When it comes to music, I listen to a little of everything. I know that's typically a copout answer, but in this case, it's true. Ever since one of my dear friends generously allowed me to leech off of her Spotify premium account, I've hunted for the most obscure and eccentric music I can find. After my dearly beloved Guilford College radio station WQPS 90.9 temporarily became a COVID-19 casualty, Spotify's music recommendations became indispensable. After all, 90.9 plus Shazam used to be my main way of finding new music. That, and asking Mr. Post for recommendations, which I encourage all of his students to do.
While I mourn the loss of the small radio stations that'll go under because of COVID-19, I have to give credit to Spotify where it's due. The app has introduced me to dozens of bands and artists I would've never otherwise encountered. As much as I like pop music, classic rock, and what you'd typically hear on the radio, I love to track down hidden gems.
If you're willing to experiment with tracks and genres you almost certainly won't hear on the stereo, this list of recommendations is for you.
clipping.
This industrial hip hop group is led by Daveed Diggs, whose name is well-known Hamilton fans. In fact, Spotify probably directed me to clipping. in the first place because of how often I listen to "The Room Where It Happens." That being said, don't expect clipping. to be anything like Diggs's performance as Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette. If you want to try experimental hip-hop and you're not bothered by sounds like silverware in a garbage disposal, then clipping. is the group for you.
One of the group's greatest qualities is how it elevates music as a means of storytelling. I always pay close attention to lyrics, and clipping. never disappoints to write songs that are both bangers and fantastically written. The group is also a master of horrorcore; their latest album Visions of Bodies Being Burned, released this past October, is their second album that pays homage to horror icons across pop culture. I won't speak in detail about their songs because clipping. tracks are a narrative experience everyone needs to have for themselves.
Listen first to their short concept album The Deep. It's one of their most accessible albums, and it's only three songs long. Alas, if you’re not able to withstand the noise The Deep, you’ll probably want to bow out before you listen to some of their harsher, more grating music. Luckily, their albums typically have an even distribution of milder and more intense tracks. After The Deep, I'd go for Visions of a Body Being Burned or There Existed an Addiction to Blood. Both are thematically and musically similar, so I'd listen to them consecutively. Beyond that, explore as you'd like!
Mother Falcon
This band is unique in that they aren’t a band at all but rather a symphonic rock group of over twenty musicians. No, I'd never heard of symphonic rock before I discovered Mother Falcon either. Spotify’s recommendations introduced me to this group; I first found their song "Alligator Teeth" on one of my daily playlists. The song opens like a ballad and starts with little instrumentation. I admit I counted both these qualities as two strikes against the band; I prefer high-energy, highly instrumental music. But something compelled me not to instantly skip the song. To see if it would pick up, I jumped halfway to the end.
This proved to be an excellent choice, because I was pleasantly surprised by the introduction of a buoyant, lively string section—though it’s ultimately the horn section that steals the song. The brass instruments form a call and response with one another, though you have to listen with headphones to hear the full effect. After adding "Alligator Teeth" to my playlist, I moved through the rest of Mother Falcon’s repertoire.
"Marigold" is the band at their snappiest and most uplifting—which is likely why it currently stands as their most popular song on Spotify. It’s hard to feel anything but inspired when listening. I love the slow build in many of Mother Falcon's tracks, but it stands out most here. Nick Gregg is a highlight of the song; his laudable vocals expertly crescendo from restrained calm to frenzied mania.
Their album Alhambra is their strongest work overall. If you like vibrant string sections, brass instruments, and songs that don't end up where you expect, I recommend checking Mother Falcon out.
Eugen Cicero
There’s a tendency to compare classical music and jazz as if they exist on separate ends of the genre spectrum. To some degree, this comparison makes sense. Whereas much classical music relies on a mathematical degree of accuracy, jazz favors improvisation and personal interpretation. On the other hand, both genres have complex, layered, and largely instrumental compositions. But despite their differences, blending the two genres works remarkably well—at least at the hands of Eugen Cicero, my all-time favorite pianist. Cicero, a nineteenth century Romanian-German, was a virtuoso of classical swing.
"Solfeggio in C Minor" appeared as a recommendation while I searched for songs featuring jazz violinists. I was immediately taken with the near-breakneck pace of his playing, as well as with Peter Witte, the piece's bassist. I'm biased to the bass's sound, so I largely have Witte to thank for keeping me around long enough to get hooked on Cicero.
It was a joy to discover Cicero's covers of my favorite composers and compositions: "Tchaikovsky’s Allegro Giusto from The Nutcracker, Op. 71A - Arr. By Willi Fruth for Jazz Quartet" is one of my favorites, as is "Und Bach? (After Prelude in C Minor)." His entire setlist is excellent, though my favorite album is Swinging the Classics on MPS.
I’ve encountered few pianists as energetic, lively, and spirited as the near-frenzied Cicero. I don't know what this man's routine was post-performance, but I have to imagine it involved soaking his sore hands in hot water. If you're not thrown off by a lack of lyrics—or you're looking to be introduced to a fantastic pianist—Eugen Cicero is your man.
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