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.