I pride myself on having an eclectic music taste. In this column, I will be (as the name implies) bringing my five favorite songs at the moment to the masses. Oftentimes these songs will be brand new or at least fairly recent, but I can’t guarantee that I won’t include fantastic throwbacks.
1.“Thrift Shop” — Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
The duo of Seattle rapper Macklemore and his friend/producer Lewis has been gaining more familiarity as of late, especially in the college scene. Macklemore veers away from any sort of stereotype associated with hip-hop; he is a white Irish kid, and his raspy voice and unique flow can catch anyone’s attention. He also has a broad range of song topics. For example, the pair released a pro-gay marriage single in mid-July, “Same Love,” which continues to be one of my favorite songs. Meanwhile “Thrift Shop” leans to the sillier end. The song is about ridiculous thrift store finds and is one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard in a long time. Plus, the music video cracks me up. You can buy the track on iTunes, which I highly suggest doing to support the independent artist.
2.“Clique” — Kanye West, Jay-Z and Big Sean
There’s not much I can say about this song that will do justice to its brilliance. The third single off of the G.O.O.D music mixtape “Cruel Summer” released on Sept. 13, I guarantee this song will be stuck in your head. You know that Ye and Hov can make outstanding music together, but the addition of Big Sean takes it to the next level. Just listen.
3.“Cudi the Kid” — Steve Aoki, Kid Cudi and Travis Barker
Off of Aoki’s January album “Wonderland,” this song has been around a while. I first discovered it on Cleveland’s DJ E-V’s dubstep mixtape “Reckless Wobbles” (noticing any hometown pride yet?) and it is one of the only songs I can listen to while writing. Everyone has different methods for writing papers or doing homework the most efficiently, but if you’re like me and can listen to loud EDM, I highly suggest this song.
4.“Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)” — Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Speaking of loud dance music, I started listening to this song on repeat when I rediscovered the soundtrack to the movie “Project X.” Give it one listen, and don’t be surprised if you can’t get enough of Montreal DJ A-Trak’s reworking of this already-great song.
5.“Sweet Life” — Frank Ocean
The music world has been buzzing about Frank Ocean for months now because of a beautifully poetic open letter regarding his first love he posted on his Tumblr midsummer. The buzz grew when Ocean’s solo debut album “channel ORANGE” was released in July to critical praise and commercial success. I can honestly say that I enjoy every song on the album, but there’s something about this song’s story paired with his smooth voice that keeps this track running through my head on a daily basis.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
