Epica - Delirium

I picked up Epica's Requiem for the Indifferent a few weeks ago, the same day I got Ensiferum's Unsung Heroes.  It was a good buy by my standards, and Simone Simons kills it on the whole album.  Absolutely kills it, people.  It's a big mix of opera-rock-symphonic metal with a few softer tracks.  The latter is what you get from me today, and I find it fitting for a quiet Easter Sunday in the apartment.

"Delirium" leans on the piano, and sounds a bit like it would fit into some kind of slaying-dragons fantasy movie; for the quieter scenes, of course.  Simone is a powerhouse when she wants to be, but I like this side of her too.  It's delicate, but she's still going full-force on "Delirium."  Epica even has my favourite theme, hope, worked into the track.  So, I highly recommend you pick up the album and get on it, people.  I definitely don't regret it.

Fun. - All The Pretty Girls

I say Fun. and you say...what?  We are young and some nights and oh that song that was on Grey's Anatomy.  What if I told you that the boys have some rarer stuff that's hiding from you?  Noisetrade was nice enough to have a few tracks of theirs that were new to me.  "All The Pretty Girls" is an older, but just as peppy track from Fun. that can serve as a warm welcome to summer.  Everything here comes together in perfect harmony to become something great, with vocals that flow like a well-managed river, instruments that belong under a summer sun, and lyrics that will worm their way into your head.  You're welcome.

Now, time to eat more chocolate.

Daft Punk - Something About Us

What makes a Good Friday good?  Well, there's the usual combination of getting together with family and food and celebrating together.  As always, the promise of coffee with Bailey's is on the horizon too.  Daft Punk is also a good addition to usual traditions.  Today's selection isn't off of Homework, which I bought about a month ago, but 2001's Discovery.  I've been aware of "Something About Us" since I heard that wonderful Adele mashup it was incorporated into, but it took a while to make the leap for the original.  Some risks are worth the reward.

"Something About Us" is a mellow love ditty with a futuristic spin.  Forget the thumping electronic you're used to from Daft Punk, this one is pared-down and smoothed out.  The electric guitar yawns, and the vocals paint a sad-yet-hopeful picture.  I actually put this track on for about an hour last weekend and wrote a 500-word short story to the words and music.  If an artist can inspire others, the job is done.  Daft Punk's had it done for a while now.

Future - No Matter What

When is the time for a rap song about love?  All of the time.  Today we'll do so by revisiting Future, who you may remember from "Deeper Than The Ocean" off of that solid Astronaut Status mixtape.  "No Matter What" is a little different from that and the other tracks, maybe because it has this gritty sweetness to it.  Rap artists can be sensitive creatures, and Future is able to show that side here.  Call it what you want, but I'm a fan.  Listen closely to the lyrics; you'll find a pang of sadness in the words, but with that comes hope (and by now you should know that hope is something wonderful to find in music).  You'll like this, I promise, no matter what.

Disturbed - The Night

I regret not putting Indestructible on my Top 10 Albums list now.  I've fallen back in love with the album, just as I did in the tenth grade.  While you could make an argument for Ten Thousand Fists, the dark undertones, epic tracks and even more epic guitar work made it the best Disturbed album ever.  "Criminal" is my forever favourite, but "The Night" also owns a piece of my heart.

The melody and power behind "The Night" makes it an alternative metal work of art.  It takes place somewhere dark, but there's nothing wrong with that.  David Draiman laments give in to the night, after all.  I'd give into it in a heartbeat if it's anything like this.  There can be no better way of knowing.  The chorus is a killer, the lyrics speak volumes, and the instrumental work belongs in some kind of heavy metal symphony.  Listening to "The Night" takes me a different world, where we all headbang to ease our frustrations and the black sky glitters with stars.  Take my rambling as proof that this shit is good.

Hollywood Undead - Another Way Out

I was home for reading week this year, and during that time I had an excursion to the mall with my siblings.  While browsing the shelves at HMV, my sister asked if I'd bought the new Hollywood Undead album yet.  No, I told her.  So she bought Notes From the Underground along with something by Phil Phillips...but the latter is another matter entirely.  I do like the group's new work, but the album as a whole isn't anything too groundbreaking as I thought with "Dead Bite."  Even so, I found a handful of tracks that I like a lot, among them: "Another Way Out."

"Another Way Out" is a short, peppy hip-hop-alternative track that is along the lines of Hollywood Undead's bread and butter.  The song is a mood-booster, a bit of a pump-up track, but makes you wish there was another way out.  Hollywood Undead has mastered the art of beautiful mismatching song tone with lyrical tone, and it's their strongest suit (like "Bullet").  I'm still going to be a fan for a long time, there's no doubt about that, but I'm expecting a stronger track selection for their next album.  Boys, you've been challenged.

Lana Del Rey - Oh Say Can You See

It's been a while since Miss Del Rey has been here, so what better day than today?  While I would like it if she released a new album in the future, I can't complain about the work she has out so far, even the old obscure stuff that continues to surprise me.  "Oh Say Can You See" is an oldie off of her debut, Lana Del Ray a.k.a. Lizzy Grant, a place where you'll find gems like "Yayo" and "Kill Kill."

This isn't the American national anthem as you know it, or at all for that matter.  "Oh Say Can You See" kind of sounds like music from Prince of Tides in that magical, whimsy-fuelled kind of way.  It's slow, it's delicate, and that acoustic guitar gets be every time.  Forget her "National Anthem," this is the real one.  I'm a particular fan of the line: the voice of Nirvana says "come as you are."  Lyrical genius once again, Lana.  Songs like this are the reason why she's a forever girl crush of mine.

J. Ralph Feat. Scarlett Johansson and Joshua Bell - Before My Time

Adele was a darling at this year's Oscars, winning for "Skyfall" and tearing up on stage.  I admit, I teared up as well.  Even so, while listening through the other nominees, something surprised me.  I haven't seen, nor hear of Chasing Ice before the Oscars, but the documentary on climate change and glaciers harbored a secret.  "Before My Time" is played over the credits.  J. Ralph wrote it, Joshua Bell plays violin, and the darling Scarlett Johansson sings.

"Before My Time" is very delicate, and is something haunting when put into the context of our disappearing glaciers.  I don't want to die way before my time.  Some criticize Scarlett's musical abilities, but I quite like her here.  Her voice is suited for this type of genre, that light, pared-down atmosphere that can make you weep over ice.  Mr. Bell also slays it on the violin, if by slays you mean contributing to the atmosphere of "Before My Time."

I love Adele, but I would have liked to see this win an Oscar just as much.

Maino feat. Roc City - Call Me Hood

"Call Me Hood" is another example of a song I've spent a decent amount of time sitting on.  In 2012 it was this close to making my Top 50 list, but it unfortunately slipped through the cracks.  It happens now and then, you know, but now "Call Me Hood" is right where it belongs.  Then there's Maino, a great Brooklyn MC who put out I Am Who I Am around this time last year.  "Call Me Hood" is the heavy hitter of the release with the help of Roc City; it has the melancholy tinge I like to my rap, but has that hope I crave so much too.  The point of this track is that yeah, you're in the hood, but that's a part of who you are, and it has a beauty to it you may not recognize.  Remember, I Am Who I Am.

Nightwish - The Siren

It's been a while since I posted any Nightwish...so, here's some now!  "The Siren" comes off of Once, so that means we've got Tarja doing lead vocal work.  My favourite Marco is still here, though, and together they create a conversation sung between a deadly siren and lost seaman.  The lyrics say it all (I tied my hands to the wheel) and Tarja's aria during Marco's parts cements the story in stone.  It really brings the story to life.  Then there are the instrumentals...drool-worthy with an electric violin and sitar thrown into the mix.  Nightwish never disappoints me with their music, and this far into my obsession, I'm still finding new favourites from old gems.  Some things never change, and hopefully they never do.

Sad Robot - Hold On

"Hold On" is appropriately titled for this week, as school begins its slow downward spiral to the end, and the weather makes walking around outside nearly unbearable.  A year ago I was getting away with bare legs and shoulders on the walk to school...not freezing rain that keeps me bundled up!  At least Sad Robot can make me feel better.  This Los Angeles trio has this lush alt-pop sound that really speaks to me.  "Hold On" may be speaking the loudest.  Lead Katherine Pawlak is a sweet indie darling, and the fuzzy guitar-percussion combo makes this one some kind of pop-rock epic.  You'll appreciate the lushness.  Who wouldn't?

A Plot To Boycott Rihanna

Yesterday evening, I knew this post had to be made.  I even did some research to find that others are taking the same steps that I am, and I can only recommend that you do as well.

So there's Rihanna.  I'm personally not a big fan of her music.  I'll give her the Umbrella era and a few things before, but if you can release a song like "California King Bed" and be able to sleep at night, you are not a musician.  You've sold out long ago.  My reason to boycott her actually stems from her personal life.  We all remember a few years ago when Chris Brown beat the living shit out of her.  It was everywhere.  There was even a picture of her released that sickened me.  Any man who hits a woman isn't getting anywhere near me.  Needless to say, I've boycotted him long ago (though did I really have to?  His music sucks).

Now they're back together.

Rihanna, if you want to be a role model to your young fans (they exist, believe me), then why start seeing the man who punched you in the face?  Why encourage the same behavior in your fans?  You can give me shit about fans not being that impressionable, but some are.  Would anyone condone that behavior?  I hope not, but Rihanna is.  I don't give it long before the same kind of incident happens again due to that arrogant bastard.  I'm tempted to tweet him rude things about how he should grow up to see if I'll get some poorly-constructed sentences thrown back.

The point is: it's not okay to hit a woman.  It's also not okay to go back to the man that hit you.  For this reason, I'm removing my post on "Man Down" and will never feature anything by Rihanna again.

Terrible Feelings - Intruders

Weekends always call for something energetic, and what is more energetic than Swedish pop rock?  Not much, I'll tell you that!  Terrible Feelings give us the catchy "Intruders," that's chock-full of beachy guitars, powerful percussion and surprisingly solemn lyrics.  Well, as I like top find in music, there is always hope, and "Intruders" has hope behind the sadness.  So, short and sweet today; I wouldn't have it any other way.

Ensiferum - Bamboleo

I normally don't buy full-price CDs anymore.  Value Village is too convenient and cheap, and I always find something there that I like.  However, I still make the trip to HMV now and then, only if the band is one that I thoroughly enjoy.  Last weekend I picked up Epica's Requiem For The Indifferent, and finally got my hands on Ensiferum's Unsung Heroes.  About time!  It's a must for my fellow folk metal mongers, and you'll surely be in for a treat with the last track.  Who knew mariachi and folk metal could sound so good in a cover of The Gypsy Kings' "Bamboleo?"

"Bamboleo" may start innocently enough, but this isn't your traditional cover song.  The acoustic guitar is spared for certain pieces and the chorus screams mariachi, but traditional folk metal is still here.  Don't worry your pretty little head over that, my friend.  Petri and the gang make use of rough vocals (borderline-death, in my opinion) and gritty guitars before the horns come in.  It takes serious talent to be able to tackle a genre so different from your own and make it something beautiful.  Ensiferum's "Bamboleo" is a work of art, and makes me want to get back into Mariachi el Bronx.

Trampled By Turtles - Victory

Your mind is about to be blown, especially if you're an alternative-bluegrass-"country" fan.  Trampled By Turtles may be the best band you've never heard of.  They're like Mumford & Sons, only a little more traditional and a helluva lot more underrated.  These five boys from Minnesota know their way around the banjo and fiddle, and the best part?  You can find a sampler of their music over on Noisetrade.  "Victory" stood out for a summery atmosphere, sweet yet ominous lyrics and that bluegrass sound.  This makes me want to pick up a fiddle and bow to force myself to learn such beauty.  Trampled By Turtles is everything I love about Mumford & Sons, with an extra special something along for the ride.  "Victory" is well worth any risk you might see it as.  Who knows?  Bluegrass might grow on you no matter what side of the spectrum you're on.

Hopesfall - Secondhand Surgery

If you're a fan of that post-hardcore-alternative sound, then by god, have I found the band of your dreams.  Well, Hopesfall and I go way back, actually.  I got Magnetic North when I was in high school and have been listening away since.  You could even say that this is the band that fueled my love of lush rock, and now, they come your way.  I had some trouble picking what song from the album to feature, but ultimately decided on the one that always has a few lyrics stuck in my head.  I present "Secondhand Surgery."

I'm slowly thinking of switching your head with my body.

There is definitely an art behind "Secondhand Surgery."  It's lush, lyrical and nothing too hard on the ears.  From what I've read, Magnetic North was a departure from earlier Hopesfall material, but I quite like this sound.  It has a dark beauty to it, and the images give me chills.  Not many bands can sing of switching bodies and make it pretty.  "Secondhand Surgery" isn't just pretty, it's beautiful.

I hear and chase them off the rooftops and the walls, and it feels like there's something in the walls.

School of Seven Bells - Connjur

My favourite psych-noise poppers are back on the blog for today's post!  I'll always have a soft spot for School of Seven Bells, because without them, I wouldn't be as far into the electro genre as I am right now.  This is my second tribute to the duo-sometimes-trio and all of the wonderful things they do, in the form of a review on "Connjur."  It's a little quicker than my forever fave "Iamundernodisguise," but still has that psychedelic pop quality to it.  "Connjur" is something sweet, like a slew of my favourite songs, but it's unconventional.  Mainstream?  Hardly, but the hipster in me wouldn't have it any other way.  Also listen closely to the lyrics, they're good ones: how does someone with nothing end up with so much to show for it? for starters.  So get on today's assignment, if you haven't gotten to La Dispute yet.

La Dispute - The Most Beautiful Bitter Fruit + LYRICS

Here's another little something I've been sitting on for a bit, though don't take that literally.  I'm always partial to bands from nearby Michigan and would never place my ass on them.  Grand Rapids' five-piece La Dispute falls into this group of musicians, but they're anything but predictable in other facets.  Think of them as this: alternative-blues-prog-rock.  Still following?  Good.  Together, the vocals and instruments create a masterpiece, but broken apart you get prog rock vocals (close to screamo, like the good ol' days) and some of the guitar work is bluesy.  This is an alternative cacophony if I've ever heard one before.  Think of Violent Femmes, updated.

"The Most Beautiful Bitter Fruit" isn't anything peppy, despite that quick tempo.  The lyrics paint a sadder picture than you may suspect: after sundown, before sleeping, I am the worst of me.  But listen closely or you might miss it.  The dark content and the fast pace of "The Most..." create something stark.  This is a listening experience, people.  La Dispute disguise a complicated work of art behind the electric guitars, and it's worth uncovering.

Oh, and if you did miss it: here's all of the lyrics.

After sundown, before sleeping, I am the worst of me. I am a mess of these
Old themes and the murmur of half-dreams whisper seductively and
Stage scenes.

It's fear fiction, these visions, caught somewhere between delusion and prophesy.
What I haven't done, what I've wanted to, and what I fear you have
Becomes reality here.

Bright lights in the young night keep to the beat.
A classic party scene, crowded and interesting.
No love, no life, no history.
Just touch, just chemistry, just
A roaring undercurrent simple and sensory.
Young bodies, warm skin, perfect symmetry and
It's a moment, harmless. It's energy.
It's like medicine,
It's self-discovery.

See, all the secrets I keep, why are they secrets?

It's only temporary, that fleeting feeling of warmth,
Just a flash before the line gets blurry,
Between a longing for more than what the body wants now and
What the body wants now more than anything.
Was it integrity that kept my hands to myself or
Just the thought of getting too far ahead of you?
Was it that I got too tired of the consequence?
Or was I just scared?

I only know I never wanted to get left behind.

No pauses, not a second guess.
First a swaying then a stumble then a swagger.
They're just movements towards feeling. It doesn't matter
Neither hesitates to carry on a kind of energy,
Sweat and block out everything to
Find every aperture and compel the animal parts.
Fan flames, taste fruit, taste bitter fruit.
Just trying to learn how all the wires in the body work.
Just trying to feel it out, it's like medicine.
Trap the healing in whatever bed they end up in.

I want to feel it out. I want to know how it works.
I want to know if it was worth it to worry,
About the ghosts I feared would haunt the memory,
About the damage that I'm sure the fear has done to me now.
I want to know what it is in me that won't follow through
Those nights the instinct takes a hold of me and pushes too.
Maybe it's only that I've never gotten over you.

Or am I still scared?

I see the church steps, a vision. Is there fiction in this one too?
It's true, I've made a tale of it here, still, it's a little unclear who's been haunting who.
And time can be such a funny thing, always moving to the future
Glorifying the past and amplifying the pain in frames and glass.
So was our touch half as sacred as I've made it seem
Or just another fabrication of a half-dream?
Just those chemicals, the adolescent love.
Just us trying to grasp onto meaning,
Onto a purpose,
Onto a sense that
Something spiritual releases when the feeling hits.

And when the feeling hits.

And in that moment sparks and harps play out
A sweeping melody through fog and fantasy
And in that moment there's an honesty instinctive and pure but
It departs like it came, rapid and bearing no more
Than fleeting ecstasy of natural harmony.
They fear the notes being played and try to sing along.
Don't be ashamed, be free to the feeling. Don't be ashamed, keep feeling.
But find it: a body that makes sense.

I've felt it.

DMX - Ruff Ryders' Anthem

My good luck on reading week brought me to another good haul from Value Village.  DMX's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot was my OMG moment, but I also picked up Spirit by Jewel, Believe by Cher and Daft Punk's Homework.  Good day for me, eh?  But back to the rap now.  DMX's words are always raw and rough, and before the "up in here" days, he was doing things like this.  It's Dark... is a good album for the gangster fans, and fifteen years later, is still as fresh as it was the day it came out in 1998.  Even for a debut this is solid work. 

Give a dog a bone, leave a dog alone, let a dog roam and he'll find his way home.

"Ruff Ryders' Anthem" stood out to me because it completed the holy trinity for rap: the beats, the rhymes, and that something special that makes it brilliant.  I'm looking forward to blasting this in the summer when I get the chance to drive my dad's truck, to be one of those people who blast rap around town.  I don't care too much, that's what this song was made for.  You're either a Ruff Ryder or you're not, and I like to think we all have a little inside us.  I'll leave it to you to decide, and because it made me laugh, here's the song info from Wikipedia:

Many believe this was the fucking time when DMX showed what real shit he was capable of. This song is what gave DMX his fame, many n***** think he is his alter muthafucking ego in this song.

Dry The River - Demons + King James Remix

From London comes my new favourite indie band of the moment: Dry The River.  I like to think of these chamber pop stars as a grown-up One Republic with just a touch of Mumford & Sons.  Perfect.  I first found them through rcrd lbl, with the King James Remix of their "Demons," and then had to go hunting for the original.  It's a very sweet love song, beautifully crafted with some stunning lyrical work: the north isn't true til it's leading me to you.  "Demons" may be a slow wedding song, but it's brilliant.  Any indie fan is going to get right into this.

The remix is something a little different.  King James, whoever he may be, leaves the general structure of the song intact but takes it from wedding song territory (not that there's anything wrong with that) and to a watery land where everything has an echo.  It's a little danceable once the beats kick up, I'll give it that, but still retains that sweet and delicate feel.  Both versions are something special in their own right, worthy of a good listen and perhaps even a download.

Teeth - Care Bear

Another day under grey clouds here, but what gangster rap can't solve, perhaps electro can?  Noise-dance trio Teeth gives us the infectious "Care Bear," which is even approved by one of my roommates (so you know that you'll like it and it's not just one of my weird obsessions of the moment).  She said, "Laura, can you send this song to me?" and given the choice of a plain song video and a crazy music video on Youtube, I went with the crazy video.  True story.

Now to the song.  "Care Bear" is a beeping, fuzzy, somewhat-noisy (but nothing harsh, don't worry) track that has made it onto my workout/party playlist for a reason.  It's pump-up music that was made to make you feel good, and it works like a charm.  Lead vocalist Veronica So is also an electro darling, and the boys on drums and electronics complete this triangle of power.  Sure, "Care Bear" may evoke images of colorful bears and rainbows, but this is the theme song of Noise Bear.  Move over, Sunshine!

Freddie Gibbs feat. Kirko Bangz - Bout It Bout It

As we traverse through another grey week here, I'm on the hunt for anything that may get me through the dreary hours spent studying mapmaking.  Of course, I've gone back to my first love, gangster rap, for the solution, and what a solution it is.  I've been a Freddie Gibbs fan for a bit now, and "Bout It Bout It" comes off of his recent release Baby Face Killa, also where "The Hard" (that lovely masterpiece) originates from.  With the help of Kirko Bangz (listen to "Drank In My Cup" now!), we've got a catchy number on our hands.  "Bout It Bout It" is slick, and those squeaky beats are infectious and then some.  The album may still be available for free online, so if it is, get on it.

Evanescence - Tourniquet

Okay, I'm about to make you all feel like old dinosaurs.  Ten years ago today was the release of Evanescence's debut album, Fallen.  Yeah, I know, right?  I first heard of them a little later than that, close to the end of 2003 when I was eleven years old and still a gangster rap nut.  Evanescence is one of the bands that brought me into metal, and for that, I am a forever fan.  My favourite song from Fallen isn't one of the singles, but "Tourniquet." 

So what does "Tourniquet" have that songs like "Going Under" and "Bring Me To Life" don't?  They're all dark songs, but "Tourniquet" is a moody work of art.  The song was originally intended for a Christian metal band, though, but you may not notice it until you look into the lyrics.  Amy Lee and the boys take it away from that genre and give it that hard-rock-and-a-little-symphonic sound that came out of Fallen.  Simply the way "Tourniquet" flows isn't half-bad either, in fact, it's brilliant.  I've been in love for the past nine-and-a-half years, so here's to another near-decade with Evanescence.

Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton - Freedom

I really hope you've seen Django Unchained.  If you haven't then you're missing out the reason Christoph Waltz and Mr. Tarantino each won their second Oscars.  Don't even get me started on the soundtrack.  Well, because you asked...yesterday I was on the subject of sweet indie that could fit in with Kimya Dawson and Juno.  Today, it's tracks from the wild west fit for Django.  You've got the western numbers, soulful cowboy tunes, and even some rap for the hip-hop enthusiasts.  Then there's this, from soul singer Anthony Hamilton and the hard-to-search Elayna Boynton.

"Freedom" may not be the main theme of the movie, but it's got Django down pat.  Hamilton and Boynton sing over bells, guitar and light piano work, interlacing verses, choruses and all that fun stuff to create something brilliant.  I am looking for freedom, and I'm also looking to keep listening to this as long as I can.  "Freedom" is rich with soul and life, and with a message of searching for the illusive freedom, you know it can't be far away.

Okay, you've now all been musically freed.

We Were Bears - Baby Animals

I've made references to "Juno music" before.  It's indie stuff that sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack for Juno (one of the best soundtracks ever, in my humble opinion).  We Were Bears falls into this category.  They're an English three-piece that you probably haven't heard of, but you're missing out, my friend.  "Baby Animals" comes off their Paws For Effect EP, which came my way via a post on Tumblr, and as far as I know, it's still free to download.  Most of the songs in this collection are rather short, but this one is the longest, and it is adorable.  It's a sweet story of friendship and perhaps love that lies beneath it, sun over a light acoustic guitar with a few claps throughout.  This is what pretty indie is, and always will be.