#whyyloiswhy

Top Spot: Tiny Desk Concerts

Thank god for Tiny Desk Concerts! What joy! What artistry! What brilliant finds! If you're any sort of human being, I urge you to explore and meander through the Tiny Desk Concerts archive!

Highlights: (oh dear, where to begin...)

For pure delight, go with Sesame Street, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers (yup, that-comedian-man Steve Martin lol), Sting and Shaggy (idk how it works, but it does XD), and Taylor Swift (I'm not much of a TSwift fan, but hearing her songs acoustically and listening to the stories behind them is magic)

For a whole lotta soul, joy, and sheer musical brilliance, go with Jon Batiste and Jacob Collier. They're both musical geniuses, I'm telling you!

For that spiritual/folk/blues vibe, go with Florence + the Machine, The Lumineers, and Hozier (bonus shoutout goes to Hadestown because I love that musical and they did a TDC!!!)

For some grooves and bops, go with Paramore (for sad bops haha), half•alive (for sick grooves and that intriguing vid description 👀 lol), Lizzo (because Lizzo, duh XD), and Anderson .Paak (pre-Silk Sonic era and showing off his mad drumming skills goddamn!)

half•alive's 'Now, Not Yet' album

It started when I watched the mv for still feel. and I've been obsessed with them ever since

If you haven't watched the mv yet, I highly recommend it: the choreography is absolutely on point and the song itself is a friggin groove!!!

Highlights: 'still feel.' (obviously lol) + 'ice cold.' (with Kimbra) (I heard the Tiny Desk Concert version first, so I was surprised to hear Kimbra on the album track lol but it definitely grew on me!) + 'creature' (which I wrote an after poem of actually lol that's how much it got to me!)

Jon Batiste's 'We Are' album

Guys, gals, and non-binary pals, Jon Batiste is one of the hardest working artists in the business and this album is proof. He worked on this between filming for the Stephen Colbert Show and while working on the multi-award winning 'Soul' soundtrack

Highlights: 'TELL THE TRUTH' (I first heard it on his Tiny Desk Concert, which is where I fell in love with this dude's energy) + 'SHOW ME THE WAY' (beautifully sensual and utterly romantic) + 'SING' (I seem to love songs with names related to singing and this one is no exception lol)

Jukebox the Ghost's 'Safe Travels' album

An older album compared to the two above, but still surprisingly moving (for me personally, at least)

The album is very lyrically poignant, and a few of the songs inspired some of my poetry for NaPoWriMo

Highlights: 'The Spiritual' (the kinda song you wanna scream, just to get rid of the heaviness in your chest- oh, just me?) + 'Dead' (another one to scream; "So if you're there, God / See to it, God / See to it")

It's All Right - Jon Batiste

Y'all definitely should've seen this one coming ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Listen, I watched 'Soul' right after I submitted my lit review late and I was in pieces mentally and emotionally, and I gotta say: it was the perfect movie to watch in that mental state. The best word to describe it for me is 'grounding' and I am very thankful that my pre-lit-review-submission-self made me promise to wait to watch it until after I submitted my lit review. 'Soul' did not let me down.

This is Jon's arrangement of a 1963 song originally performed by The Impressions and written by Curtis Mayfield.

Highlight: "Now everybody clap your hands / Give yourself a chance" (as someone who has been told many times by mentor-figures to back myself, this line definitely struck a chord with me)

Turntables - Janelle Monae

Janelle Monae is a goddamn legend and she has gifted us with this anthem for the people

I swear I've constantly been sleeping on Janelle Monae but honestly, it feels like the whole world has been too???? Like damn. She never disappoints.

This song was written for the 2020 documentary film 'All In: The Fight for Democracy' by Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés, and it carries the energy of a revolution in its melody and rhythm.

Highlight: There are too many good lines (like "I keep my hands dirty, my mind clean", "Liberation, elevation, education", and "You gaslightin' 'bout to meet your match"), so I'll just say that all the vids of Janelle performing this song are amazing. She is on another level, y'all.

Hozier

That's all.

For real though: Hozier always produces hauntingly exquisite music

His voice is similar to Florence's (of Florence + the Machine; another fave) in that they both have such resonant, cavernous voices- the kind of voices that could fill an empty cathedral or the Underworld