Blog Archives

Susan's Top Ten Albums of the Year 2021

12/30/2021

At Melanie's Muses, we love a good top 10 list -so Dave and Susan each compiled their top 10 albums from 2021!

This week is Susan's list!

If you missed Dave's list you can see it HERE!

Susan -

10. NF - "Clouds EP"

NF returns to 2021 with his unique style of lyricism, a blend of rap and vocal talent that rivals his peers and in my opinion, surpasses them. His cult following, including me, have devoured his songs like we've been starving for his honesty and his Real Music.
Fave Songs: Clouds. That's a Joke, Prideful, Lost (Feat. HOPSIN) Layers, Trust ft Tech N9ne & Paid My Dues.

9. FJØRA "Onyx"

One of my fave new finds of this year has been FJØRA. Onyx is an album that is dark in tone, yet its definitely cinematic pop, and I love it. I can totally see most of the songs being featured in TV shows.
Fave Songs: Come With Me, Get Down, Outta my Way, Smile, Revenge is a bitch & so am I, Cage, Limitless (Ft. INTOTHEWILD) and This is the End

8. Limp Bizkit "Still Sucks"

Limp Bizkit jubilant return proves that the band Still Sucks - In the f**king best possible way.
Fave Songs: Out of Style, Dirty Rotten Bizkit, Dad Vibes, Turn It Up, Bitch, Don't Change, You Bring Out the Worst in Me, Pill Popper, and Goodbye

7. Måneskin "Teatro d'ira - Vol. I"

Listen, I may not understand most of the songs on this EP, but I was suckered into this catchy rock EP. It's not everyday that you will find me listening to a song from Eurovision, but hell, if you haven't listened to Måneskin yet, then correct that mistake right now.
Best Songs: Every. Single. One.

6. Foo Fighters “Medicine at Midnight”

Foo Fighters return with a triumphant album to give 2021 just what it needs in the form of a toe tapping, mood lifting, 36 mins of awesome.
Fave Songs: Shame Shame, Cloudspotter. Medicine at Midnight, No Son of Mine and Holding Poison but every song on the album is worth a listen.

5. You Me At Six - "Suckapunch”

Suckapunch is an album filled with exceptional vocals, heavy riffs and even a song that I would love to do a remix of for the dancefloor!
Fave songs: Glasgow (Fave!) Voicenotes, Suckapunch, Kill the Mood, Finish What I Started and Beautiful Way.

4. Nothing but Thieves - "Moral Panic II & Moral Panic (The Complete Edition)l"

Moral Panic was one of my fave albums last year and
Fave songs: Every single song …just listen to the complete edition and you won't be sorry!

3. Yonaka - "Seize the Power"

Seize the Power is a perfect blend of motivational anthems with Ordinary, Raise Your Glass and Raise your Glass, to massive FU tracks, like Get Out, Clique, Greedy and Call me a Saint, that will be epic live and the last track, Anthem, surprises the hell out of you in the best possible way.
Fave Songs: The Entire Fucking EP.

2. Architects- "For Those That Wish to Exist"

To be honest, if I could cheat and have both Architects and Hayley at number one, I would. For Those That Wish To Exist is a complex, emotionally charged album that tells a story with each song, each lyric that resonates with those of us who find solace in music during the crazy times we live in.
Fave Songs: Do You Dream of Armageddon?, Black Lungs, Dead Butterflies, An Ordinary Extinction, Animals, Goliath and Dying is Absolutely Safe.

1. Hayley Williams - "Flowers for Vases/ Descansos"

This has got to be one of my fave albums ever. I listened to it so much that when I did a Spotify quiz thing, they asked me if I was feeling okay! Flowers for Vases/descansos is a haunting, beautifully tragic album, filled with heart-breaking lyrics and enchanting melodies that have that instant calm feeling.
Fave Songs: My Limb, Asystole, Trigger, Good Grief, Inordinary, HYD, No Use I Just Do and Just a Lover.

Looking forward to in 2022-Keeping my fingers crossed.

Bring me the Horizon
When Post Human: Survival Horror was released in 2020, BMTH promised us more music sooner rather than later as they moved to release EP style albums instead of full ones. with the release of Die4U in September, it marks the promise of a new EP and if Post Human: Survival Horror was anything to go by, I can't wait.

Paramore
Hayley Williams has been busy with two amazing albums in a year and had promised that Paramore will release new music in the near future. It's been four years since we got the epic album After Laughter and I think we are all ready for another Paramore album.

Måneskin
My guilty pleasure of 2021, Måneskin is a band I'm excited to see more of, after they released Mammamia, I expect they will capitalize on their popularity and either release a second EP, or an album.

Yonaka.
I feel like Yonaka's EP release of Seize the Power just made fans hungry for more, hoping the 2022 brings with it either more of what Seize the Power had to offer in the form of another EP or a full length album.

Pvris
Use Me was one of my fave albums of 2020, and now that Lynn has released two singles, three if you include the song featured on League of Legends, I'm seriously excited to see if a new album is on the cards for 2022!

Code Word For This Article Is List

Susan Harris is a writer from Cork, Ireland and when she’s not torturing her readers with heart-wrenching plot twists or killer cliffhangers, she’s probably getting some new book related ink, binging her latest TV or music obsession, or with her nose in a book. She is a proud founding Member of the Muser VIPers and is responsible for Melanie not breaking the Website on an almost daily basis!
You can check out all her books on Amazon HERE

All Links To Buy / Subscribe to Amazon Programs On Amazon in this article are Amazon Affiliate Links(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases which in turns helps support all the Muser giveaways we do!)

Comments

Top Ten Most Listened To Songs This Year by Dave Christy

12/30/2021

Comments

At Melanie's Muses, we love a good top 10 list -so not content with just the top 10 Albums - Dave managed to put together his Top 10 Most Listened To Songs!

Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Dave -

In an effort to try not to repeat myself, instead of going for the 10 top songs of the year, all of which would be pulled from my top 10 records of the year list, I decided to go with the Top 10 Most Listened to Songs of the year in addition to the others. A few are new but just singles from not yet released CDs or just one-shot covers thrown up on YouTube. Some songs are older that I went to revisit over and over again.

10. Metric "Black Sheep" Brie Larson vocal (aka The Clash at Demonhead)
Song from the Scott Pilgrim movie. Loved it then, love it now. Watched it more since finding this video.

Hello again
Friend of a friend, I knew you when
Our common goal was waiting for the world to end
Now that the truth is just a rule that you can bend
You crack the whip, shape-shift and trick the past again

9. Motionless in White "Another Life"
Still loving this song and listening to it almost every day.

But I hate that it seems you were never enough
We were broken and bleeding but never gave up
And I hate that I made you the enemy
And I hate that your heart was the casualty
Now, I hate that I need you

8. Kaleido "Panic in a Pandemic"
This song wraps up 2020-2021 in a nutshell.

Walked out the house, it’s been 48 days
I ain't made a dollar, ain't a damn bill paid
They're all late, just put it on my tab
Twelve hundred dollars, yeah bitch real mad
What do I buy with this? it ain't gonna cover shit
Buy some stimulants, and really stimulate the stimulus

7. A Perfect Circle "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish"
Not really an APC fan so when I saw the title, I thought it was a cover of the song from "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" so I had to check it out. But it wasn't. Sad face. But I still loved the song anyway.

Time is money, money's time
We wasted every second dime
On diets, lawyers, shrinks, and apps, and flags, and plastic surgery
Now Willy Wonka, Major Tom
Ali and Leia have moved on
Signal the final curtain call in all its atomic pageantry

6. Letters from the Fire "At War"
Deeply emotional song from little known band. They changed singers after Alexa left and put out one more CD with Nina. Great songs on both CDs but this beauty just kills me and takes me over.

Hold your breath
And pray for the world to end
Nothing's left
Some broken hearts will never mend
And every word's just a whisper to the wind
I pray to God for angels he'll never send
Hold your breath
And pray for the world to end

5. Linkin Park "Leave Out All the Rest"
Wasn't a huge Linkin Park fan but loved this song and some others. But probably this one the most.

When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed
And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest

4. My Chemical Romance "Light Behind Your Eyes"
Love the band and its one of their more underrated songs since it was only released on a series of singles.

And if they only knew what I would say
If I could be with you, tonight
I would sing you to sleep
Never let them take
The light behind your eyes
One day, I'll lose this fight
As we fade in the dark
Just remember
You will always burn as bright

3. Avenged Sevenfold "Victim" & "Fiction"
Still love both these songs from 2010. The meanings and the mindset really hit home in the last year.

House full of roses
A letter on the stairs
A tape full of messages
For anyone who cares
Collage of broken words
and stories full of tears
Remembering your life
'Cause we wish that you were here

Now I think I understand
How this world can overcome a man
Like a friend we saw it through
In the end I gave my life for you
Gave you all I had to give
Found a place for me to rest my head
While I may be hard to find
Heard there's peace just on the other side

2. New Years Day "Sorry Not Sorry"
This goes back to 2019 but I love the lyrics so much, I keep going back to it.

Sorry that I hurt you
I'm sorry but that's a lie
The truth is I don't care
If you're hurt or not for the tears you've made me cry
If you want to live, you gotta let love die
I'm not sorry now
Cuz forgiveness isn't right
I can't apologize
Cuz I don't mean it this time
So save your breath, I know it's cruel
But I'm not the mercy type
This is what walking away looks like

1. Vicky Psarakis "Hate Me"
A quarantine cover from Vicky. At first, I wasn't quite sure what to think of it. But the more I listened to it, the more it grew on me.

Need a bishop preaching fire
To get away with my sins
Despise everything I see
I don't give a fuck if you hate me

Code Word For This Article Is Songs

Dave Christy loves horror, music, documentaries and more. He is also the co-runner of several fan based groups including Morningstars (THE Lucifer fan group also run by Melanie), and now is a member of the VIPers Spotlight Lounge team for Melanie's Muses. Other than "In The Spotlight" Features -check out his "31 Days Of Halloween Movies"

Comments

Dave's Top Ten Albums of the Year 2021

12/16/2021

Comments

At Melanie's Muses, we love a good top 10 list -so Dave and Susan each compiled their top 10 albums from 2021!

First up is Dave! Check back next week for Susan's!

Dave -

We're at it again.
You love when tell what to watch and listen to and we love being demanding! Not really but here are some of our favorite releases this year. Aiming for 10 but lets see how many we actually come up with.

10. The Agonist - "Days Before the World Wept"

A little more aggressive than most things I do, with a bit of screamy vocals but also some clean vocals mixed in on this 5 song EP. Vicky has a great clean voice but can still scream and growl with the best of the guys too. "Resurrection" is definitely a favorite but the decoy piano intro to "Remnants in Time" is a nice fake out before blowing the speakers, speeding their way through the rest of it.

9. Edge of Paradise "The Unknown"

Melodic hard rock/heavy metal from California. They have been around a while but I stumbled across them in my YouTube feed because I follow their label Frontiers Records. "False Idols", "My Method Your Madness" and "The Unknown" are favorites.

8. Enemy Inside "Seven"

Great band from Germany. Singles off this record are "Crystalize", "Alien", "Release Me", "Black Butterfly" and "In My Blood". Very artful, imaginative, theatrical videos.

7. Butcher Babies (no title)

It's not even an official release. I gave it a brief mention at the end of last years list expecting a full-length CD but they don't have a label so they released 5 singles. "Bottom of a Bottle', "Last Dance", "Sleeping with the Enemy", "Yorktown", and "Its Killin' Time, Baby!". A bit of a departure sound wise for the band but heading in the right direction. Hopefully they find a label soon so they can release more tunes. The August single "Its Killin' Time, Baby!" is a little closer to their earlier sound than the others.

6. Halflives - "V"

Paris band giving it all they got in this new EP. "Vibe", "Victim", "Valkyrie". Hell, again, the whole record is awesome. Buy it!

5. Garbage - "No Gods No Masters"

90's alternative rock band are back in a huge way. Another record I absolutely loved more than I thought I would. "Uncomfortably Me", Wolves", "Flipping the Bird", "The Creeps" are just a few of the wonderful songs represented here.

4. False Memories - "The Last Night of Fall"

I wanted to do an actual review of this CD but was drawing a blank. This band is from Italy. Kinda gothic, driving, enchanted vocals. A lot of great stuff. "Rain of Souls", "Voices", and "Illusionist".

3. Escape the Fate - "Chemical Warfare"

I reviewed this album earlier. It got delayed a little but in the whole year, its still on my playlist. A lot of great tunes. "Invincible" featuring Lindsay Stirling, "Not My Problem".

2. Alice Cooper - "Detroit Stories"

Alice is still at it. Still rocking and pumping out the hard rocking tunes. He even named a song after me-- "Independence Dave"! Also featuring "Hanging on by a Thread" and "Social Debris".

1. The Pretty Reckless - "Death by Rock and Roll"

You all knew this was coming if you read my review earlier this year. Even though this list is in no particular order, Taylor and company really delivered with this record. The more I listen to it, the more I love it. The growth the band has showed is outstanding. "Standing at the Wall", "Rock and Roll Heaven", "Harley Darling", "And So it Went", etc. Hell, the whole album is great!

Looking forward to in 2022--

Within Temptation.
Yeah, I know I mentioned it last year too but it never came. Between last year and this year, they gave us 3 singles to sneak peek. "Entertain You", "The Purge" and "Shed My Skin". Can't wait to hear more!

Halestorm.
They gave us a new single recently-- "Back from the Dead". It’s been a couple years since they gave us "Vicious" so hopefully a new one will be out in the new year.

Motionless in White.
New single "Timebomb" has such a catchy chorus after a little screaming for the verse it has caught my attention in a big way. Chris said he has 16-17 songs to pick from and looking for a February or March release. Hopefully they find something to do with the extra songs so they don't go to waste.

Guns N Roses.
Maybe? After a long hiatus of having any new music, 2 new songs have hit the airwaves. "Absurd" and "Hard Skool". Could mean more new music on the way.

Code Word For This Article Is Music

Dave Christy loves horror, music, documentaries and more. He is also the co-runner of several fan based groups including Morningstars (THE Lucifer fan group also run by Melanie), and now is a member of the VIPers Spotlight Lounge team for Melanie's Muses. Other than "In The Spotlight" Features -check out his "31 Days Of Halloween Movies"

Comments

Susan's Top Ten Albums of the Year 2021

Susan -

Top Ten Most Listened To Songs This Year by Dave Christy

Dave -

Dave's Top Ten Albums of the Year 2021

Dave -

Archives

Categories