coffee, music

A Coffee Playlist With An Untwist: Five Catchy Songs About Coffee

Listening to the Top 40 radio station can be a lesson in madness.

The same predictable chord progressions. The same exact drops. The increasingly small pool of influences that blurs musicians together and makes the very rare unique single stand out like a slap to the mouth. I don’t work a conventional nine-to-five, nor do I constantly tune in to my local radio, so the Top 40 station has become something of a niche for me. I prefer to dig for songs through YouTube recommendations or Soundcloud autoplay, enjoying good surprises and stumbling across lesser-known artists who deserve more love.

A relaxing cadence for your ears melting into the delicious flavors on your tongue. Coffee and music go hand-in-hand, and I found myself wanting to see just how much they overlap. The brew is a daily staple for millions around the world, helping people get through their day with a much-needed moment of comfort or caffeine buzz. Unsurprisingly, that love of coffee seeps into art. The media we consume, the language we speak or the ways we look at one another. It shapes us as much as we shape it.

I’m nothing if not a multitasker. I’ve got five songs that don’t just go great with coffee, but talk about coffee, with enough variety in genre to ensure there will be at least one song that speaks to you:

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music, review, update

Piano Pop & Soft Pop

It’s about time I got around to a genre that’s always acted the part of the happy little angel on my shoulder. I used to listen to a serious amount of piano pop and soft pop during my high school days. Gavin DeGraw, Sara Bareilles, Keane, Coldplay, you name it, I probably listened to it. Luckily for you, though, I’m going to focus more on artists that don’t get nearly as much airplay. …Mostly. Predominantly. You’ll know when you get there!

If piano pop and soft pop aren’t really your thing, check out my previous Sharing The Goodness posts where I looked at rock, ambient/instrumental and house/funk!

I’ve also shaken up this series by doing a music video + song review as well as a top five list of some of my favorite song lyrics.

wanting-what-i-need

1. “Wanting What I Need” by Clara C

Piano pop is like drip coffee with a dollop of something extra. It’s solid, it hits the spot, it’s a mundane staple of everyday life…but there’s an additional sweetness that elevates it to something all its own. When you match it with lyrics that act like your very own personal life coach? It’s a genre all its own.

‘Wanting What I Need’ is the kind of song that wants you to make the most for yourself, online randos and mental illness and anything else tripping you up be damned. Bursting with all sorts of instruments — keyboard, bells, guitars –you also get an unbelievably charming horn section midway through that warms you up just like that cup of drip early in the morning. The video is incredibly cute, too, showcasing the lead singer and her family/friends jumping on a trampoline with balloons, streamers and bubbles.

All in all, what you both want and need is a visual and musical representation of how joy really does come from simple things.

This time I’m gonna break out and be free

Stop needing what I want and start wanting what I need

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music, review

Rock

Nothing fills up my soul quite like some good rock songs. This goes for just about any sub-genre, too. Alternative rock, mathrock, soft rock, just flood my ears without mercy. While I’m going for more general rock with this list, don’t think I won’t have plenty more to satiate your rich, grinding tastes. Indie rock, pop-rock, psychedelic rock — you’ll have plenty to love over the coming Sharing The Goodness posts.

If rock isn’t quite your thing, check out my past Sharing The Goodness post where I looked at some alternative R&B and soul!

tv on the radio

1. “Wolf Like Me” by TV On The Radio

I once had a Zune (remember those?) and it came with some songs pre-downloaded. I listened to each one out of curiosity, deleting and saving as I went, and ended up pretty damn stunned when I hit play on TV On The Radio‘s single, ‘Wolf Like Me’. Not only was it rock, one of my favorite genres of all time, but it was downright bombastic. Every single damn thing about this production simmers and you’re incredibly right that I’m going to gush about it.

I mean, where do you even go wrong with an incredible rock showcase revolving around the mythology of werewolves? The lyrics are right colorful with their almost unsettling depiction of the classic curse and how it can be both an invigorating and terrifying experience for both parties. Now, you could interpret the lyrics as a metaphor for something else…but fuck it. I finally get a song about werewolves (well, a good one) and I’m going to celebrate!

With utterly shredding backing vocals and one whirlwind of an outro that builds and builds and builds to a screaming crescendo, this song all but snatches you by the hand and leads you on a journey. You won’t regret this ride.

When the moon is round and full

Gotta bust that box, gotta gut that fish

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