Tag: music

  • Software that I am using July 2025

    Software that I am using July 2025

    Over the last few months, I have decided to switch to Linux for non-gaming activities. While I could play games on it, there are some that require anti-cheat or require some workarounds that I am not investing time into.

    Since my switch over to Linux, I have started using different software, which would be available on platforms, so hopefully down the line, I am able to transition my workflow to my Windows and macOS machine.

    Most software is self-explanatory, but for some, I will include reasons why I use them. If there is something here that you wish to know more about, please reach out to me on the Fediverse or Bluesky

    • Web Browser = Waterfox
      • It’s a privacy alternative to Firefox, running on a slightly older build but doesn’t include the privacy crap that Firefox added a while back (Namely telemetry)
    • Email Client = Betterbird
      • As they say, it’s “Thunderbird on steroids” but they have added some basic things that should be in Thunderbird, including having attachments on top (like in Outlook), but it’s at the bottom by default… for reasons and I miss attachments half the time.
    • Discord Client = Vesktop/Vencord
      • It’s basically essential if you wish to customise your default Discord experience, there are some nice plugins available for it too and the choice of custom themes is always a welcome touch.
    • Terminal = kitty
      • This is only new to me in the last couple of days. This is really for local terminal use, as I use Termius to interact with servers. It’s nice, I like it.
    • Note-taking: Obsidian
      • I have been using Notion for a long time, but the performance has been atrocious, and so I have switched to Obsidian. Instead of using their own syncing tool, I have been syncing the vault with my own NextCloud server.
    • Instant Messaging: Telegram
      • What is there to say about it, it’s a great IM chat client… no frills (if you can look past all the crypto nonsense)
    • Word/Spreadsheet: OnlyOffice
      • What if Microsoft Office was not made by Microsoft? You would get OnlyOffice. They apparently have some collaboration stuff built in, but for general word processing and spread sheeting, OnlyOffice will do it. One thing I do like about it, is that all documents, regardless of what you are working on, is in one window.
    • Music player: Spotify
      • I am currently using Spotify, as I am not happy with Rhythmbox, but I haven’t looked into an alternative at the time of writing.
      • I also signed up to Apple Music’s ‘3-month for the price of 1’ offer, and I have been using that on and off. There are some things that I do not like about it… Perhaps I should look at the offers from other providers again.

  • [The JukeBox] #99 – Oingo Boingo – Who Do You Want To Be?

    [The JukeBox] #99 – Oingo Boingo – Who Do You Want To Be?

    Recently the remake of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 was announced and I was reminiscing about the other games in the series and the music that was included.

    The Tony Hawk series has been known to showcase a lot of great music across it’s 10 main line games.

    For this JukeBox, we head back to 2005 and the time where my main device for playing games with the original ‘Phat’ Nintendo DS and I bought myself a copy of Tony Hawk’s American Sk8land. On PlayStation 2, Xbox, Gamecube and PC, it was titled American Wasteland, but changed for Nintendo DS and the Game Boy Advance.

    It was still the first year of the original Nintendo DS’ life so a lot of new titles were making use of the touch screen. This game used it to perform certain tricks that earned you more points, but you never needed to use them, the entire game can be played via the D-Pad and face buttons.

    The TL;DR of American Sk8land is that you are tasked to help Tony Hawk fund the purchasing of an old skatepark and to help Mindy start a comic book based on skating. It is your job to go around California, complete jobs and earn money. These ‘jobs’ would involve you skating, performing tricks, collecting items or helping to retrieve things out of reach.

    The game comes packed with various punk rock tunes from some bands that you may know such as Green Day and Dead Kennedys. On the Game Boy Advance version, they had Filthy/Gorgeous by Scissor Sisters.

    Being the Nintendo DS, the music was compressed. Sounds great in the video below but coming out of a mono speaker was a different experience.

    Video should start at 3:41.

    But the song that I really liked in this game was Oingo Boingo’s Who Do You Want To Be?

    It mixes punk rock with a bit of Ska, it’s repeating lyrics makes it easy to learn so you can sing along with it by the end of the song.

    From Wiki, Oingo Boingo is a new wave band formed in 1979 created from the street theatre group The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo

    Who Do You Want To Be? was the first track on Oingo Boingo’s 3rd studio album ‘Good for Your Soul’ which released in 1983.

    The version that is in Tony Hawk’s American Sk8land / Wasteland is their re-recording that they did in their 1988 “Alive” album.

    YouTube – Live version

    YouTube – Alive version

    Spotify

    Lyrics

    Who do you want to be today?
    Who do you want to be?
    Who do you want to be today?
    Do you want to be just like someone on TV?

    Oh boredom is so terrible
    It’s like a dread disease
    Nothing could be worse than
    When there’s nothing on TV
    I’d rather be a cowboy
    Than to stare blank at the walls
    I’ve been reborn so many times
    I can’t remember them all and I say

    Who do you want to be today?
    Who do you want to be?
    Who do you want to be today?
    Do you want to be just like someone on TV?
    Just like somebody on TV

    I think I’ll be a teddy boy
    I think I’ll be a hunk
    I think I’ll be a tough guy
    And I think I’ll be a punk
    I might just be a fashion star
    All dressed in frilly rags
    Or perhaps I’ll cross the other side
    And walk around in drag

    Who do you want to be today?
    Who do you want to be?
    Who do you want to be today?
    Do you want to be just like someone on TV?
    Just like somebody on TV

    Oh yeah

    Do you like live just like a rock
    In the middle of the sea?
    Do you want to suffer by yourself
    In a pool of blissful misery?
    Do you feel like a saint in artist’s clothes
    With a rosary in your hand?
    Do you want to be crazy like Van Gogh?
    Like a stranger in a strange strange land?
    Would you rather push the buttons
    And be feared by all humanity?
    Or perhaps you’d like to be a bum
    Do you wanna be stupid, just like me?

    Who do you want to be today?
    Who do you want to be?
    Who do you want to be today?
    Do you want to be just like someone on TV?
    Just like somebody on TV

    Who do you want to be today?
    Who do you want to be today?
    Who do you want to be today?
    Who do you want to be today?

    Who do you want to be today?
    Who do you want to be?
    Who do you want to be today?
    Who do you want to be?

  • [The JukeBox] #98 – Casiopea – Time Limit

    [The JukeBox] #98 – Casiopea – Time Limit

    I previously covered the history of Casiopea almost 2 years ago in #82 highlighting Galactic Funk, but this time, I’m highlighting their first track of their very first album.

    Their self-titled album, released in May 1979 was released 2 years after their on-stage debut.

    Oricon didn’t create an albums charts until 1987, so we do not know how well the album did.

    The song would be re-released on their 1982 live album, Mint Jams.

    Official Cover of Casiopea’s self-titled album
    Early promotion/pressing of Casiopea’s self-titled album.

    YouTube

    Spotify

  • Spotify 2025 Playlist is live!

    Spotify 2025 Playlist is live!

    Quick post to say that my 2025 Spotify Playlist has been created. There is nothing on there right now, but you can follow it and check on it throughout the year for new music that I add to it:

    I have a list of all the yearly Spotify playlists that I have created since 2017 over on the Spotify Playlists page.

  • [The JukeBox] #97 – Flip and Fill FT. Karen Parry – Shooting Star

    [The JukeBox] #97 – Flip and Fill FT. Karen Parry – Shooting Star

    Dance music from the early 2000s resonate with me quite a bit. It was something that was always played while at home or at school. Especially whenever I went to secondary school, some classmates with their phones (that we weren’t supposed to have) were banging out the likes of Darude, Scooter, Cascada.

    At home, my father really enjoyed his dance music and would put on ‘Kiss’ or ‘The Box’ on the TV and if we were in the car, it was a pirate radio station, Energy 106.

    There would be a rotating playlist on the TV, radio and my classmates phones which included ‘Shooting Star’,

    Released in 2002 and appearing on the very first Clubland compilation album released in the summer of 02, it has always been a great song to sing and dance to.

    YouTube
    Spotify

    Lyrics:

    Where were you to hold my hand
    Do the things that we had planned
    Yes I need you by my side
    When things go crazy

    I just need to know you care
    Guarantee that you’ll be there
    When I wake up in the night
    Will you be my guiding light?

    I don’t care how far
    I’ll take you there tonight
    Just tell me where you are
    And everything’s gonna be alright

    Just tell me where you are, where you are, where you are
    Like a shooting star across the midnight sky
    From far from afar just to be with you tonight
    Like a shooting star across the midnight sky
    From afar from afar just to be with you tonight

    Where were you to hold my hand
    Do the things that we had planned
    Yes I need you by my side
    When things go crazy

    I just need to know you care
    Guarantee that you’ll be there
    When I wake up in the night
    Will you be my guiding light?

    Like a shooting star
    Like a shooting star across the midnight sky
    Wherever you are you’re gonna see me fly
    Like a shooting star across the midnight sky
    Wherever you are you’re gonna see me fly

    Where were you to hold my hand
    Do the things that we had planned
    Yes I need you by my side
    When things go crazy

    I just need to know you care
    Guarantee that you’ll be there
    When I wake up in the night
    Will you be my guiding light?

    Where were you to hold my hand
    Do the things that we had planned
    Yes I need you by my side
    When things go crazy
    I just need to know you care
    Guarantee that you’ll be there
    When I wake up in the night
    Will you be my guiding light?
    Spoken with you to hold my hand

  • [The JukeBox] #96 – BABYMETAL x Electric Callboy – RATATATA

    [The JukeBox] #96 – BABYMETAL x Electric Callboy – RATATATA

    Back in May, hit Japanese female metal band, BABYMETAL, collabed with German electronic-metal band, Electric Callboy for their song RATATATA.

    Who are BABYMETAL?

    Originally, there were part of an idol group called Sakura Gakuin. These idol groups are formed whenever a student joins a club (an after-school activity) and they are taught music with like-minded individuals ran by talent agencies rather than the schools.

    A club can have multiple members. With Sakura Gakuin, there were approx 10–12 members at any one time. Within these clubs, there would be ‘units’.
    This would be a collection of specific students who perform together under a dedicated name. In 2010, the “Heavy Metal Club” was formed with 3 of the Sakura Gakuin club, Suzuka Nakamoto (12), Yui Mizuno (11) and Moa Kikuchi (11). This would become BABYMETAL. The girls would perform under the names of Su-metal, Yui-metal and Moa-metal.

    Traditionally, idol music tends to be very ‘poppy’, ‘positive’ and ‘light-hearted’. A clear example of this would be AKB48’s Colorcon Wink (below).
    Like Sakura Gakuin, AKB48 is an idol group with a lot more members, and they would be older. AKB48 would be one of, if not the most popular idol groups in Japan. So much so, they have many many many spinoff groups using the 48g name. AKB means Akihabara, which is an area in Tokyo, Japan. (Seriously, the rabbit hole on 48g groups goes very, very deep)

     

    In 2018, Yui departed from the band due to poor health. In 2023, former Sakura Gakuin member, Momoko Okazaki joined the band. She performs under the name of Momo-metal.

    BABYMETAL also have a backing band, “Kami Band” who are not officially recognised as members, but they are recognised and appreciated at their live concerts.

    In the west, BABYMETAL became popular for their performances from their music videos and the fact that most bands in the west are 16+, when these girls were 12 and 13 when they broke America.

    WWE featured their song KARATE for their show NXT Takeover: The End back in June 2016. They announced last night at WWE Summerslam, that BABYMETAL’s RATATATA will be the official theme for their upcoming show WWE Bash in Berlin on August 31st 2024.

    Who are Electric Callboy?

    Electric Callboy (fka. Eskimo Callboy) are an ‘electronicore‘ band from Germany. They were also formed in 2010 and are known for creating comedic songs, shows and videos.

    In 2021, they submitted their song “Pump it” for the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, but they were not included.

    Lyrics:

    Every night when the sky turns red up above
    I feel the beat in my veins
    And I’m searching for love
    You know that hips don’t lie
    I leave you hypnotized
    Just give me one more try
    To make you feel that vibe
    And it goes

    Ra ta ta ta ta ta!
    My body is a weapon
    Ra ta ta ta ta ta!
    We’re gonna hit the floor
    Ra ta ta ta ta ta!
    We’re gonna make it happen
    Ra ta ta ta ta ta!
    Now gimme some more

    I will push it to the limit
    And everybody’s feeling the sound of the night
    I don’t wanna stop
    We push it to the limit
    Together we will crash the morning light

    ブ·チ·ア·ガ·レ！
    Bun Bun Bun Moving
    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun
    Bun Bun Bun Shaking
    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun
    Bun Bun Bun Jumping
    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun
    Bun Bun Bun Stomping

    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun

    アゲ！
    キラっとしちゃうアゲ！
    フワっとしちゃうアゲ！
    ドキっとしちゃうアゲ！
    小悪魔しちゃうけど大丈夫？
    瞳に映した 笑顔の魔法で罠に誘い込む

    And it goes
    Ra ta ta ta ta ta!
    My body is a weapon
    Ra ta ta ta ta ta!
    We’re gonna hit the floor
    Ra ta ta ta ta ta!
    We’re gonna make it happen
    Ra ta ta ta ta ta!
    Now gimme some more

    I will push it to the limit
    And everybody’s feeling the sound of the night
    I don’t wanna stop
    We push it to the limit
    Together we will crash the morning light

    ブ·チ·ア·ガ·レ！
    Bun Bun Bun Moving
    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun
    Bun Bun Bun Shaking
    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun
    Bun Bun Bun Jumping
    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun
    Bun Bun Bun Stomping
    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun

    I’m here for the moment
    Here for the beat
    Here for the love
    And the friends I need
    You know that I’ll be there for good

    I’m here for the moment
    Here for the beat
    Here for the love
    And the friends I need
    You know that I’ll be there for good

    RA TA TA TA!
    I go fucking crazy ‘cause I’m waiting for the drop
    Are you ready?
    Let’s GO!
    So tell me baby can I get a
    Fu! Fu!
    So hear me now
    Fu! Fu!
    You know what I want
    Fu! Fu!
    Now everybody’s getting down

    I will push it to the limit
    And everybody’s feeling the sound of the night
    I don’t wanna stop
    We push it to the limit
    Together we will crash the morning light

    ブ·チ·ア·ガ·レ！
    Bun Bun Bun Moving
    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun
    Bun Bun Bun Shaking
    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun
    Bun Bun Bun Jumping
    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun
    Bun Bun Bun Stomping
    Bun Bun Bun Bun Bun

    Everybody!
    Fu! Fu!
    Out of control
    Fu! Fu!
    Everybody!
    Fu! Fu!
    Out of control
    Fu! Fu! Fu! Fu!
    Now everybody’s getting down