The sun-soaked spring quarter marathon commences, and we’re kicking it off with some spring break favorites. Ten weeks till summer, team.
- BRANDON FLOWERS — “Can’t Deny My Love” — as described by julia izabella espero
- SYLVAN ESSO — “Coffee (MS MR Remix)” — as described by analyssa lopez
- JAMIE XX FEAT. ROMY — “Loud Places” — as described by anthony milki
- PACIFIC DUB — “California Girl” — as described by heather connelly
- COUCHERON FT. EASTSIDE AND MAYER HAWTHORNE — “Deep End” — as described by nishant karandikar
- RUN THE JEWELS x ZACK de la ROCHA — “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)” — as described by john murray
- VAMPIRE WEEKEND — “Campus” — as described by kelsey dayton
- SYREETA — ¨I Love Every Little Thing About You¨ — as described by editor lawrence neil
- JOHN GOLD — “Thursday” — as described by e.i.c. katharine schwab
BRANDON FLOWERS — “Can’t Deny My Love” — as described by julia izabella espero
I’m loving the California spring weather but in my heart I’ll always be a Vegas girl. I’ll always miss 110 degree weather in the spring and the endless repeats of Vegas bands on the radio — for one, The Killers. It’s nice to hear some new tunes from Brandon Flowers these days. May is a month a way, but hey — who cares? — May showers bring Brandon Flowers. #tbt to when “Somebody Told Me” was my flip-phone ringtone and I went to school with a few of the many Flowers nieces.
SYLVAN ESSO — “Coffee (MS MR Remix)” — as described by analyssa lopez
A good friend of mine recommended this band a week or two before break, and I fell in love. Their self-titled album got me through the roughest dead week/finals of my career and this remix got me through a week and a half of wishing that I were on a beach somewhere, instead of on my couch in Kansas City watching the same episode of Criminal Minds for the fourth time.
JAMIE XX FEAT. ROMY — “Loud Places” — as described by anthony milki
I’m sometimes put off by the vocals on certain xx tracks, but Romy kills it here over a very tasteful, minimalist sonic backdrop provided by Jamie xx. The song features a glorious Idris Muhammad sample that never fails to lighten the mood.
PACIFIC DUB — “California Girl” — as described by heather connelly
Nothing sounds as much like the sound of sunshine as the reggae-infused-rock of Pacific Dub’s “California Girl.” Well, except maybe “The Sound of Sunshine” by Michael Franti & Spearhead, but you knew that. No matter where you where over break, let me be the 276th person to welcome you to sunshine, the farm and hopefully your own “California Girl” (or boy)!
COUCHERON FT. EASTSIDE AND MAYER HAWTHORNE — “Deep End” — as described by nishant karandikar
Look, I get it: the dude’s name sounds like a sofa from IKEA. But I just spent my spring break in the cold, rainy PNW while everyone else was in the tropics and it would really, really mean a lot to me if you just stopped complaining and listened for once.
Sorry for going off on you like that. Sometimes it just slips out.
RUN THE JEWELS feat Zack de la Rocha — “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)” — as described by john murray
This video came out over break and I’m not even gonna bother with any more words people should just watch it.
VAMPIRE WEEKEND — “Campus” — as described by kelsey dayton
How can you drag your feet when the beat is this bouncy? This song is quite literally about social dynamics within our little bubble, complete with the pretense to academia that we’re barely even pretending to notice anymore. Go ahead and read into the lyrics all the nuances you’d like- I’ll just be sleeping on my balcony.
SYREETA — ¨I Love Every Little Thing About You¨ — as described by editor lawrence neil
In an ideal world, this is playing as the camera zooms out on a sunny street and the ending credits roll to the romcom version of my life (Vincent Cassel plays an off-type cast tbd supporting role).
JOHN GOLD — “Thursday” — as described by e.i.c. katharine schwab
Gold’s got the eerie, incomprehensible lyrics of someone who prays to indie rock gods. “When the vulture turns to dove, it’s through the looking glass now” has the slight arrogance of the artist who likes to throw words on top of a melody and see what happens — or am I missing a cultural reference? Enter the bridge: I’m hooked. This is the unlikely beauty of sameness, like open sky over open road, the unique repetition of snowflakes.
('18, Undeclared, Multimedia Editor) is from Las Vegas, Nevada. She does not live in a casino, but might as well as she revels throughout many on toasty summer nights. She dreams in color and photographs in black and white. Her Ibuprofen is almost always chased with shots of espresso.
('16) made this sad world a par•a•dise. She is cultivating both her Twitter persona & her Kristen Stewart aesthetic, is a firm believer in selfies & has the same taste in music as that one guy you dated in high school.
('17, Human Biology/Creative Writing) is from Palo Alto and listens to a lot of Kanye.
(‘16, MCS) is from Portland, Oregon and struggles with oversleeping. He enjoys napping on Burmese temples and highlighters.
(’15, English) is addicted to cheddar cheese and Triscuits and likes to do this weird double-jointed thing with his arms a lot. He’s from Oregon. His new(ish) dog is adorable.
(‘15) hails from Cotati, California and has a compulsive obsession with all things film, politics, and creative writing. Her favorite pastimes include overanalyzing screenplays while watching TV, hiking, and running illegally through other people’s property.
(‘14, History/Creative Writing, Editor-at-Large) is from Cleveland, Ohio and writes fiction.
(‘15, English, Outgoing Editor-in-Chief) likes to write songs about gravity and days that don't end. Katharine is from Pasadena, CA and she's only been to one Rose Bowl game. Ever.