Monday has arrived – anyone else think the weekends go by too fast? Oh good, I’m not alone. Hopefully I’m also not alone in that I still haven’t taken my Christmas tree down yet. I suppose I really should make time to do that, shouldn’t I? I’m going to miss the extra lights in the living room, though, I bet that’s why subconsciously I’ve been procrastinating on taking it down.

I suppose that’s the caveat of having a fake tree this time, because there’s no urgent need to remove it from the living room. But I’ll get to it. Hopefully sooner rather than later. 

Meanwhile, it’s Monday, and Monday means music! This week is a freebie week, so grab your favorite tune(s) and dance along with us, won’t you? Let’s get this party started!

Let’s start with a collaboration between an American DJ and production duo with a country artist, a song about disagreeing with friends about a love interest.

They tell me think with my head, not that thing in my chest / They got their hands at my neck this time / But you’re the one that I want, if that’s really so wrong / Then they don’t know what this feeling is like

They are so lovestruck, they don’t care what their friends think about their romance. When one of the collaborating group members sent the song to the country artist, she replied straight away saying she loved the song and she’s in. She was quoted as saying:

“Country music’s not just like a traditional sound anymore; there’s, like, so many different branches of it. I think having these kind of collaborations, people that have that stigma in their head of, like, ‘Oh, it’s all about the truck,’ you know, they’re like, ‘Oh, wait, I like this song. That’s a country singer? Wait, let me check out more.’ And it kind of opens the doors more, which is kinda sick.”

One of the American DJ and production duo first wrote this song just after a bout of depression at the height of the duos fame. He explained in an Instagram post:

“You’d think that an artist getting their first massive break and seeing success in a career they love would have no problems, but that’s the funny thing about depression. It doesn’t matter what you’ve accomplished, because it attacks how you feel about it.”

He began using songwriting as his therapy and initially channeled his feelings into dark introspective material. This song was the first song he wrote when he came out of his depressed state. He explained that it’s “a song about following your heart even when people don’t believe in you.”

Give a listen to The Chainsmokers and Kelsea Ballerini with “This Feeling”:

Next up is a song that got completed fairly late in the creative process for this group’s sophomore album. This was because when the band first started working on the idea, one of the vocalists didn’t like the original version. Once the track was fleshed out, however, it had grown into something he hadn’t expected it to be, which was much more to his taste. He was quoted as saying:

“It’s kind of like experimental and you know it’s kinda like a dance, blues track basically. Lyrically, it’s just written about those few seconds of when you make eye contact with someone and without any saying words you find yourself like moving on towards them. But the actual song itself, like, I wasn’t a fan of really.”

He also added that when the band first started working on this song, he was “so mentally tired,” he was unable to recognize “what was a good song or what was a bad song.

“So, yeah everyone around us was like ‘That was pretty good. You should finish it. So we had to finish it and then upon us finishing it I thought, ‘Wow this is actually quite good.'”

This version is the enhanced version featuring an American pop songstress. A longtime fan of the band, she joined them in a Los Angeles studio to re-record the energetic rock tune. She was quoted as saying:

“It’s a song made for my favorite activity: boogieing.”

Get ready to dance to The Struts featuring Kesha with “Body Talks”:

Next up is a new (to me) rock band from Canada, whose music has been described as alternative country, indie rock, farm emo, and “gothic folk”. The lead singer was quoted as saying:

“Our whole dream has been to make cool, small-town music with just a fun, poppy feeling. Every record we do, we get closer to that. [This Song] is exactly what we wanted to do, what we were hoping to get out of this song and record:  fun, poppy songs that are sad and weird.”

This song marks a stylistic turn from their melancholy, introspective releases. Their last album came out in 2016 and their first single quickly reached the #1 spot on both the Alternative Radio Chart and the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, with performances of the hit track on both ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live and CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

The #1 single propelled them up the charts and established them as one of the biggest breakout Alternative Rock acts of the year. In 2017, they won the iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Alternative Rock of the Year, and collected the JUNO Award for Single of the Year ahead of Drake, The Weeknd, and Shawn Mendes.

The band is currently working to complete their fourth studio album coming in 2019.

Let the dancing continue – here’s The Strumbellas with “Salvation”:

Last, but definitely not least, is a song from an Ohio dance crew that broke through with 2014’s upbeat stomper “Shut Up and Dance,” a song that became a rare modern rock hit that went three-times platinum (and is one of my favorite songs).

After their hit, the band went through a period of band tension and family tragedy, which they addressed on their follow-up, 2017’s What if Nothing. The frontman was quoted as saying:

“There was a lot to navigate before we could really come back together and make music.”

They’re not stopping. The band just released this new single that is not on an album; full of jagged synths and choppy guitars with a huge eighties throwback chorus in the vein of Jack Antonoff – a return to the full-on dance sound of their massive hit.

You’ll definitely be dancing to Walk the Moon with “Timebomb”:

That’s a wrap for this week – see you on the dance floor!

Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:   PhotobucketI have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, the awesome Cathy from Curious as a CAThy, and while our beloved Callie of JAmerican Spice is taking a break, our friend Michelle from Musings and Merriments with Michelle is helping out with hostess duties!

Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!



6 Comments

  1. The Strumbrellas was definitely my favorite out of this collection. While Kelsea Ballerini may be a country artist this song sounds like every other song currently on the pop charts and Maroon 5 sounds like they are trying to be the next great boy band instead of the icons that they truly are. The Strumbrellas sound like themselves, honest, unique, and very talented. Thanks for sharing all of your music. Now get out there and dance like nobody’s watching.

  2. Stacy,

    I’m happy to listen to your selections this morning. These are all introductions to my ear. I’m in agreement with Driller that The Strumbrellas are the best in this set today for all the same reasons. Have a boogietastic day, my dear friend! 😉 xx

  3. Can’t say I ever heard the Chainsmokers and Kelsea Ballerini “This Feeling”, but girlfriend… I likes it. The Struts featuring Kesha with “Body Talks” is totally boogie time & love all the glitter.. Strumbellas & “Salvation” boogie on down… woo hoo! Walk the Moon & “Timebomb” new to me, but definitely moving the body here… Yep, I could listen to this one again! ~hehehe~ Have a boogietastic day girlfriend. Hope all is well with you! Big Hugs!!!

  4. My favorite (agreeing with some others) was The Strumbrellas, but they all were good dance numbers. The Strumbrellas song had quite the baseline, too. “Timebomb”, I’ll just mention, in my humble opinion, sounded too much like “Shut Up and Dance” (as much as I like that song).

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