Update 11/1/20 – added brand new music video “The Future” to the Mystery Skulls list
Well, it’s been a while and I have some free time, so I may as well put together a post, I guess.
I have some rather eclectic music tastes – it probably comes from playing in so many different genres. So, I thought I’d put together a list of some of my favorite songs (with great music videos) so that you can broaden your own tastes (or silently shake your head – you know, whatever works for you).
Go! – Public Service Broadcasting
PSB takes archive audio clips and mixes them to music. Their album, Race for Space, takes clips from NASA and the Soviet Space Program and chronicles the space race, including Sputnik, Gagarin’s first flight, the Apollo 1 fire, and more. Go! is the climactic song from the album, detailing the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon. (If you want to see a weirder video, check out Gagarin – it’s got break-dancing astronauts).
The Fence – Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin is an Australian musician, comedian, and rationalist. I love pretty much all of his stuff – well worth a listen. He also wrote the music for the musical version of Matilda, which I played earlier this year. He managed to get the Royal Albert Hall and the Heritage Orchestra, and put together an absolutely marvelous show (listen to those horns!).
Lone Digger – Caravan Palace
Caravan Palace is an electro-swing group. Lone Digger is perhaps their most famous song, I suspect largely due to the music video. It’s got amazing animation and stunning visuals, and is just a really fun (albeit gory) ride. Not safe for work.
Tank! – The Seatbelts
The Seatbelts is a Japanese band that has a really tight sound – they play a lot of jazz and funk, but also branch into other styles. They did the soundtrack for the popular anime series Cowboy Bebop. No video, but the music is great.
Bounce Baby – Galactic
Galactic is a funk band. This one has a very tight and upbeat groove that I really enjoy. They also recently put out a new song (Float Up) with a more psychedelic vibe.
Rising – Yoshida Brothers
The Yoshida Brothers play shamisens (traditional Japanese 3-stringed instruments), but the style of music is not what you’d expect. It’s a very high-energy jazz style, which combined with the shamisen tone results in a very distinctive sound.
Shia LeBeouf – Rob Cantor
Rob Cantor makes some great comedic songs, and some great song-songs. This one is definitely the former. The production value is amazing.
Ghost, Freaking Out, Hellbent, and The Future – Mystery Skulls
This one is really all about the video – it is an absolute masterpiece of storytelling. I’d normally just link to the first, but you really need to see all threefour of them.
Found/Tonight – Ben Platt and Lin Manuel Miranda
Hamilton is a great musical (if you need me to tell you that, you’ve probably been living under a rock). There’s another recent musical that I also really enjoyed – Dear Evan Hansen. It has some amazing (and emotional) music. This video takes the leads from both musicals, and mashes them together into a really wonderful song. Also, go listen to the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack – it’s great.
MANTRA – Bring Me The Horizon
BMTH is an English hard rock group – I find their sound quite interesting. MANTRA is one of those songs that just got stuck in my head for some reason, and the video really stuck with me. (For more weird, check out Wonderful Life.)