A Springtime Bops Playlist

By Avery Dawson
Music Journalist

As the surprisingly cool winter weather of San Marcos fades away and plants begin to blossom, what better way to get in the peppy spring mood than bopping to a happy playlist? Only the most positive, joyful songs will be able to entice that good feeling, and these are just the tracks for the job.

1. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: “Cheek To Cheek”

To start off with a classic, this soft jazz piece seems to exude happiness through fingers dancing on the piano keys and the sweet lyrics being sung by both artists. As it plays, the image of spring sunsets and picnics at the park come to mind. Fitzgerald and Armstrong are a pair unmatched when it comes to singing the smoothest jazz. Their voices seem to melt together, having both soft and buttery moments as well as rough, croaky aspects, adding a perfect contrast to one another.

2. Frankie Cosmos: “Being Alive”

One of the newest songs released by Frankie Cosmos, “Being Alive” is an upbeat and (of course) quirky song that is the perfect song to blast on the way to class in the cool spring mornings. Greta Kline’s voice, already unique, is perfect with the guitar, high and almost unstable sounding. The two balance out with each other, soft meeting strong and hard. Also, who could forget the perfectly characteristic count-in by Kline in the beginning, setting the tone for the whole piece.

3. of Montreal: “Everything Disappears When You Come Around”

This song off the debut album by of Montreal always tends to stand out to me. The lyrics talk about forgetting about everything and everyone when they’re with this certain person, hyperbolically taking the statement literally saying the birds disappear from the sky and their ears are gone from their head. The love-filled song brings positivity and makes anyone listening instantly smile, or at least brings them some enjoyment.

4. Courtney Barnett: “Depreston”

Barnett, an Australian singer, wrote a perfect example of an upbeat song with less than upbeat lyrics. In the song, she talks about a house in Preston, Australia, and the whole time she’s looking at this house, bad things are going down. First, a man is getting arrested outside, and later it’s mentioned that the previous owner had just died. Barnett observes “hand rails in the shower” and “a photo of a young man in a van in Vietnam.” realizing that people lived here and are dead, causing a mental reflection on our own mortality. The depressing Preston house is bad enough that she would consider just knocking it down. Through the dark lyrics, the melodic guitar brings the whole thing up, misleading listeners into jamming to the seemingly happy song.

5. Run River North: “Funhouse”

Run River North, recently known as Monsters Calling Home, are an indie-rock group based out of California, and they just released their newest single, “Funhouse.” I had the honor of seeing them live July of 2017 in Houston, and their large stage presence was phenomenal. They also gave us a preview of this song, and it was for sure a song I was waiting to hear the studio version of. The lead singer, Alex Hwang, created such an exhilarating energy that the crowd immediately picked up on, and the quick, hard nature to this song makes it clear that it’s the perfect hype song. Whether it be at a party or the backtrack to your morning jog, this song is a perfect springtime jam.

Featured image by Avery Dawson.