2007年 Jan 9日 Tuesday, 8:50

Yes, my first 10.000 tracks played is getting closer now with 9,698 tracks on the clock and counting. Time to recap some of the more interesting aspects of my Last.fm profile.

Current top 10
Let's see who's been floating my boat:
1. Ayreon
2. Trace Adkins
3. Battlefield Band
4. HORSE the band
5. Mägo de Oz
6. Danny Elfman
7. Tenacious D
8. Schandmaul
9. Therion
10. Blind Guardian

Comments:
Well, let me see. This (obviously) does not include the CDs that I play (and I play a lot of CDs) but actually it's still a very adequate depiction of my musical taste. In one word: varied. That's why even my top artist have only 300 and less plays, I listen to too many different music. Anyway, Ayreon is lonely at the top, the way it should be. The only musician that has ever been able to finally put everything I love in one album (The Human Equation) after releasing album after album of already pure greatness.

Trace Adkins is a bit of an oddball in this top. When I first got my Last.fm I was having a period in which I was very into Country-music, and had just discovered Trace Adkins, and really liked him. Hence the large number of plays. But he's actually not good enough to be in the top 10.

But don't worry, looks like he will be replaced soon enough by my favourite Folkband, Battlefield Band. I have no words for how great this band is. They never fail to get me into a happy mood.

Number 4, HORSE the band, is another oddball but this time with a deserved place in the top 10. I'm a big fan of 8bit music and when I discovered these guys mix that typical sound with Hardcore I was hooked immediately. They even have a full EP about Pizza (Pizza EP), I mean, how great is that?

On to number 5, Mägo de Oz. If Last.fm would count my CDplays, this band would probably be number two. I have every CD they ever released and they are without a doubt the best mix of folk & metal around.

Number 6, Danny Elfman. Not much to say about this guy, he's the best modern movie-score composer there is. And, of course, his music is always featured in Tim Burton movies, which I adore.

On to the seventh artist in the top, and that's Tenacious D. I'm a bit suprised that they are so high in my list, but with two great albums on their catalogue and a hilarious movie, they more than deserve it. Pioneers in the hilarious genre of acoustic metal.

Number 8, Schandmaul is just one really great folkrock band from Germany. No further comment about that.

Number 9, Therion. Ah yes, the band that gave us Secret of the Runes. I can tell you, if you've seen SotR performed live, you'll always love this band. Their new albums are no match for this masterpiece, but Gothic Kabbalah proves to be a worthy follow-up.

Number 10, Blind Guardian. They don't need an introduction, nor an explanation why they are so great. They just are, learn to live with it.

New discoveries
So, what have I discovered in the past 7 months since I've had this Last.fm profile?

A lot. And I mean a LOT!
But, I think the most important revelation for me this year was j-rock. I already knew some artists in this genre, but on any other day I decided to really get into it. I've got an Asian friend who's really into the genre and asked him for some CDs. That's how I discovered several wonderful bands like B'z, Gackt, L'arc-en-ciel, Malice Mizer, Siam Shade, Dir En Grey, etc…

As for other genres, I'm not going to get into detail, because I discovered so many awesome bands, albums and people thanks to Last.fm, that I would need a week to write all that down, and it still wouldn't be complete.

The music within me
And yes, I've also had the opportunity to add several of my musical projects on Last.fm. The most popular one is The Minstrel Muse, a one-man folk(rock) band with a progressive edge. But also my other bands, Cuchulainn - Dark Ambient, GENERATE - Drone/Noise/Ambient, Constellation - Progressive Space-Metal and Steel Monkey - Folkish Folkmetal band have found their way into the Last.fm directory. I hope to spread my music to you all more easily this way.

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A final word

Anyway, so just before I reach my first 10.000 plays, I like to thank Last.fm for all the great musical journeys they allowed me to travel on their site.

And I hope for 2007 to be more of the same.
Thorens signing off.
Greetings to you all.