Nineties Revisited: I'll Remember

Original video located here. Accessed 28th August 2021

Song title: I'll Remember

Artist: Madonna

Year: 1994

Why I like this song:

Some songs remind you of a particular time and place and this is one of them.

Back in 2000, I was involved in a theatrical group and I will associate this song with a fond memory of said group:

It was the Sunday after the end of the last show. And on that day, I caught a bus up to town in the middle of a pouring rain. I was the only one on the bus but it was there that my ears managed to pick up the sound of Madonna’s I’ll Remember on the radio. It was one of those pivotal moments where all that was happening around me clicked into place. And then images of everyone involved come drifting and out of my mind, as I smiled and thought to myself that, despite of my frequent feelings of resentment, they weren’t such a bad group of people after all.

I can’t really explain in words the emotion I felt in that moment nor the timelessness, importance or reasons why I treasure that particular memory so tightly. But I can tell you that should someone ask me the quintessential moment in my time with the theatrical group, I will respond with that moment travelling on an empty bus on a rainy Sunday.

It is that moment that I shall always remember long after all the shows, encores, camps, hugs and post-show shenanigans have long since disappeared into the mists of time...."

Choon of the Month: Under the Pressue

Original video located here. Accessed 25th August 2014

Song title: Under the Pressure

Artist: War on Drugs

Year: 2014

Why I like this song:

Being a younger brother it is a given that I will pick up new music from my older siblings. It is indeed expected when you're a kid but, believe it or not, it still applies when you're an adult. And as it happens, my brother was raving about this band and urged me to look into it.

So I did and what do you know? This song is absolutely stunning.
A masterclass in writing, performance, and production. There's not one note of place and it certainly sounds unique in this current musical landscape. 
Sure the outro is long-winded and pointless but everything is top-notch

Explorations: Is This Music?

Original video located here. Accessed 2nd August 2018

Song title: Is This Music?

Artist: Teenage Fanclub

Year: 1991

Why I like this song:

So I decided to explore some Teenage Fanclub.

I wonder how this band will be remembered: They may not have enjoyed major chart success but what they delivered did reach a decent audience and reaped critical acclaim. And listening to this album, Bandwagonesque, now, it certainly strikes me as being the epitome of early nineties guitar pop - the kind you would hear play in some teen movie. The guitar work is great all around and the harmonies work wonders. 

And, as is often the case, they leave the best moment for last: A glorious instrumental that, like any good instrumental, invites the listener to draw their own conclusions. Don't mind if I do.

Nineties Revisited: Last Stop This Town

Original video located here. Accessed 8th August 2014

Song title: Last Stop This Town

Artist: The Eels

Year: 1998

Why I like this song:

So I got a hold of the Eels album Electroshock Blues. 
This was an album I've been meaning to get for years but it is only now that I got off my slack arse and got it. 
I will say this: Electroshock Blues isn't an easy album to listen to as it deals with death and the grieving process - it certainly doesn't help considering what was happening with E prior to making the album.  
But I have always believed that the Eels are the type of band that merges depression and goofiness - indeed they wouldn't sound out of place in some Tim Burton nightmare - so this does sound exactly what they're capable of.

The Asian Connection: Through the Years and Far Away

Original video located here. Accessed 4th August 2020

Song title: Through the Years and Far Away

Artist: Low

Year: 2003

Why I like this song:

Wow, Hatsune Miku sounds really depressed.

Jokes aside, it may seem depressing or melodramatic, depending on who you ask, but it has its charms. Granted it may not be doing much on its own, without the anime behind it, but it has power in it's description of separation. 

This Song Rocks: Beggin For Thread

Original video located here. Accessed 4th August 2014

Song title: Beggin For Thread

Artist: BANKS

Year: 2019

Why I like this song:

When sex turns nasty.
This sogn has such a sinister vibe but, much like any seducation, I think I like it.