Right, I don’t think I need to introduce the 30 Day Song Challenge anymore. Today: day twenty-three in the underappreciated series.
Day 23: A Song that You Want to Play at Your Wedding
I’m against weddings. Adding to the fact that marriage is so religiously laden, I think the whole idea is essentially against human nature. So what I’m going to do is post a nineties eurodance track for no reason whatsoever.
I love the synths in 2 Fabiola’s Freak Out and I’m not afraid to admit that. It’s hard to believe the song is fifteen years old already. Anyway, it’s a total classic and it deserves a mention in this series. For the bigger and bolder.
More religious drivel next time with a song that I want to play at my funeral. Too bad I don’t listen to satanic rock, but I’ll find a suitable replacement.
Well, today is day twenty-two of the 30 Day Song Challenge, apparently. I have officially run out of ideas for these intros, so let’s just get to it.
Day 22: A Song that You Listen to When You’re Sad
The effect of elitist underground soundscapes on my emotional wellbeing is not to be underestimated. Consequently, I’m going to be posting a radically different song that works equally well. Common sense, I haz none.
In-your-face pop music is so hard to ignore, it’s actually the ultimate panacea. And if there’s one singer who fits that moniker, it’s everybody’s favorite Aussie soap opera star. No matter what kind of mood you’re in, early Kylie is bound to catch on and at the very least divert your attention for a while.
Next time, not only will my choice be influenced by my sexuality even more, but I’ll have to cheat again as well. The topic? A song that I want to play at my wedding. Same-sex marriage? Not into that. Cue shock and awe.
The 30 Day Song Challenge is gradually drawing to a close. Today, we reach the seventy percent mark with yet another brilliant song.
Day 21: A Song that You Listen to When You’re Happy
Well, again, I’m going to have to cheat a bit and take this one to mean “a song that you like, and if listening to it makes other people happy, all the better.” So it’s a little verbose, but that’s okay, right?
Whenever I tell people I like the Kings of Convenience, they’re always mildly surprised. Granted, the Norwegian duo don’t exactly make electronic avant-garde, but it’s pretty hard not to enjoy those light-hearted guitar diddles. Add to that the voice of Erlend Øye, who I admittedly discovered through his excellent DJ-Kicks compilation, and you’ve got yourself a winner.
I picked Boat Behind in particular simply because I like it best. As a whole, though, I feel the duo’s latest album Declaration of Dependence falls a bit short of matching its predecessor Riot on an Empy Street. Still, good stuff.
Further meandering down the stream of emotional platitudes, next time, I’ll be covering a song that I listen to when I’m sad. Hopefully.
Yep, it’s episode twenty of my response to the 30 Day Song Challenge. The big two-oh. If there ever were a point of no return …
Day 20: A Song that You Listen to When You’re Angry
Other than anger itself, there’s only one response to anger: serenity. And if there’s one artist who can deliver that, it’s the composer of this piece:
You might not have heard of Jon Hopkins yet, but this Brit’s actually got a fairly impressive track record. For one, his working with Brian Eno lead to Light Through the Veins being used as the intro to Coldplay’s album Viva la Vida.
Of course, that’s not the main reason why I picked the song. First and foremost, I think it’s an absolutely sublime piece of music. The next time your nerves require soothing, consider this one. Also, be sure to have a listen to Hopkins’s superb joint album with King Creosote, entitled Diamond Mine.
Coming up next: a song I listen to when I’m happy. That’s pretty similar to day three, actually. I guess the author was starting to run out of ideas.
Picking my favorite album is a no-brainer. I’ve mentioned myfavoriteband Hot Chip three times in this series alone, so why not go for a fourth? And actually, I’ve already revealed which of their albums I like best as well.
Despite mixed reviews, I think One Life Stand is Hot Chip’s best effort to date. The album marks a new era in the band’s take on sound and is exemplary of how they’ve matured over the years. The slight change in style was bound to inflame the odd hater, but it was more than justified in my book.
The reason why I picked I Feel Better is simple: I already called it the album’s must-hear track last year and I stand by that—even after it got molested in the official video. Regardless, the entire album deserves at least one listen.
For the two-thirds point in this series, I’ll be writing about a song I listen to when I’m angry. So, after listening to that song, I feel better. Get it?