Reece Jamison
Executive Staff
Well, my Sewanee community, here we are in the midst of fall. It came with a vengeance it seems as the eighty degree days gave way rapidly to the falling leaves and gentle breeze. So, why not take some time to review some campfire tracks worthy of a good listen as we roast marshmallows and each other!
First on the list is a simple pick as the gravitas of these two artists is impossible to ignore. My absolute dudes, Anderson .Paak and Kendrick Lamar, find themselves teaming up again for a titillating .Paak track that could have just as easily found itself on a late 70’s disco soundtrack. “Tints” is the first single from .Paak’s upcoming album, Oxnard, his first solo release since 2016’s Malibu.
The instrumental itself is very reminiscent of a Bruno Mars track, featuring a clean guitar riff straight out of an Earth Wind and Fire jam, soulful backing vocals, wrapped up nicely with a thumping bassline modulated with a fuzz pedal. As you contemplate the complexities of life whilst staring into the bonfires of fall, there is no doubt that .Paak and Lamar will find their way into your earholes, bending your brain waves to the grooves of your grandparents’ generation.
An interesting pick this week, Kacey Musgraves released her much anticipated fourth major label album, Golden Hour, and with it came the mesmerizing, “Slow Burn.” Musgraves is no stranger to the country music scene, for she has been touring since 2013 and performing for at least five or six years before that. Now, I don’t usually listen to country, ironic since I am a native of Tennessee, but every now and again there are some country artists that catch my eye, or rather, my ear.
“Slow Burn” is exactly what the title suggests, a gradual build up of melodic beauty and simplicity. Musgraves seems to be dancing around the track, singing about the feeling of walking around the block with nothing much to do, but watch the world around you. It’s a fairly stripped down track, having only acoustic guitars, vocal layering, and a studio drum set to carry the beat. I feel that this sweet lullaby of a song will be a great accompaniment for any pensive individual who finds themselves out and about this Autumn.