It occurred to me today that I haven't yet shared the second
single to come from the upcoming Fall Out Boy album on my blog yet, which I'm a
little shocked at. To put it simply, The Phoenix is a masterpiece. Released
last week, it's already my second most played track of the year (the first
being FOB's comeback single, My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark) - as it
stands, the play count is currently at 420. It's inconceivably good. I
frequently listen to songs that I love and can't even begin to comprehend how
someone can be genius enough to think each component up. The Phoenix is
definitely one of those songs.
Judging from the current songs released from 'Save Rock and Roll' (which can be pre-ordered here), the album is going to be amazing, and I have extremely high expectations for it. The artists FOB are collaborating with are completely brilliant, featuring none other than Elton John and Courtney Love. I particularly can't wait to hear the song with Courtney Love. Though both songs that have been released so far are considerably different from previous Fall Out Boy songs, I'm a huge fan of what they're creating from the ashes of their hiatus. It's like a whole new band, yet somehow it's still the same FOB I know and love.
Over a week on from its release, I'm still playing The Phoenix on repeat. As with pretty much every other Fall Out Boy song, the lyrics are wonderful, the guitars and the drums are crazy. I love the bridge of the song, I love the chorus and I love the verses - this is a song that soars, so it's title is definitely appropriate. The Phoenix is one of the closest things to perfect I've ever heard, providing further evidence that Fall Out Boy are unarguably and undeniably one of the most talented bands of their time. With a comeback like this, Fall Out Boy have the potential to blow every other band out of the water.
Thnks Fr Th Mmrs is, in my opinion, one of the best songs in
existence. Fall Out Boy have been one of my favourite bands for about eight
years now, but this is the song that awarded them the unchanging status of my all-time
favourite band. One of a few all-time favourite bands anyway, but it’s rare I
find a band that I’m truly dedicated to. Bar the questionable Kim Kardashian
cameo in the song’s official video (which is really kind of wonderful), Thnks
Fr Th Mmrs is pure perfection and complete and utter brilliance; it affirmed my
belief that Fall Out Boy are masters of their art – both musical geniuses and
lyrical masterminds. The song holds a lot of meaning for me personally too - the
amount of times I listened to this song when Fall Out Boy first went on hiatus
is crazy. And now that they're back, I love it even more.
The hiatus is (finally) over! I can’t even find the words to announce it probably. When I first heard that Fall Out Boy had reunited, I spilt my coffee all over myself. That’s how excited I am. They’re one of my favourite bands ever (and also one of the greatest bands in the universe), so this is a dream come true for me. They’ve announced tour dates, they have a new album coming out May 7th and today they released an absolutely brilliant new song…
Most fans of rock music will agree that the majority of classic Christmas songs are aged and cheesy and overplayed, and it’s hard to escape them. So this is my playlist of some of my favourite Christmas songs, either created or covered by some of the best in rock music…
1. LostAlone – I Want Christmas Always
‘I Want Christmas Always’ is potentially one of the most perfect Christmas songs ever, everything about it screams festive spirit. LostAlone’s take on Christmas combines rock music and catchy riffs with signature elements of a classic Christmas song – including ‘ding-dongs’ and jingling bells – to create a song that is up there with the best. It always leaves me with a smile on my face and feeling super festive.
2. blink-182
Where to start with blink-182? They’ve made three great Christmas songs, all of them with the signature blink-182 sound. The lyrics in both ‘I Won’t Be Home For Christmas’ and ‘Happy Holidays, You Bastard’ are probably the most anti-Christmas lyrics possible for a Christmas song, yet I still always listen to them around this time of year to get me in the festive spirit. The band recently unveiled a new song from their upcoming EP, ‘dogs eating dogs,’ called ‘Boxing Day’ – while it’s only standard blink-182, with a folksy spin on their sound, it’s still a pretty good song.
3. Fall Out Boy – Yule Shoot Your Eye Out
‘Yule Shoot Your Eye Out’ is a typical FOB masterpiece and manages to be un-Christmassy whilst still being a Christmas song, which I guess the title defines well. Opening with the sound of sleigh bells and ending with an electronic snippet of Christmas carol ‘Deck the Halls,’ the lyrics refer to Christmas in a completely un-festive way. Its acoustic sound makes a nice change from all the cheer from classic Christmas songs, and it’s Fall Out Boy, so of course it’s going to be an awesome song.
4. All Time Low – Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass
The pop-punk sound and cheeky lyrics of All Time Low are what really make this song; like the classic Christmas songs, it’s catchy and it’s funny, but ‘Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass’ sounds nothing like the classic Christmas songs, which makes it 10x better. I love this song and it always leaves me looking forward to the holiday.
5. The Killers
Like with blink-182, there’s not much I can say about The Killers’ Christmas songs – they speak for themselves. Every year the band come out with a new song specially for the season, and every year they are amazing.
6. No Doubt – Oi To The World
I’m a fan of anything No Doubt, but their ska twist on this song (originally by The Vandals) is brilliant and manages to be a Christmas song without sound even remotely Christmassy, except from the guitar which maintains the sound of a festive song throughout.
7. My Chemical Romance – All I Want For Christmas Is You
In the first 40 seconds of this song, the only way you’d be able to tell that this is a My Chemical Romance cover of the classic Mariah Carey song (an unlikely choice, I know) is Gerard Way’s distinctive vocals. The full band make themselves known eventually though and pull the song off so well; I especially love the raw edge they’ve put on what is otherwise the classic Christmas song I hate the most. Basically, MCR’s take on this song makes for one of the best Christmas covers of all time.
8. Kids In Glass Houses – Secret Santa
This is the final song on the list, and with good reason. I don’t think I can put into words how much I love this song, it’s just so amazing. As much as I love Kids In Glass Houses, I don’t think I expected anything this good when I heard about their Christmas song. It’s made me feel even more Christmassy than I already did, which I didn’t think was possible. I love the video that accompanies it too.
So that’s my list of some of the most awesome Christmas songs of all time, in no particular order because they’re all bound to leave you in the festive spirit and looking forward to Christmas. Less than two weeks to go now!
