Halloween Hell, Pt. 2: Thunder's Revenge

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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