Although I grew up in a house where there was a great mix of musical styles, I must admit that I was quite picky about what I listened to (I still am, but less, I promise), I tried not to leave rock, punk and artists who, although they did a certain style, could also be considered pop. See David Guetta, he makes EDM but many of his songs, and especially his greatest hits, also qualify as pop. It was like that, until the albums I bring you in this quick post were making that, a bit at a time, I could enjoy more and more music to the point where I am now, in which I don't look at artists, nor genres (with a few exceptions), if I like it, I listen to it. So without further ado, here we go:
1. Racine carrée - Stromae
Stromae, whose real name is Paul Van Haver, is a Belgian artist and producer who rose to fame with his single "Alors on danse" from the album "Cheese", which was the most played French single in the world during 2010. He later achieved worldwide recognition with the lead single of this album, "Papaoutai", about the absence of a father figure in his life.
This album is the fusion of rap, 90's beats and rhythms both from Caribbean and African origin that live in line with dance music. It's the perfect example of upbeat music, sometimes "happy" sounding, with lyrics are not so happy, because in his songs, Stromae deals with many social issues such as racism, arguments between couples and diseases such as cancer and AIDS.
Even if you don’t speak French, Stromae is one of those artists who simply makes you understand, with the tonality, how he recites his lines, makes you emotional but also makes you get up and throw everything away. There is something about this album for me, and it is that I am so passionate about it, that I don’t know how to explain it, it’s something like visceral. Maybe it was because it came into my life at the right time, but it made me rethink things, explore music in other languages (and learn French in a way you can’t imagine) and getting into electronic music, something I was very skeptical about, because I thought it was all going to be songs with more BPM’s than I like to endure, and it couldn't be further from reality. The only thing I can add is that I live waiting for new material from Stromae, whom I now consider, for many reasons, one of my favorite artists and those I hold most dear. (Note: at the moment I'm translating this, Stromae has already released new music, yay!)
If you'd like to hear it, though it is relatively known, my favorite tracks are "tous les mêmes", "Ave Cesaria" y "Bâtard" (of the first two songs I'll link youtube instead of spotify because their music videos are amazing)
2. Peace is The Mission (Extended) - Major Lazer
As I already talked about Major Lazer in another post, in this one I won't go into too much detail, I'll just say that I feel this was Major Lazer's Peak, in which they managed to bring the rhythms of Dancehall, Reagge and Soca to mainstream success, with the participation of icons of those genres like Machel Montano and Fuse ODG in addition of pop stars like Ellie Goulding and MØ and finally other DJ's, like DJ Snake and MOTi. What came out of that mix? Reaching number one in five countries and getting into the top 10 in fourteen others, plus many of the songs made it into various charts, on spotify, the song with the least streams has almost 7,300,000 plays (as of writing this post) and the most played song (Lean On) has a billion and a half.
Like "racine carrée", this album got me interested in Caribbean rhythms and started to "de-demonize" DJ's, it's an album that will get in a good mood, you can't help it, it will make you dance, at home, at the club, wherever. You can listen to it by the pool, walking through the mountains, on the beach, in the city, and it will always get the party going, it's the law.
As it is also an album with well-known hits, I recommend "Too Original" which sounds to me like a comic chase music and I love it, "Boom" to give it your all on the dancefloor, and two that are more chill "Lost" with MØ and "Waves" with Kali Uchis.
3. Discovery - Daft Punk
First of all, a minute of silence for me, they were another band that I was dying to see live and that broke up before I could do it, best regards.
Moving on, I hesitated between putting Discovery or Random Access Memories since I discovered Daft Punk thanks to "Get Lucky", but Discovery was the album that grabbed me by the neck and never let go, it's very likely that this was the album that made me give electronic music and DJ's a chance (yes, before racine carrée and Peace is the Mission and all). I remember it all too well, being at home listening to "Get Lucky" on the laptop, my father asking me what I was listening to and me all dignified saying "Ah, they're new, I don't think you know them, they're Daft Punk" and when he told me he knew them and told me to listen the Discovery album, wow, I went up a level. I have to admit that at the beginning I was tired of them looping so many sounds, but come on, it lasted about two days, by the third I was already shouting "ONE MORE TIME" around the house, and all that caused a domino effect that has made me end up listening to a big part of the French house music scene. So, what can I say about this classic that hasn't already been said? Legendary samples and loops that led to even more legendary tracks. Here I will not hesitate to tell you that my favorite is "Face to Face" no doubt.
4. Wiped Out! - The Neighbourhood
For everyone who knows me, I think this one will surprise them, because to this day, The Neighbourhood is one of my favourite bands, but before they achieved this place in my heart, I had a war, for no apparent reason, against Indie (I'm not going to lie, to some extent I still do, but that's a topic for another day), until the track that is, perhaps, the best known of the album and maybe of the band, "Daddy Issues", came through my ears, and I said "AY" and decided to talk to my friend Lucia who had also started listening to them for recommendation. Within three songs my chakras aligned, holy cow, it was definitely love at first listen.
Wiped Out! is the album I would choose to listen while driving a convertible down the California coast, or to lay down with a tea and a blanket to watch the rain.
Although it has up-beat songs, I find it an absolutely spiritual album, one of those that speak to your soul (don't call me intense or I'll cry), depending on your mood when you listen to it, it can make you feel empowered or make you sink into the couch while you look at a fixed point in your room in silence, and that's why I love it, but be careful because if you listen to it when you are susceptible, you might cry, or maybe that's just me...
I love this album from beginning to end, but trying very hard, I would highlight "Greetings from Califournia", "RIP 2 My Youth" and "The Beach"
5. Night Visions - Imagine Dragons
Its discovery was a little before "Wiped Out!", and I am proud to say that it was one of the few albums that I made my dad discover and not the other way round, although sometimes I regret it because he played it so much while travelling with our car, that there was a point where I came to loathe it. Anyway, I was really into it and I said come on, I'm going to listen to indie stuff (which later led me to Wiped Out!).
I knew Night Visions by name because of the single "Radioactive", so I decided to check out the rest of the album, and well, I can tell you that it was the first CD I bought with my own money, so, yeah, I think I liked it. At the time, it seemed to me to be quite a revolutionary album, that other bands have tried to imitate, without success, obviously. It has pure rock essence but with beats and sequences, which I find difficult to achieve. When I listen to some of the songs, I feel the same as when I listen to rock songs, but it's not rock that is coming through my ears.
It's 100% a sensory album, that plays with sequences and stereo sounds, and makes you want to really focus on it, not to hear it, but to listen to it, and every time you play a song you can find something different to focus on. In all truth, even though as I said I ended up getting sick of it from listening to it so much (I'm over it now and I love it again), I understand my father, it's the perfect album to listen in the car, and if you're driving through the countryside and it's foggy, it's two thousand times better. "Amsterdam" and "Tiptoe" are my all time favourites.
6. True - Avicii
My heart always beats stronger when it comes to talking about Avicii, and it's because him and his album came to me at a key moment, when for life's sake, I could not listen to rock music. I think I can say without a hint of doubt, that he was the first (modern) DJ I fell in love with, platonically speaking, both as a person and as an artist.
"True" is an album that was commercially acclaimed, reaching the top 10 in at least ten countries, it established Avicii as one of the most influential DJ's of the era. It fascinates me, because few people don't know how many familiar faces are behind this album, and that were key elements for its triumph, apart from the obvious collaborations such as Nile Rodgers, Aloe Blacc and Dan Tyminski, on this album there were other participants like Mike Einziger (Incubus), Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons) and Adam Lambert. This cocktail made "True" a fusion of styles such as country and folk with electronics but without sounding forced, which is what often happens when they try to mix such disparate styles.
If I had to choose one word to define it, it would be: intimate. All the lyrics are ballad-y (except for You Make Me and Liar Liar) and emotional, in which they sing to a lover or to someone close to them. It makes you love life while making you want to cry. My favourite will always be "Addicted to You"
7. Torches - Foster The People
As I've already mentioned, I have a bit of a war against indie, so I was very sceptical to listen to "conventional Indie" or softer indie, since the albums we've talked about were more Indie Rock (Imagine Dragons) or more alternative (like The Neighbourhood). And, in fact, it wasn't until I saw Foster The People live at MadCool, that I jumped into it. Before that day I've only listened to "Pumped Up Kicks", but I had such an experience at that show, that I won't lie if I tell you that it was one of the shows I've enjoyed the most, so the next day, I decided to try and listen to Torches, and boy, it did not disappoint, the recorded version knew how to live up to the concert I had just experienced.
With upbeat rhythms, it mixes pure indie pop with some electronic bits. This, along with the slightly nasal and high-pitched voice of Mark Foster (but not shrill) makes Torches one of those albums that makes you move your head without realizing it while you do something. Good on record and great live, if I had to highlight one track it would be "Houdini" because I remember dancing and jumping to it, and "Call It What You Want".
8. Until Now - Swedish House Mafia
And in the last position, since it was the most recent discovery, we have "Until Now" by the Swedish DJ trio Swedish House Mafia, which I also talked about in my previous post as well as Major Lazer. Avicii got me interested in EDM, but I always stuck to the DJ's that were considered more commercial and were more akin to creating pop electronica.
I don't remember very well what made me listen to this album, I had listened to the typical SHM tracks that achieved mainstream success, but for some reason, I don't know, one day I got a voracious hunger to expand my EDM playlist and I said to myself "Why not?" And, 10/10 honestly, if I had any prejudice left for this style, this album took it all away with a clean slap. It was like listening to progressive rock, but changing the instruments for sequences, I was in heaven, and every time I listen to "Greyhound" I go back up. It's the record I put on to run on the treadmill, and it gives me the same effect of filling me with energy and power as a doped up athlete.
As I didn't expect to like it so much, what this record has done is that, now, I don't hesitate even for a moment to play any other DJ's album, because if I don't like it, well ok, but what if I discover another record like this one? I'm not going to miss that opportunity again. Here I don't think I even have to say that my favourite (and it goes in the ranking of favorite songs in general, not only of the album) is "Greyhound" and "Here We Go". (I won't include "Miami 2 Ibiza" because the version I like the most is on Tinie Tempah's album, but I'll leave the link anyway because I love it).
And well, so much for this express post that turned out to be not so express anymore because I get excited and go off the deep end. There are many albums that you will already know, but I hope that, if not, they will help you to enjoy music even more as they have helped me.
See you in the next post, which I promise to upload before Halley's comet passes by again.
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