2018 Soundtrack

A well overdue post. For those who mightn’t have seen my previous soundtracks, every year since 2015 I’ve been posting a soundtrack of the year that’s been. Previous soundtracks are pre-2015, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Let’s get started on the 2018 ones:

MIV2018 Songs. Ah, MIV. It was a great experience and I’m very proud to have been part of the organising committee. I enjoyed the songs we sang, and I had a few favourites.

• I Was Glad (Parry) – the big entrance piece, with organ accompaniment. We sound really strong in this one.
• Lamentations, Light and Hope (Winikoff) – I love this one not just because it’s the Sop & Alto piece, but also I’ve found myself humming it to myself during different events. It is a song of womanhood and power – crying out in anguish, lighting the way, and rising triumphant.
• Light of Life (Elgar) (especially No. 6, “Light Out of Darkness“) – I enjoyed our major work. The reason No. 6 gets a special mention is it’s the first all-choral piece in the work, our entry is built up with a lot of orchestral lead-in, and we enter superbly. Glorious.

My Eurovision 2018 songlist of favourites were as follows (in no particular order) –

• Higher Ground (Rasmussen)
• La Forza (Elina Nechayeva)
• Monsters (Saara Aalto)
• Mercy (Madame Monsieur)
• You Let Me Walk Alone (Michael Schulte)
• Non Mi Avete Fatto Niente (Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro)
• Nova Deca (Sanja Ilic & Balkania)
• Hvala, ne! (Lea Sirk)
• Tu Canción (Amaia & Alfred)
• Storm (SuRie)

Then there were songs from local choir concerts I listened to or performed in. From a MonUCS concert, I have:

• Affirmation (Savage Garden) – I love this song. I first heard it ages ago, but it didn’t fully catch me then. Thanks to MonUCS singing it, I heard it anew.
• The Longest Time (Billy Joel) – the song with the tenors leading. ❤
• Some Nights (fun.) – loved the performance of this.
• Sing! (Pentatonix) – an ode to singing.

From LaTUCS concerts, there were:

• Shosholoza (Ndebele folk song) – this song has a powerful history. It’s a call and response song, is very enjoyable and can be easily used for spontaneous singing.
• Seal Lullaby (Eric Whitacre) – ❤ ❤ I love this song. It’s a lovely melody – apparently, it was written to be one of the songs in a potential Disney movie that was never made.
• Sanctifez Vos Ames (Lorraine Manifold) – a lovely rhythmic song written in French, with nice harmonies; written by the LaTUCS conductor.
• Fleeting Moment (Lorraine Manifold) – another one from our conductor, notable because it was a lovely flowing song with great harmonies and included a great high A for the sopranos (the sort that feels very nice to hit perfectly – gotta love that soprano rush!)
• If I Were A Bell (from Guys and Dolls) – I sang a solo in the LaTUCS concert #2 and this was the song I sang. I pulled it off pretty well I think.

Other songs to note include:

• How Far I’ll Go (Moana) – the live-action video clip of this is magic. It started playing when I was at the gym one day and I paused to listen, caught. A song of endings, beginnings and finding [my] own path.
• Most Girls (Hailee Steinfield) – I heard this song in a similar way. I really like it. We, women, are awesome.

Also, a few “finishing” songs – 2018, the last few months of it, were a succession of endings and beginnings. These were some of the songs that played at those events (like, for example, the Accommodation Services Gala Awards):

• I’m Coming Home (Vance Joy)
• I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Whitney Houston)
• Can’t Stop This Feeling (TROLLS)

ETA: I nearly forgot, but another set of songs were important to me this year: BodyPump’s release #106 soundtrack. This was my soundtrack as I learnt BodyPump and learnt that I love it! These songs take me back there (listen to a Spotify playlist of them).

• Still the One (Hardwell & Kill The Buzz feat. Max Collins) – warm-up track, setting up, getting in position;
• I Am Here (P!nk) – squats, wow, oof; this one is one of the big workouts of the set and the song is an unapologetic anthem to being seen (for me, anyway)
• Little Thing Gone Wild (Wildcat Wonder Wall) – chest track
• Say Less (Dillon Francis feat. G-Eazy) – the back track, “say yes to the clean and press”
• Tell Me You Love Me (MeGalantis & Throttle); Walk On Water (Thirty Seconds To Mars); Coco’s Miracle (Club Mix) (Fedde Le Grand & Dannic vs Coco Star) – all of these have good beats to move to and cover the triceps, biceps and shoulder tracks; I can’t remember which covers which.
• Tribes (Chase & Status) – lunge track, ugh; good song for a tough (for me) set.
• Revenge (P!nk feat. Eminem) – abs/core, another tough workout aided by a good beat.
• Stargazing Kygo feat. Justin Jesso – the cool down track

That’s a wrap of 2018 songs. I might think of others, but they’re more likely to go into the 2019 song-list, given the date.