A Simple Music Review: Yoko Shimomura

Before you get your pitchforks out, just know that this isn't the same Yoko that broke up the Beatles.

Image via Facebook

As some of you might be aware, I was absent for the last few months and I must admit Miss Shimomura was partly to blame. You see, the truth is I am a Kingdom Hearts fan and I have been one for the last 10 years. For the last 2 months, I have mainly been replaying the older games to prepare myself for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3.

 I credit Miss Shimomura for my absence due to the fact that her contributions to the KH franchise are one of the highlights of the series. Even when I wasn't playing, I would still be serenading myself with her various musical compositions. Despite the ups and downs in my life, Miss Shimomura's music has always been there for me. Her tracks have the capability to either calm me down (Traverse Town) or get me energized (Rage Awakened).

Image via Facebook

Throughout the years, Miss Shimomura has garnered much acclaim for her work, even going so far as having an international orchestra concert tour last year. Aside from Kingdom Hearts, she has also worked on Mario & Luigi and the Legend of Mana franchises and recently composed the soundtrack of Final Fantasy XV. She is currently working on the score for Kingdom Hearts 3 set for this year.

Unlike most of my reviews, the list of songs below are not ranked in terms of personal preference but are listed based on their level of tranquillity and emotion:

5. A Very Small Wish
4. Traverse Town
3. Lazy Afternoon
2. Kairi
1. Roxas

And this list is based on level of intensity:

5. The Encounter
4. The 13th Struggle
3. Lord of the Castle
2. Darkness of the Unknown
1. Rage Awakened

These lists consist of just a few of Miss Shimomura's best songs and while I wish I could add more to the above, I hope these songs will be enough to make you appreciate her as much as I do.

For more articles of this series, click the links below:

The Strokes

Childish Gambino

The Audiots

Metronomy

[ This review is also available on ficklefelix.blogspot.in ]

Predict the Ratings for Christmas in Rockefeller Center, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer & More Specials

This week, four of the big five networks are airing special programming, with Fox opting to wait a bit to roll out their specials. most of these programs are Christmas specials, but there is also a concert even planned. Most are also returning favorites, with just the aforementioned concert not being broadcast in some form last year.

Christmas In Rockefeller Center, Wednesday at 8 on NBC

Hosted by the Today crew, this tree lighting special has been an annual tradition for NBC, having been broadcast yearly since 1997. This year, the special will serve as a lead-in to new episodes of SVU and Chicago PD, after airing with a Dolly Parton movie last year. 2016's ceremony drew a 1.7, up two tenths from the previous year. Will this year's airing also be up or will it see a decline?


Bruno Mars: 24K Magic Live at the Apollo, Wednesday at 10 on CBS

This special will feature Bruno Mars in his first TV concert event, and it's the only special of the week that hasn't previously aired in some form. Its lead-in will be Survivor, which is one of the best lead-ins that CBS can offer, putting 24K Magic Live in a pretty good position. Will this special do magic-ally or will it be a disappointment?


A Charlie Brown Christmas, Thursday at 8 on ABC

Always a strong performer, Charlie Brown Christmas returns this year on Thursdays, where it aired last year. Last year's performance was disappointing, however, with a 25% year-to-year decline to 1.5, well below that year's Thanksgiving special. This year's CB Thanksgiving was down 15% to 1.7, does this indicate trouble for CB Christmas?


The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration Thursday at 9 on ABC

This young special returns this year, with DWTS alums Julianne Hough and Nick Lachey hosting. IT will receive a lead-in from Charlie Brown Christmas, a huge upgrade from having to self-start on Thanksgiving in 2016. However, it didn't have to air at 10 PM that year, which may hurt it due to its family-friendly nature. Will Charlie Brown help the special be up, or will 10 PM hurt it more than its lead-in will help?

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, Friday at 8 on The CW

A long-running favorite, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer has always been a moderate performer for the CW. Last year's special drew a 0.3 for both airings, with one on Black Friday and another on a random Monday. This year, it returns to Friday, where it will air in place of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Will the show be able to improve on the ratings-challenged CW comedy or will it falter this year?

The Top 10 Tom Petty Songs: A Tribute

One month ago today, the music world lost a true legend when rock legend Tom Petty died at the age of 66. Petty was always one of my favorite musical artists, with a musical style that I just love. I can't really think of one Petty song that I don't enjoy. I love his solo work and his work with the Heartbreakers just the same, with both of those acts producing many fantastic gems. Though there are many I wish I could include, here are my ten favorite Tom Petty songs.

Honorable Mentions- The Waiting, Learning to Fly, You Wreck Me, Breakdown, Free Fallin'


10- Stop Draggin' My Heart Around

It could be argued that this one is more of a Stevie Nicks song than a Tom Petty song. And those are totally valid complaints. I can't deny that Nicks's involvement in this song made it even better for me, and it may have helped push it onto this list. However, Petty is absolutely fantastic in this song as well, and the two really work so well with each other. Without Petty, this song would be nowhere near as good as it is. And that's a fact.

9- Yer So Bad

I think this song is just so underrated. It's such a great song, one that I love so much. It's not super upbeat, but it's not painfully slow either. I just really love the tempo of this song. I love it, misspelling or not.

8- Don't Do Me Like That

The guitar on this song really is killer. Just so good. And obviously, the lyrics and Petty's sining are wonderful too. The song is just nearly perfect, an incredible listen and one of the best songs if you just want to rock out.

7- I Won't Back Down

I love this one mainly because of the message that it sends: no matter what you throw at me, I won't back down. It's a great message, and it helps make this into one of Petty's best songs. But it's more than just a great message. It's catchy as hell, and super easy to listen to.

6- Mary Jane's Last Dance

Mary Jane's Last Dance is a song that manages to be equal parts chilling and fun. The blend works quite well here, marking a unique sound for Petty. And not only do I absolutely adore the song, but the music video is great too. It's probably my favorite music video ever, because it's just so creepy and fitting for this song.

5- Don't Come Around Here No More

This song is so great because it's just so different. It's not your run-of-the-mill rock songs. It goes from slow to fast, making for a wildly entertaining song. There's such a big twist in this song that even Shonda Rhimes admires it!

4- Into the Great Wide Open

This is just a really beautiful song that I've always really admired and loved. It's a change from the many upbeat songs on this list, but that doesn't make it a less worthy occupant. It's a great song that's super under appreciated, but definitely not by me.

3- Refugee

This song is just so fun to listen to, and it just makes you want to rock out. It's a classic, and I just love it. It's one of those songs that I think everyone just loves, because it's so good.

2- Listen to Her Heart

One of Petty's most underrated songs, Listen to Her Heart is one of my absolute favorites. I will admit that I didn't really become a huge fan of the song until last month, and I can't recall ever listening to it by choice before then. But since I began listening to Petty's music more following his death, my fondness for the song has grown exponentially. The song itself isn't the only great thing, as the story behind it (Ike Turner making advances at Tom Petty's wife) is fascinating as well.

1- American Girl

The quintessential Petty song, American Girl is also his best. It's an incredibly catchy, wonderful song that is rightfully one of his best known. It's also known for its chilling and brilliant use in the horror classic The Silence of the Lambs, which helped make it even more of a pop culture staple. All in all, American Girl is a perfect song that just had to be #1.

What did you think of my list? Let me know in the comments below and vote on your favorite song in the poll below!

Tom Petty
1950-2017

Battle of the Songs: Look What You Made Me Do vs. Despacito

This is certainly a time to look into Billboard's Hot 100 chart; possibly the most active since Lady Gaga and Katy Perry both released lead singles to their new albums in August 2013. Despacito, a Justin Bieber-feature in mostly Spanish, has ruled the top of the chart for 15 weeks and is expected to top it for a record-tying 16th week. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift has a recent history of premiering at #1, and just recently released her lead single Look What You Made Me Do. Which may or may not be due to timing, with Despacito on the verge of breaking a record for most weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 and with rival Katy Perry releasing a new music video.

So what do you think will happen? Which song will be #1 a week from Monday?

A Simple Music Review: Childish Gambino (+ Hiatus News)

Like many fans of the TV show Community, I was surprised to find out Donald Glover could sing. But I was more surprised to find out he's a two time Grammy nominated artist and I gotta say, he's pretty damn good

FX

I was never fond of the rap genre, but I have come to acknowledge it as a form of music thanks to Donald, who goes by the name Childish Gambino in the music industry. Rap always felt bad to me but Gambino made me think differently. It's weird how he's now my favourite rapper considering how he was only my 4th favourite character on Community.

His first studio album Camp was alright. It had a few good songs like 'L.E.S.', 'Kids (keep up)', 'Bonfire', and most of all, 'Heartbeat'. 'Heartbeat' was got me hooked on him in the first place. It started off as a quiet song sounding sincere, but suddenly shifts to something more daring, something which made me realise Donald was cooler than I originally thought.

Afterwards, I checked out his second album Because The Internet and I found it to be better, like Gambino had leveled up in the rap game. Despite only liking half the album, I still think it's great. I'm a fickle person when it comes to music so the fact that half the songs are good is a big deal for me. It actually makes me feel glad knowing that he left Community in season 5 to work on this album, and thus I don't feel so bad about the void he left behind on the show. Some of my favourites on the album include 'Crawl', Flight Of The Navigator', '3005', 'Sweatpants' and lastly, 'Life, The Biggest Troll'. I'm very fond of' 'Life, The Biggest Troll' as I find it very sad and deep but at the same time it's pretty cool. In Gambino songs, sometimes the lyrics make sense, and some they don't and it is very clear in this song but that's something I prefer to overlook.

I listened to a few of his mix tapes as well. I didn't like Royalty and STM MTN, but I really enjoyed listening to Kauai. It gives a happy feeling when I listen to the tape. It serves as a sort of balance to some of the sad songs from his first album, and that's probably why I prefer Kauai over Camp. Some of the best songs in Kauai include 'Retro', 'Poke' and 'Sober'. As far as I'm aware, 'Sober' seems to be his most popular song and for good reason. It's very catchy and somewhat romantic, but still feels melancholic.

Here are my top 5 Childish Gambino songs:
5. 'Retro'
4. 'Centipede'
3. 'Life, The Biggest Troll'
2. 'Sober'
1. 'Heartbeat'

If you aren't a fan of rap, here are some of his non-rap songs:
4. 'Urn'
3. 'Pop Thieves'
2. 'Flight of the Navigator'
1. 'Sober'

Overall, Donald Glover is pretty awesome. He already has 2 albums out with a third one on the way, currently stars on his own TV show Atlanta, and is appearing in the upcoming Spiderman movie. I really hope this guy continues to do well and I wish to see more from him in the coming years.

[Bonus: Check out the Battle Tapes remix of 'Sweatpants'. It's a great song to dance to if you're angry. Battle Tapes are a good band but they don't have many songs. Their song 'Valkyrie' has appeared in an episode of 'Lucifer']

Thank you for reading my second review. As I've said before, all feedback is appreciated. I also want to announce that this is my last article for now as I must take a break for my exams. I will most likely return by the end of October. Since I'm planning to write more of these articles, if you would like me to write about a band who deserves recognition, please let me know in the comments or tell me via email at xionxiv@gmail.com and I'll try to listen to them during my break. If you have further queries, feel free to contact me.

If you would like to read my previous article, please click on the link below:
The Strokes