By Janine Blaise & Alleah Boisvert
Let’s interject January 2021 with a Shuffle-Swap. Two writers from The NAIT Nugget have swapped playlists and are sharing their first impressions.
Listen to the full playlist here.
Janine Blaise: Even though I dislike admitting I’m at the tail-end of the Baby Boomer generation, I can easily admit I haven’t heard every song that’s been published, vinyl or otherwise. Alleah easily offered me a list of her favourite songs, soon-to-become my “newbies.”
Alleah Boisvert: When people ask me what genre of music I like, it’s hard to pinpoint it. I usually end up sounding like a cliché millennial music buff by saying that I like alternative and indie (even I don’t really know what that means anymore). Luckily, alternative has always ventured into many different territories, so I knew I’d easily find common ground with Janine’s picks.
Alleah’s Picks, Janine’s comments:
Please Don’t Lead Me On by The Sheepdogs
The Sheepdogs start off this song with a familiar happy-go-lucky “Beatles”-like beat punctuated by piano chords and reminiscing about good times with the singer’s love. A melodic ballad kicks in and is followed by some good ole’ raw broken-hearted vocals accompanied by a grungy guitar, letting his lover know he “just can’t take a[nother] broken heart.”
I Miss That Feeling by Tennis
Angelic voices are offered in a dreamy ‘70s style with a soothing guitar solo and some basic piano. The melody is catchy and I’d really like to hear some more from this husband and wife duo.
Kids by Current Joys
This song reminisces what it’s like as a kid to see the world with your heart’s imagination. As an adult, the lead singer recognizes he thinks solely with his brain and that nothing is left in his heart. He begs us to learn from his experience: to listen to our hearts so we can follow our dreams.
Tennis Court by Lorde
Tennis Court includes pleasant, relaxed voices that slip through ironic cynicism of our “smiling” even when we’re afraid. That might sum up my face in 2020. Just sayin’.
Janine’s Picks, Alleah’s comments:
Stray Cat Strut by Stray Cats
The Stray Cats helped revive rockabilly in the early 80’s and channeled their style into a song that immediately made me imagine a street cat proudly walking through an alley in New York (think Disney’s Oliver and Company). It goes to show that you don’t need money to have style, it’s all about how you carry yourself.
Missing You by Orianthi
Orianthi captures the vibes of John Waite’s original 1984 hit “Missing You” with sweet but balladic vocals and powerful guitar riffs. Her vocals are some that can only really be heard when listening to early 2010’s pop jams; obviously, I was tempted to sing this song into my hairbrush in front of a mirror. While I had this song on repeat to analyze it, my roommate texted me asking me if I was missing my ex, which definitely sums up the soulfulness of this cover.
You’re All I’ve Got Tonight by The Cars
Ten seconds into this song, I knew that it was going into my library. That slow and steady drumbeat opening style that’s reminiscent of the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” is always a sign that you’re about to listen to an absolute bop. The punk-rock staccato combined with wonderfully campy synth and backup vocals makes for the perfect karaoke power song.
Surfing With the Alien by Joe Satriani
Who needs lyrics when face-melting guitar solos can tell a story just as interesting? As the song began, I imagined myself getting pumped up to hit the beach to go surfing. As it progressed, I imagined an alien joining me – we hit some pretty gnarly waves, but still managed to make it out looking cool as hell.
