What music are you listening to?

The season has begun. Here is Orion's Reign featuring Minniva with their version of Canon Rock (Originally TSO)

Interesting video by Marcela Bovio explaining the origin of her album Through Your Eyes (2018).

Which produced a large number of the songs on my most-played list for 2023 on Amazon Music. It's an amazing album that I quite love. One of my favourite songs from the album.

And 7 out of the top ten songs on that list were from Floor Jansen's debut solo album Paragon. No surprises there. I fell hard for her voice when I got into Nightwish and her first solo effort after 25 years in various bands is rock solid and full of the powerhouse vocals that are her trademark.

My favourite song off the album is, hands down, "Daydream".

And after nearly 6 months off recovering from her busy Spring and having a baby, Floor returns to the stage Friday night in Amsterdam with Anneke van Giersbergen opening and a guest appearance by Irene Jansen, Floor's sister and occasional singing partner.

More Christmas music from Orion's Reign. This time featuring Alina Lesnik.

Little Drummer Boy

With the recent passing of Denny Laine, who co-wrote the song, this live cover of Paul McCartney & Wings' "Mull of Kintyre" by The Trews ft. the Pipes & Drums of the Royal Highland Fusilliers of Canada is timely. It's a lovely, fairly faithful rendition of a song I have loved since I first heard it on its initial release.

Porcupine Tree, with one of their "hits" (for their fanbase anyhow), "Fear of a Blank Planet" from their new live album.

Natalia Sarsgard (formerly Tsarikova) is a marvelous Russian-born soprano with a love of rock music. Her holiday release is a cover of what may be my favourite song right now, Nightwish classic "Ever Dream".

From my favorite Christmas album:

Up on YouTube just yesterday from Helene Fischer. A wonderful duet with a very talented 15-year-old from The Netherlands, Emma Kok. This is, Voilà

I am actually listening to a mix of prog and death metal (yes, really) these days, sometimes at the same time (hi, Opeth). But a week ago, Nightwish dropped their final video of 2023. It's tour highlights from 2022-23 set to the song "Tribal" from their last album. Kind of weird how Floor is pregnant in some clips (from this past Spring) but not others (from earlier in the tour) as it switches around.

And yesterday, I was mostly listening to recent work by prog giants Yes. Their work of late hasn't exactly inspired me (to be fair, I've barely paid attention since the death of original member and longtime bassist Chris Squire), but their 2023 release made at least one "best prog of 2023" list I saw so thought I should give it a whirl. It is quite good. Maybe not classic Yes (after all, the only member from that era left is guitarist Steve Howe), but very good modern prog.

From "Mirror in the Sky", their latest album, the current lineup of Yes:

Flash Delirium - MGMT

Charlotte Wessels and Alissa White-Gluz are two of my favourite female voices right now. Charlotte is solo after years in the band Delain while Alissa fronts Swedish melodic death metal band Arch-Enemy. They have worked together a few times since Charlotte went solo. This song was original a patron-exclusive on Patreon but finally got a general release last week. Alissa also appeared on a track on Charlotte's first solo album and later joined Charlotte onstage for some of her first solo concerts.

And Alissa in her native environment, fronting Arch-Enemy. The song is the leadoff track from their 2022 album Deceivers, the video is footage from their 2023 tour. And, yes, that really is her voice. The woman is a great "growler" who can also put out some terrific clean vocals.

Sail - AWOLNATION

Banging my head to a band from Japan that I just stumbled across yesterday. Lovebites is all-female power metal band with a sound reminiscent of classic European power metal like Helloween but leavened with thrash (Metallica is thrash metal). They've been at it since 2016, with a break over 2021 and 2022 after losing their original bassist. These are from their first concerts after current bassist Fami joined.

Love the gospel-ish opening to this one.

And this anime theme from 2021 is a favourite of mine so far.

Hustle Roose - Metric

A 'metal' cover of Miserlou

LOL. Will that poor song ever escape the legacy of being in Pulp Fiction? I mean the original song dates so far back, it's origins aren't known. The first recording was by a Greek musician in 1927. Even the surf rock version used in Pulp Fiction actually dates to 1962, And, yet, almost everyone today associates it with that movie.

This version, interestingly, dates to the same time as the Pulp Fiction. It's jazz take from Vince Guaraldi.

Till I Lost - Tom Odell

The Sixth Extinction - Ayreon

Arjen Lucassen's formula of pulling together top singers and musicians for symphonic metal concept albums has served him and Ayreon well for many years now. This is from a live performance by Ayreon last year. I can name a bunch of the various singers who appear but I'll bet I've heard others and just don't know them on sight.

Dance with the Dragon Feet - Dark Sarah

A little over 50 years after his first big hit "Piano Man" (which came out in November 1973), Billy Joel has returned from a lengthy break from songwriting this morning. Here is "Turn the Lights Back On". It's vintage Joel. Not his best, perhaps, but definitely a Billy Joel song and a pretty good one.

Closer - Travis

With a month to go until the launch of their 19th (yes, really) studio album, Judas Priest are keeping things moving. Crown of Horns is the latest release from Invisible Shield.

I am looking forward to hearing Nightwish's new album which has been promised for this year. I can't believe that five years have passed since Human-II-nature was released. Where has that time gone?

Ad Astra - Nightwish

Quote by Mendalla

A little over 50 years after his first big hit "Piano Man" (which came out in November 1973), Billy Joel has returned from a lengthy break from songwriting this morning. Here is "Turn the Lights Back On". It's vintage Joel. Not his best, perhaps, but definitely a Billy Joel song and a pretty good one.

He performed it at the Grammy's last night. I had not realized it had been thirty years since he had written new music. It definitely has his signature sound.

I thought I'd post my favorite Billy Joel song in honor of his new music.

New York State of Mind

Quote by gillianleeza
He performed it at the Grammy's last night.

With Laufey (winner for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album) playing cello (besides singing, Laufey plays guitar, piano, and cello), no less. Other Laufey fans caught that so I was watching for her when I finally watched a clip of his performance.

And, yes, I am thrilled to see Laufey winning her first Grammy. Bewitched, the album she won for, was one of my favourite albums of 2023 and at 24 going on 25, she's got plenty of life ahead of her to put out more.

And I think I am finally getting her name straight in my head. It is actually pronounced "Lay vay". Thank you Rufus Wainwright for getting it right, which helped me finally start remembering.

Okay, so here she is. This performance of "From The Start" from the winning album features an appearance by her twin sister Junia Lin, who she profusely thanked in her acceptance speech.

Petulia - The Kooks

When I play the acoustic guitar, I tend to like playing finger-picking songs. This is a beautiful song as a whole, but I very much enjoy the finger-picking.