#yearinmusic A song or two per day - Best song and album of 2016

2016 has been a pretty good year for me under many points of view, but A song or two per day has not been one of them, and the two things are probably related: I have been having such a good time that I found it hard to find the time and (mental) energies to sit down and write blog entries constantly, which ended up in me posting very rarely. The music point of view is another one in which 2016 lacked with respect to its predecessors, which is maybe another reason why I didn't post as much. These two reasons are also the ones why I procrastinated the posting of my 2016 music summary, as I am pretty much at a loss in finding a best song and best album released this year...

Best song 2016: Line of fire - Junip

Best song: Line of fire - Junip

Given that 2016 has mostly been the outcome of life decisions made in the past years, with a lot of change that took place thanks to triggering moments that had happened in the years before, I am actually quite ok with choosing a song that was actually released 3 years before as my 2016 Best song pick. Junip and José Gonzalez have been hugely meaningful for me in the last couple of years, probably the most influential new music discovery I made lately and 'Line of fire' in particular has been a soundtrack of many big moments of 2016, mostly the ones related to me moving to Hong Kong. "What would you say if you had to leave today? Leave everything behind even though for once, you're shining."

Best album 2016: Shura - Nothing's real

Best album: Shura - Nothing's real

2016 has been quite a disappointment for me mostly because some of my favourite artists released albums that were not nearly up to my expectations or to the level of what they have been releasing before. The biggest one of these disappointments has been PJ Harvey's 'The hope six demolition project': PJ made us wait 5 years for new music, and all the expectations built in this time crushed against an album I personally find weak and pretty much pointless, the only low of her career together with 'White chalk'. On a similar note I can place the new releases by OneRepublic, KT Tunstall and, to a lesser extent, Sia. Their albums have not been all bad and feature some quite awesome songs, but overall lack a consistency that would allow me to classify them as great albums. I have been tempted to pick Sia's 'This is acting' as my favourite album released in 2016, as notwithstanding its not being nearly as good as '1000 forms of fear', it's a quite good album, but in the end I decided to go for something that I discovered towards the end of the year, here in Hong Kong: I found out about Shura thanks to Clockenflap, the music festival I attended in Hong Kong this past November, and I fell in love with her debut album quite quickly. It will not go on to enter my music olympus, but it's a good representation of my life in this past year: new, enjoyable and linked to Hong Kong!

After a hectic, full and great 2016, which has been mostly about consolidation under the music point of view, I hope 2017 will take me back to previously unseen heights with some new, great music! And I also hope I'll be able to post a bit more consistently on the blog (even if I have a hard time believing myself)...!

Happy 2017!

Oh my my - OneRepublic

Oh my my - OneRepublic

Yesterday morning I woke up and opened Facebook as usual, and one of the first posts on my wall was a live stream of OneRepublic's gig in Philadelphia, which I of course went on to watch until the end! I must confess I didn't fall in love with the new album, even less than with 'Native', as I think they are selling out to cheap pop more and more... yet after watching some of the new songs performed live, I kind of felt a drive towards 'Oh my my', Ryan's talent in beyond doubt both in singing and in songwriting, and I think you can feel it even when he's selling himself and his band out to cheap pop...! The title track is anyway one of my (current) favourites on the new album, and even if I didn't get to watch them play it, I really want to post it here now! Try to give the album a chance (if you haven't already) and tell me what you think if you want!

Life me up - OneRepublic

Lift me up - OneRepublic

Life has a weird way of unravelling and, well... you can't do anything but go with it. Sometimes you get bored for months and then a few weeks or days look like a whole season of an addictive TV series, what surrounds you is... hard to describe, almost surreal! Things go wrong, and somewhat right, and then wrong again. You find yourself going out every night for a whole week at 26, probably for the first time in your life. And it somehow makes sense, it's not just a good feeling, but it's a feeling and that's what matters in the end, isn't it? We are all just tryin' to find somebody who lifts us up when we're feelin' down, aren't we?

#blogbirthday All we are - OneRepublic

All we are - OneRepublic

I don't know why I fixed in my mind the 20th of October as the blog's birthday, when I actually posted the first entry on the 19th of October, but well... does it really matter?
So, I'm here to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the blog!!! It turned 3... well, yesterday actually! It's incredible that I've managed to stick to it for so long given everything that's happened in these past three years and especially given that I didn't expect to stick with it for so long in the first place! This third year has been the hardest one so far, I'd say. I've been having plentiful of free time in my hands and that brought me to waste it on TV series and travelling (well, that time wasn't wasted at all!) and other things, so that I haven't paid enough attention to 'A song or two per day', which has actually become 'A couple songs per week', or something like that! Lately, since I started my PhD and moved to Hong Kong, things have been hectic once again and it's been even harder to find the time and energy to come and post here, but still, I'm trying my best!
So, as I keep saying, this blog has been the longest commitment of my life (it has been actually), so let's make somethings special for its third birthday, hoping that I will be able to finding my balance and carrying on with all parts of my life, this included! To celebrate the blog's birthday I want, as usual, to share something special with you. This year I've chosen my favourite OneRepublic song, given that they have just released their new album and after this and 'Native', I really got the feeling they're not gonna go and make anymore great music as they did on their first two album, as they have started a more commercial path (understandably, but I must say that doesn't make me happy at all). Moreover, just a couple of months ago I left everything I had at home to embark on a new adventure and, knowing that most of it will be there again when I come back, of course being far away doesn't allow me to enjoy my past relationships as much as I could when I was back home. That doesn't diminish them, rather... they just evolve. So "Time could tear you apart, but it won't break anything that we are... We won't say our goodbyes, you know its better that way, we won't break, we won't die, it's just a moment of change! All we are, all we are, is everything that's right..."

Wherever I go - OneRepublic

Wherever I go - OneRepublic

The fact that I am literally going everywhere in this year, and I am about to leave again, seems like a good reason to post this. Besides, OneRepublic are one of my favourite bands and... well, I'm not gonna lie by saying that I don't like bragging about the fact that I've been following them since "before they were famous" (if we can say that somebody out there didn't/doesn't know 'Apologize'), because I do. I loved their first album, and then the second, and then... well the third a little less. So I don't have hyped expectations about new music, but given the sh*t that goes around in these days, in my taste their pop/rock is still in the top 5/10%, even with the worse songs. Now they have released a new single and I suppose that in the next few months we're gonna get a new album too, so brace yourselves: good pop is coming!

Dreaming out loud - OneRepublic

Dreaming out loud - OneRepublic

It's a pity that I have already posted Imagine Dragons' 'Dream', as I've been utterly in love with the song, it's really really beautiful, and I felt the need to post something dreams-related today. I've never been a big dreamer, meaning that most of the movies in my head took place while I was awake and, even if they did when I was asleep, I very rarely remembered them in the morning. Lately instead I've been recalling my dreams quite often, be it because being forced to wake up early I sleep worse in the morning and this helps me remember or whatever else is the reason, that's what's happening. And this morning it's been no different. The context and environment of the dream were, as usual, realistic but surreal, but the feelings were so strong and realistic... I was basically getting involved with a person (I know for real) who wanted to have a sentimental experience with me (highly, highly unlikely and I've actually never felt particularly attracted to him), but the dream was so vivid... the determination and the uncertainty, the imaginary and then realistic home, showers lasting forever and making it hard for us to be together at night, and finally meeting again in the morning, not sure if anything was gonna happen, then he says his heart is beating so strong, I put my hand on it to feel, then a kiss... and then the waking up. Waking up with a feeling so good I can't describe, a feeling I had never felt in my awake life, of completeness, of fulfillment, of happiness... well, it made my monday much less hard to bear.
Such a pity that we are all living in a dream (but is it so bad?)... well, if just for today, I'd rather be dreaming out loud!

Waking up - OneRepublic

Waking up - OneRepublic

I'm back. Oh god, if I'm back!! I'm so back it almost hurts. Of happiness. Milan, Milan, how I missed you!!! I'm just picking one song out of an album that reminds me of one of the best nights in Milan (i.e. OneRepublic's first concert in 2010) and, in turn, of the splendid 5 years I spent here. Oh god, IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE BACK! (Even if just for a while!)
Aweeeesome weekend on the way!!! Can't wait!!

#sundayrevival All fall down - OneRepublic

All fall down - OneRepublic

After and excruciatingly long drive from home to Conegliano, close to where I work (resting in a hotel here for the night), I have realised I've ended up in a thing that looks more like a prison than a hotel, as after I asked the lady at the reception how I could get out, given that she had closed the front door, she gave me the keys of a backdoor to access the hotel from the restaurant.... well, stuff happens and we all fall down! Coming to my room after dining with an ice cream and taking a shower, I was wondering what I could post for this week's sundayrevival. OneRepublic came to my mind somehow and given that I have posted very little stuff out of their first album (my favourite) it makes sense to give them a little room! All fall down is one of my favourite songs of theirs, as besides being a great pop/rock song in terms of lyrics and melodies, it prominently features a cello, my fav instrument!!! Enjoy and have a great new week!

Au revoir - OneRepublic

Au revoir - OneRepublic

Loads of coverage for Elastic heart, the song I posted yesterday! Seems like lots of people got offended and touched regarding issues of pedophilia that might be suggested by video, an impression that personally didn't occur to me at all, I understand and empathize with the bad situations some people have been through, but I deem them intelligent enough to understand that this is art and dancing, and it has nothing to do with molestation and violence. My opinion is that people who get offended by potential pedophilia references should look for it back into their own eyes. Well, that's enough talk about a song that is not even the one I'm posting today!! Something much less troublesome today (I hope), I got back listening to OneRepublic (don't know why) and I found this song on my mind again: I noticed it for the second time, the first being right before their November concert in Milan. I thus decided to include it in the playlist I'm building, and I'm posting it here too! Also, given that bad attack that took place in Paris yesterday, I'll take it as a chance to say au revoir to the people who were so violently attacked and killed...

I lived - OneRepublic

I lived - OneRepublic

Sooo here I am! Nice gig last nice, but the critiques first: I know, I expected a setlist filled with songs out of Native (it's called Native tour), but this doesn't change the fact that I have been a bit disappointed with the setlist itself, as I didn't grow very fond of it, even more than one year after its release. There are a very few songs that I really like and are up to the (very, very high) standard they set with their first two albums, and I enjoyed them (a lot) during the concert. One of them is this I lived, their latest single and one of the most liked songs by the audience. Most of the other songs they played out of Native left me with a ... meeeh feeling. I mean, ok, nice, but insipid, tasteless, they didn't leave a mark on me. Apart from that, Ryan is a great great singer, the guys play greatly, so nothing to say on their qualities and on the set. Just... choose better songs next time!

Milan audience 17.11.2014

If I lose myself - OneRepublic

If I lose myself - OneRepublic

Well, I think you have seen this coming: tomorrow is concert's day, the last time for this 2014! Of course it's OneRepublic time and I have been listening to them while driving to Milan. Notwithstanding the fact that I didn't really fall in love with their latest album Native, at least not as much as with its two predecessors, the one song I have on my mind now is one of the first released out of it. I wanted to pick an older song and make a sundayrevival post out of it, but I just decided to build on the momentum and to give Native another chance! After releasing Feel it all (which I really liked) a lot in advance with respect to the album, they released this song as the first single, right before the release of the album. At first I have not been particularly keen on it, and still it's not nearly among my favourites of them, but... it's the one I'm singing in my head now!

Secrets - OneRepublic

Secrets - OneRepublic

Day 3 of balloon face, things are not going better for the time being, rather... but I hope that starting tomorrow the swallowing will start to withdraw and the aching will diminish. Today I spent the whole afternoon sleeping again after taking the painkiller, seems like it does have a strong narcotic effect on me... and I confess I don't mind sleeping my way through it! Anyway, I really hope that I'm gonna get better soon, as my last concert of the year is getting closer and closer, it's just a few days until OneRepublic come to Milan and I wanna be ready and healthy, especially after queueing with a fever for the other concert I went to last month...! In the meantime, I'll just give all my secrets away...!

Something's gotta give - OneRepublic

Something's gotta give - OneRepublic

Today I wanted to post something OneRepublic, as a post of a friend on Facebook put them in my mind. I actually wanted to post Burning bridges but I checked and I posted it already in February, so no way. Given that I had to find something else and I didn't feel about posting older stuff, I picked one of the other (few, I must admit) songs I quite like out of their latest album, Native. I have never completely fallen in love with the album, even if they got more and more famous after releasing it. Counting stars has been a great single and the best song on the album in my opinion, this is not quite as good but it's nice, way more significant than many others!

Someone to save you - OneRepublic

Someone to save you - OneRepublic

Here we are with the big news of today! I started writing my thesis! What? You don't care? Right, right... sorry that's not what I meant to write! Just joking, the big news coming from yesterday is that I have bought tickets for the OneRepublic gig in November, me and my bestie G. (and, who knows who else) are going to Assago on the 17th of November and I am really really excited! To celebrate this (and also the fact that I finally started writing my thingy for real) I'm posting one of my favourite OneRep's songs, out of their debut album (how's it possible that I haven't posted anything from that one yet?!) Dreaming out loud! Enjoy!

Love runs out - OneRepublic

Love runs out - OneRepublic

And so here we are! Finally! As I told you yesterday this is a song I've been willing to post for ages, actually since I started my playlist last month. I've been waiting for the video of the song to come out before posting it and it has been released yesterday. Ryan Tedder has said about it that they took it to a whole new level, that they had done nothing like this before... well, I don't know if this is 100% true, but the video is quite good and it makes a good scene! I must say I didn't love the song since the beginning, but it has been growing quickly in me and I really like it now. It's probably gonna be one of the hits of this summer and the video is good enough for that, this is sure! I think I understand that their latest album, the 2013 Native, will be re-released with some new material, I hope not only this one but something more!

Burning bridges - OneRepublic

Burning bridges - OneRepublic

The first CD I bought here in Exeter, the same day I got here, was OneRepublic's last album, Native. I have never been as much in love with it as I am with their 2 previous records, but step by step I learned to love a good half of the songs on it, which makes it still better than a good 80% of the stuff that is around and better that 50% of what I've been listening to lately. Still, in the (to say the least) controversial relationship I've been having with this album, some of the songs I've fallen for... well, they keep on growing into me, even when I don't listen to them for a while. This is one of them, try to let it grow into you too and maybe you'll be able to tell me how to appreciate this whole album better!

Missing persons 1 & 2 - OneRepublic

Ups and downs... you can't escape them. And the moments of down are always so damn powerful and frequent. Luckily enough, there is a great weapon to help you fight them: music. The songs you love, the ones whose lyrics mean the world to you, the ones that are able to describe perfectly your current mood and you get to ask yourself how the hell the songwriter could make it so and if he/she is by any chance reading your mind.
Well, I want to thank you, music, for being of great comfort in these moments.

Shout (live) - OneRepublic (cover)

I know I shouldn't, but I got some much into OneRepublic's second album that today it's practically all I've listened to (that's a lie, but it is indeed what I've been listening to most passionately). This is anyway a live cover of Tears for fears, so it does count only as a half OneRepublic song! Anyway, as I was driving back from Milan to home for the last time in a few months (big life change starting tomorrow!) I was singing the songs (this one in particular) in a loud voice and really enjoying it all, actually I was, well... shouting too. Let it all out you too!

Trapt door - OneRepublic

Hey guys, last night I couldn't sleep and I started listening to my playlist for hard moments (or just, for every moment), with some of my favourite songs ever! Today I am gonna post one of them. Or maybe not. Maybe I will keep them for another moment! I'll post another one of my fav, which should actually stay on that playlist. This is one of the least known songs of OneRepublic, a b-side on their second album Waking up.
"... and you're not a foolish one at all..."

Counting stars - OneRepublic

Hey guys! I know you've been getting a steady flow of posts, but it's been a while since I "physically" wrote my last post. I am now spending my last night in Dublin, even if this post is going to come out when I'm heading home from Rome. Today I took the chance of my free day to do a nice trip outside the city to visit a castle and a small town on the sea north of Dublin. It's been really nice to get out of the city for a while. Back to music, today I definitely had the proof that I am really close to Irish music taste! There are a few songs which have been actually been following me during my trip. One of them is Counting stars, my most liked tune out of OneRepublic's last album Native. See you tomorrow with (finally) fresh live content! Enjoy your sat night!