Zach Zebrowitz, ’19: Hi everyone, I’m Zach Zebrowitz and I’ll be writing music reviews for the Arts section of Scholium. This article will be split into three main sections. First, I’ll share the results from the music preferences poll that was sent out. Second, I’ll outline what you can expect from my articles for the rest of the year. Finally, I’m going to conclude by recommending some music that I think you may enjoy.
Despite Rap/R&B dominating the most global charts, the results from the poll were surprisingly split. In the EA community, R&B/Hip Hop and Pop reigned supreme, with 67% and 50% respectively. However, EDM and Alternative Rock were still fairly popular, with 31% and 35%. While Rap was not one of the most popular genres, To Pimp A Butterfly was chosen as one of the community’s favorite albums at 49%.
Something that fascinated me about the results of the poll was the sheer amount of people who chose Lil Uzi as their favorite artist and/or chose Luv is Rage II as their favorite album. I always thought Lil Uzi was very niche: his vocals and beats are strange and he likes to pretend he’s a rockstar from time to time. I love Lil Uzi and I loved Luv is Rage II, but some students I talked to didn’t love the album and some even said, “I expected art, but I wound up with whatever this is.”
Within the “Favorite Artists” section, I actually discovered some new artists. Someone put down Lecrae, whose new album is All Things Work Together. After listening to it, I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an artist specializing in lyricism. As someone who appreciates a highly emotional album, I loved All Things Work Together. The diversity of our school’s music taste is incredibly interesting; it was very rare for anyone to have the same favorite song, let alone the same album.
One of the last questions of the poll asked if the community would be interested in a monthly playlist, to which I received a resounding yes. Because of that, I’ve decided to put together a monthly playlist that you can find by searching “zachezeb” or “October Scholium” on Spotify. My plan for the playlist is to send out monthly polls and see what people like that month, whether it be songs, albums, or artists. I’ll mix the results of the monthly polls in with the different songs and albums I’ve liked or discovered throughout the months. If you like or dislike the playlists, feel free to let me know. The best way to make the playlists as good as possible is to get feedback about what people like and don’t like. I also plan to write monthly reviews and monthly commentary pieces based off the results of these monthly polls.
Finally, I’d like to talk about two genres that I personally enjoy: Rap and R&B.This summer the rap collective Brockhampton put out its first full length album, Saturation, and released Saturation II two months later. The finale of the trilogy, Saturation III, will be released in October and if there is sufficient interest, I will write a full review. Brockhampton is one of the best rap collectives I’ve ever seen and its music is spectacular, unique, and raw, leaving listeners stunned. I’d highly recommend checking out the songs “GOLD,” “COTTON HOLLOW,” “HEAT,” “SWAMP,” and “BUMP.”
For those who prefer Alt Rock/EDM, I’d recommend checking out the LCD Soundsystem, more specifically the song “Waiting on the Summer.” I would also recommend Thomas Rhett’s new album Life Changes, which is a strong, nostalgic country album and a great mood booster. Finally, I’d like to suggest the band Judah and the Lion. Many people know them from their song “Take it All Back,” but I’d highly recommend checking out the rest of their catalogue.
Thanks for reading and happy listening!