I wasn't sure I would try to revive the blog again, but figured I should try a different format before giving up on it entirely 😅 I started finding the top 20 lists more stressful than fun because it was so difficult narrowing down and ranking my favorite songs. This format will just be me talking about my current favorite songs, and I probably won't go as in depth on each song. I'm not sure how often I'll be doing these posts, but figured I'd still add a date of sorts to the title for organizing purposes.
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I'm starting off with this song because I've never talked about metalcore on this blog before, despite it being one of my favorite subgenres for over a decade. I've talked a lot about how I love rock, but I do enjoy a bit of metal as well. I've known about this band for almost as long as I've been a fan of metalcore, since they're from the Northern California area and I went to college up there. College also happens to be when I got really into metalcore and other -core subgenres.
While I've known about this band for a long time, and even got to see them live one time while I was in college, I didn't become an actual listener until last year. Dayseeker happened to bring Kingdom of Giants as an opener for their holiday show last year, and I decided to check out their recent work beforehand. I was pleasantly surprised by the Passengers album and how much the band had evolved since I had last listened to them. I enjoyed their set at the Dayseeker show, and I'm now actively keeping up with their releases.
"Smoke" is off their latest EP, Bleeding Star, which is a solid followup to Passengers. "Smoke" is arguably one of their most experimental songs so far with its intoxicating mix of dark electronic synths and metalcore riffs. If you're a fan of Northlane’s last 3 albums (like me), you'll probably like this song as well! I think this song is extremely catchy and is just the right amount of heavy. I'm also a big fan of the vocals on this song.
"Bliss In Misery" - Hurtwave
Speaking of Dayseeker, Hurtwave is the solo side project of Dayseeker's frontman, Rory Rodriguez. Dayseeker was one of the first post-hardcore bands I got into way back in 2013, and a big reason was Rory's distinct and beautiful vocals. Therefore, it's no surprise I'm also a big fan of his side project despite the sound being quite different. Hurtwave is certainly more mellow and generally synthwave inspired. At times, the songs border more on ballad territory, but Rory's vocals and intuition for writing heartfelt lyrics and catchy toplines are more than enough to keep me engaged.
"Bliss In Misery" is a bit disorienting to listen to at first because of the way the instrumental seems to stutter and loop around on itself throughout, but I find this so interesting to listen to. Apparently fans were arguing on what time signature this was in, but Rory himself stepped in on his instagram stories and clarified that it's in 4/4 time, which I found amusing. However, what really sticks with me are Rory's gorgeous, sincere vocals and lyrics. I also love how the instrumental changes towards the end from synths to acoustic guitar.
"Aoarashi (青嵐)" - &TEAM
The stable live vocals?!
&TEAM is a j-pop group under the Korean entertainment conglomerate HYBE, so their sound leans more towards k-pop than j-pop. Also, there is some sonic overlap between them and other HYBE groups such as Enhypen and TOMORROW X TOGETHER due to using some of the same songwriters. While this song may not be super original (there are several times where the topline sounds like songs from other HYBE groups), I am such a sucker for emotional pop rock songs. I believe the guitar on this single has more of a j-pop vibe though, which helps distinguish it a bit.
Aoarashi is a Japanese term that roughly translates to "the wind blowing through greenery", and the song definitely has a refreshing and uplifting vibe. However, there's a tinge of sadness underneath that really speaks to me and elevates the song. Singing along to the "bokura aoarashi" lyric at the start of the chorus is so addictive for me, whoever wrote the chorus topline really nailed it. The choreography is pretty good as well!
"Phobia" - THE NEW SIX (TNX) (original song by Stray Kids)
This cover hails from the Mnet k-pop group survival show Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace. Of the performances that have been aired so far, this is the one that really impressed me on all fronts. I've been a casual fan of THE NEW SIX since their debut due to their strong discography thus far, but I still wasn't prepared for such an excellent arrangement and performance like this.
First off, as many other fans have mentioned, the song choice was risky but ended up working heavily in their favor. This round pitted TNX against Tempest and both had to pick a Stray Kids song to perform. Instead of choosing a title track like their competitors, they chose a b-side that had no choreography and had never even been performed in a live setting by the original artists themselves. As TNX said themselves, they could make this lesser known b-side their own song almost.
And, in my opinion, I think TNX's arrangement of the song is on the same level if not better than the original! The original isn't as dark as you might expect from the title, so TNX went in that direction themselves. Their arrangement is dark and dramatic, featuring haunting strings, electric guitar, and strong trap beats. The song is well paced, and the vocals and rap are really good as well.
The performance itself was so well executed, and they came up with so many cool ideas for their stage. The nightmare scene that opens the performance, the dancers acting as the members' shadows (this has been done before in k-pop, but it's always cool to see), and fighting through the dark sheet of fabric during the trap break are just a few of the highlights. TNX perfectly portrayed what it's like to almost be consumed by fear but finding a way to overcome it.
TNX are one of the underdog groups on the show, and I don't think many were expecting this level of excellence from them. I know I'll definitely be keeping this song and performance in mind for years to come.
"Smoke" - Kingdom of Giants
I'm starting off with this song because I've never talked about metalcore on this blog before, despite it being one of my favorite subgenres for over a decade. I've talked a lot about how I love rock, but I do enjoy a bit of metal as well. I've known about this band for almost as long as I've been a fan of metalcore, since they're from the Northern California area and I went to college up there. College also happens to be when I got really into metalcore and other -core subgenres.
While I've known about this band for a long time, and even got to see them live one time while I was in college, I didn't become an actual listener until last year. Dayseeker happened to bring Kingdom of Giants as an opener for their holiday show last year, and I decided to check out their recent work beforehand. I was pleasantly surprised by the Passengers album and how much the band had evolved since I had last listened to them. I enjoyed their set at the Dayseeker show, and I'm now actively keeping up with their releases.
"Smoke" is off their latest EP, Bleeding Star, which is a solid followup to Passengers. "Smoke" is arguably one of their most experimental songs so far with its intoxicating mix of dark electronic synths and metalcore riffs. If you're a fan of Northlane’s last 3 albums (like me), you'll probably like this song as well! I think this song is extremely catchy and is just the right amount of heavy. I'm also a big fan of the vocals on this song.
"Bliss In Misery" - Hurtwave
Speaking of Dayseeker, Hurtwave is the solo side project of Dayseeker's frontman, Rory Rodriguez. Dayseeker was one of the first post-hardcore bands I got into way back in 2013, and a big reason was Rory's distinct and beautiful vocals. Therefore, it's no surprise I'm also a big fan of his side project despite the sound being quite different. Hurtwave is certainly more mellow and generally synthwave inspired. At times, the songs border more on ballad territory, but Rory's vocals and intuition for writing heartfelt lyrics and catchy toplines are more than enough to keep me engaged.
"Bliss In Misery" is a bit disorienting to listen to at first because of the way the instrumental seems to stutter and loop around on itself throughout, but I find this so interesting to listen to. Apparently fans were arguing on what time signature this was in, but Rory himself stepped in on his instagram stories and clarified that it's in 4/4 time, which I found amusing. However, what really sticks with me are Rory's gorgeous, sincere vocals and lyrics. I also love how the instrumental changes towards the end from synths to acoustic guitar.
"Aoarashi (青嵐)" - &TEAM
The stable live vocals?!
&TEAM is a j-pop group under the Korean entertainment conglomerate HYBE, so their sound leans more towards k-pop than j-pop. Also, there is some sonic overlap between them and other HYBE groups such as Enhypen and TOMORROW X TOGETHER due to using some of the same songwriters. While this song may not be super original (there are several times where the topline sounds like songs from other HYBE groups), I am such a sucker for emotional pop rock songs. I believe the guitar on this single has more of a j-pop vibe though, which helps distinguish it a bit.
Aoarashi is a Japanese term that roughly translates to "the wind blowing through greenery", and the song definitely has a refreshing and uplifting vibe. However, there's a tinge of sadness underneath that really speaks to me and elevates the song. Singing along to the "bokura aoarashi" lyric at the start of the chorus is so addictive for me, whoever wrote the chorus topline really nailed it. The choreography is pretty good as well!
"Phobia" - THE NEW SIX (TNX) (original song by Stray Kids)
This cover hails from the Mnet k-pop group survival show Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace. Of the performances that have been aired so far, this is the one that really impressed me on all fronts. I've been a casual fan of THE NEW SIX since their debut due to their strong discography thus far, but I still wasn't prepared for such an excellent arrangement and performance like this.
First off, as many other fans have mentioned, the song choice was risky but ended up working heavily in their favor. This round pitted TNX against Tempest and both had to pick a Stray Kids song to perform. Instead of choosing a title track like their competitors, they chose a b-side that had no choreography and had never even been performed in a live setting by the original artists themselves. As TNX said themselves, they could make this lesser known b-side their own song almost.
And, in my opinion, I think TNX's arrangement of the song is on the same level if not better than the original! The original isn't as dark as you might expect from the title, so TNX went in that direction themselves. Their arrangement is dark and dramatic, featuring haunting strings, electric guitar, and strong trap beats. The song is well paced, and the vocals and rap are really good as well.
The performance itself was so well executed, and they came up with so many cool ideas for their stage. The nightmare scene that opens the performance, the dancers acting as the members' shadows (this has been done before in k-pop, but it's always cool to see), and fighting through the dark sheet of fabric during the trap break are just a few of the highlights. TNX perfectly portrayed what it's like to almost be consumed by fear but finding a way to overcome it.
TNX are one of the underdog groups on the show, and I don't think many were expecting this level of excellence from them. I know I'll definitely be keeping this song and performance in mind for years to come.
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