Dave's Two Songs Of The Day Game!

[Dave]

So, for a long ass time now, I have been on a mission. That mission, is a great one but is very expansive in nature. What is that mission, I hear you ask? Well, here it is...

I will add two songs by one new band into my music library every day!

Now, I know that this could be accomplished easily by merely finding a band and downloading two of their songs but that is not the nature of the game. The game is to add two songs from a new band that you have never heard of before into your library with the added criteria that you must actually like the songs. There is no point in adding songs to your life that you do not enjoy. So. With that being said, Let's get onto playing!

1st of February 2011

So, today I was finding it very hard to find anything that I had never heard before and when I did find bands that were promising, it turned out that they one had one good song and that is useless, for the purposes of this game. Nevertheless, I plodded on with the hope that I would eventually find something that interested me again. LastFM is a great way of finding bands that are similar to some of your tastes and makes this game so much easier. Whilst searching LastFM, I decided that I would type in the name of a band that I hadn't managed to listen to for a long time. That band is The Fray and some way down the page, a band managed to draw in my attention. After listening to some of their songs, I was about to give up on them. Like those that had gone before, I was sure that they only had one good song.

Anyway, with one last click on Youtube, I came across this little ray of sunshine that made my day.

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Oddly depressing? Maybe but there is just an innocence to this song that makes me feel absolutely vulnerable. It is a little dark for my usual tastes but the heavier part towards the end really rescues it fro being a melancholy tune. The song immediately grabbed my attention with the really strong piano introduction. I honestly think it is one of the best songs I have heard in a while and was surprised to find that this band was covered in an episode of The Big Bang Theory in some small way.

That out of the way, I had to find another of their songs to add to my library. After listening to Boston for a while, I wondered if anything might come close to that standard and if not, perhaps I only had myself to blame for setting that particular song on such a high pedestal... Especially after I had already listened to some of their songs and they didn't really appeal. Luckily though, I found this little gem and added that too.

Spoiler

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So yes, today's band of the day is Augustana! Add them today and thank me later.

If you want to play along with me, then go for it. Otherwise, you can give me your thoughts on the songs and bands that I have covered on a daily basis (hopefully).

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Nice idea for a thread man, and two nice songs you have posted. I am also a fan of The Fray, I saw them live a couple of years ago and they were excellent.

Looking forward to seeing what else you come up with man.

 

[Dave]

February 2nd 2011

Today, I was very lucky in that it only took me around half an hour to find a band that I had never heard from before and find two songs that I would very happily add to my library. However, I was very disappointed in one of the bands that I listened to in the hope that they would be the ones to be added. As it turns out, they only have one good song and it is this one:

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The band is called Carolina Liar and I thought they had some potential and if I was in a rush, I might have found another of their songs to put in my library and be done with it but that is not what I am looking for... Pardon the pun. I searched through a couple of their songs to find something that I might enjoy but nothing came to mind. This song is pretty good but is basically the best song that they have.

Anyway, I plodded on to see what I could find and eventually came across a band that I was sure I had heard of but couldn't place in my mind. I listened to some of their songs but couldn't find what I knew them from. The band for today is Trapt and I am very glad that I kept looking after the failure that was Carolina Liar. This band is right up my street. They are a rock band that utilize some screamo aspects and their music is very electric in feeling. They may be a little bit cookie cutter but I really enjoyed the first song that I heard

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A good song, right? Anyway, after listening and downloading that song, I had to find another song that could round off the musical choices for the day. They must be a quality band because the next song I clicked on was brilliant too. I decided to download that song too and it was this one:

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This song is called Echo and is a little softer than Headstrong. That being said, I appreciate when a band can transition from being one genre to the other very easily and Trapt seem to be a band that can do that with minimal fuss. I am going to keep digging or some more of their songs and see if they have a quality back catalogue of songs. I am willing to bet that they do. For right now though, Trapt are the band of the day!

 

[Ferbian]

I can't personally say that I have a lot of experience around Trapt, however the song "Headstrong" is definitely one I'm very familiar with, and I can only say that the other song "Echo" sounds pretty decent. They seem like a band I wouldn't mind checking out occasionally.

This thread in itself seems like a pretty good idea to do, and I'm gonna be excited to see what you have in mind for some of the other days. I can only hope to be a regular visitor in this thread.

Also, do you take requests, or is this solely your own choices?

 

[LSN80]

I saw Trapt live when Headstrong and Echo were huge songs here in the States back in 2002 and they were damn good . They've really fallen off since then, however, as they seemingly fell off the face of the earth here in the States(although they released two albums in between that were garbage) until they recently released No Apologies, which is worth an Itunes buy at $9.99. I have the self-titled debut that both songs on it you listed, and it's easily their best work. I still listen to it from time to time in the car.

This is a great idea, and my question is if we can play along too and add a two song, band of the day, or is this something you want to do exclusively?

 

[LSN80]

My apologies, on reading the bottom portion, I noticed you said that we can play along. Here goes.

February 2nd, 2011
SR-71

The name of the band sounded familar, but I couldn't recall hearing any of their music in my time. And when I listened, I realized I had mistaken them for someone else. Nothing of theirs had sounded remotely familar to me, and the genre was typically not one I enjoyed. However, I did find two songs that I really liked alot, and will share.

SR-71: My World

[YOUTUBE]85xZ__BYcjs[/YOUTUBE]
What I gathered from this band in sampling 8 songs is that they're quite angry and depressed, as most early 2000 era Emo bands were. But the thing that I loved about this song was that they channelled something deeper in this song in love while still letting their anger out in small parts. The chorus is sung in a mesmerizing fashion, and a memorable finish is there with the hook "Love is all around you, your universe is full, but in my world, there is only you." We've all been there with THAT girl, so it's an easy song to get into if for no oher reason. It's also paced very well, is solid musically, with damn fine lyrics. It's a song I could see a young artist writing after a sad, solitary drunken night at the Pub.

SR-71: Tomorrow
[YOUTUBE]dXEoUbNYXbM[/YOUTUBE]

For those who don't know me, Im a practicing psychologist. I deal with the mentally and emotionally ill on a daily basis. And this song did a brilliant job of describing what many of these people feel like. You never dreamed you'ld have to live your life so guarded, cause they'll find a way to make you feel discarded, things have changed, you've become a complication, can't make it through another day's humiliation. Not exactly the rosy outlook on life that so many of us have dreamed of, is it? The beauty(and I find this song beautiful in it's own way) of this song is the insight that a 19 year old(I wiki'd them) brought upon writing this song. When looking at it through that context, it's beautiful to know that some out there truly have a greater insight into the human psyche without the need for a degree or formal training. They simply have experienced life at a young age, and have the ability to so realistically capture it in words. I enjoyed the song from a musical standpoint as well, as I found the lead singer's voice to be oddly mesmerizing and the music quite good. By no means is this a positive song that leaves one feeling good inside, but words so deep could be coming from no place other than the heart, which alone makes it beautiful.

I quite enjoyed this, and will at least visit here every day, and try to contribute as I can. Great idea Dave!

 

[Dave]

SR-71: My World

[YOUTUBE]85xZ__BYcjs[/YOUTUBE]

I simply cannot believe that you have brought this song up! I am dead serious!

I was on LastFM a few weeks ago and I heard this song whilst listening to the LostProphets channel and this song came on. Since then, it has flown all the way right to the top of my iTunes library in regards to play count. I simply love it. The beginning of the song just makes the payoff for the end of the song all that much better. The chorus, as you mentioned, is actually incredible and it makes me ridiculously happy to listen to it.

That and it really struck a nerve with me in regards to what I was feeling when I first heard it. Great choice! Rep for you!

I quite enjoyed this, and will at least visit here every day, and try to contribute as I can. Great idea Dave!

Thank you!

 

[Dave]

3rd of February 2011

I'm going to post this early, simply because I will be busy all of tomorrow and wont get around to it in all likelihood. Still, it is the 3rd here so...

A special thanks to Ferbian for sending me a suggestion for the band I should cover today. That band is named Carpark North and they are pretty good. However, the reason that I am not going to cover them today I full, is because I could only find one of their songs that I would have actually listened to on a regular occasion. It was a shame because one of their songs, Human, was very good. That being said, there was no other song that I could have added to my library and been honest with myself that I was going to listen to through choice. To play this game of the foreseeable future, I need to be honest with myself or the fun disappears. But thanks for the suggestion. Ferbs.

Oh well, moving on!

Anyway, after some searching, I found two songs that I wanted to add to my iTunes library and both are songs that I absolutely love. I know that I said at the start of this that I wanted to add new bands to my library but this is a band that I once liked. For one reason or another though, they kind of drifted out of the scene and haven't come back yet. They were very big amongst my friends a few years ago and had a couple of epic songs out at one point or another. Unfortunately for them though, when they disappeared no one really remembered them and I couldn't even tell you if they have released anything new in the last few years. The reason it counts is because there is no trace of them on my library... So, here is one of their finest songs for your consideration:

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I believe this song came as one of their latest offering and it really took me by storm. However, I don't think they were able to capitalize on this song and put out a great album, which led to their subsequent disappearance. This song though, is a wonderful example of British Emo pop-rock. I seem to recall my friends and I making a lot of noise over this song and how it was one of the best songs in their back-catalogue and when I hear it now, I definitely see what I seen then. It's a fantastic song by a great band who probably deserved a lot more than what they got. Here is their second song and perhaps their most successful:

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Who doesn't feel that that song resonates with them? And if you don't, then there is a great possibility that you need to get out more and live the weekend life. This song was easily their most well-received song as most of the people in my school seemed to love the idea of the song and took the lyrics to heart. I personally prefer Suburban Knights as a song but no one can argue with the success of this song.

So, today's band of the day is Hard-Fi. They are a band that I would very much like to see more from and a band that I think a lot of people would like if they gave them the chance.

 

[Dave]

February 4th 2011

OK, to stop this becoming bogged down in alternative rock/rock/pop-punk genres, I have decided to added a different flavour today. I knew that I wanted to have something else form a different genre of music and it took me a while to find what I actually wanted. I am a rock fan and venturing outside of that realm can sometimes be a little daunting. Mainly because it takes a lot to impress me with other genres of music. Rock is easy because that is what I resonate with the most. As you can see, most of the entries to this list have been rock choices and that is what comes easily to me. I know what rock songs I like. I can immediately tell if they are going to be a favourite of mine or die away after a couple of plays but with other kinds of music, I find it much harder to agree with myself as to whether I am going to be listening to this song in a week.

That being said, I tried very hard and found two songs by a group that have never graced my iTunes library. I have heard of them before but social etiquette is not my bag. They have become quite a name over in the United Kingdom and I would be very interested to see how big they are over in the States. They are called the Swedish House Mafia and the world has really been their oyster for the last few months. Personally, I never really found the time to listen to what they were actually doing but today, I made the effort and am thankful that I did.

Anyway, here is the first song:

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This song is, obviously, quite popular because it has huge amounts of views on Youtube and has multiple videos attached to it and milking off of it's apparent success. I really like this song because I have a soft spot for House music. This song is really good but it can be accused of being quite simplistic. As with most house music songs, it can be quite repetitive but that is about as critical as you can be. When you put your headphones in your ears and turn this thing up to as far as your chosen MP3 player will go, there is nothing better. The sound is very enthralling and I loved it from the first moment I heard it.

Obviously, it features Pharell Williams too, formerly of NERD (an old favourite of mine). Pharell really dropped off of the music scene for a long time and I am glad that he has managed to gain some amount of fame with this song, even if he did jump on the bandwagon after the song had been successful. The instrumental version is enough on it's own but Pharell really adds something extra to the song. Of course, if that is not your bag, then you should try the instrumental version.

Anyway, here is song number 2:

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This song is absolutely huge right now and has been that way for some time in the UK. After searching my iTunes library for this song, imagine my surprise when I couldn't actually find it. I wasn't too bothered because it meant that I could use the Swedish House Mafia in this entry and they definitely deserve the mention. This song also features a guest vocalist and that is Tinie Tempah. Tinie Tempah is a great new artist from the UK that, I believe, is starting to make some waves in the US. I saw an article in one of the tabloid newspapers over here that told me that one of Tinie Tempah's songs had been selected as one of the official theme songs for WrestleMania. In fact, I am sure that if you go to the Wrestling Spam Zone, Rob made a thread about it. Go check that out because he is actually brilliant.

As for this song, it is like when two world collide and everything just works. SHM bring the beats and Tinie Tempah brings the lyrical talent along with his brilliant style. I really enjoyed this song and although it is house music, I felt as though it is something that I would listen to regularly.

Anyway, the act of the day is the Swedish House Mafia.

 

[LSN80]

This thread is brilliant in so many ways. Ive literally been looking for new music, and like Dave, attempting to explore new genres that Ive been previously unexposed to. I generally fall within the rock genre, as it's what Ive identified with the majority of my life.

Anyway, I keep a littany of magazines in my waiting room. One of them is Entertainment Weekly, a pop culture juggernaut here in the States. I figure at least people will have something enjoyable to read before I screw with their heads for an hour! Often times, when people cancel or no-show, Ill hop on here, but other times I head straight to the magazine rack, and to E Weekly. It gives me the opportunity to see if I can catch new bands or groups Ive previously had no prediliction to.

I was surprised upon the reading of the magazine that Ive never stumbled upon the guys of Against Me. They've apparently put out 5 studio albums, and toured with the Foo Fighters back in 08, who I caught on tour during that time period. Perhaps I was still drinking at the time, because I have no recollection of them whatsoever. Upon listen, they're quite good, and it was hard for me to pick just two songs.

Against Me: Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart
[YOUTUBE]VMTiBHUIkz4[/YOUTUBE]

One of the things that I loved about this song was the simplistic nature of it. It's beginnings had all the feel that it had been recorded in the bands backyard, which is hardly a knock on them whatsoever. The usage of Tegan Quinn of Tegan and Tara, a huge indie rock band in my area, was a nice touch, and the song really is beautiful musically when it kicks into drive. There are times during this song where they sound like the Cure, in a scary way. Nu Wave typically isn't my genre of music, but this is excellent.

In looking at the song, I looked at the title in comparison to the song. It seems quite logical that these "feelings" and "anxiety" are what are Borne on the FM waves of the heart. Based on the band's harsh stance against radio rock (they get no play in my area, by their choice I read), I feel the lead singer is suggesting that this relationship he and Tegan's "character" have is perfect. But radio rock has spurred a culture of dependency, which creates problems that don't exist. The waves of the heart are the part that says "No, this can't be right, something needs to be wrong with me in order for me to be real" or something contrived that the typical radio bands sing about. But that's just what i got out of it.

Against Me: We're Breaking Up
[YOUTUBE]x7Yps7bxaTI[/YOUTUBE]

Again, the Cure similarities here are quite scary. The pureness of the sound along with the raw emotion of the song are really what resonate with me. The words are simplistic in many ways, but they're words that anyone can relate to. We used to like all the same bands.We used to have all the same friends.What do we have left in common? Just shared memories of good times long since past.

Maybe because Im a sucker for people who strip down things to the raw emotions of relationships, but I really like this song. Its hard to find people who are so insightful about what the core issues of their relationships truly are. We hide behind excuses, faulty logic, and inexplicable reasoning, so it's refreshing to hear, even when it's a band, someone acknowledge things for how they are. And the band accomplishes this so well in this song, which makes it excellent indeed. Im married, so I truly understand how a relationship can feel out of touch and how easy it is to let things slide. The ending of the song is brilliant at getting to the heart of what it takes to make something work, making the song title appear somewhat falsetto. This is the only voice I know.These are the only words I have.This is the only way I know how to say, we're breaking up. It's the same way that it's always been. It's the same way that it's always been. I'm not giving up on us. I'm not giving up on us. This song resonates with some of the things Im feeling right now, so I really identified with this song.

Again Dave, this is an excellent thread and one of the best ideas Ive seen in a long time! Im having a blast with this! I'll have something else up on Monday as it's Super Bowl weekend and my Steelers are playing!

 

[Dave]

February 5th 2011

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to my thread once more as I struggle to find a new band to add to my iTunes library every day. Just like a couple of days ago, I wont be around to post one tomorrow, so I am posting it just now in anticipation of the fact that I will have drunk so much that I cannot formulate coherent sentences any more tomorrow night. It is after 12 though, so it is all cool. Just like yesterday though, I am trying to keep the pigeons out of the pigeon holes and have decided that I should have a little change of musical genre to keep things interesting and more importantly, to ensure that my iTunes library is not filled with one genre of music. Today, I have tried to find a pop/punk alternative and have succeeded where I thought I couldn't.

Today's band is Forever The Sickest Kids. Unlike the rest of the entries, this entry was given to me by an ex-girlfriend of mine today. We still remain friends and whenever we go for lunch, we always talk about the bands and music that we have learned about recently. I'll give her some credit, she likes a lot of music and has a more eclectic taste that I do at times. One of the bands she talked about today was Forever The Sickest Kids. She mentioned a few more but this was the only one that I could actually remember her saying. Anyway, onto the songs we go!

Spoiler

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This is perhaps my favourite song by the aforementioned band.

“I don't know about you but I came to dance” is not only a witty title to a quirky little song but also describes my antics every Saturday night out. The song is quite heavy on guitar and the lyrics really write themselves. On top of that, they seem to get lodged in your brain and I have found myself reciting them on more than one occasion today. The guitar at the beginning really managed to draw me into the song and the rest of the song managed to hold my attention. Not only that but I found it to be rather infectious. A great little song that set-up the band for failure if I couldn't manage to find another song of theirs to add to my library.

Luckily though, this little number appeared on the Genius search list...

Spoiler

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This song is a bit of fun, isn't it? The bouncy lyrics and tone of the song make it quite an entertaining song. I personally didn't think it was as good as “IDKAYBICTD” but it is definitely something that I would listen to on a regular basis. I very much enjoyed the middle part of the song and the lyric that is repeated around 3,000 times during the song.

After listening to a few more of their songs, I am almost tempted to start downloading an album or two of theirs but I feel that I might be oddly disappointed. People speak really highly of their songs and albums but I have a feeling that those are the people who wait outside their shows, so that they can smell their sweat beads that drip from their faces... Weird people... I call it the Usher treatment. Usher has, at best, a couple of good songs on each of his labums and the rest is utter filler. I have a feeling that this band would be the same. That being said, these two songs are pretty damn good and if they are only an illustration of what they can do, then I am sold.

That being said, Forever The Sickest Kids are the band of the day!

 

[Dave]

February 6th 2011

Today, I have decided to go back to my rock roots with a band that may surprise a lot of people. Not due to their level of talent but rather due to the fact that this band should be in anyone's iTunes library. They are a ridiculously talented band that have a few fantastic songs. However, they are not a band that I have had any real exposure to. Anyway, time to get to the story. I was at one of my friends house today and for some fun, we decided to do something that really isn't that common any more. We decided to go back in technology and play the PlayStation 2! I know, shocker! Anyway, after messing around on a couple of games, we decided that it would be a great idea to play some Burnout 3: Takedown. As we played, I was absolutely blown away with how many good bands were on the soundtrack. One of the bands that was present was today's band of the day.

Their name is Rise Against...

Personally, I have never been exposed to Rise Against for any great amount of time and that is likely my loss. After playing Burnout for a little while, I decided that it is in our best interests to find some Rise Against songs that I could include here. My friend, a great admirer of this game helped me out and we found a couple of songs that would complete any iTunes library and I would love to share them with you right now:

Spoiler

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I bet you were expecting that to be Prayer Of The Refugee, right? I remember playing Guitar Hero 3 and loving that song. Truth be told though, it is my only knowledge of Rise Against. Out with that, I had not heard anything from or relating to the band. However, I get the feeling that they have a pretty big cult following. I am not ignorant and realise that a lot of people may follow this band to the end of the Earth. Their talent is unstoppable and some of their songs are fantastically written and performed.

Anyway, this song is named Savior, as you may have noticed. Really, I think I prefer this song to Prayer Of The Refugee. The latter of the entries relies more heavily on a catchy guitar solo that gets people interested from the offset. Whilst that song might be the best song to get people into the band, Savior definitely surpasses it in terms of pure, raw musical talent. It is an amazing song and the lyrics make it extra special for me. This song is very like many other Rise Against songs in that it seems to tackle so much than what is on the façade and illuminated in the lyrics. It is brilliantly infectious too. A couple of listens and I promise you will be singing along.

Spoiler

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This is the song that was included in the Takedown soundtrack and it fits the game so fantastically well. I was contemplating putting in Prayer Of The Refugee or Hero Of War in this slot but I chose to stick to the song that got me involved with the band in the first place. I love this song and it's tempo really gets you going. I already added this song to my workout playlist and I feel as though it is very at home on there. Perhaps that might be an option for you guys too. Nevertheless, this song is fantastic and is definitely one of the stand-out songs from a band that may be called one-dimensional but good at what they do.

Today's band of the day is Rise Against and I definitely would recommend checking out some more of their work that I have not included here.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

Thankfully I heard these two songs you posted a while ago, but the version of Boston you posted is not quite the same as I'm used to hearing, I know the version played a couple of octaves down a bit better, if you know the one I mean.

Anyway, my two songs are going to be ones I've listened to quite a lot recently. Both from the same artist, an up-and-comer singer/songwriter who started his work on the acoustic guitar but has produced album versions of his work which are equally brilliant. It was actually my friend who pointed the first song out to me but he never bothered to scout further into the guy's archive. So after doing so I've found an array of songs that I like. He's got quite an original voice and look but the genre isn't ground-breaking.

Anyway the first song, which was the one that got played to me, feels a little bit motown at first but with a deeper soul feel to it. It's got one of those chorus' you have to sing along to and if pretty addictive. For me it sounds like a debuting song of an album, the type that says I'm here and I'm different and invites people in. Anyway here it is:

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]m32pplDyPlo[/YOUTUBE]

My second by the same artist is an original acoustic rendition of a later released song. It's deep and really had me thinking after a while after I heard it. You can really empathise with the emotion in it unlike other songs where you appreciate it but it kindof passes you by. It's a very simple chord sequence but not typical and it's just very hard-hitting. There ya go:

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]N1Ig94Ja7hg&feature=channel[/YOUTUBE]

Hope they bring you as much thought and good times as they did me.

 

[red ass skull muhfukkah]

This seems fun and I just got a LastFM account today so I'll do this for a bit.

Well I came across this amazing woman after going to the White Stripes Radio Station. I knew a little about her because I'm a fan of old Rockabilly but I've never listened to her. It's Wanda Jackson

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]Kf5FvUt7iIw[/YOUTUBE]

This is probably her most famous song. I've been listening to it all day and found out she re-recorded it with Jack White for her new album, which I'll probably pick up next weekend.

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]pzJ3hiqsi0U[/YOUTUBE]

This is the first song when you look her up on youtube and I immediately loved it. It's her take on the famous Elvis song and I found it to be way ahead of it's time. A woman in that era performing the way she did was just phenomenal. I hate throwing this term around but she was definitely punk. Badass at the very least.

 

[Dave]

Thanks for all the participation, gentlemen. It means a lot to me that you are getting involved in this idea. Honestly, it keeps me motivated to keep doing this every day, knowing that I could be at it for hours before I find a couple of songs that I can add. So, thanks a lot.

February 7th 2011

Today was a weird day.

Not only did I find my band of the day in around 10 minutes, I was shocked to find out how long they had been going for and that the second song I am going to post was performed by them. Honestly, I had no idea they were such an enduring band and it took me by surprise a little but. I must admit that I have heard both of the songs that I am going to post but neither of them are in my iTunes library, so it totally counts!

Anyway, today's band of the day is Train. A band who you could have told me was formed in 2010 and I would have likely believed you. Anyway, here is the first song by Train...

Spoiler

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This song is utterly incredible and I was utterly shocked to see that I didn't have it in my library. Of course, I do have over 5,000 songs at this point and keeping track of every single band that I like gets to be a little difficult. This song, in particular, is just the type of music that I love. It is all about the emotion that the vocalist can bring to the song, whilst the music backs that up. Hey, Soul Sister is a fantastic song and like a lot of the other songs I have noted, it is amazingly infectious. Not only that, it is the first song I perform at karaoke... And I love karaoke

As I stated though, this is entirely up my street. I like acoustic sounding music that I can just chill out to. I found this band through LastFM after searching for Five For Fighting, who have a couple of great songs just like this. Superman is one of those great songs. I love when I can just put in my headphones and just relax to some acoustic vibes. This song just hits all of the right spots, doesn't it?

Spoiler

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This song, as I mentioned, took me entirely by surprise. Not only had I heard it before, I was sure it was years and years ago. Perhaps it was but words cannot describe my shock when I typed in Train to Youtube and found this song. With that being said, it really is a great song. Listening to it might make you a little depressed but that is what music is all about, conveying emotion.

The lyrics are just fantastic and the heavy use of piano just adds more and more environment to the sound. Personally, I love this song and I cannot believe my luck that I found it whilst not even looking for it.

Today's band of the day is Train... Surprisingly!

 

[Dave]

8th of February 2011

Today, I really wasn't sure what I wanted to go after in terms of genre. Normally, the first thing I will do is decide what kind of mood I am in. Unfortunately, I have just felt very lethargic today and the thought of listening to tonnes of music really wasn't a thought that was appealing to me. So, to combat the fact that I likely wouldn't have liked anything outside of my norm, I decided to go back to hardcore rock/punk music in an attempt to make this process as painless and quick as possible.

Unfortunately, this was not to be. It really took me a while to get in the swing of anything and bands that would normally have appealed to me just really weren't hitting the spot this morning. That being said, I haven taken a leaf from the book of John Cena and didn't give up. As I trawled my way through shit band upon shit band, I finally found a band worthy of downloading and adding to my collection of music that took a chop last night. I decided to delete 1,000 songs and although I only managed to get around 600, I am still happy with my work as it frees up some space for today's band of the day... Story Of The Year!

Before I introduce the songs to you, I must admit that this band seems really familiar for some reason. The name alone is enough to cause a flicker of nostalgia in me but I have no idea how I know them or where I know them from. In addition to this, I have never heard one of their songs that I could remember. After going through some of their work, nothing seemed familiar to me and I suppose that is a good thing. The following song is perhaps the closest I came to finding anything that really sounded familiar but I do not recognise it at all.

Spoiler

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This song, Anthem Of Our Dying Day, was the first song by Story Of The Year that I listened to and was really the song that got me into the band. Perhaps Milenko should make a note of that... Anyway, it is a great mix of soft rock and hardcore dynamics. After going through some of their songs on Youtube, I think that this is my favourite songs of theirs.

It is the exact thing that I am looking for. For me, there is nothing better than putting in your headphones and listening to some metal and rock. This song should fit into that mould perfectly. Not only does it have some great lyrics in it, it is not a cookie cutter rock anthem. It adds some softer elements to it and really is something a bit special. I think it is a great song and really fuelled my pursuit of another song that would mean I could include them. Eventually, I found this one:

Spoiler

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Call me one-dimensional all you like but I absolutely adore this song. From the “Oh” at the start to the very end, this is exactly my sort of tune. The vocal performance is powerful and the power is completely matched by the guitar and percussion elements of this song. I really liked a few of this bands songs but this is perhaps the one that comes closest to my style of music and that is why I decided to include it.

I am fully aware that this style of music will not suit everyone but I love it! Today's band of the day is Story Of The Year!

 

[Dave]

9th of February 2011

Today, I had a thought that I would try my best to see if I could make something new come to the forefront of this thread. I tried acoustic sensations like Eric Hutchinson but I wasn't really feeling it today. Perhaps it was because I am just back from the gym at the time of writing this and all I want to hear is tracks that would burst my eardrums in the gym when I am trying to power out that last rep. I like to relax and chill out as much as the next guy with some acoustic sounds but I just wasn't in the mood for it this afternoon.

S, with that in mind, I had to try and get something new. Eric Hutchinson, by the way, is pretty good at what he does. He is very similar to Jason Mraz if that is your thing. Normally, I would love it and I highly recommend that you give him a try. You have nothing to lose and might gain a couple of chilled-out songs to your library. Truth be told, I was a little lost today. I didn't really know what I wanted to accomplish and what sounds I wanted. For some inspiration, I decided to look up the soundtrack for some of the Smackdown vs. Raw games of the past. Normally, that is the type of music that I really like and with a stroke of luck, I found my band of the day...

Zebrahead!

Zebrahead are very like The Offspring, I think. Little did I know that Zebrahead had some connections to the WWE. One of the songs that was listed on SvR was this one:

Spoiler

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I seem to recall this being my favourite track on the game right after Firefly by Breaking Benjamin. The guitar in this song is just awesome and I absolutely love the drum element of the song too. Altogether, it is the song that got me into Zebrahead as I looked it up today and fell back in love with it. Alone is the other song that was listed on SvR but this song just kicks the ass out of the other one.

If you like this sort of music, then there is no better song than this one. It is going straight into my gym playlist along with the other song of their, bringing me nicely onto my second addition to my music library...

Spoiler

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Rep for the first person to tell where I know this song from... Too late! It is Maria's entrance theme from her time in the WWE.

Now, being that I am head over heels in love with Maria Kanellis, I cannot believe that I didn't have this song in the library. It is a great song and fits the character of Maria fantastically well. This is another great song from Zebrahead and it is the type of songs that they really kick ass at. If you like these two songs, then Zebrahead will be a great addition to your music library because their songs are pretty much the same thing, which can be a good thing sometimes... If something isn't broke, then don't fix it.

Today's band of the day is Zebrahead!

 

[LSN80]

February 9th, 2011
So Im doing my damndest to explore stuff outside of my typical genre of music. One of the things I like most about a band is when they take a song and strip it down to just an acoustic version of the song, as it gives me an entirely different perspective on the band, the songwriting process, and the lyrics themselves even. So I used the Genius feature on my Itunes account with my favorite acoustic song, One Lonely Visitor by Chevelle, which is a great song by a great band as well. But I can't justify using them because I own every disc of theirs on my Ipod, so Id be essentially cheating. What i can do is give you what I think now amounts to likely my second favorite accoustic song, and another song by the same band that I quite liked as well. So my band of the day is Blindside!


Blindside: Sleepwalking
[YOUTUBE]XsPcpwZoGYE[/YOUTUBE]

Let me first assure you that the acoustic version of the song and the band version of the song sound completely different! I preferred this version so much more. I realize that the lyrics may not appeal to everyone, as Blindside is apparently a Christian band, and are speaking about some sort of "spiritual" awakening. But I think the song in itself can appeal to everyone in that it's quite melodious, has a nice hook, and flows nicely throughout. As for the whole awakening part, leave it open to your own intepretation, because nothing is overtly said in reference to God. Sometimes it's fun just to speculate, or just come up with personal meaning to songs, however innacurate they may be. I do it all the time!

Blindside: All of Us
[YOUTUBE]b_9JSjxvJos[/YOUTUBE]

And this is what the band sounds like all cranked up! Again, open to your own interpretation. I read the band's own explanation for the lyrics, but they don't have to be yours, or mine. One of the things I like most about ambigious music such such as this is that it doesn't pigeonhole itself into one sort of explanation or another, it allows us to explore thought, feeling, and emotion, and run with it as far as we freaking can. The song is about falling away from something and not feeling the strength to get back to the place one needs to, but how many scenarios and situations can that apply to? So many, so just enjoy the song and let it mean whatever you want it to mean to you.

 

[Dave]

10th of February 2011

Hooray for alternative rock music! Honestly, there was a phase I went through in high school, whereby the only songs I would listen to were by bands like Panic! At The Disco and My Chemical Romance. As is usually the tale of woe given by people in my situation, said situation was brought upon me by a girl I was seeing. I mean, she wanted to listen to some really crap music and I couldn’t turn around and say that it was the trash that it absolutely was. No! I had to nod my head and get stuck into it with arms wide open.

However, a strange scenario began to unfold when I started to listen to it myself. It didn't feel as though I was only listening to it in the ultimate goal of feeling a closer connection to her. No, I actually kind of liked some of what I was hearing. It took me a while but albums like “The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance and “Infinity On High” by Fall Out Boy become a huge part of my music collection. There was a shift in my mentality that went from tolerating them to actually enjoying them and I can still remember those moments. Since then, I have not really been too well-versed in this sub-category of rock music but I felt as though I should indulge myself today.

Anyway, after searching through my library for a base point for today's find, I decided to go with the All American Rejects. I am not such a huge fan of theirs but I knew that it would bring up a couple of bands that I could scope out. Finally, I found today's band... All Time Low.

Spoiler

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This song is a great example of the genre that I liked back when I was 15 and a genre that I can still enjoy today. It is a poppy little song that tells of teenage woe and about overcoming those trials. Now, I am never one to get wrapped up in such things but if you are a successful band your music is receiving millions of hits on Youtube, there is a good chance that your life is doing pretty damn well. With the obvious point of attack out of the way, I really like this song and the video included.

All Time Low seem to be a one-dimensional band but that shouldn't put you off in the slightest. If you like this sort of music, then this band is very much for you. In all honesty, it has brought me back to the days when this sort of music was popular with people around my age group and that is why music is so great. No matter what the sound is, you always have a memory for it and that is the case with this endeavour. A nice little song that takes me back.

Spoiler

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This song is probably my favourite song from All Time Low and I reckon it is the finest song they have done. Not only does it remind me of the age I mentioned previously, it also reminds me of bands like All American Rejects and Maximo Park. Honestly, I know that I shouldn't like soft rock such as this but I cannot help it sometimes. This song is brilliant and it is hard not to like it... At least a little bit.

All of their songs are pretty similar but you will find that they are a greatly infectious sort of band that you may or may not enjoy. I just personally do.

Today's band of the day is All Time Low!

 

[LSN80]

February 10th 2011

So for today's offerring, I was looking for a band that truly attempted to convey the feelings Im currently experiencing, and maybe help lift me out of my current funk, if only for a bit. There were several routes i could have gone with this, and several bands that certainly fit the mold. I actually discovered two bands today that really conveyed what's going on with me, and perhaps Ill use the other on a different day, if Im still "in that mood." But for today, the songs from the band Saosin I actually did some research on the name of the band, and its meaning. Saosin is loosely translated to mean caution, and dates back to an old 15th century proverb about the idea of avoiding attachment in any way to any one thing, because it could be lost or die at any time. True words indeed, so im feeling this band already! Once listening to about 5 songs, it wasn't hard to find two songs that I both enjoyed and also conveyed the emotional state Im currently in. So without further explanation, the band of the day is Saosin!

Saosin: You're not Alone
[YOUTUBE]y9-0M3BrQ2M[/YOUTUBE]

Im not ashamed to admit that this song brought a tear to my eye the first time I heard it. Whether it was the soothing nature of the lead singer, the way the band harmonized throughout, or the pinpoint lyrics, I was blown away by this song. Youre not alone, there is more to this I know, you can make it out, you will live to tell. Again, I love the open interpretation of the lyrics here. I could easily identify the idea of "not being alone" as in relation to a higher power, my wife, a close friend, or family members. And as I struggle through the day, this song resonates with me because I know that the best triumphs always come from the ashes of the greatest defeats, and it makes for hell of a story afterwards. Even if the struggle is just for today, as it is for me, it's the experience and seeing through to the other side that is so important. Are songs like this a dime a dozen? Perhaps. But this conveyed exactly the way Im feeling today, and the belief I have that things truly will improve, and make for a better day manana. Its a good feeling to "own" a song, if you know what I mean, and I really feel that way about this song.

Saosin: Voices
[YOUTUBE]2lYfBegxL5w[/YOUTUBE]

I am extremely passive aggressive in nature, and I think this song reflects this way of expressing emotion well. We speak in different voices, when fighting with the ones we love, we speak in different voices, why can't we say what we're thinking of? This nature of mine has been a pattern throughout my life, and Im much too lazy to make a commitment to try and break it, honestly. It's certainly carried over into my married life, as Im currently pissed as hell at something my wife said over dinner yesterday afternoon, even though I know it was unintentional on her part. I've yet to relay my feelings to her, unless you include ignoring her all of last night, and making coffee and breakfast for one this morning instead of two as I usually do. Im sure she's got the hint by now. It baffles me that I find myself unable to truly just say "This is what you said, it pissed me off, and this is why." But like the song alluded, Im communicating with her in an entirely different way. Instead of expressing my true emotions, I play with hers in doing things that are so damn dumb. They don't benefit the relationship whatsoever, from an emotional, communicative, or physical standpoint. But it's the way Ive always been, and this song describes those emotions quite well, and it's a great song to boot. Anyway, enjoy Saosin, I know I have!

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

I'm going to have to appeal to you first off for not reaching for your gun and coming to find me when I write this, because I understand the stigma this band has attached to them. These days being in a band, being popular and not having a beard can instantly earn you the title of "sell-outs" or being popular only because of an army of 12 year old girls who would literally throw themselves off a cliff if you asked them to. Please don't let that stop you from enjoying this though. Music these days should only be criticized for being uncreative and generic, not for who writes/ performs it, and the music of this band is anything but ordinary. As I'm sure the fact they were able to create their own record label after a mere couple of albums will attest to. So without further ado my band of the day is going to be McFly.

I used to dislike this band, but as is often the case, if you don't catch the wave you feel envious of everyone else who did, and not always because you don't like surfing. It's wrong to dislike something because it's popular, better to listen to it no matter how much it pains you and make a fair assessment of whether you ACTUALLY like the band/artist and then you can start cupping your ears when they come on the radio next time. For me that's exactly what happened with this band, I gave them a fair chance and found out I was being stupidly resentful, because they have written some stunners.

The first song is a more recent song of their's. The band consists of four members and two of them usually share the vocals but on this occasion the chorus is sung by one of the other two band members, and he does a good job of it. It's good to listen to because it doesn't take itself too seriously like 90% or music these days, the guys are clearly having fun making a nice catchy innocent song and it becomes infectious once youg give it a couple of tries:

[YOUTUBE]TWoLZpuRN9k[/YOUTUBE]

If that didn't convince you that a band composed of guys who are in their mid-20s but remind you of you the first time you went to the pub, I'll just have to try again:

[YOUTUBE]Yle1YEjmGf0[/YOUTUBE]

There you go guys, and remember your open minds.

 

[Dave]

McFly! That is priceless. Kudos!

Anyway, on with the show...

February 11th 2011

After reading about McFly yesterday, I was definitely in the mood for something of that ilk. Then, in that moment of utter femininity, he band struck me like a bolt of lighting right down my spine and deep into my soul (Can I write or what?). The band is one that has really fallen away, in that they no longer exist. However, before they made like a banana, they had the world at their feet. Not only were they the first British rock group to adopt the style of music that McFly (see earlier post) was famous for and still are. No, this was the original boy band that played guitars and their place in British music history will never be in doubt.

Today's band of the day is... Busted!

Spoiler

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Rock on, my homies! Rock the fuck on!

This song is amazingly good in that it is fucking terrible. When I was a teenager though, this band was the hottest shit you are ever likely to come across. Not only did they have hoards of screaming girls waiting outside their shows, they actually had some crossover appeal with the fine young gentlemen of society. I remember asking for a Busted CD when I was just a young padowan and words cannot describe how crushed I was when my sister opened her presents on Christmas Day to find that she had received the album instead.

I guess my Mum saved me from changing my sexual orientation with that one choice and I will never stop thanking her for that. Seriously, this band was everywhere for a long time. They seemed to be the voice of my generation when I was growing up and I recall even seeing a “Most Likely To Be The Next Busted” award when I was flicking through the channels one day. The winners of said award? McFly. See how all of that ties together? Anyway, I sang this song on the karaoke for my 18th birthday party and everyone went crazy for it. It is a legendary song... Terrible or not!

Spoiler

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That's right! They even did the theme song for the release of the Thunderbirds movie a couple of years ago. Not only that but it is a fucking epic song. It's like people sat around a table and asked themselves how they could make the Thunderbirds theme song so much more badass and came up with the idea of adding a pretty protruding drum-line and some electric guitars!

But seriously, this song needs to go onto my iPod. I used to have a song or two of theirs on there but it seems to have disappeared a long time ago when I first got my iPod Touch. Unfortunately, they never made a return to the promised land... Until now!

Today's band of the day is Mu'fuckin Busted! Enjoy!

 

[LSN80]

Lol, both of those bands were, and always will be, horrendous! Major props to both of you for having the balls to post them! Thunderbirds are go! Good times indeed! I remember that song from the first club I visited in college and everyone looking around with their "The f*ck is that?" faces, and going right back to their night of debauchery and hedonism. Greaaaaat friggin times indeed!

February 11th 2011

I cheated slightly here and grabbed my wife's Ipod today, for a couple of reasons. One, I have no idea what's actually on it, so I was morbidly curious. I was hoping I would find something, anything other then the hip hop and rap she tortures me with in the car, although I pretend to hate it alot more then I actually do! Much to my surprise, I found success! I stumbled across an band I'd never heard before, or of. While some of their stuff sounds quite sadistic in nature(such as Chloroform the One you Love), I think I stumbled onto something good with my band of the day, which is Flickerstick!

Flickerstick: Coke
[YOUTUBE]KrYLZjmS3mA[/YOUTUBE]

Okay, first let me say here that the lyrics are supremely unoriginal and beat, at best. From the stuff I sampled, the depth of their lyrics is not something that will endear this band to you. But it's good for what it is, and that's simply a feel good song. When we strip away the layers of life and the complications of a relationship, sometimes things can get so complicated and messed up and sometimes you just wish it could go back to the simplicity it had before, such as solving all your problems just in buying someone a soft drink! Ha! They even sneak in a cheap plug for Coke at the beginning with It's the real thing! Despite the fact that the song reaks of desperation and simplicity, it's a fun listen and it grows on you, I promise.

Flickerstick: Fade Into You
[YOUTUBE]kqoChbuaEKs[/YOUTUBE]

Sounds familar, doesn't it? Yes, I know it's a cover of the 1994 Mazzy Star song, which is infinitely better than this one. But to me, this song is more about the memory. A reminder, if you will, of an era of alternative music that defined a generation post Seattle-grunge. Memories of teenage make out sessions, slow dances, and romantic courting. Words coming from a shy wallflower type that is finally confessing their feelings to the object of his or her affection. The bittersweet story of falling in love with someone that is completely incapable of living up to expectations. Everything we unrealistically go through in the throws of our teenage years, in short.

There wasn't a whole lot about Flickerstick that stood out as remarkable or empowering, but it was the utter simplicity and back to basics lyrics that made me somewhat nostalgic. Their spin on the Mazzy Star classic was a fun memory of my teenage years. If you havent caught the original, go out of your way to find it. It's fun, in a sort of trippy, psychadelic sort of way! Anyway, the band of the day is Flickerstick!

 

[Dave]

12th of February 2011

Today has been a horrible day for me. When I was out last night, I got one of the most harrowing calls of my life. One of my Uncles, whom I haven't seen in a long time, died in his sleep. He was very young and died, peacefully, at the age of 47. For a long time, he was one of the best friends I could ask for. He was funny, a graceful person and very honest about everything. He moved away when I was 15 to Wimbledon and I never saw him again, except for one time at my cousin's wedding.

His death, albeit sudden wasn't a surprise as he battled cancer for a few years. Given that my Gran died of the same disease last year, this death brought all of that back. I may not have known him as well as I should have over the last few years but his death really hit home for me. I know that I really shouldn't be saying any of this to you guys but writing it down on paper seems to make it a little better. Getting it off of my chest seems to be the easiest thing to do.

Today's song choices are not the usual songs that I would listen to. In fact, they were from his favourite band and I commemorate this post, as little as it may be and as feeble a gesture as it is, to Brian Kane. Man that taught me the virtues of patience, grace and having a level head.

Today's band of the day is The Verve.

Spoiler

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At times like this, music becomes the greatest medium in the world. No matter how many words are spoken in comfort to me, nothing compares to sharing the same bond through music. I remember sitting in his bedroom when I was just a kid and listening to music. The Verve were one of his favourite bands and every time I hear a song by this band, I am immediately transported back to the days where I would lay go to his music folders and pull the cassette tapes out of their holders so that he would listen to music with me.

This song in particular takes me way back to that moment. He loved this band and song so much that any time we would be at an event. He would ask to sing it and bring us all down to Earth with a bump with his horrendous singing voice. As cliché as it sounds right now, there is nothing I wouldn't give to hear him singing badly again.

Spoiler

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This song just brings a tear to my eye and now that it means something so much more than words and music, I feel a connection it, as pathetic as that may sound. It describes exactly what people, not just me, go through when they lose a loved one and there is nothing that comes as close to defining that sadness than this song. It is beautiful and the vocal talent of Richard Ashcroft really hammers the point home, accompanied by the prevalent string section of this song.

Literally the most touching song ever released, I think.

Today's band of the day, in memory of Brian Kane, is The Verve!

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

I'm sorry about your uncle Dave, I know there was another thread for it but here's a good a place as any.

Febuary 13th 2011

My brother's birthday today. That hasn't anything to do with anything but I thought I'd mention. So so my artist today. What attracted me towards them, as seems to happens a lot with me, is seeing them on a T.V. show, in this case Never Mind the Buzzcocks. P.s. the other show that usually does that is Jools Holland. What attracted me to them was 2 things, 1) Their innocence, they seemed genuine like a sort of person I could listen to and not feel they were spinning me a load of rubbish to get my money and 2) They could actually sing......live.....in person! I always like this in an artist so at this time I was pretty sold already. If you've had your radio on for any period of time in the last year you'll probably have heard them. If you still haven't got it I'll put you out of your misery, today's artist is Paloma Faith.

Now my first song is one of those situations where you'd heard the song and knew the artist but never put 2 and 2 together to actually attribute the song to them. When I found out it was hers I was easily persuaded to give it a listen in my own time. I wasn't disappointed. It's got a few clever lyrics notably "she stood so tall and she never slept, there was not one thing he could regret". I love the intro and outro also, they sort of make me think of some whodunnit sleuth show but they don't change the theme of the song. The opening where it's just a drum beat and the whole orchestra eases it's way in until the chorsu which is a stand-alone chorus, really one of the best I've heard in a while. I really buy the emotion of the song but that may just be because I buy her as a person. Either way, here it is:

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]Ki0xBb2wbr4[/YOUTUBE]​

My second song is a little more recent I think. I don't like it nearly as much as the first but once again I really buy into the chorus part of the song, it's what grabbed me and made me listen more than once. I have heard this one around quite a bit recently so it's testament to the fact she is quite a popular girl right now. The second song is:

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]steC-8NSVIw&feature=channel[/YOUTUBE]​

Enjoy.