Music is all around us, from the buzzing of bees to the sound of the BVN Marching Mustangs. Rock, pop, country and new genres are still being created. That said, there is a world of artists, not everyone has discovered.
Sophomore Isla Rader says listening to music makes her happy. Rader tends to listen to pop but her favorite singer is country artist, Zach Bryan. However, she started listening to a not-so-popular band called the Black Pumas.
“I really like Black Pumas, which is a genre I don’t really listen to,” Rader said “[My favorite song is] ‘Angel’ by Black Pumas. It’s a song I listen to when I get stressed”.
Black Pumas plays a kind of music called Psychedelic soul. This genre is a type of rock music, often using keyboards and electric guitars, that became popular in the late 1960s with bands like the Temptations. Rader also believes with underrated artists there are some overhyped artists as well.
“I feel like most of the big artists, like Kanye and Taylor Swift [are overhyped], like, I do love both their music, but I feel like people can get too obsessive over it,” Rader said.
Junior Sid Linafelt has the same opinion on Taylor Swift as well as on Playboy Carti and Yeet. Music plays a big role in Linafelt’s life. He has a playlist for every occasion and even a 218 hour playlist with his favorite songs.
“I think [music] really just keeps me focused and helps me through my day. It’s kind of like, if you’re watching a movie, a movie will have a soundtrack. It just gives a soundtrack to your life” Linafelt said.
Linafelt has multiple favorite artists and listens to many music genres, but at this moment his favorite artists are a progressive rock band named Yes. Progressive rock is a subgenre of classical or symphonic rock music, and bands like Genesis and Pink Floyd have famously played it.
“[What I listen to] really depends on my mood. I’d say rap is like getting hype. The country is like you’re chilling around a bonfire. Rock and Roll kind of gets me through my day,” Linafelt said.
On the same note, Linafelt believes more people should listen to rock artists Warren Zevon and Greg Schilling. Zevon is known for his song “Werewolves in London” and Linafelt’s favorite song of Schilling is “Eternity”, he said it has a great opening riff. In the end, Linafelt encourages people to be more open to new genres and artists.
“Everyone should be more open-minded when it comes to music, and really should hear stuff out before they immediately say, I don’t like this, or immediately say, I like this” Lanafelt said.
