Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Nicholas Sparks Made Me Do It
I am not proud of anything I am about to write, however, I noticed something the other day that shocked me and I felt a need to share it.
I have only read one Nicholas Sparks book. That being said, I have somehow gotten on the Nicholas Sparks movie bandwagon. And, I blame the music featured in his films and previews for that. I guess I am a sucker for sappy romantic ballads and people running in slow motion through the rain. But, I cannot help it—we all have our guilty pleasures and this, sadly, is one of mine.
Nights in Rodanthe, the film, came out in 2008 and the preview included the song, “Love Remains The Same” by Gavin Rosedale. I loved the song so much that I went to see the film, purely with the hope to hear the song that I had been listening to everyday since I had downloaded it. The film ended and utter disappointment swept over me. No Gavin Rosedale song. Not even when the wild horses ran across the beach!!!!
Dear John was the next film to come out in 2010. In these previews, there was a song by Snow Patrol. The song intrigued me so I downloaded that as well. “Set the Fire to the Third Bar” by Snow Patrol and Martha Wainwright was the song featured in the Dear John previews. It was a great song and because of the song, I again, went to see the film. There was no sign of that song in this movie, either.
By now, you would have thought I had learned my lesson, but no. The Last Song also came out in 2010. In that preview, there was a song by the star, Miley Cyrus, “When I Look At You.” A great song that, out of all the Nicholas Sparks chosen songs, I was most ashamed to buy. But, I bought it and listened to it non-stop until the movie came out in theaters. I saw it and finally, the movie was actually in the film. It is about time!
Recently The Lucky One came out in theaters. In the previews, however, the big song was “You Found Me” by The Fray. Now, because of my history with Nicholas Sparks’ films and their soundtracks, I have a theory. I have become so obsessed with the music in his films and previews that I am actually at the point where I can predict what songs will be played and get them ahead of time—sometimes years in advance!
I already owned “You Found Me” so there was nothing new to discover in the film and no excuse for me seeing this film, alone, with my hood hanging low over my eyebrows. The song by The Fray was not featured in the film, but there was a strong song playing over the closing credits: “The Story” by Brandi Carlile, which I also already had.
I have become somewhat of a Nicholas Sparks movie-music fan. I love the songs that are chosen. I like them for the same reason I enjoy the films; they are cheesy, over-stated, lovey-dovey and depressing. I guess this is just the emo-side of me.
So, I tell you all of this with my head hanging low in shame. My name is Nicole and I see Nicholas Sparks movies and buy the music from the previews.
Don’t judge me too harshly.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Let The Sun Shine
Sometimes, it is hard to get the sun to shine out of your ass. Life can be rough and it can be hard to find joy when you have deadlines looming over your head, bills to pay, friends who don’t call you back, diets that don’t work, and those deep coughs that won’t go away. Like I said, life can be rough.
When life hands me shit, I make lemonade (perhaps not the best explanation of my point). I turn to music that makes me happy. I listen to angry music when I am angry, sad music when I am sad, and happy music when I am happy, or need my spirits lifted. I have been making “happy” playlists since middle school for my own personal enjoyment. Playlists that had only uplifting songs on it. It is hard to believe that one song could actually boost your mood but it can. And a collection of them, you will so happy, you will want to frolic through fields of daisies alongside wild deer and antelope.
The best “happy” songs are simple, fast-paced, and usually have positive lyrics, reminding you of what is important in life and what is not so important. I have made a list of what I consider The 50 Happiest Songs. These songs remind me of what life is all about; not those deadlines and working overtime, but family, friends, ice cream sundaes, Disney movies, and eating a whole Kit-Kat bar without having to share.
This list is truly all Puppies and Rainbows.
1. “Shark In The Water” V V Brown
2. “Brighter than the Sun” Colbie Caillat
More uppity than her breakout single, “Bubbly.” As much as I want to hate Colbie, she does make me feel warm and fuzzy—can’t hate her for that.
3. “Beautiful Disaster” 311
This song is just so perfect. It has got the best blend of reggae and pop and relaxed pop. Best part of the song: “A butterfly in the wind without a care.” I need to get back to that mindset sometimes—we all do.
4. “Dancing Days” Led Zeppelin
Best line: “I got my flower/I got my power . . .” This one of Zeppelin’s more hippie-adjacent songs, similar vibe to “D’Yer Mak’er.” I remember I heard this song waiting for a date that I was not looking forward to and I heard the lyrics “I said it’s alright, you know it’s alright,” and I knew everything was going to be fine (because Robert Plant said so).
5. “A Praise Chorus” Jimmy Eat World
6. “History of a Boring Town” Less Than Jake
“Let’s take another drink and here’s to the past.”
7. “Just A Phase” Incubus
I never listen to Incubus’ Morning View except in the summer. Once it is warm out, that is the sign that it is Incubus season. This is one of the best songs on the album.
8. “Luck Be A Lady” Frank Sinatra
9. “Good Life” One Republic
They use this song in Disney World commercials for Christ’s sake! You cannot get much happier than that. N one can hate this song, I don’t care how Goth and heavy metal you are—this song is a delight (said with Ron Burgundy accent).
10. “1000 Yard Stare” DoubleDrive
No one I have ever mentioned DoubleDrive to, ever know who they are. They are under-rated and should definitely be given a chance. I hear them and I think of playing 3D Pacman in my parent’s house, waiting for dinner to be ready.
11. “When Love Takes Over” David Guetta featuring Kelly Roland
12. “When The World Ends” Dave Matthews Band
Basically this song is ensuring that when the world ends, we will be in bed, making love. Sounds good, Dave—just give me a call!
13. “Fortunate Son” Creedence Clearwater Revival
14. “One More Minute” Authority Zero
15. “Son Of Man” Phil Collins
Ok sure, this is from Disney’s Tarzan, but it doesn’t make it any less of a great song.
16. “Quarter to Three” Gary U.S. Bonds
17. “Stand Here With Me” Creed
Creed gets a lot of slack, or rather, Scott Stapp gets a lot of slack. This is a great song, never released as a single. It has strong and inspirational lyrics. Christian rock, yes, but this message could be understood by anyone who has had someone standing by them through rough times.
18. “Don’t Matter” Akon
19. “Move Along” The All-American Rejects
20. “Lovers Who Wander” Dion & The Belmonts
One of the best aspects of 50s and 60s rock and roll is the opening with minimal instrumentals and a few lyrics (often spoken), building up to the “real” opening to the song. This is one of those songs. Also found in “Do You Love Me” by the Contours.
21. “I Love Music” Andrew W.K.
22. “Like A Stone” Audioslave
23. “Nobody’s Fool” Avril Lavigne
24. “Mrs. Robinson” Simon and Garfunkel
25. “Whatever Happened” The Strokes
26. “Dirty Water” The Standells
Boston is my second home, close to where I grew up, so I have an important place in my heart for this song. “Oh, Boston you’re my home.”
27. “Sweet Disposition” The Temper Trap
28. “Midnight City” M83
29. “Love is Noise” The Verve
30. “Dare You To Move” Switchfoot
31. “Hey, Soul Sister” Train
I wanted to hate this song SO BAD when it came out. So badly did I want to make fun of them for saying “soul sister” in their chorus and for creating such a simple beat with sugary-sweet lyrics. But I cannot hate this song because it is brilliant. Damn you, Train, damn you.
32. “Where The Streets Have No Name” U2
33. “Love Train” Wolfmother
All aboard!
34. “Honestly” Zwan
35. “Hey, Man” Nelly Furtado
36. “That Was A Crazy Game of Poker” O.A.R.
Best Part of the song: “So I said Johnny whatcha doing tonight?/He looked at me with a face full of fright/And I said, how bout a revolution?/And he said right./I say of, you say a/I say revolution, and you say jah/I say of, you say a/I say revolution, and you say jah jah jah!” I feel like I should be dancing on a pier somewhere with this song drinking beer.
37. “Father and Daughter” Paul Simon
Freshman year of college, my parents sent me a care package and inside, my dad had included The Wild Thornberrys soundtrack which had this song on it. My dad, a huge Paul Simon fan, had heard this song and found what album it was on and felt it was important for me to have it lose by at all times. He references it every once in a while, when necessary. Any daughters out there will get this.
38. “Another Saturday Night” Sam Cooke
39. “One Day” Matisyahu
40. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” The Rolling Stones
This song makes the “happy” list for many reasons. First off, lyrics include “but its alright now,” and I like being reassured by Mick Jagger that everything is alright. Second, this song is the closing song to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which is an excellent movie and book. And playing that song after the line, “Just another freak, in the freak kingdom,” one of the best film lines in history, gives me Goosebumps every time.
41. “All The Above” Maino featuring T-Pain
The only hip-hop song that made the “happy” list but rightfully so. This song is all about making it to the top, coming from nothing. “Tell me what do you see/ when you lookin’ at me/only mission to be/what I’m destined to be.” Best line, however, is: “When I think that I can’t, I envision Obama.”
42. “Summertime Blues” Eddie Cochran
43. “Say Hey (I Love You)" Michael Franti & Spearhead
44. “Love Today” MIKA
Kind of speaks for itself.
45. “Walk Away” Kelly Clarkson
Any girl who says she has never blasted this song in her car or belted out the lyrics into a hairbrush microphone like the music video is a FILTHY LIAR.
46. “Leaving Town” Dexter Freebish
47. “Everything Is Alright” Motion City Soundtrack
Someone downloaded this song for me in college and actually said, “I know this is your type of song.” The dancing and frolicking to the song that ensued afterwards was purely a coincidence.
48. “Feeling Good” Michael Buble
49. “We Break the Dawn” Michelle Williams
50. “Good” Better Than Ezra
Was in the preview for The Baby-sitter’s Club film in 1995. ‘Nough said.
When life hands me shit, I make lemonade (perhaps not the best explanation of my point). I turn to music that makes me happy. I listen to angry music when I am angry, sad music when I am sad, and happy music when I am happy, or need my spirits lifted. I have been making “happy” playlists since middle school for my own personal enjoyment. Playlists that had only uplifting songs on it. It is hard to believe that one song could actually boost your mood but it can. And a collection of them, you will so happy, you will want to frolic through fields of daisies alongside wild deer and antelope.
The best “happy” songs are simple, fast-paced, and usually have positive lyrics, reminding you of what is important in life and what is not so important. I have made a list of what I consider The 50 Happiest Songs. These songs remind me of what life is all about; not those deadlines and working overtime, but family, friends, ice cream sundaes, Disney movies, and eating a whole Kit-Kat bar without having to share.
This list is truly all Puppies and Rainbows.
1. “Shark In The Water” V V Brown
2. “Brighter than the Sun” Colbie Caillat
More uppity than her breakout single, “Bubbly.” As much as I want to hate Colbie, she does make me feel warm and fuzzy—can’t hate her for that.
3. “Beautiful Disaster” 311
This song is just so perfect. It has got the best blend of reggae and pop and relaxed pop. Best part of the song: “A butterfly in the wind without a care.” I need to get back to that mindset sometimes—we all do.
4. “Dancing Days” Led Zeppelin
Best line: “I got my flower/I got my power . . .” This one of Zeppelin’s more hippie-adjacent songs, similar vibe to “D’Yer Mak’er.” I remember I heard this song waiting for a date that I was not looking forward to and I heard the lyrics “I said it’s alright, you know it’s alright,” and I knew everything was going to be fine (because Robert Plant said so).
5. “A Praise Chorus” Jimmy Eat World
6. “History of a Boring Town” Less Than Jake
“Let’s take another drink and here’s to the past.”
7. “Just A Phase” Incubus
I never listen to Incubus’ Morning View except in the summer. Once it is warm out, that is the sign that it is Incubus season. This is one of the best songs on the album.
8. “Luck Be A Lady” Frank Sinatra
9. “Good Life” One Republic
They use this song in Disney World commercials for Christ’s sake! You cannot get much happier than that. N one can hate this song, I don’t care how Goth and heavy metal you are—this song is a delight (said with Ron Burgundy accent).
10. “1000 Yard Stare” DoubleDrive
No one I have ever mentioned DoubleDrive to, ever know who they are. They are under-rated and should definitely be given a chance. I hear them and I think of playing 3D Pacman in my parent’s house, waiting for dinner to be ready.
11. “When Love Takes Over” David Guetta featuring Kelly Roland
12. “When The World Ends” Dave Matthews Band
Basically this song is ensuring that when the world ends, we will be in bed, making love. Sounds good, Dave—just give me a call!
13. “Fortunate Son” Creedence Clearwater Revival
14. “One More Minute” Authority Zero
15. “Son Of Man” Phil Collins
Ok sure, this is from Disney’s Tarzan, but it doesn’t make it any less of a great song.
16. “Quarter to Three” Gary U.S. Bonds
17. “Stand Here With Me” Creed
Creed gets a lot of slack, or rather, Scott Stapp gets a lot of slack. This is a great song, never released as a single. It has strong and inspirational lyrics. Christian rock, yes, but this message could be understood by anyone who has had someone standing by them through rough times.
18. “Don’t Matter” Akon
19. “Move Along” The All-American Rejects
20. “Lovers Who Wander” Dion & The Belmonts
One of the best aspects of 50s and 60s rock and roll is the opening with minimal instrumentals and a few lyrics (often spoken), building up to the “real” opening to the song. This is one of those songs. Also found in “Do You Love Me” by the Contours.
21. “I Love Music” Andrew W.K.
22. “Like A Stone” Audioslave
23. “Nobody’s Fool” Avril Lavigne
24. “Mrs. Robinson” Simon and Garfunkel
25. “Whatever Happened” The Strokes
26. “Dirty Water” The Standells
Boston is my second home, close to where I grew up, so I have an important place in my heart for this song. “Oh, Boston you’re my home.”
27. “Sweet Disposition” The Temper Trap
28. “Midnight City” M83
29. “Love is Noise” The Verve
30. “Dare You To Move” Switchfoot
31. “Hey, Soul Sister” Train
I wanted to hate this song SO BAD when it came out. So badly did I want to make fun of them for saying “soul sister” in their chorus and for creating such a simple beat with sugary-sweet lyrics. But I cannot hate this song because it is brilliant. Damn you, Train, damn you.
32. “Where The Streets Have No Name” U2
33. “Love Train” Wolfmother
All aboard!
34. “Honestly” Zwan
35. “Hey, Man” Nelly Furtado
36. “That Was A Crazy Game of Poker” O.A.R.
Best Part of the song: “So I said Johnny whatcha doing tonight?/He looked at me with a face full of fright/And I said, how bout a revolution?/And he said right./I say of, you say a/I say revolution, and you say jah/I say of, you say a/I say revolution, and you say jah jah jah!” I feel like I should be dancing on a pier somewhere with this song drinking beer.
37. “Father and Daughter” Paul Simon
Freshman year of college, my parents sent me a care package and inside, my dad had included The Wild Thornberrys soundtrack which had this song on it. My dad, a huge Paul Simon fan, had heard this song and found what album it was on and felt it was important for me to have it lose by at all times. He references it every once in a while, when necessary. Any daughters out there will get this.
38. “Another Saturday Night” Sam Cooke
39. “One Day” Matisyahu
40. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” The Rolling Stones
This song makes the “happy” list for many reasons. First off, lyrics include “but its alright now,” and I like being reassured by Mick Jagger that everything is alright. Second, this song is the closing song to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which is an excellent movie and book. And playing that song after the line, “Just another freak, in the freak kingdom,” one of the best film lines in history, gives me Goosebumps every time.
41. “All The Above” Maino featuring T-Pain
The only hip-hop song that made the “happy” list but rightfully so. This song is all about making it to the top, coming from nothing. “Tell me what do you see/ when you lookin’ at me/only mission to be/what I’m destined to be.” Best line, however, is: “When I think that I can’t, I envision Obama.”
42. “Summertime Blues” Eddie Cochran
43. “Say Hey (I Love You)" Michael Franti & Spearhead
44. “Love Today” MIKA
Kind of speaks for itself.
45. “Walk Away” Kelly Clarkson
Any girl who says she has never blasted this song in her car or belted out the lyrics into a hairbrush microphone like the music video is a FILTHY LIAR.
46. “Leaving Town” Dexter Freebish
47. “Everything Is Alright” Motion City Soundtrack
Someone downloaded this song for me in college and actually said, “I know this is your type of song.” The dancing and frolicking to the song that ensued afterwards was purely a coincidence.
48. “Feeling Good” Michael Buble
49. “We Break the Dawn” Michelle Williams
50. “Good” Better Than Ezra
Was in the preview for The Baby-sitter’s Club film in 1995. ‘Nough said.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The Top 10 Songs to Freak Your Friends Out
Heavy Metal, Grindcore, Industrial Metal, Goth Metal, and even classic Rock and Roll have always wanted to fight conformity. Even going back to The Who’s “My Generation” in 1965, bands have wanted to shock, disrupt and under all that, educate in the importance of freedom of speech.
And of course, we have a lot of artists who have perhaps taken that freedom to an unhealthy level. Well, here we are going to embrace that. Here I have put together the top ten songs (in no particular order) that truly shock, disturb and freak out the listener. However, they all have another quality they share—these songs FUCKING ROCK!!
1. “Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm of The War Drums” by A Perfect Circle
A choice favorite, this song is a twisted continuation of “Pet” from A Perfect Circle’s album, Thirteenth Step. I love this song for multiple reasons. I love the combination of what sounds like soldiers marching, combined with screams and heavy breathing from Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer. It goes on to include political speeches, pornography sound clips, and what sounds like Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. All this in the background with the lyrics “go back to sleep” repeating incessantly in the forefront. It is haunting and ultimately, ridiculously awesome.
2. “Entombment of a Machine” by Job For A Cowboy
I believe this song qualifies as Grindcore Metal. I think this because it was given to me on a mix entitled “Grindcore” with a smiley face after it, given to me by some tattooed, straight edge guy, in a band (cliché much?). The blood-curdling scream in the very beginning of the song prepares you for what is to come. For those who know absolutely nothing about metal, I truly believe this is what they think all metal sounds like . . .. Fine by me.
3. “Die Eier Von Satan” by Tool
This song I love because it is fooling you into thinking it is frightening, Nazi propaganda when it is actually nothing of the kind. The lyrics are spoken by Maynard and spoken in German in a very stern tone. The track in the background of the song is not music so much as machine sounds grinding out what we can only assume are some type of sick weapon they would use in the Saw films. However, the words, when translated, are actually a recipe. The title (when translated means “Balls of Satan”) is totally a joke on you. I actually played this song in a presentation once, to prove a point about freedom of expression in art and music (I am not sure my classmates got the point).
4. “Bind Torture and Kill” by Suicide Commando
Scary, but an excellent running song if you work out a lot. Really keeps you going. Anyway, I digress—so this song documents an actual serial killer, Dennis Rader who was also known as the BTK Killer because he would “bind, torture and kill” his victims. The woman speaking in the song is a recording from actual news reports about Rader. The song is disturbing no doubt, however, the beat is really good. About 2.5 minutes into the song, it really picks up and gets into the core of the song and gets a little more fast paced. All killing and torturing aside, I enjoy this song very much.
5. “I’m With Stupid” by Static-X
“So I grabbed my shovel . . .and I beat him in the skull and took him down . . .and then I grabbed a rope and I hogtied him.” That is pretty much all I need to say. Luckily, these sound clips come from a film and are not real, though the band has said otherwise. A little frightening just the same. And of course with Wayne Static singing and screaming, “He’s a loser, she said,” there is nothing else you can do but be a little concerned he is not referring to you.
6. “(Let’s Get) Physical” by Revolting Cocks
The bands name is disturbing enough, but this is a great industrial metal song. Starting with the lyrics, “no pain, baby—no gain” the song clearly is not the slightly subtler version by Olivia Newton-John. Fairly innocent lyrics compared to the raunchy lyrics of the typical horny pop star, but really, the beat and singer’s voice and tone are what makes this song a little creepier than what people are used to. The lyrics, “A fly on the wall would be disgusted by us/welcome to my mattress/my yellow-stained fortress,” followed by a haunting laugh may cause a listener to remain a virgin—permanently.
7. “Down with the Sickness” by Disturbed
A classic. Anyone who loves metal and doesn’t appreciate this song is crazy (in a bad way). There are 3 precise elements in this song that make it devilishly delightful:
1) David Draiman’s noteworthy shouts—almost like a Tarzan screech with a little more edge
2) The opening with the heavy beat and then the guitar comes in—you get chills
3) And of course, Draiman’s one-sided fight with his mother. “Don’t, don’t, your hurting me/Why do you have to be a bitch?”
8. “Burn the Obedient” by Korn featuring Noisia
Well, the first words in the song are “Are you scared?” Well, of course I am scared—I am listening to Korn! This song is great and an awesome beat. The most disturbing part of the song is the short spurts of rap that are so muffled, you can barely understand what is being said . . . “None of you people mean shit to me/Sadistic little fucking fantasy/smashed on the ground in your own debris/While choking on your blood from the sodomy/None of you people mean shit to me/Sadistic little fucking fantasy/Burn the obedient, set yourself free.” Ok, maybe a little too Last House on the Left, but the message is a good one. Don’t try to conform and do what you think others want you to do—be yourself. Perhaps Dr. Seuss may have said it better.
9. ‘War” by Wumpscut
I was introduced to Wumpscut my senior year of college by an IT technician. He opened my eyes to some artists that were one notch scarier than I was used to (and I loved that). The song, “War” is really a lot of screaming the word “war” with some screaming in the background and some foreign languages. Sound good? There is also heavy breathing, if you listen closely, with the main beats of the song, which add a haunting element. Got to love the heaviness, though.
10. “Dr. Online” by Zeromancer
This song, I consider, one of the more “pop” songs on this list. Not to say this song is not Goth Metal at its finest, however the beat and singing are not really intimidating or frightening. What it really is that freaks you out are the lyrics. The song is all about suicide. Towards the end of the song, there is, what sounds like, a pre-recorded message on a phone (if you were to call 1-800-SUICIDE). It lists off options of how you may wish to kill yourself; “for termination by overdose, press 2. If you would like to make a reservation and visit our drowning pool, press 3 . . .” A rather peppy song for such a morbid topic. Don’t let your mom catch you listening to this song—she might check you into the hospital.
Perhaps not the most “puppies and rainbows” of my blog entries but there is still quality music listed here that you all should check out . . .IF YOU DARE!
Maniacal laugh . . .maniacal laugh . . .maniacal laugh . . .
Photo from truecultheavymetal.com
And of course, we have a lot of artists who have perhaps taken that freedom to an unhealthy level. Well, here we are going to embrace that. Here I have put together the top ten songs (in no particular order) that truly shock, disturb and freak out the listener. However, they all have another quality they share—these songs FUCKING ROCK!!
1. “Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm of The War Drums” by A Perfect Circle
A choice favorite, this song is a twisted continuation of “Pet” from A Perfect Circle’s album, Thirteenth Step. I love this song for multiple reasons. I love the combination of what sounds like soldiers marching, combined with screams and heavy breathing from Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer. It goes on to include political speeches, pornography sound clips, and what sounds like Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. All this in the background with the lyrics “go back to sleep” repeating incessantly in the forefront. It is haunting and ultimately, ridiculously awesome.
2. “Entombment of a Machine” by Job For A Cowboy
I believe this song qualifies as Grindcore Metal. I think this because it was given to me on a mix entitled “Grindcore” with a smiley face after it, given to me by some tattooed, straight edge guy, in a band (cliché much?). The blood-curdling scream in the very beginning of the song prepares you for what is to come. For those who know absolutely nothing about metal, I truly believe this is what they think all metal sounds like . . .. Fine by me.
3. “Die Eier Von Satan” by Tool
This song I love because it is fooling you into thinking it is frightening, Nazi propaganda when it is actually nothing of the kind. The lyrics are spoken by Maynard and spoken in German in a very stern tone. The track in the background of the song is not music so much as machine sounds grinding out what we can only assume are some type of sick weapon they would use in the Saw films. However, the words, when translated, are actually a recipe. The title (when translated means “Balls of Satan”) is totally a joke on you. I actually played this song in a presentation once, to prove a point about freedom of expression in art and music (I am not sure my classmates got the point).
4. “Bind Torture and Kill” by Suicide Commando
Scary, but an excellent running song if you work out a lot. Really keeps you going. Anyway, I digress—so this song documents an actual serial killer, Dennis Rader who was also known as the BTK Killer because he would “bind, torture and kill” his victims. The woman speaking in the song is a recording from actual news reports about Rader. The song is disturbing no doubt, however, the beat is really good. About 2.5 minutes into the song, it really picks up and gets into the core of the song and gets a little more fast paced. All killing and torturing aside, I enjoy this song very much.
5. “I’m With Stupid” by Static-X
“So I grabbed my shovel . . .and I beat him in the skull and took him down . . .and then I grabbed a rope and I hogtied him.” That is pretty much all I need to say. Luckily, these sound clips come from a film and are not real, though the band has said otherwise. A little frightening just the same. And of course with Wayne Static singing and screaming, “He’s a loser, she said,” there is nothing else you can do but be a little concerned he is not referring to you.
6. “(Let’s Get) Physical” by Revolting Cocks
The bands name is disturbing enough, but this is a great industrial metal song. Starting with the lyrics, “no pain, baby—no gain” the song clearly is not the slightly subtler version by Olivia Newton-John. Fairly innocent lyrics compared to the raunchy lyrics of the typical horny pop star, but really, the beat and singer’s voice and tone are what makes this song a little creepier than what people are used to. The lyrics, “A fly on the wall would be disgusted by us/welcome to my mattress/my yellow-stained fortress,” followed by a haunting laugh may cause a listener to remain a virgin—permanently.
7. “Down with the Sickness” by Disturbed
A classic. Anyone who loves metal and doesn’t appreciate this song is crazy (in a bad way). There are 3 precise elements in this song that make it devilishly delightful:
1) David Draiman’s noteworthy shouts—almost like a Tarzan screech with a little more edge
2) The opening with the heavy beat and then the guitar comes in—you get chills
3) And of course, Draiman’s one-sided fight with his mother. “Don’t, don’t, your hurting me/Why do you have to be a bitch?”
8. “Burn the Obedient” by Korn featuring Noisia
Well, the first words in the song are “Are you scared?” Well, of course I am scared—I am listening to Korn! This song is great and an awesome beat. The most disturbing part of the song is the short spurts of rap that are so muffled, you can barely understand what is being said . . . “None of you people mean shit to me/Sadistic little fucking fantasy/smashed on the ground in your own debris/While choking on your blood from the sodomy/None of you people mean shit to me/Sadistic little fucking fantasy/Burn the obedient, set yourself free.” Ok, maybe a little too Last House on the Left, but the message is a good one. Don’t try to conform and do what you think others want you to do—be yourself. Perhaps Dr. Seuss may have said it better.
9. ‘War” by Wumpscut
I was introduced to Wumpscut my senior year of college by an IT technician. He opened my eyes to some artists that were one notch scarier than I was used to (and I loved that). The song, “War” is really a lot of screaming the word “war” with some screaming in the background and some foreign languages. Sound good? There is also heavy breathing, if you listen closely, with the main beats of the song, which add a haunting element. Got to love the heaviness, though.
10. “Dr. Online” by Zeromancer
This song, I consider, one of the more “pop” songs on this list. Not to say this song is not Goth Metal at its finest, however the beat and singing are not really intimidating or frightening. What it really is that freaks you out are the lyrics. The song is all about suicide. Towards the end of the song, there is, what sounds like, a pre-recorded message on a phone (if you were to call 1-800-SUICIDE). It lists off options of how you may wish to kill yourself; “for termination by overdose, press 2. If you would like to make a reservation and visit our drowning pool, press 3 . . .” A rather peppy song for such a morbid topic. Don’t let your mom catch you listening to this song—she might check you into the hospital.
Perhaps not the most “puppies and rainbows” of my blog entries but there is still quality music listed here that you all should check out . . .IF YOU DARE!
Maniacal laugh . . .maniacal laugh . . .maniacal laugh . . .
Photo from truecultheavymetal.com
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Barbie Reloaded
“I get it cracking like a bad back/Bitch talkin’ she the queen, when she looking like a lab rat/I'm Angelina, you Jennifer/Come on bitch, you see where Brad at.”
Oh Nicki, bitch, you crazy! Pink Friday--Roman Reloaded is Nicki Minaj’s sequel to her first mainstream album, Pink Friday. I had high expectations for this second album, like other Minaj fans, due to how much I loved Pink Friday. Could she do it again? Could she totally rock another album?
I am not prepared to say that Roman Reloaded is as good as Pink Friday. However, it is worthy of great second album status. The difference in the two albums is that on the first album, no two songs were alike. Each song had a totally different message, beat, tone, and overall feel. That is what made her become such a threat to all the music charts—she could do it all and do it all well—SEPERATLY! It was kind of overwhelming hearing such different sounds in each track.
In Roman Reloaded, she definitely has some low riding harsh rap songs and then some pop songs but the pop songs tend to meld together and the rap songs do too. There is not that individuality in each song like on Pink Friday. The dance beats sound similar to one another and the rap is harder to distinguish from song to song.
This album is much more “dance.” I won’t say it is more pop because there was a lot of pop on her first album (“Super Bass,” “Right Thru Me,” etc.). After all, that is part of Nicki’s charm is that she is a pop artist gone crazy (take some medication, Roman!). There are a lot of tracks that could be played in clubs and Top 40 bars. Songs such as “Pound the Alarm” and “Automatic” are typical Trey Songz-ish beats, fun for dancing.
Nicki also includes what she is know for—some real heavy rap tracks. “Come on a Cone,” “I Am Your Leader,” “Beez In The Trap,” and “HOV Lane.” Not to mention, the artists featured on this album are less pop and more rap. On the first album, Rihanna and Natasha Bedingfield were featured—this album, Rick Ross, Lil’ Wayne and Nas are only some rapping on her tracks. I think this creates a good balance to some of her more emotionally-bubble-pop tracks.
One featured artist I was pleasantly surprised to see was Beenie Man on “Gun Shot.” I feel like the last time I heard Beenie Man was freshman year of college in my first and last hip hop dance class. “Gun Shot” sounds way harder than it actually is. It is one of the softer, sweeter tracks—comparable to “Fly,” featuring Rihanna from her first album.
Another softer track is “Marilyn Monroe.” This song has gotten a lot of crap from critics who are claiming this is the cheesiest of all messages, singing a song about what it is like to be in the public eye but yet feel so alone, just like Marilyn Monroe. And I get that complaint, I mean, Nicki, you are wearing Christian Louboutin’s in your album jacket photos; I cant feel bad for you. However, this song is really sweet and catchy. Cheesy? Yes but most pop is just that.
Some other tracks that are on this album are a few of her singles. “Roman Holiday” is on the album, which was the song she performed at the Grammys (the great thing about hearing the song on the album is you do not have to see the performance). Also, “Starships” which is in the top ten right now on the iTunes singles list, as well as “Turn Me On,” which is actually a David Guetta song but features Nicki. (Not one of his best but still a fun dance song).
So, after listening to the whole album and even reverting back to some Pink Friday tracks, I still love me some Nicki Minaj!
Tracks to Listen to: “Automatic,” “Marilyn Monroe,” “HOV Lane,” “I Am Your Leader”
Oh Nicki, bitch, you crazy! Pink Friday--Roman Reloaded is Nicki Minaj’s sequel to her first mainstream album, Pink Friday. I had high expectations for this second album, like other Minaj fans, due to how much I loved Pink Friday. Could she do it again? Could she totally rock another album?
I am not prepared to say that Roman Reloaded is as good as Pink Friday. However, it is worthy of great second album status. The difference in the two albums is that on the first album, no two songs were alike. Each song had a totally different message, beat, tone, and overall feel. That is what made her become such a threat to all the music charts—she could do it all and do it all well—SEPERATLY! It was kind of overwhelming hearing such different sounds in each track.
In Roman Reloaded, she definitely has some low riding harsh rap songs and then some pop songs but the pop songs tend to meld together and the rap songs do too. There is not that individuality in each song like on Pink Friday. The dance beats sound similar to one another and the rap is harder to distinguish from song to song.
This album is much more “dance.” I won’t say it is more pop because there was a lot of pop on her first album (“Super Bass,” “Right Thru Me,” etc.). After all, that is part of Nicki’s charm is that she is a pop artist gone crazy (take some medication, Roman!). There are a lot of tracks that could be played in clubs and Top 40 bars. Songs such as “Pound the Alarm” and “Automatic” are typical Trey Songz-ish beats, fun for dancing.
Nicki also includes what she is know for—some real heavy rap tracks. “Come on a Cone,” “I Am Your Leader,” “Beez In The Trap,” and “HOV Lane.” Not to mention, the artists featured on this album are less pop and more rap. On the first album, Rihanna and Natasha Bedingfield were featured—this album, Rick Ross, Lil’ Wayne and Nas are only some rapping on her tracks. I think this creates a good balance to some of her more emotionally-bubble-pop tracks.
One featured artist I was pleasantly surprised to see was Beenie Man on “Gun Shot.” I feel like the last time I heard Beenie Man was freshman year of college in my first and last hip hop dance class. “Gun Shot” sounds way harder than it actually is. It is one of the softer, sweeter tracks—comparable to “Fly,” featuring Rihanna from her first album.
Another softer track is “Marilyn Monroe.” This song has gotten a lot of crap from critics who are claiming this is the cheesiest of all messages, singing a song about what it is like to be in the public eye but yet feel so alone, just like Marilyn Monroe. And I get that complaint, I mean, Nicki, you are wearing Christian Louboutin’s in your album jacket photos; I cant feel bad for you. However, this song is really sweet and catchy. Cheesy? Yes but most pop is just that.
Some other tracks that are on this album are a few of her singles. “Roman Holiday” is on the album, which was the song she performed at the Grammys (the great thing about hearing the song on the album is you do not have to see the performance). Also, “Starships” which is in the top ten right now on the iTunes singles list, as well as “Turn Me On,” which is actually a David Guetta song but features Nicki. (Not one of his best but still a fun dance song).
So, after listening to the whole album and even reverting back to some Pink Friday tracks, I still love me some Nicki Minaj!
Tracks to Listen to: “Automatic,” “Marilyn Monroe,” “HOV Lane,” “I Am Your Leader”
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
New York City Gets Wet
Last night was an epic comingling of everything true and honest in rock and roll; a display of approachable rock God bliss. Last night was Andrew W.K!!!
I got to Webster Hall about an hour after the doors opened. I had no interest in the opening act whatsoever so as I came in half way through the opening acts set, I walked straight to the bar and then observed the large candy selection outside the bathrooms. Finally the band left and it was just a matter of time before Andrew W.K. would take the stage!
When Andrew did come out, what really made his performance was that it was in New York City. He got his start here and said that Andrew W.K would not be what it is today “if [he] hadn’t moved to New York City.” He played all the great songs from I Get Wet, “Ready to Die,” “Party Hard,” “I Get Wet,” “Take it Off,” and “Don’t Stop Living in the Red.” Then he introduced a song that he said “means something probably to all of you,” addressing the audience. “I Love N.Y.C.” The crowd went crazy.
I have never seen more crowd surfing than I did last night. Girls, guys, thin and fat, short and tall, were jumping from the stage—literally canon-balling-it into the crowd. One draw back was having so many people on stage with the band; it became hard to see who the members were. Andrew would disappear to the back of the stage and play the piano and suddenly, it was like watching football when I can’t keep track of where the ball is. Where did he go? It also didn’t help that there were numerous guys who looked exactly like A.W.K. One in particular had the same white shirt, white jeans, long hair, and facial hair as A.W.K. He even had the head banging and fist pumping down to a science.
“She is Beautiful” was dedicated to a girl named Stacey who was probably 4 feet tall sporting a white shirt that had red paint all over the front (for those who do not know, Andrew W.K. is known for the cover of his first album where there is blood all over his nose and mouth, dripping down his chin). She danced around on stage with the huge crowd of mohawked guys as the band performed.
The band was just as energetic and entertaining as Andrew. He had three guitarists up with him and a female vocalist. Four out of five of them had long hair that they rocked out the whole time. One of the guys was even sporting one the shirts the place was selling on the side for the band. I was oddly touched by that—it was as if he loved his band so much, he wanted to support them as much as he could. Andrew took a turn on the guitar and played the piano on and off. It was truly a sight to see—this massive jacked guy drooping over a piano, his hair covering his entire face.
The band left the stage and no one in the audience left the venue. Not a soul. Suddenly, I joined a chorus of guys in a song to try to get the band back on stage . . . “Wanna make sex wanna make sex whoa. Wanna make sex. Make sex . . .”
He came back on and performed songs from the second album, The Wolf. It was a treat as I did not expect to hear anything from that album (this concert emphasized the performance of the first album). He performed “Long Live the Party,” “Never Let Down,” and “Totally Stupid.” He thanked the audience and left the stage. Of course, no one moved again. People shouted out song titles that he had yet to performed. He came back and played a new song (which is great because that means another album is in the works), called “Head Bang.” The audience was instructed to head bang during the bridge, mid-way through the song. And of course, with my hair longer than it has ever been, I had no problem rocking it out.
Andrew W.K. performs with the audience, not for them. He holds a party and invites people to attend. He loves his fans and wants them to truly enjoy their experience. And if that means rubbing his long hair as he sings or vomiting on his pants (he seemed to think that was awesome), it is all in good fun. People live Andrew W.K. because he is kind of the Bruce Springsteen of harder rock and metal. He is the rocker for the common man. He is a head banger of the people.
After all, if it is time to party, we might as well PARTY HARD!
I got to Webster Hall about an hour after the doors opened. I had no interest in the opening act whatsoever so as I came in half way through the opening acts set, I walked straight to the bar and then observed the large candy selection outside the bathrooms. Finally the band left and it was just a matter of time before Andrew W.K. would take the stage!
When Andrew did come out, what really made his performance was that it was in New York City. He got his start here and said that Andrew W.K would not be what it is today “if [he] hadn’t moved to New York City.” He played all the great songs from I Get Wet, “Ready to Die,” “Party Hard,” “I Get Wet,” “Take it Off,” and “Don’t Stop Living in the Red.” Then he introduced a song that he said “means something probably to all of you,” addressing the audience. “I Love N.Y.C.” The crowd went crazy.
I have never seen more crowd surfing than I did last night. Girls, guys, thin and fat, short and tall, were jumping from the stage—literally canon-balling-it into the crowd. One draw back was having so many people on stage with the band; it became hard to see who the members were. Andrew would disappear to the back of the stage and play the piano and suddenly, it was like watching football when I can’t keep track of where the ball is. Where did he go? It also didn’t help that there were numerous guys who looked exactly like A.W.K. One in particular had the same white shirt, white jeans, long hair, and facial hair as A.W.K. He even had the head banging and fist pumping down to a science.
“She is Beautiful” was dedicated to a girl named Stacey who was probably 4 feet tall sporting a white shirt that had red paint all over the front (for those who do not know, Andrew W.K. is known for the cover of his first album where there is blood all over his nose and mouth, dripping down his chin). She danced around on stage with the huge crowd of mohawked guys as the band performed.
The band was just as energetic and entertaining as Andrew. He had three guitarists up with him and a female vocalist. Four out of five of them had long hair that they rocked out the whole time. One of the guys was even sporting one the shirts the place was selling on the side for the band. I was oddly touched by that—it was as if he loved his band so much, he wanted to support them as much as he could. Andrew took a turn on the guitar and played the piano on and off. It was truly a sight to see—this massive jacked guy drooping over a piano, his hair covering his entire face.
The band left the stage and no one in the audience left the venue. Not a soul. Suddenly, I joined a chorus of guys in a song to try to get the band back on stage . . . “Wanna make sex wanna make sex whoa. Wanna make sex. Make sex . . .”
He came back on and performed songs from the second album, The Wolf. It was a treat as I did not expect to hear anything from that album (this concert emphasized the performance of the first album). He performed “Long Live the Party,” “Never Let Down,” and “Totally Stupid.” He thanked the audience and left the stage. Of course, no one moved again. People shouted out song titles that he had yet to performed. He came back and played a new song (which is great because that means another album is in the works), called “Head Bang.” The audience was instructed to head bang during the bridge, mid-way through the song. And of course, with my hair longer than it has ever been, I had no problem rocking it out.
Andrew W.K. performs with the audience, not for them. He holds a party and invites people to attend. He loves his fans and wants them to truly enjoy their experience. And if that means rubbing his long hair as he sings or vomiting on his pants (he seemed to think that was awesome), it is all in good fun. People live Andrew W.K. because he is kind of the Bruce Springsteen of harder rock and metal. He is the rocker for the common man. He is a head banger of the people.
After all, if it is time to party, we might as well PARTY HARD!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Nero at Roseland Ballroom
Last night, Nero performed at Roseland Ballroom. I bought their debut album, Welcome Reality a few days after I bought the tickets. Honestly, not overwhelmed by the album. Why, you ask? Well, because as far as it goes with Nero, I was given the impression they were dubstep. After listening to Skrillex, Bassnectar, and Datsik, Nero left much to be desired. There just was not enough—the album was just not hard enough for me.
The day of the concert, I started to realize that since I had bought the album, all I had really done is discovered the one song I really loved and listened to that over and over again, not listening to anything else. So, when anyone asked me what I thought of them, really all I had to say was “I love their song, ‘Scorpions.’”
Nero in concert was probably twenty times better than Nero on an album. They had way more dubstep breakdowns and the beats just seemed more up-tempo. The crowd was as I expected—young kids—too young to be there. There was neon spandex and glow sticks everywhere. My eyes were hurting the whole time from the glare.
At one point a couple came up to me and asked, “do you have an ecstasy?”
“No, sorry,” I said, apologetically. I was shocked at how sincerely sorry I sounded. Then later on when a different couple came up to me and asked if I had any gum, I was concerned that “gum” was code for some other kind of drug.
“I have bubble gum,” I answered, emphasizing the word “bubble” to ensure we were talking about the same thing. They seemed content when I took the pieces of Trident from my purse and never came back complaining that this was not the “gum” they wanted.
There is something about the audience at these types of shows that I think scare the crap out of anyone who is not familiar with the dubstep or its following. The girl I went to the show looked at me perplexed as the crowd, including myself went crazy when the opening DJ played “Right On Time” by Skrillex. Oh well.
Nero consists of two DJs and one random woman that shows up every other song to provide vocals. This woman, who I assumed was just some electronically generated voice, actually exists and appears to be part of Nero and joined them numerous times on stage. She reminded me of a combination of Barbie and the Svedka vodka robot. The actual DJs, Daniel and Joe, stood behind their tables, wearing sunglasses the entire time. It was Men In Black gone dubstep!
Overall, the concert was great. It was a lot shorter than I expected, Nero going onstage a little after midnight and ending their set a little before 2 AM. Nero’s music was a lot edgier live than on their albums and of course, the energy of the crowd at a dubstep concert is something that cannot really be put into words but adds to the entire experience.
My only disappointment from the whole concert was Nero did not play the one song I had consumed myself with for the last few weeks. Each time a song began, I was hopeful that it might be “Scorpions,” but it never was. They played their hits, “Doomsday,” “Promises,” and ‘Guilt,” which clearly satisfied most of the audience.
I was pleased with the overall concert. For those who are not familiar with Nero, I would check out “Doomsday,” “Scorpions,” “Me and You,” and “Promises (Skrillex remix).” And who knows, you may become one of those crazies dancing by themselves with a glow-in-the-dark hula-hoop. The Cheshire Cat put it best . . . .
“We’re all mad here.”
Andrew W.K concert at Webster Hall tomorrow—stay tuned!
The day of the concert, I started to realize that since I had bought the album, all I had really done is discovered the one song I really loved and listened to that over and over again, not listening to anything else. So, when anyone asked me what I thought of them, really all I had to say was “I love their song, ‘Scorpions.’”
Nero in concert was probably twenty times better than Nero on an album. They had way more dubstep breakdowns and the beats just seemed more up-tempo. The crowd was as I expected—young kids—too young to be there. There was neon spandex and glow sticks everywhere. My eyes were hurting the whole time from the glare.
At one point a couple came up to me and asked, “do you have an ecstasy?”
“No, sorry,” I said, apologetically. I was shocked at how sincerely sorry I sounded. Then later on when a different couple came up to me and asked if I had any gum, I was concerned that “gum” was code for some other kind of drug.
“I have bubble gum,” I answered, emphasizing the word “bubble” to ensure we were talking about the same thing. They seemed content when I took the pieces of Trident from my purse and never came back complaining that this was not the “gum” they wanted.
There is something about the audience at these types of shows that I think scare the crap out of anyone who is not familiar with the dubstep or its following. The girl I went to the show looked at me perplexed as the crowd, including myself went crazy when the opening DJ played “Right On Time” by Skrillex. Oh well.
Nero consists of two DJs and one random woman that shows up every other song to provide vocals. This woman, who I assumed was just some electronically generated voice, actually exists and appears to be part of Nero and joined them numerous times on stage. She reminded me of a combination of Barbie and the Svedka vodka robot. The actual DJs, Daniel and Joe, stood behind their tables, wearing sunglasses the entire time. It was Men In Black gone dubstep!
Overall, the concert was great. It was a lot shorter than I expected, Nero going onstage a little after midnight and ending their set a little before 2 AM. Nero’s music was a lot edgier live than on their albums and of course, the energy of the crowd at a dubstep concert is something that cannot really be put into words but adds to the entire experience.
My only disappointment from the whole concert was Nero did not play the one song I had consumed myself with for the last few weeks. Each time a song began, I was hopeful that it might be “Scorpions,” but it never was. They played their hits, “Doomsday,” “Promises,” and ‘Guilt,” which clearly satisfied most of the audience.
I was pleased with the overall concert. For those who are not familiar with Nero, I would check out “Doomsday,” “Scorpions,” “Me and You,” and “Promises (Skrillex remix).” And who knows, you may become one of those crazies dancing by themselves with a glow-in-the-dark hula-hoop. The Cheshire Cat put it best . . . .
“We’re all mad here.”
Andrew W.K concert at Webster Hall tomorrow—stay tuned!
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