Run-a run-a -run-a runaway, away

I want to share this one Spanish Reggae song by Los Pericos, it was originally made in 1994, but it was such a hit that it was remade just last  year (2010) to feature The Original Wailers (as in yes, Bob Marley and The Wailers).

Now, being that the band is Argentine one would expect the success of the song to be attributed to its Spanish lyrics, being that the title and chorus of the song is 'Runaway' I can say otherwise. I probably wouldn't have  given the band another look myself had they not used such a catchy hook. I mean, even staring at the lyrics, I'm not sure what the chorus refers to. It just sounds nice? Eh.

Enjoy: Runaway by Los Pericos and The Wailers.

Grooveshark Link

And for those of you who need to relate to the music, have the translated lyrics here.

Now, I find the music to be portrayed nicely, I love me that bass, I find the instruments to be well balanced. It may sound a little bit overdone, the "too perfect" thing, and in that sense it probably does sound a bit commercial. If it doesn't bother you though, look into the album.

It's called Pericos & Friends

But if you're not a fan of the more developed Reggae sound, try the 1994 version out, it has the same catchy chorus, but less synchronized singing and more emphasis on the bass, because well, less instruments!

Also, copious amounts of Snoopy. If that doesn't do it for you, I don't know what will.

Grooveshark Link

That one can be found on Pampas Reggae. Go find it yourself, pft.

Also, I don't know if I've mentioned just how much I love blogging. Here I was, thinking I was gonna post a 1994 Spanish Reggae classic, and I ended up finding out about a 2010 remix that I like even better.

Basically, screw you guys, I got something out of my own post! Badass!

Buy single: Runaway (Feat. Wailers), Runaway (Original)

Hardcore Brazilian Harp

What's this about having time? I'd like to look into it. Today is one of those days for me, where I woke up and the first song to come to mind has been posted about and I'm also short on this damn time thing. Grr.

So I'll post about this one Brazilian guy, Jonathan Faganello and his harp. I mean, just to amuse the following until I come back tomorrow with material or something of the sort. And really, who wouldn't enjoy some "hardcore" harp? Eh? That's right.

Source

You might have seen one of his first videos, playing Iron Maiden's The Trooper. It's the single most successful video on his account. So successful that it's been stolen and shown off on other sites. So even though the video may say it's seen over a million views, the reality is much more. Respect for the original and well done idea. If you'd like to look back and see the video again, or if you haven't before, enjoy The Trooper on the harp.

Alternate Link

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'd like to show off my favorite. A harp and guitar version of Metallica's Nothing Else Matters. The views have been significantly less than on the one original Trooper video, while being just as, if not more, talented.

Maybe I just prefer it because of the fact that the song has a much more gentle base, which goes very well with the harp, or then again maybe I just think it's his overall best performance. Me and my opinions, geeze.

If you like what you see, check out his youtube account here. Only 6 video's with the last one being released in 2009, there's not much to look forward to, but it makes for a few minutes of amusement or awe.

But if you're really interested, I suppose you could contact him at his website. It's in Portuguese, I'm not sure how far you could get with it, but it's worth a shot yeah? Of course. Check the site out here.

Megadeth - Symphony of Destruction (Gristle Mix)

Today's post brought to you in part by the guy behind:

Rorschach Redemption

Get your 15 minutes of blog fame by submitting MSPaint interpretations of these.

No really though, thanks man. 

I don't normally post content from the comments, it feels like cheating. Same goes for content from other blogs. Just some personal rules I suppose, but today I'm going to bend the rules a bit as this is something completely new to me. An Industrial version of Symphony of Destruction. It was put together by Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) and was placed as a European bonus track on the single for Foreclosure of a Dream, so it is a rare piece and there are many an under educated teenager making rants on youtube about how Megadeth wouldn't approve of such a piece.

Just to make this perfectly clear, Megadeth distributed of the mix themselves in 1992 under the single  "Foreclosure of a Dream":

Which is from the album Countdown to Extinction. I hope this serves as ground to calm debate.

It also wasn't featured on the B side of the Symphony of Destruction single because the mix had not been made yet. I feel silly having to spell this all out, but I must. 

The song is twice the length of the original at a whopping 9 minutes and to many who enjoy Industrial, it's one fine piece.

Youtube Link

Sadly, I couldn't find a youtube link without the last minute or so all choppy, so if for some reason you can't listen via grooveshark, rest assured the last minute is by no means meant to be chopped and awkward.

And for those who haven't heard the original!

Grooveshark Link

A well written song. I can see why there's preference over the mix, but arguing over what Megadeth and Mustaine would think is just silly.

Buy single: Symphony of Destruction (The Gristle Mix)

And thanks again Rorschach Redemption, I don't know if I would've found this song otherwise. (If you didn't click that link the first time, there's your second chance)

Asher Roth - The Lounge (Bonus track)

"What does he look like? Nobody knows, he's just a rapper in plain clothes. And when the curtain falls after the show, where does he go? Nobody knows."

Is just the chorus of Asher Roths iTunes bonus track The Lounge. The song explores the possibilities of what a rapper can be, pointing out the generic rapper stereotype and going against its grain in an effort to make the masses think a bit.

The title of 'The Lounge' most probably comes from the classy Lounge-like beat that was used in the song. It really adds to the point of rapper uniqueness. Listen to it yourself.

Grooveshark Link

Asher Roth may be best known for his track from the same album, 'I Love College'. To me, all this proves is he can please the masses and still be an educated rapper, I love it. In my opinion we need more Asher's representing Hip-Hop. Not that my opinion is too important.. yet.

If you're interested in the rest of the album, go get yourself Asleep in the Bread Aisle.

Buy: CD/mp3

And if you're just looking for the Bonus tracks, they are:

Perfectionist featuring Beanie Sigel and Rock City. The song is the first iTunes bonus track, preceding The Lounge. It's about exactly what it sounds like, being a perfectionist.

And Y.O.U. featuring Slick Rick. The song is the UK bonus track. It's got a nice fun beat, almost reminding me of a circus. The song basically tells people that no one cares what they act like, they should just be themselves.

If you're a new fan, Asher released a new single called G.R.I.N.D. quite some time ago, listen to it here, it's promising. The new album should be out later this year (2011).

I hear thunder, but there's no rain

Well I'm listening to a pretty neat thunderstorm going on right now, and well, these are the songs that fit verbally with this moment, so I figure, post 'em!

The lyrics found on today's title are best known for their use in the latest The Prodigy album, Invaders Must Die. The  song is called Thunder and for those of you who haven't heard it, I'll get to it in a bit.

First I want to show the original to that song, the sampled section. The original song is called Ethiopian Peace Song or in some cases Rasta Peace Song, and it is by Trevor Joe aka Al Tascith Joe.

No alternate link for this underground beauty

The Prodigy used the bit starting at 20 seconds in, where he says: "Sounds like thunder, but there's no rain, this kind of thunder blows down doors and walls and things"

But they switch it up a bit and use:  "I hear thunder but there's no rain, this kind of thunder thunder breaks walls and window pane"

 The generally happy and peaceful song is one of those rare gems in the music world, where if you own it you are by default a very fortunate soul. If I had any more information on this song, I'd share it. I have no idea what album it comes from, other work by the artist or where it can be bought/downloaded. If you know, I'd appreciate the information. As soon as I find anything out I'll be updating this post!

Now, for the use of the sample in a less than 'happy peace love' way, and for anyone who hasn't already heard it, here's The Prodigy's Thunder.

Grooveshark Link | Buy

Let's just call this ear rape and admit that many people have this audio fetish. Kay? Kay, good. If you happen to enjoy this you can find it and more well known songs such as Omen and Invaders Must Die on Invaders Must Die (album).

Buy: CD/mp3

But if you're new enough to The Prodigy to not know that, then you should probably start at The Fat of the Land. Trust me and thank me later. (Or try Music for the Jilted Generation and trust the blogosphere, be sure to thank them here and here.)

Jer Coons - Legs

It's time for some Pop Rock by a pretty cool guy that looks something like Justin Bieber at the age of 20. Give him a break. At least in these videos. Apparently he can grow a beard. Imagine  Justin Bieber with a beard.

Kay 'nuff.

Probably his best original song to date is Legs, a pretty emotional and heartfelt song. It's just cute. Cute Pop-Rock that isn't entirely terrible if you give it a shot ish. I'm typing my way into a hole here.

I find that the acoustic version sounds much better than the studio version, so I'll let  you guys hear that first.

Just youtube for this one, sorry!

See what I mean with the JayBiebs thing? Aside from that though, he is talented. I love how he plays that nice bluesy guitar. I also like how he has a voice in there somewhere but doesn't feel the need to exercise its full capacity every 5 seconds. Generally alright song in my book, bonus points for the Jimi Hendrix art up on the wall.

Now what do you get if you take that same song and give it a cheesy bass line and some simple drumming? Regular ordinary Pop Rock that overpowers the bluesy guitar and leaves nothing but his fair/alright voice. Maybe my opinion here is biased because of the Pop feel, but well, give it a shot yourself.

Grooveshark Link | Buy

If you'd like to avoid a painfully amateur video, go with the Grooveshar link. I hope it's not too late. Oops. Regardless, it's not about the video, it's about the song. While the song is still 'okay' it's a bit more on the 'less okay...' side for me. I might say this because of the added unnecessary instruments or maybe it's the lack of Hendrix art, whatever the reason may be, it doesn't sit perfectly well with me.

However, if you still like it, you should probably get the album or something. Indie label artist, could use the support, the fans, the word spreading and such.

You can get his debut album Speak or his latest EP, JERemix at his website here.

If you'd like to see some more acoustic songs, including a pretty sweet I Want You Back Michael Jackson tribute, check out his youtube here.

Jennifer Lynn, Christine Wu, Meytal Cohen - Toxicity

I love the violin. At one point it was my favorite instrument. Its complexity along with the beauty that can come from it, mixed together with the diversity of use in genres just captivated me. So sure, many have seen today's experience, but it still proves the diversity I speak of, and for that magical little moment? Well, many won't mind seeing it again.

Source

With over 4 million views since 2009, this single piece is probably the most publicly known song by any of these talented women. The trio were somewhat of a viral hit, surfing through social mediums and expanding their fan base.

Now, with just two violins and a set of drums, it's remarkable to see what they were able to accomplish. Still, I find it necessary to say beforehand that though the video may seem blurry, the song was recorded in studio beforehand. I find it silly that though it was recorded professionally, it wouldn't be up for sale. But permissions and all that, I suppose, right?

Regardless of whether you've seen it before or not, enjoy Toxicity, originally by System of a Down, but now by some kick-ass chicks.

Alternate Link

The lovely ladies have inspired many and satisfied the ears of  many more. I consider this video to be of public service for the future of good musicians.

Be sure to check out, promote and support these talented females:

Jennifer Lynn at JenniferVioLynn.Com or her myspace or facebook
Christine Wu at Christine-Wu.Com or her facebook
and Meytal Cohen at MeytalCohen.Com or her facebook

.. And if you want to download it or something, go here. But shhhh.

RYM - Reptar

A few days ago I was in and around the internet, doing my search up thing, when I decided to do my routine Reptar check. Now I may have a thing for the big green dinosaur that is Reptar, known from his presence in the Rugrats. So my opinion here may be biased, I'm not sure.

Still, I was fortunate enough to have found this one Hip-Hop gem "Reptar" just a couple of days after its e-release. With such catchy lines as:  

"They like Tommy Pickles, they never get far, and when they gettin' close then we chomp 'em like we Reptar"

Well, that's when I knew I found something special.

Reptar HQ by Jon Hart

I have questions that can't be answered. I tried looking the song up elsewhere but found nothing, I tried looking up RYM and found nothing but Rate Your Music and even looked up Jon Hart, who has a fairly common enough name for me to be able to find nothing, again. Regardless of my lack of knowledge for this funny little group, it's safe to say I  enjoyed all 9 tracks found on Jon Hart's Soundcloud. Reptar is still my favorite though.

Halt, I am Reptar!

Sadly, however, only one of the tracks is available for download in any way at the moment, and I'm not quite sure what I make of it. Give Americana Drama a shot then, yes?

Americana Drama by Jon Hart

Check the rest of the tracks out here. Frankly, for what I'm assuming to be an amateur group, they're not that bad.

And if by some chance somebody from RYM happens to read this, feel free to contact me somehow so I can get my details straight and share them with the world, yeah? Cool.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Rainy Day, Dream Away

Alright so, as far as the deceased go? Jimi Hendrix is probably my favorite. I'd sell some interesting body parts in the black market just to buy my way into seeing a live Jimi Hendrix performance. Of course that won't be happening any time before the zombie apocalypse, and unless I'm mistaken, I probably won't live to see that.

Onto the song!

Regardless of how ridiculously famous Hendrix is, there's still a lot of songs that go unheard of. Today, I'll post one of those tracks that I simply adore. It's not as well known or frankly, as good as Purple Haze, Foxy Lady or Hey Joe, but in my opinion, it's in no such level where it should go ignored or under appreciated. It's called Rainy Day, Dream Away. Enjoy.

Grooveshark Link | Buy

I love how very.. not generic it is, even for a Hendrix Experience piece. Starting it off kinda bluesy and adding that jazzy tenor saxophone, giving a nice mellow but active Jazz vibe as you listen to Jimi ramble for a while. This dazed out portion of song goes on for just over 2 minutes, leaving about a minute for the 'actual' song to be sung and played out. But that's why I like it, there's some interesting sounds the 2 minutes before the "regular" stuff plays.

Hearing Jimi Hendrix ramble about the rain outside also adds to the flavor. It's as if he was high on some substance and appreciated the rain more or something. But pft, can't get more straight edge than Jimi. Cough.

I guess what really draws me to it is that just when my ears focus on the sound the album provides, it goes and switches things up for me, giving me a fresh chance to start over and perceive the rest of the album differently than I might have without the song.

Or I may just like how awesome the saxophone sounds at the beginning. I mean if you wanted to simplify all I've said, that's probably how you should go about it.

In the possibility that you didn't know about the song, it can be found amongst many other amazing tracks on Electric Ladyland.

If you don't have this you should probably get off your ass and get it. 

Or not get off it and get it online. Thank the internet.

Uzume (I think?) - I Chase The Devil (Cover)

For today's quick post, I again have to thank the same wonderful person who introduced me to Dir En Grey, for being an awesome person introducing  me to the sounds of Japan. I'm gonna post of a so called Uzume lady whose song is quite obviously inspired Max Romeo's classic, I Chase the Devil. Let's give it a listen!

It's unfortunate, I know, but until I can identify the actual band and song name there's no out-of-youtube link!

So while the cover is fair and engages me, it saddens me to say I know no more about the singer, the band, and  the song. If anyone could enlighten me to any information I'd be grateful, but until then I'll enjoy my edgy obscure band that no one has heard about.

I'm so cool.

The original song by Max Romeo and the Upsetters can be found on the above album, War Ina Babylon, or you could also listen to the newer version with Kamau here.

Sum 41 - Grab the Devil by the Horns and F*** Him Up the A**

Hello all! I'm still here, which obviously means I get to stick around for 5 months until the end of the world! I'd just like to say, I AM PUMPED! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can crawl out from under that rock you live in and read this.)

My personal favorite part is that tidbit where Jesus himself will come to Earth to reign for 5 months. During these 5 months, at some point, he will fight with the Devil and win. So today's post is for you, JC, you go ahead and grab the devil by the horns and, well, yeah. That.

Grooveshark Link | Buy

The song was inspired by Iron Maiden, and frankly when something is inspired by Iron Maiden, it's bound to be the best track on the album. But that's just my opinion, isn't it?

I do find it a bit sad that they stayed within the lines of their Punk (ish) roots and kept it to under 2 minutes. Any longer then that and the song might've actually been considered Metal. For shame! Regardless, I have to thank Sum 41 for making the song I'll be playing when the Devil himself is defeated. I don't know about you guys, but I hope they show that match up on Pay Per View. Can anyone say party?

If by some chance you're actually interested beyond that badass song, you might want to check the rest of their more average album, Half Hour of Power. It may not be my cup of tea, but with that intro? It deserves a listen.

Buy: CD/mp3

The Seatbelts - Mushroom Hunting

I have never really seen a Cowboy Bebop episode all the way through. Now, while that doesn't stop be from enjoying its wonderful music, particularly every track by The Seatbelts, it can inhibit me from understanding what the goal of the particular song was.

This particular track is titled Mushroom Hunting, and the most I can get out of it is that, well, mushrooms... and.. so many locations to go to, it must be some type of.. trip?!

I really have no idea. Make up your own mind, or if you happen to know when the song was used in the show maybe you'd like to explain to me.

Grooveshark Link

Now, I really love the slow progression. It leads you up, making its way more and more complex every few seconds. What starts as something very simple eventually becomes more complicated. Some Jazzy wind instruments dabbed in there, the solos getting airier and happier as the song continues, trumpets, saxophone, trombone, some tribal sounding percussion (I love those) and finishing it off with a strong soulful voice. Mushroom Hunting.

Thanks, Seatbelts. There I am enjoying your song and it ends in something I can't quite make sense of. Though maybe it's because of that that I enjoy it so much. Mystery can really help my ears focus on everything else.

Buy: Cowboy Bebop: Blue

If you like the song, or if you're a dedicated Cowboy Bebop fan that didn't think of getting the soundtracks, this track was first featured in Cowboy Bebop: Blue. Though it's not all that smooth excellent Jazz stuff. But hey, it's nice. Check it out somehow.

The 3 Dream Theater drummer audition songs

When you're out and about talking with friends, hot topics may enter the conversation, such as the recent Dream Theater drummer auditions. Now, debate on the new drummer, Mike Mangini, that's a given. Perfectly normal, many have their favorites whether or not they were actually auditioned.

It's when we get talking about the songs that I've realized quite a few times I have to explain the why and the whats. So even though I already spoke a bit on the actual audition here, today I'll go more in depth on the songs specifically.

The First song is A Nightmare To Remember, most fans would have already heard this song as it's the first one on the latest album Black Clouds and Silver Linings.

Why did they use the song? It shows the current direction the band is moving in. Dark, Gothic, Progressive sounds, more towards their newer 'heavy' which so many older fans don't like as much. It's also a whopping 16 minutes long, it shows the endurance of the drummer. Wouldn't want to miss a progressive piece right in the middle of a concert, would you?

Youtube Link..

The new sound would be important to pick up on, being as it incorporates many a sound into one, that includes the newer darker feel.

The Second song is The Dance of Eternity. That's synonymous for masterpiece. The song, while being shorter than A Nightmare to Remember, many will agree to be much more difficult. I don't play the drums or anything, but you don't have to take my word for it. You could just listen for yourself if you wanted.

Youtube Link (ahahaha)

I respect all the time and effort it took to piece that song together, and I respect even more those who can play it successfully. If I really still have to explain why it was used for the audition, your ears might be broken. Basically it shows the peak, or at least a very high point of the bands progressive possibility. Not being able to play such a beast of a song would result in disheartened fans and the eventual, if not immediate, rejection of the drummer.

Even if you don't like how it sounds, you can't say it's easy.

The Third and final song in the audition is The Spirit Carries On, this is the slow, or as a few people told me the easy song. People who don't play instruments tend to think sometimes, just sometimes, that slow somehow means easy. I have to disagree fully, especially when auditioning the people they did. Some artists submerge themselves so much into a specific genre or style that what might seem 'basic' or 'easy' is actually twice as difficult as playing the drums while juggling.

Aside from testing limits, I believe the song was also used to see how the drummers would take to not being the center of attention of the music piece. To see if they work well when not on the spotlight, if you can understand what I'm meaning.

Youtube Link (Can't get over this)

Both The Spirit Carries On and The Dance of Eternity are found on the concept album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory. Maybe I'm just biased, but I feel the album is cream of Dream Theater. Silky smooth perfection in my eyes. Because of that, I felt really happy with the auditions. I felt their song selection alone was excellent, the rest of the process was no laughing matter either, but as long as they can play the good songs alright, I'm pleased.

If you like Dream Theater and don't have this album, get it. Get it now.

Buy singles: The Dance Of Eternity, The Spirit Carries On

Buy Dark Clouds and Silver Linings: CD/mp3

Buy Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory: CD/mp3

Jim Lang - Hey Arnold Theme

Or rather Hey Arnold Theme 98. Why 98? Well at first I thought: Oh, because it was created in 1998, right?! However I figured I was mistaken as the show originally aired in 1996. I then came to the quick conclusion that surely, Jim Lang had made 97 previous themes before coming up with the winner. I was also tired when I thought that. My final assumption, and I believe it to be a more accurate one, is that Hey Arnold Theme 98 was simply the more up tempo beat they had used from the 4th season onwards. The 4th season aired in 1999 though, as did the third, so my assumption is very likely to still be wrong. Hurray!

It was interesting upon finding the song to know that I preferred to hear it on bad speakers. This was because my old television set had bad speakers and the fact that the song has an electronic feeling bass line when pared up with a decent set of earphones kinda ruined it for me for a second or two. I grew out of it, and it's still got that basic jazzy feel.

Now that I've rambled you can actually enjoy all 49 seconds of the "song". I'm sure you'll be tired by the end of it. Really.

No Grooveshark link today, kids!

Normally I'd get all sad and things with not having an alternate music link for the occasional viewer who can't see the youtube link or simply prefers better quality. However, I have found a download link! So if you felt nostalgic like I did, or actually just like the song for some reason, you can just head on over to this mediafire link and have yourself a bit of the 90's for free.

Aren't you glad I found no way to buy the song, leaving me to offer you nothing but the freebie? Pft.

And for those of you who get that irking OCD feeling when they hear a song and have an empty box where the album artwork should be, I decided to make something just as to not have a giant question mark facing me.

I feel I could've done better.

While I'm not nearly as proud of this one as I am as the one I previously shared, though maybe that's just because  I found it to be easier. It'll do. If you have a real one or have made a less half-assed one than mine, contact me somehow. I'll post it up here and give you the credit, promise!

I'll let this post serve as a reminder to myself that I shouldn't listen to catchy things that I don't intend on writing about before writing a blog post.

Easy Star All Stars - Dub Side of the Moon

Not everyone can get away with covering Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. And many will say that the Easy Star All Stars were in no position to have made such an ambitious cover, but they did. Not everyone likes it, I understand what it's like to have good music be redone unnecessarily. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

But... Since it was already made and the harm was done, curiosity took over me and a while ago, I gave the album a listen. Naturally, I can't just keep that bottled up, I need to share. So if you want to avoid everything else I'm about to wright, here's a summary: If you like Reggae and you like Pink Floyd, you should get this album.

Not to say the album could possibly be better than the original or anything, but it's fun, it's nice and if you're open minded it could be a fresh new look on a classic.

After having heard the album a few times, I could tell that even though they were singing the same songs, the message changed. There's quite a bit of artistic interpretation involved in the making, which is difficult since, well, it's already been interpreted. They somehow managed to change it up significantly at points while still keeping an obvious air of Pink Floyd. It felt to me as if it was modified with much respect for the original masterpiece, but some may disagree with that strongly.

An example would be Money by Gary "Nesta" Pine and Dollarman. Enjoy.

Grooveshark Link

Right away, changing the base of the song. Where the original started off with the clinging and swishing sounds of cash registers and other coin sounds, this dub version starts with people, uh, smoking. Subject to interpretation. To me, it may not have made sense right away, but together with the rest of the song, it eventually made sense to me. You use your own ears and come up with your own ideas.

Another song changing factor would be Dollarman's entrance at just about 3 minutes into the song. Completely changing the original layout, making it original and different. It's the little things (or not so little, depending on your views) like that that ended up making me feel not so guilty at all for enjoying this album. Original interpretations with different ideas. Why should it be bad?

Along with the rest of the album, if you can somehow get yourself the bonus tracks you might just earn yourself a little extra joy. These are mainly tracks inspired by Dark Side of the Moon and were probably never intended to be a part of the album, but they're nice to listen to. In case for some messed up reason you can't find 'em, they are:

Time Version
Great Dub in the Sky
Step It Pon the Rastaman Scene
Any Dub You Like

 

 Let's listen to Step It Pon the Rastaman Scene by Ranking Joe, just because the title amuses me and the sound is also pretty interesting compared to the rest  of the album.Or you could not listen. That's fine.

Because come on, how could you not fall in love with a song that goes "Wao" and "Som dongdong dongdong" randomly? Give it a thorough listen, you'll be singing along in no time.

Remember to support the good artists! You can buy some physical Dub Side stuff right on their website, or just go for the digital download (regular mp3 and FLAC).

And if you've been reading my blog for longer than a few weeks, you might remember I had made a post on the All Stars' cover for Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (or dub band).

The Mars Volta - Scabdates

It's only through research that you find out just how much certain bands can be hated. And I don't mean dislike, I mean hate. Apparently, The Mars Volta is one of those bands, so if you hate them, just don't mind this post. Read something else. This is already posted, I'm not going back.

Scabdates is TMV's second release but not an official album. It was recorded live throughout some early tours and edited together in a studio with ambient sounds that Omar had recorded. So the quality is less than amazing, but fair enough to listen to. To most.

It's got some really interesting sounds because it was before their second official album release, Frances the Mute. What happens is the music tends to mix up with their improvisation, a real treat for the fans and an extra progressive sound for anyone else. All imperfections are heard throughout the album, which is to show just how few they are. But if you're really interested, you'll be hearing that right now.

I'll provide you with two tracks that make the second half of a song. The song is called Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt and the tracks I'm putting up are Gust of Mutts and And Ghosted Pouts. If at any point I confused you, don't worry, writing this confused me too. Just give it a listen.

Grooveshark Links: A) Gust of Mutts & And Ghosted Pouts & the original Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt

You may notice; if you checked the grooveshark links, that the first two sound not very much at all like Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt. This is what I meant earlier by interesting sounds. It's extra progressive to the new listener and simply a treat to a fan.

If you feel you've heard something like this recently somewhere, you might've watched Get Him To The Greek, where And Ghosted Pouts was featured. That's actually the reason I looked into this album in the first place.

If there's one thing that might have been made blatantly obvious while listening to the above, it's probably that the lyrics don't make sense. Or rather, that us normal humans can't understand what they're saying without a dictionary near by. And maybe the language chart for the made up language they used that was part of a role playing game before they had made their band. Regardless, it didn't stop NME Magazine from naming it one of the 50 greatest albums of all time.

In the aspect of "people don't need to understand our lyrics" is where the TMV haters begun to arise. Don't listen to this album if you want to hear someones thoughts.

The way I see it, if you had the ability to read the thoughts of a deaf mute, that's the way these guys show their thoughts  to people. But then I prefer instrumental music usually, so it'd make sense that I just don't care.

Cough.

If you haven't quite had enough, well uh, listen to another song I like quite a bit called Concertina.

Grooveshark Link

The original Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt can be found on De-Loused in the Comatorium (D4 approved) and the original Concertina can be found on the Tremulant EP.

As far as Scabdates, though, you can buy that directly from the band for just under $14 USD here.

Gotan Project - Una Música Brutal

I've talked about the Gotan Project before, they're an experimental Tango band based in France. They offer a nice classic sound with some light electronics incorporated into it. Easy to listen to, makes you want to learn how to dance it!

This song is from my preferred album, the debut La Revancha Del Tango and the song is titled Una Musica Brutal (roughly translated to: A Brutal Music)

Grooveshark Link | Buy

You may have noticed in that video that the song was used in the 2006 film Take the Lead. I'd recommend it but my taste in movies turns pretty biased when they're about music. However, if you liked the song,  I'd still recommend the debut album La Revancha Del Tango. It's a really decent listen.

Buy: CD/mp3

Shoulda Been

I might have a slight man crush on Chase. Aka RealityFusion/ The 3 Mims. Not that that's a bad thing, but it's not natural for me in particular so it does feel a bit odd.

I have previously posted about the guy, wondering out loud why it is that when finer talents come around, they don't get as much recognition as, well in this instance, Ke$ha, but honestly, just most "popular" music of today.

Anyway, I'm low on time, I'll just show you a more recent original song by him. I found myself attached to his lyrics. Found them to be portrayed quite soulfully. Hey, see what you make of it, make up your own mind. It's called Shoulda Been.

No alternate source, this stuff is pure Youtube power at the moment!

 I have a nice deep sense of admiration to the guy for making a pretty over used plot in a song and making it end up pretty damn decent. But maybe it's just me.

Apparently if things go well, he'll end up making a CD this summer, if he does, you can expect a nice post about it up here.

Yes, Chase, I stole this from your facebook page.

And if you really like what you see, subscribe to his youtube or "like" him on Facebook. He really is pretty unknown, and I can't wait to see that change.

100

Today marks my 100th post. Henceforth today's post is mainly for me and how I praise and glorify myself. And if blogger was somehow twitter and I had to sum this up using just a few words, I'm pretty sure the words would be:

I Feel Good.

You should play it because it's all the music you're getting out of me today
Plus it really sets the mood of today's post

And I really, really do. Why? Well I didn't think I could make it this far. I didn't want to be the music blog that steals the material off other blogs or sites, I didn't want to be the music blog that just gives you the music, (there's Pandora for that!) and I definitely didn't want to be the blog that only gives you the information Wikipedia does, though frankly wiki is so huge that sometimes that's inevitable. I wanted to actually blog about music, and I realized quickly that just like the other actual music bloggers said, it isn't easy.

It's not much easier when I'm stubborn enough to want to make a real post 7 days a week, and it's not very easy to look into my mental arsenal of music and pull something different out every time. I know there's vast amount of musical knowledge (ish) that I could be sharing with the world, but sometimes I just have something stuck in my head and nothing of value can come of it.

I've made this so uphill on myself that after post 30 I wasn't sure how I kept going. I'm still not very sure, but I'm proud of myself for magically whipping something out of my sleeves through all that time. However it pains me to make a crappy post here and there, so I considered just stopping for the weekends where I'm usually busy with work and household chores and a life and such. That idea didn't go too well with me either, so I thought of a way I could make purposely half-assed posts and well, I'm creative enough to pull some ideas off.

Pretty much this is me telling you I'll post on weekends now but you should expect "less than amazing". This will enable me to use the rest of my free time to start making the rest of the weeks blog ideas and will hopefully result in better posts. Not that you guys care, but as I said, today's post is for me. Shush!

And now finally, I'd like to thank my subscribers, because I love every last active one of you, but even more than my subscribers, I have to thank the musically curious people of the world. The people who ask questions on Google that my posts can and have answered. What I write really is for you! And the fact that I help makes me feel nice.

Source

Like sugar and spice.

Rusted Root - When I Woke

So yesterday, someone sent me a music link. Now usually, this someone sends me music I don't really enjoy. I'm talking Pop. I'm talking I usually hear one link and I've heard something I could swear I've heard before playing on the radio at the supermarket. I'm talking, oh dear, why can't people just be original. And yes, this someone occasionally takes a peak at this blog and will probably thwart me with a brick sometime soon after reading this post.

However, yesterday's link was not only pleasant, it was nostalgic, it was cheery, it was happy and it fit my mood perfectly. Just what I needed at the time, I was sent Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root. If it sounds familiar but you're not quite sure? You might remember this from the movie Ice Age, a recent episode of Chuck, or maybe, like the someone, the 1996 movie Matilda.

Do enjoy the most successful song on the album.

Grooveshark Link | Buy

I'd just like to mention that the weird lyric part says "You know what they say about the young" somehow.

Thanks to the sudden burst of young happy thoughts, I figured I'd search for more of the album. I figured there should be a good song or two on it. I searched it up and I listened to each song online before realizing I wanted the rest of it.

Now this is not to say it's a perfect album. Far from it. Released in 1994 and only their second release, these people have probably polished up their skills well by now, but this one has that happy mellow 'let's just have fun' vibe that I really appreciate. I also really appreciate the varying percussion, ranging from Latin to African to Native feels. It's really amazing. The general use of wind instruments combined also made a nice happy album altogether.

How about listening to those drums I just absolutely love?! Considering I choose what I put on here, I'll take that as a yes. Give it a listen, this is the first song on the album and it's called Drum Trip.

Grooveshark Link | Buy

That song was pretty much enough to make me sit through everything, even though nothing else quite sounded like it. But because of that, I'm relaying everything back to you. See how nice drums can be for the population?

Now I'm fairly certain drugs were consumed during the making of this album, so if you don't like the generic idea of hippie and hippie musics, how is it that you've read this far? Their song titles seemed pretty obvious to me, and the general happy-awake-lucid lyrics made it blatant.

Obvious titles can include the beginning Drum Trip, which is immediately followed by Ecstacy, and the album finishing with the song Back to the Earth. But hey, I'm just assuming, and my mother taught me that when I assumed I made an ass out of u and me.

But yes, if you like what you heard so far, or if you need an album to play in the background while you go do happy things like lay on your couch all day checking your internet social life (the album is really good for that) go make sure you find When I Woke. 

Definitely no drug inspired art here. Nope.
Buy album: CD | mp3

 And if you really liked this, I'm sure you can show them support at their site.

Sway - Thief's Theme

Rap. I don't know what it is lately that I've been craving it. I like it when it's raw. I like it when there's an album from before the particular artist got famous, back when they had to try hard to reach the masses. Or back when they weren't expecting profit at all. So today, how about a freestyle?

This will be about an English rapper, Sway, doing a freestyle to Nas' Thief's Theme, during the time of his debut album back in 2006. Before I go and spoil it for you, listen to the stunning wit and flow Sway offers.

Due to it's underground-ness, finding another source for the song was too difficult. Sorry!

Let's start analyzing. While it is a freestyle, there's a line or two that can be attributed to his song Hype Boys, some of these lines include the hook/chorus: The pound is stronger than the dollar, holla. But more noticeably the one liner: Rappers couldn't see me coming if they were vaginas, with spectacles. That last one serves as both good and bad for the freestyle (Or the Hype Boys song) as while it is amusing, it also fades the attention away from the rest of the song.

"Holy-- Did you hear that?! Ahahahaha!" ensues.

Other very noticeable lyrics would be:

It's funny how your label drops you the same time I drop my testicles.

 

I love American money but you can't exchange it, when I came back from the states, I went to Thomas Cook with a dollar but ended up paying them to take it.

Rappers start to panic they sound like they speaking Spanish 'cause I'm right next to Nas like the pigeon on Stillmatic.

 

 

I'm so urban the white part of my eyes are black. Apart from nearly everything, what have I got to lose?

Now normally, I don't feel the need to post lyrics on my page. However, I had so much trouble listening to it the first time around due to my simply not being used to foreign accents, I figured I'd help a few of you out with the more 'booming' lyrics.

If you like what you hear, check out Sway DaSafo's debut album This Is My Demo.

Look for it!

In other news! I have been nominated for sunshine and zombie awards again, and again, TWICE.

I'm that cool. However I've already nominated my 12 (click here and here and then click every link shown).

So I'll just go ahead and thank BTN Hip Hop (go to his kickass blog right now) and LunaSihne (Go check all her blogs and follow the ones that tickle your fancy)

Thanks again, both of you! I feel special and things!

Maskinen

I normally feel weird making a post about music where someone raps in a language other than English. Mainly because I know the greater part of my audience speaks English and because the primary objective of rapping is to send a verbal message. However, since I don't even understand Maskinen with their Swedish lyrics and still listen to them, I figured you all might give 'em a shot too.

Having released only one album in 2009, Maskinen (or "The Machine") are fairly new to "the scene", having a nice fan base in Sweden but lacking elsewhere. I feel that since they deal with the electronic field, I would expect to hear them more at the clubs. Their sound is fairly similar to LMFAO which is why I'm a bit surprised to not have heard more DJ's use samples or hear them at the clubs and such. Maybe it's just over here, though. Have any of you youngins heard this? It's called Segertåget.

Grooveshark Link | Buy

Now I'm not saying it's this beast of an awesome track or anything, but it is perfect for drunk mindless dancing. Why is this not out there? It's not like we can tell if the lyrics are great or not, why would people care?

While I'm on the topic of lyrics, the chorus for this song is in Portuguese, the original song is by the Brazilian group of six Axé Bahia and the song is Beijo Na Boca. The line goes something like: A kiss in the lips is a trend of the past, the current trend is to date naked. It's a rough translation, but it's classy, right? Right?
Please understand my love for sarcasm.

Now that we're through with that one, I'll leave some more for you. The next and last song I'll speak of from the album is entirely in Swedish. I don't understand it at all, but the Swedish lady who introduced me to the song told me that the song states that anyone who isn't dancing is a rapist. A cruel way to trick people into dancing. I wonder if it's effective. The song is called Alla Som Inte Dansar.

Grooveshark Link | Buy

That one is a bit catchier and easy to not be a rapist with. Again, not  incredibly thought out music, but great for the latest trend of drunk hopping to electronic musics. Am I wrong? I'm never wrong. Shush.

If you like them beats, look for their album, displayed above

Maskinen originated as a trio but became a duo sometime after those two singles when Oskar Linnros left the band/group/thing, leaving Frej Larsson and 'Afasi' to carry on with the simple cheap catchy music themselves. I'd say they've done pretty well. If you liked them, look for that their album. It's titled Boys II Men, which is not to be confused with the popular R&B group Boyz II Men. At all.

I'd still like to hear some local DJ or someone use them though. Seriously.

Edit:
I've been awarded again! This time with the Zomtastic Blog Award


So rules!


1. Thank the person who gave you this award and link back to them in your post.
2. Tell us some things about yourself.
3. Nominate 10 bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and let them know they have received this award.

1. Thank you MaxPower, I feel the love! (Check his blog out, he makes good musics)
2. AGAIN!? Kay. I play soccer (I'd say football but I don't play the silly one with an egg, a helmet and tights) I have a mixed breed dog. I have such strong opinions on things that I usually prefer to shut up because I know I'm right and everyone  else is wrong anyway. (Teehee)
3. No. I'll nominate 2.

Princy Gupta

and

Solsby Kid

Because clicking two links is easier than clicking 10. So go. Oh and guys, I was lazy and didn't save a zombie picture to use as this post, you should probably snag one to be bitten with. Yay!