NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming contain's M83 's biggest hit, " Midnight City ." Everything on Hurry Up, is calculated to give listeners, including M83's sole member Anthony Gonzalez, the maximum amount of nostalgia. After a song-length, mood-setting intro, "Midnight City" builds on a riff for three minutes before climaxing in a saxophone solo, unheard in most music since 1988.* Track three, "Reunion," builds on layers of guitars and harmonies by one singer. This guitar-based M83 is a bit rare in their catalogue, as most of M83 is programing in synthesizers with touches of guitar here and there. But a guitar-based track is no-less nostalgic. It's that '80s chord progression heard in New Wave rockers and glam hair metal that sounded so cool to a young Gonzalez, listening to music in his bedroom growing up that bleeds into this song. The lyrics beg for a reunion with a loved one who has gone away.  A NEVER-ENDING DANCE. For today's post

I decided to do something a little different today. I'm going to present my first playlist within a playlist: 2021+. When my friend Stephen Barry  chooses his top songs of a given year, he gives two years of wiggle room for the records he missed. My format is not like Mr Barry and his Orchestra , but I thought that it would be interesting to make a playlist of the best songs I blogged about about last year that fit within a two year time frame. I'm going to stick to one entry per artist as usual and leave links for the posts. Today's song, "Counterfeit" by Wolves at the Gate, comes from a 2019 album, so it barely makes the list. First, I will post the Spotify playlist: The songs listed on this playlist: 1. " Cold Air " by Acceptance. The lead single from 2020's Wild, Free  is a song about a community torn apart by prejudice. Also check out " Wasted Nights " and " Dark Age. " 2. " Counterfeit " by Wolves at the Gate fro

In an interview with New Noise , Copeland 's guitarist Bryan Laurenson talks about the circumstances why the band broke up in 2010. The band feared the fanbase was drying up. They were sick of touring, but after some time away, working with other projects, Copeland came back together to record 2014's Ixora . The four years away gave Copeland fans one of the best records the band has released. Building on the layered, compositional ballads from You Are My Sunshine , Copeland masterfully combines lush arrangements of guitars, pianos, odd drum beats, synths, strings, and horns with some of the most concrete love songs the band has ever released.   THE WHITEST DRESS I KNOW. Named after a subtropical flowering plant common in the band's home state of Florida (pictured to the left), Ixora opens calmly with the cold track " Have I Always Loved You ," and the band builds a momentum that easily draws listeners along until the album's early emotional climax, " Eras

Opening Nick Jonas ' latest album, Spaceman , is the etherial ballad "D on't Give Up on Us ." Though produced by Greg Kurstin , a hit maker whose accolades include Sia 's " Chandelier " and Adele's " Easy on Me " and " Hello ," Nick Jonas's 2021 album only spun two singles, " Spaceman " and " This Is Heaven ." Were listeners and critics too harsh on Spaceman?  Slow pop songs with electronic atmospheres and falsetto R&B vocals and lyrics a committed, marital relationship may have left listeners who cynical from their post-lockdown breakup annoyed. It may have bored other listeners. While it may not be a masterpiece, it's certainly worth a revisit. The moody opener of Spaceman isn't lyrically deep, but its atmosphere opens an album that really should work. I HEAR YOU CALLING WHEN I'M HERE ALL BY MYSELF. Maybe it's the original cover of the album, but I can't help but think about kids

  Chasing Happiness   is a documentary telling the story of the ups and downs of the Jonas Brothers ' career. Even though I was not a fan of the Disney Channel stars, CH was a telling human story about faith, family, and fame. Debuting in 2006, Kevin, Joe , and Nick took tween girl's hearts by storm. I was, however, within almost the right demographic to completely ignore the band's existence. While I was off at college listening to MGMT and Fleet Foxes , the Jonas Brothers meant a whole lot to the younger millennials. I say almost the perfect demographic because the band gave a lot of press to their Christian upbringing. Some of the Christian publications I read praised the young men as they wore their purity rings and kept a squeaky clean image. But there was a lot more to that story. IF YOU TOLD ME THAT MY FATE WAS ON YOUR FINGERTIPS, THEN, I WOULDN'T BELIEVE YOU.  Last week Nick Jonas hosted and performed two songs on Saturday Night Live . After being introduced b