Dartmouth Soundoff: Goodbye Green Key
Nothing says “Green Key is over” like a little drizzle and a stack of work looming ahead — and both have probably been the reality of most people's weeks so far — although maybe this week won't be so rainy after all! Rain or no rain, I'm putting away the house music and rap-indie mixtapes, and the only dubstep I'll be hearing is the kind forced onto me because I live directly behind frat row. Instead, this week is about detoxing, studying, and maybe a formal or two thrown in the mix.
Whether or not you're chained to the library or taking a nap on the Green, here are a few songs that you could throw onto your normal playlist of Bon Iver or Bright Eyes-esque quiet time music.
Lost In My Mind — The Head & the Heart
A folk-rock group from Seattle, The Head & the Heart makes extensive use of vocal harmonization, and a simple bright piano here. They’re a bit like Mumford & Sons, with less of a backwoods feel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjoA4nYBD5U
Don't Let Them See You Cry — Manchester Orchestra
A repetitive vocal melody and nothing but an acoustic guitar makes this less than two-minute long track simple and sweet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIxa_nidU8o
One Minute — The Album Leaf
This song’s just a little acoustic instrumental piece; you can even hear the hands of the guitarists sliding up and down the neck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0qRAPl84nU
Michigan — The Milk Carton Kids
A soft start builds to all the angst you left back in the ninth grade. Depending on the kind of mood you're in, you'll either fall in love with "Michigan" or dismiss it by the end of the first chorus, which would mean you'd miss the bluesy guitar solo that finishes the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEDnGAvjQXw
White Daisy Passing — Rocky Votolato
While the Album Leaf (above) had half a dozen songs heard on “The O.C. ,"White Daisy Passing," was the only one of Votolato's that appeared on the show in season 3. This is another nice bare bones track whose tone may lift your spirits after "Michigan."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaG2xINk5B4
Crosses — Jose Gonzalez
I'm a big fan of Gonzalez's, and I've mentioned him in previous columns. It's been a little while since I've brought him up, and now seemed like an appropriate time, so here's a mellow Gonzalez original.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6MSkG5txAA
Merry Go 'Round — Kacey Musgraves
While Musgraves explicitly caters to the country crowd, there is something inherently folky about her. Her twang isn't overbearing, and the picked banjo, rather than strummed, gives her a little bit more mainstream appeal. This single made Top 100 of 2012 lists for both NPR and Rolling Stone, and has received significant radio time on country stations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56laCEgsINY
Sheets — Damien Jurado
Another Seattle artist, Jurado starts this song calm with just a whisper of acoustic guitar. The instrumentals grow, and peak in the middle with drums and feedback heard in the mix, which Jurado repeats his main verse over. Simply written, with the themes’ variations are ordered to tell a story of their own.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FwOtHso5Wg