Arts Vanity: The Top Ten Music Pieces I’ve Published This Year

Hi y’all! When I was originally brainstorming vanity ideas, I figured I should do something funny, but when I remembered that I’m far too good-looking to be funny, I decided on being more reflective. My tenure this past year as one of the co-music execs was full. Full inbox, full to-do list, and — my favorite of all — full of brilliant articles from writers that I would always respond to a day late. So after giving a few longing glances at each week from this year’s airtable, I compiled a list of my ten favorite articles that I published. Here they are, in a particularly suggestive order.

10. Blackberry Smoke Concert Review: Boston Hears Georgia by Hannah E. Gadway.

For those of you who don’t know Gadway, first of all, shame, and second of all, the most important thing about her as it relates to the music section is how much of an absolute powerhouse of a writer she is. Her solid review of country band Blackberry Smoke is an example of all that a concert review is meant to be — descriptive, evaluative, and most of all, showcasing a band that I had never heard of.

9. In Photos: Eliza McLamb Live in Cambridge by Stella A. Gilbert.

Gilbert, of Lowell bell ringing fame, is a wizard with the lens. The first picture in this photo essay, an outside shot of the Sinclair, might be my favorite photo I’ve published all year, and the dynamic shots of the concert contribute to what is ultimately a beautiful and incredibly artistic piece.

8. Concert Review: beabadoobee Charms Boston at MGM Music Hall by Najya S. Gause.

Co-music exec Najya S. Gause got the job for a reason. Apart from having a truly impeccable taste — and appreciation — for music, Gause’s concert reviews do more than anyone else’s in terms of really transporting the reader to the show, and this beabadoobee piece is the utmost example of that.

7. The Last Dinner Party Concert Review: An Enchanting Night of Decadence and Catharsis by Anna Moiseieva.

Moiseieva, fearless co-leader of the Arts section this year, was once a humble music executive like me. And despite being swamped with work created by execs like AMMD that weren’t publishing their pieces on time, she still kept her skill at the ready for pieces like this review, which uses big words like “opulence” and “relationship” and other words I had to look up. In all, a banging piece about a banging band.

6. Artist Profile: Peggy Gou on Hard Work and Why She Does it All by Sean Wang Zi-Ming.

Sometimes, something comes across your inbox that you just can’t refuse. And when that something was a profile of Peggy Gou with her 6.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Zi-Ming selflessly took up the mantle and crafted a brilliant interview touching on her music, her success, and her heritage.

5. What’s With All the Songs About Love? By Julia J. Hynek.

My comment when I edited this was, “The best thinkpiece I’ve seen all semester.”

And that turned into all year. On its surface, romance in music seems a basic subject, but through the most deeply researched and precisely articulated piece I’ve seen all semester, Hynek managed to bring a fresh take on the topic — and gets extra points for referencing Mesopotamian love songs.

4. ‘No Regrets’: Tom Rush ’63’s Path from Leverett to Legendary by Marin E. Gray.

Gray, known for her beautiful pictures of Harvard’s campus, is significant to the music section as a proponent for folk music, and this is certainly her magnum opus in that regard. Even skimming over the profile in preparation for this vanity I couldn’t help but get caught up in reading the whole piece — the story of Rush’s life at Harvard and beyond is portrayed in an exceedingly captivating way, and confidently places this piece as my favorite profile of the year.

Honorable Mentions:

Weezer Concert Review: A Faithful, Outlandish Homage to a Cosmic Musical Career by Aiden J. Bowers

I mean come on, it’s Weezer!

Chappell Roan: The Rise of a Midwest Princess by Julia J. Hynek.

Another banging thinkpiece from Hynek, this article explains the Chappell Roan phenomenon more than any other I’ve seen, and also I’m just a big fan of thinkpieces.

JSchlatt’s Cover of ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’: Why the Hell Did a YouTuber Release a Christmas Song and Why is it Good? By Anmol K. Grewal.

Grewal was the first writer that brought music to the top 5 most read of The Crimson this year, and Schlatt was the singer that made that happen. This single review is unfortunately the reason I have listened to “A Very 1999 Christmas” multiple times already this year — thank god Spotify wrapped is on hiatus.

2. Dexter Suhn x ThankGod4Cody: SZA’s Grammy Award-Winning Music Producer Visits Harvard by Lauren E. Mei.

Features are a bit of a rarity in the music section, and they are sorely missed, as evidenced by this brilliant example of one. Mei’s piece is a fantastic example of some really solid reporting, which is often missing from the Arts board. The combination of pictures, interviews, and the event make for a genuinely engaging read and an extremely tightly written article.

1. Artist Feature: Zedd Wants to Create Timeless Music that Transcends Trends by Derek Yuan.

And it’s not even close. This 2,000-word piece is technically a feature, but really it’s the closest thing to the return of the Arts Cover that we’ve had this year. It’s already extraordinary that the subject is Zedd — remember what I said about irrefusable inbox opportunities? But further than that, this piece is the deepest dive on anyone the music section has seen this year. Yuan expertly injects his creative voice into this tour across Zedd’s entire career, from his start as a workaholic to his time now as an EDM legend. Throughout, Yuan knows exactly when and what to quote, and provides the perfect commentary to make Zedd’s story really shine, and for that it earns “piece of the year” from me.

Thank you all for writing for music.

—Outgoing Co-Music Executive Alessandro M. M. Drake can be reached at alessandro.drake@thecrimson.com, his amazing dorm at 20 DeWolfe, through his Drive password if you’re clever enough, or face down on the pavement next year while he’s learning to skateboard. It’s been a hell of a year; here’s to music!