NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

When I'm sick, I like to delve back into childhood favorites. Although I didn't listen to Wish You Were Here very much when I was in middle or high school-- Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were my go to Pink Floyd albums--the song " Wish You Were Here " was a staple for warming up on guitar. In Pink Floyd's extensive discography, 1975's  Wish You Were Here  rests in the band's golden age. The band's previous album 1973's Dark Side of the Moon was an unprecedented success, taking an obscure psychedelic rock band to a household name. In some ways, Wish You Were Here deals with the aftermath of that fame in tracks like " Welcome to the Machine " and " Have a Cigar ."    DID THEY GET YOU TRADE YOUR HEROES FOR GHOSTS?  But it's story of the little guy, the " Crazy Diamond ," that the music industry failed, that is at the center of Pink Floyd's second concept album. Wish You Were Here marked Pink Floyd's t

  Yesterday, I tested positive for Covid-19. I'd managed to avoid getting sick for three years, but something about the humidity of August and the close proximity to people made me susceptible. I'll try to get back to writing soon, but I don't have much energy. So I thought I'd share a repost today, a dusty memory about New Order , more specifically a keyboard from the '90s that listening to New Order today makes me think about.   Buried under twenty years of dust in my parents garage lies an old Yamaha keyboard. It was my dad's Christmas present to my mom in the mid-90s. This model came with 100 recorded instruments, 100 styles of drum beats, everything from foxtrot to metal, and 25 or so recorded songs. It was a pretty typical family keyboard, but it kept me entertained for  years . Although I started playing guitar at the age of 12, I had spent a long time messing around on that keyboard trying to make music. I loved playing the keyboard but hated how fake th

This year, Endless Summer Vacation has been the most featured album because of today's song, " You ." Maybe "Flowers" is the stand out track, but almost every other song is so much better than that song. I'll probably do a track-by-track sometime on this record, but today, as the summer is winding down, I wanted to share the Spotify version of my Road Trip Mix titled Along for the Ride: Songs for the Road. This is one of my personal playlists for long rides and drives. I updated it today to better fit with songs that have to do with driving. There may be more appropriate tracks, but I wanted to prioritize listenability. Enjoy!

We’re reliving pop-era Taylor Swift in the middle of the Midnights album cycle and on the cusp of Swift rereleasing her game-changing record 1989 . Even the re-record of Speak Now seemed to bypass its original country twang and highlight a pop-rock Taylor. But before we’re welcomed back to New York, especially as the summer is winding down, I’m drawn to the Taylor Swift that’s not quite Nashville, not quite L.A. but somewhere in Appalachian folklore perhaps lost for evermore . I’ve written a lot about folklore , but that release eclipsed the equally surprising release of evermore. While folklore was a more cohesive record, evermore was the album on which Taylor Swift gives herself permission to experiment in what could have been her new sound for the ‘20s. WRECK MY PLANS; THAT’S MY MAN. Taylor Swift begins her experimental album evermore with a song that could have easily been released on folklore, “ willow .” Similar to “ the 1 ” and “ cardigan ,” “Willow” didn’t immediately draw m

It’s a clear night after a typhoon dumped a lot of water on us a few days ago. It’s been a rainy summer, and the city lights rarely allow for a peak into oblivion. Today, I give you my playlist for those occasions, when the clouds open up and we can look into another world. Most of these songs are not scientific, but rather impressions and mediations on an otherworldly experience. Enjoy!  

I've talked about how my first impressions of Billie Eilish changed gradually. But to be fair to all of us skeptics before when we heard " bad guy ," we didn't know what the career of the Gen-Z star would bring. What started out as slowed-hip-hop influenced sad-girl ballads and dark EDM bangers has turned into musical directions that no one can predict where she'll go next. In fact, following up her 2019 debut, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Eilish exchanged her dark aesthetic with a lighter, though somewhat eerie look on Happier Than Ever . Not only aesthetically but also musically Eilish's music hasn't returned to the goth like her debut album.  WHAT IF IT HAPPENED TO YOU ON A DIFFERENT DAY? Following up Happier Than Ever, Eilish released a 2-song EP as a surprise in July of 2022 titled Guitar Songs . Many of the singer's songs had been synth or piano-based. Happier Than Ever started to drive the singer into organic sounds, even transform

Not since  Michael Jackson  has an artist had five number one singles top the Billboard Top 100 chart in as quick succession as " Dynamite ," " Savage Love ," "Life Goes On," " Butter ," and "Permission to Dance" from late August 2020 to July 2021. Of course, the hit parade continued in late 2021, as a featured spot on  Coldplay 's " My Universe ." The South Korean phenomenon Bangtan Boys, better known by their acronym  BTS , don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. GOT ARMY BEHIND US WHEN WE SAY SO.  It's no secret that BTS's fan  ARMY  is strong. According to Quora, there are estimated to be anywhere between 40-60 million fans worldwide. It's because of this ARMY buying multiple copies of the groups singles that propelled the boy band to number one. Some have called this chart manipulation, mainly because of the strategic planning to buy the song, overtaking any other single that would be pushed up the