Jordan Yutan
Ultralife – Oh Wonder
29 May 2018
Rewind about an hour and a half before I’m writing this post. The Majestic Ventura Theater is packed with people all screaming choruses of “Encore!” and “One more song!” This goes on for a minute or two. I turn to my friend Makenna, starting to get worried that they wouldn’t show…
Awake My Soul – Mumford & Sons
23 May 2018
“Where you invest your love, you invest your life.” A lyric so beautiful that when I was 13, I bought a sweater with those words printed on. Did I truly understand the weight of those words? Highly doubt it. Do I now? I’ll probably never. At least not in this lifetime.
Pretty Shining People – George Ezra
15 May 2018
Two things I really love about this song.
First off, I’m not entirely sure what it is, but there’s something about George Ezra’s voice that calms me down and reminds me everything’s gonna be okay. It’s the way he croons oh so effortlessly, as if he’s basically dancing through life.
Secondly, it probably has a lot to do with how my best friend’s name is Sam, but even if that name wasn’t mentioned in the track it would still remind me of her! Everyone has that one friend in their life they feel they owe a lot to. If you’re lucky like me, then maybe you have a whole community. But for me, it always started with Sam.
Rose-Colored Boy – Paramore
6 May 2018
It was around middle school when the inevitable happened – I went through my “angsty” phase. Started changing my wardrobe for much darker colors. Covered half my face with my hair. Claimed Hot Topic as my favorite store. Was super moody with my parents. Yikes. Luckily, it didn’t last very long…
Weak – AJR
29 April 2018
This week’s track is a fun one submitted by Lesley Capul, a fan of the band!
I’d love to share what she had to say about the song because I think she’s really dropped some wisdom here:
“As a person just starting out in their 20’s and currently in college at the time of writing this, I’m coming to a point in my life where our choices in life really make an impact on the future. People say that college is a time of exploration, discovery, and self-growth, but in that process, we may stumble and make mistakes. And honestly, that’s okay. “Weak” focuses on that. It doesn’t just talk about the temptations in life, but an acceptance about giving into them, even when you know you shouldn’t. I’d even go as far to say that it embraces that struggle. And I believe everyone’s been through (or will go through) that.”
Wake Up – Chelsea Cutler
24 April 2018
“Hold fast ‘cause the daylight’s coming/It’ll hit when it dawns on you”
Life is but a breath.
If I could summarize short and sweet what I get most out of this song, it’s that life is but a breath – a wisp of vapor disappearing with the wind. The brevity of life shouldn’t make us want to be caught up in the business, content with the normalcy or crippling with the fear that we’ll mess it all up.
Youth – The Brocklebank
17 April 2018
Lewis Hawkins, lead guitarist for the band The Brocklebank, submitted this track and I’m really excited for everyone to hear it!
In his own words:
“Our track ‘Youth’ epitomizes what this playlist is all about. It’s the fear and uncertainty of growing up, and doing everything you can to preserve the naivety of being young. The song documents a period where I was feeling lost, stranded in the void between childhood and adulthood…
Candyman – Zedd, Aloe Blacc
7 April 2018
If you’ve seen the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, maybe you’ll feel a slight nostalgia hearing this song. Zedd and Aloe Blacc take their own spin on the classic, “The Candy Man Can” in their own version – which I personally think is even more fun and catchy! It tugs at my own heartstrings as well…
Rise Up – Andra Day
7 April 2018
Here’s a song that gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. Andra Day has a powerful way of delivering this song with a whole lot of real and raw emotion. The message she’s giving is one that I feel is too often an unspoken thing. She’s speaking into our own battles and the fighters inside of each of us. A message as powerful as this will always be relevant, but perhaps for a listener it will be especially important for them to hear this right now…
Show Me Love (feat. Chance the Rapper, Moses Sumney and Robin Hannibal) [Skrillex Remix] – Hundred Waters
7 April 2018
Skrillex needs some SERIOUS love for making this remix of Hundred Water’s “Show Me Love.” And Chance’s added verse is just that icing on that cake. Folks, I was obsessed with this song for weeks and I labeled it as my personal anthem on my walk to class every Tuesday and Thursday at 8am – when I’m just barely human. But a song can change a mood real quick, right?…
Passenger – Noah Kahan
7 April 2018
How freeing this song makes me feel because it reminds me that emotional self-sufficiency is a MYTH! I mean, how often do we try to pretend that we can always be strong enough for ourselves? I try that and I end up getting my butt kicked by life.
South – Hippo Campus
7 April 2018
Self-Awareness. It’s a coming-of-age type of trait we can only grow in. I listen to this song and can’t shake the idea out of my head that this song is telling us to be introspective – just for those three minutes and fifty-one seconds. The lyrics invoke this theme that who we are as of now and who we have yet to become is highly shaped by the people we keep and the experiences we have with them.