What Spotify Thinks of Me After Last Week: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

By Margarette Nelson, The Dartmouth Staff | 1/14/14 3:00am



Admittedly, I only adopted Spotify in the past six months, so I'm definitely late to the party. (This is coming from the girl who used a flip phone until her 20th birthday.) Until then, I exclusively and loyally used Pandora for all my streaming needs. I still nostalgically click that light blue "P" square on my iPhone sometimes, like when I’m in a subway station and Pandora is the last music app to retain streaming capabilities in those pesky New York 4G black holes.

Anyway, Spotify has this "Discover" page with a feed of recommendations based on what you've previously listened to (I feel like I may or may not be describing something really basic right now). Of course, since much of my recent activity was from the creation of last week's playlist, my feed right now serves as an addendum of sorts.

I listened to "Wildest Moments," which seemed a little bit Leona-Lewis-esque. Cleanly produced and packaged, Jessie Ware’s music shares Haim’s R&B-tinged sound.

This track starts out with an 80s-reminiscent synth, and features a nice female-male vocal pairing. While Chad Valley’s song has the stadium sound, it's not as catchy as my favorite songs from Chvrches and St. Lucia.

When I clicked the icon for Kopecky, "Heartbeat," their most well-known song, immediately started streaming. They are quality indie rock but definitely have a more masculine tone than Lucius.

Yes, this is the guy that was featured on Rihanna's "Stay" last year. And no, this sounds NOTHING like The 1975, as Spotify suggests. And, honestly, I don't really like the song either.

Last week, I noticed one of my 17-year-old Facebook friends had an album titled "Doses & Mimosas," and I was like, "Who do you think you are?" But now I realize that it was likely in reference to this song, which makes me realize she's probably cooler than I am. Anyway, the song has catchy falsetto, unapologetic lyrics and a video with an average-looking, mainstream hipster partying on a West Coast rooftop at dusk. What's not to love? Definitely my pick of the week.

This is what I get for listing a country artist…Sorry, it's going on the playlist.

I love when producers leave in the organic sound of the left hand moving up and down the guitar neck. The track is sweet and folky, perfect for curling up in the Tower Room or the periodicals on a snowy day with KAF and a book.

Her voice isn't exactly for me, but "Playing for Keeps" is actually a pretty well-written track. To recommend her based off of my interest in Lucius is a bit of a stretch, however.

I actually really love these guys. They have their cheesy moments, but overall their music is catchy and fun. "We Come Running" was the track that started streaming when I clicked on their icon, but I would also recommend "Rootless."

Okay, I understand that they could share a fan base with St. Lucia, but this is another recommendation that sounds nothing like the catalyst. Anyway, "Warm Body" is a nice folk track reminding me of a warmer, more mature version of Ingrid Michaelson's "You and I."

Much more rock influenced than Chvrches, Ball Park Music's "Surrender" is a nice mid-tempo, indie yet fundamentally rock anthem. I'll take it.


Margarette Nelson, The Dartmouth Staff