Several days ago, I posted on one of my favorite message boards (am nerd), soliciting recommendations for listening, so I could prepare this post. I gave no parameters, and simply wanted to just listen to some individual tracks and write a bit about them. As I went, I decided to put them into rankings, and the only criteria I really gave was that new music would get more attention than something older.
Nothing here was pursued on my own, it was recommended by random users on a video game message board. I’m actually surprised that there were so many things I found enjoyable and so few things that I want to murder. It helps that some of the more annoying music clique users didn’t post the drivel they’ve been listening to of late (though I’d likely have ignored it anyway), but yeah. There was also a surprising amount of music that I was essentially indifferent to. Let’s just get to it, shall we?
Out of Treble Can Recommend
Fun. – Carry On
There’s been a lot of hype behind these guys recently, but I haven’t given them a listen as of yet. So this song was my first experience with them, and as a huge fan of most of the indie pop coming out lately, there were a lot of expectations. The beginning didn’t impress me, especially the vocals, which I felt were pretty flat, but the song is starting to pick up around the 1:20 mark and I’m digging the drums backing it all up. Now the singer is starting to get good, with impressive range … and the chorus is hitting, this is good. I like this. Maybe there’s something to all of this hype.
The Limousines – The Future
So they’re doing a Back to the Future thing … this is cool. I enjoy Back to the Future immensely. Oh, and there’s some hard techno and that’s rad. It looks like that was just an intro … now it’s some catchy pop. Really catchy pop. I’ve never heard of these guys before, but I find the vocals to be rather uplifting and … I’m liking it more every second, really. This is definitely good stuff, though I’m not entirely sure what the song is about, and the video isn’t making things any easier. Definitely will have to hear some more.
Foo Fighters – Darling Nicki
Prince is the most sexified human being on the planet and any cover of his music needs to be sufficiently sexy. This is a song about a sex friend, and apparently that sex friend is really awesome. That being said, the Foo Fighters did this song right. In every way.
Hey Rosetta! – Yer Fall
I really feel like this is a gateway drug kind of song. Listening to it, I get the impression that it is not the best song from this band, which I’ve never heard of, but it’s still very, very enjoyable. It has all the elements of a good song that I enjoy and will be acquiring more music with high hopes and decent expectations. It’s got a climax that makes me REALLY dig it and leaves a lasting impression.
Astronatualis – Contrails
This is actually one of my least-favorite tracks from This Is Our Science and yet it still appears here. My girlie got me listening to Astronatualis a couple months ago and I started with this album, I’m VERY into it at this point. This track is actually much better now that I listen to it again, and maybe that’s because I’m now a fan, but it’s definitely good. Perhaps I was having a bad day when I first listened to it, but I will say … I love how much emotion and power he sings with even when he’s reserved, in comparison to tracks like Holy Water and Thomas Jefferson.
Sir Mix A Lot – Baby Got Back
Look, I’m an ass man and I’m all about early 90s rap. Joke recommendation or not, this is an amazing song.
The Dear Hunter – Filth And Squalor
There were two colors on The Color Spectrum EPs that I really wanted full albums of: violet and black. This song perfectly conveys that industrial tone that they’re going for with black, and it helps that it works even without the concept. Maybe it helps that The Dear Hunter is one of my favorite bands in existence and I’m really gay for Casey, but you know how it is. The chorus is fantastic here, I sing along and I nod my head. Just good stuff.
The Good
Radiohead – Codex
Ahhh, Radiohead … they’re a band I hold to higher standards than some others, for a few different reasons. On one hand, they love themselves and are judged accordingly, and on the other hand, I love them and judge them accordingly. They’ve put out some pretty great songs and some amazing albums, but The King Of Limbs was pretty disappointing for me. This track, however, is not one of those. I generally prefer faster, untamed Radiohead to the slower songs, but “Codex” is a clear exception to this rule. Just a stunningly beautiful and calculated track.
The White Stripes – Jolene
Another cover makes the list, and it’s another song I originally liked. That’s right, I like Dolly Parton, you wanna fight over it, sonny boy? I’d never heard this cover before, but I’m struck by the fact that I really want to be there to see it in person. This performance is raw, real and does the song and its message so much justice it’s ridiculous. This is seriously awesome.
Blondie – Call Me
Now, I did note that newer music would get preference in this list but there’s always time for Blondie. There’s some better tracks than this one, but I suppose this is “the” definitive Blondie track, and you don’t need me to tell you why. Love it.
Nujabes ft. Shing02 – Luv(sic)
Few things are as pleasant to listen to as Nujabes, and I don’t care what you can possibly say to refute that. Nujabes is eternal, but there are better tracks out there. The instrumentation is top notch in this one, though.
The Ruffled Feathers – Blueprints For Our Failed Revolution
Consider my interest piqued, from both the video and the vocals. It seems like something I’m really into, and it was a pleasant listen, but it didn’t stand out very well. I like it and feel like listening to more from this band will be beneficial.
The Killers – Spaceman
There’s usually one or two songs an artist that I perpetually dislike will put out that I begrudgingly enjoy, and this track is one of them. Perhaps that’s because it reminds me of a b-level science fiction movie, and I’m a sucker for that kind of thing. There’s a catchy chorus, run-of-the-mill instrumentation and lyrics that really do it for me. Not something I want to hear every day, but definitely something I can’t consider “bad.”
John Linnell – Louisiana
This is one of my favorites of the State Songs, it’s just a pleasant listen. That being said, I find the actual content of the lyrics to be uninteresting and I just listen to the song absent-mindedly, which isn’t normally a bad thing, but hurts it a little as it’s, well, a concept album.
Possibly Good For Someone Other Than Us
Claris – Connect
Now, Japanese pop (read as: everything that is Japanese and not heavy metal), or J-pop, is a genre that I’m actually pretty familiar with. I’m an un-ashamed fan of Serani Poji, but I’m ridiculously particular and unpredictable when it comes to which of it I like. There’s no definition for what I like in the genre, but this ain’t it. That’s all I’m saying.
Lana Del Rey – Video Games
I spent a lot of time listening to this, wondering when something else was going to happen, but it never did. Each verse and chorus (if there is a chorus) sort of blends into the next, and that’s something I’m not fond of in music. Also, I disliked the video immensely, but her voice is so smooth that it does work with the song and I have to say I’m intrigued to listen to more.
Lindbergh Palace – Days Don’t Fade
Grouping this track and the one above is not coincidental, they both fall under the same line of thinking to me. Both of them are just sort of “there,” with pleasant vocals but no real direction and unfulfilled expectations. I enjoy the track, it’s a good listen and up my alley, but it’s not something I’m going to go back to.
Spencer Day – Till You Come To Me
Well, I was very nervous when I saw the album cover art. There’s no real reason for this, but I didn’t like the look of the guy. He’s almost enjoyable to me though, and I wish he were just a little bit better. He’s somewhere in between contemporary artists of today and the rat pack of old, and it’s frustrating when the latter shows but the former suppresses it.
Stars – The Passenger
The genre is right, but the music just isn’t there. I’m not thrilled with the vocals, though the female is a million times better than the male. It’s just not for me.
Younha – The Sound of Rain
I told the user who recommended this that music not from America is perfectly acceptable, and that’s still true. However, this just wasn’t for me and no amount of open-mindedness could change the fact that I need to know and understand what it is I’m hearing when it comes to this kind of music. It sounds like a perfectly enjoyable song otherwise.
Rome – Les Deracines
Meh, I gave this song multiple listens trying to find something compelling, and came to the conclusion that this must be something I don’t “get.”
The Naked And Famous – Young Blood
Maybe this is something that I’m supposed to like, but I can’t find anything about it particularly … enjoyable. The entire time I listen to it, it basically screams “this is like the other stuff you like! Like this!” but I don’t. It falls flat, it’s slow and it actually gave me a headache. I feel like I might enjoy it more another time, if that makes sense.
Endorphemeral – Zabutom
I already put this song here when it got a lot better halfway through, but the beginning is still enough to make me not want to hear it again. It’s good .. chiptune, I want to say? It’s good chiptune or whatever you want to call it, but it’s not something that I want to listen to again, and I am a fan of the genre.
The Bad
Nightwish – I Want My Tears Back
You know, I’d always heard of Nightwish, but never gave them much of a listen. There were a couple tracks from many years ago that I enjoyed immensely. It’s also worth noting that I’m a big fan of folk metal (ya go my Eluveitie) and incorporating these “Tolkeinish” aspects into music (the term is used ironically, for those of you who don’t get that), but the vocals just aren’t doing it for me. I don’t enjoy her voice all that much and the chorus is very weak to me. Also, unlike other folk metal, the song doesn’t “hit” you. It’s very weak and lacking power.
Platina Jazz – 1/2
These seem like very talented music-smiths and all, but the song itself is just not enjoyable to me. Reading the description on the given video makes it sound like what these guys are doing is right up my alley, but it’s just … not. This track (apparently a cover of something from Ruroni Kenshi) is not compelling nor pleasant on the ears.
The 69 Eyes – Sleeping With Lions
Ehhhh .. the only reason this song ends up here instead of the “Oh My God, My Ears!” category is the fact that the chorus is somewhat enjoyable. As it stands, I don’t really need to listen to Dracula talk to me about whatever it is he’s talking to me about in this song.
Nightwish – Turn Loose The Mermaids
This track is bad for different reasons … it’s really boring, and the singer doesn’t have the voice to carry the story, which is also uninteresting. Again, this is coming from someone who is generally a big fan of this kind of thing. I also couldn’t get away from the fact that she sounds like Geddy Lee, which is much less awesome than it should be.
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
Really, I’m unfamiliar with Van Morrison but it’s a name I’ve heard a lot. I’m … not at all happy with the vocals. They’re really flat and just not interesting. I feel bad because I feel like I might be doing somebody really beloved a disservice, but I’m not digging it. Not today and probably wouldn’t forty years ago.
Uffie – ADD SUV
Blah. It’s not for me at all. I don’t know what genre you call this, but it’s not for me. It’s halfway between pop and electronic and it’s not executed well. There are ten million songs on YouTube that do this exact same thing while leaving more of an impression.
Lacuna Coil – Losing My Religion
Look, she has a good voice, that I will not dispute. But she sings with zero emotion, especially lately. This is a song that was so great because Michael Stipe broke himself apart while singing it, and this uninspired cover makes me cringe. It’s only here and not in “Oh My God, My Ears!” because collectively, they are not terrible musicians and on its own, it’s not a bad listen. I sympathize with the user who recommended this, because I do quite enjoy Lacuna Coil. It’s just .. emotion is not something they do well, and this song was the wrong choice.
Oh My God, My Ears!
Katy Perry – Peacock
Well … I’ve heard this track before, and in fact, a friend of mine sings it when we’re playing Call of Duty because she likes to piss me off. But for the spirit of this post, I did, in fact, listen to it again. All 3:52 of the track, and I feel like I need to take a shower. It’s not a good song and the chorus is shamelessly idiotic, and makes me realize how dumb the word “biotch” is. What makes it so much worse is that I, and all of you, know that Katy Perry can do so much better than this kind of music.
Pedalem – Through The Glass
I guess this is supposed to be edgy and boundary-pushing, but as it stands, it’s a bunch of random, annoying sounds and not pleasant to listen to. Just turrible.
Sob Focers – Back To Indiana
See above.
Lacuna Coil – The Darkness
What a fall from grace by one of my most-liked radio rock bands. There’s nothing good about this song and that doesn’t make me happy to say. While there are bands I love to hate, this is a song I hate from a band I love to love. The male vocals are just horrible and remind me of a halfway meeting between Papa Roach and Linkin Park, while the trademark female vocalist falls totally flat with an uninspired performance. I can only hope they put on better showings live.
Photos courtesy of wablair, JJ Hall, Claire and Sean MacEntee on Flickr under Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution.
