X Rock Weekend

I don't really listen to the radio much. When I do though, it's usually 94.3 The X here in Knox Vegas. It's the only "modern" rock station in town. I say "modern" because the word "modern" has two different meanings in rock music, and I don't think this one leans toward the main definition of modern rock. For those a little loose on their terminology, "modern rock" is interchangeable with "alternative rock." While The X plays quite a bit of alternative rock, they play just as much mainstream rock. The second meaning, and the one I think this station is more geared toward, is "modern" in the sense of contemporary, current rock (though they can't use the word contemporary, because there's another genre called contemporary. Haha, it all gets so entangled...).

Now that I have bored you to tears, let me get back on topic. About once a year, they have a weekend called "Your X Rock Weekend" where listeners can submit their own playlists for them to play on air. They encourage people to be creative and choose some sort of theme or order for the songs, and also to try to include songs that might not ordinarily be played (within reason. No Britney Spears, ya know?). Last year, I submitted a playlist of rock songs they rarely or never played. It didn't make it on air, and as I listened, they really didn't play much that they never play. Guess they weren't as liberal with that idea as I had hoped.

This year, I stuck to songs that normally air on their station. It hasn't been played yet, but here's to hoping it'll make it in tomorrow (last day!). Can you guess the theme? It's pretty obvious...you don't even have to listen to the songs...

1. Halestorm - "It's Not You"
2. Incubus - "Pardon Me"
3. Janus - "Eyesore"
4. Kings of Leon - "Sex on Fire"
5. Linkin Park - "Breaking the Habit"
6. Muse - "Uprising"
7. Nirvana - "Heart-Shaped Box"
8. Offpring - "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid"
9. Puddle of Mudd - "Psycho"

New band, new song. Check it out, here's "Eyesore."

Notable New Release: Coheed and Cambria

I once planned on making a new release blog every Tuesday. You see how long that lasted. I've recently been thinking about how to adjust that so that I can keep up with it a little better. So I've decided to do "Notable" release blogs. Of course, there are several new albums out each week, and many of them are notable, but I've decided to just cover the ones that appeal to me and are something I would like to add to my library.

Released April 13, 2010: Coheed and Cambria's Year of the Black Rainbow

This is their fifth studio album, and it serves as a prequel to their earlier albums. A prequel, you ask? To an album? Let me give you a quick rundown on Coheed and Cambria's deal here. They've taken the term "concept album" to a new level. They have more of a "concept career" going on. Each album is a new chapter in The Amory Wars, a post-apocalyptic saga written by lead singer and guitarist Claudio Sanchez. He has been releasing graphic novel counterparts for each of the albums (though not all of them are released yet). The songs are taken from this story and are from the perspectives of various characters in the saga. In fact the name of the band comes from two characters, Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon.

The story behind this new album is a prequel to the events in the earlier albums. Rather than a graphic novel, a full novel was written to accompany Year of the Black Rainbow. I absolutely love this idea of linking all the albums to a story.

Now, musically, what is there to Coheed and Cambria? They generally have a very "emo" sound, often using catchy guitars with almost poppy melodies. I would call their genre more of "new progressive rock" though, with their lyrical elements and song forms (they typically stray from verse-chorus forms). I'll admit also, the timbre of Sanchez's voice may not be for everyone. I love it though, and seeing as how it's my blog about music I like, that's all that matters! :)

In my library, I only have two CoCa albums: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (second album) and Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (third album). I really like both of them. I'm looking forward to adding this one.

Here's the lead single from Year of the Black Rainbow, "Here We Are Juggernaut."

Life Starts Now and This Type of Thinking

So to all my curious readers, I opted for Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin. Should be on its way to my mailbox soon enough.

Thanks to the concert I attended earlier in the week, I've been doing a lot of listening lately. I've worked my way through Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace and This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) by Chevelle several times now, and let me say that I'm very pleased. So here's a quick breakdown of my thoughts on each.

This is their third (and latest) album, released just last September (in fact, I think I remember mentioning it back when I was trying to keep up with my new release blogs). I'm really pleased with this album. So far, two singles have been released (there will surely be a third, probably a fourth at some point in the next few months), "Break" and "The Good Life." I really like both songs.

There are a couple of songs that I'm not sure I'm really feeling, but for the most part, I've really enjoyed this one. Some highlights (other than the singles I mentioned) are "Lost in You" and "Last to Know." Both exhibit the softer side of 3DG, for those of you who are only familiar with their harder side. If you're interested in their harder side, try "Bitter Taste," "No More," or "Goin' Down." All three are some of my favorites from the album. I'm really glad I picked this album up.

This is Chevelle's third album, but it was released back in 2004. This album and I sat down for a nice long chat today, and we got to know each other quite well. This album saw three singles: "Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)", "The Clincher," and "Panic Prone." I love all three of those. The rest of the album follows through with those singles, delivering some seriously solid music. "Get Some" and "Still Running" are a couple of great ones that they often play live. And then "Emotional Drought" and the acoustic "Bend the Bracket" are awesome songs. Today was the first time I really checked out this album, and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.

That's all I've got for today. As usual, here's a song, the gorgeous, "Panic Prone" by Chevelle.

Decisions, Decisions...

I'm sitting here struggling to decide which album to order next. Lately, I've generally always got something "new" (sometimes used, I guess) on its way to me. My last album ordered came in yesterday (Uplifter by 311), and now I can't decide what to grab next. Here are the main ones I'm torn between:

This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars
Homesick by A Day to Remember
Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin
Vena Sera by Chevelle
Brand New Eyes by Paramore
Swoon by Silversun Pickups
One-X by Three Days Grace

I know I only have approximately one reader, but still, any thoughts? This is a really hard decision for me...

Today's song is from the aforementioned Breaking Benjamin album. I think this song is so gorgeous. Here's "Give Me a Sign."

Three Days Grace, Chevelle, and Adelitas Way

So, caught another show last night. I had a great time! It was right here in Knoxville, but at a venue that I had never been too before (for a concert, anyway). It was a larger venue, which ended up being a little disappointing. Why, you ask? Because of the crowd, or lack of. I expected with huge names like Three Days Grace and Chevelle performing that the Coliseum would have been sold out. Instead, it was probably half empty. What gives, Knoxville? I was very disappointed.

You would think that at least the people who were there would be big fans who would really get into the show. But for Adelitas Way and Chevelle, the crowd was pretty dead. Before their last song, Pete Loeffler (lead singer/guitarist for Chevelle) called out the folks in the seating (most of the tickets were floor tickets, but there were quite a few in the stands): "Thanks, you guys up there. You've done a great job of sitting down."

Now, to break down each band. Adelitas Way was up first. This was my fourth time seeing them live. Musically, they were just as good as ever. Vocally...eh. But I mean, I completely understand. They've been touring practically nonstop for at least a year. That is not kind to vocal cords. So, I can't possibly complain if the lead singer was having a weaker night.

When Chevelle hit the stage, I thought the crowd would wake up a bit more for them. Oh, well. I really think Pete was having some vocal issues, too. I've seen Chevelle before, and he was much better the last time. Again, I can't complain. It was still a solid show, and he definitely made the most of what cords he had left. They played some great songs and even threw in a nice surprise ("An Evening with El Diablo"). I was pleased.

The lead singer of Three Days Grace, Adam Gontier, really knew how to pick the crowd up and get us going. It was pretty awesome. He talked to us, interacted with us. Despite the poor turn-out, it was pretty lively in the arena last night when they took to the stage. Also, they had....FIRE!! I like fire. Haha. That was the first show I've ever been to that actually had fire happening. Anyway, the music, the lights, the energy...it was an amazing show. Not Muse amazing, but still amazing. I think it actually made it to the number 2 spot on the list of "Best Shows I've Seen."

Today's song is "Lost in You" by Three Days Grace. It's from their new album Life Starts Now, and they played it as one of their encores last night. I love it. :)

A Day to Remember

Ok, now that my little Muse mini-series is finished, let's get back to the usual, shall we?

First off, am I the only one that's having flashbacks to the early 90s? Look at the charts. The Stone Temple Pilots just unseated Alice in Chains from the number one spot, and Hole is back on the charts. What's next? I guess the ghost of Kurt Cobain will be rising soon...

So I saw a show while I was in Atlanta. The headliner was A Day to Remember with August Burns Red and Silverstein supporting. There were a couple of other bands there, too. I know one was Enter Shikari, but I can't remember the name of the other. I think they might have been a local act. None of those bands are really my kind of scene, but when some friends invited me to the ATL with them to see the show, how could I turn them down? ADTR is one of their favorite bands. I enjoyed myself. They were very energetic on stage, and I was surprised to find that I actually liked the music. All the bands there were post-hardcore, which I've usually written off as "not for me." I came away from the concert eager to investigate both Silverstein and A Day to Remember a little further.

The atmosphere was amazing and completely different from what I'm used to. Atlanta is huge (compared to Knoxville, anyway), so when you get a band playing to a sold-out crowd in such a small venue, it's pretty much just the die-hard fans that know the words to every song that show up. The place was packed wall to wall with people screaming out every lyric and totally losing themselves in the music. That was a great experience. But that's not the only thing that was new to me.

If you're a hardcore noob like me, then let me enlighten you on a bit of hardcore culture. Most of the bands have breakdowns in their songs, and during the breakdowns, a circle pit forms and...dancing?...commences. I guess it's dancing. Not in the traditional sense, but definitely dancing. It's really violent, but they definitely get into it. Don't think moshing. It's different from moshing. But when you're not used to it, it's kind of a spectacle to see, and something I never would have experienced if I had stuck to my usual genres. I hung out in the back, clear from the destruction path.

I definitely had a great time that night. I mean, nothing tops seeing Muse live, but it's good to know that I can still enjoy myself at a concert that's not Muse. Hehe. Anyway, I've been looking into both ADTR and Silverstein, and I can see myself picking up a couple of their albums. If you know me at all, then you know I love discovering new sounds. :)

Today's video is "I'm Made of Wax Larry, What Are You Made Of?" by A Day to Remember. Oh, and the clip at the beginning of Close Your Eyes...they handed out a demo disc at the concert that had this song on it. I think I'm in love with it...

The Resistance

Final one! Congratulations, you've toughed it out. Back to the usual rants and musings after this one.

The Resistance is pretty much a departure from the rest of their repertoire. It still sounds like Muse, just a different side to them. Oddly enough, it's their biggest album in the U.S. with two very successful singles so far ("Uprising" and "Resistance"). Both songs are good, but I think they're hardly representative of Muse's library.

This album has a pretty broad range of sounds. Matt Bellamy said he wanted to compose in all genres, and I believe he hit his mark. I would like to point out "Guiding Light" as being the lowest point in the album for me. It has begun to grow on me, and I do like it a bit more now, but it's still a little weird to me. The melody is actually pretty, but the keyboard part combined with the sound of the drums...it sounds very 80s. I can hear it being played during the credits roll of Top Gun or something.

"United States of Eurasia" is also a little low on the list for me. This one has grown on me a bit also, but it's still not one of my favorites. Its sound greatly resembles Queen, and then there's this string part that sounds remarkably similar to the "March of the Slave Children" from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

One of the absolute highlights from this album would be the last three tracks. They encompass the Exogenesis Symphony. I love the last movement, Redemption. It's beautiful. The first movement, Overture is incredible also. They played that one when I saw them live, and it was amazing. The symphony truly sounds like the direction I expected Muse to move in.

Somehow, "Undisclosed Desires" is my favorite song on the album. The first time I ever heard the song, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. It grew on me pretty fast though. It's poppy, dancey. I'm not sure what I love so much about it. Maybe it's just the girl in me connecting to the lyrics.

And now, for your listening pleasure, here's the third movement of the Exogenesis Symphony, Remdemption!

Black Holes & Revelations

Ok, moving forward. Next in the series is Muse's fourth album, Black Holes and Revelations. Released in 2006, it began a slight shift in their style. Oh, they still sound like Muse, but some of the harder sounds present on previous albums are absent on this one. Primary song-writer Matt Bellamy seemed to be concentrating on other elements when he cooked most of this stuff up. Political themes run rampant through the lyrics, most evident in "Take a Bow" and "Assassin."

"Take a Bow" is the first song on the album, and it begins with softly, building throughout the song to a powerful climax. The album moves from there into several different territories: the very mainstream friendly "Starlight" to the dancy, R&B-inspired "Supermassive Black Hole"; the short, acoustic "Soldier's Poem" to the heavier guitar riffs of "Assassin." This album gets around.

It ends with "Knights of Cydonia," and it's a powerful ending indeed. When I caught Muse live, this song was also the last song they played for the night. I can see why it's always the last song. This song projects so much energy, it just can't be topped.

So just one more in the series after this one, then back to business as usual. Today's video is the song "Invincible." It contains, hands down, my favorite guitar solo ever. In it, Matt uses a classical theme and variations device. I love watching him play it on their live DVD.

Absolution

Well, I have my computer up and running once more, so I can hammer out the rest of this little mini-series quite quickly. Just suffer through three more blogs like this, and I'll move on to my usual random rantings.

If you remember my deserted island scenario, the Muse album that was on the top of the list was Absolution. I love every second of this album. I could listen to it a thousand times over and still not tire of it.

It starts with "Apocalypse Please." It doesn't ease you into the album. Instead, it throws you in face first with Matt hammering away on some thick chords on the piano. It is difficult to describe the rest of the album. It covers many different sounds. There are heavier rock tunes like that of "Time Is Running Out," "Stockholm Syndrome," and "Hysteria." There are also the slower, but powerful songs like "Sing for Absolution" and "Falling Away with You."

There's nothing heavy about "Blackout" at all. It's beautiful, with an added mandolin part to show its Italian inspiration. Matt exhibits his piano skills in "Butterflies and Hurricanes." In the middle of everything happening, an incredible piano interlude takes over, greatly resembling the sound of Rachmaninoff.

Hmm...talking about this makes me want to listen to the album all over again. It would only be the millionth time I've heard it.

I caught another show this weekend. As soon as I get through the rest of this series, I'll tell you all about it. For now though, here's "Falling Away with You." It's my favorite song from Absolution and my second favorite amongst the entirety of their catalogue.