5 Favourite Songs | March 2018

It's the end of another month, so it's time for a new collection of my favourite songs. During March I didn't really listen to as much new music - I was much busier with books, TV, etc, and as a result it's been a little bit harder to pick out songs that have gripped me massively over the past month. Towards the end of March I did start listening to a lot of stuff again, so swings and roundabouts really. I naturally have phases of focusing a lot more or a lot less on music, but still, here are the songs I've been enjoying the most in March.

1. 5 Seconds of Summer - Want You Back

This song. This is one of those songs, okay. I heard this through a Spotify advert (seriously, my music exposure relies way too much on Spotify ads lately, but damn it they just know exactly what to advertise to me), and immediately felt a wave of passion roll throughout my entire body. I don't know if it's the theme and feeling of yearning, the cool little guitar bits, or the transition from gentle piano to a perfect, hard rhythmic synth (my eternal weakness). It dips in and out of a big sound in the best way, and I'm going to listen to it again and again until I get fatigued.

Links: YouTube | Spotify

2. Howard Jones - No One Is To Blame

This is an old favourite of mine, but I've been listening to a bit of Howard Jones recently, and man, this song makes me feel so melancholic. It's such a masterful use of the poignant and pausing piano, and so perfectly encapsulates a wistful feeling, but has an oddly happy/accepting tint to it as well? I love it so much. Find me outside a chip shop at 3am howling "we want everyooooooooooooone".

Links: YouTube | Spotify

3. Stanley Brinks and The Wave Pictures - Orange Juice

This is such a chilled out guitar song that wonderfully reflects a kind of resigned, sardonic displeasure. The guitar works is very nice, and the lyrics are golden ("life doesn’t have a meaning/anything goes/you might as well be dreaming").

Links: YouTube | Spotify

4. Years & Years - Sanctify

Okay, so Depeche Mode are more or less my favourite musical artist, right? Well I just want to posit that Years & Years are in so many ways a modern Depeche Mode. The Martin Gore sensitive boy approach, a lot of elements of their sound, and oh boy, the evocation of religious imagery. That's what I love, and this song does it well. Another addition to the flawless back catalogue of achingly perfect bops that Years & Years have brought forth for me to sup like communion wine.

Links: YouTube | Spotify

5. 米津玄師 (Kenshi Yonezu) - Lemon

This is such a sweet, light song. It's soft pop/rock in style but the thing I like about it most is that it has this lovely build up and slow down. It makes nice use of a gentle piano and some clapping. The music video is also so evocative and visually pleasing, taking place in what looks like a dim church with lots of big windows making pretty shafts of light.

Links: YouTube | Spotify

♬

Having a little break in my endless quest for new music is probably a good thing, and hopefully will allow me to explore new music in some unexpected ways instead - but mostly I ended up reminiscing about 2013 Ariana Grande for a bit, before coming back to find some new music and stumbling upon a YouTube playlist of new Japanese singles. 'Baby I' somehow feels like it's deeper in my heart when I listen to it now. Thanks Ariana. See you next month for my April picks.