Dartmouth Soundoff: Green Key Music Tips
If Weather.com gives any indication for how successful Green Key will be this year, the weekend looks like it has potential. With highs hovering around 70 and the chances of showers low, Green Key weekend will likely live up to its reputation as being the hardest few days to sneak away into the library to put the finishing touches on a paper (been there), or study for Monday’s late midterm (seriously, what prof would schedule that?)
As for Green Key music tips, I wanted to write a column not on the things you would hear blasting down frat row at night, but instead the sounds you would hear drifting down Mass Row during the 12 that everyone skipped on Friday, or the songs coming from a battery-powered iHome on the Green on one of the sunny afternoons.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think ofsSpring and sunshine and frolicking is late 90’s/early 2000’s rock (a la Third Eye Blind). Although when I asked around, none of my friends was really on the same page as me—or maybe I’m not on the same page as everyone else. I got suggestions ranging from Beach House to Zac Brown Band, making it hard to zero in on the genre that people want to read about. But then again, maybe that just means I can’t go wrong? With that in mind, here are my Green Key 2013 playlist suggestions.
“Safe and Sound” by Capital Cities: A nice mid-tempo indie pop song, “Safe and Sound” has seen some modest success on American and European charts. Keeps energy up, but not too high—as we all know Green Key is a marathon, not a sprint.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47dtFZ8CFo8
“Horchata” by Vampire Weekend: The title is a cultural reference to a traditional drink in Spanish and Latin American cultures that I couldn’t fully understand from the context of the lyrics, but then again I can’t fully understand the lyrics either. Nevertheless, the music is lighthearted and whimsical, perfect for a day in the sun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkUQ-OBazbc
“Dreamers” by Savoir Adore: According to Wikipedia, Savoir Adore labels themselves as a “fantasy rock” duo, and I don’t really have a better description. “Dreamers” is arguably not a daytime song, just watch the music video—although there are many more things going on in that video, you may not notice the setting after nightfall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH4ryqWze6U
“Thunder Clatter” by Wild Cub: An almost perfect festival indie song, with an inviting chorus, catchy lead guitar hooks in the middle of the neck, and playful, yet not overbearing studio effects. “Thunder Clatter” is a fitting afternoon song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAeJyWfq02Y
“Jona Vark” by Gypsy and The Cat: See what they did there with song title? This song is perhaps best suited for that interlude between your daytime and nighttime activities when you get dinner, nap and possibly regain your vital senses. Although I may just be getting too many ideas from the setting of the music video again…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YboETF6ZHQ
“Closer Than This” by St. Lucia: Similar to “Safe and Sound,” in genre, but perhaps a bit less well-known. “Closer Than This” features a catchy chorus, fun synth and good energy from the South-African-gone-New-Yorker artist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_2JjIUKEu4
“The King and All of His Men” by Wolf Gang: Here we have another catchy indie rock not shy of using effects to fill out the depth of the song. The British band has received a lot of exposure mostly in England, but has also opened for Coldplay on their American tour last summer as well as played at Coachella.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZLv36LvRo8
“Fader” by The Temper Trap: The 2010 single from this Australian indie band is one of the songs that most people would recognize even if they couldn’t name it. Giving off a day party vibe with power chords abound, the song has a bit more of a rock feel than the other songs on this list, but it doesn’t stand out in this list as much as the next song I have for y’all…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xQF0gerTtM
“Take a Back Road” by Rodney Atkins: Of course this song is the black sheep of the list, but no perfect spring weekend is complete without some token country songs that more or less everyone recognizes thrown into the mix. Runners up for this position include “Springsteen” by Eric Church and “Toes” by Zac Brown Band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72k7xWfjTXc
Happy Green Key everyone! Stay hydrated, sunscreened and safe wherever your Green Key shenanigans may take you.