ExtraPenguin

I have a few songs that have the exact same title (well, in my Spreadsheet of Songs, at least) and figured I might make a This or That a semi-regular feature! Here's the first one, chosen because the songs are so opposites in mood.

1. Within Temptation - Stand My Ground

lyrics ("If I don't make it, someone else will stand my ground")

I can see
When you stay low nothing happens
Does it feel right?

Late at night
Things I thought I put behind me
Haunt my mind

I just know there's no escape
Now once it sets its eyes on you
But I won't run,
Have to stare it in the eye

Stand my ground, I won't give in
No more denying, I've got to face it
Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
If I don't make it, someone else will
Stand my ground

It's all around
Getting stronger, coming closer
Into my world

I can feel
That it's time for me to face it
Can I take it?

Though this might just be the ending
Of the life I held so dear
But I won't run,
There's no turning back from here

Stand my ground, I won't give in
No more denying, I've got to face it
Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
If I don't make it, someone else will
Stand my ground

All I know for sure is I'm trying
I will always stand my ground

Stand my ground, I won't give in (I won't give in)
I won't give up (I won't give up)
no more denying, I got to face it
won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
if I don't make it, someone else will

Stand my ground, I won't give in
no more denying, I got to face it
won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
if I don't make it, someone else will
stand my ground

2. Stratovarius - Stand My Ground

lyrics ("I will stand my ground – I need to see where it leads")

This is my way, these are my rules
These are my rhymes, this is my song
Don't take me for some bloody fool
For I still dream, you can't hurt me, I'm strong

You can try to bring me down, to keep me down
I will rise and I will keep fighting back
There's no way you can break my will

My dreams are guiding my every step
I have a destiny to fulfill

No one can bring me down
I will defend my beliefs
And I will stand my ground
I need to see where it leads
No one can bring me down
I will defend my beliefs
And I will stand my ground
I need to see where it leads

You can try to bring me down, to keep me down
I will rise and I will keep fighting back
There's no way you can break my will

My dreams are guiding my every step
I have a destiny to fulfill
No one can bring me down
I will defend my beliefs
And I will stand my ground
I need to see where it leads

For fanmixfest, for the prompt "non-English music". Obviously the answer was to do a mix with Finnish music for Evelyn Wang from Everything Everywhere All At Once. 10 songs long.

Playlist on YouTube! Below the cut: track listing, links to translations of the lyrics, and a dinky graphic.

( Read more... )

Via independence1776, I found out that 3weeks4dreamwidth a) happened and b) is over. Challenges were involved? The last one was

Put a song for every letter in your url!
Hard mode: Challenge yourself and make it a fan-mix or themed playlist!

and I decided I had to try, especially when I realized I do in fact have a song for X (in the pinyin transcription, at least)! The theme here is songs that are new(ish) to me/songs I have on my phone where I don't already know the lyrics by heart just looking at the title.

E – Elegy, Illumishade
X – Xiaoshu 小暑, 音阙诗听
T – The Bottomless Pit, Lost in Grey
R – Revelation's Time, Shaylon
A – All I Am, End of the Dream
P – Pitfalls, Madder Mortem
E – Eve, Oryad
N – Never Again, Ewiniar
G – Ghost Shadow Requiem, Everdawn
U – Underdog, Never Obey Again
I – Into the Grey, Empress
N – Native Colossus, Shield of Wings

Then I decided I wanted to do the same for my journal's current tagline: If you're great at leaping – bite the sun! This is a very cheerful line, so I tried to make a cheerful-ish, or at least upbeat, mix as well. This was much, much easier for some letters than others, lol.
( 31 songs )

Anyway, I think I should just spend the summer making vids and fanmixes and not even trying to write, lol. Mayhaps I'll decide the subjects based on whether or not I have an applicable icon for the post, perhaps not.

I have discovered a column dedicated to going through all the Billboard top #1 hits from its inception to – well, currently it's at 2012. I revisited some stuff from my teen years (where either the artist or the song title rang a bell) and yeah, turns out I still like the EDM/electro-pop/Eurodance that ruled the US Top 100s in ... uh, well, from 2007-ish to approximately 2012? The section of time between R&B and Taylor Swift. (I am unfamiliar with the R&B hits from the prior era, so I suspect Finnish radio must've been ignoring them.)

The guy doing this gives nice backstory to the hits, including who the actual writers were*, as well as some of the artist's previous and following oeuvre, during which I have discovered that:
- Applause is the superior Lady Gaga song
- P!nk sang U + Ur Hand ("I'm not here for your entertainment") and Raise Your Hand, and I actually quite like her now that I know she's done more than So What (which I also like)?
- turns out Only Girl in the World is by Rihanna, and thus can't be my favorite Katy Perry song
- also it turns out I Wanna Go is by Britney Spears, not Daft Punk (no, I have no idea how I got that impression, either)
- Katy Perry sang Part of Me? I thought that was Kelly Clarkson, mostly because I'd mentally merged it in with the much better Stronger, which is actually by Kelly Clarkson

Speaking of Britney Spears, I have now finally heard If You Seek Amy, and someone could definitely do a very cool queer cover somewhere along the lines of "All of the boys and all of the (other) girls are begging to F.U.C.K. me (Amy are you jealous yet?)".

Mostly I recognise all the songs, though I think Beyoncé's All The Single Ladies (as well as the few other non-electropop stuffs) wasn't as big of a deal as her contemporaries Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga, and either we skipped Kelly Clarkson's What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger or that was in the period where I completely dissociated from pop music. (I think we also got things peaking slightly later.)

Anyway, pop music peaked with Call Me Maybe.

* As someone who mostly listens to metal, where the band performs music written by members of the band, this is a bit of a trip. WDYM Max Martin wrote over 50% of the songs on the Billboard Top 100???

I recently discovered Female Fronted Power, a website dedicated to female fronted power (and symphonic, black, melodeath, etc) metal, with album reviews, frontwoman interviews, and a list of announced albums for 2024. I've gone through the albums announced for 2024 and the interviews, all of which include a YouTube embed of a single. A lot of stuff I already knew about, but I came across this interesting band, Helga. It's ... I would compare them to Myrkur, in that there's a lot of moody atmospheric stuff, but it is a bit more choral in places. All 10 tracks are freely previewable (pre-listenable?) on Bandcamp, so if you like Myrkur or think "woman singing moody metal in a forest" sounds intriguing, check them out:



(lyrics available on the Bandcamp page itself)

I do love me some lyrics, but sometimes instrumentals are great. I went through my great big music spreadsheet and sorted by song language to get all the instrumentals. I've separated out the list into wholly instrumental albums and individual instrumental songs on otherwise non-instrumental albums. I've also linked to Bandcamp whenever available, as that's the most artist-friendly place to get music. Have fun listening!

Albums

Ancaria
3-track EP. Excellently captures the sensation of flying through clear skies.


Idyllia
4-track EP. Very much about the night sky feel, with a clear top and steady dark base.


Clockwork Hollow
5-track EP. Dark and driving. Compelling.


Kondzik
A full-length album. The mood is exactly as advertised on the album art: triumphant. Nice, driving guitars and a fastish pace.

Individual songs

Degrees of Truth - Imperfect Concoction
Full length song, starts quiet and builds nicely towards the end before abruptly stopping.


Everdawn - Toledo 712 A.D.
Dark and broody with a determined drive throughout.


Mystfall - Resisting Heaven
Shortish (2:03), several clearly defined movements and transitions. Earns its name.


Reasons Behind - Unplugged
Short (1:42) and starts off almost melancholy before gaining an edge and increasing in urgency.


Surma - Rendition
Short (1:36) and dreamy. Very clearly builds towards a climax. Certified viddable.


Surma - Deconstruction
Sad and wistful. Builds up yet slows down towards the end, then finishes with a quiet segment.


Volturian - Crimson Dust
Short (1:15), but packs a punch. Rhythmic from the start and a bit bouncy, even.


Delain - Combustion (on Apocalypse & Chill)
Full length song. Earns its name. Starts slow and contemplative and then builds in heaviness and intensity.

Kamelot - Haven (on Haven)
Shortish (2:14) and moody.

Kamelot - Overture (on The Awakening)
Short (1:18) and suspenseful, building in anticipation throughout.

Nightwish - Moondance
Starts in a sort of chessmaster-y mood and then picks up into a frantic dance.

Karaoke versions

Some artists release no-vocals versions of otherwise vocaled songs.

Delain: Dark Waters
Every song gets an instrumental-only version. The Quest and the Curse gets two. Just the mix without Diana Leah's vocals, and as a result a bit boring in the places originally written with singing in mind.

Ad Infinitum: Chapter I - Monarchy
Instrumentals for two songs: Marching on Versailles, and See You in Hell. Just the mix without Melissa Bonny's vocals, but there's enough going on with the mix it's not boring even when she would be singing.

Ad Infinitum: Chapter II - Legacy
I downloaded my copy from Bandcamp and have instrumentals for two songs: Unstoppable and Inferno, plus an orchestral for Son of Wallachia, though it's not showing for some reason? Just the mix without Melissa Bonny's vocals, but there's enough going on with the mix it's not boring even when she would be singing.

Ad Infinitum: Chapter III - Downfall
Instrumentals for two songs: Upside Down, and Somewhere Better. Just the mix without Melissa Bonny's vocals, but there's enough going on with the mix it's not boring even when she would be singing.

I realized it's possible to make unlisted playlists on YouTube, so have it in YouTube format this time! Notice how I got cute with the format in a reflection of the game structure.

( lyric snippets & track listing )

Kalidia are an Italian band first formed in 2010. On their webpage, they describe themselves as melodic power metal. The songs on their first album are rather similar-sounding, but they still sound nice and there's a distinct upgrade for their second album. I like the vocalist's voice and the instrumentation is appropriately power metal. Of their albums, I own the second (The Frozen Throne) and the rerelease of the first one (Lies' Device).

https://kalidia.bandcamp.com/album/dance-of-the-four-winds-2016-edition (demo EP)
https://kalidia.bandcamp.com/album/lies-device
https://innerwound.bandcamp.com/album/lies-device-new-version-2021 (rerelease)
https://innerwound.bandcamp.com/album/the-frozen-throne

All the angels are falling from the sky
Cold and silent comes the night
And the reign of ice and fear
Has just begun
Lost in a world of agony
The fallen one became our king
Frozen throne
Our destiny and our hope forever gone

(This is technically a Warcraft filk! Other bangers from the album: Circe's Spell, Black Sails, To the Darkness I Belong, Myth of Masada, Go Beyond.)

Just be the man they want
But remember who you are...
Until there's nothing left to say
Face this emptiness with faith
Lies device

(Other bangers from the album: Dollhouse, Reign of Kalidia, Black Magic, Winged Lords)

Blackbriar is a Dutch symphonic metal band. To the best of my knowledge, they don't have a label, but are fully independent! They have one soprano vocalist and there are no growls. Their sound is nice!

Webstore – they have physical and digital purchase bundled separately for everything, so I'll just list the EPs and albums plus the few non-album/EP singles they have and you can choose your edition. You can preview the music on their YouTube; I believe everything is there, with the album and EP things in convenient playlists and the two singles available on the /videos page.
Fractured Fairytales [EP]
We'd Rather Burn [EP]
Snow White and Rose Red [single]
Our Mortal Remains [EP]
The Cause of Shipwreck [album]
Fairy of the Bog [single] – just premiered on the 10th! I dig it.

Won't let you take my soul away
I'd rather go to the stake
I'd rather burn, oh I'd rather burn
I'd rather burn at the stake

(From We'd Rather Burn)

I was an offering to the gods
And turned into the fairy of the bog
The strangle cord still around my neck
Like a necklace of braided wool
Still roaming on the peatlands
For a thousand years or two

I've yet to fully go through The Cause of Shipwreck, but from the EPs, I quite dig Until Eternity, I'd Rather Burn, Let Me In, Arms of the Ocean, and Stone Cold Body.

Unleash the Archers is a Canadian power metal band formed in 2007. They've released 5 albums and 2 EPs so far. The music goes hard, especially the drums, and the vocals are mostly clean singing from the lead singer, though she occasionally goes into the growl register, and the male band members occasionally contribute backing vocals. While I'm sure there are fans of their first four releases, my personal opinion is they only found their stride with Apex – the lead singer started singing less stridently, and they displayed some excellent lyrical talents by writing a concept album about an immortal in a mountain who can be bound by whomever awakens him. Then they wrote a sequel In Space, Abyss! I own Apex, Abyss, and Explorers, and would recommend people start there, though if you like the more traditional power metal with more growls, it's worth checking out the previous stuff as well.

Albums & EPs in release order:
Behold the Devastation
Demons of the AstroWaste
Defy the Skies (EP)
Time Stands Still
Apex
Explorers (EP)
Abyss

Journey wide they’re spread across the land
They will hide they know what I plan
My sons were born for one purpose only
Their blood my elixir of life

Return them alive, I’ll kill them myself
I’ll open their throats and drink from their skulls
The ritual is very precise
Bring them to me before the planets align

(From Apex. Other absolute bangers from this album include The Coward's Way and Ten Thousand Against One. This one has a cool music video and the lyrics are basically the plot of the album.)

Soul bound
Endlessly forever
Locked between the darkness and the light
Don’t drown
In the swarming, blackened rising
Hold on to humanity and fight

Tormented by the tethering of souls to phantoms that remain
These spectres seem devoid of life but there is something in their eyes
Refuse to see they can’t be saved, I push to pull them from the grave
End their addiction to the thrall once and for all

But who am I to be their saviour, slave to time
When I am doomed to be in chains for all my life?

(From Abyss. Other absolute bangers from this album include Abyss, The Wind that Shapes the Land, and Afterlife.)