A Taste of Music

Ludwig Göransson: https://open.spotify.com/artist/24eDfi2MSYo3A87hCcgpIL?si=rxhxCevYSCqEF6FlzoM9SA.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3EAHF3jdnHHdko5DBrhRUP?si=GALX-Uj9TpWR3Uzs52V7wg. Alan Silvestri: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Xk15jHKly4c3AhPr5vjoA?si=5grKaKbfTtyhV8ALFPaboA.

Hollow Knight:https://open.spotify.com/album/4XgGOMRY7H4hl6OQi5wb2Z?si=EQYEzYwXRYSVbi0_Ib2lOA

This week on “A Taste of Music,” we will be talking about video game music. For this first part, we will be talking about Nintendo music from the late 2000s to the early 2010s. I chose this area of music as it is the period of music I have the most familiarity with for console games. Nintendo produced some of my favorite music within this period, such as the Wii Shop Theme created in 2006 and several songs from the “Wii” games like Wii Play and Wii Sports Resorts. I believe that these songs are made never to get you bored of listening to them, which is why they invoke a great sense of nostalgia when you listen to tunes such as “Wii Tanks” or the “Wii Sports Theme.” These are only some general songs that pretty much anyone would know, but I would like to recommend some of the music from the three bigger games such as Donkey Kong, Mario, and Sonic games. Each of these titles indeed has multiple games connected to them, but I picked one game for each of these characters, which in my opinion, has the best music. For Donkey Kong, I enjoyed how the developers of Donkey Kong Country Returns included some of the older music in this newer game and incorporated each level having a different song. Each map area also had a different theme or genre to the music, which makes you feel like you aren’t playing something rehashed every time you progress. Now for Mario, there is no doubt that the 2007 game Super Mario Galaxy has the best music for my range of years of games above. In my opinion, this game has the best music for any of the Mario games on the Wii, as it is entertaining to listen to and play the game too. Like Donkey Kong Country Returns, the music produced here was different for every galaxy/planet you went to. Still, unlike DKCR, Super Mario Galaxy uses the same theme for every level. Finally, I would choose Sonic Colors for the Sonic game, a videogame produced for the Wii in 2010. This game has a broad genre of songs for every theme as they are different for every level, area, and boss like DKCR, which is why I enjoy them. For each of the planets/areas, they have music that perfectly suits their theme, which is a great way to design music for the game. I would link these songs here, but they are mostly not on Spotify and constantly getting copyrighted on Youtube.

Welcome to the final part of the inspiration for me, Travis Boone, on “A Taste of Music.” The next four-member group I would like to say is one of my favorite bands, Imagine Dragons. Even though I would say they’re my favorite band, I’m not a super fan, and I’m not going to the concert they have near me in February. I enjoy their pop music, but not most of the music in their newest album, except “Follow You” or their “grunge” type music. Despite that, I am still an avid listener of Imagine Dragons up to the point where my brother can not stand me playing it near him. Some of the songs I enjoy listening to include most of the pieces in the “Night Visions” album, “Mouth of the River,” “Boomerang,” “Rise Up,” and “Who We Are.” Imagine Dragons inspires me to make songs that flow pretty well together, as a lot of their songs can easily flow to each other throughout their albums, Especially in “Night Visions.” I would say this similar rhythm makes their songs so worthy of listening to as it is simple, but will make you want to sing to them or possibly dance. This is the link to all of Imagine Dragons’ Music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/53XhwfbYqKCa1cC15pYq2q?si=NjovaxHuSrS_CJgKSto3Kg.

To continue with the artist that inspired me last week on “A Taste of Music,” we will be talking about bands that have a group with four members, which is just a coincidence. These two bands have a decent selection of music to listen to and play across multiple genres. For our first band, we will be talking about Coldplay. This band comprises Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion, who have produced nine albums over the 26 years of being a band. I am an avid enjoyer of Coldplay’s music, especially from their “X&Y,” “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends,” and their newest album, “Music  of the Spheres.” What inspires me the most about Coldplay is how long they’ve kept going on in their music career and how their music is still changing and being innovative with new genres. Their music has constantly evolved over the years, as you can tell by listening to just one song from every album. This idea inspires me because it shows that you can reach out to different types of music even with being popular with one genre and continue making music people will enjoy. I would love to do this one day as if I don’t feel like creating music for a genre that I constantly use, and it just shows that if you have a good idea, you can follow it through. If you want to check out Coldplay’s music, you can use this Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4gzpq5DPGxSnKTe4SA8HAU?si=7HQcdE2STQCYtBjIwQllyQ.

This time on “A Taste of Music,” we will continue with our last topic with another single creator. His name is Martin Molin, and he is the creator of the Marble Machine and the Marble Machine X. If you don’t know what that is, you should check out his video of him performing his song on his machine at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q. My father showed me this video and some of the music he produced while in his band “Wintergatan,” When he was solo, I was amazed by what he did with music. He uses several weird instruments, including a musical saw, which he uses in his song “Sandviken Stradivirus” he also uses a typewriter, a music box, and some other instruments. His music provides a great example of how just instruments can move and shape a piece of art. His music and his strive to make a better, portable Marble Machine inspired me to think of doing something like this in the future. I would recommend almost every piece of his music (https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Dx2L8ImErI41Hl7bxCzF8?si=8MNVEA0nTVGYvzuJNDcf0g) and his soundtrack music (https://open.spotify.com/artist/0n5iJQfXlUNTrlJ374WGrv?si=ylLz6gw6Q0iQBEYIdwUUJA). I hope to use this inspiration someday to create a musical instrument or create unique songs as he does.

For the next two weeks on “A Taste of Music,” we will be talking about some of my favorite artists who inspired me to make my music. Speaking of inspiration, let’s talk about George Benson’s latest album, “Inspiration (A Tribute To Nat King Cole).” Accompanied by an impressive orchestra, George Benson brings a new and lively light to some of Nat King Cole’s music. There are many styles/genres of songs encompassed in this album, and I would recommend it as it shows how versatile George Benson can be with his voice and singing styles. His versatility is the reason I find his music so influential, as I would love to try and work with several genres of music. Also, in two of his songs, he provides a break in the music with an instrumental section accompanied by his Scat Singing which is an excellent musical section without lyrics. These two songs are “Just One Of Those Things” and “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter,” although I would recommend the entire album on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/album/3K6Zp5N2GRkVhPjJbwUMqo?si=r0s8Z7lPTGy-4NODZmAGjA. Finally, I would like to say the musicians in every single one of the songs do a great job at really putting meaning and expression into the music they play. These are the reasons that I think best express why his music is great and inspirational.

We’re back with a continuation from the last “A Taste of Music” session, and like last time we have another “small band” with a lot of monthly listeners on Spotify. In this post, we’ll talk  about the band Vacation Manor and some of the songs I would recommend from them. The two songs I would recommend from them include: “Careless” from their 2016 album “Girl, Say” and “Can’t Run Forerver” from their “Vacation Manor” album. “Careless” is a great song that reminds me of Coldplay’s “Adventure of a Lifetime” and the involved electric guitar voice that comes with it. The second song, “Can’t Run Forever,” reminds me of the style that Hippo Campus uses in their song “Buttercup,” but Vacation Manor brings a new spark along with this style, in my opinion. You can find these two songs on Spotify, “Careless”:https://open.spotify.com/track/6H725KQnIbXVkRPrapOTXZ?si=a8f10cf3695742a4, and “Can’t Run Forever”: https://open.spotify.com/track/4PMlfEpBxfGf1jqhC7IDBe?si=602d4afea5c0479f.

Welcome back to another week of  “A Taste of Music” with me, Travis B. This week we will talk about small artists, but actually, in no way are these artists small because they average 350,000 to 380,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. I have recently found these bands while trying to find new music for my playlists on Spotify, and I think some of their music is great. The first band we are talking about is The Royal Concept; the songs in their newest album, “Goldrushed,” sound fantastic. Their style of music in this album reminds me a lot of the main chorus of “The Nights” by Avicii, especially in “On Our Way,” which is personally my favorite and the song I would recommend to anyone. However, pretty much any song in that album has that “party” vibe to them, and I think they would be perfect songs to jam to in your car while driving. Since the entire album is excellent, this is the link to see their newest album on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3ePQz1sISfqg7okCZNfCRo?si=20srmlfkQlaQg7tLtGYIJg.

The Vince Guaraldi Trio: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4ytkhMSAnrDP8XzRNlw9FS?si=iqcO3AD1R3yxAGujAObG8Q

Welcome to part two for this week’s topic of jazz with “A Taste of Music” by Travis B. This time we are taking a look at jazz music with leading instruments. Most of the pieces I will recommend today will feature a singular lead instrument such as piano, trumpet, or sax. However, multiple instruments could take the lead as a quartet or as a full band within a song, like most songs that include jazz do. If you are looking for a horn such as a trumpet to take the lead, I recommend Chet Baker’s version of “The Best Thing For You” and “Nice Work if You Can Get It,” performed by Buddy Rich and Harry “Sweets” Edison. Suppose you love the sound of a piano. In that case, you should take a look at “It Could Happen to You,” played by the Tete Montoliu Trio, or if you are nearing the Christmas season, any of the musical performances that Vince Guaraldi Trio has to offer. Personally, I think that these songs/artists provide a fantastic view of how talented people can be on their instruments and an excellent experience for the listener.

Welcome to “A Taste of Music” with a soundbite provided by me, Travis B. For both parts of this week's post, we’ll be talking about jazz and some great songs that come with it. Everyone interested in jazz knows about John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” and other songs like David Brubeck's “Take Five,” but what about the songs almost no one knows? I’d recommend two great jazz tunes, including “Four Brothers” performed by Art Pepper and “Almost Like Being In Love” performed by the Red Garland’s Piano. (You can also find both of these songs on Spotify!). These songs provide a great introduction to the jazz genre, and personally, these songs can always help me get through school work quicker.