Download Episode (12.0 mb)
Any compilation containing both Nirvana and Belle & Sebastian clearly isn’t portraying one single genre. No, this episode spreads from one end of the music spectrum to the other to give a taste of some of the biggest bands of the 90s. If you don’t agree that these were all big bands than you’re stupid. In perhaps a less offensive manner, if you don’t recognise these bands as big, I encourage you to listen to their music for clearly you haven’t done so in enough depth. If you’re still not convinced, I revert to my first comment
Weezer – El Scorcho
Unfortunately for Weezer, the longer they last, the worse they get. While I’m yet to listen to their latest offering, even the most diehard Weezer fans admit its inadequacy. It’s a story all too common but thankfully we can enjoy their first two albums which were absolutely awesome. Come to think of it, I really didn’t like Pinkerton, the 2nd album, containing this song when I first heard it. Neither did Rolling Stones readers who voted it worst album ever……but its charm grew on me and many more over time. So perhaps there’s hope for there latest offering yet.
Green Day - The Grouch
Before the days of makeup and MTV exposure, Green Day made great music. Not that there latest album is horrible or anything, but it’s so soaked in commercialism I can’t bring myself to like it. The reason these guys got so popular is because they make great punk music, which you don’t need to be a punk fan to like. Or perhaps it was the deal they signed, for we all know the world is full idiots who’ll blindly like anything they’re told to……but that’s another story. I’d definitely quote Nimrod as my favourite album and no I do not like this song for it’s insistent swearing, I am well past that age, it’s just a damn catchy song
Radiohead – Paranoid Android
Radiohead are their own genre, and whatever it is it’s weird. They definitely take a bit of getting used to, but once you do, you’re hooked. His voice just grabs you takes you away into a land of magical flying monkeys who don’t like being stared at, well perhaps you might go somewhere. What I mean is, you just wanna close your eyes, not because you’re bored but because you want to be completely immersed and they definitely deliver on the immersion. This song changes in so many ways it covers nearly all the things that make them great.
Belle & Sebastian – Jonathon David
How do you choose one song by your favourite band when they have 7 albums and 12 EPs, each special in their own unique way? With much pain. But there’s a story behind this band and my associated affinity which I’m sure you’d like nothing more than to hear. For years I’d known of them, through a couple of songs my brother had, however I first got into them myself through the song “I’m a Cuckoo”. From here I moved onto its place of origin, “Dear Catastrophe Waitress”. I unimmediately fell in love with it and began craving more gold by this catchy Scottish troop. So I went to my favourite CD store, Soulseek and began acquiring their other albums. Each one I got, I never really liked and yet I kept on going. The last one I got, “Push Barman…” a collection of all their singles, I absolutely despised. I wasn’t really into the slow, quite style of the other albums but they were still alright This, however was just so horribly boring. I continued to listen to Dear Catastrophe and the others just gathered dust. Then one night, I was watching some friends’ band play and a girl playing before them played an early song of theirs, “waiting for the moon to rise”. It was just her and her acoustic guitar and she didn’t know half the words, yet it made me realise how much I liked that song. I went home and began paying more attention to their older albums. To cut a long story short…………would be boring. At first I got into “Tigermilk” as it contained the two songs I already knew from my brother’s collection but I quickly moved on to “If You’re Feeling Sinister” and fell in love with it. Now throughout this time, I had a friend who was discovering Belle & Sebastian in tandem with me. When I told him how I was getting into the older albums he said he was doing the same, except that he liked “Boy With The Arab Strap” and Push Barman, the two albums I liked least at the time. But now I realise what happened, he was further along in the evolution than I. For as I listened more to Arab Strap I came to love it and listening to his recommendations on Push Barman completely changed my opinion of it. While it is still weak in places I would now say that it contains many of their best songs. These days I like their old stuff just as much as Dear Catastrophe, perhaps more and am really getting into their newest offering “The Life Pursuit”. When they come to Ozzieland in a few short months it will be the happiest moment of my life. It sounds stupid but this is the extent of my love for this band. This song, the first song I got into off Push Barman is celebrating my spectacular journey, one which so easily could never have happened.
Nirvana – Smells Likes Teen Spirit
Nirvana’s music is so soaked in angst that it comes as no surprise that Kurt Cobain committed suicide. The fact that their waning popularity soared when it happened may be the reason behind it. Though that’s not fair, to his credit it was more likely out of boredom or drug-related issues. I really don’t mean to offend those who are big fans for they did make great music and he was rather influential, whether good or bad and for that he should be respected. Also choosing to end things on the day of my sisters second birthday must have SOME significance.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
The Serious Performers (80's)
Download Episode (12.7 mb)
I always thought the 80s was gonna be one of the easier decades to do. However I got to this point and found I’d used everyone I knew. But with a little a digging I unearthed a wealth of 80s music lost in the depths of my mind. I decided this week to celebrate those who you can’t help laughing at, for one reason or another. The 80s had its fair share of these, with film clips being an especially hilarious outlet. The sad thing is that they thought they looked hip. However sadly the worst dressed were the worst sounding, so I could only scratch the surface of ridiculousness in order to ensure quality. But fear not, the silly are well represented here.
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! – ABBA
How can you respect them when they launched their career from Eurovision? How can you respect them when they named themselves after their initials? How can you respect them when they’re just two music playing men and their singing wives? How can you respect them when they’re horrible dressers (Google Image Search will confirm this)? How can you respect them when they’re Swedish? Well because their music is so damn catchy and their lyrics so stupid – the perfect pop combination. After all, who doesn’t want a man after midnight?
Cars – Gary Numan
I don’t think I’ll go into respect for this guy. The film clip for this song will show just how serious he is - emotionless, staring into the camera and…….standing in a giant cube. The scope of this song is pretty huge actually, being one of the most popular songs of the 80s. I’ve actually got his ‘best of’ and my two most recommended would have to be Cars and Cars (remix). Apparently he had more but I don’t believe it.
Billy Jean – Michael Jackson
What can I possibly say about Wacko Jacko that hasn’t been heard before? He went from cool little black kid with a cool afro, to the ugliest white man alive. Meanwhile his music went from high pitched pop music, to slightly less high pitched pop music, to just as high pitched political pop music. Controversy-wise he changed skin colours, outbid Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono for the rights to The Beatles’ songs, spent his money like an idiot, hung his baby over a balcony, was accused of sexual molestation of a child (acquitted of course), need I say more? Looking at or hearing him these days, it’s hard to do anything but make fun of him, however the fact remains that he was one of the greatest singers of the last 25 years and produced some excellent music. Not only this, but we was probably the coolest on stage dancer of all time. He single-handedly made it cool. No amount of stupid behaviour can tarnish this reputation, though he sure has tried.
Let’s Dance – David Bowie
The amount of musicians this guy is helped out is innumerable. He seems to be friends with everyone in the industry. I really don’t how I could describe his music other than that in stark contrast to the artist above he has a really deep voice. I think that must be his attraction, as we all know nobody can resit a deep voice. He too has a great collection of music, though to be honest I’m not the biggest fan. Perhaps it was the copious amounts of makeup he liked to wear. Not that there’s anything wrong with that….
Shout To The Top – The Style Council
This is just one of those songs you have to jump to. There is no choice in it you just do. That marks the end of my knowledge on this song. I know nothing about the band and stupid they were, but singing this song and calling yourselves The Style Council won’t help people take you seriously
I always thought the 80s was gonna be one of the easier decades to do. However I got to this point and found I’d used everyone I knew. But with a little a digging I unearthed a wealth of 80s music lost in the depths of my mind. I decided this week to celebrate those who you can’t help laughing at, for one reason or another. The 80s had its fair share of these, with film clips being an especially hilarious outlet. The sad thing is that they thought they looked hip. However sadly the worst dressed were the worst sounding, so I could only scratch the surface of ridiculousness in order to ensure quality. But fear not, the silly are well represented here.
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! – ABBA
How can you respect them when they launched their career from Eurovision? How can you respect them when they named themselves after their initials? How can you respect them when they’re just two music playing men and their singing wives? How can you respect them when they’re horrible dressers (Google Image Search will confirm this)? How can you respect them when they’re Swedish? Well because their music is so damn catchy and their lyrics so stupid – the perfect pop combination. After all, who doesn’t want a man after midnight?
Cars – Gary Numan
I don’t think I’ll go into respect for this guy. The film clip for this song will show just how serious he is - emotionless, staring into the camera and…….standing in a giant cube. The scope of this song is pretty huge actually, being one of the most popular songs of the 80s. I’ve actually got his ‘best of’ and my two most recommended would have to be Cars and Cars (remix). Apparently he had more but I don’t believe it.
Billy Jean – Michael Jackson
What can I possibly say about Wacko Jacko that hasn’t been heard before? He went from cool little black kid with a cool afro, to the ugliest white man alive. Meanwhile his music went from high pitched pop music, to slightly less high pitched pop music, to just as high pitched political pop music. Controversy-wise he changed skin colours, outbid Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono for the rights to The Beatles’ songs, spent his money like an idiot, hung his baby over a balcony, was accused of sexual molestation of a child (acquitted of course), need I say more? Looking at or hearing him these days, it’s hard to do anything but make fun of him, however the fact remains that he was one of the greatest singers of the last 25 years and produced some excellent music. Not only this, but we was probably the coolest on stage dancer of all time. He single-handedly made it cool. No amount of stupid behaviour can tarnish this reputation, though he sure has tried.
Let’s Dance – David Bowie
The amount of musicians this guy is helped out is innumerable. He seems to be friends with everyone in the industry. I really don’t how I could describe his music other than that in stark contrast to the artist above he has a really deep voice. I think that must be his attraction, as we all know nobody can resit a deep voice. He too has a great collection of music, though to be honest I’m not the biggest fan. Perhaps it was the copious amounts of makeup he liked to wear. Not that there’s anything wrong with that….
Shout To The Top – The Style Council
This is just one of those songs you have to jump to. There is no choice in it you just do. That marks the end of my knowledge on this song. I know nothing about the band and stupid they were, but singing this song and calling yourselves The Style Council won’t help people take you seriously
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Tough As Nuts (70's)
Download Episode (11.2 mb)
To be honest (as so I often am) I have been putting this episode off as it really isn’t my speciality. Despite it not being a favourite genre, I was always going to do it due to the importance of many of these bands. Though some may hate me for doing it, others would hate me more for not. While it may be defined as metal, it bears little resemblance to some of the heavy metal infecting our modern ears today, which I would happily put under the category of noise rather than music. No these are the ‘classic metal’ bands from before the metal name (in my humblest of opinions of course) was tarnished and the musicianship here is tops. On that topic, this genre put a lot of emphasis on the guitar ranging from simple, addictive riffs to the ultimate in guitar craziness. Many of these bands gathered huge followings and even reached the point of being worshipped, thus it is very sacred territory I’m treading here. I may not really be into it but that doesn’t mean I can’t see quality when presented with it. Yes here are some great songs which even non-fans of the genre should enjoy, a rather bellisimo collection if I may say so myself.
Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple
Dare I say the most well-known song in this group. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t recognise the riff and harder a guitarist who can’t play it. It may be simple but it’s a classic
Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
Definitely a favourite song from this genre and a song from this genre that’s a favourite (there’s a difference). With friends that love this band, I really tried to get into them, however an unfortunate occurrence put me off. In my typical fashion, I already had about 5 albums of theirs waiting to be explored on my music player so I decided to embark on a random Led Zeppelin session. However one of the albums I had happened to be a live album, containing a 20 or so minute drum solo. When it came on, I sat patiently; waiting for something, anything, to join these lonely drums, but it never came. The frustration of this turned me off I think, as well as the fact I don’t think they’re really my type. This song however, is definitely my type.
She Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC
One of the biggest bands of all time came out of Australia? Yes, believe it or not, we produced something decent. Their records have sold millions and their influence deep-seeded. Again my knowledge of them is rather limited, not spreading much further than TNT however for this special occasion I thought I’d go out and find something different. Like a true Australian, I’ve shown no faith in home-made products and picked a song by the replacement, yet equally influential lead singer, Englishman Brian Johnson.
Iron Man – Black Sabbath
Everybody knows Black Sabbath, they’re the band headed by the infamous Ozzy Ozbourne who was known for biting the heads off bats on stage….True or not, it’s a nice image. One of the earliest and most influential metal bands, they’re music was often associated with darker areas such as drugs and the occult. My listening to them was no more than listening to an unknown CD once or twice however upon hearing this I instantly recognised it for some reason - more than enough reason for using it. Generally I’m not a fan of long songs but with Black Sabbath there really isn’t much choice.
Panama – Van Halen
Van Halen are known for their guitar solos, which, while pretty mild in this song, can get pretty crazy. I don’t mean to criticise but this song sounds awfully similar to ‘jump’, released in the same year, though both are good songs. Speaking of release dates, I’m shocked to discover this was actually released in the mid-eighties, so much for my usual rigid checks. Ah well, it’s too late now, and besides, they belong more to this genre than any eighties category. So just pretend for my sake
To be honest (as so I often am) I have been putting this episode off as it really isn’t my speciality. Despite it not being a favourite genre, I was always going to do it due to the importance of many of these bands. Though some may hate me for doing it, others would hate me more for not. While it may be defined as metal, it bears little resemblance to some of the heavy metal infecting our modern ears today, which I would happily put under the category of noise rather than music. No these are the ‘classic metal’ bands from before the metal name (in my humblest of opinions of course) was tarnished and the musicianship here is tops. On that topic, this genre put a lot of emphasis on the guitar ranging from simple, addictive riffs to the ultimate in guitar craziness. Many of these bands gathered huge followings and even reached the point of being worshipped, thus it is very sacred territory I’m treading here. I may not really be into it but that doesn’t mean I can’t see quality when presented with it. Yes here are some great songs which even non-fans of the genre should enjoy, a rather bellisimo collection if I may say so myself.
Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple
Dare I say the most well-known song in this group. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t recognise the riff and harder a guitarist who can’t play it. It may be simple but it’s a classic
Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
Definitely a favourite song from this genre and a song from this genre that’s a favourite (there’s a difference). With friends that love this band, I really tried to get into them, however an unfortunate occurrence put me off. In my typical fashion, I already had about 5 albums of theirs waiting to be explored on my music player so I decided to embark on a random Led Zeppelin session. However one of the albums I had happened to be a live album, containing a 20 or so minute drum solo. When it came on, I sat patiently; waiting for something, anything, to join these lonely drums, but it never came. The frustration of this turned me off I think, as well as the fact I don’t think they’re really my type. This song however, is definitely my type.
She Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC
One of the biggest bands of all time came out of Australia? Yes, believe it or not, we produced something decent. Their records have sold millions and their influence deep-seeded. Again my knowledge of them is rather limited, not spreading much further than TNT however for this special occasion I thought I’d go out and find something different. Like a true Australian, I’ve shown no faith in home-made products and picked a song by the replacement, yet equally influential lead singer, Englishman Brian Johnson.
Iron Man – Black Sabbath
Everybody knows Black Sabbath, they’re the band headed by the infamous Ozzy Ozbourne who was known for biting the heads off bats on stage….True or not, it’s a nice image. One of the earliest and most influential metal bands, they’re music was often associated with darker areas such as drugs and the occult. My listening to them was no more than listening to an unknown CD once or twice however upon hearing this I instantly recognised it for some reason - more than enough reason for using it. Generally I’m not a fan of long songs but with Black Sabbath there really isn’t much choice.
Panama – Van Halen
Van Halen are known for their guitar solos, which, while pretty mild in this song, can get pretty crazy. I don’t mean to criticise but this song sounds awfully similar to ‘jump’, released in the same year, though both are good songs. Speaking of release dates, I’m shocked to discover this was actually released in the mid-eighties, so much for my usual rigid checks. Ah well, it’s too late now, and besides, they belong more to this genre than any eighties category. So just pretend for my sake
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Of Forest Fame (60's)
Download Episode (9.4 mb)
As the name suggests, these are all songs from the movie, Forrest Gump. It’s not that I have any particular love for the movie, I think it’s alright, yet the music on it is what makes it special. I actually listened to the soundtrack frequently before I ever saw the movie, my parents clearly seeing its quality, making this album one of my earliest exposures to music of the past. And so when it came to finding my favourite 60s songs, I found quite a few to be off this album, so much so that I thought it deserved an episode of its own. It actually covers many more decades than just this meaning I had to cut some great, non-60’s songs. It also contains 60’s artists which I couldn’t use as I’d either already done so or am holding for the future. So the fact that I could still find 5 great songs gives an insight into the enormous scope of this CD. It is simply the best soundtrack ever released. If you only buy one Original Movie Soundtrack this year, buy this!
San Francisco – Scott Mckenzie
Raise your hands people and sway. This is one of those songs that is unimaginably pleasant. The harmonious music is a perfect backing to the soothing voice. It is no surprise then that this song became an anthem for hippies in America. It makes me happy and I’m sure it made Scott Mckenzie happy enough to forget that the rest of his music was ordinary.
Land of 1000 Dances – Wilson Picket
I needed a jazzy song and I needed an upbeat song, two reoccurring themes of this album. Thankfully this song fitted the bill perfectly. It’s a rather simple-minded song, but that’s the beauty of it.
Turn! Turn! Turn! – The Byrds
I haven’t heard much of The Byrds but from what I read they seem to be very much of the build The Beatles. Highly popular and accomplished yet somehow lacking the genius of their English counterparts especially as most of their biggest hits were covers. However they put their own style into the music they played, producing many memorable pop songs, this included
California Dreamin’ – The Mamas and the Papas
I can hardly criticise them for their name by today’s standards however I’m sure in their time it was rather extraordinary. Musically they were a vocal group rather than a band with the instruments playing the back seat to their vocal harmonies. Harmonies more than present in this song. I think my affinity with this song comes from the hilarious version I heard on a sketch show once. This is good none-the-less
Mrs Robinson – Simon & Garfunkel
This song is in the same vain as the first one, pleasant. It’s hard to describe it in any other way. This song actually started out as simply a few snippets, written for a movie, however its popularity prompted it to be turned into a fully fledged song, a #1 song at that. But enough of the history, just sit back, close your eyes and enjoy.
If I were you I wouldn’t take much notice of the very brief briefings I’ve given here as to be honest I don’t much about any of these songs other than the fact I like them.
As the name suggests, these are all songs from the movie, Forrest Gump. It’s not that I have any particular love for the movie, I think it’s alright, yet the music on it is what makes it special. I actually listened to the soundtrack frequently before I ever saw the movie, my parents clearly seeing its quality, making this album one of my earliest exposures to music of the past. And so when it came to finding my favourite 60s songs, I found quite a few to be off this album, so much so that I thought it deserved an episode of its own. It actually covers many more decades than just this meaning I had to cut some great, non-60’s songs. It also contains 60’s artists which I couldn’t use as I’d either already done so or am holding for the future. So the fact that I could still find 5 great songs gives an insight into the enormous scope of this CD. It is simply the best soundtrack ever released. If you only buy one Original Movie Soundtrack this year, buy this!
San Francisco – Scott Mckenzie
Raise your hands people and sway. This is one of those songs that is unimaginably pleasant. The harmonious music is a perfect backing to the soothing voice. It is no surprise then that this song became an anthem for hippies in America. It makes me happy and I’m sure it made Scott Mckenzie happy enough to forget that the rest of his music was ordinary.
Land of 1000 Dances – Wilson Picket
I needed a jazzy song and I needed an upbeat song, two reoccurring themes of this album. Thankfully this song fitted the bill perfectly. It’s a rather simple-minded song, but that’s the beauty of it.
Turn! Turn! Turn! – The Byrds
I haven’t heard much of The Byrds but from what I read they seem to be very much of the build The Beatles. Highly popular and accomplished yet somehow lacking the genius of their English counterparts especially as most of their biggest hits were covers. However they put their own style into the music they played, producing many memorable pop songs, this included
California Dreamin’ – The Mamas and the Papas
I can hardly criticise them for their name by today’s standards however I’m sure in their time it was rather extraordinary. Musically they were a vocal group rather than a band with the instruments playing the back seat to their vocal harmonies. Harmonies more than present in this song. I think my affinity with this song comes from the hilarious version I heard on a sketch show once. This is good none-the-less
Mrs Robinson – Simon & Garfunkel
This song is in the same vain as the first one, pleasant. It’s hard to describe it in any other way. This song actually started out as simply a few snippets, written for a movie, however its popularity prompted it to be turned into a fully fledged song, a #1 song at that. But enough of the history, just sit back, close your eyes and enjoy.
If I were you I wouldn’t take much notice of the very brief briefings I’ve given here as to be honest I don’t much about any of these songs other than the fact I like them.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Catalysts For Collections (00's)
Download Episode (9.9 mb)
Back in January 2004 I attended The Big Day Out. It was my first music festival, with my only previous live music experience being a Millencolin gig. Coming into it, my knowledge consisted only of a couple of songs by The Strokes who I enjoyed along with a couple of other bands I hadn’t heard of. Overall I had an alright time. Afterwards I borrowed cd’s of bands I hadn’t seen but had been there and was horrified by how much I liked them. So many bands which I now loved had been playing just metres away and I’d neglected them. Never would I allow such an atrocity to happen again and so my crusade for musical knowledge began. I digitalised my whole collection however was not content with this. I began borrowing other peoples collections and adding them to mine. I got my hands on every cd I could and ripped it. By now my collection was growing and my tastes diversifying yet I was still not satisfied. There was so many cd’s I sought yet none of my friends owned them. It was here that I was introduced to soulseek, a heavenly program, which opened the floodgates to my heart’s desires. It amazes how ignorant I was just two years ago and this episode is a celebration of some the bands that sparked me onto this path of radiance.
Ineratic ESP – The Mars Volta
To be honest I’m not the biggest Mars Volta fan. Their tendency to play ‘music’ rather ‘songs’ turns me off, due to the periods of procrastination between pieces. However this song (combined with the intro) goes against this formula and so is just my type. It features the energy they’re famous for along with incredible vocals. Absolutely awesome song. Those with a sharp ear will notice it got a bit of treatment in the editing room.
Get Your Hands Off My Women – The Darkness
Speaking of great voices, this guy is unbelievable. He’s so high pitched it’s almost laughable. However it’s this high-pitched-ness which makes them so good. I have loved this song from the day I heard it and will continue to practise my high notes on it cause that’s just the cool thing to do….
Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips probably just beat the Darkness as the band I’m most disappointed about missing. Not because I like their music better but because a whole heap of people came out on stage in big animal costumes. I think this accurately sums them up – weird. I have pleasant memories of trying to synchronise their 4 disc experimental album, Zaireeka, with very little success. However in recent years they have settled down and are producing more standard music, including this absolute gem, arguably their best.
Molly’s Chamber – Kings Of Leon
Most of the time when I’m reading a book, I listen to music at the same time. However it occasionally occurs where the two creative materials merge and become one. Back when I was reading ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’, about two years ago, I still used a cd player and being my lazy self would listen to the same thing over and over again and so listened to nothing but Kings of Leon’s first album whilst reading this and so now they are inherently linked in my mind. However both being overflowing with southern USA goodness it hasn’t really deterred from either one. I imagine the word Leon stands for cool cause that’s exactly what they are. Great album all round but I picked this as a nice distraction song and because I’ve already used Red Morning Light somewhere.
Apocalypse Now – Muse
The title of this song gives an indication of what Muse like to sing about. Thankfully they manage to back up their grand subject matter with an even grander musical style. You get swept up in every song which are all epic in their own way. That said, I’m not the biggest nor most knowledgeable Muse fan however I know them well enough to get sad when I think I could have seen them so easily
Back in January 2004 I attended The Big Day Out. It was my first music festival, with my only previous live music experience being a Millencolin gig. Coming into it, my knowledge consisted only of a couple of songs by The Strokes who I enjoyed along with a couple of other bands I hadn’t heard of. Overall I had an alright time. Afterwards I borrowed cd’s of bands I hadn’t seen but had been there and was horrified by how much I liked them. So many bands which I now loved had been playing just metres away and I’d neglected them. Never would I allow such an atrocity to happen again and so my crusade for musical knowledge began. I digitalised my whole collection however was not content with this. I began borrowing other peoples collections and adding them to mine. I got my hands on every cd I could and ripped it. By now my collection was growing and my tastes diversifying yet I was still not satisfied. There was so many cd’s I sought yet none of my friends owned them. It was here that I was introduced to soulseek, a heavenly program, which opened the floodgates to my heart’s desires. It amazes how ignorant I was just two years ago and this episode is a celebration of some the bands that sparked me onto this path of radiance.
Ineratic ESP – The Mars Volta
To be honest I’m not the biggest Mars Volta fan. Their tendency to play ‘music’ rather ‘songs’ turns me off, due to the periods of procrastination between pieces. However this song (combined with the intro) goes against this formula and so is just my type. It features the energy they’re famous for along with incredible vocals. Absolutely awesome song. Those with a sharp ear will notice it got a bit of treatment in the editing room.
Get Your Hands Off My Women – The Darkness
Speaking of great voices, this guy is unbelievable. He’s so high pitched it’s almost laughable. However it’s this high-pitched-ness which makes them so good. I have loved this song from the day I heard it and will continue to practise my high notes on it cause that’s just the cool thing to do….
Do You Realize?? – The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips probably just beat the Darkness as the band I’m most disappointed about missing. Not because I like their music better but because a whole heap of people came out on stage in big animal costumes. I think this accurately sums them up – weird. I have pleasant memories of trying to synchronise their 4 disc experimental album, Zaireeka, with very little success. However in recent years they have settled down and are producing more standard music, including this absolute gem, arguably their best.
Molly’s Chamber – Kings Of Leon
Most of the time when I’m reading a book, I listen to music at the same time. However it occasionally occurs where the two creative materials merge and become one. Back when I was reading ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’, about two years ago, I still used a cd player and being my lazy self would listen to the same thing over and over again and so listened to nothing but Kings of Leon’s first album whilst reading this and so now they are inherently linked in my mind. However both being overflowing with southern USA goodness it hasn’t really deterred from either one. I imagine the word Leon stands for cool cause that’s exactly what they are. Great album all round but I picked this as a nice distraction song and because I’ve already used Red Morning Light somewhere.
Apocalypse Now – Muse
The title of this song gives an indication of what Muse like to sing about. Thankfully they manage to back up their grand subject matter with an even grander musical style. You get swept up in every song which are all epic in their own way. That said, I’m not the biggest nor most knowledgeable Muse fan however I know them well enough to get sad when I think I could have seen them so easily
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