The Spring Playlist

I have lots of these Music Monday Playlists in store, but I decided seasonal is going to be a new thing! Each one is going to be posted after the astronomical start of the season - and of course, on Monday, hence the date for this one. It was hard to select songs for spring though, I guess you can imagine - fishing for a few happy songs among the sad metal, it's not an easy task. So it's a bit of a depressing spring. I managed to find a few love songs though, which I guess are season-appropriate.

(The songs are in no particular order.)

Aqua Timez - Ehagaki no Haru
The one ongoing problem with Japanese music is that sometimes it's just simply not on youtube (unbelievable, right? who wouldn't want to see Futoshi's utterly ridiculous hair?). Aqua Timez was my very first favourite Japanases band, back when I started to listen to Japanese music courtesy of anime openings. This is a genuine pop-rock song, very happy-go-lucky - actually it's about rediscovering 'spring', but it's a very happy tune, in true Aqua Timez optimism. I like the band so much for they make such cute music with actually quite poetic lyrics. (Might be my love for the Japanese language, but still.)

The Beatles - Here Comes the Sun
I guess everyone knows this song, so I probably don't have to explain. I don't like The Beatles that much, I mean, I don't even know half of their gazillion songs, but I do love a few, like 'Yesterday' and 'Norwegian Wood'. I guess this one's not too bad either.

Evanescence - Bring Me to Life
You thought this was going to be a pop list, just because it's spring? Ohoho... This is one of my favourite songs from them. A few years ago, when I didn't know as many symphonic metal/rock/whatever bands, I listened to more Evanescence, I guess lately not so much, but I still love quite a number of their songs.

Delain - April Rain
I searched for songs in my library that have any spring-y keywords in them, and of course I put all of them here! A kind of pop-ish, very catchy, upbeat symphonic metal song (not a contradiction).

Gojira - Global Warming
We're gradually slipping into heavier music - this is pure metal. I'm not actually that into the very heavy stuff, I guess I've stated that quite a few times, but Gojira is an exception. I adore them. Don't forget, April 22 is Earth Day!

Deep Purple - April
An epic 10+ minutes song. This is not a happy one either, but somehow I think it has an uplifting rhythm.

In Flames - Dawn of A New Day
No matter what kind of list I'm making, I always manage to sneak in at least one song from my Holy Trinity of bands (Nightwish, Rise Against, In Flames). I guess spring is the season of starts, so I think this is fitting.

Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Old song is old... I actually came upon this song when reading a manga called 7 Seeds (which is like in my top 10, it's fantastic), and ever since then I've liked it. It's spring when they play it, so I associate it with spring.

Noir Désir - Le vent nous portera
I remember we listened to Noir Désir in French class back in high scholl (we had to fill in missing words in the lyrics). I'd say my French teacher had impeccable taste. This is not that happy or even spring-y, but just for the expression 'des taxis pour les galaxies' it's worth putting it here.

Nightwish - Amaranth
Well, Amaranth is a flower, symbolizing eternal love no less, so it probably fits the theme all right, doesn't it?

Megaherz - 5. März
There's only so much happy love songs I have (none). This is obviously not a happy song, but the title is 5 March, so... And I really like it. Learning German would probably be useful for my career, I just really don't like how it sounds - except in German metal, the aggressiveness of the sound of the language is perfect for rock. (On the other hand, if I did learn, I could sing along to Megaherz and Rammstein...)

Florence + the Machine - Breath of Life
I've never actually watched the film, but I really like the flow of this song. It's sad, but has such a nice energy to it! (I realize it may be descriptive of most Florence + the Machine songs, but oh well. I did consider choosing Cosmic Love instead of this one.)

Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Punk rock = energy. Suited for spring - especially a song this honest and forward.

Imagine Dragons - It's Time
I admit I've first heard this song in the trailer for The Perks of Being A Wallflower (which we did watch eventually, despite me usually going to the cinema about three times a year). That's when I got to know Imagine Dragons, and then suddenly they were famous? Anyway, this song is just so full of youth, it has the actuality and the nostalgia of it at the same time, and I love it.

Blink-182 - The Rock Show
We don't actually have any music festivals until the summer here, but I felt like this list needed a really upbeat love song, so here it is. This is the one Blink-song my best friend and I both know the lyrics to perfectly, and we usually sing along to it...

Joan Jett - Bad Reputation
YOUTH, 80s (and Freaks and Geeks).

The Clash - London Calling
Reflecting to the Three Mile Island incident on 28 March 1979. It also reflect on what would happen if the River Thames ever flooded ('And I live by the river') - we usually get huge floods in the spring from the snow melting down all over the mountains of the drainage basin of the Danube.

Children of Bodom - Living Dead Beat
This song has a really nice rhythm, and CoB songs are generally very high-energy, so I guess it fits spring. Also, the first ever concert I went to was a Children of Bodom one, a few (lot of...) years back in spring.

Radwimps - 億万笑者 (Okumanshousha)
Oh how I searched until I found this on youtube... (I did found it with Spanish subs, but the sound quality was terrible.) ((I also realized I probably would have found Ehagaki no Haru had I searched with the proper kanji characters, and not with romaji.)) I'm never going to get over my love for Radwimps, even though it's pretty different from what I usually listen to, but they are perfect. (I still find it really weird that they are virtually unknown outside of Japan, where they are pretty famous.)

Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)
A nice punk rock love song for the finale. I probably never listened to this many love songs in one go...

I'd say stay tuned, but the next similar one comes in the summer... (Just kidding, I plan to post at least one-two Music Monday posts each month.)