16 April 2021 – Bad Boy by BIGBANG

April 16, 2021 kevinisabastardbad boy, bigbang, kevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.comLeave a comment

BIGBANG were probably the generation before K-Pop really went global. They all went to the military in 2017 and one of them got caught up in that night club scandal in South Korea. They seemed posed to return in 2020 but then covid happened. They’ll probably be back soon and take over the world.

Bad Boy is an incredible R&B/Hip Hop track and a real demonstration of BIGBANG’s talent. It’s like they studied classic hip hop ballads and they perfected them and then added the K-Pop elements to them. The video ties in perfectly. Chilled with laid back piano, each band member is an incredible singer and has a different style. An absolute gem.

You can listen to Bad Boy by BIGBANG here. Also check out the video here.

14 April 2021 – Might Not Make It Home by LPX

April 14, 2021April 14, 2021 kevinisabastardAmazon Prime, Invincible, kevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.com, LPX, Might Not Make It HomeLeave a comment

One of my favourite musical sensations, is when a song I know shows up somewhere unexpectedly. Sometimes that’s in an ad on TV or someone recommending a song you already know and like. It’s a familiar and nice feeling, with some added cool points depending on where it’s being played. I had one of those moments last night. I started watching Invincible on Amazon Prime and Might Not Make It Home featured. It’s a banger of a tune. It’s got a DIY garage rock feel and it was for a scene in episode two of the show where Invincible is practicing flying and it works well.

Soundtracks are a fascinating idea, because the team behind the production will often pick elements of a song that wouldn’t jump out at the listener at first. Sometimes, listening to the artist’s version, it can be hard to see how it was selected for a scene or as a theme song. This was a weird case of that because the Invincible snippet of the song actually missed my favourite part. There’s layered vocal in the post chorus that swells and grows coming out of the second chorus. Having heard the song before, the piece in the show felt like a teaser for the bit that I really wanted to hear. And as a result, it’s been on repeat all day today.

Listen to Might Not Make It Home by LPX here.

13 April 2021 – Worry A Lot by The Like Young

April 13, 2021 kevinisabastardkevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.com, the like young, worry a lotLeave a comment

Worry A Lot is a quintessential 2000s indie track. So quintessential in fact, that it was included as a preloaded MP3 on a Philips music player that appeared in my house around 2005. I love the element of randomness with which the track came into my life and that multiplies my enjoyment of it. The Like Young were a husband and wife combo. They both sang, she played the drums and he played everything else. There’s punk inspired singing and guitar and a droning keyboard. All the characteristics are there for a classic song of the time that it could almost have been created in a lab.

I don’t know what happened to The Like Young. There’s a very small internet footprint that trails off around 2006 with some fan posted Youtube lyric videos as late as 2012. I’ll always have a lot of time for this song though and the strange concept of preloaded MP3s.

You can listen to Worry A Lot by The Like Young here.

12 April 2021 – Two Bodies by Flight Facilities feat. Emma Louise

April 12, 2021 kevinisabastardemma louise, flight facilities, kevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.com, two bodiesLeave a comment

Flight Facilities are incredibly consistent group and have a history of great collaboration with and promotion of other artists. Down To Earth is a wonderful album. The beats are so clean and at times could be entire songs by themselves. Two Bodies is a great example, strip everything back and I’d listen to the beats on their own and vibe along to that.

The vocal sample at the beginning from an interview with the actor Rod Serling is a great quote but it’s also a stroke of genius to pick that quote as the opening to the track, in terms of sound and meaning. Rod Serling has a classic American Hollywood accent and a tremendous way with words. And the quote itself is a reminder to appreciate things for what they are, without worrying about public or critical perception. It’s also a classic Flight Facilities move and a throwback to their decade mixes.

Emma Louise’s vocals tie in perfectly with the sound of the track. The harmonies are used like instruments in adding weight. The echoing soft vocals give the song a fragility and then build to a powerful chorus.

Listen Two Bodies by Flight Facilities feat Emma Louise here.

09 April 2021 – Me And My Friends by James Vincent McMorrow

April 9, 2021 kevinisabastardJames Vincent McMorrow, kevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.com, Me and My FriendsLeave a comment

I love Me And My Friends because the intro sounds like Nintendo Wii music. It’s a fun song with nice harmonies and when the chorus come in it has a marching band feel. It’s a song that will always make me happy. I know that TikTok is pretty indiscriminate in its music choices but I feel like if it came out today it would be massive on the app. That’s a really interesting concept to me – that music can be made and miss a window of opportunity for massive success. But maybe it’s for the best for the listener that Me And My Friends isn’t part of a viral trend. That way every time I hear it, it still feels like a little treat.

You can listen to Me And My Friends by James Vincent McMorrow here.

08 April 2021 – Trying Not To Think About You by Limón Limón

April 8, 2021April 8, 2021 kevinisabastardkevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.com, Limón Limón, trying not to think about youLeave a comment

“Tryin’ not to think about you is hard to do
Tryin’ not to think about you makes me so blue”

Trying Not To Think About You is one of my favourite songs because it’s sweet and simple. There aren’t a huge amount of lyrics and there’s lots of repetition. The repeated rhyming couplets of the chorus are almost child like. The singing is very gentle and there’s something in it that reminds me of French bands like Pony Pony Run Run or early Phoenix. It’s simple and kinda sad but at the same time it is a great summery dance track. You can imagine it being played it over a sun holiday montage.

You can listen to Trying Not To Think About You by Limón Limón here.

07 April 2021 -Mary by Scissor Sisters

April 7, 2021April 7, 2021 kevinisabastardkevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.com, mary, scissor sistersLeave a comment

Mary is a very profound song. I think sometimes lyrics are hidden by singing and I know that for some listeners and artists, they’re not that important. There is something very powerful about a song with very clear lyrics that are also beautifully sung. Probably the best example of how this applies in this case is the bridge in Mary:

‘Cause I’d give everything I have
Forget all the things that bring me joy
If you could have one day of pure and simple happiness
Until that moment comes
I’ll be here where I’ve always been
I’m gonna be your friend
Until the day I die

Jake Shears is great. The song is a work of art. The album is a classic and the band were fantastic.

Listen to Mary by Scissor Sisters here.

06 April 2021 – Get It On by T.Rex

April 6, 2021 kevinisabastardget it on, kevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.com, marc bolan, t.rex1 Comment

When I was 14 I grew my hair long and decided that I had to like rock music. I had some rules. I wouldn’t pretend to like something I didn’t like and I wouldn’t like what everyone else liked. And it’s embarrassing and incredibly lame but it happened. The end result was that I was obsessed with T.Rex, specifically the one greatest hits album we had at home which doesn’t seem to exist anywhere online.

Get It On is an anthem. It’s a headphones on, all in your head escape and a jumping kick, belt it out at the end of a night. It felt a bit risqué as a 14 year old listening to a song about getting it on when I wasn’t getting anything on. Then as you get older you realise that’s what 50% of all music is about.

The other great thing about T.Rex for 14 year old me was that Marc Bolan was not into complicated guitar riffs. The vast majority of what’s going on is sex appeal and charisma and the rest is made up of bits of blues riffs. It definitely helped me to see that it’s not what you play but how you play it when it comes to music. Marc Bolan played like he was looking for the ride and that’s what the music ends up sounding like. When I was in bands with my friends we played like we were there to have fun and I like to think that’s how the music turned out.

You can listen to Get It On by T.Rex here.

03 April 2021 – I Try by Macy Gray

April 3, 2021 kevinisabastardI try, macy grayLeave a comment

I Try is a perfect song. Macy Gray has an incredible voice, a great combination of a unique sound and an effortless cool. The lyrics are top notch. The verses and choruses are simple but meaningful, understandable and poetic.

‘I may appear to be free
But I’m just a prisoner of your love
And I may seem all right and smile when you leave
But my smiles are just a front
Just a front, hey’

Top tier song. Top tier work of art. Deserves to be considered a classic.

You can listen to I Try by Macy Gray here.

01 April 2021 – Spicy by Ty Dolla $ign feat. Post Malone

April 2, 2021April 2, 2021 kevinisabastardpost malone, spicy, ty dolla $ignLeave a comment

A big part of the charm of this song is one of my favourite terrible song lyrics of all time:

“She my spicy lil’ mama, she let me bust her piñata”

Just incredible stuff.

Other than that it is a great song. It’s atmospheric. The chorus runs together really well. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard it first because the only other song that I can ever remember that includes Ty Dolla $ign is Work From Home by Fifth Harmony.

Listen to Spicy by Ty Dolla $ign feat. Post Malone here.

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