Apologies for the mess – this was a surprising amount of effort, so sod formatting the post!!!
Gavin on Will:
(The first video I sent Gavin is obviously blocked in his location. Fail. It was 100 Words by Shadow Bones, if anyone cares!!)
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Unfinished Business
A new one on me. All perfectly lovely. The guy's got a good voice and it's a decent enough melody. Is it bringing anything new to the table? No, not remotely. We've all heard this a bunch of times before, but it's all very nice.
Shakira - Don't Bother
I like Shakira. Or maybe I should say I liked Shakira since I haven't really kept up with her over the last ten years or so. This is a decent, old-school Shakira track, but, for me, it's not as strong as the singles from the album before this one, and it, quite rightly, got totally eclipsed by Hips Don't Lie very soon after. I like it; it's just weaker than what came before and after.
The Rasmus - Stranger
Another new one for me. I like the production on this one; It's got a bit of an '80s vibe at first, almost "Police" like. The switch into the louder/more powerful second half is good as well, but that's also when it, unfortunately, starts to sound a bit generic. I do like this one though.
Goblin - Phenomena
I like this. It's the kind of slightly bats**t stuff that I enjoy. Not so totally f**ked up as to be unlistenable, but enough to keep me interested. It sounds like it should be in a computer game or something.
Edit - I didn't think I knew the artist, but after quickly looking them up, I've definitely heard some of their stuff before in film soundtracks. I'll probably be looking into them a bit more.
Caffeine Demon on Nicky Borill:
Queen - Don't Stop Me Now
Just a great fun track - you could say I'm having a ball listening to it...
Nakatomi - Children of the Night
seems quite a fun poppy number, but dificult to truly judge on a first listen,,,
Twista - Sunshine
Not a big fan of rap, but occasionally find some I like - and this is one of those, just sounds like the backing was meant to go with it
Avril Lavigne - Skater Boy
Catchy Guitar riff and vocals - what's not to like??
The Script - If you could see me now
Not a big fan of rap, but occasionally find some I like - not sure if this is one of those, but it doesn't sound horrendous!
Heartline Coaster on Nitefly:
David Bowie – Scary Monsters and Super Creeps
Not the most melodic of songs I've heard from Bowie but that's not to say it doesn't have charm. I like all the unusual percussive sounds running around in different places, works well on headphones at the very least.
Wikipedia confirms my suspicion that this album inspired that Skrillex song with a similar name. Learning.
Ministry – Thieves
I take it back, Bowie had all the melody. More fun sounds here and the spoken parts are rather well placed, particularly in the 'get up, get on your feet' bit - I like the groove there. Anger.
Billy Joel – My Life
Always liked the hook on this one, though regrettably probably never heard it in full. There's a lot more about it to enjoy, plenty going on and especially the cut back version of the second chorus.
Madonna – Like A Prayer
Starting to learn that hearing some things on radios, tvs and whatever in passing never do them justice, in more ways than one. The quality of sound and all the stuff you miss is criminal - should be heard as the artist intended. Favourite so far.
Pianisphere (forgotten who this was by…)
I was going to make a comment in jest at some point about the three minute rule, with all these songs being ~5, then we hit 17 and a half. That'll teach me.
Nothing against it, I'm a fan of a fair few songs of such epic proportion from my prog days and this one does rather well to keep itself engaging as just an (almost) instrumental of several parts. Planisphere: the Ride could work.
Nitefly on Heartline Coaster:
Yugi - Bonnie and Clyde
No messing around with this track, which blows its load in about 3 seconds (“You pick my up, when I feel down” - sang to a conventional dance-tempo beat). I immediately suspect that I already knew the whole song. No surprises thereafter. There is nothing rich about it nor anything to explore.
A somewhat similar but better-executed song is: ’Deadmau5 & Kaskade - I Remember’. I would recommend that instead.
KSHMR - The World We Left Behind
The overall sound is one of a ‘fireworks get together party’ at the end of a ‘family space film’ - I gather that the primitive and tribal natives have been saved from the technologically advanced oppressors.
This is fine. Like other chirpy radio friendly tunes that borrow heavily from house music, I end up feeling a little cynical at the attempt to conjure an ‘optimistic sense of belonging’, as if the music suggests to me that life exists entirely within an Ibiza club.
Annisokay - Overload
Most of my enjoyment of this track has stemmed from the pitch-warble at the start of post-chorus guitar riff. Things like this catch my ear and attention - I like that. Otherwise, it’s not one for me.
The lyrics concerning ‘pressure and letting go’ we can all relate to, although if I’m nitpicking the reference to ‘fighting’ is a bit confusing… He starts of saying he ‘can’t fight the feeling’, then switches to a proclamation of ‘fight it’. I thought he was letting go and releasing pressure, not ‘fighting’? Or is he supposed to be fighting his own ‘obligation to fight’…? Maybe they just liked the sound of ‘fight it’.
Lucy - One by One
The translation suggests they lyrics are of a very similar theme to that Yugi track, so I probably enjoy it more by virtue of not understanding the lyrics.
Musically, it’s a short pop ditty with enough going on to make it pleasant. I particularly like that some attention has been paid to the percussive sounds.
Boston - Used to Bad News
I always seem to like lyrics where the protagonist is making the best of bad times - it’s inspiring. I like this feel-good track and I very much appreciate the mix - you can hear every note from that bass guitar.
Will on Gavin:
Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker
Everyone knows this track – it’s surprising it’s never made it onto one of my many ‘songs for heartbreakers’ playlists over the years. Apologies for the obvious sexism, but this is ‘chick rock’ by numbers – but it’s honest about what it is – doesn’t try to be a masterpiece creatively, but it’s good fun.
Voice of the Beehive - I Think I Love You
OK, I’m immediately reminded of Roxette and that’s not a bad thing, note to self to check out more of this band when I’m having wild flights of fantasy. Ah – now the chorus kicks in and I realise I recognise this one as well. Again, neither the music nor the rather generic lyrics are exactly classics, but I still like this a fair bit. The ending takes longer than it needs to though, it’s outstayed its welcome…
Adam and the Ants - Stand and Deliver
Two of my friends have tried to dress as Adam Ant and some point and the look suited them a surprising amount. We have another song that surely everybody knows, but thanks to my upbringing I’m actually more into this era of music than most people might think. Considering the age of the song, it’s done very well to pass the test of time, so definitely has something about it, but I’ve got halfway into the song and feel like I’ve heard all it has to offer now…
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Cities in Dust
A similar eighties feel to some of the previous tracks and feels a bit like what I’d label as ‘furie music’
(someone will probably correct me on that).
It’s inoffensive enough as background music, but it’s a bit dull; not my favourite.
The Sugarcubes - Hit
Ah, we have another 'I've met someone I quite like. How inconvenient' track - I'd labelled it as a Bjork soundalike, but on closer inspection, there's a good reason for that. Stupid_Will. Yeah, I don't dislike this.
I couldn't resist translating the Icelandic chorus, apparently we have:
I and he, I and he we say
I and he, I and he we hurt
I and he, I and he we feel
I and he, I and he we hurt
I and he, I and he we bite
I and he, I and he we hurt
I and he, I and he we bite
I and he, I and he we hurt...
Nicky Borrill on Caffeine Demon:
Jethro Tull – Solstice Bells
Great, Christmas songs... like I haven't had enough of them, 12 hours a day, for a month? I'm probably the last person you wanted to send Christmas songs to!!! Kudos for finding one I haven't actually heard though. Sounds like the theme tune for a television program, and given the title, I'm guessing that it is... OK, not great 4/10 and if he sings that 'ring out' line once more I'm dropping that score too!!!
Coldplay – Christmas Lights
Now this is a Christmas song I can get behind... Love Coldplay. Have I told anybody I have tickets to see them at Wembley this year? 8/10
[ED: I was there when you booked them. You’re a dull man…]
Little drummer boy by Bing Crosbie and David Bowie
Boring... Overplayed (approx 12 times a day here!!!!) Meh... 2/10
Greg Lake – I Believe in Father Christmas’
Again, well over played... But I actually quite like this one, definitely one of the better Christmas regulars. 6/10
Now the real question... Do I get bad luck for listening to bloody Christmas songs in January?
East 17 – Stay Another Day
Wow, it's not 'actually' a Christmas song, despite making Christmas number 1. OK, I'm not saying I 'love' this song. But it does carry fond memories for me. Let me take you back to the summer of 1995. Nemesis, The Big One, and Shockwave had been open for a year. A young 11 year old Nick, who'd just left primary school, was at a 10 day long summer camp in Osmaston of all places (A TINY village not too far from Uttoxeter / Towers.) It's the end of evening at the end of camp disco, and this song comes on. I got my first ever kiss that night, and I did what any right minded 11 year old boy would do, shat my pants and ran off with my mates denying to them what just happened. Her name was Katie, we spoke for about a week after that, a long term relationship at that age. Good song, fond memories, 7/10
On a side note, my brother was hospitalised for weeks on that trip. You see, the field we were camping on was also a sports pitch. The local fire brigade kindly kept the field watered and in good condition. On the day they came to water it, it was roasting, so they were allowing the kids to run under the water. Until my brother, bright spark that he is, decided to run directly through the jet of water, at short distance, facing into it... Twat. They thought he was going to lose his sight, it was so bad. They asked me if I wanted to cut my camp short, which I obviously didn't!!! He survived, his sight survived, but he now has a lot more respect for the power of a fireman's hose.
[ED: That song reminds me of Christmas 2009. Yeah.]
