Masterpiece (#663)

Hi,

I hope you're having a relaxed Christmas week. Just a few more days and 2020 will be gone.

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Troye Sivan : Fan times.
• Lady Gaga : Fan times.
• Sofi Tukker : Fan times.
• BTS : Fan times.
• Claudia Jung : Season context. As I might have written ages ago I am a fan of that one song - "Solang noch Wunder möglich sind" from her album "Winterträume". Cheesy, but lovely and catchy.
  

Most played artists:

• Madonna : Fan times.
• Kommando Elefant : New album context. "Seltene Elemente" was still on my list. The songs are quite nice.
  
• We Are The Fallen : Workout context. "Tear The World Down" doesn't seem like the right record for activities like this.
  
• Gryffin : New album (edition) context. "Gravity" did not disappoint, but it wasn't that great either. 

Most played tracks:

• The Rubens - Masterpiece : What a bop! The humming parts in the chorus are so catchy. Can't wait for the album.

News?

█ There is a new album topping the German album charts - a compilation by Helene Fischer ("Die Helene Fischer Show - Meine schönsten Momente Vol. 1", 1)

New in the German charts:

[03] Samra x Topic42 - Lost : Wow, nice production. But those lyrics - hm. And what a ridiculous length. :-/

[07] Luciano - Shawty : No, thanks. :(

[09] Loredana - Kein Hunger (feat. Ufo361) : Well, I really don't know. Nice beat though.

[10] Till Lindemann & David Garrett - Alle Tage ist kein Sonntag : WTF?! I'm confused.

Through The Night (#662)

Hi,

as the year does not have many days left, I'm trying to catch up on 2020 albums, that I still need to listen to. If you have any recommendations, let me know. :)

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Shawn Mendes : New album context. I hardly made it through "Wonder", because I can't really enjoy his vocals tbh.
  
• YUNGBLUD : New album context. "weird!" covers a variety of music styles - so everybody might find a favorite track.
  
• Calexico : New album context. "Seasonal Shift" has its moments, but overall it felt too much for me.
  
• grandson : New album context. I did not really like most of "Death Of An Optimist".
• Foster The People : New release context.  The new EP "In The Darkest Of Nights, Let The Birds Sing" sounds okay.
  
• Per Gessle : New album context. "Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig" contains many mellow and downtempo songs.
  

Most played artists:

• Missy Higgins : Workout context. I was listening to "OZ".
  
• Taylor Swift : New (surprise) album context. "evermore" comes with a long tracklist - and almost the same sound as we had on "folklore". Fans can be happy, I guess.
  
• The Neighbourhood : New album context. I don't remember much of "Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones", but the sound was solid.

Most played tracks:

• Troye Sivan & Kacey Musgraves - Easy (feat. Mark Ronson) : New release context. This version comes with a nice music video.

News?

█ CueStack collaborated with David Hasselhoff on a new track called "Through The Night", which was teased weeks before finishes - including a call for donations. Now the video/song has been released. I think fans of The Hoff can enjoy this song (and maybe even the video), but my expectations were too high. :-/

█ Juse Ju released a new video, that comes with loads of memories of his past. "Model in Tokio" refers to his time in Japan.

█ The German album charts: AC/DC ("Power Up", 1), Rammstein ("Herzeleid", 2), Angelo Kelly & Family ("Coming Home", 3).

New in the German charts:

[08] Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime : Yikes. Tbh I don't like that one much.

[10] John & Joko / The Plastic Ono Band with The Harlem Community Choir - Happy Xmas (War Is Over) : A classic returns.

Plastic Hearts (#661)

Hi,

we have reached December. So you can look forward to three more entries of 2020 until I can have my next big review or summary or whatever.

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Lucy Hale : Workout context. I chose the album "Road Between".
• BLVTH : New album context. "I LOVE THAT I HATE MYSELF" felt okay, but it had no surprises tbh.
  
• RÜFÜS / Rüfüs Du Sol : Fan times. "BLOOM" still has it.
  
• Sarah McLachlan : Fan times. Everyone should listen to "Afterglow" once. :)
  

Most played artists:

• Madonna : Fan times. (As you might see in the cover artwork image.)
  
• Miley Cyrus : New album context. "Plastic Hearts" feels a bit cheap tbh, but it certainly has its moments - plus interesting feature guests like Billy Idol and Joan Jett.
  
• CamelPhat : New album context. "Dark Matter" features tons of collaborations and different tones - and that makes it sound more like a compilation. But maybe that is the way in modern electronic music. Idk. But you can easily enjoy the ride.
  

Most played tracks:

[nothing to highlight here]

News?

█ According to her Instagram account Madonna has a tattoo now. It's just the 6 letters of her children's first initials - L R D M S E - in a typewriter font.

█ The annual MAMAs took place - mostly digital or in some other way. One highlight was the triple performance by young K-Pop groups - Ateez, The Boyz and Stray Kids - in a setting that seemed like the battle for a crown. Tbh I wasn't interested in any winners. And yes, BTS had their moment as well. Btw. they've won all 8 awards, that they were nominated for.

█ The German album charts in some sort of numbers: AC/DC ("Power Up", 1), Angelo Kelly & Family ("Coming Home", 2), Ina Müller ("55", 3), AnnenMayKantereit ("12", 4).

New in the German charts:

[01] Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You : Here we go again. (yikes)

[02] Wham! - Last Christmas : Haven't heard it yet this year. :)

[03] LUNA - Verlierer : OK, this one comes with a video, that starts like a TikTok clip. I like the production and her vocals. But it feels like a song for young folks - especially because it ends after 2 minutes. ;)

[06] Melanie Thornton - Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming) : I still feel sad about her early passing. :-/

[07] Chris Rea - Driving Home For Christmas : I like this one very much.

[09] Michael Bublé - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas : Oh, was he that successful in 2019, too? ^^

[10] Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone : Tbh I had to do research about this track. Okay, it's about a party. Yeah, right. In late 2020. (No, thanks.)

Tanke (#660)

Hi,

see this posting here is on time. :)

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Pink Mountaintops : Workout context. I was listening to "Get Back".
• Smrtdeath : New album context. I came across his song "Don't Love Me", which made me curious about the album "Somethjngs Wrong". Unfortunately it seems, the other tracks on it ain't that catchy.
• Miley Cyrus : New album context. I have yet to listen to the rest of "Plastic Hearts", but so far I can enjoy her return to colorful pop music.
  
• BTS : Fan times.
• Shygirl : New release context. "ALIAS" seems like a nice EP, but it did not convince me much.
  

Most played artists:

• Megan Thee Stallion : New album context. "Good News"   
  
• Dexter : New album context. "Yung Boomer" felt like a mixed bag to me - some tracks are nice and deal with honest issues, but others could not reach me.
  
• HGich.T : New album context. The release of "Los Angeles" caught me by surprise. I was very happy about the track "Tanke" finally to have on an album. Yes, some aspects might be controversial, but I can enjoy their kind of style.
  
• Touché Amoré : New album context. Plus there was a very positive review of "Lament". But tbh I did not have much fun listening to this album.
  

Most played tracks:

• Bear's Den - Christmas, Hopefully : Aw, even the fact that this band releases a melancholic Christmas ballad makes me love them. :) 
  

News?

█ So the Grammy nominations have been announced. And this academy seems to love Beyoncé, who has most nominations. I am happy for Dua Lipa, who also has as many chances to win some awards as Taylor Swift. And the list also puts a few artists/releases on my list.
I just feel sad for an obvious snub on The Weeknd.

█ Ooh, what happened at the German album charts: AC/DC still owns the top ("Power Up", 1) in its second week - followed by new entries like Ina Müller ("55", 2), Andreas Gabalier ("A Volks-Rock'n'Roll Christmas", 3) and BTS ("BE", 4). Mike Singer only reached number 9 ("Paranoid").

New in the German charts:

[01] 24kGoldn - Mood (feat. iann dior) : Wow. I did not expect this return.

[05] KC Rebell x Summer Cem - Down : Though this one is well-produced, I can't really tell, if there went a lot of effort into writing it. So yeah, it seems a little cheap.

[06] Shawn Mendes & Justin Bieber - Monster : Oh. Look who used some star power. And yes, the song ain't that bad.

[09] Bozza - Woher (feat. Sido) : This collaboration works. And the song comes with a message. So congratulations for this success.

Prisoner (#659)

Hi,

this happens when I have a few days off. Plus I had a very busy week. So yeah, sorry. (Again.)

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Shawn Mendes : Workout context. Tbh I don't have to keep "Handwritten" in my playlist anymore. :-/
  
• Amy MacDonald : New album context. "The Human Demands" has its moments. I will definitely give it another try.
  
• Kylie Minogue : Guess what happened? A few parts of "DISCO" grew on me. But I'm still not a big fan of her new retro pop tunes.
  
• Stray Kids : Fan times.
  

Most played artists:

• Lissie : Fan times. Listening to "Back To Forever" instantly made me want to rediscover "My Wild West", whose first tracks are great.
  
• Madonna : Fan times. Although you see "Madame X", which have been listening to, her 2003 album "American Life" should be featured here instead. Thanks to my friends I had the chance to dive into this era of hers once more.
  
• BENEE : New album (and research) context. "Hey u x" seems nice.
  

Most played tracks:

[nothing to highlight here]

News?

█ The 2020 American Music Awards took place and Taylor Swift won a bunch of awards. But tbh I still did not take time to watch the show. :-/

█ Collaboration alert #1 : Miley Cyrus made a song with Dua Lipa. "Prisoner" would fit perfectly to Dua's second album "Future Nostalgia", because it sounds very retro. Even the music video could be a relict from the 80s. But was all the girl-on-girl action necessary? (Just imagine two male pop stars doing that.)

█ Collaboration alert #2 : Shawn Mendes made a song with Justin Bieber. "Monster" features very (self) reflective lyrics. The music video looks simple. That's all fine, but I was hoping for a better melody.

█ German album charts are ruled by old (white) men - AC/DC ("Power Up", 1), Die Toten Hosen ("Learning English Lesson 3 - Mersey Beat! The Sound Of Liverpool", 2) and Bruce Springsteen ("Letter To You", 3).

New in the German charts:

[01] Samra - Kennst du das?! : OK. This one seems authentic. And it even comes with a melody. Congratz, then.

[05] Billie Eilish - Therefore I Am : Oh, this almost seems like the song had to chart that well. But yeah, it is a decent track.

Laundry Day (#658)

Hi,

ooh, I forgot about this one. (Sorry for some lateness.)

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• GFRIEND : New album context. "回:Walpurgis Night" was a letdown to me. Hardly any song seemed catchy.
  
• Two Year Vacation : New album context. "Laundry Day" has its moments, but I liked the previous album more.
• MONSTA X : New album context. Fans might enjoy "FATAL LOVE", but I expected a bit more.
  
• Pale Honey : New album context. "Some Time, Alone" felt okay.
• Johnny Orlando : Award context. I was listening to his recent EP "It's Never Really Over", but I could not find anything special about it.
  

Most played artists:

• Madonna : Fan times.   
• Cher : Fan (and a little fun) times
  
• Roo Panes : Workout context. I've listened to "Little Giant", which I should remove from my library, because it doesn't sound that special. ^^
  

Most played tracks:

• Axel Vindenes - Yesterday : I kind of re-discovered this bop. And I have a changed perception of its style. In some way this song has a lot of cheesy parts.

News?

█ Die Ärzte went back to number one in the German album charts, followed by Bruce Springsteen ("Letter To You", 2) and new entry Kylie Minogue ("DISCO", 3).

New in the German charts:

[04] Loredana - Tut mir nicht leid : Hm, I'm wondering how the next best Loredana will sound like. (And just keep the eyes rolling.)

[05] LX - Kollektiv (feat. Gzuz) : Another name among German gangster rappers. No, thanks. :(

[09] Casar - Habibi : OK, I get it. It must be his voice. Oh, and he seems not to be of full age yet. Yikes. What a role model. But hey, the hype might work. :-/

Whole Lotta Choppas (#657)

Hi,

This week features November 11, which means something for certain party people. But there is no party in sight. Even my birthday will be a quiet one in 2020. :-/
Anyway... what about last week?

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Beck : Workout context. Last week I could use some "Hyperspace", which is not my favorite Beck album though.
  
• CL : Recommendation context. I guess I must have heard all her songs now - thanks to a friend. ^^ "In The Name Of Love" features a nice K-Pop blend.
  
• Jessie Ware : Fan times.
• The Band Perry : Curiosity context. I had their 2019 EP "COORDINATES" on my list for quite some time. It marks an interesting departure from their usual country pop style.
  
• TOMORROW X TOGETHER : Fan times.
  

Most played artists:

• Kylie Minogue : New album context. Maybe "DISCO" will grow on me, but after my first spin I am as disappointed as with the pre-singles. And also listening to "Fever" felt like a sweet reminder of previous highlight records by Kylie.
  
• Die Ärzte : New album context. Who would have thought that I was quite pleased with most parts of "HELL"? I guess, fans can be happy about the new songs.   
• boy pablo : New album context. "Wachito Rico" has more mellow tunes than I expected. But it's a nice album.
  

Most played tracks:

• Hot Chip - Straight To The Morning (feat. Jarvis Cocker) : What a bop. :)
• Rhye - Black Rain : Yes, this one has grown on me. A really nice track.
  
• Sada Baby - Whole Lotta Choppas (Remix) [feat. Nicki Minaj] : Yes, I've seen quite a few TikTok videos using that certain sample, but I really like this remix - not only thanks to the feature guest. (The lyrics are still very explicit.) 
  

News?

█ The 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards took place last Sunday - and it was more of a virtual show. Most wins went to BTS. (Yay!) And Stray Kids won "Best Korean Act". (Yay!²) Yungblud won "Best Push", whatever that means. Fynn Kliemann was awarded "Best German Act" and Lady Gaga is "Best Artist" and "Best US Act". But who is Johnny Orlando? (He won "Best Canadian Act".) And who voted for DJ Khaled's "Popstar" as best video? The show was hosted by Little Mix - at least by three of the four members. And most live performances seemed a bit boring. Alicia Keys went quite creative though.

█ Sleaford Mods announced a new album for early 2021. "Spare Ribs" will contain 13 tracks with titles like "Shortcummings" and "Fishcakes". The pre-single "Mork n Mindy" comes with feature guest Billy Nomates - and fans might like it.

█ BONEZ MC is back at the top of the German album charts with his re-release ("Hollywood Uncut"). Also new among the top ten: Amy MacDonald ("The Human Demands", 4) and Monika Martin ("Ganz still", 5). Ariana Grande's new record ("Positions") made it to number 7.

New in the German charts:

[04] Azet x Capital Bra - B.L.F.L. : Yay, the next gangster rap track. Yes, the beat sounds good, but those lyrics don't. No, thanks. :|

[09] Justin Bieber x Benny Blanco - Lonely : Yikes! OK, seems like a valid soundtrack for these days.