Within Temptation - Somewhere

I kind of began the month with Within Temptation, so why not finish it with my favourite Dutch symphonic metal band?  I actually think it was when I posted about "Paradise (What About Us)" that I came across "Somewhere," which is the last track off of 2004's The Silent Force.  There's also a great live version on Youtube featuring Anneke van Giersbergen of The Gathering worth listening to too, and I'll include it with this post.  The original studio version of "Somewhere" is still awesome, and sounds a little bit like Anette-era Nightwish to boot.  It's not a head-banging symphonic number, but rather something a lot slower and orchestral, which seems to be my next big kick these days.  Sharon den Adel is probably the strongest vocally here that I've ever heard from her, even if she's always killing it.  The combination of her sweet vocal work and some really nice orchestra arrangements is what breathes life into "Somewhere,"  and boy, what a life it is.

Britney Spears - Perfume

I`m definitely going to be getting my hands on Britney Spears' new album next week, after "Work Bitch" and now "Perfume."  Dear lord.  Our little Britney has grown up.  "Perfume" is one of her vocally strongest songs I've heard yet, out of everything she's ever done.  It's definitely not a dance number (unless it's remixed...), more of a tale between a woman who knows her man is cheating and marks her territory with perfume.  If any singer knows anything about perfume, it's Britney.  "Perfume" is different from the slower songs she's done before, which is good, because I could never really get into those other ones.  This track is softer, but more powerful, and most importantly, it's effortless.  Next karaoke night, this one's mine.

Gordon Lightfoot - Black Day In July

It was two weeks after Thanksgiving when we were all at my aunt's house, about to bring my brother back to Toronto to get on a bus, when we were playing with her old record player.  Usually my sister and I try to put on Jay-Z's The Black Album which one of my cousins have on vinyl, but it seems that we've been forbidden from playing gangster rap at family gatherings.  A shame.  That day, we decided on some classic Gordon Lightfoot and eventually, "Black Day In July" was stuck in my head, and remained there for quite a bit of time.  Hell, it's still on repeat somewhere in there.

My dad's the one that told me "Black Day In July" was about the 1967 Detroit Riot, which is pretty obvious when you give it a listen (I just got the chorus stuck in my head, of course).  Socially charged songs are either good or awkward, but Gordy makes "Black Day In July" anything but dark and dreary.  It's almost peppy-sounding.  Huh.  At least it doesn't bring you down, it just tells the truth.  As a whole song, "Black Day In July" is solid classic rock track, and I am in love with the guitar work here.  Now give yourself a history lesson and listen to this one.

Cats On Trees - Jimmy

My new obsession is French duo Cats On Trees, who were on itunes the other week for free with their English-language "Jimmy."  Gah, itunes always knows how to make me believe again.  You can think of Cats on Trees as the Frenchified version of Stars, but less indie, more art.  After all, they're French, and I love me some artistic French music.  On "Jimmy," Nina Goern's vocals are sweet and delicate, complimented perfectly by her own piano work and percussion work from Yohan Hennequin.  It's piano-heavy, quick-paced indie.  Facebook says they're J-pop, but I think that's just for shits and giggles.  If "Jimmy" is anything, it's catchy, and it won't be long before you know all of the words and can sing along with Nina.  It also won't be long until you're hunting down the rest of their repertoire either.  It might be light indie, but there's something special about "Jimmy" that makes it one of the best tracks I've heard all year, and I mean it.

50 Cent feat. Ned The Wino - Lay Down (Smoked)

I still think 50 Cent's The Lost Tape is one of the best rap mixtapes that's ever come out (don't tell FKi that, though...).  I always find something new to enjoy from it, and now it's "Lay Down (Smoked)" that comes with the help of Ned The Wino, who doesn't have a Facebook page for me to creep, but I'm sure there's more information out there for the curious.  "Lay Down" is pared-down gangster rap, nothing too aggressive or overpowering (I save that territory for DMX).  50 Cent is his lovely gritty and husky self, and Ned The Wino gives "Lay Down" a nice little twist with variety.  I also like that warped-sounding electric guitar bit that appears throughout the song.  You know I am about electric guitar in rap music.  Dear god.  This isn't "O.J." but it's still pretty high up there.

Charlie and the Foxtrots - Mademoiselle

I can't seem to shake my folk kick, apparently.  Then again, why would I want to stop now?  There always seems to be someone new popping up in the genre, or simply groups that have had yet to breakthrough to the masses.  Case in point: Charlie and the Foxtrots.  They're a six-piece folk-pop collective from Nashville, and when you're from a place like that, you better believe some country elements bleed through.  It's nice, not overpowering, and in no way makes it country.  We've still got folk here, folks.

"Mademoiselle" grew on my quickly, and by god, it's not going away anytime soon.  It's a soft and sweet folk ditty that I'm surprised hasn't been in a romantic comedy soundtrack yet, but don't let that scare you.  The instrumental work is brilliant, like a folk orchestra of sorts, and lead Chas Wilson is fresh and light.  I find that sometimes folk singers can all sounds the same, and he doesn't really strike me as being similar to anyone else now.  "Mademoiselle" starts out slow and delicate, and finishes with a quicker tempo and a bigger punch.  It's perfect, in my opinion, but that's just on me, the girl blogging at 7 o'clock who has to wait an hour for the food order to come in.  In the meantime?  Charlie and the Foxtrots, because there's more where "Mademoiselle" came from.

Taylor Swift - Red

I tried to hold out for as long as I could, but eventually I gave in and copied my sister's Red onto my computer.  In the past I haven't minded Taylor Swift.  Markedly, I would only like one song here or another song there, and never get too far in.  Red is actually a pretty nice album as a whole, but also as one unit, it's not as country as I'd like it to be.  The pop outweighs it in some respects and overwhelms it in others.  In fact, my favourite songs off the album are the ones that have a little more of a country kick to it.  Like the song of the same name, "Red."

Loving him was red.

"Red" is grown-up country for Miss Swift.  It has the acoustic guitar and the violin/fiddle accents and sweet lyrics, but there's still a touch of edge to it.  This isn't at all what she was doing back in her early recording days.  She's grown up, people, and I like what it's become.  In fact, "Red" and another country-tinged song, "State of Grace" are her vocally strongest tracks off the album.  Lyrically, it's Taylor's bread and butter of scorned love, but this one has a tinge of hope to it, which sets it apart from things like "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" or "I Knew You Were Trouble."  I hope to see more of things like "Red" on her next album, please and thank you.

Diane Birch - Nothing But A Miracle

Noisetrade has become my new Rcrd Lbl.  Rcrd Lbl and I had a lot of fun together, I know, but now it's finally time to move on.  Especially now that I'm suspended from making a Youtube account (copyright infringement my ass!), I've got to find new music somehow.  Noisetrade pointed me in the direction of Diane Birch, a.k.a. the reincarnate of Carole King, an American indie darling whose sophomore album, Speak A Little Louder, came out not too long ago.  I got the sampler from Noisetrade, and was surprised.  Diane has the modern punch that you can get from artists like Florence Welch or Adele, but the seventies charm that came from Ms. King and the likes of Stevie Nicks.

"Nothing But A Miracle" is a sunny and soulful track that makes you want to fling open your curtains first thing in the morning, and welcoming the day.  It's empowering too, about saying the final goodbye to a scorned love, and getting yourself back together in one shiny piece.  Diane's vocals are phenomenal, first of all, and don't even get me started on the instrumentals here.  There's the piano, some lazy electric guitar (my favourite kind of electric guitar), and some kind of woodwind instrument that makes it feel like you're listening to "Nothing But A Miracle" in a quiet jazz club.  I wish!

Kanye West - Jesus Walks

It's only been about a month since the last Kanye song...not bad.  This could have come earlier.  I love nostalgia kicks, and no Kanye song gives me more nostalgia than "Jesus Walks."  I still remember first hearing it in 2004, the first track of his that I ever heard, and wondering what the hell was going on.  It was an enlightening experience, and one that I had only gotten out of the rap genre through Swollen Members before.  2004 was a good year for music.  "Jesus Walks" pulses with something gritty and southern, but also has some refinement to it too.  This is where I realized that Mr. West wasn't a typical, run-of-the-mill rapper.  He was doing things differently even on his first album.  Obviously, "Jesus Walks" has some strong religious elements to it, but it's never preachy, if you're worried, and even then, this track is more about Kanye's despair and desire to get back on the right path.  That's deep, yo.

Lady Gaga - Venus

I had to buy the new Gaga album.  C'mon.  I've been around long enough to know how it works.  I picked up Artpop a week ago, the day after it came out, and even paid the extra $12 for the package that came with a Lady Gaga t-shirt.  Perfect.  As a whole, the album doesn't offer much variety, but when you separate all of the songs, the shiniest gems get shinier.  It kind of reminds me of The Fame in sound, but has the edge from The Fame Monster and the glam rock from Born This Way.  She applied everything she's learned before to this one, people.

Aphrodite lady seashell bikini, garden panty, Venus

"Venus" really stood out to me when I gave the album a complete listen-through on an hour-long bus ride last week.  It's dark and edgy glam pop, something that David Bowie himself would be proud of.  The synths and electro elements that Gaga makes use of make the track sound very cosmic, though I shouldn't be surprised, if she's going to be performing in space soon.  The chorus?  Dear lord, I don't know if I've heard something that catchy in 2013 before now.  I hope this becomes the next single off of Artpop, because I'm intrigued about how a music video would look.  Hmm....

Gin Wigmore - Black Sheep

I've been listening to a lot of swampy-sounding tunes as of late, thanks to a playlist called "Swamp Witch" that I found on Tumblr a few weeks ago.  Swampy music is a little folk, a little country, heavy on the piano and the tambourine, and has a grungy feeling to it, like when you rub dirt between your fingers and feel the grit.  God, I love that grit.  Someone that I am now aware of with her gritty music is Gin Wigmore, an Australian chanteuse who I can compare to Adele or Duffy, if you threw one of them into a ditch.  I mean that in the best way possible, of course.

"Black Sheep" is an empowering gritty little thing, summed up by the one line everybody's doing it so why the hell should I?  It's the kind of song that could be your soundtrack to walking down the street, wearing a shrunken leather jacket and a swagger in your step that you weren't sure existed before.  It's alternative with a heavy jazz influence, in proper terms.  Listen closely, and you can even heard the Australian accent to her voice.  Australian alternative Duffy, I call it.  Now get on it.

Chevelle - Mexican Sun

Chevelle never gets old.  I've said this many different times and in many different ways, but it's all the same.  Their music only gets better with age, and I enjoy the classics off of Sci Fi Crimes a little more with each listen.  "Mexican Sun" is part of that album;s holy triumvirate along with "Jars" and "Shameful Metaphors" (which I gave a good listen too earlier with a walk down memory lane).  It's edgy enough to become the sleeper hit of the album, the song that doesn't make it on the radio but worms its way into your head.  "Mexican Sun" is both catchy and very lush.  That chorus....dear god, it just flows in the way that nature intended for music to flow.  Pete Loeffler's vocals are some of the strongest I've heard from his end, and the instrument work from Sam and Dean  build the complete story upon his words.  There are no complaints from me on this one, only that I'm mad you haven't listened to it yet.

Sarah McLachlan - Good Enough

I'll always be a fan of Sarah McLachlan.  Come hell or high water, I'll stop listening to Protest The Hero or Kanye if it means she'll keep making music.  A few weeks ago I had my music on while I was walking to school, no big deal, when one of her songs came on.  Well, "Good Enough" seemed to be one I wasn't very familiar with before, but after one listen, I knew the only thing to do was share it with the world on the blog.  I seem to have only the alternate version off of The Freedom Sessions, however, and for some reason failed to copy it off of my Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.  Ugh, typical Laura.  Well, I listened to the real version on Youtube, and it's still good, don't get me wrong, but there's something really nice and raw and minimal about the version from The Freedom Sessions that sets it above the rest.  "Good Enough" is dark, but don't you dare tell me it isn't good.  Great, actually.

Panic! At The Disco - Far Too Young To Die

My sister has kind of taken over the Panic! at the Disco fandom in our house, but I don't mind.  As long as they keep making music, electronic alternative or not, I'll keep listening.  Case in point, I finally got my hands on their Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!  I'll start out by saying one thing: major improvement from the last album.  This one is a lot more cohesive, and dare I say it, I hear some of their electronic roots in this one.  It's still Brendon Urie and Spender Smith kicking around, but tour bassist Dallon Weekes is now an official member too.  Maybe it's him that makes this the best Panic! album since Pretty. Odd.?  Maybe, but if the band is known for anything, it's for changing it up regularly.

"Far Too Young To Die" is one of the tracks with electronic roots.  There's the synth, first of all, that reminds me of a Diamond Rings song, and all of those beeps, sounds and doodads on top of that, that really show how that band has grown from the days of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out.  Brendon Urie isn't as vocally strong here as other tracks, but he really gets this feeling of desolation into his words.  It's the desolate electronic genre that speaks to me just as much as melancholy rap does.  And the chorus on this one?  Dear god, that's lush.  Panic! at the Disco surprised me with this album, so here's hoping they keep doing just that.

Haim - The Wire

If you're tired of the same old indie, pop and folk music that's coming out these days, I've got something fresh for your troubles.  It's Haim, a Los Angeles band that consists of the three Haim sisters and some guy on drums...but he's not too important.  They've been compared to Fleetwood Mac, but I don't really want to compare the girls to anyone else, because they might be the most original group to come out in a very long time.  Sure, I hear a little Stevie in there, but they've still got their own thing going on, and that's why Haim is a band you have to check out.

"The Wire" is a mix of heavy percussion and indie vocals, with some nice electric guitar thrown in for good measure.  All of the girls sound different vocally, but they still have incredible harmony and work well together.  "The Wire" is hella catchy too...though isn't most of what I post catchy?  Just do me a favor and give it a listen.  There's not much else to say about that.

Slipknot - Vendetta

I've been featuring quite a bit of metal lately, but I promise that after today, there will be a touch more variety.  Don't you worry your pretty little head.  We can end this metal run on a good note by looking at my old favourite, Slipknot.  Well, they're still a favourite now, but not the favourite.  Even so, the eight (or the nine, depending on how serious I take my fanship) will always have a special place in my music-loving heart.  "Vendetta" is a favourite from their last (hopefully not last forever) album, All Hope Is Gone, and it's pretty much a good stomp-your-feet-headbang-away nu metal track.  Corey's vocals are softer than you may expect, but still hold a lot of power to each word.  By god, his voice on the bridge is brilliant, and don't even get me started on how the instruments change it up there either.  The guitar work is nice and heavy, and Joey Jordison never ceases to stop killing it on the drums either.  "Vendetta" is a Slipknot song that's more accessible to everyone, though you don't need to be afraid of them.  If a sweet little thing like me could get into them, I bet you could too.

Let's pretend we're not at the end, pretend, that we have nothing left.

Protest The Hero - Skies + LYRICS

I got Protest The Hero's new Volition the Thursday after it came out, so about a week and a half ago, and by god, it's already the best album I've heard in 2013.  I mean it.  They've improved upon everything they've done before.  You've got the lush sound of Fortress and Kezia, the thrash from Scurrilous, and the vocal prowess of A Calculated Use of Sound.  The boys of PTH have grown up well, it seems.  Lamb of God's Chris Adler also does all of the drums on this album...yeah.  I enjoy the album more as the days pass, but "Skies" will always be the best one.

"Skies" is classic Protest The Hero, but it's also something new at the same time.  The slow start is something you don't see very often from the band, but it works here, and it leads into something great.  This is a six-and-a-half minute wonder.  You've got superb lyrical content (which I have to include, of course), lush instrumental work that still retains a good amount of prog and thrash, and vocal work from Mr. Walker that makes everything he'd sung before sound terrible.  There's also some guest vocal work from a few guys I haven't heard of, but they add their own flavor while still leaving Rody in center stage.  "Skies" will ruin your life, simply put.  It just gets into your head and doesn't want to leave, and that's perfectly fine with me.

Cough, gasp, and sputter, spinning helplessly down toward the earth.
A loss of control, the sky swallows whole.
Falling down, down. Forever falling down, down, down.


But is it entirely a flightless fall?
No deceptive currents, no rise at all?
Maybe it’s too naive to not jump ship when deviating so drastically from the initial script.


Tremble beneath the weight of inevitability, and all the casualties therein.
Cower in the shadow of the ever-present sun, witness eclipsing, eclipsing, eclipsed.


Is it completely void? Or is the truth in shade?
Are all the facts before us a masquerade?
Suffering no deceit, no selfish lies, we stand in our own crypt and we mobilize, waking up to blazing heat and the stench of rancid meat.
Don’t have the patience or the time to repeat mistakes. 
Like high, hot hauls, through highway tolls with bigger brothers for hungry trolls.
Each horn sharpened by eye sockets torn, standing on the graves of the worn. 
Welcome to the place integrity is born.
Heart in the right place, just missing the mark.
Feigning exception is a shot in the dark.
With no remorse and no regret, is anybody listening yet?


Tremble beneath the weight of inevitability, and all the casualties therein.
Cower in the shadow of the ever-present sun, witness eclipsing, eclipsing, eclipsed


Bask in uncertainty.
Strange things can happen when faced with adversity.
Ask and you shall receive, or swing frantic your arms.
Fate is nothing but a nervous belief.


I don’t believe the end is in pavement.
I don’t believe there’s anything beneath.
I don’t believe there’s death in the basement, no I don’t believe.


Embrace the fall, there is no end.
No ambiguous hypothesis to comprehend.
No bruised and battered egos in descent’s entire ethos.
No magnificent creation myth.
No wind to pad the story with.
Only I will never quit, or watch my brothers quit, but I’ll lower down a lifeboat if you’re abandoning the ship.
“True sailing’s dead,” should have been the first thing said before the writing could be written, 
before the writing could be read.


The wreckage was never found, but the black box was recovered.
The message therein profound.
In our final moments our true names are all discovered.


So let it fall.
Even if it turns out to be futile, at least we couldn’t ask for a sky so clear or a day more beautiful.
They’ll never find the wreckage, transcending all human languages.
Just a promise and a final message: the descent is all there truly ever is. 
Just a promise and a final message: the descent is all there truly ever is. 
Just a promise and a just a promise and a  final message: the fall is all there ever is
Just a promise and a final message: the descent is all there truly ever is. 
Just a promise and a just a promise and a final message: the fall is all there ever is

Stumble beneath the radar,
big holes in each great city is all the evidence I need.
Knowledge often beckons and can lead astray.
Whisper release me, release me, release.


Dive into an endless sea.
No reason to falter
no plan supersedes.
Altering frequencies, but we welcome the change.
Fate is nothing but a nervous disease.

Cough, gasp, and sputter
Spinning helplessly down toward the earth
A loss of control, the sky swallows whole
Spinning down, down, forever falling down, down, down...

Julie Kathryn - In My Dreams

Who is Julie Kathryn, you ask?  Well, she's going to be the next big thing, that's what!  The New York City chanteuse is a hybrid of Norah Jones, Florence + The Machine, and Bebe Black....now that's what I call a winning combination.  Her debut Black Trees is out now, though you can find it for free on Noisetrade if they've still got it there too.  I highly recommend it, because it's one of the best albums I've heard in the past year, no foolin'!

"In My Dreams" is a delicate and soulful track, with dark piano and guitar work and an atmosphere that will have you in an endless slow dance with the man you once loved.  Gah, it's beautiful!  Julie Kathryn's voice is soft, smokey and generally brilliant...this track you don't hear it as much, but sometimes I swear she sounds just like Norah Jones.  It may not scream catchy at first, but "In My Dreams" has a chorus that is bound to get stuck in your head eventually.  This one will be in your dreams.

Alison Krauss & Union Station - If I Didn't Know Any Better

I don't listen to much country, I'll admit, but I do hold that the country I do like is the best of the best.  Carrie Underwood is the queen, obviously, but I've had a soft spot for Alison Kruass ever since I heard of her collab with Robert Plant years ago.  She does her own stuff too, obviously, though on the album Lonely Runs Both Ways (which is awesome, by the way), she works with Union Station, which is kind of her backing band, and also her original band.  It's more a bluegrass album, but I take what I can get.

"If I Didn't Know Any Better" is good because it's not the kind of country music that's too overpowering.  It must be the bluegrass that runs through the acoustic guitar work.  Alison Krauss is brilliant, obviously, and her vocal work here is as amazing as it's always been.  The instrumental work really brings it to the next level here.  This isn't your mother's country, let me tell you that.  The flow of the music is simply stunning, and it all just sounds so sweet and sad at the same time.  If I didn't know any better, it doesn't get much better than this.

Tool - Stinkfist

If this blog needs anything, it's definitely more Tool.  I got 10,000 Days when it came out back in 2006 (flashback alert), and was mostly in a neutral fan zone.  That was until my brother's friend sent all of her CDs over to me to borrow, and Lateralus, Undertow and Ænima came my way.  Funny thing, now I've got the whole discography, and I love it.  Their old stuff is even better than "Vicarious" and "The Pot."  From the latter of the albums listed comes today's selection, and boy, is it a doozy.  Don't be intimidated by Tool, this is the band for cool kids.

"Stinkfist" may conjure a crude image, but lead Maynard James Keenan has said that this one is about "choosing compassion over fear," and not necessarily taking a hand up the butt (sorry, mom!).  Keeping this in mind, the lyrical content can take on something crude....and I thought upon first listen that this was a sweet love song!  Oh god, I love being proven wrong.  As long as you're not squeamish, you'll get into it.  Some people online have found their own interpretations, and some of them make sense, so I'll leave the grand scheme of things up to you, the listener here.  Lyrics aside, I like the quiet vocals on the verses and power-hungry singing on the chorus, and the guitar work of early Tool makes me wish more and more that they hurry up and finish their fifth album already.  If there's anything like "Stinkfist" on the new album, I'll be a happy camper.

A$AP Rocky - Goldie

I've got a bit of A$AP Rocky in my collection, but sadly, this blog hasn't seen much of his music (aside from a Lloyd Banks collab...note to self: reacquaint myself with that one).  He's definitely not a rapper I'd expect to disappear from everyone's radar, because his strength is in his versatility.  Rocky can do the aggressive gangster rap thing, but like he does in "Goldie," the subdued thing works just was well.  The song still retains a good gangster rap sound as well, so there's nothing too soft about this one.  The background beats are very nice, the rhymes are slick, and there's one super-catchy-but-crude (depending on how much of a prude you are) part (mentioned below) that I absolutely love for both the content and flow.  Apparently "Goldie" was meant for Jay-Z, which I can kind of imagine, but Rocky has it now, and he does amazing things with it, just as he'll continue to do into the future.

Tell that bitch, hop up on my dick, rolled up on her quick,
In a six, told her suck a dick, motorboat her tits

Within Temptation feat. Tarja Turunen - Paradise (What About Us)

This blog has been lacking in its usual Nightwish quota, I know, but this still counts.  First, we have Within Temptation.  I'm a big fan of their work, obviously, because they do symphonic metal simply amazing.  That's a fact.  Second, we have Tarja on guest vocals, and just as obvious, I'm just as big of a fan of hers.  This is why I can't believe that "Paradise (What About Us)" only crossed my path by accident, and that I didn't know of the collaboration until a few weeks after it was released.  Well, at least I've got it now.

On "Paradise," Within Temptation's lead Sharon den Adel and Tarja work together like this collab was meant to be all along.  We can dream of Tarja working as the lead of another band, right?  This is a big epic symphonic number that reminds me of Dark Passion Play-era Nightwish, but if Tarja was a part of it.  Yeah, "Paradise" is Nightwish-y, but you have to kind of anticipate that with the original lead hanging around.  That point aside, it's catchy.  I get this song stuck in my head regularly, and to stand out in the symphonic metal world, you need to be memorable to get by.  Within Temptation gets by, and then some.

Meshuggah - Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion

I think the defining moment I had a metalhead was when I found out Meshuggah was an "extreme metal" band, and I was confused because they didn't really sound that extreme to me.  I suppose I've been desensitized to this kind of thing, after ten years of headbanging my life away.  Also, "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion" is really where I started with Meshuggah, and I'm only now getting into more of their work, so maybe the most extreme stuff is still out there, waiting for me to uncover.  I'll keep you posted on that, you can be sure.  Meshuggah, to me, is for the most metal of the metalheads.  Casual listeners beware, this will either infect your soul in a good or bad way.

"Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion" is a dark and heavy little thing, and kind of reminds me of Amon Amarth, but less folk and even more death.  The instrumental work may sound innocent enough upon first listen, but the darkness really lies in Jens Kidman's impressive growling work.  Now that is one of best growls in the metal genre, believe me.  I didn't know if I would like Meshuggah before this, but "Break Those Bones..." pleasantly surprised me.  Now I've got to see what else Koloss has to offer me.  So I've gone from punk, to metalcore, to post-hardcore, to experimental, to folk, to death, and now extreme.  I'll stay here for a while and see what's going on, but I'm more intrigued by where metal will take me next.

Florence + The Machine - Shake It Out

Well, I've done it again.  This 100 took a little longer to get through than the last, but my friends, this is the 700th post.  As the faithful readers know, every 100 posts is reserved for something that's especially brilliant.  You know, the forever-and-ever faves.  I knew this blog was missing something, as I sorted through my songs to find the perfect one for post number 700, and it wasn't long before I got it.  I haven't posted any Florence + The Machine!  I've been a fan for a while, though I count myself a very big fan of "Shake It Out," and the accompanying music video that may be one of the best music videos ever made.

All of these questions, such a mournful sound, tonight I'm going to bury that horse in the ground.

"Shake It Out" runs deep with lyrical genius, unique instrumental work, and power and emotion that only Florence Welch can pull off.  She sounds better singing here than she does in anything else, I'll promise you that.The song also oozes with this nice lush and opulent feeling (reinforced by the video, but listen to the song by itself first) that makes "Shake It Out" something like Lana Del Rey crossed with Sarah McLachlan and a dash of Fiona Apple.  That being said, it's still all on Flo.  She is going to be the artist we look back on in 20 years, and remember the way we do the likes of Carole King, Stevie Nicks, and all those folk-rock queens.  I dare you to listen to this and don't fall in love.  Triple dog dare you.

Lights - Savior

Lights' debut album, The Listening, will always be a forever fave of mine.  It was simply a perfect collection of electro pop, and by god, it's just as beautiful today as it was in 2009.  I remember seeing the video for "Savior" on Much Music, back when there were still good videos on that channel, and simply falling in love with that raven-haired girl on the keytar.  The video is still a favourite of mine, with the cartoonish sci-fi characters sprinkled throughout the three-and-a-half minute stretch.  As a song, "Savior" is a delicate little thing, though it bursts with emotion and power when it's needed.  To me, it's more electro than her later work, and that's what I enjoy the most about it.  The synths...oh god, the synths.  Bowie is proud of the synth work here, if he knows it or not.  Now, get on with watching the video before I make you.  It's all brilliant.