Hello KO, and welcome to the second active year of The Record Room! If you’re a returning reader, thank you for coming back! That joke I always make about how I have no idea who reads this column is very much true, so if you’re sticking with it for the second year in a row, you deserve some kind of shoutout.
For non-returning readers, I present to you, The Record Room, my personal column where, each month, I strive to answer this question: What are KO students, faculty, and members of our outer community listening to? It’s a pretty extensive question, as I’ve learned throughout my time interviewing and writing for this column. Many times, you (as in I) will get an “Oh! That’s a good question! Let me think about that…” followed by imaginary (or real. It happened once.) cricket sound effects. Sometimes they’re a little quicker to the draw.
Regardless, when they do answer the question, it’s truly the most gratifying response. The interviewee, whomever they may be, launches into a childlike fervor, and the excitement to share their favorite song with you is palpable. You should try that sometime, whoever you are. Ask someone what their favorite anything is, and watch their face light up as they describe it and why they love it so much.
Anyways, I’m not here to give you unsolicited advice on how to simultaneously make yourself and others feel happier. That’s what Ms. Velez is for. What I am here to give you, and what you must be here for if you’re this far into the article, is the answer to that question. What is our KO community listening to?
Throughout the year, I’ll go about answering this question in many ways. Some of last year’s article topics included “What song are you listening to right now?” and individual features, like my article on now-senior Jaedan Curcio’s love of jazz music. For this month’s issue, however, I’ll be focusing on the long-lost love of many that much of the KO community seems to be mourning right now: summer. Specifically, the question I posed to all interviewees was this: What was your “song of the summer?” So, without further ado, let’s get into those responses.
Since I have about ten responses to this question, as opposed to my usual three or four, and since I’m already at 300 words out of my 1000-word limit, I’ve decided to do this issue “rapid-fire,” meaning that each song will get the spotlight for around two to three sentences. My methodology for each review is as such: I state the song title and artist, as well as who suggested me the song; then I select the most notable aspects of the song, these could be my favorite things about the song or the ones that keep me up at night (see: The Record Room’s April Issue feature on “Fast And Slow (The Rabbit And The Turtle)” by The Laurie Berkner Band); finally, I give the song a final review and a grade value on a scale of one to ten.
The first song up is “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” by Talking Heads, suggested by senior McKenzie Campbell. This song has a fun, airy tone consisting of a funky bassline and a catchy chorus. Although I feel like the lyrics might be hinting at something more introspective, this song is cute, bright, and definitely worth adding to some type of feel-good playlist. I would absolutely listen to “This Must Be the Place” again, so I’ll give the song a solid 9/10.
Next, senior Epiphanie LaBoy suggested “To the Mountains” by Lizzy McAlpine. This song is quite different from the last entry, adopting a reflective, somber tone through both the lyrics and the melodies. McAlpine has a similar voice and cadence as Phoebe Bridgers, and “To the Mountains” reinforces that likening. As much as sad songs aren’t really something you’d want to listen to again and again, I do appreciate the craft of this one, putting it at a good 7.5/10.
Our third suggestion comes from senior Alina Vaughn, who’s been listening to Teyana Taylor’s “Gonna Love Me.” While I had never previously heard of Taylor before Alina’s suggestion, I certainly wish I had: her vocal technique and range are impressive, as she delivers the song in a way that most other artists probably couldn’t. The instrumentals on this song are cool and groovy, and the use of sampling isn’t too repetitive. Overall, I’m giving this song an 8/10.
Senior Eli Brandt recommended the classic, “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys. I feel as though my analysis of this song isn’t really needed here, since everyone and their mother knows this song by now. However, listening to it from a more analytical perspective, I can say that Keys’ dignified vocals add a considerable amount to the otherwise simplistic beat. Only at the disadvantage of its being overplayed for about ten years now, I’ll have to give “Girl on Fire” a 5/10.
Moving from KO students to KO teachers, Upper School English teacher Catherine Schieffelin named her song of the summer to be “Big Time” by Angel Olsen. Starting off with a distinct country twang, this song displays Olsen’s unique vocal flips and general range. Although a somewhat simple song, “Big Time” is a bit of an earworm, in a good way. It’s catchy, it’s cute, and it’s country. Overall, the song gets an 8/10 from me.
Finally, to throw an outside member of the KO community into the mix, I interviewed my mom (yes, I’m serious) who said that her song of the summer was “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles. Now, before we start, I feel like I must point out that my sister is a huge Harry Styles fan, and my mom, willingly or unwillingly, has been subjected to partaking in all the fangirling over the years (because I wouldn’t). I mention this because it really adds another element of devotion to this song on my mom’s end. “Watermelon Sugar” came out in 2019, and has been insanely overplayed on the radio and on my sister’s aux. Yet my mother still considers it her favorite song of this summer, 2022. That’s an impressive fanbase Mr. Styles has created within my family, to say the least. As for the song itself, it’s fun and light (if you disregard the potentially questionable undertones of the lyrics?) That being said, I’ll give the song a solid 6/10.
That concludes this month’s issue of The Record Room! I thank you all, whoever you are, for reading this month, and I hope you can catch next month’s issue, too. If you have any suggestions for individual songs or people you would like to see featured in future articles, email me with any input. Again, thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next month.
