Didn't think I'd ever say this, but I really enjoyed this country song. It is genuinely just so fucking charming and hopeful sounding, and made me feel really warm. It's got some pretty harmonies, as well as good instrumentation, and the sweet lyrics, plus the piano, guitar and tasteful strings really work well.

Expected a lot more from this. It ends up being very dated hip-hop, with nothing really happening at all, slightly annoying adlibs and truly awful lyrics. The only good part is the instrumental, but it just repeats for the entire song non-stop. Yeah, this is bad.

OMG LITERAL PERFECTION. JJ72 have reached final form with this genuinely phenomenal song. The passion and intensity in Mark Greaney's vocals is undeniable, and that in addition to the layered distorted guitar, pushes this to be quite Post-Hardcore-y, which is VERY good, cause that's like one of the best genres. The guitar riff in this is also so stunning, and the vocal melodies are as equally emotionally-effective as the rest. Masterpiece of a song.

Really cool disco-y indietronica song that sounds kinda ahead-of-it's-time, but i think that's cause this was not released in 2000 at all. Anyway, it counts cause it's labelled as that. Main issue, is that it feels underdeveloped, as it literally cuts off in the middle of a phrase and is only 2 minutes long. If it was longer, this would be like 95. It's really cool, with some lovely synth harmonies

On JJ72's second appearance in this project, they don't deliver as high a high as October Swimmer, but still produce a very interesting and unique indie rock song. It's quite repetitive, but my main gripe is that it doesn't go anywhere, and doesn't have a big chorus like their prior single. It's still enjoyable and catchy and the guitars are great, but maybe there's some missed potential here.

Taking a small break from JJ72, we have this rather bizarre song from Ukrainian singer, Olya Polyakova. It's kinda just a bit all over the place, and rather boring. Apparently she usually makes music nothing like this, and I'm not she succeeded at this diversion. It's certainly tolerable, and I like the sax, but it doesn't really do anything at all, and is over 4 minutes long I'd just rather listen to lots of other things.

Oh HELL yeah. This is what I did this challenge for. An unknown band that hasn't been going for 20 years, but makes incredible music that I would listen to regularly. Indie Rock is kinda hard to make sound unique, but this band has smashed it with this, and although partially due to the singer's very distinctive voice, the massive and emotional choruses and beautiful guitar has set this ahead. Delighted I found this gem, and that we are not done with this band just yet.

Once again, we have a song that is the opposite of the one its following from.

Firstly, this song is good.

Secondly, it's upbeat, and is a heartfelt celebration dedicated to the singer's late mother. It has some fantastic guitar arpeggios (yeah ok i like guitar arpeggios), really well executed song-writing and i love the mood change to melancholy in the pre-chorus. A great song, but sometime Carmen's slightly shrill vocals can feel a bit too much.

Hmm. Yeah this one isn't for me. Apparently this guy got famous for making hip-hop songs as vulgur and violent as possible, in a kind of satire and parody way. So this is about him being incredibly inhumanely addicted to every drug. And it's got the most goofy beat ever, but its also kinda fire af too? Anyway, even if the vocals, flow and lyrics were good, this song is super repetitive as is, and just not enjoyable.

Oh. My. God. This is one of the best dance songs I've ever heard. I cannot believe that it is 8 and a half minutes because it absolutely flies by. The structure seems so meticulously crafted to be perfectly paced, with the exact build-up and points where instruments are introduced, to make the whole experience so satisfying. The strings are heavenly, and the vocals are great, and when all of that is combined with rhythmic techno percussion, you get this masterpiece.

Picture a replacement song to the Super Mario Odyssey outro song, in a similar style, and you get this absolute banger of a J-Rock/J-Pop song. I can't not smile and headbang like crazy whilst listening to this. The guitar is awesome, and really complimentary to the rest, and the vocal melodies are so good, especially in the chorus. Also, the second post-chorus (and outro) is UTTERLY NUTTY. Also the bridge is great and a really refreshing switchup that I'm so happy was included.

A duo of two very very good J-Rock songs, but the problem with both is that they are so repetitive, and too long. It's a shame, cause every bit of both songs is great, but yeah they just repeat the same thing again and again for 6 minutes. Shame.

Holy shit this is great. I've wanted to check out Patti Smith for a bit, but after this incredibly catchy song, with fantastic song-writing and brilliant arrangement, I think I definitely will. I love the guitar arpeggios, and effects on 'glitter' in the chorus. Also, the backing vocals add SO MUCH, and the layering and polyphony is chef's kiss. Sounded like the song version of the phrase 'hell yeah'. Also i dont think this released jan 1 but who cares lol.

It's Kermit singing a spooky-themed mambo song. What else do you want me to say? 20 points off for Kermit's vocals being excruciating at least seven times. Also I can't verify that this came out on January 1st but oh well I can't prove otherwise.

The mechanical arpeggiated synths and energetic breakbeats of LOVE 2000 by Namie Amuro, works quite effectively with the choral backing vocals, and the over-autotuned main vocals add to the synthetic vibes it is going for. The mixing is slightly weird, but it may be because the only place I could find this song, was on Soundcloud. Overall, an enjoyable track, if a little long, and an interesting glimpse into some anxieties and excitements for the new century, that people had.

Do you want to hear a combination of annoying vocals, dramatic orchestration, euro-dance synths/drums and corny lyrics from the perspectives of superheroes. Well thankfully, this song exists. I certainly didn't want to listen to those things put together, and the actual song proved that.

Is it it fun, and silly and whimsy? Yes. Is it really really difficult to get through? Yes.

How different from D'Angelo can you get? Well, this song is certainly up there. A blisteringly energetic, manic and upbeat banger that never even thinks of stopping for its entire runtime. I love how full-sounding and massive the layering of sounds gets, and the brilliant additions of synths, adding to the relentless vocals, backing vocals and four-on-the-floor drums is so genius and effective. I feel silly for rating it higher than 'Untitled', but what can I say, I am.

Starting off very strong, and possibly setting incredibly high standards for this project, we begin with 'Untitled (How Does It Feel' by D'Angelo (RIP to a legend). D'Angelo has produced an equally sensual, epic and cathartic 7 minute Neo-Soul experience, with this song, and although it does seem to take a while to get going, the next 5 minutes feel like a breeze, and the massive ending is incredibly satisfying to arrive at.