Tag: Music

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Tonic – Do You Know

I got a request last week for this week’s #ThrowbackThursday entry: “If You Could Only See” from American alternative rock powerhouse, Tonic. So, naturally, I complied by featuring a different song from the same band (=. I got nothing against “If You Could Only See”. It’s a great song, possible Tonic’s best and undoubtedly their most iconic track to date (after all, it was 1997’s most-played song in rock radio), but that is precisely the reason I opted to talk about a different, lesser known gem included in their 2002 album, Head On Straight, Do You Know.

This song is a guitar-driven alternative rock song with a melodic chorus, but the reason why I’ve always liked it so much is that it got terrific lyrics, which shine the most during the great chorus. I don’t think this tune got much attention back then when it came out, but it’s not too late to give an overlooked outstanding song a second chance. Tonic and Do You Know certainly deserve it.

Remember that Egyptian Summer
The fork lightning over the bay
When we forgot everything
We forgot our troubles
When love was kind
And the silence was noise
But Underneath a marble sky
I never seen you look so happy
In your life.

And you were always cracking jokes
And laughing at my funny ways
And as the thunder rolled
Well so did my sorrow
We told lies
We told them all the time
But underneath a marble sky
Nothing mattered.

I need a thunderstorm
To distract from the pain
Cause tomorrow might be the same damn sorrow
I need something to happen
The heavens to burst
The sky to tear open
The passion to run and flow like a river
Out of my eyes
Once it’s out of my heart
It’s such a cold and desolate
Happy ever when
It’s such a cold and desolate
Happiness never came.

We sat at the bar and we talked
about the things we used to like
And romanticised the pain
Always remember it’s a crying shame
Like reaching for the heavens
but the heavens never came
And I’ve played the victim long before you arrived
These are not my people
It’s not my scene
not my style
So I’m going back
I’m going back to the city
Please forgive me

Good Strangers, Egyptian Summer

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Blame Baby – Silhouette

Blame Baby are a Los Angeles trio that produces catchy indie rock with strong late 90s/early 2000s vibes. They only got three songs in their catalogue, but they got an EP on the way. Silhouette is their most recent release and, in my humble opinion, the best so far. A song about incomplete relationships, it got a nice combination of distorted guitars, good vocals and a chorus that gets stuck in your head. They recently made public the tune’s music video (you can watch it here), which is deliberately bad, in that so-bad-it-is-good kind of way.

I hope they do well enough to keep making music without having to change their sound and feature rappers or K-Pop groups as guest vocalists. They know how to write a good alternative rock song. They should keep doing just that.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Nick Box – Reveal

If you search for Nick Box on Google, most of the results you will get are going to be related to Nickelodeon, but the Nick Box I’m referring to here is a talented musician who, as a solo artist, writes beautiful ambient piano music for our enjoyment. Additionally, he’s been involved in multiple musical projects across different genres, such as alternative/indie rock band, Sleeperstar. He is very talented indeed.

Reveal is one of the singles Nick has released this year under his own name. A magical cinematic piano-based composition that I could listen to all day without getting tired of it. To say that this song is relaxing would be a massive understatement. I highly recommend the work of this prolific musician. As a starter, listen to Reveal below.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Relax

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Blure – Amor Fati

Blure

When you visit Blure’s Soundcloud page, you quickly notice two things: that his real name is Luis Vegas, and that he was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. That’s about all the background information you can easily find online about this talented electronic music artist. He started in 2013 and since then he has released a high number of singles and EPs, garnering kind of an underground cult following among fans of ambient/chillstep music.

Amor Fati, which is a Latin phrase meaning “love of one’s fate”, is Blure‘s latest single. It represents very well the gorgeous and ethereal music that he makes. A lo-fi electronic soundscape that casts a spell on you for the duration of the track. I really don’t know if Blure wants to become a mainstream artist or not, but in terms of talent alone, he certainly deserves it. Listen to his work and you’ll agree with me.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Chill Out

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Wishful Thinking – Preoccupied

Punk-rock is still alive. Wishful Thinking is an example of a new generation of pop punk bands ready to take the baton from Blink-182, New Found Glory, and All Time Low (in fact, at times you might think Tom DeLonge is the one singing) . This New Jersey act is not trying to reinvent the wheel as much as simply injecting a breath of fresh air into the genre. They started out in 2016 but after releasing an EP then, the band members decided to take a break to get better at songwriting. They returned this year with new tracks ahead of their debut album, which was released on the 22nd. Preoccupied is one of its singles.

This is a classic pop-punk song with a fast tempo, loud guitars and a catchy chorus. It is a clear example of what Wishful Thinking can do now and the potential they have to keep improving. If you like this genre, you should definitely check them out. You will like it.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Punk-Rock

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Bush – Glycerine

We mentioned Bush last week and they recently released a new album as well (unfortunately, it didn’t move the needle for me), and since I’ve been away until now, it makes sense to feature them as today’s #ThrowbackThursday entry. After all, this British band got several legendary rock songs plenty of people love.

I actually wanted to write about Swallowed, but it is impossible to find the album version of that song on Spotify/Apple Music. Anyway, Glycerine is not a bad substitute at all. Bush released this track as the fourth single from Sixteen Stones, their debut album, in November 1995. It reached number one on the modern rock charts and is, to date, the band’s biggest pop hit, peaking at number 28 on Billboard’s Hot 100. As with most of their songs, Glycerine‘s lyrics are cryptic but it is an accepted fact that Gavin Rossdale wrote this tune about his girlfriend at the time (no, it wasn’t Gwen Stefani yet). The track is basically just Gavin’s raspy voice with a guitar and some strings here and there, yet it gets stuck on your head pretty much for the rest of your life.

Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest rock tracks from the 90s. Enjoy it again, here.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Chloe Lilac – Douchebag

A metaphor is a great figure of speech, but sometimes, a direct approach can be just as good. Brooklyn-native Chloe Lilac didn’t have room for subtlety when she wrote “Douchebag,” her latest single and the title track from her sophomore EP. It’s not hard to guess what the track is about, but I bet Chloe felt cathartic relief when she wrote it. Melodically, it is a fun alt-pop track with a catchy chorus and a nice melody. If I had to summarize this tune in a few words, I’d simply say that it is a pop song with an attitude.

At just 18 years old, Chloe is barely getting started, yet it is obvious that she has a knack for writing hook-ridden songs. After growing up listening to the likes of Bowie and Joan Jett, she has the right influences for creating interesting music. If you like radio-friendly songs, then you’re in for a treat. Enjoy “Douchebag” below and have fun this weekend!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Pop

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Chicane – Poppiholla

Last week, we featured Sigur Ros‘ classic, Hoppipolla, as the #throwbackthursday entry. Naturally, the turn this week is for a great tune that was based on the Icelandic band’s song. It is not a remix per se, hence the slighly different name, but more like a tribute to the original song. I’m talking, of course, of Chicane‘s Poppiholla.

Nicholas Bracegirdle, aka Chicane, is a legendary British musician and producer with a wide number of top ten hit singles across Europe and Australia, and I’m not referring only to electronic music charts. This lists includes Poppiholla as well, which peaked at number 7 when it was released in 2009. It is hard not to feel better or even euphoric just by listening to it. Sadly, the music video, which you can watch below, is also fitting nowadays despite being 11 years old.

Enjoy this great tune.

  • Everything
  • Electronic

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Fedbysound – Face The Day

Some people get into the music business because they want to get famous and live the life of a rock star. Others are just passionate about music and want to do what they love: writing and recording songs. If they can make enough money to make ends meet, that would be the cherry on top. That is the case of California-based musician Mark Grider, who goes by the moniker Fedbysound. Back in July, he released an album, Resonate, with elements of alternative rock, progressive rock and hard rock. The last two are not really my cup of tea, but the first one is certainly right up my alley.

Face The Day is the track that closes the record. It is an alternative rock song with a chorus that reminds me at times of early 2000s Bush. This catchy tune gets even more impressive once you consider that Mark played all the instruments as well. Even his vocals are a perfect match for this type of music. Give him a chance if you are into the genres mentioned above. You’ll surely find something you’ll like. Artists such as Fedbysound deserve the opportunity to do what they love.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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beabadoobee – Care

beabadoobee - Care

Beatrice Laus, aka beabadoobee, took the alternative rock scene by storm after she started uploading her songs to Youtube and they became viral. Taking inspiration from Kimya Dawson and the soundtrack of the movie Juno, this Filipino-born British singer-songwriter has released several singles and EPs already, but her debut album is slated to drop later this year. She was predicted as one of the breakthrough acts for 2020, which is actually coming true despite the pandemic. Don’t lose track of her.

Care is the first single from Fake It Flowers, Bea‘s debut album. It got a strong 90s grunge rock fragrance, complete with guitar riffs and a rebellious attitude. From the moment the muted guitars start playing during the intro, this catchy tune will hook you in and not let you go until it’s over. After you listen to such a great song, you simply won’t be able to believe beabadoobee is just 20 years old. She’s just getting her feet wet.

Enjoy this stunning track here.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative