Stuff You Should Hear - Part 1

This week I decided to start my "Stuff You Should Hear" articles in the blog. Basically, it means that they will all be songs that in my opinion, you should hear. Another thing I should add is that they won't necessarily be in any kind of special order or have any common theme. So without further explanation, I present to you, Stuff You Should Hear - Part 1.

For the first track on this weeks "Stuff you should Hear," I chose "Untitled" by Interpol. Interpol is an American band from New York, which isn't too surprising when you think about it, even though I assumed that they were British from the way they sounded. Interpol is a very rhythm heavy band. Most of their songs are very driving, with a heavy bass line and a simple yet pushing drum beat. In my opinion, Interpol are the modern masters of layering. The lead vocalist reminds me of a mix between R.E.M and The Tragically Hip's lead singers, which I think is very cool. If you like "Untitled," I would also recommend checking out some of their other songs like "Obstacle 1" or "PDA."

Number two this week is Kasabian's "Fire." I really love this song because of how it transforms so seamlessly between a lot of unlikely combinations of different genres between the verse and the chorus. A lot of their harmonies remind be of The Beatles, but in a grittier, less polished way. I would also recommend checking out the video for "Fire," it's very cool, and it could have been extremely corny. If you enjoy "Fire," check out songs of theirs like "Underdog," "Fast Fuse" or "Take Aim."

Number three is Kasabian's "Vlad the Impaler." Right about now you are thinking "What? He already covered Kasabian! What is he thinking?" Well, once you hear "Vlad the Impaler," you will realize why I put it Separate from "Fire." Vlad is almost like the band is saying "and now for something completely different. You can still hear Kasabian in Vlad, but is done very differently from their other songs. Instead of having a guitar backing the vocals, you have the bass line and an odd collection of synth riffs, which seem to fit together. That's about all I can say about Vlad, just make sure you listen to it yourself.

The fourth song is "The World at Large" by Modest Mouse. Now, if you've heard any songs by Modest Mouse, it's probably "Float On" which is an awesome song in it's own right, but I'm here to try and introduce people to different music, not show you the same stuff. The best part about this song is it's odd simplicity that makes you wish you knew all the lyrics so you could sing along.

Number five is "Baby Please Don't Go" by Them. I didn't really like this song until I heard it while watching "Good Morning Vietnam" a couple of days ago. I think the main reason I didn't like it is because my parents listened to this and other songs by Van Morrison so much that I just got sick of it. The best part of the song is the ever-constant, super-simple bass line.

The sixth song this week is Nirvana's "Scentless Apprentice." This is the song I listen to when I'm driving in the car and I'm mad. This song (and a lot of Nirvana's other songs) has so much pent-up primal energy, you can't help be be drawn into it. You don't even have to know what he's saying to be pulled in. This song is at least a little controlled, whereas in their song "Tourettes" there is no holds barred. I would highly recommend you listening to both of them. Now, I have a hunch some of you might be writing off Nirvana right now because of these two songs not being your style. I really thing you would be doing yourself a favor by checking out some of their other stuff, or at least don't completely write them off.

For the Seventh and last song this week, I pulled out "Reptilia" by The Strokes. I'm going to use this song to make a bit of a point too any musicians, particularly drummers. Sometimes simplicity is the best way to get across the point you are trying to make. You don't always have to be going blazing fast or playing something massively complex, although sometimes that is the way to do it. Now, I'll get off my soapbox...

Reptilia is a very simple song, but it's extremely effective. I really like how in the first verse the bass cuts out as the vocals come in to create some layering. I found it an interesting way of building up the song. My Favorite part of the song is the guitar because when he was sculpting the way he wanted his guitar to sound, the guitarist didn't go for a heavy distorted sound, but still got it to sound intense. I think guitar players (including myself) hide behind distortion and effects too much. Now, a lot of the time it adds to the song, but this song proves that it isn't always needed. Now look at me, I'm back on the soapbox...

This has been the first of many installments of "Stuff You Should Hear." Hopefully it's been educational and fun for you. Feel free to leave comments, especially if you think I'm wrong on something.

Muse - The Resistance

(listen to it here: www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/sep/09/muse-resistance)

There is only one word I can use to fully describe Muse.


Epic.


Muse has shown time and time again that they can successfully produce an album full of different types of music, from latin to heavy metal, in one album without it sounding corny. That alone is something amazing. From their first album, "Showbiz", to their 2006 album "Black Holes and Revelations" they have had strong music and lyrics to back them up. But what about their brand new album "The Resistance?" Some have said that it sounds too much like their heroes, and others say that they are getting too much into synthesizers, the answers to both I intend to reveal in this review.


The first track, "Uprising," is an simple yet upbeat song with a strong back beat. Even though this has been the headline song of this album, I sometimes find it slightly annoying. The thing that irritates me the most is the trumpet that can sometimes be heard in the main synthesizer riff. I don't know what it is about that part that irritates me so much, but it does. Another thing I find while listening to the song is that it always feels like there is something missing, I don't know what it is, but I know it's not there. Overall, I still enjoy the song for the most part even though it sounds like I hate it.


"Resistance," the second song, is not what i expected it to be judging by the title and the fact that it bears the name of the album, but it was pleasant surprise. I really enjoy the beginning swell, and how the song builds up, but still keeping its cool at the same time.


I really enjoy it when a band tries something completely different from what they normally do, and I think that "Undisclosed Desires" really accomplishes that. Chris Schulz described it this way-
"Undisclosed Desires is an R&B number complete with slap-bass that should have Timbaland asking for royalties"
If you had told me before this album that there would be a Timbaland style R&B song on the new Muse album, I would have been very skeptical as to how it would turn out, but oddly enough, I was impressed.


"United States of Eurasia" is a very clear salute to '70s superstars, Queen. Most critics bash this songs for sounding almost exactly like Queen in some parts, but I really enjoy it and there is enough variety to call it original. The string part after the chorus takes me to a very specific image. This is going to sound funny, but I always picture an army of people riding elephants. I also enjoy the piano part at the end, which you think should sound misplaced, but it doesn't, and that is what always impresses me about Muse.


Taking up the fifth spot on the album is "Guiding Light." This song would have fit in all too well in the '80s, but again, oddly enough, I really enjoy this song. Normally when I refer to the bulk of the music from the '80s, I refer to is simply as "The Crapstorm." That being said I find it amazing that I actually enjoy this song. The guitar solo especially will take you right back to the power ballads of the 80's.


"Unnatural Selection" is probably my favorite song on the album. It makes me think of a young garage band with a ton of pent up energy and anxiety, but it also has the sophistication of a more seasoned group. At about the 3:20 mark in the song it really takes a different turn, and it almost feels like the song is melting away as you listen, the guitars slightly out of tune. Eventually, the song builds back up to the original feel, and it explodes in the end. It's an all around full song that makes a full 360 while still flowing.


"MK Ultra" makes it hard for me to pick a favorite song from this album. I was surprised to find out that the main part is actually done with a guitar and not a synthesizer. If you know anything about the real MK Ultra program, this song almost feels like a soundtrack to that whole controversy. This song almost makes you feel like you are in a drugged up stupor when you listen to it. It's not easy to describe, so I would recommend listening to it yourself.


On a side note, if you haven't heard of MK Ultra, I highly recommend that you research it. I'm not really into government conspiracies and I believe this. I should also add that it's pretty disturbing, so don't watch it if you don't think you can handle it.


I'm still not really sure if I like "I Belong To You" yet. I'm not even really sure what to say about it. It really sounds like a corny theme song for an badly done romantic comedy. Again, listen to this one yourself and make up your own mind, because I can't even make up my own on this one.


The last three tracks are all parts of the Exogenisis symphony. The great thing about Exogenisis is how Muse incorporated the symphony into a regular guitar, bass and drums setting without it being corny, which is a great accomplishment. These three tracks are really the crown jewel of this album, and you can really tell that this was very meticulously planned and thought out when you listen to it. This is another one of those songs that is very hard to describe and you really have to experience it yourself.


There are a few times on the album that I find myself almost irritated, and the almost part is very important. Here are a few of the times I described:
-"It could be wrong" backing vocals on "Resistance"
-"EuraSIA!" on "United States of Eurasia"
- all of "I Belong to You"


Overall, I think that even though most of the album isn't unified to one specific genre of music, you have to give credit to Muse for doing things exactly how they want to, completely uncensoring their musical ideas. I give the album a 4/5.

Led Zeppelin

For my first real post, I decided to do a "back to basics" kind of review by going with Led Zeppelin.

Now, almost everyone has heard of Led Zeppelin at one time of another, but I have found that there are a surprising number of people that don't really know who they are. I always find that surprising because of how much they influenced music today.

Jimmy Page, one of the former guitarists of The Yardbirds, started Led Zeppelin. Originally, the band was to be called "The New Yardbirds," but a comment from The Who's drummer Keith Moon saying that "they will go down like a lead zeppelin" changed that.

Jimmy had an idea for a "riff based band." This mean that songs would be, for the most part, based around guitar riffs that Page had created. This of course, changed the music industry forever.

Now, you may wonder why I didn't choose "Stairway to Heaven" for one of their songs. There are two reasons why I didn't pick that song. Firstly, everyone knows it. Even if you've never heard of Led Zeppelin before, odds are that you've heard at least part of it once in your life. Secondly, I personally don't like it as much as some of their other stuff. That probably has a lot to due with it's popularity (I always have more difficulty liking music if it's popular).

The first song on my list is "Since I've Been Loving You" off of the album Led Zeppelin III. This is one of their best songs in my opinion. To me, this is one of those songs where you want to close your eyes so you can fully appreciate the song (which is very dangerous while driving). One interesting thing about this song, is that it was mostly recorded live in the studio with the band improvising over the pre-discussed idea. There is one noticeable mistake on the song however, John Bonham’s bass drum pedal squeaks during the song. Jimmy Page had this to say about the squeaky pedal:

“It sounds louder and louder every time I hear it! [laughs]. That was something that was obviously sadly overlooked at the time.”

The Second song on my list is Dazed and Confused off of their first self-titled album. Something I didn't know until I researched further was that the song was originally written by folk singer Jake Holmes (his version is also on the playlist). Jake Holmes opened for The Yardbirds when Jimmy Page was still in their lineup, and the song greatly inspired him. Later, when he was in Led Zeppelin, he changed the lyrics and enough of the melody to escape a lawsuit from Jake Holmes. Something that a lot of people complain about with this song is the long experimental part of the song in the middle. Although it is very different from “normal music,” you have to give them credit for doing something that nobody else had done before. In my opinion, the bass line on this song is the best part, and is definitely the driving force for the whole song

Whole lotta love is one of the easiest songs in the world to review. This song alone inspired a whole generation of kids to pick up the guitar. That alone speaks volumes. In the movie “It Might Get Loud,” Jimmy Page shows The Edge of U2 and Jack White of the White Stripes how he plays “Whole Lotta Love,” and their expressions show that this song influenced them a great deal as young boys. Other than that, the song speaks for itself.

Communication Breakdown is a simple, straight-forward, and in-your-face rock song. Listening to this song I can almost hear some early punk overtones in the simplicity of the chord progression.

As a guitarist, I can remember the feeling the first time I heard the solo to this song very clearly and easily, when most of the other Led Zeppelin songs were an acquired taste for me (mostly because my Dad liked them).

For the longest time, I didn’t understand why people liked The Immigrant Song so much, until one day I was driving along, blasting a Led Zeppelin CD and the Immigrant Song came on. I don’t know why, but this time it seemed to click with me and I’ve loved it ever since. It took me a long time to really understand the message of the song, not so much in the lyrical sense but more in the musical.

The song was inspired by Vikings traveling from their home to find new land. The idea for the song came when they played a concert in Reykjavik, Iceland, which apparently had a profound effect on Page, who wrote the song.

It’s hard to describe how much Led Zeppelin has changed the music industry, but if you listen very hard, you can hear them in at least some aspect in almost every band in music today.

Welcome!

Hi, my name is Josh Walker and this is my blog, Massive Music. For the most part, my blog will be about reviewing and introducing music to you that you might not have heard. I look foreword to posting and hearing what you think about what I have to say.