“There is only one expression you’ll use when you pop this CD in the player”, well said. Music & Happiness has always been in correlation. Heal yourself with some mind-blowing music performance with melodies that will make your every moment better than the last. ListenOnRepeat presents you with the latest independent music reviews of the most trending songs of the week Mar 9 – Mar 15, 2020. Enjoy the reading!
Ace – How Long
Why has a song from 1974 suddenly climbed up to the top spots of the iTunes download charts? Turns out it is Amazon to blame, as is often the case and their new ad for Prime. In any case, it is nice to see an old tune become better known by younger fans, so much so that they have traveled in droves to hear the full original. But, there is a chance that something interesting may be happening – back in 1974, “How Long” was only able to make the top 20 on popular charts in the UK (where the band was from). Now, with only a few hours since the ad’s release, the song is threatening to beat its high-score, almost 50 years since its original release.
That is the power of putting music to the right series of images. And, of course, the power of multi-national giants to promote sounds and senses. In any case, comments sections on the original video for “How Long” are full of people who firstly signpost the fact that Amazon brought them to the track, and secondly, lament the fact that music has changed, praising the look, feel and nostalgia-inducing harmonics of music gone-by. It is a phenomenon that you can’t help finding yourself swept along by.
“How long” is a slow-burner of a rock track, one that comments on the breakup of a couple, or of a social group, one that hurts and puts things in perspective at the same time. A simple drum-beat is matched by prodding bass and soulful vocals. The character of the song comes through the lead guitar, which sounds its tune just after the chorus lyrics. In retrospect, it is a tune perfectly built to accompany a modern-day ad – at first glance it is nice to listen to, inoffensive and catchy. Yet, the true power of the song, as people are realizing, lies much deeper than its role in a promotional video.
Watch Ace – How Long
Coldplay – Champion Of The World
Coldplay has continued their slew of new releases with a song called “Champion of the World.” In a nutshell, the track does everything you would expect from the mainstay British hit-makers: it opens with epic electric guitar, which is matched by expressive rock drums, before all fades slightly, allowing the soothing tones of Chris Martin to ebb to the fore.
You would have thought that this kind of music, which follows from the indie-pop of the early 2000s with an added mellow touch, would have died out. On the contrary, Coldplay manages to weather all storms, as proven by the nearly 5 million views the official video has gathered in the first few weeks of its release.
“Champion of the World” is the latest single to receive an official music video of the band’s new album, Everyday Life. With this one, as with their other releases, the music stands true to the album’s name. As Martin suggested on his socials, he is incredibly proud of the track – it recounts the story of a schoolboy (played alternately by Martin himself, and by a child actor), following the stresses and the traumas that many children of that age go through. The boy in question is beaten up in the playground, as well as receiving abuse from his parents when he gets home, but never loses sight of the dreams that grow naturally from within his being.
He looks out onto the night sky, images planets zooming into view through his kitchen windows – at one point the camera even finds itself shooting above the school playground, picturing a boxing ring below where a figure jumps, gloves raised in the air, bouncing to the rhythm of the lyrics that repeat the mantra “champion of the world.” As suggested in top comments, the track acts as a booster for all the underdogs out there listening.
Watch Champion of the World
ITZY “WANNABE” M/V
“WANNABE,” by Itsy, has taken the K-pop world by storm on the first day of its release. On download charts, the track has beaten BTS to the top spot, which is no mean feat considering how dominant they have been since their last album dropped – nearly all of the 30 most-downloaded iTunes tracks had the blue, BTS “7” logo next to their names. However, the landscape has changed, and it is Itsy, the 5-piece girl group promoted by JYP, who are calling the shots. Made up of Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna, it has been just over a year that they have been on the scene, and their fanbase has grown at a staggering rate considering the relative saturation of the K-pop market.
The link between artists and fans is perhaps stronger in K-pop than in any other genre. Websites can be found at a single click that detail everything their supporters need to know about individual artists… even zodiac signs are included. As such, differentiation is the key to the marketing, and each member of the group is assigned their role, be it as lead dancer, lead rapper, lead vocalist, followed by what seems like bizarre appointments to the untrained eye: “visual,” “Maknae” … you’ve got to be in it to understand it.
The official video for the track is exuberant, high in quality, and high-voltage from start to finish. English is blended with Korean just as dancing is blended with scenes of hair being cut, dolls being poked with needles, and other, sinister sequences. The themes are dark and daring, which is exactly what Korean art is known for in the international mindset, and it will keep fans on the edge of their seat. Hidden underneath the flashiness is a track about being yourself, and about not bowing to other people’s expectations of who you should be.
Watch ITZY “WANNABE” M/V
