CommRadio’s Weekly Playlist: Week of Sept. 13

Story posted September 15, 2021 in Arts & Entertainment by Megan Kelby, Sophia D’Ovidio, Savannah Swartz, Rachel Fisher, Colton Pleslusky.

The CommRadio Weekly Playlist – Here members of the Arts and Entertainment Department will talk about the songs that dominated their playlists during the week and what makes them so good.

“didya think” - Arlie

As the fourth week of classes rolls around, I’m willing to take any and all motivation. Arlie’s “didya think” track from their 2018 EP, “Wait,” is that wakeup call I needed.

After hearing a snippet of it in the background of a TikTok, the song’s sound oozed teenage-angst-but-too-old-to-be-in-a-teenage-angst phase, a very interesting mix in my opinion.

The best part? The juxtaposition between the lyrics and the instrumentals.

The indie/alternative rock use of the electric guitar meets the very grounding lyrics telling their listeners if you want something that bad, you have to go out and do it yourself. Specifically with the line that captured my attention the most, “If it was easy then everyone would do it too.”

While I am biased to any alternative rock song that crosses my path, “didya think” hit me with a quarter-semester realization to help push me through… at least for this week. – Megan Kelby

“Holy Ground” - Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s fourth studio album “Red” is almost synonymous with the fall season and as the season begins, I decided to revisit the country-pop album.

While this album contains some of Swift’s biggest hits and many of her most critically acclaimed songs, “Holy Ground” does not receive the attention it truly deserves. Swift’s lyricism is as strong as ever, but the fast pace of this song doesn’t illuminate that upon a first listen.

Swift expertly recaps an old relationship that she is reminiscing to the listener. The lack of resentment Swift seems to have towards her ex-lover in this song makes the lyrics more heartbreaking.

However, the instrumental track of this song is what really sets it apart. The drums that pick up and slow down during different parts of the song help illustrate the story so well. 

It’s little details such as backing vocals singing “you let it all go” while Swift repeats her bridge as the song fades out that really make this song special.

“Holy Ground” is some of Swift’s best work and is the perfect song to listen to while walking around campus this fall. -- Sophia D’Ovidio

“Brutal” - Olivia Rodrigo

Since arriving on campus, I have found myself listening to songs that take me back to summer. I spent most of my summer listening to Oliva Rodrigo’s album “Sour.” Listening to this album takes me back to the carefree moments of summer car rides, with the windows down and the radio blasting.

I specifically find myself drawn back to the song “Brutal.” Being one of the few upbeat songs on the album, I find myself more likely to play it on my way to class or even in my dorm.

Along with that, Rodrigo is 18 and writes all her own lyrics. This makes her lyrics even more relatable because she is writing for people who are the same age as her and going through similar things.

I would highly recommend listening to this song if you need a song to release stress to, or even just another song to dance to.

Listeners may not be able to relate to all of her music, but we can all admit… “it’s brutal out here.” – Savannah Swartz

“Passenger” - Deftones

“Passenger” by Deftones is a great song to jam out to. The lead singer, Chino Moreno, has such a soothing and beautiful voice that makes any Deftones song enjoyable to listen to.

I really love how in this song the band features Tool’s lead singer Maynard James Keenan as the vocals for the chorus because the shift from one voice to another keeps me wanting more. The two voices bounce off each other nicely as you go from whispering to screaming and I love any sort of variety within a song.

This song also has amazing instrumentation which I really appreciate. A lot of new releases use a computer-generated backing track, so I love how the drums, bass and guitar dominate the song.

“Passenger” stands out to me because of the beautiful vocals but also because of how the song flows as a whole and how well the instruments are played. – Rachel Fisher

“My Shadow” – Smash Into Pieces

For those that tend to pay more attention to who writes what in CommRadio, you may notice that I’ve written a lot about Smash Into Pieces since the start of the semester. That will not be changing this time around.

“My Shadow,” a slower and what I would define as a more emotional song on their new album, “A New Horizon,” has been stuck on repeat in my head all week. It's only satisfied by relistening to the song.

The song's deeper meaning, to me, is the acceptance of the darker side of one's self. You walk with this part of you forever - your mistakes, shortcomings and vices that are an integral part of the experience in life. An integral part of yourself.

The song represents accepting those pieces instead of ignoring them. Granting them acknowledgement gives you power over them. Of course, it conveys this with a great instrumental and pleasant-to-hear vocals, including the melodic tone in the chorus that captures the listener. This is coupled with an interesting use of autotune here and there.

Being in the fourth week of my last year at university, “My Shadow” has brought up a lot of healthy reflection when looking back at the past few years.

I heavily recommend giving “My Shadow” a listen for its pleasant tune, addicting vocals and lyrics as well as its deeper meaning. – Colton Pleslusky

 

Megan Kelby is a second-year majoring in journalism. To contact her, email mkk5701@psu.edu.

Sophia D’Ovidio is a first-year majoring in communications. To contact her, email sgd5184@psu.edu

Savannah Swartz is a first-year majoring in communications. To contact her, email sms9072@psu.edu.

Rachel Fisher is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email rachelliat03@gmail.com.

Colton Pleslusky is a fourth-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email csp5289@psu.edu.