So, what are you listening to these days?

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A new discovery of mine this year is The Last Dinner Party. It's a UK-based alt-rock/pop band that was formed while the members were in university. The core members are all female or, in one case, non-binary. They do not, as yet, have a drummer and rotate a couple session players in that role (one of whom is male). I'm not sure how to describe the music. It's lush, kind of dramatic, and excellent. I've listened to their two albums (the latest just came out) and some live clips on Youtube and am quite enjoying them.

A couple samples of them in action:


 
A couple new releases.

I've talked about Julia Westlin somewhere in this thread before. She's a Swede who met a Canadian musician online and ended up immigrating and marrying him. Her husband, Quebecois musician David MeShow, helps her out with instrumentals, mixing, productions, and even filming her videos. This is a new original single from her just released today.


Chrissy Costanza is an American pop-rock singer-songwriter who started her career as the vocalist of the band Against The Current. Last year she released her debut solo album and the other day, a "deluxe" version came out. The original albums was VII (7 in roman numerals) so the deluxe version is X (10).

 
Let's go for baroque! Barnaby Smith (counter-tenor) and Katie Jeffries-Harris (alto) are the mid-range voices of vocal octet Voces8. Here they team for a duet by English baroque composer Henry Purcell accompanied by cello and harpsichord. They are both very accomplished singers and it's great hearing their voices without the others this way.

 
Oh, what the heck, one more. Miyako is one of the two fantastic guitarists of Japanese power metal band Lovebites. She is also an accomplished pianist and arranger. This past week, Miyako released her second solo EP. Both feature her playing her own piano arrangements of rock and metal songs. This one is a song from her own band with a bit of music by some guy named Ludwig mashed up for good measure.


The previous release from the new EP had her going into the classics ... of metal. "Painkiller" is by British heavy metal greats Judas Priest.

 
This is a new favourite. Makes me chair dance. I almost feel like trying to stand up and dance. I’m going to make them play this at physio. Don’t ask why it’s good, just tune in turn in and drop out lol ;) :LOL: (it’s totally silly and catchy and if someone told me it was made in the 90s I’d believe them - has an alternative/ punk sound. It’s new. This is one of their lighter ones.) Thought, of anyone here, @chansen might find it funny. Reminds me a bit of 90’s Beck. I could also see it being an atheist punk rocker funeral song. Viagra Boys, The Pyramid of Health:

 
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^ not to make light of real health problems by the way. He’s making fun of woowoo stuff, tripping on what sounds like a (mythical) mescaline worm in tequila? It’s a joke. I don’t like over explaining a song but know I’m not trying to be flippant. I’ve really met people like this. It’s just for fun. And I do think it would help me through physio!
 
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Pacifica are another fairly new band that came to my attention through YouTube. It is a duo consisting of Ines Adam on guitar and Martina Nintzel on bass with the two sharing vocals. They are backed by session musicians on drums, keys, and rhythm guitar. They are both Argentinian (the band is currently based in Buenos Aires) and met through Instagram with some help from their respective followers. Their second studio LP came out on Halloween and there's also a live version of the first one out. Like most young artists and bands these days, they also do covers on their YouTube channel and social media. In terms of their sound, it's very bright, lively alt-pop/rock with a bit of an eighties feel but not really derivative of any specific band though both are big fans of The Strokes. A couple of their recent releases:



Pacifica trivia: Martina has type 1 diabetes and the band did a livestream to fundraise for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In some of their videos, you can spot the continuous glucose monitor on her arm.
 
If anyone appreciates this song - congratulations, you’re an intelligent rebel with a creative mind, youthfulness, urban street spirit, ironic/ satirical sense of humour, life experience and great taste in music. If you take it too literally, have another listen and light it up … I mean … lighten up. Pass it on. My 74 yr old friend introduced this band to me. NSFW, swearing, loudness

 
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I have some more feminist punk and pop-punk that I don’t think people will get. You’d likely be offended first. It’s a bit … uh … unorthodox, pushes back at social convention more than Pacifica (they’re alright, props for doing something creative, but it’s too bubble gum and naive from my point of view.)
 
LOL I’m posting this one just because of the top comment under it. “I’m 900 years old and only listen to Gregorian chants but this goes hard!”

It’s not the best of theirs, imo, but still gets the point across. I like her because she’s strong and rebellious and understands oppression. I’ve always liked people like her, as much as people like Joni Mitchell.

If anyone knows about CBGB’s punk club in the 1970’s you’ll appreciate it.

 
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Amyl and the Sniffers was mentioned somewhere recently and I cannot remember where. Maybe Heavy Metal Philosopher, since the host is into punk, hardcore, and related as well as metal. Never been a big punk fan but boy, for an Aussie band that's only been around a little under a decade, they sure have that late 70s punk feel going.
 
Venbee and Dan Fable - an introspective drum n’ bass track (not punk or hard rock or rap). From what I learned, Venbee struggled with addiction at a young age.

 
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Eyes of Melian is a side project of Dutch keyboardist/composer Martijn Westerholt of the Dutch symphonic metal band Delain. It's in a similar musical vein to Auri, a spinoff of Finnish symphonic band Nightwish, and features the same vocalist, Finnish singer Johanna Kurkela. I've heard "progressive folk" suggested as the genre name and it sort of fits. The two bands even toured together this year (which must have made for a long night for Johanna). Eyes... has just released the first single from their next album, due in the new year.

 
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