Stunning, just stunning. The old gods of music live again! Jonah Nilsson, Henrik Linder, and Aron Mellergard have all matured musically in the last few years. They were astounding before and have now become gods in their own right. Previously, when this thread was very active, I posted a couple of songs by Dirty Loops...and the posts went over like a lead brick....not even a like. And their music was excellent. But now they've progressed beyond what even I expected...and I expected very very big things from these guys. This is a glorious gift to be able to hear and see music of this caliber. We are incredibly lucky to live in a time were we all have access like we do. It's actually kind of unbelievable when you look back through the history of musical performance. It's very easy to be appreciative when you look at the relatively short time music has even been able to be recorded....maybe 100 years, and semi-decent fidelity didn't happen until the 1950s. And now we have YouTube. YT's fidelity is utter trash by audiophile standards, but it's still very acceptable and better than most audio from the 50s and even into the 60s. The amount and diversity of music available today is just mind boggling and the best part of it all is the music can stand on it's own...anyone can post on YT, The big music companies can't control what we listen to as effectively as they could in the very recent past. Wow, text wall...I do babble on. Anyway, please give this seven and a half minutes of your time. The piece has several style and feel changes throughout. If the initial 40 second intro doesn't hit you, just bear with it and do the full video. It all builds on itself and morphs...it's not a pablum soaked piece of middle of the road, easily and cheaply produced fluff like so much of today's contemporary music. Dirty Loops - Work Sh*t Out

Nice...smooth...got that awesome Two Feet bass tone. Crave it.

Priscilla Hernandez Līgo (Traditional Latvian song for Summer) Nice. The arrangement sure makes a difference in the feel of the song....light years. But they both seem to convey a spring/summery feel. I guess the videos help with that a lot, but the music does fit well after the vid tells you what to key on. Huminoita - 07 - Itä-Tuira Skyline Pretty good. I do see exactly what you mean about psychedelic/prog rock...it takes a lot of patience to cull out a few gems here and there. A little bit of of this genre goes a long way. It typically can become tedious very quickly and much of it sounds similar. To be honest I only listened to Itä-Tuira Skyline a couple of times so it hasn't attached itself to my brain yet. I do like what they did with the video...psychedelic on the cheap with slow blurring and subtle image tilting...kinda funny (in a good way). Isaac Delusion ☀ Midnight Sun ...(further thoughts) OK, it got me. I found this humming in my mind a few times already. It really sneaks up on you. I wasn't immediately taken with it but now it's on it's way to ear worm status. I have always been a sucker for a larghetto melody over a punchy groove. Something about the long notes in contrast to a driving rhythm penetrates deep for me. I think the drone-ish feel and repeated lyric also lend to the feel that this song is rolling or moving along. It would make a good addition to the "road trip mix tape"...if we still had tapes...OK, "road trip playlist"...better. I just went back to listen again after I wrote this. I find the video distracting...it fits for the most part, but I think the song more effective on its own.

I see the connection now with these songs....I didn't put the tie-in together before. One of the things I like about Joni is that I don't like all her music. To me that is the mark of a real artist not just someone making a living. Also, I like different portions of her body of work in different times in my life. If I don't like it now, I figure I'll learn why it's brilliant later when I understand it better. El cantante tímido (Episodio 5) - Cuentos de invierno - Indio Solari Nice. I know it's not really the point of the music, but I really love the video. First couple of listens I didn't really pay much attention to it and thought it was just a fill for the obligatory video portion, but it is really pretty cool. You can see exactly what this guy is thinking as he plays. It's a natural dance. It's the foot equivalent of sticking your tongue out as you work on something difficult with your hands. Someone was very clever to film this. Diego Lorenzini - Motor Psico (Los Redondos) Oh this is brilliant! So tasty and smooth! The video is quite nice, but I find it distracting from the smoothness of the song. I only have enough brain cells left to pay attention to one distinct set at a time and the interesting video makes me watch it instead of living the music. I was completely taken off guard by the "Englishman In New York" section the first time I heard the tune. In subsequent listenings it makes for nifty anticipation as the song unfolds...brilliant, just brilliant. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Black Summer Other than Kiedis's rather disturbing haircut, it's quite good. LUMP - Phantom Limb Like it a lot, but still digesting. It sounds like she has a big smile while singing...the Beatles were famous for that. Smooth, very smooth and some tasty understated trumpet and flute work. And the guitar sounds are great. Having the liner notes being part of the lyrics is interesting if not sincerely odd. I went to Lump's channel and found this...I guess it's more their top 40 hopeful since they have several remixes of it. It seems to have more commercial potential. I like it. They seem to like furry suits...hummmm. LUMP - Curse of the Contemporary

Isaac Delusion ☀ Midnight Sun Armand Bultheel - Sleep Node Both of these are pleasant enough and would make nice background music while you were doing something else, but my mornings are either no music and quiet (80%) or some sort of wake-me-up-get-me-crackin music, usually jazz, funk, disco, or some sort of heppy-peppy pop. Oliver Koletzki - This Is Leisure I like this one best of the three. I like the groove of this and the build up, 1:09 very effective transition..that little orchestral hit is so cool. I like the percussion section that starts around 1:42 and I think the "hi hi" lyric fits well. I wish they had just continued as they had been going, but they decided to take it down for a re-build around 2:19...'sOK, and makes it much more effective when the vocals come back in, but I also wish they had just continued with the "hi hi " bit...there is something disconcerting about the "This is Leisure" lyric. Too bad they didn't sing something in German or even a synthetic group of words and make the whole thing a tad more mysterious. For me, it's a keeper though, thanks :)

I clicked on this "Shakthi - The Divine Power - Natyalaya School Of Arts" so YT's Algo decided I might like this also...thanks Algo. I only listened to it once and it seems OK, maybe not a barn burner unless you really like the somewhat psychotic "die die die die die die die" lyric. The blue chic is pretty happening though. Bloodywood I get from Bollywood, but I don't see the Indian Folk Metal label...it all seems rather derivative to me, tasty but not really very folk influenced other than costumes. Not like the Shakti offering which seems rooted more in Indian mythology. Anyway, I heard it and thought of our metal guru in residence and wondered what you thought of it. Bloodywood - Dana Dan (Indian Folk Metal) Wednesday Feb 23 update I found another pretty good one from these guys. Somehow they both seem overtly commercial and I don't really know why...everybody gotta make a buck, but there is something pushing the edge with these two pieces. Maybe it's just a cultural glitch and I don't quite grasp the Indian way. Anyway, this one has some life in it...I think I like it better than the first one I posted: Bloodywood - Gaddaar (Indian Folk Metal)

I was in a Primus listening frenzy and YouTube popped this tune up in a pre-roll ad for Southbound Pachyderm. It turned out to be pretty interesting...Indian metal...who knew? I wonder how their algorithm works. Did it key on Pachyderm (like, Indian elephant) and maybe south as in South Asia (India) or did it acknowledge some of the heavier sounds of Primus...or perhaps the sort of avant garde qualities of Primus. Maybe all of this stuff, or maybe just happen stance. Machine Learning is certainly exciting technology but kinda scary at the same time. I guess most things we are unfamiliar with are scary until they become commonplace and passe. Shakthi - The Divine Power - Natyalaya School Of Arts ...and that which spawned this serendipitous pre-roll ad: Primus - Southbound Pachyderm

Abysmal Grief - Nomen Omen The beginning hymn section really sets up for the power chord groove at 0:40. I have to wonder if The Hu heard this (3:00) and maybe did a teensy adaptation :) Overall this is a rippin' groove. I must admit I kind of expected some guitar shred or even an organ solo but I guess it's the lyrics and singer's rasp that are in the spotlight. Abysmal Grief - Sinister Gleams Similar to Nomen Omen but a slightly slower tempo making it a tad more spooky. This is OK, but I like Nomen Omen better. It's kinda cool that both of these have solid dependable grooves and not a lot of stylistic surprises. I confess that I have no idea what the lyrics are saying, I just never pay attention...I hope listening has not endangered my soul by way of some tacit consent contract embedded within the song...prolly not. I've always been 80% music and 20% lyrics...one of the reasons I like music in languages I don't understand. I like the human voice as an instrument. There must be a gazillion songs that I really like, but am disappointed when I actually listen to the meaning of the lyrics. Music transcends speech most of the time. This guy's voice and singing style complements the power chords and groove.

James Brown...timeless. His music is as bad and fresh today as it was back in the day. Hearing him now, I don't know if the impact of how innovative he was actual hits home. Today in 2022 funk and soul are everywhere and even in the mainstream...arguably even kinda tame by today's hip hop/rap standards But back in the day there was nothing like it and James Brown ushered in Funk (described as Soul back then) with massive style. He basically invented Funk and laid the foundation for so many other genres of today's music. When I was a kid, I didn't much care for James Brown...I just didn't understand...and the dance antics may have put me off since Led Zeppelin or Blood Sweat and Tears did not dance. But with age and listening to many other Funk, Soul, and R&B artists, my funk bone finally got activated. Now I marvel at James Brown. On the piece you posted he shines not only as a singer but as a band leader. The horn lines are outstanding...amazing...big band funk. What a great arrangement...worthy of Quincy Jones. Git UP! Maybe not quite as funky as Brown, but pretty gnarly in their own right. East Bay Grease: Tower of Power Tower of Power - We Came To Play (live)

I am so happy to see you here! Spy shut your byebye thread down about 20 seconds after I made my post...I think he worries about my posts :) I would have checked my topic too (gotta see the responses right?) ...so I was hoping you would also. Glad to see you're back...at least for this thread. *** Kylä Vuotti Uutta Kuuta - interesting and initially, I am attracted to it, but need to hear it a few more times ***California' (LIVE) - Joni Mitchell (BBC In Concert, 1970) - Joni playing dulcimer. Joni, a musical goddess. Thank you for this and by way of this, for all the other numbers from that 1970 BBC concert. I'd never heard them before and they are glorious! I've always wanted to hear Joni from back in the day with some decent fidelity in venues other than her studio stuff. Ya just gotta love YouTube...what a wonderful time in which to live. I never got to see Joni play, but now through technology, we are all given a chance to get a close approximation of what it must have been like to hear and see her live...and what's cool is that even my great great great grandkids will be able to hear and see her too. Joni is one of my very favorite artists of all time. Most of her albums are in my "burned the groove to death" category since I played the albums over and over and over, so this fresh take is an incredible treat for me. And she does not disappoint...phenomenal. She has the pulse and pocket of a bass player even on a wimpy instrument like the dulcimer. You can hear the proto-jazz oozing from her even before she herself knew she was a jazz-pop goddess. It took me 15 or 20 years to catch up to her vocal stylings, but I finally "got it" ...the nuances in her voice and delivery are sublimely expressive. Poetry and even friggin' humor! What an incredible contribution to humanity she has made. And I guess she considers herself more a painter than musician...astounding. The filming and sound mix done by the BBC is a superb capture of her stage persona from this period in her oh so very productive life. *** Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) Always one of my favorite Beatles tunes

Nice! Very clean and tight. The "Hate Myself" is spot on. Her vocals are outstanding. The octave jump she does at 2:52 is so effective. Overall I think she does this way better than Joan Jett's original. The drummer is rock solid and how can you not love anybody that can twirl both sticks :) They also put on a great show....a great rockin' band and from popping over to YT, I guess they are all in the same family. Their parents must be button poppin' proud of them. Imagine if these kids had all the money, tech expertise, and promotion behind them that goes into some of today's mainstream music video production...yikes.

Well in stark contrast to Angela Gossow, I offer a YT find that I was very excited about. This is a great cover...I think I like it better than the original (maybe...maybe not, dunno...gotta listen a bunch more times and compare back and forth). The music stands by itself on it's own merit, but the shocker here is the singers age. Ready? 12 years old! Not quite as shocking as Angela Gossow' wicked growl, but still pretty unusual. Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers cover by Canen 12 y.o.

Yikes! Angela Gossow..shocking. How is this even possible? I did a bit of research because I figured her voice was augmented with some sort of electronics, but apparently not...or at least no more than any other vocalists use on stage. Incredible sound for a woman. And what a great show! I intend to comment more when I give this another couple of listens, but I had to comment since this just blew me away.

A difficult piece of music complimented by a seemingly very difficult dance to perform. I doubt you'll be seeing these moves at your local club. Kinda leaves twerking in the dust at the station with just a fat jiggly ass. Frank Zappa/Ensemble Modern - G-spot Tornado It's so cool that there is a B flat contra bass clarinet on the left edge of the thumbnail and is the prominent silver thing when the camera shows Frank conducting...it is a rather oddish instrument.

I remember these guys from the 90s. I played the Awake CD many times, but they were quite different back then if I'm remembering correctly. They used to have a more prog rock sound, sort of an evolved squished together Styx, Boston, King Crimson, Emerson Lake & Palmer sound. I lost touch with their stuff after that album. This is much harder with a nice punch-crunch. I gotta check out more from these guys and their newer stuff. The musicianship can not be denied. Great intro with a very tasteful drop. 1:06..the meat groove, yeah boy. 4:18 spot on vocals, super tight and I don't think autotuned. I love the fuzz (?) tone with the electronic drum descant over the top around 5:33. This is some hot scrappy shilt...I love this drum guy. Listen to that friggin' bass line run under the guitar starting around 7:35, then it all goes Zappa. 8:36 what the hell man...that guitar run and run, yikes. 9:22 what a cool anti-drop. Man these guys are light years from what they were in the 90s. 10:03...there he is with his death guitar killing it bad. And it has a PERFECT ending. All of this is masterfully executed...stellar, just stellar. Thank you for this. I gotta hear more...off to YouTube.

No I haven't been to a real deal concert in many years. I live in an area that is kind of a cultural wasteland for Western music...Thailand. There is plenty of music around, but it ain't LA. It's lots of local bands and local bands covering Western pop. My real concert going days happened not long after the dinosaurs became extinct. I've seen some great musicians but I'd probably shock you at the antiquity of them all. I'm a friggin' relic. I'll brag on these concerts though since I feel so lucky to have seen these guys. Granted they were popular even before my time (birth). but I loved their music and I got to actually see some of the 30s and 40s giants. Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Duke Ellington, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller Orchestra (without Glenn Miller), Aaron Copland, Itzhak Perlman, Dizzy Gillespie, and probably a few more that aren't coming to mind right off. Many of the big band guys I saw in a very small intimate venue. Their time had passed and they hadn't yet become musical gods, but they wanted to work so they did small clubs. In the early 70's, I saw many of these guys at fine dining restaurant just outside of Chicago with audiences of less than 100. Glorious...I was so close it was like being in the band. In fact I sat so close to Count Basie that I got way more of his piano than of the rest of the band...kinda out of the proper mix. I even got to chat with some of these guys after the gig. I saw Aaron Copland at a ballet in San Fransisco. He was a guest conductor. I was so stoked and star struck that I wrangled my way into meeting him after the show. I was so nervous and scared that I almost cried when we met. He was very gracious and asked if I performed. I told him not really, but I played a pretty mean radio. He smiled and gave a polite chuckle. We chanted about the ballet for a few more seconds. I told him how he was my favorite composer and got to thank him for his music, then I think someone else more interesting cut in. It was literally magic. The Count Basie concert stands out in my mind...sublime music, perfect venue, and Basie was just the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet. I went two out of the three nights he played. I saw Itzhak Perlman with the local symphony in Guadalajara. My Dad knew him and we went out to dinner after a short concert he gave. I hadn't been familiar with his work before that so I wasn't all aquiver with groupieness like I later would be with Copland. I remember my Dad made a joke about how incredible Perlman was but he was no Casals (there had been beer). I kinda went mute in astonishment, but Perlman agreed and said that he might have given Casals a run for his money if he had played cello instead of violin...perfect. I even remember what we were eating; Pulpus in Su Tinta, a house specialty of octopus stewed in it's own ink...mondo ugly with grey tentacles in jet black gravy...but tasty. I later found out that Perlman may have been the greatest violinist living at that time...the dude was only a few years older than me! (I saw Perlman back the early 70s and he's classical, so he kinda fits this list) I've seen some rock and folk giants...quite a few really now that I reminisce, but nothing for the last 20 years. I did some promotions in Hawaii towards the end of my concert days (90s). I helped bring Richard Thompson to a very small intimate venue just in back of Ala Moana Shopping Center. I also helped bring Dance Hall Crashers over for what turned out to be proto-raves...big fun, especially because I got to hangout backstage since I was promoting the concerts. How about you? Who have you seen that blew your socks off?

So after many hours of research, going over countless theories, and a ton of YT videos, this is my pick for the closest to "most likely" rendition of the Hurrian hymn #6. What is known for sure is that this is the oldest record of a complete song in history...about 1400 BC. There were obviously songs way way way before this song, but this oldie, found in Syria on a clay tablet, is this oldest written relic of a full somewhat intelligible song in history. We have found fragments of tables that predate this one (thus the #6) but there isn't enough of them left to piece together a complete song. Bone flutes have been found that date to about 43,000BC...and drums...com'on, the old knee slappin' and foot poundin' right? I'd make a guess that music dates back to some neolithic hominid...in the hundreds of thousands of years category (possibly even pre-neolithic). But no YT back then or even writing so the jams be gone. The problem that scholars have with this cuneiform piece of sheet music is that there is almost nothing that correlates to modern music or notation....it's just one hell of a lot of guess work and filling in huge gaps between the musical hints that the cuneiform actually gives. Lots of the academic attempts to play this song make it sound stilted and awkward, even disjointed which I doubt it was. Many renditions are almost impossible to even follow as a musical thought which I also doubt it was. To me this version makes the most sense musically and is pretty similar to what you could hear as stereotypical "Middle Eastern" music today. I have lots of rationale for my choice of this version, but it would involve a very long and rather esoteric text wall. So....Hurrian Hymn #6

These guys are just beasts. If you like rock, give this nine and a half minutes of your time...less than one single battle in neo-tanki. ...Maybe try slaughtering tanks with this in the background. Who knows, it might up your game. All Them Witches - The Death Of Coyote Woman

Hey, I quit playing the game too. It's just gotten sooo, well, everybody knows already, no use beating a dead horse. But, I just started using the Music topic of the forum again this Christmas....and I need you there too. You always post such good stuff and take the time to listen to the posts I make...and you comment...and you "like" (or not). You are such great support for the music thread. Who knows how long Tanki is going to remain viable. If they go belly up this year the forum will most likely die along with the game since I doubt Tanki will wish to pay out of pocket to keep it running. I'd like to figure out a way to set up another forum for the Off Topic crowd if this forum does croak. And even if I can't manage to supply us with a back up venue, we still have some time to delve into each other's musical tastes and finds. That has got to be valuable...I know for sure it would be for me...;wha-da-ya-say? Please don't leave the forum...pretty please?

I am not sure if Frank would approve of this or not...I kinda think not. But I love it. It's Zappa...but not. This arrangement is just so slick...is it gutted Zappa, a Suzie CreamCheese interpretation, or is it just squished into a more mainstream box? It sounds more like avant-garde Broadway show music than Zappa. If there are any FZ fans out there I'd be very interested in your reactions to this rather bizarre but masterfully executed Zappaphone. Frank Zappa Tribute - Berklee College of Music, Boston It's one congruous piece but these are where each of the songs start within the medley. 0:00 WakaJawaka 0:56 Inca Roads 2:06 Peaches en Regalia 3:54 Zomby Woof

Not quite James Brown soul, but funky in it's own Ska-ness Fishbone - Ma and Pa How about changing it up a tad: Fishbone - Servitude Fishbone: A brilliant and multi-faceted band...tragically underrated.

53 Thieves - After Hours Smooth, so urban. Nice synth work. I like the vocal style...so slinky. Kinda EDM lounge. Oh yeah boy, multiple key changes around 2:50,, nice. Very interesting transitions, and many of them...intricate...oh this is badass. Not crazy about the video portion (distracting) but the atmospheric song itself is really good. A nice groove held throughout and all the sections hold together well...nice...second time through even better.

Steve Aoki & Alan Walker - Are You Lonely feat. ISÁK I like this tune. While not wild for this song upon first listening, when the chorus hit the contrast was big enough that I can tell this song will grow on me and eventually become a real ear worm. Simple, tasty, catchy, great EDM synth tones, and all around fun stuff.

Skillet - Hero D_A_R_K_F_I_N you turned me on to Skillet several years ago in this topic (well, the archived portion) and this song does not disappoint. I like how well produced they are with such polish but yet still hold that edge of raspyness. The call and response of this tune is really effective...just so good overall.

Angel's Serenade - Southern Backtones In my mind, I got my stick and am heading for Waimea on the North Shore...maybe a quick stop in Haliewa for a shave ice. (change at 1:53) ...Woah, some lolo Kapua went put da stink eye on me cuz! Voodoo. Damn son, this is destine for a Tarantino film. Nice...great bass work, simple but so tasty...this is just a seriously well done piece of neo-nostalgia. Thanks so much for the post...a definite keeper and I intend to explore other offerings from this band. Brilliant!