Musical Personalities: Prism’s Favorites

Being a music editor or self-made aficionado in the platform doesn’t simple mean you like music or that you go to a few shows and festivals. Music lovers are constantly on the search for a new sound, a new feeling that’s incited, an old memory that needs reminding. We delve into the depths of music’s past, searching for trends that showcase its future. Over at Prism, music is our life-line, the air we breathe that keeps us alive. That’s why it’s in our name.

You can tell a lot about someone based on their musical tastes. Open-minded souls tend to find a variety of tones and rhythms interesting, casting aside genres and musical eras. Focused minds know exactly what they like and live happily knowing they’ve found what they need sonically. Of course, I’m generalizing, but when you ask someone who their all-time favorites are, expect to see where this person has traveled (if they’ve traveled at all), how far back their musical knowledge may range, and whether there are undercurrents of quirk to their personality.

We thought in order for you to get a better understanding of why we’ve been honored to be Disfunkshion’s music editors, you may need to know where we come from, musically speaking. So Isabella Acker and I (Pola Bunster) have each broken down our top five favorite musical acts of all time (in no particular order), with a short description why. Feel free to put your ear to these acts, you won’t regret it.

Isabella’s Picks

Lake Street Dive

Rachel Price’s lead vocals are piercing, perfect for the “blue-eyed Soul” mastery of every song. The band creates an empowering movement in their music, with a booming female at the helm.

Paolo Nutini

A Scottish singer-songwriter whose lyrics are uplifting, even in their times of sorrow. He comes with a wise and textured voice that propels his pop-rock sound.

Leon Bridges

This Texas native is at the forefront of the music industry’s current nostalgic revival of classic soul sounds. He seems to emanate straight from motown’s past, but entirely relevant in the present moment.

The Civil Wars

https://youtube.com/watch?v=441mR2zsQbg%2520

They gave us six years of billowing and dark Americana folk magic. The duo worked together to bring the dark magic of the South back onto every tongue, through every guitar riff and vocal.

JohnnySwim 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lmfewB0kaMk%2520

As adorable as they are talented, this love-filled duo is as sweet as they come. Their voices are equally dreamy apart as they are blended together through gentle melodies and passionate lyrics.

Pola’s Picks

Bill Withers

https://youtube.com/watch?v=TdrChyGb574%2520%2520

This man is an influential force to the history of Soul.  Many of his tracks have been replicated over time, others have become popular through his voice alone. The smoky texture of his voice and rhythms that border on Funk are unmatched.

Bob Dylan 

One of the greatest songwriters of all time, don’t even argue with me on that one. His voice may not be the easiest to swallow, but the poetry behind every lyric is undeniable. He reinvented the wheel with every album, and he’s still a-changin’.

Snarky Puppy

https://youtube.com/watch?v=fuhHU_BZXSk%2520%2520

A 10-piece progressive-jazz and funk ensamble based in Brooklyn, Snarky Puppy has been single-handedly shifting the way complex instrumental music is being digested in the modern age. Anyone with ears can’t deny their immense talent.

Nina Simone

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QH3Fx41Jpl4

An absolute monarch in music, jazz, soul, and otherwise. The classical training behind her piano talent is what colors the song, but it’s her pained and grandiose voice that gives the sound purity.

John Mayer 

This is a nostalgic choice for me, with John Mayer getting me through the cattle-frenzy that was high school. He’s considered one of the best guitarists of his time, but I think his voice is like a well-worn sweater, and his lyrics the book you snuggle up to.

Oye Pappi, Ven Acá!

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