Best Friend (#512)

Hi,

another week on time... and this time with lots of news. So keep reading. :)

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Django Django : New album alert. "Marble Skies" sounds good, but I am not overwhelmed.
• Roosevelt : Fan times.
• Troye Sivan : Fan times. I can't wait for new tunes.
• Bear's Den : Fan times.
• Saint Motel : Fan times. (Sometimes I regret not going to their Hamburg gig, but my schedule just was so packed back then.)

Most played artists:

• London Grammar : Fan times. I actually dreamed about meeting this band. (Not kidding.) I'm totally happy with their second album "Truth Is A Beautiful Thing".
• Tocotronic : New album alert. "Die Unendlichkeit" got a bunch of very good reviews. And after listening to it I can understand that. It made me consider going to a concert, but I would have to travel for that.
• Dua Lipa : Hype alert. Wow, why did I wait so long to get into this music.
• The Blaze : Fan times. I hope there'll be an album soon. Or another EP. :)

Most played tracks:

• Dua Lipa - Be The One : It's a bit hard to explain, but this song is so catchy.
• Sofi Tukker - Best Friend (feat. NERVO, The Knocks & Alisa Ueno) : Oh, what a tune! That bass line is so great.

News?

█ So that haunting theme song for the upcoming third "Fifty Shades" film has an official video now. "For You" by Rita Ora and Liam Payne has a few elements that I would have put in a video, too. Like the slow motion and the levitation moments. But the downside is the chemistry of the two singers - not that convincing. It actually made me think how easy it would be to exchange one of them.
█ Hm, so there is this new James Blake single, which has gotten a bit buzz lately. "If The Car Besides You Moves Ahead" has a hypnotizing video, that is nice to watch. Be the melody seems very odd for my taste.
█ Guess who's back with new music? George Ezra. His new single "Paradise" is catchy and the video looks fun. So consider me interested in his upcoming album "Staying At Tamara's".
█ Guess who's back, too? Tracy Thorn. The singer of Everything But The Girl has released a new single+video. "Queen" seems very simple and her voice feels a bit weaker than in the past. But it makes me curious about her upcoming album "Record", which is scheduled for an early March release.
█ So the very busy Justin Timberlake released another music video. This time it seems very down to earth and it features Chris Stapleton. "Say Something" might have been shot as a live recording in one take, and if that's the case, then the production team should be praised. It has a quite magical style - how a simple scenery can build such a beautiful sound.
█ In case you missed it, Mike Singer's second album "Deja Vu" dropped - and it is now the number one in the German album charts. I can only feel sad about this fact. Congrats to the producers and the promotion team. 
█ The 60th Annual Grammy Awards recently took place in New York City. You might have heard that I stopped giving a damn about winners, although I like to see preferred artists win. And boy, was I right with this attitude. I mean, can somebody please explain to me how it seems like the highly acclaimed nominees lost to Bruno Mars of all artists? Even though I like Bruno Mars, I have to admit that I do not agree with the jury this time, because of the very good competition. Hightlights included performances by Childish Gambino, P!nk and U2.

New in the German charts:

[09] Luis Fonsi & Demi Lovato - Échame La Culpa : Oh no, not another Fonsi song. And it even sounds like a Despacito ripoff. Yuck!

Wait (#511)

Hi,


alright, this time I'm on time...

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Haiyti : New album alert. I've listened to "Montenegro Zero", which wasn't as easy as I would have hoped. After three songs her voice starts to annoy me - and also the content doesn't give me much.
• Fall Out Boy : New album alert. I guess "M A N I A" will be challenging for fans. I heard one or two nice tracks. The rest is forgetable.
• Camila Cabello : New album alert. So I've read some good things about "Camila", but I can't agree. The few tracks are underwhelming at best.
• Katy Perry : Fan times.
• The Weeknd : Fan times.

Most played artists:

• Mike Singer : New album alert. Yuck, "Deja Vu" did not need a Kay One feature to be this bad. There's a negative review, in which the popstar is called an "undercut fuckboy", which made me laugh. But honestly, if it wasn't for some nice instrumentals, there's hardly any reason to listen to this crap.
• Dua Lipa : Hype times. What can I say? I'm late for it, but I'm hooked. :) I recently watched some of her older music videos, which aren't as stunning as "IDGAF".
• Porches : New album alert. "The House" sounds okay, but I guess there is nothing on it, which would make me revisit it.
• EDEN : New album alert. If there is one album that impressed me last week, it must have been "Vertigo". Though some song arrangements seem odd, I think this is something special. EDEN has a great voice and the fact that he doesn't adapt his music to radio-friendly formats left me quite amazed.

Most played tracks:

• Maroon 5 - Wait (Chromeo Remix) : Can you believe it? I'm listening to Maroon 5. Thanks to Chromeo there is a quite funky version of their latest single "Wait".
• The Cranberries - Animal Instinct : This is one of my favorite Cranberries songs. You can find it on the fabulous 1999 album "Bury The Hatchet".

News?

█ Justin Timberlake released another video. "Supplies" looks amazing - unfortunately the song isn't as mindblowing as the clip. In a few days his album will drop and then he will headline the Super Bowl halftime show.
█ Troye Sivan not only released a second single from his upcoming album, he also performed both new songs on SNL this weekend. Tbh I have mixed feelings about his live qualities. And "The Good Side" is a dreamy ballad about a breakup - I had to get used to the mellow style.
█ Feine Sahne Fischfilet reached number 3 in the German album charts - with "Sturm und Dreck". I think it's great. However, the top spot went to Klubbb3. :-/
█ It makes me so sad to hear that Dolores O'Riordan - lead singer of The Cranberries - passed away last week. She had such a unique voice that could shift between quiet and powerful songs. Though I wasn't following her latest releases I will always have a few Cranberries song on my mind, because I think they shaped my taste in music.

New in the German charts:

[nothing new]

My My My! (#510)

Hi,

fun fact: I wrote this on Sunday, actually... and still managed to be a little late.

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Various Artist - Vocal Trance 2018 : Fun time context on the weekend. I was at my family's home on Rügen island and we took ours to get rid of our Christmas decoration. So to keep us motivated I just put on a quite new Trance compilation. And it was great for being busy.
• Lukas Rieger : Uhm, yes, I went through his debut album "Compass" once more. Just to be reminded of his weak voice. And I recently found out that he started with Mike Singer. They even had a duet. Anyway, if you ask me, who deserves it more to be a pop singer... well, that last word should give you a clou.
• The Attic Sleepers : Fan times.
• Shame : New album alert. "Songs Of Praise" is out now - and it has lovely alternative rock songs on it.
• Jack Savoretti : Another album, that I've forgotten to check out, is "Sleep No More". And so far it sounds really nice, actually.
• Katy Perry : Fan times.

Most played artists:

• Dua Lipa : Hype context. She released a new video ("IDGAF"), which instantly made me go back to her self-titled debut album. Do you a saying like "better late than never"... so yeah, I'm late to adore her sound. But I have reached the fan level.
• Roosevelt : Fan times. :)
• Hammock : Discovery context. I was running trough lists of albums, that I wanted to get to know soon. And that led me to "Mysterium", a very mellow ambient alternative journey, that sounds very relaxing. You might want to check that out.

Most played tracks:

• Troye Sivan - My My My! : Wow, now that's a way to start the year as a pop artist - just release a very catchy single. I can't wait for any more announcements. Fan times ahead! :)

News?

█ The music video for Troye Sivan's new single "My My My!" has too many cut scenes :P and it's definitely addressing LGBT+ audiences. (But it beats Justin Timberlake's "Filthy" filth any day.)
█ I was brave enough to watch a whole tv show filled with "Schlager" - that annoying kind of German pop music. Thankfully I had a blast refreshing my twitter timeline to see all the shady comments. :D

New in the German charts:

[10] Martin Garrix & David Guetta - So Far Away (feat. Jamie Scott & Romy Dya) : What a feature overkill. Can you tell who is responsible for this track anymore? Let me guess - now there are at least three artists who can play that one as part of a concert/gig. 

Katchi (#509)

Hi,

yay, I'm on time.

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Roosevelt : Fan times.
• The Weeknd : Fan times.
• RADWIMPS : Playlist research context. Oh, that one has not a very good voice. I've listened to songs that are featured in the anime film "Your Name".
• The Blaze : Fan times.
• The Attic Sleepers : Fan times.

Most played artists:

• RAZZ : Concert context. I've listened to their second album "Nocturnal" - with such nice tracks like "Paralyzed" and "Let It In, Let It Out". The concert was awesome.
• Céline Dion : Chill times context. I have a playlist with mellow tracks from her albums "A New Day Has Come" and "On Ne Change Pas". :)
• Bear's Den : Fan times.

Most played tracks:

[nothing to highlight here]

News?

█ Ed Sheeran still rules over the German album charts - and now it's been over 40 weeks since the release of "Divide".
█ And the Golden Globe for best original song went to The Greatest Showman's "This Is Me" (sung by Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble) - congrats to Pasek and Paul. Btw. Alexandre Desplat won the best score award for The Shape Of Water.

New in the German charts:

[08] G-Easy - Him & I (feat. Halsey) : Hm, I can understand that this is a successful song, but I don't have to like it. (And what's more important: I don't have to listen to it.)
[09] Ofenbach vs. Nick Waterhouse - Katchi : Oh boy, some young French DJ duo with a silly tune. No thanks. (Btw. the video was released in September...)

Everything Is Never Enough (#508)

Hi,

due to my big year summary just a couple of minutes ago, I'll write this one quickly.

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Amber Rush : I wanted to remember their latest album "For A Moment, I Was Lost". Still good tunes.
• The National : Just in time for my summary of good music of 2017 I made it through "Sleep Well Beast". And yes, there are some good songs on it.
• Curtis Harding : Also a last minute candidate - I mean music I wanted to recap ASAP. The album "Face Your Fear" sounds okay. Good soul music.
• Fink : Sorry, but "Resurgam" has maybe two good tracks.
• Trettmann : Yuck, all the positive reviews in the world won't make me like this music. At least I can say that I made it through "#DIY". (Also those annoying "Kitschkrieg" intros.)
• MISSIO : I've listened to "Loner" and most songs did not convince me.

Most played artists:

• Goldfrapp : Playlist research context. I wanted to have a song from "Silver Eye" that wasn't one of the pre-singles. (see below)
• John Mayer : At the end of 2017 I just wanted to give "The Search For Everything" another try. I guess it will never be my favorite JM album.
• Phoenix : Re-discovering "Ti Amo". Nice indie pop.

Most played tracks:

• Goldfrapp - Everything Is Never Enough : And here it is - one track I can recommend that (probably) was not a single.
• Phoenix - Ti Amo : Nice song.

News?

█ no... :P

New in the German charts:

[08] Chris Rea - Driving Home For Christmas : Xmas context. And by far not the worst song.
[10] Melanie Thornton - Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming) : Xmas context.

My year 2017 in music

Happy New Year, everybody!

For all the stats lovers like me, this is my summary of 12 months scrobbling.

Artists

1. Katy Perry (108 plays)
2. Bear's Den (97 plays)
3. Madonna (80 plays)
4. Blondie (76 plays)
5. Cigarettes After Sex (71 plays)
6. The Attic Sleepers (69 plays)
7. Roosevelt (65 plays)
8. John Mayer (60 plays)
9. Goldfrapp (59 plays)
10. Mew (58 plays)

Thoughts:

• Tbh I'm a bit surprised. Yes, I noticed me listening to lots of Katy Perry's music - especially her new stuff from "Witness". But I wasn't aware of such an influence. Anyway... looks like I better try to attend her world tour this year then. ;)
• I'm still a big Madonna fan, even in times when she does not release any new music.
• Welcome back, Blondie. You clearly delivered on of the best albums of 2017 - "Pollinator".
• New to my music collection: Cigarettes After Sex, The Attic Sleepers, Mew and The War On Drugs. I'm sure those four acts will stay on my radar from now on.
• It's nice to see John Mayer back in my top list, even though I wasn't that happy with his 2017 output.

Albums

1. Bear's Den - Red Earth & Pouring Rain (93 plays)
2. Blondie - Pollinator (72 plays)
3. Cigarettes After Sex - Cigarettes After Sex (70 plays)
4. The Attic Sleepers - Transit / Katy Perry - Witness (66 plays)
5. Roosevelt - Roosevelt (61 plays)
6. Mew - Visuals (58 plays)
7. The Weeknd - Starboy (44 plays)
8. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding (43 plays)
9. Goldfrapp - Silver Eye (42 plays)
10. John Mayer - The Search For Everything (40 plays)

Thoughts:

• I can recommend almost every album you see in the 4x4 image - except maybe "Under Your Spell" by The Birthday Massacre.
• It's nice to see my 2016 new additions (Bear's Den and Roosevelt) still being this important to me one year later.
• Another new act to my lists is Indochine, whose album "13" is in French.
• The only album in German is "Zwischen den Sekunden" by Alexa Feser. And Roosevelt is the only other German artist in this list.
• Would it be a top 20, there would also be "Alle gegen Alle" by Zugezogen Maskulin and "Glitzer auf Beton" by Schrottgrenze.

Tracks

1. Katy Perry - Chained To The Rhythm (feat. Skip Marley) (24 plays)
2. Blondie - Long Time
   / Bear's Den - Red Earth & Pouring Rain (19 plays)
3. Cigarettes After Sex - Each Time You Fall In Love (17 plays)
4. The Attic Sleepers - Leopard
   / Mew - The Wake Of Your Life
   / Roosevelt - Night Moves (16 plays)
5. Katy Perry - Swish Swish (feat. Nicki Minaj)
   / Bear's Den - Emeralds (15 plays)
6. The Attic Sleepers - Advice (13 plays)
7. The War On Drugs - Pain
   / Bear's Den - Dew On The Vine (12 plays)
8. Katy Perry - Roulette
   / The Weeknd - Secrets
   / Roosevelt - Colours (11 plays)
9. John Mayer - Love On The Weekend
   / Flut - Tiefschlaf
   / Now, Now - Yours
   / Blondie - Too Much
   / The Attice Sleepers - Off Into The Night
   / The Naked And Famous - Laid Low
   / Roosevelt - Belong
   / Blondie - Already Naked
   / The Weeknd - False Alarm
   / Bear's Den - Auld Wives
   / The Naked And Famous - The Runners (9 plays)
10. Mew - 85 Videos
    / John Mayer - Changing
    / The War On Drugs - Holding On
    / Cigarettes After Sex - Truly
    / Lana Del Rey - Love
    / Bear's Den - Greenwoods Bethlehem (8 plays)

Thoughts

• Wow, that's a lot of ties.
• As a top 5 of 2017 it would be "Chained To The Rhythm", "Long Time", "Each Time You Fall In Love", "Leopard" and "The Wake Of Your Life" - and that's exactly what I should keep in mind when asked about good songs of 2017.
• All the songs are worth checking out, people. :)

That's it - my year 2017 in music.