Yeah, I'm shaking things up a bit. Holy crap. I'm allowed to do that here, y'know.
Anyway, I've been wondering how much traffic this blog actually gets (I'm betting low); but for those random strangers who have either been sent here through another person, or somehow stumbled upon here, welcome. The comment box is below and it'd be greatly appreciated if you all drop a note saying hi and whatnot. It's nice to know that SOMEONE actually reads this.
Anyway, the main point of this particular post: I've been reviewing music to start, and lately been showing off my top favourites, but I've never really gone in depth with music I like and bands as well. Well it's time to change that. I have too many bands I like to actually pick a favourite, but I'll do my best to pick out those I like more. Listed with them will be genre, recommended songs, and a little backstory for all who want to know.
I LISTEN TO:
Breaking Benjamin - Alternative Rock; I discovered them about 4 years ago now when their song "Until the End" popped onto my local rock radio station. I enjoyed it. So come Christmas time, I was feeling a tad selfish and wanted to pick something up. My coin flip was between Phobia by Breaking Benjamin, or Foo Fighters' Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace. Breaking won out, and thank the Lord it id. The first song I heard ended up being my 5th favourite on that album and I've been consistenly listening to them for all these years.
Songs: The Diary of Jane, What Lies Beneath, No Games, So Cold, Evil Angel
Coheed & Cambria - Progressive Rock; Rock Band. Yeah, I know. Welcome Home was first, and I foun that album later on. Now, all you'd have to do is look at my previous post to realize I've become a major fan of C&C. Enough to know about the Amory Wars Saga, but I haven't researched it enough to be able to describe every action in every song. But you don't need to know about the Amory Wars to like this band; that's what makes them cool. Not to mention, it can be trippy, but still hard rocking, with some fun twists. Not to mention, their ballads are actually really good.
Songs: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, Welcome Home, The Light & the Glass, A Favor House Atlantic, Here We Are Juggarnaut
Silverstein - Post-Hardcore; Recommended by my buddy Sam. He later sent me a few of their songs and then I progressively bought albums until I amassed all 6 of theirs. Consistently good (minus When Broken Is Easily Fixed), and it doesn't hurt that they rep the Great White North. A smooth balance of harsh and melodic vocals, Silverstein is perfect for any emotion I may feel.
Songs: Medication, A Great Fire, Already Dead, Your Sword Versus My Dagger, In Memory Of...
System of a Down - Alternative Metal; Radio, as well as my good friend Danielle. Seriously, System of a Down is amazing and there's something somewhere that everyone likes. Even my brother: a pop fan with a dose of country on the side, enjoy their song "Shimmy". I'm waiting for them to release new material, and yet I find myself finding new favourites of theirs all the time. System is random, yet serious. An amazing combination with amazing music.
Songs: Mr. Jack, B.Y.O.B, Sugar, Toxicity, I-E-A-I-A-I-O
The Flashbulb - Electronic; Flash Flash Revolution (Really fun and awesome game. Go check it out). The dark horse of this list. The Flashbulb uses EVERYTHING in his music: PVC pipes, tap-strumming electric guitar, drum n' bass, nature, steel guitar, everything. The variety is astounding, and I found out I have a fondness for D'n'B which is where it started. After listening to more of his later stuff (which has mellowed out), I found the many, MANY sides of The Flashbulb's musical creativity. All of it? Awesome.
Songs: Lawn Wake IV, Heroes On Your Lawn At Night, That Missing Week, Passage D, Chik Habit
Protest the Hero - Progressive Metal; FFR again. PtH is arguably the BEST new metal band out there. Their first LP was recorded when they were 19! NINETEEN!! I'M FRIGGIN' 19 AND WRITING ABOUT THIS!!! They can riff with the best of them, and Rody's vocal range is just amazing. It's not for everyone, but if you're a metal fan and have not yet fheard/heard of Protest, get your head out of the 80's and go dive into the pool of Protest the Hero.
Songs: The Divine Suicide of K., Blindfolds Aside, C'est La Vie, Sequoia Throne, Goddess Gagged
Older Sonic Syndicate - Melodic Death Metal; My friend Logan. Let me get this out right now. Roland/Richard era Sonic is the best Sonic. Pre- ehhh.. tis alright. Post-Roland/Nathan era is just... garbage. Stay away and save your ears. Less focus on guitar work and heavy use of synthesizers, but the balance of harsh and clean lyrics makes Sonic what they are. And what they are is awesome. Not to mention, their Swedish. +15 cool points for that.
Songs: Only Inhuman, Encaged, Power Shift, Jack of Diamonds, Freelancer
Scar Symmetry - Melodic Death Metal; Sonic Syndicate / StepMania. Yeah, I know, weird. Their guitar player produced Sonic's albums Only Inhuman and Love and Other Distasters, and I watched the Making of LaOD. Found out from there and heard my first song on the game StepMania. Please note, I've only heard Roberth/Lars era Scar Symmetry so I can't say much for their older stuff. But they have a great balance of growled lyrics as well as clean. Pretty much like Sonic, but more guitar work, less keyboard work.
Songs: Pariah, The Anomaly, A Parenthesis In Eternity, Seers of the Eschaton, Sculptor Void
DragonForce - Power Metal; Old co-worker Brendan. HA! SEE THAT? IT'S NOT GUITAR HERO! TAKE THAT! Alright, now that the hipster in me has calmed down, it's time to fight for power and glory over the fields with fire and fury while guitar solos blaze for two minutes, and you get your daily exercise air-drumming to their songs. Yeah, it's awesome stuff. And with a new singer who sounds excellent, I'm hoping for the best when it comes to new stuff.
Songs: Last Journey Home, Through the Fire and Flames, Evening Star, Heroes of Our Time, Fury of the Storm
Atreyu - Metalcore; Recommendations from many people who I honestly can't remember. They've kind of slipped off my radar, but I still have a soft spot for the first band I ever finished a discography for. I used to be absolutely hooked on these guys (My iTunes once had Doomsday with 1100+ plays. Second place had jut over 500.) and still enjoy the occasional listen. I may not be as big of a fan now, but if/when they get back together, I'd still buy their album. A nice mixture of harsh and clean lyrics, wicked solos, and just all around good music.
Songs: Stop, Before It's Too Late and We've Destroyed It All!, Doomsday, Lip Gloss and Black, You Were the King, Now You're Unconscious, Creature
No Bragging Rights - Melodic Hardcore; Warped Tour. Christian, of the band, was patrolling the line and letting people have a listen to their music and advertising. Wicked cool guy and totally chill. Awesome show too. A familiar theme here with a nice balance of harsh and clean vocals, but it's the energy they bring with their music. You can even hear it in the recordings. They're just a band with a ton of energy and potential that needs to be unleashed. Only the 23 flavours of Diet Dr. Pepper can sate their desire.
Songs: Blind Faith, Unafraid To Burn, Ode To Logan, Death of an Era, Empire: Disarray
That's pretty much it. There's a few other bands, but they've fallen off my radar. Maybe I'll post my whole CD list one day. Either way, if you've made it this far, thanks for sticking it out. As well, drop a line down below so I can tell who read this (and if you say "Go *insert favourite sports team here* Go!" in your post, I'll know you made it all the way).
Cheers guys,
Force.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Weekly Stuff v8.
Hockey preseason is over. That means the regular season is just around the corner. Bonus! On the other hand my fantasy football team can not stop sucking for the life of them. Not so bonus. Oh well, here's another batch of songs for you all to check out. And for the love of Pete, do so.
Top 5 of this week (09/27-10/03):
5.) The Anomaly - Scar Symmetry (The Unseen Empire)
4.) Welcome Home - Coheed & Cambria (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness)
3.) The Light & the Glass - Coheed & Cambria (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
2.) In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 - Coheed & Cambria (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
1.) A Favor House Atlantic - Coheed & Cambria (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
... Okay, yeah. I've been on a Coheed kick as of late. Do you blame me? Like 90% of people who knows of them, I first heard them on Rock Band thanks to Welcome Home. Picked up that album, loved it, found two more, and bam. Hooked. As you can see, my favourite is their 2nd album and for darn good reason. A Favor House Atlantic is near the end of the album, but is an upbeat, and insanely catchy song with one heck of a funny video. Heck, there's even a wicked fan made video for it too. But, alas, I'm too "professional" to link to that, so here you go. Enjoy, and then I'll shoot, you run.
Top 5 of this week (09/27-10/03):
5.) The Anomaly - Scar Symmetry (The Unseen Empire)
4.) Welcome Home - Coheed & Cambria (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness)
3.) The Light & the Glass - Coheed & Cambria (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
2.) In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 - Coheed & Cambria (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
1.) A Favor House Atlantic - Coheed & Cambria (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
... Okay, yeah. I've been on a Coheed kick as of late. Do you blame me? Like 90% of people who knows of them, I first heard them on Rock Band thanks to Welcome Home. Picked up that album, loved it, found two more, and bam. Hooked. As you can see, my favourite is their 2nd album and for darn good reason. A Favor House Atlantic is near the end of the album, but is an upbeat, and insanely catchy song with one heck of a funny video. Heck, there's even a wicked fan made video for it too. But, alas, I'm too "professional" to link to that, so here you go. Enjoy, and then I'll shoot, you run.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Weekly Stuff v7.
I AM A HORRIBLE HUMAN BEING AND YOU SHOULD ALL THROW THINGS AT ME!
Sorry for not updating for like, 2 weeks.. Looks like I owe you all another top 10 list. Thankfully, this will be a bit easier to make. My laptop went down, as you may know, and so, I had to reupload all of my music. Bonus: Seeing as my iTunes playcounts get reset, I can just snatch the top 10 played songs (which will be accurate to my list) and use them.
GENIUS! (and lazy)
Also, you know you have too many hockey cards when you try to sort them by team, and then alphabetically by player, and it takes you over a week to do all the teams (minus Vancouver. I only sorted them a bit as that's my collectable team). Oh well. Whatever.
ON TO WHAT YOU ACTUALLY COME HERE FOR!
Top 10 of the weeks of (09/13-09/19 and 09/20-09/26):
10.) Passage D - The Flashbulb (Kirlian Selections)
9.) My Name Is Jonas - Weezer (The Blue Album)
8.) Blind Faith - No Bragging Rights (Illuminator)
7.) Mission Control - Hail the Villain (Population: Declining)
6.) The Anomaly - Scar Symmetry (The Unseen Empire)
5.) Welcome Home - Coheed & Cambria (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness)
4.) Louhen Yhdeksäs Poika - Korpiklaani (Ukon Wacka)
3.) The Light & the Glass - Coheed & Cambria (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
2.) Mr. Jack - System of a Down (Steal This Album!)
1.) Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood - Volbeat (Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood)
Danish metal time. Oh yeah. And yes, I do realize they have the same name as a Pokémon; I don't know which came first, but I highly doubt it's not coincidental. Either way, this is the 2nd song off of their album of the same name, and is the beginning of a somewhat concept album. Apparently some of the songs talk about characters who are all in the same bar, but it's just confusing to me. That, I and I haven't read up on it enough to actually figure out what's what. My bad. Either way, enjoy. PS. Holy accent.
PPS. Holy crap, Atreyu covered this song. Must listen.
Sorry for not updating for like, 2 weeks.. Looks like I owe you all another top 10 list. Thankfully, this will be a bit easier to make. My laptop went down, as you may know, and so, I had to reupload all of my music. Bonus: Seeing as my iTunes playcounts get reset, I can just snatch the top 10 played songs (which will be accurate to my list) and use them.
GENIUS! (and lazy)
Also, you know you have too many hockey cards when you try to sort them by team, and then alphabetically by player, and it takes you over a week to do all the teams (minus Vancouver. I only sorted them a bit as that's my collectable team). Oh well. Whatever.
ON TO WHAT YOU ACTUALLY COME HERE FOR!
Top 10 of the weeks of (09/13-09/19 and 09/20-09/26):
10.) Passage D - The Flashbulb (Kirlian Selections)
9.) My Name Is Jonas - Weezer (The Blue Album)
8.) Blind Faith - No Bragging Rights (Illuminator)
7.) Mission Control - Hail the Villain (Population: Declining)
6.) The Anomaly - Scar Symmetry (The Unseen Empire)
5.) Welcome Home - Coheed & Cambria (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness)
4.) Louhen Yhdeksäs Poika - Korpiklaani (Ukon Wacka)
3.) The Light & the Glass - Coheed & Cambria (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
2.) Mr. Jack - System of a Down (Steal This Album!)
1.) Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood - Volbeat (Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood)
Danish metal time. Oh yeah. And yes, I do realize they have the same name as a Pokémon; I don't know which came first, but I highly doubt it's not coincidental. Either way, this is the 2nd song off of their album of the same name, and is the beginning of a somewhat concept album. Apparently some of the songs talk about characters who are all in the same bar, but it's just confusing to me. That, I and I haven't read up on it enough to actually figure out what's what. My bad. Either way, enjoy. PS. Holy accent.
PPS. Holy crap, Atreyu covered this song. Must listen.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Weekly Stuff v6.
So yeah. Work's a pain, but I get to listen to music. And days off are amazing. Also, FOOTBALL'S BACK! In t-minus 15 hours and 22 minutes from the time my fingers finished typing this part, we'll be watching the kick off of the 2011 NFL season between the Saints and Packers (GO SAINTS!). I'm pumped! Also, hockey starts up again pretty soon, and like any good Canadian, it's time to breath hockey and bleed my team's colours: blue and green (Vancouver, baby!)!
But onto the musical shenanigans. I'm going to have two charts. My top 5, as usual, and a special one to herald the beginning of two awesome seasons: Top 5 sports songs!
Without further ado,
Top 5 of this week (09/06-09/12):
5.) Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood - Volbeat (Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood)
4.) Grist - Drumcorps (Unknown)
3.) Stop! Before It's Too Late and We've Destroyed It All - Atreyu (The Congregation of the Damned)
2.) All I Want - A Day To Remember (What Separates Me From You)
1.) Passage D - The Flashbulb (Kirlian Selections)
Wait, what? A drum n' bass song? With classical? Am I on the right blog? Yeah, you are. Welcome to my hidden side of my music taste: I love The Flashbulb's music. The ingenuity and creativity (using PVC pipes for songs [DIDJ PVC]) as well as instrumental skills (tap-strumming guitars [Lawn Wake IV]) mixed with beats, buzzes, and such for a truly unique musical journey.
And, my top 5 sports songs:
5.) A staple at any sporting event. The best sure fire way to get some crowd dancers and some crazy headbangers, it's: Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones
4.) Goal song, intro song, chant song, whatever it is. You name it, and this song will be used for it, and used effectively. WOOHOO, it's: Song 2 - Blur
3.) It's the final period/quarter and you need to get your crowd pumped. All of the sudden. 2 notes on the bass, followed by 3 sets of 2 more notes. The eruption begins as one of the most familiar intro riffs ever shreds the sound system. All aboard, it's: Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
2.) You've got 2 minutes left. Maybe you're winning. Maybe you're losing. Maybe you're shorthanded, or on 4th down. Get that crowd roaring and the blood pumping with Axel Rose's intro shriek, as well as an intro that just begs for headbanging. It's time for fun and games with: Welcome To the Jungle - Gun N' Roses
1.) Where the Streets Have No Name - U2
Just watch.
It's an unorthodox intro song, but one that serves it's purpose with such spine-chilling excellence.
But onto the musical shenanigans. I'm going to have two charts. My top 5, as usual, and a special one to herald the beginning of two awesome seasons: Top 5 sports songs!
Without further ado,
Top 5 of this week (09/06-09/12):
5.) Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood - Volbeat (Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood)
4.) Grist - Drumcorps (Unknown)
3.) Stop! Before It's Too Late and We've Destroyed It All - Atreyu (The Congregation of the Damned)
2.) All I Want - A Day To Remember (What Separates Me From You)
1.) Passage D - The Flashbulb (Kirlian Selections)
Wait, what? A drum n' bass song? With classical? Am I on the right blog? Yeah, you are. Welcome to my hidden side of my music taste: I love The Flashbulb's music. The ingenuity and creativity (using PVC pipes for songs [DIDJ PVC]) as well as instrumental skills (tap-strumming guitars [Lawn Wake IV]) mixed with beats, buzzes, and such for a truly unique musical journey.
And, my top 5 sports songs:
5.) A staple at any sporting event. The best sure fire way to get some crowd dancers and some crazy headbangers, it's: Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones
4.) Goal song, intro song, chant song, whatever it is. You name it, and this song will be used for it, and used effectively. WOOHOO, it's: Song 2 - Blur
3.) It's the final period/quarter and you need to get your crowd pumped. All of the sudden. 2 notes on the bass, followed by 3 sets of 2 more notes. The eruption begins as one of the most familiar intro riffs ever shreds the sound system. All aboard, it's: Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
2.) You've got 2 minutes left. Maybe you're winning. Maybe you're losing. Maybe you're shorthanded, or on 4th down. Get that crowd roaring and the blood pumping with Axel Rose's intro shriek, as well as an intro that just begs for headbanging. It's time for fun and games with: Welcome To the Jungle - Gun N' Roses
1.) Where the Streets Have No Name - U2
Just watch.
It's an unorthodox intro song, but one that serves it's purpose with such spine-chilling excellence.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Weekly Stuff v5.
Ooops... It's been a while. Not my fault though. My laptop decided to not be able to find windows32.exe, so I've been without my laptop for a good week. I reformatted it recently though, and now I'm questing to get back all of the music I lost. Easier said than done...
So this list will be for the last two weeks, and I might as well make it a top 10. Enjoy.
Top 10 of the weeks of (08/23-08/29 - 08/30-09/05):
10.) Suggestions - System of a Down (System of a Down)
9.) A Favor House Atlantic - Coheed and Cambria (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
8.) Blind Faith - No Bragging Rights (Illuminator)
7.) Waves of Stone - Level 99; Moonscape; OA (Ecco the Dolphin ReMix from OCReMix)
6.) Northern Fall - Korpiklaani (Korven Kuningas)
5.) Sapari - Orphaned Land (The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR)
4.) I-E-A-I-A-I-O - System of a Down (Steal This Album!)
3.) Medication - Silverstein (Rescue)
2.) Collapse - War of Ages (Eternal)
1.) All I Want - A Day to Remember (What Separates Me From You)
My friend linked me to this a couple days ago and it's been stuck with me ever since. It's like emo-ish lyrics mixed with a pop-punk sound and it just mixes so well. A fun thing with the video is all the cameos that you see. I recognized 6: Silverstein, The Devil Wears Prada, Pete Wentz (yes, I kicked myself), 2 members from Millencolin, Matt Heafy of Trivium, and Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying. Enjoy the song and have fun trying to find someone you know.
So this list will be for the last two weeks, and I might as well make it a top 10. Enjoy.
Top 10 of the weeks of (08/23-08/29 - 08/30-09/05):
10.) Suggestions - System of a Down (System of a Down)
9.) A Favor House Atlantic - Coheed and Cambria (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
8.) Blind Faith - No Bragging Rights (Illuminator)
7.) Waves of Stone - Level 99; Moonscape; OA (Ecco the Dolphin ReMix from OCReMix)
6.) Northern Fall - Korpiklaani (Korven Kuningas)
5.) Sapari - Orphaned Land (The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR)
4.) I-E-A-I-A-I-O - System of a Down (Steal This Album!)
3.) Medication - Silverstein (Rescue)
2.) Collapse - War of Ages (Eternal)
1.) All I Want - A Day to Remember (What Separates Me From You)
My friend linked me to this a couple days ago and it's been stuck with me ever since. It's like emo-ish lyrics mixed with a pop-punk sound and it just mixes so well. A fun thing with the video is all the cameos that you see. I recognized 6: Silverstein, The Devil Wears Prada, Pete Wentz (yes, I kicked myself), 2 members from Millencolin, Matt Heafy of Trivium, and Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying. Enjoy the song and have fun trying to find someone you know.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Weekly Stuff v4.
Alright, before I post my stuff, I'm thinking about taking a nice break from the internet. Getting off of MSN, AIM, Skype, etc. I'll post my weekly updates and such, as well as browse around, but I need to go experience life outside of a computer screen. Maybe get some time to actually socialize with my friends, and travel around. Not to mention, I have my phone so texting is always an option.
Either way, I need to get away.
But that's not exactly music related so, without further ado, TOP 5!
We're having a returner, or two, as well as some older bands making an appearance here and there. As well, we finally have a song that has left us! (For now). Here you go.
Top 5 of this week (08/16-08/22):
5.) Sapari - Orphaned Land (The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR)
4.) Samus's Lonesome Waltz - Blackguitar (Metroid Prime ReMix from OC ReMix)
3.) Toxicity - System of a Down (Toxicity)
2.) Wake Up- Three Days Grace (Three Days Grace)
1.) Where the Sun Never Sleeps - Stick To Your Guns (The Hope Division)
This is the second song from this album to be posted in these charts, and harsh props to my buddy Nigel for sending me these guys' stuff. Excellent hardcore that has some wicked growls and the occasional bout of clean stuff. This one carries the best of both worlds with a killer intro riff and a solid breakdown for the last chorus. Also, doesn't help that this is the band's love letter to their stomping ground. Cheers.
Either way, I need to get away.
But that's not exactly music related so, without further ado, TOP 5!
We're having a returner, or two, as well as some older bands making an appearance here and there. As well, we finally have a song that has left us! (For now). Here you go.
Top 5 of this week (08/16-08/22):
5.) Sapari - Orphaned Land (The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR)
4.) Samus's Lonesome Waltz - Blackguitar (Metroid Prime ReMix from OC ReMix)
3.) Toxicity - System of a Down (Toxicity)
2.) Wake Up- Three Days Grace (Three Days Grace)
1.) Where the Sun Never Sleeps - Stick To Your Guns (The Hope Division)
This is the second song from this album to be posted in these charts, and harsh props to my buddy Nigel for sending me these guys' stuff. Excellent hardcore that has some wicked growls and the occasional bout of clean stuff. This one carries the best of both worlds with a killer intro riff and a solid breakdown for the last chorus. Also, doesn't help that this is the band's love letter to their stomping ground. Cheers.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Weekly Stuff v3.
Wow. 3 straight weeks. I feel accomplished. Take that laziness! I can keep a deadline!
Anyway, this is an interesting week, but without further ado, here's my weekly top 5!
Top 5 of this week: (08/09-08/15):
5.) Clouds Over California - DevilDriver (The Last Kind Words)
4.) Slania's Song - Eluveitie (Slania)
3.) Green Valley - Atlus (Snowboard Kids OST)
2.) Wake Up - Three Days Grace (Three Days Grace)
1.) Samus's Lonesome Waltz - Blackguitar (Metroid Prime ReMix from OC ReMix)
A slow acoustic guitar sets the theme of the dark, yet captivating instrumental. Come 0:54, the electric guitar kicks in and the shreddage begins just under 30 seconds later. This song is a treat for any fan of guitar instrumentals or Metroid fans. Those of us who are both are blessed.
Anyway, this is an interesting week, but without further ado, here's my weekly top 5!
Top 5 of this week: (08/09-08/15):
5.) Clouds Over California - DevilDriver (The Last Kind Words)
4.) Slania's Song - Eluveitie (Slania)
3.) Green Valley - Atlus (Snowboard Kids OST)
2.) Wake Up - Three Days Grace (Three Days Grace)
1.) Samus's Lonesome Waltz - Blackguitar (Metroid Prime ReMix from OC ReMix)
A slow acoustic guitar sets the theme of the dark, yet captivating instrumental. Come 0:54, the electric guitar kicks in and the shreddage begins just under 30 seconds later. This song is a treat for any fan of guitar instrumentals or Metroid fans. Those of us who are both are blessed.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Weekly Stuff v2.
Well, I guess this is round 3 of my weekly countdowns. Revisited some cool songs I found a month or so ago, and found a hidden gem on an Alestorm album. These are just a couple of the songs that you should go check out this week.
Funnily enough, for a North American --Canadian, to be specific-- there's a distinct LACK of anything from this continent. Europe pretty much dominates my chart. Another thing, one song refuses to die.. (for good reason). Enjoy.
Top 5 of this week (08/02-08/08):
5.) Northern Fall - Korpiklaani (Korven Kuningas)
4.) Quoth the Raven - Eluveitie (Everything Remains (As It Never Was))
3.) Sapari - Orphaned Land (The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR)
2.) Slania's Song - Eluveitie (Slania)
1.) No Quarter - Alestorm (Black Sails At Midnight)
Enjoy this excellent, pirate-y instrumental, and clink a few pints of ale. Oh, and enjoy the nice cameo that hits at 2:12.
Funnily enough, for a North American --Canadian, to be specific-- there's a distinct LACK of anything from this continent. Europe pretty much dominates my chart. Another thing, one song refuses to die.. (for good reason). Enjoy.
Top 5 of this week (08/02-08/08):
5.) Northern Fall - Korpiklaani (Korven Kuningas)
4.) Quoth the Raven - Eluveitie (Everything Remains (As It Never Was))
3.) Sapari - Orphaned Land (The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR)
2.) Slania's Song - Eluveitie (Slania)
1.) No Quarter - Alestorm (Black Sails At Midnight)
Enjoy this excellent, pirate-y instrumental, and clink a few pints of ale. Oh, and enjoy the nice cameo that hits at 2:12.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Weekly Stuff v1.
Welp, it's a new week and I'm back from vacation. And the music was blaring. 7-8 hours both ways means my CD player got a lot of work. So here's my top 5 of the week.
Top 5 of this week (07/26-08/01):
5.) Two Weeks - All That Remains (Overcome)
4.) Convalescence - Darkest Hour (Undoing Ruin)
3.) Amber - Stick To Your Guns (The Hope Division)
2.) Colibri - Kommisar (Colibri [EP])
1.) Slania's Song - Eluveitie (Slania)
Yeah, last weeks number 2 is the only returning customer this week. Sure you may not understand the lyrics, but just listen to the music, and the amazing contrast of the beautiful singing amidst the harsh growls.
Top 5 of this week (07/26-08/01):
5.) Two Weeks - All That Remains (Overcome)
4.) Convalescence - Darkest Hour (Undoing Ruin)
3.) Amber - Stick To Your Guns (The Hope Division)
2.) Colibri - Kommisar (Colibri [EP])
1.) Slania's Song - Eluveitie (Slania)
Yeah, last weeks number 2 is the only returning customer this week. Sure you may not understand the lyrics, but just listen to the music, and the amazing contrast of the beautiful singing amidst the harsh growls.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Catching up with everything
Alright, so most of you have probably been wondering why I have all of 2 posts in 2011 (one of which was on January the 2nd). To be honest, reviewing music isn't all that fun to me anymore. Music is supposed to be about losing yourself in the song and enjoying it. I don't like having to actually focus on the music when I usually use it as the backdrop to everything. So from now on, I'm changing my uses for this blog. I will use this mainly to drop lines about what I'm listening to, new stuff I've heard/liked, as well as maybe a few charts.
Might as well kick it off by telling you all about my recent trip to Vancouver.
In the city where I live, there is no music store. There USED to be, but it closed down and will probably come back when our new mall is built, but that's not until 2012/2013. Gravy. Anyway, a year ago when the 2010 Winter Olympics were in Vancouver, my family and I took in the sights and I forayed a little bit ahead and noticed a three-story HMV (the aforementioned brand of music store). I stood for a good minute waiting for my family. My jaw hit the floor. I know, one day, I would visit that store and go absolutely ballistic.
Fast forward to now. I did take that trip with a good friend of mine, and let me say this: I went BALLISTIC.
The Rock/Pop section ALONE was bigger than the ENTIRE HMV we had at our mall. Heaven. I ended up purchasing 1 t-shirt, a poster for my sister, and 12, yes TWELVE, CDs. We later checked out a place called "The Rock Shop". Best place to buy band merch. I got 3 band tees from there (as I write this, I'm wearing one of them).
The CDs:
Alestorm (Pirate Metal):
- Captain Morgan's Revenge (2008)
- Black Sails At Midnight (2009)
- Back In Time (2011)
Darkest Hour (Metalcore):
- Undoing Ruin (2005)
- Deliver Us (2007)
- The Human Romance (2011)
Eluveitie (Folk Metal):
- Slania (2008)
Freedom Call (Power Metal):
- Eternity (2002)
In Flames (Meliodic Death Metal):
- Sounds of a Playground Fading (2011)
Scar Symmetry (Meliodic Death Metal):
- The Unseen Empire (2011)
Silverstein (Post-Hardcore):
- Rescue (2011)
Sonic Syndicate (Meliodic Death Metal):
- Only Inhuman (2007)
A somewhat diverse list. Although each band from the same country share the same genres. (Sweden / Meliodic Death) (Scotland / Pirate) (Canada / Post-Hardcore) (U.S.A. / Metalcore) (Germany / Power Metal) (Switzerland / Folk). A nice little coincidence.
The bands I got shirts of are Coheed & Cambria (wearing), Eluveitie, and DragonForce.
I might post pictures eventually.
Anyway, on to other things. I'll give off two top 5 lists for you guys to have fun with.
Top 5 albums I picked up:
5.) Alestorm - Black Sails At Midnight
4.) Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge
3.) Scar Symmetry - The Unseen Empire
2.) Silverstein - Rescue
1.) Eluveitie - Slania
Tracks to listen to from each (in order):
Keelhauled, Captain Morgan's Revenge, The Anomaly, Medication, Slania's Song.
And the top 5 songs of the week. This is basically going to consist of the songs I've listened to the most in the past week. If I wanted to be extremely nazi about this, I'd reset all of my iTunes plays and check every week, but that's too much work. I'll also post a YouTube link to the number one song.
Top 5 of this week (07/19-07/25):
5.) The Diary of Jane - Breaking Benjamin (Phobia)
4.) The Anomaly - Scar Symmetry (The Unseen Empire)
3.) Four Friends of the Elements - Hyadain (Final Fantasy IV ReMix from OC ReMix)
2.) Slania's Song - Eluveitie (Slania)
1.) Trust In You - The Offspring (Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace)
Awesome punk rock song. I'm reminded of All I Want off of their '97 album Ixnay On the Hombre. Pure punk headbanging fest, and they don't sound like they've been doing it for 15 years; they sound just like they're on their first album. No sign of aging or slowing down.
Might as well kick it off by telling you all about my recent trip to Vancouver.
In the city where I live, there is no music store. There USED to be, but it closed down and will probably come back when our new mall is built, but that's not until 2012/2013. Gravy. Anyway, a year ago when the 2010 Winter Olympics were in Vancouver, my family and I took in the sights and I forayed a little bit ahead and noticed a three-story HMV (the aforementioned brand of music store). I stood for a good minute waiting for my family. My jaw hit the floor. I know, one day, I would visit that store and go absolutely ballistic.
Fast forward to now. I did take that trip with a good friend of mine, and let me say this: I went BALLISTIC.
The Rock/Pop section ALONE was bigger than the ENTIRE HMV we had at our mall. Heaven. I ended up purchasing 1 t-shirt, a poster for my sister, and 12, yes TWELVE, CDs. We later checked out a place called "The Rock Shop". Best place to buy band merch. I got 3 band tees from there (as I write this, I'm wearing one of them).
The CDs:
Alestorm (Pirate Metal):
- Captain Morgan's Revenge (2008)
- Black Sails At Midnight (2009)
- Back In Time (2011)
Darkest Hour (Metalcore):
- Undoing Ruin (2005)
- Deliver Us (2007)
- The Human Romance (2011)
Eluveitie (Folk Metal):
- Slania (2008)
Freedom Call (Power Metal):
- Eternity (2002)
In Flames (Meliodic Death Metal):
- Sounds of a Playground Fading (2011)
Scar Symmetry (Meliodic Death Metal):
- The Unseen Empire (2011)
Silverstein (Post-Hardcore):
- Rescue (2011)
Sonic Syndicate (Meliodic Death Metal):
- Only Inhuman (2007)
A somewhat diverse list. Although each band from the same country share the same genres. (Sweden / Meliodic Death) (Scotland / Pirate) (Canada / Post-Hardcore) (U.S.A. / Metalcore) (Germany / Power Metal) (Switzerland / Folk). A nice little coincidence.
The bands I got shirts of are Coheed & Cambria (wearing), Eluveitie, and DragonForce.
I might post pictures eventually.
Anyway, on to other things. I'll give off two top 5 lists for you guys to have fun with.
Top 5 albums I picked up:
5.) Alestorm - Black Sails At Midnight
4.) Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge
3.) Scar Symmetry - The Unseen Empire
2.) Silverstein - Rescue
1.) Eluveitie - Slania
Tracks to listen to from each (in order):
Keelhauled, Captain Morgan's Revenge, The Anomaly, Medication, Slania's Song.
And the top 5 songs of the week. This is basically going to consist of the songs I've listened to the most in the past week. If I wanted to be extremely nazi about this, I'd reset all of my iTunes plays and check every week, but that's too much work. I'll also post a YouTube link to the number one song.
Top 5 of this week (07/19-07/25):
5.) The Diary of Jane - Breaking Benjamin (Phobia)
4.) The Anomaly - Scar Symmetry (The Unseen Empire)
3.) Four Friends of the Elements - Hyadain (Final Fantasy IV ReMix from OC ReMix)
2.) Slania's Song - Eluveitie (Slania)
1.) Trust In You - The Offspring (Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace)
Awesome punk rock song. I'm reminded of All I Want off of their '97 album Ixnay On the Hombre. Pure punk headbanging fest, and they don't sound like they've been doing it for 15 years; they sound just like they're on their first album. No sign of aging or slowing down.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Music We Never Really Think About
When you think about music, where does your mind go? To the song you just heard on the radio? How about the song off of that new album you just bought (or, in this age, downloaded)? What about the music that you hear all the time, but never pay attention to. My post here today is discussing one of the most played genres of music you hear, but never think about:
Game music.
Yes, you read correctly, video game music. And before you scoff at me and say "video game music isn't real music", let me ask you something. What's easier to remember? The melody and lyrics to the newest Lady Gaga tune? Or the original Super Mario Bros. theme song? That new Katy Perry hit, or the Legend of Zelda overworld theme? If you answered Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, then you probably shouldn't even be here; this is not the music review blog for you.
For those of you who's interests are piqued, let me continue. Video game music is a part of games that we really don't think about. Would Mario have been as popular without his 8-bit jingle playing in the background? What about all the tunes that play during the fights in Street Fighter or Smash Bros.? Video game music helps make the game what it is. It sets the tone for a scene, it creates iconic memories; and if you're really dedicated, it has a spot on your music player. And I don't mean just normal tunes. What about remakes and remixes? There are tons of communities out there whose goals are to remix game songs in a way they enjoy and to add a fresh twist. What if Donkey Kong Country was turned into a metal thrashfest? Sonic becoming hyper techno? Anything is possible.
Finally, one other key point to think of is the actual production of the songs. Listening to game music nowadays, one can realize it takes one heck of a lot more work to actually make a song for a game than it is to make a pop song. For one, you need to know the scene and create a piece that fits it just right. Next, you need a vast variety of instruments; some games I play, I can hear drums, strings, horns, possibly guitar - enough instruments to fill an orchestra.
I encourage any readers right now, if interested, please comment. If it's actual games, YouTube is a great place to look up songs, and I can always recommend some. If you're looking for remixes of tunes, or genres, go check out ocremix.org.
Don't just throw video game music under the tires because it's in a game. It's a legitimate form of music, and some of the most beautiful pieces can be found within. All you need to do is listen.
Also, just for the heck of it, I'm throwing in a sample of one of my favourite video game tunes.
- TF3W
Game music.
Yes, you read correctly, video game music. And before you scoff at me and say "video game music isn't real music", let me ask you something. What's easier to remember? The melody and lyrics to the newest Lady Gaga tune? Or the original Super Mario Bros. theme song? That new Katy Perry hit, or the Legend of Zelda overworld theme? If you answered Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, then you probably shouldn't even be here; this is not the music review blog for you.
For those of you who's interests are piqued, let me continue. Video game music is a part of games that we really don't think about. Would Mario have been as popular without his 8-bit jingle playing in the background? What about all the tunes that play during the fights in Street Fighter or Smash Bros.? Video game music helps make the game what it is. It sets the tone for a scene, it creates iconic memories; and if you're really dedicated, it has a spot on your music player. And I don't mean just normal tunes. What about remakes and remixes? There are tons of communities out there whose goals are to remix game songs in a way they enjoy and to add a fresh twist. What if Donkey Kong Country was turned into a metal thrashfest? Sonic becoming hyper techno? Anything is possible.
Finally, one other key point to think of is the actual production of the songs. Listening to game music nowadays, one can realize it takes one heck of a lot more work to actually make a song for a game than it is to make a pop song. For one, you need to know the scene and create a piece that fits it just right. Next, you need a vast variety of instruments; some games I play, I can hear drums, strings, horns, possibly guitar - enough instruments to fill an orchestra.
I encourage any readers right now, if interested, please comment. If it's actual games, YouTube is a great place to look up songs, and I can always recommend some. If you're looking for remixes of tunes, or genres, go check out ocremix.org.
Don't just throw video game music under the tires because it's in a game. It's a legitimate form of music, and some of the most beautiful pieces can be found within. All you need to do is listen.
Also, just for the heck of it, I'm throwing in a sample of one of my favourite video game tunes.
- TF3W
Sunday, January 2, 2011
My top 5 albums of 2010.
Yeah I'm an hour late. Sue me.
As I stated in my previous post, I was going to number off my top albums of 2010. Out of the 9 options, what will take the cake as my best album of 2010?
To be honest, out of the 9 albums, some were disappointing, but there were those that made their mark. So let's begin with the 4 runners-up.
RUNNERS-UP:
All That Remains - For We Are Many: Nothing truly memorable. Especially compared to Overcome. To be honest, when I first listened to it, it just... went by. 40 minutes or so passed and I didn't even realize it because nothing stood out to my ears.
Kamelot - Poetry For the Poisoned: Was a decent album, but there's not a lot of songs that truly stick out, save for one or two. However, this is still the Kamelot I know and thus I have no regrets about this purchase. Still a good album, but not as good as previous releases.
DragonForce - Twilight Dementia: Proves to all that DragonForce really ARE that fast live, but even live is kind of repetitive. And I don't mean the music. ZP Theart loves the fans to "get those hands in the air and go 'ai, ai, ai, ai!'" It gets annoying after a while. Also, this can be seen as the farewell to ZP Theart as he has now left DragonForce.
Disturbed - Asylum: Really nothing memorable. It's Disturbed, yes, but there's no change. I appreciate following the adage of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but you CAN modify it at times. That would be nice for the next album.
-=-
5TH:
Coheed and Cambria - Year of the Black Rainbow: Good album, and different. More heavier, and less progressive than their older albums. It works at times, but falters at others. Does feature an awesome song that really sticks out, and a few more that are good as well. For those who follow the Amory Wars, a good prequel chapter.
-=-
4TH:
In This Moment - A Star-Crossed Wasteland: A solid album, but no real standouts unlike The Dream. However, I have no beefs with anything in the album. It's an enjoyable listen from start to finish and that's always a good thing in music.
-=-
3RD:
Hail the Villain - Population: Declining: Thank you HMV for having this available in your points store. Best 40k points I've ever spent. Anyway, great Canadian band who released their debut with this. Solid hard rock album that has it's thrash fests, it's slower stuff, and a whole lot of headbangable madness in the middle. This could be a solid candidate for my favourite album in my collection, yet here it resides in 3rd for the year.
-=-
2ND:
Silverstein - Decade: The idea behind this was excellent. The execution? Flawless. Silverstein is one of few bands who sound not only as good as the album recordings, if not better, when performing live. This I can attest to as I've seen Silverstein live before, and it was one of the best shows I have ever witnessed. Best live album I've heard and easily one of the better albums of the year.
-=-
1ST:
Eluveitie - Everything Remains (As It Never Was): This is easily the oddest style of music I have heard but, oh dear Lord, does it ever ROCK! Imagine death metal. Now marry it to flutes, violins, and bagpipes. Yes, bagpipes. The sound is like nothing I have ever heard before and listening to this is a new experience. While this could fail easily, this album was an excellent mix of everything. Slower songs, thrash fests, headbanger balls, and beautiful interludes. An enjoyable listen from start to finish and the experience never dies no matter how many times you hear it. Easily the best album of 2010.
Enjoy.
As I stated in my previous post, I was going to number off my top albums of 2010. Out of the 9 options, what will take the cake as my best album of 2010?
To be honest, out of the 9 albums, some were disappointing, but there were those that made their mark. So let's begin with the 4 runners-up.
RUNNERS-UP:
All That Remains - For We Are Many: Nothing truly memorable. Especially compared to Overcome. To be honest, when I first listened to it, it just... went by. 40 minutes or so passed and I didn't even realize it because nothing stood out to my ears.
Kamelot - Poetry For the Poisoned: Was a decent album, but there's not a lot of songs that truly stick out, save for one or two. However, this is still the Kamelot I know and thus I have no regrets about this purchase. Still a good album, but not as good as previous releases.
DragonForce - Twilight Dementia: Proves to all that DragonForce really ARE that fast live, but even live is kind of repetitive. And I don't mean the music. ZP Theart loves the fans to "get those hands in the air and go 'ai, ai, ai, ai!'" It gets annoying after a while. Also, this can be seen as the farewell to ZP Theart as he has now left DragonForce.
Disturbed - Asylum: Really nothing memorable. It's Disturbed, yes, but there's no change. I appreciate following the adage of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but you CAN modify it at times. That would be nice for the next album.
-=-
5TH:
Coheed and Cambria - Year of the Black Rainbow: Good album, and different. More heavier, and less progressive than their older albums. It works at times, but falters at others. Does feature an awesome song that really sticks out, and a few more that are good as well. For those who follow the Amory Wars, a good prequel chapter.
-=-
4TH:
In This Moment - A Star-Crossed Wasteland: A solid album, but no real standouts unlike The Dream. However, I have no beefs with anything in the album. It's an enjoyable listen from start to finish and that's always a good thing in music.
-=-
3RD:
Hail the Villain - Population: Declining: Thank you HMV for having this available in your points store. Best 40k points I've ever spent. Anyway, great Canadian band who released their debut with this. Solid hard rock album that has it's thrash fests, it's slower stuff, and a whole lot of headbangable madness in the middle. This could be a solid candidate for my favourite album in my collection, yet here it resides in 3rd for the year.
-=-
2ND:
Silverstein - Decade: The idea behind this was excellent. The execution? Flawless. Silverstein is one of few bands who sound not only as good as the album recordings, if not better, when performing live. This I can attest to as I've seen Silverstein live before, and it was one of the best shows I have ever witnessed. Best live album I've heard and easily one of the better albums of the year.
-=-
1ST:
Eluveitie - Everything Remains (As It Never Was): This is easily the oddest style of music I have heard but, oh dear Lord, does it ever ROCK! Imagine death metal. Now marry it to flutes, violins, and bagpipes. Yes, bagpipes. The sound is like nothing I have ever heard before and listening to this is a new experience. While this could fail easily, this album was an excellent mix of everything. Slower songs, thrash fests, headbanger balls, and beautiful interludes. An enjoyable listen from start to finish and the experience never dies no matter how many times you hear it. Easily the best album of 2010.
Enjoy.
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