Tag: music-video

Thanks to the “Longplay” channel, I came across the song “Boiy Bulgan” by two Kazakh performers — dudeontheguitar and Hey Monro. Since my knowledge of the Kazakh language is not very good, I have absolutely no idea what this song is about. Nor had I heard anything about the performers before. But the melody and voices completely enchanted me. The song has found a lasting place in my playlist:

I realized I’ve never mentioned one of my favorite bands, Zdob și Zdub, in my blog. By the way, when I watched Alexander Tobolsky’s show Longplay on bands that started out in a completely different style than the one they’re known for now, Zdob și Zdub immediately came to mind. Their first album and what they’ve become since are worlds apart (though you can see hints of their current style even in the first album).

But let’s get back to the band. In practically every one of their albums, there’s at least one song that I end up playing on repeat dozens of times. In their latest album, that song for me is Sanziene. I honestly don’t care what the original lyrics mean in Moldovan; I always listen to songs as a whole, where the vocals are just another instrument. And here, the energy and the voices completely blow my mind. Zdob și Zdub often collaborates with other artists, and this song is performed together with another Moldovan singer, Irina Rimes. Highly, highly recommended:

As is often the case with Zdob și Zdub, this song also has an official Russian-language version titled Na Ivana Kupalu (On Ivan Kupala Night). In this version, they perform as a “duet” again, but this time with a different singer—Masha Makarova, who many might recognize as the lead vocalist of the band Masha i Medvedi. The change in singer gives the song a slightly different feel; it sounds distinct (and it’s not just about the language). I personally prefer the Moldovan version a little more, but the Russian one is great as well:

In 1994, I graduated from school and entered university. That same year, the Irish band The Cranberries released their album No Need To Argue, with the standout track, in my opinion, being Zombie. At the time, I had a poor grasp of English (thanks to the Soviet education system), but this song resonated with many of us. It was played almost everywhere, and I loved it for its energy and the unique voice of the lead singer. The band’s subsequent albums didn’t leave as strong an impression on me, but Zombie became a timeless legend.

On January 15, 2018, Dolores O’Riordan, the lead singer of The Cranberries, was scheduled to record a cover of Zombie with the band Bad Wolves. However, on that very day, she tragically passed away, drowning in a bathtub while intoxicated.

Despite this, Bad Wolves went on to record the cover on their own and released a music video as a tribute to both Dolores and the original Zombie video. The visuals create a sort of dialogue between the two.

I usually don’t like covers of songs I love, but Bad Wolves’ version is stunning. Its intensity and energy are on par with the original:

Here is the official music video for the original song:

This difficult year is coming to an end. No one knows what 2021 will bring. But this year will definitely be remembered by many for a long time. And unexpectedly, this year, the band DDT released a new song that really struck me.

I can’t say I’ve always been a die-hard fan of this band. My best friend and my wife—now they are. I just liked certain songs. But for many years, I hardly listened to DDT. And now they’ve released a new song, simply called “2020.” And it got to me.

Listen to it; it’s really good:

Alright, let’s continue sharing some interesting musical finds. Many years ago, I realized unexpectedly that I really enjoy Irish and Scottish folk melodies. But even more, I love when modern bands creatively reimagine these melodies in their own style.

I first heard a song by The Dropkick Murphys in a movie, and I instantly became a fan (I plan to write about that song separately, but today is about a different one). I’ve been happily listening to their music for many years now—it’s perfect for long flights, by the way.

Today, I want to talk about the song The Lonesome Boatman, which was the opening track on their 2017 album 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory. It’s permanently earned a spot on my playlist of top songs, though it’s more of a melody than a song.

As with a previous song I shared, it turns out the band didn’t originally write this tune. It’s actually a cover and a tribute to a song created way back in 1969!

It was written and performed by two brothers, Finbar and Eddie Furey. Their group, The Furys, is a well-known Irish folk band, and The Lonesome Boatman is one of their most famous pieces, which they themselves re-recorded several times with updated arrangements. According to Wikipedia, fans of the Glasgow Celtic football club even sing it at matches.

The song is simple yet deeply moving. The original version is more lyrical, but I still prefer The Dropkick Murphys version—it’s more modern, vibrant, and dynamic, yet it preserves the original melody’s beauty.

Today, I’ll introduce you to another song, one I enjoy listening to in various versions.

I first came across the song Was wollen wir trinken performed by the band Oktoberklub from the GDR. They recorded it in the year I was born, 1977. When I heard it for the first time, I was struck by its memorable melody and vocal style. At that time, I didn’t understand the German lyrics at all (I often perceive vocals in songs as a separate musical instrument, so the lyrics aren’t as important to me).

Later on, I started hearing the same melody here and there, suddenly realizing that even well-known artists were performing the same song.

I decided to dig deeper. Interestingly, it seems that just about everyone has performed it. Wikipedia alone mentions over thirty “most famous” artists who covered it, not to mention the many lesser-known versions.

While researching, I uncovered many interesting facts, some of which later turned out to be popular myths. The most intriguing one was that this song was supposedly the anthem of the fascist Luftwaffe. A compelling story, but a myth nonetheless.