Greetings and salutations everyone! It's been a while since I've greeted you from the pages of THIS blog, one year exactly actually. I guess February is just my month. I'll take it I guess. Anyway, another month is drawing to a close and another chapter ends so the next can begin. I hope the February chapter has been eventful and exciting for you, given that we are even blessed with an extra day of it this year. But what is a grand adventure without a proper soundtrack? So follow me here, I have prepared a boat for us on this river of romance and melancholy and together, we shall explore the awesome tunes that scored all the greatest moments of our lovely Moderator team. Without further ado, let the journey begin.
I row us gently down this river, which is full of life and energy thanks to the melting snow that has filled its waters. We careen past stones and leap over falls as we approach a small charming village. As we paddle through, on the coast, I see something. Behind the fence of the property surrounding a cozy farmhouse, a devilishly handsome young man is standing, surrounded by various animals. Why, it appears to be our newest disciple @MartinT! I greet him and he seems gleaming with enthusiasm to share his musical journey with us. Well, Marto, to give you the warmest welcome possible in our amazing team, I give the entire spotlight to you. Take it away!
"This is my first contribution and I got very excited and could not contain myself... I managed to narrow down the songs to about half of the entire soundtrack. I`m such a musical geek, there's something about the mix of music and storytelling that tickles a specific neural pathway in my head and I`ve been waiting for this show to be produced for 5 years now, ever since the pilot was crowdfunded and posted on YouTube.
It's filled with Broadway stars, the writing is amazing, the lyricism is * chefs kiss *, I simply must do my duty and spread this to as many ears as possible (if this show gets cancelled because it underperformed I WILLL be a mess for a significant period of time)."
Your enthusiasm is much appreciated, my friend, keep up the good work! As we veer away and Marto waves us goodbye, we move deeper through the village, as the river meanders through various central districts. In one of the houses, there's a balcony overlooking the water. On it, under a large umbrella is a table covered to the brim with stacks of paper, folders and other materials. Among all of those, I can see a charming lady, buried deep in her work. So deep she doesn't notice me. After some energetic waving on my part, she looks up. It's our diligent and passionate @Ivelina! She decides to take a brief respite from the formalities and bless us with some tunes.
"Here are some of the bad *female dog* vibe songs I've been listening to thanks to my Gen Z sister. Very ghetto vibes. She chose those, not me, I swear! 😅"
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Hey ho, I'm not gonna hold it against you, whatever floats your respective boats 😄. And speaking of boats, ours must continue on its journey. We are nearing the end of this cozy little village in the mountains and just as the end of the rows of houses is in sight, I behold another familiar face. A charismatic daydreamer, sat atop a box and playing guitar. Despite the fact that it's pleasantly warm outside, he is enveloped by a thick winter coat with a fluffy brim. I beckon at him, snapping him out of his inner world. Why, it's the one and only @Vasil! He smiles at me and happily shares some of his musical finds from this month.
"I have no idea where and how I heard this song but I know it got stuck in my head as something old-school sounding but in the good way. So I did some digging and found this gem; definitely worth a few listens."
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"And, after we've hopefully found safe haven, it turns out its location is in.. Germany!
So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the better(?) side of German rap."
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Very exciting choices indeed, thank you Vasko! He returns to his projects and as we sail past, I notice something. Next to him is a second guitar with a sign in front of it that says "Gone fishing". Hmm, odd. Anyway, we move forward in our journey down this river, finally bidding farewell to the village and its memorable inhabitants. We speed through some dynamic rapids through dense forests and steep mountains, the river slithering through S-shaped bends like a prowling snake, its fervent white foam splashing us from all sides. The journey is dynamic, but there isn't a sense of danger oddly, like the river is secretly protecting us and guiding us on our path.
As if by request, we arrive at a flatter meadow, where the river's rapids are much calmer. I look around and nearby I see a most fantastical sight. A Swedish woman, her blond hair flowing in the wind like the fallen leaves, sits atop a moss covered stone. She's surrounded by countless raccoons that beckon at her with their cute little hands, asking for treats that she very happily provides. It's none other than our lovely @Maria! She notices me and waves, taking a moment from her precious feeding task to throw a treat to me as well, one of the musical variety.
"Lead me on has very much taken over my headphones this month - a freshly released song and it's already stuck in a loop for me"
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Thank you very much, Maria! Enjoying the vibes provided, I leave the raccoon queen to continue with her objective as we move on with ours. The meadow continues on and we reach a hilly grassy area, a flat anomaly amongst the towering trees. From the distance, I sense a pleasant scent. Flowers and herbs I recon. And then, it becomes obvious where this fragrance came from. Just behind a hill, I see the forest sage, tending to his garden, his long flowing dreadlocks reaching for the earth like the roots of the trees around us. Next to him, a veggie stew is brewing in a cauldron. This can only be one man, the chillest and wisest of them all, it's @Kiril! He spots our boat in the distance, graces us with a carefree smile and beckons us to sit on the nearby log with him and share in some stew. While we don't have time for that, we do have time to take in some musical knowledge.
"The latest dance craze from the island of Jamaica! Jiggy Woogie is a song named after a dance routine that is a part of a bigger Jamaican Dancehall chorography which is going viral on all social platforms right now! The dance is very amusing and is easy to learn too! Crouch!"
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"Then we swing it easy with some beats by Quantic and Flowering Inferno! A nice intermission after busting some slick dance moves!"
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"And for a finish Let's get back into the dubby reggae grooves with Hollie Cook and Tribal Seeds with their tune Time To Time!"
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I would expect nothing less from you, Kiro! Thank you for the dance lessons! As we flow further down, we pass through a densely forested area, an eerie fog pervading at the bases of the trees due to the lowland location. In between the hissing of the waters and the chirping of the birds, I hear a steady, rhythmic, pounding sound reverberate throughout the trees. We grow closer and closer to it and with some looking around, I manage to locate the source of these sounds. In among the trees, a handsome and well put together young man is energetically chopping wood. Behind him, a peculiar creature with the appearance of a frog in a tuxedo sits atop one of the remaining stumps and gazes forward with intent. In such company, this can only be one man - the unmistakable @Yordan! He sees me, wipes the sweat off his forehead and leaves his hatchet by the wayside. He then comes towards me, we exchange some firm handshakes and he happily shares some wisdom.
"I'm glad this band showed up in my recommendations. Their blend of hardcore with sludge and black metal make for a very fun and exciting listen that's bound to hype you up"
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"The sound of an apocalypse. Menacing and formidable, draining and exhausting. As you listen you realize you're insignificant, feeble, powerless. Your efforts to run or fight are futile, there is no hope, so embrace the impending doom and succumb to the shadows."
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Well spoken and enticing as always, Dancho! Much appreciated. As he returns to his own work, our own travels move forward still. The forests around is are dense and the sunlight dances gleefully between the leaves as squirrels and small birds hop between the branches. The towering mountains can be seen stabbing at the sky just behind the treetops. This wonderful atmosphere reminds me of my own musical adventure throughout this month.
Last month was very sci-fi themed and I was out travelling across the cosmos. Well, this time I've been firmly grounded here and I've had a more fantasy themed month instead. By far my best discovery was that the artist called Fief finally got his catalogue onto Spotify and I just couldn't be happier. The enigmatic Fief is a composer of classic dungeon synth, bringing an oldschool fantasy atmosphere with a lot of nature vibes too. His pieces always transport me to distant lands and can be very cozy as well, like sitting by a fire in the forests while retelling tales of heroic legend. They also sound a lot like some classic medieval/fantasy games I played in my youth such as Tzar: Burden of the Crown and thinking about those makes me smile in blissful nostalgia.
Also, since December last year I have been obsessed with the band HEALTH and this obsession has definitely not subsided. This month, they released a cover of one of my favourite Deftones songs and I just cannot get enough of it. The melancholic sound fits them oh so well and they also managed to truly make this song their own.
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As the forest dissipates around us, we follow the river through a large flatland. In the distance, the sea is visible and we can see the delta splitting into smaller streams as the waters flow into one. As we slowly approach the mouth of this great river and the conclusion of an adventure, I hear a passionate voice. Looking around, the source eventually reveals itself. Ah, now it make sense. On a small boat out in the water, a handsome young lad is sitting, the wind blowing his luscious locks like the waves of the sea, several cast fishing rods in front of him. He's surrounded by three other familiar charming guys and is, in a very animated manner, explaining something about cucumbers. It can only be one man, the bona fide rockstar, it's @Nikola! I row our boat next to his and he waves at us. He's kind enough to pause his passionate story to give us some awesome musical catches from the last month.
"These days I felt like I needed something to unwind. And what better for it than a song called “The spring” - by one of the greatest philosophers/poets/warriors/journalists/merchants/psychologists my country has ever seen!"
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"And to top it off we have the most touching duo in the history of Bulgarian music. They are the manifestation of brotherly love. They ask the right questions: “How are you?”"
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Oh, Nik, your recommendations never disappoint. Cheers to that! With that, we leave him and his cool gang to finish their angling activities and row forth into open waters.
With this, our lengthy journey reaches its conclusion. We are now in the open sea, a sea of discovery, opportunity and potential. Not just in the musical sphere, but in everything that the coming months will bring us. I hope you enjoyed journeying with me on my humble vessel. We've stocked up with quality tunes from all kinds of styles and movements, we're charged with positive energy and are ready conclude one adventure, only to start another, even bigger one afterwards. As always the playlist with everything mentioned is below.
Cheers to you all and see you again very soon!
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