Presidential Election Playlist

Attention!!!

Sri Lanka has voted and by later today our nation would know its first citizen who will lead this country for the next five years. The new President will have a major task; he can either start afresh on a clean slate or commit the same sins of his predecessors. As the results keep coming in from all over the provinces and districts, here’s a playlist for everyone to listen to catered particularly for this Presidential Election: 

1. Dixie Chicks – Not ready to make nice  

A powerful country record by the group who received a major backlash following their dissenting comments regarding former US President George W. Bush’s and his invasion of Iraq. The song is so personal and the evocative lyrics are relevant to the party politics in this country and how the politicians cannot tolerate criticism of any sort. It is their biggest hit to date and won the coveted Record and Song of the Year at the 49th Grammy Awards.

2. Scorpions – Wind of change  

Who can forget the flat whistle intro of this rock ballad. Produced at the height of perestroika (restructuring and reforming the Soviet political and economic system) the lyrics celebrate glasnost (openness and transparency) in the Soviet Union. The track became a global hit after the failed coup to oust Soviet Union President and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991.

3. Pink – Dear Mr.President  

Only Pink would be fearless enough to sing to the US President directly. Accompanied by the Indigo Girls this soft acoustic rock track addresses former US President George W. Bush and his shortcomings and failures in policy. This record’s relevance to Sri Lanka is undeniable as the artist is pleading to the leader of the nation to understand the issues of a normal citizen and try to walk in their shoes.

4. Black Eyed Peas – Where is the love? 

BEP’s breakthrough hit is one of the most meaningful productions in the noughties covering issues such as terrorism, government hypocrisy, racism and war. The track was co-written by Justin Timberlake and is the first song to feature Fergie. This record is relevant now more than ever for our country particularly following the Easter Sunday tragedy and the resulting fallout and distrust between communities.

5. John Mayer – Waiting on the world to change  

Dealing with his first politically-tinged tune, Mayer addresses the lack of the power of the citizenry to act and that the reason for this is that the present generation is waiting for the world to change. The jazz rock track with a blues and soul vibe won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards. This track is meaningful to Sri Lanka as the new generation of voters can shed the ugly party politics lines and vote for the most suitable candidate.

6. Lily Allen – F**k you  

Don’t let the uptempo comical arrangement of this track fool you, Allen is clearly dissing the actions of the former US President, George W. Bush. It was her third international single which was monumentally successful in Europe, particularly due to the catchy nature of the lyrics. Since then she has maintained that the song is universally applicable to all depraved leaders of this world.

7. Captain Ska – Liar liar GE2017  

This ska track is a remake of the 2010-original released just before the 2017 UK elections, rewritten as a protest song against UK’s former Prime Minister Theresa May. The previous version was against Prime Minister David Cameron. The song’s success and influence can be evaluated by the fact that it charted without radio airplay, since radio stations were afraid of running afoul election regulations.

8. The Cranberries – Zombie  

This rock classic and its memorable guitar riff reverberated throughout all households across the globe in the 90s accompanied by the unique vocals of lead Dolores O’ Riordan. Although written about the 1993 IRA Bombing in Warrington, the song’s sentiments of anti-conflict is clear. This was The Cranberries biggest hit and won Best Song at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards.

9. Joni Mitchell – Big yellow taxi  

While not overtly a politically relevant song, its connotations of environmental conservation makes it relevant for this year’s Presidential Election. Mitchell’s third solo single speaks about the sad state of the loss of greenery in the place of development. Protection of the environment has been at the top of the promises of all candidates this year and so balancing this social cause with the exercise of their franchise will be at the voter’s discretion.

10. Tracy Chapman – Talkin’ bout a revolution  

Chapman’s folk rock successor to her debut hit Fast Car is a political anthem regarding the inequality in society and how the disempowered will rise up to claim their due share. While a staple at political campaigns and rallies in the US, the song’s relevance to Sri Lanka, is that it speaks to the disparity of wealth in our society and is definitely a trump card used by all candidates at this election.  

Till the next swan song...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - September, 2018

Attention!!!

First up in September we have the prestigious Mercury Prize 2018. Wolf Alice won the prestigious award bestowed on the best of UK and Irish music for their album Visions of a Life. The group saw stiff competition from fan favorites Lily Allen, Florence + The Machine and Arctic Monkeys.

Next up we have two award ceremonies which announced their nominations. Drake and Cardi B led the nominations at the 2018 American Music Awards with 8 nods each. Drake will face off against Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons and Post Malone for Artist of the Year while Cardi B was up against Camila Cabello, Khalid, Dua Lipa and posthumously XXXTentacion for New Artist of the Year.

The Latin American Music Awards 2018 also announced their list of nominees with Ozuna and J Balvin leading the tally with 9 nominations each. Both are up for Artist of the Year as well as Favorite Male Artist and Album of the Year for Odisea (Ozuna) and Vibras (J Balvin). In addition, J Balvin is up for two nods in the Song of the Year for X with Nicky Jam and Mi Gente with Willy William ft. Beyonce and Ozuna for being featured on Wisin’s Escapate Commigo. Close behind is Nicky Jam with 8 nods who is also up for Artist of the Year, Favorite Male Artist and Album of the Year for Fenix.

The devastating deaths in the music industry continue as rapper Mac Miller died of an apparent overdose at the age of 26. Miller was found dead in his San Fernando Valley home. Prior to this Miller admitted he had been struggling with drugs and addiction issues.

In more morbid news, a coroner’s report has confirmed the cause of death of the lead vocalist of The Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan. The singer who passed away in January evidently died by drowning due to alcohol intoxication.

The latest rap beef is Eminem vs. Machine Gun Kelly. The bad blood between the two was due to MGK derogatory remarks about Eminem’s daughter Hailie on Twitter. Thereafter, MGK accused Eminem of blackballed him from major record labels. The beef escalated to a war when Eminem released his Not Alike from his surprise new album Kamikaze. This led to MGK’s retort with Rap Devil a direct reference to Eminem’s Rap God. Eminem fired his final torpedo with a brilliant track – Killshot – which demolished MGK and literally put to rest the warfare with Eminem as the victor.

As a part of Global Sound’s initiative to bring the best of EDM to Sri Lanka, Alan Walker performed live as the headline artist of a set which included Lost Stories and Ella Rose. At the venue he performed his latest unreleased single Diamond Hearts ft. Sophia Somajo.

In chart news in the US, Drake continued at the top with In My Feelings throughout the month which was however overthrown by Maroon 5 & Cardi B’s Girls Like You in the last week. During the month Ariana Grande’s God is a Woman, Khalid & Normani’s Love Lies and Eminem’s Killshot all entered the top 10.  

In the UK, Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid’s Eastside began the month at the top, which was however short lived as Calvin Harris & Sam Smith’s Promises stormed to No.1 in the second week and remained at the top for the rest of the month. During the month Marshmello & Bastille’s Happier, Kanye West & Lil Pump’s I Love It and Juice Wrld’s Lucid Dreams all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Dean Lewis – Be alright

2.       Silk City & Dua Lipa – Electricity   

3.       BLACKPINK – Ddu-du ddu-du

4.       Jason Derulo & David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj & Willy William – Goodbye

5.       LSD – Thunderclouds

6.       Dynoro & Gigi D'Agostino – In my mind 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best Songs About Dreams

Attention!!!

Dreams are wishes that we hope will come true in our future. Be it an ambition that one has, for which he will work toward in his future, or the hope that all his worries will be over, wherein all the obstacles in his life he managed to overcome. A dream can be for your one true love to be with you at the end, the happily ever after that we all wish would come true. A dream can be your sleepy conscience going wild at night or the nightmares that make your sleep as restless as possible. Yes, dreams at the end of the day keep our imagination alive and breathe life to hope, which kindles the flame of our soul. This list is for all you dreamers out there to keep dreaming.

The compilation consists of a mishmash of genres ranging from Pop, Rock and Rap to Electropop, Eurodance and Opera. There are several soundtracks also featured here. Fleetwood Mac takes the crown with their classic hit Dreams followed by the haunting rendition of Patti LuPone’s I Dreamed a Dream from the Les Misérable Soundtrack and Billy Joel’s hit The River of Dreams. The only person with 3 entries is Roy Orbison, who seemed to have had an obsession with dreams.  So here are the top 50 songs about dreams:

1. Fleetwood Mac – Dreams
2. Patti LuPone – I dreamed a dream (Les Misérables OST)
3. Billy Joel – The river of dreams
4. Crowded House – Don’t dream it’s over
5. ABBA – I have a dream
6. Eurythmics – Sweet dreams (are made of this)
7. Roy Orbison – Dream baby
8. Nelly – Just a dream
9. Roy Orbison – In dreams
10. Stephen Foster – Beautiful dreamer
11. Green Day – Boulevard of broken dreams
12. Evanescence – Imaginary
13. Aerosmith – Dream on
14. Ozzie Nelson – Dream a little dream of me
15. Mary Costa & Bill Shirley – Once upon a dream (Sleeping Beauty OST)
16. The Corrs – Only when I sleep
17. The Everly Brothers – All I have to do is dream
18. Roy Orbison – In the real world
19. Cliff Edwards – When you wish upon a star (Pinocchio OST)
20. Heart – These dreams
21. The Cranberries – Dreams
22. Selena – Dreaming of you
23. Owl City – Fireflies
24. Jason Donovan – Any dream will do (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat OST)
25. Bobby Darin – Dream lover
26. Ziv Zaifman, Hugh Jackman & Michelle Williams – A million dreams (The Greatest Showman OST)
27. Gabrielle – Dreams
28. Keane – A bad dream
29. Beyonce – Sweet dreams
30. Cheap Trick – Dream police
31. Adriana Caselotti – Someday my prince will come (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves OST)
32. Jackie Evancho – Made to dream
33. Celine Dion – Dreamin’ of you
34. Margery McKay – Climb ev’ry mountain (The Sound of Music OST)
35. Metallica – Enter sandman
36. Coldplay – A head full of dreams
37. Dua Lipa – Dreams
38. Marc Anthony – When I dream at night
39. Taylor Swift – Wildest dreams
40. Imagine Dragons – Dream
41. O-Town – Liquid dreams
42. Blondie – Dreaming
43. Celine Dion – The power of the dream
44. La Bouche – Sweet dreams (ola ola e)
45. 2 Brothers on the 4^th Floor – Dreams (will come alive)
46. NF – Dreams
47. Daryl Hall & John Oates - You Make My Dreams
48. Hilary Duff – What dreams are made of
49. REO Speedwagon – In my dreams
50. Aurora – Dreaming

Till the next chord...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - January, 2018

Attention!!!

Music’s biggest night kicked off things in 2018 as the 60^th Grammy Awards was held in January hosted by James Corden. While Jay-Z was the top nominee with 8 it was Bruno Mars who was the biggest winner of the night earning 6 wins including all three major awards with 24K Magic as the Record of the Year, the album of the same name as the Album of the Year and Song of the Year going to his That’s What I Like. Kendrick Lamar was also a big winner at the Grammys taking 5 awards including Best Rap Album for DAMN., Best Rap Song and Best Music Video for HUMBLE.

Some of the great performances of the night included DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller with Wild Thoughts, Elton John and Miley Cyrus with Tiny Dancer, Kesha with Praying accompanied by Camila Cabello, Cyndi Lauper, Andra Day, Bebe Rexha and Julia Michaels as well as tributes to Tom Petty, Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell as well for the Las Vegas Shooting and Manchester Arena Bombing. Other significant wins included:

·         Best New Artist: Alessia Cara

·         Best Pop Vocal Album: Ed Sheeran - ÷

·         Best Rock Song: Foo Fighter – Run

·         Best Country Song: Christ Stapleton – Broken halos

·         Best Latin Pop Album: Shakira – El Dorado

·         Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: Justin Hurwitz – La La Land

·         Best Song Written for Visual Media: Lin-Manuel Miranda – How far I’ll go

·         Producer of the Year, Non-Classical – Greg Kurstin

The 75^th Golden Globe Awards were also held in January hosted by Seth Myers. Alexandre Desplat won for Best Original Score for The Shape of Water whilst the Best Original Song went to This Is Me performed by Keala Settle from The Greatest Showman written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Meanwhile, some highly anticipated nominations were announced during the month. First up we have the coveted 90^th Academy Awards nominees for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

Best Original Score:

·         Dunkirk – Hans Zimmer

·         Phantom Thread – Jonny Greenwood

·         The Shape of Water – Alexandre Desplat

·         Star Wars: The Last Jedi – John Williams

·         Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Carter Burwell

Best Original Song

·         Mighty River: Mudbound – Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson

·         Mystery of Love: Call Me by Your Name – Sufjan Stevens

·         Remember Me: Coco – Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

·         Stand Up for Something: Marshall – Diane Warren and Common

·         This Is Me: The Greatest Showman – Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Secondly we have the BRIT Awards 2018 nominations with Dua Lipa leading the fray with 5 nods including British Female, British Breakthrough, British Single and British Artist Video of the Year for New Rules, Album of the Year for her self-titled album. She sets a record as the female artist with the highest nominations at the BRIT Awards in one ceremony. Ed Sheeran is also up for 4 awards including British Male, Album of the Year for ÷ and British Single and Video for Shape of You. Breakthrough act last year, Rag N’ Bone Man has 3 nods including British Male and British Single and Album of the Year for Human.

Finally, we have the 5^th iHeartRadio Music Awards nominations. Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, DJ Khaled and Luis Fonsi top the nominations each receiving 5 nods. For song of the year the following go head to head for the coveted title:

·         Despacito – Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber

·         Shape of You – Ed Sheeran

·         Something Just Like This – The Chainsmokers & Coldplay

·         That’s What I Like – Bruno Mars

·         Wild Thoughts – DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller

Mary J. Blige adds another accolade under her belt after being nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Mud Bound as well as her contribution to the Best Original Song nominee Mighty River as she received the honor of her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In other accolade news, Sigrid won the BBC Sound of 2018. The 21-year old rose to fame in 2017 through her critically acclaimed debut single Don’t Kill My Vibe. Previous recipients of this coveted title include Adele, Years & Years, Sam Smith and Ellie Goulding.

Ray Thomas, flautist and vocalist for British Rock group The Moody Blues died on January 4, at the age of 76. Although no cause of death was given, Thomas was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2013. Alternative Rock suffered another massive blow when Dolores O’Riordan lead singer of The Cranberries died at the age of 46, when she was in London for a recording session on January 15. Although the cause of death was not made public, police ruled out any suspicions.

In the US, Ed Sheeran & Beyonce continued their reign with Perfect for the first 3 weeks of the month before Sheeran was billed as a solo artist in the last week at the top after which Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug’s Havana took the crown.  During the month Dua Lipa’s New Rules, Justin Timberlake’s Filthy and Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B’s Finesse all entered the top 10.  

In the UK, Ed Sheeran’s formidable rule with Perfect fueled by duets with Beyonce and Andrea Bocelli continued at the top until Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran’s River replace the former as the UK No.1 During the month Ramz’s Barking, Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B’s Finesse, Jason Derulo’s Tip Toe and Camila Cabello’s Never Be The Same all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Rita Ora & Liam Payne – For You

2.       Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line – Meant to be

3.       Dua Lipa – IDGAF

4.       Keala Settle – This is me

5.       Kendrick Lamar & SZA – All the stars

6.       Jax Jones ft. Ina Wroldsen – Breathe

7.       Rudimental ft. Macklemore & Jess Glynne – These days

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Most Haunting Songs of All Time

Attention!!!

Most of us are used to listening to chirpy songs, probably because music is meant to cheer us up and put us in a good mood. But there are really sad songs which make us very gloomy but then there are those songs which are so haunting and creepy that our blood runs cold. The spooky music, coupled by the eerie voices of the likes of Amy Lee of Evanescence, Sarah Brightman, Lana Del Rey and Jack Black can send shivers through our spines. These songs are perfect for those dark moments in life where we need liberation from the nightmares that haunt us. Of course do not expect death metal or any sort of satanic music on this list for I do not believe in the worship of Lucifer like Marilyn Manson or Korn. And I have included Michael Jackson's Thriller as the last song, not because it is oh-so terrifying, but as a tribute to the icon who many believe has produced the most popular horror music video to date.   So these are the most haunting songs of all time: 

1. Sarah Brightman & Michael Crawford – The phantom of the opera
2. Evanescence – Lacrymosa
3. Moody Blues – Nights in white satin
4. Lana Del Rey – Born to die
5. Within Temptation ft. Kevin Caputo – What have you done
6. Metallica – Nothing else matters
7. Florence and the Machine – Seven devils
8. Evanescence – Listen to the rain
9. The Cranberries – Zombie
10. Madonna – Frozen
11. Guns N’ Roses – November rain
12. Ruelle – Up in flames
13. Lana Del Rey – Summertime sadness
14. Evanescence – My immortal
15. The Rasmus ft. Anette Olzon – October & April
16. Elaine Page – Memory
17. Adam Lambert – Mad world (Original by Tears for Fears)
18. Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
19. Evanescence ft. Paul McCoy – Bring me to life
20. The Chromatics – Into the black
21. Bonnie Tyler – Total eclipse of the heart
22. The White Stripes – Seven nation army
23. Within Temptation – Angels
24. Lana Del Rey – Once upon a dream
25. Limp Bizkit – Behind blue eyes
26. Garbage – This world is not enough
27. The Rasmus – In the shadows
28. Nightwish – The crow, the owl and the dove
29. Adele – Skyfall
30. Evanescence – Hello
31. Hozier – Take me to church 
32. White Town – Your woman
33. James Blunt – Goodbye my lover
34. Lorde – Royals
35. Meatloaf – I would do anything for love
36. Ville Valo & Natalia Avelon – Summer wine (Original by Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra)
37. U2 – Hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me
38. Crowded House – Don’t dream it’s over
39. The Cranberries – God be with you
40. The Weeknd – The hills 
41. Radiohead – How to disappear completely
42. Il Divo – Regresa a mi (Original by Toni Braxton)
43. Sheryl Crow – Tomorrow never dies
44. Enigma – Sadeness Part I
45. Coolio ft. L.V. – Gangsta’s paradise
46. Imagine Dragons – Radioactive
47. Nightwish – Bye bye beautiful
48. Lana Del Rey – Young and beautiful
49. Justin Timberlake – Cry me a river
50. Rihanna – Russian roulette
51. The Verve – Bitter sweet symphony
52. Skyler Stonestreet – A little taste
53. Alex Clare – Too close 
54. Loreen – Euphoria 
55. Shawn Hlookoff – She could be you
56. Shirley Bassey – Diamonds are forever
57. The Beatles – Yesterday
58. Alex Clare – Too close
59. Evanescence – Haunted  
60. t.A.T.u. – All about us
61. The Rolling Stones – Paint it black
62. Katy Perry ft. Kanye West – E.T.
63. Eminem ft. Dido – Stan
64. Major Lazer ft. Ellie Goulding & Tarrus Riley – Powerful 
65. Spice Girls – Viva forever
66. Christina Perri – Jar of hearts
67. Elliot Smith – Everything means nothing to me
68. Natalie Imbruglia – Smoke
69. Savage Garden – To the moon and back
70. ABBA – Lay your love on me
71. Nightwish – Amaranth
72. Jack Black ft. Alicia Keys – Another way to die
73. Little Mix – DNA
74. Chris Isaak – Wicked game
75. Celine Dion – It’s all coming back to me now
76. Dr. Dre ft. Eminem & Skylar Grey – I need a doctor
77. Enigma – Beyond the invisible
78. Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – Dark horse
79. Florence + The Machine – Spectrum 
80. Evanescence – Lithium
81. Enya – Only time
82. Richard Marx – Hazard
83. Lorde – Team
84. Rufus Wainwright – Hallelujah (Original by Leonard Cohen)
85. Duran Duran – Come undone
86. Evanescence – Cloud nine
87. The Smiths – How soon is now
88. Within Temptation – The howling
89. Florence + The Machine – What the water gave me
90. Lana Del Rey – High by the beach 
91. We Are The Fallen – Bury me alive
92. OneRepublic – Apologize
93. Amy Winehouse – Back to black 
94. Edwyn Collins – A girl like you
95. Sia – Breathe me
96. Rihanna – Disturbia
97. KaRe – For all time
98. Miley Cyrus – Who owns my heart
99. Lady Gaga – Bad romance
100. Michael Jackson – Thriller

Till the next symphony…

At Ease!!!