Sunday, June 26, 2011

O So Good!

Here come the O's ladies and gentlemen. The O's were really quick and easy to get through. The playlist only featured two hundred songs, and only thirteen artists of which over half were one and done artists. I got through the O's a few days before writing this post, but a combination of work and doctors appointments kept me occupied. All that being said, the O's had a few low points, but ended strong. I enjoyed the O's, even if all of the bands didn't catch my favor this time around.

We start off the O's with the classic California Pop Punk band The Offspring. The Offspring gained popularity and mainstream success in the mid 90's and are credited alongside bands like Rancid and Green Day for rekindling interest in punk rock by the main stream. Their songs tend to be simple fast paced punk songs, but featuring more melodic choruses, making frequent use of "whoas" as backing vocals. They have also incorporated elements of ska and a bit of grunge over the years, but always with the same melodically sarcastic vocals. Their songs tend to cover everything from relationships to the things they perceive as being wrong with our current society. They have always injected an element of humor and sarcasm into their songs, a great example is their classic "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)." The song is a parody of all of the suburban kids of the late 90's who were trying hard to be "gangster." The Offspring are one of the best selling punk bands off all time, selling over 35 million records over their twenty five year career. I first heard The Offspring at the end of the 90's with the release of their album Americana and the single "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)." I liked the song, it was fun and kind of silly, and spoke well to my thirteen year old self. It wasn't until a few years later with the release of 2003's Splinter that I got my first Offspring album, I had heard the lead single "Hit That" and enjoyed it. I received the album as a gift, I enjoyed it. As I listened to it again a few years later I enjoyed it a bit less, I found a copy of the band's self titles debut which I put in my iTunes and also got a copy of their last release Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace from the radio station in 2008. I really liked the lead single for their newest album "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid," which I had heard all over rock radio. Their early work is definitely their best, it's more pure punk/pop punk, before the band started drifting a bit more towards mainstream rock and roll. I enjoy The Offspring casually, enjoying a song here and there when I hear them, but I don't listen to them with any kind of regularity. I doubt I'll purchase any future albums, and probably won't even bother to burn copies from the library.

The Offspring "Pretty Fly"



The first one and done artist, Old 97's, are the next band to grace the playlist. The Old 97's are part of a genre called Alt-Country, meaning they play Country Music that doesn't subscribe to the mainstream sound. The song featured here has much more of a folk rock feeling to it. The song, "Valentine," just features acoustic guitar accompanying lead singer Rhett Miller's tale of heartbreak. The song is a sad song about losing your valentine, and how lonely you feel. The song reminds me a bit of Death Cab For Cutie's "I Will Follow You Into The Dark." It's just has similar vocal styling and acoustic accompaniment. I had hear of the Old 97's before this playlist, but hadn't bothered to listen to this song before now. It was put on my iTunes as part of the soundtrack for my brother's party. I like the song, it's a nice simple sad song. I probably won't come back to it too often, but I liked it none the less.

The playlists next full album contribution is up next with Oleander's 1999 album February Son. The album was the band's major label debut, and is their best selling album to date. The band started playing together back in the middle part of the 90's with a sound that has been described as "post-grunge." With the death of Curt Cobain the popularity of grunge waned a bit, labels signed bands like Oleander who incorporated the ideals of grunge but with a radio friendly flavor. The use of heavily distorted guitars was still the rule, but with less offensive themes lyrically. Oleander fits this description well, their music features heavy distortion reminiscent of bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, just not as good. I first heard Oleander with the release of February Son back in 1999, hearing and enjoying the singles "I Walk Alone" and "Why I'm Here." I purchased the album, and enjoyed the rest of the songs as well. I listened to the album for about a year or two and then forgot about it. Before listening to the album for this blog, I hadn't listened to it in a good 9-10 years. I don't really regret that, it's not that great. The songs are all very similar, and try really hard to be Nirvana songs but don't come close. The band has some similarities to The Foo Fighters, but none that make them as good as The Foo Fighters. I'm just not a big fan of 90's alternative anymore, there are a few bands here and there that are the exception but Oleander is not one of them.

Oleander "I Walk Alone"



The next band technically contributes only half an album to the playlist, but since it was part of a split album we'll call it a full album contribution. One Man Army were a San Francisco based pop punk band who were discovered by Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and singed to his brand new label in 1996. The band played a fun, fast paced brand of pop punk/hardcore. The songs were usually pretty simple musically playing a lot of the standard punk rock chords, but featuring the unique vocals of lead singer Jack Dalrymple as an identifying factor. Dalrymple's nasally yells are a big part of what makes this band so special, but the music also incorporates a bit more melody than your standard hardcore band. The songs generally featured themes lamenting things like Television programming ("TV Song") and lamenting the poor quality of radio ("The Radio Airwaves Gave Me A Lobotomy"), and society in general. The band broke up in 2005, with the members moving onto other punk related projects. I first heard of One Man Army when I picked up BYO Split Series, Vol. 5 a few year back as I was getting more and more into the other band featured on the split, Alkaline Trio. Alkaline Trio were the band I picked it up for, but I was pleasantly surprised by One Man Army. I really liked their songs, especially songs like "TV Song" and "Let's Call It An Evening." I frequently played "TV Song" on my radio show over the years. I have been enjoying their songs since I got the split series, but I've never bothered to pick up any of their three LP's. I may eventually, but right now I'm happy with the songs I have.

One Man Army "TV Song"



Only Crime contributes the next song to the playlist following One Man Army. The band is a melodic hardcore band which formed around 2003 with members of several different hardcore bands coming together due to collective frustration with their respective bands. The song here comes from Rock Against Bush Vol. 2, which was released around the same time as their debut album in 2004. The sound isn't particularly unique, borrowing heavily from bands like Black Flag. The band features a sound very close to a lot of the other "hardcore" bands signed to Fat Wreck Chords. The guitar sound near the end of the song is also very familiar, though I couldn't put my finger on exactly where I had heard it before. There just isn't anything particularly unique about this band, their sound has been done before and will be done again.

Another one and done comes up next in The Only Ones. The Only Ones were a British Rock band formed in the late 70's. Their sound is commonly associated with punk rock, but their music also bordered power pop and featured psychedelic themes. The band gained its greatest success with the single "Another Girl, Another Planet," a drug themed song that became their most well known song. The band influenced bands like The Replacements and Blink 182, with Blink 182 even covering "Another Girl, Another Planet." The Only Ones sound a lot like an early version of Blink 182, which makes their influence even more obvious. I heard of The Only Ones years ago after hearing Blink 182's version of "Another Girl, Another Planet" and being informed it was a cover of The Only Ones. I like both versions of the song, but the original, as usual, is the better version. I've never had much of a desire to explore beyond this song and I doubt I ever will.

The next two tracks come from the classic ska punk band Operation Ivy. Operation Ivy were a band that never gained a mainstream following, but gained a large cult following and influenced many of the punk bands that followed in their wake. The band formed at the end of the 80's and released their only full length album Energy in 1989, breaking up soon after. The album was reissued two years later and included the tracks from their debut EP and compilations. The album is considered by many to be one of the greatest punk rock albums of all time. The band featured Tim Armstrong on vocals and Matt Freeman on bass, both of whom would go on to form Rancid following Operation Ivy's break up. The band's sound was a mix of the classic hardcore 80's sound and ska style guitars. Armstrong's vocals went back and forth between hardcore yelling and a more melodic punk style vocals, depending on if the song was more ska heavy or more hardcore sounding. The band's songs featured lyrics containing themes expressing strong desires for unity, social justice, and distrust of conforming to the mainstream. Songs like "Unity," "Take Warning," and "Freeze Up" are some of their most well known songs. I first heard of Operation Ivy after I got into Rancid in the early 00's/late 90's. My older brother liked Rancid and gave me ...And Out Came The Wolves, I really liked that album so he introduced me to Operation Ivy. I liked Operation Ivy too, I liked their frantic hardcore sound and the ska sound that tethered the other end of their sound. My younger brother was given the reissue of Energy featuring the EP and Compilation tracks, and I enjoyed it when I heard it. I thought I had added the whole album to my iTunes, but it turns out I only had "Unity" and "Take Warning." Those two songs are two of my favorites and really good, and I will definitely add the rest of the album to my iTunes.

Operation Ivy "Take Warning"



Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark is the last one and done artist before the next full album contribution. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD for short) were a synthpop band from England who were active throughout the 80's, gaining minor chart success in the US with greater success coming in Europe. The band's sound was primarily comprised of heavy use of synthesizers over top live instrumentation. The live instrumentation was mainly just for the rhythm, featuring only a bass and drums. The synthesizer dictates the sound of the song, and accounts for the nuances while the bass and drums play a steady rhythm. The song is a reference to the name of the US bomber that dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, ending World War II. Lyrics reference "Little Boy" which was the name given to the bomb. It's an interesting bit of synthpop, and highly enjoyable. I hadn't heard of OMD before hearing this song on Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The 80's Underground. I forgot about this song, but I'm glad I listened to it again for this blog. I'll come back to it because I enjoy good synthpop like this.

The next band contributes two albums to the playlist. Orgy were an American Synth Rock band that formed in the late 90's. The band was signed to Jonathan Davis of Korn's record label and released their debut Candyass in 1998. The album sold over two million copies behind the singles "Stitches" and the New Order cover "Blue Monday." The band then released their second LP Vapor Transmissions in 2000, which featured a science fiction theme. The album featured songs about robots and a digital world. The album did not gain the same commercial success as their debut and the band faded from the eyes of the mainstream around 2002. The band's sound was characterized by down tuned guitars and bass, giving it a lower sound, and heavy synthesizers layered overtop. The band gained popularity as part of a movement of similar bands like Korn, who all used drop tuning on their guitars and mixed in electronic synthesizers. I first heard Orgy back around 98' or 99' when I heard "Blue Monday" on the radio, I really liked the song. I was really big into Orgy for about four years between 98's and 02', even going so far as to say that I like Orgy's version of "Blue Monday" better than New Order's. After Vapor Transmissions I just stopped listening to them. I think I came back to their cover of "Blue Monday" once or twice but for the most part I stopped listening. I hadn't listened to either of these two albums in a good 8-9 years, and they got worse with time. I no longer enjoy Orgy, their songs just don't work for me. They feel like a synthesizer heavy version of Korn. They have the same drop tuning, the same dark lyrics, and similar vocals. Their music just isn't very good in my opinion. Now that my musical horizons have broadened considerably I realize this. I won't listen to these albums again, at least not voluntarily.

Orgy "Blue Monday"



Otis Clay is the next artist on the playlist, contributing one track to the playlist. Clay was a Gospel/R&B singer active in the mid 50's and throughout the 60's. Clay started his career singing with different Gospel Music groups in Mississippi and throughout the South. He began his career as a secular R&B artist in the mid 60's and gained his greatest success, with the song "She's About A Mover" a cover song which just cracked the top 100 at the end of the 60's. The song featured here is a great example of the classic R&B sound of the 60's, featuring soulful vocals and tight instrumentals. Clay has that classic Soul/R&B voice, the kind of voice that comes to mind when you think about the genre. I wasn't familiar with this song before this playlist, but I enjoyed it. As I've stated on several occasions on this blog I have a bit of a soft spot for classic R&B/Soul, and this hits the spot.

Next up we have Otis Redding, who contributes eight songs to this playlist but not an actual album. All of the songs featured here come from my older brother putting them here for the celebration of his wedding. Otis Redding is one of the most well known, and popular Soul artists off all time and was called "The King Of Soul." Redding is one of the most well respected vocalists of his time for his wonderful ability to convey strong emotions in his voice. His career was brief, he achieved mainstream success in 1964 after touring with popular artist Sam & Dave. Unfortunately he was killed just three years later when the plane carrying Redding, his manager, and three members of his backing band crashed into a lake in Wisconsin. His greatest hit "(Sittin' On)The Dock Of The Bay" was released just one month after his death, and went to #1. Redding had recorded enough material for three albums to be released after his death. Redding was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1989. Redding was a bit of an oddity in Soul music, as he wrote most of his own songs. Many Soul songs were written by songwriters and given to the singers. He has been cited as one of the greatest artists of all time, and has been covered by numerous artists over the years, including Aretha Franklin who's cover of Redding's "Respect" became a smash hit. I don't recall the first time I heard the name Otis Redding, but I imagine it was pretty young. My Dad is a fan of Otis Redding so I grew up occasionally hearing his music. As I grew up and became more aware of music and the different styles I became even more aware of Redding. I really like his emotional and soulful voice, and he wrote some classic songs. "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" has to be one of my favorite Soul songs of all time. I've come back to these songs many times over the years, they're too good not to. I will continue to listen to Otis Redding for a long time.

Otis Redding "(Sittin' On) The Dock of The Bay"



John Otway is another one and done artist, and he's up next on the playlist. John Otway is a sing songwriter who was most active in the 70's and 80's. His music came on the back of British Punk and featured some similar sounds, but a much funkier bass line and harmonizing backing vocals. John Otway achieved some minor chart success, but never really broke into the mainstream, but gained a large cult following in the process. He became known as much for his music as his humorous themes and lyrics, such as "Beware of the Flowers Cause I'm Sure They're Going To Get You Yeah," and the title of the song featured here "Babys In The Club." It's a fun little song, with a catchy little chorus. It's a humorous song, and one that I enjoyed. I wasn't familiar with John Otway before hearing this song for the blog, and I can't recall how the song came to be on my computer. It's good, but I won't come back to it often.

The final artist of the O's, and the largest contributor to the O's, is Outkast. Outkast is a hip hop group based out of Atlanta, Georgia who over their 19 year career have sold over twenty five million records worldwide. This overwhelming success has made them one of the most successful hip hop groups of all time. Outkast is comprised of Andre "Andre 3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. The group released their first single "Player's Ball" in 1993 achieving some minor success, it wasn't until the release of their debut LP Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik the next year that the band achieved mainstream success. The album went platinum and reached number twenty on the Billboard charts. Their next two album ATLiens and Aquemini gave the group the reputation of being one of the most creative groups in hip hop and helped establish Southern Rap as a style to be respected. The band achieved even greater commercial success with the release of their fourth album Stankonia in 2000. The album was more pop oriented then their previous albums, featuring the singles "B.O.B," "Ms. Jackson," and "So Fresh, So Clean" all of which had videos that achieved heavy rotation on MTV. The album went quadruple- platinum, and was the group's biggest success until the release of 2003's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was essentially two solo albums packaged together under the name Outkast. The Love Below was Andre 3000's album, and featured a lot less rapping, more singing, and elements of funk, jazz, rock, and R&B. Speakerboxxx was Big Boi's album and featured more of a Dirty South/ party style featuring "player anthems." The albums really highlighted the differences in styles that had been apparent from the beginning and had made their music so interesting. Big Boi tended to focus on gangster themes and partying and Andre 3000 tended to focus on being "funky" and love related themes. I first heard Outkast back around 2000 with the release of Stankonia. I heard "B.O.B" and the other two singles and really liked them, and "B.O.B" quickly became a staple at dances in High School. I didn't actually purchase my first album until 2003's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below on the strength of the two singles, Andre 3000's "Hey Ya" and Big Boi's "The Way You Move." I really liked both albums, but favored Andre 3000's a bit more. After enjoying that album for a long time I explored further, getting Aquemini and the soundtrack to the group's 2007 movie Idlewild. Finally I added Stankonia to my library. I enjoy each of their albums, and hearing some of the guest spots from some of today's popular artists before they were big. Janelle Monae is featured on several of the tracks in Idlewild two years before her debut EP and three years before her breakthrough album The ArchAndroid. Earlier albums also featured guest spots from Cee Lo Green. I really enjoy all of their albums, Aquemini is much darker than their later material, and more challenging. Stankonia was more mainstream but full of great songs, with big hooks and great raps. Speakerboxx/The Love Below highlighted the differences between the two performers, and Idlewild was another change in style, featuring more blues infused rap. I think Outkast is one of the best hip hop groups around, and have produced some of the best hip hop songs of the past twenty years. I really enjoy this group and will for a very long time.

Outkast "Rosa Parks"



That will do it for the O's, nice and quick. The O's were a pretty easy write, with lots of one and done artists it went quickly. I hope you enjoyed reading them, keep a look out for the P's in the near future. Please comment or message me to let me know what you think, it lets me know who's reading.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

N Tertaining

Coming much sooner than the previous post, we have the N's up next. The N's were a lot shorter than the M's, which has allowed me to get a little closer to getting back to the pace I had established before hitting the massive wall that was The M's. The number of artists featured in the N's was much lower than the M's, featuring twenty six artists to the M's fifty nine. The N's were also only eighteen hours long, compared to three days worth of music for the M's. The N's featured some interesting variety, featuring new artists and some of the most acclaimed artists of the past few decades. I enjoyed the N's, and was able to get through them very easily. With that being said we'll get the post started.

First up for the N's is Cincinnati, Ohio's The National, an indie rock band who has now left Cincinnati and moved to Brooklyn, New York. The band formed in 1999 around the lyrics and steady baritone of lead singer Matt Berninger. The National have been steadily gaining more attention from music media and the music public as a whole with each new release. Their latest release High Violet received high praise from critics and even some mainstream alternative radio play with the song "Bloodbuzz Ohio." The band plays a very mellow brand or rock and roll, with steady drum beats over muted guitars and bass lines. The songs don't tend to get terribly loud, and are more mellow in a similar vein with bands like Interpol. Berninger's baritone is what really stands out over everything, his baritone greatly contributes to the mood of the music. The music tends to have a bit of a forlorn feeling to them, mostly brought on by Berninger's baritone. I first heard The National with the release of their newest album High Violet, I had heard fleeting references to the band but never heard them. My younger brother had been listening to them for a few years, so he gave me High Violet and their previous album Boxer. I enjoyed the song "Bloodbuzz Ohio," but wasn't sure if I enjoyed it enough to purchase the album, so when my younger brother offered me copies of High Violet and Boxer I accepted. I gave a cursory listen through the albums when I received them near the end of last year, but I didn't really listen closely until this blog. I enjoyed the albums. The albums are good mellow rock and roll, something to fit the mood of a rainy day. I will most likely come back to these albums at some point in the future. I recommend The National for fans of Interpol and The Editors.

The National "Bloodbuzz Ohio"



The artist following The National is the iconic American artist, Neil Diamond. Diamond began his career in the 60's as a writer for the music writing group in The Brill Building. For those who aren't familiar with The Brill Building, The Brill Building was an office complex located in New York City's Tin Pan Alley. Housed in this office complex was a group of songwriters who wrote many of the most popular songs of the era, the songs became known as "The Brill Building Sound." After writing songs for other artists for many years, Diamond finally found success as a solo artist in 1965. His songs had been made famous by The Monkees, but he had originally written these songs for himself and when he released his versions they gained notice because of the popularity of The Monkees' versions. His song "Solitary Man" was the first song to gain popularity as a Neil Diamond song, and his career took off from there. To date Diamond has sold over one hundred million records worldwide and has been inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The album featured here Home Before Dark is one of his more recent works, and was released in 2008. The album according to Diamond was written about his girlfriend at the time who had just undergone painful surgery, and her difficult recovery. The songs are beautifully arranged ballads of love, featuring sparse arrangements of Diamond on acoustic guitar accompanied usually by piano or organ. Diamond's voice resonates throughout the beautifully arranged songs. The album feels like a testament of love, and respect for this women who he cares deeply for. I can't recall the first time I heard Neil Diamond, I've heard his name bandied about for years but I'm not sure the first time I actually heard his music. I haven't listened to much Neil Diamond over the years, but I decided to get this album from my father a few years ago. I never really listened to this album until this playlist, but I enjoyed it. It's simple and beautiful. Diamond knows how to write a good song. I don't know how often I'll come back to this album, but it's a good one for when I'm not in the mood for loud, fast music.

Neil Diamond "Pretty Amazing Grace"



After Neil Diamond we have another iconic artist in Neil Young. Neil Young is a Canadian born singer-songwriter who has released over thirty solo albums in his forty year career, as well as contributing to some of the most influential and loved bands of the 60's and 70's. Young's first band Buffalo Springsteen's mix of folk, psychedelia, and rock and roll gained them critical and commercial success in the mid 60's. The band broke up and Young went on to release a solo album to mixed reviews, and then joining up with some friends released an album as Neil Young with Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse saw the release of two of Young's most famous songs "Cinnamon Girl" and "Down By The River." Shortly after the album's release Young joined Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The band had its most successful and creative period during Young's tenure, but constant fighting caused the band to break up around 1970. The success Young had gained in Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and the bands hit singles like "Ohio," led to greater commercial success when he released his third and fourth solo albums. Young's career took off from there, and he quickly became one of the most iconic songwriters of the last forty years. Young's songs are some of the most widely known and loved songs in classic rock. Young's solo albums found him experimenting with different genres, but almost always coming back to his folk rock roots. Young is just as famous for his vocals as he is for his music, and his voice has become one of the most recognizable in rock music. I grew up listening to Neil Young, I can remember listening to songs like "Cinnamon Girl" and "Down By The River" growing up. I've always loved Neil Young, even when I was young and didn't know much about music. Young's songs are iconic pieces of American Music History. His themes of political activism and environmentalism have made him a bit controversial over the years, but he has remained one of the most admired artists of our time. I will listen to Neil Young for a long time (and Jimmy Fallon's Imitation).

Neil Young "Cinnamon Girl"



Next up we have our first artist to only contribute individual tracks, Nelly Furtado. Nelly Furtado is a Canadian born singer-songwriter who gained international pop stardom at the beginning of the 2000's. The two tracks featured here are "Maneater" and "Promiscuous Girl" from her third album Loose. The album was much more hip hop and R&B heavy than her previous two albums, and featured a much more scantily clad Furtado, drawing the ire of critics. The album, produced by Timbaland, featured themes about female sexuality. The two songs featured here are role reversals, the woman having control over a helpless man rather than the other way around. The theme was a switch on the usual attitude in hip hop which tends to demean women. I first heard Nelly Furtado through her first single in 2001 "I'm Like A Bird," and it was an enjoyable enough song but I didn't pay much attention to it. I never really cared for Furtado's music, and gained these tracks through my older brother. The songs are fun and enjoyable pop songs, but it's not really my style of music.

We have another one and done artist up next in Nerf Herder. Nerf Herder is a California based rock band known for their simplistic rock and roll songs that are very often humorous in nature. The song featured here, "Santa's Got A Mullet," is no exception to this archetype. The guitars are your standard power chord heavy pop punk style, with lead singer Parry Grip's nasally vocals cheerfully describing Santa's Mullet. I first heard Nerf Herder when I first saw Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the band plays the music for the show's theme song. I then heard the band again when I heard this song on A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas. I enjoyed the song when I heard it, it's quick and a lot of fun. I then heard Parry Grip through the series of short YouTube music videos he produced in 2009 and 2010, usually featuring animals. I enjoy this song, and wouldn't mind hearing more Nerf Herder, but I'm not sure I'll seek it out.

The next artist, The Nerves, contribute two tracks two this playlist. The two tracks featured here "Hanging On The Telephone" and "When You Find Out" are two of the four songs featured on the band's only official release, an EP released in 1976. The trio gained popularity through these songs with their catchy brand of power pop. The songs gained some popularity, but really gained popularity a couple of years later when the band Blondie covered the song "Hanging On The Telephone" on their breakthrough album Parallel Lines. The song became one of Blondie's most well known songs. The songs are really catchy, and feature some of the great hooks that defined the power pop of the 70's. Both songs are iconic 70's rock songs, and are very well known among rock and roll fans. I can't recall which version of "Hanging On The Telephone" I heard first, but I'm thinking it might have been Blondie's. I like both versions of the song, they're really catchy and a lot of fun. It's too bad The Nerves didn't last long enough to produce more fun power pop, but I'll continue to enjoy the song's I have.

The next full album contribution comes from Neutral Milk Hotel. Neutral Milk Hotel were an indie/folk rock band that was active between 1994 and 1999. The band featured lead singer Jeff Mangum accompanied by a few friends. The band released two full length albums during it's fun, and became known for their eclectic musical style. The band's music was often experimental in sound and featured Mangum's often very obscure lyrics. The band never achieved commercial success, but achieved some recognition from the music media for their second LP In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. The band broke up when Mangum became disillusioned with the music business and press, and had a nervous breakdown. The band has since gained a large cult following in the indie rock community, and had an influence on a number of contemporary indie artists. In the twelve years since the band's end Mangum has become known for being a recluse, only coming out to play rare sets. He made a few appearances with label mates in 2008, and made a few in 2010. He has also scheduled several performances for the fall of 2011. I first heard of Neutral Milk Hotel through my brothers who are both big fans of the band. I heard a few songs here and there over the years, but not a full album until I was given On Avery Island and In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by my younger brother. I liked what I heard, but didn't listen to the albums again after the initial listen. After listening to them again for this blog, I appreciate them more than I did a few years ago. As I've become a fan of bands like The Arcade Fire and The Decemberists I've come to see how much Neutral Milk Hotel influenced their music. The songs are very interesting with their outlandish themes and eclectic performances. I can't help but think of The Decemberists' lead singer Colin Malloy every time I hear Mangum's voice, but that's not a bad thing. I recommend Neutral Milk Hotel to any fans of indie rock bands like The Decembersits and The Arcade Fire.

Neutral Milk Hotel "Two Headed Boy"



After Neutral Milk Hotel we have The Neutrinos and their album One Way Kiss. The Neutrinos are a rock and roll band out of Great Britain who plays a style of punk influenced rock that can range from angry rants, with lead singer Karen inviting you to "suck on this," to playful homage on the song "Donkey Work." Lead singer Karen's vocal style goes from a soft whisper to a loud angry yell, and has been compared by some to PJ Harvey. The music is loud and fast like punk rock, but slows down for a few songs adding variety to the music. The band's sound is very much of that British rock sound that has become popular in the 00's with bands like The Arctic Monkeys. I wasn't familiar with The Neutrinos before listening to this album for the blog, and I couldn't find much information on them online. The album was alright, but not particularly memorable. The album is good punk infused rock, but nothing that really stands out in my mind. I'm not sure how this album came to be on my iTunes, but I'm guessing it was from one of my brothers. I probably won't come back to this album much, but I won't mind hearing the songs again on Shuffle.

The Neutrinos "One Way Kiss"



We have another non album contribution next with two tracks from New Found Glory. Both of these songs come via compilations with "No News Is Good News" coming from Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 and "Ex-Miss" coming from A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas. New Found Glory have gained some commercial success over the past few years with their pop punk style of music, a sound that has been compared to bands like Green Day and Sum 41. Their music is slightly more distinct due to lead singer Jordan Pundik's high pitched vocals. The band hasn't gained the same fame or following as bands like Green Day, but have done reasonably well over the years with songs like "My Friend's Over You" gaining some minor rock radio play. The band has supported bands like Blink 182 and Green Day on tour over the years. I first heard New Found Glory with the release of the single "My Friend's Over You," hearing it on the radio and seeing a video on MTV. I didn't particularly care for the song, it just wasn't anything special. I'm still not much of a fan of this band, the two songs are enjoyable pop punk but again nothing special. For me New Found Glory are just another band in a long line of radio friendly pop punk bands that popped up in the 90's and 00's.

The next band is widely considered one of the most influential new wave bands of the 80's. The band New Order was a New Wave band from England formed of the remaining three members of the post punk band Joy Division following Ian Curtis' suicide. The band immersed itself in the New York club scene of the early 80's, gaining a larger knowledge of dance music. In 1983 the band began to gain popular attention with the song "Blue Monday" which more fully embraced synthesizers and dance music styles. The band played heavily synthesized songs with live guitar and bass overtop of the programmed drums and synthesizers. The band's songs while dance music influenced weren't what we traditionally think of as dance music today, they were slower songs than the house and club music people generally think of when they hear "dance music." The vocals were in a monotone style not far from Curtis' singing style in Joy Division. The band has been named as one of the most influential bands of the 80's, and have been cited as an influence by artists such as Moby and The Killers. I first heard of New Order shortly after I heard a cover of "Blue Monday" by the band Orgy in 1998. I didn't actually began looking into New Order until almost a decade later as I began to get more into punk, post punk, and new wave. I became a fan of Joy Division so I decided to look into New Order. I found a used copy of a collection of singles called Substance, and went from there. New Order had a policy of releasing individual singles that would not be included on the full length albums that followed, and this two disc album is a collection of those songs. I bought it along with a few other albums and it got put on the back burner until I listened to it for this blog. The album is a good one, with so many great songs that I'm sorry I didn't listen to it sooner. I enjoy New Order quite a bit, and will definitely come back to this album.

New Order "Blue Monday"



Following New Order, we have two songs from The New York Dolls. The New York Dolls were an American rock band who helped influence a generation of musicians that followed them with their unique look and sound. The New York Dolls started in 1971, and quickly became known for their proto-punk sound and their androgynous stage costuming. Their unique look influenced hair and glam metal, and bands like Kiss, The Sex Pistols, and Guns 'N Roses. The band's sound is a confluence of influences from bands like The Rolling Stones and The Stooges. This mix of influences bleeds through in the mix of the hard driving rock and roll, similar to the Stooges, and rhythm and blues fused rock and roll similar to The Rolling Stones. Lead singer David Johansen even has a bit of Mick Jagger in his voice. I first heard of the New York Dolls several years ago as I started exploring deeper into punk rock. As I began to explore, I was given No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion by my older brother. The box set featured the two songs featured here "Trash" and "Personality Crisis." I really liked both songs the first time I heard them, enough that I've come back to them several times over the years. I would occasionally play The New York Dolls on my radio show as well. I like both of these songs quite a bit, and wouldn't mind exploring more of The New York Dolls.

One of the most iconic and popular musicians ever to come out of Australia is up next, I'm speaking of course of Nick Cave. Nick Cave is best known for his music with his band The Bad Seeds, but has also produced solo records. Cave started his musical career in the late 70's with a group of friends, the friends formed the band Birthday Party. Birthday Party became known for their dark music which featured Cave shrieking, yelling, and flailing about with loud guitar feedback. The band gained a cult following during and especially after their seven year run. Cave then went on to form The Bad Seeds right after the breakup of Birthday Party, taking two former members of Birthday Party with him. The Bad Seeds were a shift in style from Birthday Party. Where Birthday Party had been hyper expressive and loud, The Bad Seeds focused on an eclectic mix of styles with detailed narratives in the lyrics. Over the years Cave has consistently touched upon themes of death, violence, religion, love, and America. The Bad Seeds played a mix of blues, gospel, and art rock, and this eclectic sound mixed with Cave's emotionally expressive vocals is what made the band's unique sound. The band began to receive attention and praise with the release of their fifth album and its single "The Mercy Seat," the song that Cave is best known for. Cave went on to release three more albums before releasing his most notable and critically acclaimed work, Murder Ballads in 1996. The album was full of songs about death, sex, murder, and general violence, and featured duets with PJ Harvey and Kylie Minogue. Nick Cave has released five additional albums with The Bad Seeds. Over his career Nick Cave also released some solo work, usually featuring Cave on piano accompanied by a violin, a bass, and drums. The two albums featured here are one of his solo albums, No More Shall We Part, and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds' Murder Ballads. I grew up listening to Nick Cave, and have been a big fan of his music for a long time. My dad was a big fan of Nick Cave, and as I got older he began playing Murder Ballads for me. I enjoy both his solo work and his work with The Bad Seeds, but I like Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds more. Murder Ballads is dark, violent, and sexual and a brilliant album. I love the range of Cave's vocals, going from soft and tender to dark and violent. The expressiveness of his voice is a big part of what makes this music so good. Before listening to the N's, I hadn't listened to Nick Cave in a little while. I'm sorry that I went so long between listenings of this wonderful artist. I will continue to enjoy Nick Cave for a long time.

Nick Cave "Wild Roses Grow"



A few one and done artists follow Nick Cave on the playlist, the first being Nick Lowe. Nick Lowe is an English singer-songwriter who has worked with many of Britain's most successful recordings artists, including having produced the first five Elvis Costello albums. His music was called pub rock because of the small venues he played, and was very much in the style of other 70's punk rock bands. The song "Heart Of The City" is a quick little song, not too complicated musically or lyrically but fun and catchy. I wasn't familiar with Nick Lowe before hearing this song on No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion. I seem to remember liking the song when I heard it, but with so many other songs in the box set I forgot about the song. Upon listening to the song again for this blog, I liked the song. It's a fun, and a very 70's, rock song that draws up images of similar musicians like Elvis Costello. I probably won't come back to this song often, but will enjoy it when I do.

A first for Alphabetical Music is up next, a track from a classical composer. While the name featured on the track listing is Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, this symphony was actually composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven. Beethoven's best known work to most casual listeners is his 5th symphony, which featured the famous "dun dun duh duh" (I'm loosely translating) that so many people are familiar with. The symphony featured here though, is his 3rd. I'm not particularly good at describing classical symphonies, despite taking a class about them my freshmen year, so I'm going to rely heavily on Wikipedia to help me describe this symphony. According to my reading this symphony signified a more mature, middle period, for Beethoven and is sometimes considered the beginning of the Romantic movement in classical music. This work was much longer than your standard symphony of the time, with its first movement almost equaling the standard time of other symphonies. As a music fan and as a part of American culture I have been aware of Beethoven for about as long as I've been aware of music. I'm not as familiar with this symphony as his 5h, but it is a beautiful piece. I don't listen to a lot of classical music, but it's enjoyable from time to time.

The final one and done artist of this block is Nikki And The Corvettes. Nikki And The Corvettes were a short lived band active at the tail end of the 70's and the start of the 80's, breaking up in 1981 after only releasing one album. The band played a fun brand of "bubblegum punk." The music was called "power pop perfection" by one critic. The song featured here "You're The One" is a really short little song, coming in at just under two minutes. In those two minutes Nikki And The Corvettes play a memorable and catchy song that sticks in your head long after you hear it. I heard of Nikki And The Corvettes when my older brother gave me this song as part of the music for his wedding celebration party. I liked the song when I first heard it, and I still like it upon listening to it again for this blog. It has the feel of being an early version of The Donnas. The Donnas are the best comparison in my opinion, their styles are very similar musically, vocally, and lyrically. I will come back to this song from time to time, but since it's only one track it's going to be easy to skip over.

Getting back to artists contributing full albums we have Nine Inch Nails. Nine Inch Nails was formed in 1988 by Trent Reznor who is the only official member of the band. Nine Inch Nails since their debut in 1988 have come to be synonymous with the Industrial Music genre. Reznor produces, records, and plays all the instruments and provides all vocals featured in Nine Inch Nails' music. Nine Inch Nails' music is characterized with programmed drum beats mixed with electronic noises and programming. Reznor's voice frequently moves between a whisper and a yell, going up and down throughout the song. The songs frequently include dark imagery and themes dealing with personal demons, society, religion, existentialism, and politics. Nine Inch Nails have gained critical and mass acclaim over their run, with many of their songs being played on Modern Rock radio. Songs like "Head Like A Hole" and "Closer" have become staples even 22 and 18 years later respectively. The band fell out of the public eye for a few years, but came back into the public eye when Johnny Cash covered the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt." Reznor has also recently collaborated with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for the soundtrack to the upcoming American remake of the film The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I first heard Nine Inch Nails through rock radio, and the song "Closer." I liked the song, but never really explored beyond "Closer" and "Head Like A Hole." I heard about the band here and there over the years, but wasn't eager to explore further. Then after hearing Johnny Cash's version of "Hurt" I looked up the original. It wasn't nearly as good as Cash's version, but it did make me pick up Pretty Hate Machine from my local library. I liked the album, and added it to my iTunes. I haven't listened to the album much over the past few years, but I've listened to songs here and there. When I listened to it again for the N's I enjoyed the album again, enough that I'll definitely come back to it again.

Nine Inch Nails "Head Like A Hole"



An interesting one and done artist follows Nine Inch Nails, The Nips. The Nips, originally named The Nipple Erectors, were the first band of The Pogues' front man Shane MacGowan. The band started out in 1977 as a punk band, but gradually shifted to a more melodic power pop like sound. The band only released a series of singles in its brief four year history, only having an LP released posthumously, and two bootleg live records. The song featured on this playlist "Gabrielle" is from the later part of the band's career, and is a very melodic rock song. MacGowan's vocals have a much different sound then his work with The Pogues, MacGowan doesn't emphasize his accent as much and is slightly more melodic. I wasn't familiar with this song or this band before this playlist. The song came to be on my iTunes via my older brother's music selection for his wedding celebration. I like the song, it's a nice melodic power pop song but it's not particularly memorable to me. While some elements of the guitar work remind me of The Dead Milkmen, the rest of the song is just your standard sugary pop rock of the 70's and 60's. It's a nice listen here and there but not something to come back to consistently.

Next up we have a band that has become something of a cultural icon over the past two decades, Nirvana. Nirvana was a rock band from Aberdeen, Washington that rose to fame at the beginning of the 90's. The band had a very brief run that begin in the punk scene of Washington, where they became popular in towns like Olympia which had a large punk scene. Unlike other bands in the Olympia scene, Nirvana was shooting for stardom. The band while punk in its roots was considered part of the "Grunge" music scene. Grunge heavily features distorted guitars generally alternating between loud and soft, mixed with angsty and apathetic lyrics. Nirvana gained commercial success with the release of their second album Nevermind in 1991. The album was a commercial smash hit, propelling the band into the eyes of the mainstream. Songs like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Come As You Are" became rock radio staples. Two years later the band released their final album, In Utero. The album was a departure from some of the sound that had made them famous, and was considered more "challenging," and less mainstream. The album gained some controversy with many mainstream radio stations believing songs like "Rape Me" weren't appropriate for radio. The album still sold extremely well, selling over four million records in the United States. The band came to a sad and tragic ending when in April of 1994 Curt Cobain, the lead singer and songwriter, took his own life. Cobain had been suffering from numerous drug addictions, and the stresses of fame. Nirvana have been held up as one of the greatest American rock bands to ever have been, with many praising Cobain for his guitar work and songwriting. Alternative rock fans everywhere were in shock at the news of his death. I first heard Nirvana through Alternative Rock Radio, hearing songs like "Smells Like Teen Spirit." I liked the songs that I heard on the radio, and from my older brother who was a big Nirvana fan in the early part of the 90's. I listened to Nevermind and In Utero over the years through my father and brother, and enjoyed both albums. I eventually took the copy of In Utero from my father and put it on my iTunes a few years ago. The album is a good one, with plenty of good songs. I've never considered to Nirvana to be much more than that though, good. I don't think they're the greatest band of the 90's or most of the many things they've been called over the years. I don't think Cobain was a great guitarist, he played a lot of distortion heavy power chords. I enjoy Nirvana's music, but I'm not much more than a casual fan.

Nirvana "Heart Shaped Box"



We have a one and done artist up next, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band are an American country/folk rock band that has existed on and off and in numerous forms since beginning in 1966. The band never achieved great success, but achieved a minor following over the years. The song featured here "Party On The Mountain" is a nice little bluegrass/ folk tune that comes to this playlist through the Windows Vista music sampler. I had seen this song on my iTunes for a long time before I actually listened to it for this blog. It's a nice little song, and feels a lot like a song from a contemporary folk/country revival bands like Mumford and Sons. It's an enjoyable song, and even though I do enjoy bluegrass/ roots music I probably won't come back to this song again.

After The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's track we have two songs from No Doubt. The band based out of Anaheim, California formed in 1986 but didn't achieve success outside of California until the release of 1995's Tragic Kingdom. The band's bubbly ska infused sound didn't go over well with a country obsessed with Nirvana and grunge rock at first, but Tragic Kingdom changed all of that. With the release of singles such as "Don't Speak," " Just A Girl," and "Spiderwebs" the album became certified platinum eight times. The band's ska infused sound on Tragic Kingdom is credited with helping to start the Ska Revival of the 90's. Songs on Tragic Kingdom tended to feature themes dealing with lead singer Gwen Stefani's recent break up with No Doubt's bass player Tony Kanal. The band's follow up Return To Saturn was released in 2000 to generally positive reviews but poor sales. Stefani briefly embarked on a solo career, achieving mainstream pop success with songs like "Holla Back Girl." The band is known for their pop rock, dance worthy rock and roll sound and is help up even by some in the punk rock community. I first heard No Doubt a few years after the release of Tragic Kingdom. I really liked tracks like "Just A Girl" when I heard them but I never really looked into the band. I heard Return To Saturn when my Dad was given the album. It was enjoyable but not nearly as good as Tragic Kingdom. I still really enjoy No Doubt's music, but I'm not sure I'll go beyond the singles.

The next full album contribution comes from our next band No Use For A Name. No Use For A Name are a San Jose based pop punk group, who achieved minor success in the mid 90's but has largely remained in the pop punk scene on the fringes of the mainstream. Over the years and since joining Fat Wreck Chords the band's sound has shifted more towards the melodic side of punk rock and to a sound very similar to many of the bands on Fat Wreck Chords. The songs tend to be fast paced like punk rock songs, but the melodies are softer than in punk rock, and lead singer Tony Sly's vocals are much more emotional and melodic than many in punk rock. Their songs tend to deal with themes such as love, relationships, painful relationships, and loss of loved ones. I first heard No Use For A Name back around 2004 or so. I believe it was on the Rock Against Bush tour, and I saw them play with Midtown and Anti-Flag. I really liked their melodic rock so I purchased their album Hard Rock Bottom from their booth at the show. For about a year after I listened to this album consistently, really enjoying it, especially songs like "A Rebel Song." I listened to it enough to know most of the words to the songs, I even purchased a No Use For A Name t-shirt. Then a few years ago, I just stopped listening to them. It wasn't for any particular reason, I had discovered a lot of great new music over the past few years and it just fell to the side. Listening to the album for this blog made me realize just how long it had been since I'd listened to it. I found myself enjoying the album again, but not in the same way I used to. The albums melodic rock is pleasant and a fun listen, but it's not something that jumps out at me anymore. It's just another melodic rock band for me, there are a lot of bands with a very similar sound out today. I probably won't listen to this album much in the future, I just don't enjoy it as much as I used to.

No Use For A Name "Dumb Reminders"



In the previous post we had a band signed to Fat Wreck Chords, up next is the band who's lead singer Fat Mike started the label. NOFX are a Los Angles based punk rock band that formed in the mid 80's, and gained mainstream exposure in the mid 90's with the mainstream's increased interest in punk artists like Bad Religion, Green Day, and Pennywise. The band's songs tend to be fast paced punk songs that cover a mix of serious and humorous topics. Like most punk rock the guitar and bass play simple power chords, but NOFX plays with this formula a bit by occasionally inserting guitar solos and trumpet into some of their songs. NOFX have become known for the political and social activism over the years, which can be seen in their music and in the organizations (such as PETA2) that they support. The band has always included political messages in their music, but it wasn't until 2003 and the release of their album The War On Errorism that they got really serious about it. The album was a shot at then President George W. Bush, and featured a cartoon of Bush wearing clown makeup as the album's cover. The song "Franco Un-American" received some minor radio play. The band while including political/societal critiquing songs in their music, also include many very humorous themed songs on their albums. All you have to do is look at the names of albums like Heavy Petting Zoo and S&M Airlines, to know what type of juvenile humor was included in these songs. I first heard NOFX back in 2003/2004 as I was growing disenchanted with the policies of George W. Bush. I picked up The War On Errorism back in 2003. I really liked the album and its political message, it spoke to me at a time when I was beginning to pay more attention to politics and what was going on around me. I picked up the EP that followed Never Trust A Hippy and also picked up The Best Songs Ever Written (By Us), a best of collection. I enjoyed the playful atmosphere of the songs and the band more than the political one, as my anger towards Bush subsided over the years. The only problem is that they can play on that playful nature to much. When I saw them on Warped Tour they spent half of their 30 minute set telling jokes instead of playing songs. I like NOFX, they're a fun band when you want something light hearted and not to heavy. I'll come back to them occasionally, but I don't listen to them nearly as much as I used to.

NOFX "Bob"



The second to last one and done artist is up next in the band None More Black. None More Black are a melodic punk/hardcore band from New Jersey. The band formed at the beginning of the 00's, signing with NOFX front man Fat Mike's Fat Wreck Chords and releasing their first album in 2003. The song featured here comes to the playlist via Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1. The song, entitled "Nothing To Do When You're Locked In A Vacancy," is a fast paced melodic punk song with hoarse yelling vocals reminiscent of hardcore punk. The song features lyrics denouncing the use of fear in new broadcasting as a way to garner greater ratings. I wasn't familiar with None More Black before hearing them on this compilation, but this was one of the songs that stood out for me upon first listen. I've listened to this song a few more times over the years, and occasionally played it on my radio show. It's a good example of melodic punk and the Fat Wreck Chords style. I will come back to his track mostly on Shuffle, but maybe other times as well.

The second to last full album contribution comes from The Notorious B.I.G (Biggie Smalls). The Notorious B.I.G was an American rapper who during his brief four year rein on top of the charts between 1993 and 1997, left a humongous impression on the world of rap. The Notorious B.I.G born in Brooklyn to a single mom, had a difficult life and turned to selling drugs as a teenager. After being released from prison, he was arrested on a weapons charge at the age of 17, he recorded his first demo as Biggie Smalls. The demo gained the attention of the heavy hitters in the underground rap scene, and he was eventually signed to Bad Boy Records. He gained mainstream attention from appearing on various remixes of popular artists' songs, eventually releasing his 1994 debut Ready To Die in 1994 for Sean Combs' brand new label Bad Boy Records. The album was a success and sold well based on the strength of singles like "Juicy" and "Big Poppa." The rapper became involved in the feud between East and West Coast rappers the next year, publicly feuding with former friend and associate rapper Tupac Shakur. The feud escalated to violent levels, and in 1996 Shakur was gunned down. Just a year later The Notorious B.I.G was gunned down in a drive by shooting as he and his entourage left an awards show. His second album, and the one featured here, Life After Death was released shortly after his death. Both rappers' murders remain unsolved, but are believed to be connected. Life After Death was a two disc album featuring numerous guest spots and collaborations from some of the most popular rap and R&B artists of the time. Biggie shows off his range as he switches between smooth R&B and fast paced lyrically complicated songs. The album produced the hits "Mo Money Mo Problems," "Hypnotize," and "Going Back To Cali." Biggie Smalls is considered by many fans of rap/hip hop to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. His deep bass voice and his flow are iconic in the world of rap, and even outside of it. His songs have been featured in a number of feature films in the years following his death. I first heard The Notorious B.I.G. through pop radio stations as a kid. I heard his biggest hit singles like "Hypnotize" and "Big Poppa" still being played on these stations years after his death. As someone who wasn't a big fan of rap at the time, or now, I enjoyed Biggie's music. I enjoyed the singles every time I heard them, but I was never particularly interested in going any further than that. When I found out that my younger brother had Life After Death on his iTunes, I decided to add it to mine a couple of months ago. I hadn't listened to this album since putting it on my iTunes, and I'm sorry I didn't. The album is a great rap album, a classic. There are so many great songs on here, including the ending track "You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You" which is chilling premonition of his murder. I think I will come back to this album from time to time, even if it's just for the singles.

The Notorious B.I.G "Hypnotize"



The second to last artist and the final one and done artist on the playlist is the French Art Collective Nouvelle Vague. The band plays Bossa Nova style covers of classic Punk/New Wave songs. They turn the fast, angry energy of punk rock into easy listening music. The song featured here is "Teenage Kicks" a cover of the band The Undertones' 1978 classic. The song features lightly picked Latin guitars with the soft sifting sound similar to that of maracas. The vocals are light and beautifully sung by the female vocalist. If it weren't for the lyrics of the original song, it would be hard to know exactly what song they were covering. I wasn't familiar with Nouvelle Vague before this playlist, having skipped over the song as just another song that came to my iTunes from Windows Vista. Upon listening to this song for the playlist, I enjoyed it. I liked the interesting new take on a song that I was already a big fan of, it was a complete 180 from the original and that was part of the appeal. I will enjoy this cover for a while, and will make a note to come back to it.

The final artist of the N's is Louisville, KY's own Nova Red. Nova Red were an alternative rock band composed of Rahul Borkar on vocals & guitar, Brad Compton on guitar, Bruce LaFrance on bass, and Joe Yabo on drums. The band began a few years ago when friends Rahul Borkar and Praveen Arla put their years of experience in the punk rock/ indie scene together in a band that combined both elements. They later added Compton and LaFrance to the band. The band recorded and released its first and only album No Regrets in 2007. Shortly after the release of the album the band added Joe Yabo, formerly of Jack's Lament, on drums. Praveen left the band shortly after the release of the album. The band played numerous shows around Louisville over the next four years before breaking up at the beginning of 2011. The band played a mix of melodic rock and roll that would quickly shift to aggressive heavy guitars on the breakdown, on many of the songs Borkar's falsetto goes from a soft serenade to angry condemnation during the chorus. I became aware of Nova Red in 2007 when I was told by Joe Yabo about his new band Nova Red. I went out to their next show to support my friend's new band, and purchased a copy of No Regrets. Over the next four years I went out to as many of their shows as possible and became friends with the other band members. Their album is good, but their live performance is better. The band has a frantic earnest intensity to it that just couldn't be conveyed in the recorded material. I like all of the guys in the band, and hope to see future projects from all of them.

Nova Red "Dying"



That is going to do it for the N's! The N's took me longer to write than I intended, but I was finally able to motivate myself to put my nose to the grind stone and write them out. The O's are even shorter than the N's, so look for them soon. Please leave comments.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Mmm Good

The M's are finally finished! After that flurry of blog posts in March and April it was hard to get back into the writing groove a month after my last post. I had barely started on listening to the M's when I posted the L's, and the M's playlist was huge. The M's were by far the largest playlist so far in every measure used in this blog. Before this post the B's were the longest blog post to date, but the B's featured over five hundred less songs and seven fewer artists than the M's. The M's featured 2.9 days worth of music, 1184 songs, and 59 different artists. The reason that the M's were so much longer than any other playlist is due to the number of artists (thirty seven) who contribute at least one full length LP to the playlist. The M's took me almost a month to get through with work and other obligations. The M's dragged in spots, but overall there was a lot of great music in The M's. Enough of introductory statistics and onto the meat of the blog. I recommend reading this post in three sittings, 20 artists per sitting.

Right out of the gate the playlist features an artist who contributes multiple albums to the playlist. M.I.A. starts off the M's with her generally up-tempo dancehall/hip hop mix. M.I.A. is a London born rapper of Sri Lankan decent. She spent most of her childhood in a Sri Lanka torn apart by civil war, with her father being a supporter of the rebel Tamil Tiger group. After being forced out by the conflict M.I.A.'s mother moved her and her siblings back to London. Spending her tweens and teens in London's refugee slums she was exposed to hip hop in the form of artists like Public Enemy and also dancehall music. The final piece of her influences fell into place in college she was exposed to punk rock. All of these exposures mixed together in her visual arts, but she didn't start producing music until she was introduced to a beat processor/electronic sequencer by electroclash artist Peaches. After experimenting with beats she recorded on a four track tape machine and a cheap microphone. The songs recorded there began to gain notice on the internet and in underground circles, and he songs started to get featured by fashion shows and clubs. The buzz from all of this led to her signing with a major label and releasing her first LP Arular in 2005. Featuring the single "Galang," Arular was a mix of dancehall styles and hip hop, with bits of electroclash thrown in for good measure. The tracks featured themes dealing with refugees, the struggle of the poor, and the conflict in Sri Lanka, themes that have run through each of her three albums. Arular gained M.I.A. international attention, but it wasn't till the release of her second LP Kala that her fame really took off. The song "Paper Planes," featuring a looping sample of The Clash's "Straight To Hell," was featured in the Hollywood blockbuster Pineapple Express. Kala wasn't nearly as danceable as Arular but featured World Music sounds very heavily, something that became necessary after The United States of American refused to allow her into the country. The U.S. said she supported terrorism in her songs, and in her supposed support of the Tamil Tigers. The album which was set to be recorded with hip hop artist/producer Timbaland, had to be scrapped and she recorded an entirely different record. Kala features Indian drum circles, didgeridoos, and a rapper from Mozambique. She went even further towards electroclash with her third album Maya. Maya garnered controversy even before its release with the release of a short film written by M.I.A. featuring the song "Born Free." The short film depicts military forces rounding up red haired children and then forcing them to run through a mine field. The video gained controversy for its graphic content and the song although not an official single charted in several countries. The first official single "Xxxo" was more mainstream than the rest of the album, but still featured the same defiant attitude that had been present throughout her career. The song features a chorus declaring "they want me to be somebody that I'm really not." I first heard M.I.A. back in 2004/2005 when I heard "Galang" on a Cincinnati, OH radio station's "Underground" show. I really liked the song, but didn't get to hear more until my first semester at the University of Louisville. I was writing for the Louisville Cardinal's Entertainment section, and Arular was lying around the office so I asked if I could have it and was told I could. I really liked it, and played it on replay for quite some time. After enjoying Arular and then hearing the single "Bird Flu" from Kala I eagerly awaited more M.I.A. I purchased her second album and again enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a little bit rougher getting into Maya. Maya is not an instantly accessible album, it takes two or three listens to fully appreciate how good it is. M.I.A. is an artist who I still listen to on a consistent basis. I look forward to hearing more.

M.I.A. "Galang"


After that long post we have a quick breather in the Mad Caddies, our first one and done artist. The Mad Caddies are a third wave ska band based out of California who come to the playlist via Rock Against Bush Vol. 2. The band features your standard 3rd Wave Ska sound of horn laced rock and roll, the Mad Caddies distinguish themselves a bit by adding some small elements of hardcore to their music. The song featured here "No Hope" is a very fast paced song lasting less than two minutes. It's a fun little Ska song and is just the right length, I'm not sure the song would be any better by being longer. I enjoy 3rd Wave Ska from time to time, but there are better bands and better songs.

We continue our breather with our next one and done artist, Madison Park. Madison park were an electronicia group who gained notice in the world of electronic dance music back in 2004, but never gained the attention of the music public as a whole. The song features a pulsing back beat with computer effects and sounds that give off a bit of an ethereal feeling. The song featured here "Personal Moon" isn't very different than a lot of your standard popular dance songs that I've heard over the years, but it is slightly different in that it features original vocals and lyrics. A lot of songs like this tend to sample, but the track here features some very nice vocals from band member DeAnna. I hadn't heard of Madison Park before this track was put onto my iTunes by the Window's Vista Music Sampler. It's got such high energy and a pulsing beat that makes you want to move, but it's not something that I would listen to consistently. I can enjoy the occasional dance club track but not with any kind of regularity.

The third one and done artist in this block of four is International Superstar Madonna. Madonna is an American pop singer who rose to fame in the mid 80's with her sexy videos and songs. She gained fame with songs such as "Like A Virgin," and "Pappa Don't Preach." Her lyrical content was boundary pushing in the mid 80's. "Like A Virgin" featured the chorus "Like a Virgin, touched for the very first time," something that was controversial at the time, and "Papa Don't Preach" featured lyrics about teenage pregnancy and featured the chorus "Papa don't preach, I'm keeping my baby." Madonna stayed in the public eye when her musical career began to decline in the mid 90's by appearing in movies. She recharged her musical career in the early 2000's with the help of her protégés Brittany Spears and Christina Aguilera. The song featured here "Crazy For You," is not one of her more famous tracks. The song is a nice slow love song about "two strangers' bodies becoming one." I can't recall when I first Madonna, I was fairly young in her heyday of the late 80's and early 90's. I remember hearing Weird Al's parody "Like A Surgeon" before "Like A Virgin." It's a nice little song, but I don't really enjoy much more than a song or two of this style of Pop music.

The fourth one and done artist is really more of a two and done artist, but close enough. Magazine were an English Post Punk group who were active in the late 70's and very early in the 80's. The band featured Howard Devoto formerly of The Buzzcocks.The band wanted to produce a more diverse sound than that of bands like The Buzzcocks and each musician brought in different influences. The band's songs featured piano/keyboard with more diverse guitar and bass work from the band members. The first song featured "A Song From Under The Floorboards," features a bass line that is much funkier than your standard three chord punk song. The other song, "Shot By Both Sides," was the band's most popular and critically acclaimed song. The songs have a bit a Clash feel to them. I wasn't familiar with Magazine before I heard the songs on No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion, and hadn't really listened to them since hearing them on the compilation. Upon listening again, I like these songs quite a bit. I may come back to them occasionally, but the small number of songs makes it easy for me to scroll past without thinking.

We have our next full album contributor up next in the band The Main Drag. The Main Drag are an indie rock band based out of Boston. The band plays a diverse mix of styles, incorporating folk music with electronic dance music, and indie rock. The songs generally feature steady beats that give it its dance music quality, even low key songs feature the same steady beat. The band gained attention with the release of their second album, the one featured here, Yours As Fast As Mine. The song " A Jagged Gorgeous Winter " was featured on Harmonix's Rock Band 2 video game as an unlockable bonus track. All of the band members work at Harmonix, and because of this their song was included in the game just like the band Freezepop which also featured in several Harmonix titles. The band's song was also featured in Target commercials advertising the game. This is how I first heard The Main Drag, I heard the Target commercials and then played Rock Band 2 a while later. I liked the song, but not enough to purchase their entire album. The album is on my playlist courtesy of my younger brother backing his hard drive on my external hard drive. It's an enjoyable enough album, but not something that I will listen to much outside of "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter."

The Main Drag "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter"


Margot & The Nuclear So And So's are the next up, and the band contributes two full length LP's and an EP to the playlist. Margot & The Nuclear So And So's are a band based out of Indianapolis, Indiana who play a mix of styles that has been called "cinematic chamber pop" by some music writers. The band plays a mixture of folk rock and indie rock, mixing in harmonica, trumpet, cello, and electronic programming. Their music tends to be more melodic and lilting than fast paced. Their music at times is faintly reminiscent of bands like The Eels. The albums featured here are Animal!, Not Animal, and The Daytrotter Sessions. Animal! and Not Animal were both released in October of 2008 and feature five of the same tracks, and this is due to a dispute with their record label over which tracks should be included on the album. Animal! is the version of the album the band wanted, and Not Animal is the version the label liked. I first heard Margot & The Nuclear So And So's in 2008 when my younger brother became a fan. He went to see the band perform live, and I got these albums from the radio station for him but he already had them. So I kept them on here, and listened to a few songs but never gave them a really good listen until this blog. The albums are good, I like the interesting mix of styles. I can't say that I would have purchased these albums, but I enjoy the songs that I have on here via my former radio station. Margot & The Nuclear So And So's are really good for when you don't want to listen to anything really loud and just want some nice mood music. I may come back to these albums when I'm in need of that mood music, but probably not too much besides that.

Margot & The Nuclear So And So's "Tales As Tall As Cliffs"


The band following Margot & The Nuclear So And So's is a band that I have been really high on for the past six years. The Mars Volta are a progressive rock band based out of El Paso, Texas. The Mars Volta feature two former members of At The Drive In, Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals) and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. At The Drive In broke up on the verge of their major breakthrough because the two had become bored with the music they were playing and began to expirement with other styles of music, this mixed with drug use led to their demise. The two of them formed The Mars Volta and the remaining two members of At The Drive In formed the band Sparta. The Mars Volta released their first EP, The Tremulant EP, in 2001 shortly after the band's formation. The band plays a style of progressive rock that features: jazz fusion, Latin Rhythms, and a rhythmic complexity not commonly seen in rock and roll music. All of this is brought together by Rodriguez-Lopez's frantic break neck guitar work and Bixler-Zavala's mix of a howling falsetto, and his powerful perpetually high screams. The songs typically push longer than seven minutes, with several going longer than eleven minutes long. The band's first two full length releases De-Loused In Comatorium and Frances The Mute are both based around one underlying story/theme. De-Loused In Comatorium is based on a short story, written by Bixler-Zavala and Jeremy Michael Ward, about a man named Cerpin Taxt who tries to kill himself with a mixture of morphine and rat poison and lands himself in a week long coma. In the coma he sees visions of humanity and is unsatisfied with the real world upon awakening and jumps to his death (Thank You Wikipedia). The album Frances The Mute was reportedly based on a diary found in a car repossessed by former band member Jeremy Michael Ward shortly before his death from a heroin overdose in 2003. The diary reportedly told the story of an adopted and potentially mentally ill person looking for their birth parents, several of the tracks feature people's names and these are the names of people mentioned in the diary. The band's third CD Amputechture was the first not to feature a cohesive story, the bands next two albums The Bedlam In Goliath and Octahedron also featured no cohesive story. I first became aware of The Mars Volta back in 2005 with the release of Frances The Mute and its first single "The Widow." I really liked their musical style and picked up the album, from there I picked up De-Loused In Comatorium and it solidified my love for this band. I have since picked up all of their full length studio albums and The Tremulant EP. I just love the frantic guitar mixed together with so many different styles with Bixler's vocals, switching between English and Spanish and shouting over all of them. I had heard my brother talk about At The Drive In and my love for The Mars Volta is what led me to enjoying At The Drive In. This is one band that I really want to see live, I've heard they're amazing live and I almost got to see them in Cincinnati but the show was cancelled.

The Mars Volta "L'Via L'Viaquez"


Another breather follows yet another long paragraph, this block of 6 artists with 3 or fewer songs starts off with Martha & The Vandellas. Martha & The Vandellas were a Motown group who gained national popularity in the middle of the 60's with songs like "Dancing In The Street" and "(Love Is Like A)Heat Wave." Many music fans credit Martha & The Vandellas with creating the Motown sound of the 60's. The group highlighted singer Martha Reeves with the other female vocalists backing and providing harmonies. The group was considered to have a "harder" R&B style than many of their contemporaries. Like so many things in our childhood I can't remember when I first heard Martha & The Vandellas, I grew up in a household that loved classic Motown and Soul so it was probably pretty early. "(Love Is Like A)Heat Wave" has to be one of my favorite Motown songs. As I've previously stated, I have a bit of a soft spot for classic Soul and R&B and this hits the spot.

We continue this breather with yet another classic Motown girl group in The Marvelettes. The band was the first Motown group to gain a #1 Pop Hit. The band featured the standard Motown formula, highlighting one vocalists while the other vocalists repeat the chorus and sing harmony. The song featured here is "Too Many Fish In The Sea," a fun little song about finding the right guy. The song goes on to sing about all of the different types of guys there are out there. Like with Martha & The Vandellas I can't recall the first time I heard The Marvelettes or their first number one hit "Please Mr. Postman." Also like Martha & The Vandellas they hit that sweet spot of classic Soul and R&B. I will always come back to artists like Martha & The Vandellas and The Marvelettes.

The Soul train continues with Marvin Gaye's "Heard It Through The Grapevine" coming up after The Marvelettes. Marvin Gaye is one of the most celebrated singers in the history of Motown, and at one point was called "The Prince of Motown." His songs "Heard It Through The Grapevine" and "How Sweet It Is(To Be Loved By You)" are Motown standards known by every fan of Motown and even most of the non fans. "Heard It Through The Grapevine" is a soulful song full of pain and sorrow over the fact that the woman Gaye is singing about has fallen in love with another man. Gaye sings about having heard about her new love through "the grapevine" or word of mouth. I grew up listening to "Heard It Through The Grapevine," I remember as a kid watching a VHS recorded off of the TV of the animated band The Raisins singing the song. As I've been saying, I love old soul.

Breaking away from the Soul train, is Mastodon. Mastodon are an American Metal band based out of Atlanta, Georgia. The band is known for its "progressive" style of Metal, with many of their songs being based outside of the normal 4/4 time signature. The band has progressively moved from a sludgy sound to a slightly psychedelic sound. The songs featured here are from a three song radio sampler that I got from the radio station back when I was Station Manager. I hadn't heard much of Mastodon before putting the sampler on my iTunes, but they had been getting a lot of good press so I checked them out. I am by no means a metal head, only occasionally listening to new metal but Mastodon don't fit the bill of what I was looking for. I wasn't a huge fan of the sampler when I heard it a few years ago, and I'm still not a big fan but luckily there are only three songs.

Matchbook Romance follow Mastodon with the song "I'll Be Home For Christmas" from the compilation A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas. The song is a cover of the Bing Crosby classic, sped up quite a bit to fit with the band's pop punk style. What was originally a very tender and sad song, is now sped up so much that it sounds almost happy. It's a fun little song, and enjoyable pop punk. It's quite a different sound than what their later music came to be (see "Monsters"), but it's still fun. I probably won't be listening to this song any other time besides around Christmas, but I didn't even listen to this album this past Christmas so maybe not.

Next up is yet another song off of A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas, this time by The Matches. The song featured here is an original written just for the compilation, "December Is For Cynics." The song is just as the title suggests a song against all the consumption and greed that comes with The Christmas season. They sing "To Hell With Holiday Romantics, December is For Cynics," in the chorus. They also sing about imagining what the ghost of John Lennon would say, referencing Lennon's "Imagine" in which Lennon asks you to imagine a world without possessions. The song is a fun stop start pop punk song, with a really nice bass line running throughout. This song is catchy and probably one of my favorites from the compilation.

The next artist, Math The Band, is the next full album contribution to the M playlist. Math The Band are a Massachusetts based duo who play a high energy brand of electronic dance music. The bands members play music sequencers and synthesizers to create their frantic dance music. The band is part of the niche of Indie duos that have come to popularity in the past few years with bands like Matt & Kim and Sleigh Bells, and like these bands it's a guy and girl duo. The songs feature lyrics about haircuts, breakfast, friends, and Bigfoot among other songs. The songs are just quick little dance number meant to be tons of fun and whip people up into a dancing frenzy. I first heard Math The Band back in 2010 when they opened for mc chris at Headliners here in Louisville. The band put on a frantic high energy show that fit their music perfectly, and I liked what I heard. I really like this style of nerdy dance music, with nonsensical themes and music that makes you want to move. I didn't know anything about Math The Band before the mc chris show, and so far I still only have their album I purchased at the show. I will continue to listen to Math The Band for a while, and may even look into their earlier releases at some point.

Math The Band "Why Didn't You Get A Haircut"



Matt & Kim are a Brooklyn, New York based dance rock band, and the next artist to contribute multiple albums to the M's. The band features Matt Johnson on Keyboards and Vocals and Kim Schifino on drums and backing vocals. The band is known for their do it yourself approach to music, and are another band that fits into the previously mentioned indie dance/ dance rock genre that has become popular over the past few years. The songs are always up beat and feature very positive lyrics about making the most of life, and not wasting time. The group displays a range of styles from hip hop to indie rock, the hip hop influence feels even more prominent on songs like "Block After Block" from their new album Sidewalks. The band has released three full length albums to date, with their second album Grand gaining them their current popularity. The song "Daylight" was featured on a Bacardi commercial and has been featured in several video games. "Daylight" was the song that got the band wider notice, but they had already began to establish some popularity with the single off of their self titled first album "Yea Yeah." I first heard Matt & Kim when I saw the video for "Yea Yeah" back in 2006 with the release of the album Matt & Kim, but I didn't really start paying attention to the band until I was reintroduced to them in 2009 with the video for "Daylight." I really like their happy and upbeat style of dance rock, it's always fun listening to Matt & Kim. Their videos are usually pretty amusing, and they even won an award for their video for "Lesson's Learned" in which they walk through Times Square stripping naked. I look forward to more Matt & Kim music in the future, and hope to get a chance to see them live.

Matt and Kim "Daylight"


Next up is the next artist to contribute multiple albums to the M's, mc chris. mc chris is a rapper, voice actor and comedy writer. mc chris for many years worked behind the scenes on several of Cartoon Network's [Adult Swim] block of shows. As a production assistant for Williams Street mc chris worked on The Brak Show, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, and Sealab 2021. He also began contributing his voice to several of the shows and writing for Sealab 2021. His best known appearance is on Aqua Teen Hunger Force as MC Pee Pants. While at Williams Street mc chris began to produce his own rap music. In 2001 he released the song "Fette's Vette," it gained him minor attention. It wasn't until about 2004 that he began to see more success from his rapping, so he left Williams Street to focus on his music. The advent of YouTube helped to bolster his popularity, fan produced videos helped to spread his music. To date mc chris has released six full length albums, each one with its own unique style but keeping the constant theme of mixing nerdy references with a "gangster" image. mc chris produces a brand of music commonly associated with a genre called Nerdcore, even though he has disputed that label. His songs feature humorous themes, often boasting about his sexual prowess or some other great feature about mc chris, this is mixed with songs about nerdyness and shyness. He also writes songs referencing major movies or books. Songs such as "Fette's Vette," "IG-88's Chevy," "Dengar's Dumptruck, and "Bossk On A Segway" all reference bounty hunters from Star Wars, and "Neville" references a charter in the Harry Potter book/movie franchise. The albums are often interlaced with skits, these skits usually feature mc chris' interaction with his "manager." The skits are meant to be humorous and as mc chris states in one such skit "break up the monotony of the music." In 2010 he released mc chris Goes To Hell, which included a preview for his upcoming 2011 release Race Wars. mc chris is known as much for his high voice as he is for his nerd references, his unique voice is part of what has made him a popular voice actor. I first heard mc chris through "Fette's Vette," I heard it floating around a few years ago. I really liked "Fette's Vette" but I hadn't looked further until I saw mc chris was coming to Louisville. I heard he was coming and decided to check him out because I was thinking about going. I picked up Dungeon Master Of Ceremonies and liked what I heard. I saw him perform and purchased mc chris Is Dead. As I've picked up the rest of his albums over the past two years I have only grown in my enjoyment of mc chris. His nerdy lyrics and humorous songs mixed with legitimately good beats made for a great combination. mc chris has been one of my most listened artists of the past two years. I look forward to Race Wars and I will probably even pick up his kids album Marshmallow Playground that was released earlier this year.

mc chris "Fette's Vette"


Next up is one and done rapper MC Lars. MC Lars is a Berkley, California rapper who produces songs about musical and cultural trends. The song featured here is "White Kids Aren't Hyphy," a dig at the popularity of "ghost riding the whip" and the hyphy movement in hip hop. For those who aren't familiar with the phrase "ghost ride the whip," the phrase refers to the act of hopping out of your vehicle while it is cruising at a very low speed and dancing next to it as it rolls along. The song is all about a Lars trying to act "hyphy" which is the rap movement that spawned "ghost riding the whip." It's a comedic song about a privileged kid trying to act "hood" by copying the hyphy style. MC Lars has done multiple songs like this such as "Hot Topic Isn't Punk" and "Singing Emo." The song is a lot of fun, and quite humorous. I first heard MC Lars when I began looking into nerd rap, his name came up and I checked this track out. I've always considered purchasing a full length album, but have yet to do so but I enjoy this song whenever it comes up.

After MC Lars is one more one and done artist before our next full album contribution. The next artist is The Mekons with their 60's classic "Hang On Sloopy." The song is a classic 60's rock song, with its simple one two bass line and it's guitar work reminiscent of other garage rock bands of the time. The song, released in 1965, has become so popular that it was named the official state song of Ohio. The song urges "Sloopy" to hang on, and to "shake it." The chorus "hang on Sloopy, Sloopy hang on" is well known among rock fans young and old. It's a classic song that I've been enjoying for a long time, and will continue to enjoy for a long time.


=========================================================
BREAK!!!
=========================================================


Me First And The Gimmie Gimmies are up next, and contribute two albums to the M's. Me First And The Gimmie Gimmies are a pop punk super group consisting of Spike Slawson of Swinging Utters, "Fat" Mike Burkett of NOFX, Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters, and Joey Cape and Dave Raun of Lagwagon. The band plays only cover songs, producing no original material in their 16 years of existence. Each album features a different theme and song style. There are two albums featured here Love Their Country and Ruins Johnny's Bar Mitzvah. Love Their Country features covers of classic country songs from artists such as Willie Nelson ("On The Road Again"), Dolly Parton ("Jolene"), and Hank Williams ("I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"). The covers are sped up pop punk versions of the original songs, with bits of the country twinge still in the covers. Ruin Johnny's Bar Mitzvah features covers of 60's, 70's, and 80's rock and roll. Bands covered include Led Zeppelin ("Stairway To Heaven"), The Beatles ("Strawberry Fields Forever"), and Blondie ("Heart Of Glass"). Once again the songs are sped up and played in the pop punk style. The album is a live album, recorded at an actual Bar Mitzvah. I first heard of Me First And The Gimmie Gimmies a few years ago when I began hearing their name thrown around in discussions about punk bands. I found Love Their Country and Ruin Johnny's Bar Mitzvah at the radio station and copied the albums to my iTunes. I really enjoyed the pop punk covers of some of the classics of rock and country. I would definitely like to add to my collection of Me First And The Gimmie Gimmies' albums.

Me First And The Gimmie Gimmies "Much To Young To Feel This Damn Old"


There is a one and done artist between Me First And The Gimmie Gimmies and the next full album contribution. The one and done artist featured here is The Meat Puppets, an Arizona rock band most active during the 80's and early 90's. The band plays a mix of punk rock with some psychedelic rock mixed in, and accompanied by lead singer Curt Kirkwood's warbling vocals. The band didn't gain much in the way of notice by the mainstream until Kirkwood and his brother Chris appeared as back up musicians on Nirvana's MTV Unplugged session. Their next album Too High To Die was their most popular. The song featured here is "Lake Of Fire," a song made famous by its Nirvana acoustic cover. The song is a slow rock song with a chorus that asks "Where do bad folks go when they die?" and goes on to state "They don't go to heaven where the angles fly. They go to a lake of fire and fry. Don't see them again until the 4th of July."I was more familiar with the Nirvana acoustic cover of this song, but I was familiar with The Meat Puppets and their association with Nirvana. I had Too High To Die for a while, but it didn't make it to my iTunes catalog and is probably floating around my parents' house somewhere. The Meat Puppets are alright, the song is a good one but not enough for me to look hard for the full album.

Next up is Thrash Metal legends Megadeth, a band considered one of "the big four" of the Thrash Rock genre. The other three are Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Megadeth formed in 1983 after lead singer and guitar player Dave Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica. Mustaine was kicked out of the band for being an abusive drunk, Mustaine would get black out drunk and start fights and wreck equipment. He formed Megadeth shortly after being fired from Metallica. Megadeth quickly became known for their intricate guitar work, and dueling guitar solos between Mustaine and the bands other guitarist (it's changed a lot over the years). Megadeth songs constantly deal with themes like war, politics, and addiction. Megadeth quickly became one of the legends of the Metal scene, and went on to produce several platinum selling records. The record featured here is their eight album Risk. The album was a stark departure from their usual sound, featuring songs that were less metal and more dance rock with bits of electronica mixed in. The album was a result of a conversation with Metallica's Lars Ulrich telling Mustaine he needed to take more risks. The album was a commercial and critical flop, and was widely panned by longtime fans of the band who were upset with the band's new direction. I first heard Megadeth back in the late 90's when I was really big into Metallica. I liked Megadeth's sound because it had a lot of similarities to Metallica, so I got a cassette tape of their fifth album Countdown To Extinction. I really liked Countdown To Extinction, enough so that I convinced my father to take me to see Megadeth play at Bogarts in Cincinnati. Since I liked them and had enjoyed the concert, I was given Risk by my younger brother. Risk just wasn't the same thing, it didn't have the hardcore metal sound of Countdown To Extinction. I listened to it a few times and then put it up, and didn't really revisit it until this blog. My childhood suspicions were confirmed, the album just isn't that good. The band sounds more like a Guns & Roses copy than one of "the big four" of Thrash Metal. I will probably tuck this album away into the recesses of my iTunes, just like I did the CD.

Megadeth "Crush 'Em"


The Mekons are up next with their 1989 album The Mekons Rock' N' Roll. The Mekons are one of the londest running bands from the British Punk Scene in the late 1970's. The band started as an almost satirical play on other British Punk bands, first finding minor success with their song "Never Been In A Riot," a satire of The Clash's famous "White Riot." The band went inactive for a few years and then added new members and started up again in the mid 80's with a brand new sound. The male lead vocals were now complemented by female vocals, and the sparse punk sound was now complemented by violin and slide guitar work. The new additions gave the band more of a country feel, blending the politics and beliefs of punk rock with country style influenced by artists such as Hank Williams. I first heard The Mekons when I heard the song "Where Were You" on the No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion compilation box set. I liked the song, and was subsequently given this album by my older brother. The album is a good one, it's got an interesting mix of country and punk. It's not something I would listen to with any kind of consistency, but I might go back to it on occasion.

The Mekons "Never Been In A Riot"


Next up we have our third Japanese band of the blog so far, this time it's noise rockers Melt-Banana. Melt-Banana are a noise rock/ experimental rock/grindcore band based out of Tokyo, Japan. The band is known for their frantic high energy songs filled with looping guitars with heavy effects. The effects used by guitar player Ichirou Agata allow him to use the guitar to simulate laser and siren sounds among many others. These effects don't sound like something from a guitar, which is part of the bands style. The mix of noise with fast paced and heavily distorted guitar, and distinctive bass lines make the band's sound what it is. Singer Yasuko Onuki yells, yelps, raps, and screams over the loud noise, singing all lyrics in English. I first heard Melt-Banana back around 2007 or so, I had heard a lot of people talking about them and so I decided to check them out. I was recommended their 2003 album Cell-Scape, so I picked it up and was very intrigued by what I heard. I hadn't really heard a band like this before, I had only just heard of the genre of "grindcore." I really liked songs like "Chain Shot To Have Some Fun," and "A Dreamer Who Is Too Weak To Face Up To." Their frantic musical style mixed with Yauko O's high pitched vocals made for the perfect combination to appeal to my musical tastes. I have since purchased the album before (Teeny Shiny) and the album after (Bambi's Dilemma) Cell-Scape. I like those albums a lot as well. Their just a whole lot of fun to listen to, and were really cool to get to see live and up close at The Mad Hatter in Convington, KY. I will continue to listen to Melt-Banana for a long time, and will probably add even more of their albums to my collection.

Melt-Banana "Shield Your Eyes, A Beast In The Well On Your Hand"


Up next is a quick break with a one and done artist in The Members. The Members were a British Punk band active in the 70's and early 80's. The track featured here "Sound Of The Suburbs" was the bands first single after signing with a major label, and their most successful song. The song has the usual simple British Punk sound, but is tinged with Reggae styling and influence. The band was known for writing political and socially aware songs such as "Fear On The Streets," and "Offshore Banking Business." I first heard this track while listening through No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion box set. It's an enjoyable example of British punk that went in a similar reggae influenced direction as The Clash's music tended to. I like the song, it's catchy while still remaining true to its punk roots. It's a good example of British Punk, but not something I'll come back to a lot.

The next full album contribution is up next, and it comes from Country & Western legend Merle Haggard. Haggard's prolific career has spanned forty eight years and he has released over fifty albums, so far. Haggard became known for his "harder" style of country, with more edge and less polish than anything that was coming out of Nashville at the time. His style of music came to be known as "outlaw country." Merle Haggard has had continuous success throughout his career starting with this first number one singles "I'm A Lonesome Fugitive," and "Okie From Muskogee," both becoming two of the most well known songs of his career. Merle Haggard's songs are still played in Country Western Honky Tonk bars to this day. The album featured here is Same Train, A Different Time. The album was Haggard's first of several tribute albums, this one was to Country Legend Jimmie Rodgers. Jimmie Rodgers was one of the first Country Music superstars of the early Twentieth Century, known for his country blues and his rhythmic yodeling. Rogers wrote a lot of song about hobos, and trains and became known as The Singing Brakeman. The album featured here is Merle Haggard playing faithful renditions of Rodgers' songs, with little narrations about Rodgers' life and his music. The songs are simple and beautiful, and Haggard sings them with the sadness and soul they were written and performed with. I grew up listening to both Merle Haggard and Jimmie Rodgers, so this is a really nice album for me. I remember clearly listening to my Dad's stereo as it played Yodeling Country including Jimmie Rodgers. My Dad would also play Merle Haggard over his stereo, and whenever he would go out to play music at Bobby Mackey's Music World. I didn't enjoy yodeling country as a kid, I used to hate it in fact. Now that I've grown up and so have my musical tastes, I have a greater appreciation for it. I can enjoy it from time to time now, but not with any kind of consistency. I enjoy classic country a whole lot more than I used to as well. I like this album quite a bite, and both artists who are involved with it.

Merle Haggard "Waiting On A Train"


Following Merle Haggard we have a second member of Thrash Metal's "Big Four," Metallica. Metallica are a Thrash Metal band based out of California whose heavy aggressive style defined the genre of Thrash Metal. The band formed after lead singer and rhythm guitar player James Hetfield responded to an ad in the newspaper by drummer Lars Ulrich. They were then joined by Dave Mustaine on Lead Guitar and Ron McGovney on bass. The band had only a recorded a demo when McGovney left due to the drunken antics of Dave Mustaine, who at one point poured beer down the pick-ups of McGovney's bass giving him a bad electrical shock. McGoverny was replaced by Cliff Burton, widely considered Metallica's best bass player, who went on to play on the bands first three albums Kill 'Em All, Ride The Lightning, and Master of Puppets. Mustaine was kicked out of the band in 1983 and replaced by Kirk Hammett, who is still lead guitar to this day. Burton died in a tragic bus accident while Metallica was on tour in Sweden in 1986, and was later replaced by Jason Newsted who played bass for the band until 2001. The band gained buzz with their aggressive and heavy style on their first two albums, which featured guitar solos heavily and Cliff Burton's "lead bass" style. Songs like "Hit The Lights" and "Whiplash" became Heavy Metal Classics, but weren't recognized as such until the band achieved commercial breakthrough success with their third album Master of Puppets. The song of the same name became their breakthrough hit that introduced the band to the mainstream. Master of Puppets is considered by many to be a quintessential Heavy Metal album. The band went on to continue its commercial success with their next album ...And Justice For All. The band then released their controversial 1991 album Metallica (The Black Album). The album was controversial among Metallica fans because the album was shifted more towards the mainstream, featuring a few songs that sounded almost like a Hair Metal Power Ballad. The band continued their shift towards the mainstream side of Metal with their next two albums Load and Re-Load. The albums were commercially successful, both debuting at #1 on the Billboard Music Charts, but again were not embraced by longtime fans. Then came the departure of Jason Newstead in 2001, and the release of St. Anger in 2003. The album was widely panned for its lack of guitar solos and the metallic sound to Ulrich's drums. Metallica are still widely credited as creating the Thrash Metal genre, or at least helping to create it. I became a fan of Metallica back in the mid 90's, and for a long time they were the only thing I listened to. I hadn't heard a lot of Metal growing up mostly on Country, Blues, Motown,and general rock and roll. I was drawn to their sound, and they were my favorite band for a long time. I have all of their albums, but Load and Re-Load were not featured on this playlist because I haven't bothered to replace my cassette's of the two albums. I probably won't replace those albums, even though they are the ones I started with, because Metallica started going way down hill after Metallica (The Black Album). James Hetfield was forced to change his vocal style after experiencing vocal complications, the complications forced him to go to a vocal coach. Their music just doesn't have the same angry aggressiveness that characterized their early music. I think this is in large part due to the fact that they are no longer the same angry kids they were when they started. All of the band members have become quite wealthy from their success, and all now have families and children. The just can't be what they used to be, and probably should have stopped sometime between Metallica and St. Anger. I'm happy I got to see them live back in 2004, but I don't know that I'll buy any future releases.

Metallica "Master Of Puppets"


That last paragraph was a long one, and there' s not much relief in sight as we move on to our next artist to contribute multiple albums to the M's, Metric. Metric are a Canadian Indie New Wave band, who have achieved moderate success over their ten year career. The band's synthesizer heavy brand of New Wave has led them to their music being featured in Video Games, TV Shows, and Movies. Most recently Metric's wrote an original song for the Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World soundtrack, the song is performed by the fictitious band Clash At The Demonhead. The bands uses heavy synth lines to overlay the quick picking guitar loops and basic drum beats. All of this in puncuated by the sweet vocals of Emily Haines. Their music could also be considered "art rock." I first heard Metric back in 2005 with the release of their second album Live It Out, I saw the music video for the first single "Monster Hospital" and really liked their sound. I purchased the entire album and liked the rest of their music too, and a few years later in 2009 I decided to pick up their brand new album Fantasies. I liked this album even more, it was even more synthesizer heavy and I really enjoyed it. Then a year ago I found their first official release Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? in a used CD bin at Ear x-tacy. This CD was also really good, and I have listened to it several times in the past year. I just really like their new wave sound mixed with Emily Haines' vocals. I recommend Metric to fans of bands like Bloc Party.

Metric "Help I'm Alive"


After Metric we have rapper MF Doom. MF Doom is an Atlanta based rapper who initially gained some minor fame in the early 90's with this rap group KMD. KMD had a few of their songs played on the show Yo! MTV Raps, but controversy over the cover art on their second album and the death of a member caused the group to disband. MF Doom came about in 1997, releasing his first album Operation: Doomsday in 1999. MF Doom took his name from the Marvel Comic's villain Doctor Doom, with the MF standing for Metal Fingers or Metal Face. MF Doom's style was characterized with self produced instrumentation mixed with sound clips from old movies and TV shows. The instrumental beats are then overlaid with Doom's smooth urgent flow, and usually deals with what's wrong with the rap industry and other rappers. MF Doom's music is also characterized with frequent references to TV shows and movies in addition to the clips played between songs. MF Doom has done many collaborations over the years, the first to get popular was his 2004 partnership with producer Madlib called Madvillain. The song "All Caps" received play on MTVu and critical acclaim from music magazines. He then had more success with his 2006 collaboration with producer Danger Mouse as Danger Doom, and the album The Mouse And The Mask. The album broke the top 50 on the Billboard charts, and featured songs referencing [Adult Swim] programming with voice cameos from some of their characters. I first heard MF Doom through his Madvillain collaboration, I really liked the song "All Caps," but I never explored beyond that until last year when I picked up The Mouse And The Mask used. I really enjoyed that album so I decided to check out more from MF Doom and purchased Operation: Doomsday last year. I listened to the album once but then moved on to other music I had gotten at the same time and never came back until earlier this year. I listened to the album again and was impressed, and have now listened to it several times since. I recommend MF Doom for fans of Madvillain or Danger Doom.

MF Doom "Doomsday"


This next group, Michael And The Messengers, are a one and done artist who's history is a bit confusing. I wasn't familiar with this band before listening through for the M's, so in order to have more than one or two sentences here I attempted to look them up on Wikipedia. According to their Wikipedia article Michael And The Messengers were formed by a Chicago DJ looking to capitalize on the success of the Milwaukee group The Messengers who were signed to Motown and had minor national success. The members of The Messengers were still in college at Marquette University and couldn't tour, so this band was formed to play on their success. The song featured on the playlist is the only song by Michael And The Messengers mentioned in the article, "Just Like Romeo & Juliet." The song is very similar to the Motown style of the 60's but with all members playing instruments. The song has the vibe of the beginnings of psychedelic rock, and was featured on a collection of such artists. It's a nice little song with a nice mix of Motown soul and early 60's garage rock. I probably won't come back to it, but it's still a good song.

Now that we've had that short break, we're back to another full album contribution. This time the full album contribution comes from New Jersey Pop Punk band Midtown. Midtown were a pop punk band with a brief seven year and three album career. The band formed at Rutgers University in New Jersey, was characterized by music that leaned more towards the "emo" side of pop punk, with themes musically and lyrically similar to bands such as Jimmy Eat World. Their songs usually dealt with subjects such as relationship trouble and loss of a relationship. The music was very hook oriented, with catchy choruses. The band broke up shortly after the release of their third full length album Forget What You Know, the album featured here. Lead singer and bass player Gabe Saporta went on to form the Synth Pop group Cobra Starship, which achieved much more commercial success than Midtown. I first heard Midtown when I saw them open for Anti-Flag back in 2004 on the Rock Against Bush tour. I really liked their sound, it was very accessible and I enjoyed their sing along choruses. I purchased Forget What You Know after the concert, and I enjoyed the album for quite some time. Upon listening to it again for the first time in a few years, it's still enjoyable just a little less so than before. I'm not as big of a fan as I was, but it's still a very enjoyable album. Recommend for fans of Cobra Starship and Jimmy Eat World.

Midtown "Give It Up"


After Midtown we have another full album contribution and yet another 3rd Wave Ska band, this time it's The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones started back in the mid 80's and have been active ever since, and are widely credited with helping create ska-core, a mixture of 3rd Wave Ska and Hardcore Punk. The band has achieved more commercial success than 3rd Wave Ska bands, making numerous television appearances on MTV, Saturday Night Live, and Sesame Street. The band also made an appearance as themselves and contributed two songs to the Alicia Silverstone blockbuster movie Clueless. The band's most successful album was Let's Face It, the album featured here, which featured the song "The Impression That I Get." If you asked a casual 3rd Wave Ska fan to name a song this one would probably come up, it is the song they performed in their appearance on Saturday Night Live. The band features your standard 3rd Wave line up, with punk guitars mixed with a horn section featuring a trumpet, trombone, and a saxophone. The guitar is the standard staccato described in previous 3rd Wave Ska posts. The band sets itself apart with its vocal harmonies and the lead vocals of singer Dicky Barrett. He's got a really pleasant voice that at times can sound just above a baritone. I had heard of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones before I actually checked them out for the first time. My older brother went through a 3rd Wave Ska phase and I was aware that they were one of the bands involved. I think I had heard a song here and there before I got Let's Face It, but not with any kind of consistency like you get from an entire album. I liked their music, it fit my 3rd Wave Ska phase at the time. I still enjoy their music even though I've gotten away from 3rd Wave Ska. I recommend them for anyone who liked any of the previous 3rd Wave Ska bands I've already written about.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones "The Impression That I Get"


Next we have another representative for the country of Sweden and another full album contribution. Millencolin are a Swedish Punk Rock band who since coming together in 1993 have gained some minor international attention. The band plays a version of punk rock called skate punk, which is a more melodic version of hardcore punk. The band's songs tend to be fast paced littered with the power chords commonly heard in punk rock music. Lead singer Nikola Šarčević provides the melody for the punk rock sound, his voice is much more melodic than normal punk rock and closer to the type of melodic singing found in a lot of "alternative" rock like The Foo Fighters. The album featured here, Home From Home, was a slight departure from their skate punk sound and featured more mainstream rock sounds similar to bands popular in the early 2000's. I'm not sure where this album came from, and I wasn't very familiar with the band before listening to this album for the M's. There's a chance this came onto my iTunes from my younger brother backing up his hard drive, or it may have been something I just listened to for the radio station and put on my computer and then forgot about. Whatever the case, I like the album. It's a nice mix of punk rock and mainstream rock. I wouldn't mind possibly coming back to it in the future.

Millencolin "Penguins And Polar Bears"


We have a quick break here before our next full album with Ministry, who contribute two songs to the playlist. Ministry were an Industrial Metal band who's twenty seven year career helped to influence other famous Industrial acts like Nine Inch Nails. The band featured digitized, electronic instrumentation that was programmed to a very fast paced speed similar to the pace of metal. The music featured growled vocals as well as an occasional guitar solo very much in the style of Heavy Metal. Ministry gained its biggest success with their album Psalm 69: The Way To Succeed And The Way To Suck Eggs. The songs featured here are "Stigmata," probably one of their more popular and well known songs, and "No W." "Stigmata," features heavily distorted vocals over a programmed drum beats and electronics. The other track, "No W." was made for the Rock Against Bush CDs. I have heard Ministry's name thrown around over the years, but hadn't heard them until I got Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 back in 2004. I liked "No W." it's a really good song, and then I got "Stigmata" in the box set of 80's Underground artists, and I really like this song too. I like these two songs, but I'm not sure if I could stand more than one album from these guys, that seems like all you really need. Fans of Nine Inch Nails who haven't heard Ministry should check them out.

Next we have one more one and done artist before we get to our next significant contribution, this time the band is Mink DeVille. Mink DeVille were a band who was associated with the punk rock scene that formed around the famous New York City night club CBGB's. The band had a stint as CBGB's house band and this is part of what gained them some attention in the Punk Rock scene. The band has said that the name Mink DeVille comes from the group thinking what could be more "pimp" than a Cadillac with a mink interior. The band's music is more melodic than a lot of their CBGB's counterparts, featuring more musical variety than a lot of the other bands and a sound a bit closer to bands like The Kinks. I wasn't familiar with the group or the song featured here "Let Me Dream If I Want To (Amphetamine Blues)." I didn't know the group existed before hearing this song on the compilation No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion. It's an enjoyable song, but it wasn't particularly memorable. I like the song, but not enough to look deeper into this band.

Our next contribution to the M's comes from the iconic Hardcore Punk band Minor Threat. Minor Threat were a short lived (3 years) Hardcore Punk band out of Washington D.C. who helped to influence the Hardcore scene, the Do It Yourself (D.I.Y) Ethic of the Punk Scene, and the advent of the Straight Edge Movement. Lead singer Ian MacKaye was an iconic figure in the Hardcore scene in the 80's and 90's due to Minor Threat and Fugazi. The Minor Threat song "Straight Edge" became the basis for the movement of the same name, the movement emphasized steering clear of the harmful influences of drugs and alcohol. Minor Threat's songs were loud and fast with most not going longer than 3 minutes. The guitar and bass were heavily distorted and MacKaye's vocals were usually shouted with occasional breaks of singing. Although they were only together three years Minor Threat is one of the bands credited with starting and having a huge influence on the Hardcore scene, the other bands being Bad Brains and Black Flag. The album featured here is Minor Threat: Complete Discography, and contains all of the songs featured on their two full length albums and their EPs. I first heard of Minor Threat through my older brother who was very much into punk rock in his teens, I remember him having a Minor Threat poster. I didn't truly listen to Minor Threat though until I started getting into punk myself, I got this album from my younger brother who had gotten into Minor Threat through my older brother. I wasn't sure about them upon first listen, I hadn't listened to that much Hardcore. Upon listening to them again over the past few years, I've grown to enjoy them quite a bit more. I really like the raw intensity of their music. I think I will only continue to enjoy their music from now on.

Minor Threat "Minor Threat"


Following minor threat we have another member of the 80's Hardcore Punk Scene, The Minutemen. While considered to be a part of the Hardcore scene The Minutemen explored other genres in their music, incorporating jazz, and an avant-blues style similar to Captain Beefheart. The band didn't pin themselves down in the Hardcore scene, even though most of their songs remained short. The band also injected humor into their music with songs like "Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing," and "The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts." The band is widely recognized as one of the most influential underground bands of the 80's. The band never really achieved commercial success, but an instrumental version of the song "Corona" has become very well known to the general public due to its use as the theme song for the MTV show Jackass. The band disbanded after the death of lead singer D. Boon in 1988, but even though the band is disbanded bass player Mike Watt is still held in high regard in the Punk Rock community. I first heard of The Minutemen when my older brother introduced my younger brother to the band. I also had heard there name thrown around in discussions of great Punk bands, and finally got the album Double Nickels On The Dime from my younger brother. Like with Minor Threat, I wasn't really hot on them at first but have grown in appreciation for their music. After listening to them again for this blog, I like them a whole lot more than I did when I first listened to them. Their songs are interesting and humorous. I would recommend The Minutemen to fans of bands like Captain Beefheart or The Dead Milkmen.

The Minutemen "Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing"


Next up is a band, The Misfits, that could really be split into two separate paragraphs, because there were two different incarnations/phases of the band. The Misfits are and were a punk rock band out of New Jersey often credited with forming a genre of punk rock called "horror punk." The Misfits played a style of punk rock very similar to Hardcore Punk, but with more influences from 50's and 60's Rockabilly mixed in. Their lyrics often reference horror movie and science fiction themes, over the years their image has evolved more and more of a reflection of this theme. The Misfits started in 1977 with Glen Danzig on lead Vocals. He recruited other members from the area eventually recruiting the only other consistent member of the band before their break up, Jerry Only. The band didn't gain much in the way of success in their time together between 1977 and their break up in 1983. Only after their break up and Glenn Danzig's success with his band Danzig did the Misfits began to gain attention. Upon gaining this new found attention Glenn Danzig released a Misfits collection in the early 90's, redubbing most of the instrumentation of the original tracks so he wouldn't have to pay royalties to the original members. A long court battle with Jerry Only ensued , until Only gave up his claim in 1995 after being granted the rights to use The Misfits name and imagery. The band began its second incarnation of The Misfits and released their first album American Psycho in 1997 with a new line up and a new singer, Michale Graves. Graves left the band three years later, and Jerry Only took over vocal duties. The reformed Misfits have been widely panned by fans of the original lineup featuring Danzig on vocals. The new group just couldn't match the quality of earlier albums like Static Age, Walk Among Us, and Earth A.D., and songs like "Die, Die, My Darling," "Nike A Go Go," "Hybrid Moments," and "Astro Zombies." The band became almost a parody of itself, relying more on marketing the bands "image." The band's zombie logo has become widespread thanks to its appeal to the "goth" craze made popular by stores like Hot Topic. There are hundreds of people out there who wear the band's logo, but have never heard a single Misfits song. Like a lot of other punk bands, I had been aware of The Misfits for a long time before I actually got around to listening to them. Back around 2005 or so my older brother made me a mix CD with two Misfits songs "Hollywood Babylon," and "Bullet." I really liked those songs and eventually picked up Static Age. I really liked Static Age and the album convinced me to then purchase Walk Among Us. I really like the horror and science-fiction imagery of the music, and the fast hardcore punk style. I will continue to enjoy The Misfits, but only Danzig Era early Misfits.

The Misfits "Astro Zombies"


Lucky for you, we have another breather between long posts with two one and done artists. The first artist is Mission of Burma. Mission of Burma were a very short lived Boston Post-Punk group, who only released one EP and one LP before breaking up after only four years. The band achieved some minor success in Boston with the release of their EP, and then gained national attention after the release of their LP VS. in 1982. Most of the attention ended up being post break up, with many critics hailing VS. as a classic. The band's musical style varied widely based on which of the two main songwriters wrote that particular song. One wrote unconventional post-punk songs, while the other wrote songs that were more hook oriented than his counterpart. The song featured here "That's When I Reached For My Revolver," is the band's most well known and cited songs. The song starts out in slow, and builds up to the much stronger chorus. It does this instrumentally and vocally. I first heard Mission Of Burma a few years ago when my older brother put this song on a mix CD for me, I really liked the song then and my enjoyment has only grown. It's just a great example of post-punk classic.


=========================================================
BREAK #2!!!
=========================================================


The second one and done artist is Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels. Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels were a mid 60's rock and roll band that found success with a number of top 20 hits. The band featured Mitch Ryder on vocals with The Detroit Wheels as his backing band. He played a style of rock and roll heavily influenced by artists like Little Richard musically and James Brown performance wise. The song featured here is "Jenny Take A Ride," a fun little soul influenced rock and roll song. The vocals are very soulful with little "whoos" similar to Little Richard thrown in for good measure. It's an very enjoyable song. I hadn't heard of Mitch Ryder before listening for this blog and I probably won't go back to the song outside of Shuffle.

Following Mitch Ryder we have the New York City DJ/singer songwriter/ and multi-instrumentalist Moby. Moby over his 29 year career has released 10 albums all in a genre that has been called ambient electronica, but each with its own distinct style. Moby over the years has written and performed every part of his songs. He plays most of the instruments that you hear on his albums himself. Moby mixes this live instrumentation with samples of classic soul, and other samples. Moby is known for his spirituality, which influences his lyrics and their themes. There are two album featured here his 1999 album Play and 2005's Hotel. The two albums are very different in style, where Play tends to be very uptempo and soulful, Hotel feels a lot more melancholy. The tracks on Hotel tend to be slower, and have a bit of sad feeling to them. Moby gained some additional fame in the early 00's when he briefly feuded with rapper Eminem. Eminem called him out in the song "Without Me" after Moby criticized him, rapping "Moby you can get stomped by Obie, you 36 year old bald headed fag blow me. You don't know me, you're too old let go it's over, nobody listens to techno." I first heard Moby in 1999 when my Dad purchased Play. The album was on repeat over the next several years and I became very familiar with it. I got Hotel from U of L's radio station so that I could burn it for my Dad. I didn't listen to it however until this blog. Play is a very fun album, but Hotel is not nearly as good. I enjoy Moby on occasion, but I'd rather listen to songs more in the style of Play then that of Hotel.

Moby "Honey"


Following Moby is a band with a bit of an odd history, The Modern Lovers. The band was a short lived product fronted by singer songwriter Jonathan Richman. The band existed from 1970-1974, but didn't release any music during that time period. Their one and only album was released in 1976 two years after the band broke up, and four years after they recorded the album. The album The Modern Lovers wasn't released because it wasn't actually finished, Warner Brothers Records dropped the band after they failed to complete a debut album. The band has posthumously been defined as "protopunk." The band played a style of music that influenced genres such as punk, indie, and alternative rock. The keyboard laced rock and roll often dealt with themes such as dating, awkwardness, growing of in Massachusetts, loving life, and the United States. The songs weren't overly complicated, featuring your basic back band with keyboard laced into the mix, sometimes taking a solo role on songs like "Roadrunner." What helped define their music was Jonathan Richman's voice, Richman sang in a style that sounded almost droll and disaffected. The music was heavily influenced by The Velvet Underground, featuring a similar three chord structure. Several of the songs were produced by John Cale, who was a member of The Velvet Underground. Songs like "Roadrunner," and "Pablo Picasso" have been covered by numerous artists over the years of all different genres. "Roadrunner" is the song that introduced me to The Modern Lovers. I really liked the simple structure of the song with Richman's droll singing overtop, it's a really good song. For a long time that was the only song I had heard, but eventually I got a hold of the entire album. The whole album is just as good, and interlaced with humor as well, the chorus of "Pablo Picasso" has Richman singing about trying to pick up girls, and getting called an asshole. He sings that Pablo Picasso never had problems picking up women, that "Pablo Picasso never got called an asshole." Fans of The Velvet Underground or The Violent Femmes should definitely enjoy The Modern Lovers.

The Modern Lovers "Pablo Picasso"


Up next we have another multiple album contribution, this time it is Modest Mouse contributing six albums to the playlist. Modest Mouse are an indie rock band based out of Washington, who achieved commercial success in the mid 00's after flying under the radar for the first ten years of their career. Modest Mouse was formed by front man Isaac Brock in 1993, and released their first EP in 1994. Modest Mouse's sound has come to be characterized by their light guitar tones mixed with slightly funky bass play, all with Brock's earnest warble over it all. The band hasn't been afraid to experiment over the years, releasing several stylistically different albums. The band's 2000 release The Moon & Antarctica, is a perfect example. Due to suffering from a broken jaw during the recording process the album was much more instrumental than any previous Modest Mouse album. This album is what first got the band noticed by music media, it received rave reviews from Pitchfork earning a 9.2/10. Then in 2004 the band broke through with the album Good News For People Who Love Bad News, and it's leadoff single "Float On." The song was a rock radio hit, and launched the band into the mainstream. The simple, lilting melodies and guitar work made for something unique to rock radio. The band also had success with the second single "The Ocean Breaths Salty." After the success of 2004's Good News For People Who Love Bad News, 2007's follow up We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank quickly climbed to #1 on the Billboard Charts. With Johnny Marr of The Smith's fame on guitar, the lead single "Dashboard" took rock radio and music television by storm. Brock's lyrics often deal with death, pessimism, and depression. I really like the light/high guitar tones of Modest Mouse and it's mix with the funkier bass lines. I also really enjoy Brock's unique and earnest warble. I first heard Modest Mouse with the release of the single "Float On" and based on the strength of this single I purchased the entire album. To this day Good News For People Who Love Bad News is probably one of my favorite albums of the 00's. There are just so many good songs on this album, it is a great indie rock album. I also really enjoyed We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, and based on these two albums I began exploring their back catalogue. Their back catalogue is just as strong, and helped my enjoyment of this band remain strong. I look forward to future releases.

Modest Mouse "Dashboard"


The next band, The Moldy Peaches, are the first and only band on this playlist who are part of a musical movement called anti-folk. The anti-folk movement is a group of musicians who take the earnest politically charged folk music of the 60's, and subvert it into a raw and often much less serious direction. The songs can sound experimental or like demo versions of a fully fleshed out song. The Moldy Peaches consist of Adam Green and Kimya Dawson, and their songs consist of Dawson and Green each with an acoustic guitar taking turns singing and eventually singing together. Their songs are often about adolescence and growing up. The songs are simple, slow and stripped down with Dawson's light youthful voice lending an extra layer to the adolescent theme of the lyrics. The band gained some notoriety and additional fame when their song "Anyone Else But You" was featured in the closing scene and credits of the blockbuster movie Juno. I first heard of The Moldy Peaches around the same time Juno came out, my younger brother was a fan and I listened to some of the album after hearing "Anyone Else But You" in Juno. I like the simple and often playful music and lyrics. It's simple and easy to digest. It's not something that I can listen to all the time, but it's a nice change of pace from time to time.

Moldy Peaches "Anyone Else"


The next artist, The Monkees, are the third to last one and done artist left on the M's. The Monkees were a group of musically talented actors who were put together by Producers of the television series The Monkees. The group released several hit singles over the run of the TV show, including the track featured here "I'm A Believer" which has become one of their most popular. The song became one of the most recognized rock songs of the 60's and is a staple on Classic Rock radio stations. The song experienced some resurgence in the late 90's in films like Shrek and the first Austin Powers movie. The song is pure sugary pop goodness. The Monkees have experienced a lasting legacy over the decades, staying relevant on the edges of pop culture. I first heard the Monkees when I was a kid, most likely through "I'm A Believer." I enjoy the sugary pop goodness, and it's a fun little song. I've heard this song so much over the year that I don't really want to listen to it with any kind of consistency, but I won't mind it once in a blue moon.

Getting back to our full album contributors we have The Mooney Suzuki up next. The Mooney Suzuki are a garage rock band bases out of New York City. The band has achieved moderate success over their 15 year career, touring as opening musicians for other garage rock heavyweights like The White Stripes and The Strokes. The band has also made several late night talk show appearances and lead singer Sammy James Jr. wrote the title track for the movie School of Rock. Sammy James Jr. also made an appearance on MTV's Made to help teach an aspiring young musician. The band plays a high energy brand of garage rock that is very similar to bands like The Hives and The Strokes. I first heard The Mooney Suzuki when my brother gave me a mix CD with the song "In A Young Man's Mind." It's a really catchy song that exclaims "in a young man's mind it's a simple world, there's a little room for music and the rest is girls." All of their songs are the same loose fun brand of garage rock. I really like this album, but I hadn't really listened to it much before this blog. After listening to it again, I will come back to it again.

The Mooney Suzuki "In A Young Man's Mind"



Following the Mooney Suzuki is the dance rock/power pop band Morningwood. The band based out of New York City, was started in 2002 by lead singer Chantal Claret and Pedro Yanowitz. The band places an upbeat, fast paced, and sexually charged brand of dance rock. The bands lyrics often contain sexual references and innuendos, with songs like "Take Off Your Clothes" being one of the more straight forward. Claret's vocals range from a very demure tone to a powerful yell, her singing has been compared to other female vocalists like Debbie Harry of Blondie, Shirley Manson of Garbage, and Beth Ditto of Gossip. The music is all written by Yanowitz, a seasoned music industry veteran who had played drums for bands such as Tiger Lilly and Melissa Auf Der Maur. Together the two bring a very artistic approach to catchy pop rock. The band is also known for their live shows in which Claret demands that audience members strip, usually during "Take Off Your Clothes." The band has achieved some mainstream success with the video for "Nth Degree" appearing on MTVu, the song "Nu Rock" was featured in a couple of video games, and the song "New York Girls" was featured in the Sex In The City Movie. MTVu is where I first heard Morningwood, I saw the video for "Nth Degree" and was immediately hooked by their dance rock sound. The bands energy in infectious, and the album makes you want to move. Morningwood have been one of my most frequent listening pleasures over the past few years, and their album never really gets old for me. I recommend them to fans of The Gossip or Blondie.

Morningwood "Nth Degree"



The next band on the list is The Most Serene Republic, a band that comes to this playlist via my younger brother's backed up hard drive. The Canadian group formed in 2003 as a duo under a different name, and not long after added a guitar player and became The Most Serene Republic. The band has achieved moderate success in Canada as part of the Arts& Crafts label that is home to Broken Social Scene. Unlike what seems like every other Canadian Indie musician, the band had no previous association with Broken Social Scene. The band plays an interesting brand of indie rock that takes several different influences them and brings them together. You can hear hints of dance rock, folk music, and jazz all mixed together with indie rock. The band features really nice drum beats with pleasant and melodic guitar strums overtop of it. The singing of Adrian Jewett is a very pleasant tenor, and complements the music very well. I had heard this bands name before listening to this album, mostly in conversation with my younger brother, but I had yet to listen to the album. The album is an interesting one, very artistic but not in such a way that if feels like the band is trying really hard to be "arty." I won't mind hearing a song or two occasionally but this isn't really the type of music I listen to, so it won't be too often.

Most Serene Republic "The Protagonist Suddenly Realizes What He Must Do"


Following The Most Serene Republic is the prolific British rock band Motorhead. Motorhead began their career at the end of the 70's and are often credited as being part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. This New Wave revived the scene that had once been dominated by bands like Black Sabbath. The bands fast paced brand of heavy metal style riffs mixed with punk rock attitude have caused people to credit Motorhead as the creator of "Speed Metal." Lead singer Lemmy Kilmister is the only constant member and has become a rock and roll icon for his hard living, hard partying lifestyle. The band's greatest success came with the song "Ace Of Spades," it is considered by many to be the anthem for the band and its fans. The band has become metal legends, and is widely revered among metal fans. Lemmy's trademark growl has come to define the band's sound. I first heard Motorhead back in 2002 when the song "Ace Of Spades" was featured on the soundtrack for the videogame Tony Hawk's Pro Skater3. I really liked the song when it would come up during the game, and I enjoyed it more every time I heard it over the past 9 years. I was interested in exploring beyond "Ace Of Spades" so I picked up their 2006 album Kiss Of Death. The album is a good one, full of great hard rock tracks. I really enjoyed this album, and wouldn't rule out exploring further into the band's catalogue.

Motorhead "Ace Of Spades"


The second to last of the one and done artist, The Motors, follows Motorhead as we near the end of the playlist. The Motors were a British pub rock band who gained moderate success in the mid 70's. The song featured here "Dancing The Night Away," was the bands first single. The band achieved most of its success in the UK, only gaining minor attention in the US. Bands like The Motors were classified as pub rock because they rejected the ideals of progressive and glam rock, preferring to play small intimate shows at small venues. The band's sound is that classic 70's British rock, and similar to bands like Cheap Trick (and yes I know Cheap Trick are American). It's a very catchy rock song, and melds well with its theme. I wasn't familiar with The Motors before hearing them upon my listen through of No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion, and I didn't remember the song when I listened again for this blog. It's a good enough song, but too much like 80's arena rock that followed them.

The Mountain Goats come next, contributing six albums to this playlist. The Mountain Goats for a long stretch of their career had just one member, John Darnielle. For the long periods of the band's existence Darnielle was the only person in the band. The Mountain Goats play around with their styles, but always their songs tend to be simple/ sparse songs infused with poetical lyrics written by Darnielle. As The Mountain Goats have gained more attention from the Media, Darnielle has been continually praised for his poetic lyrics. For a long period of time the band's recordings were intentionally low quality, being recorded on boom boxes and tape recorders at Darnielle's home. A lot of these recordings featured only Darnielle playing an acoustic guitar, and doing all of the vocals. According to Darnielle all of his albums before 2004's We Shall All Be Healed were written about fictional themes. We Shall All Be Healed was his first autobiographical album, telling the story of the time he spent with a group of methamphetamine users in Portland, Oregon. His next album The Sunset Tree was all about his childhood growing up with an abusive step-father. The album also featured a backing band that would come to be the studio version of The Mountain Goats for future albums. The band's latest release All Eternals On Deck has a bit of a happier sound to it than a lot of The Mountain Goats' albums, seeming almost up beat at times. I really like The Mountain Goats for the raw emotion that seems to ooze out from Darnielle. Some of the best songs are also handling some of the hardest themes. "Dance Music" is a song about his parents fighting, and how whenever they did so he ran upstairs and turned the volume knob high to drown them out. On The Sunset Tree, one of the most tender songs is "Song For Dennis Brown," a tender ballad about the death of Reggae star Dennis Brown in 1990 due to a collapsed lung brought on by cocaine usage. Both versions of The Mountain Goats have their charms, the solo acoustic guitar and scratchy recordings version and the full band version. Throughout all of it is Darnielle's earnest voice and poetry have been constant. I was introduced to The Mountain Goats by my older brother who played the song "Best Death Metal Band In Denton" for me and my younger brother. I really liked the song, but for a long time I didn't hear anything else from the band until I became aware of them again with the release of The Sunset Tree and its single "This Year." I thought "This Year" was just a great song so I got the album and four others from my younger brother who had become a fan earlier. All of the albums have their own individual charm, and I'm happy to have them.

The Mountain Goats "This Year"


Following The Mountain Goats is Blues legend Muddy Waters. Muddy Waters was an American Blues musician who rose to fame in the early part of the 1950's, as part of the Chicago Blues Scene. He first achieved success with the classic tracks "Hoochie Coochie Man," and "I Just Want To Make Love To You," and eventually his fame spread across the Atlantic to the UK. People in the UK had never heard blues played on an amplified electric guitar and with a heavy back beat. Muddy Waters was an international success and due to all of his success over the years has been called The Father of Modern Chicago Blues. Waters is best known for his thick and heavy voice, and his slide guitar. Slide guitar is when the guitar player takes a small round piece of glass and puts it on one of the fingers of the hand used to hold the neck of the guitar, the player then slides the glass up and down the strings as he strums. Muddy Waters performed up until just a couple of years before he died, playing his last show in 1981 and dying two years later. Muddy Waters had a humungous influence on the worlds of R&B and Rock and Roll, heavily influencing artists like Eric Clapton. I can't recall the first time I heard Muddy Waters, but it was most likely at a very young age. My Dad was a big fan of classic Blues, and I grew up listening to Blues music. I remember "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I Just Want To Make Love To You" the most, but I enjoy all of his songs. The album featured here is a best of collection of his songs from 1947-1955, and every song is a great one for sure. Muddy Waters is one of the best Blues musicians of his time. Anyone who is looking to explore the roots of Rock and Roll, or R&B should give Muddy a listen.

Muddy Waters "Hoochie Coochie Man"


As we round the bend towards the home stretch we have Murder By Death up next. Murder By Death is an American Rock Band based out of Bloomington, Indiana. Murder By Death have achieved minor success, briefly getting play on MTVu for their song "Brother." Murder By Death is characterized by their mixing of styles to form something that's a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. Some might classify it as alt-country, rock and roll influenced country, but they also incorporate gospel, waltzes, and jigs. This can been seen best in the album featured on this playlist, In Bocca Al Lupo. The album was supposedly inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, featuring themes about sin, heroism, forgiveness, good intentions, and bad deeds. The band adds an electric cello into the mix that really helps the music stand out from just regular country rock. The other thing that really helps define the sound of the album is the Baritone, perhaps inspired by Johnny Cash, of lead singer Adam Turla. The lyrics and sound have a bit of a old timey feel to them, and the video for "Sometime The Line Walks You" helps support this feeling. I first heard Murder By Death back in 2006 with the release of In Bocca Al Lupo, I heard the single "Brother" when I saw the video on MTVu. I really liked the bands mix of country and rock and roll with a cello complementing it all. I purchased the album and I really liked it, all of the songs are just very well written and performed. I haven't explored further into the band partially because the album is so good, and I don't want to be disappointed with their other output. This album was a bit of a change from their previous work, so I don't know if their other work will be as good. I recommend Murder By Death to fans of Alt-Country.

Murder By Death "Brother"


Muse is up next, contributing three albums to the M playlist. Muse are an alternative rock band out of Great Britain who have risen to international super stardom in the last 8 years. The band has played arenas worldwide, even touring with U2. The band draws on many different styles, but I like the description of "opera rock" for their music. They have also had their music described as "space rock" due to the use of electronics and themes about space and science fiction. The band creates a whole lot of noise for being just a trio, with each member taking on multiple instrumental responsibilities in the studio. Their music is characterized by thrashing guitar that transforms into soaring guitar solos, while lead singer Matt Bellamy's falsetto soars over it all. The band has named Queen as an influence, and I think this influence is apparent. They have a dramatic flair similar to Freddie Mercury and Queen. The use of effects to change the guitar sounds is heavily influenced by artists like Tom Morello, the guitar becomes a sound effects machine. The band has become known for their enormous stage productions, performing of three gigantic lit columns well above the audience. The band had success over in Great Britain before 2003, but didn't gain international success until 2003 and the release of the album Absolution. Since then their popularity has only risen. I first heard Muse back in 2003 with the release of Absolution. I heard the first two singles "Hysteria" and "Time Is Running Out," really enjoying both songs. I enjoyed the songs, but for a long time I didn't explore further. Finally a year ago I decided to buy a Muse album and I purchased Absolution, and the albums that came before (Origin Of Symmetry) and the one after (Black Holes And Revelations). I read a Spin magazine article detailing the band, and I rediscovered my love for the band. I had heard songs off of Black Holes And Revelations before I got around to purchasing Muse CDs but again didn't do anything despite enjoying songs like "Super Massive Black Hole," and "Knights Of Cydonia." I am now really happy that I purchased all three albums, they're all spectacular. I will eventually get around to purchasing their last release, 2009's The Resistance, but for now I'm happy with these three.

Muse "Super Massive Black Hole"


Our next band, The Music, bring the M's into the homestretch as the fifth to last band featured on the playlist. The Music were a alternative rock band out of Great Britain who gained some minor international attention is 2004 with the release of their second album Welcome To The North, the album featured here. The band had more success in Great Britain, with a number of their singles making the popular music charts. The Music gained the attention of the United States market with the release of the single "Breakin'." The band's sound was very much your standard alternative rock littered with guitar effects to give a bit of an ethereal feeling to some of their songs. Lead singer Robert Harvey's high singing voice helped to define the sound that set The Music apart a bit. Harvey's voice had a bit of an Axl Rose feel from time to time, when he just sang and didn't switch to the even higher falsetto. The songs generally featured a grooving bass line over quick drum beats that gave a bit of a dance feel to the music. The band broke up in 2011 after releasing three full length studio albums. I first heard The Music through the song "Breakin'" and liked the song enough to want to pick up the whole album. The album is more of the same, which is part of the problem. The album gets old pretty quick, the songs are enjoyable but not wildly different. I enjoy a song or two from this band, but not a full length album.

The Music "Breakin'"



The third 3rd Wave Ska band of the M's is up next, this time it's Mustard Plug. Mustard Plug are a Ska Punk band bases out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The band have been playing together and extensively touring both domestically and internationally for the past 20 years. The band uses the standard 3rd Wave Ska formula guitar style of fast sticcato notes on the up beats of the song with a horn section playing over top. Mustard Plug's sound defines itself with bass lines that are a bit funkier than your standard 3rd Wave band. Their songs tend to cover themes such as girls, beer, food, and hanging out. I first heard Mustard Plug back when I was really getting into 3rd Wave Ska several years back, I found this album Evil Doers Beware at the radio station and picked it up. I really enjoyed their sound, and even got the pleasure of seeing them live up in Cincinnati several years back. They were a fixture on my radio show, usually with the song "Mendoza." They're another good example of 3rd Wave Ska done right, I suggest them to anyone who liked any of the other 3rd Wave bands I've written up.

Mustard Plug "Box"


Our final one and done artist is up next. MxPx are a pop punk band based out of Washington who are occasionally identified with the Christian Music scene. The band plays a fast paced brand of pop punk similar to bands like Green Day and Sum 41, with lots more harmonies and melody than your standard punk rock song. The song featured here "Christmas Night Of Zombies" comes from the compilation A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas. It's just a quick, fun, little song about as you probably guessed being attacked by Zombies on Christmas. I have heard MxPx's name thrown around a lot over the years, usually in the same breath as bands like Green Day but I never really bothered to check them out. I just wasn't interested in them, I'm still not particularly interested. I enjoyed the song, but that's about all I want to hear from this band.

The second to last band on this playlist is My Chemical Romance. My Chemical Romance are an American rock band out of New Jersey. The band rose to popularity in 2004 with the release of their major label debut Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. The albums dark themes dealing with death, loss, and despair led to the band being labeled as "Emo," a derogatory term used to describe scene kids who enjoyed dressing in black clothes. "Emo" came to be synonymous with depressed suicidal teens who only dressed in black, wore make up, and colored their hair. The band decried being lumped into this scene but that didn't stop their detractors from putting it on them. The album was full of dark themes, influenced by the band's love of horror films and comic books. According to the band's Wikipedia article lead singer, and primary songwriter, Gerard Way stated the album was about a man who gets gunned down. The man then makes a deal with the devil to get to see his sweetheart again if he can bring the devil the souls of 1000 evil men. The album's was musically characterized by distortion interlaced with a bit of harmonic work on the guitars, leading into the occasional guitar solo. The band followed up the success of Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, which went platinum, with 2006's The Black Parade. The Black Parade is a "rock opera" based around a character called "the patient." The album tells the story of his death, and his vision of death coming for him as a parade marching towards him. The story then shifts to his experience in the afterlife, and his reflections about his life. The band adopted costumed alter egos as members of a band called The Black Parade. All the band members would wear a uniform similar to those worn by marching bands or The Beatles in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album was a move more towards a classic rock sound, and this sound and the theatrical performance were reminiscent of Queen or Ziggy Stardust ear Bowie. The band toured relentlessly for two years behind The Black Parade, and this relentless touring schedule caused the band to take a bit of a break between albums. The band released their fourth album Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys at the end of 2010. The story behind the album is that the band had previously recorded an entirely different record, with a rawer sound reminiscent of The Stooges. The band was unhappy with the results and scrapped the entire album. The band then went back into the studio and recorded what would become Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys. The album features tighter instrumentals and a much more dance heavy sound. The album is set in a fictional post apocalyptic California in the year 2019, and revolves around a group of people called Fabulous Killjoys and their battle against Better Living Industries or the "the company." The four band members represent the four Killjoys and are guided along the desert landscape by a radio personality named Dr. Death Defying. I first heard My Chemical Romance back in 2004 with the release of Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. I really enjoyed singles like "Helena" and "I'm Not Ok (I Promise)." I purchased the album and enjoyed the rest of the songs and the horror music imagery. When the band release The Black Parade two years later I purchased that as well based on the strength of the leadoff single "Welcome To The Black Parade." I enjoyed the album for a while but when the band took a break I lost a bit of interest. My interest was renewed last year with the leadoff single from Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)." I wasn't 100% sold on the second single "Sing" at first, but upon listening to bits of the album at Ear x-tacy I decided to get it. I have always felt that there was a great theatrical quality to My Chemical Romance and that is part of what appealed to me, despite the fact that I might get flack from fellow punk fans for it. I look forward to the future of this band.

My Chemical Romance "Welcome To The Black Parade"


Finally we have Louisville, Kentucky's favorite sons My Morning Jacket. My Morning Jacket formed back in 1998 and made it big seven years later with the release of the album Z. The band toured in obscurity before Z releasing several records on independent labels, and gaining a large local following. The band started out with a bit more of a punk rock sound, but as members changed and the band grew their sound developed into the folk rock/ country infused sound it is today. With the release of Z in 2005 the band began to get a lot of national attention, and lead singer Jim James started to become a household name amongst fans of indie rock. Jim James has collaborated on projects with many different musicians, such as Bright Eyes' Connor Oberst, and this is what helped him gain a reputation in the music community. The band followed up the success with the release of 2008's Evil Urges. Evil Urges saw the band getting away from the sound that had made them initially popular and experimenting with different sounds. While still well received by their fans Z is usually considered superior among fans. The band released its newest album Circuital on May 31st, 2011. The album has been well received as more of a return to the sound on Z. The band's music is characterized by crunchy rock guitars, with keyboards mixed in over simple drum beats. The guitar sound leans towards the twang of country at times and Jim Jame's voice harmonized with the other band members in a way that sounds very much like folk or bluegrass music. I first heard of My Morning Jacket around the time I started at the University of Louisville in 2005. The band were already big heroes in Louisville's music scene and were gaining even greater national attention. I heard about them often, but never really bothered to check them out until I was given Z and Evil Urges by my younger brother, who had become a fan. I enjoy the albums, they are a very pleasant brand of folk, bluegrass, and rock and roll. I'm still not a huge fan of the band, but I enjoy their music and so should fans of bands like The Kings of Leon.

My Morning Jacket "Evil Urges"


CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! You made it all the way to the end of this enormous blog post. If you read it straight through without stopping, kudos, if you took breaks like I suggested, again, kudos. It took me three days to get this blog written, but I'm relieved that this post is finally finished. Please leave a comment, comments let me know people are reading my posts and I'm not just wasting time. The N's will be up a whole lot sooner than the M's were and will be a whole lot shorter.