What song(s) are you really into at the moment?!

Dufniall · April 26, 2022

12 hours ago, Sméagol said:

R.I.P. Henny Vrienten.

Sad day! Such an iconic band, and as a bass player myself Henny was an example, the way he played and sang at the same time. Plus he did a ton of other music work for tv shows, collabs with other artists etc.

I saw Doe Maar live once (at the show @Sméagol's video is from). I actually had tickets for a show in 2020, which got postponed to 2021, which got cancelled because of Henny's illness. Also a shame for the band that they never got to do their farewell tour.

One more just because:

nekunando · May 1, 2022

Bloc Party were a huge influence on my musical tastes for the best part of a decade from the middle of the 2000s. You never quite knew what to expect from each new album but there was always something to appreciate and enjoy about each new release.

When Gordon Moakes and Matt Tong left and were replaced, it seemed to me like my interest in the band was likely to drop and this was proved when Hymns was released a few years ago. Some of the songs have grown on me since then but it just wasn't the Bloc Party I knew from before!

I'm not one of those people who continues to clamour for a return to the 'Silent Alarm' days, something that gets brought up any time Bloc Party release any new music. I largely appreciated the evolution of their sound over the years, to a point, but I did feel like it was probably over.

It's with great surprise and delight that the new album, Alpha Games, is actually very enjoyable :hehe:

Bloc Party - Alpha Games | Reviews | Clash Magazine

The singles that were released in the run up to the album coming out, namely Traps, The Girls are Fighting, Sex Magik and If We Get Caught, hinted that there may potentially be something here but even then I suspected that if this was the best Alpha Games could offer, it still wasn't likely to reach the heights I would hope.

Thankfully, songs like Rough Justice and By Any Means Necessary have proved themselves to be early highlights so far but I find myself enjoying pretty much everything on the album. Even songs where some of the lyrics and singing can feel a little uncomfortable for me (I'm looking at you, Callum is a Snake :blank: ) there's still great stuff in those songs and I wouldn't skip them on a playthrough!

I know @Fierce_LiNk was also a bit of a fan of Bloc Party back at the beginning so I'd be intrigued to see how you find their latest effort!

Dufniall · May 10, 2022

On 2-5-2022 at 1:02 AM, nekunando said:

Bloc Party were a huge influence on my musical tastes for the best part of a decade from the middle of the 2000s. You never quite knew what to expect from each new album but there was always something to appreciate and enjoy about each new release.

I have to say I kind of forgot about Bloc Party, only ever listened to Silent Alarm. But this post made me put on the new album and it's definitely enjoyable! What's more, I put on Silent Alarm for the first time in years and hearing songs such as Like Eating Glass, Helicopter and Banquet again brought back memories!

Looking back 2005 was a good year musically, with albums such as Silent Alarm, Employment by Kaiser Chiefs, The Back Room by Editors and You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand coming out. It was also the time I started going to festival so having seen these acts live definitely helps with the positive memories!

bob · June 9, 2022

Does anyone else really like a song, and think about recommending it to someone else, but then wonder if the song is actually any good, or if it's just the circumstances around the song that they like, and the song is actually trash?

I listened to 'In The Blood' from the Hades soundtrack on repeat for weeks, because it's a banger, and it reminded me of the game, which was also a banger. And i recommended it to my mum, who has a similar taste in music to me, and she said it was ok, but not really her thing. Was it the song? Did I just like it because of the game? Is my mother trash with trash taste?

I find it really difficult with music to step back and see it for what it is, which seems to different to film and other media, where you can usually tell if something is actually good or not, or if it's your own preferences or bias that make you love it.

This song as another example, I love, but would someone else like it who hadn't seen AoT?

drahkon · June 13, 2022

I know, as a huge Muse fan I'm biased, but their new album is shaping up to be incredible

darksnowman · June 14, 2022

23 hours ago, drahkon said:

I know, as a huge Muse fan I'm biased, but their new album is shaping up to be incredible

I See You'Re A Man Of Culture As Well GIF - Culture Man Of Culture Cultured - Descubre & Comparte GIFs

Did you see them at any of the German dates?
#wotp

drahkon · June 14, 2022

8 minutes ago, darksnowman said:

Did you see them at any of the German dates?

No And I probably won't be able to see them anytime soon. Their tickets are a tad too expensive (and their upcoming shows aren't really close to my location ).

Dufniall · June 22, 2022

On 14-6-2022 at 1:04 PM, drahkon said:

No And I probably won't be able to see them anytime soon. Their tickets are a tad too expensive (and their upcoming shows aren't really close to my location ).

Thanks to festivals doing proper livestreams there is a ton of live material out there, including this proshot show from their gig at Tempelhof Sounds:

Behold, the Power Glove lives @53:00 :grin:

I've been enjoying a lot of the Hellfest Content on that channel, plus saw some streams from Graspop and Pinkpop over the weekend.

drahkon · July 14, 2022

Rediscovered Protest The Hero.

I loved their album Fortress back in 2008 (fuck me, that was 14 years ago...).

That album still holds up.

:cool:

drahkon · July 21, 2022

Fuck me sideways, this is incredible

drahkon · August 26, 2022

@Julius There it is

Dufniall · August 26, 2022

Another awesome one, new album is going to be lit! After the lighter Simulation Theory it's good to hear they are going heavy again on this record!

I've been having a blast listening and watching fragments from the South Park 25th Anniversary Concert. I haven't followed the show for years, but this concert is something else. First of all seeing some classic songs being performed live with a band, it also shows the musicality of Matt and Trey. Plus, love the dedication of the background singers.

And of course the South Park theme, done by Les Claypool and Primus:

And then there is this moment. The two remaining members of Rush take the stage, to play a song with Matt on drums. This is special for so many reasons. First of all I think it's the first time Rush performs after their drummer passed away. Second, Matt is clearly a big fan and playing together with them is a big deal for him. Third, both Primus (who are also big Rush fans but also a respectable band on their own) and Rush and the South Park guys, all on one stage performing a Rush classic, it's the musical equivalent of stars aligning!

**Fierce_LiNk** · August 26, 2022

@Dufniall, that Rush + Primus + South Park moment is lovely. Gay Fish is just brilliant, too. Watched that episode recently and it's perfect in every way. They rinsed Kanye and destroyed him.

bob · August 30, 2022

Finally got around to listening to the new Muse album.

It's pretty good - not a complete return to form like i'd read, but it's got some bangers on it. Kill or be Killed and We are Fucking Fucked are pretty great, and You make me feel like it's Halloween is just bizarre.

I'd still rate it pretty low compared to their other albums though. Maybe it needs a few repeat listens.

drahkon · October 23, 2022

cleopatrick has become one of my favourite bands in just a little more than a year.

Discovered them on Spotify in May 2021 and they continue to blow me away with their heavy sound. Some of their instrumental bridges bring my measly little speakers to their limits.

EEVILMURRAY · October 23, 2022

And other delightful rock/punk remixes this chap does

nightwolf · October 27, 2022

On 23/10/2022 at 3:25 PM, EEVILMURRAY said:

And other delightful rock/punk remixes this chap does

I love them both so much! Jonathan's Disney Villians album is the best.

Julius · December 12, 2022

What's this, Julius posting in the songs thread? Is he lost?

Nope I've fallen in love with songs (normally I'm just listening to OSTs from games and films, or stuff from my childhood) in a way I haven't since I was about 10 years old while I've been gone, making time to listen to something new every weekend while I clean my apartment, and as posted elsewhere, occasionally dancing around like a mad man :bouncy:

Anyways, I'll mention some artists I've got into/returned to, and which of their songs I've been hooked on

Keane

Okay, so Keane might be an exception on this list in that I've listened to them before, but I had their 2012 album Strangeland on repeat so much that they become my top Spotify artist for the year based on the last 3 months or so. Disconnected, In Your Own Time, and Day Will Come are my favourites from this album, hits a lot of personal beats for me and just sound great.

Manic Street Preachers

My new favourite band? Quite possibly. Had (It's Not War) Just the End of Love stumble onto an album radio and it's an incredible song (with an awesome music video!) which I had on repeat for a week before diving into probably their two biggest albums, first 2007's Send Away The Tigers (did someone say bangers only?) and then 1996's Everything Must Go (not as consistent for me but still some standout songs).

From the former, I could probably list every song as a favourite in some way, but if I had to choose one? It'd be Your Love Alone is Not Enough, Nina Persson's (of The Cardigans) voice is absolute dynamite:

And from the latter, it'd be the title which shares its name with the album, Everything Must Go, followed very closely by A Design For Life and Enola / Alone. I just love the use of strings in the chorus, just...hnnnnnnnng my ears can't get enough :laughing:

Laufey

This probably looks a little out of place here, but I've followed Laufey on YouTube for over a year now, and finally got listening to her first album, Everything I Know About Love, over the last month or so. She's a 23 year-old Chinese-Icelandic singer with a background steeped in classical music (which sneaks in a lot in her tracks, which obviously I loooooove) and a voice as smooth and rich as Ella Fitzgerald, which is to say she's an atom bomb for anyone who's ever been a romantic (which I imagine is most).

My favourites of the bunch are probably Dear Soulmate and Everything I Know About Love (especially for that classical opening set-up haha), but honestly, I don't think she's got a single bad song? Which is, uh, saying a lot! Also, her rendition of The Christmas Waltz should be in everyone's Christmas playlist this year as far as I'm concerned. Oh and Let You Break My Heart Again is probably a great gateway drug into her stuff:

Her acoustic versions of her songs on her YouTube channel are honestly probably my favourites (hope they get included in an album at some point!), especially when she gives a little background to the song:

Yes, I'm a big, giant, romantic softie at heart. And I vibe with this.

So, kindly: bite me

Will Wood

Another change of pace, Will Wood basically delivers explicit songs which belong either in a theatre or a Disney movie, I can't really decide which at this point. My favourite songs of his so far are probably Against The Kitchen Floor (the lyrics are hilarious and when it goes off, it GOES OFF) followed by 2econd 2ight 2eer (that was fun, goodbye.). Dude's got a bomb of a voice and some of the funniest, jazziest solos in his songs, and yeah, it's fun as hell to dance along. As made evident here:

There are a couple of others I'll just quickly reel off:

Sea Girls

The only upside to FIFA 23 (and every FIFA) is it's music.

The Wombats

Used to love them growing up, and in my opinion have probably one of the most underplayed Christmas songs, and getting back into them now. Still love their sound.

Two Door Cinema Club