(EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is the second entry in the Sun-Gazette's Uptown Music Collective series. Shannon Cantor is a UMC?student.)
There is no way that I can adequately describe all the music that I listen to with only one album or even one artist. I enjoy such a myriad of styles, songs and musicians that it is difficult to choose which I listen to the most. However, in order to keep this article relatively short, three albums that frequent my CD player are: Fiona Apple's "Tidal," Arcade Fire's "Funeral," and The Beatles' "Abbey Road."
"Tidal," by Fiona Apple, is an album I connect with on many levels. The richness, power and emotion heard in every word she sings are things I aspire to have as a vocalist. On this particular album, one sees an array of emotions painted across the CD.
"Shadowboxer" features an almost pleading tone, while "Criminal" is much more dark and sly. Finally, the song "Never Is a Promise" takes the listener to a place where hope is scarce and disappointment inevitable.
As heartrending as parts of this album can be, talent bleeds from Apple's writing, piano playing, vocals and lyrics - ultimately creating a brilliant album.
Over the past year, I started to listen to Arcade Fire. Although many of their songs contain simple chords and forms, there is depth in the music throughout the album, found in the many voices and instruments that cause an unnamable force, which draws one into a feeling of complexity in its simplicity.
The entire album "Funeral" never ceases to sweep me away with the emotional power it holds. Each song on this album has the ability to change the mood of the room simply with the sincerity heard - even through the CD player. This factor alone, even above the high quality of the songs, is what causes this album to stay with me.
I could not have written this article without mentioning The Beatles. The band's classic "Abbey Road" is the only one of these albums that I could cite as a "favorite" album. However, this one, especially, is key in my musical preferences. The impeccable harmonies on "Because" and "Sun King" are unforgettable, as well as the bone-jarring pulse created in "She's So Heavy."
In addition, the most beautiful melody that I think I have ever heard is in "Golden Slumbers." The incredible musical convolution placed into each one of these songs is stunning, as well as the emotion and passion shown through all that The Beatles created.
Emotion in music links all three of these albums. No matter how intricate or simple the song, the emotion and sincerity placed into the music is felt. These two things, as well as the passion involved, are what the audience feels and also what they remember. "Tidal" (Fiona Apple), "Funeral" (Arcade Fire) and "Abbey Road" (The Beatles), are albums to which I continue to return to - not just because they contain "cool songs," but because they seep with passion, emotion and sincerity.
