ToP 20: AtC tRaCkS & wRiTiNg HaCkS

Here’s a list of our favourite Against The Current tracks! See if you agree with our choices, then have a go at using the different techniques used in each short review.

20. ‘Chasing Ghosts’

As romantic as a 19th Century novel, ‘Chasing Ghosts’ is the sound of the past and the present colliding, of the wind roaring through the city streets. Profoundly beautiful.

19. ‘blindfolded’

The song that served as a doorway into ATC’s new ‘Nightmares & Daydreams’ era. It’s big, it’s bold and it will leave you absolutely breathless.

18. ‘Strangers Again’

From the very first moment this song hit the airwaves, we were completely back in love with Against The Current. As shiver-inducing as it is poptastic, ‘Strangers Again’ captures the sound of a heart breaking. Then breaking again. Then breaking again.

17. ‘again & again’

As frenetic as any of Against The Current’s most fast-paced tracks, ‘again and again’ proves how brilliant Chrissy Costanza and co. are at being simultaneously heartfelt and hotfooted.

16. ‘Blood Like Gasoline’

This is ATC at their most fiery. But, then, that should probably be no surprise, given the whole blood and gasoline thing! Nonetheless, it’s a fine example of the band’s ability to be both as black as night and as light as the moon.

15. ‘Another You, Another Way’

How has it been a decade since we first heard ‘Another You, Another Way’? Given how fun this song is, I guess time really must pass faster when you’re having a lovely time. Listening to ATC’s earliest material remains such a joy.

14. ‘wildfire’

It’s easy not to notice that the people who are meant to be looking out for you aren’t actually looking out for you. Against The Current’s ‘Wildfire’ is a lesson in taking control before you stop noticing that you have none.

13. ‘Wasteland’

ATC have a real talent for appearing really shiny and polished but actually being pretty dark and desperate. Do you dare to dive below the band’s surface? ‘Wasteland’ is a good place to start. Listening to it as exciting as watching a great film.

12. ‘Dreaming Alone’

Okay, so Chrissy Costanza and gang aren’t short on love songs, but they do them soooooo well. This is the completely irresistible sound of a summer romance in song form.

11. ‘Running With The Wild Things’

Remember that scene in The Lost Boys when David says: ‘You don’t have to beat me, Michael; you’ve just got to try and keep up’? It feels like this ATC number comes embedded with the same message. It’s supercharged and you’ll never overtake it, but you’ll have the most exciting time trying. Sing loud. Dance harder.

10. ‘Paralyzed‘

If you’ve never seen ATC live, then make sure not to miss them when they next play anywhere near you. Fast and furious and full of passion, ‘Paralyzed’ remains a set highlight.

9. ‘lullaby’

This would be most bands’ absolute best song. That it only just makes it into this trio’s top ten should serve as clear evidence of ATC’s incredible catalogue. ‘lullaby’ is a moody and melodic anthem.

8. ‘Talk’

Like so many of ATC’s songs, ‘Talk’ is an absolute smash hit – it’s a number one pop song that somehow never made it to number one. At some point in the future, of course, the band’s records certainly will be topping the charts. But that only makes us treasure these moments, when the band still feel like they belong to us, all the more.

7. ‘Gravity’

Maybe it’s the handclaps, that are in action from the off here, but there’s definitely something about this song that means it’s impossible to listen to it without moving around and singing along like you’re at an Against The Current gig and not in front of your mirror with a hairbrush.

6. ‘Legends Never Die’

The best known of ATC’s songs, this League Of Legends soundtrack couldn’t be more epic. Listen to it just once and you’ll be ready to take on the world.

5. ‘that won’t save us’

ATC’s lament for the perfect world we grew up dreaming about isn’t just a song – it’s fuel for a generation still intent on saving the future!

4. ‘Voices’

Sure, the noises might be up to Chrissy Costanza’s neck, but, NO, they are not going to win. And, NO, the singer is not going to stop fighting. ‘Voices’ is a song that will inspire us to always keep our nerve. A huge track!

3. ‘Outsiders’

The fact that the American trio could leave this off their debut album is testament to the number of massive songs they have at their disposal. Both its title and huge, catchy chorus act like batlights for all those searching for a place to belong. This is music to make you feel as significant as you definitely are.

2. ‘weapon’

The unsettling ‘weapon’ is as much a wrestling match as a song. In the ring are Chrissy Costanza and her anxieties – anxieties that, as people living in the 21st Century, we TOTALLY relate to.

1. ‘Brighter’

The coruscating ‘Brighter’ is pretty aptly titled. Its iridescent chorus blazes like the sun and it’s quite probably the most uplifting song ever written.

As much as the write-ups are short reviews of the 20 ATC songs in question, they also serve as neat summaries of each track.

Now, have a go at completing one or both of the activities below:

1. Create a list of your own top 5, top 10 or top 20 songs. Choose whichever band/singer you want to! Write a short review (no more than 120 words) of each. Or you could make a list of your favourite books, places, films or whatever! Aim to use one of the techniques listed below in each of your short reviews:

In each short review, I’ve tried to employ a technique (highlighted in orange) that you can try to use too:

1. ‘Brighter’: Aim to use one or two of your favourite words. I love the feel of those words “coruscating” amd “iridescent”.
2. ‘weapon’: Start by using a pre-modifer (an adjective directly before the song title) that establishes the tone of the song e.g. “The unsettling ‘weapon’…”
3. ‘Outsiders’: Try using a fun simile that hints at the impact of the song.
4. ‘Voices’: Use reptition to underscore the message of the song.
5. ‘that won’t save us’: Use a metaphor to highlight the message/importance of the song.
6. ‘Legends Never Die’: Finish with a sentence that starts: “Listen to it just once and you’ll…”
7. ‘Gravity’: The idea that you can’t listen to the song “without moving around and singing along” is hyperbolic. Use some exaggeration of your own to emphasise how passionate you are about the song you’re reviewing.
8. ‘Talk’: use adjectives (such as “absolute”) and adverbs (such as “certainly”) to underline how completely you believe in what you’re writing.
9. ‘lullaby’: Try using a few words that start with the letter ‘m’. That kind of alliteration invests your writing with a sense of satisfaction (the kind of sound you might make when eating a delicious cake: mmmmm).
10. ‘Paralyzed‘: make use of polysyndeton (the repeated use of conjunctions – in this case, the repeated use of ‘and’ – to connect different items in a sentence. The repetition places emphasis on each listed word or phrase).
11. ‘Running With The Wild Things’: Start a sentence or two with an imperative (e.g. “Sing loud. Dance harder.”)
12. ‘Dreaming Alone’: Try using sibilance (words beginning with ‘s’ sounds) to emphasise the gentle, soothing quality of the song you’re describing.
13. ‘Wasteland’: Another example of using plosive alliteration to underline the weight and impact of the song – this time focus on using words that begin with the letter ‘d’.
14. ‘wildfire’: Finish your review by summing up the message of your song. Start your concluding sentence with: “(Song title) is a lesson in…”
15. ‘Another You, Another Way’: Start with a rhetorical question.
16. ‘Blood Like Gasoline’: Finish with a simile that sums up something important about the band!
17. ‘again & again’: try using words that begin with the ‘h’ sound (e.g. “heartfelt and hotfooted”) – this kind of alliteration adds a sense of breathless excitement to your writing.
18. ‘Strangers Again’: Use the ‘double as’ structure. “As shiver-inducing as it is poptastic” could be “as heavy as it is heartwarming” or “as bonkers as it is brilliant” etc.
19. ‘blindfolded’: Lots of weighty plosive alliteration (all those ‘b’ words) to underline the weighty impact of the song
20. ‘Chasing Ghosts’: start with a long, descriptive sentence and then end with a short sentence that sums up the song’s impact.

Do send your work in! We want to publish the most exciting writing!