Single Saturdays: October 26, 2024
Single Saturdays is Five Cent Sound’s weekly roundup, where our staff members share a song that they’ve fallen in love with and make their case for why others should give it a listen.
“Inside and Out” by Feist
Emily Zeitz
Picture this: It’s the first day of classes and I don’t really want to go. I’m excited about getting the semester started, but I am certainly not excited to sit in lectures for the next six hours. Most of my suitemates have left for their classes already, and I’m happy to have a later start, but the sense of impending doom lingers (exaggerating for dramatic effect of course, I just hate sitting in classes). I suggest that my remaining suitemates and I turn on some music to bring up the mood and “pregame” classes, so to speak, with some dancing. And, bring up the mood it certainly did, when my friend turned on this lovely song.
I’d never heard “Inside and Out” by Feist before, but was quickly grabbed by its groovy beat and Feist’s beautiful voice. I’m always a fan of a pretty wholesome song, so once the chorus hit, I knew it was for me. The lyrics profess a composite (per say) objective love for someone, repeatedly stating that they’re loved inside and out. It’s supposed to be about a romantic partner, dropping lines like their “kisses taste like honey” and other such monogamous hints, but when I listen to this song’s chorus I tend to think about my friends. It’s likely because I was with them when I first heard it, and felt lots of love for them in that moment as we tried to bombard ourselves with good vibes before our first day of classes. But, I prefer to think that it’s because I genuinely love them each inside and out.
“Connect” by Vampire Weekend
Madison Smithwick
Vampire Weekend has become one of the most prominent bands of the modern alternative music movement. And, it’s not hard to see why. Over the past eighteen years, the band has released five albums, with each having their own specific tones and perspectives. Their debut self-titled LP was fun and full of energy, with clear garage rock and ska influences present. I remember listening to “A-Punk” (the band’s most popular song) every morning on my way to middle school, convinced I was the only one who knew of such an “indie” and “underground” group. Just like the band, I was a bit naive, and had to grow up. Their next records Contra, Modern Vampires of the City, and Father of the Bride reflected this, with more intricate compositions and deeper lyrics that launched the band and its members into the indie-rock superstars they are today.
Only God Was Above Us is their newest record, and arguably one of their best. They’re currently on tour and played TD Garden this past Friday, October 25th, with Cults as their opening act. Having been a fan for most of my teen years and going into my adult life, seeing the band live has always been a goal of mine. I was lucky enough to win the Ticketmaster war and secure a spot at my dream concert. “Connect” off Only God Was Above Us has not only become my favorite song off the album but also one of my favorite songs by the band. The lyrics discuss the anxieties of wanting to connect with the physical and spiritual world around you. Set to a perfect mix of electronic synth sounds and natural acoustic instruments, “Connect” will no doubt be incredible when performed live.
“Pageant Material” by Kacey Musgraves
Sean Perry
Kacey Musgraves has always been a bit of an anomaly in country music. In a genre defined by people celebrating the things they are—a patriot, an American, or a Christian—Musgraves is much more comfortable writing about the things she is not. In “Pageant Material,” this habit of Musgraves’ is exemplified. She sings about not being “pageant material,” painting the picture of a woman who is perpetually stoned and unable to remain congenial. The track is chock full of quirky lyrics such as “And it ain't that I don't care about world peace / But I don't see how I can fix it in a swimsuit on a stage” that showcase Musgraves’ offbeat songwriting and her propensity towards expressing her true feelings. She’s outright with her perceived shortcomings and even turns them into a brand, something that has helped build Musgraves’ career and cultural presence.
Pageant Material is one of the most refreshing country albums dropped in the last 10 years. Released in 2015, the album made big waves by disrupting the status quo of mainstream country music. Since the blacklisting of The Chicks in 2003 following their criticism of former president George W. Bush, directly going against the grain of country music culture became almost taboo. Despite this, Musgraves never showed any apprehension towards sharing her authentic opinions in her music (see “Follow Your Arrow,” released in 2012.) Even when her 2021 album star-crossed was shut out at the Grammys, Musgraves stood on her beliefs, stating that “It’s not groundbreaking heathen ideas I’m writing about – but also not surprised because I know that country is the last bastion of the music industry that has a problem with things that other genres don’t.” Musgraves’ album Golden Hour ended up overshadowing her previous two, winning Album of the Year at the 2019 Grammys, but the foundation she was able to build on these
“SpottieOttieDopalicious” by OutKast
Rynn Dragomirov
About every three months, I go through the same musical cycle. Almost like clockwork, I find a new OutKast song to obsess over for at least a couple of weeks, and no matter what else I listen to I just find myself drawn right back to that one song. For a while, it was “Rosa Parks,” then “Prototype,” then “Elevators (Me & You).” This past week, I’ve set my sights on “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” off of Aquemini. Mixing that same funky, soulful sound that has become associated with many of the group’s biggest hits, this song does it all for me. It features a bright, groovy horn melody that has not left my head since I heard it; a gritty beat and bass combo rides underneath, occasionally breaking through to ground the song in a low sludgy tempo.
While these two features play off each other, Andre 3000 and Big Boi mirror them with two distinct lyrical stories. The former paints a picture of the 2000’s Atlanta underground nightlife scene– both its strengths and its pitfalls. Andre describes “A lil discotheque” where “young men and young women go to experience they first little taste of the night life;” but, he expresses disappointment as he observes the progression of this scene:
“And the crowd goes wild, as if Holyfield has just won the fight/ But in actuality, it's only about 3 a.m., and three … just done got hauled off in the ambulance, sliced up.”
Then, in the second half of the song, Big Boi, like the bass through the horns, enters to recount a story about a one-night-stand turned long term relationship.
“When I first met my SpottieOttieDopaliscious angel/ I can remember that damn thing like yesterday.”
What begins as a sultry description of an attractive woman, “like a brown stallion horse with skates on,” morphs into a reference to the mother of his daughter, Jordan. This “SpottieOttieDopaliscious angel” isn’t a random woman, but rather someone near and dear to his heart. The rest of this verse sees Big Boi reminding us of the beauty of love and parenthood. A one night stand can turn into you and somebody’s daughter raising your own child– if you’re “man enough to handle real-life situations, that is.” The song’s narrative story begins by retelling