If I have to name this week’s playlist it would be Nostalgia. From all the weekly music fix playlists I have constructed so far I think this one was the most fun, different, and sentimental one. The journey down the memory lane was way stronger and personal this time. Of course, I have also included new discoveries and artists which I found thanks to the genius Daily Mix playlist of Spotify (which also brought me back to my teens), friend’s recommendations, and thanks to the suggestion of Mike Shinoda himself. For the 7th edition of the weekly music fix, I decided to focus on songs which are almost underground and which I think you would have a hard time finding otherwise but I believe they are totally worth the time. I hope you enjoy it!

Check out the complete collection of songs on Spotify or YouTube (two bonus songs which are not on Spotify in the YouTube playlist again).

Mind Over Matter – From The Sky

I have a never-ending love for this Aussie hip-hop (former) duo. Honestly, I have too many good things to say about them. While writing this I also wanted to suggest other good songs by the band but I came to realize that almost every song they have put out is something I believe people should hear. I am putting several of their tracks in the playlist for the week but I sincerely recommend you check their entire discography out for some supreme quality hip-hop music. One song I want to emphasize on is The Ghost And The Wolf which is not on Spotify and can only be found on YouTube.

This particular song took me way back to my early teens. I remember I discovered the band when I was seventeen – confused and disturbed by my life in general – and I was completely astonished by the lyrical content, killer flow, and thought-provoking topics explored in the arsenal of Mind Over Matter. As cliche as it sounds the band helped me navigate my way through my messy thoughts and to this day nothing has changed – I come back to the songs which comforted me and helped me in one way or another whenever I feel lost or needed advice. I truly think the art of the duo is superb and terribly underrated (unfortunately).

Mind Over Matter was (they unexpectedly split up three or four years ago due to different views in terms of the development of the band. Which you wouldn’t be able to tell by the coherent and well-constructed tracklists of their releases) one very well-polished and exceptional band which had the potential to stay above the majority of musicians not only in the hip-hop world. Everything they did was down-to-earth, real and sincere. If you explore their music and get into their lyrics you will notice the genius of their songwriting and it will make you relate, understand, sympathize, and just tell yourself “Yes, that’s actually the truth” as well as “I needed to hear that, thank you”.

I have lots of things to say about the music of the former duo but I will save them for a blog which I will dedicate to them. I will end this section with one of my favorite quotes (from the songs above) by the band which I think has the power to resonate with your soul and mind.

Yo, it’s easy to look around, you know, and see a whole that’s maybe divided over different opinions, beliefs, perspectives. I know we all see the world different but I think we can all coexist and make this place a lot more colourful. We gotta just appreciate everyone for their differences and, you know, their outlook on everything. We’re really just tryna spread that love and light and tryna influence the world in whatever little way we can. Tryna show ’em that we can get down under the same sky and just dance together, I guess…

Chance Waters – Neverland

Another song and artist that directly fall into the category of the hip-hop duo I talked about above. I discovered Chance Waters (also known as Phatchance) exactly the same day I found Mind Over Matter (both artists released their albums under the same label)  and it was honestly one of the best days in my life when it comes to musical discoveries. Chance Waters has extremely well-though and genuine lyrics as well as mesmerizing beats and instrumentals in his songs.  Sadly he also stopped making his own music but he is now an independent record producer and does his share of contribution to the music world by helping various artists put out their songs out in the world.
Hearing his album Infinity is something I definitely recommend – it is full of passion, real issues, and a search for answers which we all wanted to find at one point or another. Definitely a great experience and top quality of music.

Shinedown – How Did You Love

Switching up the hip-hop feel with an exquisite rock piece infested with heartfelt and igniting emotion. Shinedown is another distant, nostalgic discovery which I occasionally come back to. I always feel the same fascination and weird comfort I felt the first time I heard the band no matter when I listen to their songs. And this, I think, is an indication of how powerful their music is.

RAT BOY – I WANNA SKATE

You can feel the mix of Limp Bizkit, The Offspring, and Sum-41 rebellious and hyper-energetic vibes immediately after you click play on this one. RAT BOY is an artist I discovered thanks to an article in Kerrang! where Mike Shinoda was sharing bits of his inspirational playlist. He had RAT BOY’s MY NAME IS RATBOY selected as a definition of chaotic, headbanging, and very different punk/rap-rock anthem. I couldn’t agree more. After listening to some of his other tracks I found it amazing, inspirational, and super creative that the artist is obviously just going all in with the energy and vibe he feels at the moment on each different song and transmits his individuality and values with the various but somehow unified music pieces. His line “I switch, flip the beat up live/ My name is Rat Boy” in one of his songs really manages to capture his diversity and spontaneity accurately.

James Blake – barefoot in the park

This song is so raw and vulnerable it is a total tear-jerker. Barefoot In The Park fills me up with an emotion which is extremely hard to describe but is overwhelmingly (in a good way) affecting. I haven’t heard James Blake before (thank you, my love, for introducing the song to me) but his duet with the Spanish singer Rosalia is incredible. The two artists manage to capture the idea and concept of the song perfectly and the video just adds up to the emotional blow – a modern and hyper-realistic love story. Must hear and must see!

I truly hope you enjoyed my little journey down the memory lane and found some good tracks to listen to for a while. It was super fun to arrange this playlist and I am looking forward to seeing what next week has prepared for me in terms of music discoveries. Thanks a lot for reading!

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