Hey, it’s Mya Cummins, I’m a writer and designer for On the Record, and this week I am doing Music Monday. Honestly, picking just a few of my favorite songs was so difficult for me because my music taste is always changing. My favorite part about music is getting to share it with other people; I’m constantly asking friends for song recommendations and following other people on Spotify. Music is a great way to get to know and learn more about a person. I think the saying “music is its own language” holds true because a single song can communicate feelings, memories, and ideas left for the imagination.

“Astrovan” by Mt. Joy

Astrovan is a great song to jam out to in the car, but then again Mt. Joy has so many great songs it’s hard to find one that isn’t worth turning up the volume and rolling down your windows for. This song was written when Mt. Joy moved to Los Angeles. The idea of the song originated when Matt Quinn, one of the main members of the band, observed how many people in LA were chancing their dreams in the entertainment industry. Quinn describes that chancing your dreams can often leave people penniless, but that won’t stop them. “life ain’t ever what it seems because dreams are more than paper things, and it’s alright mama your afraid, I’ll be poor along the way,” this lyric specify describes the song’s essence.

“Sunset Chaser” by Ragamuffs  

I typically stumble upon a new song by just scrolling through Spotify, but I actually found this one on the public radio. I know, who listens to the radio nowadays, especially the public radio? I will say, if you ever find yourself driving on a Friday night and looking for something to listen to try the Friday Night Sound Clash on WFPK. You might be pleasantly surprised! “Sunset Chaser” focuses on happy endings, which is something I think we all could use right now. I really don’t know much about the Ragamuffs beside them being from Honolulu, Hawaii, which I feel is made clear after listening to a couple of their songs.

“3005” by Childish Gambino

Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) is such a talented singer, actor, and director. The song “3005” is from an album release in 2013, “Because of the internet.” A few of the songs from the album were later turned into music videos. Many people theorized that if you watch the music videos in the correct order, you can see a plotline running throughout them. Childish Gambino is able to put together his many skills to further draw in his listeners and create a different level of meaning to his music. 

However, if you look at the song close up it really has a sweet meaning to it. Childish Gambino is explaining to his loved one that no matter what, he will always be right by their side and while thinking about the future may be scary, knowing that they are in it makes it a little better.

“Soul Factory” by Bendigo Fletcher

Bendigo Fletcher is actually a band located in Louisville which I think adds much more value to the song. The artist uses great imagery and diction within the song to set a peaceful mood. Bendigo Fletcher’s whole aesthetic is a real down to earth folky music vibe and it makes for a really interesting, refreshing listen. The song is the literal definition of music for the soul. If you like Soul Factory you will probably find yourself loving the rest of the album, too, especially Wonderfully Bizarre. 

“Do you Remember” by Chance the Rapper

“Do you remember” has kinda been my song of the summer. The song is about Chance reminiscing the good old days of when he was younger. In the song, he alludes that as we get older time flies by but it’s important to be able to reflect back to the simpler times, writing “Days disappear into months, into the year, hold that feeling forever.” This song is so chill and easy to listen to no matter what mood you’re in. I especially find this song fitting because of the current COVID-19 situation we find ourselves in. This song is a great reminder that these summer days are still precious and we will eventually find ourselves looking back on them.

“Yellow” by Amine

“Yellow” by Amine is so upbeat it’s basically impossible to still be in a bad mood by the end of the song, and all of the songs in the “Good For You” album are pretty much like that. This song radiates self-confidence and at its essence is just Amine gloating about how cool he is. This song is a must add to your hype up playlist.

“Stubborn Love” by The Lumineers

In all honesty, it was so difficult to pick just one of The Lumineers songs to write about, but in the end, I went with one of their more popular songs, “Stubborn Love.” I could probably write a whole paper about why this song is so amazing, but I’ll try to keep it somewhat short. This song was not originally one of my favorite songs by The Lumineers, but after hearing it in concert earlier this year it quickly shot up there. Something about seeing a song performed live gives you a new appreciation for it. The night I saw The Lumineers, “Stubborn Love” was the last song on the setlist. The confetti had fallen and everyone in the stadium was belting the lyrics. It was such a memorable moment; this song will always have a special place in my heart.

Not only did seeing this song live make me fall in love with it but the words are so poetic, it’ll have you thinking about the lyrics for days. In summary, the song talks about being in love with someone that’s no good for you and does not really love you back. One of my favorite lines of the song is “The opposite of love’s indifference.” I believe this lyric is a playoff of a famous quote by Elie Wiesel, “the opposite of love is not hate it is indifference,” meaning that hate and love are two passionate emotions, therefore they can’t be opposites. The only way to contract hate is to also be able to feel love; however, indifference means to have a lack of sympathy or interest, meaning you feel absolutely nothing. Deep, right? Small but heavy lyrics are hidden all throughout the song, making it so beautiful.

“Dancing in the moonlight” by King Harvest

Listening to this song makes it hard not to want to dance. “Dancing in the Moonlight” is just such an upbeat, carefree song, I can just imagine it being played at a bar while everyone dances and socializes. Even though the song is very bright and lively, the story behind it is much darker. King Harvest wrote this song while in the hospital after almost being beaten to death on vacation. For him, the song helped him envision an alternate reality, one where everyone got along and violence was nonexistent.