Firstly, excuse the late post, Cracked.com took control of my life and distracted me fro writing anything last night. Damn article websites.
Summary
This week hasn't really been one of a specific mood - I've simply gone through all of my CDs and selected random ones which I thought my little brother might enjoy or recognise. I've also gone through my yearly collections/compilations to remind myself what I downloaded years and months ago so, along with the albums I've listened to, I'll also provide a list of songs. Prepare yourself for a mix ranging from cheesy pop to thrash metal. Let's begin with:
Albums
Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast - Possibly Maiden's best and most famous album, NOTB features tracks like Invaders, Children of the Damned and, of course, the title track, all of which were clearly written to be sung along to and have fun with that air guitar you secretly play in your bedroom. It's metal, but it's cheerful, rather than angry. You are, however, obliged to play it loud.
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind - As I was listening to NOTB on my iPod, Piece of Mind, inevitably, had to follow. This is another great album from one of the UK's best heavy metal bands. And another which is meant to be played loudly with tracks like The Trooper, Still Life and Die With Your Boots on. Impossible not to air guitar (or real guitar) along to.
Staind - Break the Cycle - This was an album I spotted in Poundland earlier this week and bought purely because it was cheap and through the awareness that Staind aren't a bad band from what I'd heard on tele. I've only heard the album once so can't be too critical, however, I've liked what I've heard which is a mix of metal riffs, mellow vocals and funky rock beats with weird timings. This one will probably be on next week's list also.
Kisstory Club Anthems - As the name suggests, this compilation was released by Kiss music and his a history of club tracks. The compilation feature Eric Prydz, The Supermen Lovers and Dizzee Rascal. The album is nostalgic and reminds me of my school days when I first got into club music (I blame Kevin and Perry Go Large for this). I must say, though, that it is rather generic and the tracks which are on this compilation are usually included in every club anthems compilation. There are, however, some tracks which are not.
The Verve - Urban Hymns - Some classic Brit-pop now. Most 20+ year olds will recognise tracks like Bitter Sweet Symphony and Simple Man, the former which was on every music channel constantly throughout the mid-90s and is just a great song. Both the song and album are nostalgic and bring back song great childhood memories when life was bitter sweet and easy.
That's it for albums, here is a tiny list of the songs I've accumulated over the past 5 or so years:
Suicide - Frankie Teardrop
Lamb of God - Blood of the Scribe
Santana - Black Magic Woman/Smooth/Samba Pa Ti
Tatu - Not Gonna Get Us/All The Things She Said
Skid Row - Youth Gone Wild
Poison - Talk Dirty to Me
Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart
Beethoven - Fur Elise
Pachelbel - Canon in D
Prodigy - Spitfire/Breathe/Voodoo People
And hundreds more
Summary
Album of Pride: Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
Album of Shame: Some of the tracks from my yearly collections
Recycling Bin Song: Tatu - Not Gonna Get Us
Song of Recommendation: - Suicide - Frankie Teardrop (purely for the amusement factor)
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Friday, 22 July 2011
Weekly music - Week 1
Main Summary
So here it is, my first post for this new blog of mine. This week has mostly been summery which means a lot of trance/electronic music. I've also listened to some metal CDs which I found whilst looking through a pile which I hadn't explored for quite some time. The metal ones were angry and loud but they also caused me to be active and start a bit of tidying rather than sat staring at my laptop screen.
I also decided to listen to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack despite not being a huge fan of the saga. This soundtrack is a mix of elf-y music, horns and sounds which seems to come fro the deeps depths of Hell. Interesting.
Albums are listen in order of listening and if you can't be bothered to read a quick review of each album, scroll to the end for significant albums and tracks.
Music
Ministry of Sound: Anthems 1 & 2 - These compilations bring back a lot of growing-up memories. They're packed with tracks from 1991 to 2008 which, in my opinion, are some of the best years for electronic music, especially the '90s. Artists include Faithless, Robert Miles, Robin S, Chicane and Ayla.
News of the World: Legends of rock - A compilation of just some of the greatest and most famous songs in the rock world which have been used in films, TV ads and computer games. Bands include Boston (More Than a Feeling), Blue Oyster Cult (Don't Fear the reaper) and Santana (Black Magic Woman). Far from nostalgic, just a great collection of songs. Don't worry, I was never a reader of NoTW, this was a CD I picked up when I worked in Oxfam.
Moby - Play - Play is an absolutely magnificent album. It's a mix of chilled, blues, rock and electronic music with great tracks such as Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad and Bodyrock. It's an album which sits right near the top of my collection in quality.
Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving - More nostalgia here and not a CD I really would have picked up if it wasn't in Poundland. This album has the instantly recognisable Virtual Insanity on it along with Cosmic Girl and Use the Force (used in the film Sliding Doors). Although I really like this album, it also comes in handy for annoying my mum who (to put it nicely) rather dislikes Jamiroquai. Her views do not reflect my own.
Gorillaz (Self Titled) - Everyone's favourite cartoon band and yet more nostalgia from 2001. This album has some great tracks including the fantastic Clint Eastwood and its remix. I'm not entirely sure why I started listening to this one really. I can guarantee, however, that Clint Eastwood will get any house party started.
Napalm Death - Words from the Exit Wound - Some classic death metal this time. Before I picked up this album in Oxfam I'd never listening to ND. This album is angry and clearly made to be played loud. It's filled with fast drums, distorted guitars and deep vocals. A staple of death metal genre.
Blackshine - Lifeblood - A mix of rock n' roll and metal, Blackshine's Lifeblood is a great album to listen to after Words from the Exit Wound. Like the previous album, it's loud and heavy yet has some clean vocals throughout. After some research, it appears that this band didn't get too far and split a few years ago which is somewhat surprising with the quality of their music.
Herratik - Wrath Divine - Some more death metal for you here and also slightly obscure. Along with Lifeblood, I picked up this album in a Camden market stall a few years ago but, much like Blackshine, I couldn't find any info on the band. This band sounds a lot like Napalm Death in regards to both instruments and vocals and one which really should be better known.
John 5 - Devil Knows My Name - I've heard this album so many times yet never got bored of it. John 5, former guitarist for Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, is a man who can shred with Joe Satriani, whack out something on the banjo and turn Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n' Roses into an instrumental masterpiece.
Clubmix 2001 - Yep, it's another nostalgic club track compilation and one I remember listening to for hours when I was younger. This compilation features Rui Da Silva, Fatboy Slim and Darude amongst many others. CD 1 doesn't bring back so many memories of certain songs but it does show that the beginning of the millennium still had some great artists floating around. It's just a shame that kids no longer recognise. CD 2, however, isn't too great and only has a select number of tracks that I'm a fan of.
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack - Why I stuck this one on, I'll probably never know. It is, however, a decent soundtrack filled with happy classical and deep-depths-of-hell classical tunes. I'm not a huge fan of LOTR or even sci-fi books but I do like this soundtrack.
Summary
Album of Pride: NoTW: Legends of Rock
Album of Shame: Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving
Recycling Bin Song: Virtual Insanity
Song of Recommendation: Moby - Porcelain
So here it is, my first post for this new blog of mine. This week has mostly been summery which means a lot of trance/electronic music. I've also listened to some metal CDs which I found whilst looking through a pile which I hadn't explored for quite some time. The metal ones were angry and loud but they also caused me to be active and start a bit of tidying rather than sat staring at my laptop screen.
I also decided to listen to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack despite not being a huge fan of the saga. This soundtrack is a mix of elf-y music, horns and sounds which seems to come fro the deeps depths of Hell. Interesting.
Albums are listen in order of listening and if you can't be bothered to read a quick review of each album, scroll to the end for significant albums and tracks.
Music
Ministry of Sound: Anthems 1 & 2 - These compilations bring back a lot of growing-up memories. They're packed with tracks from 1991 to 2008 which, in my opinion, are some of the best years for electronic music, especially the '90s. Artists include Faithless, Robert Miles, Robin S, Chicane and Ayla.
News of the World: Legends of rock - A compilation of just some of the greatest and most famous songs in the rock world which have been used in films, TV ads and computer games. Bands include Boston (More Than a Feeling), Blue Oyster Cult (Don't Fear the reaper) and Santana (Black Magic Woman). Far from nostalgic, just a great collection of songs. Don't worry, I was never a reader of NoTW, this was a CD I picked up when I worked in Oxfam.
Moby - Play - Play is an absolutely magnificent album. It's a mix of chilled, blues, rock and electronic music with great tracks such as Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad and Bodyrock. It's an album which sits right near the top of my collection in quality.
Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving - More nostalgia here and not a CD I really would have picked up if it wasn't in Poundland. This album has the instantly recognisable Virtual Insanity on it along with Cosmic Girl and Use the Force (used in the film Sliding Doors). Although I really like this album, it also comes in handy for annoying my mum who (to put it nicely) rather dislikes Jamiroquai. Her views do not reflect my own.
Gorillaz (Self Titled) - Everyone's favourite cartoon band and yet more nostalgia from 2001. This album has some great tracks including the fantastic Clint Eastwood and its remix. I'm not entirely sure why I started listening to this one really. I can guarantee, however, that Clint Eastwood will get any house party started.
Napalm Death - Words from the Exit Wound - Some classic death metal this time. Before I picked up this album in Oxfam I'd never listening to ND. This album is angry and clearly made to be played loud. It's filled with fast drums, distorted guitars and deep vocals. A staple of death metal genre.
Blackshine - Lifeblood - A mix of rock n' roll and metal, Blackshine's Lifeblood is a great album to listen to after Words from the Exit Wound. Like the previous album, it's loud and heavy yet has some clean vocals throughout. After some research, it appears that this band didn't get too far and split a few years ago which is somewhat surprising with the quality of their music.
Herratik - Wrath Divine - Some more death metal for you here and also slightly obscure. Along with Lifeblood, I picked up this album in a Camden market stall a few years ago but, much like Blackshine, I couldn't find any info on the band. This band sounds a lot like Napalm Death in regards to both instruments and vocals and one which really should be better known.
John 5 - Devil Knows My Name - I've heard this album so many times yet never got bored of it. John 5, former guitarist for Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, is a man who can shred with Joe Satriani, whack out something on the banjo and turn Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n' Roses into an instrumental masterpiece.
Clubmix 2001 - Yep, it's another nostalgic club track compilation and one I remember listening to for hours when I was younger. This compilation features Rui Da Silva, Fatboy Slim and Darude amongst many others. CD 1 doesn't bring back so many memories of certain songs but it does show that the beginning of the millennium still had some great artists floating around. It's just a shame that kids no longer recognise. CD 2, however, isn't too great and only has a select number of tracks that I'm a fan of.
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack - Why I stuck this one on, I'll probably never know. It is, however, a decent soundtrack filled with happy classical and deep-depths-of-hell classical tunes. I'm not a huge fan of LOTR or even sci-fi books but I do like this soundtrack.
Summary
Album of Pride: NoTW: Legends of Rock
Album of Shame: Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving
Recycling Bin Song: Virtual Insanity
Song of Recommendation: Moby - Porcelain
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Welcome! An introduction to this blog
This is a blog which I now feel I should have started a loooooong time ago but sadly only came to me under 24 hours ago.
I began to notice that I've recently been listening to a lot of 'summery' electronic music like Moby, Chicane and the Ministry of Sound 'Anthems' compilations. Then, just last night, I randomly pulled out a Gorillaz album which features the classic track 'Clint Eastwood' which, if played at a party, the whole crowd will sing along and dance to. I also began looking for 'Hendrix live at Woodstock' and a free newspaper CD called 'Legends of Rock'. Both searches were unsuccessful.
A bit of an eclectic mix was going on. So much so that I thought if I record everything, it might show how I was feeling through the weeks/year. Am I in the mood for some angry metal, or feeling slightly mellow? Is it summer or winter (the posting dates should really tell you that)? It would also show how my tastes suddenly change.
I imagine that a lot of people will find this blog a bit crap as it is essentially just a diary detailing my thoughts on how my ears are feeing that week but it's something which I've (surprisingly) not come across before so maybe it's worth doing. I'm not going to hope that it becomes viral just yet (if it does, though, I'll be rather happy).
The blog will be updated every Friday (as long as I have internet access) and will list the bands/compilations I've been listening to, an analysis of myself, life & music and a tracklist.
So, that's an intro to my newest blog, yet more words to maintain. However, I'm almost always listening to music so it should be rather easy to maintain.
Check back on Friday for my first weekly analysis.
Pete :)
I began to notice that I've recently been listening to a lot of 'summery' electronic music like Moby, Chicane and the Ministry of Sound 'Anthems' compilations. Then, just last night, I randomly pulled out a Gorillaz album which features the classic track 'Clint Eastwood' which, if played at a party, the whole crowd will sing along and dance to. I also began looking for 'Hendrix live at Woodstock' and a free newspaper CD called 'Legends of Rock'. Both searches were unsuccessful.
A bit of an eclectic mix was going on. So much so that I thought if I record everything, it might show how I was feeling through the weeks/year. Am I in the mood for some angry metal, or feeling slightly mellow? Is it summer or winter (the posting dates should really tell you that)? It would also show how my tastes suddenly change.
I imagine that a lot of people will find this blog a bit crap as it is essentially just a diary detailing my thoughts on how my ears are feeing that week but it's something which I've (surprisingly) not come across before so maybe it's worth doing. I'm not going to hope that it becomes viral just yet (if it does, though, I'll be rather happy).
The blog will be updated every Friday (as long as I have internet access) and will list the bands/compilations I've been listening to, an analysis of myself, life & music and a tracklist.
So, that's an intro to my newest blog, yet more words to maintain. However, I'm almost always listening to music so it should be rather easy to maintain.
Check back on Friday for my first weekly analysis.
Pete :)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)