I’ve found myself recently diving into a plethora of new and differing artists. My music taste has changed drastically over the course of my high school years, and I’m sure many can relate to that.
For this column, I want to focus on my top five favorite musical artists.
Mac Miller is one of my favorite artists. I love his growth as an artist from his Blue Slide Park and K.I.D.S era to his final few albums where he blossomed creatively, like The Divine Feminine, Swimming, and Circles. His music went from being categorized as boring frat rap to being praised for its experimental sound and jazz/soul-influenced vibe. In his final albums, he transcended genres, and it truly is a beautiful listening experience. Mac Miller will always be remembered as an artist who had so much left to give and was gone far too soon. This was just the beginning of his musical journey, and I can’t imagine what it would’ve looked like if he hadn’t passed so young.
Frank Ocean is another one of my favorite artists. With truly unreal storytelling and an incredible voice, he has put out so much amazing music in such small quantities, yet it’s impossible to get tired of hearing his songs again. Every album from Nostalgia Ultra to Endless is a masterpiece of production and concept, on top of him being one of the best singer-songwriters of our generation. Although he hasn’t released much music, what he has put out is nothing short of perfection.
Arctic Monkeys is one of my favorite groups. They’re one of the biggest groups in indie rock, delving into other genres like post-punk revival, psychedelic rock, alt-rock, hard rock, and punk rock. They have everything from fast-paced, in-your-face albums like Favorite Worst Nightmare and Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, slower, more mellow albums like AM, and extremely experimental albums like Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino and The Car. They are another artist whose growth as a band sonically is so intriguing to watch, watching their songs go from super aggressive and fast while lead singer Alex Turner was writing songs from the guitar, to slowing down the pace and having more complex vocals once he started writing from the piano.
Childish Gambino made one of my favorite albums ever: “Awaken, My Love!” This album is incredible, and Gambino’s vocal performance on every track is amazing, to say the least. He goes from singing in an incredibly high falsetto for “Redbone,” to warping and straining his voice in all kinds of ways for every track on this album. His performance is indescribable, and you really must listen to understand it. But, he is one of the most talented artists of our generation by far.
Tame Impala is a unicorn of an artist, making some of the most incredible, experimental alt/indie rock albums all on his own with his computer, voice, and instruments. He has influenced countless artists with his bold experimentation and impacted the scene of indie rock as a whole with his unique sound and song structure. He does all of it with just his instruments and a computer in his room, truly proving you don’t need top-of-the-line gear and studios to make incredible music.
