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