Okay, I know. Don’t click out of this page. Give me a chance to explain.

In a recent post, I declared my somewhat-secret love for Calvin Harris, particularly the older pages of his catalog. While I have a slightly diverse taste in music, I’ve kept some of it away from this blog, because, as the name would suggest, alternative is the main focus. But sometimes, a good song needs to be written about, no matter the genre.

And let’s be clear about something: Harris will be the only EDM artist featured on this site, mark my words. I’m generally not a huge fan of the various genres under the EDM umbrella (excluding Moby).

I think what makes Harris different from, let’s say, the Chainsmokers and others like them, is creativity and instrumentality. It’s not all about the drop or the collaborations or any of those trademark EDM staples, like the ones discussed in this hilarious YouTube video, “How EVERY Chainsmokers song is written”:

Compare that to this Tweet from Harris on how he made the hit “Slide”:

While many EDM songs are written strictly on the computer using presets, samples and digital instruments, Harris isn’t afraid to do things authentically with real instruments that he actually knows how to play.

Let’s jump back to the matter at hand.

In my opinion, Harris’ best songs are the ones he sings in. “School” is not one of them. In fact, there are no vocals in it whatsoever. And at 1 minute, 47 seconds, it’s one of his shortest tracks. Nonetheless, it’s my favorite.

You know how sometimes we associate songs with things that don’t really make sense? To me, “School” feels like a neighborhood. I don’t know why, and don’t ask me to elaborate. When I listen to this song, I feel like I’m walking down the streets of a lively neighborhood in the middle of a city.

And that feels really cool.

Featured image courtesy of Wikimedia.