Hey folks!
December is a time for bright lights✨ , warm drinks🍵, making memories with family and friends🤗 and last but not least - listening to good music🎧.
During the the most wonderful time of the year, we have some brilliant songs prepared for you. We hope y'all enjoy this Christmas edition of IOH blog 😍🎅
Let's kick off with @Kiril's tracks:
https://open.spotify.com/track/4bUe0OUcwdu85AMBkZzYFg?si=5ac46156742f40af - This month I am all about fusing Afrobeat with Dancehall vibes and so I have binged on different combo between artists from those genres. Here we have the "African Giant" Burna Boy who did a nice feat with the Jamaican "Unruly Boss" Popcaan.
https://open.spotify.com/track/4MtbnacznNbh1kCOZPeLT0?si=c3c07f720ff941ec - Top Nigerian artist Davido collaborates with rising Jamaican dancehall star TeeJay and make a great remix of this year's super hot tune called "Drift"
https://open.spotify.com/track/5GnJOehiE3mjrEBK1rNXqo?si=5448dead25454fc4 - Again on the Afrobeat vibe with Davido, this time joined by dancehall superstar Sean Paul and dace choreographer Ding Dong to create a mad remix of the amapiano tune "Unavailable".
Great songs, Kiro!
Folks, prepare yourselves and use this time to breathe a little before things get truly heavy with what @Joan had in his headphones. Here is what he said about the songs he's been listening to:
It's December, Christmas season is here and I love Christmas spirit, but as much as I love that, I dislike Christmas music. So I like to keep the party going with parody Christmas music instead and this time, I'm going with some Schwarzenegger fueled holiday madness courtesy of Austrian Death Machine, who I started listening to this year. A parody metal band like this have no business being this good. spotify:track:1QoyIEVePqsTeK8w8tmcCl
Besides Christmas season, it's also winter season and when it's nice and snowy outside, I like to keep it wintery with some nice ice cold tracks. This time, I went back to an absolute classic - the folky black metal masterpiece that is Bergtatt by Norwegian titans Ulver. With how these guys change genres every album, all I can say is that it's a damn shame that this is the only album they ever made in this style, it's very atmospheric, melancholic and beautiful, the perfect soundtrack for a nice walk in a snowy forest. spotify:track:5wrcTVfNB59o1pY1YIEhgf
Other than that, my favourite lads Enslaved also dropped a new album this year and I finally got around to listening to it in full. As suspected, they haven't yet lost that cheat code for life that they have, allowing them to never release music that is anything short of amazing. It's proggy, it's atmospheric, it's cold and winterey and it's catchy as hell. More banger tracks for all the playlists and blogs!
spotify:track:0olmW14ZFT1jC3Ela6HgJG
spotify:track:7G06HILoIIRiDDRXFo77f0
spotify:track:3qMlcRKfPcRvdEx1ykYn3T
Thanks Joan! While you're still on the "heavy side" - @Yordan's songs are the perfect fit!
https://open.spotify.com/track/4pEVxM7O1mCBqxvva54GfA?si=d34ca209115b47e9
I know The Body love to experiment, and I'm used to the harsher stuff they've put out over the years. This one, however, caught me completely off-guard - it's calm, mellow, something I definitely didn't expect. The hypnotic beat, enchanting female vocals and feeble distorted screams all come together to create something hauntingly beautiful.
spotify:track:7AbrLk7Tlh3uYoUzmfmGzd
Pyrrhon is as weird as it's heavy. It's something I can only describe as "perfectly controlled chaos". They sure as hell put the "extreme" in extreme metal with their unparalleled technical and songwriting skills. Plus, they write some awesome lyrics too.
Next up, we have @Vasil's songs, who happened to be included in his Wrapped 2023:
It's a few months after Linkin Park's 20th anniversary of the release of their Meteora album and Wrapped got me to take a look at that album again. It turns out one of the songs I had listened a lot to (thinking it was something I had missed when I was young) was not an old song but instead a completely unreleased song from the time that now got included in the 20th anniversary album. For those of you who don't know, Linkin Park's lead singer Chester was going through some tough times and is no longer among us, so realizing this is a actually a real new song from him got me emotional in quite a few ways, most of which on the good side.
So, without further ado, here's the thing: spotify:track:373gDROnujxNTFa1FojYIl
And while we're at it, I don't mind if we revisit some of the old favorites, it's been a very long while since some of those had the dust removed from their .mp3 files 😊 Check them out below:
spotify:track:60a0Rd6pjrkxjPbaKzXjfq
spotify:track:2nLtzopw4rPReszdYBJU6h
spotify:track:18lR4BzEs7e3qzc0KVkTpU
spotify:track:3CkopQ1dNbKfqQdVHBLv9e
spotify:track:5bvgRxco3jgSZ3SP8rueDA
Let's continue with @Maria, who kindly provided cheerful tunes, despite her mostly listening to podcasts this December:
"This has truly been a month of podcasts for me personally, however, this particular song
https://open.spotify.com/track/1QEzs30PUAJJPbHL1e4NYH?si=57c611b254a6413e from Fleetwood Mac has been going strong still."
https://open.spotify.com/track/0Ui05Ov0s4PnRc4JI3Pilg?si=0da9e07d97414d59
"I heard this song playing in the background while out with some friends. Immediately, I had to ask which song it was, since it sounded so familiar. I haven't listen to them in years, but this month I rediscovered The Cardigans. Coincidentally, they're from Sweden, just as I am 😁"
Amazing tunes, Maria. Time to hear the beautiful songs that @Xenia sent us.
https://open.spotify.com/track/3CMDHYXhzwFvadf5MKO6G9?si=3633800e435b481b I’ve been listening to this song a lot in anticipation of New Year’s Eve which is my favorite holiday. It’s so cheerful and has a very positive vibe. There’s even a line about a cat smashing all the toys and messing up the festive table (something I can relate to quite well) but nothing can spoil this magical night.
This one is from the soundtrack of a new TV series I just started watching a few days ago - can’t stop playing it on repeat over and over...
Continuing with @Ivelina's mix of suggestions (or what she called "mish-mash with the music") as her mood is always changing.
Fist one we have "Killer Queen" by Queen.
https://open.spotify.com/track/300YN8ebGB90nDuzgz0f3O?si=afedb38722b64873
I was recently reminded about this one, love re-playing it when I'm feeling down, it just puts me in a better mood.
Another one when I play for when my mood is down is Def Leppard - "Pour Some Sugar On Me"
https://open.spotify.com/track/1aZLIbKEdsyqxyD6iNcrbA?si=c8dc2afea11345dd
And just as I've started sharing songs I listen to whenever I'm down, here's another one of my favorites of all time: Fergie - "Big Girls Don't Cry"
https://open.spotify.com/track/6dgWWAs5yhWPOtvE1zuoQ1?si=6e7af9d519144715
Thanks, Ive! It's time to move on to the pop suggestions, which @Nikola had prepared for us.
https://open.spotify.com/track/4x2rgtSFOI4hRvEvDj02KP?si=29913e5174f64d6e
https://open.spotify.com/track/07gLSfLyr23jSKaUpRgR1B?si=06c56a5ad0ed4732
I’ve never been a huge fan of pop, but I do admit that in certain moments it slips its way into my guilty pleasures. Especially if it has a proper dance beat. What happened recently is that I discovered that Rihanna’s first album is quite fresh with a lot of inspiration from reggae and dancehall which is always a “yes, please” in my book. Here is 2 examples of why you should stick to your roots:
As for me - I've been into pop and dance-pop songs all over my life and I can't get enough of Destiny's Child - 8 Days of Christmas and Sam Smith's cover of Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas track.
Happy Holidays, everyone!! We wish you a magical holiday season! 🤗
Full IOH playlist is here! Enjoy🎶
