I don’t usually talk about music here because well, who really cares what kind of stuff I’m interested in? I know everybody has different tastes and nobody needs me to recommend music to them. Sure I’ll suggest the odd book to read or film to watch, but it’s not like I’m forcing them upon you. Besides, books and films are fairly general topics that I can talk about easily to anybody, whereas music can be really specific. As a result it can be tricky to promote my tastes to the broad audience that read this blog (I haven’t done a survey but I feel it is safe to assume everybody who reads this is into heavy metal). I feel talking about my music preferences would just sound pushy. Therefore I don’t do it.
But there are some days where nothing of interest happened whatsoever, so coming up with an idea for a blog can be rather tricky. And on such days I find the guidelines that I set for myself a little less restrictive than usual. In other words I completely ignore them.
Yes. You can probably see where this is going.
So today I’m going to post about five of my favourite bands that I would like you to try. But there is no pressure (I won’t hunt you down and force you to listen) and I’ve done my best to ease you into it by picking artists from different genres, meaning those of you with, shall we say delicate ears, won’t suddenly find yourselves being deafened by five equivalents to a band like Cannibal Corpse, for example. Oh no, I’ve been kind.
No reason not to listen to them is there then? Exactly.
1) Bloc Party
I’ve listened to Bloc Party for quite a few years now. They were one of the bands that I started listening to when I was trying to develop my music tastes away from the inane pop songs that filled the charts up in those days. I might have moved on from them now due to my preference for heavier music (for the most part) and because I don’t particularly enjoy the direction they’ve taken since then BUT the first two albums they produced were fantastic. Silent Alarm, especially, was amazing. Here is the first song I heard from them.
2) Trivium
My favourite band. I don’t think there is anything about them I don’t love. I’ve got all their albums, I bought tickets to see them live (granted I didn’t go in the end due to unforeseen circumstances but I wouldn’t do that for anybody else!) and I’m even sad enough to read/watch interviews with them. Without trying to sound too pretentious, I feel Trivium have really grown as musicians since Ember To Inferno (their first album) and now boast a sound unique to anything else in that genre. Their most recent album In Waves might not be the epic it’s predecessor Shogun was but it showed what they were capable of. I can’t wait for what they come up with next.
I just love them. I love their lyrics, I love their sound, I love the vocals and I love who they are behind the music too. I can’t fault them. They just seem like nice guys.
This song is heavier than anything else I’m uploading in this blog post. I did pick a softer song by them but still, thought I’d give you all a warning.
3) In This Moment
Though I say Trivium are my favourite band, you could argue that I love In This Moment even more. I certainly listen to them more. And again I do have all their albums. And if I was to attempt to watch a band live again, it would probably be In This Moment I’d want to see.
The reason why I rate them so highly is mostly down to the lead singer, Maria Brink. Anybody who can not only sing as well as she can, but also scream as well as she can, deserves respect because it would be quite an achievement to beat her vocally. And to make things better she’s bloody gorgeous too. She is the only woman who Vanna would allow me to have relations with if the opportunity was ever to arise. *Ahem* Not that I would of course. But it’s nice to know I’d be forgiven if the situation ever happened. So Maria, do you accept the challenge? (Joking Vanna, joking)
Anyway, In This Moment’s latest album Blood came out in August, and despite the fact they lost their drummer and two guitarists so it was only really Maria and lead guitarist Chris Howarth behind it and our initial disappointment at the songs they released to promote it, it is by far my favourite album. Not just by them either; my favourite album of all time (an overused cliché but there you go). A difficult feat when you consider how much I love Shogun. But it deserves it. Yes the overall music (told you I wasn’t great with terms) might be less complex than previous albums (simpler drum patterns, less guitar solos) but it has worked excellently as a platform for Brink’s vocals. The meaning behind the lyrics is very evocative. Here’s my favourite song from Blood. Don’t let the title fool you.
4) Gene Pitney
Before Puff Daddy -Or P Diddy or whatever he was called at that point – did his version and before the Police did their version there was Gene Pitney’s version. The song, of course, is Every Breath You Take and it was the reason I borrowed my dad’s Gene Pitney album a few months ago. And it turns out there are some other great songs on there too, such as 24 Hours To Tulsa and Yesterday’s Hero (this is my attempt at drawing in the ‘golden generation’; woohoo for the sixties!). Yeah it goes completely against the music you’d usually associate me with (ie, the two bands above) but he has a nice voice, I enjoy listening to his songs and it reminds me of my time in America. What more could I ask for?
Doesn’t it just make you feel happy?
P.S I can totally nail that high-pitched bit. Just ask Vanna.
5) Kanye West
Ah Kanye. I blame Vanna for this one. Thanks to her influence I’ve found myself becoming somewhat fascinated by this strange strange individual. He’s different…and I like that. I like that so much I took a risk and bought two of his albums on Monday. Not quite sure yet whether that was a good decision but at least I’m attempting to give him a go and see if there is more to him than those stupid shutter shades. Besides I can’t just listen to metal/Gene Pitney all the time can I?
You’re probably wondering why I’m mentioning somebody who most people are already familiar with. Surely it’s a waste of time; you’ve already come to a conclusion on whether you like him or not so it seems pointless to bring him up. Well the thing is I don’t actually like his popular, chart topping songs (Touch The Sky, Can’t Tell Me Nothing etc). I actually like the stuff he was criticized for; his autotuned stuff. That is what drew me in. Stuff like Stronger or Heartless. It’s different. He stands out. I can’t help but admire that.
Yeah he might be a bit of a tosser to certain people (Taylor Swift I suppose) but hey, when he’s doing songs like this I’m willing to accept it.
writingonthecitadel 