SL Jones - Bet It Up

The perfect way to end to month of September is by giving you guys a hella good rap track.  From Little Rock comes SL Jones, who I have a few tracks from, but never got into too much.  A few weeks ago "Bet It Up" came up while I had my library on shuffle, and since then, I knew that it needed to be shared.  Now, "Bet It Up" isn't the melancholy rap you may know me to feature.  This reminds me of the days where I'd be listening to Nelly, Chingy and the like, but thankfully, SL Jones is more refined than Chingy.  "Bet It Up" definitely has a southern flair that can only come from the deep south, and boy, is it catchy.  I wouldn't mind dancing to this next time I go out.  SL Jones is definitely someone to watch out for in the next few years; I see big things for this guy.

Soilwork - Long Live The Misanthrope

I never get tired of any incarnation of melodic metal.  Melodic metalcore, melodic power metal, melodic death metal, melodic folk metal...it's all good to me.  Let's focus on the death side of the spectrum today, as we look at a band that I've been sitting on for a while (I wish), waiting for the right moment to reveal.  Soilwork is a Swedish band that has been around for a while now, but I only caught wind of their efforts in the last year or so.  Their work is never too death for me, and it's the melodic element that makes their work memorable and infectious.  Don't be scared if death metal has done you wrong in the past; there is hope for everyone to get heavier.

"Long Live The Misanthrope" is the Soilwork song that I've been listening to a lot lately.  The guitar work is superb, the gritty-growling-tinge-of-clean vocals are hard to compare to anyone else, and by god, this is just as heavy as I like my melodic death metal to be.  If I have to compare them to anyone, I'm thinking the melodic death counterpart of Slipknot...with some elements of another band I can't put my finger on in the chorus.  Whatever it is, Soilwork is prominent on my radar right now, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them a little better now...

Alanis Morissette - Torch

You should know that I love few artists unconditionally.  Everything they do is brilliant, and I'm always looking forward to what will come next.  One of those artists is Alanis Morissette, and recently, I've gotten back into some of her more recent work, and off of Flavours of Entanglement comes "Torch."  You all remember when Alanis was shacked up with Ryan Reynolds, right?  "Torch" is what she wrote after the breakup, and listening to it, you understand that there is both pain and growth.  Even though this album had a newer sound for Alanis, "Torch" reminds me of the good o' Under Rug Swept.  It's slow and it's sincere, and it pulses with true heartbreak.  There's hope behind the words as well, and that's what gives "Torch" its punch.  Things are bad, but they will be better.  Alanis, you've done it again.

Two Door Cinema Club - Changing of the Seasons

We're all used to the typical get-over-your-breakup songs.  Sad, powerful, melancholy tunes that attempt to empower you the only way that's plain to see.  We get it, people.  But, there's another way.  You have yet to hear a breakup song as peppy and uplifting as Two Door Cinema Club's "Changing of the Seasons."  Dear god, these boys have a knack for producing catchy tunes that I can't help but fall in love with, and this one is no exception.

"Changing of the Seasons" is a peppy little thing at first listen, but closely paying attention to the lyrics gives you the whole picture of a sad relationship and a breakup that was for the best.  The uplifting tone of the song brings it all full circle, and reminds you that sad events in your life don't necessarily require sad music.  The synthy instrumental work kind of reminds me of Mario Kart background music too...which earlier followers of my blog might remember as being a big plus.  Too bad I didn't know about this number before I did my breakup playlist 1.5 years ago.  Here's to the changing of the seasons, then, and the great things that come with it.

Britney Spears - Work Bitch

The first CD I ever bought was Britney's Oops I Did It Again...  Oh, the nostalgia of it all.  I've got everything she's ever recorded and will always count myself as a fan, no matter what phase I go through with music, and you can bet I'm pretty excited to see what's she's coming out with next.  "Work Bitch" surprised me when I first took a listen.  It's Britney, but it's something different from her.  It's more grown up, just when you thought her music couldn't grow anymore.  She's come a long was from her "Baby One More Time" era, am I right?  "Work Bitch" displays just as much growth as you could hope to get from Britney.  Gone is the sugary pop, and here we've got a darker, electro-tinged woman who never ceases to amaze me with her music.  I like my pop gritty, and now I've got it, and am waiting eagerly for the rest of the album.

Simon & Garfunkel - The Dangling Conversation

What redeems me from going missing for a weekend is something nostalgic from good ol' Simon & Garfunkel.  Their essential collection is really something I could draw posts from for as long as I could.  It's that good, and with two disks full of amazing things...dear god.  Today's selection is "The Dangling Conversation," which may not be known to a casual fan, but now it's one that you've got to promise to listen to.  What I enjoy about their work is that lovely quaint acoustic feeling, and here it is in its most acoustic, quaintness yet.  "The Dangling Conversation" has that clockwork-sounding acoustic work you can find now in Fiona Apple, and with the help of some very lovely strings, it almost seems as if we've been transported to a Disney short, where we have a short time to tell the story, but so much we can fit in with so little.  You feel me?  Good.

Aaliyah - More Than A Woman

If I really have to pick one (or ten) musical artists who've passed on and that I wished would still be here today, one of them would be Aaliyah.  I can't really get into modern female R&B, but I'll never get tired of Aaliyah's last album.  There's enough variety in those tracks to keep my hips shaking and my heart pounding.  Sometimes people are taken from us too soon, but we should still be happy with what we've been given.

One of the tracks with a real nice beat and rhythm is "More Than A Woman."  It's catchy, it's something you can dance to, and if it was remixed now...watch out!  Then again, who would touch something like this?  The pressure to make it into something new would be almost too immense.  As it is, "More Than A Woman" is more than enough for me.  Aaliyah's voice is at the top rung of the ladder here, and with these beats, nothing can go wrong.  It's been more than ten years since her death, but she left behind some real good gifts to enjoy now.

EMA - Milkman

EMA conveniently stands for Erika M. Anderson, the chaunteuse behind today's "Milkman," a delicious noisy pop song that's not as intimidating as you may think.  Noise gets a bad reputation for ruining our hearing and generally not making sense to some people, but done right, noise can be a very pretty thing.  This is pretty noise, and frothy vocals from Ms. Anderson are the icing on top of this cupcake.  Don't let my sweet words fool you though, "Milkman" still has a little bit of an edge to it, and it's something that brings the track to the next level of the noise-pop-electronic-indie circuit.  It exists, believe me, and EMA has it in the bag.

The Smiths - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

I knew as soon as I picked up the best of The Smiths albums, that something was going to be featured.  There was no other way of going about it.  I could have done the expected and did a piece on "This Charming Man," but there were other gems on the album that I thought would be a better fit, and a little more unexpected.  After all, life gets pretty boring when you can see everything coming.  "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" is a short but sweet acoustic track, but something about it spoke to me.  I like bittersweet music, and always have, and that's what it is.  Everything just wants thing to go right, so why is now any different?  Even if we change for the better, some things will still elude us.  This song won't elude anyone now.  This is why The Smiths get an album of their best work.

Avenged Sevenfold - Hail To The King

Hail To The King is an album I wrestled with buying for a while, but after hearing the lead single, I had to give it a shot.  This album is about at the same level and Nightmare; it's definitely no self-titled effort, but still has its impressive highs that outweigh the lows.  "Hail To The King" is easily the best song of the ten, so there's a reason they chose it to be the big single.  This track shows the growth that came with Nightmare while still still reflecting on some of the lush qualities that came along with Avenged Sevenfold.  As soon as I heard it, I knew this would be it (though "Requiem" gives it a good run for its money, so you better give that one a listen too).  I't's hard to find catchy rock-metal songs these days, but "Hail To The King" has the power behind the words, and guitars that could slay the toughest of foes.  I guess this goes to show that there's always a reason to buy the Avenged Sevenfold albums, so I won't be wrestling with myself anymore.

Lily Kershaw - Promised Land

Noisetrade has kind of become my go-to place for indie ever since Rdrd Lbl started to suck, and though you have to really look for some of the really good stuff, I'm always surprised by what comes my way.  A few weeks ago they released a sampler from Lily Kershaw, an LA darling who's had her music on Criminal Minds before.  The sample had a few songs from her upcoming Midnight In The Garden.  There may have been only a few songs on this one, but every one was good.  As hard as it was to pick on to feature, "Promised Land" turned out to be an easy choice.

"Promised Land" is acoustic wonderkind, sounding like something Norah Jones used to sing, and by god, old Norah Jones was actually better than new Norah Jones (who is still pretty good).  Lily Kershaw has a not-too-smoky set of pipes that don't overwhelm the delicate track, but add to its beauty.  With nothing but an acoustic guitar, she crafts something under three minutes that can speak to the masses.  This girl is going places.  I said the same thing about Angel Haze, and I'm saying it now.

Slipknot - (Sic) + LYRICS

I'm not going to get my hopes up until I get album art, a title, and release date out of the eight guys, so until we all know for sure that there will be a fifth Slipknot album, I'm sticking with what I've got, no more and no less.  I'll always prefer their first two albums over the last two for the heavy-thrashing-chaotic nu metal that got me good when I was in high school.  I still remember when my mom bought me their self-titled debut, begrudgingly.  "(Sic)" might be the best song off that whole album, and perhaps their best work as a band of nine.  It's heavy, be forewarned, but by god, it's good.  Corey Taylor screams the whole song (well, maybe 95%) with as much power in the end as the beginning, and Jim, Mick and Paul (RIP) slay on the guitar and bass work.  The lyrical work of "(Sic)" is what really makes it a masterpiece of the turn of the millennium, but I'll leave you with that...

Here comes the pain

Enemy, show me what you wanna be
I can handle anything
Even if I can't handle you

Readily, either way it better be
Don't you fucking pity me
Get up, get off

What the hell am I saying?
I don't know about malevolent
Sure as hell decadent
I want somebody to step up, step off

Walls, let me fall
Fuck you all
Get a grip, don't let me slip
'Til I drop the ball

Fuck this shit, I'm sick of it
You're going down, this is a war

Fuck

Who the fuck am I to criticize
Your twisted state of mind
You're leaving me suspect
I'm leaving you grotesque

Feels like a burn from which you never learn
Cause and effect, you jealous ass
Press your face against the glass, suffer

Fuck this shit, I'm sick of it
You're going down, this is a war

I've just begun
It's about that time, gotta get mine
I've just begun
It's about that time, gotta get mine

I've just begun
It's about that time, gotta get mine
I've just begun
It's about that time, gotta get mine

You can't kill me
'Cause I'm already inside you
You can't kill me
'Cause I'm already inside you

You can't kill me
'Cause I'm already inside you
You can't kill me
'Cause I'm already inside you

Sic, sic, sic, sic

Three Days Grace - Wake Up

A very long time ago, before my parents had the internet, I discovered a lot of music through the radio.  Detroit used to have a really great alternative station, though I've either grown out of it or they just don't play anything good now.  One of the first rock/alt/metal songs I heard on the radio and fell in love with, a member of an elite group of albums and artists and songs that brought me into the tastes I've developed up until now, is "Wake Up" by Three Days Grace.  I'm not the biggest fan of the band; I like a song here and there, and One X has four good songs and the rest filler.  It's still hard to discount their gritty early work that gave me an early taste of what I love now, and that's why "Wake Up" brings me nostalgia.

"Wake Up" is a dark and gritty little thing.  There is scorn and hate in the words, and shreds of hope mixed in for good measure, and dammit, it's got its beauty.  The guitar work is almost soft in the beginning verses, but it develops into something more complex as we build a chorus rife with power.  Wake up, I'm pounding on the door, I'm not the man I was before, where the hell are you when I need you?  A song that may be simple upon first listen is always more complex that we all realize, and there's incredible depth to "Wake Up."  This is Three Days Grace at their absolute finest, and I know it'll still stick with me even longer from now.

Kanye West - Can't Tell Me Nothing

I always go back to Kanye.  Come hell and high water, he's the solo rapper I will always revert to in a time of crisis (just don't make me pick between him and Swollen Members).  "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is off of Graduation, a part of his holy triumvirate along with The College Dropout and Late Registration, though that's not discounting the rest of this work either.  Timeline aside, Kanye was just as solid back then as he is now, though comparing things like "Can't Tell Me Nothing" to more recent tracks like "Black Skinhead" will show you how he's grown.  That's not to say this shit ain't tight.  "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is a good eff you track for those days when nothing is going right, and of all of his work, it's one of the Kanye songs that is stuck in my head most...and it's always la, la, la, la wait til I get my money right, la, la, la, la then you can't tell me nothing right.  It's just some good wholesome (maybe...) rap that makes you glad that Kanye gave up producing for performing.

Fall Out Boy - The Phoenix

Okay, so here's the conundrum.  Fall Out Boy's latest effort, a little something called Save Rock and Roll has been out for a little while now, and I had decided much earlier in the year that it would be the first of their albums I would not be buying.  That was until I heard one of the singles, titled "The Phoenix" on the radio when I was driving around in my dad's truck last week.  As much as I didn't want to like it, trying to tell myself that I was past my Fall Out Boy phase, I realized that it might not even be a phase after all.  I fell in love with "The Phoenix" after one lesson...so now what?  Do I cave and buy the album, like we all knew I would all along?

Personal crisis aside, let's look at the song in question.  "The Phoenix" makes damn good use of Patrick Stump's pipes (better than anything in Folie A Deux, if you ask me, and he's gotten cuter), and he breathes new life into a band I thought had exhausted all of their efforts.  It's catchy, it makes good use of a string section, and for a brief moment in your life, you forget that Pete Wentz was ever a part of this wonderful thing.  This is the alternative Fall Out Boy I loved in Infinity on High, not any of that poppy stuff that came after.  If this is what Save Rock and Roll will be like...maybe I can give rock and roll a chance.

Iwrestledabearonce - Boat Paddle

So lately I've been looking at some female-fronted-or-at-least-have-a-girl-in-the-band metal bands that are new to me, and next up on the docket is Iwrestledabearonce.  I've heard of them before, recently enough that I recognized the name when I first saw "Boat Paddle," but now I'm invested.  They recently replaced longtime lead singer Krysta Cameron, and on this track, Courney LaPlante is at the helm.  The change has sparked something with Youtube comments similar to the Tarja-Anette-Floor deal, but I'm impartial.  I've sampled both lead's work, and honestly, they don't sound too different from each other.  "Boat Paddle" is Courtney's way of saying hello world, here I am, I rock.

"Boat Paddle" is delicious metalcore, kind of like Dead and Divine with a healthy pinch of Protest The Hero, and Matt Tobin is replaced by his female counterpart.  That's it.  The clean vocal work is good (not stellar, but I can't complain either), the growling is amazing, and the rest of the band knows the way around their instruments and back again.  The guitar works is what reminds me of Protest The Hero, but with less mathy elements (at least, in this case).  "Boat Paddle" is, bottom line, powerful, and a reason why you shouldn't judge a genre before you find the good bits among the bad.  Now, excuse me while I see if HMV is carrying their new album...

Bastille - Pompeii

I take the free songs from itunes in stride every week.  Some are good, but I find that most are free with good reason.  Even so, the times where the good songs come are the times I look forward to the most.  The latest champion of a place where bad music is often found is Bastille, a group from London who sound like a more updated version of One Republic, and definitely more grown-up sounding.  High school me enjoyed One Republic, and university me likes this.  I almost bought their album the other day, and am still deciding if I should (along with Fall Out Boy's newest, but more on that later).  No matter, I've still got "Pompeii."

"Pompeii" has that lush choral feeling to it, while still being current alt-indie.  In one word, you could just describe it as beautiful, but we can go a little more in-depth than that.  You've got synths and instruments living harmoniously together, mixed with strong vocal work and backing choral work that gives "Pompeii" that lush feeling.  It's a track that snares you from the beginning because of its unsuspecting power, and hell, you kind of have to sing along, which may or may not be what I'm doing right now...

Eyes Set To Kill - Lost and Forgotten

Here's the next edition in new metal bands that have a good female lead.  Eyes Set To Kill seems to have slipped past my radar in the last few years, but with a new album coming out in the next few weeks, their blip is now on the screen.  I've seen sampling some of their new songs for a while now, but I really like the feel that comes with "Lost and Forgotten."  We have the always-good combination of male screams with clean female vocals (Alexia Rodriguez...she's got it), and it almost reminds me of something a little bit like Avenged Sevenfold (by the way...got their new album, post coming soon) meets The Agonist.  The guitar work is heavy, but nothing too thrashy or overwhelming in the slightest bit.  I see good things for these guys, and in two days time, I see another band I'm looking forward to knowing better too...

Madchild - It Gets Better

I'm loyal enough to Swollen Members and everything that they spit out that obviously, I had to pick up Madchild's big solo effort, Lawn Mower Man.  All of his lovely aggressive words and rhymes are now in one convenient place, and damn, it's a solid piece of work.  He has a penchant for putting something raw, but refined, into everything he does, and this is no exception.  "It Gets Better" has a little more soul than the other tracks on the album, which is why it stands out to me.  It has a little old Kanye West flavor to it, with a choir in the back, female vocal accents (Sophia Danai), and a good rhythm to the rhymes, and that's what makes this one powerful.  No aggression needed.  Everyone has a soft side, but who knew Madchild's was just as strong, if not more?  This is where I like to see rap going these days, at the risk of sounding like some old maid, and Madchild and I are on the same page.  Trust me, it'll get better from here on out.

Keaton Henson - You Don't Know How Lucky You Are

I've been sitting on this little number for a while, trying to decide how much I like "You Don't Know How Lucky You Are" and if I could write enough about it to my satisfaction.  Sometimes I don't realize how good a song is until the only thing I'm doing is listening to it.  Picture a long drive up the highway, with no interesting views and no interesting small talk inside the vehicle.  Those kinds of moments are when you discover the gems of your music library.  That's when I knew what I had simply brushed off before with "You Don't Know How Lucky You Are."

Keaton Henson has vocals made for the indie-folk genre, evident in this track.  With the help of a quivering electric guitar and some acoustic work hiding in the background, we hear a sad story about love that's been lost, but by god, we'd get it back if we could.  The lyrical work of "You Don't Know How Lucky You Are" is heartbreaking, and a good song always knows how to emotionally ruin you for other music.  It's sad, but it's beautiful, just as it should be, and you have to commend Mr. Henson for making something like this.  Not everyone can do the sad-acoustic-love-song piece without standing out from the other fish bobbing up and down in the sea.  By George, we've got it now.

Matthew and the Atlas - I Followed Fires

A few weeks ago, I found myself with a big heaping pile of folk music from Tumblr, where one blog I follow has created fanmixes for Games of Thrones, Lord of the Rings...things like that.  I can't remember which fanmix that "I Followed Fires" came from, but I remember that there was an instant bong when I first listened.  UK's Matthew and the Atlas, or known by his birth name of Matthew Hegarty, is for those who like Mumford & Sons, though he's got more of that English folk flavor to his music.  I don't think his debut album is out just yet, but as long as we've got "I Followed Fires," we'll be fine.

"I Followed Fires" has everything you love about folk music, and more!  Mr. Hegarty has a smoky americana voice that plays nicely with the guitars, fiddles and all of that other fun stuff.  He's the older brother that wanted to do his own thing and stay out of Mumford & Sons.  While I love their work, this seems more true-to-folk than what they do, and that's what I like about "I Followed Fires."  It's also hella accessible to those who may shy away from anything that sounds acoustic.  This makes me wish I hadn't quit playing the guitar eight years ago.

Deadlock - Virus Jones

I've recently been finding a lot more female-fronted metal bands that I previously haven't heard of, and expect to see a few in the next week or so.  First up, we've got Deadlock, a German five-piece melodic metal group that's refreshing to hear.  "Virus Jones" is a number that's a little older, from 2011, and is some of their last work with old harsh vocalist Johannes Prem.  Sabine Scherer is the lady behind the clean choruses, and together on "Virus Jones," they give us magic.  Any band that can nail female-male-harsh-clean vocal work is one that has promise, and these guys obviously do.  The two styles foil each other, and create melodic metal that's perfect for headbanging.  The guitar work is also amazing, don't even get me started on that one.  I suppose the lesson we've learned here is that there are always gems around every corner, and the digging is usually worth it.

Crystal Castles - Untrust Us

You may have noticed a new addition to my top 25 Most Played yesterday, as in probably the only one of the twenty-five that I haven't mentioned before.  Rcrd lbl tried to get me into Crystal Castles in the past, but now I'm all about the duo after coming across them again on Tumblr.  The Capital Children's Choir did an amazing cover of "Untrust Us," and after seeing the video, I had to know what the original was like for comparison.  As you may have guessed, I wasn't disappointed with what I found.

"Untrust Us" is delicious electronic with few lyrics, and even knowing that what they say doesn't help with understanding that it's La cocaina no es bunea para su salud, La cocaina is not good for you.  This song definitely feels like a bit of a drug trip, but this foray has direction.  It's danceable, of course, but I think "Untrust Us" is a remix away from being a club hit.  This is more of the electronic music that I like to enjoy outside of the club, because the incoherent lyrics and structured noise is inspiring.  It makes you think.  Well, at least I hope it does.