Billy Talent - Burn The Evidence

While we're on the topic of guilty pleasure music, then my biggest guilty pleasure in music is Billy Talent, especially their second album.  We've probably been down this road before, but I'll say it again.  Their alternative rock is always catchy and always wonderfully crafted, and Ben Kowalewicz's voice always speaks to me (I've probably mentioned this before too, but the band went to the same high school as my boyfriend, though at different times, of course).  So even if they're not the band you'll get street cred for liking, I'll still be enjoying the band.  Today's track, "Burn The Evidence," comes from that lovely second album, and it's kind of dark and creepy, but it has the same elements you expect from the ban (the chanting-like thing they do on the chorus...you either love it or hate it).  "Burn The Evidence" is the last track on Billy Talent II, and I always vouch for the final track being a little weird, and the band definitely did that.  It doesn't sound like their bread-and-butter songs do, and maybe that's why I like it so much.  I am one who enjoys the weirder things in life.

Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX - Fancy

Now and then I have music that falls into the guilty pleasure pile, and Iggy Azalea is in that pile.  Her poppy brand of hip-hop and rap is a breath of fresh air, and if she's collaborating with Charli XCX (that darling angel pop princess), then who am I to turn down something like "Fancy"?  The video is a good throwback to those days I'd watch Clueless when I got home from school, but the music is something else.  "Fancy" isn't as proper as the title may lead on.  Iggy has a great throaty voice that gives her rap a dirty (but good kind of dirty) quality.  Combined with some minimal-electro backing beats and Charli on the chorus and bridge, "Fancy" is nothing but a good time.  Though Charli may not be up to the vocal abilities she's at on her own, it works here, and there's nothing I can really complain about, other than the fact that I want to watch Clueless now...

Dice Raw - Never Be A Gangsta

I'm a Dice Raw fan, though I think that's a given here, so I was surprised to have missed out on Jimmy's Back until now.  It came out last August, and centered around themes of incarceration and jail time, it's good.  Real good.  The Greatest Rapper Never Vol. 1 was good too, don't get me wrong, but there's something different about this album.  It has a different charm to it, and has a bit more grit, while still retaining the minimal-no-theatrics feel that'll reel you in and keep you there.  Today it was either going to be "Run Away" or "Never Be A Gangsta," so I guess you'll be waiting to see what I have to say about "Run Away."

"Never Be A Gangsta" is deceivingly simple, but overwhelmingly wonderful.  The big percussion beats of the background, spoken word overlay about the prison system, and the chorus's hook of what's a boy to do if I'll never be a gangster are the perfect compliment to Dice's slick rhymes.  In the rap genre, there's definitely merit in keeping things simple and staying true to the music.  Dice Raw proves that you don't need to go over-the-top to achieve greatness.  "Never Be A Gangsta" is cool, catchy, and just has something special that keeps you coming back.

Caracol - Shiver

There seems to be a pattern in French artists who perform songs in English...it's good!  Like Cats In Trees, Caracol (a.k.a Quebec's Carole Facal) has it down pat with "Shiver," which was free on Itunes some time ago, and that I only fully began to appreciate when it came on during the shuffled library play (a pattern for myself to follow, it would seem).  "Shiver" is boho-indie-folk-pop, and though that may sound complicated, never fear!  It's got that 70's charm to it, with that tambourine and folky elements, but it's also modern enough to fit right in with the indie of 2014.  Carole Facal kind of channels Alanis Morissette in "Knees of My Bees" and a little bit of Stevie Nicks, if you must ask, but it's her sweet vocals and whenever she says shiver that sends, well, a shiver up my spine.  And after a long and busy week with nothing but rain and snow, that shiver is welcome.

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

Though "G.U.Y." seems to be the big thing right now, I'm still jamming to an older incarnation of Lady Gaga.  "Bad Romance" was the song that really got me into Mother Monster, and I'm still obsessed with it.  Even back then, she was artfully creating pop music.  "Bad Romance" definitely has a lot to it too, but she does it with such mastery and grace that everything works.  It's weird, definitely, and a dark kind of pop that can be hard to find these days.  Well, if you want weird, you'll have to watch the music video, but I remember watching it over and over again when I was a teenager, jaw dropped at every outfit she pulled out (that rocket bra at the end...where can I get one?) and getting ra ra ah ah ah roma romama gaga ooh la la stuck in my head for days at a time.  Though I listened to The Fame when it came out, the Lady Gaga I really fell for was in "Bad Romance," but at the heart of it, the romantic affair I have with this song is anything but bad.

Arch Enemy - War Eternal

Let's finish a week's worth of metal by talking about some big news in the metal world right now.  Alissa White-Gluz, former lead singer of The Agonist, has replaced Angela Gossow as lead singer of Arch Enemy.  Wait...what?  What!?  I only found this out a few days ago, and I'm still shocked.  Angela is remaining with the band as the business manager, but The Agonist has got themselves a new lead that I'll have to check out soon too.  I'll admit to being wary at the announcement, because this was going to turn into a death metal version of Tarja vs. Anette.  Alissa is good, but taking over Arch Enemy is quite the task.  Then "War Eternal" came out...and I was proven wrong.

"War Eternal" isn't the Arch Enemy I'm familiar with, but something a little more melodic, and more suited to Alissa.  Then again, it's only one song, so who knows what the new album is going to give us.  I like the fast-paced guitar work, personally, because it makes the whole thing catchy.  And if there's one thing I like in a melodic metal song, it's that it needs to be infectious.  At the helm, Alissa's growling is still wonderful, but now it's a little more refined, showing that our Canadian metal princess is all grown up and ready to take on the world.  I look forward to seeing how Arch Enemy shapes her, and how she shapes Arch Enemy.  "War Eternal" is proof that though some shoes may be intimidating to fill, there's nothing wrong with growing into them.

Nightwish - Amaranth

Here we are, folks.  Post number 800!  I try to do something especially special every hundredth post, and since we've been lacking a little Nightwish around here lately, I figured that we should kill two birds with one stones and look at the song that is perhaps my absolute favourite from the band (and the Anette era to boot!).  As much as they change the lead singer, Nightwish will always have a special place in my heart, and albums like Dark Passion Play are still on repeat in my library.  This was Anette showing the world that we'll be just fine without Tarja, and "Amaranth" just turned into a good ol' fuck you to the haters.

"Amaranth" is lovely symphonic metal, no question about that.  It's classic Nightwish, and everything is perfect (especially the keyboards, Tuomas), and Anette makes it even better.  This is probably the strongest vocally that she is on Dark Passion Play.  And the chorus?  Ugh.  I'm in love.  As it builds into a show-stopped end, it's equal parts mosh-worthy and beauty, and it is as catchy as hell too.  I have actually had "Amaranth" stuck in my head for three years, and what a good three years it's been.  Songs like this make me regret living in a part of the world where Nightwish rarely visits, especially now that Anette is out.  I hope this is stuck in my head for the next three years.

The video is also lovely and awesome too.  Check it out.