What music are you listening to?

As a result of the This or That thread, I find myself listening to this.

The Rutles - I must be in Love.

Since I know Anna is quite familiar with Tarja (Turunen, but she goes by just her first name in her solo work), here's something from an interesting new live album from the Finnish metal soprano (yes, really). It was recorded a few years ago during Wacken Open Air 2016 and the album is called Rocking Heels: Live at Metal Church. It has her backed by a string trio (piano, cello, violin) for covers of bands like Linkin Park and Metallica as well as a couple of her own songs and one from her former band Nightwish.

One of the covers, "Numb" by Linkin Park

And one of Tarja's solo hits, "I Walk Alone", which is actually better suited to this treatment than some of the covers and I have heard her do an orchestral performance of it before.

Okay, listening to Tarja sent me off to listen to probably one the best album of her career, Nightwish's fifth album (and my personal favorite of their albums) Once. It is just one great song after another, culminating in the band's epic "Ghost Love Score" aka the song they will be playing into their graves. And it all starts with this amazing banger of an opener. Live version here is from the tour for Once, captured on film in the concert video End of An Era (so named because it ended up being Tarja's final tour with the band).

I was randomly trawling YouTube when I chanced upon this. I've never heard of them before, but am certainly going to find out more.

This is ELAINE with We Shall Remain.

Quote by AnnaMayZing

I was randomly trawling YouTube when I chanced upon this. I've never heard of them before, but am certainly going to find out more.

This is ELAINE with We Shall Remain.

She's in my recommendations. Must give her a listen, I guess.

Quote by Mendalla
She's in my recommendations.

Oops. They. While that is the lead singer's nickname, it is also the band name in this case.

A favorite up and coming band of mine is Concrete Castles. Their second studio album dropped yesterday and with it this video for the leadoff track.

Quote by AnnaMayZing
This is ELAINE with We Shall Remain.

And there goes the ape down another musical rabbit hole. I have now listened to 3 of their 4 studio albums. Damn fine symphonic metal. Core of the band is Madeleine Liljestam (clean vocals) and Rikard Ekberg (guitars and growls), who are the original members. The rhythm section has changed a few times and they have a second guitarist who only joins them on tour. And the name is Eleine, not Elaine (i.e. the last part of Madeleine's name, apparently it was originally her nickname so they took it for the band name).

Oo, get a load of this. An acoustic version of the song above from an EP of acoustic performances they put out last year.

Quote by Mendalla

And the name is Eleine, not Elaine (i.e. the last part of Madeleine's name, apparently it was originally her nickname so they took it for the band name).

Now my turn to blush. I knew that and didn't notice that my fingers had misbehaved! 😒

Another new band that's come to my attention. Spiritbox is based in Victoria, BC, though several members are actually Americans. Core of the band is married couple Courtney Laplante (clean and harsh vocals) and Mike Stringer (guitar). This is the latest single, from an EP due out this Fall.

And from their debut (and to date only LP) album, 2022's Eternal Blue.

Gen Z jazz singer Laufey is becoming one of my big discoveries of 2023. She comes armed with a wonderful voice perfect for soft jazz, the ability to play at least three instruments that I know of (guitar, piano, cello), and some terrific songwriting to boot. Her sophomore album drops tomorrow.

Besides her musical skills, Laufey is also quite good a self-promotion on social media. This song from the new album was teased on Tik Tok for a while before this video came out.

And my new favourite song of 2023 might just be "Lovesick" by Laufey. The melody of the chorus is one of those ones that just hooks you right in and has you singing along. The whole album is wonderful, by the way. Had it on in the car and on my walk today. It's all original material save for one standard: the marvelous "Misty" by Johnny Blake and Erroll Garner. There's even a solo piano number as an interlude in the middle, with Laufey showing off some serious chops on that instrument. Her guitar shows up a lot and even her cello appears once or twice (she played cello with the Iceland Symphony at 15, returning a couple years ago to record her first live album).

So while have heard the name Gentle Giant before, I have never actually heard anything by this early prog band even though they are a contemporary of such classic early prog rock groups as Yes, Gabriel-era Genesis, etc. So I added their first couple albums to my library on Amazon Music. I quite like. Maybe not destined to be all-time favorites, but quite a good example of early prog, with a mix of rock with jazz (very jazzy sound at times, in fact), and classical elements. At times they resemble early Yes, at others they are more seventies Moody Blues, which just means, of course, that they were part of that early seventies scene with those groups.

I've probably raved about First to Eleven on here before. Incredibly talented Gen Z (except the bass player, their former music teacher, who is a millennial) cover band from Erie, Pennsylvania. The three young members (vocals, guitar, drums) also form the indie rock band Concrete Castles where they perform their own compositions. Anyhow, they release a new cover every week and this week it is "Life is a Highway", originally written and performed by Canadian rocker Tom Cochrane. Except they credit Rascal Flatts, who covered it for the movie Cars😕. In any case, F211's cover is solid and actually sounds a lot like Cochrane's original in the end.😋

Canadian alternative band Metric, fronted by the wonderful singer-songwriter Emily Haines, has a new album looming and there's a couple singles out.

Israeli metal band Scardust is led by a powerful singer named Noa Gruman, who also directs the Hellscore choir which sings on their work and works with other bands as well. Their latest single came out today.

English baritone folk-pop singer Roger Whittaker was a very popular in my family and I remain fond of his work for that reason even if i don't listen to him much anymore. He passed away recently at 87.

Probably his best known original song is "The Last Farewell".

Quote by Mendalla

English baritone folk-pop singer Roger Whittaker was a very popular in my family and I remain fond of his work for that reason even if i don't listen to him much anymore. He passed away recently at 87.

I was very sad to hear of his passing while I was away. Although The Last Farewell was his most noteworthy hit, and one of my favourites, he was also well known for his amazing whistling. Here, he accompanies the late, great Des O'Connor (in the UK at least) with The Skye Boat Song.

Quote by AnnaMayZing

I was very sad to hear of his passing while I was away. Although The Last Farewell was his most noteworthy hit, and one of my favourites, he was also well known for his amazing whistling. Here, he accompanies the late, great Des O'Connor (in the UK at least) with The Skye Boat Song.

For some reason, the Roger Whittaker collection I was listening to had that recording greyed out on Amazon Music. Apparently they don't have Canadian rights for it or something? Because that's a lovely version of the song. Too many current versions use the Bear McCreary Outlander version as a starting point rather than the original folk song.

And some new metal from today. Dianne van Giersbergen has been teasing the second single from her upcoming first solo album for a few days and now it is out. Almost a bit over the top as symphonic metal goes but with her powerful soprano, it works. Some nice guitar work from Timo Somers, who has played in a number of bands over the years.

I've been hearing about Finnish metallers Battle Beast for a while now, but finally partook. Excellent band. Lead singer Noora Louhimo belts, shouts, and screams with the best of them.

From the new Elegy of Madness album, 'XI', due for release on October 20th, 2023, this is, Broken Soul.

I have just discovered that Within Temptation also has a new album release on 20th October 2023.

It is entitled Bleed Out.

Here is the title single:

Quote by AnnaMayZing

I have just discovered that Within Temptation also has a new album release on 20th October 2023.

It is entitled Bleed Out.

There's a couple singles out now. Sounding like quite the album. Sharon and Robert (the married couple who do most of the writing and are the band's founders) went quite political on this one, with a lot of focus on Ukraine but Bleed Out is about women's rights.

"Wireless" was the first release.

A new entry on my favourite new albums of 2023 is A Dark Euphony by Dutch alt/goth-metal band Blackbriar. Their lead singer Zora Cock has a beautiful voice that is quite different from a lot of the metal queens and the songwriting here is terrific.

I blow hot and cold, mostly cold, on Icelandic singer-songwriter Bjork. Not sure why, but she's just never appealed to me even if I find her work interesting.

However, this cover of Bjork's "Army of Me" by Brazilian singer Violet Orlandi at least has Violet's lovely alto voice and some interesting imagery going for it.

Just a little reminder (as if any were needed) of the situation in Ukraine.

This is Ukrainian symphonic metal band, Luvgrand with Rise

Quote by AnnaMayZing
Just a little reminder (as if any were needed) of the situation in Ukraine.

Actually, Israel is overshadowing them a bit right now so not a bad reminder. Within Temptation apparently addresses the Ukraine invasion a lot on their upcoming album and Sharon was waving a Ukrainian flag on stage at Hellfest (and presumably other dates on the current tour).

Was listening to my old favourites the Moody Blues this afternoon. I've created a playlist on Amazon Music that has everything from the 1967 to 1972 incarnation of the band, which produced their best work IMHO (not that the 1980s-90s version is terrible or anything, they put out some great music in that era, too). So for my walk today, I just put my buds and hit Shuffle on that list.

My favourite Moody has to be the late Ray Thomas. Best known as their flautist and backing vocalist, Ray got to sing lead a few times per album back then and his songs are often real gems.

Thought I'd have a slight change of mood tonight and shift to some old TV themes.

This is my favourite by Mike Post. The Hill Street Blues.

Going back a bit further in Post's long career (he won his first Grammy at the age of 23 for doing the instrumental arrangements for Mason Williams' famed "Classical Gas").

Apparently he was so busy scoring TV shows during the peak of his career, Post actually employed a staff of other composers who did a lot of the actual writing for specific scenes and episodes.