What music are you listening to?

Tick of Time - The Kooks

Brace yourselves, folks, Ape has been rocking out to melodic death metal. The band is Insomnium, a Finnish band dating to 1997. This track from their latest album features the wonderful Finnish folk-rock vocalist Johanna Kurkela.

And from 2014's Shadows of a Dying Sun, the album I had on today.

Johanna, by the way, is married to Tuomas Holopainen of the band Nightwish which, interestingly, also started in 1997. She has sung on a number of projects over the years and is the vocalist of the band Auri, which the couple started with another Nightwish member, Troy Donockley.

One of my favourite albums of last year was It's All True by American singer-songwriter-actor Malinda. She also put out a "visual album", i.e. a film, based on it with her as director and star. Now she's back in 2024 with the first song of what I assume will be another fine album. Malinda loves, and is heavily influenced by, Irish music and it shows in this one.

My favourite Faroese singer/songwriter, Eivor, has a new album coming out in June, simply entitled, Enn.

If the rest of it is as good as this...

So ever had a band that you've known about forever, knew was very much one you would like, and just never got around to listening to? Much to my embarassment as a fan of prog, that band for me is King Crimson. Yeah, I've heard them now and then over the years but never actually gave them a good tryout. So this morning I had their classic debut album "In the Court of the Crimson King" on in the car. And was not disappointed. This was also an early album for vocalist Greg Lake who later went on to fame as part of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer.

While "Valhalla Calling" has been around for a while and is all the rage in some circles on TikTok and Youtube, a new cover by German metal band Feuerschwanz came out and, wow, what a performance. These guys go all in on their medieval-themed power-folk metal, even dressing as knights and such, and it really shines here. And now I think I have a theme song for Jadek Prynn. 😊

(Actually, I believe I had another version of the song in my head when I was writing that piece)

Quote by Mendalla

So ever had a band that you've known about forever, knew was very much one you would like, and just never got around to listening to? Much to my embarassment as a fan of prog, that band for me is King Crimson. Yeah, I've heard them now and then over the years but never actually gave them a good tryout. So this morning I had their classic debut album "In the Court of the Crimson King" on in the car. And was not disappointed. This was also an early album for vocalist Greg Lake who later went on to fame as part of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer.

I frikkin LOVE this album. Freshman year dorm room soundtrack

Actually, I followed that up with Red (1974, the band's 7th album) and I think I actually like that one better. The band was officially a trio at that point, just Fripp on guitar and mellotron, John Wetton on vocals and bass, and Bill Bruford on drums. Session players, mostly former members, filled other spots. Very very good prog on this one.

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Fanfare for the Common Man.

Quote by AnnaMayZing

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Fanfare for the Common Man.

Funnily enough, I watched that just the night before you posted it. Nice performance and cool that they shot it in the Big O, as we Canucks call Montreal's Olympic Stadium.

Nightwish's last studio album Human : || : Nature turned 4. Came out just in time for the pandemic to force almost a 2 year postponement of the tour. Great album, though. My favourite track, and one of my all-time favourite songs, is "How's the Heart?". The original rocks harder and features the full band, but the acoustic version featuring Troy Donockley on guitar accompanying vocalist Floor Jansen first appeared around the same time as the album. This performance is from a livestreamed virtual show they did during the pandemic.

I just found this on YouTube. Everyone knows Running Up That Hill was by Kate Bush, but doesn't it just suit Eivør? It was as though it was written for her!

Quote by AnnaMayZing

I just found this on YouTube. Everyone knows Running Up That Hill was by Kate Bush, but doesn't it just suit Eivør? It was as though it was written for her!

Anneke van Giersbergen does a great one, too. Dutchies on Floor Jansen's fansite have told me she did a whole concert of Kate Bush covers once.

Jon and Vangelis - I'll find my way home. Vangelis' passing was another great loss to music.

Jon and Vangelis were my gateway drug to Yes. I already knew Vangelis and Jon's voice fascinated me, leading me to check out his main band. The two were fantastic together and songs like the one Anna posted and this one remain favourites to this day.

Beauty Killed the Beast V - King Kong

I have known of Jacob Collier for a while and have seen videos of his rather unique audience interactions. But this may be the first song of his that I have listened to and it's a beauty. With the brilliant folk-country mandolinist Chris Thile and Madison Cunningham along for the ride, this is just wonderful.

And from a recent appearance at Kennedy Center with the National Symphony, Jacob teams up with Icelandic jazz singer-songwriter Laufey and English singer-songwriter dodie for an amazing performance of "Wild Mountain Thyme" that includes some of his trademark audience singing.

Since she was the reason YouTube recommended that in the first place, here's Laufey herself with the NSO doing her hit, "From The Start". I think it's no secret I adore this young up-and-coming multitalented performer.

Truth - Alex Ebert

My list of favourite singers is pretty long nowadays but they pretty much all have one thing in common: They are, by and large, women. Yeah, there's some guys in there, but I would guess that if I listed them, the top five, maybe even top ten, would be ladies. Floor Jansen, Violet Orlandi, Laufey, Marcela Bovio. Heck, even my favourite metal "growler" is Alissa White-Gluz.

Anyhow, here's one of them. I've posted about Violet Orlandi before. She gets the credit/blame for introducing me to Swedish rock band Ghost and her latest is a cover of their "Mary on a Cross".

Ocean Brawl - Coeur De Pirate

Quote by AnnaMayZing

I just found this on YouTube. Everyone knows Running Up That Hill was by Kate Bush, but doesn't it just suit Eivør? It was as though it was written for her!

Interesting how a fair amount of artists sing different versions of the same song, You, Anna, and Mendalla listed a few who sing "Running Up That Hill" of which I've never heard. However, for years I've very much enjoyed the song sung by Placebo.

Running Up That Hill - Placebo

Well, we are old enough to have been around for the original (it came out in 1985). I'm just loving the fact that we are in an era where Kate has become a "big star" finally. She was always a bit of a fringe artist in North America compared to the UK. "Running Up The Hill" was probably her biggest NA hit.

A little surprised I haven't seen this before, but someone posted a performance from Laufey's run on Iceland's Got Talent last month. She's only fifteen in this performance and already pretty solid on both vocals and piano. I remain a bit skeptical of the whole talent show boom but it has given us a few good, interesting artists like her.

1985?! Wow, that song certainly is popular. I was born in 1986.

"The Jacket" Soundtrack Crazy D Remix

A man who sounds as good at almost seventy as he ever did.

Paul Rogers and Wishing Well.

Little Shadow - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Nightwish's How's The Heart. This just shows that the music of Nightwish is so versatile. Simply the voice of Floor Jansen, accompanied by the acoustic guitar of Troy Donockley.

Sparrow - Tom Odell

Quote by AnnaMayZing

Nightwish's How's The Heart. This just shows that the music of Nightwish is so versatile. Simply the voice of Floor Jansen, accompanied by the acoustic guitar of Troy Donockley.+

I love both versions (the acoustic and the full band version) beyond all reason. Amazing piece of music.

Speaking of Floor, I had her solo album on in the car this morning.