Remixes: Crush on You
Check out these two videos of “Crush On You”. I’m a fan of both of these versions, and I’ll admit that I heard the Nero version before The Jets version. Notice the subtle Michael Jackson dance mannerisms by the Jets in the video. I see a lot of Thriller in the movement.
Review: Attack on Memory by Cloud Nothings [2012]
I’m not one for genres, especially when it leads to a debate. I’ve seen these guys being labeled as lo-fi pop punk, which seems pretty accurate to me. Sprinkle some indie, some punk, and some rock and you’ve got the Cloud Nothings. They’re a group out of Ohio and according to their wikipedia page they were the first on Pitchfork to have their album labeled “Best New Music” in 2012. Their third album entitled Attack on Memory is deserving of the aforementioned achievement.
Attack on Memory is simple, not overly “rocky” and not overbearingly indie. You know what I mean? Like those bands that just picked up instruments, play at coffee shops and that you can’t hate because it’s “artsy”. Cloud Nothings blends rock, indie and punk into a wonderful mix on their latest album. ‘Wasted Days’ is my favorite track on the album and the band manages to stay consistent throughout the entire album. Not straying from their style or throwing in any unusual surprises. It’s not a perfect album, the lyrics are pretty simplistic, but the album is great nonetheless. Definitely could be considered in the top albums of 2012.
7/10
Top 30 Albums of 2011
Well my list won’t be as comprehensive as Jared Mobarak’s, but this is a list of the albums I thought were memorable in 2011.
#30I’m With YouThe Red Hot Chili Peppers |
#29Hurry Up, We’re DreamingM83 |
#28Thank You, Happy BirthdayCage The Elephant |
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#27ScurrilousProtest The Hero |
#26PassionAnaal Nathrakh |
#25Wasting LightFoo Fighters |
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#2421Adele |
#23RitualThe Black Dahlia Murder |
#22My <3Chrome Sparks |
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#21New BloodPeter Gabriel |
#20Helplessness BluesFleet Foxes |
#19A Dramatic Turn Of EventsDream Theater |
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#18Showroom of CompassionCake |
#17EntityOrigin |
#16ForeverCorea, Clark, White |
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#15Carnival is ForeverDecapitated |
#14Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2Beastie Boys |
#13El CaminoThe Black Keys |
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#12The HunterMastodon |
#11CircuitalMy Morning Jacket |
#10ISAMAmon Tobin |
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#9Murder the MountainsRed Fang |
#8The Parallax: Hypersleep DialogsBetween the Buried and Me |
#7Welcome RealityNero |
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#6Phoenix Amongst the AshesHate Eternal |
#5Game Time EPZomboy |
#4TorchesFoster the People |
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#3Holy Ghost!Holy Ghost! |
#2Digital VeilThe Human Abstract |
#1In The Mountain In The CloudPortugal The Man |
Another great example of mixing clean and growl/scream vocals, while still sounding manly. The Human Abstract’s new album Digital Veil is simply metal masterpiece. The band adjusted their lineup a bit before recording the new album. Previous pipework had been done by Nathan Ells, but singer Travis Richter of From First to Last and The Color of Violence superbly stepped in. A.J. Minette, the original Human Abstract, returned after pursuing his classical music training. Digital Veil keeps your attention throughout the entire album, assuming of course that you enjoy the metal genre.
Think The Dear Hunter meets Beneath the Massacre. An unusual combination by themselves but together they go together oh so nicely. The album starts with “Elegiac”, which adequately describes the mournful and depressing acoustic melody, which leads into a powerful overture of electric guitar. The acoustic “fake out” intro on metal albums is a bit overdone but well executed in this case. Guitar overdubs-a-plenty follow the first track. One guitar usually plays the traditional breakdown type riffs, that have plagued hardcore and metalcore since the early 2000s. The breakdowns however are overshadowed by a complexity of scales, arpeggios, and tapped hammer-ons.
The title track of the album is by far the best song on Digital Veil. Again the intro to this song is a similar half tempo break down, with great guitar work played over it. See Video Above. The rest of the album follows suit to playing catchy rhythm explosions overlayed with neoclassical solos and scales. The album however never seemed to lose my attention, which seems like an occurrence in more and more new albums. Another notable song is Holographic Sight, which features a great solo done by Dean Herrera* that immediately reminded me of the guitar solo from “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver” by Primus. Horizon to Zenith, the 8th track on the album, sounds more like the aforementioned Dear Hunter reference. Nathan Ells vocals are chorused giving it that Casey Crescenzo feel on this track. The final “Patterns” song closes the album in a 3/4 signature with a slurry of guitar notes showing off the capability of the band. It seems to be a triumphant and fitting end to the album, which may just be my top album of 2011.
8½/10
Track Listintg:
- “Elegiac” – 2:11
- “Complex Terms” – 5:10
- “Digital Veil” – 3:30
- “Faust” – 5:56
- “Antebellum” – 7:29
- “Holographic Sight” – 4:28
- “Horizon to Zenith” – 4:19
- “Patterns” – 3:43
Links:
Myspace
Facebook
Amazon
iTunes
*Thanks to Manu231-55 for the correction on the Holographic Solo.
As Google was announcing their new Google Music service, I was already signing up for an invite. A couple weeks later I got my invite and have been working with it nonstop. The idea behind Google Music is to be able to upload your music collection (or 20,000 songs worth) from a central location and stream it to any computer or android device you own. It uses your Google account, just like any other Google service, to link everything together. On computers you can just navigate to the http://music.google.com/ website and log in with your google account. For Android devices, you’ll just need the Google Music app. The following is my first impressions of the new service.
The Good:
- Uploader is fairly easy to use
- Playing and switching music is surprisingly quick considering it’s online
- Almost positive that it pulls album art automatically upon uploading.
- Can be played on multiple computers and android devices
The Bad:
- Only one folder can be selected to grab music from.
- Difficult to delete songs you no longer want/need
- Once a mass upload is started it’s seemingly impossible to cancel it
- No visualizations or equalizers
I wanted to compile a list of the top songs people remember from the 90s. I tried to stay in the rock genre, so you won’t see bands like Backstreet Boys or Madonna. Some songs are on albums that were released in the late 80s, but played a lot during the 90s. The list below is incomplete but it’s what I have so far. Hope you enjoy and if you have suggestions feel free to comment below. Continue Reading…
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Just Got To Be” | 3:01 |
| 2. | “Your Touch” | 2:45 |
| 3. | “You’re the One” | 3:29 |
| 4. | “Just a Little Heat” | 3:42 |
| 5. | “Give Your Heart Away” | 3:27 |
| 6. | “Strange Desire” | 4:22 |
| 7. | “Modern Times” | 4:22 |
| 8. | “The Flame” | 4:36 |
| 9. | “Goodbye Babylon” | 5:56 |
| 10. | “Black Door” | 3:31 |
| 11. | “Elevator” | 3:44 |
What’s the best way to calm a crying baby? Apparently it’s with 250 BPM death metal. This little lady is very upset and has the tears to prove it. As soon as Nile’s “Kafir!” is played the baby stops crying and seems to enjoy the music. Could it be the subwoofer pumping out George Kolias’ ungodly bass drum patterns, creating a steady and soothing vibration? Or is this baby just addicted to Death Metal with ancient Egyptian themes? Either way I don’t think “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” is cutting it anymore.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Sympathy Orchestra” | 2:58 |
| 2. | “Hands To Hide The Shame” | 2:41 |
| 3. | “Fever Dream” | 3:16 |
| 4. | “Womb Disease” | 2:42 |
| 5. | “Infidel’s Hymn” | 3:35 |
| 6. | “Year One” (featuring Mark Tremonti) | 3:34 |
| 7. | “Angel With A Dirty Face” | 3:19 |
| 8. | “Disposably Yours” | 2:23 |
| 9. | “A Devil’s Ransom” | 2:32 |
| 10. | “Fool’s Gold” | 3:00 |
| 11. | “Dust To Dust” | 3:19 |
I saw this album in my music library so I queued it up. Most metalcore I can do without. The guitar riffs throughout the album are pretty tight and vocals aren’t too high pictched and annoying. A lot of metalcore nowadays is filled with breakdowns and covered with terrible lyrics. That being said it’s kind of a relief to find some actual heavy hitting metalcore.
What Are You Listening To Right Now?
http://www.myspace.com/buryyourdead
