Based on another couple of dreams I’ve had lately most likely a song in the works so I’m plopping it here to remember it later.
There are four colors in this question: green, red, black, and purple.
-black and purple both have a physical history
-red is semi distant and can’t be read
-black is most readily around but doesn’t have all the pieces to the puzzle
-purple will never be a part of the puzzle again even if it would fit perfectly
-green combines well with all three to make new colors
-red doesn’t know what is going on
-black wants to know what’s going on
-purple doesn’t care what’s going on
-green doesn’t know anything period
-red and black are very comforting and supportive
-green and purple have been around the longest
-red has other colors to look at
-purple isn’t thinking about these colors or at least trying not to
-black is thinking about one color
-green is thinking about all of the above
-purple is the color of bruises
-red is the color of fire and renewal
-green is the color of envy
-black is the color of the unknown
-all 4 can smile like nobodies business
-all 4 are far to complex to make simple decisions
-all 4 are part of the story now
-all 4 are in their own little worlds
That’s all I can think of right now, but I’m sure I’m still going to pen more later. This isn’t anything important just a song idea I had in mind.
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
All My Heroes Are Dead
An Introspective Look At Resident Hero Part 2
Its been awhile since I’ve really looked track by track to anything really especially any sort of album review, but as long as I’m the topic of Resident Hero, I’ll give it a go here.
A little bit of back story as it pertains from my point of view.
As far as I know Resident Hero has been around for a good ten years with an ever changing lineup over time. The one constant has been Ryan White on vocals/guitar. A few years back their website posted nearly all of their older albums up for free download and like a giddy schoolchild I was quick to gobble them all up. I already owned the two EPs that with their current/final lineup from shows but was interested to see how they sounded before. It’s different, but that’s because really it’s a different band, a different era. I don’t really want to go much into them, but you can definitely see progression from album to album, even with the the newer EPs they were selling on tour (Brown and White EPs). When they announced that they were finally going to head into the studio to record a full length LP on their own instead of waiting for a record company to do it for them I was pretty stoked. The quality on previous records was pretty alright as is, but there was always promise of better and more. They posted studio vlogs and little updates here and there to entice us all. At one point there was a semi track list that showed up in the video which left me ecstatic to see how many songs I already knew were on there and some new ones I’d never heard of before. Then nothing happened. They sort of sat on the record for a good year while they tried to get it out there and get support for it.
I had almost forgotten about it until one day a meekly little post appeared on their myspace informing that the record was coming out later in the summer with some full on touring behind it. Fantastic. And it did and we all rejoiced in it. I purchased Look off of Itunes at midnight when it was released and while very excited to finally have a copy, was surprised to see a few tracks that were previously missing that were my favorites (no Permanent Tracers? No Open Target? This is a sham!) But what did show up on the final track was more than enough. It told a story in a round about way. The album itself created a world that showed just what goes on in someone’s life when you struggle from the day to day. The joys and heartbreaks, the passions and the lies, the successes and the failures.
Vendetta Black – The album beings strong with what is most likely the heaviest song on the entire album. Right from the get go it’s like a punch in the face bombarding the listener with a catchy riff and a powerful question of what do you do when your heroes fail? This to me seems to be a general theme throughout the album. Maybe its not and this song just sets the tone for it, but it seems like it to me anyway. Its no wonder this was a staple at every live show since its incarnation in 2007.
Tears And Kisses – This to my knowledge was a “new song” first heard on the album itself. I know I never heard it live along with a couple other songs on this album anyway. This was also one of the songs that I did in fact hear long before this album came out however. When RH toured through Little Rock in December of 07’, Ryan left his guitars in town and by some strange turn of events I picked them up and drove to meet him halfway between here and Tyler, TX on Christmas Eve to return them to him. In return he gave me a copy of a cd that included a live acoustic show he performed sometime earlier. Many of those songs eventually became Resident Hero songs. As for the song itself, it starts of slow and melancholy admitting to a sadder moment, then erupting into something more fierce in declaration of the truth of a situation and how things really were behind the scenes.
The Pressure – Another track from that live acoustic cd this song is another that starts out in a way to fool you into thinking that the entire song will be just as heavy as the intro, but no. It starts off powerful then backs off considerably while maintaining momentum from start to finish. It deals with the pressures of life and responsibilities that come with it, yet I can’t ever stop to think of how it was described the last time I saw them live: “this song is about eating hamburgers and sleeping on your friends couch”. Well played Mr. White. Well played.
Stepping Through – Often heard, at least to me, as the first song performed live towards the end of their touring run, Stepping Through is a straight forward progressive rock song. Its honest and true and almost seems to cry out to the listener of its story and where its been while asking for assistance to press on further. It begins with simple clean guitar and vocals simply explode mid verse into something that grabs anybodies attention.
Look – One of two tracks I had never heard before the cd was released and I’m glad I never had, as it made it fresh and new right from the start. Its hands down one of the most bouncy and if I dare say dancey songs on the album if you can call it that. Jay’s simple yet catchy drumbeat that beings the song sets the tone for something that you know is going to build into something better the longer it goes. To me its one of those songs that says simple is often just as powerful as something far more complex. There can’t be more than 3 or 4 sections of this song that go on repeat, yet strong enough to hold their own. My second favorite track on the album.
Throwing Knives – This song is similar to Tears and Kisses as it has a very prominent piano part added into it. It’s a slower song especially coming out of the previous track but its another one of those start slow and explode pretty quickly catching you off guard. It starts with acoustic guitar and piano then turns full band at the first chorus. I suppose that I should note that Jay’s two measure hi hat dance as I like to call it right before the second verse sets in gets stuck in my head all the time. Its another song that seems to reflect back on a previous situation, but not with regret but in true reflection with a determination to move on from it or at very least to correct the mistakes from the past.
Happy (Without Me) – Haven’t we all heard this song enough already? It’s been on how many recordings now? No, that’s ok because each time it’s re-recorded it sounds much better than the last. This very well may be the definitive version of Happy. Cited as the pop song of RH, the song that record companies desired most of all to take and sign the band on, but then most likely dump after it plays its course. Its one of those hey this relationship is over and we know it, but as the title says I don’t want you to be happy without me. Simple yet selfish concept, but we’ve all been there. I know I have.
Title Withheld – By far one of the most honest tracks on the entire cd that almost feels as if it doesn’t belong here, for that reason it’s mostly entirely piano. It’s a deeper confession of what happens in the aftermath of a failed relationship and the feelings we all go through when we struggle to get back up. It begins with a confession, then a desire, then a description, then finally a resolution to give up and move on. It’s a relationship in itself. Mid way through it picks up steam when the drums and bass power in then fade away as the song concludes. Very ballad and very strong. On a personal note I was always confused by the title or lack of on the album. On the live cd I have it does have a title, but I’m not sure if it was changed for Look or if that just wasn’t the real title at all. Due to the nature of the song, I don’t think I’ll ever ask but it always made me wonder.
Life In Hell - Starting with the previous track and from here on out the album seems to shift gears drastically. The general tone goes from regret and pain to acceptance, love, as well as semi-frustration and anger as Life In Hell is full of. It begins with a wicked distortion from Luke’s bass and powers on once again in a very simple formula of verse chorus verse chorus to the end, but it doesn’t need anymore than that. After the acceptance of Title Withheld, Life In Hell is almost the semi-fall back into habits of before accomplishing such a task. You are fully aware of what has transpired and yet are now past the depression and move into the frustration of forging ahead and realizing that maybe in some sick way this is what you wanted and asked for all along when you wanted an out of the previous situation. Luke once said in a video that of the newer RH songs this was his favorite, and there’s good reason for it.
Stars – The second song I had never heard before and what I like to think of as Time Is Nothing part 1, especially live as it seems to just transition into the final track so flawlessly. Another stripped down simple song that breathes honesty. It follows a simple yet strong pattern set on by the simple clean guitar strokes for the majority of the song before it builds into a more intense version of the intro for the rest of the way out. This time the feelings of regret are reversed and its almost as looking the other way of a bad situation almost as if you were the one who made that decision and the other person is the one left in the dust seeing stars, but I’m not.
Time Is Nothing – My absolute favorite song on the album and I’ll admit favorite song period in music. I was a fan of it before this album but after they revised, beat it to death, resurrected it, and made it longer in the studio; it really did become something of a monster in its own right and gained something that was missing all along. It’s a very slow song that becomes extremely intense then backs off multiple times before giving it all its got at the very end with something of a primal scream that always reminds me of watching it be performed live as on the very last moment of the song the band always just dropped their instruments on the stage and stormed off while the distortion rings in your ears. Always the last thing you see of Resident Hero on stage. Part personal experience, part inspired by the book The Time Traveler’s Wife, Time Is Nothing is something of an epic tale without the tale in it, just sort of the lost love letters that were never read nor ever will be. It tells of love that is destined to be but never will be fully realized for some reason unknown to us. There is a past of this love, there is a present, and there would be a future if there wasn’t enough regret or something serious standing in the way. An almost I won’t let you waste your life waiting for me, nor will I let you throw it away for me despite how strong of a sense it is for both you and I. This was a very personal song for me as well that seemed to gain meaning from my previous relationship and even more meaning when it ended and the feelings were mirrored in more ways than one. Time Is Nothing and I’ll Love You Always. While Ryan didn’t write that line, he perfected it.
Behind Your Back – The “bonus track” if you will that was not originally released on the album and can only be found if you bought the album from amazon.com. Its place in the track list feels a bit tacked on and out of line with the story, but it wasn’t intended to be included in the first place as far as I can tell. That doesn’t however diminish the intensity of the song. Another song similar to the pressure as it starts off strong and heavy then backs off considerably to tell as sweet story of trial and error with a very sweet goodbye at the end of it. It may be less of an intensity after Time Is Nothing but it does bring you back to sweet remembrance of the feelings portrayed mid album when you had listened to it just minutes ago.
Look the album as a whole is a potpourri of heavy sounds, soft tones, and pure driving emotion. Some may argue that every song seems to deal with the same subject matter and perhaps that’s true, but it almost seems intentional to create a sort of story. It begins with a realization and goes through the emotions of the hardships of life, all of them. Then in the end gives an ending more realistic to life: sometimes life isn’t a fairy tale. Sometimes everything doesn’t work out the way you had planned nor the way you wanted but we live, we learn, we experience, we fail, and we have to get back up. It’s the progress in life that creates who we are from then on out. A text I received from Ryan last November says it all to me here:
“How you recover from hardships are what defines you.”
Its been awhile since I’ve really looked track by track to anything really especially any sort of album review, but as long as I’m the topic of Resident Hero, I’ll give it a go here.
A little bit of back story as it pertains from my point of view.
As far as I know Resident Hero has been around for a good ten years with an ever changing lineup over time. The one constant has been Ryan White on vocals/guitar. A few years back their website posted nearly all of their older albums up for free download and like a giddy schoolchild I was quick to gobble them all up. I already owned the two EPs that with their current/final lineup from shows but was interested to see how they sounded before. It’s different, but that’s because really it’s a different band, a different era. I don’t really want to go much into them, but you can definitely see progression from album to album, even with the the newer EPs they were selling on tour (Brown and White EPs). When they announced that they were finally going to head into the studio to record a full length LP on their own instead of waiting for a record company to do it for them I was pretty stoked. The quality on previous records was pretty alright as is, but there was always promise of better and more. They posted studio vlogs and little updates here and there to entice us all. At one point there was a semi track list that showed up in the video which left me ecstatic to see how many songs I already knew were on there and some new ones I’d never heard of before. Then nothing happened. They sort of sat on the record for a good year while they tried to get it out there and get support for it.
I had almost forgotten about it until one day a meekly little post appeared on their myspace informing that the record was coming out later in the summer with some full on touring behind it. Fantastic. And it did and we all rejoiced in it. I purchased Look off of Itunes at midnight when it was released and while very excited to finally have a copy, was surprised to see a few tracks that were previously missing that were my favorites (no Permanent Tracers? No Open Target? This is a sham!) But what did show up on the final track was more than enough. It told a story in a round about way. The album itself created a world that showed just what goes on in someone’s life when you struggle from the day to day. The joys and heartbreaks, the passions and the lies, the successes and the failures.
Vendetta Black – The album beings strong with what is most likely the heaviest song on the entire album. Right from the get go it’s like a punch in the face bombarding the listener with a catchy riff and a powerful question of what do you do when your heroes fail? This to me seems to be a general theme throughout the album. Maybe its not and this song just sets the tone for it, but it seems like it to me anyway. Its no wonder this was a staple at every live show since its incarnation in 2007.
Tears And Kisses – This to my knowledge was a “new song” first heard on the album itself. I know I never heard it live along with a couple other songs on this album anyway. This was also one of the songs that I did in fact hear long before this album came out however. When RH toured through Little Rock in December of 07’, Ryan left his guitars in town and by some strange turn of events I picked them up and drove to meet him halfway between here and Tyler, TX on Christmas Eve to return them to him. In return he gave me a copy of a cd that included a live acoustic show he performed sometime earlier. Many of those songs eventually became Resident Hero songs. As for the song itself, it starts of slow and melancholy admitting to a sadder moment, then erupting into something more fierce in declaration of the truth of a situation and how things really were behind the scenes.
The Pressure – Another track from that live acoustic cd this song is another that starts out in a way to fool you into thinking that the entire song will be just as heavy as the intro, but no. It starts off powerful then backs off considerably while maintaining momentum from start to finish. It deals with the pressures of life and responsibilities that come with it, yet I can’t ever stop to think of how it was described the last time I saw them live: “this song is about eating hamburgers and sleeping on your friends couch”. Well played Mr. White. Well played.
Stepping Through – Often heard, at least to me, as the first song performed live towards the end of their touring run, Stepping Through is a straight forward progressive rock song. Its honest and true and almost seems to cry out to the listener of its story and where its been while asking for assistance to press on further. It begins with simple clean guitar and vocals simply explode mid verse into something that grabs anybodies attention.
Look – One of two tracks I had never heard before the cd was released and I’m glad I never had, as it made it fresh and new right from the start. Its hands down one of the most bouncy and if I dare say dancey songs on the album if you can call it that. Jay’s simple yet catchy drumbeat that beings the song sets the tone for something that you know is going to build into something better the longer it goes. To me its one of those songs that says simple is often just as powerful as something far more complex. There can’t be more than 3 or 4 sections of this song that go on repeat, yet strong enough to hold their own. My second favorite track on the album.
Throwing Knives – This song is similar to Tears and Kisses as it has a very prominent piano part added into it. It’s a slower song especially coming out of the previous track but its another one of those start slow and explode pretty quickly catching you off guard. It starts with acoustic guitar and piano then turns full band at the first chorus. I suppose that I should note that Jay’s two measure hi hat dance as I like to call it right before the second verse sets in gets stuck in my head all the time. Its another song that seems to reflect back on a previous situation, but not with regret but in true reflection with a determination to move on from it or at very least to correct the mistakes from the past.
Happy (Without Me) – Haven’t we all heard this song enough already? It’s been on how many recordings now? No, that’s ok because each time it’s re-recorded it sounds much better than the last. This very well may be the definitive version of Happy. Cited as the pop song of RH, the song that record companies desired most of all to take and sign the band on, but then most likely dump after it plays its course. Its one of those hey this relationship is over and we know it, but as the title says I don’t want you to be happy without me. Simple yet selfish concept, but we’ve all been there. I know I have.
Title Withheld – By far one of the most honest tracks on the entire cd that almost feels as if it doesn’t belong here, for that reason it’s mostly entirely piano. It’s a deeper confession of what happens in the aftermath of a failed relationship and the feelings we all go through when we struggle to get back up. It begins with a confession, then a desire, then a description, then finally a resolution to give up and move on. It’s a relationship in itself. Mid way through it picks up steam when the drums and bass power in then fade away as the song concludes. Very ballad and very strong. On a personal note I was always confused by the title or lack of on the album. On the live cd I have it does have a title, but I’m not sure if it was changed for Look or if that just wasn’t the real title at all. Due to the nature of the song, I don’t think I’ll ever ask but it always made me wonder.
Life In Hell - Starting with the previous track and from here on out the album seems to shift gears drastically. The general tone goes from regret and pain to acceptance, love, as well as semi-frustration and anger as Life In Hell is full of. It begins with a wicked distortion from Luke’s bass and powers on once again in a very simple formula of verse chorus verse chorus to the end, but it doesn’t need anymore than that. After the acceptance of Title Withheld, Life In Hell is almost the semi-fall back into habits of before accomplishing such a task. You are fully aware of what has transpired and yet are now past the depression and move into the frustration of forging ahead and realizing that maybe in some sick way this is what you wanted and asked for all along when you wanted an out of the previous situation. Luke once said in a video that of the newer RH songs this was his favorite, and there’s good reason for it.
Stars – The second song I had never heard before and what I like to think of as Time Is Nothing part 1, especially live as it seems to just transition into the final track so flawlessly. Another stripped down simple song that breathes honesty. It follows a simple yet strong pattern set on by the simple clean guitar strokes for the majority of the song before it builds into a more intense version of the intro for the rest of the way out. This time the feelings of regret are reversed and its almost as looking the other way of a bad situation almost as if you were the one who made that decision and the other person is the one left in the dust seeing stars, but I’m not.
Time Is Nothing – My absolute favorite song on the album and I’ll admit favorite song period in music. I was a fan of it before this album but after they revised, beat it to death, resurrected it, and made it longer in the studio; it really did become something of a monster in its own right and gained something that was missing all along. It’s a very slow song that becomes extremely intense then backs off multiple times before giving it all its got at the very end with something of a primal scream that always reminds me of watching it be performed live as on the very last moment of the song the band always just dropped their instruments on the stage and stormed off while the distortion rings in your ears. Always the last thing you see of Resident Hero on stage. Part personal experience, part inspired by the book The Time Traveler’s Wife, Time Is Nothing is something of an epic tale without the tale in it, just sort of the lost love letters that were never read nor ever will be. It tells of love that is destined to be but never will be fully realized for some reason unknown to us. There is a past of this love, there is a present, and there would be a future if there wasn’t enough regret or something serious standing in the way. An almost I won’t let you waste your life waiting for me, nor will I let you throw it away for me despite how strong of a sense it is for both you and I. This was a very personal song for me as well that seemed to gain meaning from my previous relationship and even more meaning when it ended and the feelings were mirrored in more ways than one. Time Is Nothing and I’ll Love You Always. While Ryan didn’t write that line, he perfected it.
Behind Your Back – The “bonus track” if you will that was not originally released on the album and can only be found if you bought the album from amazon.com. Its place in the track list feels a bit tacked on and out of line with the story, but it wasn’t intended to be included in the first place as far as I can tell. That doesn’t however diminish the intensity of the song. Another song similar to the pressure as it starts off strong and heavy then backs off considerably to tell as sweet story of trial and error with a very sweet goodbye at the end of it. It may be less of an intensity after Time Is Nothing but it does bring you back to sweet remembrance of the feelings portrayed mid album when you had listened to it just minutes ago.
Look the album as a whole is a potpourri of heavy sounds, soft tones, and pure driving emotion. Some may argue that every song seems to deal with the same subject matter and perhaps that’s true, but it almost seems intentional to create a sort of story. It begins with a realization and goes through the emotions of the hardships of life, all of them. Then in the end gives an ending more realistic to life: sometimes life isn’t a fairy tale. Sometimes everything doesn’t work out the way you had planned nor the way you wanted but we live, we learn, we experience, we fail, and we have to get back up. It’s the progress in life that creates who we are from then on out. A text I received from Ryan last November says it all to me here:
“How you recover from hardships are what defines you.”
Friday, March 4, 2011
The New Generation
I spent a few hours after band practice talking to Derek about the direction these crazy new tunes are headed in and it reminded me of a conversation I had about the same thing a year or so ago.
When T3 first started it was about being a goofy band. Almost all the songs reflected the carefree life I was living at the time. Little by little as the band grew there began to be a division in the songs that were not only nonsense songs and goofy, but a lot of them hold a second and very personal meaning that I don't really talk about. Not many on the first album are like that, but they are there. It might be a line or it might be the song in general, but its the pattern that I've started to develop as I've been writing music. T3 will never be serious and will never be sad, its just not what it is. I've gone against limiting of what it is and what it isn't, but that is the one rule and only rule I've ever held us to, other than keeping things less than vulgar.
When we released Your Music Is Bad And You Should Feel Bad, it comprised of pretty much the first nine songs that we had completed and were satisfied with. During that period of time there were quite a few songs that were worked on, but ultimately never finished. The only ones that ever popped up later from that time period in all honesty were Unemployed and Momma's Boy, even though they didn't really get past the basic rhythm or just lyrically for another 2 years or so. After those songs were done I started to dive deeper into what I was writing and many of the songs that were written at that period of time took a much different tone than originally. Fewer songs were just nonsense songs straight up, and were more that divided meaning that I mentioned before. I describe the YMIBAYSFB as daydreaming of some extraordinary world where anything is possible and does. The most ridiculous things that could be happening are happening, but all are grounded in semi-realistic ideas, places, and things.
I assumed that the next album was going to be more focused on personal yet more realistic experiences that I had been through in my life, as that was the tone that was going on at the time. It was still going to be abstract and funny, but a majority of the songs were more relatable I think as they all dealt with everyday situations to the extreme. You can see this starting to happen in the last two songs that were written for that album in Ken and Unemployed. They were real situations with a goofy twist. You know, stuff like that.
However with lineup changes, the passing of time, and general dissatisfaction with some of the things I had written, a lot of those songs just never materialized or never got past the demo stage and a lot of them never will. At the moment we have roughly 9 demos ready with another 4 or 5 on deck that we'll be working on over the next few months that will dwindle down to the best 11 or 12 tracks for the new album at some point. I made a list of those songs the other day and noticed the pattern is returning but in a more divided way. There are songs that are completely not about anything and there are other songs that have a strong tie to the experiences I've had in the last year. That's the weirdest thing to me really. With the exception of maybe one or two songs so far, all of the new songs were written brand new as of September or October of last year. None of the older ones survived or at least aren't resurfacing right now. Because of the experiences that have made up my life over these past ten or so months have shaped something very different. If you combine that with the fact that we are all collectively much better musicians now and aren't just throwing crap together and calling it a day at the first handful of songs, its shaping up to be a whole different monster this time around.
That is all things considered, we won't know until we record and release the album later this year, but it just makes me think of how far we've come. But as always, I'm not going to say what these songs are about. People can take the meaning however they want. I just know that I enjoy writing songs that have dual and recently sometimes tri-meanings in them. Maybe I'm getting better at this kind of thing?t
When T3 first started it was about being a goofy band. Almost all the songs reflected the carefree life I was living at the time. Little by little as the band grew there began to be a division in the songs that were not only nonsense songs and goofy, but a lot of them hold a second and very personal meaning that I don't really talk about. Not many on the first album are like that, but they are there. It might be a line or it might be the song in general, but its the pattern that I've started to develop as I've been writing music. T3 will never be serious and will never be sad, its just not what it is. I've gone against limiting of what it is and what it isn't, but that is the one rule and only rule I've ever held us to, other than keeping things less than vulgar.
When we released Your Music Is Bad And You Should Feel Bad, it comprised of pretty much the first nine songs that we had completed and were satisfied with. During that period of time there were quite a few songs that were worked on, but ultimately never finished. The only ones that ever popped up later from that time period in all honesty were Unemployed and Momma's Boy, even though they didn't really get past the basic rhythm or just lyrically for another 2 years or so. After those songs were done I started to dive deeper into what I was writing and many of the songs that were written at that period of time took a much different tone than originally. Fewer songs were just nonsense songs straight up, and were more that divided meaning that I mentioned before. I describe the YMIBAYSFB as daydreaming of some extraordinary world where anything is possible and does. The most ridiculous things that could be happening are happening, but all are grounded in semi-realistic ideas, places, and things.
I assumed that the next album was going to be more focused on personal yet more realistic experiences that I had been through in my life, as that was the tone that was going on at the time. It was still going to be abstract and funny, but a majority of the songs were more relatable I think as they all dealt with everyday situations to the extreme. You can see this starting to happen in the last two songs that were written for that album in Ken and Unemployed. They were real situations with a goofy twist. You know, stuff like that.
However with lineup changes, the passing of time, and general dissatisfaction with some of the things I had written, a lot of those songs just never materialized or never got past the demo stage and a lot of them never will. At the moment we have roughly 9 demos ready with another 4 or 5 on deck that we'll be working on over the next few months that will dwindle down to the best 11 or 12 tracks for the new album at some point. I made a list of those songs the other day and noticed the pattern is returning but in a more divided way. There are songs that are completely not about anything and there are other songs that have a strong tie to the experiences I've had in the last year. That's the weirdest thing to me really. With the exception of maybe one or two songs so far, all of the new songs were written brand new as of September or October of last year. None of the older ones survived or at least aren't resurfacing right now. Because of the experiences that have made up my life over these past ten or so months have shaped something very different. If you combine that with the fact that we are all collectively much better musicians now and aren't just throwing crap together and calling it a day at the first handful of songs, its shaping up to be a whole different monster this time around.
That is all things considered, we won't know until we record and release the album later this year, but it just makes me think of how far we've come. But as always, I'm not going to say what these songs are about. People can take the meaning however they want. I just know that I enjoy writing songs that have dual and recently sometimes tri-meanings in them. Maybe I'm getting better at this kind of thing?t
Friday, December 31, 2010
My Musical History of 2010
As I look back at the year, I’m always reminded of how big of impact music has on my life. This year at first glance I think there weren’t nearly as many new artists I discovered or new albums I listened to, but after making a list well I was right for the most part. 2010 was full of catching up on a lot of great stuff from 2009 for some reason. A lot of bands and albums that for some reason I put on the back burner and really didn’t listen to until some point this year. I’m still going to include them in my list tho because I can.
Albums of 2010
Neon Trees - Habits
I saw these guys open up for a local band in Rexburg in early 2009 and though they were pretty nifty, but it wasn’t until I saw them open up for 30 Seconds to Mars that I got hooked on them. While short, their debut album is rich in energetic happy-ish music that just makes you want to dance. And that’s really all I can ask for from anybody.
Scott Pilgrim Soundtrack
The movie was epic and the soundtrack was just as fantastic. For a show about music I’m sure it was pretty difficult to select a soundtrack that would reflect the odd world that the characters lived in. What we got was an indie world of unknown stuff, but that’s ok because it was all good unknown stuff at least to me anyway. The 8-bit soundtrack to the game was just as good however and that little something something to make you smile and remember the good ole days.
Preston Pugmire EP
Preston is not a signed artist nor known by anybody outside the immediate Idaho/Utah area, but he should be. He’s a one man band that I’ve seen perform numerous times over the years either as a solo act or in other bands. Apparently he’s made the jump to full time musician and taking his solo act on the road. This was a small free 5 track EP that was released on his website and its just that sort of sweet melodies and looping that he’s well known for that makes you think a little.
The Left Rights - Bad Choices Made Easy
The side project of Jimmie Urine and Steve Righ? Of MSI, The Left Rights are just a huge collection of stupid 1-2min songs that really have no relevance to anything whatsoever. But they are hilarious and that’s all I need to know.
3oh3! - Streets of Gold
While I’m still having a hard time listening to all of it, much like their previous release, Streets of Gold is everything you’d expect from 3oh3. It’s a bunch of energetic rap/pop songs that just make you want to move and dance, only this time with a lot less “gangsta”
persona going on.
I Fight Dragons EP
I saw these guys open up for Cobra Starship this past summer and while I don’t listen to it quite as much anymore, it did introduce me to the world of chiptuning, or in otherwords using an old NES or gameboy motherboard to create 8-bit sounds to go along with your music. Very cool and very fun.
The Throbbing Testicles EP
Absolutely tooting my own horn here, but we also released a new album this year and yes I listened to it quite a bit for awhile. While it was not really anything new, but just a compilation of some of our best songs, it was recorded in a studio for the first time as well as putting keys/synth on a lot of songs for the first time as well. It solidified the idea that in a good setting we could make this work and that’s all I need. Plus its funny.
Birds of New York EP
Ryan White of the band Resident Hero recently created this little side project that is a more power pop feel than heavy rock, but his sweet voice excels just as much here as it does in the former rock trio. I’m not even sure if this EP is available anywhere, but I managed to harass him into emailing it to me. Its that sort of good feeling space out music that takes you on a little trip, not the drug kind but the life experience kind, before dropping you off back where you were at the last few notes.
The rest of the albums that I listened to a bunch this year didn’t come out in 2010, but rather in 2009. I only just now got around to listening to them.
LMFAO - Party Rock
Flyleaf - Memento Mori
AFI - Crash Love
30 Seconds To Mars - This is War
(I did listen to this in 09, but I didn’t like it very much. It wasn’t until I saw them perform again in January that it became a staple cd in my car)
Electric Valentine - Automatic
Stephen Lynch - 3 Balloons
Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
There’s more to be said, but I’ll save it for the next one.
Albums of 2010
Neon Trees - Habits
I saw these guys open up for a local band in Rexburg in early 2009 and though they were pretty nifty, but it wasn’t until I saw them open up for 30 Seconds to Mars that I got hooked on them. While short, their debut album is rich in energetic happy-ish music that just makes you want to dance. And that’s really all I can ask for from anybody.
Scott Pilgrim Soundtrack
The movie was epic and the soundtrack was just as fantastic. For a show about music I’m sure it was pretty difficult to select a soundtrack that would reflect the odd world that the characters lived in. What we got was an indie world of unknown stuff, but that’s ok because it was all good unknown stuff at least to me anyway. The 8-bit soundtrack to the game was just as good however and that little something something to make you smile and remember the good ole days.
Preston Pugmire EP
Preston is not a signed artist nor known by anybody outside the immediate Idaho/Utah area, but he should be. He’s a one man band that I’ve seen perform numerous times over the years either as a solo act or in other bands. Apparently he’s made the jump to full time musician and taking his solo act on the road. This was a small free 5 track EP that was released on his website and its just that sort of sweet melodies and looping that he’s well known for that makes you think a little.
The Left Rights - Bad Choices Made Easy
The side project of Jimmie Urine and Steve Righ? Of MSI, The Left Rights are just a huge collection of stupid 1-2min songs that really have no relevance to anything whatsoever. But they are hilarious and that’s all I need to know.
3oh3! - Streets of Gold
While I’m still having a hard time listening to all of it, much like their previous release, Streets of Gold is everything you’d expect from 3oh3. It’s a bunch of energetic rap/pop songs that just make you want to move and dance, only this time with a lot less “gangsta”
persona going on.
I Fight Dragons EP
I saw these guys open up for Cobra Starship this past summer and while I don’t listen to it quite as much anymore, it did introduce me to the world of chiptuning, or in otherwords using an old NES or gameboy motherboard to create 8-bit sounds to go along with your music. Very cool and very fun.
The Throbbing Testicles EP
Absolutely tooting my own horn here, but we also released a new album this year and yes I listened to it quite a bit for awhile. While it was not really anything new, but just a compilation of some of our best songs, it was recorded in a studio for the first time as well as putting keys/synth on a lot of songs for the first time as well. It solidified the idea that in a good setting we could make this work and that’s all I need. Plus its funny.
Birds of New York EP
Ryan White of the band Resident Hero recently created this little side project that is a more power pop feel than heavy rock, but his sweet voice excels just as much here as it does in the former rock trio. I’m not even sure if this EP is available anywhere, but I managed to harass him into emailing it to me. Its that sort of good feeling space out music that takes you on a little trip, not the drug kind but the life experience kind, before dropping you off back where you were at the last few notes.
The rest of the albums that I listened to a bunch this year didn’t come out in 2010, but rather in 2009. I only just now got around to listening to them.
LMFAO - Party Rock
Flyleaf - Memento Mori
AFI - Crash Love
30 Seconds To Mars - This is War
(I did listen to this in 09, but I didn’t like it very much. It wasn’t until I saw them perform again in January that it became a staple cd in my car)
Electric Valentine - Automatic
Stephen Lynch - 3 Balloons
Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
There’s more to be said, but I’ll save it for the next one.
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