Nineties Revisited: Into My Arms

Original video located here. Accessed 30th January 2017

Song title: Into My Arms

Artist: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Year: 1997

Why I like this song:

....Oh Lord...

Many of Nick Cave's material has become synonymous with fire, brimstone and inspiring would-be serial killers. But I will argue that his love songs tend to be nothing short of stunning. And this is the case here. Every time I hear this I am in awe of it - particularly how it has the power to command silence and attention (same goes for Nick's other masterwork The Ship Song). To hear this is, for me, like being in a cathedral - which is fitting considering the gospel overtones this song is built from.

Nineties Revisited: Alone

Original video located here. Accessed 27th January 2017

Song title: Alone

Artist: Bee Gees

Year: 1996

Why I like this song:

Back in the nineties, listening to the Bee Gees would've come across as daggy: From the outset, they looked like relics from the disco era, more associated with gaudy outfits and haircuts than the songs they could produce.
But what is remarkable is that Barry, Maurice and Robin could still churn a winner of a song, along with their vocal acrobatics, three decades in their career. 
So what makes this special? Maybe it's the sentiment: "I don't want to be alone". Maybe it reminds me of the time better than a lot of other songs from the same year. Maybe it's notion that if I question it, it may lose all menaing...

Nineties Revisited: Everlong

Original video located here. Accessed 25th January 2017

Song title: Everlong

Artist: Foo Fighters

Year: 1997

Why I like this song:

Time has certainly been kind to this song: I don't recall it being a big deal back in the day (maybe it was overshadowed by the other songs on The Colour and the Shape?) but it has since come to be viewed as a classic.
Fine by me: It rocks hard, has great guitar work and shows Dave Grohl flexing some songwriting muscle. 

Choon of the Month: Manifestation

Original video located here. Accessed 23rd January 2017

Song title: Manifestation

Artist: The Beautiful Monument

Year: 2017

Why I like this song:

It rocks hard and striking in it's expression of anxieties. 
Sometimes you need songs to get one through the tough times and this is certainly one of them.

This Song Rocks: The Descent

Original video located here. Accessed 20th January 2017

Song title: The Descent

Artist: Bob Mould

Year: 2012

Why I like this song:

Back in 2012, I obtained a copy of Sugar's Copper Blue album from 1992. I listened to it many times and adored it so much that I feel it warranted some further investigation. So I looked into Bob Mould's discography.

This is from his 2012 album Silver Age and it rocks hard. Very much reminiscent of Sugar but that isn't a bad thing. It's fast, it's fantastic and it shows that sometimes you need an old dog to show the pups how it's done.

I just regret that I didn't come across it sooner...

This Song Rocks: Skeleton Tree

Original video located here. Accessed 16th January 2016

Song title: Skeleton Tree

Artist: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Year: 2016

Why I like this song:

I received the latest Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds for Christmas.
And you can't get a more goth statement than that.

Given the background to this album it is hardly an easy listen but it is monumental in it's grieving. There are some gems on the album and this is the best. Minimalist and weighed down with the emotion it is the entire album in a nutshell. 

We Are Live: People Ain't No Good

Original video located here. Accessed 15th November 2023

Song title: People Ain't No Good

Artist: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Year: 1997

Why I like this song:

Recently I went to see Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds live. This has been a long time coming and I went in with high expectations, having heard they are, on a live front, something special.

And that certainly was the case: Granted this is a different Bad Seeds, being without Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld, but it was a memorable show. Nick is a charismatic presence and all of the Bad Seeds prove they are a crack team. 
Naturally there were a lot of songs of Skeleton Tree but some of his best known songs were present (Mercy Seat, Weeping Song, Ship Song, Tupelo, Nobody's Baby Now, Stagger Lee, Red Right Hand). Although I must admit hearing Into My Arms is strange as it clearly not a song to be listened to in a group environment - and yet here I am surrounded by a mob slurring along the chorus.
Of course the show was plagued by a dodgy monitor, which Nick pointed out, but I suppose that what happens when you start your tour on Friday the 13th,,,,

Nineties Revisited: Bittersweet Symphony

Original video located here. Accessed 15th January 2017

Song title: Bittersweet Symphony

Artist: Verve

Year: 1997

Why I like this song:

A song I will forever associate with my final year of high school. Kind of fitting in a way.....

Explorations: Irene

Original video located here. Accessed 11th January 2017

Song title: Irene

Artist: Beach House

Year: 2012

Why I like this song:

Lately I have been going back and being acquainted with albums I have previously overlooked the first time around. One such was Beach House's Bloom.
It's a pretty good one and a superb example of dream pop. And then we get to the end with this track.

It's like a flower blooming and facing towards the sun. And, for me, comes across as a combination of the aggressive and the delicate. A tricky act to pull off but here it works,

Nineties Revisited: Paranoid Android

Original video located here. Accessed 8th January 2017

Song title: Paranoid Android

Artist: Radiohead

Year: 1997

Why I like this song:

I am of the opinion that the nineties ended on the year of 1997: It was the endpoint of the alternative rock that defined the decade, there were no more walls to smash down and we were left wondering what to do next.

Can the blame for this be aimed at OK Computer? Maybe but it's still a stunning album.

The Asian Connection: World Without Logos

Original video located here. Accessed 6th January 2017

Song title: World Without Logos

Artist: Yasushi Ishii

Year: 2002

Why I like this song:

I was never into Hellsing. When it dropped back in 2002, I was well aware that the anime fandom was going nuts for it. But upon watching it, it never clicked for me. Not sure why: Maybe I thought it too nihilistic for my tastes. 

But I won't say a bad thing about the opening theme. Bring on that thick bass and jazzy arrangement!