Top5 February and March Songs

 

 

I’ve been a little late with posts on this blog, especially the ones regarding the monthly Top5 Spotify Playlists, so I now start with February 2025. Well, this was a month was a month of discovery for me, from more of Mushroomheads’ back catalogue to Michael Stannes’ (Dark Tranquility) many projects: Cemetery Skyline and Halo Effect.

Well, the playlists starts off with a classic nu-metal track by Kid Rock, one that is so infectious that I keep returning to it, years after the first listen. Following it up is “In Darkness” by the gothic supergroup Cemetery Skyline, an incredibly catchy song where the standout is Michael Stanne’s singing and Santeri Kallio’s keyboards.

Up next is the version of “Le Vent Ne Portera” by the Detroit (originally a Noir Desire song), a French group that features the original writer and singer of this song that gives us an amazing rendition of an amazing pop-rock song. It is followed by “March of the Unheard” by The Halo Effect, a death metal song that surprises with a variety of sounds courtesy of a marching band, choirs and keyboards (also with a catchy guitar solo).

To conclude this playlist is the single “Kill Tomorrow” by Mushroomhead, off their album XIII. I hadn’t listened to this song in years and it finally caught up to me with the dynamic between singers, unusual percussion and catchy main riff.

 

And now, onto the March playlist: first off, we have “Hostage Stamps” by At the Drive In; from their last album, it is an amazing tongue twister of a song when it comes to guitar dynamics throughout. Then, we have “Lou’s Blues” by saxophonist Lou Donaldson, and infectious jazz-blues with a lovely saxophone solo and a congas keeping time throughout, what more can you ask for?

  I follow jazz with hip-hop with “Febre da Selva” by one of the rappers that shaped my taste in this genre in my teens, Fuse. An example of how good Portuguese hip hop can be. Then, follows “Two Faced” by Linkin Park of their comeback album, From Zero. It is a direct song that reminds me of their first releases with new singers’ Emily Armstrong voice matching perfectly with that of rapper Mike Shinoda.

To close this Top5 I choose “Silver” by Jesu, the shoegaze outfit led by Justin Broadrick (Godflesh) from the EP of the same name. It is a melancholic track with beautiful sadness that grips the listener from the first to the last minute; also Ted Parsons’ drumming is exquisite.

 

In conclusion, the workload for the months of February and March didn’t allow me to post these Top5s’ separately, so here they are, both for your listening pleasure. Also, due to the amount of Artists’ here present I refrain, exceptionally, from posting links to their official websites.

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 February Top5:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/57sLyRtXxbnzw76e7fRzFq?si=fa729cff1cae4a6b

 

March Top5:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Jlm9CSaWMeL5E6JDErasi?si=d1f930ec4d9f427e