Sitting alone with the stillness of my thoughts can be a scary place. You can often find me and my trusty companion, my Beats Solo 3, wandering around campus or doing homework, never leaving each other’s side.
While I need music to ring in my ears almost 24/7, I find it difficult to focus on my studies while simultaneously listening to my favorite songs on repeat. Writing a five-page essay isn’t the easiest assignment when all I want to do is sing along to “Beauty and a Beat.”
Homework sessions mostly start and end the same: I sit down to do an assignment that will take no more than half an hour, and two hours later I have five new playlists with little to no homework completed.
Then, to my rescue, Andre 3000 released a project I never knew I needed. This lyricless album is the perfect music choice for any student in the same boat.
Andre 3000 was originally a part of Outkast, a hip-hop duo that dominated the ‘90s and early 2000s. When he announced he was to release a debut solo album titled “New Blue Sun,” it is no surprise the majority of his fans expected to hear him rap again after years of silence.
Fitting enough, the first track of his new project is titled “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time,” and I couldn’t be more grateful for where the wind blew him.
“New Blue Sun” is a tranquil, soothing jazz album where Andre 3000 shows off his love for the flute. With more fun titles that sound like poetry including “Ants To You, Gods To Who?” and “Dreams Once Buried Beneath the Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout into Undying Gardens,” Andre 3000 creates an immersive and imaginative album that soothes, relaxes, and heals his listeners. On this eight-track album, most songs are over 10 minutes long, resulting in one hour and 27 minutes of pure peace and tranquillity.
His courage to create art outside of what was expected of him is inspirational to any artist afraid to make what they want. In doing so, he was able to reach a different audience and help his loyal fans heal through tranquil music, including myself.
Upon listening to his album, my grades have gone up, my thoughts aren’t as scary, and I’m starting to enjoy discovering this new genre of lyricless music.
For any student who needs music to study, “New Blue Sun” is the perfect album to enjoy.
