NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

  Linkin Park ’s Hybrid Theory was a musical philosophy the band has followed throughout their career. Hip-hop, hard rock, nu-metal, Alternative, folk, and electronic— all found their way onto Linkin Park albums. A band known for their cross-genre collaborations and for scoring Top 40 Pop hits, Linkin Park has always aimed to be music-forward. In 2017, the band released their most polarizing album, One More Light . The album more than any of the band’s previous efforts integrated current-sounding pop, a genre that Linkin Park had avoided even when their rock songs became pop hits. Critics and listeners didn’t know what to think of the latest from the band that defined the new millennium in rock music. It was a collection of songs that seemed lyrically honest but musically dishonest like much of the pop music of the late ‘10s.   I DON’T LIKE MY MIND RIGHT NOW. Starting the album cycle for One More Light was “ Heavy ,” the lead single, released in February 2017. Working with the songwri

On folklore , Taylor Swif t’s essential fall album, the singer delves into the craft of storytelling. While many of Swift’s songs tell stories, until her eighth studio album, most of those stories were about herself. Tales about “ betty ,” James, and Augustine could be a metaphor for the singer but it was quite refreshing to hear about other people in towns created by the singer. With Swift returning to making anthemic pop hits, the lowkey double album cycle has come and gone.  “ The Last American Dynasty ” is a song on folklore in which Swift tells the story about the previous owner of her house. The song tells the story of the wealthy widow to the heir of the Standard Oil fortune, Rebecca “Betty” Harkness. It’s a kind of country song, romanticizing its subject and drawing parallels between Harkness and Swift, setting them up as outsiders unable to fit into the social classes they happened to belong to.  THERE GOES THE MADDEST WOMAN THIS TOWN HAS EVER SEEN. Taylor Swift has become a f

Armistice Day commemorates the end of World War I, marking the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany that took effect on November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, All [was] Quiet on the Western Front . The day is observed in many countries to honor those who served and died in the war. It evolved into Veterans Day in the United States, expanding to honor all veterans, not just those from World War I. Other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, still observe November 11 as a day of remembrance for fallen soldiers, often called Remembrance Day. The word armistice means an agreement made between opposing sides in a war to stop fighting temporarily, typically as a precursor to a more formal peace treaty. Unlike a full peace agreement, an armistice is not necessarily a permanent end to hostilities but rather a truce that suspends military action. It can be a crucial first step toward negotiating peace or esta

When Stone Temple Pilots debuted in 1992 with their debut album Core some critics wrote that the band was an imitation of the Seattle grunge scene which lacked an authentic sound. Core with its three singles earned the band heavy radio play. The band released their second album Purple in 1994 which was also a radio-hit success, but critics started warming to the band, recognizing that they were not a photocopy of Pearl Jam but a band that flavored their brand of the Seattle sound with elements of psychedelic rock, blues, and country. The first two singles “ The Big Empty ” and “ Vasoline ” continued the band’s established grunge sound. The third single, though, “ Interstate Love Song ,” was a turning point for the critics who thought that the band had nothing new to say. LEAVING ON A SOUTHERN TRAIN. When Stone Temple Pilots recorded Core, they worked with producer Brendan O’Brien , a producer who had a lot of experience as an engineer and mixer but only had a few producer credits.

“ The Night We Met ” ends Los Angelos-based Folk Rock band Lord Huron ’s second album Strange Trails . It’s a song about love and loss with a spooky musical ambiance. The song appeared in the first season of 13 Reasons Why . The song became popular after the inclusion in the drama. The band later released a remixed version of the song as a duet with singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers . As the fall gets bleaker, this song fits nicely into my playlist for the darker season.  Read the lyrics on Genius.  

  Working with family can be difficult. Starting a band is like starting a business. You need to have the right people to work with to do the best at their jobs. Chemistry, mastery of an instrument, and stage presence is also important for band members. Family members as bandmates makes sense for young bands. Tim and Jonathan Foreman in Switchfoot are an example of a brotherhood creating a lasting band. There are other bands like Kings of Leon and NEEDTOBREATHE in which family is a source of strife. There are many examples of when family members don’t work out in the band, sometimes it’s clear from the early days like when the Hype ’s second guitarist Dik Evans —brother of David “The Edge” Evans —was dropped by the group that became U2 and the bass player of The Fray , Caleb “Cable Car” Slade —brother of former lead singer Isaac Slade —was kicked out of the band. I NEVER KNEW THAT EVERYTHING WAS FALLING THROUGH. The Fray’s debut single, “ Over My Head ” (Cable Car) gained radio

In July, Halsey released the first single from her fifth studio album, The Great Impersonator , “ Lucky .” The album explores the two years after the singer’s fourth album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power after Halsey the birth of her son and her diagnosis of lupus and a T-Cell disorder. With the serious health problems facing Halsey, she wanted to record what could be her last album. That album’s concept deals with the disembodiment she felt after the diagnoses and treatments. Pulling from the musical landscapes of the 1970s to the early 2000s, Halsey becomes an “impersonator” of style on her latest album. The first single, an interpolation of Britney Spears ’ 2000 single by the same name , parallels the well-documented struggles of Spears with Halsey’s experience.   EVERYBODY GET IN LINE TO MEET THE GIRL WHO FLEW TOO HIGH. Ashley Frangipane was born in 1994, making her six years old when Brintey Spears released her second album, Oops… I Did It Again . Spears’ career has been sc