Edgar Gonzalez C’12 is WMNJ's music director. Photo by Shelley Kusnetz.
Plugged-in WMNJ staffers recommend 12 must-listen songs for 2012.
Find out what the alt-music cognoscenti on campus will be listening to this year with this custom Drew Magazine mixtape by DJs John Dabrowski, Edgar Gonzalez, Hanna Jrad, Shara Katz, Nick Klein and Amy Wheeler.
“Audio, Video, Disco”
Justice: French disco has never sounded cooler; Justice returns after their mega hit “D.A.N.C.E,” with this new track, where classic rock meets the dance floor.
“What the Water Gave Me”
Florence + the Machine: British musician Florence Welch, whose ethereal and emotionally mesmerizing debut album enthralled audiences, expands her sound with this emotionally intense single.
“Lonely Boy”
The Black Keys: The first single off El Camino, the new album by the three-time Grammy-winning duo known for their raw, authentic blues-rock sound.
“Always on the Run”
Yuksek: Yuksek is French DJ Pierre-Alexander Busson, whose electro-pop music sounds like MGMT and Justice.
“Spiderwebs”
Azad Right: An Iranian-American rapper, Right produces beautiful, introspective songs that are upbeat and relatable.
“Bonfire”
Childish Gambino: In “Bonfire,” Donald Glover, acclaimed for his hilarious role on NBC’s Community, carves out a hip-hop niche with explosive verses, compact beats and a sense of humor.
“Video Games”
Lana Del Ray: Heretofore unknown Brooklyn jazz singer Del Ray has ignited a media frenzy with this elegant, confessional track.
“Truth”
Alexander Ebert: The lead singer of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes whistles and croons so effortlessly in this solo piece that you might forget all your problems
“No Diggity”
Chet Faker: An electro artist from Melbourne, Australia, Faker is rapidly gaining recognition for his cover of this R&B classic.
“Country Roads”
Pretty Lights: An epic electro remix of the classic John Denver song.
“Twist”
Oh Land: Oh Land is a Danish pop goddess who stands to make a name for herself this year with her hypnotic voice and euphoric music.
“Cameo Lover”
Kimbra: A singer/songwriter from New Zealand, Kimbra is rumored to be releasing her indie-pop album Vows in the United Statesin 2012.
Sorry, that comment I left was in reference to the first comment, by Dwight Kehoe C’64. I wasn’t clear on that.
Really? I thought it stated the names of those people at the top of the list. I guess you can lead people to an article, but you can’t get them to actually read it before commenting.
Cool list. Loved it. You should post it up as a playlist on iTunes.
It might even be something worth sharing with new students over the summer before Orientation or during Preview Days to introduce them to WMNJ and get them excited about Drew.
[...] Read the full list here: http://www.drewmagazine.com/2011/12/easy-listening/ [...]
I have to agree with Campbell, ‘good’ music spans every genre – it’s really a matter of preference. With this list they are just trying to get listeners interested in different music around the world that they might not have otherwise heard of. Some classical (most, in my opinion), is amazing…but that’s not the only music out there worth listening to!
They are! 3pm on Saturdays (Sophie Chen’s show) and 5-10pm on Sundays (automation).
Actually WMNJ is playing classical music now from time to time.
As a recent alumnus of WMNJ, I think it’s safe to say that many college students are not interested in classical music. I love Bach and Gershwin (and even Stravinsky or Stockhausen) as much as the next art music buff, but I hardly think that classical music is the only genre where “GOOD” music can be heard. This seems to me like a pretty varied list, did you give any of these tracks a spin?
I have no idea who put this crappy collection together, but I suggest they listen to Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Gershwin, even Bernstein and Bachrach if they want to know what GOOD music is.