My favorite musical artists: COVID edition
Every few years I like to look at the list of songs I’ve liked in Spotify so I can see who my favorite artists are. It’s not that I don’t know who they are, it’s just interesting to quantify them and sometimes I’m surprised who is present and absent from my Top 10 list.
The last time I did this was just a year ago, but I think both Spotify and COVID have changed my tastes a lot more than a typical year would have.
Here’s where it currently stands, in order of total number of liked songs.
- Enya
- VAST
- David Byrne
- The Naked and Famous
- Max Avery Lichtenstein
- Ludovico Einaudi
- R.E.M.
- The Connells
- Sia
- Lucy Wainwright Roche
Changes since 2019 (with explanation)
Added: The Naked and Famous (went to see in concert and great new album in 2020), Max Avery Lichtenstein (new album and discovered old ones), The Connells (a band I liked in college that I rediscovered), and Lucy Wainwright Roche (known, but started liking more)
Removed: Brett Dennen (no new material and just grew tired of him), Iron & Wine (same reason), Beatles (George Harrison obsession died down), Two Lone Swordsmen (not liking newer material as much).
Kept: Enya (moved up as COVID gives me more need for background music), VAST (near the top again, probably will never leave), David Byrne (went to Broadway show and continues to push the envelope), Ludovico Einaudi (7 new albums in 2019!), R.E.M. (the poetry of Michael Stipe continues to blow me away), Sia (hanging on, needs a new album!).
Conclusion
From 2013 to 2019, I added and removed 5 artists. But from just a year ago, I added and removed 4! I credit COVID with the dramatic change. Being shut in means I play a lot more music and also favor music that can play all the time without being disruptive to whatever I’m doing to keep from being bored.
