Five Albums to Listen to Right Now, Recommended by Radio AURA
Social isolation comes with a lot of free time. While there's still classes, work and trips to the grocery store, a lot of people still have to sit at home thinking, "What now?" If you, too, are wondering what to watch/listen to/do etc., wonder no more. The clubs at AUBG are here to help.
Let's kick off this series with music. We asked the good people at Radio AURA what we should listen to right now. Here's what they recommend.
good kid, m.A.A.d. city - Kendrick Lamar
Pure lyrical and instrumental genius and arguably one of K-Dot's best albums, good kid, m.A.A.d city is my go-to album to listen to when I'm feeling down. It features some of my favorite party bangers - "Backseat Freestyle," "m.A.A.d city," "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" as well as some incredibly moving skits (my favorite is the one from "Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst"). Favorite lyrics: "If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room/Would you trust it?" off "Poetic Justice" and "Some people like the way it feels/ Some people wanna kill their sorrows/ Some people wanna fit in with the popular," off of "Swimming pools."
Denitsa Yosifova, Host/Producer
After Hours - The Weeknd
The album was released a little more than a week ago and I am already hooked. "Blinding Lights." "After Hours." "Heartless." "In Your Eyes." These are the main and most beloved ones I would say. Obviously, the whole album focuses on the feelings that we get after a breakup and the different stages that we experience when heartbroken. Super crazy and relatable lyrics. I literally catch myself singing those sad-in-a-way lyrics and just dance at the same time because of their catchy beat. For sure one of the best albums, combining deep lyrics with such a good kind of music.
Georgia Briseniou, Producer
Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa
Future Nostalgia is Dua lipa's latest album, released on March 27. It features 11 songs, including "Future Nostalgia," "Don't Start Now," "Psychical" and "Break My Heart". The whole album focuses on relationships, break ups and female empowerment. I love the confidence of this artist and the messages she carries with her songs .That is why I listen to her on a daily basis and this new album will be no exception. I am already hooked on all the four songs available and i cannot wait to see what else she has to offer. These songs really bring up my mood, make me feel empowered or simply make me get up and dance. Either way, I am satisfied.
Tamar Chanidze, Producer
The New Abnormal - The Strokes
The Strokes comeback machine is on. It’s the year 2020 and no one expected we’d be stuck in our apartments, waiting for the apocalypse to happen. And still, a greater surprise is The Strokes' comeback. This time, they released two new songs, “Bad Decisions” and “At the Door.” The songs are produced by Rick Rubin and they are everything a Strokes fan would wish for. Influenced by the Clash’s "Lost in the Supermarket" and Modern English's "I Melt With You," "Bad Decisions" spins fresh nostalgia in our mind. It’s fun, heart-skipping and familiar. Meanwhile, "At the Door" is more for the sophisticated fan base, the music snobs who are going through this isolation with wine glasses in their hands.
“The New Abnormal,” with Jean Michel Basquiat's Bird on Money on the cover, drops on April 10. All we can do until then is listen to these two magnificent tracks and wait for The Strokes' magnanimous return album.
Doruntinë Aliu, DJ/Host
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash
"Helplessly Hoping" - I’ve been obsessed with that song for the past couple of days. Listening to the song, you hear an acoustic guitar and three male voices singing in perfect synch, either one voice leading with others in the background or all three voices at once. It is quite simple and straightforward when you think of it that way. But the presence of the lonely acoustic guitar is what transforms the song into a magical sound. You understand the importance of each picked string. They vibrate in unison, with each pulsing in their designated place. The intertwined voices create a sublime experience. Overlapping and dispersing just at the right time, but staying in rhythm throughout the song. The blend of voices is mesmerizing, which amplifies feelings of nostalgia diluted with desire. The lyrics tell the story of two lovers, the emotional state one falls into, after an imminent break-up and the delusional hope you consciously cling to.
The name of the song seems quite relatable in the times of the coronavirus. We are all helplessly longing that we see the end of this catastrophe, each with their own individual sense of hope.
Vera Arzumanyan, Producer