John: Spoon
Yeah I didn't mind this album and yes this is a good opener...it didn't blow me away to be a favourite, but it's enjoyable
Shryke: Dayglow
It's not that it's bad, it just feels so lifeless, like they are bored themselves making and performing this...and the hook is so bland and unmemorable that the song just fades away as soon as it finished...if I heard it again I'm sure I wouldn't remember having heard it before
Six: Just Mustard
not what I expected from hearing about them but I think I must listen to this album instead of getting around to it
p.s. Six - I agree with your last 2 comments to my Courting and Black Midi songs but the difference is that I see them as compliments...I like Franz Ferdinand a lot, and a pirate's cabaret sounds pretty awesome to me
Tranny: Tove Lo
nope
Last edited by Leestu on January 19th, 2023, 5:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
JohnErle - Valerie Junetinelli - The hobbitses stole the clockses. Anyway, liked the horns, not so much the twangy vocals.
Leestu - Black Midi - Gave me a headache. Thanks for that. This was like the opening number for a Broadway show that closed the week before it opened.
Six - The Council Ratcatcher (Fucking hell, that would be a great name for a band... ) - This sounds like the kind of song that will get better will repeated listenings. Doubt I'll get there.
Tranny - JID f. Jackie Mason (JK) - Well, that's a helluva kudo for a 16YO! The backbeat was cool, wasn't a fan of the lyrics.
I haven't seen Encanto, so I had no idea this was a cover at first, and even after seeking out the original I vastly prefer this Amanda Palmer version. When you strip away all the Disney schmaltz and hyperactive cutesiness, this is a really great song.
After hearing this, I realized Neil Gaiman should make himself useful and orchestrate a collaboration between his better half and Sparks.
LEESTU
Fontaines D.C., In ár gCroíthe go deo
What a song to open the album and set the tone for what is to come! Seeing them live in February…I wouldn’t mind them opening their set with this
SHRYKESPEARE
Joywave, We Are All We Need
I was a boy who kept a list
Of everybody who wouldn't let me in
Sense of humor now about it
But, there's jadedness where love should've been
Drove around town
'Til the last stone thrown was hollow
Wait a couple years
And now, all I've got left is sorrow
I promised more Joywave, and here it is. Their 2022 album, Cleanse, was great, as was the live show that I was able to attend following its release. Their lyric videos (as well as their stage performances) had a “car wash” theme that somehow didn’t seem out of place. (And just to piss JohnErle off, there's one more Joywave song still to come.)
SIX
DITZ, I Am Kate Moss
DITZ released their debut album last year, and it’s an auspicious start to the alt-rock act, with this key track being my favourite, going from quiet to loudly intense and back again while singer Cal Francis groans verses of existential and physical anxiety.
TRANNY
Vein.fm, Hellnight
There's a cool sense of pride that comes from watching a band that's from where you're from gain more international recognition, especially when they happen to be around the same age as you. Vein.fm started off in the DIY Merrimack Valley (a mostly inland area of Northeast Massachusetts that borders New Hampshire) hardcore scene before their uniquely chaotic sound that's influenced by everything from metalcore to drum and bass earned them enough buzz to start playing shows in Boston/Worcester/Providence and eventually led to a record deal, national tours, etc. This explosive cut from their 2nd full length record "This World is Going to Ruin You" shows off the urgency, madness and brutality that allowed them to rapidly rise up the extreme music ladder.
John: Still way too OTT in its pantomime delivery.
Leetsu: Beautiful opening to the record, and interesting story behind it. The title was meant to go on the gravestone of an Irish immigrant in England, but the local church stopped it becuase they though the Irish language was too provocative. Fontaines read this and wrote the song, which generated enough interest and outrage that the decision was reversed. The lads even visited the grave in question
Shryke: You can lump me in with John as one of those who just don't like Joywave
Tranny: Not my thing, as you know. At least it was brief.
JohnErle - Valerie June
This was good, enjoyed it more than I thought I would when it first started
Shryke - Asgeir
Great voice over music that doesn't move me so like most Asgeir songs I've heard I'll pass with respect thanks
Six - Catcher
I haven't heard of them before but I'll probably look into them...can hear the Iceage comparison and that's a selling point for me
Tranny - JID
I would argue that 151 Rum is more fun, and when I got to see him live in 2020 the whole set was a great time, but aside from that quibble J.I.D is one of the rappers I enjoy more than most and that Hasidic sample is awesome here
Fontaines – Unfortunately, the backstory is better than the song. He keeps pushing his voice to places it clearly doesn't want to go, and this doesn't inspire me to check out the album. I've heard much worse, but it's not my jam.
Joywave – It starts off okay, but the chorus is too cheesy for me. I know I'd seen that car wash video backdrop before, and if I'd just stumbled across this video somewhere else I probably would have assumed it's the same song you'd posted already. That's how generic their sound is.
DITZ – The intro was nice, if a bit familiar, while the sludgy guitars were just boring and overly familiar.
Shouty Demons – Speaking of much worse and songs I could swear I've heard before. This is the third or fourth video this countdown with an epilepsy warning at the beginning, but this is the first time I can recall seeing a band wear it like a badge of honour, as if flashing lights in your video make you more badass. Lame.
John
Valerie June, Use Me
I both love it and dislike it, weirdly. Good rhythm, nice voice, but something bothers me.
Leestu
Black Midi, 27 Questions
I like the band's name. The song is strange. Not really to my liking.
Shryke
Asgeir, Snowblind
I like that. Delicate, cool, trippy.
Six
Catcher, Comparing Saviours and Friends
I'm not convinced. It sounded depressing.
Tranny
J.I.D. feat. Kenny Mason, Dance Now
I prefer that to your hardcore metal. Even though I'm no fan either globally, even if the different styles in the track is interesting.
JohnErle - Amanda Hugginkiss - Clever rhyme scheme and great use of violin, but... weird AF.
Leestu - Fountains of D.C. - I am pretty much convinced that I'm never gonna be a fan of this band.
Six - DITZ, SCHLITZ - After reading your description, I thought I was in for a treat. Parts of it were good, but the vocals just fell flat for me.
Tranny - Trein in Vein.fm - Great to root for a hometown band, Tranny. I was ecstatic in the 90s when I found out the Meat Puppets went to my high school! As for this song... not for me.
Two sisters? Check. Gentle, acoustic folk? Check. Beautiful harmonies? Check. No, it's not First Aid Kit but a new band called Companion featuring twin sisters. Lovely stuff.
LEESTU
Denzel Curry, Walkin
Denzel Curry is one of the best out there and continues to keep come up with great songs
SHRYKESPEARE
Bastille, Shut Off the Lights
In my head there's a beat, it's the beat that you make
When you're moving your body
You prove that I can't escape, I can't escape
Got my heart in your hands and your hands on my chest
And my chest is a breath, it's the breath that you take away
And you said, "Shut off the lights, we don't need them to dance"
The London band that started off the previous decade with multiplatinum hits like “Pompeii”, “Of the Night”, and “Happier” (feat. Marshmello) debuted their new album Give Me the Future win 2022, and this leadoff single from it got me from the get-go. I love the upbeat energy, the positive message, and especially the perfectly placed sax solo near the end. Dan Smith’s voice is not overly remarkable, but I can forgive that on this song, with it’s catchy hook, cool beat, and silly-enough-to-be-funny video. (I'm 90% sure the black guy in this video is the same one who was in the Pet Shop Boys/Soft Cell video I did a few days ago. Huh.)
SIX
Arcade Fire, Unconditional II (Race and Religion)
Trying to forget the recent news about Win Butler’s questionable behaviour towards innocent fans, Arcade Fire’s new record is a sort of comeback, after their disappointing Everything Now. While there’s nothing new about what’s they now doing, this song captures their raw if not naïve passion. And if you listen hard you’ll hear Peter Gabriel singing in the background.
TRANNY
Cave In, Floating Skulls
As an apology for yesterday's harsh noise, here's some metal that features actual singing with comprehensible lyrics by a band that ironically hails from the exact same area of Massachusetts as Vein.fm (aka the culprits of yesterday's coordinated attack on your ears)!!!
#14
John: Eh, it's very similar to the version from the movie if memory serves. Regardless, she does a fine job of replicating the signature melodramatic, pseudo-rapping style of Lin-Manuel Miranda's songs and at least it wasn't the insufferable "We Don't Talk About Bruno".
Leestu: Didn't work for me. Have to second John's take on the vocalist overextending himself and it was way too repetitive for such a long song.
Shryke: Harmless way to spend 3 and a half minutes listening to music, but it's not memorable and I have no desire to give it another listen.
six: God damn, that was an anxious tune!!! The shifts from quiet to loud were very well-executed and the guitar during the noisy bits was really sick.
John: It plods along nicely, but I won't remember it ever again
Leetsu: Had a nice old school feel to it, even if the music can't sustain its length
Shryke: Sounded like the kinda song that would play during a beach scene in an 80s teen romance film
Tranny: Well, it's less demonic, that's for sure. Didn't feel exactly original or doing anything new with the genre, but I'll take it over the more extreme metal!
JohnErle - Amanda Palmer
I haven't heard this or the original before, and I usually like Amanda Palmer, often due to the lyrics, so maybe it's the Encanto affect but I didn't like this much
Shryke - Joywave
it was okay...but the other Joywave song was better
Six - DITZ
very cool...another new band to look into
Tranny - Vein.fm
this was great...liked it a lot...curious to hear more
Arcade Fire – I didn't mind the first single, but wasn't inspired to check out the album, even before the alleged ugliness surfaced. Apparently I didn't miss much. Pass.
I love those harmonies, and the kick in the drums. The rest of the album is a bit too country for my tastes, but this song lands right in my folky Americana sweet spot.
LEESTU
Black Country, New Road, Haldern
Possibly the most accessible song on the album, a good one to listen to on its own in a playlist of various songs and artists
SHRYKESPEARE
Gorillaz feat. Tame Impala & Bootie Brown, New Gold
Like Shaun, he's a Ryder, took on the dare
Now he's singin' like a birdy, pullin' on his hair
Trendin' on Twitter's what some of us live for
Friendship's here, but now fuckin' revolving door
All of this a joke? Pauly Shore
Bullshit keeps comin', maybe I'm a Matador
I’ve had more than a few Gorillaz songs make my lists over the years, and Tame Impala has had a couple as well. Bringing their brand of sound together on one record? Count me the fuck IN. TI’s silky vocals, set over a groovy beat and interspersed with Bootie’s raps, make this one pure gold (pun intended).
SIX
Gilla Band, Eight Fivers
My favourite Irish post-punk act doubled down on their aural intensity for Record 3, and even threw in some surprisingly vulnerable lyrics. In Eight Fivers, however, their music is distilled to is simplistic essence, while singer Dara amusingly screams about his compulsion to buy shit clothes. I feel you, Dara.
Did somebody order a metal song with no vocals at all? No? Oh well, you're getting one anyways. "Conflict Cartography" has all of the hallmarks of a great Animals as Leaders song: hypnotic melodies, glitchy electronics and exceptional musicianship driven by virtuoso guitarist Tosin Abasi.
) - This sounds like the kind of song that will get better will repeated listenings. Doubt I'll get there. 
