From love letters to meta angels, this week’s playlist features Andover’s teaching fellows’ top top picks for the Winter. Funky, upbeat, or reflective––these songs span a diverse range of genres and artists including Nelly Furtado, Greek singer “good job nicky”, and J-pop group YOASOBI. Scan the link below to listen!
Mato Seth, Fellow in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science
“One of my most recent, newly liked songs is ‘Man Eater’ by Nelly Furtado…[it’s] fantastic when I’m showering and getting ready. I usually listen to songs in the morning that will put me in a good mood. I try to not listen to really sad songs in the morning because it’ll make me want to bundle up and go back to bed. This song is fairly upbeat, and Ifeel it’s important in [getting me] in a good mood for class.”
Houlihan, Fellow in Biology
“[I like] ‘The Bug Collector’ [by Haley Heynderickx], because it’s mellow. It’s not upbeat, happy, in your face, but it’s calm, happy. So I think it’s the type of song that’s really good for Saturday mornings, l cup of coffee and your friends. It’s pensive and reflective…I [also] like ‘It’s Good Day (to fight the system)’ [by Shungudzo], because it’s more upbeat, happy, and the lyrics are inspiring. It’s a new song that was written in 2020…[and] inspires people to do good and to be active citizens and to fight the system. I think that’s important and a good reminder to take us outside of our Andover bubble or to make change in our Andover bubble as well.”
`Yuto Iwaizumi, Fellow in French and Japanese
“‘Love Letter’ by YOASOBI, a Japanese group. I’m a huge fan of [them]. They have an interesting way of writing their songs. There’s this website in Japan where people can post really short stories, and this group takes some of those stories and turns them into songs…This song is based on a letter that someone submitted about music, and how that’s been a big part of her life. There’s a line that goes, ‘It’s scary to think about [what would’ve happened] if I didn’t meet you. I love you that much.’ I relate to that because I cannot picture what my life would have been if music wasn’t a part of it. I enjoy how the song expresses appreciation to music, [and] the concept of writing a letter to something that isn’t a person was unique as well.”
Dri Tattersfield, Fellow in Physics
“I have been listening to ‘Meta Angel’ by FKA twigs and ‘The Only Heartbreaker’ by Mitski…I think both FKA twigs and Mitski are artists who release really emotional music that I really connect to but both of them…for FKA twigs – her recent album [is] exploring more joy as well…While [FKA twigs and Mitski are] still exploring really difficult emotions, it’s also about moving forward. And I think that’s been really helpful for me in this sort of dark winter to listen to.”
Myrsini Manou Georgila, Fellow in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science (in an email to The Phillipian)
“One of my favorite songs at the moment is “Realize” by good job nicky, a Greek singer and music writer. I particularly like it for the joy, the hope, and a sense of redemption that it emits…The chorus finally introduces the vicious cycle of making mistakes, loving, and learning with the right people by our side, which may be one way to describe our life simply yet holistically. While the overall song has a romantic tone, there are parts of the song that could reflect any type of relationship, like between our friends and our family, and the role of their love in our growth and redemption through life. As a fellow Greek myself, I am very proud of good job nicky’s work [in] the past two years that he has been active.”
