Sunday, December 23, 2012

Like A Lot

Macklemore/ Ryan Lewis - The Heist.

Really heartfelt, fun, clever, insightful, intelligent, encouraging, uplifting, challenging and talented. Great musicianship.

Will listen again

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Don't Panic

I really really like this album. I like this line from a review I read: "It's almost too easy to make a stripped-down, raw punk album; it's much harder to make a super-processed, laboratory-clean record that still works as well as Don't Panic does". I mean, I think he's got a point.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Album of the Year

Hello no one,

I'm gonna do my album of the year sometime soon. It's a tough award to do. It's hard to get into things especially the year they come out. It's tough cause when 2012 hit, I was still hanging on to 2011 stuff. In fact, Drake's Take Care album is the one I've listened to the most of this past year, and that was a 2011 album. So, I've put up a list for 2012 potential albums of the year, and I'll get to the pictures soon. If you think I'm missing something, let me know!

I'll do the write up for best 2012 Album near the end of the year, and I'm also planning on doing a little revision to the 2011 album of the year, just to sorta revisit and see how things went, and how those predictions and opinions held up for. I may go back to 2010 as well, but let's not get ahead of our selves

Monday, November 26, 2012

Relient K

Getting Into You
When I Go Down
From End to End

Jefferson Aeroplane
I like them way more than I should probably.

Monday, November 19, 2012

LOL

Um what? Looks like a fan poll to me.


Either that or some serious $$$

Damn

Fucking the Wolves are starting to bark viciously



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Man This Song is So Good

For real, even though Jonny Craig does/ did drugs, he's a great singer. He just kills it. Good thing he's off the heroin.

Sometimes I Wonder

Why is this song so bad. why is it allowed on the album, which is other wise, very very good.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Monday, September 3, 2012

This Song

This Song is where I think August Burns Red distinguishes themselves from most other metal bands. Songs like this. Great song.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Some Additions

So I made this post last year and I wanted to add some comments to it. First, about Fireworks.

So I love Gospel. A lot. It's a very emotionally honest record. I really liked it and I was trying to put my finger onto why. Here's what I wrote in my sketchpad:

What does naming it Gospel accomplish? What is it a Gospel for?
-growing up?mid-life crisis? being happy? figuring yourself out? childhood?
-There's a great deal of nostalgia in this CD. There's a lot about remembering the past
-There's also a good deal of friendship and camaraderie as a result
-historical account of his experience
-it's a story but it also implies it's a framework for morality
-its also a guide for how to live life

I have to say, I don't understand the hate that Gospel gets. Maybe it's different. I don't know. I never listened to a lot of their older stuff. But it's a very open and raw record, despite the clean (and fantastic) production and mastery. The tones of the guitars work really well, adding more depth to the emotions. I know it sounds good, but it's still raw.

Also, Pianos Become the Teeth is too sad of a CD for me to want to listen to. It's really really really good. Possibly one of the best albums ever. But I just can't listen to it. It's too sad.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Calling it Now

This album will be very good. From what I've heard of Bulls in the Bronx and King for a Day, Pierce the Veil is going to once again, kill it.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

CDs I've Been Digging Lately

August Burns Red - Leveler
I'm surprised by how much I like this. I thought it was only okay before. But it's grown on me. There's something I really like about his scream. The production is fantastic. The tones on the guitars and vocals are what makes this CD worth listening to. The song writing structure is pretty good too. Not your typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus. But those aspects only come out during a whole listen through. And repeated listens. I have no idea what this guy is singing about. But it sounds good.
blink 182 - Neighborhoods
Woe, is Me - Number[s]
Skrillex - Bangarang
He makes dubstep interesting. It's similar, but different enough to remain fun the whole time. And since it's only an EP, it doesn't overstay it's welcome. And damn it, it is fun. 
Sleeping With Sirens - With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear
Protest the Hero - Fortress

When I say I dig them, I like to put on the starts of each CD and let it play through. Leveler is kinda long too. 


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Motto

The remix is probably one if the best ideas and inventions ever. To pay homage to something so much to copy it and put your own spin on it. It adds depth to the song, both in the original song and the remix version.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Freshman 15

So most of the reviews I read about Freshman 15 basically just say, "This music isn't complicated, or deep. But its catchy, humorous, witty and fun pop punk."


I don't see any reason to over think it.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Odd Future

 Wolfgang
Kill Em All.

Them being good just hit me. Like, it took me a while but, I'm really digging it now. I think it has something to do with getting to know who Tyler is.

This is also pretty good.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Protest the Hero

Damn, I have to say, I forgot how badass these guys are. For real, their first two, Kezia and Fortress, are both really good. I'm about to listen to the new one, so I hope it's as good as the other ones.

our goddess gave birth to your god

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Kanye Isn't New

Nothing Kanye does is new. He just does it best. Here's what Kanye and RZA have to say about his production style:


Said by Kanye West:
Wu-Tang? Me and my friends talk about this all the time... We think Wu-Tang had one of the biggest impacts as far as a movement. From slang to style of dress, skits, the samples. Similar to the [production] style I use, RZA has been doing that.[25]
In response, RZA himself has spoken quite positively of the comparisons:
All good. I got super respect for Kanye. He came up to me about a year or two ago. He gave me mad praising and blessings... For people to say Wu-Tang inspire Kanye, Kanye is one of the biggest artists in the world. That goes back to what we say: 'Wu-Tang is forever.' Kanye is going to inspire people to be like him." After hearing Kanye's work on The Blueprint, RZA claimed that a torch-passing had occurred between him and West, saying, "The shoes gotta be filled. If you ain't gonna do it, somebody else is gonna do it. That's how I feel about rap today."[26]

RZA seems like a really chill dude.

Aforementioned

As I said in the aforementioned post, but didn't want to include, as it doesn't pertain to Drake, but we live in a golden era of hip hop. This track is a great example of said amazingness.

Big Sean & Meek Millz - Burn

So Far Gone

Drake raps over the ending section of "Say You Will" (Kanye) in his song "Say What's Real". I have mad respect for him for that. Then he says stuff like this (in relation to the title of the CD):

The whole tape extends from one of my closest friends Oliver. One night we were having a discussion about women and the way we were talking about them, it was so brazen and so disrespectful. He texted me right after we got off the phone and he was like, 'Are we becoming the men that our mothers divorced?' That's really where the cover comes from, too. It's just this kid in pursuit of love and money. We're good guys, I'm friends with some real good people and for him to even text me after we got off the phone it just showed we have a conscience. But sometimes you just get so far gone, you get wrapped up in this shit. The title has a lot of meanings—as the way we carry ourselves, the way we dress, the way people view us, not to sound cocky, it's just that feeling that we're just distanced in a good way. You’re just elevating past the bullshit and past all the shit that you used to be a part of and you're not that proud of, you're just so far gone.

He might be arrogant and cocky some of the time, but who isn't? Our moods and feelings change throughout the day and throughout our life. There's room to be cocky and humble. I always felt Drake walked that perfect line of being self-consciously optimistic, but also very grateful. He likes that he has made it, and doesn't seem to think its because HE did it. He worked hard, but it was also luck. He also explores negative aspects to fame, which is something only Kanye West really does too.


Hip Hop is seeing a glorious time, Imma call it right now. This time period is the stuff of legends
.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Cannot Overstate


How much I love Relient K's "MMHMM". It's heartfelt, cheesy and struggles with ideas that all us less than completely self-secure people deal with. And it's got the just right amount of God in it.

Friday, May 4, 2012

So I Don't Lose It



Crucify Me - Bring Me the Horizon

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Further

Recommended by Hunter Moore. So you know its legit.

It's called further by dropxlife. It's almost dubstep sounding trip hop. It's by some guy out of the XO crew. The XO crew is the one with The Weekend in it, who I like from Drake's song "Crew Love". A little homoerotic, but there's nothing wrong with that. Anyway, this CD is good. I could see some decent remix potential for this.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

New Background

Really Cool Artwork from here

 And My new background. To get an HD wallpaper for your computer, left click the image, then right click and select "View Image in a New Tab"

Kanye West Bear Albums tiled


Oli Skyes

Remember when I said "When BMTH cuts their hair"

Yup.

Nothing more metal than not looking metal at all, but just being metal.

He looks really skinny.....

"HAH?" - The Aesthetic Appeal of Music

"It also features this great Kanye moment, "Doctors say I'm the illest because I'm suffering from realness/ Got my niggas in Paris, and they going gorillas," followed by a sample of Will Ferrell in Blades of Glory talking about how awesome shit doesn't have to mean anything." - Pitch Fork Review

"Got my niggas in Paris and they goin' gorillas, hah?!" There it is: hah?! Go ahead. Say it. Out loud. It's fun. And there's nothing that summarizes the wonderfully obnoxious platinum-crusted one-percent-ness of Watch the Throne better than Kanye West's go-to ad lib. Hah?! is funny, memorable, annoying, dumb, genius, earth, water, sky-- it's the entire known universe in one impossibly indignant syllable. Nobody knows what it means because it means everything.--Ryan Dombal -Pitchfork, Track of the Year



"Awesome shit doesn't have to mean anything". It is this phrase that I latched onto when reading this review and one which stuck with me. Why do cool things need to have a reason behind them? Maybe there's value in things that appeal at face value. When we think about why or why not we like something, we try to think of reasons for that; that the lyrics are meaningful, that the music sounds good and that the people in the band are good people. But why do we look for answers? I think it's because we like to think that we can justify our taste to others, and maybe a little, to ourselves. But do we need this? Why can't we just like things that appeal to us?

Ultimately, all music does is give you feelings. Music affects you and when we hear it, it makes us feel a certain way that cannot be put into words a lot of the time. We can get close. We can say "oh I like that bass line. The way it sets up expectations and breaks them, coupled with the pitch and timbre, produces an enjoyable experience for me. Then, when used with the guitars that play notes at the same time, produce a harmonizing effect that I really enjoy." Or, if I knew more musical technical terms, I could say, "It was in 7/4 time in the key of A, uses whole note steps, uses rests, blah blah blah". However, neither of these descriptions really give you the feeling of listening to the songs. When someone describes a painting, or a sculture, depending on the piece of art in question, you can sorta get a glimpse into what it's like to be there. Now, as being a person who has been to the Sistine Chapel (which nothing can prepare you for), I know it's not the same as actually experiencing the work first hand. However, you do get some idea into it. With music, that isn't true.

When I read reviews of new CDs coming out, I never really know what it's going to sound like. Despite the reviewers best tries (well maybe that's their attempt), I am still surprised when I hear a CD for the first time. Calling the drums on "Niggas in Paris" gigantic turns out to be really descriptive after I've heard the song. But before, who knows what that could mean? And, more importantly, reading that they are gigantic is nothing close to actually hearing them boom out of your speakers (hopefully with a lot of bass). It gives you a feeling. It makes you feel awesome, larger than life, or annoyed, depending on who you are. But there is a gut reaction there that one can't really explain. A sound engineer can tell you its frequency, height, length, you name it. A musical theorist can tell you if its off key, in a minor key, major key, and so on. But, there is no "if it's in this key at this frequency, everyone will like this beat". You could find something that everyone would hate probably (siren sounding erratic noises come to mind), but whether or not you could find something everyone would like is a different story. People have a gut reaction that can't be measured and differs from person to person. And when you ask people why they like something, there's nothing more really any average person says other than "I like that". "I like that it's raw" or "I like his voice" or "I like that beat". But there really isn't a solid, quantifiable measurement about why one would like it.

This gets down the difference in mediums that language and music occupy. In music with lyrics, we can describe why we like lyrics a lot easier than we can describe why a piece of music is good. I believe this is due to the difference in senses. We use language to frame our world and use it as a way to understand it and classify it. Without language, we cannot move past simple understanding of the world. There was a girl who was found chained in a basement for 17 years and we were unable to get her to move past simple construction of language. Language is not something inherent to us, and our society constructs it. This girl, because she couldn't talk, could not understand concepts, analyze them (using words) and expound upon them. But, we all use different languages to think about the world. I think of the bathroom as "bathroom", the English think "Water Closet" and the Spanish think of it as "Los Banos". There is nothing inherent about any word that lends itself to describing an idea. It is only our agreed upon meaning that gives it authority to describe an object or an idea. When I hear a Spanish sentence that I do not understand, there is no way I can even begin to unpack it. I can't look for anything inherent about it, other than words that coincidentally mean similar things in English or French. But music defies this. A good beat is good no matter what language you speak. And every language is going to have a different way of attempting to describe what they hear and how it makes them feel. But just as "The bathroom" to me is actually "the toilets" to the Spanish, our language will limit us in how we can describe why we like it to others. There is a French phrase that goes "Comme ci, comme ça", which means "a little of this, a little of that". However, they use it in the sense of "How are you?". While "a little of this, a little of that" may translate to "some good, some bad" or "Alright", it doesn't do that in French. It retains itself as a phrase. There is an idea that accompanies saying "Comme ci, comme ça" instead of another phrase like "Bien", even though to us, they roughly mean the same thing. There is an idea that you can't describe, but it's there.

This leads to why you can't describe how music makes you feel. There's a feeling that you get when you hear music. It's something else. Our words can encapsulate our emotions to the best of our abilities, but its like trying to translate from one language to another. There is something lost when trying to "translate" the beats of "Niggas in Paris" to the sentence "Niggas in Paris" rides an impossibly propulsive synth riff and gigantic drums ". It makes sense to us after we hear the song, but that's only because we can go back to our memory and remember what they sound like. If someone were to say, "this song sounds like this", they are using a comparison to illustrate their point. They are asking you to think in the language of music to go back to something so you can actually get a feel of what they are trying to describe. Otherwise, its almost like trying to describe a smell without using the word "like".

So, if all music boils down to "liking" one aspect because of a gut reaction to a certain element of the music, why do we need to justify our taste? Do we need to say "this is better than this" if all it comes down to is a feeling you get when listen? So what if it's Justin Bieber's "Baby" or Sleep's "Dopesmoker"? Different people like different feelings. Some like being active and accomplished and others like being lazy. Some like the feeling of metal, feeling badass, aggressive, pessimistic or angry. Others like pop, feeling happy, sugary, or naive. Others prefer music that's raw, because it sounds like real emotions and they connect with that. Others like refined music because the feeling they get when they recognize an artist participating in artistic tradition is one of admiration. When others hear that same artist doing the same thing, they balk at and ask themselves, "why didn't they think of something new"?

However, intricacies of music genre and taste aside, it all boils down to Kanye West. Does awesome shit NEED to mean something? I say NO. Since all music boils down to emotion, if there is something that appeals to your emotions right away, I say, go for it and like it. There is absolutely room for music that "means something" in what you listen to, but every single thing you listen to doesn't have to mean something. I think some of it should be HAH!. It should mean nothing, and everything. It should be a flash of emotion. One that doesn't have to be described to be appreciated. It should have face value and you should revel in it. It should splash over you like a wave of ecstasy and let it just take you. Screw what anyone else says. I'm gonna like the Biebez, whether anyone likes it or not, because the bass line in Boyfriend slaps.


Related:
"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" -Martin Mull

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Craig Owens Is Back



Yup He's back

I think I liked All's Well That End's Well the most

But Bone Palace Ballet was also very good.

I'm starting a "reunited" tag. Let's see how many bands and people get back together.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Saosin

Saosin has really cool sounding guitar parts. Like, from 2:30 - 3:00, the choppy, clean chuggs have a lot of energy to them. It sounds better off itunes, cause the quality is shitty here, but it's a really good section. Reminds me of Emarosa. But clearly, Emarosa just lifted it from Saosin (WHICH IS OK).



Thursday, April 19, 2012

Finally, the Truth

Oh god this. So much this. Thank you for this.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Kanye's New Songs

Theraflu (Far Too Cold?) and Mercy fucking slay. So good.

He's got this amazing way to make me feel way cooler than I am. And that's the point of rap, right?

Well, this is more r&b hip hop but you get the point.

The bass lines in both songs are incredible, at least for me. I suppose that would explain why I like them so much? I mean, I like Justin Beiber's new song because its got bass. I'm just easily sold by a heavy bass. I almost like Emmure because of it. Almost


And Drake just stands for Do Right and Kill Everything

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

It's Embarrassing

To find music this bad.



and yet I don't think its really that bad. extremely poppy, but so what?

The ending to that song (2 minute mark on) is so catchy and fun and good.

oh my word, ive accidentally downloaded it

guess that means I'll have to listen to it.

Although, someone posted this as a comment, and I do NOT agree lol



I just laughed and laughed and laughed

Monday, March 5, 2012

Monday, February 13, 2012

The Roots undun



Even though it's February, I was still trying to find my favorite album of 2011. It was between Watch the Throne and undun, but I finally made my decision. I loved the songs on Watch the Throne but what really pushed it over the top was that I loved the album undun. It all flowed together, sounded like it was really well thought out. Then yesterday I heard that it was a concept album and it all clicked. I've listened a couple of times and realized that it was the story of the end of a man's life, told in reverse. It all takes place from the moment he realizes he is dying to the moment he actually dies.

Dun (like done, the end of his life) - This song starts with some ambient hospital sounds and then comes in a flatline sound, his heart monitor saying that his heart is failing. Slowly an organ and a vocal chorus comes in, which are sounds we usually associate with the afterlife.

Make My - We hear the note he wrote to the people he was leaving behind.
"I begin to vanish
Feel the pull of the blank canvas
I'm contemplating that special dedication
To whoever it concern, my letter of resignation"

He talks about his life in dark terms, saying he did everything he did for the money.

One Time - This song is full of the term 'lucky' and that's what it's about. It's about how he fought hard for the things he had. He never had advantages to put him at the top, so he took every advantage he could to succeed.

Kool On - He's talking about the life of luxury he got to live.
"It’s a full house… sipping on a royal flush
Two queens is on my cuffs
Good times is in the cards
Living on borrowed time
I’m paying the extra charge"

Its the good life that he bought with all the money he made from selling drugs. This song is more upbeat and positive than the others because it is a fond memory.

The OtherSide - All about people using the drugs he was selling. He talks about the reasons people do it and the consequences it causes. I really like the lines
"Yo, we did this in remembrance of
Faces from the past we no longer have an image of
Carrying cold blood hearts that never been for love
Brothers keep going for theirs but never get enough"

because it really explains why people were doing what they were doing. The last verse is the narrator talking about himself and why he was doing the drugs he was doing,
"Every night I’m crossing a line that ain’t the finish
Every thought is dark as a glass of fucking Guinness
Too far gone to come back to my senses
Now I’m on the edge of my bed making love to my meds"


Stomp - This song is him remembering his actions, the things he did to be so successful. The overall tone of the song is more aggressive and the heavy downbeats really are like stomping sounds, like the sounds of feet doing work. The song also puts a lot of focus on living dangerously

Lighthouse - This song is the main character contemplating suicide. It's a good bit of back and forth, reasons to live and reasons to die, the way you would expect a person to be thinking if they were contemplating suicide.
"A feeling comes into my heart I start believing that
I actually might survive through the evening
Survive on my own thoughts of suicide that’s competing
With thoughts of tryna stay alive which been weakened
By the feeling of putting on a smile while being beaten"

He also spends a lot of time talking about his general feelings of loneliness at this phase in his life.
"And it seems like you just screamed
It’s no one there to hear the sound
And it may feel like there’s no one there
That cares if you drown
Face down in the ocean"

It's a pretty depressing song, lyrically, but the music itself is pretty upbeat.

I Remember - This song is about remembering his past. He remembers the sights, the sounds, the things he did, all with great clarity. He talks about feeling disconnected from his surroundings as a child and the hook of the song is him asking the question
"I remember
Can you remember?
How it was
I do
Remember, do you?"

I read this as he, in death, has achieved a greater clarity about his childhood and he is wondering if the people around him have the same realizations, even though they are not on their own death beds.

Tip The Scale - This song is where he talks about his life and attempts to justify his choices because of his upbringing. He talks about how growing up and how hard life was. He sums it all up really well with the lines
"The scales of justice ain't equally weighed out
Only two ways out, digging tunnels or digging graves out"


These last four songs are all instrumental and short and represent his initial emotional reactions to learning he is going to die.

Redford - Staccato piano and vocal harmonies are calming and peaceful. Reaction to death - Acceptance

Possibility - Really hopeful with strings and piano, this is the main character feeling optimistic about the future. Reaction to death - Hope

Will to Power - Angry and discordant. Reaction to death - Anger

Finality - A nice song to wrap up the whole CD

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Badass

Took me a while....

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Pretty Sweet

 Gospel is great
Pianos Become the Teeth is really good as well. It feels a lot like Circle Takes the Square.