Here we are again, time for you to read another long blog post. This time, it's for the G's. The G's were as interesting as usual, lots of variety mixed with a few things I was not too fond of. There are several artists who I've listened to pretty consistently over the past few years, but there were a few who I hadn't really listened to much less thought about in the past few years. This post will be slightly shorter than the previous post. As anybody who has read even one post on this blog has already figured out, the length of the post depends on the number of artists in the letter's playlist. The F's had twenty nine artists and thirty two paragraphs, the G's had twenty two artists so this post will contain twenty four paragraphs. So sit down, and make sure you've set aside some time, because you're going to be here for a while reading this and watching the videos.
The G's start out with what can best be described as a two and done artist, Gang of Four. Gang of Four contribute two songs to this playlist, but both are from different compilations. The first "To Hell With Poverty," comes from the compilation box set Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The 80's Underground, and the second "Love Like Anthrax" comes from the compilation box set No Thanks: The 70's Punk Rebellion. Gang of Four are considered post-punk by those looking to define their genre, they play punk rock mixed with different musical styles like dub reggae. Their songs, as you might have been able to guess from the title of the first song "To Hell With Poverty," are politically and socially motivated. They write songs about social issues and the problems with the political system. I wasn't really familiar with this band before getting these box sets, but I liked their songs upon first listen. When I moved on to other music, I forgot about these songs for a bit. I was happy to hear them again for this blog. I probably won't seek these songs out, but I look forward to them coming up again when I put my iPod on shuffle. Fans of post-punk should definitely check out Gang of Four.
The next artist is the first artist on the playlist to have the presence of an entire album on the playlist. Garbage is a band out of Madison, Wisconsin who gained mainstream success with their debut album, which went double platinum after its release in 1995. The band was formed by Butch Vig, producer of Nirvana's Nevermind, who along with his two other band mates convinced Scottish singer Shirley Manson to sing for them. The band plays an interesting brand of Alternative Rock that shows influences from bands like Blondie and Siouxsie and the Banshees. I first heard Garbage with the release of their fourth album, 2005's Bleed Like Me, and the single "Why Do You Love Me." I had heard of Garbage before this, but had never bothered to check them out. Shirley Manson and Butch Vig were names I was familiar with but I hadn't heard their music. Some long time Garbage fans weren't big fans of Bleed Like Me as it was even more pop oriented then their previous albums. I liked the album, enjoying Shirley Manson's vocals quite a bit. Listening to it again six years after its release I still enjoy it, but I'm not sure if I were to hear it today for the first time that I would purchase the album again. Honestly I had forgotten about this album before listening to it again for this blog. I had scrolled past it on numerous occasions, but had never bothered to click on it. I recommend Garbage for fans of the 90's brand of Alternative Rock, Blondie, or Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Garbage "Bleed Like Me"
Our first one and done artist, Gatsby's American Dream, follow Garbage on the playlist. Gatsby's American Dream appear on this playlist courtesy of the compilation A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas. Gatsby's American Dream are an indie rock band out of Seattle, and for this compilation they did their own version of the A Charlie Brown Christmas classic "Christmas Time Is Here." The song is an interesting one, very sparse and this is a good thing in my eyes, too often bands try to take classics we all know and love and do big over produced versions. I like this version, the vocals are the main focus and the backing chorus is a nice touch that reminds you of the original. It can't match up to the original song that we all remember from our childhood, but it's not a terrible version.
Gatsby's American Dream are followed by yet another one and done artist, Gene Vincent. Gene Vincent was one for the pioneers or rock and roll and rockabilly music. He began performing in the late 1950's with his band The Blue Caps. The band featured that classic rockabilly style of guitar mixed with stand up bass and sparse drums. You can hear the blues and country influences in the music, and in the way he sings. I've always enjoyed classic rockabilly, and I can definitely hear the beginnings of the genre in this track. The genre that would spawn influential artists such as Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran. I enjoyed this song, and so should anybody who is a fan of Rockabilly.
Next up is a band similar to Gang of Four in the fact that they have multiple tracks on this playlist contributed by compilations. Generation X are a British Punk Rock band who formed in the late 70's. Generation X never really achieved mainstream success and broke up after releasing two albums. The band while punk rock in their overall sound took influence from British pop music too. Their songs weren't as rough or loud as their punk counterparts, this was due to the pop sensibilities of the song writers. Lead singer Billy Idol would go on to commercial success as a solo artist, his most famous songs being "Dancing With Myself," and "White Wedding." Billy Idol became known for his scowl and his spiked bleach blond hair. Idol's music as a solo artist is very similar to the music that he made with Generation X. So if you like Billy Idol than you should like Generation X, and this is the case for me. I like "Dancing With Myself" and "White Wedding" quite a bit, they're probably two of my favorite 80's songs. I hear "White Wedding," on alternative radio stations to this day. I enjoy these songs and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
The Germs are up next on the playlist with the song "Lexicon Devil." The Germs were a Los Angles Punk rock who formed in the late 70's and had a significant influence on punk acts that followed them despite only releasing one album. The band is very highly regarded among those in the punk rock community, often held up as an example. The band disbanded just a few years after forming and after only one album due to the suicide of lead singer Darby Crash. I first heard of the band when I was becoming more interested in punk rock back in 2005, and often heard The Germs were a good band to check out for those looking to delve deeper into the genre. I like "Lexicon Devil," it's a really good punk song, and one that I will come back to again when I want to hear good punk rock music.
The Get Up Kids make an appearance as a one and done artist on this playlist with the song "Lion And The Lamb," off of the Rock Against Bush: Volume 1 compilation. The song is a low key song, not fast like a punk song but not slow like a ballad might be. It's kind of a mellow sounding song about war and its causes. The band not normally political, most likely wrote this song just for the compilation. The song is a pretty good one for a style of music that I don't listen to very often. The band is often considered part of the "emo" movement that started with Jimmy Eat World in the 90's. The song is enjoyable, but not one I listen to consistently.
The first artist with a significant contributions to the playlist (14%), is Girl Talk. Girl Talk is a DJ based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania named Greg Gillis. Girl Talk specializes in what are called mash-ups. He takes songs from multiple artists and "mashes" them together to create a brand new song. He takes a mix of pop, hip hop, country, alternative, and classic rock to make his tracks. For instance the track "Triple Double" off of his new album All Day starts off with a mix of Phoenix's "1901" and Ludacris' "How Low." The track starts with Ludacris rapping over "1901," and then when he gets to the chorus of "How Low Can You Go?" it is immediately followed by the Phoenix lyric "Fallin, Fallin, Fallin." Girl talk has gained national attention for his mixes, partially due to their high quality but mostly for the fact that he doesn't pay for any of his samples. He samples 373 artists on the album All Day and didn't pay one of them for use of their songs citing "fair use." In order to get away with this, he has been giving away his albums for free. He has offered his last two albums as pay what you feel it's worth, meaning you can download it for free or give him a few bucks for it. I was introduced to Girl Talk by my older brother back in 2006 when he first started gaining national attention for his album Night Ripper. My brother burned me Night Ripper and I've been hooked ever since. I love the mixes he creates, the samples that he puts together makes songs I wouldn't normally like ("How Low") and makes me want to listen. I look forward to his next release whenever that may be. In the mean time, I would love to be able to go see him live for the third time. His concerts are just one big sweaty dance party, and tons of fun! I recommend Girl Talk for anybody who really liked Danger Mouse's mash up of The Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's Black Album.
Girl Talk "Triple Double"
Next up is Los Angles soul artist Gloria Jones and her classic soul song "Tainted Love." The song was made famous by the band Soft Cell but Jones recorded the original. The song is a wonderful example of classic soul at its best. Her voice is beautiful and she has a great backing band. It's a song all about a toxic relationship, she sings about running away from the relationship, she says she needs to "get away from the pain." She sings "Once I ran to you, now I run from you." It's a song about a touchy subject that wasn't talked about a lot back in 1964 when she released the song. I have a soft spot for classic soul, I don't usually seek it out but enjoy it thoroughly when it comes on.
Next up is another artist with multiple albums on this playlist. Gnarls Barkley are a hip hop collaboration between New York DJ/Producer Danger Mouse and Atlanta Rapper/Soul Singer Cee Lo Green. Cee Lo gained notoriety in the 90's for being part of the Atlanta rap group Goodie Mob, a group considered innovative for their time. Danger Mouse as has been mentioned previously on this blog gained attention with his mash ups, and produced the Gorillaz album Demon Days, which will be talked about later on in this post. The two joined forces in 2006 to release their first album St. Elsewhere. The album is a mix of Cee Lo rapping and singing over Danger Mouse produced beats. The album featured the radio smash hit "Crazy." The song was named the song of the year by Rolling Stone Magazine. The album also produced the singles "Smiley Faces," and a cover of the Violent Femmes classic "Gone Daddy Gone," neither of which gained much popularity on the radio. To this day whenever "Crazy" comes on everybody around you will start humming or singing along. The success of Gnarl Barkley led to the sparking of Cee Lo's solo career as a soul artist. I first heard Gnarls Barkley the same way most people did, by hearing "Crazy." The song is a spectacular example of hip hop and soul done right, and is insanely infectious. I really liked the song so I purchased the album, and I was not disappointed. The rest of the album is full of great songs, there really isn't a bad track on the album. The follow up album was The Odd Couple and it was another album just full of great songs, but not quite as good as St. Elsewhere. I look forward to the release of more music from these two gifted musicians.
Gnarls Barkley "Crazy"
Another one and done artist, The Go-Betweens, follow Gnarls Barkley on this playlist. The Go-Between were an Australian Indie Rock band formed near the end of the 70's that gained moderate popularity in Australia and abroad. The song on this playlist is "Cattle And Cane," and is one of their most well respected songs. The song was named one of the Top 30 Australian songs by The Australian Performing Rights Association. The song is a good one, it's got a nice simple sound and is a good listen. I wasn't familiar with this band at all before getting this song from the compilation box set Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The 80's Underground. It was not one of the songs that stood out upon my first couple listens to the box set, and I wasn't familiar with it until this blog. I doubt I'll pay it much more attention after this, but at least I'll recognize it better if it comes on when I put my iPod on shuffle.
The Go Go's are up to bat next. The Go Go's were an all female New Wave rock group that formed at the end of the 70's and gained popularity in the 1980's. Their debut album went double platinum. launching their career to its highest point. The Go Go's are considered to be one of the best all female rock bands, and according to their Wikipedia article they were the first all female band who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to reach the top of the Billboard charts. The song is a fun new wave pop rock song. It has fun vocals and a good musical arrangement. Their sound paved the way for other New Wave bands who would come along with a similar sound, and you can hear the New Wave style that would become en vogue later in the 80's. I like this song, it's a fun song to listen to and something I enjoy when I comes on. I can't say that I was very familiar with it before the blog, the song was put on my computer by my older brother for the party to celebrate his wedding. I recommend this song to fans of New Wave music.
Next up is an interesting group in The Go! Team. The Go! Team mixes several genres together to form their unique brand of indie rock mixed with hip hop. Lead vocalist Ninja switches back and forth between singing and rapping while being backed by live instruments. The band also employs samples and guest performances to complete this unique style of music. Their hip hop style is closer to the old school style of the 80's and early 90's than today's hip hop, and the live instrumentation routinely employs distorted guitars over lively up tempo drums and varied accompaniment. I first heard The Go! Team back around the time their album Proof of Youth came out back in 2007. I had been reading good things about The Go! Team in music magazines and decided to check them out. I popped down to Ear X-tacy and gave the album a listen. I really liked the first song, the first single, "Grip Like A Vice" so I purchased the album. The rest of the album isn't quite as strong as the opening track, which is a powerful song about how powerful women are. Guest rapper Lisa Lee raps lyrics like "it's a women's world, you've got to give it what you got," and " fly girls, and if you're ready to rock, to help me turn it out?" This for me is probably the best song on the album, and it's such a fun song it is hard to match. The rest of the album is good, but not great. The songs are generally high energy and fun to listen to, but get a little old halfway through the album. I like the album well enough to come back to it occasionally, but not consistently.
The Go! Team "Grip Like A Vice"
Next up, breaking up the larger contributors, is another song off of the much maligned and regretted The Blackest Album: An Industrial Tribute To Metallica. This time the artist destroying a classic Metallica song is Godhead. A band, unlike most of the others, that I have actually heard of. The fact that I have heard of them before doesn't make this song any better. The song is completely electronic, the programming tries to sound a bit like instruments but it doesn't work. There are live instruments in the band, but they're drowned out by the programming. I'm not a fan of this song at all, avoid it.
Next up is a band that I've been thoroughly enjoying for several years now, Gogol Bordello. Gogol Bordello is a Gypsy Punk band that formed in New York City at the end of the 90's. The band features a cadre of foreign nationals, mostly from Russia and the Ukraine, only two of the nine members of the band are from the United States. The band plays punk rock infused with traditional gypsy music, prominently featuring an accordion and fiddle. Lead singer Eugene Hutz is a Ukrainian immigrant, and brings the influence of his world view to the music. The songs routinely switch between English, Portuguese and Russian. Their songs are high energy, and make you want to get out of your seat and dance. This high energy is translated to their live show, where they are known for their frantic high energy performances. The music gets the crowd riled up and the band follows suit, the band is known for riding a bass drum over the heads and hands of their crowd. This is a band that I first heard when I watched them perform on Late Night With Conan O'Brien. They performed the first single off of their third album Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, "Start Wearing Purple." "Start Wearing Purple," has become probably their most well known song to casual observers, and was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Everything is Illuminated. Eugene Hutz has also appeared in several feature films including Everything is Illuminated. I really enjoy their high energy culture infused brand of punk rock. Their songs are infectious and hard not to sing along to. I had the pleasure of seeing them perform live, and would do so again in a heartbeat. I love the cultural mix that comes out in their music. With their most recent album they added a Brazilian influence to the mix, that makes for even more interesting music. Eugene Hutz moved to Brazil before the release of their last album Transcontinental Hustle, and the move is what inspired the album. I recommend Gogol Bordello for fans of cultural music and for fans of bands like Flogging Molly.
Gogol Bordello "American Wedding"
Next up is the first "virtual" band to grace this playlist, The Gorillaz. The Gorillaz is the project of former Blur front man Damon Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett. The band consists of animated band members 2D (lead vocals, keyboard, rhythm guitar), Murdoc (bass), Noodle (lead guitar), and Russel (drums). The band plays a mix of styles including: alternative rock, pop, hip hop, and electronic music. The hip hop aspect comes from guest spots by indie hip hop artists such as Del the Funkee Homosapien, and appear as what are called "rap demons" born from Russel. The band gained popularity in 2001 with the track "Clint Eastwood," a slow almost plodding song. The song sounds a bit monotone, featuring the high pitched voice of Damon Albarn as 2D. The track is simple, but that doesn't mean it's bad. The song is repetitive, purposely so, but is broken up in the middle by a rap from Del the Funkee Homosapien. It's a really great mix or styles and the song is a great one. Their style has evolved over the course of their three albums, but has retained some consistency in sound, there is always a mix of slow songs and dance worthy songs. Their second album Demon Days featured similar songs to their debut Gorillaz but not so much so that it was just a repeat. The album and its single "Feel Good Inc." are widely considered to be the bands best work. Albran and Hewitt have created a whole virtual universe for the band, their music videos form the basis of a story about the band that is continued in videos produced for their website and as promos for the albums. There is a story behind this "virtual" band. For instance Noodles disappears from the band in the video for "El Manana", so Murdoc creates a Cyborg version of Noodles out of Noodles' DNA to replace her. There is an entire back story for the cyborg, which I won't go into here but if you're interested you can find it at Cyborg Noodle. I heard the band for the first time back in 2001 when I saw the video for "Clint Eastwood" on MTV. I liked the song a lot, purchased the debut and my love for this band has grown from there. I will enjoy Gorillaz for a long time, and look forward to more music from them. I would recommend Gorillaz to fans of Blur and Indie Rap.
Gorillaz "Feel Good Inc."
Next up is the one and done artist Gossip. Gossip is an indie rock group out of Olympia, Washington. The band plays a mix of dance punk, and indie rock. The band consists of lead singer Beth Ditto, Brace Paine on guitar, and Hannah Blilie on drums. The band plays an upbeat style of rock, with some of the ferocity of punk music mixed in, hence the dance punk label. The band has become an icon in the LGBT community for their music and staunch defense of LGBT rights. The song included on this playlist is the title track off of their breakthrough 2006 album Standing In The Way Of Control. The song is a song that I have been enjoying since my older brother gave it to me. The song features powerful vocals by Ditto which really enhance the musical aspects of the song. I will continue to like this song for the foreseeable future.
The beloved Classic Rock group Grand Funk Railroad follow Gossip on this playlist. The track featured here is their most popular track "We're An American Band." This classic track is an ode to their fans, the band sings about how critics have panned them yet they are loved by audiences. The song is a classic and is very much in the popular rock style of the 70's. I've been familiar with this song for a long time, and I've enjoyed it for just about as long. As I grew older and gained a greater appreciation for the history of rock and roll, I gained even more appreciation for this song. This is probably one of my favorite classic rock songs.
As we enter the bottom quarter of the playlist we have Green Day following Grand Funk Railroad. Green Day are a California punk rock trio that began their career 1987 playing underground clubs in Berkley, California. They were part of a punk scene nick named "snot core," and they gained a large underground following inside this movement. They started gaining notoriety after the release of their second album Kerplunk in 1992, and gained such a large following that they were signed to a major label. The band released their third album Dookie in 1994 on Reprise Records. The band gained an even larger following with this critically acclaimed album, but were considered sellouts by many of their long time fans from the "snot core" scene. The band went on to release Insomniac which also gained wide popularity, but the band lost the public's interest and began to decline. They were losing relevance in the eyes of the music public. The band's popularity rebounded and the skyrocketed with the release of 2004's American Idiot. The album was a sharp change in style for the band, the album was full of serious and politically charged themes. The band had previously showed no interest in politics, their early music had been labeled "snot core" in reference to their youth and often immature themes. American Idiot produced their greatest chart success to date, debuting at number one. The songs are all centered around the life of a character named "The Jesus of Suburbia," and featured several tracks that were much longer than your standard Green Day song (2 songs were over 9 minutes long). The band then released another politically charged "rock opera," 21st Century Breakdown. The albums sound is very similar in style to American Idiot. These two albums renewed their mainstream popularity, and inspired a Broadway musical. I first started listening to Green Day when my older brother gave me Dookie for my birthday. I wasn't so hot on it at first, because I was really big into Metallica at the time. A number of years later and after hearing their songs on the radio for years, I checked the album out again and liked it. I enjoy the pop punk style of Green Day, they know how to write a catchy radio oriented rock song. I enjoy Dookie quite a bit, and I like American Idiot a lot too. I wasn't as big of a fan of 21st Century Breakdown, but it's still a good album. Anybody who likes Blink 182 and Sum 41 will most likely enjoy Green Day.
Green Day "When I Come Around"
Following Green Day we have a one and done artist from the compilation box set Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The 80's Underground, Green On Red. Green on Red were a new wave/psychedelic rock band from Arizona who formed at the end of the 70's, but were most active in the 80's. The song featured here is the title track off of their second album Gravity Talks. The song prominently features the keyboard, a style common to a lot of psychedelic bands from the time. The vocals aren't spectacular, but they fit the song well. I don't know much about this band, and wasn't familiar with this song before the compilation and the blog. It wasn't a stand out song on the compilation for me. It's enjoyable but nothing special.
The final one and done artist, and the second to last artist on the playlist, is Guitar Wolf. Guitar Wolf is a Japanese Noise Punk Trio. The band formed near the end of the 80's, and have become known for their loud, heavily distorted, guitars and aggressive vocals. The track featured here is a cover of the Eddie Cochran classic "Summertime Blues." I like this song and it's loud and aggressive style, but if not for the lyrics it would be very hard to determine what the song was a cover of. I first heard of Guitar Wolf through my older brother, who put this track on my computer, and then as part of a compilation of Japanese bands. While I enjoy this song, the difficulty of finding any Japanese music, outside of the most popular bands, in the US has made it difficult for me to even attempt to dig deeper into this band. I like this song, and so should fans of Japanese rock and roll and noise rock.
The final artist to grace the G's is The Gun Club. The Gun Club were a punk rock band that mixed blues and rockabilly influences. This mix created the roots of a genre of music that would come to be known as psychobilly. The band is one of a group of bands credited for creating the Hollywood rock and roll scene. I first heard of The Gun Club from my older brother, who was a fan, and he gave me their debut album Fire of Love. I like this album, it is an interesting mix of styles. I have heard some modern psychobilly, and it's interesting to hear what is sort of an early version of the genre. The songs are great at really letting their genre influences shine through. You can hear a lot of blues in their slow songs, and then when they speed it up you hear a lot of rockabilly influence. Despite having this album, I hadn't really listened to The Gun Club in depth before this blog. I like the album quite a bit, and am sorry that I hadn't listened to it in depth before now. I'm not sure if I'll delve deeper into this band's Discography, but I'm not opposed to the idea.
The Gun Club "She's Like Heroin To Me"
Well that will do it for the G's, I hope you enjoyed this post. Please leave me comments with thoughts, suggestions, and even corrections if you think I got something wrong. Comments let me know you're reading this, so please be kind and leave one.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The F's Are Here!
Here it is ladies and gentlemen, the blog post for the letter F. I took me longer to get this finished than I anticipated, I had hoped to have this finished and posted a good 2 weeks ago. I unfortunately got busy with work and a road trip, so despite having finished listening to the F's about 3 weeks ago I am just now getting around to writing up this blog post.
The F's were interesting, a lot of familiar songs from the one and done artists and some great artists with a large presence in the list. The F's were very easy to get through listening wise, there weren't really too many artists or songs on the list that I found myself having changed my preference for. The F's had alternative arena rock and indie dance techno, and everything in between. We start of the F's with the first eight tracks being from one and done artists before we finally get to the first multiple track artist.
The first of the one and done artists who populate the top of this list is The Faces with the song "Ooh La La." The title isn't familiar to most people, but the song should be. The chorus of this song is one of the more well known choruses of the past 30 plus years. The band also featured musicians who have become some of the biggest names in music over the last four decades, including Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. "Ooh La La" features the iconic chorus "I wish that I knew what I knew now, when I was younger." The song is a song of regret about past relationships, Stewart sings about women using you and abusing you. The song has been featured on multiple movie soundtracks over the years, and that is also how it came to be on my iTunes. I got this song off of the soundtrack for the movie Rushmore. I have always liked this song, Rod Stewart's voice mixed with excellent guitar work really make this song stand out. It feels a bit odd because the song seems really up beat for a song about regret and bitterness. I think I will continue to enjoy this song for a long time.
Faith No More comes up next. Faith No More have been hailed as one of the most influential bands of the 80's and 90's, their influence can be seen in a lot of alternative metal and even rock-rap. Their most famous song is "Epic," which still has a presence on alternative rock radio twenty two years after its release. I really like that song, but the song that I have on my iTunes is the first of their tracks to gain popularity and be played on MTV. The song is called "We Care A Lot," and features a thumping bass line as the driving force behind the song. Fan's of the song "Epic" who have not explored the earlier records of Faith No More may not initially recognize this song as a Faith No More song. This is due to the fact that this track was recorded with the band's original vocalist, who was replaced in 1988. The song is a lot of fun, and a track that I enjoy quite a bit. The song, like several of Faith No More's songs, has a bit of a comedic vibe to it. They sing about how they care about the everything from the police to the Transformers. They also sing that "it's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it." I think I will continue to enjoy this song for quite some time.
Faith No More "We Care A Lot"
The Fall song "Bingo Master," follows up Faith No More on this playlist. The Fall are a British punk band that has never really caught the public's ear, and is not known to the majority of music fans born from 1990 on, but despite this they have put out 28 studio albums since their formation in the 70's. This track comes from the compilation box set "No Thanks: The 70's Punk Rebellion." The song has that classic 70's British punk, and starts off slowly before breaking out in the chorus. The song is a fun one, and one that I wasn't very familiar with before this compilation and the before this blog. The lyrics are strange, but interesting. I definitely recommend this band for fans of bands like The Damned.
Next up is the first of two songs in a row from the compilation "A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas." This particular song is "Yule Shoot Your Eye Out," by Fall Out Boy. Fall Out Boy are a band commonly associated with the "emo" genre of music that gained popularity back in the early 2000's. I was never a big fan of Fall Out Boy and the style of music that they represented, but this is a nice song. It's not really your typical cheery Christmas song with lyrics about the ending of a relationship singing lyrics like "don't come home for Christmas, you're the last thing I wanna see underneath the tree. Merry Christmas, I could care less." The song is mainly just singer Patrick Stump on Acoustic guitar, with a second acoustic guitar accompanying him. It's not an unpleasant song, but not a song that I would listen to year round.
The next one and done from "A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas," is Far featuring Chino Moreno. This song is a cover of the famous 1984 song done for Band Aid. The original features the popular artists of the time coming together to sing a song who's proceeds went to organizations providing aid to Africa. The song featured the following artists: Linda Ronstadt , Adam Clayton (U2) , Phil Collins (Genesis), Bob Geldof (The Boomtown Rats), Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet), Chris Cross (Ultravox), John Taylor (Duran Duran), Paul Young, Tony Hadley, Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17), Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran), Simon Crowe, Marilyn, Keren Woodward (Bananarama), Martin Kemp (Spandau Ballet), Jody Watley (Shalamar), Bono (U2), Paul Weller (The Style Council, and previously The Jam), James "J.T." Taylor (Kool & The Gang), George Michael (Wham!), Midge Ure (Ultravox), Martyn Ware (Heaven 17), John Keeble (Spandau Ballet), Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet),Roger Taylor (Duran Duran), Sara Dallin (Bananarama), Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama), Sting (The Police), Pete Briquette (The Boomtown Rats), Francis Rossi (Status Quo), Robert 'Kool' Bell (Kool & the Gang), Dennis Thomas (Kool & the Gang), Andy Taylor (Duran Duran), Jon Moss (Culture Club, former member of Adam and the Ants), Rick Parfitt (Status Quo), Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran), Johnny Fingers (The Boomtown Rats), David Bowie, Boy George (Culture Club),Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood),Paul McCartney, Stuart Adamson (Big Country), Bruce Watson (Big Country), Tony Butler (Big Country), Mark Brzezicki (Big Country).** This version of the song is more in the alterative hardcore style. The song goes from a nice sweet song to a bit of a louder/harder sound. It is not as good as the original, but I've heard worse covers.
The Fastbacks were an American rock band the formed at the end of the 70's. The band featured a mixed line up with two women and two guys forming the band. The song on my iTunes is "In The Summer," a fun song with female vocals in a style very close to punk rock, with slightly more pop sounding guitars. I had heard this song on occasion before listening to it again for this blog. I believe it was put on my iTunes by my older brother for his wedding party. I enjoyed this song when I listened to it again for this blog, it's a great summer anthem, and ode to the fun and freedom experienced by a lot of people in the summer time. I would recommend this for punk fans and fans of female fronted rock bands.
Next up is the most vulgar song of the F playlist, in Fear's "I Love Livin In The City." The song is a punk rock song featuring lines like "my ass smells just like the sewers," and also features lyrics about "crabs crawling on my balls." The song is all about the plight and poor conditions of those who live in the inner city, and the attitude of people who live in the city's suburbs compared to reality. It's a quick aggressive song meant to be controversial and provoke a response. It's a good song, and one that I've been enjoying for many years now, and will continue to do so.
The final one and done artist, before the beginning of the artist blocks, is The Feelies. The Feelies are a band out of New Jersey who play a style that sounds like an early version of a lot of modern indie music like Bloc Party. The guitar work is what stands out in this song, there in a wailing guitar that overshadows the backing music. The rest of the song doesn't feel particularly remarkable to me, the vocals are pleasant and so is the song itself, but it doesn't really stand out in my mind. A good song, but not memorable.
The first artist to have a sizable presence on the F playlist is Canadian singer songwriter Feist. Feist came to popularity with the release of her 2006 album The Reminder, which featured the singles "1,2,3,4," "I Feel it All," and "My Moon My Man." Her songs are all very melodic songs that prominently feature her vocals. She tends to write up beat songs about relationships and personal experiences. On her previous album the song "Mushaboom," was a track about what she wanted her future to be like. Her songs are always very enjoyable and fun to listen to. Her vocals are a big part of what makes these songs so good, she sings with a very distinct melodic style that is instantly recognizable to anyone who is a fan of her music. I first heard Feist in 2005 when I saw the video for the song "Mushaboom," on MTVu. I liked the song, but didn't really start paying attention to her until The Reminder. I enjoy her songwriting style, the arrangements she chooses and her vocals. Her slower songs aren't as much fun, but are still good in their own right. Feist is also a member of the Canadian rock collective Broken Social Scene. I would definitely recommend Feist to anyone who is a fan of the female singer songwriter genre, and to fans of folk rock. Feist is an artist I will be listening to for a while.
Feist "I Feel is All"
Next up is Filter, a 90's alternative rock band out of Cleveland. The band gained popularity in 1990's with the songs "Hey Man, Nice Shot," and "Take A Picture." The band featured a former member of Nine Inch Nails and started out as a industrial rock band, but moved more to the alternative rock side of the genre as the progressed. Their songs are loud and fast, featuring a mix of vocals being sung and shouted. You can hear some of the industrial influences in their music, but the music more sounds more like a slightly harder version of the Alternative rock of the 90's. I liked "Take A Picture" when I heard it played on Alternative rock radio in the 90's early 00's so I purchased the album Title of Record. The rest of the album is pretty good, and I liked it when I bought it. I am not as big of a fan now as I was then. The songs are good, but my musical taste has shifted enough to where they aren't something that I would listen to with any kind of consistency. I still hear "Hey Man, Nice Shot" all over movies and video games, and I enjoy the song. The band is just not something that I would ever want to look deeper into.
Filter "Hey Man, Nice Shot"
Fischerspooner is up next for the F playlist. Fischerspooner are an electro pop duo out of New York City. The duo uses programmed beats and synthesizer lines to make fun and interesting dance music descendent from groups such as Kraftwerk. The duo are the core of band, but the band has had up to twenty members. The other 18 members were all dancers and back up vocalists. The band was formed by the classically trained musician Warren Fischer and video artist/ theater performer Casey Spooner. Their musical style while remaining electronic, has changed from album to album. Their debut album #1 was described by many as being an example of electro clash, a rejecting of the current dance music trends and infusing electronic music with modern art. Their second album, Odyssey was a bit more mainstream and featured actual live instruments, the band said this was due to being signed to Capitol Records. Their third album Entertainment is still much more danceable and pop infused than #1 but not quite as much as Odyssey. The first single off of #1 "Emerge" has been used in TV and video games over the past few years and remains one of their most well known songs. I first heard Fischerspooner through this single, and then when my older brother gave me the entire album. The album is hard to get into if you're not used to this type of music like I wasn't at the time. Upon listening to the album again over the years I have grown in appreciation for the album. You know that the album isn't going to be your usual dance record when the first song opens up to the sound of someone blowing smoke, which slowly turns more electronic with each additional breath. I enjoy Fischerspooner's music and the artistic styling that they put behind the music and their stage show. Their artists in more senses of the word than just music, they make the art of their music physical with their stage show. I look forward to Fischerspooner's next album, and hope that I can see them live again sometime in the near future.
Fischerspooner "Emerge"
Another Metallica cover from the two previously mentioned Metallica tribute albums is up next, this one is by a band called Fist and is off of Overload: A Tribute to Metallica. This is yet another track that makes me regret ever purchasing these albums. This one features the same style of guttural singing/yelling that I have maligned in my previous posts about this album. The music doesn't save this cover either. It's not a good cover musically ever. I don't like the guitar sounds, and the whole song just doesn't work for me. Steer clear of this album.
The Flamin Groovies provide us with the next one and done contribution to this playlist. The Flamin' Groovies were an American rock band out of San Francisco who formed in the late 60's. The song that is on this playlist is their most well known song "Shake Some Action." The band incorporated elements of 50's rock and roll and bits of the genre that would later become power pop in the 70's. I like this song, it's a fun song that's easy to sing along to and enjoy. I wasn't familiar with this song before my older brother put it on my computer for his wedding celebration party. It's a song that I've enjoyed each time I've heard it and one which I will continue to enjoy.
Fleetwood Mac are the next artist to grace this playlist with their recorded musical presence. Fleetwood Mac formed in London in the late 60's, and since then have become one of the most influential and respected bands of the last forty years. So many artists have named Fleetwood Mac as a major influence. Their songs are easily accessible rock and roll, and a perfect example of popular rock and roll in the 60's and 70's. Their songs are iconic, and have been spread throughout popular culture. They have been featured in movies, on TV, and have been covered by numerous musicians over the years. I enjoy their music when I hear it, but I've never had a huge desire to dig deeper into their music. They are just a band that I can listen to when they come on, but not a band I listen to consistently.
Next up is Flight of the Conchords, a comedic folk music duo from New Zealand. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement make up this comedic duo. The duo has gained a lot of attention over the past five years with a radio show on the BBC and then a television show on HBO. The episodes were centered around the songs that they had already written. The songs don't have any common themes, and are written much like a standup routine set to music. There are songs about David Bowie in space "Bowie in Space," and a racist dragon "Albi the Racist Dragon." Their songs are completely ridiculous, and that is part of what makes them so funny. I first heard Flight of the Conchords when my younger brother begin watching the HBO series. I thought the show was ok, but I like the songs a lot more. The songs are hilarious and a great listen when you need a pick me up or a good laugh. I would recommend them to fans of comedy music, and stand-up comedy.
Flight of the Conchords "Albi The Racist Dragon"
Flogging Molly follows Flight of the Conchords in the F's. Flogging Molly are a Los Angles based Celtic rock band. The band infuses traditional Irish music into rock and roll music with a punk influence. The band's members are mostly American, but lead vocalist David King was born in Dublin, Ireland before moving to Los Angles in his 20's. The band features traditional Irish fiddle and penny whistle along with the standard rock and roll guitar, bass, and drums. The songs most often focus on events in Irish history, and traditional Irish tales. I first heard Flogging Molly through their most well known song "Drunken Lullabies." I really liked that song and the song that follows it on the album "What's Left of the Flag." For years I didn't bother to explore further than those songs, but when I finally did I was glad I did. I enjoyed the mix of traditional Irish music with punk rock, and I still do. The majority of their songs are fast paced songs that make you feel like getting up and dancing. There are songs that involve drinking like a lot of people expect from Irish music, but the majority are about things like the Irish struggle against the English crown, and the period of history when Irish people were sold into slavery in the Barbados islands. I enjoy them quite a bit and have seen them live a good three or four times. Fans of Gogol Bordello and similarly heritage infused music should definitely check out Flogging Molly, and anybody who is already a fan should definitely check them out live.
Flogging Molly "Rebels of the Sacred Heart"
The artist who follows Flogging Molly was all over the popular culture of 2010 and was named one of Spin Magazine's Artists of the Year. Florence and the Machine are a band formed by vocalist and songwriter Florence Welch in England. The band features rotating musicians who back up Welch's vocals. Her style of music incorporates several styles, the most noticeable is soul music mixed with some rock and roll. Her vocals mixed with these influences are something really special. Her song "Dog Days Are Over," was featured in the trailer for the 2010 movie Eat Pray Love. I enjoyed "Dog Days Are Over," and had been hearing nothing but good things about her 2009 debut Lungs so I finally decided to purchase the album in February, and I'm glad that I did. Her songs can be sweet and tender and then raise in to a powerful cacophony. I will continue to enjoy her music and this album for a long time, and look forward to her next album.
Florence + The Machine "Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)"
The one and done Fongus is the next artist to make an appearance on the F's and also the second artist from the Overload: A Tribute To Metallica album much maligned above. Once again it's the vocals that ruin the cover for me. The vocals are obviously done by someone using English as a second language, their first language being Spanish. Honestly I would rather hear the song in Spanish, it's not that his accent ruins the vocals, it's his accent mixed with the echoing reverb on the vocals. The musicianship is pretty close to the original, but the vocals make this another bad cover. Steer clear.
Next we have one of the most popular rock bands of the past decade, The Foo Fighters. Foo Fighters feature Dave Grohl, formerly of Nirvana, on vocals and guitar and have grown from just Dave Grohl's project to one of the biggest bands of the late 90's and 00's. They have one three Grammys for Album of the Year and have been nominated six times. The band has become a staple on rock radio and in arenas around the world. Dave Grohl has become one of the biggest rock musicians in rock and roll, and has several side projects alongside the Foo Fighters. These projects include Them Crooked Vultures (with Joshua Homme and John Paul Jones), Probot, and has provided guest drums for Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, and Tenacious D. I first heard Foo Fighters through alternative rock radio, and I grew to really like their songs quite a bit. Their songs aren't the most insightful or the most powerful, but they are very good/solid songs. Dave Grohl and company know how to write for their audience, they know how to write a good radio hit. I enjoy The Foo Fighters and I will continue to do so.
Foo Fighters "The Pretender"
Next up is a one and done in The Four Tops. The Four Tops are one of the most influential and well respected doo-wop/R&B groups of the Motown era. The song featured here is one of their most well known songs "Reach Out (I'll Be There)." The song has the classic Motown sound that you would expect from a group like this and features great lyrics telling the subject of the song to reach out and take his hand, that he'll be there when he's needed. I enjoy Motown as a genre, and this song and group is no exception.
Next up is a band that I've been enjoying quite a bit ever since seeing them live back in 2009, Foxy Shazam. Their music and their raucous high energy show made me buy their album and I've been enjoying them ever since. Foxy Shazam put an amazing energy and power into their performance that really comes through in their music. Foxy Shazam plays a mix of post hardcore, soul, and glam rock. Their songs are frequently humorous in nature, and feature extravagant lyrics and themes. Front Man Eric Nally is the primary song writer for the band and was recently tapped to write songs for the artist Meatloaf's new album alongside former Darkness front man Justin Hawkins. Their second album Introducing is the album that introduced me to the band, and is my favorite of the two that I own. The debut comes out fast from the start and hits you right away and doesn't really let go until the end. Their third album, and their major label debut, is a good album, but it just doesn't feel the same as their previous album. It doesn't have the same fierce energy. The band is has began to gain mainstream recognition, they were named a band to watch by Spin Magazine and had their song "Unstoppable" featured in ads for the Super Bowl and for EA Games NHL 11. I will continue to enjoy their music for the foreseeable future and look forward to seeing what they do next.
Foxy Shazam "A Dangerous Man"
The Chairman of the Board follows Foxy Shazam on the F playlist. Frank Sinatra is one of the most popular and iconic figures in music. His songs are often regarded as timeless classics, and his song "New York, New York" has been the anthem for New Yorkers for fifty years, and is the song most often used to represent New York City in movies and TV. Frank Sinatra was considered the King of Swing, and was not only a famous actor but was an accomplished actor as well. I have always enjoyed Frank Sinatra, and this is probably a good thing since I hear his music several times a day playing in the lobby at work. I quite enjoy swing music, and Frank Sinatra made some of the best swing music ever produced. I will continue to enjoy Frank for a long time.
The Frankl Project are a punk band, with occasional Ska undertones, based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. The band consists of three High School friends Jake Tippy, Joe Frankl, and Paul Schroder who came together to perform an explosive brand of punk mixed with Ska. Their music is fast and loud just like punk should be, but they also know how to write a song, including breakdowns to switch up the pace. The songs almost always deal with political issues that inspire the band to speak through their songs. Songs like "Soap Box Soldier," are where they are at their best. I have been listening to this band for a long time. Jake and I had been friends in school, and even when we went to different schools we kept in touch. I enjoy the Frankl Project quite a bit and have seen them perform around Cincinnati several times over the years, and have gotten to know Joe and Paul and see an awesome live show. Any fans of melodic punk rock and bands like Defiance Ohio should check out The Frankl Project.
Frankl Project "Tail End of a Movement"
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish group who came to radio popularity in 2004 with their single "Take Me Out," which appeared on their debut record. Franz Ferdinand take their name from historical figure Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand, who's assassination sparked the first World War. The band plays a catchy, fun, brand of rock and roll. Their songs are often upbeat, with a up tempo drum beats and quick guitars. Singer Alex Kapranos' Scottish accent is very audible in his singing style. Franz Ferdinand are also very art inspired, using art as an theme for several of their album covers and music videos. I first heard Franz Ferdinand through the radio and their hit single "Take Me Out." I liked the song quite a bit so I purchased the entire album, and I was not disappointed. The album is full of great songs, and anybody who liked "Take Me Out," should like this album. I listened to the CD for a while and then moved on to other things until Franz Ferdinand came back onto the scene with their second album in 2005. This album was very similar but featured a slight evolution of style from their first album, and I enjoyed it just as much as their debut. I lost a bit of interest in Franz Ferdinand when they took four years to release their third album, I had discovered a lot of new music in those four years. I never purchased their third album, but I did enjoy the single "Ulysses." "Ulysses," was a bit different then their previous songs, featuring the keyboard much more heavily than in past songs. The songs features the keyboard playing a slightly more robotic sound. I like this band, and will for quite some time. I recommend this band to fans of British rock and roll.
Franz Ferdinand "Do You Want To"
The Frisk, a one and done artist, appear next on the F's via the Rock Against Bush Vol. 1 compilation. The Frisk were a punk band out of California featuring former members of The Criminals and AFI's bass player on drums. The song is a good one, and probably the song I remember most (from a band I hadn't previously heard of). The song is a quick one, and I especially like the guitar work in this song. Other than the interesting guitar work, it's kind of your standard pop punk song. The song seems to have a political undertone, but it's not readily apparent up first listen. The song doesn't have the edge of a lot of older punk rock, but it's still good. I like it, and would recommend it to fans of AFI.
From First to Last are up next, appearing via the A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas!" From First to Last are often described as being a post hard core band, but would probably be described as part of the "emo" movement by detractors. The band switches back and forth between melodic singing and a less melodic yelling of the vocals. The song is a play off of the Christmas staple "12 Days of Christmas," replacing the classic Partridge in a Pear Tree with "My first pair of Saucony's." The song isn't particularly good, it's really hard to understand what the lyrics are whenever the singer does his guttural yell. Fans of this style of music would probably enjoy this song, but I'm not one of them and would recommend skipping this song.
Our final one and done artist of the F's is another from one of the much maligned Metallica tribute albums that are in my iTunes library. This cover of Metallica's "Creeping Death" is done by the band From The Depths. This cover isn't any better than the other terrible covers, once again the instrumentation aspect isn't the worst part of the song, the vocals are. The singer sings with this raspy hiss that is just not enjoyable at all. It feels like he's trying too hard to sound scary and evil by putting on a fake "demon" voice. It ruins the song completely, avoid this song.
Our second to last band of the F's is the Toronto, Ontario band Fucked Up. Fucked Up are a hardcore band who started gaining the attention of music magazines in 2006-2007. They were seen as an answer to post hardcore and a return to something closer to the original sounds of Hardcore. The band members all go by pseudonyms, the lead singer's being "Pink Eye." Pink Eye provides the band with a sound that helps it stand out. His strained yelling/singing make an interesting combination with the more melodic music. The band has an interesting mix of styles, and unique song titles like "Black Albino Bones," and "Crooked Head." My older brother first introduced me to this band back in 2006-2007 when he gave me their debut album Hidden World. The band was a sound I wasn't really familiar with, and I found them interesting. I still find them interesting, they're not one of my favorite bands but are a good listen. If you're a fan of classic hardcore than I suggest you check out Fucked Up.
Fucked Up "Crooked Head"
We end the F's with the classic punk band Fugazi. Fugazi formed in Washington D.C. in 1987. Fugazi featured Ian MacKaye on vocals, and was an intentional departure from his previous work as a hardcore punk artist. Fugazi featured more classic punk sounds, but also incorporated reggae and an odd start and stop song structure. This can be heard very clearly in their most well known song "Waiting Room," which features a complete four second pause twenty one seconds into the song. Ian MacKaye is also well known was being one of the people at the forefront of the Straight Edge movement that advocated clean living free of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. It was antithetical to the common view of the "punk rock" lifestyle which featured excess and hedonism. Ian MacKaye is was also in the well known hardcore band Minor Threat. I like Fugazi, but for a long time I hadn't explored past "Waiting Room," but in High School and starting college, I was very interested in Punk Rock and explored some of the bigger bands of the genre. Fugazi was one of those bands, and I got the album 13 Songs. The album features "Waiting Room," which is my favorite Fugazi song, but the rest of the album features twelve other great tracks. I would suggest Fugazi to fans of Rancid and people interested in exploring punk rock.
Fugazi "Waiting Room"
That brings the F's to a close, and I am glad for it. This took longer than I had expected due to lack of motivation brought on by working close to 40 hours a week, and not wanting to write on work days. I enjoyed listening to the F's, there were a lot of great bands in the F's and also some not so good ones. I hope to have the G's up a whole lot sooner than the F's, so stay tuned. I hope you enjoyed this post, and fell free to leave comments, comments let me know people are reading these posts.
The F's were interesting, a lot of familiar songs from the one and done artists and some great artists with a large presence in the list. The F's were very easy to get through listening wise, there weren't really too many artists or songs on the list that I found myself having changed my preference for. The F's had alternative arena rock and indie dance techno, and everything in between. We start of the F's with the first eight tracks being from one and done artists before we finally get to the first multiple track artist.
The first of the one and done artists who populate the top of this list is The Faces with the song "Ooh La La." The title isn't familiar to most people, but the song should be. The chorus of this song is one of the more well known choruses of the past 30 plus years. The band also featured musicians who have become some of the biggest names in music over the last four decades, including Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. "Ooh La La" features the iconic chorus "I wish that I knew what I knew now, when I was younger." The song is a song of regret about past relationships, Stewart sings about women using you and abusing you. The song has been featured on multiple movie soundtracks over the years, and that is also how it came to be on my iTunes. I got this song off of the soundtrack for the movie Rushmore. I have always liked this song, Rod Stewart's voice mixed with excellent guitar work really make this song stand out. It feels a bit odd because the song seems really up beat for a song about regret and bitterness. I think I will continue to enjoy this song for a long time.
Faith No More comes up next. Faith No More have been hailed as one of the most influential bands of the 80's and 90's, their influence can be seen in a lot of alternative metal and even rock-rap. Their most famous song is "Epic," which still has a presence on alternative rock radio twenty two years after its release. I really like that song, but the song that I have on my iTunes is the first of their tracks to gain popularity and be played on MTV. The song is called "We Care A Lot," and features a thumping bass line as the driving force behind the song. Fan's of the song "Epic" who have not explored the earlier records of Faith No More may not initially recognize this song as a Faith No More song. This is due to the fact that this track was recorded with the band's original vocalist, who was replaced in 1988. The song is a lot of fun, and a track that I enjoy quite a bit. The song, like several of Faith No More's songs, has a bit of a comedic vibe to it. They sing about how they care about the everything from the police to the Transformers. They also sing that "it's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it." I think I will continue to enjoy this song for quite some time.
Faith No More "We Care A Lot"
The Fall song "Bingo Master," follows up Faith No More on this playlist. The Fall are a British punk band that has never really caught the public's ear, and is not known to the majority of music fans born from 1990 on, but despite this they have put out 28 studio albums since their formation in the 70's. This track comes from the compilation box set "No Thanks: The 70's Punk Rebellion." The song has that classic 70's British punk, and starts off slowly before breaking out in the chorus. The song is a fun one, and one that I wasn't very familiar with before this compilation and the before this blog. The lyrics are strange, but interesting. I definitely recommend this band for fans of bands like The Damned.
Next up is the first of two songs in a row from the compilation "A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas." This particular song is "Yule Shoot Your Eye Out," by Fall Out Boy. Fall Out Boy are a band commonly associated with the "emo" genre of music that gained popularity back in the early 2000's. I was never a big fan of Fall Out Boy and the style of music that they represented, but this is a nice song. It's not really your typical cheery Christmas song with lyrics about the ending of a relationship singing lyrics like "don't come home for Christmas, you're the last thing I wanna see underneath the tree. Merry Christmas, I could care less." The song is mainly just singer Patrick Stump on Acoustic guitar, with a second acoustic guitar accompanying him. It's not an unpleasant song, but not a song that I would listen to year round.
The next one and done from "A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas," is Far featuring Chino Moreno. This song is a cover of the famous 1984 song done for Band Aid. The original features the popular artists of the time coming together to sing a song who's proceeds went to organizations providing aid to Africa. The song featured the following artists: Linda Ronstadt , Adam Clayton (U2) , Phil Collins (Genesis), Bob Geldof (The Boomtown Rats), Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet), Chris Cross (Ultravox), John Taylor (Duran Duran), Paul Young, Tony Hadley, Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17), Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran), Simon Crowe, Marilyn, Keren Woodward (Bananarama), Martin Kemp (Spandau Ballet), Jody Watley (Shalamar), Bono (U2), Paul Weller (The Style Council, and previously The Jam), James "J.T." Taylor (Kool & The Gang), George Michael (Wham!), Midge Ure (Ultravox), Martyn Ware (Heaven 17), John Keeble (Spandau Ballet), Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet),Roger Taylor (Duran Duran), Sara Dallin (Bananarama), Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama), Sting (The Police), Pete Briquette (The Boomtown Rats), Francis Rossi (Status Quo), Robert 'Kool' Bell (Kool & the Gang), Dennis Thomas (Kool & the Gang), Andy Taylor (Duran Duran), Jon Moss (Culture Club, former member of Adam and the Ants), Rick Parfitt (Status Quo), Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran), Johnny Fingers (The Boomtown Rats), David Bowie, Boy George (Culture Club),Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood),Paul McCartney, Stuart Adamson (Big Country), Bruce Watson (Big Country), Tony Butler (Big Country), Mark Brzezicki (Big Country).** This version of the song is more in the alterative hardcore style. The song goes from a nice sweet song to a bit of a louder/harder sound. It is not as good as the original, but I've heard worse covers.
The Fastbacks were an American rock band the formed at the end of the 70's. The band featured a mixed line up with two women and two guys forming the band. The song on my iTunes is "In The Summer," a fun song with female vocals in a style very close to punk rock, with slightly more pop sounding guitars. I had heard this song on occasion before listening to it again for this blog. I believe it was put on my iTunes by my older brother for his wedding party. I enjoyed this song when I listened to it again for this blog, it's a great summer anthem, and ode to the fun and freedom experienced by a lot of people in the summer time. I would recommend this for punk fans and fans of female fronted rock bands.
Next up is the most vulgar song of the F playlist, in Fear's "I Love Livin In The City." The song is a punk rock song featuring lines like "my ass smells just like the sewers," and also features lyrics about "crabs crawling on my balls." The song is all about the plight and poor conditions of those who live in the inner city, and the attitude of people who live in the city's suburbs compared to reality. It's a quick aggressive song meant to be controversial and provoke a response. It's a good song, and one that I've been enjoying for many years now, and will continue to do so.
The final one and done artist, before the beginning of the artist blocks, is The Feelies. The Feelies are a band out of New Jersey who play a style that sounds like an early version of a lot of modern indie music like Bloc Party. The guitar work is what stands out in this song, there in a wailing guitar that overshadows the backing music. The rest of the song doesn't feel particularly remarkable to me, the vocals are pleasant and so is the song itself, but it doesn't really stand out in my mind. A good song, but not memorable.
The first artist to have a sizable presence on the F playlist is Canadian singer songwriter Feist. Feist came to popularity with the release of her 2006 album The Reminder, which featured the singles "1,2,3,4," "I Feel it All," and "My Moon My Man." Her songs are all very melodic songs that prominently feature her vocals. She tends to write up beat songs about relationships and personal experiences. On her previous album the song "Mushaboom," was a track about what she wanted her future to be like. Her songs are always very enjoyable and fun to listen to. Her vocals are a big part of what makes these songs so good, she sings with a very distinct melodic style that is instantly recognizable to anyone who is a fan of her music. I first heard Feist in 2005 when I saw the video for the song "Mushaboom," on MTVu. I liked the song, but didn't really start paying attention to her until The Reminder. I enjoy her songwriting style, the arrangements she chooses and her vocals. Her slower songs aren't as much fun, but are still good in their own right. Feist is also a member of the Canadian rock collective Broken Social Scene. I would definitely recommend Feist to anyone who is a fan of the female singer songwriter genre, and to fans of folk rock. Feist is an artist I will be listening to for a while.
Feist "I Feel is All"
Next up is Filter, a 90's alternative rock band out of Cleveland. The band gained popularity in 1990's with the songs "Hey Man, Nice Shot," and "Take A Picture." The band featured a former member of Nine Inch Nails and started out as a industrial rock band, but moved more to the alternative rock side of the genre as the progressed. Their songs are loud and fast, featuring a mix of vocals being sung and shouted. You can hear some of the industrial influences in their music, but the music more sounds more like a slightly harder version of the Alternative rock of the 90's. I liked "Take A Picture" when I heard it played on Alternative rock radio in the 90's early 00's so I purchased the album Title of Record. The rest of the album is pretty good, and I liked it when I bought it. I am not as big of a fan now as I was then. The songs are good, but my musical taste has shifted enough to where they aren't something that I would listen to with any kind of consistency. I still hear "Hey Man, Nice Shot" all over movies and video games, and I enjoy the song. The band is just not something that I would ever want to look deeper into.
Filter "Hey Man, Nice Shot"
Fischerspooner is up next for the F playlist. Fischerspooner are an electro pop duo out of New York City. The duo uses programmed beats and synthesizer lines to make fun and interesting dance music descendent from groups such as Kraftwerk. The duo are the core of band, but the band has had up to twenty members. The other 18 members were all dancers and back up vocalists. The band was formed by the classically trained musician Warren Fischer and video artist/ theater performer Casey Spooner. Their musical style while remaining electronic, has changed from album to album. Their debut album #1 was described by many as being an example of electro clash, a rejecting of the current dance music trends and infusing electronic music with modern art. Their second album, Odyssey was a bit more mainstream and featured actual live instruments, the band said this was due to being signed to Capitol Records. Their third album Entertainment is still much more danceable and pop infused than #1 but not quite as much as Odyssey. The first single off of #1 "Emerge" has been used in TV and video games over the past few years and remains one of their most well known songs. I first heard Fischerspooner through this single, and then when my older brother gave me the entire album. The album is hard to get into if you're not used to this type of music like I wasn't at the time. Upon listening to the album again over the years I have grown in appreciation for the album. You know that the album isn't going to be your usual dance record when the first song opens up to the sound of someone blowing smoke, which slowly turns more electronic with each additional breath. I enjoy Fischerspooner's music and the artistic styling that they put behind the music and their stage show. Their artists in more senses of the word than just music, they make the art of their music physical with their stage show. I look forward to Fischerspooner's next album, and hope that I can see them live again sometime in the near future.
Fischerspooner "Emerge"
Another Metallica cover from the two previously mentioned Metallica tribute albums is up next, this one is by a band called Fist and is off of Overload: A Tribute to Metallica. This is yet another track that makes me regret ever purchasing these albums. This one features the same style of guttural singing/yelling that I have maligned in my previous posts about this album. The music doesn't save this cover either. It's not a good cover musically ever. I don't like the guitar sounds, and the whole song just doesn't work for me. Steer clear of this album.
The Flamin Groovies provide us with the next one and done contribution to this playlist. The Flamin' Groovies were an American rock band out of San Francisco who formed in the late 60's. The song that is on this playlist is their most well known song "Shake Some Action." The band incorporated elements of 50's rock and roll and bits of the genre that would later become power pop in the 70's. I like this song, it's a fun song that's easy to sing along to and enjoy. I wasn't familiar with this song before my older brother put it on my computer for his wedding celebration party. It's a song that I've enjoyed each time I've heard it and one which I will continue to enjoy.
Fleetwood Mac are the next artist to grace this playlist with their recorded musical presence. Fleetwood Mac formed in London in the late 60's, and since then have become one of the most influential and respected bands of the last forty years. So many artists have named Fleetwood Mac as a major influence. Their songs are easily accessible rock and roll, and a perfect example of popular rock and roll in the 60's and 70's. Their songs are iconic, and have been spread throughout popular culture. They have been featured in movies, on TV, and have been covered by numerous musicians over the years. I enjoy their music when I hear it, but I've never had a huge desire to dig deeper into their music. They are just a band that I can listen to when they come on, but not a band I listen to consistently.
Next up is Flight of the Conchords, a comedic folk music duo from New Zealand. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement make up this comedic duo. The duo has gained a lot of attention over the past five years with a radio show on the BBC and then a television show on HBO. The episodes were centered around the songs that they had already written. The songs don't have any common themes, and are written much like a standup routine set to music. There are songs about David Bowie in space "Bowie in Space," and a racist dragon "Albi the Racist Dragon." Their songs are completely ridiculous, and that is part of what makes them so funny. I first heard Flight of the Conchords when my younger brother begin watching the HBO series. I thought the show was ok, but I like the songs a lot more. The songs are hilarious and a great listen when you need a pick me up or a good laugh. I would recommend them to fans of comedy music, and stand-up comedy.
Flight of the Conchords "Albi The Racist Dragon"
Flogging Molly follows Flight of the Conchords in the F's. Flogging Molly are a Los Angles based Celtic rock band. The band infuses traditional Irish music into rock and roll music with a punk influence. The band's members are mostly American, but lead vocalist David King was born in Dublin, Ireland before moving to Los Angles in his 20's. The band features traditional Irish fiddle and penny whistle along with the standard rock and roll guitar, bass, and drums. The songs most often focus on events in Irish history, and traditional Irish tales. I first heard Flogging Molly through their most well known song "Drunken Lullabies." I really liked that song and the song that follows it on the album "What's Left of the Flag." For years I didn't bother to explore further than those songs, but when I finally did I was glad I did. I enjoyed the mix of traditional Irish music with punk rock, and I still do. The majority of their songs are fast paced songs that make you feel like getting up and dancing. There are songs that involve drinking like a lot of people expect from Irish music, but the majority are about things like the Irish struggle against the English crown, and the period of history when Irish people were sold into slavery in the Barbados islands. I enjoy them quite a bit and have seen them live a good three or four times. Fans of Gogol Bordello and similarly heritage infused music should definitely check out Flogging Molly, and anybody who is already a fan should definitely check them out live.
Flogging Molly "Rebels of the Sacred Heart"
The artist who follows Flogging Molly was all over the popular culture of 2010 and was named one of Spin Magazine's Artists of the Year. Florence and the Machine are a band formed by vocalist and songwriter Florence Welch in England. The band features rotating musicians who back up Welch's vocals. Her style of music incorporates several styles, the most noticeable is soul music mixed with some rock and roll. Her vocals mixed with these influences are something really special. Her song "Dog Days Are Over," was featured in the trailer for the 2010 movie Eat Pray Love. I enjoyed "Dog Days Are Over," and had been hearing nothing but good things about her 2009 debut Lungs so I finally decided to purchase the album in February, and I'm glad that I did. Her songs can be sweet and tender and then raise in to a powerful cacophony. I will continue to enjoy her music and this album for a long time, and look forward to her next album.
Florence + The Machine "Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)"
The one and done Fongus is the next artist to make an appearance on the F's and also the second artist from the Overload: A Tribute To Metallica album much maligned above. Once again it's the vocals that ruin the cover for me. The vocals are obviously done by someone using English as a second language, their first language being Spanish. Honestly I would rather hear the song in Spanish, it's not that his accent ruins the vocals, it's his accent mixed with the echoing reverb on the vocals. The musicianship is pretty close to the original, but the vocals make this another bad cover. Steer clear.
Next we have one of the most popular rock bands of the past decade, The Foo Fighters. Foo Fighters feature Dave Grohl, formerly of Nirvana, on vocals and guitar and have grown from just Dave Grohl's project to one of the biggest bands of the late 90's and 00's. They have one three Grammys for Album of the Year and have been nominated six times. The band has become a staple on rock radio and in arenas around the world. Dave Grohl has become one of the biggest rock musicians in rock and roll, and has several side projects alongside the Foo Fighters. These projects include Them Crooked Vultures (with Joshua Homme and John Paul Jones), Probot, and has provided guest drums for Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, and Tenacious D. I first heard Foo Fighters through alternative rock radio, and I grew to really like their songs quite a bit. Their songs aren't the most insightful or the most powerful, but they are very good/solid songs. Dave Grohl and company know how to write for their audience, they know how to write a good radio hit. I enjoy The Foo Fighters and I will continue to do so.
Foo Fighters "The Pretender"
Next up is a one and done in The Four Tops. The Four Tops are one of the most influential and well respected doo-wop/R&B groups of the Motown era. The song featured here is one of their most well known songs "Reach Out (I'll Be There)." The song has the classic Motown sound that you would expect from a group like this and features great lyrics telling the subject of the song to reach out and take his hand, that he'll be there when he's needed. I enjoy Motown as a genre, and this song and group is no exception.
Next up is a band that I've been enjoying quite a bit ever since seeing them live back in 2009, Foxy Shazam. Their music and their raucous high energy show made me buy their album and I've been enjoying them ever since. Foxy Shazam put an amazing energy and power into their performance that really comes through in their music. Foxy Shazam plays a mix of post hardcore, soul, and glam rock. Their songs are frequently humorous in nature, and feature extravagant lyrics and themes. Front Man Eric Nally is the primary song writer for the band and was recently tapped to write songs for the artist Meatloaf's new album alongside former Darkness front man Justin Hawkins. Their second album Introducing is the album that introduced me to the band, and is my favorite of the two that I own. The debut comes out fast from the start and hits you right away and doesn't really let go until the end. Their third album, and their major label debut, is a good album, but it just doesn't feel the same as their previous album. It doesn't have the same fierce energy. The band is has began to gain mainstream recognition, they were named a band to watch by Spin Magazine and had their song "Unstoppable" featured in ads for the Super Bowl and for EA Games NHL 11. I will continue to enjoy their music for the foreseeable future and look forward to seeing what they do next.
Foxy Shazam "A Dangerous Man"
The Chairman of the Board follows Foxy Shazam on the F playlist. Frank Sinatra is one of the most popular and iconic figures in music. His songs are often regarded as timeless classics, and his song "New York, New York" has been the anthem for New Yorkers for fifty years, and is the song most often used to represent New York City in movies and TV. Frank Sinatra was considered the King of Swing, and was not only a famous actor but was an accomplished actor as well. I have always enjoyed Frank Sinatra, and this is probably a good thing since I hear his music several times a day playing in the lobby at work. I quite enjoy swing music, and Frank Sinatra made some of the best swing music ever produced. I will continue to enjoy Frank for a long time.
The Frankl Project are a punk band, with occasional Ska undertones, based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. The band consists of three High School friends Jake Tippy, Joe Frankl, and Paul Schroder who came together to perform an explosive brand of punk mixed with Ska. Their music is fast and loud just like punk should be, but they also know how to write a song, including breakdowns to switch up the pace. The songs almost always deal with political issues that inspire the band to speak through their songs. Songs like "Soap Box Soldier," are where they are at their best. I have been listening to this band for a long time. Jake and I had been friends in school, and even when we went to different schools we kept in touch. I enjoy the Frankl Project quite a bit and have seen them perform around Cincinnati several times over the years, and have gotten to know Joe and Paul and see an awesome live show. Any fans of melodic punk rock and bands like Defiance Ohio should check out The Frankl Project.
Frankl Project "Tail End of a Movement"
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish group who came to radio popularity in 2004 with their single "Take Me Out," which appeared on their debut record. Franz Ferdinand take their name from historical figure Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand, who's assassination sparked the first World War. The band plays a catchy, fun, brand of rock and roll. Their songs are often upbeat, with a up tempo drum beats and quick guitars. Singer Alex Kapranos' Scottish accent is very audible in his singing style. Franz Ferdinand are also very art inspired, using art as an theme for several of their album covers and music videos. I first heard Franz Ferdinand through the radio and their hit single "Take Me Out." I liked the song quite a bit so I purchased the entire album, and I was not disappointed. The album is full of great songs, and anybody who liked "Take Me Out," should like this album. I listened to the CD for a while and then moved on to other things until Franz Ferdinand came back onto the scene with their second album in 2005. This album was very similar but featured a slight evolution of style from their first album, and I enjoyed it just as much as their debut. I lost a bit of interest in Franz Ferdinand when they took four years to release their third album, I had discovered a lot of new music in those four years. I never purchased their third album, but I did enjoy the single "Ulysses." "Ulysses," was a bit different then their previous songs, featuring the keyboard much more heavily than in past songs. The songs features the keyboard playing a slightly more robotic sound. I like this band, and will for quite some time. I recommend this band to fans of British rock and roll.
Franz Ferdinand "Do You Want To"
The Frisk, a one and done artist, appear next on the F's via the Rock Against Bush Vol. 1 compilation. The Frisk were a punk band out of California featuring former members of The Criminals and AFI's bass player on drums. The song is a good one, and probably the song I remember most (from a band I hadn't previously heard of). The song is a quick one, and I especially like the guitar work in this song. Other than the interesting guitar work, it's kind of your standard pop punk song. The song seems to have a political undertone, but it's not readily apparent up first listen. The song doesn't have the edge of a lot of older punk rock, but it's still good. I like it, and would recommend it to fans of AFI.
From First to Last are up next, appearing via the A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas!" From First to Last are often described as being a post hard core band, but would probably be described as part of the "emo" movement by detractors. The band switches back and forth between melodic singing and a less melodic yelling of the vocals. The song is a play off of the Christmas staple "12 Days of Christmas," replacing the classic Partridge in a Pear Tree with "My first pair of Saucony's." The song isn't particularly good, it's really hard to understand what the lyrics are whenever the singer does his guttural yell. Fans of this style of music would probably enjoy this song, but I'm not one of them and would recommend skipping this song.
Our final one and done artist of the F's is another from one of the much maligned Metallica tribute albums that are in my iTunes library. This cover of Metallica's "Creeping Death" is done by the band From The Depths. This cover isn't any better than the other terrible covers, once again the instrumentation aspect isn't the worst part of the song, the vocals are. The singer sings with this raspy hiss that is just not enjoyable at all. It feels like he's trying too hard to sound scary and evil by putting on a fake "demon" voice. It ruins the song completely, avoid this song.
Our second to last band of the F's is the Toronto, Ontario band Fucked Up. Fucked Up are a hardcore band who started gaining the attention of music magazines in 2006-2007. They were seen as an answer to post hardcore and a return to something closer to the original sounds of Hardcore. The band members all go by pseudonyms, the lead singer's being "Pink Eye." Pink Eye provides the band with a sound that helps it stand out. His strained yelling/singing make an interesting combination with the more melodic music. The band has an interesting mix of styles, and unique song titles like "Black Albino Bones," and "Crooked Head." My older brother first introduced me to this band back in 2006-2007 when he gave me their debut album Hidden World. The band was a sound I wasn't really familiar with, and I found them interesting. I still find them interesting, they're not one of my favorite bands but are a good listen. If you're a fan of classic hardcore than I suggest you check out Fucked Up.
Fucked Up "Crooked Head"
We end the F's with the classic punk band Fugazi. Fugazi formed in Washington D.C. in 1987. Fugazi featured Ian MacKaye on vocals, and was an intentional departure from his previous work as a hardcore punk artist. Fugazi featured more classic punk sounds, but also incorporated reggae and an odd start and stop song structure. This can be heard very clearly in their most well known song "Waiting Room," which features a complete four second pause twenty one seconds into the song. Ian MacKaye is also well known was being one of the people at the forefront of the Straight Edge movement that advocated clean living free of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. It was antithetical to the common view of the "punk rock" lifestyle which featured excess and hedonism. Ian MacKaye is was also in the well known hardcore band Minor Threat. I like Fugazi, but for a long time I hadn't explored past "Waiting Room," but in High School and starting college, I was very interested in Punk Rock and explored some of the bigger bands of the genre. Fugazi was one of those bands, and I got the album 13 Songs. The album features "Waiting Room," which is my favorite Fugazi song, but the rest of the album features twelve other great tracks. I would suggest Fugazi to fans of Rancid and people interested in exploring punk rock.
Fugazi "Waiting Room"
That brings the F's to a close, and I am glad for it. This took longer than I had expected due to lack of motivation brought on by working close to 40 hours a week, and not wanting to write on work days. I enjoyed listening to the F's, there were a lot of great bands in the F's and also some not so good ones. I hope to have the G's up a whole lot sooner than the F's, so stay tuned. I hope you enjoyed this post, and fell free to leave comments, comments let me know people are reading these posts.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The E's Complete
So here they are, the E's, after a four month hiatus they're finally finished. It felt good to get back into the project that is this blog. I have to admit I missed it, even though it can consume copious amounts of my time. Hopefully this post won't be too far off of the previous writings you've been enjoying.
The E's were an interesting mix of artists covering many different musical styles, subject matters, and decades. I enjoyed the E's, they were a good playlist to get back into the groove with. There were a lot of multiple album artists on this playlist, and fewer one and done artists than in previous playlists. As anyone who has previously read this blog knows that means fewer paragraphs, and fewer paragraphs are exactly what I need to get back in the groove. A long post like the D's would have made it really hard for me to get back into the groove. The F's had 20 different artists as compared to the D's which had 51 different artists. So that's 23 paragraphs compared to 53 for the D's. One of those multiple album artists start us off in the E's.
The Eagles of Death Metal are first up for the E's. The Eagles of Death Metal are a band that formed back at the end of the 90's, but didn't release its first full length album until 2004. The band mainly consists of lead singer and guitar player Jesse Hughes and Joshua Homme, of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss, fame, these two are the core of the band and record most of the music themselves. The Eagles of Death metal sound nothing like Death Metal, the name according to their Wikipedia article comes from a description of the band Vader by Joshua Homme. The Eagles of Death metal are a really fun band to listen to, their songs are dirty, sleazy rock and roll songs. The songs are almost always a fast up tempo romp, usually about girls, partying, or the devil. You can hear a heavy blues influence in their music, especially in songs like "Bag O' Miracles," and "Flames Go Higher." The Eagles of Death Metal don't say anything earth shattering, their lyrics aren't profound, there is no deeper meaning to their lyrics. Their songs are just pure unadulterated fun. I really started to get into this band when I first heard "I Want You So Hard (The Boy's Bad News)," the song is great and the video is hilarious sleazy fun. I've been enjoying everything this band has put out since then. I really recommend this band to anyone who's a fan of sleazy blues infused rock, or Queens of the Stone Age. This is a band that I will continue to follow for a long time to come.
The Eagles of Death Metal "Don't Speak (I Came to Make a Bang)"
The next artist on the playlist is the one and done artist Echo & The Bunnymen with "The Cutter." This song is a very interesting song that comes to this playlist via the compilation box set Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80's Underground. I had heard of Echo & The Bunnymen before but I had never heard any of their music before listening to this compilation, and again for this blog. The song is an interesting one, very much in the 80's new wave style similar to the Cure. The song opens with a very interesting faintly Middle Eastern string section, and is driven by the bass as the song goes on. It's an enjoyable song, and the string section in the background are what makes this song stand out to me from all of the other 80's band who had a similar sound. I don't know if I'll look deeper into Echo & The Bunnymen, but I enjoy this song.
Eddie and the Hot Rods come up next, on the playlist via the compilation box set No Thanks!: The 70's Punk Rebellion. This song doesn't feel particularly punk to me, and I'm not sure why it is on this compilation. The song "Do Anything You Wanna Do," had a similar message to a lot of punk rock bands of the 70's but that's where the similarities end for me. The song has a message of not wanting some old government official telling them what to do and how to live. The song is a good one, and I like it but it feels out of place on the compilation. It's a nice classic pub rock song, work checking out for fans of 70's rock and roll.
Next up is Eddie Cochran, the classic rockabilly artist who would come to influence much more famous musicians such as The Who and The Beatles. Cochran imitated the styles of his fellow rockabilly artists such as Elvis Presley. His song has that classic rockabilly style guitar and rhythm that any fans of Elvis should recognize. The vocal style is very similar as well. "Summertime Blues," is a classic song that captures the feelings of the youth of the time, and a song I have heard many times over the years, and one that I've always enjoyed. If you like Elvis, you should enjoy Eddie Cochran.
Eddie Floyd is Eddie number three on this playlist, and the third different musical style of the Eddies. Floyd is a wonderful singer and song writer who was a part of the Motown scene and influenced bands like The Temptations. Floyd spent a good portion of the 60's writing for other artists like Wilson Pickett, and Carla Thomas. Floyd got popular when he recorded the song "Knock On Wood," and song he wrote for Otis Redding. "Knock on Wood," features a horn section that has become one of the most iconic horn sections in modern Soul music. This song has been covered many times over the years by some of the most famous artists of the preceding decades. I've been familiar with this song and especially with the horns on this song for a long time, and it's something I've always enjoyed. Anybody who likes one of the cover versions of this song should check out the original song, it's a good one.
Next on the list is the British rock band The Editors. The Editors are a band that I picked up and began listening to thanks to my job as Program Director of WLCV. Their single "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors," came across my desk when I was reviewing music for the stations. I really enjoyed this song, and looked further into the band. I was happy that I did, I really enjoyed the album An End Has a Start, which featured "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors." I enjoy the vocals of Tom Smith, the really complement the music. His vocals make up tempo songs sound more melancholy, and make for an interesting contrast. The lyrics in the songs aren't particularly upbeat either. His voice reminds me a bit of Ian Curtis of Joy Division, and the music itself carries similarities to Joy Division. The lyrics are full of interesting lines that seem almost like Tom Smith is giving you advice, featuring lines like "every little piece of your life, it'll mean something to someone," in "The Weight of the World," and "how can you know what things are worth, if your hands won't move to do a day's work?" in "When Anger Shows." Fans of indie rock and Joy Division should definitely give this band a listen.
The Editors "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors"
The next artist brings us back to 60's Soul with Edwin Starr's "Agent Double-O Soul." The song is a reference to the popular James Bond films of the time. In the song Starr claims to be a secret agent of soul. The song is a fun soul song, one that I heard through a video shown during my Music Industry class in my Senior year of College. I enjoy this song, and so should any fan of classic 60's Soul and Motown.
The Eels are next on the playlist, and take up a good chunk of the songs on the playlist (15%). The Eels are an interesting band that I had heard good things about for a few years before finally checking them out. I found the double album "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations," in WLCV's music library and gave them a listen. I very much enjoyed this double album, and explored further with the album "Shootenanny." The songs are more often very melancholy and deal with personal pain suffered by singer/songwriter Mark Everett. The songs are beautiful in their melancholy mix of folk, pop, country. The songs are really great for when you're in the mood for something mellow, something not too loud or fast. There are some more upbeat songs, but those also are very depressing. The first one on "Blinking Lights" is "Trouble With Dreams," in which Everett proclaims "the trouble with dreams is they don't come true, and when they do they can catch up to you." The music is great and the lyrics are great for matching that gloomy feeling that comes over people when there is bad weather outside that keeps them from enjoying the day. The Eels are a band that I would definitely recommend picking up and checking out, especially for fans of The Smiths or Tom Waits.
The Eels "Beautiful Freak"
After The Eels we have the Japanese band Electric Eel Shock. This band is a loud fast garage rock band with tinges of metal in their music. Their music is full of loud fuzzed out guitar riffs with a driving beat to back them up. Their songs often deal with issues such as Metal and "rocking." The guitar solos are very much in the style of solo you would hear from a Heavy Metal band, but the rest of the music is fuzzed out blues infused garage rock. My older brother introduced me to this band many years ago, and I've been enjoying them ever since. Their songs are loud and fun, their lyrics are usually a mix of Japanese and English and contain playful lyrics about how "rock and roll can rescue the world." I would recommend this band to anyone who likes Eagles of Death Metal or have heard similar Japanese bands such as Peelander- Z. I will continue to enjoy this band, as should anybody else who enjoys garage rock and metal.
The Electric Eel Shock "Rock and Roll Can Rescue the World"
Next up is another song off of the previously mentioned and lamented industrial tribute to Metallica. This time it is Element covering "Nothing Else Matters." Just like the rest of the album this is a terrible version of a classic Metallica song. The song is full of computer generated beats and synth lines that seem out of place anywhere near Metallica. I just can't enjoy this song, and as I have with the previous songs, I strongly urge you to avoid "The Blackest Album: An Industrial Tribute to Metallica." Next Song.
Elton Montello is the one and done artist who comes next. The song is an interesting one, it has an interesting mix off 70's punk, most likely taken from Brian James who played guitar for the British Punk rockers The Damned. There's also a saxophone playing in the background throughout much of the song, and that mixed with the punk influence makes for an interesting combination of punk, jazz, and popular rock. I wasn't familiar with this song before hearing this song. I'm not sure how the song came to be in my library, but I'm guessing I got it from my older brother. It's fun, and worth a listen.
Next up is an artist I've been enjoying more and more over the years since I first started listening to him. Elvis Costello is a legendary musician who has been a large presence in music since he came onto the scene in the 70's. He's one of the most diverse musicians out there today, he's put out thirty albums in 34 years. That is a huge output of music, he seems to be able to change styles without any trouble. He's been described as "pop encyclopedia," by critics. I really love his voice, and his lyrics are smarter and deeper than most pop musicians can ever hope to be. He has had several bands over the past decades, releasing records with The Attractions and The Imposters. He was ranked #80 on Rolling Stone Magazine's 100 greatest artists of all time. Anyone who's a fan of rock and roll should be listening to Elvis Costello, he's awesome.
Elvis Costello "Pump It Up"
Elvis Presley is up next on the list. Elvis Presley is a classic rockabilly artist that any self respecting music fan should instantly recognize whenever his music is put on. He is often called the King of Rock and Roll, he became an international sensation with his fun rockabilly music and swiveling hips. His swinging his hips were considered scandalous and for a long time whenever he appeared on television they would only shoot him from the waist up. His Tennessee home, Graceland, is a huge tourist draw to this day. His music influenced rock music for generations to come. His music has been used in countless television commercials and movies, there is also a large number of Elvis impersonators who make a career off acting in the exaggerated manner that he became infamous for in his later years. As many people know, he died at the age of 42 after years of drug abuse. His songs are among the most iconic songs ever produced by an American musician, he had one of the largest imprints on American pop culture of any entertainer in history. I have always enjoyed his music, and I have been listening to him for as long as I can remember. I think I will always enjoy Elvis' music.
The next artist on the playlist, Eminem, takes up 25% of this playlist. Eminem is one of the biggest, most popular, and most controversial artists of the past decade. Eminem is the best selling rap artist of the past decade, every album he puts out seems to go instantly to number one on the charts. He has surrounded himself in controversy over the years due to his lyrics' subject matters. He has been the favorite whipping boy of parents and other groups who feel his music is a bad influence on the children who listen to it. He has also been accused of racism and homophobia. He was accused of racism after an unreleased demo that he made when he was first starting out was leaked. The song features Eminem going after an African American girl who broke his heart, and the lyrics delve in to racial attacks. In several of his songs he has used derogatory language directed at the homosexual population. In each case of controversy he has met it head on and overcome it, he addressed the homophobia accusation by doing a duet with Sir Elton John at the Grammys in 2001. He also addressed the racial issue in the song "Yellow Brick Road," rapping "But I've heard people say they heard the tape and it ain't that bad
But it was I singled out a whole race and for that apologize." A lot of his songs also tend to have misogynistic overtones. This is another source of great controversy regarding Eminem. I think a lot of this probably comes from the chaotic relationship with his mother that he has detailed in several of his songs. A lot is probably exaggerated, but it seems like he resented his mother and that leaked over to women in general. I think Eminem is very talented when he wants to be, when he is serious his slow is so quick and intelligent that he has almost no equal.
Eminem "No Love"
The English Beat's "Mirror in the Bathroom" is up next on this playlist. The English Beat were a 2 Tone ska band out of England who gained popularity in the 80's with songs such as this one. Mirror in the Bathroom is probably the most well known song by The English beat, people who are more well versed in ska and punk rock are probably just as familiar with several other songs than the casual fan. This is a song that I have really liked for a long time. I really love everything about this song, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys English Punk rock or Reggae.
Next is another song of one of the two much maligned and regretted Metallica Tribute albums. This time the cover is by the band ENGRAVE and comes off of the "Overload: A Tribute to Metallica" album. Like the other covers on this album, this song is more musically close to the original song. While the music is similar to the real thing, the vocal once again don't do it for me. The lyrics are just the same guttural growl that you seem to hear from every single metal band coming out these days. I am not a fan of this vocal style as you might have guessed, so I don't recommend giving this song a listen unless you like that style of vocals.
The Epoxies are the third to last band featured on this playlist. The Epoxies play a synthesizer heavy brand of rock and roll, all of their songs feature prominent syth lines. Roxy Epoxie's voice was what really stood out for me when I first listened to this band. Her voice has a slightly deeper tone to it that somehow makes it feel a bit more theatrical. A lot of the band's music and live presentation involves theatrics so this is probably on purpose. I heard this band on a compilation originally and decided to check out the album the song featured in the compilation came from. I wasn't that impressed with the rest of the album, it was good but not great. I like it now a bit more than I did 6 years ago when I originally purchased the album. My musical taste has gained a few more electronic/synthesizer based bands and I can now enjoy this a bit more. I like it more, but it's still just average.
The Epoxies "Synthesized"
As we near the bottom of the playlist, Eve 6 come up next. Eve 6 is a Southern California rock band that gained some fame and popularity at the end of the 90's and in the early 00's. Eve six plays an upbeat pop rock style of music, with witty lyrics usually dealing with girls, relationships, and partying. I first heard Eve 6 on the radio back at the end of the 90's when Alternative Rock stations began playing their first hit single "Inside Out." I liked the song so I bought the album, but I quickly grew tired of the band. I gave the album away to my younger brother. Then their second album "Horrorscope," came out and my interest was renewed. "Horrorscope" just has a lot of fun and catchy pop rock songs. I regained enough interest in the band that I purchased the follow up LP to "Horrorscope." The follow up "It's All In Your Head," is fun but seems a bit more serious and mature. That may sound odd to say it wasn't as good because it was more serious, but that's the way I felt. I can appreciate the more mature sound now, but it's still not as good as "Horrorscope." Fans of 90's alternative rock should definitely give Eve 6 a listen.
Eve 6 "Promise"
Rounding out the E's is the Portland, Oregon band The Exploding Hearts. The Exploding Hearts played at 1970's influenced style of punk rock mixed with a bit of power pop. They drew heavily on 1970's English punk rock. The band begin gaining popularity on the West Coast and were even featured on the cover of a couple magazines. Unfortunately tragedy struck the band when on the way back from a concert in San Francisco the band got into an accident that resulted in the deaths of 3 of the 4 band members. They were all in their early 20's. The band only released one album, 2003's "Guitar Romantic." I was introduced to the band a few years ago by my older brother, and I have been enjoying them ever since. I featured the song "Modern Kicks" on my radio show several times. Any fan of 1970's British punk rock should check out The Exploding Hearts.
The Exploding Hearts "I'm a Pretender"
That brings an end to the E's and marks the official return of Alphabetical music. I enjoyed the E's, there were a lot of artists who I've been listening to for a long time, and still enjoy quite a bit. I will try to get the F's out in a timely manner, but my new job may hamper this. Stay tuned for new posts please.
The E's were an interesting mix of artists covering many different musical styles, subject matters, and decades. I enjoyed the E's, they were a good playlist to get back into the groove with. There were a lot of multiple album artists on this playlist, and fewer one and done artists than in previous playlists. As anyone who has previously read this blog knows that means fewer paragraphs, and fewer paragraphs are exactly what I need to get back in the groove. A long post like the D's would have made it really hard for me to get back into the groove. The F's had 20 different artists as compared to the D's which had 51 different artists. So that's 23 paragraphs compared to 53 for the D's. One of those multiple album artists start us off in the E's.
The Eagles of Death Metal are first up for the E's. The Eagles of Death Metal are a band that formed back at the end of the 90's, but didn't release its first full length album until 2004. The band mainly consists of lead singer and guitar player Jesse Hughes and Joshua Homme, of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss, fame, these two are the core of the band and record most of the music themselves. The Eagles of Death metal sound nothing like Death Metal, the name according to their Wikipedia article comes from a description of the band Vader by Joshua Homme. The Eagles of Death metal are a really fun band to listen to, their songs are dirty, sleazy rock and roll songs. The songs are almost always a fast up tempo romp, usually about girls, partying, or the devil. You can hear a heavy blues influence in their music, especially in songs like "Bag O' Miracles," and "Flames Go Higher." The Eagles of Death Metal don't say anything earth shattering, their lyrics aren't profound, there is no deeper meaning to their lyrics. Their songs are just pure unadulterated fun. I really started to get into this band when I first heard "I Want You So Hard (The Boy's Bad News)," the song is great and the video is hilarious sleazy fun. I've been enjoying everything this band has put out since then. I really recommend this band to anyone who's a fan of sleazy blues infused rock, or Queens of the Stone Age. This is a band that I will continue to follow for a long time to come.
The Eagles of Death Metal "Don't Speak (I Came to Make a Bang)"
The next artist on the playlist is the one and done artist Echo & The Bunnymen with "The Cutter." This song is a very interesting song that comes to this playlist via the compilation box set Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80's Underground. I had heard of Echo & The Bunnymen before but I had never heard any of their music before listening to this compilation, and again for this blog. The song is an interesting one, very much in the 80's new wave style similar to the Cure. The song opens with a very interesting faintly Middle Eastern string section, and is driven by the bass as the song goes on. It's an enjoyable song, and the string section in the background are what makes this song stand out to me from all of the other 80's band who had a similar sound. I don't know if I'll look deeper into Echo & The Bunnymen, but I enjoy this song.
Eddie and the Hot Rods come up next, on the playlist via the compilation box set No Thanks!: The 70's Punk Rebellion. This song doesn't feel particularly punk to me, and I'm not sure why it is on this compilation. The song "Do Anything You Wanna Do," had a similar message to a lot of punk rock bands of the 70's but that's where the similarities end for me. The song has a message of not wanting some old government official telling them what to do and how to live. The song is a good one, and I like it but it feels out of place on the compilation. It's a nice classic pub rock song, work checking out for fans of 70's rock and roll.
Next up is Eddie Cochran, the classic rockabilly artist who would come to influence much more famous musicians such as The Who and The Beatles. Cochran imitated the styles of his fellow rockabilly artists such as Elvis Presley. His song has that classic rockabilly style guitar and rhythm that any fans of Elvis should recognize. The vocal style is very similar as well. "Summertime Blues," is a classic song that captures the feelings of the youth of the time, and a song I have heard many times over the years, and one that I've always enjoyed. If you like Elvis, you should enjoy Eddie Cochran.
Eddie Floyd is Eddie number three on this playlist, and the third different musical style of the Eddies. Floyd is a wonderful singer and song writer who was a part of the Motown scene and influenced bands like The Temptations. Floyd spent a good portion of the 60's writing for other artists like Wilson Pickett, and Carla Thomas. Floyd got popular when he recorded the song "Knock On Wood," and song he wrote for Otis Redding. "Knock on Wood," features a horn section that has become one of the most iconic horn sections in modern Soul music. This song has been covered many times over the years by some of the most famous artists of the preceding decades. I've been familiar with this song and especially with the horns on this song for a long time, and it's something I've always enjoyed. Anybody who likes one of the cover versions of this song should check out the original song, it's a good one.
Next on the list is the British rock band The Editors. The Editors are a band that I picked up and began listening to thanks to my job as Program Director of WLCV. Their single "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors," came across my desk when I was reviewing music for the stations. I really enjoyed this song, and looked further into the band. I was happy that I did, I really enjoyed the album An End Has a Start, which featured "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors." I enjoy the vocals of Tom Smith, the really complement the music. His vocals make up tempo songs sound more melancholy, and make for an interesting contrast. The lyrics in the songs aren't particularly upbeat either. His voice reminds me a bit of Ian Curtis of Joy Division, and the music itself carries similarities to Joy Division. The lyrics are full of interesting lines that seem almost like Tom Smith is giving you advice, featuring lines like "every little piece of your life, it'll mean something to someone," in "The Weight of the World," and "how can you know what things are worth, if your hands won't move to do a day's work?" in "When Anger Shows." Fans of indie rock and Joy Division should definitely give this band a listen.
The Editors "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors"
The next artist brings us back to 60's Soul with Edwin Starr's "Agent Double-O Soul." The song is a reference to the popular James Bond films of the time. In the song Starr claims to be a secret agent of soul. The song is a fun soul song, one that I heard through a video shown during my Music Industry class in my Senior year of College. I enjoy this song, and so should any fan of classic 60's Soul and Motown.
The Eels are next on the playlist, and take up a good chunk of the songs on the playlist (15%). The Eels are an interesting band that I had heard good things about for a few years before finally checking them out. I found the double album "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations," in WLCV's music library and gave them a listen. I very much enjoyed this double album, and explored further with the album "Shootenanny." The songs are more often very melancholy and deal with personal pain suffered by singer/songwriter Mark Everett. The songs are beautiful in their melancholy mix of folk, pop, country. The songs are really great for when you're in the mood for something mellow, something not too loud or fast. There are some more upbeat songs, but those also are very depressing. The first one on "Blinking Lights" is "Trouble With Dreams," in which Everett proclaims "the trouble with dreams is they don't come true, and when they do they can catch up to you." The music is great and the lyrics are great for matching that gloomy feeling that comes over people when there is bad weather outside that keeps them from enjoying the day. The Eels are a band that I would definitely recommend picking up and checking out, especially for fans of The Smiths or Tom Waits.
The Eels "Beautiful Freak"
After The Eels we have the Japanese band Electric Eel Shock. This band is a loud fast garage rock band with tinges of metal in their music. Their music is full of loud fuzzed out guitar riffs with a driving beat to back them up. Their songs often deal with issues such as Metal and "rocking." The guitar solos are very much in the style of solo you would hear from a Heavy Metal band, but the rest of the music is fuzzed out blues infused garage rock. My older brother introduced me to this band many years ago, and I've been enjoying them ever since. Their songs are loud and fun, their lyrics are usually a mix of Japanese and English and contain playful lyrics about how "rock and roll can rescue the world." I would recommend this band to anyone who likes Eagles of Death Metal or have heard similar Japanese bands such as Peelander- Z. I will continue to enjoy this band, as should anybody else who enjoys garage rock and metal.
The Electric Eel Shock "Rock and Roll Can Rescue the World"
Next up is another song off of the previously mentioned and lamented industrial tribute to Metallica. This time it is Element covering "Nothing Else Matters." Just like the rest of the album this is a terrible version of a classic Metallica song. The song is full of computer generated beats and synth lines that seem out of place anywhere near Metallica. I just can't enjoy this song, and as I have with the previous songs, I strongly urge you to avoid "The Blackest Album: An Industrial Tribute to Metallica." Next Song.
Elton Montello is the one and done artist who comes next. The song is an interesting one, it has an interesting mix off 70's punk, most likely taken from Brian James who played guitar for the British Punk rockers The Damned. There's also a saxophone playing in the background throughout much of the song, and that mixed with the punk influence makes for an interesting combination of punk, jazz, and popular rock. I wasn't familiar with this song before hearing this song. I'm not sure how the song came to be in my library, but I'm guessing I got it from my older brother. It's fun, and worth a listen.
Next up is an artist I've been enjoying more and more over the years since I first started listening to him. Elvis Costello is a legendary musician who has been a large presence in music since he came onto the scene in the 70's. He's one of the most diverse musicians out there today, he's put out thirty albums in 34 years. That is a huge output of music, he seems to be able to change styles without any trouble. He's been described as "pop encyclopedia," by critics. I really love his voice, and his lyrics are smarter and deeper than most pop musicians can ever hope to be. He has had several bands over the past decades, releasing records with The Attractions and The Imposters. He was ranked #80 on Rolling Stone Magazine's 100 greatest artists of all time. Anyone who's a fan of rock and roll should be listening to Elvis Costello, he's awesome.
Elvis Costello "Pump It Up"
Elvis Presley is up next on the list. Elvis Presley is a classic rockabilly artist that any self respecting music fan should instantly recognize whenever his music is put on. He is often called the King of Rock and Roll, he became an international sensation with his fun rockabilly music and swiveling hips. His swinging his hips were considered scandalous and for a long time whenever he appeared on television they would only shoot him from the waist up. His Tennessee home, Graceland, is a huge tourist draw to this day. His music influenced rock music for generations to come. His music has been used in countless television commercials and movies, there is also a large number of Elvis impersonators who make a career off acting in the exaggerated manner that he became infamous for in his later years. As many people know, he died at the age of 42 after years of drug abuse. His songs are among the most iconic songs ever produced by an American musician, he had one of the largest imprints on American pop culture of any entertainer in history. I have always enjoyed his music, and I have been listening to him for as long as I can remember. I think I will always enjoy Elvis' music.
The next artist on the playlist, Eminem, takes up 25% of this playlist. Eminem is one of the biggest, most popular, and most controversial artists of the past decade. Eminem is the best selling rap artist of the past decade, every album he puts out seems to go instantly to number one on the charts. He has surrounded himself in controversy over the years due to his lyrics' subject matters. He has been the favorite whipping boy of parents and other groups who feel his music is a bad influence on the children who listen to it. He has also been accused of racism and homophobia. He was accused of racism after an unreleased demo that he made when he was first starting out was leaked. The song features Eminem going after an African American girl who broke his heart, and the lyrics delve in to racial attacks. In several of his songs he has used derogatory language directed at the homosexual population. In each case of controversy he has met it head on and overcome it, he addressed the homophobia accusation by doing a duet with Sir Elton John at the Grammys in 2001. He also addressed the racial issue in the song "Yellow Brick Road," rapping "But I've heard people say they heard the tape and it ain't that bad
But it was I singled out a whole race and for that apologize." A lot of his songs also tend to have misogynistic overtones. This is another source of great controversy regarding Eminem. I think a lot of this probably comes from the chaotic relationship with his mother that he has detailed in several of his songs. A lot is probably exaggerated, but it seems like he resented his mother and that leaked over to women in general. I think Eminem is very talented when he wants to be, when he is serious his slow is so quick and intelligent that he has almost no equal.
Eminem "No Love"
The English Beat's "Mirror in the Bathroom" is up next on this playlist. The English Beat were a 2 Tone ska band out of England who gained popularity in the 80's with songs such as this one. Mirror in the Bathroom is probably the most well known song by The English beat, people who are more well versed in ska and punk rock are probably just as familiar with several other songs than the casual fan. This is a song that I have really liked for a long time. I really love everything about this song, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys English Punk rock or Reggae.
Next is another song of one of the two much maligned and regretted Metallica Tribute albums. This time the cover is by the band ENGRAVE and comes off of the "Overload: A Tribute to Metallica" album. Like the other covers on this album, this song is more musically close to the original song. While the music is similar to the real thing, the vocal once again don't do it for me. The lyrics are just the same guttural growl that you seem to hear from every single metal band coming out these days. I am not a fan of this vocal style as you might have guessed, so I don't recommend giving this song a listen unless you like that style of vocals.
The Epoxies are the third to last band featured on this playlist. The Epoxies play a synthesizer heavy brand of rock and roll, all of their songs feature prominent syth lines. Roxy Epoxie's voice was what really stood out for me when I first listened to this band. Her voice has a slightly deeper tone to it that somehow makes it feel a bit more theatrical. A lot of the band's music and live presentation involves theatrics so this is probably on purpose. I heard this band on a compilation originally and decided to check out the album the song featured in the compilation came from. I wasn't that impressed with the rest of the album, it was good but not great. I like it now a bit more than I did 6 years ago when I originally purchased the album. My musical taste has gained a few more electronic/synthesizer based bands and I can now enjoy this a bit more. I like it more, but it's still just average.
The Epoxies "Synthesized"
As we near the bottom of the playlist, Eve 6 come up next. Eve 6 is a Southern California rock band that gained some fame and popularity at the end of the 90's and in the early 00's. Eve six plays an upbeat pop rock style of music, with witty lyrics usually dealing with girls, relationships, and partying. I first heard Eve 6 on the radio back at the end of the 90's when Alternative Rock stations began playing their first hit single "Inside Out." I liked the song so I bought the album, but I quickly grew tired of the band. I gave the album away to my younger brother. Then their second album "Horrorscope," came out and my interest was renewed. "Horrorscope" just has a lot of fun and catchy pop rock songs. I regained enough interest in the band that I purchased the follow up LP to "Horrorscope." The follow up "It's All In Your Head," is fun but seems a bit more serious and mature. That may sound odd to say it wasn't as good because it was more serious, but that's the way I felt. I can appreciate the more mature sound now, but it's still not as good as "Horrorscope." Fans of 90's alternative rock should definitely give Eve 6 a listen.
Eve 6 "Promise"
Rounding out the E's is the Portland, Oregon band The Exploding Hearts. The Exploding Hearts played at 1970's influenced style of punk rock mixed with a bit of power pop. They drew heavily on 1970's English punk rock. The band begin gaining popularity on the West Coast and were even featured on the cover of a couple magazines. Unfortunately tragedy struck the band when on the way back from a concert in San Francisco the band got into an accident that resulted in the deaths of 3 of the 4 band members. They were all in their early 20's. The band only released one album, 2003's "Guitar Romantic." I was introduced to the band a few years ago by my older brother, and I have been enjoying them ever since. I featured the song "Modern Kicks" on my radio show several times. Any fan of 1970's British punk rock should check out The Exploding Hearts.
The Exploding Hearts "I'm a Pretender"
That brings an end to the E's and marks the official return of Alphabetical music. I enjoyed the E's, there were a lot of artists who I've been listening to for a long time, and still enjoy quite a bit. I will try to get the F's out in a timely manner, but my new job may hamper this. Stay tuned for new posts please.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Apologies
So after a four month hiatus here it is, the return of Alphabetical Music. When I started on this unintentional hiatus I had already finished listening to the E's and had started in on F, but work and lack of motivation got in the way. I was working forty hours per week, and just couldn't motivate myself to sit at my computer writing for hours on end, so I didn't. In November I got a second job, and that made it even less likely that I would start back up. When that job ended in the middle of January I found myself with a lot more free time. I was only working three shifts a week, and had a lot of down time. So I decided to revive my blog, and start over on the E's. I started listening to the E's again, because a lot of my impressions had been forgotten in my four month long hiatus. That being said, I've finished listening to the E's and am in the process of writing up my impressions of the artists in the E's. The E's post should be up within the week, hopefully within the next day or two. I am starting a new job as a car salesman this week, but I will do my best to keep up with this blog in my down time. To all of my readers I apologize for the long and unexplained absence. I will try to keep on writing, but work may interfere again. Please be patient with me and continue to read my posts.
Thank You,
Daniel
Thank You,
Daniel
Sunday, September 26, 2010
The D's Complete
Alright, it's that time again. Time for you to read another long blog post, this time about the D's. This blog post is actually coming about two weeks later than I would have liked. I finished listening to The D's a good two weeks before finishing this post, but work and procrastination have interfered with my ability to just sit down and write out this blog post. This is going to be another long one, not only were there a lot of songs (596) but there were a lot of different artists in the D's (51). So if you've been following my blog so far you realize that this means that there are going to be 51 paragraphs in this bad boy, not including this introduction and the conclusion. All of that being said, The D's brought the diversity. Something different for the D's, was the inclusion of a Audio Book in the D's. I got through the D's quickly, and without any struggle on the listening end. Starting off the D's we have a one and done.
Up first is D.O.A. w/ Jello Biafra off of the Rock Against Bush Volume 1 compilation. D.O.A. and Jello Biafra are both well known classic punks, Jello Biafra was the lead singer of The Dead Kennedys and D.O.A. was one of the first Hardcore punk bands. Both artists are known for lyrics filled with political and social commentary and this song is no different. "That's Progress" discusses the policy of eminent domain that is used by many county governments in order to gain the land needed for special projects. Eminent Domain is the government's seizure of personal property, and the government in doing so has to pay the land owner a fair price for the land that was seized to make up for the loss. Jello sings about land lords tripling rent and kicking families who have lived in their home for thirty years out on the street. It's a great punk rock song about an issue not a whole lot of people are very aware of. A lot of people probably aren't aware that their land can be seized at anytime by the government as long as the government reimburses them. Even with reimbursement though, the land owners often don't get as good of a price as they would get selling to a private buyer and may actually lose money on the land. The song is a classic punk song, and something I liked when I first heard it back in 2004 on the Rock Against Bush: Volume 1 compilation. If you like The Dead Kennedys and D.O.A. then I suggest you check this song out.
Next up is an interesting band I picked up a few years back. The D4 are a garage rock band from New Zealand. The band has a very similar sound to several other bands who released records and got popular around the same time as this record was released in 2001. They rode the wave of the popularity enjoyed by bands like The Strokes, The Hives, and The White Stripes. They have a classic garage rock sound, and write some very fun songs. Most of their songs are about partying and having a good time, urging you to "get up, get out, get loose." The songs are fun party songs, and a good example of modern garage rock. I liked this band back in 2001, and they're still enjoyable nine years later.
Daft Punk is another one of those bands whose songs have become strongly present in today's popular culture. Especially songs off of their most well known album Discovery. Songs like "One More Time," and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger," have been used over and over again in movies, video games, ect. Daft Punk even released new mixes of many of their songs for the video game DJ Hero. Until the rise of Phoenix (wink wink) they were probably one of the only bands from France that you could name and see recognition in the faces of American music fans. Phoenix's lead singer actually briefly played in a band with the two members of Daft Punk. Daft Punk aren't mainstream in the sense that you are going to hear their songs on popular radio, but popular artists such as Kanye West have sampled their music. Kanye West's "Stronger" has a back beat almost entirely made up of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger." Their contribution to the popularity of electronic house music in the USA and abroad cannot be denied. I have been enjoying Daft Punk for years, I had heard songs like "Technologic," and really liked them, and it was only a few years ago that I finally decided to buy Discovery. Another thing that makes this band interesting is that they released a full length animated feature film to accompany Discovery called Interstella 5555. I have seen all of Interstella 5555 and it is interesting to say the least (The whole thing is available for viewing on Youtube). The songs all feature sampled beats and vocals mixed together into just amazingly danceable tracks. Daft Punk can always put me into a good mood and make me want to dance. I enjoy Daft Punk just as much as I did a few years ago, and I hope to one day get the chance to see them live. If you are a Daft Punk fan and want a taste of the live show, definitely pick up Alive 2007.
Daft Punk "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"
The Damned follow Daft Punk in the D's. The Damned are a classic punk band, and one of the most revered bands in the punk rock community. Songs like "Neat Neat Neat" and "New Rose," are among their most well known and loved. The Damned are a band I had heard punk fans go on and on about for years, so I finally checked into them further than just the two songs that I mentioned above, and I liked what I heard. They've got that classic British punk rock feeling that you get from bands of that era like The Buzzcocks and Sex Pistols. They played the classic punk style of music, three chords interchanged throughout the songs. It was loud fast, aggressive, and simple, everything that made the punk movement different from everything else that was going on at the time. I really like this style of early English punk, and I still do. If you are looking to expand your repertoire beyond Sex Pistols, then I suggest The Damned.
Damone is a great example of a band that produces a really good single, but not a really good album. I first heard Damone's "Out Here All Night," back in 2006 on MTVu, and really liked the song. It was a heavy pop rock song featuring great vocals by lead singer Noelle. I really liked how her vocals complemented the heavier guitar sounds. I liked it so much that I checked out the entire album, and I was disappointed by the rest of the album. It's not that the songs are terrible, they're just not particularly memorable or distinctive like "Out Here All Night." I've spoken to other people who like Damone and they've been surprised by my lack of enjoyment from the entire album. I just don't think any of the other songs can match up to how good the single is and that may be part of the problem. I still enjoy listening to "Out Here All Night," but I'm still not too hot on the rest of the album.
Damone "Out Here All Night"
Next up is the collaboration between the DJ/Producer Danger Mouse and rapper MF Doom. I like both of these artists individually, and they are just as good if not better together. MF Doom at heart is a nerd, and that is part of what makes these songs so fun. All of the songs contain references to, and voices from [Adult Swim] programming. The beats are fun, and MF Dooms baritone flow really compliments the beats put behind it. I had been aware of this album The Mouse and the Mask, but I didn't actually check it out until about a month before this post. I'm a big fan of most of the programming on [Adult Swim], so I enjoy the references to current and classic programming. I was always a fan of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast but never got to see it much since I didn't have cable growing up. If you are a fan of [Adult Swim] programming then I suggest checking out this album.
Danger Doom "Basket Case"
After the Danger Mouse and MF Doom collaboration, we have solo Danger Mouse. This album, The Grey Album, is the album that really introduced Danger Mouse to the mainstream. The Grey Album is a mash-up album, mixing two different albums together into one completely new album. In this case Danger Mouse mixes The Beatles' White Album with Jay-Z's The Black Album. The reason that this mash-up put Danger Mouse on the map is because it put him in trouble legally, he had not obtained permission to use the songs in the album. This album is a really interesting album, and a great listen. Hearing well known Jay-Z songs mixed with these classic Beatles songs makes for a surprisingly great combination. Some of the combinations include Jay-Z's "Encore" mixed with The Beatles' "Glass Onion," Jay-Z's "99 Problems," is mixed with "Helter Skelter." The samples work surprisingly well together. I was given this album by my older brother and I thank him for that, because this is a really great mash up album. I enjoy it just as much as I did when I got it a few years ago. If you enjoy The Beatles and Jay-Z I suggest you try to find a copy of this album and take a listen.
Danger Mouse "What More Can I Say"
The Darkness are a band that gained a large following in the early 2000's because of their amazing debut Permission to Land and because of lead singer Justin Hawkins' fully body cat suits. Their music and the cat suits are a throwback to the powerful arena rock of the 70's. Justin Hawkins' lyrics are part of what made this band stand out from other throw back bands, his lyrics were funny and clever. He wrote a song called "Growing On Me," which upon first listen sounds like a song about a dysfunctional relationship that he just can't seem to let go of. This was my first impression of the song upon first listen, but I was informed afterward what the song was truly about, Genital Warts. Disgusting I know, but if you listen to the lyrics knowing this, the song's lyrics fit perfectly. Justin Hawkins' falsetto mixed with the soaring guitar solos just made for some great music. Then band unfortunately fell hard, Justin Hawkins became addicted to cocaine and left the band to enter rehab. The band carried on with a new lead singer, but were no longer The Darkness. Justin Hawkins now sober, writes songs for other people. He wrote two songs on the upcoming Meatloaf album. I still really enjoy Permission to Land and I think I won't stop enjoying it anytime soon, it's just a well made album. I don't enjoy their second album One Way Ticket to Hell...And Back, nearly as much. It just doesn't have the same spark that the debut possessed. It's opening is a big hint to Justin Hawkins' Cocaine addiction, right as the opening track is beginning he can be heard snorting a line of Cocaine. The Darkness were a great band who I wish had continued to make music, but I'm happy that lead singer Justin Hawkins was able to get the help he needed to become and remain sober.
The Darkness "Growing On Me"
Next is probably one of the most well known bass lines in music. The classic opening bass line for David Bowie and Queen's "Under Pressure" is well known because of this classic collaboration, but also for the fact that it was heavily sampled by Vanilla Ice in his early 90's hit single "Ice Ice Baby." Two classic rock artists of the 70's together on one great song, two of the most well known and loved bands of all time. The track itself is such a wonderful and powerful track, the spectacular voices of Freddie Mercury and David Bowie just blend in seamless harmony. This track now brings up memories of my brother's wedding party for me, I still picture the intoxicated dancers happily enjoying this song. I must admit I heard "Ice Ice Baby" first but I like the sampled song better. I still like this song a lot, it's a classic.
Next up is a first for the iTunes playlist, and Audio Book. This particular audio book is a recording of author David Sedaris reading his book Me Talk Pretty One Day. David Sedaris is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio's "This American Life," a comedian, and an author. He has published several books of essays and stories, most of which are based on his childhood and the events surrounding his family and his upbringing. His sister Amy Sedaris has also gained fame as a comedian, having starred in the short lived TV show "Strangers With Candy." The books and the audio recordings of Sedaris reading his books are filled with humorous situations from his life, the way he phrases the events and his impressions of his family make for a very funny and entertaining audio recording. He speaks of his parents' devotion and obsession over a St. Bernard, his father's obsession with his sisters' weights, and his father's tendency to hide food until it is well past the expiration date and serve it to his family. David Sedaris has had a very interesting life, and that is what makes his essays and humor so accessible. This is definitely something you should check out and listen to.
The dB's are up next on the playlist. The song is "Amplifier" and it is a track that was part of Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80's Underground compilation box set. I was not familiar with this band before the compilation, and I can't say that this song is memorable enough to give me any desire to explore further. It's got a nice up beat tempo for a song that starts out talking about people killing themselves the previous night, and getting stolen from. The sound of the song has that typical 80's acoustic guitar strum over a prominent bass line. It's a strange song, that I hadn't recalled until listening to it for this blog, and it's something that I will forget about again after I move on from the D's. It's worth checking out, but not much more.
Next up is the start of what I'm affectionately calling the Section of Death (SOD). Opening of the SOD is the classic song "Sonic Reducer," by The Dead Boys. This song is a classic, the opening guitar line surrounded by ambient noise is a great lead in to Stiv Bator's vocals. The rough gravely voice of Stiv Bator makes song even better. It is a classic punk anthem, and probably one of the songs most well known by people outside of the punk rock scene. I really liked this song several years ago when I first heard it, and I continued to like it as I occasionally came back to it over the years. I was reminded of the song when The Beastie Boys sampled it for the song "Open Letter to NYC," which was one of my favorite tracks off of their album To the 5 Boroughs. This song is a great song to start with if you want to explore punk rock music, it's accessible to the standard rock crowd while still being punk enough to please the hardcore punk fans. This is a song that I will continue to enjoy, and one that I definitely would recommend.
The Dead Kennedy's are probably one of my favorite punk bands. I started getting into punk back in 2003-2004, and The Dead Kennedys were a band I had been introduced to a few years before. My older brother played some of their music for me, and talked about singer Jello Biafra and his spoken word albums. The Dead Kennedys put out great punk music with a great socially conscious message. They sang about the abuse of power and brutality exhibited by way too many police officers in "Police Truck," and they also sing about the international struggle with Cambodia in the 80's in "Holiday in Cambodia." They were controversial, even getting taken to court on obscenity charges for the cover of their album Frankenchrist. The songs are hard, fast, and raw and just really great listening. I originally only had about three songs from The Dead Kennedys, but I was given their Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death album by my older brother and this allowed me to explore further. I enjoyed the album when I got it a few years ago, and I still really enjoy the album. The album is one of the classic punk albums that all punk rock fans should own. I will continue to enjoy The Dead Kennedys for years to come, I can't see myself changing from my current impression.
Dead Kennedys "Holiday in Cambodia"
Next up is another one of my favorite punk bands, The Dead Milkmen. The Dead Milkmen are one of the most humorous bands that I have in my iTunes catalog. Their songs are completely ridiculous in subject matter, singing songs about being so bored that you decide to drink bleach in "Bleach Boys," and songs like "Big Lizard," which as you can guess by the title is about a gigantic lizard. The songs have a punk flavor to the music, but the subject is anything but serious like the rest of the punk genre. I checked out The Dead Milkmen a few years ago on a recommendation by several different people, starting with one of their new "mature" albums Soul Rotation. I really enjoyed that album and decided to explore into their back catalog. I have not yet been disappointed by a Dead Milkmen album, and if I explore the few albums I don't have I don't expect to be disappointed by those albums either. My impressions of this band have only gotten fonder since first hearing them years ago.
The Dead Milkmen "Punk Rock Girl"
Next up is one of Jack White's many musical projects, The Dead Weather. Jack White formed The Dead Weather and recorded their debut album Horehound last year, and just released their second album Sea of Cowards earlier this year. The band is what many writers like to call a "Super Group." The band features Jack White of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, Alison Mosshart of The Kills, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age, and Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs and The Greenhorns. The interesting thing about this Jack White project is the fact that Jack White isn't the lead singer or the lead guitar player, he's the drummer. White does contribute a significant amount of vocals, but usually he is harmonizing with Mosshart. The band plays an interesting mix of alternative rock and blues fuzz rock. Jack White actually does an alright job on the drums, he doesn't play anything overly complicated or difficult, but this type of music doesn't really call for that either. Another interesting thing for me is that sometimes it sounds like Alison Mosshart is just a female version of Jack White, their vocals intertwining so well that they almost sound like one person. I checked out this band due to the widespread praise by critics and my enjoyment of Jack White's other projects The White Stripes and Raconteurs. I wasn't completely sold on this band after the first few initial listens to Horehound but after listening to their new album and listening to the debut again my enjoyment grew. The new album is even better than the debut. This band is one that I will keep an eye on and look for future releases from.
The Dead Weather "Die By the Drop"
The Deadly Snakes follow The Dead Weather on the D playlist. The Deadly Snakes are an interesting indie rock band that mixes elements of rock, folk, blues, and country. Their songs are really well done and the music is a pleasure to listen to. The mix of styles throughout the album and from song to song make for some very good and interesting music. I was introduced to this band by my older brother who first put two of their songs on an Mp3 CD he made for me about six years ago, I liked these two songs and he gave the album Porcella to me a few years later. I rediscovered this band because of this album, because I had forgotten about those two songs that I had previously received. I hadn't listened to the Mp3 CD in a while so it fell from immediate musical memory. My perception of this band has changed since first hearing them, and it's moved even further into positive territory now that I have more than just two songs. A band worth checking out if you're looking for something new and a little different. The Deadly Snakes bring The Section of Death to its close.
The Decemberists are a band who I have become more impressed with over the past few years. The Decemberists have been indie rock nerd darlings since their critically acclaimed album Picaresque. The band plays an interesting brand of folk rock, and this mix is what appealed to the indie music lover because it was so different than what was popular in the mainstream at the time. I was first introduced to The Decemberists when I saw the video for the song "16 Military Wives" on MTVu a few years ago. I enjoyed the song but didn't explore any further. I heard them again when they had their "feud" with Stephen Colbert over the green screen challenge to make a video for their song "O Valencia!." Again I didn't really explore them any further. I got two of their albums, Picaresque and The Billy Liar single, from my younger brother who was a fan, but I wasn't particularly into them at the time. I then heard "The Wanting Comes in Waves" off of their newest album when they played a shortened version on The Colbert Report. I thoroughly enjoyed this song, and because of this I later received their newest CD The Hazards of Love from my younger brother and my opinion changed. The Hazards of Love is a brilliantly well crafted and produced album. The album itself is a concept album developed around the story of Margaret, her shape shifting beau, his mother The Queen, and the evil rake (an immoral, womanizing man). The different characters are interwoven with different styles of music for each character, a tender accordion ballad for Margaret and a rock stomper for The Queen to almost heavy metal for The Rake. I am still not a huge fan of their older work, but I appreciate it more than I used to.
The Decemberists "The Wanting Comes in Waves"
Next up after The Decemberists is Dee & Don. This song "Mr. Fortuneteller" has that classic soul/R&B feel that was prominent in the 60's. It's a good song, I especially enjoy the twist on the normal soul song that featured just a solo or group of performers of one sex, but this is a nice duet between a man and a woman. I wasn't familiar with this song before listening through the D's. It was put on my iTunes as part of the playlist of music for my older brother's wedding party. Since I wasn't particularly familiar with it I didn't really have an impression of it before listening to it for this blog. I like the song though, it's a great example of classic 60's soul, and I can always enjoy a good 60's soul song.
The Del Fuegos are up next, a band with an interesting mix of guitar that sounds very close to surf style guitar. They have that classic lo-fi sound common to garage rock bands of pretty much any decade. The sound is very much in the style of the genre that defines this band, but the guitar in this song feels like a bit of a change of pace from the rest of the genre. The song is fun to listen to. I had a small awareness and memory of this song from previous listening but not enough to recall a distinct impression. I like this song, it's a good fun song with a little bit of a surf rock feel to it despite being performed by a band from Boston. I have a good impression of this song, but I haven't heard anything else from this band to say anymore. It's something worth checking out if you like garage rock.
Next up is Del Shannon. This is just a classic rock and roll song from the 60's. It's a song that has that classic rock song common to rock and roll of the early 60's late 50's. The song has a very interesting keyboard sound in the background of the song, it's very light and flitting. The keyboard sound is what stands out for me in this song, it's just very interesting. Especially since according to the Wikipedia article about Del Shannon, his keyboard player apparently invented an early synthesizer. The keyboard doesn't really sound synthesized, but it just seems very light and flitting. I also enjoy the addition of the saxaphone to the song. I was familiar with this song, "Runaway," already, it was something that I had heard previously when I was younger and liked. I still really like this song.
The next band, Denali, comes to my iTunes library through the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 compilation. This song isn't particularly distinctive when it comes to the arrangement and the instrumentation of the music, what makes this song better and more distinctive for me are the vocals. As I have previously stated, I'm a big fan of good female lead singers, and this band has one. The female vocals are what make this song for me, her voice is very beautiful but has some power behind it at the same time. This wasn't one of the songs that stuck out for me from this compilation, but it was a good compilation with a lot of great songs so that's not surprising since I wasn't familiar with Denali before the compilation. It's something worth checking out if you, like me, enjoy good female vocals.
Next up is one of the biggest bands of the 80's, a band familiar to most music fans, hardcore and casual alike. Depeche Mode had some of the biggest hits of the 80's. According to their Wikipedia article, the band had 48 songs on the UK's singles charts. The band was really a forerunner of all of the current electronica infused rock bands that have popped up over the past decade. This particular song, "Black Celebration," has to be one of my favorite Depeche Mode songs. From the opening keyboard notes to the finish the song has a very haunting, scary movie feel to it. The keyboard notes especially remind you of something you might have heard in one of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies or one of the "Friday the 13th" movies. I got this song from the Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80's Underground compilation box set. This song was definitely one that stood out for me, a song I enjoyed upon my first listen through. I still like this song just as much as I did when I got this compilation a few years ago.
Next up is a band that I've been enjoying quite a bit over the past few years. I first gave The Descendents a listen a few years back based on many recommendations from friends and people online who I discussed music with. The Descendents are one of the best pop-punk bands, they were the model for all pop punk bands to follow them. They had many elements of punk rock, but the music wasn't quite as loud and hard as punk. The songs can range in subject matter from food and beer to political and social statements. One of their more well known songs has to be "Suburban Home," a song that has been covered by several other bands in the years since its release. The song opens with the line "I want to be stereotyped, I want to be classified." The song is all about how suburban life is boring and static. Their songs are just a lot of fun. I liked this band the first time I heard them on the Rock Against Bush compilation, and then even more when I got their 'Merican EP and the LP Cool to be You. For a while that was as far as I explored in the band's catalogue. I later purchased Somery, which is basically a greatest hits collection. If you want to check this band out, I suggest picking up Somery.
The Descendents "Suburban Home"
Next up is the fictional metal band known as Dethklok. Dethklok is the band that is the focus of the animated series Metalocalypse which appears on Cartoon Network's [Adult Swim]. The show itself is really funny, and what makes the show even better is that the music performed by the band on the show is actually really good. The songs are all very funny, with very violent themes. All of the songs are about death and destruction. Nathan Explosion is the lead singer and lyricist and his deep gravelly voice fits the music perfectly. The songs on these two albums are the same ones that appear in the series. I have been enjoying this band since I watched the series premier back in 2006. The series is just so funny, the band themselves are complete idiots and aren't good for much besides producing music. The band is the world's 7th largest economy and has a fan base in the billions who will do anything for them. I really enjoyed the premier episode back in 2006 and I continue to enjoy the series to this day. The music a lot of fun, and a great example of heavy metal. Any heavy metal fan who hasn't checked this band out really should. My impression of this band has only grown since 2006, and I will continue to enjoy them for years to come.
Dethklok "Murmaider"
Next up is a one and done in The Detroit Cobras covering The Strokes' "Last Night." This cover has a different feel musically than the original, and this is because The Detroit Cobras put their own spin on the song. The guitar has a bit more of a country feel to it than the garage rock guitars of the Strokes. The lyrics are changed to accommodate a female lead singer, changing girl to boy and so on. I first heard this cover a few years ago when my older brother put it on my computer as music for his wedding party. I like this cover a lot, I think The Detroit Cobras put a really nice spin on this song. I liked this version when I first heard it a few years ago, but I hadn't thought of it in a long time before this blog. I still like the cover a lot, enough so that I might check into more music by The Detroit Cobras in the future.
Next up is a band who was a bastion of popular culture in the 80's and early 90's. Devo, have maintained a huge following to this day even two decades after their heyday in the 1980's. Their song "Whip It" has become one of those songs that everybody knows, no matter what type of music they listen to or if they've never heard any other Devo songs. While "Whip It" is probably their most well known song, Q:Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! is probably their most well known album. The album features their first popular song in "Mongaloid" and also contains a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction." The band has changed musical styles over the years, going from punk to new wave. The band was a heavy influence on the new wave bands that rose to popularity in the years following their disbanding. The band just recently released their first full album of new material in nineteen years this year. I have been a fan of "Whip It" for a long time, and for a long time that song and the cover of "Satisfaction," were the only Devo songs I knew. In recent years I decided to delve deeper into Devo, purchasing Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!. I really like this album, the band plays great music that is fun to listen to. The lyrics are often amusing, sarcastic, and satirical. Devo is a band that anyone who was a least a moderate fan of the new wave movement should check out. I will continue to enjoy Devo for the foreseeable future.
Devo "Whip It"
Next up is an interesting remix by DFA of N.E.R.D's "She Wants to Move." I wasn't familiar with the original of this song when I first heard it, and I only listened to the original right before typing this post up. The DFA remix is much more upbeat and danceable than the original version. The original is very slow, and after listening to both versions I have to say that I like the remix better than the original. DFA's remix makes it a dance song, and that makes it a whole lot more fun to listen to than the slow more methodical original. This is another song that I received from my older brother, I liked it when he first introduced me to it and I still do. This song is one of those instances when the remix outshines the source material. Definitely recommend for fans of dance music, and remixes.
Next up is one of the most well known soul singers/groups of the 1960's. Diana Ross and The Supremes are one of the most popular groups to come out of that era of music, and the biggest selling vocal group in recording history according to Wikipedia. The band had twelve number one singles on Billboard's Hot 100. Diana Ross has one of the most recognizable voices in soul, and her songs have become classics that have made their way deep into the popular Culture of the United States of America. I grew up listening to Diana Ross and the Supremes, and therefore have a deep appreciation of their music and its impact on the world of music. Their songs have been covered and re-imagined some many times of the years, more than any other artist I can think of. I still enjoy listening to Diana Ross, because the harmonies and melodies in the music just make for some beautiful songs. I can't see myself ever not enjoying Diana Ross' music.
Next up is the king of Surf Guitar Dick Dale. Dick Dale is the most well known purveyors of surf guitar. This song in particular is probably his most well known song. "Misirlou," is a great example of Dale's classic surf guitar style, but what makes this song even better is the backing music. The mix of drums, trumpet, and piano really make this song even better. Even people who have never heard of Dick Dale or this song probably are familiar with it. The Black Eyed Pees Sampled Dick Dale's version for their 2006 hit single "Pump It," and The Beach Boys also did a Dick Dale inspired version of the song. One of the earliest CD's that I can recall receiving from my father was a Dick Dale CD. I really enjoyed that CD when I was younger, and I still really enjoy "Misirlou." Anyone who is looking to get into, or is already a fan of surf music should know Dick Dale.
The Dickies are up next with the song "You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla)." This is just a really quick little punk song coming in at under 2 minutes long. The song isn't really what you would think of as your traditional punk song, because it prominently features a synthesizer style keyboard line in the background of the song. The lyrics are amusing, and the songs subject can be easily gleamed from the title of the song. I first heard this song a few year ago when I got the compilation box set No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion, and I liked the fun playfulness of the song. I came back to the song over the years, occasionally playing it on my radio show. A song I will continue to enjoy.
Next up is The Dictators with their song "Two Tub Man," which I got off of the compilation box set No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion. The song is a fun punk song, the singer talks about how much of a rebel he is and how he's who parent's don't want their children to become. He claims to drink Coca-Cola for breakfast, to have had Jackie Onassis in his pants, and that edumacation isn't for him, and that he never gratiated from high school. It's a fun punk song about doing whatever you want to do and damn what other people think of you. I like this song's fun lyrics and the classic punk style of guitars. I wasn't familiar with the song before the compilation, but it's one I've listened to a few times over the years. I think that I will continue to listen to it on occasion, not on a consistent basis but as something to come back to occasionally.
Once again we come to another artist from the much maligned and regretted industrial tribute to Metalllica album. This time it's Die Krupps covering "Battery." Once again it's just monotone heavy electronic beats over half shouted vocals. Once again this song is a terrible cover, and continues to make me regret this purchase ten years ago.
We have another Metallica cover up next, this time off of Overload: A Tribute to Metallica. Of the two Metallica cover albums I have this one is the better, but this song is ruined by the singer of the covering artist Diesel Machine. Musically the band tries to get very close to the original, but the hoarse screaming of the lead singer ruins this song for me. This song is something I will always skip when it comes up in the shuffle on my iPod. Avoid this song if you like Metallica.
Dillinger Four is the next band on the playlist with the song "Like Sprewells on a Wheelchair," which is in my library from the Rock Against Bush Vol. 2. This song is really fast paced, and that is one of the reasons I like this song. It just goes at top speed from almost second one. The song itself is about refusing to accept the mantra of politicians and some religious leader in America that say that America is God's chosen country. They refuse the idea of Manifest Destiny. I liked this song when I rediscovered it off of this compilation about two years ago, and I still like it. It's not the most original song, but it's a good fast paced rager that fits well with this compilations. I even played the song on my radio show a few times.
Another classic 70's punk band is up next in The Dils. The singer sounds a bit like he's from the UK, but the band is actually from California. Their style of punk actually contains more harmonies than the majority of other punk rock music produced in the 70's. The band was very left wing in their politics and song writing, some of their most well known songs are "Class War," and the one I have "Mr. Big." This song seems very much a ran against people who like to show off and impress others with their "knowledge." The song says that they know Mr. Big gets his information from the news and tells him not to change the channel or he'll get confused. I take the lyrics to be a rant against people who are well off trying to relate and impress those less fortunate for some type of "street cred." I like the song even though I wasn't familiar with it before the compilation it came on and hadn't really listened to it since getting that compilation.
Next up is a band that has a large cult following, despite not being one of the more successful bands of the 80's. The band's sound is very mellow, with feedback and occasional guitar solos. You can definitely hear the under pinning sound of 90's alternative rock. The melodic singing over the mellow guitars became very popular in the world of alternative 90's rock. I had heard good things about his band for a few years, but had never checked them out. I decided to finally check them out a few years ago, getting the album Green Mind. I like the album, it's very mellow and laid back and easy to digest. This may have been the start of 90's alternative rock, but it is way better than most of the alternative rock that it inspired. The band is recognized among musicians for their large influence on music that followed them, even if most of the music public aren't particularly familiar with the band. I think I will continue to enjoy this album, and it makes me consider even looking further back into their catalog to hear more of their music.
Dinosaur Jr. "The Wagon"
Diplo is up next in the D's. Diplo is one of the hottest producers in music right now and is famous for being a former flame of singer/rapper M.I.A. He's also part of the electro reggae inspired Major Lazer. Major Lazer has gained some notoriety lately by introducing the dancing style called "daggering," to the American public. The two songs I have from Diplo are remixes of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Gold Lion" and Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman." The remixes are interesting, and very beat heavy. Their seems to be a lot of back beat built into both remixes. On "Gold Lion" he speed the song up, almost hitting fast forward. He speeds up Karen O's vocals. The remix of "I Got a Woman," feels a bit more like a remix of Kanye West's "Golddigger" in its hip hop style beat and mix, but the only vocals featured are those of Ray Charles. The remixes are interesting and something fun to listen to from time to time.
Next up is a metal/hard rock band from Japan in Dir en grey. This is a band I checked out after reconditions from people who knew I liked the Japanese band Melt Banana, and favorably compared the two bands. I am up and down on this band, I purchased two albums and I really like one but really disliked the other. The first album I bought was Withering to Death and I really liked this album, I got the CD used and was not disappointed. The music is very heavy and has a heavy metal feel to it, but the vocals are very melodic but can switch to harsh and guttural when appropriate for the song. The bass lines have a very metallic sound to them, and the guitar mix just works for me. I really liked this album, and was eager to listen to more. I purchased the album the was released after Withering to Death, I bought the album Uroboros. It just wasn't as good, it didn't have the same feel as the first album. The band is known for changing its musical style from album to album, and for me the change wasn't good. This album just didn't strike me in the same way, some of the songs actually were unpleasant to listen to. I just discovered this band about a year ago, so my opinion of them has changed because of time, just because of the second album. I like this band, but the second album I purchased makes me nervous to check out anything else by this band.
Dir en grey "C"
Next up is one of the hippest indie bands to be a fan of these days, The Dirty Projectors. This song, "Stillness in the Move," was given to me by my younger brother. The song is an interesting, sparse, mix of drums and a light guitar line. I haven't really followed The Dirty Projectors, but I was aware of them due to their rise and infrequent articles about the band in music magazines. I didn't have an impression of the band before this song, and I hadn't listened to it before doing so for the blog because the song was only given to me back in July or August. It's an alright song, a very interesting song. The song however doesn't really make me want to check the band out any further than this song. It's a nice song, but it doesn't blow me away.
The Distillers are up next after The Dirty Projectors. The Distillers were fronted by Brody Dalle who played guitar and sang. The band gained some small popularity back in the mid 00's for their album Coral Fang. The song "Drain the Blood" got some minor radio play. Brody Dalle is also partly known for having been married to Rancid bassist and signer Tim Armstrong, they divorced and Brody later married Queens of the Stone Age front man Joshua Homme. Brody Dalle has very distinctive and abrasive singing voice. Her voice can be very rough, very frequently forming a slight growl. The Distillers songs are very punk influenced, and it shines through in a lot of their songs, but they were also more catchy then punk featuring more sing a long style choruses. The songs frequently feature themes surrounding death, murder, and blood. I heard The Distillers when they gained that brief popularity with Coral Fang in the mid 00's. I liked the radio single, and upon hearing the entire album I like the band. The songs are aggressive and violent, and fit Dalle's voice perfectly. Part of what makes the songs for me is her voice. I still enjoy this band as much as I did a few years ago, and I enjoy Brody Dalle's new band Spinnerette as well.
The Distillers "Drain the Blood"
Next up is a band that for a long time, I considered a guilty pleasure. Disturbed were a band I heard on the radio with their popular songs "Down With the Sickness," and "Stupify." At that period of my musical life I was into that type of music, also listening to Korn at the time. My musical tastes began to change, and I moved away from bands like Disturbed and their alternative rock/metal sound. For a long time I tried not to like Disturbed because it wasn't part of my preferred musical style. I came back around to Disturbed when I saw the video for their cover of "Land of Confusion," on MTVu a few years back. The more I hear of them, the more I realize that I never really stopped liking them. Part of what makes the band/music interesting for me is lead singer David Draiman. Draiman as a child attended a Yeshiva High School for Study of the Torah in Wisconsin. Many of his lyrics deal with themes of religion, spirituality, Heaven, Hell, and violence. His time in the Yeshiva's influence on the band has actually made the band popular with students studying at Yeshivas around the world. The music is not allowed, but is hidden. The vocals mixed with the dropped guitar notes, and subtle electronics make for an interesting mix. I think I will only continue to enjoy Disturbed and stop considering them a guilty pleasure.
Disturbed "Land of Confusion"
Next up is the classic country singer Dolly Parton. Dolly Parton is one of the most well known female country singers of all time, and translated her success into a successful theme park in Tennessee called Dollywood. She has forty one top ten country albums, and 25 number one singles. One of her most well known songs is actually more known for the cover version. Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," was covered by Whitney Houston and featured in the movie The Bodyguard. Dolly's version is much different than the cover, musically and in the fact that Parton doesn't have anywhere near the vocal range of Whitney Houston. I like a lot of people of my generation was first aware of Whitney Houston's version, but I like Dolly's version just as much. Houston's version is very powerful, but Parton's seems a bit sweeter sounding. I enjoy Parton's voice, and her music is a great example of country music done well. I think I will continue to enjoy Dolly Parton.
Next up is The Donnas, a group of four women playing AC/DC inspired rock songs. The Donnas have a very strong AC/DC influence in their song writing, the guitar riffs feel like they could have been at home in some of the deep tracks, or B Sides of an AC/DC album. They aren't as good as AC/DC, but they still rock hard and make good music. Their music is a lot of fun, focusing on boys, and partying. It's a refreshing change of pace to hear these types of song sung from the female perspective, since we hear men sing about women and partying all the time. The sing about wanting to get guys into bed, or getting drunk or high. On one of my favorite songs off of their album Spend the Night, "To Bad About Your Girl," singer Donna A laments to the subject of the song that "it's too bad about your girl, she doesn't look like she's much fun, " stating that it's "to bad you've got a date tonight, because you're looking like you're the one." Also asking questions like "who's she going to slap when she sees me in your lap, and you say you've had a change of heart?" The songs are just fun party songs that appeal to the young party animal in all of us. If you're a fan of fun party rock, or bands like The Ramones or AC/DC then definitely check them out. I've been enjoy The Donnas since first hearing them on the radio when Spend the Night was released, and I will continue to enjoy their brand of fun party rock.
The Donnas "Too Bad About Your Girl"
Next up is a one and done off of the Rock Against Bush Vol. 2 in The Donots. The Donots are a pop punk band from Germany. The song has slicker production and catchy hooks common with a lot of pop punk bands of the 90's and 00's. The song is about not taking abuse from the powers that be anymore, that enough is enough. Demanding that they "step down right now." It's an alright song, I wasn't familiar with before the compilation, and forgot about after the first listen through. It's just not particularly memorable for me. It's an average pop punk song.
Next up is the Fantasy Metal band Dragonforce. Dragonforce are known for their fantasy inspired lyrical themes, singing songs about dragons, epic battles, and dark forces. Besides the fantasy themed lyrics the music contains electronic glitch sounds very much like those heard in retro video games of the 80's. They are also known for their skilled and extremely quick guitar work. The songs speed along at break neck speeds featuring spectacular guitar solos from guitar players Herman Li and Sam Totham. The band gained wide recognition when their track "Through The Fire and the Flames" was featured as the closing song to the video game Guitar Hero 3. The game was how I first heard Dragonforce, although I had heard of them before. I got the album after the one containing "Through the Fire and the Flames," because it was the only one available to me at the time. I really enjoy Dragonforce for the skill of the music, and the fantasy themes. The only problem is that all of their songs start to sound alike the further you get into the album. I like Dragonforce, but only in small doses.
Dragonforce "Through the Fire and the Flames"
Next up is the 80's rock band Dream Syndicate. This song is from Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80's Underground, and you can tell if you've heard the other songs on the compilation. It has a similar style to a lot of the other 80's underground artists. The guitar sound is very similar in style, and the echoing vocals are very reminiscent of a lot of other 80's underground bands from this compilation. It just didn't stand out for me as anything special. I can't say I had a previous impression of this song, because truth is I had forgotten I even had it until I listened through the D's for this compilations.
Dream Theater is up next in this radio sampler that I was able to obtain. The band is a progressive/metal rock band. The band hasn't really gained any mainstream notoriety, but their members are well respected musicians. Their members have been given several awards by music magazines for technical proficiency, and the drummer has been inducted in to the Rock Drummer Hall of Fame. I had heard of the band before, mostly because of their large drum kit. The songs are interesting, and very melodic vocally mixing in with the high pitched metal guitar sounds. The band, in my opinion, has a similar style in some ways to Dir en grey and may be where Dir en grey got some of their influence. I hadn't heard this band until I got this album about a year and a half ago, so I haven't had much of a longstanding perception to change on this band.
Boston based Irish/Celtic influenced punk band The Dropkick Murphys are up next. The band frequently includes Irish themes and instruments into their music, mixing it with fast paced punk rock music. Probably one of their most well known songs is "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," which was featured in the movie The Departed. The song contains an accordion playing over the fast punk sounds of the band throughout the song. The Dropkick Murphys are a band I've been a casual fan of for a few years now, enjoying their music when I hear it. I still enjoy them when I hear them, but I've never been moved to look further into them then I have.
Dropkick Murphys "I'm Shipping Up to Boston"
This next artist is one that I believe may have come with Windows, because I have no recollection of ever adding this song to my iTunes library. The song is by Dujeous, a rap group that I had never heard of before listening to this song "Sightlines" for this blog. The song contains a back beat with a electric guitar revolving around the beat. The MC's switch off a bit like old school hip hop, just not as good. The song isn't particularly distinctive, it's kind of catchy but not enough for you to remember it for more than a few hours. Can't say this song is particularly ground breaking, or memorable.
Next up is Dusty Springfield, an English singer whose career began in the late 50's. The vocals have a bit of a soul feel to them, mixed with a bit of a rock/blues sound. There's a very nice guitar line playing throughout the song, with occasional flourishes. I wasn't familiar with this song, although I had heard the name Dusty Springfield before. I like this song, it's enjoyable and simple. I wasn't familiar with this song before, so I didn't have a previous impression. But it's a nice pleasant song.
Next up is the Dwarves with the song "Kids Today." The song is a quick song at under 2 minutes. The song as the title suggests is about kids today. The song talk about how they've got something other generations just can't match. That the kids want answers, there's 200 channels and it's all bad news. The song is fast and hard, and the vocals remind me a lot of Mike Ski of The A.K.A.s. [Are Everywhere]. I liked this song when I heard it on the Rock Against Bush Vol. 2. It's still a song I like, it's quick and powerful and gets to the point. Not sure I'll check further into this band, but I like the song.
Finally we have the Dwight Twilley Band rounding out the D's. The song is a classic rock country inspired sound. It feels like a slightly more country version of the Beatles. With some the guitar is what really makes it feel more of a rocking country song. I wasn't familiar with the song before listening to it for the blog, as it was one of the many songs put on my computer by my older brother for his wedding party. It's a very nice, and pleasant song. It reminds me a lot of the band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, so this may have been one of BRMC's influences. I have a good impression of the song from listening for this blog, but not one that will cause me to look further into the band.
Well that will bring the D's to a close, about two weeks later than I had intended. I apologize for the lateness of this post, but I just couldn't get the drive to write sometimes and work interfered at others. I enjoyed listening to the D's, there were a lot of bands that I forgot about, and others who I had listened to semi, or very frequently. I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog, and I will do my best to get the E's out a lot sooner than the D's.
Up first is D.O.A. w/ Jello Biafra off of the Rock Against Bush Volume 1 compilation. D.O.A. and Jello Biafra are both well known classic punks, Jello Biafra was the lead singer of The Dead Kennedys and D.O.A. was one of the first Hardcore punk bands. Both artists are known for lyrics filled with political and social commentary and this song is no different. "That's Progress" discusses the policy of eminent domain that is used by many county governments in order to gain the land needed for special projects. Eminent Domain is the government's seizure of personal property, and the government in doing so has to pay the land owner a fair price for the land that was seized to make up for the loss. Jello sings about land lords tripling rent and kicking families who have lived in their home for thirty years out on the street. It's a great punk rock song about an issue not a whole lot of people are very aware of. A lot of people probably aren't aware that their land can be seized at anytime by the government as long as the government reimburses them. Even with reimbursement though, the land owners often don't get as good of a price as they would get selling to a private buyer and may actually lose money on the land. The song is a classic punk song, and something I liked when I first heard it back in 2004 on the Rock Against Bush: Volume 1 compilation. If you like The Dead Kennedys and D.O.A. then I suggest you check this song out.
Next up is an interesting band I picked up a few years back. The D4 are a garage rock band from New Zealand. The band has a very similar sound to several other bands who released records and got popular around the same time as this record was released in 2001. They rode the wave of the popularity enjoyed by bands like The Strokes, The Hives, and The White Stripes. They have a classic garage rock sound, and write some very fun songs. Most of their songs are about partying and having a good time, urging you to "get up, get out, get loose." The songs are fun party songs, and a good example of modern garage rock. I liked this band back in 2001, and they're still enjoyable nine years later.
Daft Punk is another one of those bands whose songs have become strongly present in today's popular culture. Especially songs off of their most well known album Discovery. Songs like "One More Time," and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger," have been used over and over again in movies, video games, ect. Daft Punk even released new mixes of many of their songs for the video game DJ Hero. Until the rise of Phoenix (wink wink) they were probably one of the only bands from France that you could name and see recognition in the faces of American music fans. Phoenix's lead singer actually briefly played in a band with the two members of Daft Punk. Daft Punk aren't mainstream in the sense that you are going to hear their songs on popular radio, but popular artists such as Kanye West have sampled their music. Kanye West's "Stronger" has a back beat almost entirely made up of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger." Their contribution to the popularity of electronic house music in the USA and abroad cannot be denied. I have been enjoying Daft Punk for years, I had heard songs like "Technologic," and really liked them, and it was only a few years ago that I finally decided to buy Discovery. Another thing that makes this band interesting is that they released a full length animated feature film to accompany Discovery called Interstella 5555. I have seen all of Interstella 5555 and it is interesting to say the least (The whole thing is available for viewing on Youtube). The songs all feature sampled beats and vocals mixed together into just amazingly danceable tracks. Daft Punk can always put me into a good mood and make me want to dance. I enjoy Daft Punk just as much as I did a few years ago, and I hope to one day get the chance to see them live. If you are a Daft Punk fan and want a taste of the live show, definitely pick up Alive 2007.
Daft Punk "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"
The Damned follow Daft Punk in the D's. The Damned are a classic punk band, and one of the most revered bands in the punk rock community. Songs like "Neat Neat Neat" and "New Rose," are among their most well known and loved. The Damned are a band I had heard punk fans go on and on about for years, so I finally checked into them further than just the two songs that I mentioned above, and I liked what I heard. They've got that classic British punk rock feeling that you get from bands of that era like The Buzzcocks and Sex Pistols. They played the classic punk style of music, three chords interchanged throughout the songs. It was loud fast, aggressive, and simple, everything that made the punk movement different from everything else that was going on at the time. I really like this style of early English punk, and I still do. If you are looking to expand your repertoire beyond Sex Pistols, then I suggest The Damned.
Damone is a great example of a band that produces a really good single, but not a really good album. I first heard Damone's "Out Here All Night," back in 2006 on MTVu, and really liked the song. It was a heavy pop rock song featuring great vocals by lead singer Noelle. I really liked how her vocals complemented the heavier guitar sounds. I liked it so much that I checked out the entire album, and I was disappointed by the rest of the album. It's not that the songs are terrible, they're just not particularly memorable or distinctive like "Out Here All Night." I've spoken to other people who like Damone and they've been surprised by my lack of enjoyment from the entire album. I just don't think any of the other songs can match up to how good the single is and that may be part of the problem. I still enjoy listening to "Out Here All Night," but I'm still not too hot on the rest of the album.
Damone "Out Here All Night"
Next up is the collaboration between the DJ/Producer Danger Mouse and rapper MF Doom. I like both of these artists individually, and they are just as good if not better together. MF Doom at heart is a nerd, and that is part of what makes these songs so fun. All of the songs contain references to, and voices from [Adult Swim] programming. The beats are fun, and MF Dooms baritone flow really compliments the beats put behind it. I had been aware of this album The Mouse and the Mask, but I didn't actually check it out until about a month before this post. I'm a big fan of most of the programming on [Adult Swim], so I enjoy the references to current and classic programming. I was always a fan of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast but never got to see it much since I didn't have cable growing up. If you are a fan of [Adult Swim] programming then I suggest checking out this album.
Danger Doom "Basket Case"
After the Danger Mouse and MF Doom collaboration, we have solo Danger Mouse. This album, The Grey Album, is the album that really introduced Danger Mouse to the mainstream. The Grey Album is a mash-up album, mixing two different albums together into one completely new album. In this case Danger Mouse mixes The Beatles' White Album with Jay-Z's The Black Album. The reason that this mash-up put Danger Mouse on the map is because it put him in trouble legally, he had not obtained permission to use the songs in the album. This album is a really interesting album, and a great listen. Hearing well known Jay-Z songs mixed with these classic Beatles songs makes for a surprisingly great combination. Some of the combinations include Jay-Z's "Encore" mixed with The Beatles' "Glass Onion," Jay-Z's "99 Problems," is mixed with "Helter Skelter." The samples work surprisingly well together. I was given this album by my older brother and I thank him for that, because this is a really great mash up album. I enjoy it just as much as I did when I got it a few years ago. If you enjoy The Beatles and Jay-Z I suggest you try to find a copy of this album and take a listen.
Danger Mouse "What More Can I Say"
The Darkness are a band that gained a large following in the early 2000's because of their amazing debut Permission to Land and because of lead singer Justin Hawkins' fully body cat suits. Their music and the cat suits are a throwback to the powerful arena rock of the 70's. Justin Hawkins' lyrics are part of what made this band stand out from other throw back bands, his lyrics were funny and clever. He wrote a song called "Growing On Me," which upon first listen sounds like a song about a dysfunctional relationship that he just can't seem to let go of. This was my first impression of the song upon first listen, but I was informed afterward what the song was truly about, Genital Warts. Disgusting I know, but if you listen to the lyrics knowing this, the song's lyrics fit perfectly. Justin Hawkins' falsetto mixed with the soaring guitar solos just made for some great music. Then band unfortunately fell hard, Justin Hawkins became addicted to cocaine and left the band to enter rehab. The band carried on with a new lead singer, but were no longer The Darkness. Justin Hawkins now sober, writes songs for other people. He wrote two songs on the upcoming Meatloaf album. I still really enjoy Permission to Land and I think I won't stop enjoying it anytime soon, it's just a well made album. I don't enjoy their second album One Way Ticket to Hell...And Back, nearly as much. It just doesn't have the same spark that the debut possessed. It's opening is a big hint to Justin Hawkins' Cocaine addiction, right as the opening track is beginning he can be heard snorting a line of Cocaine. The Darkness were a great band who I wish had continued to make music, but I'm happy that lead singer Justin Hawkins was able to get the help he needed to become and remain sober.
The Darkness "Growing On Me"
Next is probably one of the most well known bass lines in music. The classic opening bass line for David Bowie and Queen's "Under Pressure" is well known because of this classic collaboration, but also for the fact that it was heavily sampled by Vanilla Ice in his early 90's hit single "Ice Ice Baby." Two classic rock artists of the 70's together on one great song, two of the most well known and loved bands of all time. The track itself is such a wonderful and powerful track, the spectacular voices of Freddie Mercury and David Bowie just blend in seamless harmony. This track now brings up memories of my brother's wedding party for me, I still picture the intoxicated dancers happily enjoying this song. I must admit I heard "Ice Ice Baby" first but I like the sampled song better. I still like this song a lot, it's a classic.
Next up is a first for the iTunes playlist, and Audio Book. This particular audio book is a recording of author David Sedaris reading his book Me Talk Pretty One Day. David Sedaris is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio's "This American Life," a comedian, and an author. He has published several books of essays and stories, most of which are based on his childhood and the events surrounding his family and his upbringing. His sister Amy Sedaris has also gained fame as a comedian, having starred in the short lived TV show "Strangers With Candy." The books and the audio recordings of Sedaris reading his books are filled with humorous situations from his life, the way he phrases the events and his impressions of his family make for a very funny and entertaining audio recording. He speaks of his parents' devotion and obsession over a St. Bernard, his father's obsession with his sisters' weights, and his father's tendency to hide food until it is well past the expiration date and serve it to his family. David Sedaris has had a very interesting life, and that is what makes his essays and humor so accessible. This is definitely something you should check out and listen to.
The dB's are up next on the playlist. The song is "Amplifier" and it is a track that was part of Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80's Underground compilation box set. I was not familiar with this band before the compilation, and I can't say that this song is memorable enough to give me any desire to explore further. It's got a nice up beat tempo for a song that starts out talking about people killing themselves the previous night, and getting stolen from. The sound of the song has that typical 80's acoustic guitar strum over a prominent bass line. It's a strange song, that I hadn't recalled until listening to it for this blog, and it's something that I will forget about again after I move on from the D's. It's worth checking out, but not much more.
Next up is the start of what I'm affectionately calling the Section of Death (SOD). Opening of the SOD is the classic song "Sonic Reducer," by The Dead Boys. This song is a classic, the opening guitar line surrounded by ambient noise is a great lead in to Stiv Bator's vocals. The rough gravely voice of Stiv Bator makes song even better. It is a classic punk anthem, and probably one of the songs most well known by people outside of the punk rock scene. I really liked this song several years ago when I first heard it, and I continued to like it as I occasionally came back to it over the years. I was reminded of the song when The Beastie Boys sampled it for the song "Open Letter to NYC," which was one of my favorite tracks off of their album To the 5 Boroughs. This song is a great song to start with if you want to explore punk rock music, it's accessible to the standard rock crowd while still being punk enough to please the hardcore punk fans. This is a song that I will continue to enjoy, and one that I definitely would recommend.
The Dead Kennedy's are probably one of my favorite punk bands. I started getting into punk back in 2003-2004, and The Dead Kennedys were a band I had been introduced to a few years before. My older brother played some of their music for me, and talked about singer Jello Biafra and his spoken word albums. The Dead Kennedys put out great punk music with a great socially conscious message. They sang about the abuse of power and brutality exhibited by way too many police officers in "Police Truck," and they also sing about the international struggle with Cambodia in the 80's in "Holiday in Cambodia." They were controversial, even getting taken to court on obscenity charges for the cover of their album Frankenchrist. The songs are hard, fast, and raw and just really great listening. I originally only had about three songs from The Dead Kennedys, but I was given their Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death album by my older brother and this allowed me to explore further. I enjoyed the album when I got it a few years ago, and I still really enjoy the album. The album is one of the classic punk albums that all punk rock fans should own. I will continue to enjoy The Dead Kennedys for years to come, I can't see myself changing from my current impression.
Dead Kennedys "Holiday in Cambodia"
Next up is another one of my favorite punk bands, The Dead Milkmen. The Dead Milkmen are one of the most humorous bands that I have in my iTunes catalog. Their songs are completely ridiculous in subject matter, singing songs about being so bored that you decide to drink bleach in "Bleach Boys," and songs like "Big Lizard," which as you can guess by the title is about a gigantic lizard. The songs have a punk flavor to the music, but the subject is anything but serious like the rest of the punk genre. I checked out The Dead Milkmen a few years ago on a recommendation by several different people, starting with one of their new "mature" albums Soul Rotation. I really enjoyed that album and decided to explore into their back catalog. I have not yet been disappointed by a Dead Milkmen album, and if I explore the few albums I don't have I don't expect to be disappointed by those albums either. My impressions of this band have only gotten fonder since first hearing them years ago.
The Dead Milkmen "Punk Rock Girl"
Next up is one of Jack White's many musical projects, The Dead Weather. Jack White formed The Dead Weather and recorded their debut album Horehound last year, and just released their second album Sea of Cowards earlier this year. The band is what many writers like to call a "Super Group." The band features Jack White of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, Alison Mosshart of The Kills, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age, and Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs and The Greenhorns. The interesting thing about this Jack White project is the fact that Jack White isn't the lead singer or the lead guitar player, he's the drummer. White does contribute a significant amount of vocals, but usually he is harmonizing with Mosshart. The band plays an interesting mix of alternative rock and blues fuzz rock. Jack White actually does an alright job on the drums, he doesn't play anything overly complicated or difficult, but this type of music doesn't really call for that either. Another interesting thing for me is that sometimes it sounds like Alison Mosshart is just a female version of Jack White, their vocals intertwining so well that they almost sound like one person. I checked out this band due to the widespread praise by critics and my enjoyment of Jack White's other projects The White Stripes and Raconteurs. I wasn't completely sold on this band after the first few initial listens to Horehound but after listening to their new album and listening to the debut again my enjoyment grew. The new album is even better than the debut. This band is one that I will keep an eye on and look for future releases from.
The Dead Weather "Die By the Drop"
The Deadly Snakes follow The Dead Weather on the D playlist. The Deadly Snakes are an interesting indie rock band that mixes elements of rock, folk, blues, and country. Their songs are really well done and the music is a pleasure to listen to. The mix of styles throughout the album and from song to song make for some very good and interesting music. I was introduced to this band by my older brother who first put two of their songs on an Mp3 CD he made for me about six years ago, I liked these two songs and he gave the album Porcella to me a few years later. I rediscovered this band because of this album, because I had forgotten about those two songs that I had previously received. I hadn't listened to the Mp3 CD in a while so it fell from immediate musical memory. My perception of this band has changed since first hearing them, and it's moved even further into positive territory now that I have more than just two songs. A band worth checking out if you're looking for something new and a little different. The Deadly Snakes bring The Section of Death to its close.
The Decemberists are a band who I have become more impressed with over the past few years. The Decemberists have been indie rock nerd darlings since their critically acclaimed album Picaresque. The band plays an interesting brand of folk rock, and this mix is what appealed to the indie music lover because it was so different than what was popular in the mainstream at the time. I was first introduced to The Decemberists when I saw the video for the song "16 Military Wives" on MTVu a few years ago. I enjoyed the song but didn't explore any further. I heard them again when they had their "feud" with Stephen Colbert over the green screen challenge to make a video for their song "O Valencia!." Again I didn't really explore them any further. I got two of their albums, Picaresque and The Billy Liar single, from my younger brother who was a fan, but I wasn't particularly into them at the time. I then heard "The Wanting Comes in Waves" off of their newest album when they played a shortened version on The Colbert Report. I thoroughly enjoyed this song, and because of this I later received their newest CD The Hazards of Love from my younger brother and my opinion changed. The Hazards of Love is a brilliantly well crafted and produced album. The album itself is a concept album developed around the story of Margaret, her shape shifting beau, his mother The Queen, and the evil rake (an immoral, womanizing man). The different characters are interwoven with different styles of music for each character, a tender accordion ballad for Margaret and a rock stomper for The Queen to almost heavy metal for The Rake. I am still not a huge fan of their older work, but I appreciate it more than I used to.
The Decemberists "The Wanting Comes in Waves"
Next up after The Decemberists is Dee & Don. This song "Mr. Fortuneteller" has that classic soul/R&B feel that was prominent in the 60's. It's a good song, I especially enjoy the twist on the normal soul song that featured just a solo or group of performers of one sex, but this is a nice duet between a man and a woman. I wasn't familiar with this song before listening through the D's. It was put on my iTunes as part of the playlist of music for my older brother's wedding party. Since I wasn't particularly familiar with it I didn't really have an impression of it before listening to it for this blog. I like the song though, it's a great example of classic 60's soul, and I can always enjoy a good 60's soul song.
The Del Fuegos are up next, a band with an interesting mix of guitar that sounds very close to surf style guitar. They have that classic lo-fi sound common to garage rock bands of pretty much any decade. The sound is very much in the style of the genre that defines this band, but the guitar in this song feels like a bit of a change of pace from the rest of the genre. The song is fun to listen to. I had a small awareness and memory of this song from previous listening but not enough to recall a distinct impression. I like this song, it's a good fun song with a little bit of a surf rock feel to it despite being performed by a band from Boston. I have a good impression of this song, but I haven't heard anything else from this band to say anymore. It's something worth checking out if you like garage rock.
Next up is Del Shannon. This is just a classic rock and roll song from the 60's. It's a song that has that classic rock song common to rock and roll of the early 60's late 50's. The song has a very interesting keyboard sound in the background of the song, it's very light and flitting. The keyboard sound is what stands out for me in this song, it's just very interesting. Especially since according to the Wikipedia article about Del Shannon, his keyboard player apparently invented an early synthesizer. The keyboard doesn't really sound synthesized, but it just seems very light and flitting. I also enjoy the addition of the saxaphone to the song. I was familiar with this song, "Runaway," already, it was something that I had heard previously when I was younger and liked. I still really like this song.
The next band, Denali, comes to my iTunes library through the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 compilation. This song isn't particularly distinctive when it comes to the arrangement and the instrumentation of the music, what makes this song better and more distinctive for me are the vocals. As I have previously stated, I'm a big fan of good female lead singers, and this band has one. The female vocals are what make this song for me, her voice is very beautiful but has some power behind it at the same time. This wasn't one of the songs that stuck out for me from this compilation, but it was a good compilation with a lot of great songs so that's not surprising since I wasn't familiar with Denali before the compilation. It's something worth checking out if you, like me, enjoy good female vocals.
Next up is one of the biggest bands of the 80's, a band familiar to most music fans, hardcore and casual alike. Depeche Mode had some of the biggest hits of the 80's. According to their Wikipedia article, the band had 48 songs on the UK's singles charts. The band was really a forerunner of all of the current electronica infused rock bands that have popped up over the past decade. This particular song, "Black Celebration," has to be one of my favorite Depeche Mode songs. From the opening keyboard notes to the finish the song has a very haunting, scary movie feel to it. The keyboard notes especially remind you of something you might have heard in one of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies or one of the "Friday the 13th" movies. I got this song from the Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80's Underground compilation box set. This song was definitely one that stood out for me, a song I enjoyed upon my first listen through. I still like this song just as much as I did when I got this compilation a few years ago.
Next up is a band that I've been enjoying quite a bit over the past few years. I first gave The Descendents a listen a few years back based on many recommendations from friends and people online who I discussed music with. The Descendents are one of the best pop-punk bands, they were the model for all pop punk bands to follow them. They had many elements of punk rock, but the music wasn't quite as loud and hard as punk. The songs can range in subject matter from food and beer to political and social statements. One of their more well known songs has to be "Suburban Home," a song that has been covered by several other bands in the years since its release. The song opens with the line "I want to be stereotyped, I want to be classified." The song is all about how suburban life is boring and static. Their songs are just a lot of fun. I liked this band the first time I heard them on the Rock Against Bush compilation, and then even more when I got their 'Merican EP and the LP Cool to be You. For a while that was as far as I explored in the band's catalogue. I later purchased Somery, which is basically a greatest hits collection. If you want to check this band out, I suggest picking up Somery.
The Descendents "Suburban Home"
Next up is the fictional metal band known as Dethklok. Dethklok is the band that is the focus of the animated series Metalocalypse which appears on Cartoon Network's [Adult Swim]. The show itself is really funny, and what makes the show even better is that the music performed by the band on the show is actually really good. The songs are all very funny, with very violent themes. All of the songs are about death and destruction. Nathan Explosion is the lead singer and lyricist and his deep gravelly voice fits the music perfectly. The songs on these two albums are the same ones that appear in the series. I have been enjoying this band since I watched the series premier back in 2006. The series is just so funny, the band themselves are complete idiots and aren't good for much besides producing music. The band is the world's 7th largest economy and has a fan base in the billions who will do anything for them. I really enjoyed the premier episode back in 2006 and I continue to enjoy the series to this day. The music a lot of fun, and a great example of heavy metal. Any heavy metal fan who hasn't checked this band out really should. My impression of this band has only grown since 2006, and I will continue to enjoy them for years to come.
Dethklok "Murmaider"
Next up is a one and done in The Detroit Cobras covering The Strokes' "Last Night." This cover has a different feel musically than the original, and this is because The Detroit Cobras put their own spin on the song. The guitar has a bit more of a country feel to it than the garage rock guitars of the Strokes. The lyrics are changed to accommodate a female lead singer, changing girl to boy and so on. I first heard this cover a few years ago when my older brother put it on my computer as music for his wedding party. I like this cover a lot, I think The Detroit Cobras put a really nice spin on this song. I liked this version when I first heard it a few years ago, but I hadn't thought of it in a long time before this blog. I still like the cover a lot, enough so that I might check into more music by The Detroit Cobras in the future.
Next up is a band who was a bastion of popular culture in the 80's and early 90's. Devo, have maintained a huge following to this day even two decades after their heyday in the 1980's. Their song "Whip It" has become one of those songs that everybody knows, no matter what type of music they listen to or if they've never heard any other Devo songs. While "Whip It" is probably their most well known song, Q:Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! is probably their most well known album. The album features their first popular song in "Mongaloid" and also contains a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction." The band has changed musical styles over the years, going from punk to new wave. The band was a heavy influence on the new wave bands that rose to popularity in the years following their disbanding. The band just recently released their first full album of new material in nineteen years this year. I have been a fan of "Whip It" for a long time, and for a long time that song and the cover of "Satisfaction," were the only Devo songs I knew. In recent years I decided to delve deeper into Devo, purchasing Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!. I really like this album, the band plays great music that is fun to listen to. The lyrics are often amusing, sarcastic, and satirical. Devo is a band that anyone who was a least a moderate fan of the new wave movement should check out. I will continue to enjoy Devo for the foreseeable future.
Devo "Whip It"
Next up is an interesting remix by DFA of N.E.R.D's "She Wants to Move." I wasn't familiar with the original of this song when I first heard it, and I only listened to the original right before typing this post up. The DFA remix is much more upbeat and danceable than the original version. The original is very slow, and after listening to both versions I have to say that I like the remix better than the original. DFA's remix makes it a dance song, and that makes it a whole lot more fun to listen to than the slow more methodical original. This is another song that I received from my older brother, I liked it when he first introduced me to it and I still do. This song is one of those instances when the remix outshines the source material. Definitely recommend for fans of dance music, and remixes.
Next up is one of the most well known soul singers/groups of the 1960's. Diana Ross and The Supremes are one of the most popular groups to come out of that era of music, and the biggest selling vocal group in recording history according to Wikipedia. The band had twelve number one singles on Billboard's Hot 100. Diana Ross has one of the most recognizable voices in soul, and her songs have become classics that have made their way deep into the popular Culture of the United States of America. I grew up listening to Diana Ross and the Supremes, and therefore have a deep appreciation of their music and its impact on the world of music. Their songs have been covered and re-imagined some many times of the years, more than any other artist I can think of. I still enjoy listening to Diana Ross, because the harmonies and melodies in the music just make for some beautiful songs. I can't see myself ever not enjoying Diana Ross' music.
Next up is the king of Surf Guitar Dick Dale. Dick Dale is the most well known purveyors of surf guitar. This song in particular is probably his most well known song. "Misirlou," is a great example of Dale's classic surf guitar style, but what makes this song even better is the backing music. The mix of drums, trumpet, and piano really make this song even better. Even people who have never heard of Dick Dale or this song probably are familiar with it. The Black Eyed Pees Sampled Dick Dale's version for their 2006 hit single "Pump It," and The Beach Boys also did a Dick Dale inspired version of the song. One of the earliest CD's that I can recall receiving from my father was a Dick Dale CD. I really enjoyed that CD when I was younger, and I still really enjoy "Misirlou." Anyone who is looking to get into, or is already a fan of surf music should know Dick Dale.
The Dickies are up next with the song "You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla)." This is just a really quick little punk song coming in at under 2 minutes long. The song isn't really what you would think of as your traditional punk song, because it prominently features a synthesizer style keyboard line in the background of the song. The lyrics are amusing, and the songs subject can be easily gleamed from the title of the song. I first heard this song a few year ago when I got the compilation box set No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion, and I liked the fun playfulness of the song. I came back to the song over the years, occasionally playing it on my radio show. A song I will continue to enjoy.
Next up is The Dictators with their song "Two Tub Man," which I got off of the compilation box set No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion. The song is a fun punk song, the singer talks about how much of a rebel he is and how he's who parent's don't want their children to become. He claims to drink Coca-Cola for breakfast, to have had Jackie Onassis in his pants, and that edumacation isn't for him, and that he never gratiated from high school. It's a fun punk song about doing whatever you want to do and damn what other people think of you. I like this song's fun lyrics and the classic punk style of guitars. I wasn't familiar with the song before the compilation, but it's one I've listened to a few times over the years. I think that I will continue to listen to it on occasion, not on a consistent basis but as something to come back to occasionally.
Once again we come to another artist from the much maligned and regretted industrial tribute to Metalllica album. This time it's Die Krupps covering "Battery." Once again it's just monotone heavy electronic beats over half shouted vocals. Once again this song is a terrible cover, and continues to make me regret this purchase ten years ago.
We have another Metallica cover up next, this time off of Overload: A Tribute to Metallica. Of the two Metallica cover albums I have this one is the better, but this song is ruined by the singer of the covering artist Diesel Machine. Musically the band tries to get very close to the original, but the hoarse screaming of the lead singer ruins this song for me. This song is something I will always skip when it comes up in the shuffle on my iPod. Avoid this song if you like Metallica.
Dillinger Four is the next band on the playlist with the song "Like Sprewells on a Wheelchair," which is in my library from the Rock Against Bush Vol. 2. This song is really fast paced, and that is one of the reasons I like this song. It just goes at top speed from almost second one. The song itself is about refusing to accept the mantra of politicians and some religious leader in America that say that America is God's chosen country. They refuse the idea of Manifest Destiny. I liked this song when I rediscovered it off of this compilation about two years ago, and I still like it. It's not the most original song, but it's a good fast paced rager that fits well with this compilations. I even played the song on my radio show a few times.
Another classic 70's punk band is up next in The Dils. The singer sounds a bit like he's from the UK, but the band is actually from California. Their style of punk actually contains more harmonies than the majority of other punk rock music produced in the 70's. The band was very left wing in their politics and song writing, some of their most well known songs are "Class War," and the one I have "Mr. Big." This song seems very much a ran against people who like to show off and impress others with their "knowledge." The song says that they know Mr. Big gets his information from the news and tells him not to change the channel or he'll get confused. I take the lyrics to be a rant against people who are well off trying to relate and impress those less fortunate for some type of "street cred." I like the song even though I wasn't familiar with it before the compilation it came on and hadn't really listened to it since getting that compilation.
Next up is a band that has a large cult following, despite not being one of the more successful bands of the 80's. The band's sound is very mellow, with feedback and occasional guitar solos. You can definitely hear the under pinning sound of 90's alternative rock. The melodic singing over the mellow guitars became very popular in the world of alternative 90's rock. I had heard good things about his band for a few years, but had never checked them out. I decided to finally check them out a few years ago, getting the album Green Mind. I like the album, it's very mellow and laid back and easy to digest. This may have been the start of 90's alternative rock, but it is way better than most of the alternative rock that it inspired. The band is recognized among musicians for their large influence on music that followed them, even if most of the music public aren't particularly familiar with the band. I think I will continue to enjoy this album, and it makes me consider even looking further back into their catalog to hear more of their music.
Dinosaur Jr. "The Wagon"
Diplo is up next in the D's. Diplo is one of the hottest producers in music right now and is famous for being a former flame of singer/rapper M.I.A. He's also part of the electro reggae inspired Major Lazer. Major Lazer has gained some notoriety lately by introducing the dancing style called "daggering," to the American public. The two songs I have from Diplo are remixes of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Gold Lion" and Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman." The remixes are interesting, and very beat heavy. Their seems to be a lot of back beat built into both remixes. On "Gold Lion" he speed the song up, almost hitting fast forward. He speeds up Karen O's vocals. The remix of "I Got a Woman," feels a bit more like a remix of Kanye West's "Golddigger" in its hip hop style beat and mix, but the only vocals featured are those of Ray Charles. The remixes are interesting and something fun to listen to from time to time.
Next up is a metal/hard rock band from Japan in Dir en grey. This is a band I checked out after reconditions from people who knew I liked the Japanese band Melt Banana, and favorably compared the two bands. I am up and down on this band, I purchased two albums and I really like one but really disliked the other. The first album I bought was Withering to Death and I really liked this album, I got the CD used and was not disappointed. The music is very heavy and has a heavy metal feel to it, but the vocals are very melodic but can switch to harsh and guttural when appropriate for the song. The bass lines have a very metallic sound to them, and the guitar mix just works for me. I really liked this album, and was eager to listen to more. I purchased the album the was released after Withering to Death, I bought the album Uroboros. It just wasn't as good, it didn't have the same feel as the first album. The band is known for changing its musical style from album to album, and for me the change wasn't good. This album just didn't strike me in the same way, some of the songs actually were unpleasant to listen to. I just discovered this band about a year ago, so my opinion of them has changed because of time, just because of the second album. I like this band, but the second album I purchased makes me nervous to check out anything else by this band.
Dir en grey "C"
Next up is one of the hippest indie bands to be a fan of these days, The Dirty Projectors. This song, "Stillness in the Move," was given to me by my younger brother. The song is an interesting, sparse, mix of drums and a light guitar line. I haven't really followed The Dirty Projectors, but I was aware of them due to their rise and infrequent articles about the band in music magazines. I didn't have an impression of the band before this song, and I hadn't listened to it before doing so for the blog because the song was only given to me back in July or August. It's an alright song, a very interesting song. The song however doesn't really make me want to check the band out any further than this song. It's a nice song, but it doesn't blow me away.
The Distillers are up next after The Dirty Projectors. The Distillers were fronted by Brody Dalle who played guitar and sang. The band gained some small popularity back in the mid 00's for their album Coral Fang. The song "Drain the Blood" got some minor radio play. Brody Dalle is also partly known for having been married to Rancid bassist and signer Tim Armstrong, they divorced and Brody later married Queens of the Stone Age front man Joshua Homme. Brody Dalle has very distinctive and abrasive singing voice. Her voice can be very rough, very frequently forming a slight growl. The Distillers songs are very punk influenced, and it shines through in a lot of their songs, but they were also more catchy then punk featuring more sing a long style choruses. The songs frequently feature themes surrounding death, murder, and blood. I heard The Distillers when they gained that brief popularity with Coral Fang in the mid 00's. I liked the radio single, and upon hearing the entire album I like the band. The songs are aggressive and violent, and fit Dalle's voice perfectly. Part of what makes the songs for me is her voice. I still enjoy this band as much as I did a few years ago, and I enjoy Brody Dalle's new band Spinnerette as well.
The Distillers "Drain the Blood"
Next up is a band that for a long time, I considered a guilty pleasure. Disturbed were a band I heard on the radio with their popular songs "Down With the Sickness," and "Stupify." At that period of my musical life I was into that type of music, also listening to Korn at the time. My musical tastes began to change, and I moved away from bands like Disturbed and their alternative rock/metal sound. For a long time I tried not to like Disturbed because it wasn't part of my preferred musical style. I came back around to Disturbed when I saw the video for their cover of "Land of Confusion," on MTVu a few years back. The more I hear of them, the more I realize that I never really stopped liking them. Part of what makes the band/music interesting for me is lead singer David Draiman. Draiman as a child attended a Yeshiva High School for Study of the Torah in Wisconsin. Many of his lyrics deal with themes of religion, spirituality, Heaven, Hell, and violence. His time in the Yeshiva's influence on the band has actually made the band popular with students studying at Yeshivas around the world. The music is not allowed, but is hidden. The vocals mixed with the dropped guitar notes, and subtle electronics make for an interesting mix. I think I will only continue to enjoy Disturbed and stop considering them a guilty pleasure.
Disturbed "Land of Confusion"
Next up is the classic country singer Dolly Parton. Dolly Parton is one of the most well known female country singers of all time, and translated her success into a successful theme park in Tennessee called Dollywood. She has forty one top ten country albums, and 25 number one singles. One of her most well known songs is actually more known for the cover version. Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," was covered by Whitney Houston and featured in the movie The Bodyguard. Dolly's version is much different than the cover, musically and in the fact that Parton doesn't have anywhere near the vocal range of Whitney Houston. I like a lot of people of my generation was first aware of Whitney Houston's version, but I like Dolly's version just as much. Houston's version is very powerful, but Parton's seems a bit sweeter sounding. I enjoy Parton's voice, and her music is a great example of country music done well. I think I will continue to enjoy Dolly Parton.
Next up is The Donnas, a group of four women playing AC/DC inspired rock songs. The Donnas have a very strong AC/DC influence in their song writing, the guitar riffs feel like they could have been at home in some of the deep tracks, or B Sides of an AC/DC album. They aren't as good as AC/DC, but they still rock hard and make good music. Their music is a lot of fun, focusing on boys, and partying. It's a refreshing change of pace to hear these types of song sung from the female perspective, since we hear men sing about women and partying all the time. The sing about wanting to get guys into bed, or getting drunk or high. On one of my favorite songs off of their album Spend the Night, "To Bad About Your Girl," singer Donna A laments to the subject of the song that "it's too bad about your girl, she doesn't look like she's much fun, " stating that it's "to bad you've got a date tonight, because you're looking like you're the one." Also asking questions like "who's she going to slap when she sees me in your lap, and you say you've had a change of heart?" The songs are just fun party songs that appeal to the young party animal in all of us. If you're a fan of fun party rock, or bands like The Ramones or AC/DC then definitely check them out. I've been enjoy The Donnas since first hearing them on the radio when Spend the Night was released, and I will continue to enjoy their brand of fun party rock.
The Donnas "Too Bad About Your Girl"
Next up is a one and done off of the Rock Against Bush Vol. 2 in The Donots. The Donots are a pop punk band from Germany. The song has slicker production and catchy hooks common with a lot of pop punk bands of the 90's and 00's. The song is about not taking abuse from the powers that be anymore, that enough is enough. Demanding that they "step down right now." It's an alright song, I wasn't familiar with before the compilation, and forgot about after the first listen through. It's just not particularly memorable for me. It's an average pop punk song.
Next up is the Fantasy Metal band Dragonforce. Dragonforce are known for their fantasy inspired lyrical themes, singing songs about dragons, epic battles, and dark forces. Besides the fantasy themed lyrics the music contains electronic glitch sounds very much like those heard in retro video games of the 80's. They are also known for their skilled and extremely quick guitar work. The songs speed along at break neck speeds featuring spectacular guitar solos from guitar players Herman Li and Sam Totham. The band gained wide recognition when their track "Through The Fire and the Flames" was featured as the closing song to the video game Guitar Hero 3. The game was how I first heard Dragonforce, although I had heard of them before. I got the album after the one containing "Through the Fire and the Flames," because it was the only one available to me at the time. I really enjoy Dragonforce for the skill of the music, and the fantasy themes. The only problem is that all of their songs start to sound alike the further you get into the album. I like Dragonforce, but only in small doses.
Dragonforce "Through the Fire and the Flames"
Next up is the 80's rock band Dream Syndicate. This song is from Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80's Underground, and you can tell if you've heard the other songs on the compilation. It has a similar style to a lot of the other 80's underground artists. The guitar sound is very similar in style, and the echoing vocals are very reminiscent of a lot of other 80's underground bands from this compilation. It just didn't stand out for me as anything special. I can't say I had a previous impression of this song, because truth is I had forgotten I even had it until I listened through the D's for this compilations.
Dream Theater is up next in this radio sampler that I was able to obtain. The band is a progressive/metal rock band. The band hasn't really gained any mainstream notoriety, but their members are well respected musicians. Their members have been given several awards by music magazines for technical proficiency, and the drummer has been inducted in to the Rock Drummer Hall of Fame. I had heard of the band before, mostly because of their large drum kit. The songs are interesting, and very melodic vocally mixing in with the high pitched metal guitar sounds. The band, in my opinion, has a similar style in some ways to Dir en grey and may be where Dir en grey got some of their influence. I hadn't heard this band until I got this album about a year and a half ago, so I haven't had much of a longstanding perception to change on this band.
Boston based Irish/Celtic influenced punk band The Dropkick Murphys are up next. The band frequently includes Irish themes and instruments into their music, mixing it with fast paced punk rock music. Probably one of their most well known songs is "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," which was featured in the movie The Departed. The song contains an accordion playing over the fast punk sounds of the band throughout the song. The Dropkick Murphys are a band I've been a casual fan of for a few years now, enjoying their music when I hear it. I still enjoy them when I hear them, but I've never been moved to look further into them then I have.
Dropkick Murphys "I'm Shipping Up to Boston"
This next artist is one that I believe may have come with Windows, because I have no recollection of ever adding this song to my iTunes library. The song is by Dujeous, a rap group that I had never heard of before listening to this song "Sightlines" for this blog. The song contains a back beat with a electric guitar revolving around the beat. The MC's switch off a bit like old school hip hop, just not as good. The song isn't particularly distinctive, it's kind of catchy but not enough for you to remember it for more than a few hours. Can't say this song is particularly ground breaking, or memorable.
Next up is Dusty Springfield, an English singer whose career began in the late 50's. The vocals have a bit of a soul feel to them, mixed with a bit of a rock/blues sound. There's a very nice guitar line playing throughout the song, with occasional flourishes. I wasn't familiar with this song, although I had heard the name Dusty Springfield before. I like this song, it's enjoyable and simple. I wasn't familiar with this song before, so I didn't have a previous impression. But it's a nice pleasant song.
Next up is the Dwarves with the song "Kids Today." The song is a quick song at under 2 minutes. The song as the title suggests is about kids today. The song talk about how they've got something other generations just can't match. That the kids want answers, there's 200 channels and it's all bad news. The song is fast and hard, and the vocals remind me a lot of Mike Ski of The A.K.A.s. [Are Everywhere]. I liked this song when I heard it on the Rock Against Bush Vol. 2. It's still a song I like, it's quick and powerful and gets to the point. Not sure I'll check further into this band, but I like the song.
Finally we have the Dwight Twilley Band rounding out the D's. The song is a classic rock country inspired sound. It feels like a slightly more country version of the Beatles. With some the guitar is what really makes it feel more of a rocking country song. I wasn't familiar with the song before listening to it for the blog, as it was one of the many songs put on my computer by my older brother for his wedding party. It's a very nice, and pleasant song. It reminds me a lot of the band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, so this may have been one of BRMC's influences. I have a good impression of the song from listening for this blog, but not one that will cause me to look further into the band.
Well that will bring the D's to a close, about two weeks later than I had intended. I apologize for the lateness of this post, but I just couldn't get the drive to write sometimes and work interfered at others. I enjoyed listening to the D's, there were a lot of bands that I forgot about, and others who I had listened to semi, or very frequently. I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog, and I will do my best to get the E's out a lot sooner than the D's.
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