Today's entry is part of the #TuneTuesday challenge over on mastodon. The theme is #180Degrees for songs that change direction

I guess this one does 360 degrees after he full listen but there are a few mood and theme changes that are cool. A friend at high school introduced me to Dream Theater and I loved them. I'd say they're one of the more influential bands that I was exposed to which put me on a path to eclecticism.

Brace yourself for a 23 minute voyage through the seasons!

What song makes you feel grateful?

One of my favourite deep cuts from Van Halen. An all round cheesefest with classic 80s hair metal tropes for days. When I was 16 or 17 I claims this was my favourite song of all time and, looking back now, it is a very fun happy song that makes me feel happy and grateful in a nostalgic way. It's difficult for me to unpick exactly what it is that makes me feel grateful here but there it is... Possibly I'm grateful for the memories and happy memories of my mid-teens that this song is linked to.

Today's CrucialTracks entry is part of TuneTuesday over on mastodon. This week's theme is #LegendaryGuitarWork

The Satch is not particularly well known and may be best known by some as "that guy who sued coldplay over Viva la Vida"

He has to be one of the greatest living guitarists and he plays with such personality. Surfing with the Alien was his "breakthrough" album and track.

Today's #CrucialTracks theme is #NittyGrittyDiveBar - songs that you might expect to hear in a dive bar. I've gone for Jeremy which, for some reason, sticks in my mind as something that would be playing while my friends and I sit and drink beers. One of my favourite Pearl Jam jams with relatively slow pacing, catchy riffs and viceral lyrics.

Tomorrow I'm going on vacation so this is appropriate musical fare.

I love this song, it conjures up holidays, beaches, coconuts and pina coladas in my mind.

It is one where you unfortunately have to separate the art from the artist though!

Today's entry is part of the TuneTuesday challenge on Mastodon. Today's theme is #NotMyCircusNotMyMonkeys or "circus related music"

I'm a big fan of Massive Attack and this track is great. It was used as the theme music for Idris Elba's Luther.

What song feels like a personal anthem right now?

Against the backdrop of current world affairs and the way the world works, I'm really feeling the rage recently!

Share a song that represents rebellion or freedom to you.

My first choice, and I imagine it's a common one, was Born in the USA by The Boss. However, I wanted to showcase Sam Fender who I'd opine is "the geordie Bruce Springsteen" in both style and lyrical depth. Hypersonic Missiles

Hypersonic Missiles is a modern protest song that celebrates the little wins in life. From wikipedia

Its main focus is on the world around the narrator, who is a complete tin foil hatter. They are convinced the world is on its last legs; they know that it is rife with injustice but feel completely helpless and lacking the necessary intelligence to change it while remaining hopelessly addicted to the fruits of consumerism. Amongst all the chaos is love and celebration, there is this glimmer of hope that runs through the song, a little notion that no matter what happens, these two people are gonna have a fucking good time regardless of the tyrants that run their world, and regardless of the imminent doom from these 'Hypersonic Missiles'.

In a world that's full of overwhelming injustice, where does one try to help? We start at home, in our communities. Those efforts ripple outwards!

What's a song with lyrics you didn't fully understand until you were older?

My dad used to play this song in the car all the time and I thought it was about a cool rock star who had everything he wanted. When I got older I realised it was more about how money doesn't buy happiness and the emptiness of fame and fortune.

What's a song that feels larger than life to you?

Don't look back is a brilliant demonstration of Boston's distinctive "wall of sound" where Tom Scholz layered multiple guitar tracks together to create this powerful driving force. I remember hearing this track for the first time about 20 years ago after telling my dad I liked "More than a Feeling" and he went and dug out his Boston Greatest Hits compilation.

This song, for me, creates a sound that is disproportionately huge and "larger than life" even if you're listening on headphones. It sounded incredible on my dad's hifi system.