An album a day keeps boredom away

Two weeks ago I dared to do what I had never done before: I stepped out of my comfort zone and explored new genres of music. Realizing my taste in music was not as broad as I claimed it was, I decided to reach out to my Instagram followers for help. On February 28th, I posted an Instagram story that asked followers to give me album recommendations. I vowed to listen to one a day until I had made it through all of the recommendations. The results of this experiment were eye-opening. Before we get into it, though, I would like to formally apologize to every person who told me to listen to every One Direction album and every Taylor Swift album. Unfortunately, that could not be done, but I did listen to a couple. 

One of the first recommendations I received ended up being one of my favorites. Fellow B-Side staff member, Baylie Raddon, suggested that I listen to the album Hospice (2009) by The Antlers. The album featured songs with incredibly diverse sounds, some melancholic and reflective and some upbeat similar to that of a lot of other indie music. If I had to recommend one song to people, it  would be “Bear.”

As much as I loved The Antlers, it still bore a lot of similarities to the music I listen to on a regular basis. So, for the next album I chose to branch out completely and listen to Apocalyptic Love (2012) by Slash. Apocalyptic Love is a hard rock album by the lead guitarist of Guns N’ Roses, Saul Hudson. I am usually not enamored with classic rock, but I tried my best to remove my bias and judge the musicality. I have to admit the guitar parts were objectively impressive. I think if you are a fan of this genre of music, Slash might be the best new addition to your playlists. 

The next album on this musical journey was one that was requested not once, but twice. It was the incredibly soulful, impressive R&B album, Negro Swan (2018) by Blood Orange. My favorite song on the album was “Orlando.” This album blew me away. It was so smart and poetic. Because I never listened to much R&B I would not have given this album a passing glance, so I never would have found it on my own. Throughout this experiment, this album was probably the most revealing to me. It showed me how biased I am. How much amazing music am I missing out on simply because I think it is not my genre? 

I ended up being immensely grateful that I listened to Negro Swan towards the middle of this project, because I think I became much more enthusiastic and open-minded as I proceeded. 

Up next was yet another success. My ears were treated to a hip-hop sound that seemed to infuse some elements of spoken word poetry. The album responsible for this treat was Cardboard Castles (2013) by Watsky. My favorite track on this album was “Dedicated to Christina Li.” Watsky manages to be a craftful storyteller throughout the album. It is a must-listen.

Next on this journey was an album I dreaded listening to. All due respect to the friend who suggested it, but it was a country album. If I committed to this project, though, I knew I needed to commit fully, so there I went. I listened to Quiet Heavy Dreams (2020) by Zach Bryan. Even listening to the genre I detested the most, I was able to find components of the songs that I appreciated like Bryan’s lyricism. His lyrics were not superficial. They depicted beautiful nature and told stories of complex human emotions, starkly contrasting my perception of country songs that only focus on God, trucks, tractors, beer, and beautiful blonde women. 

Unfortunately, I cannot write about all of the albums I had the pleasure of listening to or otherwise this article would have been about twenty times longer. However, I would like to shout out some other favorites: Lucid (2019) by Raveena, Rise (2020) by Willow and Jahnavi Harrison, and Mama’s Gun (2000) by Erykah Badu. And, since you all gave me wonderful album recommendations, I would like to recommend three of my all-time favorites for my readers: This Empty Northern Hemisphere (2009) by Gregory Alan Isakov, Landmark (2017) by Hippo Campus, and The Baby (2020) by Samia. 

Listening to a new album every day was a cool experience, and I encourage everyone to try it out for themselves. Reflecting on all that I took away from this experience, I realize how much I limited myself when listening to music. Because music is so incredibly vast, I convinced myself that I could only ever truly be an expert in indie and folk music. I realize now though, especially after joining Berkeley B-Side, I don’t need to be an expert in any one genre. There is so much music out in the world that is worth exploring. Why limit yourself? It is better to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. Never again will I be fearful to try new music. It was exciting, refreshing, and eye-opening. 

Article and Design by Anna Armstrong