The music taste between Marywood students is vast and drastically diverse. From indie bands, to rock/pop, to original scores, here is a small example of what Marywood students are listening to:
BRIANNA:
Cheekface: At the three-way musical intersection of Cake, They Might Be Giants and early Talking Heads, is Cheekface, an indie trio from Los Angeles that refers to themselves as “America’s Local Band.” Debuting unassumingly in 2018, their popularity in the indie music scene started to climb when their 2022 release “Too Much to Ask” was reviewed favorably by Youtuber The Needle Drop. Since that review their popularity is slowly growing. Their sound and style can be polarizing, but anyone who likes any or all of the three musicians I previously mentioned will find even something small to enjoy with these three.
Their songs jump between spoken-sung verses, delivered in a nonchalant way by vocalist Greg Katz, and catchy choruses, tied together with simple but danceable instrumentals. Although their subject matters tend to be quite bleak, the lyrics themselves are disjointed, surreal and internet-savvy.” Much like with Talking Heads, their awkwardness and willingness to choose anything as a topic, even if it’s worded and delivered in the strangest way possible, is what makes them fun. Besides, they seem to be very aware that they are a goofy, unique band, and they’ve said in multiple interviews that their main goal is having fun.
If any of that sounds like something interesting to you, I highly recommend Cheekface! Their latest album, “It’s Sorted”, came out at the end of January this year.
Recommended Songs: “‘Listen to Your Heart.’ ‘No,’” “Life in a Bag,” “We Need a Bigger Dumpster”
RACHEL:
Gorillaz– Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewitt took on an ambitious project of designing a cartoon band with complicated lore. The creators even went as far as hiring voice actors for the characters to do podcasts and interviews. These characters aren’t avatars representing the real life band members,
Almost every song of theirs sounds different and sometimes it takes a few times listening to determine whether or not you like a song. Pay close attention to their albums and music videos because each one of them has a story.
There is just one small problem, a lot of their good songs on the album Humanz are far too short. A lot of artists that have worked with Gorillaz have been repeat guests, I think that suggests that they are a fun band to work with.
Recommended Songs: “El Manana,” “Valley of the Pagans,” “Dare” with and without Shaun Ryder, “Feel Good Inc,” “People” and “We Got The Power.”
Maneskin- Maneskin is an Italian band that gained popularity shortly after their 2021 Eurovision win.
The band became more popular after their cover of “Beggin” went viral on Tiktok, shortly after their Eurovision victory in 2017. The group is also famous for their covers of “Jolene” by Dolly Parton, “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand, “Somebody Told Me” by The Killers and “Let’s Get It Started” by Black Eyed Peas.
I discovered Maneskin by hearing their cover of “Beggin”, so I was curious to see what other songs they had. I think their covers are as good if not better than the original songs covered. Their original songs don’t disappoint either.
Recommended Songs: “Beggin.” “Let’s Get it Started,” “Somebody Told Me,” “Take Me Out,” “Gossip,” “I Wanna Be Your Slave,” “Super Model,” “New Song,” “Zitti E Buoni” and “Mamma Mia.”
CARTER:
NieR: Automata OST- The score of the 2017 video game “NieR: Automata” is one of the best in gaming in my opinion. Composed by Keiichi Okabe, the soundtrack elevates an already remarkable game to another level. The background music during exploration is serenic and thought-provoking and feels authentic to the world of the game.
The combat scores are always elevating and blood-pumping. They keep you at the edge of your seat, either by themselves or accompanied by the enemies you are fighting against.
But above them all in my opinions are a certain few scores that accompany the emotional moments of the story. Whatever emotion the game wants you to feel in that moment, those scores help bring you there even more than the visuals sometimes.
The score of “NieR: Automata” is easily iconic and, much like the game itself, has to be experienced.
Recommended Songs: “Significance,” “City Ruins (Rays of Light)”,” Crumbling Lies (Front),” “Weight of the World,” “The End of YoRHa”
Hazbin Hotel OST- A series over five years in the making, the first season of “Hazbin Hotel” dropped an incredible list of earworms to accompany it.
Just about every song in “Hazbin” is catchy and memorable. This is no doubt thanks to co-songwriters Andrew Underberg and Sam Haft– the latter known for his YouTube rock band “The Living Tombstone,” where he has written and sang countless fan-made songs for properties such as “Undertale” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s.”
Their talent is shown in each of “Hazbin’s” musical numbers. Whether they’re comical, surprisingly emotional, or heartwarming, the songs all do an excellent job at provoking those feelings.
Recommended Songs: “Hell is Forever,” “Stayed Gone,” “Respectless,” “Poison,” “Loser, Baby,” “More Than Anything,” “You Didn’t Know” and “Finale”
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