adpanacea's domain

songs i like (and why)

alright, i'm gonna go through a list of songs i like and explain WHY i liek them

1. Spain - Chick Corea

   i'm a sucker for long songs; people say they get boring, but i've really never found myself bored... i WILL sit for those 9 minutes listening to the song; not everything needs to be four minutes long, y'know?

   a song like this just lends itself to having so many variations; my favorite version is by Pegasus (Issei Noro & Tetsuo Sakurai) - Spain

   the chord progressions are just so interesting; spain has remained one of the songs i'd really like to learn on bass just with the groove. honorable mentions for renditions i like would be

   Stevie Wonder - Spain - Live, London 2008 -- THE MIXING IS SO GOOD

   Al Jarreau - Spain (I Can Recall) -- as far as vocal covers go? this is the definitive one; it's very fun to sing the lyrics, though i personally can't scat like him

   US Air Force Airmen of Note -- if i was to suggest someone listen to spain, i'd send over this version. it gets straight to the point for those with short attention spans, and the arrangement does the song justice even if i think the slow intro is very beautiful in most other renditions

2. Silversun Pickups - All The Go Inbetweens

   i can't tell you enough how much i LOVE this song... if i just wanna feel that melancholy and angst i just put this song on. the slower tempo, the guitar's tone, and the lyrics that coalesce into that shouting and then calm down again? the bass never really changes much, but it pushes the whole song forward with the drums. i think of fall and walking down the sidewalk with my hoodie snug around me. funny enough, i only discovered this song because someone attached it to their art on instagram.

3. King Crimson - I Talk To The Wind

   i really like the smoothness of this song; the harmonics are so well utilized walking down like that. the mixing is very good as well; the clarinets being on the right while the subtle lower sustained notes in the left ear mix in so well. the solo at the end is very... well, i won't overuse the term, but there's a je ne sais quoi to it... maybe an elegance? it certainly fits the court of the crimson king

4. Sweet Trip, "Chocolate Matter" (2003)

   i only discovered this song recently, but WOW was i blown away by how, somehow, despite the overwhelming nature of this song? i was enthralled the entire time. there is a bittersweetness to the song, but i revel in that feeling... the crazy distortion at the end is wonderful

5. 070 - Don't Ever Forget... (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - Explorers of Sky)

   YOU THOUGHT I WOULDN'T PUT VGM IN HERE HUH?!?!? oh my gosh, this stuff made me cry as a kid. shoot... it makes me cry even now, man... perhaps it's because of the story that precedes where this place is in-game, but the music during those endings is just masterful. i'd put the credits themes for this series alongside, but this might be a good representative

6. YOU CAN NEVER COME TO THIS PLACE - 高中正義 (Masayoshi Takanaka)

   this album seriously has a collection of the most tasteful guitar solos i've ever heard in my life, and the live performance is just immaculate... i know people love Takanaka's other stuff, and so do i, but i will forever love this song because he makes his guitar genuinely sing so well in it.

   honorable mention from the Rainbow Goblins album is Masayoshi Takanaka - Seven Goblins -- the chant is so weird, but pair that up with that bassline?!?! oh my gosh, everything about this song is mesmerizing. shoutout the bongos as well. this is a very specific thing, but you can notice in the live recording around the 2:00 mark, he has to quickly adjust the volume at the start of the solo, and this very specific action makes the solo even better... i don't know what it is really, but just something about the mistaken pause really gets me in a good way, in the same way i remember this solo by heart

7. Casiopea vs The Square - The Live 2003.12 - Freak Jack

   if i have a favorite guitar solo, then i must have a favorite piano solo... and my favorite piano solo is in this song. i struggle to find anything to match the sort of feeling i get from listening to it every time. first off, this casiopea vs tsquare concert is amazing... two bands i truly adore; they work amazingly. akira jimbo is a phenomenal drummer, and his smile alongside the other musicians just makes their performances so fun to watch. anyway! it's just the tone shift mid song to facilitate the piano solo with everything more subdued at least for a moment just.... AAAGH i LOVE IT