22 ARTS: MUSIC
THE FOUNDER January 2022
The Founder Recommends A
s part of a new feature, each issue of the Founder will feature some of our editor’s recommendations for their favourite songs, albums, and artists. So, have a read if you want to find something new to listen to or even be reminded of one of your own favourites.
Managing Editor, Robert’s picks:
Favourite Song: Cigarette Daydreams – Cage the Elephant
Robert has chosen the 2013 hit from American alternative rock band, Cage the Elephant. From the moment it was released 9 years ago, this has been one of Robert’s most-loved tracks. The track topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and was certified platinum in the US. The song comes from the band’s third studio album, Melophobia, and it is one of Robert’s favourite tracks because it never fails to provide a healthy dose of childhood nostalgia.
Favourite Artist: Frank Ocean
A firm favourite amongst the editors of the Founder, this isn’t the first time that Frank Ocean has appeared in The Founder Recommends. Robert has named Frank Ocean as his favourite artist due to his unequivocally colossal impact on R&B and 21st century music. Despite a limited discography, Frank Ocean has solidified his place as one of the greatest by winning 2 Grammys and the Brit Award for International Male Artist in 2013. Robert is a big fan of how Frank Ocean pulls his influences from many different genres.
Favourite Album: Illmatic – Nas
The debut studio album from American rapper, Nas, Illmatic is often referenced as one of the magnum opuses of hiphop. Robert loves its “effortless New York jazz undertones partnered with Nas’ reflective narration of Queens-bridge life and gritty drum loops.” Upon release in 1994, the album was met with widespread critical acclaim, even earning a five mic rating from the prestigious American hip-hop and entertainment magazine, The Source. Robert says that it is a must listen for rap and modern music fans.
Source: Spotify
Features Editor, Sela’s picks: Favourite Song: Off to the Races – Lana Del Rey
Sela has chosen Lana Del Rey’s Off to the Races as her favourite song, “mostly because of the lyrical masterpiece that it is”. She finds that every line in the sing dreamily alters between luxurious yet mundane moments. The song first appeared on Lana Del Rey’s self-titled Interscope debut, but was re-released on her second studio album, Born to Die, in 2012. Sela is obsessed with the images that the song uses.
Favourite Artist: Lana Del Rey Unsurprisingly, Sela’s favourite artist is also Lana Del Rey. Sela loves Lana’s poetry. She adores the way “she so selectively intertwines mundanity and luxury and transforms it into a life that is impossible not to speculate about”. With 8 studio albums, Sela particularly appreciates how with each new album “she invents a new era, invoking new feelings and vulnerabilities, and a new level of maturity that exceeds the last”.
Favourite Album: Born to Die – Lana Del Rey
The second studio album from the American singer and songwriter is Sela’s choice for her favourite album and she believes that it is Lana Del Rey’s strongest album. Sela thinks that the strength of this album is “rooted in its consistency - its consistency in invoking a strange feeling of worry for a woman who is so happy to be showing off her boulevard life with so much pending sadness to come”. Source: Wikimedia Commons
