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Songs for June are slightly late, but late is better than skipping a month!
As a reminder of the format, I'm writing one of these columns and filling it with songs from a variety of genres of music. I don't expect anyone to listen to all of these songs! Some months, you may even not be interested in any of them, and that's fine! However, it is my sincere hope that some of you might find some new songs and artists that you like. All of these songs are widely available on streaming services and by doing some quick searching on Youtube and such, and if I want to highlight something harder to find, I'll include detailed instructions on how to do so.
Here are my picks for this month:
Torn -- Natalie Imbruglia
Let's just date ourselves right out the door with this hit from my younger hits. It's summertime, and summertime to me, among other things, was when I tended to listen to a lot of the radio. That means that the summer, for me, is oftentimes when I dust off a lot of pop music from, say, 1997-2005.
This hit from 1997 was actually a cover from earlier in the 90s, but almost assuredly is the most well known version of the song. Frankly, I've never heard anything else by Imbruglia -- and I've never actually felt the urge to. For me, it's the nostalgia that makes it hit just right.
Invincible -- World of Warcraft
I've made no secret that I've done a lot of gaming in my life, and few things hit me just right for summer quite like music from World of Warcraft. I have a lot of very fond memories of raiding late into the night in my teens and twenties, and while there's an ample amount of very good music from WoW that is evocative to me, few pieces are better at tugging my heartstrings than this one from, let's face it, the game's golden era.
Drink Up Me Hearties Yo Ho -- Hans Zimmer (Pirates 3)
Summer growing up was always a time for movies, so soundtracks are something I tend to be a big fan of during this season -- and you can do a lot worse than Hans Zimmer. This track in particular is a reprisal of many of the most notable themes from the first three Pirates movies (some could argue the only ones worth watching), all mashed together next to one another in a satisfying fashion.
The Grand Saga of Existence -- Epica
This month's metal pick is actually from an album that came out this year. Epica is a long-standing operatic/symphonic metal band headed up by powerful soprano Simone Simons. It's been a while since I've spent much time with the band -- I liked their earlier work, but they fell off for me.
This album, however, feels like a huge return to form, and I have been jamming it nonstop for a few months now. The up-and-down, back-and-forth tempo of this song, especially during the chorus, is particularly satisfying and enjoyable. Check it out!
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Arianna McKee is design editor and editorial page editor for The Express.