PSG Staff’s Must-Have Music

by Marianna Sorensen

Spring 2017 Intern

Here at PSG, it’s clear that our musical tastes cover a range of styles and sounds. I have a soft spot for Irish music—both traditional and contemporary—with a fondness for all songs involving Heidi Talbot. But I wanted to see what others thought, so I asked around to see what everyone’s favorites were—and some of my coworkers surprised me!

·      Ken loves James Taylor because of Taylor’s compositions, arrangements, fun rhythms and unexpected chord changes. Only true music lovers like Ken have a preference based on chord changes!

·      Alyssa grew up listening to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, but also loves a lot of Top 40 pop, including artist Vanessa Carlton.

·      Tess also loves the Beatles (George is her favorite) and other bands from that time. For newer music she’s into groups like Walk the Moon and Florence + the Machine.

·      Kate’s favorite band is U2, who she’s seen in concert twice. She also got to see one of her favorite artists, Adele, live at the House of Blues in Boston right in front of the stage.

·      Eileen likes hardcore rock, and her favorite band is Our Last Night. She first saw them more than 10 years ago, when the lead singer was only 16—talk about being a fan from the beginning!

·      Sam likes albums of indie music, dream pop and “shoe gazer” music, with the Fleet Foxes being one of her favorites.

·      Colleen especially enjoys both traditional and new folk and has been going to the Newport Folk Festival for over 20 years now, so she’s seen tons of folk legends and been introduced to amazing new music.

·      Don likes a whole variety including punk, bluegrass, hip-hop, metal, folk and classic rock. He also had a radio show in college, where he played almost exclusively Nirvana demos, live recordings and import versions, which is the ultimate indication of a music lover.

·      Annette has a self-described eclectic taste in music. She loves alternative rock music—Pearl Jam being her all-time favorite. She also loves the Decemberists and Jimmy Eat World and makes it a point to see those bands any time they tour nearby.

·      Sarah also enjoys a large variety—reggae, rap, hard rock and nu-metal are among her favorite genres.

I never expected to receive such a wide range of answers! One thing’s for sure, if I ever want to try out any new music, I know who to ask—the staff here at PSG are one music-loving bunch!

 

Did You Know?

Your skull’s size, density and shape affect the frequency at which you hear music. This means people may hear the same piece of music differently. Scientists have found that this could be a part of why you like or dislike certain songs.