Co-General Manager’s pick - Neel Shah ’26
Album Title: “I LOVE MAKONNEN” by ILOVEMAKONNEN
Genre: Rap
RIYL: Father, Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan, Lil Peep
Blurb: Over the past year, every time I know I’m gonna have a long day, this is what I put on to get me through it. My J-Term started with a lot of those days while I was shooting my senior thesis film, and “I LOVE MAKONNEN” was what soundtracked all my early morning and late night walks to and from Axinn. There’s something about Makonnen’s uncontrollable, delirious, oddball sing-raps that always makes me grin, and his instrumentals from heavy hitters like Metro Boomin and Sonny Digital are perfect in their head-knocking simplicity. Makonnen’s melodies are off-key, a little awkward and unabashedly goofy, while still remaining absurdly catchy and rattling inside your brain for days.
“Tuesday” is the one everyone knows (and is lowkey a J-Term Mentality anthem), but my favorite is probably “Maneuvering” — which is a great soundtrack to weaving through the Proc bagel area during the breakfast rush. Another standout is “Look at Wrist,” the endlessly quotable deep-fried posse cut which makes chanting “wrist” feel like a mantra. It’s a super digestible and diverse-sounding EP at just seven songs, and if you are into any kind of weirdo rap, I definitely recommend checking it out.
Co-General Manager’s pick - Matt Held ’26
Album Title: “Commodus Died A Long, Long Time Ago” by Music For The Modern Home
Genre: Indie Rock, Folk, Alternative Rock
RIYL: The Magnetic Fields, Elliott Smith, Belle and Sebastian
Favorite Songs: Blue Planet Dogtown, Bein’ A Boy (If You Wanna Be A Man), Lately The Cross-Eyed Rabbit, Saint Francis And The Sow
Blurb: Admittedly, this album was just released by a friend of mine; HOWEVER, I really love it regardless of the connection! The instrumentation of this album is truly charming and fun, and there are so many silly and winsome sounds throughout that enrich its texture. The songwriting, though, really takes center stage for me. Exploring themes of change, growing up, love and others, MFTMH’s vocals and lyrics are beautifully vulnerable and quirky, making for a really endearing and enjoyable listen. The album as a whole is soft, full of care, and captures the feeling of going out into the world on one’s own — a feeling that really resonates with me and I think would with a lot of y’all too. Give it a listen!
Music Director’s Pick - Jude Kuykendall ’28
Album Title: “Seductive Reasoning” by Maggie and Terra Roche
Genre: Folk, Rock
RIYL: Judee Sill, The Roches, Judy Collins
Blurb: A hidden folk gem of angelic harmonies from 1975, Seductive Reasoning is proudly unnaïve, yet twee jangles and sweetness float above quippy writing and brooding pianos. “Down the Dream” and “West Virginia” absolutely wreck me, but in each string section and the phrasing of every line lies a wall of softness. It’s the musical version of my 4th-grade teacher demonstrating how he only eats his pancakes wrapped around bacon. Each song offers an inside joke at the end of the road, love and laughter surrounding an individual’s toughness. All in all, it feels like finding a stranger’s initials stitched onto an old dress, or accidentally letting a smirk slip while pretending to be asleep as your parents carry you to bed. This thing is gorgeous and weird all around.
Co-Concert Manager’s Pick - Ellie Trinkle ’26
Album Title: “100% Electronica” by George Clanton
Genre: Vaporwave, Synth-Pop
RIYL: TV Girl, Dean Blunt, The Radio Dept.
Blurb: Fuzzy, emotional instrumentals make Clanton’s debut album an endearing journey from start to finish. Perfect for those long winter nights when even your warmest blanket can’t soothe you. Its imperfections make it all the more enjoyable, stumbling over itself in all its intricacy. Clanton creates a soundscape reminiscent of the in-between parts of winter, blending jingly instrumentals with harsher ones, weaving cold and warm together. I always return to this album when I need to find solace in impermanence. It rocks me to sleep, bundles me up and swirls around my head. A great album to tuck into your pocket and find months later.
Co-Concert Manager’s Pick - Violet Gordon ’26
Album: “FJL” by Felicity J Lord
Genre: Experimental, Ambient
RIYL: James Ferraro, Friendzone, Otto Benson
Blurb: I listened to this album on repeat 8 times on my drive home over winter break. There wasn’t much of a choice because I accidentally packed all my other CDs in my trunk, so it was all I had going for me, but I had an awesome time! The first few tracks feel like 2017 hype williams / stripped-down bar italia, then it makes a slightly jarring yet welcome alt-pop turn with some lovely female vocals after a few songs. Around track five, it morphs into more ambient, yet somehow acoustic-ish, stuff, with vocals that sound more like a conversation or monologue than anything else. The ambient/vocal combo made the whole thing feel revelatory, perfect for a five-hour winter drive.
Editor’s Note: Ellie Trinkle ’26 is the Senior Arts & Culture Editor.
