The blog hits 20 years this Friday. I don’t have any big celebration plans because I didn’t have the energy to set anything up nor did this feel like the time when one should ask favours from artists. But I’ve been making a bit of nostalgic trip through the years and making a monster playlist of favorite songs from the onechordnet era. You’ll find that still growing playlist from the bottom of this blog post. I also thought I post some of these favorites to the blog leading up to Friday’s blog birthday. Not a whole lot words, just some songs and music videos I’ve loved madly during the years. I don’t have clue how many I’ll have time to make, so this will be a random selection. A glimpse of the music that I’ve loved during the years.
If I had to choose my favorite song that has been released during these 20 years I’ve been making this blog, I think I would go with I Don’t Care to Dance by J.E. Sunde. Perhaps there’s a little bit of recency bias, because the studio version came out on his 2020 album 9 Songs About Love. However, I’ve loved it a while longer, ever since I heard the live at Pony Rug version. I just love this song as much as you can possibly love a song. It’s a dance at a wedding reception. A kind gentle sway against toxic masculinity. Subtle, but full of heart. I’m a shy, self-doubt ridden, overly romantic unmanly man and this song is everything to me. A very few songs have ever resonated with me as deeply I Don’t Care to Dance.
Another J.E. Sunde song A Blinding Flash of Light also ranks up pretty high on my imaginary all-time favorite songs list. And of course it’s not just that. I’m very fond of everything J.E. Sunde has released over the years.
J.E. Sunde at Facebook
J.E. Sunde Website
Next a couple of treasures from the Hezekiah Jones song vault. Absolutely love this Philly-based folk collective led by songwriter Raph Cutrufello. Here’s some personal favorites from their catalogue. Borrowed Heart can be found from their 2015 album In Loving Memory of oosi Lockjaw, Lift the Shadow from This Heart is an outtake from 2011 album Have You Seen Our New Fort? and Kings of People is a brand new 2021 single that should have gotten its own blog post weeks ago.
Hezekiah Jones at Facebook
Hezekiah Jones Website
Moving on to Sweden to post something from the first decade of the blog that remains oh so very dear. I fell badly for the first Hello Saferide album back in the day and have been a fan ever since. The song Anna is from the second album More Modern Short Stories from Hello Saferide and I still remember how this music video broke my heart into tiny pieces. I watched it on repeat for days and still return to it every now and then. Perfect song and perfect video. It seems like lightweight fun and then it hits you harder than a graveyard full of black metal guitarists ever could.
And let’s wrap this first trip in Australia with a couple of songs from the wonderful Australian singer-songwriter Leah Senior. All My Friends is one of my all-time favorite music videos and the song can be found from her 2017 album Pretty Faces. Graves on the other hand is an outtake from her 2020 album The Passing Scene.
And here’s the still growing 20 years playlist. Far from complete, because I’m way too unorganized to handle 20 years of favorite songs. So don’t take any offense, if you are not on it and feel like you should. I still love you and probably just assumed that I had only added your song even though I hadn’t.