Not long ago I shared that you can follow me on Spotify! Thanks to everyone who has followed me/one of my playlists. Anyway, I wanted to make a post dedicated to my Rock Out playlist (yes I know the name is lame—I couldn’t think of anything good). This playlist is also my most followed!
Before I got into Mandopop, I mostly listened to indie rock, alt rock, pop rock, etc. I used to listen to heavier music, but my tastes slowly shifted. As a result, I don’t really listen to straight-up Chinese rock, but I do love rock-ish music.
Today I’ll be highlighting some songs/artists from Rock Out. I hope you enjoy them. I went through to try and make sure none of these songs have been featured on my blog before (but I may have missed one or two).
周笔畅 / Bibi Zhou Bibi doesn’t have a lot of rock songs, but the few she has are soooo good. And the clips I’ve seen of her performing them live are great as well.
《别装了》 has a slightly-dated sounded, but I mean this in a good way. Everyone needs a go-to 2010 pop-rock song.
《沉默的真相》 is from a soundtrack, and it’s so good that I’m planning to watch the show. It starts out more dark and lowkey but really takes off.
《荷米斯》 is one of those songs that makes me feel effortlessly cool (which I am not).
孟慧圆 / Meng Huiyuan 《背比》 is a very bouncy song. It’s also short and snappy—just a lot of fun to listen to all around.
张惠妹 / A-Mei I mean, you already know the legendary A-Mei. I don’t even have to say anything. A-Mei has two great rock albums (AMITandAMIT2) plus some other rock-leaning songs here and there. But I wanted to feature some of her songs from other albums.
《发生什么事》 is loud and powerful. You can just let go and jam out to this song.
《不要乱说》 gives off strong don’t mess with me vibes. I feel empowered yet intimidated at the same time.
《不顾一切》 would make the most perfect spy or action movie theme song! And I would definitely watch the movie.
徐佳莹 / LaLa Hsu 《拉拉队》 puts me in a instant good mood. It’s very peppy, which is perfect because 拉拉队 means cheerleading squad.
林宥嘉 / Yoga Lin 《热血无赖》 is fast-paced and upbeat. It will definitely jolt you awake if you’re drowsy. I hope that 林宥嘉 makes more rock-infused songs in the future!
林忆莲 / Sandy Lam 《盖亚》 is arguably one of the least rock songs here, but it’s a true masterpiece, so you should listen to it anyway. It will 打动你 for sure. It’s very grand and powerful with a strong message too.
莫文蔚 / Karen Mok About a year ago I was listening to Karen Mok 24/7. And I still listen to her all the time today. She has some great rock songs from throughout her career.
《I Will Be Fine》 would be the perfect song to play while racing through the city at night with the windows down. Yes, that is very specific. But that’s how it makes me feel, and I think the lyrics fit.
《因为所以》 is mellow in a sad, wallowing way. The lyrics are quiet tragic, but they are a good opportunity to practice 因为……所以.
《野》 gets the blood pumping! It makes you want to get moving or maybe even headbang a little.
萧敬腾 / Jam Hsiao I’ve been meaning to explore 萧敬腾’s discography ever since I heard 《皮囊》 on 乘风破浪的姐姐. I think the best way to describe this song is wild and in-your-face. The delivery comes across as the perfect amount of unhinged.
蔡健雅 / Tanya Chua 《多米诺》 is not a style of song Tanya has explored a lot, which is a shame because she’s good at it! It’s not anything groundbreaking, but it’s a solid and catchy pop-rock song.
薛之谦 / Joker Xue 薛之谦 is my latest Mandopop obsession. I’ve been listening to his music nonstop lately. He has quite a few rock-ish songs, but he can truly pull off all styles.
《慢半拍》 has an addictive little bounce to it, but it also has a rather sinister feel. And it’s infectious from the first listen.
《野心》 to me sounds epic in a dark way? It’s hard to describe. It feels like there is a story with many twists and turns behind the lyrics.
《凤毛麟角》 was described as causing goosebumps in the YouTube comments. I find that very fitting. It’s kind of haunting, at least the quieter sections are.
许含光 / Lumi Hsu 《安森girl》 gives me the feeling of cutting loose. It sounds like youth and making mistakes.
路嘉欣 / Jozie Lu 《你不懂》 is a perfect teen angst song. It makes me feel oddly nostalgic. I think I would have liked this song a lot back in high school too.
邓紫棋 / GEM 《不存在的存在》 is the closest to rock I’ve heard from GEM. This song slowly and steadily builds to a crescendo, and then calms down again. It’s very dark and sorrowful.
郭顶 / Guo Ding 《落地之前》 is so smooth and atmospheric. There’s really nothing to dislike. And of course I just had to include a 郭顶 song. The whole album this song is from is perfection.
韦礼安 / WeiBird 《狼》 astonished me upon first listen because I had no idea 韦礼安 had this in him! And wow, he really pulled it off. This song is bombastic!
hi everyone! it’s been a while since i made a huge playlist masterpost, but i thought that right now when we’re all stuck inside wondering what to do with our time i would make a list of all my playlists. listening to music is so calming and definitely helps me pass the time…so enjoy! - cam
hi cuties it’s been a while hasn’t it! i’ve been talking briefly to a lovely person who has spent so much time creating spotify playlists that people enjoy!! i’d really appreciate it if you guys would give it a listen and boost this post
i am hoping that at some point throughout these next few months i can start posting on here again and get to know you guys a bit better
For anyone going through it, I made a playlist that is meant to be listened to in order to help with anyone who’s feeling down. It’s meant to be a sort of album!
The legendary musician, producer, and collaborator SOPHIE has passed on. She’s a producer as prolific as Brian Eno. A critically acclaimed musician. Trans Icon. Founder of HyperPop, the genre that defines Pop in this age. Listening to her, her influence becomes obvious. Much of modern music has her fingerprints all over it, either directly or indirectly.
I urge you to take time to appreciate her and her fellow trans trailblazers, like Wendy Carlos, Lauren Bousfield, and Laura Les.
Wendy Carlos is one of the best soundtrack artists alive, responsible for The Shining, TRON, and Clockwork Orange. Lauren Bousfield’s debut as Nero’s Day At Disneyland laid the foundation for breakbeat’s evolution into hyperpop, whilst SOPHIE and 100 Gecs (Laura Les’s duo with Dylan Brady) define hyperpop itself.
That’s by no means the end of the list of genderqueer musicians, which includes Of Montreal, Sam Smith, Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!, Ruby Rose, Glass Beach, Zand, Dorian Electra, Christine and the Queens, Vektroid (Macintosh Plus), Left @ London, and Mal Blum.
Nor is that list recent. Though The Clockwork Orange came out in 1971 and Carlos was out by the time she was a contributor to Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. She is far beat by 40’s gospel singer Willmer “Little Ax” Broadnax, who sang with the biggest acts of his day. Like 30’s Jazz Singer Billy Tipton, Little Ax was transmasculine.
Closer to home for me are 4th Curtis https://www.4thcurtis.com/, who are absolutely wonderful. I truly believe they will define an entire social movement, aesthetic, and punk scene. My Dutch music geek friend is a fucking huge fan of them, and one of their members is a good friend of Literally 2 out of the 3 kindest people I know. That’s not something that maybe should go into a formal article like this, but CPunk fucking rocks and they do too.
Trans individuals have a long history in music, and have come to define much of what we listen to today.
Check out this article about Ana Roxanne, an amazing intersex musician talking about her album Because of a flower. support intersex musicians and listen to her work!
Some quotes:
“ A year after, she realized that she might have an album on her hands. “They all seemed to carry this thread of meaning,” she says of the songs on Because of a Flower. Throughout, she uses symbols like water and tonal harmony as metaphors for the transcendent beauty of gender fluidity. “
“ When I learned that most flowering plants are hermaphrodites, that felt significant to me. I saw flowers in this new sense because they’re universally very beautiful. Whereas historically, intersex people are not seen in the same way.”
“ Honestly, just meeting other intersex people, being able to learn from them, and share our different experiences and our individual conditions that we have. I’ve learned so much just from talking to them, hanging out with them, and seeing their research and experiences that they share on the internet. It takes a lot. It can be very exhausting just because it’s such an intimate thing to be talking about your body. It’s not just about your chromosomal makeup, it’s about your body parts. It’s so personal. It’s been amazing to feel a solid community. Being able to meet intersex people who will sometimes message me online and say, “You were an inspiration to me when I came out.” “
Vundabar ⚡️ (this is THE best new but not new band, they have a million great alternative songs that will make you wanna join a band)
JEFF The Brotherhood (new rock music ain’t dead yet, they’re really awesome and have a bunch of tunes you have yet to discover)
Violent Soho (i swear to you, this is the band you’ve been craving. super good rock music that gives off 90s vibes)
Wolf Alice (even though you SHOULD have heard their stuff by now, if you haven’t please do. my absolute favorite band who are underrated af with a mix of hard punk, alternative, rock, and slow songs)
Jack River ☀️ (really versatile with a good mix of slower/pop songs and bangin’ alternative)
Goodbye Honolulu (my new fav alt band, they have an amazing sound and ‘typical’ will be your favorite by far)
Shag Rock (they have good lowkey indie stuff, will give you summer vibes in this cold hell we are living in)
Albert Hammond Jr. (not a band but if y’all didn’t know he has solo stuff out!!! somewhat comparable to the strokes but he has amazing music with an awesome style nd it’s wonderful)
DMA’s✖️(one of the greatest bands I’ve ever heard, Oasis vibes, highly recommend)
Skegss⚡️ (makes you feel like you’re skateboarding down a boardwalk in the middle of an australian summer)
Vundabar (one of my all time favorite bands… they make a unique kind of alternative music with catchy melodies and gritty lyrics/sounds that are truly brilliant)
Goodbye Honolulu (really good garage rock stuff and an overall awesome sound. chord progressions are also a1)
Made Violent (also restores my faith in alternative and punk)
Courtney Barnett (if you don’t know this songwriting wizard by now… relatable music, awesome guitar playing and band, just overall beautiful songs)
Gallus (my favorite modern alternative band for the past 2 yrs now… super underrated shit, real rock songs that are clean and so advanced. definitely check them out)
Otherkin (imagine a movie intro of someone walking through high school in the early 2000s, with a little more punk)
Cosmic Flanders (only have 2 songs rn but I know they’ll be big, has a retro-rock and modern day psych-rock feel)
Violent Soho (reminds me so much of classic 90s bands, ultimate new headbanger music with plenty of more mellow bops too)
The Delta Riggs ⚫️ (the BEST funky alternative)
The Dose (90’s vibe… it’s good stuff)
The Growlers☀️ (y’all should know them but if you don’t… mix of indie/rock/alt/with some pop stuff, overall the band is super dynamic with a great lead singer and amazing riffs/beats)
Skinny Girl Diet (female nirvana. that’s it. fucking awesome)
Hot Flash Heat Wave (mix of post-punk and psychedelic pop stuff, super catchy tunes that you’ll love)
4.Early sunsets over Moneroeville// my chemical romance
5.Baby come home//the neighborhood
6.No buses//arctic monkeys
7.She//Harry styles
8.Be my mistake// the 1975
9.Singularity// bts, V
10.Choke// Idkhow
11.Movement//hozier
12.Under the graveyard//ozzy Osbourne
13.Too much to ask//arctic monkeys
(είμαι πραγματικά άθλια στο να ταγκαρω άτομα και επειδή τον τελευταίο καιρό έχω barely υπάρξει εδώ, go wild, αν θέλει κάποιος να ποσταρει τα τελείως unnecessary αλλά 100 τα 100 εκτιμούμενα music recs του, αυτή εδώ είναι η πρόσκληση σου.)
I’m in desperate need of some songs about someone you’ve met and got along with really well but they’re dating someone else so you know it can’t go anywhere. And not a song romanticizing cheating or anything. Like there was no old relationship where they’re an ex, just someone you’ve met who’s already in a relationship.
I hope this makes sense. My feelings need a soundtrack
