In Our Headphones: April 2023

[Lyubka]

Hey folks,

Spring is here 🌻 and so is the new edition of In Our Headphones! 🎧 Let’s check out some of the songs and artists that our Moderators played on repeat this month. 

We start off and set the mood with @Kiril 's great selection of songs. These tunes helped him catch the "Jitterbug" this month: 

https://open.spotify.com/track/1YKOHmuzStD3k5qqCSWEPJ?si=c8b249cad5994480

"Her first song was called “Africa”, which meant a lot for this Cape Verde native. Upon her arrival in France as a child, Mo’ Kalamity grew up in the Paris area. Highly inspired by Caribbean and African-American music, reggae for “the message and the power of its music” became the obvious choice.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5R2hXwoRB4gIgoNXoUuK51?si=5d93f98b2630426a

"Quantic" is the catch-all moniker for U.K.-born, New York-based musical polymath Will Holland. A world-renowned DJ, genre-blending multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and label owner (Enhanced Music), his work cuts across EDM, jazz, soul, funk, and global traditions from cumbia and bossa to salsa, Afrobeat, dub reggae, and more.

https://open.spotify.com/track/4p5kVlksWx8zl70MYbWh6F?si=7d4599b57a4446f4

And for a fine finish - I give you a low-fi remix of the classic Trinidadian "Calypso Blues" tune by Calypso Rose in combination with the French artists Blundetto (producer) and Biga*Ranx on vocals. "

@Nikola said that this month has been all about the Orient for him.

"A trip to the Dead, Red, and Mediterranean seas with a view of the Desert that seems to stretch forever, has brought up dreamy and mystical tracks in my mind.

 https://open.spotify.com/track/7BUpmFlSMGK5COcnhVmsvH?si=b37ea6ae868145c4 

https://open.spotify.com/track/3rQPjH9jzcQ8vXRfJELpar?si=5015852e635e44fa

The first one is a deep, slowly moving, groovy, peace of trance.

The second feels like letting go of the sense of “self” and just floating on the sands of time." 

Moving on to  @Yordan's picks. His top 2 choices are:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4ISSmLVqtYZTtMvEjruATG?si=374e53e0581744ee

"Of all the things that most of us would associate Greece with (you know like beautiful beaches, sunny weather, Greek yogurt, Greek salad, ouzo, etc.), I'm sure avant-garde blackened death metal wouldn't even be on the list. Unlike any other Greek band, Kvadrat made the bold decision not to feature a Bouzouki in their songs, so you won't be able to have a quick Sirtaki on this one, I'm afraid. Their music is an unstoppable flurry of swirling void that drags you down to the deepest, darkest abyss imaginable, bereft of any light. "

and 

https://open.spotify.com/track/0B9C2cQONIsQEZbw8gqgRA?si=54b7a5b080704597

"The Ocean Collective should be familiar to anyone who's shown interest in Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Metal, and rightfully so, as these guys craft some of the finest pieces of music the genre has to offer. The absence of a vocalist on their debut "Fogdiver" works in their advantage and allows the instruments to speak instead, placing a greater emphasis on the atmosphere. And speaking of instruments, The Ocean have mastered the art of combining beautiful melodies with head-crushing riffs, with "Isla de la Luna" being a perfect example of that: considered one of the hardest-hitting tracks The Ocean have ever composed, it still manages to sneak in a few lighter sections here and there, which in turn makes the heavy riffs ever so devastating."  Thanks Dan - great tracks! 🤘

We continue with @Vasil who said that this month he listened to some new stuff suggested to him while on the road. Here are 3 of them from Sleep Token. He was quite pleased with the finds and he hopes you enjoy them too. 

spotify:track:2S4q08im3SvocGZulxj2cP

spotify:track:0rcJX1gJdAAm7vnqY1H7O2

spotify:track:5VwEIEUmwHZpXMHxMHxlJp

Next up on the track list are surprising recommendations from @Joan:

spotify:track:7gss5MqLM5sHlHOl2EAbrp

" A band I recently heard is this comedic metal outfit called Austrian Death Machine. They're a side project of Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying fame. I had heard the name before but never listened to their stuff but now I'm very happy I did. It's comedic songs about Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, of which I am a huge fan. Every song title is some quote from the films and I recognize almost all of them. Musically, it's basically thrash metal but with some metalcore elements, like breakdowns. It's suitably fast, violent and in-your-face with excellent riffs, face melting solos and breakdowns and tons of testosterone fueled energy. It's surprisingly good for a joke band and I might even say I like it more than AILD. Makes for some sweet gym music too of course.

spotify:track:7E61cVtbiSMUIRmZ0hlYrL

Kataklysm are a band I'm gonna enjoy live very soon. The Quebecois legends are amazing and quite underrated imo. I've listened to their recent melodic death metal offerings and enjoy those very much, they have an awesome, distinctly oldschool sound. However, I hadn't explored their earlier pure death metal albums. And um...why did nobody tell me these guys have made some of the best death metal ever?? Why is this not talked about more? I am blown away by what I heard here. Really recommend, the whole Sorcery album is musically incredible and with unique lyrical themes too.

spotify:track:6Kfyg9nl3TWbtrUFEF4yr5

I've had some oldschool moments with classic rock and metal this month too. Black Sabbath are a one of a kind band, the Godfathers of metal and their early material is a once in a lifetime experience. Don't let the age discourage you, these albums hold up fantastically to this very day."  Thanks, Joan. Good stuff that would indeed expand my and other's musical horizon. 🎸 😎

Our mod @MihailY on the other hand, doesn't have anything to say about his tracks below. He'll let them speak for themselves 🔊 🌟

https://open.spotify.com/track/57DMaMLsXk0oDuMhI3TMIg?si=892bdcbbecb84f23
https://open.spotify.com/track/5DFfAuEc6Jy8brsKLiLPgP?si=92c2cede6e7f4952
spotify:track:0r47wqx5D2LtzMrb7EcmkU
https://open.spotify.com/track/0ykn0Lm9JWR2Cm7MtPoEEo?si=f71f9a4526d94411

@Alex listened to Paper planes by M.I.A. a lot.  
spotify:track:1ixbwbeBi5ufN4noUKmW5a

"I love listening to this song ever since it got released. It always lifts me up and I love adding it to my on-the-road playlists."

He also enjoyed Hypnotize by The Notorious BIG

spotify:track:7KwZNVEaqikRSBSpyhXK2j

 which he describes as "a hip hop classic that always manages to find its way into my recommendations." 

As for me - I’ve played on repeat 2 songs this month.  

My first choice is David Guetta's song When Love Takes Over 💞

spotify:track:1hRFVIy9As8OVRk8B7CrD5 

Besides having a super catchy beat, the lyrics in the song totally resonate with me. 

My second pick is Mexico.

 spotify:track:6yTaG6eJDi6T0VSawfMTQy

I don't know if this is because I desperately wanna go and enjoy the views on Gulf of Mexico in April again 🌇 ... or the fact that Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike are one of my favorite artists, but I couldn't stop listening to that track.🔉

And last but certainly not least is @Elena who is sharing that this month she was in the good old rotation of songs that she knows and loves. No new discoveries 🔍for her in April. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/5odfuh1BfM0Ea9Xs8Oe6K9?si=19c06dc9606e426a

"The first song I wanna highlight is This Momentary Bliss by Soilwork - a band I was able to see live a few days ago and their setlist was on repeat in my headphones in preparation for the show. As expected they did not disappoint and I loved every second of the performance.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0bHYX16vAFaFhtEqKhCeqg?si=45dd303c866c4dc7.

And the second song I've been obsessed with is Darkness Within. It's a fave of mine ever since I first heard it in 2011 and I just have periods when I listen to it less, but it's never out of the rotation.

That was all, folks 🎙 Don't forget that April is also known as the Month of Hope ❤️ and we all should celebrate the power of hope. The belief that things will work out, especially when it seems otherwise 🤗

You can check our IOH playlist and enjoy the songs below

spotify:playlist:6lv6DjjryalvuDqg0oirRb