BE ON DAT SHIZ the first opportunity I get. Let me know if you agree!
Hey everyone! Thank you so much for checking our blog out over the last week! We are super excited to start regularly posting our favorite music and sharing it with you.
We wanted to kick off our first collaborative post by writing about one of our favorite bands, Geographer. We started listening to them 2 years ago and haven't been able to stop since then. Geographer is a 3 person band from San Francisco, formed in 2007.
Something that has kept us hooked to Geographer's music for so long is the emotionality contained within each of their songs. In an interview, lead singer Michael Deni stated they chose the band name because each song was like a "map of emotional states." Deni has revealed in other interviews that his reason for relocating from New Jersey to San Francisco was the death of his sister and father, and knowing this as a listener changes the perception of each of their songs. Even songs that sound cheerful and upbeat, like "Rushing In Rushing Out" carry deeper meanings within the lyrics: "And in the waiting room / Doctors did the best they could / But nothing lasts forever". Knowing Deni's struggles makes Geographer's music so much more personal for us.
Also, the cellist Nathan Blaz is amazing. How many bands utilize a cello in their music? Elements like this provide Geographer with a unique and unforgettable sound.
Below we have each shared our favorite Geographer song with you (it was anything but easy to pick our favorites). If you aren't already familiar with their music, we highly encourage you to listen to a few songs. Geographer has released two full length albums, "Innocent Ghosts" and "Myth" as well as one EP, "Animal Shapes".
Hey everyone! If you know me decently well, you might be aware that when I hear a song I love, I usually will listen to it on repeat. Not two or three or even five times… I mean like 60 times. On repeat. This is not an exaggeration.
At the end of every month I like to go back through my music library and reminisce about all the songs that I obsessively listened to again and again that month. I thought this might be a good way to introduce you to new music that I deemed good enough to listen to for 4 hours straight. Enjoy!
“Black Out Days” by Phantogram: there are very few songs from Phantogram that I don’t love. I’ve always been a sucker for synth pop and the moody vocals of singer Sarah Barthel get me every time. If you’re not very familiar with Phantogram, also give “When I’m Small,” “Mouthful of Diamonds,” “Don’t Move,” and “Bloody Palms” a listen. Phantogram will be releasing a new EP on September 30.
“Stunner” by Milky Chance: I’d never heard of Milky Chance until my best friend sent me “Stunner,” and I was immediately hooked (in her words: “What a jam”). It’s just so catchy! Milky Chance is a German singer/songwriter and honestly that’s really all I could find out about him. His music is like a oddly amazing mix of folky-pop-acoustic brilliance. I'm not sure why but the very beginning of "Stunner" totally reminds me of MGMT. If you like “Stunner,” check out “Down by the River” as well.
“My Friends Never Die” by Odesza: If you haven’t heard of this duo, you’re seriously missing out on some good old Northwest DJ magic. Having recently graduated from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA, Odesza is relatively new on the block but already has a special place in my heart. Listening to their first album, “Summer’s Gone,” reminds me of home and all my favorite parts of summers spent in Portland. If you’re a Flume fan, I guarantee you will like this song. While you’re at it, give “How Did I Get Here” and “I Want You” a listen. All of Odesza’s music is available for free download on Soundcloud.
“We Can Glow” by Royal Teeth: I saw Royal Teeth open for Said the Whale in August, and wow… What a lively band. There were more people at the Firebird for their set than for the main act (it’s okay, Said the Whale, I’ll awkwardly be part of a 12 person audience for you any day). With their infectious energy, Royal Teeth managed to get the incredibly sparse audience dancing and one of the band members even took someone’s phone and recorded a video selfie of him singing. My best friend was visiting me at the time and for the rest of her visit, we listened to this song constantly. Check out Royal Teeth’s cover of “Heartbeats” by The Knife if you have time, it’s beautiful. (Also, if you’re in St. Louis, Royal Teeth will be opening for The Mowgli’s at the Firebird on November 24)
“Applause (Purity Ring Remix)” by Lady Gaga: Before I continue, there are two things I need to tell you. First, I have a Purity Ring obsession of inappropriate proportions. Second, I can’t stand Lady Gaga. The combination leads me to just really enjoy this song. In my humble opinion, Purity ring takes a terribly bland, unoriginal song (seriously, I can’t tell it apart from any other Lady Gaga song) and… just makes it better. It’s so perfect it doesn’t even sound like a remix. Expect an entire post on Purity Ring in the future, but while we’re on the topic of remixes, listen to Purity Ring’s cover of “Grammy” by Soulja Boy. Pure genius.
If you have not heard of Beirut, then you have been missing out in life. Seriously, you need to drop everything and listen to this lil gem.
1)His voice.....wow. Fantastic.
2)Seriously, so. Talented.
3)So many unique instruments! Strings. Brass. Accordian. Trash cans!
Definitely check out the other Take Away Shows if you can! They are wonderful. Beirut has a Euro-Latin feel to me. I love how their music is so worldly and cultural, and that they use such an interesting set of instruments. Here is another one:
I adore this video. Check them out! You won't be sorry. Rahee and I missed seeing them in St. Louis a few years ago. Worst. Decision. Ever. I would do almost anything to see them live!
Hello world! It’s so good to see you! Hope everyone is doing wonderfully. We are Lori Xu and Rahee Nerurkar, two seniors at Washington University in St. Louis. We had the idea to start a music blog last year, fueled by our shared passion for music and realization that our music tastes were creepily similar. We decided that a blog would not only be a great way to share music that we find with others, but also to spend time learning more about something that we both love.
The point of Musicologie is not necessarily to try and only find obscure music that nobody has heard of. The point is to share music that we love. We want to use this blog to showcase our favorite music, and we do hope that you are introduced to new, amazing music through it. But we’d rather post an amazing, old song than a mediocre new one.
We are still figuring out specifics of how we will run the blog. We will probably post individual posts as well as collaborate on others. Bear with us as we iron out the details!
Here is our very first post, on one of our all-time favorite bands: Alt-J.
