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Albums I keep coming back to, songs that won't let go, the occasional deep listen.
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Albums I keep coming back to, songs that won't let go, the occasional deep listen.
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This week I discovered Starsailor for the first time. Based on their age and Spotify numbers, they’re not exactly a hidden gem. But it seems like they never quite broke through to the mainstream either. I had just never heard of them before.
Specifically, their debut album Love Is Here. I’ve listened to it so much this week. It’s such a great record, filled with great songs. Their music is raw, punchy, expressive, emotional. There’s so much going on in the arrangements, and structure, and lyrics.
I don’t want to go deep into an analysis, or into how some of their songs remind me of Mando Diao’s Give Me Fire, another fantastic album. This post is just a recommendation. Give them a listen. Maybe you, or someone else reading these lines, will be discovering them for the first time as well, and their music will touch you just as much.
An incomplete list of my favorite videos, shows, movies and music of 2024, in no particular order.
Read moreA few times a year, I come across an album that completely captures me. I get so hooked on it, and end up playing it on repeat, all day long. This summer, that album is Moby’s Resound NYC.
To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about Moby much lately, except for that one How I Met Your Mother episode where they meet a bald guy on New Year’s Eve and mistake him for Moby. Other than that, his music didn’t really grab my attention much. I mean, sure, I knew some of his banger songs, but that was about it.
But then, someone recommended this new album to me, and after the first minute, I knew that I’ll love it. Resound NYC doesn’t bring in any new songs, but instead it’s Moby’s older tracks from 1994 to 2010 in new orchestral arrangements. These versions are all absolute bangers. They’re both familiar but also refreshingly new.
Those songs were all influenced by his life in New York City, hence the title: Resound NYC. In a series of short videos on YouTube, Moby shares the stories behind each track. He talks about what life was like in NYC during those times, what he was going through personally, and how each song came to be. How he was living in decimated neighborhoods that were hit hard by the crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s, and even how we was living in an abandoned factory…? It’s super interesting, inspiring and emotional.
There’s also the album Reprise from 2021, which also consists of new versions of his older songs, but Resound NYC is just… a whole new level. Interestingly enough, both albums feature the track “Extreme Ways”, and listening to both, you immediately notice how Resound NYC is much more vibrant and cinematic.
Even though Resound NYC made me listen to the original versions again, I just like the Resound NYC versions much more. And maybe that’s by design. Why would he want to make something worse? He transformed it from the music he wanted to release 25 years ago, to the music he wanted to release in 2023.
There are some really good and well produced concerts on arte Concert. In the past weeks, I’m totally obsessed with this live session from Kid Francescoli. It’s not only chill music, but also visually very appealing. The setting on a boat makes for some really cool camera shots. Due to the lack of an audience, it has kind of a lonely undertone to it.
There’s a version on YouTube which cannot be embedded, hence the screenshot of a still frame. 🙃 Or alternatively on the Arte Mediathek
I only realized a few years ago that arte is actually kind of an interesting channel. When I was a teen and still watched a lot of TV, I thought that arte is just an artsy experimental TV station for snobs. It always felt odd when they were airing something appealing and interesting, because aren’t they supposed to be weird? Maybe arte is still just an artsy channel for snobs, and I’m the one who became a snob?
Anyways, there are also sessions from Jungle, French 79, Loyle Carner and the Grandbrothers which I can recommend if you’re interested in more.
I also watched this Live Show from the Parcels a few times in the past weeks. It’s not from arte, but I thought I just mention it. I watched a lot of those live sessions while I’m coding in the past weeks. Don’t know where that’s coming from.
This week I discovered Starsailor for the first time. Based on their age and Spotify numbers, they’re not exactly a hidden gem. But it seems like they never quite broke through to the mainstream either. I had just never heard of them before.
Specifically, their debut album Love Is Here. I’ve listened to it so much this week. It’s such a great record, filled with great songs. Their music is raw, punchy, expressive, emotional. There’s so much going on in the arrangements, and structure, and lyrics.
I don’t want to go deep into an analysis, or into how some of their songs remind me of Mando Diao’s Give Me Fire, another fantastic album. This post is just a recommendation. Give them a listen. Maybe you, or someone else reading these lines, will be discovering them for the first time as well, and their music will touch you just as much.
An incomplete list of my favorite videos, shows, movies and music of 2024, in no particular order.
Read moreA few times a year, I come across an album that completely captures me. I get so hooked on it, and end up playing it on repeat, all day long. This summer, that album is Moby’s Resound NYC.
To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about Moby much lately, except for that one How I Met Your Mother episode where they meet a bald guy on New Year’s Eve and mistake him for Moby. Other than that, his music didn’t really grab my attention much. I mean, sure, I knew some of his banger songs, but that was about it.
But then, someone recommended this new album to me, and after the first minute, I knew that I’ll love it. Resound NYC doesn’t bring in any new songs, but instead it’s Moby’s older tracks from 1994 to 2010 in new orchestral arrangements. These versions are all absolute bangers. They’re both familiar but also refreshingly new.
Those songs were all influenced by his life in New York City, hence the title: Resound NYC. In a series of short videos on YouTube, Moby shares the stories behind each track. He talks about what life was like in NYC during those times, what he was going through personally, and how each song came to be. How he was living in decimated neighborhoods that were hit hard by the crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s, and even how we was living in an abandoned factory…? It’s super interesting, inspiring and emotional.
There’s also the album Reprise from 2021, which also consists of new versions of his older songs, but Resound NYC is just… a whole new level. Interestingly enough, both albums feature the track “Extreme Ways”, and listening to both, you immediately notice how Resound NYC is much more vibrant and cinematic.
Even though Resound NYC made me listen to the original versions again, I just like the Resound NYC versions much more. And maybe that’s by design. Why would he want to make something worse? He transformed it from the music he wanted to release 25 years ago, to the music he wanted to release in 2023.
There are some really good and well produced concerts on arte Concert. In the past weeks, I’m totally obsessed with this live session from Kid Francescoli. It’s not only chill music, but also visually very appealing. The setting on a boat makes for some really cool camera shots. Due to the lack of an audience, it has kind of a lonely undertone to it.
There’s a version on YouTube which cannot be embedded, hence the screenshot of a still frame. 🙃 Or alternatively on the Arte Mediathek
I only realized a few years ago that arte is actually kind of an interesting channel. When I was a teen and still watched a lot of TV, I thought that arte is just an artsy experimental TV station for snobs. It always felt odd when they were airing something appealing and interesting, because aren’t they supposed to be weird? Maybe arte is still just an artsy channel for snobs, and I’m the one who became a snob?
Anyways, there are also sessions from Jungle, French 79, Loyle Carner and the Grandbrothers which I can recommend if you’re interested in more.
I also watched this Live Show from the Parcels a few times in the past weeks. It’s not from arte, but I thought I just mention it. I watched a lot of those live sessions while I’m coding in the past weeks. Don’t know where that’s coming from.
