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Music Discovery Thread: Share the Top 3 songs you’re currently obsessed with!
Let’s discover some new music together! Share the Top 3 songs you’re currently obsessed with.
Mine:
Let’s discover some new music together! Share the Top 3 songs you’re currently obsessed with.
Mine:
The Glass - Foo Fighters
Hammer - Point North
Could Have Been Me - The Struts
Another fan of the Foo! The Glass is a great track. How are you digging the album as a whole?
Ya man, love the Foo Fighters! Love the new album so far as a whole and have probably listened to it 10+ times all the way through. So much different from all their past albums due to all the emotion that was put into it. Still not a fan of Greg Kurstin's production, but Dave's writing & the overall sound of the band makes up for it.
I agree...it feels so much like a band just wanting to create MUSIC together as a way of moving forward through a really difficult time. I still LOVE Rescued - think that was an excellent first single and great way to introduce the world to new Foo Fighters songs.
The Teacher is also so good! I am amazed at how frequently I've listened to that one track alone, especially with it being 10 minutes long!
I've seen them three times in my life, during their Wasting Light tour and the Concrete and Gold tour and then just recently when they opened this tour in NH. Definitely a different vibe on this current tour but they still sound amazing. We lucked out and they played Nothing at All and But Here We Are live and they are absolute bangers. Rescued is also an excellent concert opener. No one can ever replace Taylor, but Josh Freese is definitely a great addition and brings his own style to the drums. Rest is probably the only song I can't listen to every time I go through the album. Love the song, but sometimes I am not in the right emotional state to listen to that song.
Oh how lucky to have been there on the opening night in NH! That's awesome. I've seen them twice, and once was a festival gig. It was fun to see Taylor sing Under Pressure with Dave on drums. They are one of the best live concerts and some of the best vibes I've ever experienced! Unfortunately, I'm traveling when their tour stop is near me and I'm super bummed to not see them in my hometown!
Bad Religion - A Streetkid Named Desire (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKcOuXTVgMo)
This is the group I'm always returning to, and I've been listening to a lot of the era when Greg Graffin was the main writer as of late (1996-2000). It has a different feeling to it.
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Scuttle Buttin' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r56RRl7-vU)
I hadn't listened to Vaughan much before this. The album opens with this track, and it definitely caught me.
Primus - The Pilcher's Squad (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt1ScF8-iZo)
This was just on an EP, and it isn't as known as their other songs. Sort of underrated in my opinion.
Oh I definitely need to check out more Bad Religion. Everyone sings their praises, but I've not really explored much of their work. Beyond what you already shared, what other songs or albums do you suggest?
Bad Religion's album Suffer is one of my favorites.
Individual songs I find myself returning to often:
American Jesus
I Want To Conquer The World
New Dark Ages
Better Off Dead
Let Them Eat War
The Answer
Don't Pray On Me
Great songs, but you've got to include Ten in 2010, Them and Us and Inner Logic too!
Love me some Primus! Wouldn't say this one was a fav of mine, but I've also heard worse lol Have you happened to hear of Clutch? They remind me a lot of a Stoner-Metal version of Primus
This trio has legs. They're white legs, but they're legs.
North - Fever Ray (https://youtu.be/zGeN3l2W_KA)
Four Kinds of Horses - Peter Gabriel
(https://youtu.be/dQgct-j6snc)
Loctane - Peter Murphy (https://youtu.be/grCOKLd3Q64)
Peter Gabriel is so good. Great choice!
Love me some King Gizzard!
Ghost - Kaisarion (https://open.spotify.com/track/452WW3sHSkt9AxuKS4cLX0?si=jU_3Hbh2SnOxHRSgBofcCg)
KMFDM - Ready To Blow (https://open.spotify.com/track/6CUm8TLesDWKUPLI2X4Rvg?si=LHVg2VTLRqq83eiicaOITA)
Lamb of God - Vanishing (https://open.spotify.com/track/7jrkBLvhjeNs7X86wL3jKf?si=h3auGLI5SSurg_JLq5g1Ew)
Gizzard is incredible. Can't wait for the new album!
Ghost is great stuff too.
I'm still trying to "get into" Lamb of God...despite being a metal lover, I really struggle sometimes with screaming and the harsher vocal stuff...
Yeah same, I was very much the same way about Lamb Of God, a lot of the time I can't stand stuff that's too heavy or has too much screaming, and I'm sure the more hardcore out there will cringe at me - I love metal but I'm not a maaassive fan of blast beats. It can all be too much, and a lot of other LoG stuff has that. I need a groove and something to flow along to.
However, the Omens album by them is the first time in a long time that I have been impressed and found something by them that I can really get into that's still heavy. I'd give the first 3 tracks a listen.
Sorry for replying so late! I got a ton of replies and have been trying to get through them all.
I have been giving Lamb of God a better shot...started with the first album and have listened to it on repeat for several days. I also took a chance with Omens - on your recommendation - and really enjoyed it! So much so, in fact, that I saw PanterA and Lamb of God are doing a tour stop in my city later this year and I am considering actually going to the show!
Yes! That's so good, sounds like it would be a great show. I'll probably go next time they make it over to Australia.
King Gizzard is great! How are you finding Gila Mister and Dragon?
Kaisarion is also very good. I listened to it on repeat together with Spillways when that album came out
Sorry for the late reply, been travelling.
Dragon is so good, the music video is insane. It's very much an old school music video, a mix of art and music. Some moments feel like Windows Media Player circa 2008, kinda camp but just very very cool.
Sleep Token - The Night Does Not Belong to God
Voices From the Fuselage - Ortus
Grayscale Season - Pink Mist
Edit: If you couldn't tell, I have a huge penchant for strong album openers
Oh man, I've been jammin' to Sleep Token's new album. It's a mood.
Grayscale Season was excellent!! Thanks for sharing that. I'm super into it.
Animal Collective - Cherokee - AnCo was hot in the early-mid 2000s, but they've continued making beautiful music.
The Shins - Phantom Limb - I've recently re-re-re-rediscovered Wincing the Night Away. This song make me cri evytime. Or at least get goose bumps and teary-eyed.
Vampire Weekend - This Life - Father of the Bride is an amazing album, a road trip favorite of mine. Some really killer guitar work, beautiful vocals, and just a great audio experience.
A whole essay for the first one! I like the opening/background harmonies and while I don't understand japanese, it's easy to hear the emotion. Here's the spotify link, if anyone's interested
Sui-Chan wa kyou mo kawaii!
Excellent write up. I’m super proud of all the work she’s put in over the years to get where she is today.
In no particular order:
Fools - ufo ufo
ufo ufo I first heard of them the song listed below, Hold My Breath.
Hold My Breath - Paper Idol, ufo ufo
10:35 - Tiësto, Tate McRae
10:35, Dance/Electronic, Pop music is something I love personally.
An honorable mention would be a group called The Midnight. One of my favorites!
Ooh yes, I really love The Midnight too! I really dig their 80's electro-pop vibe.
The Joel Corry Remix of 10:35 is great if you haven't heard it yet.
Wow you weren't kidding, it's awesome!
If you like ufo ufo you might also enjoy Snake City. Their stuff is also quite electro poppy. Quite sad ufo ufo don't have more songs
Zeal & Ardor - Firewake
VHS - Dagoth Must Die
Fall Out Boy - Hold Me Like a Grudge
Just checked out VHS for the first time because of this comment...thanks for introducing me to them!
You are welcome! They were a fun discovery a few weeks ago. They don't take themselves too seriously and are just plain fun.
ライカ
雷火
let’s rock
I'll have to check it out. I had no idea that Taku Inoue even worked on 雷火. I mainly knew about it because it has vocals by Nanawoakari. Also apparently it was an ED. You learn something new everyday.
This is cool! I really like let's rock. These are different than anything I usually listen to, so thanks for sharing!
The Only Thing - Dave Matthews Band
My favorite song from their new album. It’s so energetic and fun! It sounded great live, too!
Some people believe in ghosts and some believe in aaaaaliensss
Just wish I could crawl out of the skin I’m living in
Crawl out of my mind into the outside
Nobody could reach me
If you could crawl out of the skin you're living in
Like some kinda love just opened you up
You know when you feel it
It's the only thing
When You Were Mine - Bright Eyes (Prince cover)
If you’re a Bright Eyes fan you probably know that they’ve been doing a series of “companion albums” to their first 9 studio albums. The companion albums are a reimagining of 5 songs from the album and one cover song that they were listening to during the time that album was recorded. All of the covers have been amazing (my other favorite cover has been Agenda Suicide). This one is from the next set of companions that’s being released next week.
'Cause I love you, baby, that's no lie
I love you more than I did
When you were mine
When you were mine
You were kinda sorta my best friend
So I was blind
I let you fool around
I never cared
I never was the kind to make a fuss
When he was there
Sleeping in between the two of us
$20 - boygenius
I’m more of a Phoebe Bridgers fan than boygenius, but this single from their album is such a banger. I love the layered vocals/melodies at the end. And of course, if you follow their interviews, you’ll know that Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes) was the one who taught Phoebe how to scream. “He was like, ‘What do you mean? You just do it’,” Bridgers recalled. “So I just did it, and my voice was sore for three days but it was so fun. I highly recommend it.”
It's a bad idea and I'm all about it
…
It's an all-night drive from your house to Reno
To the T-bird graveyard where we play with fire
In another life, we were arsonists
…
Pushing the flowers that come up
Into the front of a shotgun
Anything involving Dave Matthews, Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes/solo), or Phoebe Bridgers (boygenius/solo) will always be in my top 3. I am hopelessly in love with all three of them.
Hell yes. You and I would make great friends.
DMB always holds a special place in my heart. The Only Thing is ALSO my favorite off the new record. I wish I was attending one of their live shows this tour.
Phoebe Bridgers is one of my bucket list concerts. She's visited my home state three times and I was out of town for all of them :( boygenius announced a tour date in early august in my hometown and...yep, I'm going to be traveling. SAD! But someday I will see her.
Thanks for sharing the Bright Eyes track - I love Prince, and have enjoyed the Bright Eyes stuff I've heard, so I'll definitely keep my ears open for their music!
I love meeting a fellow DMB fan! Going to back to back Dave shows has been on my bucket list since like 2006, and I finally got to cross it off this year in Charleston!
Don’t you just hate having to miss a show that you really want to see?!? I’ve only gotten to see Phoebe once when she and Conor Oberst were touring as their band Better Oblivion Community Center. You may’ve already listened to them if you’re a Phoebe fan, but if not, I highly recommend giving their album a listen. I still have my fingers crossed that they’ll do another album together at some point. Their voices harmonize so well together, it hurts.
I wanted to recommend a good song to start with in case you haven’t listened to BOCC yet, but I can’t choose. I’ll just drop this little video of them playing Funeral together. But definitely check out their album if you like Phoebe. They did also do a tiny desk concert, oh and this performance on KEXP was dope.
Thank you for letting me indulge my love of Conor and Phoebe.
Can I jump in on the Phoebe Bridgers fan friend train?
2015-2017 were particularly hard years for me, and I consumed practically only "sad girl indie" music as a way of coping. Mitski, Big Thief, Half Waif, Hundred Waters, Snail Mail, Billie Marten, Marika Hackman, you name it. But late 2017 was especially challenging for me, and I fell HARD for Stranger in the Alps after CoS gave it an A-. It was a life raft for me in an environment I didn't feel safe in. Smoke Signals is one of my most played songs of all time. I was even lucky enough to catch her live in a shared billing with Noah Gunderson in 2017. She played a fully acoustic set, no frills, just her and the guitar. It was extremely intimate! She even had a donation box set up at the merch table for a mental health charity. It was just... Different? ((sorry for the hipster cred humblebrag ehehe))
P.S. Chesapeake is the best BOCC song hands down. It's nothing like rest of the album, but that's why I love it. :3
P.P.S. Here's my 'low' playlist. If you like Phoebe, you'll like these tracks. (Needs updating though! Will do that in the morning.)
Thank you so much for sharing about your love of Phoebe! Also thank you for sharing the playlist; I was definitely curious.
When I first heard that Conor Oberst and Phoebe had made an album together I almost died. To whatever entity, force, higher power, or lack thereof that may be listening, please let them make more music together!! I think Service Road is my favorite BOCC song but I also love Chesapeake and every song they’ve ever played together. Did you ever hear their cover of Lime Tree by Bright Eyes? What an upgrade to an already amazing song.
That sounds like an awesome show to have been at! I heard about her around the same time as you when Spotify recommended to me Killer from her EP and the rest is history lol. And I also love Smoke Signals. Last year I was in really stressful circumstances related to my demanding job and a long commute. I took a sticky note and wrote “I wanna live at the Holiday Inn / Where somebody else makes the bed / We’ll watch tv while the lights on the street / Put all the stars to death” and put it next to my computer. Because sad music makes me happier.
VIQ - Vestige ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz4jYzc7JOs )
Electronic, chill, not quite retro sounding but it's there. Certain parts are reminiscent of early Tycho to me.
Dash Berlin - Oceans (Rowald Steyn remix) ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0ObodE7T1U )
This song is 2 minutes and 20 seconds long and I wish it was three times as long. Ultra chill remix of a trance artist.
Ultraspank - Where ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybNDTIpu6XI )
Hadn't heard this band until very recently. This song has the rock/nu-metal early 2000's sound. The crunchy distorted slightly electronic sounding bass part just gets me good.
YES!! White Reaper is SO GOOD. More people need to know about them. Highly recommended!
Norwegian Reggaeton - https://open.spotify.com/track/35xmSciP2D7fkPVQVjYdKe?si=t9soVUdpRXOEpL_iq0PeJA
Bad Dream - https://open.spotify.com/track/5ZJ9NpjYG95TDef8bdD1XG?si=JJPqv26DSUuoZ7GuqeeIQA
Fire for You - https://open.spotify.com/track/4o0LyB69tylqDG6eTGhmig?si=nKZdHvvKQsabcpR3L13MhA
Fire For You is AWESOME! I still remember where I was when I first heard it. Perfect song for driving around with the windows down, too.
Yes! I discovered The Cannons a couple of months ago, and they are my favorite summer music this year. So chill with a bit of an '80s vibe.
Cattle Decapitation - A Photic Doom
JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown - Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up / Muddy Waters
Fever Ray - What They Call Us
The new Cattle Decap record rules. Certainly one of my favorite metal records this year.
Fires in the Distance and Omnerod are also worth checking out too.
Ok, A Photic Doom is NUTS. So good. I'm a big metalhead, but not usually so into the screaming or harsh vocal stuff...but I really dig this. Was fun to see the YT comment with the lyrics listed out and read along with it.
Plus...the album artwork? Stunningly horrific.
Cattle Decapitation are really fun. Their vocalist has such a cool and unique style. Love those guys.
If you like mostly clean vocals. I strongly recommend bands like Sermon and The Ocean (used to be called The Ocean Collective). Both have very strong vocals.
If you don't mind a mix. Then I will always recommend Opeth. Especially albums like Still Life, Deliverance, Ghost Reveries, Watershed, etc. But the songs are on the longer side if you don't mind.
Thank you for these suggestions! I'll check out Sermon and The Ocean...because I do prefer mostly clean vocals, but I can enjoy a mix. I have really liked the Opeth I have heard! I saw them perform live in fall 2021 with Mastodon and was very impressed. I think the most "mixed harsh/clean vocals" I listen to is Opeth, Mastodon, and Gojira - so anything along those lines is stuff I can handle.
If you're unfamiliar with Between the Buried and Me, they might be something you'll enjoy. Selkies: The Endless Obsession is good primer for their range. I love the solo at the end.
Been loving Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl - https://youtu.be/DDqNL0js0iU
Touché Amoré - "Limelight" (feat. Manchester Orchestra)
Kurhaus - We've Marked These Red Lines
Venetian Snares - Szamár Madár
Dude yes.
Szamar Madar is an amazing breakbeat track--love the vocal grunts in too.. Powerful track, and one of my favorites off of what I'd consider a top 10 all time electronic album.
Good shit!
Pokey LaFarge - Fine To Me
Zach Deputy - Put It In The Boogie
Vulfpeck - New Guru
Hey, I think you're the one who posted about Pokey a while ago on one of the music threads. Wanted to poke my head in and say I still listen to his songs occasionally! (more with some good summer weather)
Also, I just "discovered" Vulfpeck... I'm really liking their music too. Working backwards from most recent, but the "Put it in my Pocket" song has to be my favorite so far.
If you dig on Vulf, their Live Madison Square Garden Concert is a freaking blast.
You can also branch out and look at some of the individual artists from the group too! Admittedly I haven't done that too much, but I do really like Cory Wong (Golden is the song I know best).]
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Gila Monster
La Femme - Elle ne t'aime pas
Clara Luciana - Respire Encore
Perhaps a weird combination of genres, but I'm really digging them all. Respire Encore is very disco, which is nice. Gila Monster is one of King Gizzard's new singles for their upcoming metal album. Elle ne t'aime pas is just very melancholic. I don't really know what genre you'd call it.
All hail, King Gila!!!!!!!
I don't think I've ever seen another La Femme fan in the wild before! Saisis la corde has been a go-to of mine for years.
Yea, La Femme is great! A friend recommended them recently because we're both into king gizzard. I listened to the "This is La Femme" playlist on spotify for the next two weeks after that. They just have a good sound.
GILA!!! Is so good. Can’t wait for the new album release.
Never Fuck a Spider On The Fly - Modest Mouse
Gila Monster - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Undone and Unashamed - The Murlocs
You can’t have King Giz without a bit of Uncle Murl on the side :)
Now you have me on a psych kick.
The Heavy Heavy - All My Dreams
The Muckers - To The Core Of The Sun
The Belligrents - Sorry To Say
Goose - Dripfield
Greyhounds - Tune In
Chuck Prophet - Jesus Was A Social Drinker
The Electric Peanut Butter Company - Mary's Chair
Findlay - Strange One
Little Tiny Elephant
Dripfield is such a mood. After following your link I’ve had the album on rotation all week, so thank you.
Oh man.
Cha Cha Cha - Käärijä
Eurovis is still embedded into my brain, and I am still simmering over the Jury voting.
Hypa Hypa - Electric Callboy
This has been stuck on my mind for ages now, though All of ECs stuff has so that's not surprising!
METALIZM - Babymetal
I got a chance to see these live this year and they were absolutely brilliant. This was on their setlist and I was hooked!
Babymetal has came a long time since Gimme Chocolate. Which honestly shows how much they had grown as musicians.
They really have come so far. It was a delight seeing them perform with Lordi and Sabaton, and they really know how to engage with the crowd.
Came to this thread specifically to talk about how I am still obsessed with this years Eurovision songs. This was just such a strong year compared to last year. Even if I don’t think we ever quite hit the same highs as 2021 (Dadi Freryr, Go_A, and Maneskin all blew me away) I think overall there were more songs I liked in 2023 than any other recent year and so many are still in rotation. I absolutely love Käärijä (who got absolutely robbed by the juries) but surprisingly the song that has had the longest legs for me this year was Mama ŠČ by Let 3, which I like more every time I listen to it, and unlike a lot of other artists I’ve found myself diving into Let 3’s back catalog the most. Honorable mention to Who The Hell is Edgar? For being the biggest ear worm that’s constantly on repeat in my brain.
Also glad to see Electric Callboy get a mention here, I’ll be seeing them in August!
Yes, it's a crime that Käärijä didn't win, but on the bright side he's now one of those unforgettable acts like Go_A and Verka Serduchka that are defining Eurovision acts even though they didn't win.
This year, I thought that Pasha Parfeni and Luke Black had very high-quality songs and stage shows that weren't rated that highly by either the juries or the popular vote, I'm surprised they didn't do better.
So jealous for Electric Callboy; I've missed out on my chance to see them over here, absolutely everything is sold out :< hope you enjoy them! They put out a live album recently and I just love their energy, its so infectious.
I so easily could have filled my list with eurovision songs too! We had so many earworms this year, but I agree that 2021 was a cracking year. I do have tickets for Lord of the Lost, theyre playing next week and I'm super pumped. Their scoring was also so disappointing! They should've gotten far higher than they did.
poe poe poe poe poe poe poeMourning by Post Malone
Love me some Posty....his new stuff is excellent!
Hell yeah!!!
Glass Animals - Pork Soda
Goth Babe - I Wanna Help Your Mind
Milky Chance - Purple Tiger
Yes!! Hate Dancin’ is so good!
It's all about the house music...
Set me free by DOD
Get busy, rubber people remix by ATFC
Believe by Ministers de la funk, with Jocelyn Brown not the original mix from back in the middle ages but a good one nevertheless. B
Rosetta - Soot
ISIS - Grinning Mouths From 3:45 until the end
Agalloch - Faustian Echoes From 18:08 until the end
Anson Seabra - Robin Hood
Palaye Royale - Broken
Lund - Low
Warning, these are all pretty depressing.
Sleep Token just released a new album a few weeks ago, and while the whole thing is awesome, I can get enough of DYWTYLM and especially Euclid
Monuments also dropped an absolutely crazy collab with MoistCritical out of nowhere with Nefarious
For me, it's a combination of a bunch of things. I love the diversity/dynamics in the song (which is a big part of why im a big sleep token fan in general). I'm a sucker for callbacks to older songs like the very end of Euclid. I similarly am a sucker for well done acapela/acapela-ish parts like the couple parts with what sounds to me like a vocoder. The lyrics are a little more personal for me compared to some of the other songs on the album. And lastly, the middle section from like 2:40 -4:00 is just really fun and energetic and generally just easy to vibe to.
With that said, I'm just loving the whole album. I'd probably throw Apparition and Ascensionism along with Take me back to eden in my top 5.
Zeal & Ardor - Devil is Fine
This particular performance of this song has made me want to listen to it over and over
KC Rae - Blockbuster
Solo project of Now, Now member
Knocked Loose - Mistakes Like Fractures
I come back to this song a lot
High - Arrows in Action
Sick Little Games - First and Forever
Carolina Reaper - The Orphan The Poet
Playing God - Polyphia
The Enormous Room - Michael Manring
The Ballad of Unremarkable Derrick Krueger - The Garages
Goldie Boutilier - Cowboy Gangster Politician
Zella Day - Golden
Katie Toupin - Magnetic Moves
GODDESS - Sasha Colby A live performance version but genuinely I get it so stuck in my head, G-O-D-D-E-S-S starts to loop in my brain.
W.I.T.C.H. - Devon Cole ...I swear I don't only like songs that spell out words lol
Bodybag - Charlotte Lawrence This one hits me right in the feels. I'm obsessed but I can't listen to it too much.
Holy fucking shit, am I ever old.
<coughs> with that said, how about:
Great song, hadn't heard it before, reminds me a bit of Biggie, in terms of the storytelling aspect and the background synth-violins towards the end to add drama.
Honey Revenge - Worst Apology
Fall Out Boy - Hold Me Like A Grudge
+44 - No it isn't
Bit of an older one at the end, but I absolutely love the +44 album (When Your Heart Stops Beating), I wish they stuck around to do more, but it was a side project so not unexpected.
Virtual Self - Eon Break
Madeon - Pay No Mind (Good Faith Forever Tour)
Haywyre - With You
There can be only one:
Darude Sandstorm by Synthony
But ONLY if you amazing earbuds or better yet, a kick ass stereo that'll blow the walls out. Electronic symphony + DJ + one amazing conductor = dance party with a far better video than the original
Evolfo - Bloody Bloody Knife
Cat Clyde & Jeremy Albino - You Were Born to Die
Caught a Ghost - In the Pines / Where did you sleep last night?
After falling down a YouTube rabbit hole a couple of days ago, I encountered and immediately became obsessed with Follow the fool, Primus. Beyond that, I'm guaranteed to start bouncing around and singing along whenever I hear Sheriff fatman, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine and I've had a decades long infatuation with Wish you were here, Pink Floyd.
holy fawn - gloandi
Kardashev - Beyond the Passage of Embers
Fen - Spectre
Jacidorex & POPOF - Midnight Express
Boris Brejcha ft. Laura Korinth - Gravity
And lastly, not a song, but a mix.
RTTWLR - Mad Mickey Minimal Techno Mix (2018)
:)
Boris Brejcha is amazing. Whenever I'm working on something and I get stuck, I put on his Cercle set at Grand Palais and I usually figure things out. (The song "Gravity" is a little under halfway through.) Not only is that Cercle set a great mix, but the cinematography's solid, and at the end there's a cute little bit where they go into a giant sphere, interview him, and award him an art print engraving -- to which he looks suitably bemused and impressed.
The Heartburn Song - Lawrence, 2018, soul pop, and I'm going to their Raleigh show!
VAGABUNDO - Sebastian Yatra, 2023, Latin pop
Un Cumbión Dolido - Christian Nodal, 2023, regional Mexican
Cerberus Shoal's "The Real Ding" is a song you can easily make the centerpiece of your evening entertainment, an 18-minute sprawling folk song that builds from typewriter to full banjo-cantering chorus of charming, deadpan vocals. Though I've read through the lyrics, I have no idea what this song is about, and I don't think I'm supposed to. Rarely has a song resonated with me on a music level as much as this one does.
Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" is everything I have ever wanted a song to sound like, what I've wanted a song to say to me. It is my favorite song of all time, across all artists, time periods, and genres. "Visions of Johanna" is a masterpiece of symmetry, returning to its main theme just when it's supposed to, neither a moment too soon nor too late. It is a song wherein the present wrestles with the past, where mundane life struggles against (and ultimately loses to) shining memory. It possesses some of Dylan's most unforgettable and most poetic lyrics, simultaneously clear and inscrutable, such as "Mona Lisa must have had the highway blues, you can tell by the way she smiles" and "Little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously." It's like Dylan is talking about something particular and universal at the same time. And then there is the pure word painting, where the music comes to life in frightening clarity: "the ghost of electricity howls in the bones of her face" or "the harmonica plays skeleton keys in the rain". And through it all, the visions of Johanna haunt him. He cannot be free of her, no matter what he does, no matter where he runs, no matter whom he fucks. Every day the sun sets, the world quiets, and he is left alone with his thoughts, full of visions of Johanna. All night long. I don't know a more perfect song. If "Desolation Row" is a world unto itself, "Johanna" is the world of one man's mind, and that is just as vast.
Mumford & Sons' "The Cave" reminds us that it's pretty easy to go through life thinking you've got things under control, or rather, that you're in control. Even our language reinforces this idea: "that guy's really got his feet on the ground", meaning he's got his life under control. Feet on the ground. Not realizing that wherever we stand, we're hanging upside down on this little ball of nickel and iron, spinning and hurtling at speeds we cannot possibly fathom. We're just too small to understand, too out of control. Well, I guess we can start to understand our helplessness a little bit, but it requires a radical perspective shift. We could start by coming out of our cave walking on our hands. Then we'll see the world for what it really is. The trees aren't growing up. They're growing out. They're hanging upside down, just like we are, dangling over infinity, completely out of control. Then, maybe then, we can start to understand what dependence is. Maybe then we can grasp the only point of control we actually have in this vast, measureless universe: our own choices.
QWERTY - Saya Gray 2023 - indie
Pretty incredible album I’ve had on loop for a while now!
Primitive Instinct - Deux
Smooth - Calling
Virginia - Funkert
Bit late to the party but:
Doused by DIIV
You're Not Here by No Vacation
Ghostride by Crumb
These are by far my favorite songs of the past few months. They're not new by any means but they've only recently made it into my rotation. The bass in Doused gets me pretty hyped and the overall melancholic feel from both of the others really gets to me in a way that's satisfying without being over the top sad.
This is not Reddit. You're not late to the party because of the way Tildes is set up with collapsed comments and pushing threads back to the top when others comment. See! I saw your comment right away. :)
A fresh band, FIZZ, has dropped - it includes Orla Gartland and Dodie, two of my faves. So I'll link to one from each. You can often see Orla in the background of Dodie's lives, and Dodie in Orla's, so it's perfect to me that they're teaming up :)
FIZZ - High In Brighton
Orla Gartland - Bloodline / Difficult Things (live in Dublin)
dodie - Hate Myself (Vevo Live)
Here’s my three that I will always have in rotation. I am obsessed with these songs.
Billy Toppy by Men I Trust
This song is dreampop with some darker vibes to it. The guitar riff in the chorus gives me Boys of Summer vibes and I live for it. I don’t really know a whole lot about the band themselves so I don’t have much to say to the rest of their music, but I love this one.
Idol by YOASOBI
Oh man what can I say about this one. This is the opening song for the anime Oshi no Ko (which I am obsessed with as well). I prefer the original Japanese version, but linked the English lyric version for anyone who wants to give it a listen.
It’s pop. It’s dance. It’s dark orchestral chamber music? It’s an earworm. It really highlights how parasocial relationships affect celebrities and how harmful the treatment of their obsessive fanbase can be. Particularly in regards to Japanese idol culture. Also the show is really good.
MissingNo. [177013] by Desolate
Some of you seeing this may recognize this number. I assure you it is what you think it is. If you do not know then please. Save your optics the trauma. This song is absolutely written about Metamorphosis, a certain infamous manga about a young girl’s very very dark life path.
The song is brutal, has some absolutely bonkers breakdowns, and almost never fails to remind me of the horrors I read that one fateful day many years ago when I discovered the existence of 177013.
You can save yourself a lot of mental tragedy by just listening to the song which will sum up literally everything you’d need to know about its source material. Cause despite the content I love this song, and the band in general. They write a lot of songs based on anime, and I am a huge fan.
Elephants Never Forget - Haken
Habitual Line Stepper - Periphery
See Me Smiling - Yellowcard
Haken is SO GOOD! I just discovered them (with their album Fauna) recently and have been really obsessed with it.
I looooove Haken. My second favorite group of all time, just behind Between The Buried And Me in first place.
Lomelda - Reach
DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ - Being Alone
Vulfmon x Jacob Jefferies - Nice to You
This particular rendition of The Rebel Army, from Final Fantasy II. It's such a nice take on the song and fits the game well. I love hearing old bleeps and bloops video game music be transformed by an orchestra.
My Star which is the ending song for the new Final Fantasy XVI game has also been stuck in my head pretty much since beating the game a few days ago, while also punching me in the gut every time I listen to it. It's so singable and peaceful. Spoilers for the game if you watch the video though.
And finally Butter-Fly by Koji Wada. So fun and upbeat, and it has a bit of a nostalgic kick I feel. You just can't go wrong with a little bit of J-rock
(By the way, can you tell I like Final Fantasy?)