Ad Hoc Committee

R.I.P 120 Minutes

2010-01-30T15:58:00.000Z

A year ago today the highly influential music program 120 Minutes shut its doors seemingly for the last time. Having ran on and off since 1990, the show had build up a reputation of not only playing the latest and most cutting edge artists, but also the most innovative artists in the rock, electronic and leftfield genres. To the delight of music lovers in Europe, the program featured no commercial or MTV promotional breaks. The reason it was able to get away with pushing the boundaries so far out was because of the time slot: 1am - 3am. It was quite literally two hours of non-stop alternative music which could range from hip-hop to avantgarde and anything in-between. There were no conventional limitations in what was played and although some of it tended to be hit and miss, the good frequently outweighed the bad. As clichéd as it might sound, there was something for everyone and many new discoveries were made through this program alone.

Out of nowhere then came the announcement that 120 Minutes was to shut up shop. The move prompted much criticism of MTV and though there was a petition made to save it, ultimately there was little anyone could do. Given the unusual time slot and the overall popularity of the show, its cancellation shocked and appalled many regular watchers who deemed the move as 'the death of unconventional music television'. Although due to university commitments, the majority of developments regarding the situation passed me by and I was unable to watch the final episode, coming back to the realization that it is not here anymore has left me feeling disillusioned with the state of music channels on the whole. It is no secret that its absence has left a void within music television that may never heal properly. It is only when it is gone do you realise just how little there is to watch on the music channels at night. R.I.P. 120 Minutes, it was good while it lasted and we may see eachother somewhere down the line.

As I'm dedicating this post to the program, I've decided to go with some of the most influential and innovative artists or tracks I discovered through the show. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

65daysofstatic - Drove Through Ghosts To Get Here
Au Revoir Simone - Fallen Snow
Cornelius - Drop
DJ Mehdi - I Am Somebody
Elektrons - Get Up
Kavinsky - Testarossa Autodrive
RJD2 - Work It Out
UNKLE - Burn My Shadow

TFI Friday #11

2010-01-29T18:48:00.008Z

It has been unusually quiet around these parts in recent times. Aside from Zombie Nation last week, there is nothing in the immediate future that stands out as a must-see gig. Eric Prydz is coming in a few months and although the frankly awesome Burns is playing in February, he is doing so by supporting Kissy Sell Out, who's the main headliner. I've no problems with Kissy but I've seen him more times than I'd like to admit. Hopefully Burns will be able to make up for it but there's a good chance we'll be too busy drinking copious amounts of alcohol and potentially doing dirty sets to see him. Hoestly, our average ETA to club nights these days is anywhere between 11pm-1am. It's getting ridiculous. Hopefully you guys don't follow our lead and have yourselves a great weekend. Enjoy the tracks.

The Toxic Avenger - Pokerface (Lies In Disguise Remix)
Zombie Nation - Forza (Fukkk Offf Remix)
Candy Coated Killahz - Playboy (Mansion Remix)
Burns - Teknique
Rihanna - Umbrella (Vandalism Remix)

Metal Monday #10

2010-01-18T16:25:00.006Z

I seem to be spending more time apologising these days than actually writing anything. Once again, I have to say sorry for not updating the blog as regularly as I should have in recent times. Unfortunately my auntie died in the early hours of the morning somewhat unexpectedly a week or so ago so I haven't had the time or the inclination to write anything up. Given the fact that she was undoubtedly my favourite aunt, as you can understand it came as a bit of a blow. The whole family has been in mourning so between family visits, immediate family consolation and the organization and attendance of the funeral I've been very busy. Anyway, R.I.P Máire, you will be missed. On top of this, while I can't speak for anyone else, I've been having some serious computer issues over the last while. After accidently spilling water on my keyboard and mouse (rookie mistake, I know) I have been hereby resigned to using my laptop which is also on death's door at present. To make matters even worse, my internet has been cutting off randomly every couple of minutes or hours for the past month or so. This makes even the most simple tasks take a lifetime and while people say patience is a virtue, I'm finding it hard to stay patient. If you're a believer in karma then I must have done something truly terrible to deserve such unnecessary frustration.

First on the chopping block is Killswitch Engage's My Last Serenade. Although I will admit I was never much of a fan of this track when it came out originally, due in large part to the soppy chorus, in recent times I've started to really appreciate it. This is most likely because I much prefer their original singer over Howard Jones, primarily because, as I've no doubt stated before, I find Howard's almost operatic style to be catering too much towards the mainstream; not that I have some sort of anti-mainstream persona, I actually despise those who consider themselves to be above such distinctions. I just feel that if you're going to play ferocious, unmerciful metal then you might as well go the whole way rather than going the route which sells you the most records. Either way, aside from the chorus, My Last Serenade is a showcase of brutality. The opening 1:38 in particular conveys a sense of uncompromising dedication to their craft. It had a resounding effect on audiences then and I'm pleased to admit that it hasn't lost any of its primitive yet in some ways charismatic appeal. Even the chorus, which admittedly isn't really my thing, if listened to in the right way begins to make sense within the context of the overall structure of the song. It's just a shame Killswitch Engage couldn't work things out with original vocalist Jesse Leach as although he is undoubtedly technically the inferior singer, he adds a much-needed stylistic trait that Howard Jones fails to replicate on a thematic or representational level.

Killswitch Engage - My Last Serenade

The next track is by a band who split metal fans right down the middle. Some adore them, some feel animosity for them. I enjoy their output. If you're wondering who I'm talking about, it is of course As I Lay Dying. The track I've decided to go with today is An Ocean Between Us, the reason behind my choice being that I believe it is one of the few songs that are able to summarise the band within four minutes. Although there is a lot of screaming in this one, it is countered by a juxtaposition in more 'normal' vocal outbursts. Unlike approximately 90% of other metal bands, As I Lay Dying get this parallel in vocal shifts down perfectly. Of course, the grinding rhythmic riff and rolling drum patterns help cement the two different vocal approaches but credit where credit is due, they really knock it out of the park. Whilst some could claim that they're not really bringing all that much originality to the table, aside from a handful of bands, metal doesn't really focus on innovating music on the whole, it focuses upon expressing itself often in the most brutal and impossibly uncompromising way possible. In this respect, An Ocean Between Us delivers almost unanimously.

As I Lay Dying - An Ocean Between Us

In between the rest of the songs I've decided to go with a track that is in a genre I would consider myself somewhat of a specialist in, Progressive Metal. Interestingly though, the band, Blotted Science, are also considered to be a cross between death metal and extreme speed metal. Don't panic, their music is all instrumental. They are distinctive in particular, however, because they are to some extent a supergroup in what they do though. Each member is from notable bands within their field of expertise and to give an example of just how varied the line-up is, we have members ranging from Cannibal Corpse to Watchtower to Behold... The Arctopus. Enough said. The song I'm going with today is arguably the definition of what they're all about, Activation Synthesis Theory and what a tune it is. In some respects, the band serve as a glorification of instrumental music because without the need for a vocalist, they are able to use irregular timing, momentous breakdowns and considerable departures and emergences in presentation to deliver fast and melodic music for a very niche audience. This song serves as exemplification of such characteristics.

Blotted Science - Activation Synthesis Theory

Fourthly I'm going to go with a band I don't talk about too often, DevilDriver. The song I've decided to showcase is a track I opened a mix with a year or two ago, I Dreamed I Died. DevilDriver are unique in a lot of ways because they are one of the few metal bands that almost always work perfectly when mixing with dance music. Of course, it has something to do with BPM, but their borderline industrial technique and flowing yet musically harmonious vocal style just works. I Dreamed I Died isn't necessarily their best, most well known or most distinct song but it is a good introduction to the band if you haven't heard them before and like those old Ronseal ads, it does exactly what it says on the tin. It is frankly astonishing that the vocalist from DevilDriver is the same guy from nu-metal one-timers Coal Chamber but more power to him for branching out and doing what he wanted to do. The opening riff of this track alone demonstrates just how much metal has changed in the last ten years.

DevilDriver - I Dreamed I Died

The final track for today is The Truth Of A Liar by August Burns Red, a band who are the personification of the phrase 'appearances can be deceiving'. To look at these guys, you would in no way think they made the music that they did. By extension, they're also Christians but although their music has been described as 'Christian metalcore', they take the right approach in stating that "Christianity is a religion, not a style of music." This makes me like them even more. The Truth Of A Liar is not for the weak willed or the easily upset. It is, as the midget out of Accept once said, balls to the wall metal. I know relentless is a term that has been overused with regards to metal music, but it really is relentless in spirit and execution. If Killswitch Engage were on one end of the spectrum, August Burns Red would be on the other. Thankfully despite their vocals being strikingly idiosyncratic, the instrumental aspects are augmented perfectly. Not only does each instrument fit in a glove-like fashion but in terms of structuring, while the different instruments don't necessarily adhere to any specific requirements, the band is accomplished enough to adapt, develop and most importantly flourish by approaching the song in their own individual ways.

August Burns Red - The Truth Of A Liar

TFI Friday #10

2010-01-08T17:58:00.005Z

Welcome to the return of our weekly updates. This week I have a few tasty treats for you folks that'll hopefully brighten up your weekend in this frankly astonishingly bad weather. I'm usually Mr. Cold when it comes to weather but even I have to admit that this is beginning to take the piss. Where I live, it has been snowing non-stop for a good two weeks now and it doesn't look like its going to stop any time soon. I haven't seen anything like this, well, ever really. Could this be the result of global warming? I've no idea. Aren't we supposed to be overdue an ice age by a couple of hundred/thousand years? Again, who knows, I just hope it goes away sometime soon. Either way, make the most of your weekend and enjoy the tracks.

The Proxy - Think First
Filthy Rich - Make You Freq (Miles Dyson Remix)
Digitalism - Taken Away (Disco Trash Music Remix)
Laidback Luke - Need Your Loving (Felix Cartal Remix)
Kylie Minogue - Wow (MSTRKRFT Remix)

Boom Da

2010-01-07T18:47:00.005Z

I don't usually do this but in this case I feel that it is worth it. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, it is the fact that this post is not a showcase of an artist, not a list of must-hear tracks, but rather a post about one song; a song that has been blowing my socks off every time I've heard it for the past couple of weeks now. I was going to save it for the next TFI Friday post but instead I've decided to unleash it into the blogging atmosphere right now. As you may have already guessed by the post title, the track is called Boom Da and it is done by Brazilian husband and wife production and DJ team Mixhell. If you've been paying attention to the electro scene and, in particular, Soulwax, the name will likely ring a bell, as the latter has been using them as support on the majority of their recent tours over the past year. To those not in the know, Mixhell is comprised of ex-Sepultura and current Cavalera Conspiracy (a band who, alongside the likes of Grooverider and HEALTH, are the ones I regret most missing at Pukkelpop this year) drummer, Iggor Cavalera and his wife who mans the wheels of steel.

As you can no doubt imagine, it is an extremely interesting concept that hasn't really been done to this extent before. Sure, Digitalism have a similar thing going on with their live sets but there is really no comparison between the two. As Iggor is famed for his rough and hardhitting playing style, it is no surprise that he is backed up by some seriously savage beats from his wife. Part of the reason I find it so hard to produce tracks using programs is because of the drum samples. The vast majority of them come across in an almost 'plastic-y' way and they nearly always sound manufactured. Considering almost any instrument is easy to replicate if you have the right tools at your disposal, its somewhat surprising that drumming effects sound so lacklustre. Of course, there is equipment to remedy this issue, but nothing comes close to live drumming, which is why it is such a pleasant surprise that Mixhell have tapped into this. At a recent Soulwaxmas concert, I was quite literally blown away by the sheer intensity of their style, to the point where I found it hard to bust a groove due to being so encapsulated by his hardhitting, rhythmic techniques and her complimentary DJing ability. Such a rare treat only comes around every once in a while so I savoured every moment like it was my last.

Credit where credit is due, however, Mixhell isn't the only one that takes this Boom Da track to the next level, after all it is a Les Petits Pilous remix. You probably know about them by now as their breakthrough hit Wake Up has been doing the rounds more and more over the past year or two and their remix of The Proxy's Raven is one of the best out there to this date. Needless to say, without them, this track isn't quite as compulsory as they add a dimension that isn't in the original. It really is sickeningly good. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been feeling a lot of the recent output from electro DJs and duos in recent times as I feel too many people are trying to cater to that fidget/wobbly sound that has become the latest fixation in dance music. I wouldn't go as far to say I hate that type of music, but I just don't think it fits the music as well as a grinding synth supporting by a pounding bass and drum line. To me, electro music is all about the build up and the breakdown. While the build up serves as a core component within the music, if the payoff isn't worth it then it isn't going to do it for a dancefloor. With Mixhell - Ba Doom (Les Petits Pilous Remix), it is not only consistent but it is also extremely dirty. I have been missing music like this for quite some time: relentless, filthy, grinding bombshells that get people moving. Though I doubt I'll be hearing this at any clubs in the near future, I'm gonna regularly drop it into any sets I do from here on out. Rather than suggesting the same, I can go one better. Get yourself a pair of 5.1 speakers, turn up the bass and blast the roof off your house. It'll be worth it.

Expect more coverage (and possibly a showcase post) in the future.

Mixhell - Boom Da (Les Petits Pilous Remix)

Rage Against The X Factor

2009-12-29T16:22:00.008Z

Firstly, I'd just like to apologise for us not updating this blog as regularly as we should have. In case you missed it Thunder Child wrote in a recent post of his that we're taking a break from blogging over Christmas and New Years. If you're lucky, we might be able to whip something tasty up for New Years Eve but we don't get much time off from writing so we're lapping up this newfound freedom. Expect regular content to start running sometime in the beginning of the New Year.

If you've been paying attention to the outside world, and the charts, in particular, in recent times, you will almost definitely have noticed the Rage Against The Machine VS The X Factor chart battle for the Christmas number one. I was initially going to write about it just before the winner was announced but due to other things coming up I didn't get around to it. In an unprecedented shock victory, Rage Against The Machine took home the Christmas number one with the frankly overplayed and overappreciated Killing In The Name.

When I first heard about this campaign, I was immediately skeptical, both of the intent and the reasoning behind such a campaign. Originally, I thought the idea was somewhat preposterous, primarily due to the fact that I just didn't believe a Rage track could loosen the vice-like strangehold that Simon Cowell's glorified karaoke machine had over the UK music scene. On top of this, I didn't particularly agree with the song choice, because aside from it being easily one of the most overly accentuated tracks of the entire Rage disography, there was a certain overarching sense of irony in choosing this particular track. Firstly, through the slogan "fuck you, I won't buy what you tell me" coming from a group telling visitors exactly what to buy, and secondly, through the fact that the entire point of the song is the promotion of independent thinking. Add to this the fact that Rage Against The Machine are on the same record label as industry mogul Simon Cowell and his X Factor cohorts and there is a good chance he not only has investment in the label, but possibly is a shareholder as well, and to me it seemed like a recipe for disaster; a musical statement by the stateless. Had they chosen Know Your Enemy, which in my opinion is much more lyrically befitting of such a campaign than Killing In The Name is, I would have backed it straight away without hesitation and no questions asked. They didn't, instead favouring a song we've all heard a thousand times individually. I bowed out of contributing but secretly anticipated the results.

While I have nothing against The X Factor as a whole and I'm sure it is quality entertainment for those who sit down to watch it on a Saturday night, I don't think it is really bringing anything new to the music industry. 90% of the artists featured on it make their names through covering other people's songs, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if there is one thing the music industry has taught me its that covers are destined to do well no matter who they're done by. People love a classic song and are willing to lap it up regardless of how many times they've heard it in the past. This has been proven time and time again over the years. Remember A1's cover of Take On Me? Number one. How about Madonna's cover of American Pie? Number one. Or what about Five's shambolic rendition of We Will Rock You? Number one. To add insult to injury, how about Westlife's cover of Uptown Girl or Sam & Mark's cover of With A Little Help From My Friends? Both covers, both number ones. The list goes on and on. The simple truth is that as long as you're relatively known, if you cover a classic song, no matter how old or overplayed, you're almost destined to be number one. Record executives have been tapping into this source for years and Simon Cowell is no stranger to it. This is the reason why every single X Factor finalist releases a cover just before Christmas time. The show is strategically set up to end just as the Christmas boom begins. Everyone knows that the Christmas number one is the most lucrative and prestigious of all the number ones, and again, Simon Cowell knows it. I don't despise him for it either. Business is business.

My opinion on the Killing In The Name campaign did drastically change, however, when a certain Joe McElderry made his frankly unfounded opinions known to the world: "I wouldn't buy it. It's a nought out of ten from me. Simon Cowell wouldn't like it. They wouldn't get through to boot camp on The X Factor - they're just shouting." Firstly, just because a hard rock band wouldn't get through boot camp on The X Factor doesn't in any way hinder their creative or artistic influences. Each member of the band is known to be extremely proficient on their chosen instruments and they're one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the last two decades. Just because Simon Cowell doesn't like it doesn't mean that it's bad. Let's not forget that he is the person who brought the Teletubbies and Zig and Zag into the musical world. I honestly believe that if an unknown Paul McCartney had auditioned for The X Factor, he most definitely wouldn't have made it to the finals and may not even have made it past the first round, due in large part to him not having the look or the sound of the direction pop music has taken. With regards to the 'they're just shouting' argument, I believe that sometimes shouting is a good way to get across the point you have to make if you want people to listen to you. All my life I've been greeted with people who dismiss anything that isn't within a specific genre, claiming it to be noise or just shouting. If you don't get it, fair enough, but don't automatically come to the assumption that it has no artistic merit because you don't see the appeal in it. Is shouting not a form of expressionism? The worst part of McElderry's comments is that Killing In The Name actually doesn't involve that much shouting aside from the ending, which is actually cut off in the non-explicit version. Say what you want about Rage Against The Machine but they are still one of the few bands out there who haven't compromised and have made some very important messages - messages that more people should pay attention to. Aside from the context behind their music, Zack De La Rocha has one of the most unique voices in the business and has flow like very few others. It is clear hip hop has a huge influence on the way he sings and only an idiot would think otherwise. I'd imagine the same idiot might throw darts at a rival singers picture as an ill-fated publicity stunt but that's a debate for another day.

Another main reason I decided to throw my 30p into the mix and buy the single is due to the fact that not only would it be a huge victory for the internet but it would also make a Rage Against The Machine track of all things the last Christmas number one of an entire decade. Serious business, indeed. To me, it is one of the most interesting social experiments to take place in a very long time. Who would have thought that a random guy and his wife could almost singlehandedly command the number one spot with no financial support or backing. It is an incredible achievement in all honesty, made even better by the fact that a large portion of the proceeds are going to charity and Rage Against The Machine are doing a free UK celebratory concert - a concert I most definitely hope to attend. I was shocked at just how motivated I became over this chart battle as I usually couldn't give a damn, but what is most fascinating is that ever since Rage hit the top spot, very few people have been talking about it, proving that more than anything it was a social experiment undertaken by those supposedly real fans out there. Regardless of your reasons for picking up the single, there is no denying that history has been made and it is always something people will be looking back on in years to come. Shock victories like that don't happen very often. I still think they should have went with Know Your Enemy but at the end of the day, the lesser of two evils won. I don't know how I'd feel about the world if a Miley Cyrus cover of all things claimed the Christmas number one spot.

Rage Against The Machine - Know Your Enemy

Easy Like Sunday Morning #11

2009-12-20T11:59:00.004Z

Ok, so Fridays post was missing. Long story cut short I left my house on Thursday to pre-swall for soulwaxmas and I returned home on Saturday evening, on the Friday between I went to ASIWYFA's gig and went to a ludicrous house party the same night (people were arriving when I was leaving at 9am and it was the most active part of the party). ASIWYFA blew Belfast apart, I missed soulwax and Tiga on the Friday (forgot ticket and had to go back) but mix hell blew the roof of the place, 2manydjs however just did the exact same thing they did at Belsonic, it was rubbish the first time and it was rubbish again if you were to listen to the two sets you'd be convinced that music wasn’t being made for 6 months as they were pretty much the same. Because of all this my body clock has been all off, I slept a good bit of today as I didn’t go to bed until lunchtime (and completely forgot I had to make this post). So that’s why Fridays post was missing and why this one is late, these things happen.

For the first post of the day I'm going to be posting Air's - Ce matin là from their stunning album Moon Safari. If I were to try and explain what Easy Like Sunday Morning was about to someone who didn’t get the title (ie a complete idiot), I would just give them a copy of Moon Safari and they would instantly understand what we were trying to show people. I honestly think that this is possibly the most organic sounding album every made and if I were trying to determine if a pair of speakers were worth my money or not, this is the album I'd use. Ce matin là is constantly a song I find getting stuck in my head, I'll find myself on a bus, train or walking around town/uni just humming the infectious brass lead over and over again. Everything from that typical air-esque bass to the steel sounding guitar are perfect in this track. I'm really actually surprised that I haven't posted this track earlier as it is my favorite Air track from what I personally think is the dynamic duo's best work. I urge you to get a copy of this album by any means necessary even if it means robbing it from a shop (I don't condone any criminal activity, this is clearly a sarcastic comment meant to raise a cheap laugh, however if you do decide to do this just use the ten tracks on the album as your defense and the jury will understand and probably let you off), the reason I urge you to listen to this album is that you will almost definitely find a different favorite track to mine, it's just that sort of album. I discovered this album when I was in my 3rd or 4th year of school during the height of listening to metal bands such as Megadeth and going through a typical stage of not wanting to conform (by ironically conforming to something else…), but that alone says a lot about the album, as it is something especially at that time which I would not have expected to like and it is without a doubt beside Grandmaster Flash one of the two key elements in the change that made me listen to music the way I do today. This is definitely, for me, an in bed sort of album, one to go to sleep to and one to wake up to, its therapeutic in ways that therapy could never be and proves that simplicity is one of the keys to perfection. I could go on and on about why this album is one of the best made and why it's so good but i'd rather let you discover it for yourself than let me impose learned habits in regards to how and why you should listen to it. Ce matin là by some sort of beautiful coincidence means "That Morning".

Air - Ce matin là

The next song I'm going to post is another obvious one that has somehow eluded me up until now, Simon and Garfunkel's always atmospheric The Sound of Silence. Anyone who goes to the cinema even semi-often or enjoys film will recognize this track as it is used on a seemingly regular basis within film. The best use of this track is clearly from the film The Graduate, the song plays at a time when Hoffmans character has finished his time at university, graduated and is having off time discovering who he is before he decides to tackle the world. The song very appropriately plays when his family are bothering him about his future and he lies in his pool then immerses himself underwater, hence the song being used (lots of symbolism going on here film fans). The song is a herald to what Simon and Garfunkel used to be before their constant break-ups and reunification's (as of writing this they are together…kinda). The song opens with simplistic guitar work that progresses throughout the song and is backed by the perfect and typical harmonizing voices of Simon & Garfunkel.

Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence

The next track I want to post is a slight progression for the blog as I don’t think we've talked about the genre yet. Like the track above, most people will probably be familiar with this track through film. The track is Brian Eno's Deep Blue Day which methodical film fans may be familiar with as the track that plays during Trainspotting when Renton dives into the toilet. There's not really much to talk about historically for this track other than it was purportedly first used and written for a documentary by NASA called For All Mankind. It’s a very Caribbean themed track so hopefully it'll warm you up in this shockingly cold winter we're having.

Brian Eno - Deep Blue Day

The next track I'm posting is one everyone should be familiar with as it was Christmas number one a few years ago I think it was the last xmas number 1 before x factor (kudos to rage btw, really didn’t think it was even remotely possible, the internet continues to surprise me). The track also featured in what could perceivabley be my favorite film (after The Trilogy). The song, as the pub-quiz enthusiasts would probably know by now is Gary Jules' Mad World (original done by tears for fears). Video game fans may be familiar with the track from its appearance in one of the trailers for the first Gears of War game (which I personally think completely lied about what the game would be like). The track is a great one and one that should definitely be listened to in a relaxing manner (otherwise you'll probably over think it and make yourself depressed) I don’t like to tell people how to listen to music but I'll make an exception here by saying to concentrate on the piano throughout, the keys keep this song alive.

Gary Jules - Mad World

To finish up today, as it's the last Sunday post before Christmas I thought I'd throw in a Xmas treat for you all to appreciate on this fine Sunday evening. From the nature of the post and what I've just said, some of you've probably already guessed that the track I'm going to post is none other than Oceansize's cover of Walking In The Air. The reason I'm posting this is actually a very specified one, so bear with me (in honesty the song justifies itself, kind of making the rest of the post irrelevant, but there is reasoning for it). Covers to many, are a loved thing, to others they appear gimmicky. I stand somewhere almost in the middle, mainly because not all covers work and a lot are indeed gimmicky. To me covers are almost a work of genius, if done right of course. The reason for this is that they instantly make genres of music that others may not be familiar with, or willing to explore, very accessible. It gives people an understanding of the music, as the covers add a "what if?" element to the songs they are applied to. Now I'm obviously talking here about cross-genre covers as most covers that try to just do the same thing end up sounding shite. Some work (check for Chris Cornell's live acoustic version of Billie Jean, the one he recorded for Carry On just didn’t work imo) and some don't (ie will young desecrating The Doors legacy - im not even linking to this one). This is something that works and can easily be enjoyed by all, it's an upbeat and completely original look on a classic that everyone is familiar with, if you want someone to become a post-rock fan this Christmas then show them this, they may just thank you.

Oceansize - Walking In The Air

One Troublesome Tuesday

2009-12-15T21:40:00.003Z

Regulars will have noticed the omission of Mondays post this week, I'd like to say there was a pre-planned reason for this but simply put I was having computer issues. Still not entirely sure what was wrong but a day of stress and a system restore later and everything appears to be fine again, which leads me to believe it may have been a system update of some sort that did the damage. I was going to make the post from my laptop, but it lacks in music and the only thing even resembling metal on it was in fact rock (Soulwax's "Any Minute Now" album for those who are curious). As it is no longer Monday it would go against the blog's ethos to post a Metal article. However the rock genre is going to be a theme within today's post. What I'm going to do is post 10 more than memorable rock/metal mash-ups. Some of these will be mashed with dance, some with other rock/metal genres and even some hip-hop, all of them are classics and I feel that they all are relevant to a lot of the goals this blog is trying to achieve.

Dj schmolli - Scream Aim Dance (Bullet for Lady Gaga)
Ruff Muff - La La Her Madly (The Doors vs. Goldfrapp)
Jimmi Jammes - Sgt. Pepper's Paradise (Beatles vs. Guns N' Roses)
Cheekyboy - Smells Like Compton (N.W.A. vs. Nirvana)
DJ Moule - Black Sabotage (Beastie Boys vs. Led Zeppelin)
DJ M.I.F. - Tricky Sandman (Run-DMC vs. Metallica)
Go Home Productions - Don't Hold Back, Sweet Jane (Chemical Brothers vs. Velvet Underground vs. U2 vs. Sugababes vs. MARRS)
Divide & Kreate - Always With You (Willie Nelson vs. U2 vs. MARRS)
The Illuminoids with Donita Sparks - Pretend We're Alala (L7 vs. CSS)
DJ Topcat - More Than On Point (House of Pain vs. Boston)

It's also likely that with the Christmas break approaching this weekend the blog may decide to take a short break, this however hasn't really been discussed and may not happen. As regulars know the last Friday of every month is home to the blog's essential Mix, however the last Friday of this month is Xmas Day. We hope to get an extra-special essential selection up on the 25th that will more than likely deviate from previous selections. I hope you enjoy the tracks as they are something slightly different from what has went up previously and are something that will more than likely re-appear in the future.

Easy Like Sunday Morning #10

2009-12-13T17:10:00.002Z

I am definitely getting worse at this weekly blogging business. Sorry, my internet access has been acting up for quite some and while I was attempting to get it fixed I got caught up in other more pressing matters (damn you Burnout 3!). I hope this post can make up for any lost time on my part. Also, on another more brighter note, you may have noticed the return of Thunder Child. Though he'll only be here for a few weeks until his January semester exams start, his return provides a much needed break from overtime for myself. It'll be good to see someone else collaborating for a change.

The first track I'm going to concentrate on is Holy Fuck's Lovely Allen. In spite of their frankly obscene name, Holy Fuck are an electronica outfit who press all the right buttons. Having been making waves since 2004, it is only in recent years that they've been making headlines, almost entirely because of their choice of name. On this topic, the band have stated “It’s been pretty annoying, but it’s gotten us a lot of publicity, so we can’t complain about that." Although listeners may automatically assume that exposure based on a name featuring profanity will almost entirely be bad, the band do well in showcasing a rather synchronous parallel between the positive and the negative. Of course, any negative should be self-explanatory but, as previously mentioned, the positive is without a doubt the free publicity. Thankfully, Holy Fuck aren't another band who leave a licentious trail of destruction in their wake, hoping for the flash of a photographer's camera or a glimpse of adoration from their fans. As a substitute to such shenanigans, instead they produce such a high level of relevant output that their music speaks for them. Lovely Allen is perhaps the auditory embodiment of such productions because in some senses it smacks the listener as being idealistic in nature. As expected, such observations could be considered looking too far into it, but there are no preconditions to my allegories, this is how I feel every time I listen to it. I know I don't speak for myself either, judging by the rapturous reception that hook received when I saw them live. Call it over-analyzation, but I think this song exhibits expansive yet optimistic traits that few songs released in this decade have came close to inventing or even recreating.

Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen

For the second song, I've decided to lower the tempo a little bit with Radiohead's Street Spirit (Fade Out). I don't know what it is about Radiohead but they are one of the few bands out there who can attract a truly diverse audience yet simultaneously attract a large segment of pseudo-intellectuals. Call my accusations unfounded, but nine times out of ten when I'm introduced to a stranger whose favourite band is Radiohead, I am forced to sit through at least twenty minutes of reasoning as to why they are the best band on earth and why I should listen to them. Naturally, I tend to avoid interjecting on my own behalf to state that I've heard the majority of their body of work and find them an extremely interesting band who are mildly depressing at the best of times. If you're wondering why I avoid such actions, its because I have been in this situation more times than I'd like to recount and it always ends the same way. If you haven't heard them, you need to listen to them. If you have heard them, firstly why are they not your favourite band and secondly you obviously don't get it. I know not every Radiohead fan is like this but unfortunately there are quite a few who are. When people listen to music, they do so in order to both entertain themselves and experience its emotive vibes. These emotions can range from tranquility to anger and virtually everything in between. While depressive qualities wouldn't typically be something I would aim myself towards, there are plenty of others in the world who are able to channel such desolation or despondency into something positive or manage to use it to help them envisage or perhaps even clarify past discretions. From this perspective, it is easy to see exactly why Radiohead's appeal is so widespread and Street Spirit (Fade Out) serves as an extension of this engagingness. On one level, it shows their overall competency as a band, on another, it illustrates their songwriting ability and continuing pertinency in the 21st century.

Radiohead - Street Spirit (Fade Away)

On a more lighthearted note, the middle track is You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon. Like most people, I'm not overly familiar with much of Paul Simon's work after himself and Art Garfunkel parted ways. It isn't a matter of prejudice because I feel the same way about Art Garfunkel's later solo work, but I do think that had they initially continued as Simon & Garfunkel as determined as they had previously been for even a few years more, the world would be a better place for it. Nevertheless, when your time is up your time is up. Unless you're The Rolling Stones, thats just the way the cookie crumbles. When I think of You Can Call Me Al, I think of two things: a huge departure in style and Chevy Chase. Admittedly, the latter is one of the most recognisable aspects of the track due in no small part to his flawless lip-syncing in the now famous video. So much so, in fact, that it could be argued that the track wouldn't quite have been as famous as it became without his contribution but that's a debate for another day. You Can Call Me Al opens with an immediately warm and fuzzy synth hook that provides the blueprint for the entire track from the outset, which is soon wrapped up with a relaxing yet accomplished bassline that is later played in reverse. Though there is little doubt that this song gets hardly anything wrong, I think its allure lies in its upbeat and friendly presentation. This is pop music at its best.

Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al

Fourth up is The Kinks' Living On A Thin Line. Of all the places to be introduced to a song, I was introduced to this one in The Sopranos, which may not seem like that bizarre a place except the song is the type of thing you would never imagine to be associated with a show about La Cosa Nostra. While I consider it to be one of the greatest television series ever made, The Kinks aren't a band I would expect to be featured throughout it, particularly with regards to the context within which they were used. In retrospect, like much of the music selected to be featured within the show, I consider it to be a stroke of genius and it makes me appreciate it even more. Although I have been a big Kinks fan for many, many years now, Living On A Thin Line was a song that was able to slip past my musical radar so I'm glad it got a second lease of life even it was through a television show. Even though The Kinks are considered to be a hard rock act, Living On A Thin Line highlights another side to them. Whilst fundamentally being a rock song, it defies conventions by showcasing their ability to not only show a softer, more melodic version of themselves but also demonstrate just how proficient they were at writing what could later be perceived as contempory classics of an older generation.

The Kinks - Living On A Thin Line

Lastly we have Coldcut's True Skool. Despite listening to Coldcut almost fanatically in 2006, listening to them now feels like two estranged friends meeting coincidently ten years after they originally seperated. I guess you could estimate that this says something about the amount of time I spend listening to music, but there are few acts that alienate me as adequately as Coldcut do and I really don't know why. Sure, I haven't given them a proper listen in a number of years now but thats the case with a lot of different artists and yet few leave me feeling as isolated as Coldcut seem to. You could say I'm being dramatic and I probably am in order to give more weight to the situation, but things like this don't happen to me very often which is why it is so surprising. Although I haven't exactly been faithful to them in recent times, I have made a few attempts at reconnecting to no avail. This is why I'm posting True Skool. It gives anyone who is reading and/or listening the chance to familiarise themselves with the music while the author does the same. With British rap pioneer Roots Manuva on vocal duties and an eastern-influenced beat backing him, this is a track bursting at the seams with creativity and flavour. Oh, and did I mention that I would consider it a sublime addition to laidback Sunday listening. Get on it ASAP.

Coldcut - True Skool

Return of the King

2009-12-12T16:10:00.003Z

When The King passed there was a rare occurrence of international mourning, we can all say where we were when we heard the news. I was sitting playing Counter Strike with a friend when The Last Junker rang me and told me that there was very strong speculation that the man had died. I told the friend that I was playing with what had happened, he was gutted and we both went off the game. Needless to say it was a very long 2 hours of internet speculation, with rumours flying left, right and center over what had happened and all news sources quoting other news sources over the "death" to keep themselves safe in case it was just a rumour. The news was finally confirmed and the world was left with one less icon.

Shortly after I got wind that Snoop Dogg was doing a live video podcast (I'm still not entirely sure where or how I heard about this) where he'd be playing Jackson songs and doing his thing. I had lost a lot of respect for Snoop over recent years as he took selling out to a whole new level, his music suffered and he just wasn’t the musician or person he should have become. This changed that night as he bust out classic after classic, old Jackson with new Jackson and lots of less familiar tracks. When I joined the video chat there was only 50 other people watching (there was a counter of all the people in the room), at the height of it there was well over 2000 people watching the stream and, more importantly, listening to the songs.

Even before his death we were hearing Jackson tributes all over the place, he was a man who had so much influence that nearly everyone wanted to show their gratitude. After his death there was many, many more, some good and some bad, with memorable ones being Sways's "The King Full Stop" and Cymarshall Law's "R.I.P. Michael Jackson". People were also dedicating entire albums to the man and many mixtapes were released, which is essentially what I am here to talk about.

The first mixtape I want to talk about was released a few years ago and was a collaboration between Rhymefest, Mark Ronson and to an extent, Michael Jackson (I remember hearing somewhere that he'd actually approved it, though I can't seem to find the source now). The mixtape, entitled Man in the Mirror, consists of Jackson songs being used as backing tracks for Rhymefest who is spitting about his life, times, Jackson and his influence on him. They also have some samples of Jackson talking, taken from various interviews and sources, that they have then talked over to form the illusion that Jackson is in the studio with them, which makes for some funny conversations between the three. After Jackson's death Rhymefest re-released this mixtape with 3 bonus tacks added. Both versions were released as free downloads and the re-release is al available as a CD for those who wanted to have a hard version of the mixtape. Both are available here.

The second mixtape was released at the end of October and I finally got round to listening to it recently. This one is brought to us from the masterful DJ Jazzy Jeff, who most will remember as being the Fresh Prince's DJ and also appearing as himself on the show that most people grew up with. This one will probably be a lot more accessible to Jackson fans than the previous mixtape as it is essentially just a huge playlist of Jackson songs. The mix contains a few rare remixes that don't stray too far from the original versions, it should also be mentioned that this doesn’t play that many remixes and stays on course by playing mainly Jackson originals. The list contains lots of songs that many people would not expect to see on the list that would be unfamiliar to the more mainstream Jackson audience, This however doesn’t mean that there is no classics that we've all come to know and love on the list. Jazzy Jeff brings us a perfectly lengthened mixtape here that seems to tick all the boxes and will certainly have Jackson fans applauding his efforts. Mixtape available here.

TFI Friday #9

2009-12-11T13:48:00.006Z

Another week over, another TFI Friday post in circulation. I don't know about you guys but I have relatively few plans for tonight. There are two reasons for this: UFC 107 is on tomorrow night and Soulwaxmas is next week, so I'm taking it easy, saving some money and preparing myself for the onslaught that is inevitably going to come. Hopefully any of you who are reading this have better plans for tonight. Either way, whether you do or you don't, here are some dirty tracks to pump you up or ease the burden depending on what you have planned.

OldSchoolReunion - Bring Me The Acapella
AC Slater - Jack Got Jacked (Jack Beats Remix)
GRUM - Go Back
Digitalism - Home Zone (The Proxy Remix)
The Body Snatchers - Call Me (Blende Remix)

Ke$ha VS Uffie

2009-12-10T14:39:00.006Z

I don't know if any of you are familiar with this new artist who has just entered the charts, but her singing style and general music sound suspiciously familiar. She presents herself as an independent woman who doesn't care about anything. The extent of this self-imposed independence can be found in the lyrics to her hit single, Tik Tok, where she exclaims that when she wakes up she "brushes her teeth with a bottle of Jack" and how "when she leaves for the night, she ain't coming back." I know how she feels but who brushes their teeth with whiskey? It sounds to me like this is her attempt at radio-friendly controversy, because while she is not necessarily saying anything that is too vulgar, there are definite implications to how wreckless she is or can be.

The main reason for this post, however, is not to concentrate on this newfound representation of girl power. Instead, it is to highlight certain comparisons between someone who a lot of you may be familiar with, Uffie. Although the original Little Miss Don't Give A Fuck has slipped off the radar in recent times, leading many bloggers to come to the assumption that she was a gimmick used by Ed Banger to keep them in the spotlight, it is difficult not to spot the similarities between the two. In fact, this newcomer Ke$ha sounds so eerily similar to Uffie that it leads me to believe that record executives took a look at the original popularity of Uffie and decided to clone her with certain mofifications in order to appeal to a larger audience and, shock horror, it worked. It is no surprise that there is a market for this type of music. Cute lead singer? Check. Catchy electro-esque backing music? Check. Raunchy lyrics preaching female self-sufficiency? Check. I shouldn't be surprised but I am. In response, I don't feel like posting Tik Tok, so you can check the Youtube video here to see for yourself. I will, however, post a few Uffie tracks because while I feel like she was a bit of a fad, some of her tracks (and the tracks she was featured on) weren't bad. It's a shame she has ultimately disappeared into obscurity, but last I heard she had a feature length debut album in production with DJ Feadz so we'll see what happens.

Uffie - Ready To Uff
Justice - Tthhee Ppaarrttyy (featuring Uffie)

Metal Monday #9

2009-12-07T13:20:00.005Z

With this Metal Monday post, we've hit a bit of a milestone. I know it isn't much but this is the 50th post to be made on this blog, so here's to hoping that we can continue on with the same amount of consistency and flavour in the future. Meanwhile, I'm unusually tired so you'll have to bear with me for this post.

For the first track I'm going to go with something a little bit different to what you've become accustomed to. It isn't a huge leap in differentiation or anything but it might have some metalheads scratching their heads. The artist is Disturbed and the track to be featured is Stupify. I know there are many Disturbed haters out there but I can't help but like them. Their original album, The Sickness, is just one of those albums that never gets old. Practically every track on there has some degree of merit if that's what you're into. I think most people dislike them because of how successful they've been, selling over 11 million albums and debuting three consecutive albums at number one in the US. I don't understand this logic. Although there have been justified accusations of bands "selling out" (see: Metallica post-1991), the majority of them are entirely unfounded. When a band achieves widespread success they should be congratulated for such a feat, not ostracised. The reason I have chosen Stupify over the likes of Down With The Sickness or The Game is because I wanted to place emphasis on the overall quality of the album rather than the more well-known tracks. The Sickness itself is one of the most congruous and undeviating albums I've heard. Honestly, I had great trouble picking one track because each of them were potential candidates. I went with Stupify in the end because I think it best summarises the early years of the band. I wouldn't say it was the standout track on the album or anything but it contains many of the elements that make Disturbed who they are.

Disturbed - Stupify

The second track is by none other than All That Remains. This was an incredibly tricky one but I decided to go with And Death In My Arms, primarily because of the accoustic/classical guitar opening. All That Remains are a band who are split right down the middle in terms of a love/hate meter. The main reason for this is their album This Darkened Heart. With the release of this album, many considered the band to have engaged in a departure of style, due primarily to the fact that they adopted the use of clean vocals for it. Admittedly, the use of clean vocals in metal bands is something that leaves me a little disillusioned and underwhelmed (this is half the reason I'm not a huge Killswitch Engage fan), but All That Remains do it right by keeping the clean parts to a bare minimum and that's what I'm here to demonstrate. And Death In My Arms is just a great little number and it is one of their tracks that originally made me stand to attention. Like I mentioned earlier, the accoustic/classical guitar opening is just something I've always loved ever since hearing Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets. Thankfully, All That Remains have a similar template to Metallica in this respect, because the track jumps straight from accoustic to a relentless barrage of metallic music. While the drums aren't anything to write home about, they keep the tempo and the ruthless riffage does the rest. Though the vocals will most likely turn some heads, it is difficult to argue that they don't suit the music perfectly. Usually I'm not a fan of that metalcore style but even I have to admit that All That Remains really nail it. To make matters even more unyielding, there is a huge breakdown near the conclusion of the song which just kicks it into overdrive and takes this song to the next level.

All That Remains - And Death In My Arms

The middle track for today is by none other than Nevermore and it is the opening track of their album Dead Heart In A Dead World, Narcosynthesis. I've been meaning to write about Nevermore for quite some time but just haven't got around to it. There are few metal bands out there who can attest to the originality of this band. They could be described as the culmination of a melting pot filled with metal subgenres, as they incorporate aspects of thrash, power, neo-classical and progressive metal into their music. I'm not sure why I went with Narcosynthesis over any of the material from my preferred album, Enemies Of Reality. Don't get me wrong, Dead Heart In A Dead World is a fantastic album but I was introduced to the band through Enemies Of Reality, which got a serious amount of airplay on my CD player after its release in 2003. I guess I went with Dead Heart In A Dead World and Narcosynthesis, in particular, because the opening track not only does a lot of justice to the band as a whole but is also quite an uncompromising and forceful track, which is what the band are all about. People can glorify Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen all they want, but when it comes to hardhitting metal few play the guitar better than Jeff Loomis, a true underdog of the virtuoso musical world, especially given the fact that he plays a seven-string guitar and has an extraordinary sweep-picking technique. The track Nacrosynthesis makes use of this technique as well as odd time signatures. The rhythmic approach to the track is compelling because of these time signatures as it manages to keep the listener alert and on the edge of their seat contemplating what's coming next. The drums also add to this approach as they seem to have a mind of their own on this track, delivering a rudimentary pattern while still maintaining the flow, which makes the track stand out amongst the crowd.

Nevermore - Narcosynthesis

The fourth track is Deadworld by Shadows Fall. An interesting bit of trivia regarding this track is that whenever I get a new MP3 player or speakers, it serves as my 'test track'. I don't know why this is but it has become a recent tradition ever since I tried it out on an old IRiver MP3 player around the 2004/2005 mark. Deadworld isn't technically distinguished or anything. In fact, in spite of the level of proficiency within the band, this track chooses to go down the heavy as fuck route in favour of a skullcrushing riffs over abstract guitar techniques and pedal functions. While there is no denying this isn't for the faint of heart, you never really know until you try. It opens with a ferocious yet exceedingly well-composed guitar riff that sets the tone from the outset. The drums are concomitant to this guitar line because while they are fundamentally important to the structure of the song, they never protrude far enough to take the focus away from the guitar. On the vocal front, frontman Brian Fair does a good job of channelling and transcending this musical energy in the form of melodic death metal. Although personally I would consider his vocals to be a little on the soft side for the death metal part, don't underestimate just how low he can go. Deadworld is a good demonstration of how thorough his vocal range is.

Shadows Fall - Deadworld

The last track to be posted today is Closer by Nine Inch Nails. I know this track has become a bit overplayed in recent years but that doesn't mean that it doesn't deserve to be posted. Whilst I will be the first to admit that, with the exception of Pretty Hate Machine, many Nine Inch Nails albums are comprised of a lot of filler material, that doesn't in any way lessen their creative or artistic appeal. Closer serves a nice little manifestation of this appeal, because although like I said previously, it has become a little bit played out in recent years, it is still a great track that pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable in this day and age. In spite of the song being lyrically obscene, this level of obscenity is endorsed by the grinding industrialism of the track itself. Credit where credit is due; Trent Reznor is a genius of the musical world and one of the few people who is able to get alternative dancefloors dancing. Closer is a perfect example of this with its unusual musicality. Even in terms of industrial music, this track is just off the wall. Like much of the work of Nine Inch Nails, every time I listen to it I never know what to expect. It maintains a sense of contemporary descant amongst the surrounding chaos and turmoil.

Nine Inch Nails - Closer

Always Outnumbered But Never Outpunned

2009-12-03T17:50:00.005Z

Today I have a very special post for you, indeed. It comes in the form of two brand new tracks and one not so new track, all of which can be a bit of a bastard to find unless you know what you're doing. I've been planning this post for a while but unfortunately it has taken me longer than I'd have liked tracking down and obtaining the tracks in question. Many thanks to Chemical Jump, a good samaritan on Youtube and the random punter who decided to upload one of the songs on Zippyshare after any blogs who were willing to upload it got told to cease and desist. It is becoming harder and harder in recent times to run any service that provides music in this day and age due to emerging yet ever-present copyright raids. Although naturally we want to expand and develop over time, sometimes being an under the radar blog has its advantages. After all, if we were any major blog on the circuit right now we would be unable to post these tracks without some form of backlash or removal order.

First up is one I've spent the past couple of weeks tracking down, RackNRuin's Skitzo VIP. You may know this track from the recent Orange Rockcorps ad - the very same place I first spotted it myself. I don't know what it is about Orange but they have some of the best song placement in advertisements there are. This track is no exception either, starting seemingly slow but beginning the build up within the first ten seconds. This build up has to be one of the best I've ever heard because it manages so much despite being so compact. It concentrates on somewhat laidback (if you can call it that) synth work that loops while similar keyboard samples start creeping in only to be complimented by a smooth drum lick, something which phases out as emphasis is placed almost entirely on that synth hook as it builds and builds and then explodes into some of the most contaminated beats you've ever heard. The rhythmic approach to this track is something which I've been missing in recent times that singlehandedly closes the gap. I expect big things from RackNRuin in the future.

RackNRuin - Skitzo VIP

The second song to be posted is Duck Sauce's The Motion, a track which I can already hear you exclaiming has been ripping up clubs and, to an extent, the charts very recently. So how is it rare? Like anything, there is very little that is rare in this world if you know where to look. Unfortunately it looks as if Armand Van Helden and A-Trak are expecting big things from this track because almost every blog who has tried to host it has been asked to remove it. This may not seem like that big a deal but searching on Hype Machine for it comes up with zero, nada, zilch. Thankfully Chemical Jump aren't on the Hype Machine and they seem to have gotten away with hosting it. To be honest, I can't really fault the Duck Sauce boys for wanting to keep this one out of the hands of us internet pirates because this has sure fire success written all over it. The reemerge of disco in recent times has been giving the dance genre a much needed kickstart, especially when artists start blending it with French house hooks. Even if you had no ears you could probably see why The Motion has been setting clubs on fire and making just about everyone in the vicinity get up and break out a boogie. After all, providing you're nothow could you not feel like dancing to this track?

Duck Sauce - The Motion

Lastly is Cold Blank's 2012, a tune that admittedly it hasn't taken me that long to find. I first heard about this track a while ago and I acquired it not long after. Unfortunately even Chemical Jump has its boundaries and despite hosting it a few weeks ago, it was subsequently removed due to the artists request. This is where Google becomes really handy because there is almost guaranteed to be a link out there somewhere, the problem is finding it. I mean, are you really willing to trawl through pages and pages of dead ends in order to get your hands on one track? The answer is that you don't have to because I did it for you (although admittedly in this case it was like the third link on the first page but still). One of the main reasons I love this song so much is because of the sample used within: Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi. There are few things I love more, with the exception of maybe Parisienne baguettes and Michael Biehn, than classical music being dropped into dance music to full effect. It worked with Soulwax's A Fifth Of Beethoven, it worked with Miles Dyson's Live In Mexico and it most definitely works within the structure of this song. Not only do they drop Messa da Requiem early on but they keep it alive through chopped up samples that are accompanied by a bassline that has a dirty, almost primitive quality that'll make you wanna beat your bare chest like Tarzan and howl into the night. Maybe that's just me though. Enjoy the tracks.

Cold Blank - 2012

(Edit: Ironically enough, during the time I have been sitting on this post we actually got a DMCA complaint about one of our TFI Friday posts. We expected this to happen sooner or later but not this soon. Are we starting to get noticed? Who knows. What I would like to point out to anyone who wants their song taken off here is that we will be happy to do it ASAP if you contact us directly. The email address is in the side bar and we'd be more than happy to oblige. Contacting Blogger may seem like the appropriate choice to make, but although the complaint was registered, none of the writers were emailed it, despite Blogger saying an email had been sent. Each of us has checked every email we have and the blog's email itself and there is nothing there, which basically means that the post in question is now in blogging purgatory until we're able to resolve this issue. Next time, if you want a song taken off, please contact us directly. It will make both our lives a lot easier.)

Metal Monday #8

2009-11-30T15:13:00.001Z

The past couple of days have really flown by, to the extent that they feel surrealistic in retrospect. That's the only way I can explain it. Once you get involved in mass toking sessions you can expect any concept of time and scheduling to disappear. It is the unfortunate truth and it is the main reason (besides dying for a few days after a houseparty) that this wasn't updated at its correct time. Fear not, however, as here it is in its full glory, albeit a little on the late side. I hope you enjoy the tracks.

First up is a real treat by one of the 'big four' of thrash metal, Megadeth. Fascinatingly, the song to be featured is as equally about the Northern Irish troubles as it is about the popular comic book antihero The Punisher. Of course, the track I'm referring to is Holy Wars... The Punishment Due, a song whose origin is to some extent blurred. Although Megadeth founder, vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Dave Mustaine, has stated in an interview with Guitarist magazine that the story behind the song was that during an Ulster Hall show he noticed bootleg Megadeth t-shirts on sale but was persuaded not to remove them as they were helping 'The Cause', there are discrepancies regarding what transpired after this action. In spite of these differing accounts, the most widely accepted report is that for some reason only known to himself, Mustaine shouted something along the lines of "give Ireland back to the Irish." Given the sensitive climate of Northern Ireland at this point in time, it is no surprise that both Mustaine and the rest of his band had to leave in a bulletproof bus. It was after this show that Mustaine decided to write about the Holy Wars of this country. The song itself is one of my favourite Megadeth tracks due in large part to its relentlessness and overall structure. It is one of the few tracks from this era to really captures the essence of thrash metal and although it isn't their most popular track, few songs get a crowd going as much as this one.

Megadeth - Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

The next track to be posted is a heavy one: Feed The Gods by White Zombie. Of all the places and all the things to introduce me to this track, it had to be one of my least favourite films, Airheads. It is difficult to express exactly how much I hate this film. As a kid, I'd heard a lot of good things about it from numerous different reputable sources (or at least sources I considered reputable at the time) but when I watched it I don't think I've ever cringed so badly throughout an entire film in the manner I did with it. There was one good thing to come from it though, this track. Surprisingly, White Zombie actually recorded Feed The Gods for the soundtrack of Airheads and can actually be seen playing it at Whiskey a Go Go during the film, so I suppose technically if I hadn't seen this film, there's a good chance I wouldn't have heard the song in the first place. Don't underestimate me when I say that this one is heavy. It is really heavy, which is exactly what you should expect from a White Zombie track. Herein lies a problem though; it can be quite a burdensome track to write anything constructive about. The only thing that really comes to mind is a significant emphasis placed on conveying an overarching sense of brutality. The drums come crashing down hard from the outset, the distortive effects placed on the guitar provide a necessary blueprint of savageness and Rob Zombie bellows above it all on a borderline incomprehensible scale.

White Zombie - Feed The Gods

The middle track to be posted today is more for nostalgic purposes than anything else. It is The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears by Machine Head. It is at around this point that you're probably wondering where this sense of nostalgia stems from, considering they still release albums on a regular basis and play at an international level pretty frequently. Unfortunately these days I hardly ever get around to listening to Machine Head anymore. They will still get a look in every now and then but it is becoming less and less frequent in recent times. Although some people lumped them into the nu metal bracket, I don't really agree. Whilst there is little doubt that they burst onto the scene when this subgenre was at exploding point, they ticked all the right boxes for a decent thrash metal band and could even be considered part of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. The song to be posted today, The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears serves as a nice little reminder of a bygone era. It was just one of those tracks that absolutely everyone was listening to when it came out. The vocals were intimidating but not in the same way that the vocals in Emperor or Immortal are. There is definitely crossover appeal because while it is undoubtedly a heavy track, the vocals don't intrude too heavily and the riff is simple yet extremely effective.

Machine Head - The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears.

The fourth track to be posted is by a band I quite honestly haven't properly listening to in years: Kreator. Unless you're truly into your metal, its unlikely you know of these guys. Alongside Overkill, I would consider them one of the most underappreciated thrash metal bands out there. Like Destruction and Sodom, they are credited with helping to create the Death Metal genre by containing certain elements that later became a staple of that genre. This aspect alone should pique your interest. The song I have chosen to go with for this post is an old favourite of mine, Slave Machinery. I don't know what I like most about this track but what I do know is that its a toss up between the consistently balanced drum licks and the skullcrushingly vicious guitar riffs. The drums are so stereotypically metal its not even funny, keeping the flow but preserving a rough but diverse parimeter. Though I'll be the first to admit that the vocalist of Kreator, Miland 'Mille' Petrozza can be a little grating at times, he is the type of metal vocalist you get used to after a prolonged period of listening. Slave Machinery combines each of these aspects to create one of their overall better tracks.

Kreator - Slave Machinery

Lastly I've decided to go with something a little bit different, Bulls On Parade by Rage Against The Machine. I know what you're thinking, what a clichéd track. I partially agree. There is no doubt that Bulls On Parade has been played out, but no more so than Guerrilla Radio, Bombtrack or Killing In The Name Of. The reason I've chosen Bulls On Parade is because out of all the Rage Against The Machine albums, I feel Evil Empire gets the least amount of recognition and I have no idea why. For me, each of the albums are up there as some of the best released by a modern rock group, yet for some reason Evil Empire always seems to get neglected when people talk of the band. Admittedly, the album has a very different approach, concentrating primarily on bass riffage and seemingly building the tracks around it. Aside from this, the political messages are the same and it is musically tight throughout. Bulls On Parade is a good example of this factor because while some could dismiss its simplistic approach, its riff is such a hardhitting one that it is a difficult song not to nod along to. While I wouldn't necessarily say its their best (what is?), it is a nice little reminder of the overall competence and songwriting ability of the band.

Rage Against The Machine - Bulls On Parade

Easy Like Sunday Morning #8

2009-11-29T21:16:00.000Z

Last night was a rarity of sorts. What started out as a simple trip into Belfast city centre to get Soulwax tickets and a few pints descended into multiple pints, countless shots of tequila and a few double vodka and cokes. I have only vague recollections of busting some serious moves on the dancefloor but that's where it ends. We somehow ended up in a houseparty packed to the brink with a lot of strangers and a lot of people we know. We didn't leave till 9am and needless to say I've been feeling it today. You may notice this post is a little on the late side. This is primarily because I have spent most of today sleeping or reeling in agony. At least Ghostbusters was on to cheer me up.

On the concert front, one of my biggest regrets is not going to see Jason Mraz when he played here. Although I was and sort of still am a little unfamiliar with with his main body of work, I'd heard enough of his material and been impressed enough with it to warrant a ticket purchase. For some reason I didn't go ahead with it and to this day it bewilders me. The track I'm going to concentrate on today is a catchy little number by him entitled I'm Yours. Surprisingly, I was first introduced to this track via a Halo 3 montage. This is possibly why it stood out so much. Granted, it was employed as credit music, but even then it was hugely different to what most people use as their choice of background music for these types of things. There is a simple yet innocent quality to it. I don't know about you, but I find something about a man and his guitar to be very endearing. Rather than coming across as contrived or overly elaborate, instead, Jason Mraz adopts a much more D.I.Y approach to his music. When most people think of D.I.Y they envision an assortment of tools making suitably distracting and unnerving sounds in order to achieve production. When I think of D.I.Y with regards to music, and in particular, music from singer-songwriters, I think of hard work and good song structure. Mraz doesn't disappoint on this front, offering a brightness that would no doubt make Jack Johnson stand to attention if he heard it.

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

For the second song I'm going to break a self-imposed rule. Given the fact that we've all been busy with a variety of different things over the past while, unfortunately we haven't been able to cover all the genres we'd like to cover in this blog. Hip-hop is one such genre. Long-time readers may have heard me referring to this in previous posts of this nature, and though this is a rule I've primarily implemented for myself, in actuality, there have been tracks of a hip-hop or rap nature posted by me on this very blog. The simple truth is that when you feel like a track fits the bill, you gotta go with it regardless of what type of music it is. The main reason we've been saving tracks is so we can do a huge post on the genre itself and our favourite tracks from it in the near future. With this factor in mind, I don't feel quite as guilty about posting this next one: Eye Know by De La Soul. The reason I don't feel guilty about this is because I a song by them which is quite possibly one of my favourites of all time stored for later, and no, it isn't The Magic Number. You'll just have to wait and see. As for the group themselves, De La Soul are one of the most inspirational and original rap groups out there, blending an extensive mix of jazz influences with unconventional sampling and creative and stylistic wordplay to help create one of the most cherished and highly respected genres in the world, alternative hip-hop. You may not know the style by name but it has been heralded and adopted by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, the Jungle Brothers and Jurassic 5 which should give you some degree of indication as to just how critically and commercially acclaimed it was and remains to be. Refusing to conform to existing rap stereotypes, the basis behind alternative hip-hop was to blend styles and draw from differing genres proportionately. This is half the reason I decided to go with Eye Know, the other half is because it has been regular Sunday morning-to-mid-afternoon listening for me for many a year now.

De La Soul - Eye Know

The middle track for today's post is by a band many of you will undoubtedly be familiar with, Explosions In The Sky. While I didn't have a chance to catch them on their most recent tour of Ireland, I did get to see them in Dublin a year or so ago and they were overwhelmingly awe-inspiring. Like Mogwai's Hunted By A Freak, the song I have decided to go with could be considered one of their bigger tracks, a breakthrough release if you wish. Of course this is a matter which is debatable amongst fans, largely due to the fact that neither First Breath After Coma or its containing album The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place ended up breaking the sales charts when they were released, but they have subsequently recieved critical accolade as well as First Breath After Coma being featured in multiple ads and even in the Michael Moore film, Capitalism: A Love Story. Though many could argue that First Breath After Coma isn't the standout track some hail it as, I'm inclined to both disagree and agree. The reason behind this concurrence is because Explosions In The Skys' material is so typically of high standard that it is difficult to place any of their work above the rest. From an alternate perspective, however, First Breath After Coma is above all a manifestation of the spirit of post-rock with its simple yet sufficient rhythmic melodies and sentimentalist ambience.

Explosions In The Sky - First Breath After Coma

Fourthly, we have a song by a band who I can almost guarantee you wouldn't expect us to post: The Korgis. Who are The Korgis I hear you asking? Well, the simple answer is that they were one of the better British pop groups of the late 70s to early 80s. It is unlikely most readers will be familiar with the majority of their material, but I'd be surprised if anyone reading hadn't heard Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime and what a tune it is. It is such a widely covered song that there are some covers and reinterpretations which are actually more well known that the original. Everyone, from Erasure to Vanessa Carlton to Glasvegas have covered this track. I suppose it isn't really that surprising given that it is assuredly one of the best pop songs out there. I don't know about you, but most pop tracks in this day and age get on my nerves. I don't mind other popular hybrids but most of what is considered pop music as a genre is just lazy and uninspired. Unknown singers continually pop out of the woodwork and with the help of a producer and a little bit of audio technology they can release number one singles, providing they have enough backing from music television channels, of course. I don't mean to sound cynical or in any way dismissive but unfortunately we're at a point where it is difficult for anything but the latest new thing to reach the masses. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule but I personally think that the popular music machine is due for a shake-up very soon. For now, we'll just have to settle with The Korgis unparalleled structuring, simplicity and transparent purity.

The Korgis - Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime

Lastly we have a track by possibly one of the most underrated rock bands of them all, Failure. You could say I've saved the best to last in this respect because, like Karma To Burn, they are a critically lauded band who narrowly failed to find a worldwide audience despite being fantastic at their respective instruments and as a cohesive unit. During their career from 1990-1997, they were often compared to the likes of Nirvana and Mudhoney, especially due to the fact that grunge had such a foothold on mainstream society at this point. Contrary to these suggestions, however, they were a breed of their own, distinguished by scrupulous attention to production, engineering and textural sonic detail and by the development of an unconstrained sound that was not typically associated with rock bands of this generation. Being the talented individuals that they are, Failure are one of the few bands out there who manage to retain the basic framework of their style on every album yet also make each production significantly different in a number of ways. The track to be posted today, Failure - Another Space Song, is a good example of this cross between contrast and coordination. While it is very much a Failure track, they expand enough with it for it to be considered not only a new but a worthy addition to their catalogue. This is how their music befits them.

Failure - Another Space Song

The Essential Selection #3

2009-11-28T13:21:00.006Z

Like I mentioned yesterday, rather than having two posts on the same day I decided to go with TFI Friday on the Friday and The Essential Selection on a Saturday. Despite both posts being based around a Friday, I figured, for this month at least, that it'd be better to have two individual posts on the last weekend of the month so both get enough exposure. Hopefully from here on in The Essential Selection will be taking over the last Friday of the month but nothing is set in stone, so we'll keep you posted as it happens. Enjoy the tracks and also what's left of your weekend.

Bill O'Reilly - DO IT LIIIIVE!!!!!!!!1111 (DiscoTech Mix Version 2)
The Japanese Popstars - Face Melter
Vandal And Blende - Healthy Boy (Re Edit)(Elite Force Sampler Ep)
D.I.M - Is You (JFK Remix)
Groove Bandits - Sing Hallelujah
The Bloody Beetroots - Cornelius
Wolfgang Gartner - Flashback
Deadmau5 - Slip
Moby - Disco Lies (The Dusty Kid's Fears Remix)
Justice - D.A.N.C.E (Stuart Price Remix)

Tiga

2009-11-26T13:53:00.006Z

Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Tiga is a name that evokes a simultaneous sense of fear and anticipation whenever it is uttered. Having been DJing since the early 90s, Tiga has created a fierce reputation on the live circuit. He is responsible for the promotion of countless rave parties in Montreal and for the formation of the world renowned club SONA. In spite of these accomplishments, he was still uncontent and eventually he opened a record store entitled DNA Records and later created his own record label, Turbo Records.

Even these humble beginnings provided the blueprint for success on a much larger scale, because to some extent they demonstrated exactly what he was capable of. There is little doubt that, like a certain 00 Agent, Tiga is a man whose main priority is to get the job done. While his own solo material didn't exactly set the world on fire, he really shone through on his remixes and covers. The former has led to many faithful reinterpretations from artists ranging from Felix Da Housecat to Scissor Sisters. His cover of Corey Hart's Sunglasses At Night also often sneaks its way onto sets by many world-class DJs. Another notable cover is his body-popping cover of Public Enemy's Louder Than A Bomb, arguably the best of his solo work.

The songs I'm going to focus on today are Move My Body (Boys Noize Remix), You Gonna Want Me (Tocadisco Remix) and What You Need (The Proxy Remix). Move My Body is a fairly old remix but one of Alex Ridha's better ones. It has been making the rounds for several years now and never fails to get the dancefloor bouncing. Both You Gonna Want Me and What You Need, however, are my tied favourites in this department because they're both infectious and really showcase their respective artists' abilities. Tocadisco really lets it rip on You Gonna Want Me, adding a beat which is arguably on the verge of electro-house which is complimented by those catchy vocals from the original. It is just one of those rare tracks that can bring a smile to your face amidst the chaos of a dance set. On the other hand, The Proxy does what he does best on What You Need providing an absolutely filthy but very Proxy-esque bassline that drops like a ton of bricks on your head. Highly recommended.

Tiga - Move My Body (Boys Noize Remix)
Tiga - You Gonna Want Me (Tocadisco Remix)
Tiga - What You Need (The Proxy Remix)

Bonus:
Tiga - Mind Dimension (Gingy Edit)

Metal Monday #7

2009-11-23T17:11:00.010Z

My external harddrive passed away a week or two ago after many years of service. Interestingly, another harddrive which I had backed the majority of my stuff up on had stopped working roughly a year ago, which left me in a bit of a predicament. By a miraculous coincidence, the data on the latter HD has been managed to be salvaged which means that though some of my stuff is unaccounted for, the majority of it has been saved. Honestly, I would probably have killed myself if all my music got deleted. Anyway, enough with the chit-chat, lets get to the point:

The first track to be posted is by Chimaira and it is taken from their album The Impossibility Of Reason. The track itself is one of their more underappreciated efforts, Cleansation. Out of all the bands under the banner of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, Chimaira have to be my favourite, because simply put, there is no band like them. They're able to combine some of the heaviest and most brutal riffs with vocals which are not only appropriate to the music being played but that often adapt to fit the style which the band is conveying. The track Cleansation is no different. It has one of the most storming openings I've ever heard, with drum and guitar patterns that refuse to harmonise with eachother, instead approaching the track with their own individual methodology that plays off eachother. Another notable aspect of this song is the almost eastern vibe the guitar gives off at around the 2:30 mark which builds up to the shredding solo, with Mark Hunter's impenetrable and enigmatic vocals providing a much-needed layer over the top. Their name, in particular, is perhaps one of the most fitting parts of the band as they are named after a creature from Greek mythology, the Chimera, a fire-breathing monster. The reason why this is so befitting is because their music to some extent corresponds with this mythological beast due to the sheer power and competency of the band as a whole. Cleansation is a good demonstration of this dynamism and proficiency.

Chimaira - Cleansation

Secondly we have Derek Sherinian's Day Of The Dead. You may or may not know Sherinian depending on whether you're a fan of keyboardists or not. If you are, there is a good chance you're a fan of his already due to the volume of accomplishments he has made throughout his career. If not, allow me to introduce him: Derek Sherinian has to be one of the most dynamic and technically proficient keyboardists in the business, playing with a vast aggregation of artists, ranging from the likes of Kiss to Alice In Chains. On a more progressive front, he has also played with Dream Theater and is the founder of the band Planet X, who to an extent serve as a influence to his own solo work. Day Of The Dead is a good example of this significance because it plays upon the blueprint created by Planet X. This blueprint stems from the relentless nature with which they became attributed. Sherinian doesn't play it down either, citing the reason for the formation of Planet X as a band who "played their instruments so fiercely, that they would strike fear in the hearts of all musicians". His solo work builds upon this manifesto, with some of the most skullcrushing and downright grinding riffs to ever feature on solo material of this type. Listening to the track Day Of The Dead itself, it is hard to believe that it is taken from the solo album of a keyboardist, as there is heavy emphasis on the guitar work from the outset. It is only when you take a closer listen that you realize that a lot of this supposed guitar work is actually achieved through different settings on his equipment. There are many notable collaborations on his albums with guitarists and drummers but much of what you originally perceive as being from a guitar isn't actually so, which demonstrates just how versatile and creative Sherinian is. Day Of The Dead is one of those songs it is difficult not to like because although it is a little on the long side, there is enough material in it to sustain multiple listens.

Derek Sherinian - Day Of The Dead

The middle track of todays post is System Of A Down's P.L.U.C.K, taken from their self-titled album. Unless you've been living in a cave for your entire life, there is no doubt that you've heard of System Of A Down, especially their multiplatinum record Toxicity. In the early 2000s, there were few metal bands who could evoke such critical and commercial acclaim internationally, yet although they are on a hiatus, in more recent times they appear to have lost their touch. In spite of being perhaps the most iconic member of the band, their lead singer Serj Tankian has taken more of a backseat in recent productions. Instead, guitarist/backing vocalist Daron Malakian took more of a hands-on approach with the band, singing in many of their tracks, despite not being the greatest singer in the world, and as a result, they lost some of the impact they originally had. I'm not saying Serj Tankian was excluded but he most definitely played less of a part in the overall structure of the band and as a result they became less and less an original and contemporary band with a valid message to put across. This is the reason I have chosen to go with P.L.U.C.K over their newer material. It embodies the ideals and stylistic traits on which the band was founded and although their self-titled album doesn't quite hit the pinnacles of Toxicity, it is still a great album in its own right because of songs like Soil, War? and of course P.L.U.C.K.

System Of A Down - P.L.U.C.K.

The fourth track to be posted is by a band who I'm surprised haven't been featured in this weekly segment yet; Devin Townsend's sideproject, Strapping Young Lad. The track to be featured is Love? from their Alien album. An interesting bit of trivia regarding this album is that in order to prepare for recording it, Townsend stopped taking medication prescribed to him in order to treat his bipolar disorder. He described the reasons behind this in a statement saying that "I think that as an artist, in order for me to get to the next plateau, I kind of feel the need to explore things and sometimes that exploration leads you to places that are a little crazy," concluding that "Alien was no exception with that." The track Love? is prominent for two reasons. Firstly, its video is heavily inspired by the Evil Dead franchise, and secondly it has an extremely accessible opening riff. It was chosen as the lead single from the album due to a possibility of commercial metal appeal though I think that is more to do with the other tracks on the album rather than Love? itself. I wouldn't say that this is the strongest of all the Strapping Young Lad tracks but it is a good example of what the band are capable of and that's why I chose it.

Strapping Young Lad - Love?

Lastly, we have Pantera's 5 Minutes Alone, a track which seems to constantly grow on me the more I listen to it. Maybe its the utterly compelling bass lick or it could be Phil Anselmo's imperative vocals, I honestly don't know. My only real complaint of Pantera as a band is that there tends to be a hell of a lot of filler on their albums as opposed to stone-cold classics such as Cowboys From Hell, Walk or even the featured track 5 Minutes Alone. Admittedly, the album which 5 Minutes Alone belongs to, Far Beyond Driven, isn't quite as bad for this as some of their previous albums but it makes you wonder exactly what they could have been had they spent more time crafting their material. This isn't a slight against the band, as they are one of the greatest metal bands of all time and obviously there were a lot of issues between the band members on the inside, but unfortunately we will never know exactly what the band were capable of due to the untimely murder of lead guitarist Dimebag Darrell. For now, you'll just have to be happy with one of the best breakdowns in metal history at just under the 4:00 mark.

Pantera - 5 Minutes Alone

Easy Like Sunday Morning #7

2009-11-22T14:01:00.007Z

As Thunder Child briefly mentioned in his last post, TFI Friday, he will be taking a leave of absence over the next couple of weeks to concentrate on university work. This means that I will be undertaking the majority of the weekly posts until he returns. There is a good chance he will be able to draw something up for the TFI Friday posts but we'll take that as it comes. You may be wondering why I'm forced to do this singlehandedly. Well, the truth is that the rest of the writers either have internet problems or are too lazy to do anything. Admittedly, I'm inclined to lean towards the latter because three months is a long time to have not contributed anything but what can you do. This is also the reason that there are sometimes missing gaps or posts, particularly with regards to the weekly segments. The simple fact is that it is difficult to bestow faith or trust in other people because people are flawed. Don't take it as a reflection of the blog itself but rather those who fail to update it. On a brighter note, there is a good possibility not only that Mr. JazzCigarettes will be returning to help me with a weekly segment in the coming weeks but that he will be posting a new article this week. You should remember him from his And Now For Something Completely Different post, a refreshing yet affectionate look at the singer/songwriter genre. On a similar level, I am hoping to get a new writer in to cover one of the Metal Monday posts in the coming weeks so keep your eyes peeled for that. It's going to be a busy couple of weeks.

First up is a track by a duo who amazingly haven't been featured in this segment yet, despite perhaps being the most representative aural personification of easy Sunday morning listening. The artist is, of course, Air. The track I have decided to go with is Alpha Beta Gaga, a song you have no doubt been introduced to sometime since its release in 2004 but most likely just didn't know its name or who it was by. This is the beauty of Air, they make some of the catchiest and uplifting electronica songs yet most people wouldn't be overly familiar with their work. Allow me to (re)introduce you. The song Alpha Beta Gaga has a flavour that wouldn't sound out of place in an advertisement. I'm not talking about the McDonalds 'I'm loving it' jingle but rather something more refined and original such as the Orange or Guinness advertisements. Surprisingly, to my knowledge, it has never been featured in an advertisement but it is easy to make this mistake, especially considering it contains somewhat of a transcendent semblance that most recent artists wouldn't even dream of capturing. Like many great songs, whether you've heard this track before or not is irrelevant, it will instantly have an immediate and familiar quality to you in a similar way Royksopp's Eple might. I'd assume this is due to the interlinking nature of the main hook and the correlating whistling which compliment eachother faultlessly. It is this parallel which makes Alpha Beta Gaga not only instantly recognisable but also essential Sunday listening, particularly if you want your spirits lifted.

Air - Alpha Beta Gaga

The second track to be posted today is Samon Kawamura's Right Here, a song which also features the brother of hip-hop pioneer Madlib, Oh No. Like last week's Common Market track, I've been sitting on this one for quite some time. Unlike last week's track, however, there is no grand plan for this one. I simply forgot to post it. Hopefully this post can make up for my forgetfulness though as I figure now is as good a time as ever to get it uploaded. Samon Kawamura is a relative unknown in most circles. This could be for many reasons but is most likely due to the fact that it is incredibly difficult to discuss or analyse exactly what he does. While it should be noted that he is a hip-hop producer first and foremost, many of his beats retain an electronic yet traditional feel to them. The only person I could really compare him to is DJ Krush because whilst he produces hip-hop beats, many of his tracks are instrumental with the odd guest vocalist laying down some lyrics for only a handful of tracks. Speaking on comparisons and influences, he states "basically I more and more like people with an electronic approach, who nevertheless have an analogue feeling in their music." It is a difficult line to tread because while the analogue/electronic argument is a source of contention amongst many DJs and producers, here is a producer not siding with one or the other but rather making it his perogative to draw influence from both. Thankfully it really works because though some listeners may find his material unappealing at first, once you hit that sweet spot there is no going back. I chose Right Here because it is a fresh beat advocated by Oh No's rapping and because it is something a little bit different compared to what we usually see on these pages.

Samon Kawamura - Right Here

Continuing on the 'little bit different' theme, I have chosen a track which at first glance will have most people wondering where my sanity went. The song is Chaos & Julia Set's Atmosphere (Sub Base Field Remix), a nice little cross between old school Hardcore. Drum and Base and the Detroit Techno movement. I know what you're thinking, can dance music really be easy listening? Well, the truth is it can. Just listen to Orbital's Belfast or The Future Sound Of London's Papua New Guinea and you'll see what I'm talking about. It is extremely unlikely you'll have heard of Chaos & Julia Set before this point unless you've been an avid follower of the underground UK dance scene over the past twenty years. Personally I have no idea when or where I was introduced to Atmosphere (Sub Base Field Remix) but I have a feeling my good friend Hostile Product showed it to me, so props where props are due. This song is definitely a pick-me-up type tune. While it builds and builds, the beat never strays too far from the source material, ultimately leading to what could be considered a tribute to a bygone era. It is never too relentless or flamboyant, it is what it is and that's what I like the most about it.

Chaos & Julia Set - Atmosphere (Sub Base Field Remix)

As mentioned several weeks ago, the next track to be featured will be a Moby track. You may remember when I took the reigns a few weeks ago I mentioned that I will be focusing on roughly two or three tracks from the album Play in order to demonstrate just how versatile Moby is. I decided at the last minute last week to mix it up a bit and take some focus away from this artist but I feel that enough time has passed in order to display another track from this album. At this rate, expect the next installment (if there is one) within the next couple of weeks. The track I've decided to go for this week is The Sky Is Broken, predominantly because it is quite a unique track in its own right. While it starts out as a bit of a slow burner, with a relaxed drum pattern and synth work that sounds like it was composed underwater, they are soon joined by a man speaking rather than singing. Interestingly, the dryness of his tone is what makes it so immersive. It just fits. Near the end of the track we are greeted by a brief yet captivating segment where the synth really develops and comes into its own.

Moby - The Sky Is Broken

Lastly we have one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands, the Incubus track Drive. The band themselves have to be one of the most misunderstood bands in history. Whereas those who don't really know them automatically attribute their music to cookie-cutter rock bands such as Alkaline Trio or Three Doors Down, in reality they couldn't be further from the truth. The reason for this is because upon first glance most people will notice that the vocals have a tendency to be a little bit softer. This is just the type of band they are. In terms of musicality they are on their own level. Honestly, there is little to no bands doing what they're doing right now: blending what could be perceived as commerciality with relentless funk and instrumental accomplishment. Though Incubus may appear to be a certain type of band on the surface, if you even give them the slightest window of opportunity you will no doubt come out feeling very differently about them. Few bands can reach the level of popularity they've reached doing what they do without compromising their artistic integrity along the way. With Incubus, each album stands out from the crowd and, rather than losing their touch, they seem to be improving with age. The song I've chosen for this post is a little more radio friendly than many of their other songs but don't let that deter you, it is still a great song that might open you up a bit. Listen to it with a clear head and hopefully you'll feel the same way I do.

Incubus - Drive

TFI Friday #6

2009-11-20T19:45:00.003Z

Friday at last, its been a long week and this may be the last you from me for a while. Nothing's went wrong, i just have to concentrate on uni work for the next few weeks as its deadlines galore. There may be some guest posters to fill my post, so be on the lookout for something different in my absence. Its been a long week and this may be the last you hear from me for a while, but its still the weekend. Enjoy the tracks.

Tracks:
Boys Noize - Kontact Me
Hey Today! - Necessary Evil
Acid Girls - The Numbers Song
Michael Jackson - Remember the Time (Don Diablo Remix)
Gigi Barocco - Puah

*Bonus mash-up from the Bast*rds:
The Bast*rds of Bass - Lose Your Heartbeat (Eminem vs The Knife)

The bonus is a little goodbye present from myself until i return (and also to make up for the missing track 2), been sitting on this track for about a year or so now, enjoy.

The All-American Rejects

2009-11-18T19:45:00.000Z

Have I gone out of my mind? Why am I posting about an alternative rock/pop band? The truth is that I'm not really posting about them but rather some pretty nifty remixes that have been done in recent times. As always, there is a strong possibility you may have heard these tracks if you've been visiting any major electro blogs in the past couple of months, but we here at AHC believe that it is often better to re-post older tracks that are actually really good rather than concentrate on newer stuff that we don't find as appealing. Obviously we want to keep you as up to date as possible with regards to the latest releases and what is getting hyped at any given time, but we're not gonna post a track we aren't feeling just because a big name is attached to it. Sometimes it is better to revisit older material rather than focusing on getting newer tracks posted just because they're new.

The two tracks I've chosen for today's post are The All-American Rejects - Gives You Hell (The Bloody Beetroots Remix) and The All-American Rejects - The Wind Blows (Felix Cartal Remix). Admittedly, The Bloody Beetroots have been impressing me less and less in recent times. With the initial surge of remixes that propelled them into electro royalty it seemed like everything they touched turned to gold. Their remixes frequently tore up dancefloors and had listeners eagerly anticipating their next release. So what went wrong? Well, nothing really. They kept the same formula and it kind of got a little repetitive. Their debut LP didn't exactly blow me away but there were a few good tracks on it. While this All-American Rejects remix isn't exactly mindblowing, it has a nice beat and doesn't stray too far into the fidget house genre instead keeping its electro roots by descending into the realm of solid, bassy synths. Secondly, we have The Wind Blows which is remixed by Felix Cartal. In my opinion, Felix Cartal can do no wrong and it keeps me awake at night knowing I've yet to see him. His releases and remixes are constantly dirty, constantly inspiring and constantly upbeat. In other words, he makes filthy music you can dance recklessly to. The Wind Blows is a good example of this because rather than taking time to build it up and unleash hell instead he unleashes it from the get-go chopping up vocal samples to fit the beat. This isn't his best production but it will most certainly make you wanna go out and destroy some dancefloors and that can only be a good thing.

The All-American Rejects - Gives You Hell (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)
The All-American Rejects - The Wind Blows (Felix Cartal Remix)

Metal Monday #6

2009-11-16T23:07:00.001Z

The first song in discussion this week will be our first live track, usually id try and avoid live material as the recording quality is never really up to scratch and the band never really sounds as perfected as they do on the studio, however this track is a testament to how brilliantly such a well rounded band can perform under live circumstances. The band is Vanden Plas and the song is the opening track on their Spirit of live album. The track opens with a the crowds chanting the group's name and the listener is instantly transported into the crowd, a nice touch by the producers. The track is very much a perfect sample of what you are going to hear from the rest of the album, tracks from the 4 albums preceding the recording. Andy Kuntz delivers a memorable performance during the track especially during when delivering the higher and more harmonized notes which seem to always compliment Stephan Lill's guitar work throughout the track.

Vanden Plas - I Can See (live)

This track is slightly different in that it is not technically metal, but hip-hop. The track, Awaiting the Hour, heavily samples Slayers Rainning Blood and the name has clearly been taken from the lyric within the song "awaiting the hour of reprisal". The song hails from Ill Bills 2007 mixtape Black Metal and is very typical of the artist, featuring heavy hitting lyrics that justify the heavy riffs playing over them. The name of the song and the lyrics they were derived from were later re-used as Ill Bills second studio album "The Hour of Reprisal", also featuring heavy metal orientated tracks such as War is my Destiny, i haven't went into too much detail on ill bill here so i can do a profile of him sometime in the future, for now enjoy the track.

Ill Bill - Awaiting the Hour

The next track I want to talk about is Megadeth's Insomnia. To most people it almost seems to be an accepted realism that a band older work usually seems to be better and their new work is unlistenable, Metallica being a prime example, another being Dragonforce, however a few artists do seem to mature as they get older and have not only listenable albums, but albums that destroy previous endeavors, The Beatles, Jurassic 5, Common and Savatage being just a few examples. I am not going to state that Megadeth's later albums are perceivably better than their earlier work, however I still find their later work pretty damn good and very listenable, especially when you consider Megadeth's long time rivals pitiful attempts at making music. Insomnia come from the groups 1999 album Risk, which was a critical and commercial failure, with fans complaining about the lack of metal, however I feel that Insomnia really stood as a testament to the group and to what the album was trying to do, even if it was slightly experimental. The band would return to form with later albums which provided touring grounds for the band especially after their brief breakup in 2002-2004. Insomnia has a seeming organic flow to it which seems to stem from the violins that are heard backing the track throughout. I really enjoyed this track from this ill fated album, so I urge you to give it a chance.

Megadeth - Insomnia

Next I want to talk about Tool's memorable song Hooker with a Penis. I was first introduced to this song (and the band) through a cousin of mine, being a big tool fan he naturally wanted to spread the word about the group, I listened, I enjoyed and I wanted more. The song is from their critically acclaimed album Ænima and after hearing it I was satisfied. I felt it was a very accessible album and still do, especially compared to a slightly more conceptual Lateralus. The song was one I ended up listening to a lot over the years and was probably one of the key songs that got me interested in the progressive metal genre, even if I didn’t consciously link the two at the time. The song is very typical of the time it was written in and of Tool themselves, containing slightly irregular drum patterns that a few bands seemed to be experimenting with at the time and also containing Keenan's signature vocal style dominating the track and almost sounding like an instrument itself due to the aggressive tone and meticulous timing of his words.

Tool - Hooker with a Penis

The last track is another entry from Dream Theater, a band who seem to, unsurprisingly, keep making appearances in our list of featured artists. This track I want to talk about is The Mirror from their 1994 album Awake. The song is a lot heavier than the majority of the band's songs and heavily leans towards the thrash metal genre that they would explore further in later albums which I personally felt came full circle within Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, most attempts at the heavier Prog Metal just didn’t seem to work out for the band which Train of Thought seemed to prove, this doesn’t however mean that all albums after Six Degrees were bad, with Octavarium providing some great tracks. The mirror opens with a very distinctive riff that carries though as a theme of sorts to the song, running and appearing throughout it. LaBrie's vocal work seems to work here better than it does in the groups later attempts at the heavier genre, mainly because he's signing more naturally and seemingly passionately. This brings me onto some of the bands later work, specifically Systematic Chaos, were LaBrie seems to drown out the instrumentals on the albums (which just don’t seem loud enough), and he sounds like he's just reading the lyrics off the page, putting no passion into the words he's singing, therefore creating no story or musical flow for the music to follow with Petrucci just masturbating on the guitar in the background for the sole reason that he can. The Mirror is a prime example of when Dream Theater were an American muscle car speeding down the highway in what can only be described as progressive beauty. LaBrie balances his "metal" vocals well in this track and doesn’t go overboard on trying to tackle a genre he clearly can't, which as described above, he later goes on to do. The track also features exquisite work from Kevin Moore, from what would be his last album with Dream Theater. I personally think that Moore was one of the best things to happen to the band, Sherinian would prove to be an admirable follow up in the albums he was featured in, as for Rudess, I feel he was Dream Theater's Night of the Long Knives. Enjoy the track.

Bonus Track: Ok, so I've had this song in my library for a long time, a good few years ago it was put onto a compilation cd that I'd listen to in school and I thought it sounded very familiar, then I listened to The Mirror again and I thought they sounded similar, after some time I actually sat down and compared the two tracks and I founded that they sounded almost exactly the same. The song in question is Darkane's "Chaos vs Order". I am almost certain that Darkane just flat out stole this song from Dream Theater, they open the same way and have pretty much the exact same song structures with all the same instruments appearing at the same times and so on, I'm not sure if anyone has actually looked into this but I feel it they are way too familiar to be a coincidence, have a listen and see what you think.

Dream Theater - The Mirror
Darkane - Chaos Vs Order

Easy Like Sunday Morning #6

2009-11-15T12:06:00.007Z

This week I have decided to list some of my all-time favourite more relaxed or laidback tracks. Originally this wasn't an intentional thing but as I was compiling the tracks that's just the way it went. Practically all of these tracks I would consider essential listening providing this type of music is what you're into. If not, you may find some of them a little difficult to get on board with but you may even surprise yourself if you give them a chance.

Firstly is Oceansize's Music For A Nurse. After getting featured in an Orange advertisement, a television drama and a recent film, The Invisible, this track was consequently considered almost platitudinous or overplayed if you listened to the critics. Thankfully I didn't and still don't. Regardless of where or how heavily this track was featured, it never becomes convoluted or feels misplaced. It is rare for a song to be able to convey such a large range of emotions from so many different people. Whereas some people may hear this song as a melancholic or desolate piece, I see it more as a graceful yet ultimately triumphant song. There is no wrong interpretation, it is roughly down to how the song is approached and the listeners general outlook and overall levels of perception but even then let's not get ahead of ourselves. Music For A Nurse comes from the innovative yet frequently misunderstood album Everyone Into Position. Originally, although I enjoyed it, I didn't quite see what the big fuss was about. I was very much still in love with their first album Effloresce and with the follow-up there was a slight departure in style and a significant departure in focus. At first glance, Everyone Into Position seemed to be a softer, more brooding rendition of their music as opposed to the heavier yet multifaceted first album. It took me a long time to come to terms with this new approach because while I often acknowledged its artistic merit in my own mind, it never quite hit the pinnacle of Effloresce for me. To an extent, my stance hasn't changed but after managing to see them live (still my favourite gig) I learnt a new level of appreciation for the album, particularly Ornament/The Last Wrongs. It was only after this concert that I came to realise just how elegant and imaginative it was aesthetically. Music For A Nurse was chosen because it is an untarnished extension of these aesthetic qualities.

Oceansize - Music For A Nurse

The second track to be posted is The Postal Service's Such Great Heights. You may remember that the last time I did this I chose Death Cab For Cutie's Soul Meets Body. It isn't a coincidence that this weeks post features The Postal Service, a collaborative effort between Ben Gibbard, the vocalist for DCFC and Jimmy Tamborello (also known by the pseudonym Dntel) of Figurine and Headset. It was a deliberate choice to continue with this alignment as I feel it best summarises Ben Gibbard's songwriting prowess yet also offers something fresh and to an extent unconventional. The name The Postal Service originates with the way in which they chose to produce the bands songs. It was only after Tamborello had written and recorded the instrumental parts that they were sent to Gibbard who would then edit or refine them and come up with the vocals which he believed best fitted the music. Given that this was a sideproject for both artists, in order to undertake these songwriting duties without compromising their main projects, they chose to send eachother demo tapes via the United States Postal Service. The song Such Great Heights is arguably the standout track from the album because whilst there are other tracks which are notable, it best represents both the band itself and the ideals on which it was formed. The vocals are irrestibly catchy yet the music is so off-the-wall that it just works. Listening to this song and concentrating solely on the instrumental parts gives a huge inclination as to just how made for eachother these two are. Despite being very much an electronica song, it still manages to maintain a certain degree of indie pop sensibility which never ceases to bring a smile to my face.

The Postal Service - Such Great Heights

The middle track for today's post is by the man himself, Gerry Rafferty. Of course it could only be his seminal not-quite-a-number-one Baker Street. Unless you're a robot from outer space (and even then you probably still would have heard it), it is practically guaranteed that you have heard this track somewhere along your travels. It is inescapable and is one of those rare tracks that means something to each individual listener. If you haven't heard it or the name sounds unfamiliar to you, why not take some time to get acquainted? Its unlikely you'll regret it. One of the main reasons this song is so well-known is because of that saxophone solo. Not only did Raphael Ravenscroft's solo rejuvenate the instrument within the mainstream media but it also did so within the public domain resulting in a surge in saxophone sales. Baker Street, to me, is essential Sunday listening. I don't know what it is about this song but it just perfectly manifests a lazy Sunday morning or afternoon to me in a way that very few songs can. It manages to convey a lackadaisical vibe without stretching too far into that category while all the while remaining effortlessly cool. It is a shame that Rafferty failed to emulate the success of Baker Street in later years because if this is what he could do with a song about busking in London, who knows what he could have done with more commodious subject matter. Then again, maybe this unpretentious background is where the song's engagingness stems from. Personally I think its the killer sax solo.

Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street

Fourth on the chopping block is La Ritournelle by Sebastien Tellier. You may remember Mr. Tellier from his Eurovision entry that was deemed controversial due to his emphasis on singing in English rather than his native tongue of French, leading Tellier to increase the amount of French within the song itself. Regardless, he still only scored 47 points resulting in a position of 18th, demonstrating exactly how tasteless and bureaucratic this 'competition' is. I don't know what would be worse, Tellier losing to a bunch of manufactured pop artists or winning and obtaining a sense of unflourished credibility in all the wrong circles. I once put a slightly remixed version of La Ritornelle onto a mix CD and sent it around a multitude of people around the United Kingdom and Ireland. The reason behind this distribution was because of a project involving an exchange of music that crops up every couple of years on various different forum boards I use. Needless to say the results were unabashededly negative. I hope this second lease of life fares a little better because I honestly believe this song to be one of the greatest of all time. It just works on so many different levels and offers something which has become more and more difficult to acquire within the music industry in recent years: purity. Admittedly, the remix which I originally sent around I feel is a slight improvement over the source track due to a very, very minimal increase in speed, but I think it would be wrong of me to post anything but the original within this post. It is still utterly fantastic in every respect.

Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle

Lastly we have a track I've been sitting on for the best part of a year, Common Market's Tobacco Road. I'm sure you want to know exactly why I've been sitting on a track for so long, especially considering this blog has only existed for just under three months now. The answer is that sometime in the future I am hoping to be featured in a Halo 3 montage showcasing my skills and whatnot. Whilst this track was never intended to be used in conjunction with the gameplay footage, after initially listening to it whenever that was I figured that it would make excellent credit music. I am reasonably sure that I was introduced to this track after downloading it from a blog which is puzzling because it is not the sort of music that is typically featured on blogs. Either way, it has everything that one could possibly want from credit music; an unashamed melody and flow that hints at a sentimentality that most rappers wouldn't touch with a six foot pole. The use of piano is simple yet effective and communicates a mixture of despondency and longing remembrance that expertly fits the message I will almost undoubtedly be trying to divulge at the end of the video. The very fact that it is making it into this video whenever it will be (it may even never come around) should give a broad implication as to just how highly I think of it. Give it a few listens and hopefully you'll feel the same way.

Common Market - Tobacco Road

TFI Friday #5

2009-11-13T15:25:00.012Z

I don't know what it is about today but I have a really good feeling about it. I was woken up reasonably early this morning with the sun completely blasting me through my windows. Considering it is November, to say it was a much needed climate surprise would be the understatement of the century, especially considering that the United Kingdom is supposed to be getting hit with one of the worst storms of the year.

To make matters infinitely better, I am around 80% sure we're doing a RoboCop marathon tonight which may not sound like much but for some reason I'm looking forward to it perhaps more than I should be. After watching the frankly disappointing and unrealistic love drama/comedy Adventureland last night, I need some vigilante justice enforced with extreme prejudice to balance myself out. Enjoy the tracks.

Felix Cartal - Montreal Dreams
Crookers - Big Money Comin'
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)
Les Petits Pilous - Wake Up
The Proxy - Dance In The Dark

Easy Like Sunday Morning #5

2009-11-08T21:46:00.001Z

Regular visitors to the blog will have noticed that I didn't post last Sunday's blog, this was due to the storm that occurred on Saturday evening that fried my router. Nonetheless things are back on track this week.

The first song I'm going to post is one from a band that had a great influence on me about 5 years ago, and whom I still hold a great deal of respect for, even if I'm not a fan of their more recent material. The band in question is the highly successful American progressive metal/rock group Dream Theater. I first came into contact with this band through an instrumental piece from their 1994 album Awake, called Erotomania, also being the song that consciously introduced me to the prog scene in general. The song I'm going to post comes from the bands 2002 concept alum Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, an album which tackles the struggles of life, with the first disc dealing with morality, death, alcoholism, loss of faith and such issues, while the second disc deals with struggles of the mind in the form of mental disorders. The 6th and final track of the album fills entirety of the 2nd disc and is split up into 8 movements, the track I am wanting to profile is the 6th movement of this track, known as Solitary Shell.
The track deals with a person living with autism (degree 5) with the story explaining his life and progression of the illness, starting off as appearing normal then slowly showing signs of the illness, with James LaBrie singing about different aspects of the disease such as extreme concentration and withdrawal from social contact. The song is a typical prog rock piece that seems to appear at least once in every one of Theaters album's to contrast the prog metal that dominates each of them. The song, from the opening chords is very reminiscent of Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill and seems to be an homage to the track (even in name), when LaBrie enters it is clear that his vocals aren’t up to the standard that they had been in previous years, obviously due to the infamous food poisoning incident(however it should be noted that after the tour that accompanied this album, la brie claimed his vocals skills returned after time and trained, which although sounds suspicious, I think was proven with his best work on Ayreon Human Equation album). The song continues to reference the Gabriel song by incorporating a very similar sounding chorus which continues to build up to roughly the 4 minute mark were we have the second instrumental break of the song were we hear a some heavier instrumental work before Petrucci treats us with some flamenco style guitar work. The song continues to build as nears the end of the track which has been written as the lead-in to the next track. This song may be a bit "out there" for some of the people who may visit this blog, but our goal is to ultimately expand peoples horizons and giving the structure of the song I think this makes it a perfect way to open the Sunday post, enjoy.

Dream Theater - Solitary Shell

The second artist I want to talk about is an artist who most for you will be all too familiar with, The Chemical Brothers. Being slightly more upbeat that is usually for the Sunday post I wanted to put this in as I feel it incorporates the feel of a Sunday pretty well, or it at least holds some sort of nostalgic Sunday feeling to it. Star Guitar comes from the Brothers fourth album and was released as a single in 2002 were it gained a lot of prominence in the club scene, the song also re-gained a lot of this prominence in 2007 when Shinichi Osawa did a cover version that took the clubs by storm which also produced many remixes. The song is very typical of the chemical brothers electronica, big beat and very psychedelic sound that the band has become associated with combing and establishing over the years. The song contains a sample of Bowies Starman which is looped and repeated throughout the song, with other instruments mimicking this and then going off into their own musical journey, with vocals coming into it at the halfway point that give the song a depth that only the chemical brothers seem to know how to deliver.

The Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar

The next band and song I'm going to discuss is almost a guilty pleasure and a band I haven't actually properly listened to in a long time. Down were formed in 1991 by vocalist Phil Anselmo of Pantera, guitarist Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity, second guitarist Kirk Windstein of Crowbar, bassist Todd Strange of Crowbar, and drummer Jimmy Bower of Eyehategod. The band seemed have a more southern approach the bands previous endeavors and really concentrated more so on their lives and their where they lived. It was also took a step back from the heavier stuff that each member and their respective bands are known for, even taking an acoustic and more rock orientated approach in many of their songs. The song I'm going to profile is from their first album and is titled "Jail". My greatest memory of this song is when I went to see the band play in June of 2006 in Belfast's Mandela hall, the band dimmed the lights, filled the stage with smoke and Bower came of the drums and went center stage with the rest of the group, brining a bongo with him, Anselmo go the audience to clap in time and the band performed what I thought was probably the best song of the night. They played again a few months back (with Static x), however I felt the group was charging an extortionate amount to see them and I refused to pay it. Jail truly stands out among downs songs as it isn't really like anything they have done since and really does hold a certain atmosphere to it. The song is very reminiscent of music you'd expect to hear in a dream sequence during a movie and I can't quite describe how it sounds so I suggest you listen to it yourself and form your own opinions.

Down - Jail

In 1998 a show was conceived from the mind of Shinichirō Watanabe, an aspiring anime director, created the show "Cowboy Bebop", an anime about bounty hunters (or "cowboys") in space. Without going into too much detail the show basically pursued a bunch of vagabond bounty hunters on their ill-fated and unsuccessful missions within space and on colonized planets within the solar system. One reason I was attracted to the show was because of the washed out and very used look everything seemed to have in the show, everything look like it had been lived in/on and used many times, this wasn't a future presented to us as fresh and out of the box. Another reason I was attracted to the show, was because of the music used within it. Bebop's episodes are self-referred to has sessions, rather than episodes, this being an obvious homage to music in general. Every episode name had a musical theme, wither it be the name of a famous song (Bohemian Rhapsody) or a slight reference to a genre (mushroom samba). The primary attraction of the music within Bebop, is that it's all performed by The Seatbelts, led by Yoko Kanno. The Seatbelts could probably be best described as a handpicked bunch of session musicians, created specifically for the series, the majority of the songs they create are within the blues/jazz genre's, however their songs cover pretty much every genre there is and cross between them creating their own unique sound. I don't want to go into too much detail on the band or their origins as they will definitely be getting a profile piece in the future on the blog. One of my favorite songs of theirs falls perfectly into the Sunday category and has been riffling through my playlists for years. Ask D.N.A is one of my favorite treacks by the seatbelts and has a very upbeat tempo, with a similer sound to the some of the beatles later work. Ask D.N.A is a song that is not actually in the series, however it is the opening theme for the movie and is a easygoing track to define your Sunday.

The Seatbelts - Ask D.N.A

The last song I want to talk about could possibly be considered one of my favorite songs of all time and it is on an album that is being considered for the Excellence of Execution (in close contention with one other by the same artist), but due to the nature of the Sunday post I thought I'd post this particular song now. Also, once again due to the nature of the Sunday post, you'll probably find that this particular artist will be featured many times and probably more than any other, not only because of how ell suit the bill but because of their overall progression as artists and how they moved music on in more ways than one. If you haven't already guessed by now, I'm talking about The Beatles. In JUNKER's first Sunday post he wrote about blackbird from the highly influential self titled album, which many saw as the Beatles truly progressing as an artist by differing from what they had done before with Sgt. Pepper and Mystery Tour, with the former mirroring this very same progression on their earlier work. For me Abbey Road really stands out and I'm still not entirely sure why (im not saying its my favorite, as i don't even think i could choose) , but I believe it is because the Beatles seemed to mature more as a band, appearing and sounding more accomplished and rounded. The Beatles work is unique in that you can look at the albums and see the changes between them, they almost seem like a road trip with it being very evident from the white album that they were beginning to come to the end of their trip.
The song I'm wanting to post about here is the unforgettable Here Comes the Sun, a masterpiece penned by George Harrison with a back story that suitable acts as a prologue to the song . According to Harrison, the song was written during somewhat of a depression for the man, it had been a tough year with him getting his tonsils out, being "busted" for marijuana possession and when their record label was becoming too much of a chore, this on top of a typically long British winter set the stage for Harrison writing the song in spring of '69 while taking a break from work with Apple at a close friends house, with the song obviously talking of the good times ahead. The track, along with the album in general (in particularly the end), contains some of Ringo Starr's best drum work, even though many criticize him on his skills in general, personally I feel Starr's drum work was perfect for the Beatles work, if it had have been any more prominent it probably would have taken away from the content of most of the band's songs. The song , keeping in line with Harrisons style of writing, opens with a single acoustic guitar singing out the main riff of the song with Harrison soon coming into the song vocally singing the title of the song, with McCartney soon joining in backing. The song is one i've listened to a lot and will continue to listen to as I grow older, I hope it rounds of your Sunday is it did mine.

The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun

(Links fixed)

Dirty Basement

2009-11-07T10:17:00.006Z

Despite being relative newcomers to the scene, Dirty Basement have been ripping it up in all the right circles. Describing their music as "face melting bendy basslines with cut up vocals, claps & monstrous beasts," you can see they don't fuck around. Thankfully their music lives up the momentuous expectations they set with such a statement, delivering some seriously heavy beats that grind, shake and destroy any potential preconceptions. Although they are monthly residents at the Soundhaus club in Glasgow, their productions have only had limited releases in the blog sphere, preferring instead to be released on the commercially and slightly invulnerable Beatport. Even with this in mind, that isn't to say that they haven't embraced the blogging community because there are at least four releases out there in the great unknown. I just don't think the majority of blogs have caught on just yet, which is understandable given that they haven't quite hit the point of exploding.

Whether or not the community encompasses them into their playlists is irrelevant, however, because they have already proven what they're capable of within a handful of releases/remixes. As far as I'm concerned, they have already accomplished what it takes most established DJs/producers years to build up and establish. Their medley of remixed renditions of their single Get Messy serves as a exemplification of this because while it starts off with slow breaks that progress into some sort of twisted dubstep, when it kicks off it does it with an insane amount of flair and energy that you almost don't know how to react to what you're being subjected to. It is only up from here, with excess amounts of dirty synths and a frenzied dubstep climax, which determines Dirty Basement's ability to build up at the right times, a focus which has become misaligned by many DJs in recent times in favour of dropping bombs at any given opportunity. The fact that they present the often contrasting segments in this order shows that they know how to construct a set and demonstrates their ability to mix. It is rare that you see medleys of this type of music and it is definitely a breath of fresh air.

Another song I intend to post is their remix of AC Slater's Hello. I was going to save this one for the inevitable AC Slater profiling post but I decided to focus on it now as there are plenty of Mr. Slater's tracks to go around. What I like most about this track is that it doesn't descend into the wobblefest which the likes of the previously mentioned artist, Jack Beats and to a lesser extent Hostage have succumbed to. While I personally have nothing against dropping wobbly basslines, a heavy reliance on them can kill a song. Appreciatively, this remix doesn't quite go that way, instead dropping hints on a small scale at the conclusion of the song, and sounding like what I imagine a three way between MSTRKRFT, Mr. Miyagi and Groove Armada would sound like, hitting all the right tempos and placing the focus on characterizing and supplementing that MSTRKRFT-esque grinding synth. The last track I'm gonna throw up is Dirty Basement's take on Jape's Floating. Out of the three, I'd say this is the weakest track of the bunch, not because it is any way bad but because it doesn't offer quite as much as the rest. The track itself, Floating, is difficult to remix because it constantly has those recognisable vocals, irregardless of whether they're being cut up or sampled, meaning it is more difficult for producers to distinguish themselves on this front. Even D.I.M's remix was fairly lacklustre and while Dirty Basement prove there is life left in this track, it doesn't quite hit the pinnacles of Get Messy Medley or Hello. Either way, with Jape being from Ireland, we gotta represent.

Dirty Basement Ft. Mc Freeflow - Get Messy Medley
AC Slater - Hello (Dirty Basement Remix)
Jape - Floating (Dirty Basement's Less D.I.M Edit)

TFI Friday #4

2009-11-06T18:22:00.001Z

This Friday is going to be slightly different from previous incarnations. I'm going to be posting 5 songs which I feel should definitely be listened to in an arena, large club or festival with hundreds if not thousands of people around you. Some of these tracks are old and some are new. Enjoy the weekend.

T99 - Dogwalk
Dustin Zahn - Stranger To Stability (Len Faki Podium mix)
Federico Franchi - Pears (instrumental mix)
Eye of the Tiger - Sirkka
Outlander - The Vamp

(kudos to anyone who understands the picture reference)

Halloween Hell, Pt. 2: Thunder's Revenge

2009-10-31T16:11:00.005Z

To continue on with what Junker said in Part 1, i am presenting Halloween Hell Part 2. I'm going to be taking a slightly different, but albeit very similar approach in preparing you for tonight's slaughtering in whatever your chosen destination may be, by playing songs that should downright scare you into leaving your house for this glorious time of the year. It only comes around once a year so I implore you to go out and enjoy yourself, as JUNKER said, it is indeed just a commercial holidays these days, but who cares? doesn't mean we can't enjoy the hype, just don't believe it.

As JUNKER said, we'll be in attendance for Shine's 14th Birthday tonight, so if you're in attendance make sure you give it reps for the celebrations, also be sure to look out for 3 or 4 ejits at the front making dicks of themselves and falling all over the place, it'll probably be us, so make sure to pop over and say hi and help us back on our feet.

The songs i'm going to be posting will be more aimed towards the club, bar one song, so turn the bass up in anticipation of whats to come. Believe me when I say that it was extremely hard to pick just 5 songs for this post, there is just too many songs out there that can fit the bill, so i picked 666 songs instead of 5 (meaning in reality I only picked 6.). The first half of this post will be essentially 3 Halloween-y themed songs, a bit of fun to ready you for the night. The second half will be three dark songs, put here to scare you and prepare you, songs that will have your heart racing with excitement and fear, songs that will have you screaming for more and crying for mercy, songs that will... sorry i got a bit excited there... enjoy the songs.

As usual (for me anyway) the songs have been place in the order i feel they should be listened too, of course this is just a recommendation. Best played to get you ready for the night, the irony being that if you were out they'd almost definitely be played in reverse order.

Part 1 - Preparation:
Michael Jackson - Thriller (it may be a cliche, but it also may be one of the greatest songs of all time, so go suck suck on a shotgun)
Justice vs John Williams - Imperial Stress
Rob Zombie - Dragula

Part 2 - Ramifications:
Thomas Bangatler - Stress
Culture Prophet - Ghetto Bounce
Mr.Oizo - Lambs Anger (DAi's More Anger Remix)

Part 3 - Redemption:
Come back tomorrow for Easy Like Sunday Morning... if we make it through the night, meaning it will prob be a late post so enjoy your sleep in.

Halloween Hell, Pt. 1: Slaughterhouse Five

2009-10-31T13:25:00.005Z

It is that time of the year again, a time when kids become free to patrol the streets, knocking indiscriminately on suspecting neighbours doors looking for free shit because its 'that time of the year'. On a similar level, those old enough to go to pubs or clubs hit them up in outfits so outrageous they again have that once a year appeal. Naturally, with the exception of a small handful of people, the vast majority donning such costumes wouldn't be seen dead in them on any other day of the year but that is what makes Halloween so great. The naysayers amongst us could argue that it has become too commercialised or clichéd, and in certain respects, they're correct but who really gives a damn? If you think that shopkeepers or promoters aren't going to take advantage of the fact that this is their one opportunity to exploit a world which loves to dress up in spooky or silly costumes then you need a dose of reality. Just appreciate it for what it is.

In spite of the aforementioned criticisms, this year I am not getting into the spirit of the occasion. I'm not making a stand against "a manipulated consumerist society". Rather, I just don't have the money or creativity to fix up something nifty to go out in. What a shame. Regardless of this factor, if all goes to plan then there are at least three houseparties we could be attending on top of Shine's 14th birthday which the majority of us have a ticket to. With a line-up comprising DJ Sneak, Pendulum and Skream you'd have to be a sucker to miss it. In fact, I'm heavily looking forward to making my return to arguably Belfast's best club night. It should be a messy one.

Some of you may have gotten the reference within the name and others probably didn't. The reason I chose such a title is because of its cultural significance and the fact that it sounds cool and has the word five in it, given that I'm showcasing five songs. I know the original title isn't really related to horror but I couldn't think of anything more witty to put in there. The songs being posted are all related to horror films or just have a spine-chilling quality to them. Most of them you will probably have heard in one shape or another, but give them a download to get yourself hyped for tonight.

John Carpenter - Main Title, Theme From Halloween (I was going to put up the Secret Chiefs 3 rendition but unfortunately it appears they only do it live)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Red Right Hand
Nine Inch Nails - Something I Can Never Have
Korn - Dead Bodies Everywhere
The Horrorist - One Night In NYC

The Essential Selection # 2

2009-10-30T19:58:00.007Z

Has it been a month already? Well, it seems it has, which means its time for another essential selection.
Last month The Last JUNKER took the reigns, this month its my turn and for some of you this will be a trip down memory lane (as pretty much every essential selection will or should). If you haven't heard of these tracks, didn't know their names or simply forgot about them, then don't feel left out or in the dark, that's what the Essential Selection is here for.

Herbie Hancock - Rock It
Joey Beltram - Mentasm
Altern8 - Frequency
Alex Gopher - Dust
Federico Franchi - Cream (Franchi Alternative Mix)
Felix Da Housecat - Elvi$
Hostage - Rooted
The Proxy - Raven
Buy Now - Body Crash
Justice - Phantom Part II (Soulwax Remix)

It should also be noted that The Essential Selection will be replacing TFI Friday this week, so if your missing you're fix you'll have to check back next week for that. However we have a special treat planned for tomorrow and maybe even a few tricks, so come knocking on our door and see what we have in store.

Metal Monday #4

2009-10-26T19:44:00.040Z

I have to apologize for the late post, if you were here earlier you will have read that we were having technical difficulties which prevented us from posting earlier (and also gained insight to what's coming up).

As you can probably tell by now, we LOVE our metal, it's something that has stuck with us from an early age and will almost definitely be blasted out of speakers as or coffins are being lowered into the earth (I'm not even joking here, I have songs planned out). This blog was primarily created to showcase our work as DJ's and our love for dance and electro music, but we feel it is vitally important to not only remain true to ourselves and talk about what we actually live, love and breath but to also explain why. It's been a very progressive journey to get where our musical tastes now lie and we believe that you guys should see and understand that journey as its one of the biggest parts of who we are today.
It's likely that many people who come to this blog will come here for different reasons, maybe only coming for certain days, but we encourage people to come on all days as our goal here is a lot more than mere self-promotion, it's also one of enlightenment. I believe that most people (not all mind you) won't like certain types of music due to the clique's they associate with and the stipulations these groups of people apply to certain types of music and the ways they feel they should act. Let me teach you something, this is all bullshit. Music is an extremely subjective art form (aren't they all?), therefore its completely ludicrous to say something such as "if you like metal you can't like dance" or "if you dress like this, then you must listen to this", this is where things such as cutting your hair "isn't metal" comes from. If you believe these things, then you are very misguided and need to let go of these prejudices. Liking music comes from how you listen to it, two people may like a song for two completely different reasons because of how they decode the song, some people will follow the bass line, some will enjoy the lyrics, some will like the song because it was played when they first kissed a girl and some (most) will love a song because of how it comes together as a whole.
When I first started listening to electro I wasn't really sure why I liked it and it's only in the past year or two that I've realized that it was because there is a very, very fine line between dance and metal, they have the same basic timings and a lot of them have the same basic tempo's and all the good stuff has the brilliance that is distortion. The beauty of the internet is that it is a very personal vehicle, you can go and discover whatever you want, you can listen to who and what you want and you can watch whatever you want. When you're on your computer you are usually doing so by yourself, so don't be afraid to try new things, that’s why you have headphones .
If you are a die hard metal fan and come here only on Mondays (I know many come for more than Mondays) then I implore you to try new things and challenge you to give something new a chance. Sometime this week I'll be posting my latest mix, which was made in honor of metal and highlights the similarities between the genres it will have a metal theme progressing throughout it; maybe listening to this will change how you listen to the music and you a new understanding of it. I have a metal heart, this is why electro flows through me so easily.

Now that all that’s out of the way, the first band I want to talk about is a band I have a lot of time for and one which i one had a chance to see but never did (before the promoter fucked it up and ran out of funds, something which haunts me to this day), they are the Swedish prog metal Andromeda. In 1999 Johan Reinholdz produced a demo that would eventually go on to become the beginning of Andromeda. By autumn of that year the band had formed its Extension of the Wish line-up and were in rehearsals for the recording of the album, which would be their debut and an unforgettable moment for the band. At the time they hadn't found a full term vocalist so they hired Lawrence Mackrory as a session vocalist to sing on the first album, this was later ratified when the album was re-recorded in 2000 and finally released in 2004 with the tag line "Final Extension". The first Album was completed by spring of 2000 but didn't hit the shelves until February of 2001, by which time they had recruited David Fremberg as a vocalist and had even began re-recording the album. There is debate within the prog circles about which version of the album is better. Mackrory offered softer and higher pitched vocals were as Fremberg pleased a lot of fans with his heavier and gruffer approach. I personally am on the fence on this one, the first one I heard was Mackrorys, but the copy I had was Frembergs so they both have a a place for me. It’s a great way of studying how important vocals are to a song, as even though they have the exact same instrumental tracks, the vocals really set them apart, making them strikingly different. At some points during Mackrorys version of the album he tends to go slightly monotone and can sound like a dalek, however this isn't necessarily a bad thing as it adds a nice touch to the tracks that fits in really well with a lot of the ideologies of the prog genre. Martin Hedin definitely deserves a mention here, his key work constantly dominate the album, standing out , not drowning out, over the other instruments on the album. This is one of the reasons I picked the track Starshooter Supreme as my track of choice for this album, it is instrumentally one of my favorite tracks on the album, from what I have already said about the two versions you can derive what I feel about it vocally, the track I listen to depends on what mood I'm in at the time. Due to the history of the album I will be posting both versions of the track up and let you decide what you feel about it, I'm doing this as I have found it changes between person to person. Consider Frembergs version a bonus track, a first for Metal Mondays and perfect way to start things off on this more than metal Monday.

Andromeda - Starshooter Supreme (Lawrence Mackrory on Vocals)
BONUS TRACK: Andromeda - Starshooter Supreme (David Fremberg on Vocals)

To continue on with the prog them I'm going to talk about a band and album that more than defines the genre. The reason for this is that the goal this band was trying to achieve was highly experimental, I am talking about Arjen Lucassen's project, Star One. Arjen Anthony Lucassen is more widely known for his other prog metal project Ayreon, who can best be described as an extremely progressive metal supergroup collecting the who's who of the progressive scene. Ayreon's concept is to tell a story within each of the albums, these stories are all connected and characters reappear in and out of each of the albums telling one big story; I won't get into this story here, nor on Ayreon, as that’s a whole other post for another day (hint hint).
Star One is Arjen's attempt at creating and establishing a sub-genre of prog metal called "Space Metal", which seems to be a modern day reinterpretation of the space rock genre from the prog rock of the 1970's+. Space Metal, also the albums name, has many links and homage's to sci-fi movies, television and novels such as: Star Wars (Master of Darkness), Alien (Perfect Survivor), Dune (Sandrider), 2001: A Space Odyssey (Starchild), Stargate (They Eye Of Ra ), etc. The album is an interesting concept that is very well executed and definitely one, like most of Arjen's albums, to listen to multiple times all the way through and then try and decipher some sort of meaning to. Unlike the Ayreon project, the songs aren’t really linked together as such, other than the sci-fi connection, so it gives the songs more individual meanings, however it should also be mentioned that the album flows perfectly and the songs have been designed to be listened to one after the other (so make sure you let iTunes gather that gapless playback info when updating your iPod). Also being a supergroup of sorts has some interesting and exiting names taking part, such as Symphony X's Russell Allen, Jens Johansson of Stratovarius, Dave Brock of Hawkwind (a band who had a huge influence on the project) and Gary Wehrkamp of Shadow Gallery to name just a small few.
I found it VERY hard to pick out a song from this album to tell you about, I very nearly picked the song Set Your Controls because it is the song that kicks the album off (despite it being the second track, the first being an intro) and does so in such a way that not many other bands could ever achieve. I have decided, however, to talk about Master of Darkness, which is a massive homage to Star Wars and specifically, my favorite film of all time, The Empire Strikes Back. This is a series of films that pretty much changed the face of film forever and created the era of modern cinema (it may also have ironically been its downfall in more ways than one, but that’s a different discussion for a different blog). If you don't know the story of star wars, then kill yourself, if you do and enjoyed it (who doesn't?) then this song might just pull at your heart strings in the ways it did mine. It is essentially talking from Luke's point of view, but sometimes switches to other characters and goes over many famous scenes from the film, it does this in typical Arjen Lucassen fashion by switching between vocalists and beautifully so, with different vocalists playing different characters. I won't discuss the plot too much as you should really already know it, and it's all explained beautifully in the song., but it essentially sum's up Luke's quest to be a Jedi.
As usual with Arjen's projects, he plays the majority of the instruments on the album, but less so than usual. Master Of Darkness is dominated throughout by a distorted guitar riff that perfectly sums up the word "metal" to me, it's that level of distortion of power chords that we've all come to know and love, this is perfectly harmonized with keys in just the right parts of the song, however I do feel they could have made more of an appearance, the vocals speak for themselves (this is the bit fo the song you should really be concentrating on), the guitar riffage and then solo just after the half way point are a testament to the project and is intertwined with lyrics that justify the passion of the solos and riffage at the times in which they appear. I really hope you enjoy this one as much as I did and still do and I seriously urge people to hunt down a copy of this terrific album and give it a listen, you might be very pleasantly surprised at what you find.

Star One - Master of Darkness (Link Fixed!!)

The next track I'm going to talk about cold be considered fairly proggy, which is why I'm posting it here as it marks a nice transition between the prog posted above, and the heavier stuff that will be posted below, it gets heavier as it goes down (nice touch ain't it?). The track I'm talking about is by a man known as Mattias IA Eklundh who is probably best known for his work with Freak Kitchen, a Heavy/Progressive Metal band. He has also done a small number of solo albums, which I personally prefer to his work with Freak Kitchen, this is mainly because the vocals of freak kitchen don't do it for me, they do have one or two songs that are quite interesting to listen to, one such being A Regular Guy. I don't want to talk too much about Mattias as his history is very long and varied as he has worked with a lot of people and there just isn't enough space here to do the man justice. On top of this I have a feeling that The Last JUNKER will almost definitely do a piece on him in the future and it's good to not repeat material; so be ready for that one. The song I chose for this particular post was Lisa's Passion for Heavy Metal from Mattias's first solo album (under his own name), Freak Guitar. It has a traditional metal riff throughout and Mattias's signature guitar work and sound (Mattias is one of the few artists who's guitar is instantly recognizable as being his within the first note or two).

Mattias IA Endunkle - Lisa's Passion for Heavy Metal.

The next band that I want to talk about is from a group who frequently find themselves roaring their wait into a lot of my dj sets, they are a group whose name seems to be a perfect analogy of the sound that they make. They are DevilDriver. DevilDriver began when Coal Chamber's front man Dez Fafara decided he didn't like were the band was going musically and killed the band, after meeting up with artists with matching musical goals and tastes Devildriver was born. It all essentially boiled down to Dez's desire to be involved in a heavier genre of music that would more readily compliment his distinctive vocal style. After the formation of the band, they were quickly in the studio and formed their first album, which was suitably called "DevilDriver" and it's where the song I have chosen comes from. What Does It Take (To Be a Man) comes in as the 8th track on the album and was probably placed so late in the album to hold the listeners interest in what is an unusually long metal album at 12 tracks long. The track is typical of DevilDriver from the get go featuring truly relentless guitar work which is suitably harmonized with the truly relentless vocals of Fafara. A solo features just after the half way point which I personally feel is quite underwhelming, however this doesn't take away from the song, and is something that the group would work upon and evolve in their later albums.

DevilDriver - What Does It Take (To Be A Man)

The last song I have decided to write about is possibly the heaviest, though it could be debated and it depends on what your view of heavy is (we would actually like to hear your comments on this one, so feel free to discuss and state you opinions in the comments for this post). The song I have decided to post is Death's cover of the infamous Judas Priest song Painkiller and was the last song on Death's final album. Death are one of the biggest keystones to the Death Metal scene, which can be attributed to their late songwriter, rhythm guitarist, lead guitarist and vocalist, Chuck Schuldiner's unmatched vocals and songwriting techniques. Schuldiner vocals differed from what went before, his voice hit higher scales and he screamed the lyrics to the songs creating a dark atmosphere that many, many vocalists afterward would emulate. Apart from this being one of my top listened to metal songs, one of the main reasons I picked this song to appear in today's post is because of Schuldiner and what I said earlier in my intro. Schuldiner was one of the few metal artists who openly spoke against the prejudices that metal carried with it, he was not a man who wished evil upon people, he was not a Satanist or the antichrist. He states that he wrote the songs much in the same way that a horror director will make a horror movie or fantasy director a fantasy movie implying that you obviously don't believe in everything that you write (I doubt Tolkien believed in elves and orcs), and to him it was all a bit of fun. He was very much a humanist and didn't want to put religious beliefs in his music, he wrote what he enjoyed listening to rather than writing some sort of nutcase manifesto, which many at the time believed metal bands were doing. This is another reason for this song being chosen; it is a cover of a Judas Priest song, who were famously tried for the suicide of two boys (one of which survived a shotgun blast to the face and later killed himself) as people actually believe the band put subliminal messages in their music telling people to kill themselves. The case was dismissed. It doesn’t have to be said that Chuck's death was a blow to the music industry and he definitely had much more work left in him, he will be sorely missed. I'm not going to say much about painkiller as the song speaks for itself and I don't want to ruin the song to much with my opinions, I will however say to look out for the unbelievable solo contained roghly halfway though and the completely astounding death metal (verging on being power metal) scream that opens the song, it's beautiful and brings a smile to my face and warmth in my heart every time i hear it. Enjoy.

Death - Painkiller

Easy Like Sunday Morning #4

2009-10-25T14:04:00.011Z

It is that time of the week again and what a beautiful day it is. Considering it is nearing the end of October, it is frankly pretty amazing that the sun is out in full force. Do yourselves a favour and get out there and start soaking up some rays. This is going to be one of your last chances to do it for at least a quarter of a year before the skies get dark and the bitterness of winter kicks in. Hopefully the tracks posted in this update can inspire you to take advantage of this good weather.

First up is one of my favourite songs from my favourite album, David Bowie's incredibly underrated gem, Black Tie White Noise. Usually when David Bowie is brought up in conversations, there are almost always references to the likes of Space Oddity, Ziggy Stardust, Diamond Dogs and Let's Dance. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Almost everyone who has ever had the chance to listen to a David Bowie record has their own personal preference, after all, he is a man of many faces. Having been out of the public perspective for quite some time, it is not often that the extent and influence of his work is discussed at any great length. Often both the media and public alike forget exactly how much of a trendsetter and innovator he was and remains to be. The sheer volume of critical and commercial accomplishments he has made throughout the years is unparalleled by all but the most highly regarded artists. Although Black Tie White Noise is by no means his most quintessential album, there is an endearing quality to it that the majority of his albums fail to come close to. This is most likely because of the different themes touched upon within the album and the background history behind it. Coming off the back of his hard rock experimental sideproject Tin Machine, Black Tie White Noise was Bowie's first solo release of the 1990s. Whilst Tin Machine had initially proved to be a somewhat successful venture, many considered it to be too experimental and as a result it didn't quite set the charts on fire and lead to the general public becoming wary of Bowie. This factor, combined with the fact that the record label that released Black Tie White Noise, Savage Records, went bankrupt soon after it was released didn't exactly help its chances. In spite of this misfortune, however, the album still managed to reach the number one spot which is a testimony to its overall quality and charm. As mentioned previously, the themes that are touched upon on this album make it stand apart from much of his other work because while it sounds upbeat and vivacious on the surface, he touches upon topics such as racism in the legal system and the questioning of mass conformity. It isn't all doom and gloom though. Songs such as The Wedding and the featured track Miracle Goodnight provide a nice counter to the antecedent subject matter. Miracle Goodnight, in particular, was chosen due to its funky, contemporary rhythm and Bowie's dry yet distinctive vocals.

David Bowie - Miracle Goodnight

The second track to be featured in this post is Soul Meets Body by Death Cab For Cutie. While I admit I am not the biggest DCFC fan in the world, I enjoy the majority of their material. I guess you could say they are a guilty pleasure of sorts, though personally I don't believe in such things as personal taste is nothing to be ashamed of. The track Soul Meets Body is taken from one of their more noteworthy albums, Plans, and is their highest charting single in the US. Despite such popular allure in America, the band aren't quite as well recognised in the UK. That's not to say that they're an underground group or anything, in fact, they are quite the opposite, being signed to the major record label, Atlantic. Compared to more homegrown indie rock groups such as the Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian or Razorlight, they are relatively unknown in most circles, which is a crying shame because their tracks are considerably more well-structured compared to said acts while at the same time remaining irresistibly catchy. Soul Meets Body is a perfect example of this catchiness. It is not necessarily stuck-in-your-head-all-week catchy but it most definitely has that kind of vibe going for it, something critics have described as "a melody softly soaring through my atmosphere" accompanied by "tender, lovelorn lyrics that anyone over the age of ten can relate to".

Death Cab For Cutie - Soul Meets Body

For the next track I have decided to go for something a little bit different. Anyone who knows us has probably been wondering why there has been a significant lack of hip hop posted, especially given the fact that each of us is an avid fan of the genre. The simple truth is that we haven't got around to dedicating and committing ourselves to making a full post but it is most certainly in the pipeline. Instead, you will just have to make do with Common's Be, taken from the album of the same name. Following his critically and commercially disappointing album, Electric Circus, Common chose to work on a style many consider to be safe. While the former album concentrated on experimentation and fusing styles to create something more eclectic than what most hip hop artists offer, Be stood firmly in opposition, delivering infectious beats and smooth verses for maximum effect. In many respects the album itself was a comeback piece, a return to form and a record that not only paid homage to the rap artists of yesteryear but also gave broad indication as to where the genre was going. The mere fact that Kanye West produced Be speaks volumes for how Common chose to be reintroduced to the world. The reason I have chosen the first track from this album is because to me it just makes sense. It provides a nice introduction to both the album itself and Common as an artist while also maintaining a sense of unabridged familiarity. Although the backing beat is concordant with the vocals, it is the lyrics that originally stood out to me the most. While most listeners have become accustomed to Common's intellectuality, it is still pleasing to hear an artist rapping about the things that matter in a clear and cultivating way.

Common - Be

The next track was chosen as a homage to my musical roots. While I may not give the impression that I enjoy traditional Irish folk music, I have a special place in my heart for the likes of The Waterboys, Horslips and Lúnasa. The main reason for this love of Irish folk music is very much from my fathers input and influence. During my childhood, when we weren't on foreign holidays we ended up in every corner of Ireland chasing folk music. My dad quite literally lived and breathed the stuff and although he was into his Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen and a variety of others, the music that you would hear in some of the smallest pubs in Ireland was where his passion lay. We would travel all over the country searching out new bars that placed emphasis on folk music practically every night during a holiday. To put it in context, I have one distinct memory of driving up an astonishingly dangerous mountain in pitch darkness hunting out supposedly the best bar in Ireland for folk music and good times. From what I can recall, we were told about this bar by a drunken stranger, and let me tell you, he wasn't lying. To our total disbelief, it was jampacked full of punters all singing and dancing while the booze flowed as if it there was an endless fountain of alcohol being pumped right to the taps. There is something immensely captivating about these bars and despite having been in at least a dozen or so different countries, no one is able to come close. The main difference lies with the spontaneity of the Irish. One minute you could be sitting there surrounded by total silence, the next minute the whole place has erupted seemingly out of nowhere. It is usually at this point that you spot the instigator of craic, a man who could be old enough to be your grandfather who has pulled a harp out of what seems to be thin air and is breaking into an incomparably faithful rendition of an old folk song more than likely passed through the generations for centuries. As you may or may not have guessed, the artist I have chosen for this feature is Lúnasa with their track Morning Nightcap. The main reason behind this insertion is that I believe Lúnasa to be one of the few groups out there who perfectly capture the coextending tranquility and condensity of Irish folk music. The song Morning Nightcap is perfectly representative of this parallel, offering music which is as beautiful as it is exquisitely sentimental and consummately engrossing.

Lúnasa - Morning Nightcap

The last track to make it into this post is a track by one of the most original and inspiring electronic artists of the last decade, Moby. In my opinion, his album Play is one of the greatest of all time. A major criticism from music journalists regarding electronic music, with the exception of the likes of Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk, Vangelis and Leftfield is that it lacks creativity and inventiveness. Play singlehandedly shattered this opinion and paved the way for a new demographic. Not only has every single song on the album been featured in some shape or form in various different forms of media, especially film, but the album contains the perfect personification of flow. Every track fits into its slot like a glove and there isn't a single track I would consider for omission. Upon first listening to this album my mind was blown all over my living room wall and to this day I spend a considerable amount of time thinking about how exactly he was able to create and compose such a masterpiece on his own. The pacing of the tracks is exactly what you'd expect from a pioneer of electronic music and there are so many different styles that he gives RJD2 a run for his money, a feat that in itself is no easy task. While I have only decided to focus on one track, Inside, from Play in this post, expect at least two more in the coming weeks as it again becomes my turn to take the reigns for the weekly Easy Like Sunday Morning update. I heavily recommend saving this one for an especially rainy day (I know this is a morning post, but preferably at night) when you can lie in bed with your window open, blasting it from your best speakers. You will thank me later.

Moby - Inside

TFI Friday #3 (Better late than never edition)

2009-10-25T12:46:00.008Z

If you have been keeping up to date with this blog you may have noticed that a certain weekly post didn't quite make it to its regular slot. Let's just pretend that didn't happen. We don't really have any excuses aside from the fact that the original poster (who you haven't yet been acquianted with) has been having some serious internet difficulties, thereby making it virtually impossible for him to post, meaning I'm here to fill the gap, albeit slightly on the late side. Apologies folks.

This weekend was an eventful one. Though I somehow managed to get the cold I battled through it knowing full well that Josh Wink was making his return to Belfast. It has been quite some time since we've hit the clubs, primarily because there haven't really been all that many DJs playing. This seems to happen every year due to festivals absolutely dominating the summer. For some reason, it always seems to take promoters a few months to get back into the swing of things. Thankfully Mr. Wink didn't disappoint and I am most certainly paying the price today. Enjoy the tracks.

Shinichi Osawa & Nima Tahmasebi - Kyouki
Pharoahe Monch - Simon Says (Jokers Of The Scene Remix)
Dmitry Fyodorov - Leisure
Goose - Bring It On (MSTRKRFT JFK Remix)
Late Of The Pier - Focker (Boys Noize Terror Remix)

DIRT

2009-10-24T15:13:00.001+01:00

A very short post here. This is a mash-up i recently completed to rile up your weekend. It's a fusing of "Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending (Jaffinson Remix)" and "Jay - Z - Dirt Off Your Shoulder". Enjoy.

The Bast*rds Of Bass - DIRT (TC's No More Parachutes Mash Up)

Music To Shower To

2009-10-23T08:45:00.010+01:00

I can't sleep. I mean, I really can't sleep. I awoke at 7:30am today in pitch darkness and have been tossing and turning ever since then. I know this doesn't sound bad but considering I only went to bed around half 3 I'm sure you can empathize with me. It isn't all bad though. I'm sitting in my ludicrously comfortable reclining chair with an ice cold pint of Dr. Pepper beside me. Although I was planning on making this post today, I didn't expect it to be so early, so please bear with me and my morning insomnia.

You may be wondering what the title is all about. We have a saying when it comes to relentless electro which revolves around listeners needing to get a shower if a song hits a certain level of filthiness that'll make their knees shake and their heads spin. I don't know about the rest of you, but there is something about grinding synths that just does it for us. Go to any club night in Belfast (and occasionally Dublin) that features this type of music and you can be sure to find us front middle causing chaos and generally acting like lunatics.

The title also has another more practical meaning though. I know a lot of people listen to music in the shower. That is a given, after all, it is human nature to want to be entertained in some shape or form whilst we go about our daily business, but has anyone taken the time out to listen to seriously dirty beats in the shower? The experience is like no other. In many respects it is a dangerous activity, due in large part to the fact that popping grooves in a limited spacial area during wet conditions is dangerous in itself. Either way, I don't know about you, but I believe in a little term called no risk, no reward. Obviously this can't be applied to every scenario but in this case I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. The songs chosen for today's post are songs I personally recommend you to experiment with, preferably in the shower, but don't blame me if you break any bones. I'm sure it'll be worth it.

Eric Prydz - Pjanoo (Dada Life Guerilla Remix)
Felix Cartal - Drone (extremely recommended)
The Toxic Avenger - Toxic Is Dead (Designer Drugs Remix)
Elite Force - Used & Abused (Zodiac Cartel Remix)
Armand Van Helden - I Want Your Soul (Dusty Kid Suga Dub)
Tommy Sparks - I'm A Rope (Yuksek Remix) (feel good track of the century?)

The Excellence of Execution : The Odyssey

2009-10-22T17:52:00.006+01:00

Something that I would like to make a regular occurrence on the blog is a post called "The Excellence of Execution". This is more of an award than an article and it will be awarded to song's/albums that we feel have been perfectly executed or as near to it as humanly possible. This post won't have a specific day, it can be any genre, it can be awarded at any time and will be posted as little as once a month to 4 or 5 times a month, in essence, it'll be a random occurrence; so to see it you'll have to be checking back with us regularly.

To start it off I'm going to post what could possibly be my favorite song in the prog genre. The song in discussion is Symphony X's "The Odyssey", from their album of the same name. The song is a symphonic metal retelling of Homers Odyssey, a tale which tells of Odysseus's ten year journey home after the fall of Troy during the Trojan war. In total Odysseus has been away from home for 20 years ''I've been twenty years away from all I ever knew", and is constantly dreaming of home, "Home - I dreamed of Home", Odysseus's mission is to return to Ithaca and re-unite with his lover Penelope (name not mentioned in the song). During the journey he encounters the Cyclopes, Circe, the Sirens and tries to avoid the Charybdis by sailing closer to Scylla, on top of this, when Odysseus gets back to Ithaca he finds others are trying to replace him and seduce his wife "I find my kingdom in jeopardy … As I spy so many who eye my Queen ". The Odyssey is one of the most important pieces of literacy works pre-Christ and it's mythology is constantly being re-told and referenced in other works.

Symphony X do an admirable job in telling this tale through their music, the structure of the song throughout constantly changing to emulate Odysseus's current emotions and situations, with great accuracy. The vocal range of X's Russell Allen within the song is suitable for the song, using soft tones during part II to describe the "rolling hills of Ithaca" and during part III using his trademark gruff vocals to go into first person as Odysseus and give orders to his men. The Odyssey is also home to one of Michael Romeo's most memorable solo's that’s seems to perfectly emulate Odysseus's journeys through the seas, to this day I'm not sure how he does this, but I think it has more to do with the story telling used and the relation you make with it and the music being played.

By taking the time to sit down and listen to this 24 minute epic, the tale it's telling and the music that backgrounds it, you'll very easily be able to tell why this song was chosen to be awarded with "The Excellence of Execution" and why it was also the first to be so. I really hope people take the time to actually listen to this epic as it is a song that will not be that known or on a lot of people radar's due to the underground nature of the prog scene; it is a beautiful tale and Symphony X execute it excellently, enjoy.

Symphony X - The Odyssey

Voices Of The Lifestream

2009-10-21T15:58:00.008+01:00

There are few things in the world which can match our love for all things musical. Some could say films, others could say alcohol-related activities, but truthfully the answer would be more along the lines of videogame affiliated content. Of course each of us has plenty of other hobbies and interests but we share a mutual adoration for all things gaming, whether it be through the games themselves, the memories associated with them or the culture surrounding them. In fact, they play such a key role within each of our lives that outsiders have a tendency to find our enthusiastic and nostalgic conversations about them to be borderline unorthodox. Although we often focus on new and upcoming titles, we generally seem to spend a lot of time reminscing about the retro games of yesteryear. Although our typically fervent discussions can range from the likes of Contra 3 to Knights Of The Old Republic, there are a certain breed of games that have attained an inviolable quality that game developers dream of. One such game is Final Fantasy VII, a title which should need no introduction.

The Final Fantasy series is one of the longest running, highest grossing and most critically acclaimed franchises in the world. With the exception of a small handful of games, each installment is set in a new world with new characters and a new storyline. Whilst this may sound unappealing at first, given that most of the more popular game series' out there place a specific reliance on continuity and recurring mascots, there is something captivating and enthralling about beginning an entirely fresh adventure without knowing where exactly it is going to take you. The experience itself is enhanced by rich storytelling, detailed worlds and an enchanting cast of characters each with their own distinctive stories and attributes. It is these components which make you realise exactly why the Final Fantasy series struck such a cord with gamers in the first place. While there are dozens of exceptional roleplaying games out there, each with their own individual accomplishments, no one does it better than Squaresoft.

One of the most understated elements of the games is the music which accompanies the gameplay. Whether we're referring to critical or public perception, in a large majority of cases the music takes a backseat to the other ingredients of the game. This isn't simply something that is solely associated with the Final Fantasy series but with videogames in general. For a very long time videogame OSTs were the dirty words of the music community, much in the same way that gaming as an entertainment medium was seen by a majority of society to be practiced by socially inept teenagers up until recently. With videogames becoming more popular and more widely accepted around the world, the music which is featured within them is also gaining a certain degree of recognition within music-orientated communities. Though it would be unfair to make a direct comparison to said communities, one such website, Overclocked Remix, has been been making waves throughout the internet for a very long time. This remix community places emphasis on videogames and gives aspiring producers the opportunity to let their remixes and reinterpretations be heard by the rest of the world, which not only benefits those who want to get their music out there but also lets often forgotten games get a new lease of life. Indeed, the website is summarised as being "dedicated to reviving the video and computer game music of yesterday, and reinterpreting them with new technology and capabilities."

20 years ago such a community would never have existed. In this age of information, however, it is able to flourish and grow into a creative outlet for videogame enthusiasts around the world. Although its primary focus is singular remixes for specific titles, there have also been album projects dedicated to some of the more critically acclaimed titles out there. Voices Of The Lifestream is one such project. As the majority of you can probably guess, it is based on Final Fantasy VII. Given the popularity of this title, the album spans four discs and plays almost like a who's who of OCRemix. After all, each producer was given free reign on individual and collaborative tracks on this album, which not only adds personality to the songs, but also gives them somewhat of an idiosyncratic feel. Had the album been penned and produced by one artist, the end result would no doubt been strikingly different. One of the main positives of the album is the fact that it never does any injustice to the work of the excellent Nobuo Uematsu, the original composer of every major Final Fantasy game up until his departure from Square-Enix in 2004. Like Uematsu's original score, Voices Of The Lifestream manages to be both engaging and alluring concurrently, and although there are certain songs which may not be appealing to every listener, the good most definitely outweighs the bad.

For more information on Overclocked Remix, please visit OCRemix.org. The songs posted on this site are some of my personal favourites from the album. To get the full thing click here.

pixietricks, zircon - Deliverance Of The Heart (Heart of Anxiety)
Big Giant Circles - Every Story Begins With A Name (Opening - Bombing Mission)
Sixto Sounds, zircon - Lunatic Moon (Red XIII's Theme ~ Cosmo Canyon)
tefnek - motor crazycycle (Crazy Motorcycle)
Hy Bound - Mark of the Beatsmith (Mark of a Traitor)
FFmusic Dj - Ahead On Our Rave (Ahead On Our Way)
bLiNd, Leifo - Fading Entity (Listen to the Cries of the Planet)
bLiNd - Beginning of the End (Birth of a God)

Metal Monday #3

2009-10-19T14:15:00.008+01:00

You may have noticed that we haven't been updating this as regularly as we'd like to. These things happen. It isn't necessarily laziness per say, but rather a combination of unexpected events and dilemmas occurring that were both unforeseeable and unexpected. Though readers would be justifiable in expressing their discontent at leaving such a long gap between posts, it is out of our hands. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. We figured throwing up a Metal Monday post on a Wednesday or Thursday would not only be disrespectful to anyone who actually follows this blog but it would also kind of defeat the purpose of the post. Regardless, we hope we can make amends today and hopefully there won't be a repeat occurrence in the future.

Onto the tracks. First up, we have the first song from the revolutionary album Alaska by Between The Buried And Me Though I had been a fan for a few months before I saw them live, it was only when I saw them supporting The Dillinger Escape Plan that all of the pieces of the puzzle fitted together. Here was a band that could very much send shivers down the average metal bands' collective spines, yet at the drop of the hat they could switch up their style to fit just about anything from Progressive Metal to Power or Death Metal. This fusion of genres was what really made this band stand out to me. Diversity is a rare thing in metal these days so it was an absolute pleasure to hear a band who were not only instrumentally extremely tight but who were branching out and doing their own thing irregardless of what the metal community thought. The song, All Bodies, in particular, was chosen due to it demonstrating their versatility on a grand scale. For example, on this track, one minute the song will be building up to a crescendo of riffage when suddenly it'll breakdown and the focus will be placed on keyboards which sound like something out of a Vanden Plas album. On a similar level, vocally, Tommy Rogers puts ex-Scar Symmetry frontman Christian Älvestam to shame by not only going lower than him but also hitting the higher octaves seamlessly, which is itself a huge testament to his ability because Älvestam is one of the pioneers of this technique. Musically, the band themselves have described their album Colors as "new wave polka grunge" and "adult contemporary progressive death metal" which should give you some indication as to how unique they are.

Between The Buried And Me - All Bodies

This next choice is mostly for nostalgia more than anything else. It is, of course, Fear Factory's Linchpin, a song which I first familiarised myself with in my teenage years at The Venue (R.I.P.) Interestingly enough, I get the impression that this song (and a bunch of others) will forever be intertwined with fond memories of moshpits and headbanging in this particular club, which is both saddening and satsifying. Fear Factory as a band never really reached this high point again in their career and appear to have slipped into obscurity in recent years due to creative rifts between the members. The song Linchpin itself is characteristic of the type of metal music that was being produced in the early 2000s, culminating heavy riff and drum patterns with borderline-growling vocals that eventually and inevitably manifest into a more tame vocal chorus. I'm guessing this is how the majority of metal bands crossed over into the mainstream consciousness. As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage and more recently Slipknot have all been guilty of this, not that I blame them, but it does take away from the music at times. In spite of this, Linchpin remains a track that still gets put on rotation every now and again and not solely for nostalgic reasons either.

Fear Factory - Linchpin

In direct contrast to the aforementioned compliant vocal melodies of the 2000s is Lamb Of God's Now You've Got Something To Die For, a track which is quite possibly my favourite by them. Believe me when I say that it pulls no punches in any respect. The brutality of what is on offer here would almost make you want to burn down a church out of sheer barbarity (but not quite.) I honestly can't remember how or when I was introduced to this track as it was quite some time ago but I imagine it was through my purchase of their eminent album Ashes Of The Wake which I acquired on a whim when looking for some heavier bands to listen to. Though many consider the standout song on that album to be Laid To Rest, which is in itself an incredible track, Now You've Got Something To Die For just takes it up to another level. In my opinion it not only spoils the album but spoils the majority of their discography due to it being so damn good. Like practically all of Lamb Of God's material, it doesn't compromise for even a second. Just to give you a sneak glance of exactly how uncompromising this track is, I will supply you with a sample of some lyrics:

Bombs to set the people free, blood to feed the dollar tree
Flags for coffins on the screen, oil for the machine
Army of liberation, gunpoint indoctrination
The fires of sedition
Fulfill the prophecy

Enough said.

Lamb Of God - Now You've Got Something To Die For

For the fourth track I've decided to go with something a bit different, a band that appears to have been forgotten about in the past couple of years, Pagan's Mind. Unfortunately I don't get enough time to listen them enough these days but hopefully that will change in the future. Like many bands who have played the illustrious ProgPower festival (and its various different incarnations) throughout the years, I was first introduced to this band by their placement on the ProgPower bill. Though it wouldn't be wrong to describe them as a Power-Progressive hybrid, there is so much more to their music than just being a band who fuses together two different genres. There are many different experimental elements to their music and you can tell they are deeply influenced by Symphonic Metal by their compositions and reliance on grandiose keyboard parts and guitar and bass accompaniment. Though I've been listening to this band for quite a few years now, I first fell in love with A New Beginning in my second year of university after an impromptu listen one morning, much to the deterrence of my housemates. This song not only conjures the spirit of the band perfectly, but it also has one of the best opening riffs of all time. So good, in fact, that that same morning I found myself air guitaring standing atop my bed which I can assure you is an extremely rare occurrence these days.

Pagan's Mind - A New Beginning

Lastly, continuing with the 'different' take I have decided to go with my favourite band, Dream Theater. Anyone who knows me knows that I have been a diehard Dream Theater fan since first hearing Awake around 2002. When that album entered my life I knew that not only had I changed in terms of listening but also that I was developing my tastes extremely rapidly. Contrary to what most people think, Dream Theater was not my first foray into the Progressive Metal genre. In fact, it was Symphony X with their track Eyes Of Medusa that introduced me to the genre. It was Dream Theater, however, who sealed the deal. Though I still think that their earlier stuff is a masterclass in musicmanship, I have been becoming less and less attached to them in recent years. The first album that for me was a bit of a letdown was Train Of Thought, their take on the balls-to-the-wall thrash metal genre. Although the follow-up Octavarium was an interesting return to form in a lot of respects, anything past that has just lost my interest. Recently I have been delving into my CD collection and picking out dozens of albums to listen to over the space of a few weeks. From these lists, Images And Words, Awake, Scenes From A Memory and Train Of Thought have made it onto the shortlist. I honestly don't know why I picked Train Of Thought, its an album I rarely, if ever, listen to. I guess I felt compelled to give it another chance and although it still makes me feel a little underwhelmed, the song, This Dying Soul, really shows what they're capable of. Though it is most definitely on the heavier side, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Just listen to The Glass Prison and then you'll see what I'm talking about. Not only are the instrumental parts of This Dying Soul technically sufficient, but every band member seems to really shine on this track, whether it is through the guitar and keyboards harmonising, the drums not only keeping but dictating the flow and the bass providing a solid foundation. What is also surprising about this track is that James LaBrie provides shockingly good vocals. It is no secret that his vocal cords were damaged in a food poisoning incident in 1994 and they have never truly recovered, but on this track his vocals fit perfectly to the music, proving just how adaptable he can be.

Dream Theater - This Dying Soul

Easy Like Sunday Morning #3

2009-10-18T17:41:00.008+01:00

In march of 1978 when avid fans came home and put the needle on the record that succeeded exodus, the first track they heard was "Easy Skanking" by Bob Marley and The Wailers. I personally don't listen to an excessive amount of Bob Marley as in some respects a lot of his tracks just aren’t my thing due to my belief that a lot of his work is tarnished by constant overplaying, which creates a cliché and tackiness that ruins the majority of them. However, I was introduced to Kaya about 4 or so years ago on a camping trip with friends, and the album stuck with me ever since, so it's probably more of a nostalgic thing to listen to. The track I associate the majority of the album to is Easy Skanking, the first song on the album which is essentially a song about dancing, taking it easy, slow and relaxing which is why it is perfect for this playlist.

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Easy Skanking

Au Revoir Simone are an indie orientated synthpop group that have found themselves being featured on Kitsune compilations and being played late night on the now defunct 120 minutes. They seem to generate a more organic sound than the other indie-electro based groups out there, which is one of the reasons why they stand out from the crowd. The girls seem to emanate a presence within their music, which probably originates from the airy vocals that are present with the majority of the tracks.Coming from the Brooklyn based trio, this instrumental is an ambient that track speaks for itself, just give it a listen.

Au Revoir Simone - The Winter Song

I was introduced to this track when I heard it playing in a bar, I went up to ask the dj what it was called, the funny thing being he didn't know; skip forward a year and I come across is again on a blog by coincidence. The track is very limited in release terms, and I'm led to believe that it may have just been a white label. For me this track is all about the bass and the deep voice that predominates the track, that is beautifully complimented by keys that stink of 80's funk. The Rainbow Brothers are a duo who originate from france and are better known as the groundbreaking ambient electronic band Air.

Rainbow Brothers - 818.323.01

Hailing from L.A, Lucas MacFadden, Cut Chemist, found his fame when he joined the unity committee, who would later join the Rebels of Rhythm to for the internationally successful Jurassic 5. Cut chemist collaborated with J5 on 3 studio albums, before departing the band to pursue his own career.Tolling in as the third track on cut-chemists first full length studio album, The Garden is a very ethnically themed which seems to be a homage of sorts to Bollywood cinema and the filmi genre of music contained within those films. The song, which is a great balance between old and new, the goal that most turntableism artists try and achieve, has an ambiance to it, achieved through bass and high-hats, that flows throughout the song and compliments the vocals and string based instruments harmonically.

Cut Chemist - The Garden

A song which comes to us from the last days of The Doors, Riders of the storm is purportedly the last song recorded by all 4 original members of the doors, before Morrison's death. The song is suitably inspired by and partially based upon the famous Ghost Riders in the Sky, a western telling of a cowboy who must change his ways. Riders on the Storm also has allusions to a non-fictional murdering hitchhiker (a killer on the road) who Jim was interested in and also based a screenplay on his actions for a purposed film. The song is one of the doors most atmospheric songs, this is clearly thanks to the use of the storm sound effects contained throughout; it's also partially attributed to Morrison's whispering the whole song as well as singing it and then having both tracks played over each other. I actually think that this is a track is more suited to Sunday evening rather than Sunday morning, this is mainly due to the more relaxed nature that the song conveys through the bass and dropping keys on Manzarerk's instruments and the subtle changes of key within Morrison's signature style; that is why I'm leaving this song for last, to round up your Sunday and lead you back into your day to day life, hope you enjoyed the weekend.

The Doors - Riders on the Storm

TFI Friday #2

2009-10-16T19:34:00.008+01:00

Weekend has arrived again and not soon enough. Here's some tasty tunes to kick start the celebrations. Late post is due to my internet randomly acting up, took about 20/30 mins to upload each song when it usually only takes 1 or 2 minutes.

Songs this weekend are just a few things I've been rotating recently, expect to hear one or two of these tracks on an upcoming mix of mine. Special mention goes out to Jack Beats. Came across this track back in July and have had it sitting gathering dust on my computer since, turn up the bass for this one, you want JP style ripples appearing on any near by liquids, if they don't it isn't loud/bassy enough.

I-robots - Frau (database remix)
Man Like Me - London Town (Doorly's Cockney Wideboy Remix)
Jack Beats - UFO
Jay Robinson - Acid Line (Tom Deluxx Remix)
Wolfgang Gartner - Fire Power

The Requesters

2009-10-13T15:46:00.006+01:00

Roughly a year and a half ago, I predicted that both The Bloody Beetroots and The Requesters would explode. In retrospect, it turns out I was only partially right. While it was almost a given that the Beetroots would take the world by storm with their standout, ferocious brand of electro, The Requesters were a little bit more of a gamble. Although it is undeniable that they ticked all the right boxes for an up-and-coming dance act, particularly within the electro and house genres, they never received the same mainstream exposure as the likes of Justice, Digitalism or Crookers.

Hailing from Barcelona, The Requesters have been kicking up a fuss on the local and festival circuit for quite some time, yet in spite of this, even though they were the darlings of the blog community, they have become less and less talked about in recent times. This was most likely due to the fact that after releasing such bombs as Warriors, Air Guitar and the sensational Delorean remix As Time Breaks Off, they seemed to just disappear off the radar. It wasn't that they stopped playing, as their tour schedule has consistently been packed with slots and residencies. Rather, they stopped releasing original productions as frequently and thus somewhat slipped away from the spotlight, which was a crying shame as they brought a degree of funkiness and flair to a genre that had been becoming overpopulated with stagnant fidget/wobbly productions and remixes.

With the release of their self-titled EP, however, all of that has changed. It seems they are ready and more determined than ever to get their original productions out there, which can only be a good thing for the rest of us, as they craft a sound which has an unmistakable, exotic disco flavour that doesn't compromise that big beat dancefloor feel. One of the most interesting aspects about their music is that they place a large amount of emphasis on infectious piano/keyboard segments, and more specifically, piano breakdowns; a rare occurence in dance music. On the other hand, what is perhaps most engaging of all is their subtle yet remarkable use of sampling. It is often difficult to pinpoint the original sample, which most definitely adds a layer of mysteriousness to their work, as you never really know what's sampled and what isn't unless you're some kind of encyclopedia of music. One sample I found particular fascination with was the vocal melody of Live, which contains the line "ain't nothin' tooty fruity, get on the floor if you got that booty," a sample from the MC Cool Rock & MC Chaszy Chess record Boot The Booty, released in 1987. To listen to the tracks side by side, while there is a major comparison on the vocal front, they are literally nothing alike. In fact, the original track only uses that sample in the intro and then takes it in another direction, whereas it is a predominant feature within The Requesters' take. This is just another example of their creativity and originality in a genre which has a tendency to focus on repetition and heavy build-ups. Hopefully this EP can garner them some attention because right now they are one of the freshest acts in the business. Don't just take my word for it, take a listen to the tracks or better still buy the EP.

The Requesters - Chrisis
The Requesters - Live
Delorean - As Time Breaks Off (The Requesters Remix)
The Requesters - Tiumfalizm Live (a forgotten gem)

I was also going to post Air Guitar here, but unfortunately my other computer is fried at the minute and as usual any blog that has it either isn't responding or their bandwidth is full. Hopefully I can get it hosted sometime in the near future but for now enjoy the Youtube link. It really is fantastic.

Genesis

2009-10-08T18:11:00.010+01:00

It seems that no matter where I go I can't escape Pink Floyd. Don't get me wrong, I am by no means a hater of their work, I just think that they are one of the most overrated bands of all time. That does not in any way suggest that I find their music lacklustre or uneventful, in fact my opinion is quite the opposite. The way I see it, the majority of their albums have a timeless quality to them that is difficult to replicate. In spite of this accolade, however, unfortunately most music fans have a tendency to place them on this unattainable pedestal. I have had many heated arguments at houseparties with strangers over this and 90% of the time they hit me with the line "you just don't understand it," which has to be one of the biggest cop-out rebuttals of all time.

I'm not bitter about this topic, I just think that there are plenty of other works out there which equal or better the likes of Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here or The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. I do have respect for those who mention the Syd Barrett era because a lot of those older albums are misunderstood, but Dark Side Of The Moon, in particular, is an album of contemporaneous elation and contention for me. While I love it for what it is, too many people drop it into conversations as the be all, end all of Progressive Rock. This couldn't be further from the truth. People tend to forget that Progressive Rock existed for a very long time (until Punk effectively killed it) and had a large foothold within society within that time. For every Dark Side Of The Moon, there is a Close To The Edge, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, ... In The Court Of The Crimson King, Gentle Giant or Brain Salad Surgery.

Out of all these albums, the recording band that stands out the most is Genesis, mainly because they are treated with both admiration and detestation. Their newer work is considered blasphemy amongst progressive enthusiasts, yet their earlier stuff is in many respects unsurmountable. Like Quentin Tarrantino summarises in Pulp Fiction regarding The Beatles and Elvis, you are either a fan of Peter Gabriel or a fan of Phil Collins. Unlike Tarrantino's assertion, however, it isn't quite as cut and dried as that as personally I like both old and new Genesis. There, I said it, start the witch hunt. I wouldn't say I like all of their newer work but on a similar level I'm not down with all of their older stuff either.

The album that is considered by many to be the ignition of the spark of their inevitable downfall is their self-titled album. It was the first album that truly strayed off the track, owing more to pop than prog. Many fans abandoned ship upon hearing this record, which gives some degree of indication as to just how radical it was perceived to be. Here was a band responsible for creating some of the greatest progressive masterpieces of all time doing exactly the opposite. The song Illegal Alien personifies this the best with its Reggae-esque, Sting-like vocals and intriguing song structure. Admittedly, it took me a very long time to warm to this track (it is still hit or miss) but the rest of the album just presses all the right buttons. The compositions aren't quite what you'd expect, but they are not only incredibly original but also a pleasure to listen to. Though certain tracks really give the impression that they were trying to break the mainstream one step at a time with this record, it is still very Genesis-like, but in a different way. The musicanmanship is not only tight, but extremely unique. I'm not talking unique as in Sleepytime Gorilla Museum or Brand X unique, but rather unique as in catchy hooks combined with effective vocal melodies that suggest a creative intrigue that is hard to come by in this day and age. I'm not saying the album is a masterpiece, it has its highs and it has its lows. What I am saying is that listeners shouldn't automatically dismiss it as pop nonsense or 'new Genesis'. Instead, listen to it with a clear conscious and an open mind and see where or if it takes you.

For this post I have chosen four of my favourite songs from the album: the storming opening Mama, the extremely catchy That's All, a song I've just learnt to properly appreciate tonight, Silver Rainbow, and one of my favourite songs and favourite lyrical piece of all time, It's Gonna Get Better. Enjoy.

Genesis - Mama
Genesis - That's All
Genesis - Silver Rainbow
Genesis - It's Gonna Get Better

IKKI

2009-10-07T18:51:00.004+01:00

Coming from the very heart of Spain is a sound which isn't too dissimilar from the Beetroots recognizable synth laden style, however this sound has a heart of pure metal. This is the sound of IKKI. IKKIs calling in life has thus far to produce remixes of fairly famous heavy metal songs. The sound IKKI is producing is a testament to how, I think, electro can seemingly progress through all genres of music and possibly has the largest collection of sub-genres which can only be paralleled to the rock/metal scene.

IKKI's remixes include the likes of Slayer, Metallica, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Jimi Hendrix and even Stevie Wonder. According to the man himself he has upcoming Slipknot, System of a Down, Megadeth and more Metallica remixes on the way. I am particularly looking forward to his Megadeth and Slipknot remixes and I'll be sure to post them as soon as they are available.

IKKI began in September of 2008, has a residency in Madrid (soundsick) and has already played festivals with the likes of the aforementioned Bloody Beetroots and an upcoming date with Redial. Keep an eye on this guy as he will no doubt be a name that will be appearing on the "scene" in the very near future.

The Tunes:
Metallica - Ride lightning vs Enter Sandman (IKKI Remix)
Slayer - Dead Skin Mask (IKKI Remix)
Pantera - Cowboys From Hell (IKKI Remix)
Limp Bizkit - Break Stuff (IKKI Remix)
Nine Martine - Ice Cream (IKKI Remix)

Easy Like Sunday Morning #2

2009-10-04T12:45:00.009+01:00

Welcome to the second edition of our weekly update, Easy Like Sunday Morning. This week I will be jumping between genres to find some laidback tracks to make your hangover or whatever else seem more bearable. I've been thinking about this quite a bit, and although not all of my original inclusions will make it onto this list, they will definitely feature in another post sometime in the near future.

First up is Pearl Jam's seminal hit Jeremy. Taken from one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time, Ten, Jeremy is both famous and infamous. Although it peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and had similar success on an international scale, the song was tarnished with controversy. After all, it was mainly inspired by a newspaper article about a young student, Jeremy Wade Delle, who shot himself in front of his English class in 1991. This subject matter is depicted in a somewhat raw manner within the music video, which climaxes with Jeremy putting the gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger, submerging his classmates in his blood. Naturally, MTV opted not to show the original ending, deeming it too unscrupulous for TV audiences, but lead singer Eddie Vedder maintains that there was a certain level that needed to be reached to do the article justice, "to give it that action, to give it reaction, to give it importance."

Pearl Jam - Jeremy

Secondly, we have Lupe Fiasco's The Coolest. It is likely that you have heard of Lupe Fiasco, both for his collaboration on Kanye West's Touch The Sky and from his huge hit from The Cool titled Superstar. Even though the latter track received a lot of airplay when it was released, I got a rather lukewarm feeling from it. It wasn't by any means bad, but it certainly wasn't the stand-out track from the album. Although I don't really listen to a lot of more commercial rap artists because they do little for me, Lupe Fiasco is one of the main exceptions to the rule. He is outstanding in almost every sense of the word and The Cool is a testament to that. It has some of the freshest production values seen on a hip-hop record, smooth flows and equally smooth beats. Most people aren't aware of this, but it is actually a concept album based on the darker realities of growing up on the streets and in the game. One of the main reasons I chose this track was because it helped me out on a potentially terrifying plane journey. When we were on our way back from Rock Werchter in Belgium, we decided to smoke an absolutely huge all-weed prerolled joint in Amsterdam just outside the airport. The experience was surreal to say the least and by the time we got on the plane we were incredibly stoned, so when it took off I wasn't expecting it at all and could hardly look out the window. Minutes later I decided to put on some music on my headphones and The Coolest was the first track picked. I went from serious nervous paranoia to absolute bliss in a matter of seconds and the plane ride became one of the most eventful I've ever been on.

Lupe Fiasco - The Coolest

When I woke up this morning and briefly thought about what tracks should be included in this post, the first thing that came to mind was Massive Attack's Teardrop, which is slightly strange as I haven't listened to it in years. The most likely reason for this sudden wave of consciousness is because it is, without a doubt, one of the most laidback tracks of all time. There isn't really much you can say about this track except that if you haven't heard it before, unless you listen to a lot of trip-hop, it will be unlike anything you have heard up until this point. What should be pointed out is that it is a long shot to even assume that people haven't heard this track because it is frequently used in a variety of different media outlets and has been covered by the likes of Incubus and Jose Gonzalez. Featuring Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins on vocals and sampling a Les McCann track 'Sometimes I Cry', Teardrop remains a contemporary classic of this generation.

Massive Attack - Teardrop

Next up is Jeff Buckley's Last Goodbye. Despite the fact that the more cynical amongst us would dismiss Buckley's phenomenal debut album, Grace, as an overrated cash-in, I disagree. Even today, Grace still remains both relevant and untainted. The songwriting displayed on the album is far and beyond effectually everything that has came since and the vocals retain a soothing, almost majestic quality. Of course you could put this down to the fact that, like Nick Drake, he died long before his time, but the difference between Buckley and other songwriters is that he knows how to convey the right emotions at the right times. This album isn't solely filled with heartwarming, accoustic ballads. Instead, it focuses on gradual stylistic shifts between heavier and softer tracks. This balance is conserved throughout the entire album and can best be demonstrated in songs such as Hallelujah and Eternal Life. Last Goodbye on the other hand is more difficult to define. It has a beautiful, sentimental quality to it that is never too much or too little. In many respects, it has the perfect equilibrium and that's why it has made it onto this list.

Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye

I've perhaps saved the best for last, The Beatles' classic Blackbird. I personally consider The Beatles to not only be the most influential band of all time, but also the best. They didn't just create songs with feeling, they created songs that would change the musical landscape forever. There are few bands today who don't owe something to The Beatles. Their influence is so widespread that many consider Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band to be the first Progressive Rock work and I'm of the opinion that Helter Skelter was one of the first tracks to have Metal tendencies. Though it is impossible to pick a favourite album by them, The White Album has to be up there, as it is one of their most experimental albums due in large part to their fascination with LSD and other hallucinogenics around the time of recording. The track Blackbird, however, is not based around such activities. It was actually written as a reaction to the racist treatment of black people in America in 1968. This aspect alone validates Lennon and McCartney's songwriting ability because they were able to combine structurally uneven, free verse with a very real message of freedom without compromising the artistic or background functions.

The Beatles - Blackbird

Yousendit

2009-10-03T12:45:00.010+01:00

Can anyone explain to me the fascination with this website? I just don't understand it at all. At first glance, it seems to serve the same function as the likes of Mediafire and Zshare, but upon further inspection, it doesn't come close to those filesharing websites in any way. Yes, it has decent uploading and downloading speeds but these are crippled by the fact that file's expire within the blink of an eye. For instance, for 'lite users' uploads expire within 7 days or after 100 downloads. This means that downloaders have to be constantly up to date with the latest blogs and websites that use this service, otherwise they could potentially miss out on some worthwhile tracks. Naturally, there is a remedy to this situation, and it comes in the form of paid and/or promo users who get an extended expiration date of 14 days or 500 downloads. This is a little better, but even a fortnight isn't that great and the majority of users don't have this account.

Although it could be said that such qualms are trivial, there is nothing worse than jumping from blog to blog chasing a trail of expired links. Case in point, a few months ago when Streelife DJs remixed the Michael Jackson track Wanna Be Startin' Something, it took me just under two weeks of constant searching to get my hands on it due predominantly to dead links or expired Yousendit files. Sort it out.

Oh, and here are a few tracks I've been enjoying recently. Hope you appreciate.

Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Something (Streetlife DJs Remix)
Black Sheep - The Choice Is Yours (Breakdown Remix)
Tocadisco - Senator
Royksopp - The Girl And The Robot (Spencer And Hill Remix)
Alex Gopher - Aurora (Riot In Belgium & Knightlife Remix)
ZZZ - Lion (Bag Raiders Remix)
Miike Snow - Animal (Fake Blood Remix)

Redial

2009-09-29T13:04:00.012+01:00

Everyone knows that Daft Punk have an untouchable quality. It is a widely established fact that their productions are perhaps the hardest in the industry to rework or remix. This isn't because they use odd time signatures or sample to the extent that the original is barely recognisable. Oh no, instead, what it boils down to is that their productions are of such a high quality that it is borderline impossible to expand upon them or do them justice through a reinterpretation. Any time I see any form of Daft Punk remix, whether it is by an unknown or critically acclaimed producer, I go out of my way to get my hands on it and nearly every time I come away disappointed. In some respects, this makes me appreciate their talent even more because it really demonstrates that they're in a league of their own. While some could argue that Soulwax's remix of Robot Rock was an improvement on the original, I only partially agree. Soulwax did so little with the track, adding extra beats here and there that it almost entirely retained the originals feel, which is actually a testament to them because it remained one of the best and only worthwhile Daft Punk remixes out there, that is, until a certain Sydney-born producer exploded onto the scene.

When I was first introduced to Daft Punk - One More Time (Redial Goes To Hell Remix), I honestly didn't know what to think. I was both shocked and excited synchronously. It managed to encapsulate the original whilst bringing it to a level not before seen in dance music. The first question I asked was who the hell is this guy? The answer: A currently virtual unknown getting his name out there by not only doing justice to a Daft Punk track, but in many ways bettering it. A few years ago I would have considered such a prospect inconceivable but here was a guy who hit home with such deliverance that it was difficult not to like his style. From that point onwards, Redial featured in some shape or form in almost every mix we made, such was the impact of his productions.

Apparently we weren't the only one's who took a shine to him. Not only did he manage to play alongside the likes of Danger and D.I.M. within a short period of time, but he was also picked up by the record label Sweat It Out (home to the likes of Edu K, Yolanda Be Cool, DJ Funk, Gameboy/Gamegirl, Act Yo Age, G.L.O.V.E.S, Zombie Disco Squad etc) and has just completed a European tour and signed US touring exclusivity to promotion agency Noise Problem. There is little doubt that he is making serious progress in all the right places, releasing a healthy array of original productions and remixes on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong, he is not pulling a Crookers and releasing half-assed remixes every other week. Rather, he has been keeping it fresh yet consistent, the way it should be done. It is difficult to accurately describe his music. Like most electro artists, he has a flavour that is inextricably his own. If you know what to look for, a lot of the time you can spot his productions without any form of prompting. While his tracks are usually layered around a main synth-laden hook, it isn't always the archetypal electro synth that you would expect. Alternatively, he pays homage to music from the 1980s in a similar way that Kavinsky does. Though this homage is evident in many of his productions, he manages to remain both contemporary and relevant through his hardhitting buildups and conclusive breakdowns and that's what sets him apart.

I honestly don't think I could pick a favourite or standout track by him, as I adore the vast majority of his discocraphy, so I'll let you pick your own favourite.

Daft Punk - One More Time (Redial Goes To Hell Remix)
Blaze Tripp & Redial - Stop The Noise
Clint Mansell - Requiem For A Dream (Redial Remix)
La Roux - Bulletproof (Redial Remix)
The Proxy - Who Are You (Redial Remix)
Tears For Fears - Shout (Redial Remix)
Redial - Starscream
Redial - The Riff
Redial - 45 Overdrive (EP Version)
Redial - 1985 (Feat. Smacktown)
Redial - Valkyrie
Redial - She's The Addiction
Redial - Terror

Metal Monday # 2

2009-09-28T21:49:00.002+01:00

Savatage - Sirens
Classic metal here for the dedicated metal fan. This track comes from Savatage's debut album "Sirens" and is without a doubt one of my top listened to Savatage songs. Sirens is a perfect example of what Criss Oliva was capable of, as like the majority of Savatage's back catalogue, he played all guitars on the track, and did so with the grace that only Criss could, on top of this, Jon Oliva also shows us some early examples of his trademark shrieks within the track. Savatage are a rare example of a band that sounded better live than on the album, this can be heard within their live recordings, or by purchasing a ticket to a Jon Oliva's Pain gig and hoping they play a few Savatage tunes.

Droid - Together We Die
Coming from DROID's first album "DROID", Together We Die is a prime example of how metal is still progressing for the better. This groove metal/metalcore band sound very reminiscent of much of Devildriver's work with elements of Lamb of God, but their own unique touch. Unusual for a metal band within this genre is how the song's are structured, as unlike many bands, the vocals within their songs are coherent and not lost under bass like growling or distorted guitars. Something I noticed on the songs is the absence of guitar solos, which I personally think is a good thing, they get to the point and don't mess about with finger tapping nonsense, which most bands end up doing. Together We Die has some of the best drum work I've heard in recent years, and is a stand out track on Droids debut album, also look out for Fueled By Hate, which also left me wishing I was drummer.

Scar Symmetry - Slaves to the Subliminal
I just haven't been able to stop listening to this track over the past two months, it came on random on my mp3 player when I was doing a late night shop in Tesco's and I ended up walking around the store nodding my head with a ridiculous grin on my face, needless to say I looked like an idiot, but it was completely worth it. This soul crunching track from Symmetry's memorable second album, will hopefully have you wanting to take up MMA as a full time career. I was first introduced to Scar Symmetry in 2006, not long after their second album came out, the track I heard first was the mesmerizing "The Illusionist" and the rest of the album quickly followed. Slaves to the Subliminal is unnatural proof of how someone can go between deep growling vocals to pitch perfect harmonics within a fraction of a second, which was an rare ability Christian Älvestam, their now ex-vocalist, held.

Children of Bodom - Needled 24/7
Needled 24/7 is the track that first got me interested in Bodom, it stood out on Hate Crew Deathroll as it got straight to work on driving heavy riffs into your ears (it's the first track on the album) with a nice combination of a guitar riff that sets the pace for the song, keyboard mastery that wouldn't sound too put of place in a video game, and then drums that are beyond ludicrous this is where the vocals hit and give us an impression of what the rest of album will sound like. Although I haven't dedicated much of my time to Bodom over the last 2 odd years, 24/7 is a track and Hate Crew Deathroll is an album that will occasionally still flick on out of interest and nostalgia. Be sure to listen to the guitar solo near the end of the track which sounds like it should be in a JRPG.

Jameson - Beat It.
The last track is a bit of fun, a tribute to The King, but also a stand out metal cover. It is obviously a cover of Michael Jackson's perfect track "Beat It". Jameson are band I've only recently come in contact with through their debut album Down For The Count, which includes a few memorable tracks such as "Get to the Choppa" and "Morphium". The beat it cover is an interesting track of what cover songs can do, and is a hint to an upcoming post. Nothing much really needs to be said about this track as you can just listen to the track and form your own opinion.

Easy Like Sunday Morning #1

2009-09-27T17:54:00.010+01:00

As JUNKER has discussed in his previous posts, we plan to have many themed days on the blog. This Sunday post will probably end up being a regular thing. It will be composed of tracks that should and can be listened to on a Sunday morning. These will be tracks that are generally a lot more laid back than the usual tracks, or what we perceive laid back to be laid back; that could be anything from Hip-hop to Post Rock. I am also aware that it is no longer Sunday morning.

David Bowie - Wild is the Wind

This is without a doubt one of my favorite bowie tracks, off one of my favorite albums by the man. The song is a cover of the Nina Simone song of the same name, which itself is a cover of a song from the late 50's. This contorted soul ballad comes to us from Bowie's estranged "Thin White Duke" period, that presents us with a more vulnerable bowie, which most listeners aren’t used to hearing. Don't think any less of yourself for getting emotional during this track, it's extremely moving and one to listen to one a Sunday morning. Bowie is an artist who time and time again will release albums which are almost instantly deemed classics, so it's surprising that he has not released an album since 2003's Reality, which is disappointing as I personally would kill a man to see Bowie live.

Daft Punk - Something About Us

Taken from the unforgettable "Discovery" and naturally "Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem", this track is about as laid back as you can get. It's bass seems to hit all the right areas in your ears, coupled with the excellent use of the wah-wah effect, the song comes together perfectly for the mood the duo are trying to achieve. The vocals on this track (performed by punk) remind me of winter nights for some odd reason, but I suppose the things this song will remind us individually of are all subjective. Look out for Daft Punks upcoming 2010/2011 tour, we'll be sure to tell you as soon as we have news of it, also look out for Tron Legacy, which the duo are scoring.

Jurassic 5 - Gotta Understand.

In 1995, at the Red October Chemical Storage Facility, a collaboration was recorded between the Rebels of Rhythm and the Unity Committee. This collaboration started in 1993 at a cafe in LA known as "The Good Life". 11 years, 3 albums and 2 collections later and their final album "Feedback" is released in summer of 2006. Personally I feel that Feedback was a return to form after what I think was a disappointment with "Power In Numbers". The track "Gotta Understand" was a testament to what the contemporary Jurassic 5 were capable of. The track contains elements of Curtis Mayfield's "Mr. Welfare Man" (vocals from Gladys Knight & the Pips) and has a lot of Jurassic 5's legendary harmonizing and timing contained within, definitely a nice upbeat song for Sunday mornings.

RJD2 - Ghostwriter

This standout track comes from RJD2's debut album,"Deadringer". This track is probably in my top 5 RJD2 songs. The many samples used within this song have been constructed together in a unique harmonious way that rjd2 has become famous for, such as the looping guitar sample which compliments some of the catchiest brass melody's I've ever heard, second only to Bond's, whistle it once and you'll have it stuck in your head all week.

RJD2 Upcoming Dates:
14th October 2009 @ Vessel in San Fransisco, US
30th October 2009 @ The Warehouse in Bozeman, MT, US
31st October 2009 @ Filmore Auditorium in Denver, US

65daysofstatic - Radio Protector

People believe that they derived their name from psychological experiments from the 60's, an unmade Carpenter movie starring Kurt, proposed techniques by the C.I.A to overthrow a country in the 50's and even Hitler's last words. I decided to end with this song, mainly because it's not as laid back as the rest of the songs and because it's one of my favorite songs in the post-rock genre. The video delivers an interesting message about global warming by using stats, facts and figures of the bands travels and how much carbon emissions were made during their Radio Protector tour in 2006. The song starts and ends with a piano keying a melody that will no doubt call back nostalgia of bittersweet moments that you have experienced in your life, and is riffled with emotion the whole way through. 65dos haven't played Belfast in a while now but when they do we'll no doubt be at the front giving it reps, as they always give an energy driven show, unlike many bands I have seen.

65daysofstatic Upcoming Dates:
17th November 2009 @ 20:00 @ Academy 2 in Manchester, UK
18th November 2009 @ 20:00 @ Heaven in London, UK

Mauro Picotto

2009-09-26T16:49:00.007+01:00

I know what you're thinking, isn't that the guy who is responsible for such cheesy trance anthems as Komodo and Lizard? You'd be right, as he is indeed responsible for those tracks. Why dedicate a post to him then? Well, it is a little known fact that since the late 1990s Picotto has actually abandoned the trance genre altogether and these days he blasts out hardhitting techno.

Gone are the days of collaborative efforts with the likes of Tiesto and Mario Pui. Instead, he now concentrates on producing under his record label, Bakerloo, and running his own techno club night, entitled Meganite, in the world's largest nightclub, Privilege Ibiza, which has been running since 2005.

Although I am a fan of his newer material, the real reason for making this post is because he is playing at Belfast's premier monthly club night Shine tonight. Having consistently been one of the best clubs in the UK for over a decade, it was understandable that a lot of its regulars were a little daunted and perturbed by the fact that a DJ with a history of making trance anthems was playing. In this sense, it is likely that a lot of people are going to turn up expecting one thing and being hit with something completely surprising. Though I personally won't be in attendance, I think those who are going tonight are going to come out thinking very differently of him.

Enjoy the tracks:

Mauro Picotto - Baguette
Mauro Picotto - Iguana (Yoji Biomehanika's Hellohouse Remix)
Marco Zaffarano - Playback (Picotto Mix)
Mauro Picotto - Living For The Time (Technasia Hard Mix)

The Essential Selection #1

2009-09-25T14:48:00.013+01:00

Like Metal Monday and whatever other incarnations we intend to make regular things, The Essential Selection is going to be a recurring, fundamental part of this blog. Unlike the weekly posts, however, this will be a monthly thing. The goal is to provide ten tracks that we consider essential in every sense of the word. These can be old or new, underground or classic, underappreciated or overplayed. You are likely to see a lot of tracks that have become staple to the dance community over the past couple of years; songs that could be considered anthems within the mainstream or in other more lesser known circles. These are tracks you MUST hear if you haven't already. Expect this on the last Friday of every month and as always, enjoy the tracks.

Don Rimini - Hools
En Masse - Lime
Busy P.E - Get Yo! Rainbow Man (Streetlife DJs Cut 'n Run Mix)
Timbaland - Miscommunication (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)
Goose - British Mode (Jester Remix)
Yelle - A Cause Des Garcons (TEPR Remix)
Midfield General - Disco Sirens (D.I.M Remix)
Kid Sister - Control (JFK Remix)
The Prodigy - Out Of Space
Vitalic - La Rock 01

Duck Sauce

2009-09-23T12:24:00.006+01:00

If you visit music blogs or go clubbing on a regular basis, its likely you've encountered Duck Sauce, the new musical collaboration between Armand Van Helden and A-Trak. Despite being a relatively recent project and only having a few tracks under their cumulative belt, they have been making waves all over the world for the past couple of months with their tracks aNYway and You're Nasty.

Compounding elements of disco house with more recent production techniques, they have created a sound that somehow manages to be both unique yet conventional. Whilst both producers' signature sounds shine through on the tracks, there is a level of freshness that has been missing from a lot of house music for the past couple of years. This is primarily due to their self-described intention of bringing soul back into dance music while simultaneously retaining that high-octane dancefloor feel.

Even though such a pairing may seem unlikely given each producers background (A-Trak won the DMC Championships in 1997 at the tender age of just 15, whilst Armand Van Helden has been mixing it up for years under a variety of genres), for some reason the pairing seems to just click. Out of the two tracks, You're Nasty is my personal favourite due to its emphasis on contemporary house, but aNYway is definitely a feel-good, soulful little gem in the rough as well.

Enjoy the tracks.

Duck Sauce - aNYway
Duck Sauce - You're Nasty

Metal Monday #1

2009-09-21T13:06:00.010+01:00

This is something we have had planned for quite some time. It is no secret that the writers for AHC are huge metal fans. It is, without a doubt, one of the biggest influences on our lives. We grew up listening to it and it has helped shape who we are today. Unlike a lot of other early teenage metal fans, however, we never grew out of it. In fact, our adoration has almost increased over the years and at least one of us can be frequently found at the latest concerts featuring heavy acts.

The idea behind Metal Monday is basically every Monday a different blog staffer will take the reigns and post up any metal tracks they've been enjoying that they wish to share with the world. There are no genre or subgenre limitations. As long as it can be classified as metal, it is eligible for posting. There are also no specifics, which essentially means that anything goes. The reason behind this is to keep it fresh. For instance, one week you could be listening to the high-pitched wails of Timo Tolkki from Stratovarius, the next you could be hearing the dissonant, abundant distortion of Gorgoroth, .

Once we get our shit together, we are hoping to make a variety of different daily posts based on conceptions similar to this. Techno Tuesday or Funky Friday, for example. Unfortunately due to other commitments and blog-related issues we have been unable to pursue this task but we fully intend on persevering and accomplishing it sometime within the near future. It could be a week, a month or even a year from now.

Onto my post. For this post I have decided to mix the old with the new, blending a variety of styles and genres for contrasting effect. The majority of the stuff is extremely heavy and will possibly put a few people off. The likes of Slipknot, Metallica, Oceano, Sikth and Overkill all make appearances.

The first track is Slipknot's People = Shit, a track that until recently I had all but forgotten about. I was first introduced to this song through a Kerrang compilation CD around 2000-2001. Up until this point, Slipknot had been kicking the world into a frenzy with their debut self-titled LP and the wait for their next album, entitled Iowa, was exponential. The aforementioned compilation CD was no doubt a promotional mixtape designed to wet fan's collective appetites; a goal it easily achieved. Just like Iowa itself, People = Shit was the opening track (515 doesn't count as a proper track) and what an opening track it was. To those naysayers who claimed the band had lost some of their driving force in the time between the albums, this was a track for them: an absolutely brutal Molotov cocktail of chord progression, turntable scratching and signature drum patterns complimented by a performance by Corey Taylor that is arguably one of his finest moments.

Slipknot - People = Shit

Secondly, we have Metallica's For Whom The Bell Tolls. I will be the first to admit that, like the rest of the world, I abandoned Metallica after listening to St. Anger in its entirety. Here was a band that had a loyal legion of fans who stuck with them through thick and thin, awaiting an album worthy of the likes of Kill 'Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets, ... And Justice For All or even The Black Album. Around early 2003, the first details emerged of such an album. With the departure of their bassist Jason Newsted and the consequent inclusion of ex-Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Black Label Society and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Robert Trujillo, the band set about in creating what they perceived to be their rawest and heaviest record to date. Unfortunately for the fans, this couldn't have been further from the truth. Although the album did indeed have a raw quality to it (mostly due to a lack of production overdubs), the exclusion of guitar solos in favour of bass solos didn't make it heavier, but instead made it sound bland and unimpressive. Although technically it was heavier due to its emphasis on bass, it lacked the amplified distortion which typically characterises the Metallic sound. On top of this, the songwriting on the album was nothing to write home about. It lacked that Metallica seal of quality where the lyrics meant something and the music conveyed a wave of emotion that most Metal bands could only dream of achieving. Although their newest album, Death Magnetic, is a return to form, something was lost on June 5th 2003 that can never be replaced. This is why For Whom The Bell Tolls has made it onto this list, it remains a timeless classic and is probably the song which best summarises Metallica at their finest.

Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls

The third track on the list is by a band called Oceano. Admittedly, I know very little about this band, having only been introduced to them very recently when one of their videos came on a late night music channel. The reason they caught my attention was not only because their lead singer was black, but because he could really bellow. It is rare that you see a ripped black singer who looks like he could easily slay an entire room spitting rhymes that can deliver skullcrushing screams that would put even the most hardened Metal fan to shame. Fuck Killswitch Engage, we have a new contender to the throne. More power to him and of course the rest of the band.

Their debut album, Depths, is out now. Buy it. You won't regret it.

Oceano - District Of Misery

Next up is Skies of Millenium Night by the now defunct Sikth, a band who I have absolutely no qualms saying quit before their time was up. Here was a band who were undoubtedly at the top of their game, creating a ferocious amalgamation of technical metal and mathcore as well as having two seperate vocalists harmonise in a way which no doubt makes Mushroom Head wonder where it all went wrong. Like Slipknot's People = Shit, I was first introduced to this band via a compilation CD. Unlike my introduction through Kerrang, however, I recieved this CD in a rock/metal club. To this day I have no idea how or why they acquired these CDs, but after listening to it only two acts stood out. The Swedish Metal band Passenger (who I may talk about in the future) and Sikth. The song, of course, was Skies Of Millenium Night, a track which remains my favourite by them. Upon first listen, I wasn't really sure what to think. At this stage of my life, I was majorly into Progressive Metal, to the point where I had less and less time for heavier artists. I guess you could call it Metal elitism and in a sense that's what it was, however, regardless of all this bullshit, here was a song really stuck with me. I just loved it for what it was and later went out and purchased the album, much to the dismay of many of my friends after I give them a little sneak demonstration. Its difficult to pinpoint, but you could say that this was the first, if not one of the first tracks to get me back into a lot of the heavier stuff. Whether that ultimately proved to be a good or a bad thing is up to yourselves.

Sikth - Skies Of Millenium Night

The last track to be submitted is It Lives by the band Overkill. Despite being in many respects an underground force within the metal community, this thrash metal band have been going since 1984. Although personally I'm not the biggest fan of their earlier stuff, it really puts it into perspective. After all, they are still playing live and releasing albums today. That's commitment. Though the first track I heard by them was Elimination, a song which to this day I still love, it was only when I picked up the albums From The Underground And Below and Necroshine that it all clicked for me. It Lives is the first track from the former album and I submitted it because it really has that opener feel. From the first sample of "looks like you've been up to the devil's business" you know you're in for a treat. It is just metal at its purest. There are no elaborations or compressions here, it is what it is and that's what I love the most about it.

Overkill - It Lives

Enjoy the tracks. Over and out.

The Parachute Ending

2009-09-18T17:26:00.015+01:00

If you have been keeping your ear to the ground in recent times, you may have heard of a DJ collective from France going by the name of Birdy Nam Nam. Though they have been dominating the French underground turntablism scene since the 90s, their first taste of 'mainstream' exposure came through their participation in the DMC Technics 2002 World TEAM Championships, which they subsequently won.

Despite winning such a prestigious competition, however, rather than concentrate their efforts on cementing their legacy on this circuit, they instead chose to make their mark on the world doing what they do best: sampling and assembling. Whilst such techniques may not necessarily be new within the production community, it is how they structure and develop their sound that sets them apart. After all, one of their main objectives is to operate turntables as if they were real musical instruments in the contemporary sense of the word.

Whilst their earlier sound is a mish-mash of downtempo, jazzy breaks with a dose of synth-hop thrown in for good measure, in more recent times they have adopted a more electro-orientated approach, which is exemplified by their latest album, Manual For Successful Rioting, almost entirely being produced by Yuksek, with the exception of the track The Parachute Ending which has been produced by Justice.

The latter aforementioned collaboration is a main point of note, because while it has undoubtedly boosted their reputation amongst audiences, such an unlikely partnership could be seen as being a double-edged sword for the DJ maestros. This is primarily because it is no secret that many Justice remixes have a tendency to borrow a little too heavily from their own back catalogue. Thankfully, The Parachute Ending doesn't suffer the same fate. Even though there are certain similarities on the synth front, the song is one of the freshest outside productions they have done in years, kicking it into overdrive yet retaining a familiar almost nostalgic feel. To add to this, there have been several remixes from both underground and more widely established producers such as
NEUS, Jaffinson, Mathematikal, Vitalic, Dilemn and The Noizy Kids. While Dilemn's remix is no doubt going to become a dancefloor favourite, special mention should go out to The Noizy Kids who really take this track to the next level. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that many DJs will drop this bomb due to the sheer relentlessness of it, but if you hear it out, count yourself extremely lucky.

Enjoy the tracks.

Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending (Produced By Justice)
Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending (NEUS Part-2 Remix)
Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending (Jaffinson Remix)
Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending (Mathematikal Remix)
Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending (Vitalic Remix)
Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending (Dilemn Remix)
Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending (The Noizy Kids Remix)

Back to School

2009-09-11T19:00:00.009+01:00

Back when we were kids, this was effectively the worst time of the year. New shoes were a commodity, and a school bag was usually re-used from the year before. The signs that said "back to school" usually started to appear before summer even began and kids pretended not to see them, even while they were getting their new gear. When the kids got into school they caught up with their peers and then sat down for the inevitably grim first lesson. This "lesson" is dedicated to the many ruined summers caused by "Back to School" signs and the thought of having to go back to school.

Tracklisting:
B*B Intro 2 Dusty Kid - The Underground persistance
Boys Noize - Lava Lava (Feadz Aval Aval Mix)
Felix Cartal - Montreal (demo version)
Rollin' & Scratchin' - Daft Punk
DJ Mehdi - Signatune Edit v2 - More Kick
WildChild - Renegade Master (TC's Magnum Pi fix)
Dirty Squirrel - Bisquits
Daft Punk - Pheonix
Zombie Nation - Worth It Part 1
Moby - I Love to Move in Here (proxy remix) (TC's Shark Attack fix)
Mr. Oizo - Positif (Sawgood Remix) (TC's Warped Mix)
ABC - Smokey Sings
Tiga - You Gonna Want Me
Tiga - You Gonna Want Me (Tocadisco Remix)
Radioclit - Secousse (Crookers Spino Mix)
Britney Spears - Outrageous (Felix Cartal Remix)
Thunder Child - Im Gonna Give you More Cheese (Deadmau5 vs Bloody Beetroots)
Vandal & Blende - Healthy Boy (Re Edit)
Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal (Telemitry Remix)
Burns - Alternate
Run DMC vs. Bodyrox - It's Like My Bodyrox (Dani L Mashup)
T.E.D.D. - Lady Riding
Cassius - Feeling for You (Steve Ryback Remix)
Krazy Baldhead - Crazy Moth3f2ck8z (Midfield General Rmx) (Feat Tes)
Redial - Terror
Jay Robinson - Acid Line (Tom Deluxx Remix)
Justice - Culture Prophet Guide to Planisphere
D.I.M & TAI - Lyposuct
Boys Noize - Jeffer
Green Velvet - Flash
The Bloody Beetroots - Warp 7.7 (TC's Mad as Hell edit)

>>>>>>>>>Thunder Child (B*B) - Part 1 - Never Lost It - 1hr 46 mins<<<<<<<<<<

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Tracks from above.
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Going to talk about a few stand out tracks in the mix, most of these are old news but I still want to give my 2 cents. These aren't necessarily thee standout tracks, as the aforementioned "thee" have been talked about by every blog under the sun.

Dirty Squirrel - Biscuits:
A nice downbeat techno track, that reminds me of some of the stuff that's on A Raver's Diary. I'm not entirely sure who "Dirty Squirrel" is/are, but some quick research leads me to believe its a guy from London and that the name he/she/they actually perform under is "The Dirty Squirrels". I'm surprised this artist doesn't have more exposure as the tracks I have heard are all top quality and they are tracks I'd love to hear on a night out. This is an artist I'm going to keep my eye on.

Britney Spears - Outrageous (Felix Cartal):
This track is dedicated to all those pretentious fucks who say they'll never put Britney Spears in a mix. Cartal, once again, dominates the original track to come out with something that's completely original in its own right. Expect Distortion.

Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal (Telemitry Remix):
This is an inspiring rework of the original. Its very upbeat and the flow is perfect. Telemitry has taken some artistic freedom with his use of synth in this rework, and it has worked to his advantage. He has also used some trademark vocal samples of Jackson, and slotted them into the right places.

T.E.D.D. - Lady Riding:
Here we have an interesting remix of the instantly recognizable classic Modjo - Lady (Hear Me Tonight). T.E.D.D. are a duo from the UK who have been making runs on the blog circuit for the past year or two. They first came to my attention with their track "Cocaine Dancefloor", a track that im very surprised wasn't been played more in the club's, but then again, the clubs i go to, are pretty much all 2 years behind when it comes to music :(. Lady Riding is a track which has some nice bass synths to it and great use of the orginal Modjo vocals.

Justice - Culture Prophet Guide to Planisphere:
This is an excellent edit of an already great quadrology of songs. Culture Prophet have combined all 4 parts of the Planisphere quadrology from Justice. They have reworked it just enough that I could listen to the track and not get bored, adding in their own glitchy sounds and distortions along the way and nice new touches a long the way, at once point, i'm almost certain that there is a sample from Genesis in there as well.

Thunder Child - Im Going to Give You More Cheese:
A mash-up of The All-American Rejects - Gives You Hell (Bloody Beetroots Remix) & Deadmau5 - The Reward is More Cheese. I'm not going to review one of my own mashups, I will cover my bases by saying what all dj's say, it's a bit rough round the edges.

I hope you enjoyed this first post.