MatPi's 2024 Top Ten

What a year it has been for music. Three of my favorite artists coming out with new albums, along with a whole plethora of new experiences, each accompanied in my memory by a song. Not to mention, a newly acquired and quickly growing collection of CDs that has given me a whole new appreciation for physical media and record stores. We're in for another long one this time so strap in and let's dive right in!

If you told 12 year old me that my two favorite artists (at the time at least) would collab, I truly would have flipped out. Eight years after, Waterflame and F-777 come together to create this banger, which is a word I'm very aware that I overuse, but it's apt to describe this song. It's everything pre-teen me could have wanted, and now that I have the knowledge and maturity to truly appreciate what goes into making EDM, I can clearly hear how the combination of the two styles combine to make something that would have rocked 2015.

The third season of "Love Live! Superstar!!" was nothing short of perfect. I've been captivated by the characters and narrative since the very first episode of the first season back in 2021, and the music has always been my favorite part. It's been hit after hit after hit for the past three years with this series, and the first insert song of this season is no different. The soft, round synths and basses combined with the reverberant vocals and piano ornamentations paint such a vivid picture of a bubbly underwater landscape as you see rays of sunshine shimmering across the waves above.

The theme of this year honestly seems to be MatPi: REBORN with how many of my favorites made comebacks this year. February 2024 was certainly quite the spectacle to begin with. Digging into the recording sessions for "One More Light", Linkin Park released this track as an announcement of their album "Papercuts", a sort of 'greatest hits' compilation of their previous singles along with some previously unreleased songs. This song, though, had something special to it. I couldn't tell if it was just hearing Chester's voice in a new song or if there really was some added weight to it. It's a truly beautiful song, fitting extremely well in both style and theme with the band's last studio album with their late vocalist. Somehow it felt like a true final goodbye to Chester Bennington, letting us feel the full power of his voice for one last time. If only we'd known what was to come later...

Going back to the third season of "Love Live! Superstar!!", we now have the show's opening theme. One thing I love about idol anime openings is that they're meant to show you the core of the group's sound, and as Liella! has evolved over the years, so has their sound. This song so perfectly encapsulates the musical essence of the new Liella!, and acts as a perfect opening theme for the show's final season. It does such a fantastic job of highlighting all eleven members without losing the cohesiveness of the old 5-member group that initially captured my heart all those years ago.

❄︎❄︎ ~ Blasts from the Past ~ ❄︎❄︎

For the past songs I just can't get enough of. Enjoy!

"Mitaiken HORIZON" by Aqours: When I first heard this song, my immediate thought was how good it would sound played by a concert band. After many years, I finally went ahead and arranged it myself, and have thus come to appreciate it so much more and find new meaning within it. Here's to all of the horizons we have yet to explore!

"Holding On To You" by twenty one pilots: There's this interesting phenomenon of seeing a song you love performed live and falling in love with it all over again. That's exactly what happened after I attended the Clancy World Tour when they stopped in my city. Unforgettable.

"Faint" by Linkin Park: Collecting physical copies of my favorite albums has revitalized my love for them, and Meteora has become one of, if not my favorite album. This song especially I've begun to appreciate so much more, and it's only in part because of this mashup :p

Another Liella! song has made the list because of course it has. This was one of the songs part of the "Love Live! Superstar!!" season 1 Blu-ray release, and to build hype for season 3 starting in October, all of the Blu-ray songs were released on streaming services! With just a guitar for musical accompaniment, the vocals get to shine through even more than usual. It's such a pretty song to listen to, and despite being a totally new sound for the Love Live! series as a whole, it's an absolutely perfect song for Liella!, especially in this era when they were only 5 members. There's a sort of closeness and cohesion between the members that goes beyond what the previous Love Live! groups have shown, and this song highlights that perfectly.

Coldplay released "MOON MUSiC" back in October, the successor to one of my favorite albums in "Music Of The Spheres". And while I love the entire album, this song is definitely my favorite. Being free to be who you are and love who you love is the big message in the lyrics, and it's told in almost a narrative style, similar to their "Mylo Xyloto" hit, "Paradise". I really like this style of lyric writing, and it's one of the reasons this song is so high on this list. But I think my favorite thing about this song, is that it reminds me of everything that I love, and it never fails to lift my mood!

Another case of "I heard it live and now I love it". It strikes such a perfect mix between being technical and anthemic, which makes it such a joy to listen to. "Listen" probably isn't even the right word here. Don't get me wrong it is a fantastic song to listen to normally, but this is one of those songs where you turn up the volume and turn off the lights and put yourself on the floor of the arena, where you can truly experience it. The chorus of this song really lives up to that name, because it is truly a treat when you're listening to a song for the first time, and you're pulled into the choir of hundreds of fans singing along to this song that was truly meant to be performed live.

Honorable Mentions

And now, before we get into the top 3, let's take a moment to appreciate all of the other songs that couldn't fit on the list but still deserve recognition!

• "Fly With You!!" - Nijigasaki High School Idol Club: A few songs from this album made it onto last year's top ten, but this song I really began to appreciate this year. There's so much power and love packed into this song and I can only hope to hear it live at some point.
• "Cancer" - My Chemical Romance: I also took the time to fully listen to "The Black Parade" this year, and as perfectly crafted the album is, this is one of the songs that stands out. Rock ballads and chromatically moving harmony lines are a match made in heaven.
• "Paladin Strait" - twenty one pilots: The closing track off of my favorite 2024 album, "Clancy", I absolutely love the way the song develops as it goes on. And of course, hearing the live version mashed up with "Bandito" didn't hurt either.
• "Including You" - Liella!: Here's another of the "Love Live! Superstar!!" bonus tracks, this time coming from the second season. Liella! has given me a much stronger for the acoustic guitar and guitars in general, and the combination of that with the synths make this such a fun listen!
• "ALL MY LOVE" - Coldplay: Another song from "MOON MUSiC", the song title really says it all. There is love overflowing from this song, and it makes me feel like things are going to be okay.
• "Jellyfish" - 5yncri5e!: There's always a need for a song that you can just get up and dance to, and this song is absolutely perfect for that. No matter how I'm feeling, this will never fail to get it down on the dance floor.
• "Kanadetomosusora" - Nightcord at 25:00: This is one of those songs that makes the world around you seem just a little more beautiful and hopeful. I look to the sky and know i'm going to be alright.
• "Always In My Head" - Coldplay: The opening track off of "Ghost Stories", which as a whole has become one of my favorite albums, it sets the tone for the album with atmospheric synths and a light, almost rain-like guitar riff. Listening to this temporarliy lifts me out of this plane of existence and into this otherworldly state of peace.
• "Darling" - SUNNY CAR WASH: Schools out, and you're about to have the best months of your life so far with the people you hold dearest. This is the theme song for the best summer of your life.
• "vivid" - Utsu-P & Yuyoyuppe ft. Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka: What's life without a little bit of Vocaloid prog metal? The uneven meter and busy percussion of the verse giving way to the powerful ballad of the chorus is what truly makes this a banger.

I've talked a little bit in this post about songs overflowing with love and just love in general, but I think this is the most I've ever felt that overflowing love. I legitimately cannot listen to this song without tearing up just a little, with me having watched the "Love Live! Sunshine!!" movie for the first time this year, and actually making my pilgrimage to Numazu right after. The memories of everything I felt being there and how much love there was for Aqours everywhere in the city come flooding back everytime I hear this song. This song to me is a symbol of the love and legacy Aqours have created over the past nine years, and as they approach their 10th anniversary and their final live performance as a group, I can say with the utmost sincerety, I am going to miss them. Thank you, Aqours, and may the light you have shined upon this world never fade.

In the face of endings are new beginnings, and that's exactly what Linkin Park brought us with "The Emptiness Machine", the debut single off of their new album, "From Zero". A mysterious countdown leading to an announcement of something happening on September 5th of 2024 had the entire fanbase in anticipation. What could it be? "Papercuts" had come out only a few months ago. Remember when I said "Friendly Fire" felt like a final goodbye to Chester Bennington? That was exactly the point, because on September 5th, Linkin Park held a live performance that was livestreamed globally announcing their comeback with this song, a refreshed lineup, and a new album. And what a song to do it with. It still sounds like Linkin Park, but refreshed, truly like a rebirth. The album name refers to rebuilding the band 'from zero' and creating a new sound synthesizing the four remaining members with the two new members. After having listened to the album, I'd say they knocked it out of the park.

Was there ever any question? Since the release of this song on the 29th of February, I have been hooked. Acting as the opening track to my album of the year, this song was everything I hoped for and more. There's a running joke about how twenty one pilots don't have a genre, but if I had to define one, it would be this song without a doubt. There's so much to listen for: Tyler Joseph's lyrical prowess, Josh Dun's creativity behind the kit, the gritty synth sound reminiscent of their 2018 album, "Trench", the unique harmonic motion in the chorus, as well as a plethora of other things. Every single little detail in this song combines to create what can only be described as perfection. It's so good, it's so twenty one pilots, and it's so earned its place as my 2024 Song of the Year.

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I know last year (more like six months ago) I said this post would come on time, and while it wasn't right with the new year, I think getting it out within the month of January is a good improvement from July. And while having to write out all the HTML myself is a little more work, I think I really like having my blog on this site now. As mentioned on the blog page, the old WordPress site is still going to stay up until the posts eventually move over here. I'll try and keep this place at least a little active, so I'll catch you at the double barline!

Listen to MatPi's 2024 Top Ten Playlist!

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