So, what are you listening to these days?

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Kimmio Laughterlove said:
Much of what I’ve been listening to would probably be considered NSFW - and not this crowd’s cup of tea.
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LOL. I'm listening to a lot of death and black metal right now and so far have refrained from posting much about it in the metal thread. Not sure why I took a swing into extreme metal but when I look back, I see it kind of building. But some of that stuff goes to seriously dark places (even the relatively mainstream melodic death metal band Arch Enemy has a song about the Holocaust, largely because the lead singer's grandparents are/were Auschwitz survivors). Black metal may actually be worse that way than death metal. And then there's blackened death, which seems to be mostly a Polish thing for some reason and I may actually like more than traditional death or black but, yeah, wow. And I do find there's some ironic wordplay in some of it, and definitely some bands playing it for irony, but a lot of is very sincerely dark.

Kimmio Laughterlove said:
My favourite right now, is often purposely roflmao funny and ironic though. Expressing tough things in a funny, quirky, way.
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Those are ultimately the best when dealing with real world issues. Satire and irony often land the blows better and in a more palatable way than preachiness, which is where too many songs about the world's dark side seem to go.
 
Is death music appropriate when the politicians are working on eternal life? Maybe eternal life-sense is corrupting to those needing a rest ?

Few understand such linguistics ... maybe because living ends are ripe for ultimate chaos ... determined souls misinterpret such things ... and get very emotionally stirred ...

Imagine disturbed weather storming in the mental Eire ... like a lon don de ir Eire ...
 
Sometimes it’s appropriate. It’s real and healthy to express with art. This is a musician I like. This is a melancholy song - most of his music is rap, and social satire. But, like I said, I won’t post those because I think they might offend this crowd. I like him because he’s unique and the majority of the time, doesn’t take himself too seriously. I like him because his “between the lines” social commentary is brilliant - while also usually being really funny (to me and thousands around the world who “get it” - but it’s kind of a niche group - also diverse - everyone one from inner city dudes to suburban moms.) His audience is an unlikely diverse bunch. Maybe we all have adhd lol. My peeeeps!!! lol

He’s worked hard, with the help and support of friends, swimming against the tide, and built his career, on YouTube, touring bars across North America, and recently sold out Red Rocks, and he’s built an indie label. He’s a good person, a big hearted person. I can tell (read the comments after the song). He’s not a perfect person but he’s perfectly himself. He knows where he came from and hasn’t moved far from where he grew up. He cares about people less fortunate than himself. He puts on his ego act but also shows his fans his insecurities and a window into his everyday life, shares personal anecdotal stories on video livestreams, which makes him relatable (and did I mention funny?). He genuinely engages with his fans, online, in a humble way.

This one is not funny, but introspective. It’s an excellent song, maybe some would appreciate. It has a catchy, bluesy groove, and depth you don’t hear in popular songwriter lyrics much anymore.

 
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Okay this might have the fewest words (and some of that is just street slang - eg. “b**c*” isn’t sexist in this context. It is said to all genders - and he’s singing “feed the dogs”. feel like I should explain first). Maybe you’ll get why I like him. I left my comfort zone and I really like him. The first video I saw I laughed out loud, knowing I was supposed to be offended but that because he was such a goofball about it - and also self-deprecating - I could let it be and laugh about it. The shaved head, mustache, funny clothes, started as a joke and turned into his persona. He makes it work. I love that he has fans from such diverse backgrounds but they’re a type of community. He’s also a painter, and painted the penguin image projected behind him.


NSFW
 
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This song was made during the George Floyd protests, about his real experience. It has the f word in it, a few times. Heads up if that may offend you. It’s probably more than you’ll hear at work, but less than you’d hear on Netflix lol. He’s not from a mainstream background, so I don’t expect him to express himself as though he is. He’s uniquely himself and a real artist.

Also NSFW I guess - but a good song.

 
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Kimmio Laughterlove said:
Okay this might have the fewest words (and some of that is just street slang - eg. “b**c*” isn’t sexist in this context. It is said to all genders - and he’s singing “feed the dogs”. feel like I should explain first). Maybe you’ll get why I like him. I left my comfort zone and I really like him. The first video I saw - not this one - I laughed out loud, knowing I was supposed to be offended but that because he was such a goofball about it - and also self-deprecating - I could let it be and laugh about it. The shaved head, mustache, funny clothes, started as a joke and turned into his persona. He makes it work. I love that he has fans from such diverse backgrounds but they’re a type of community. He’s also a painter, and painted the penguin image projected behind him.


NSFW
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@Mendalla I’m afraid this one might offend actually. It may not have been the best to post. It’s satire, no more offensive than Aerosmith or old school rockers when you think about it, entertainment, but you can remove it because this crowd might be offended and I want to convey how good he is as an artist and all’ round silly and yet complex bloke - to those who can appreciate (skip past if not). I missed the edit window.
 
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Is there a passage for PSI that'll lift us out of this stew? It would be an alien rhythm Eh? Heavenly song or dark, mysterious and unknown to those that claim to be authority? Sometimes nemesis ... does a complaint about authority have horns that would bedevil? Thus vast quiet zones ... Go*ans? There she went ... hidden in a word ... word in a story can cut like knife ... in pure reality it is not accepted ... Complex or Unreal Nos. Those out there ...

When compiling you cannot speak of such things ... for reason unknown! Always that Secret! It has a function don't yah know?
 
Lea Salonga began her career as a child in her native Philippines but her big break globally came at 17 when she was cast in the debut of the musical Miss Saigon, by the same team that wrote Les Miserables. From there, she went on to great success as a singer and actress, not just on Broadway but also in television.

The MCC Theater is a theater devoted to new works and new voices. As a fundraiser, they do an annual concert called Miscast, where Broadway stars sing songs from roles they would not normally be doing on stage.

Lea appeared in the 2024 Miscast singing "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music. To be honest, her playing Maria von Trapp wouldn't have been a half-bad idea when Lea was younger (she's 54 now). And she sounds marvelous singing the song here.


Here is Lea with two roles she has played in her career, both from Les Miz. In the 10th anniversary production (1995), she played Eponine and in the 25th anniversary production (2010), she switched to Fantine.


 
I haven't seen the 25th anniversary since it ran on TV around the time it was filmed. OMG does she ever nail that one. Magnificent work by a great vocalist.
 
She has not, to my knowledge, actually done Wicked on stage but Lea gives a great performance of "Defying Gravity" in this concert at the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

 
Lea Salonga has been the singing voice of two Disney "princesses", Jasmine in Aladdin and Mulan in both Mulan and Mulan II. Here she is with impromptu guest Mat Verevis (also Filipino) singing "A Whole New World" from the former.


Someone needs to find a Filipino role for her. She's been Vietnamese (Miss Saigon), French (Les Miz), Arab (Aladdin), and Chinese (Mulan) but I don't think I have ever actually seen her play a Filipino.
 
Emily Linge is of UK and Norwegian background but has grown up in Dubai (not sure why, presumably her parents' careers). She is now 17 years old but has been posting songs on YouTube for a few years now. Emily mostly does covers but is writing music and occasionally drops in an original. Like this one.
I have to say, the line "I just love to look at photos in my phone" kind of took me out of it for a moment but, yeah, that's the Gen Z experience of life. No photo albums, just folders on a phone or computer hard drive. So it actually works once you put yourself in their mindset. Anyhow, Emily is showing real talent as a vocalist, pianist, and guitarist. Her writing isn't bad, just needs more time and experience. So I thought I would post something by her to call attention to a possible rising talent.
 
And her latest cover, the beautiful ballad "It Must Have Been Love" by Roxette.


And she does have help still. Her piano and guitar teachers help with the arrangements and are usually credited in the description.
 
And one more. Keith Whitley's much covered (I first heard Alison Krauss' version) "When You Say Nothing At All" sounds lovely in this performance by Emily with her guitar teacher Simon Tomkins providing the electric guitar. She based her arrangement on Ronan Keating's cover from 1999.

 
New Halestorm is always good news. The American hard rock/metal dropped this powerful, anthemic piece and video today.

 
What I love about Auri is that it takes two of the most talented musicians in metal, and sends those talents in a new direction with a voice quite different from those of their band's singers. The musicians are Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards) and Troy Donockley (flutes, pipes, guitars), best known from the band Nightwish. The voice is the ethereal sound of Finnish singer Johanna Kurkela who is, not coincidentally, married to Tuomas. They employ a variety of backing musicians as well, notably Kai Hahto, another Nightwish member. This is the second single from their upcoming third album.


With Nightwish currently on an extended break from touring, Auri is actually going to tour this time around. Last album, between the pandemic and then Nightwish finally getting their much delayed Human Nature tour underway, they did not really get much opportunity to perform live.
 
I haven't listened to The Hound + The Fox much recently. The band is a married couple, Mckenzie and Reilly Zamber, who both pack lovely voices and serious talent. They are parents, too, of at least one child. Back when I was following them, H+F were mostly doing covers. However, they do write music and there seem to be more originals popping up in their channel nowadays.

From their LP Star Songs : Lullabies for the Whole Family, a lovely song with Mckenzie on lead and Reilly on harmonies and guitar.


And this new release intrigues me. Apparently Mckenzie now has a side project, Less of The Girl. Here, H+F and Less of The Girl team with Adam Chance for a beautiful country-inflected original ballad.

 
Permission to post an awesome but NSFW punk song? It really helps in the understanding of someone with a different perspective on life.

First here’s Nardwuar interviewing said band. They’re cool:

 
Go for it. There's some NSFW stuff in the metal thread, too. Well, depending on what we mean by NSFW. If it's outright porn, maybe not, but if you're just talking the usual for punk (F-bombs and rage), no issue that I can see.
 
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