One of my biggest passions in life is music. I love listening to it and getting wrapped up in the melodies, the instrumentation, the production, the experimentation, and the stories told through lyrics. I listen to a rather diverse range of music, including rock, pop, rap, metal, jazz, soul, funk, disco, folk, and more. So I thought it would be fun to make a series where I talk about songs I've been listening to. Hopefully, this little series can bring those who read my blogs to some great music and artists. This will be on no particular order. I love all 5 of these songs for one reason or another, and I am going to tell you why you should listen to them. Here is part one.
1. "Hunger" by Florence + The Machine
Album: Hope For Now (2018)
Before this song, I had never heard a Florence + The Machine song in my life. After listening to "Hunger" a few times, it is now one of my favorite songs of the year. "Hunger" is a gorgeous song, with these driving yet elegant pianos, a nice and steady beat, and these beautiful strings that swell in and out of the song. Florence Welsh's voice is beautiful, showcasing an impeccable combination of power, charisma, and vulnerability. However, what stands out the most about this song are the lyrics. From what I got from the song, "Hunger" is about the emptiness we feel when we lack love, being described as "hunger." It's a concept that's been done time and time again, but it's the way that it is told that makes it effective. The lyrics are poetic, dark, tragic, and captivating throughout. They're gripping right from the start, where she mentions how she would starve herself at 17, and they continue to blow me away with every listen. Plus, the "we all have a hunger" chant in the chorus is infectious. This is a phenomenal song that makes me want to check out the rest of the band's discography to see what else they have in store. And like I said, "Hunger" is one of the best songs of the year so far. Check it out.
2. "Amsterdam" by Nothing But Thieves
Album: Broken Machine (2017)
Similar to song above, "Amsterdam" was the first song I ever heard from Nothing But Thieves, which I liked so much that I decided to look at their other stuff. All in all, this band is pretty cool. But, I'm here to talk about "Amsterdam," which is still one of my favorite songs from this band. It starts off with a quiet, shimmering synth before transitioning right into the verse. The guitar and drums are rather restrained and minimalist, but they have a nice propelling and driving beat that gives you an indicator of what's to come. Match that with lead singer Conor Mason's passionate yet restrained vocals, and you know things are about to explode. And explode they do. The chorus is excellent. The guitar, the drums, the vocals all combine to create a great energy that makes me want to air guitar or air drum along every time. The song goes through a quiet-loud dynamic, which has become a cliche with rock songs, but it works so well hear. This is just an overall solid rock song. I'm not too crazy on modern radio rock because a lot of it sounds generic and forgettable. This, on the other hand, is an example of how excellent rock music can still be if written well. And yes, everything about this song is done great. It was one of my favorite songs to be released last year, and I still listen to it every once in a while once I feel like jamming. It's great stuff.
3. "Those Shoes" by The Eagles
Album: The Long Run (1979)
The Eagles is my all-time favorite classic rock band. The band is full of amazing musicians, and they have spawned some of the best music ever created. As much as I love songs like "Lyin' Eyes," "Peaceful Easy Feeling," and the iconic "Hotel California," I want to talk about what is, in my opinion, one of their most underrated songs- "Those Shoes." "Those Shoes" is one of the grooviest songs I've ever heard in my life. The smooth bass and the steady drum beat give the song a sound that will make you want to nod your head and snap your fingers along in the swankiest way possible. The vocals are incredibly infectious as well, with Don Henley meshing so well with the sound of the instruments. However, the true star of this song (and if you've heard it, you know exactly what I'm talking about) is the talk-box guitar. It is one of the coolest things I have ever heard in a classic rock song to this day. I know the talk-box in multiple songs, especially in the classic rock era, but no song did it better than "Those Shoes" did, in my opinion. It has just the right amount of distortion to be uncontrollably groovy without being overbearing. And the guitar solo is one of my favorites from the band. "Those Shoes" is a song that deserves more recognition than it gets, and it stands as a strong highlight from The Eagles's discography.
4. "Shaolin Monk Motherfunk" by Hiatus Kaiyote
Album: Choose Your Weapon (2015)
Hiatus Kaiyote was a band that I discovered very recently by scrolling through Youtube randomly, and they are already growing to be one of my favorite bands of all time. It was tough choosing one song for this list, but I ended up with the song to kick off their sophomore release known as "Shaolin Monk Motherfunk." This is almost six minutes of weird and trippy neo-soul goodness. It starts off very elegantly with a mixture of electronic organs, Asian-influenced guitars, a funky bass, and nature sound effects weaving the instruments together. It all sounds very ethereal and mystical, but once those vocals kick in, the song turns into a very smooth and beautiful soul jam. It sounds very weird and unorthodox, but it's executed so well. Plus, Nai Palm's vocals are incredible. They are powerful yet delicate, husky yet elegant, and it elevates the music to a higher plane. As the song goes on, it goes through some sonic shifts that sound amazing, and the production and musicianship grows more and more intense. And once the song hits the 4:04 mark, the song transitions into something really cool, really funky, and a lot more distorted and manic than I would ever imagined. I don't want to spoil what actually happens for those last two minutes, because it's one of the coolest music moments I've ever heard in any song ever. Just go listen to this song. This band deserves a lot more attention.
5. "You'll Never Know" by Alexandre Desplat ft. Renée Fleming
Movie: The Shape of Water (2017)
For my fifth choice, I wanted to choose a song that didn't originate on an album. I'm going to have my number 5 choice for all of the installements of this series to be from movies, TV shows, video games, musicals, etc. For this edition, we're sticking with movies, and we're talking about a song from one of my favorite movies of 2017, as well as the Best Picture winner at the Oscars- The Shape of Water. One of the reasons why I loved The Shape of Water so much was because of its music. Alexandre Desplat composed an amazing score. It's mystical, dark, enchanting, beautiful, and creats an ambiance unlike any other. "You'll Never Know" was the one song that he composed with vocals, and it's gorgeous. Renée Fleming has a beautiful voice that fits this style of music well. The music itself is full of these elegantly played pianos and strings that sweep through the ears. This song truly feels like an underwater romance. I love this genre of music because it is beautiful to listen to. It's one of those genres that sweeps me away to another world anytime I hear it. Plus, Bioshock is one of my favorite videogames of all time, and music in this vein is all over it. But yeah, this song is great. And the movie is great. Go watch The Shape of Water. It's awesome.
Thanks for reading! Hope you like these songs just as much as I do. Part 2 is coming soon.
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