Non-heightened 1st level occult spells?

I'm trying to decide between bard an alchemist, but I'm building them both while I decide. Currently level 2, but I'm not sure what to pick for my bard's 1st level spells. He's got the maestro muse, and Soothe is going to be his 1st level signiture spells, so for the other 3, I'm looking for spells that will pull their weight when they're no heightened. For my higher level signiture spells, would I generally want to pick a spell of one level lower? (at level 2, for example, pick soothe for 1st level and another 1st level spell, heightened, for my level 2 option so I can downcast it??) Currently I've been looking at...

Befuddle: Seems like it synergizes well with Courageous Anthem

Ill Omen: Seems like a solid general debuff to an enemy's offense.

Charm: I'm not really sure if I should be picking this one, but it seems like it would be a solid fallback when skill checks fail?

EDIT: I see bane and bless being rec9mmended, but I think I want to avoid those since bane doesn't stack with fear and bless doest stack with courageous anthem. Would Dizzy ingredients Colors be a solid pick for nook crowd control?