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| Chez EOY 2023, Complete! |
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 26th December 2023, 05:09 PM
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#1
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 The owls are not what they seem
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Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,133 User: 9,232 
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 first image result that comes up, awesome x It's time for my annual countdown of my favourite music of the year. While I haven't managed to keep my personal chart going this year (unsure if I'll manage it next year but maybe x), I've actually found this a very fruitful year for music and while I've had an awful lot going on personally, I'm pleased to have found time for some great music in amongst all that. I'm going to cut the extras like film/TV shows and post in their own forum for various reasons including timekeeping and me getting carried away with commentary First section coming up in a bit, hope you enjoy reading 
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26th December 2023, 06:34 PM
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#2
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 Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon
Joined: 6 May 2016
Posts: 23,898 User: 23,247
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Exciting stuff! Interesting to see what pops up here, hoping to make a few discoveries.
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26th December 2023, 09:43 PM
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#3
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 11,851 User: 39,723
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Will be interested for your Year-End list!
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27th December 2023, 02:14 PM
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#4
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,133 User: 9,232
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Great
I haven't spoke about all of these on here so I'm hoping there's a few discoveries to be found x46. Lael Neale – I Am The River 47. Roosevelt – No Ordinary Love 48. Synecdoche Montauk – Wherever You Are 49. Solomon Fesshaye – Invisible Hand 50. Headache – The Beginning of the End Starting off with one of the most unique songs I've heard all year that I really have to acknowledge here, Headache combines dark, existential lyrics with some glazy and trippt production to create an immersive experience, and is one of the few musical pieces I've heard that is really enhanced by the AI usage. It's got Baz Luhrrman vibes yet a lot darker and feels more apt for today's turbulent times. Also from BJSC, but not quite as successful alas, was a random find from r/listentothis from Russian experimental artist, Synecdoche Montauk, a wonderful vocalist combined with trippy production made his EP a really great listen, but it was Wherever You Are, froim 2018, with an accompanying beautiful video with some dark symbolism and themes exploring the spectre of death in Russian culture. I couldn't allow it to go unnoticed (even if it flopped x) Some lesser known ones from Solomon Fesshaye really caught my attention from the Apple Music playlists that soundtrack my walks, it's a dark and slowly building number with where the instrumentation and vocals work together to create a brooding yet gripping atmosphere that really creeps up on you makes you take notice over the six minutes. Roosevelt, on the other hand, is a lot more simple. I don't like this as much as Forgive, yet still has that great vibrant feel with euphoric guitars and synths that make a wonderful soundscape. Finally, Lael Neale is an early morning 6Music discovery that isn't my usual ball park, yet has a real retro yet unique charm to it. An infectious rhythm throughout combine with shimmering guitars and a low organ to make something that's a low key toe tapoper, that flows and ebbs brilliantly just like a river. |
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28th December 2023, 10:23 AM
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#5
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 🔥🚀🔥
Joined: 30 August 2010
Posts: 74,596 User: 11,746
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Invisible Hand is sounding rather interesting
I enjoyed the Headache song a fair bit too of course |
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28th December 2023, 05:13 PM
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#6
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Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon
Joined: 6 May 2016
Posts: 23,898 User: 23,247
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Giving I Am The River a listen now - certainly an interesting one, very much defined by the humming (if that's what you can call it?) throughout. Her voice isn't pitch perfect but that seems deliberate here, and I quite like that in a singer!
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28th December 2023, 11:53 PM
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#7
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,133 User: 9,232
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Great to see people enjoying some of the new songs <3
-x- 41. Katie Gately – Howl 42. Midbooze – Ad2k 43. The Beatles – Now & Then 44. Decisive Pink – Ode to Boy 45. Slowdive – The Slab I may be assuming, but I think there's one name here that may be a little more recognisable than the others?  The Beatles' much covered comeback was far better than it had any right to be and another example of how AI can do some good in the world of music. I don't know if it being here is more the euphoria of this getting to number 1 which felt like a real musical event (and was my Dad's 71st Birthday number 1 <3) and the story behind it and the poignancy of the short documentary. It's hardly their best work, yet it was quite the grower that I found myself humming a lot, sounds very fitting as a swan song (not bad coming 60 years after debuting x) and is considerably better and more polished than the 90s singles. Nonetheless, I'm pleased I get the opportunity to rank a new single from them in my lifetime <3Back to the underground stuff, The term 'Sextrance' did really grab me as a point of interest when I was browsing the internet one evening and Midbooze does really take you to that drug-hazed and intimite atmosphere where this sort of thing could be possible...in a good way, I think that makes sense x Basically, if a 90s aesthetic and a slow building, intense take on the usual trance genre is for you, then this is a great one to check out x Slowdive have really been on my radar and though I still need to check them out in more depth, I've become quite the fan of gazing at shoes which they specialise. The Slab has those same shimmering guitars, slow, distorted build up and wonderful atmosphere of what I know of them and was enjoyable, I really need to check them out further. Two more quite underrated oddities here - Katie Gately's Howl is one of the most striking experimental pieces to date, starting with a simple beat and slowly builds to a cacophony of overlying vocals, percussion effects and a multitude of sounds and stylistic influences thrown together fighting to get a look in and ending fittingly with applause, it's rather difficult to describe in words, it's quite the musical mind map that's worth a listen. Another weird and wonderful 6Music discovery comes from Decisive Pink, the collaboration between Angel Deradoorian from the Dirty Projectors and Kate NV, coincidentally, along with one of my former BJSC artists (more on that later), I first heard Dirty Projectors on 6Music this year with the song Stillness is the Move, which became a real favourite with its standout, quirky structure and striking vocals, so this feels a culmination of two experimental music finds, and it's very good, combining understated early Kraftwerk 80s-style synths and a bizarre take on Beethoven's 9th reveals an addictive callback to synth music that slowly creeps up on you throughout it's runtime. |
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30th December 2023, 05:21 PM
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#8
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Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon
Joined: 6 May 2016
Posts: 23,898 User: 23,247
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Nice to see The Beatles pop up here! It didn't do much for me initially but the more I listened to it the more I began to enjoy! Really glad it managed to get them a final Number 1.
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30th December 2023, 05:56 PM
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#9
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,133 User: 9,232
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36. Underworld – Denver luna 37. Hikaru Utada – Somewhere Near Marseilles 38. Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – Shadow Magnet 39. Lankum - Newcastle 40. CHVRCHES – Over It was great to hear a new single from Underworld at the tail end of the year via 6Music. Denver Luna harkens back to Born Slippy.NUXX, an all time favourote of mine, with it's rapid BPM and stream of consciousness style lyrics unfolding over eight minutes, it's instantly distinctive and recognisable and all the better for it, who doesn't love Strawberry jam x A similarly long entry is this BJSC discovery and critical favourite from 2022, Hikara Utadu, the length may be questioned by some, but it allows the tranquil, gorgeous atmosphere and her relaxed and dulcet vocals to blossom and evolve throughout. It really does create that beautiful Summer in France vibes it's aiming for, and the panoramic ocean live video only adds to that. Another BJSC discovery is this epic from Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke, one of them being the co-founder of Dance with the Dead who have had some wonderful dark orchestral songs, this is similarly epic and the instrumentation gets more menacing and intense keeping up with her towering vocals to create an operatically brilliant experience. The instrumental harkens back to Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell too which is one of my favourite classical compositions. Certainly not the only appearance from Mercury nominees, Lankum and who have provided me with quite a bit to chew on this year, but we'll get to those later. Newcastle was a great cut from the album, featuring a reworking of a 17th Century song with beautiful vocals combining with soft strings to provide with a warmer moment from a dark album. And finally CHVRCHES released a song from their new label as a bridge between albums. It's got the trademark big chorus, haunting vocals and beautiful synthy soundscape that you'd expect from them, so nothing really new, however, I have come to love this sound so even a slightly less creative moment from them is still a great moment nonetheless, and a great way to mark ten years of them on the music scene (wow x  ) |
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30th December 2023, 06:56 PM
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#10
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 I wanna keep all of your charm in a canister
Pronouns: She/her
Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,200 User: 12,810 
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'The Beginning of the End' was probably my favourite BJSC entry of the year so great to see that turning up here
 the AI vocals coupled with those lyrics are such a haunting combination, love the trip-hop style production running through it too. I should really check out the accompanying album. I'm happy that you took to the big Beatles comeback! I'll never forget the wholesome moment of texting my grandad about a new music release while it was premiering on the radio. I was pleased with the song quality and the 90s footage that was kept for the accompanying documentary. Witnessing a Beatles #1 as it happened was the icing on the cake *.* The latest slowdive album was fab and 'the slab' is my favourite from it so I'm glad that was a standout from this era for you as well Nice start so far x |
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31st December 2023, 03:34 PM
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#11
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is my brain across your walls?
Joined: 14 February 2009
Posts: 115,095 User: 8,300
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I'm not going to know as many of these songs as I did from last year's list whoops but will do my best to keep up with this anyways and I'll try and make sure to check out some of the songs I've not heard at some point.
Slowdive's album was one I did get around to listening to at least and 'the slab' is certainly a big highlight from it  (I think my 2nd favourite on the album overall after 'alife'). Also cool to see Lael Neale on here as that is a song I enjoyed from early in the year before I fell off with keeping up with new music, and some great song contest picks here too so far of course, Headache was definitely one of my best BJSC discoveries of the year, 'Shadow Magnet' was a great spinoff winner (I think you've confused Dead Can Dance with DANCE WITH THE DEAD in that commentary btw, I did a double take there for a second  ) and Midbooze got my silver medal in Club Bizarre, iirc my top 2 of that contest were quite comfortably ahead of the rest. Also those Beatles lads have potential etc. x
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1st January 2024, 03:21 PM
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#12
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,133 User: 9,232
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Thank you for the comments all <3 I've been a little ill so slower progress but getting a bit back into it now x (Haha at Dance with the Dead, now that would be an intriguing collaboration
 )-x- 31. Nabihah Iqbal – Zone 1 to 6000 32. Kate NV – oni (they) 33. Chloe Caillet – Quieres (Parts 1 & 2) 34. Boygenius – Cool About It 35. Jockstrap – Concrete Over Water Two more of my BJSC entries come here, and both very underrated x Kate NV (showing up solo here) is perhaps one of the weirdest things I've seen and heard all year but it is ever so standout, experimental pop of the oddest kind coupled with visuals straight out of a 90s Windows screensaver mixed with a Sims 2 avatar. There are only two sung verses in a foreign language before it descends into over two and a half minutes of electronic synths malfunctioning, hiccuping and whirring with no rhyme or reason. What does it mean? God Knows, but it's very fun and has stuck with me all year. Then an Apple Music playlist find from Chloe Caillet, a French DJ who clearly was drawing on a lot of international influences - the first part is a Flamenco, Latin-esque number before it's second part launches into an Afro-tinged flavour with featured vocals from Beninese singer, Kaleta. I decided they worked best as a mash up as I genuinely couldn't decide which side I liked more, didn't do much for my chances in the contest, but it was still a lovely summer bop, listen to it yourself and see which part you like best x Two songs that technically aren't from this year but were brought to my attention are the first BJSC winner from Nabihah Iqbal, there's more to come from here but even though I did like it a lot at the time, I really grew to appreciate it over the year, with it's intense spoken word delivery, the London streets she hails from are clearly reflected in the lyrics and production, they work together to highlight the busy yet sometimes lonely nature of life in the city that really resonates with me. It's one of the most effectively atmospheric songs I've heard this year and I'm glad to have been introduced to it in time for her hearing some more up to date material this year x I'm likewise thankful for Mercury for introducing me to Jockstrap as I did hear the album getting acclaim and I really loved the unique and experimental vibes of the album. Concrete Over Water is a standout, with its switch ups in tempo, tranquil and ethereal vocals and shimmering and eclectic electronics working together to create a beautifully vibrant and immense soundscape over it's six minute runtime. Finally, a bit more up to date, as some of the critical darlings of recent years combined to make boygenius, while a few of the songs I heard were pretty good, it was only Cool Enough, which I heard in August on, you guessed it, 6Music, that stood out the most to me. The melody and verses are so beautifully sung, you forget it's three different voices as it doesn't feel remotely overcooked yet each new verse gives a new perspective on the same theme and some witty lyricism. It's more than cool x |
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1st January 2024, 03:56 PM
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#13
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is my brain across your walls?
Joined: 14 February 2009
Posts: 115,095 User: 8,300
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I did vote for both Chloé Caillet and Kate NV in their semis so both robbed indeed </3 although I presume some of my (and the voters in general's) bigger favourites of your entries of the year will be still to come here x Forced to stan the Kate NV video of course *.*
I have actually heard all 5 of these songs this time, 'Zone 1 To 6000' of course also from BJSC (kicking off the year with an excellent winner <3) and I did know 'Concrete Over Water' from 2022 but it was certainly a musical highlight of 2023 hearing it on the Mercury Prize ceremony as part of a run of 3 great performances alongside Young Fathers and Lankum, beautiful song (the rest of their album was good too but didn't quite live up to that one song so I'm glad that's the one they performed). I actually only just listened to the boygenius album recently on a whim, 'Cool About It' actually was one of the songs that didn't really do much for me though unfortunately! Aside from the singles (mainly 'Not Strong Enough' and '$20') my big standout tracks from the album were 'Satanist', 'Anti-Curse' and 'Revolution 0'. |
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1st January 2024, 07:09 PM
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#14
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Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon
Joined: 6 May 2016
Posts: 23,898 User: 23,247
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I can't remember Kate NV from BJSC but had to give it a listen after that description! Certainly a unique song, although I've happily listened to it from start to end.
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4th January 2024, 10:57 AM
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#15
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🔥🚀🔥
Joined: 30 August 2010
Posts: 74,596 User: 11,746
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43. The Beatles – Now & Then -> great end to their career
37. Hikaru Utada – Somewhere Near Marseilles -> quite liked this but the runtime killed its replay value for me 38. Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – Shadow Magnet -> this was very interesting choice for being a made up language 31. Nabihah Iqbal – Zone 1 to 6000 -> this was a great winning entry |
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4th January 2024, 01:39 PM
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#16
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 11,851 User: 39,723
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Really like "Over" and "Now and Then" from your list!
Also need to catch-up on my Year-End list as well. |
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4th January 2024, 07:59 PM
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#17
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,133 User: 9,232
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Oops, bit of a delay again, thank you for the comments, resuming now x
QUOTE(Brer @ Jan 1 2024, 03:56 PM)  I actually only just listened to the boygenius album recently on a whim, 'Cool About It' actually was one of the songs that didn't really do much for me though unfortunately! Aside from the singles (mainly 'Not Strong Enough' and '$20') my big standout tracks from the album were 'Satanist', 'Anti-Curse' and 'Revolution 0'. Can this wonderful video tempt you further? x (if only it were a cat mask x) QUOTE(PeteFromLeeds @ Jan 1 2024, 07:09 PM) I can't remember Kate NV from BJSC but had to give it a listen after that description! Certainly a unique song, although I've happily listened to it from start to end. I think that's a compliment so I'll take it  QUOTE(Dappy New Year @ Jan 4 2024, 10:57 AM) 43. The Beatles – Now & Then -> great end to their career 37. Hikaru Utada – Somewhere Near Marseilles -> quite liked this but the runtime killed its replay value for me 38. Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – Shadow Magnet -> this was very interesting choice for being a made up language 31. Nabihah Iqbal – Zone 1 to 6000 -> this was a great winning entry Forgot that bit about the made up language, indeed that's wonderful <3 QUOTE(Sergej @ Jan 4 2024, 01:39 PM) Really like "Over" and "Now and Then" from your list! Also need to catch-up on my Year-End list as well. Good to see another fan of Over! |
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4th January 2024, 08:26 PM
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#18
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is my brain across your walls?
Joined: 14 February 2009
Posts: 115,095 User: 8,300
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QUOTE(Chez Wombat @ Jan 4 2024, 07:59 PM) Can this wonderful video tempt you further? x (if only it were a cat mask x) Well I like the video more than the song at least 
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4th January 2024, 08:49 PM
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#19
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,133 User: 9,232
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I'll take it x
26. The Last Dinner Party – My Lady of Mercy 27. Romy & Fred Again… - Strong 28. M.A.G. – 2322332323233333333 29. yuné pinku – Fai Fighter 30. Rainbow - Stargazer Quite a few big names from 2023 here and one that will certainly continue into this year given I assume they're just about to be announced BBC's Sound of 2024 winner. Being honest, I wasn't all that keen on Nothing Matters, call me a prude but wasn't a huge fan of the chorus. I was much more won over by My Lady of Mercy, it feels so much more alive and active with the hand-clapping, big chorus and soaring guitars. Hopefully more of their material is of this standard and I'll try and pay attention to them (not sure I can recall who won last year whoops x). There will be more to come from xx graduate, Romy later but Strong was a great song that fit the understated club vibes on the album, with the help of Fred Again... giving some wonderfully euphoric trance-esque production to complement the sensual and atmospheric vocals, who I really should familiarise myself with a bit more as I do recall enjoying his pre-chart stuff. Yune Pinku is a name I heard on 6Music quite a bit at the start of the year, it's a shame it's gone a little quiet since, but Fai Fighter is a dancefloor ready banger with hooks aplenty and some excellent synths and vocal mixing throughout. I do appreciate the more subtle and sensual side she shows on Night Light and Heartbeast, but this remains my favourite. That rather incomprehensible title you see is a discovery I'm still quite proud of, as I remember it just a few hours after it went up, when the artist name was a similarly incomprehensible combination of letters and had less than 100 views which soon grew to over 400k, sadly I'm unable to remember or find the original name and a reupload with 10k is all that's left. Still M.A.G. (hopefully no Trump supporter vibes there x) produced some wonderful late night bedroom music here with the wonderful drum'n'bass and choral vocal combination that evolves and changes in tempo over the six minutes, always quite compounding your expectations when it becomes too samey. I was pleased to see it do quite well in BJSC. The last one is a bit of a glaring one as it's actually from 1976, but it's become one of my favourite and most played discoveries from a song contest. I don't actually know any material from Rainbow, but this really surprised me. It really does feel like a long lost Led Zeppelin single with its anthemic chorus, heavy guitar and drums, an epic mystical tale in the lyrics echoing a darker version of the Wizard of Oz in the lyrics, the lead singer even sounds like Plant, almost prog-rock at times. Apparently it's status has grown over the years and it is their highest rated song on AcclaimedMusic ahead of their hits which I've never heard of. Apparently, they had quite a style change to more pop-rock when their original lead singer, Ronnie James Do (who also fronted Black Sabbath for a while after Ozzy Osbourne, fun fact x) left in the late 70s so I'm not certain I would be as into them. Nevermind, this is a real epic and deserves to be heard on Absolute Radio/all "real music" stations everywhere x |
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4th January 2024, 09:46 PM
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#20
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 11,851 User: 39,723
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Glad to see "Strong" on here! Surprisingly good hit for me!
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| Time is now: 27th April 2024, 07:28 PM |
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