2018 in Music

As the year draws to a close almost every paper, magazine or website bombards you with lists that summarize, rank or rate this year's events. Because of this, and partly because the amount of posts has been lacking lately (mea culpa), I've decided to come up with my own summary. Of course it's a difficult, if not impossible, task to make an overview that justifies all released music this year. Therefore I've made a list of the artists and songs, covering different genres, that shaped my year. Enjoy '2018 in Music' and here's to a very musical 2019!!!

Hardstyle: Headhunterz

Admittedly, I haven't listened to much hardstyle this year. The genre just doesn't grip me as much as it used to anymore. There was however one album that did get my attention: 'The Return of Headhunterz'. It's a fitting title since Headhunterz' last hardstyle work dated from 2012.

The album is filled with the euphoric hardstyle bangers one might expect from this legend. No One Can Stop Us Now, Destiny and Path of the Hunter (based on the traditional Japanese song Sakura) are all equally impressive. My favourite song from the album however is Rescue Me, which is mainly due to the entrancing vocals of Lauren Nicole Walker

Ska punk: Leningrad

In March I stumbled across a Russian band called Leningrad and as you could read in my post I was very enthusiastic about them. Since I wrote that blog the band has continued to release a string of hits. Not Paris, Ju-Ju, Tsoy and Gold all have their own characteristic style both in sound and video. Out of all the artists I've discovered this year they're probably my favourite. Every time they release a song I can't wait for their next mini-story.

J-Pop: Reol

Believe it or not but 2018 was also the year I finally joined Spotify. Of course I had checked it out previously, but back then their library was far from complete and I felt it wasn't worth making an account for. However after my free month of Spotify premium this year I was sold. Their library now contained most of my favourite artists and discovering music was now so much easier. Case in point: Reol. Her high-pitched voice might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I absolutely love her unique way of singing. Her songs have both rock (End and SAIREN) and electronic (Saisaki and Violent White)  influences.

Reggaeton: Mau y Ricky

As summer started to approach my focus shifted to the Latin part of the world. Besides Sofia Reyes 1, 2, 3 (see post) the song I found myself playing most was the remix of Mau y Ricky's Mi Mala. The song itself is perfect for the hot summer weather but it also introduced me to a whole array of Latin artists and songs: Karol G (Mi Cama), Becky G (Sin Pijama), Leslie Grace (Duroy Suave) and last but least Lali (Sin Querer Queriendo).

Powermetal: Powerwolf

Another recommendation from Spotify, no doubt based on my love for symphonic and power metal, came in the form of Powerwolf. This German metal band is characterised by their gothic sound which makes heavy use of organs and choirs. Songs usually include werewolves, vampires or other dark fairytales fused with religious aspects. In combination with the raw voice of lead singer Atilla Dorn this all leads to very epic sounding songs like: Fire & Forgive, Demons Are A Girl's Best Friend and Killers With The Cross.

  

K-pop: Red Velvet

Long time readers of my blog might know that I've been a K-pop fan for years now. So much in fact even that this year I decided to pay a visit to the country that sparked the K-wave: South Korea. From the moment I set foot in Korea's capital Seoul it was clear that there was no escaping K-pop. In districts like Myeongdong and Gangnam stores blast K-pop through their speakers, sell K-pop merchandise and K-pop stars advertise everything from beverages to circle lenses. One of my favourite groups, that I actually had the pleasure of seeing perform live, is Red Velvet. The group, that even did a show in North Korea, combines a cute and bubbly image (Power Up) with a more mature and sexy one (Bad Boy).

Blues rock: Greta van Fleet

One band that really exploded into fame this year was Greta van Fleet. Many of my friends named them as their favourite festival act (as described in this post). Their enthusiasm was so infectious that I decided to pay Greta van Fleet a visit myself, together with my brother.  Their concert was held in October shortly after the release of their first full-length album 'Anthem of the Peaceful Army'. And while their performance was absolutely great their new work contained some more mellow songs, which weren't really to my liking. The song When the Curtain Falls however is one of my new favourites.

Hip hop: GRAY

Every country has their own talent shows on TV. Programs like Idols, The Voice and ... Got Talent in which "new stars are born". Usually I don't watch these shows because they don't produce the kind of artists I'm interested in. One exception I make for the Korean show 'Show Me The Money'. A hip hop talent show, believe it or not. This year the top six candidates performed a song together created by one of Korea's best hip hop producers: GRAY. It's a great song but apparently GRAY thought he could improve it, so he invited some other hip hop artists to feature on the track. The result is the 20 minute long 119 remix featuring not six, not ten, but 51 different artists!!! If you ever needed an introduction to the Korean hip hop scene this is it.

Other favourites

Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (Indie rock)

BLACKPINK - DDU-DU DDU-DU (K-Pop)

TheFatRat - MAYDAY feat. Laura Brehm (Electronic)

Jvcki Wai - Enchanted Propaganda (Hip hop)

m-flo - No Question (J-Pop)

Swing Metal? Epica vs Metropole Orchestra (Short)

Two years ago I wrote a post about my favourite symphonic metal band, Epica (Those who missed it can find it here). Although I don't want to make a habit out of posting about the same artist twice, I felt I had no other choice after listening to the song they released this week. The song titled Beyond The Matrix - The Battle is a rework of the original Beyond The Matrix, which was already a symphonic masterpiece. In this rework however Epica teamed up with the Metropole Orchestra, a Dutch hybrid orchestra playing both big band and symphonic music and one of the largest of its kind in the world. The result is a nine minute long battle between swing jazz and symphonic metal which works out surprisingly well. Although I have to admit it's not the most accessible song and requires a couple of listening sessions to really start appreciating it. I've heard it several times now but still discover new melodies and musical layers. I urge you to give it a try as well, who knows you might even like it!

Check out more of Epica on their official YouTube channel.

Blues Rock: Greta Van Fleet (Short)

Last week the Dutch festival Pinkpop took place. It's one of the largest and oldest in The Netherlands and features music from all kinds of genres and styles. Although I didn't go there myself I know many people who did. When I asked them which artist or band they liked the most one name kept popping up: Greta Van Fleet. I had never heard of the band and initially thought they were Dutch because of their very Dutch sounding name. A quick Google search however showed me that that wasn't the case.

Greta Van Fleet is an American band formed back in 2012 by the three brothers Jake, Josh and Sam Kiszka and currently features Danny Wagner as drummer. But what is it that distinguishes this young band from all other up-and-comers? Listen to their first hit Highway Tune and it becomes clear within seconds. Their bluesy, unpolished sound is unlike anything most modern rock groups make. In fact it's more reminiscent of music made 50 years ago by bands like Led Zeppelin.

The sound quickly caught on and the band's popularity skyrocketed giving them the opportunity to open for acts like Bob Seger and Guns N' Roses and even perform at Elton John's Academy Award Party.

Currently the band has released one EP called 'From the Fires' which can be played on Spotify. Their debut album is scheduled to be released somewhere halfway through 2018. I can't wait for more bluesy guitar riffs.

R&B: Hoody (Short)

Back in 2016 I wrote a post about Korean rapper Jay Park. In his more R&B oriented songs he usually collaborates with the singer I'd like to introduce today: Hoody.

Hoody had released several songs already (BabyOh Baby, Let Em Know) before getting signed to Jay Park's label AOMG in 2015. During 2016, as mentioned before, she collaborated a lot with Jay (Me Like Yuh, All I Wanna Do) but also released her first album, from which 'Like You' is still one of my favourite slow jams.

Last month Hoody released two new tracks, Golden and Why. Although I personally prefer Golden, both are great R&B songs. Enjoy!

Check out more of Hoody on the AOMG official YouTube page

If you like Hoody you might also enjoy: Alice Vicious

Latin pop: Sofía Reyes (Short)

Temperatures reached summer-like hights the past week in The Netherlands, prompting me to look for some sweet summer tunes. One of the songs that caught my ear was 1,2,3 by Mexican singer Sofía Reyes. Sofía started out five years ago, posting covers on YouTube. Soon after, she got signed to the label of bachata singer Prince Royce and released some songs which had moderate success. Her latest hit 1, 2, 3 is blowing up though, and has managed to rack up 67 million views in only two months. 2018's summer hit?!

Watch more videos on the official Sofia Reyes YouTube channel

Hard Rock: B'z

As one might deduce from reading the articles on this blog, I like listening to music a lot. I however also love to make music myself. After years of focusing on drums, and some piano, last year I decided to buy an electric guitar. Since I've never really been a fan of learning from books I was looking for alternative methods to learn how to play the guitar. I found what I was looking for, unexpectedly, in a video game called Rocksmith 2014. The game allows you to connect your guitar to a PC and play along with a whole range of songs from pop to metal. It starts out easy, but increases in difficulty if you play well. One of the more challenging songs is Go Further by Tak Matsumoto. It was through this awesome song as well as Ultra Soul that I discovered B'z.

B'z, a Japanese rock band consisting of guitarist Takahiro Matsumoto and vocalist Koshi Inaba, is currently one of the best-selling music artists worldwide. With around 100 million sold units they rank amongst rock legends like Metallica, Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses.

Although Tak's guitar has always played a large part in the band's songs, their initial style was more synth pop than hard rock. Lady-Go-Round for instance favours the use of synthesizers and samplers. Soon however the band's sound changed into arena rock with songs like Alone and Blowin' (can somebody explain those pants?!) and hard rock, Calling and Liar!Liar!

The band's popularity skyrocketed and since their first #1 single Sun's Komachi Angel the band has scored 46 consecutive #1 singles and 25 #1 albums. Let that sink in for a moment... Thirty years after their debut they are not finished yet either. In November 2017 the band released their latest album Dinosaur and surprise, surprise, it reached #1 again.

Let's hope they will continue putting out great work, it is excellent study material for this aspiring rock star.

Due to their large amount of hits it is almost impossible to list my favourites, but I will try regardless:

I Want to Dance Inside You, Love me I love you, Giri Giri Chop, Yasei no Energy, Compulsion, Splash!, Dive and My Lonely Town

For more videos check out the B'z Official YouTube channel

Ska punk: Leningrad

Note: Some of the videos in this article contain explicit violence and/or nudity. Viewer discretion is adviced.

While the whole of Europe was being tormented last week by the cold weather caused by the 'Siberian Bear' I happened to stumble upon another Russian phenomena, Leningrad.

Leningrad is a ska punk band formed by Sergey Shnurov back in 1997 in Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Leningrad, hence the name. The band consists of sixteen members who play a whole range of instruments including brass and violin. At first the band struggled to gain any real traction. Due to their use of vulgar language, celebration of alcoholism and political satire many radio stations refused to play their songs. The former mayor of Moscow, Yuriy Luzhkov, hated the group so much that he forbid all their shows and events in Moscow. Nevertheless Leningrad's popularity rose and in 2016 Shnurov became the highest paid singer in Russia.

Although the band started out playing ska punk over the years they've adopted many other genres and styles. The first song I heard of them for instance, Voyage, is a catchy house track. The music video itself is filmed like an action movie, complete with shootout. Actually most of the band's recent music videos are 5 to 10 minute long short stories. There's Exhibit, in which we see a girl's struggles while preparing herself for a date. In Monkey & Eagle a couple fights each other on a TV show because they've got different zodiac signs. But my favourite video is Kolsky in which we see a circus in absolute chaos. The video plays backwards, ending with the cause of all these problems.

Besides the great videos the arrangements of all these songs is really catchy and well composed. Leningrad's last album dates back to 2014 so I hope they'll release a new album soon, because it's been a while since I've been so enthusiastic about a newly discovered band. Meanwhile I'll continue watching more Real St. Peter Bullshit :)

Other favourites: Healthy Life Style, Tits and Shades like Sobchak's

Watch more videos on Leningrad's official YouTube channel

Glitch hop: Virtual Riot

Not too long ago I was going through my YouTube back catalogue (a playlist in which I keep songs I encounter but haven't properly listened to yet) when I stumbled across Everyday by Virtual Riot. It's a glitch hop song with a cool beat but also with some surprisingly tranquil elements. The bird sounds make you long for spring and the calm voice of Yosie has a very soothing quality to it. This prompted me to look further into Virtual Riot.

Virtual Riot, real name Valentin Brunn, is a producer from Germany who released his first music in the early 2010's. He started out with some Pendulum-like drum 'n bass work but rapidly moved towards the dubstep sound made famous by Skrillex. And while I'm not the biggest dubstep fan I really enjoyed some of this early work. Especially Evil Gameboy, which as the name implies incorporates some retro-gaming Gameboy sounds, and Creepstep which has a ghostly piano melody in it. In the years after he kept perfecting the genre, releasing more balanced songs like Fuck Gravity and Lunar. These songs alternate more calm melodic parts with hard hitting bass.

The change to a more glitch hoppy style became apparent in his collaborations during the last couple of years. Songs like Flutter, Lost It and Still Kids have found themselves a permanent place in my playlist. Whenever I'm feeling low on energy these days I put on the peculiar blend of calm and energetic parts and I'm good to go again.

Other favourites: Earth & Sky, Paper Planes and Turn Up

Check out more videos on Virtual Riot's YouTube channel

Bolero: Mon Laferte

Last year Despacito by Luis Fonsi became the most viewed video on YouTube, gathering a massive 4 billion views. The song was played on every radio station and was in that sense quite the exception since, at least here in The Netherlands, not much Latin music is played. Especially not the type of baladas I stumbled across recently.

In my recommended YouTube videos I found Tu Falta De Querer by Chilean singer Mon Laferte. The song is very dramatic sounding, especially during the chorus, and accompanied by a ditto dramatic video. The husky and emotional voice of the singer lured me into discovering more of her work.

Mon Laferte released her first album back in 2003 but her first big single dates from 2011 and is called Soy. It's a nice pop rock song, but not really unique. She released two more albums however her big break came in 2015 with the album Mon Laferte, vol.1 (very original title). The album contains a whole range of different sounds. Besides the earlier mentioned ballad Tu Falta De Querer the album contains some Johnny Cash-like rock 'n roll (Si Tú Me Quisieras), ska (El Diablo) and of course some bolero (El Cristal). On this album Mon Laferte used a more traditional Latin sound, which is what I, and many fans with me, came to love.

In April 2017 she released her fifth album entitled La Trenza, on which she collaborated with several people including Juanes (Amárrame, a cumbia style song) and Enrique Bunbury (Mi Buen Amor). Other songs on the album like No Te Fumes Mi Mariguana and title song La Trenza are great as well.

The album went platinum in both Chile and Mexico and was nominated for five Latin GRAMMYs. Nevertheless in a recent interview Mon Laferte announced that she will go on a hiatus to recover from her busy touring schedule and take time to write new material. I'll be here patiently waiting for more dramatic baladas.

Other favourites: Tormento, Yo Te Qui and Que Sí

Check out more videos on Mon Laferte's YouTube channel