This is one of my all time favorite songs, because it rocks. It MUST be played loudly because it becomes so much more when played at a high volume, yes it's a big boy speaker song. The song is the classic R&B hit of the 1980's, I'll Be Good by the talented music duo Renee & Angela. They have had some hits prior, but this song was them at their best. In fact, it was through this song that taught me the very valuable lesson, it's the speakers that make all the difference in the music, not necessarily the equipment it's played on.
The second this song starts off, it's all beat and bass line, and both of them are thumping. What made this group so good, outside of their great songs was the way their voices complimented the other. Angela was all fire where Renee was all ice but it worked so well, that can be heard so clearly on this song. I'll Be Good was off of their platinum selling 1985 LP, Street Called Desire. It was also their last album.
Sadly, the group broke up in the mid 80's but what they left behind won't ever be forgotten. Their music has also been sampled by a multitude of hip hop artists which keeps their music alive as well. I also thought it was high time this track made an appearance on my blog. I hope you enjoy this classic banger as much as I do.
Now for something a little different. This is definitely a relaxing, chill out tune, and I am in complete love with it. I don't know if it's the melodies that comprise it or the lilting echoing vocals that seem to have a definite message if you listen close. The song is entitled Ember and it's off the 2012 release Ghosting by Stumbleine.
This song is ridiculously addictive (which means I can't stop listening to it), and damn tasty. It's reminiscent of another song I blogged about awhile ago by Swarms entitled Flikr of Ur Eyes. Sonically, these two songs are cut from the same musical cloth though while Flikr breaks tempo and isn't as much a cool out song, Ember stays the same throughout, from beginning to end.
If you like this piece then may I also recommend you look into Cassette and Try To Remember Me by Stumbleine. The mood is the same and melodies are poignant. That's only if you can pull yourself away from this song long enough to do that, of course. Enjoy!
There is only one way to describe FML by deadmau5, primal. This song could make a dead person want to get up and move. It's all forward motion and it only stops when the song is over. The way the drums relentlessly hit you over and over again inspires that forward motion, when you add in all the other instrumentation, it becomes primal.
Primal because there's no real song here. Initially there is no melody, there's absolutely no verses, no chorus, there's nothing "pop" about this. This was created for one goal and one place in mind, to get people on their feet and moving on the dance floor. Off of his 2009 album For Lack of a Better Name, FML stands out and is a great first song on the album.
If you like this cut, look into deadmau5's A City in Florida (another "primal" dance floor cut), Right This Second, and my all time favorite Faxing Berlin (put that one on repeat, it loops perfectly). Oh, and I don't think I need to mention this, but I will anyway, make SURE you put this on your big boy speakers. You'll thank me, seriously. Enjoy!
You know, it hit me like a bag of bricks out of the blue while I was cooking dinner, (I was getting my gourmet cheffing on), that I had just one Stevie Wonder song on my blog. I reasoned that this major oversight had to be rectified immediately, the problem though is which other classic do I choose of Mr. Wonders to blog about. Then it hit me, (like another damn bag of bricks), I should blog one of my favorite Stevie songs, one of his prettiest ones entitled Overjoyed. Off of his 1985 hit album In Square Circle (for which he won another Grammy), Overjoyed was his eighth #1 song, and to date, his last.
This was the song that Stevie Wonder wrote but left off his classic 1979 album Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. Instead he re-recorded this masterpiece and thankfully decided to share it with us on In Square Circle. It's one of the prettiest pop songs I have ever heard, there is no real percussion, the drip replaces a snare drum and the strings are lush and beautiful. It's a lovely song and it's one of my all time favorites by the maestro.
Everyone has a favorite Stevie Wonder song, and if you don't then please feel free to join me in making Overjoyed your favorite. Lucky for you, I don't mind sharing (which is obvious I think). Sit back, relax, and let this work of beauty wash over you. Enjoy!
I cam across this really cool song, Female Robbery and the more I listened to it, the more I dug its sound. Then I looked into the bands album and all their songs are great. The group is The Neighbourhood and the title of their debut album is I Love You. Now the more you listen, you'll probably figure out who they sound like, don't rack your brain. They sound like a cross between Maroon 5 and another band I really like (that's also on my blog) Slow Runner. Regardless, I still like their sound and this song.
The song is a mid tempo tune and I love the drums. The lyrics are interesting and witty and the band is tight. Lead singer Jesse Rutherford flows smoothly over the beat and while he may remind me of Adam Levine vocally, the bands sound will more likely evolve to evoke similarities to Radiohead. If you like this song then you will definitely want to check out their album and their songs How (which I think is incredible) and Sweater Weather.
The Neighbourhood will be around for a long time, if the five member band doesn't implode. They have a familiar but great sound, cool songs, and great production. Keep your ears open for them, I know I will. Enjoy!
I heard this song as recently as last night, and it has been the ONLY thing that has torn me away from the genius that is the Man Of Steel score by Hans Zimmer. This song was played during the closing credits of the season premiere of True Blood, and it blew me away. I immediately went looking for it. The artist is a young man by the name of Mikky Ekko and the song, Who Are You, Really? is off his 2010 EP Reds.
The whole sound and structure of the song is frenetic. It starts off with one great beat pattern and throbbing bass line, Mikky joins in with his scratchy vocals. When he sings So you feel entitled to a sense of control/And you make decisions that you think are you're own/You are a stranger here why have you come, why have you come/Lift me higher let me look at the sun, look at the sun... this song is off and running. When he gets to the chorus of this too short song, the vocal layering is impressive, it opens the song up and takes it to another level. I definitely recommend the big boys for this one, that way you can hear every little nuance that makes this song something to pay attention to.
Like I said, the song is way too short but that does nothing to lessen how impressive it is. Mikky is not a household name yet but he soon may be. Hailing from Louisiana, and being the son of a preacher, Mikky's definitely got some fire and brimstone in his voice. And it's that quality that has pulled me away from Man Of Steel (which I am going right back to now that I've posted this track). Enjoy!
I posted a track from the Man of Steel score by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, but then it dawned on me, not everyone who reads my blog may be aware of the one known as Junkie XL. So I thought I would post one of my favorite tracks by him, the one track will allow you to hear his influence on the track with Hans.
It's called Beauty Never Fades featuring vocals by Saffron. It's off the 2003 soundtrack of Animatrix movie. Junkie did some work on the Matrix soundtrack so it was only obvious they would tap him to add a song to this soundtrack as well. The music is fast, the beats are strong, and the vocals are ethereal. Where I hear the similarities with Arcade and his influence on that track is in the low end. The bass line brings to mind the darkness that is Arcade.
I don't know if working with Hans Zimmer will change the dance master/remix king's sound, working with an orchestra and new instrumentation can definitely change a person. If it does though, then I can't wait to hear what's next from Junkie. Enjoy!
Hans Zimmer has graced my blog twice before, this time though he does so with something so deliciously fiendish that I HAD to post it. It's from his score for Man of Steel and it's entitled Arcade. If you have seen the TV spot for the movie, the one where General Zod states we are not alone, then you've heard this track, just not all of it in its full dark glory.
There are two movements to Arcade, the first is epic and majestic. It's sweeping and massive in scope. It starts off slow and simple, just hinting at the darkness to come. The strings fade in and give the piece its tempo and pace, they are unrelenting. Hans worked with Junkie XL on this piece and if you know his music, you can clearly hear his influence. As the strings swell, the brass comes in and they push this track along, building the drama and the track really starts to cook and then it just stops.
That's where the second movement comes in. It's truly dark and malevolent. The drums are massive and the instrumentation hints at "something wicked this way comes". The second movement doesn't last as long as I would like but it's fade out conjures images in my head of an army marching off into the distance after it has vanquished the enemy.
Hans continues to surprise me, and while he is no John Williams, the score for Man of Steel is amazingly powerful and impressive (of course I got the score the moment it was available). There so many moments in the score that will either make you say "wow" of stun you into speechlessness. I know, because Arcade did that to me. Enjoy!
I am a huge Depeche mode fan, there I said it. No shame in my game even if the last couple of albums by them have been less than thrilling. My favorite album by this band is their classic Songs of Faith and Devotion produced by Flood. It was a clear sonic departure from their previous album Violator, which I loved and was a beast in its own right. In my opinion though, Songs devoured Violator in every way possible. One of my favorite songs on Songs is In Your Room which when I first heard it, floored me. The lyrical content was so dark, especially if you knew of the trials lead singer David Gahan was going through at the time.
Depeche Mode, like Bjork has always been very willing for remixes of their songs to be done, and there have been some that have been truly epic transformations. There have been a number that have given me goose bumps and one of them has been the remix to In Your Room. When I heard the remix it was like the heavens opened, it stopped me in my tracks. Now awhile back I posted a remix of Massive Attack's Paradise Circus because in my opinion the remix was head and shoulders better than the original, and the original rocked. I can't really say the remix to In Your Room is better than the original version, mainly because the remix is mostly instrumental but it's hard not to love it.
Whenever the Room remix comes up on the trusted ipod, I play it as loud as possible, and I suggest you break out your big boy speakers for this puppy, you will not regret it. Your neighbors though, they may not be as jazzed as you, but you know how I feel about that, they can go kick rocks. Enjoy!
Now I have seen the movie Black Hawk Down countless of times. Saw it in the theater when it was first released and I have seen it subsequent times afterwards on DVD. Yet for some strange reason, I do not recall ever hearing this amazingly beautiful and haunting piece of music. This piece is entitled Gortoz a Ran and it's performed by Denez Prigent and Lisa Gerrard.
If you are a follower of my blog, you know that I believe there's beautiful music everywhere, we just have to open ourselves up to find it. The music is mournful and beautiful but it's the lyrics, when translated that provide that emotional impact.
Gortozet 'm eus, gortozet pell
E skeud teñval tourioù gell
E skeud teñval tourioù gell
E skeud teñval an tourioù glav
C'hwi am gwelo 'c'hortoz atav
C'hwi am gwelo 'c'hortoz atav
Un deiz a vo 'teuio en-dro
Dreist ar maezioù, dreist ar morioù
'Teuio en-dro an avel c'hlas
Da analañ va c'halon c'hloaz't
Kaset e vin diouzh e alan
Pell gant ar red, hervez 'deus c'hoant
Hervez 'deus c'hoant pell eus ar bed
Etre ar mor hag ar stered
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I waited, waited for a long time
In the dark shadow of brown towers
In the dark shadow of brown towers
In the dark shadow of rain towers
You will see me waiting forever
You will see me waiting forever
One day it will come back
Over the lands, over the seas
Will come back the green wind
And bring with it my wounded heart
I will be pulled away by its breath
Far away by its stream, wherever it wishes
Wherever it wishes, far away from this world
Between the sea and the stars
I hope you see and hear the beauty in this piece as I do, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to watch Black Hawk Down again to see if there was anything else I missed.
When I saw the movie Munich by Steven Spielberg I was transported to a different time and place. Not just thanks to the mastery of Steven but by the mastery of John Williams and his score for the movie. While the score has that element of mournfulness that was so prevalent in his score for Schindler's List, Munich was a bit more elegant, especially this piece.
A Prayer For Peace encapsulates all the music done for the movie so vividly and beautifully. It's mournful and hopeful at almost the same time, it's a song created and crafted by someone at the height of their talents. People are always looking for and wondering who the next John Williams will be. Whoever gets that heavy crown placed upon their head will be judged as to whether they can create something as amazing as this piece.
Munich came out in 2005 and it's an amazing movie of loss and revenge. Even without John's score the movie would have left a mark, but with it, that mark is indelible. Enjoy!
To Build a Home is The Cinematic Orchestra getting their Coldplay on. This song sounds like something Coldplay would have done and yet, even though it sounds like someone else's work, I love this song. As stated, it's by The Cinematic Orchestra and To Build a Home is off of their 2007 release entitled Ma Fluer.
It's a melancholy song so a word to the wise, if you're in a happy or good mood, you may want to save listening to this for later. Honestly, it's the saddest love song of faith and devotion I have ever heard. It's basically Patrick Watson and the piano that dominate this song and every now and then there's some string accompaniment, but it's not much until the 4:03 mark.
I can't explain why I am drawn to Home, I do like Coldplay so maybe that's it, I don't know. What I do know is that why I like it doesn't really matter. It's hauntingly beautiful and it speaks to me and that's really all that matters, Enjoy!
