Over the next few weeks, we’ll be rolling out the KLIO 2023 staff’s current music choices. Varying from albums to singles to bands, we invite you to follow along and find out what our staffers are listening to!
Reagan March (PR/Marketing Coordinator) – “Grace” by Jeff Buckley
I am not much of an album listener, so when I find an album that I can listen to repeatedly, that’s when you HAVE to believe me that it’s good.
“Grace” by Jeff Buckley is one of the most brilliant, heartbreaking, and talented albums I have ever listened to. The music on this album is beautiful: from his rendition of “Hallelujah,” to his hit ballad “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” and rock anthem “Eternal Life,” this album is the perfect example of how to hit multiple genres of music in such a natural way.
If you have never listened to any of Buckley’s music, I would highly recommend checking it out. He was a talented vocalist, lyricist, and musician that was incredibly ahead of his time.
Listening to a song like “So Real” feels like you are listening to a soft-indie anthem that was made today. “Grace” is an incredible and emotional compilation of songs that I urge everyone to listen to once in their life.
Megan Kelby (Blog Editor) – “Jinx” by Crumb
This indie rock/dream pop album has an overarching soft sound, but interesting back beats from track to track.
Though not a recent release, my sister gifted me the vinyl for Christmas, so I was recently exposed to Crumb for the first time.
The first thing that appealed to me was the cover art. I don’t know what it is about it in particular, but at first glance it simply looks like a muddy yellow color with a weird texture. With a closer look, you can see that the “weird texture” are bugs!
My favorite song on the album is probably “Ghostride,” which could be considered basic since it’s the most popular off the album, but clearly it’s for a reason. I really enjoy the tone of her voice and the low verbed sound it opens with.
“Jinx” also just so happens to be a great album to study to, so if you’re in the market for some new study music, definitely check it out.
Claire Williams (Poetry Editor) – Sticky Fingers
Right now, I’ve been listening to Sticky Fingers the most. I typically shuffle Spotify’s “Sticky Finger Mix” because that includes songs by the band and others that have a similar style.
Their fun, interesting, and often surprising lyrics are usually one of my favorite parts of any song they put out, but as a guitarist myself, I admire the musicians that make up this band immensely. Their mastery of and comfort with their instruments and music theory is so impressive to me.
I think I am also drawn to their jam-like sound largely because my dad is a huge Grateful Dead fan, and Sticky Fingers is relatively comparable to them as a music group. I grew up listening to the Grateful Dead and even have Jerry Garcia’s hand tattooed on my arm as a tribute to my dad.
My favorite Sticky Fingers album is definitely “Land of Pleasure,” as it is the most surreal in terms of both lyric and sound. Their newest album, however, is also phenomenal, as it has a slightly different, more acoustic sound.
Shivoy Nagpaul (Commonwealth Campus Outreach) – “She’s The One” by Soni Pabla
I’ve been listening to “She’s The One,” sung by the late Soni Pabla and produced by Ikwinder Singh, commonly known by Ikky.
The backstory of how this song was made is quite touching, as Ikky, who recently became an established producer in the Punjabi music industry, used unreleased recorded vocals of Pabla and put it on a beat he produced to create a posthumous tribute song to him.
Pabla tragically died in the prime of his music career at the age of 30 in 2006. He was, and still is, a beloved artist in the Punjabi community, and this song is a testament to that.
In the music video, notable Punjabi artists such as Tesher, Karan Aujla, Sunny Malton and Sangtar Singh can be seen singing and dancing along to Pabla’s voice and Ikky’s beat. In my opinion, it is a beautiful tribute to a beloved artist gone too soon.
Hannah Fritzinger (Managing Editor) – “Jackie And Wilson” by Hozier
I am a big fan of Hozier’s music, and have been for a few years now. His work is poetic. I always feel like he is trying to tell me a story. The way he talks about life and love is fascinating, and there are always deeper messages and meanings behind the music.
I hadn’t listened to “Jackie And Wilson” in a long time, because it reminds me of a past relationship that didn’t end particularly well. But, listening to the song again has brought back some happy memories from that time in my life.
The song as a whole is meant to be about feeling lost, and feeling like you won’t be loved as much as you love others. But, I always focused more on the chorus, surprisingly catchy and upbeat, given the content of the song.
We’d love to hear your top picks, too! Let us know in the comment box below.