What Are U Listening To?

Sound Belongs to Everyone

I asked students some questions to get a better sense of their musical values. Why? Because it’s fun.

What have you been checking out lately?

I’ve been listening exclusively to this playlist that Max [boyfriend] made that’s all genres of music that came out in 1971. It’s everything from jazz to Joni Mitchell to Fiddler on the Roof. It’s really interesting how in that one year all these tunes sound the same. I spent my quarantine listening to songs I liked in high school because it felt comfortable.

Same here. It brings you back to your roots.

So I was listening to Lana Del Rey and lots of jams from the tumblr era because it was comforting. Sometimes when I’m enjoying music, I’ll go on a private session on Spotify because I worry people will think it’s not cool if I go on a drive and shuffle through old playlists. I’ll get home and see the song I ended on was “Mean” by Taylor Swift, and I was totally just loving it, but I think, “Oh my God, is my cool friend from high school who goes to art school going to see that and still want to be friends with me?” So I change it because I’m embarrassed and want to seem cool, but that’s not how it should be.

What’s the first music you remember falling in love with?

My parents are weird. They always have elevator music playing in the background. I have two distinct memories. I took dance lessons as a kid and music was something to dance to. My favorite song was “The Tide is High” by Blondie. I would always make my parents watch me dance to it. Every Saturday night on the local radio station my parents listened to, they had a disco hour. I remember dancing around the living room with my parents during dinner listening to Donna Summer and Earth, Wind & Fire all night. I remember feeling very joyous from all of it.

If the entire human race was to compile a playlist, what would you contribute?

I stand strongly by the Audiotree session from Pinegrove. I think that’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard with such intense emotion. Oh my God. I’ve listened to that for four years now and it still doesn’t get old.

What do you want to say to the people?

Don’t take music too seriously. You should listen to what makes you happy and want to get up and dance, dammit! More dancing at parties in a COVID-free world.

What have you been checking out lately?

I’ve kind of been all over the place. I try to listen to as much as I can. A lot of it comes from when I was younger, when I felt pressured to know everything. When I was at jazz camp, people could name the drummers on every recording. I was always fascinated by that idea. I keep going back to Kristian Matsson. He goes by the name Tallest Man on Earth. From the week before spring break until late May, that’s all I really listened to. He’s from Sweden. His guitar playing is great and his songwriting is amazing. For his first two albums, he said he didn’t know English well and just wrote these amazing songs. With all that’s going on, I’ve just been listening to whatever I find soothing. It’s really really beautiful music. There’s a vocalist from New Orleans named John Boutté. His voice is incredibly gorgeous and so personal to him. I got to see him in New Orleans over winter break. We got in town on the first day of Carnival season. My dad and I saw him in the Bywater district as a kickoff to Carnival season with all the big New Orleans musicians. When he got to the show, he was a little drunk. Not in a bad way, but he was just putting everything out there … and he’s super short. He’s like 5-foot-6 [Aaron’s note: that’s not SUPER short] and he just has an incredible voice. There’s just something about it. It hits kind of different in a way. 

What’s the first music you remember falling in love with?

Most of my first musical moments were with Rush. I was a closeted Rush fan for a long time, because they’re a Dad band and it’s not cool in a public high school to like Rush. Ever since Neil Peart [drummer] died, I’ve been realizing how much his songwriting and observations about the world shaped my moral compass. All my special memories are with Rush. One of them, I remember specifically what street in Traverse City we turned on. We were driving down a hill and turned left. It was “One Little Victory” by Rush. I remember hearing it and thinking those drums were insane! They floored me so much. Imagine being a five-year-old who doesn’t know anything about music and that’s your first time being stunned by it. My dad is a huge Rush fan. His big excess was concerts. While other kids got every new Call of Duty game, he and I went to a shitload of concerts. He’s seen Rush 61 times. I’ve seen them 18. The first time was when I was six. My parents own two print shops. He printed out a lyric book of every Rush song. When we listened to Rush, I’d be reading along to the lyrics. We’d get home in the middle of a song and I would say, “That’s really cool. Can we listen to that again?” Looking back, sometimes we don’t like songs because they’re what everyone else likes, but that’s proof to me that there’s a reason everyone likes it because that song was “Tom Sawyer” [huge Rush song]. I was in love with that song as a kid. I went probably five years without listening to it, thinking: “This is the cliche Rush song. I can’t listen to this because everyone knows it and it’ll make me a fake fan.” I listened to it again for the first time in a long time two weeks ago — and it moved me to tears.

If the entire human race was to compile a playlist, what would you contribute?

It would be “American Tune” by John Boutté. Also some Frank Turner, but it would take a while to decide what that is. He’s important to me personally and musically. With some people, you don’t remember when you fall in love with them. Something I don’t talk about much is my personal holiday: Sept. 25, 2016. My Dad played Frank Turner for me for the first time. Michigan State lost to Michigan in football. We’re huge Michigan State fans. It was a particularly excruciating loss, and my dad wanted to comfort me. He’s just a super personal songwriter who says he can’t write fiction. He has this album called “Tape Deck Heart” that’s all about a really really bad period of his life. It’s mesmerizing how vulnerable he is.

What do you want to say to the people?

Music is such a personal concept. It’s really easy to allow ourselves to go in directions we don’t want to because we feel pressured. That’s a really difficult hole to dig out of, but there are very few experiences that I’ve found as rewarding as recently sitting with bands that were influential to me when I was younger [Aaron’s note: FOLLOW YOUR HEART]. 

What have you been checking out lately?

I found this band called Vacations. They’re really cool. I like their songs “Hamilton South” and “Young.” I’m also really digging Eyedress. I’ve been getting into older music that I used to like years ago. 

That’s hilarious. Someone else said that too. I think it’s everyone back at home with their parents going back to a different time.

This might be super philosophical, but I wonder if we’re just trying to get those memories back because we’re at home doing nothing. These songs are from some good times. King Krule, Alabama Shakes, The Strokes, Slow Hollows, SOKO and Tyler, the Creator (“IGOR”) released new music too.

What’s the first music you remember falling in love with?

My mom is super big on playing music all the time. I grew up with Hispanic music. I still listen to it but not regularly. My dad grew up during that ‘50s and ‘60s musical revolution, so there’s a lot of that on my playlist. Now, I find myself coming back to that era. I’ve been listening to jazz from the ‘30s and on. I’ll put it on the car radio. It’s very calming. I’m a little guilty of road rage in New Jersey. It keeps me calm.

But no particular recordings that just changed you? That made you say, “Hold on … this is incredible!”

That’s so funny because I know exactly the ones.

Exactly! Everyone has one.

There was one in middle school — “Polish Girl” by Neon Indian, but freshman year of high school was the explosion. The big ones that really sparked it were Beach House and Mac Demarco.

What do you want to say to the people?

Make sure to take five minutes out of your day to listen to music. Every day. Thank you.