Believe it or not, it’s Monday once again and you know what that means! Another ONE OK ROCK playlist is here to help bring a little sunshine to your day! Woohoo!
I don’t have any idea how things are in your life right now, but in mine, they’re hovering somewhere between absolute chaos and utter despair. Last Friday, both my mom and my grandma tested COVID positive. While my mom is home, resting and recovering as well as she can, while trying to distance her from my dad (who is currently waiting for his own test results to come in), my grandmother, being the high-risk person that she is, was immediately admitted to the hospital. The fact that she’s now lying in a COVID ICU room, an hour and a half away from her nearest relative, is weighing heavily on me at the moment. So you can see why I need some pretty serious cheering up.
I’m not entire sure this single playlist can cheer me up, but any sort of distraction from my daily life is welcome right now and OOR is always a good distraction! Here’s hoping today’s playlist can work a little magic in both my day and yours!
As promised, I’m back on this most Monday-y of Mondays, with another ONE OK ROCK playlist that should, in theory, help make this day just a little bit better.
To be perfectly honest, I’m at the point in the day when I’m beginning to wonder how I’m still managing to function. It’s a bit of a mystery but I’m choosing to believe my love of OOR, and this concert set in particular, is compelling me to keep going.
You see, OOR’s 35xxxv North American Tour was the very first time I saw OOR live. It was only a few months after I’d moved to the Chicago area and I was in absolute shock, when I realized my all-time favorite band was playing in my city. I’d spent years lamenting the fact that I would probably never see OOR live. So, as you can imagine, buying that concert ticket and seeing them live, was a literal dream come true. And it’s why this concert setlist is just a little more special to me. It holds some serious sentimental value, and honestly, “Memories” is one of my all-time favorite songs. I actually want it played at my funeral one day but I won’t go into the “whys” on that one…
Like all good OORers, I’m still counting down the days to OOR’s “Field of Wonder” concert. And like all good OORers, I’ve been keeping up with all of the teaser trailers that have recently been released. To say I’m excited about this concert would be a HUGE understatement. I am freaking ecstatic!
I’m also very excited about the release of OOR’s newest concert video, which they also announced last week. At the risk of sounding ridiculously dramatic, my life literally changed during OOR’s “Eye of the Storm” Tour stop in Chicago last year, so having the chance to re-live a little bit of that magic, even via Blu-Ray, was too good to pass up. Yes, I know the Japan Tour is different from the North American tour, but it’ll be close enough. And yes, I have already pre-ordered the sucker. Why??? Well…
To be perfectly honest, I’ve been watching the concerts I already have in my collection, as a means of helping me cope with the overall crappiness of pandemic life. It might seem slightly weird to some, being lulled into a peaceful moment of serenity via a rock concert, but nothing makes me happier than being at an OOR show. Since there isn’t much in life that makes me happy, period, at the moment, letting myself indulge in a rare moment of joy has become a vital component of my daily self-care. Reading, yoga, and ONE OK ROCK may seem like an odd combination to some, but it works very well for me. So well, in fact, that it’s become part of my nightly routine. There’s nothing better than falling asleep to the sweet sounds of Toru’s wailing guitar and Taka’s screams…
On that note, I hope you have a chance to enjoy this new playlist. May it bring as much joy to you as it does me.
You know, I wasn’t even planning on writing a TOTW post this week, but when I saw Moonbin and Sanha’s new MV, just waiting for me on my YouTube homepage first thing Monday morning, I just couldn’t help myself!
Once again, the imminent change in the season has inspired a darker, more serious concept, and I, for one, am loving it. I will forever be a fan of the broody side of K-Pop and its ability to combine darker images with the catchy beats. It’s one of the many undeniable charms of K-Pop and this “Bad Idea” MV has pulled it off swimmingly!
But while I was squealing over my little ASTRO babies, I saw that Stray Kids had released the MV for “Back Door” and wouldn’t you know, I fell just as in love with this video as I did “Bad Idea”. For some unimaginable reason, I just can’t help but smile, every time I watch both of these darn MVs. So then I thought, why the heck to do I have to pick just one tune to squeal over? Why can’t I just mention all the videos that have made me smile this week?
So that’s what I’m doing. Because let’s face it, life is all kinds of messed up right now and it doesn’t hurt to have more than one reason to smile. And boy, oh boy! This MV certainly makes me smile! The boys themselves are as cute as ever, the choreo is freaking fantastic, and the bass-line is so dang catchy, you’d have to be a corpse to not feel it inspire even the tiniest bit of a smile.
But K-Pop hasn’t been the only source of joy for me this week. Oh no! J-Rock is doing what it does best: giving me ample reasons to smile as it simultaneously makes my heart skip a beat. While ONE OK ROCK has been busy teasing the crap out of their upcoming live-streamed concert, and Crossfaith has been promoting the crap of the live-streamed concert they held last weekend, MIYAVI has released this little gem of a video and you know, I just couldn’t let a chance to squeal over one of my favorite guitar playing rock stars go by!
In all honesty, it really wouldn’t matter to me what MIYAVI played. It’d love it regardless. But there’s just something about this version of “Over the Rainbow” that has me smiling. Maybe it’s just the simple reminder that no matter how gray things might be now, there’s always the hope that they’ll brighten again… Someday… That’s what I’m hoping for anyway.
Until that day comes, I hope this week’s “Tunes” have brought a little sunshine your way and have given you as many reason to smile as they have given me.
Remember last week, when I mentioned a little something about ONE OK ROCK’s upcoming LIVE-streamed concert, “Field of Wonder”? Well, I may be just a teensy bit excited about said concert and as such, I’ve been thinking that doing a little pre-concert celebrating might not be such a bad thing. But how does one celebrate a concert that is exactly 26 days, 13 hours, 16 minutes, and 21 seconds away? Why, with a heckin’ lot of OOR playlists, of course!
I’m very much aware that putting together a playlist comprised of the setlist from OOR’s 2014 show isn’t quite the same as being at the show. Heck, it’s not even the same as watching the show when OOR streamed it on YouTube this past spring. But let’s face it, we’re not going to be going to any shows in-person for who knows how long, so I figure this is the next best thing.
If you’re looking for an exact replica of that incredible 2014 show, this isn’t it. I’m sure you could find something like that out there, if you really tried, but I’m not gonna go there. Instead, I’ve tried to use as many of OOR’s official music videos as I possible can, to recreate the set-list itself and nothing more. Sadly, not every OOR song has an official video, so I’ve tried to use the best fan-made videos I can find. Is it a perfect playlist? No. But if nothing else, it gives me something fun to watch while I slowly kill myself during my treadmill runs. (Anyone else hate those painful torture devices disguised as fitness machines, or is that just me?)
My plan is to create a playlist for every one of the concerts OOR streamed for us poor, miserable, pandemic-plagued fans, earlier this year. There were seven concerts in all, so doing one a week will take us way past the “Field of Wonder” date. I suppose I could do two a week, but having a weekly dose of ONE OK ROCK might be kinda nice. Maybe it’ll help lessen the inevitable post-concert blues???
Because I’m such a ridiculous fangirl, I have every one of these concert setlists already saved as playlists on iTunes (which you can find, if you really wanted to, by searching for me @TheZombieMamma). I also have the “Listening Together” playlist OOR created for Spotify, which I may turn into a YT playlist as well someday. It all depends on how crazy life gets and how interested anyone is in having it. I mean, I’m cool with endlessly sharing my love of ONE OK ROCK but I’m also aware that not everyone in the world shares my enthusiasm for this fantabulous rock band. After all, I really can curb the inner fangirl. When I have to.
Earlier this week, Taemin made his comeback with the release of his third solo album and wouldn’t you know it, the title track is so freaking fantastic, it has inspired me to crawl out of my pandemic-y hole of solitude long enough to share my squeals of delight with the world. (With a mask on, of course.)
It comes as no surprise that “Criminal” meets every single one of my expectations for solo track from SHINEE’s maknae. The combination of Taemin’s sultry, yet slightly haunting vocals, mixed with that slightly dark, yet still somehow poppy beat that makes you want to move your feet, is exactly what I love about Taemin’s music. It’s a brilliant combination of light and dark, emotional pop, that makes my little fangirl heart so happy! And I haven’t even started talking about the MV yet!
To say I love this music video feels like such an understatement. The concept is as strong as any other Taemin comeback. The visuals are gorgeous on every level and I love that there’s this not-so-hidden feel of sinister intent that’s been glossed over by that beautiful K-Pop shine. In short, it’s the perfect concept for this time of year, when the bright neon obnoxiousness of summer gives way to the more muted and somewhat spooky tones of autumn.
Of course, as much as I love the concept of the video, it’s the choreography that has really moved me. As always, I’m mesmerized by the fluidity of Taemin’s choreo. I find myself perpetually in awe of the way this man moves. It is art in motion and I cannot even begin to express the feelings that this beauty invokes. It really is nothing short of perfection and all I can say is, well done, my dude. Well done indeed!
Honestly, the same could be said for the entirety of Taemin’s third album. I’ve been listening to “Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1” on repeat this week and I can’t get over how much I love it. The vibe of the entire album is so very, very Taemin, which might seem like a dumb thing to say but hear me out. Every once in a while, an artist will try branching out into new sounds. Sometimes it works, other times, not so much. It makes me happy that Taemin has found a sound that works for him and is sticking with it. Because this sound really, REALLY, works for him.
As far as tracks go, I found the collaboration with Kid milli on “Black Rose” to be an unexpected and rather fabulous treat. But it’s “2 KIDS” that really stands out to me. I think it’s because the lyrics just hit on a much more personal note than most. To be honest, it’s a bit of an unexpected surprise, which might be why I like it so much.
If you’re looking for a new album to add to your K-Pop collection, I would highly recommend Taemin’s third solo offering. I might even go so far as to promise that it won’t disappoint. But maybe that’s just my inner fangirl talking…
Okay, okay, okay. So I know it’s been about 19 million years since I last wrote anything. And to be perfectly honest, it’s feels pretty weird to be writing this now but HOLY HECKIN’ HECK, GUYS!!!
About three weeks ago, the members of ONE OK ROCK began posting cryptic photos on their Instagram accounts that seemed to hint very strongly about an upcoming concert. Of course, I spent a lot of time discussing what all of this might mean with some of my most devoted OORer friends, and it didn’t take long for us to decide that yes, this was going to be some sort of online concert. (Yeah, we’re super clever like that!)
Then about two weeks ago, the members (and all of OOR’s official SNS accounts) started posting this short video, confirming our suspicions that “Field of Wonder” would, in fact, be an online concert and that tickets were now on sale.
Naturally, I had to buy my ticket the second I finished watching that short little video of instant joy and death. (I don’t think I’ve ever purchased a ticket so quickly in my life!) Needless to say, I’ve been counting down the days until October 11th ever since. And yes, I do mean literally. Because I really am that pathetic.
Then yesterday, the members of OOR started posting a link to this little gem of a teaser video and DEAR SWEET BABY FLYING MONKEYS! Those 65 seconds have made me happier than I have been in freaking ages!
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I am suffering from some very serious pandemic-induced concert withdrawals. So maybe my reaction to all of this is a bit more exaggerated than it might otherwise be. But honestly, considering the way this year has gone, having something to look forward to is a frickin’ godsend and October can’t come soon enough!
