MAD's ROUND 2!! # 1's have been posted!! (1 Viewer)

[AAABatteries]

The Unique Sound of Nathaniel Rateliff

 

[titusbramble]

I love Wikipedia:

"Despite their name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band"

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I have to give you my Sia Introduction/Writeup now because I am leaving for Hawaii later this week. Hooray for being behind on the playlists before it even begins! This writeup and a lot of my song writeups will be summarized from various reddit posts as I'm fairly new to most of her catalog.

Sia Kate Isobelle Furler

Sia is an Australian singer/songwriter/producer/activist/wig enthusiast, She is famous for her unique raspy voice and voice cracks, and songwriting credits. Sia's music has changed genres a couple of times over her career. She started out singing for an acid jazz band called Crisp. When they disbanded in 1997, she then did some vocals for the British triphop duo Zero 7, before releasing her solo albums and seeing some success. If you've ever watched the HBO show "Six Feet Under", in particular the finale (AKA best series finale ever), I'm sure you remember and recognize one song that grew popular in the US because of its use in this episode. A few more years down the line, she began doing some songwriting for other pop artists before releasing her own pop albums that thrust her into stardom.

Sia's catalog can be categorized as pre-2010 and post-2010. While her life has always been problematic, in 2010, her growing fame, couple with her addictions, depression, and diagnosis with Graves disease took its toll. She refused to do promos for her tours, began to wear a mask on stage and became increasingly dependent on drugs and alcohol on the road. This nearly drove her to suicide. She took a hiatus from singing and public appearances, and began her career as a songwriter, writing songs for other famous and rising pop stars including Beyoncé, Kylie Minogue, Flo Rida and Rihanna. In 2014, she burst back onto the scene with what many consider her magnum opus album that was praised for its personal tone and showcased Sia's vulnerable side. This also marked her transition from an indie "jazzy rock" singer to full on pop music. Because of all of this, I have chosen to present her playlist in chronological order. I will include my personal rankings in song writeups.

What to expect from a Sia song:

Pre-2010: Minimal, upbeat jazz influenced songs with themes being introspective or relationship based. Some labels for this stage of her career have included jazz, folktronica, synthpop.
Post-2010: Electro-heavy, down tempo songs, with powerful vocals and lyrics full of metaphors about her own personal conflicts.

My playlist will also include some interesting covers Sia has done, as well as some songs from other artists that she has written. So if you see a song on the playlist from a seemingly new artist out of nowhere, it's a song Sia wrote. Since these come right in the middle of her career, this will be a nice intermission in between her pre and post 2010 work.

Why did I choose Sia?

When I did my Sigur Ros playlist, I mentioned that I really like music that delivers powerful emotions and really makes you feel things. I feel like Sia's voice and songs deliver this like few other pop artists have. I also wanted to switch it up and go with an artist this is a bit more accessible. I really liked the inclusion of Taylor Swift in the last draft (and was bummed when Beyonce didn't happen), and I feel like this one will have similar vibes, surprising a lot of people who may only see her as a pop singer.

I, like many, first discovered Sia while watching Six Feet Under as mentioned above, and I probably had that song on repeat for a month. Despite this, at the time I never really dove into her catalog, granted this was very early in her career and there was not much solo stuff out there. It wasn't until hearing Chandelier years later on all the radio stations that I realized there was something that clicked with me about her music in general. I now have a bunch of new favorites from this deep dive.

Good day to post the Sia preview. Tonight is the premiere of the new season of Survivor. Sia is a Survivor superfan, obsessed to the point where she gives out money (usually $15K or $100K) to the people she likes most from each season.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

CSNY History – Part 2

So they make their debut album, with each of them contributing some excellent songs. The album is a massive hit, and established CSN as a supergroup. But there was a problem… playing live.

Stills is one of those “plays all the instruments” guys. He played most of the stuff on the CSN album (Dallas Taylor played drums). Crosby could noodle a bit on rhythm guitar, as could Nash (plus keyboards) but neither is considered anything but ordinary there. They needed at least one other musician/guitar to make it work live. And they were scheduled to play Woodstock shortly.

Stills said “hey, how about Neil Young”? The others were not so enthused. Stills was, because even though he and Neil butted heads in Buffalo Springfield, they also played guitar rather well together, and there was a lot of mutual respect. Crosby was ok with it after awhile, but Nash needed convincing. He and Neil went out to breakfast, where Neil sold him on the idea. But Neil was not coming in as a hired gun – he wanted to be a full member, so CSN now becomes CSNY.

Neil brought a bit of a darker edge to the group, but you could also say “life” (plus drugs) did that too. Crosby’s girlfriend was killed in a car accident, Stephen and his girl were on the outs, and Nash and Joni Mitchell were deep into their relationship (“Our House” is about them), which was filled with highs and lows.

This is evident on the second album, Déjà vu. It’s usually considered “equal or maybe a little better” than the first album, but it is nowhere near as upbeat. As the album was rising the charts, Kent State happens, and CSNY felt “we have to get a message out there”. In a day, Neil writes the song Ohio, and they perform it and release it to massive success. They could do no wrong… or could they?

Crosby was actually a fantastic guitarist in his own way -- both on acoustic and on rhythm electric. His playing wasn't showy like Stills' and Young's, but he used odd tunings that gave him a very distinctive sound. And Stills and Young both said that their guitar duels (see "Southern Man" and "Carry On" from the 4 Way Street live album) got as crazy as they did because they were trying to hear themselves over Crosby's extremely loud rhythm playing.

The idea for Neil to join CSNY actually came from Ahmet Ertegun, founder and president of Atlantic Records. He talked Stills into it, and then Stills talked Crosby, Nash and Young into it. Stills' first idea was to hire a touring keyboardist, and he asked Mark Naftalin from the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, who turned him down. If Naftalin had accepted, CSNY might never have existed.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Crosby did a boatload of heroin, gets jailed for drugs and guns, and eventually drives the other three away – it’s pretty telling that none of the other three (who all remained friends) were on speaking terms with him when he died.

Don't forget the freebase cocaine!

The others were fine with Crosby until 2014, when he said some nasty things about Daryl Hannah, whom Neil had left his wife for (they are now married). Neil never forgave him for that, and the other two were put off by it. He severed his relationship with Nash when he accused Nash of only being his friend/supporting him because he wanted to keep making money from their partnership. A couple of years ago Stills said that he was the only one of the group that still spoke to Crosby.

Crosby's collaborator in his final years was his biological son James Raymond, who was given up for adoption at birth and whom he did not meet until the late '90s. Raymond, a jazz keyboardist, found Crosby when he decided to search for his biological parents, and they decided to start making music together, first with the band CPR (which also included guitarist Jeff Pevar) and later on the non-CSN/CSNY work Crosby did for the rest of his life.

Crosby did reach out to Nash to ask if he could arrange a phone call to apologize, and Nash agreed to hear from him. We now know that this was because Crosby knew he was dying. He passed away before the phone call could happen.

 

[titusbramble]

Quick breakdown of selections:

Queens of the Stone Age 21 (s/t 2, Rated R 3, Songs for the Deaf 6, Lullabies to Paralyze 1, Era Vulgaris 5, Like Clockwork 2, Villains 1, In Times New Roman 1)
Kyuss 4
Eagles of Death Metal 3
Them Crooked Vultures 2

Then 1 wildcard that I won't say, as it'll give away the exact track

Yeah...Songs for the Deaf is pretty close to a masterpiece...

Yep, that and Toxicity were pretty much my go to albums of my final year at uni

 

[falguy]

Daryl Hannah, whom Neil had left his wife for (they are now married)

I was today years old when I learned this. Thought she was 30 younger than him. Turns out only 15.

 

[AAABatteries]

**Getz - will have my list submitted today

@Zegras11 - I've now submitted.

My apologies if you have said already but do you have the date you plan to start the countdown? I'll be out of the woods by Monday but wanted to know if I need to check in to post my song writeup.

 

[Eephus]

Don't forget the freebase cocaine!

Road trip!

 

[jwb]

Crosby did a boatload of heroin, gets jailed for drugs and guns, and eventually drives the other three away – it’s pretty telling that none of the other three (who all remained friends) were on speaking terms with him when he died.

Don't forget the freebase cocaine!

Yea, that was probably his #1. I did forget. I know he (and his wife Jan) were a real mess for many years.

 

[Ilov80s]

Quick breakdown of selections:

Queens of the Stone Age 21 (s/t 2, Rated R 3, Songs for the Deaf 6, Lullabies to Paralyze 1, Era Vulgaris 5, Like Clockwork 2, Villains 1, In Times New Roman 1)
Kyuss 4
Eagles of Death Metal 3
Them Crooked Vultures 2

Then 1 wildcard that I won't say, as it'll give away the exact track

Yeah...Songs for the Deaf is pretty close to a masterpiece...

Yep, not the biggest fan of the band or his work but that abum is all killer no filler as they say

 

[Zegras11]

**Getz - will have my list submitted today

@Zegras11 - I've now submitted.

My apologies if you have said already but do you have the date you plan to start the countdown? I'll be out of the woods by Monday but wanted to know if I need to check in to post my song writeup.

I'm thinking Sunday night for #31's if there are no delays. Damn Zegras guy could be a problem though

 

[plinko]

TANYA DONELLY breakdown -- OK let me get into this. Most of you probably know her as the frontwoman of early nineties hotshots Belly, who had a pretty big debut album, and a follow-up that was seen as a flop even though it was quite good. You probably know she had been in Throwing Muses with her stepsister Kristin Hersh, as well as the first incarnation of the Breeders with friend Kim Deal. And you might even know that Tanya followed her subsequent Belly breakup with some solid if not super compelling solo work.

Unless you were a Belly fan, you might not know that Belly had a lot of quality B-sides and cover songs that can hang with their best album material. Or that Tanya released a series of collaborative EPs in the early teens that constitute the best solo work that she's done. And thanks to those two tidbits - and the fact the Belly B-sides have been only recently released to streaming, I can put together what I consider an excellent set of 31 for you all.

I'm going to save Throwing Muses story for when they show up in the countdown. I won't have much to say on it, there's a good enough youtube interview to link. Save it for now.

The Breeders didn't go her way, and if you do watch that video you'll hear her say that the Belly record Star was actually a bunch of stuff she wrote for Breeders, but then Kim Deal opted to keep working with the Pixies for a stretch, so Tanya took her ball and went home. There are no Breeders tracks with TD on vocals, so no Breeders tracks on the list. She's done a lot of outside backup and extra vocal work, but none of that is here, I'm only doing Tanya up front material.

So her merry band of Rhode Island buddies, Belly's debut album Star did great, behind the hit alternative single "Feed the Tree". 2-3 years later they released their second record King, I thought it was great but they didn't get a hit and it didn't sell well. Not long after that, Tanya met her soulmate, got married, settled down and busted Belly up.

(She'd bring them back together in 2018 for a reunion album. It wasn't very good, and it isn't on Spotify anyway, so there's nothing from DOVE on the countdown.)

After three decent solo albums, each a little less on the radar than the one before, she took a long family break before the set of online EPs she called Swan Song Series, working with a variety of friends and collaborators, and she might have somewhat meant it as her swan song because besides the Belly dud all she's released is a covers record with family folksters the Parkington Sisters, in 2020.

I'd love to hear more of the Swan Song style stuff, myself. Some quality tunes there and I hope you'll agree.

So the breakdown of our 31 looks a little like this...

16 Belly songs
12 Tanya songs
3 Throwing Muses songs
On the subject of covers, we've got 5 to look forward to. She's covered a lot of great stuff, and I've tried to keep my choices different and interesting.

Some samples from the cutting room floor:

Throwing Muses, from the last record she did with them, Honeychain
A Belly studio cut, their first single Gepetto
A Belly B-side, from the Feed the Tree single Dream On Me
A Belly cover. A Tanya cover.
One of two swan songs on Swan Song Series - Cygnet Song

That's it, then... let's goooooooo

 

[krista4]

I love Wikipedia:

"Despite their name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band"

Does it mention whether they are actually eagles?

 

[Eephus]

-3 years later they released their second record King, I thought it was great but they didn't get a hit and it didn't sell well.

Always loved this record

 

[Raging weasel]

TANYA DONELLY breakdown -- OK let me get into this. Most of you probably know her as the frontwoman of early nineties hotshots Belly, who had a pretty big debut album, and a follow-up that was seen as a flop even though it was quite good. You probably know she had been in Throwing Muses with her stepsister Kristin Hersh, as well as the first incarnation of the Breeders with friend Kim Deal. And you might even know that Tanya followed her subsequent Belly breakup with some solid if not super compelling solo work.

Unless you were a Belly fan, you might not know that Belly had a lot of quality B-sides and cover songs that can hang with their best album material. Or that Tanya released a series of collaborative EPs in the early teens that constitute the best solo work that she's done. And thanks to those two tidbits - and the fact the Belly B-sides have been only recently released to streaming, I can put together what I consider an excellent set of 31 for you all.

I'm going to save Throwing Muses story for when they show up in the countdown. I won't have much to say on it, there's a good enough youtube interview to link. Save it for now.

The Breeders didn't go her way, and if you do watch that video you'll hear her say that the Belly record Star was actually a bunch of stuff she wrote for Breeders, but then Kim Deal opted to keep working with the Pixies for a stretch, so Tanya took her ball and went home. There are no Breeders tracks with TD on vocals, so no Breeders tracks on the list. She's done a lot of outside backup and extra vocal work, but none of that is here, I'm only doing Tanya up front material.

So her merry band of Rhode Island buddies, Belly's debut album Star did great, behind the hit alternative single "Feed the Tree". 2-3 years later they released their second record King, I thought it was great but they didn't get a hit and it didn't sell well. Not long after that, Tanya met her soulmate, got married, settled down and busted Belly up.

(She'd bring them back together in 2018 for a reunion album. It wasn't very good, and it isn't on Spotify anyway, so there's nothing from DOVE on the countdown.)

After three decent solo albums, each a little less on the radar than the one before, she took a long family break before the set of online EPs she called Swan Song Series, working with a variety of friends and collaborators, and she might have somewhat meant it as her swan song because besides the Belly dud all she's released is a covers record with family folksters the Parkington Sisters, in 2020.

I'd love to hear more of the Swan Song style stuff, myself. Some quality tunes there and I hope you'll agree.

So the breakdown of our 31 looks a little like this...

16 Belly songs
12 Tanya songs
3 Throwing Muses songs
On the subject of covers, we've got 5 to look forward to. She's covered a lot of great stuff, and I've tried to keep my choices different and interesting.

Some samples from the cutting room floor:

Throwing Muses, from the last record she did with them, Honeychain
A Belly studio cut, their first single Gepetto
A Belly B-side, from the Feed the Tree single Dream On Me
A Belly cover. A Tanya cover.
One of two swan songs on Swan Song Series - Cygnet Song

That's it, then... let's goooooooo

Really looking forward to your list! I have the 2 Belly CDs but that's all I know of her

 

[kupcho1]

OK, to get everyone super excited for Talking Heads, here's a little diversion. First up, the rhythm section (i.e., Tina Weymouth (bass) and Chris Frantz (drums)).
Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love

Chris & Tina started Tom Tom Club in 1981 as the band was on a little hiatus. 1981 was also the year David Byrne and Brian Eno released My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Eno, although a founding member of Roxy Music, is much better known as a producer. He produced Talking Heads albums 2 through 4.
Here's Regiment. That afro beat showed up big time on Remain in Light (MLITBOG was actually recorded before RIL but was delayed due to having to clear samples).

Lastly, here's something from 2010's Here Lies Love, a David Byrne/Fatboy Slim collaboration about the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos. Yes, it's as crazy as it sounds, but Men Will Do Anything (feat. Alice Russell) bangs. (The soundtrack showcases a number of female vocalists including Sia, St. Vincent, Sharon Jones, Kate Pierson, Santigold, Natalie Merchant ... the list goes on. Check it out.)

 

[Scoresman]

That was enough pink.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

OK, to get everyone super excited for Talking Heads, here's a little diversion. First up, the rhythm section (i.e., Tina Weymouth (bass) and Chris Frantz (drums)).
Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love

I’ve loved the album since it was released and have never stopped listening to it at least once a year since.

 

[Zegras11]

we are down to 14 left...

17	Northern Voice	The New Pornographers
20	zamboni	Thin Lizzy
24	landryshat	John Prine
25	sullie	Kim Mitchell
26	John Maddens Lunchbox	Tears For Fears
27	FairWarning	CheapTrick
31	zegas11	Tom Petty
33	otb_lifer	Siouxie
34	Hov34	Ben Folds
39	sneveneleven	Scott Hutchison
40	zazale	Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
43	DrianMalcom	John Lee Hooker
44	falguy	Collective Soul
45	Sam Quentin	Rainbow

 

[Sullie]

Submitted - feels like college. Stayed up late and down to the wire.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Tears for Fears have their top 31 ranked.
Now comes the boring paperwork part

@otb_lifer hasnt been on the board for 2 weeks. I was really looking forward to Siouxsie

 

[zamboni]

Thin Lizzy has been submitted.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I have to give you my Sia Introduction/Writeup now because I am leaving for Hawaii later this week. Hooray for being behind on the playlists before it even begins! This writeup and a lot of my song writeups will be summarized from various reddit posts as I'm fairly new to most of her catalog.

Sia Kate Isobelle Furler

Sia is an Australian singer/songwriter/producer/activist/wig enthusiast, She is famous for her unique raspy voice and voice cracks, and songwriting credits. Sia's music has changed genres a couple of times over her career. She started out singing for an acid jazz band called Crisp. When they disbanded in 1997, she then did some vocals for the British triphop duo Zero 7, before releasing her solo albums and seeing some success. If you've ever watched the HBO show "Six Feet Under", in particular the finale (AKA best series finale ever), I'm sure you remember and recognize one song that grew popular in the US because of its use in this episode. A few more years down the line, she began doing some songwriting for other pop artists before releasing her own pop albums that thrust her into stardom.

Sia's catalog can be categorized as pre-2010 and post-2010. While her life has always been problematic, in 2010, her growing fame, couple with her addictions, depression, and diagnosis with Graves disease took its toll. She refused to do promos for her tours, began to wear a mask on stage and became increasingly dependent on drugs and alcohol on the road. This nearly drove her to suicide. She took a hiatus from singing and public appearances, and began her career as a songwriter, writing songs for other famous and rising pop stars including Beyoncé, Kylie Minogue, Flo Rida and Rihanna. In 2014, she burst back onto the scene with what many consider her magnum opus album that was praised for its personal tone and showcased Sia's vulnerable side. This also marked her transition from an indie "jazzy rock" singer to full on pop music. Because of all of this, I have chosen to present her playlist in chronological order. I will include my personal rankings in song writeups.

What to expect from a Sia song:

Pre-2010: Minimal, upbeat jazz influenced songs with themes being introspective or relationship based. Some labels for this stage of her career have included jazz, folktronica, synthpop.
Post-2010: Electro-heavy, down tempo songs, with powerful vocals and lyrics full of metaphors about her own personal conflicts.

My playlist will also include some interesting covers Sia has done, as well as some songs from other artists that she has written. So if you see a song on the playlist from a seemingly new artist out of nowhere, it's a song Sia wrote. Since these come right in the middle of her career, this will be a nice intermission in between her pre and post 2010 work.

Why did I choose Sia?

When I did my Sigur Ros playlist, I mentioned that I really like music that delivers powerful emotions and really makes you feel things. I feel like Sia's voice and songs deliver this like few other pop artists have. I also wanted to switch it up and go with an artist this is a bit more accessible. I really liked the inclusion of Taylor Swift in the last draft (and was bummed when Beyonce didn't happen), and I feel like this one will have similar vibes, surprising a lot of people who may only see her as a pop singer.

I, like many, first discovered Sia while watching Six Feet Under as mentioned above, and I probably had that song on repeat for a month. Despite this, at the time I never really dove into her catalog, granted this was very early in her career and there was not much solo stuff out there. It wasn't until hearing Chandelier years later on all the radio stations that I realized there was something that clicked with me about her music in general. I now have a bunch of new favorites from this deep dive.

Good stuff, and I assume the Six Feet Under references mean I am going to be tearing up at least once during these playlists?

 

[KarmaPolice]

Great write-ups and info, @jwb

 

[KarmaPolice]

TANYA DONELLY breakdown -- OK let me get into this. Most of you probably know her as the frontwoman of early nineties hotshots Belly, who had a pretty big debut album, and a follow-up that was seen as a flop even though it was quite good. You probably know she had been in Throwing Muses with her stepsister Kristin Hersh, as well as the first incarnation of the Breeders with friend Kim Deal. And you might even know that Tanya followed her subsequent Belly breakup with some solid if not super compelling solo work.

Unless you were a Belly fan, you might not know that Belly had a lot of quality B-sides and cover songs that can hang with their best album material. Or that Tanya released a series of collaborative EPs in the early teens that constitute the best solo work that she's done. And thanks to those two tidbits - and the fact the Belly B-sides have been only recently released to streaming, I can put together what I consider an excellent set of 31 for you all.

I'm going to save Throwing Muses story for when they show up in the countdown. I won't have much to say on it, there's a good enough youtube interview to link. Save it for now.

The Breeders didn't go her way, and if you do watch that video you'll hear her say that the Belly record Star was actually a bunch of stuff she wrote for Breeders, but then Kim Deal opted to keep working with the Pixies for a stretch, so Tanya took her ball and went home. There are no Breeders tracks with TD on vocals, so no Breeders tracks on the list. She's done a lot of outside backup and extra vocal work, but none of that is here, I'm only doing Tanya up front material.

So her merry band of Rhode Island buddies, Belly's debut album Star did great, behind the hit alternative single "Feed the Tree". 2-3 years later they released their second record King, I thought it was great but they didn't get a hit and it didn't sell well. Not long after that, Tanya met her soulmate, got married, settled down and busted Belly up.

(She'd bring them back together in 2018 for a reunion album. It wasn't very good, and it isn't on Spotify anyway, so there's nothing from DOVE on the countdown.)

After three decent solo albums, each a little less on the radar than the one before, she took a long family break before the set of online EPs she called Swan Song Series, working with a variety of friends and collaborators, and she might have somewhat meant it as her swan song because besides the Belly dud all she's released is a covers record with family folksters the Parkington Sisters, in 2020.

I'd love to hear more of the Swan Song style stuff, myself. Some quality tunes there and I hope you'll agree.

So the breakdown of our 31 looks a little like this...

16 Belly songs
12 Tanya songs
3 Throwing Muses songs
On the subject of covers, we've got 5 to look forward to. She's covered a lot of great stuff, and I've tried to keep my choices different and interesting.

Some samples from the cutting room floor:

Throwing Muses, from the last record she did with them, Honeychain
A Belly studio cut, their first single Gepetto
A Belly B-side, from the Feed the Tree single Dream On Me
A Belly cover. A Tanya cover.
One of two swan songs on Swan Song Series - Cygnet Song

That's it, then... let's goooooooo

Honeychain was good. It looks like she was in a band with Tori Spelling and a Beastie Boy from the pic. I also really liked Dream On Me. This is one of the playlists I was most interested in when you post it. I like relistening to these 90s bands that I know mainly from their hits and seeing what I missed, and had been dipping my toe in Throwing Muses stuff and other Tanya stuff a little during our various drafts and adventures. Staying on brand and not clicking those cover links, however.

 

[KarmaPolice]

OK, to get everyone super excited for Talking Heads, here's a little diversion. First up, the rhythm section (i.e., Tina Weymouth (bass) and Chris Frantz (drums)).
Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love

Chris & Tina started Tom Tom Club in 1981 as the band was on a little hiatus. 1981 was also the year David Byrne and Brian Eno released My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Eno, although a founding member of Roxy Music, is much better known as a producer. He produced Talking Heads albums 2 through 4.
Here's Regiment. That afro beat showed up big time on Remain in Light (MLITBOG was actually recorded before RIL but was delayed due to having to clear samples).

Lastly, here's something from 2010's Here Lies Love, a David Byrne/Fatboy Slim collaboration about the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos. Yes, it's as crazy as it sounds, but Men Will Do Anything (feat. Alice Russell) bangs. (The soundtrack showcases a number of female vocalists including Sia, St. Vincent, Sharon Jones, Kate Pierson, Santigold, Natalie Merchant ... the list goes on. Check it out.)

This and Thin Lizzy are the two from this round that are highest up on my personal list of favorite bands. Talking heads I imagine will be the band I'm most familiar with in the playlist, but who knows what gems we all have for each other. I've been slowly working on my 31 Talking Heads (just doing this for my top 20 bands in general as I go), and when I finish I will maybe point out couple not on yours or stuff you made me like more.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Thin Lizzy has been submitted.

See last post - I am just about done with my first pass on my Thin Lizzy playlist. I just need to listen to Thunder and Lightning and wanted to rock Live and Dangerous as well. I'll be interested to see the album distribution. When I was going through I realized how much I was passing over great music from their early albums. Feels like I mostly just listen to Fighting --> Black Rose, and need to branch out more.

 

[zamboni]

Thin Lizzy has been submitted.

See last post - I am just about done with my first pass on my Thin Lizzy playlist. I just need to listen to Thunder and Lightning and wanted to rock Live and Dangerous as well. I'll be interested to see the album distribution. When I was going through I realized how much I was passing over great music from their early albums. Feels like I mostly just listen to Fighting --> Black Rose, and need to branch out more.

I tried to get a mix of their stuff with the rotating lead guitarists. I only picked one from Live and Dangerous though, as I wanted to stick with the studio songs for the most part. I'll add the L&D clips as well when they appear.

 

[zamboni]

Thin Lizzy has been submitted.

See last post - I am just about done with my first pass on my Thin Lizzy playlist. I just need to listen to Thunder and Lightning and wanted to rock Live and Dangerous as well. I'll be interested to see the album distribution. When I was going through I realized how much I was passing over great music from their early albums. Feels like I mostly just listen to Fighting --> Black Rose, and need to branch out more.

Bonus clip from Live & Dangerous that didn't appear on my list - and to my knowledge was performed only live:

Baby Drives Me Crazy

With Huey Lewis (yes that one), who performed with them on the Live & Dangerous tour, jamming on the harmonica (introduced at the 3:10 mark). Lizzy was a dynamic live band and Phil was quite the showman.

 

[plinko]

TANYA DONELLY breakdown -- OK let me get into this. Most of you probably know her as the frontwoman of early nineties hotshots Belly, who had a pretty big debut album, and a follow-up that was seen as a flop even though it was quite good. You probably know she had been in Throwing Muses with her stepsister Kristin Hersh, as well as the first incarnation of the Breeders with friend Kim Deal. And you might even know that Tanya followed her subsequent Belly breakup with some solid if not super compelling solo work.

Unless you were a Belly fan, you might not know that Belly had a lot of quality B-sides and cover songs that can hang with their best album material. Or that Tanya released a series of collaborative EPs in the early teens that constitute the best solo work that she's done. And thanks to those two tidbits - and the fact the Belly B-sides have been only recently released to streaming, I can put together what I consider an excellent set of 31 for you all.

I'm going to save Throwing Muses story for when they show up in the countdown. I won't have much to say on it, there's a good enough youtube interview to link. Save it for now.

The Breeders didn't go her way, and if you do watch that video you'll hear her say that the Belly record Star was actually a bunch of stuff she wrote for Breeders, but then Kim Deal opted to keep working with the Pixies for a stretch, so Tanya took her ball and went home. There are no Breeders tracks with TD on vocals, so no Breeders tracks on the list. She's done a lot of outside backup and extra vocal work, but none of that is here, I'm only doing Tanya up front material.

So her merry band of Rhode Island buddies, Belly's debut album Star did great, behind the hit alternative single "Feed the Tree". 2-3 years later they released their second record King, I thought it was great but they didn't get a hit and it didn't sell well. Not long after that, Tanya met her soulmate, got married, settled down and busted Belly up.

(She'd bring them back together in 2018 for a reunion album. It wasn't very good, and it isn't on Spotify anyway, so there's nothing from DOVE on the countdown.)

After three decent solo albums, each a little less on the radar than the one before, she took a long family break before the set of online EPs she called Swan Song Series, working with a variety of friends and collaborators, and she might have somewhat meant it as her swan song because besides the Belly dud all she's released is a covers record with family folksters the Parkington Sisters, in 2020.

I'd love to hear more of the Swan Song style stuff, myself. Some quality tunes there and I hope you'll agree.

So the breakdown of our 31 looks a little like this...

16 Belly songs
12 Tanya songs
3 Throwing Muses songs
On the subject of covers, we've got 5 to look forward to. She's covered a lot of great stuff, and I've tried to keep my choices different and interesting.

Some samples from the cutting room floor:

Throwing Muses, from the last record she did with them, Honeychain
A Belly studio cut, their first single Gepetto
A Belly B-side, from the Feed the Tree single Dream On Me
A Belly cover. A Tanya cover.
One of two swan songs on Swan Song Series - Cygnet Song

That's it, then... let's goooooooo

Honeychain was good. It looks like she was in a band with Tori Spelling and a Beastie Boy from the pic. I also really liked Dream On Me. This is one of the playlists I was most interested in when you post it. I like relistening to these 90s bands that I know mainly from their hits and seeing what I missed, and had been dipping my toe in Throwing Muses stuff and other Tanya stuff a little during our various drafts and adventures. Staying on brand and not clicking those cover links, however.

You’ll be subjected to enough… no skipping!

 

[KarmaPolice]

TANYA DONELLY breakdown -- OK let me get into this. Most of you probably know her as the frontwoman of early nineties hotshots Belly, who had a pretty big debut album, and a follow-up that was seen as a flop even though it was quite good. You probably know she had been in Throwing Muses with her stepsister Kristin Hersh, as well as the first incarnation of the Breeders with friend Kim Deal. And you might even know that Tanya followed her subsequent Belly breakup with some solid if not super compelling solo work.

Unless you were a Belly fan, you might not know that Belly had a lot of quality B-sides and cover songs that can hang with their best album material. Or that Tanya released a series of collaborative EPs in the early teens that constitute the best solo work that she's done. And thanks to those two tidbits - and the fact the Belly B-sides have been only recently released to streaming, I can put together what I consider an excellent set of 31 for you all.

I'm going to save Throwing Muses story for when they show up in the countdown. I won't have much to say on it, there's a good enough youtube interview to link. Save it for now.

The Breeders didn't go her way, and if you do watch that video you'll hear her say that the Belly record Star was actually a bunch of stuff she wrote for Breeders, but then Kim Deal opted to keep working with the Pixies for a stretch, so Tanya took her ball and went home. There are no Breeders tracks with TD on vocals, so no Breeders tracks on the list. She's done a lot of outside backup and extra vocal work, but none of that is here, I'm only doing Tanya up front material.

So her merry band of Rhode Island buddies, Belly's debut album Star did great, behind the hit alternative single "Feed the Tree". 2-3 years later they released their second record King, I thought it was great but they didn't get a hit and it didn't sell well. Not long after that, Tanya met her soulmate, got married, settled down and busted Belly up.

(She'd bring them back together in 2018 for a reunion album. It wasn't very good, and it isn't on Spotify anyway, so there's nothing from DOVE on the countdown.)

After three decent solo albums, each a little less on the radar than the one before, she took a long family break before the set of online EPs she called Swan Song Series, working with a variety of friends and collaborators, and she might have somewhat meant it as her swan song because besides the Belly dud all she's released is a covers record with family folksters the Parkington Sisters, in 2020.

I'd love to hear more of the Swan Song style stuff, myself. Some quality tunes there and I hope you'll agree.

So the breakdown of our 31 looks a little like this...

16 Belly songs
12 Tanya songs
3 Throwing Muses songs
On the subject of covers, we've got 5 to look forward to. She's covered a lot of great stuff, and I've tried to keep my choices different and interesting.

Some samples from the cutting room floor:

Throwing Muses, from the last record she did with them, Honeychain
A Belly studio cut, their first single Gepetto
A Belly B-side, from the Feed the Tree single Dream On Me
A Belly cover. A Tanya cover.
One of two swan songs on Swan Song Series - Cygnet Song

That's it, then... let's goooooooo

Honeychain was good. It looks like she was in a band with Tori Spelling and a Beastie Boy from the pic. I also really liked Dream On Me. This is one of the playlists I was most interested in when you post it. I like relistening to these 90s bands that I know mainly from their hits and seeing what I missed, and had been dipping my toe in Throwing Muses stuff and other Tanya stuff a little during our various drafts and adventures. Staying on brand and not clicking those cover links, however.

You’ll be subjected to enough… no skipping!

I am not skipping people's tracks on official playlists.

 

[falguy]

My list submitted.

Fun fact. I have 15 songs with 1 word titles. (I only did this to make my list easier to enter.)

Three albums from Collective Soul/Disciplined Breakdown/Dosage dominate my picks. Those were released back-to-back-to-back from '95 - '99 each coming 2 years after the previous. That's 3 really strong releases in a row. I probably saw them live 5 times in this window. To this day they put on an excellent show and they do a lot of touring. The lead singer, Ed Roland, is quite good live (at least he was the last time I saw them) so if you like a few of these and see them tour in your area I'd recommend attending. Tickets shouldn't cost an arm and a leg.

Here are a couple from the very first album - Hints Allegations & Things Left Unsaid . It's a solid release, mostly shorter songs.
Breathe
Heaven's Already Here
Pretty Donna. (instrumental)

and one more that I originally had in my list but swapped it out for a more upbeat song. I love it and it's meaning. Has a nice guitar solo to boot.
Crown

Listening to it now think I probably should have left it.

 

[Tau837]

My list submitted.

Fun fact. I have 15 songs with 1 word titles. (I only did this to make my list easier to enter.)

Three albums from Collective Soul/Disciplined Breakdown/Dosage dominate my picks. Those were released back-to-back-to-back from '95 - '99 each coming 2 years after the previous. That's 3 really strong releases in a row. I probably saw them live 5 times in this window. To this day they put on an excellent show and they do a lot of touring. The lead singer, Ed Roland, is quite good live (at least he was the last time I saw them) so if you like a few of these and see them tour in your area I'd recommend attending. Tickets shouldn't cost an arm and a leg.

Here are a couple from the very first album - Hints Allegations & Things Left Unsaid . It's a solid release, mostly shorter songs.
Breathe
Heaven's Already Here
Pretty Donna. (instrumental)

and one more that I originally had in my list but swapped it out for a more upbeat song. I love it and it's meaning. Has a nice guitar solo to boot.
Crown

Listening to it now think I probably should have left it.

I have Hints, Collective Soul, and Disciplined Breakdown, but I lost interest after that. Looking forward to a refresh on the familiar stuff and also other material I never explored.

 

[Sullie]

I don't always say anything but even if I don't care for a particular singer or group, I always appreciate everyone's effort so thank you so much for the entertainment, time and effort put into your lists. I did something different this time. My previous lists, honestly, were banged out from whatever was rattling around in my head and so the only real challenge I had was putting that list in order, snagging the links but then narrowing it down to which songs to include from a big list that I was already comfortable with.

This time, I picked an artist I was only vaguely familiar with. Back in the late 80's/early 90's, before the interwebz as we know it these days, through a Rush fan-based mailing list called The National Midnight Star, I learned about a song Rush did with a band called Max Webster only available on a greatest hits CD. I made it a mission to get that CD. Once I got it, I really liked what I heard but I later found out Max Webster split up and the lead singer was doing his own thing. His name is Kim Mitchell, and, around that time, he had just put out a then brand-new CD. I bought two of his then newest albums (Rockland and Aural Fixations) and I really enjoyed both of those discs quite a bit. However, life got in the way, I pretty much stopped buying music around that time as I was busy with a new wifey, house, work, projects and then a child, new job, new house, new projects, etc.

So, when I chose this guy, I thought "I loved the first two random CD's I bought, I knew he had albums before and after these two albums, this will be a piece of cake" thinking I would love the rest of his work just as much. Ooops. I came to discover I really enjoyed some albums a lot more than others. For this round, I created a spreadsheet with each album title, then I created a template "Number, Song, Rating and Link." And I ranked each song from each of his 8 studio albums (about 90 songs total) on a scale from 1 to 10. I recall, on one album, I didn't like any songs, and there's a stretch of a few albums I found only a few nuggets here and there, so at some point, I thought "holy crap, I'm screwed, I'll be lucky to come up with 20!" It all worked out as I discovered one of those "wow" albums that I fell in love with along with quite a few more songs as I moved along.

But all that to say Thank You for putting this together and thanks everyone for participating! This one was actual work for me this time but definitely enjoyable work but which makes me really appreciate all your work that much more! My hope is always to present one song, album or artist for that one person to discover for the first time so they can get that same feeling I first had.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I learned about a song Rush did with a band called Max Webster only available on a greatest hits CD.

Colour Mr R interested. He's a major Rush fan. More stuff to look forward to.

 

[Mt. Man]

Well, other people are doing this, and this will be my last day off until (well) after the 1st. So what better time to bring you:

Roger Clyne

Born in Arizona in 1968 (making him somewhere in the range of a M-AD himself) where he and his band are still stationed when they’re not on tour. Clyne owns his own tour bus, has his own brand of Tequila, and is part owner of a bar. But mostly he makes music.

Lead singer. Primary songwriter. Rhythm Guitar. Occasionally harmonica or kazoo. As mentioned previously, the genres that fit best are Americana and Southern Rock, (or maybe Southwestern rock, am I right?) though there are influences from various places that I’ll try to break down along the way. His career has two major arcs:

The Refreshments (1993-1998)

Paul “P.H.” Naffah - Drums/percussion, backing vocals
Arthur Eugene “Buddy” Edwards - bass, keyboards, backing vocals
Brian David Blush - Lead guitar, backing vocals

And, of course, Clyne. For a while they were an opening band in Arizona until they caught their break. Shortly following a performance at South by Southwest in 1995, they were signed to Mercury Records. That lead to some whirlwind success, including a song that reached #14 on the Modern Rock (now Alternative Airplay) chart and another that hit #38 from 1996’s Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy.

Things, however, didn’t last. Mercury pushed for a second album (1997’s The Bottle & Fresh Horses) but didn’t support a tour and ended the relationship in early 1998. By then, Blush’s substance abuse had become intolerable, adding to the need for the band to breakup. Blush took some time off but eventually righted himself, joining The Toulenes in 2010. Edwards became an author. Clyne and Naffah, however, continued onward.

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers (1999-present)

RCPM (the accepted abbreviation) started as the loosest definition of a supergroup. Clyne and Naffah from The Refreshments plus Scott “Scotty” Johnson from Gin Blossoms and Steve Larson from Dead Hot Workshop. Johnson left after the 3rd album in 2002, and Larson departed after the 8th in 2008. The current lineup includes Clyne, Naffah, Nick Scropos on bass and Jim Dalton on lead guitar, plus occasional guests, mostly on tour.

Despite thirteen albums (3 live, 10 studio), RCPM haven’t really found a lot of fame outside of Arizona. The main ways to know about them are 1) Follow them from The Refreshments, 2) Live in Arizona (especially near Tempe) and 3) Be pointed towards them. I’m in the 1st category of course, and know that most of you will fall into the 3rd.

Top 31 Breakdown:
The Refreshments: 6
Refreshment songs performed by RCPM: 3
Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers: 22

That’s pretty representative of their catalog, considering The Refreshments had about 27 eligible songs. I included something from every album intentionally, with many RCPM efforts having 3 as just the way it worked out. I’d expect the “average” person to know 1-5 of these songs, all of them from The Refreshments. The one from RCPM that you have the highest percentage of hearing might be 'D-backs Swing', the Victory Song for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Which, to perhaps no surprise, did NOT make the cut.

So, yeah, this is just above me covering a one-hit wonder. Why? Eh, why not? Largely I was encouraged by the 1st run, including many artists I knew nothing about before it started. After considering a number of artists (including a few that showed up this round), I decided to shine a light on someone a little more “obscure”. We’ll see how it works out. Hopefully you find a good amount to enjoy.

Preview:
Eh, let’s go big.

The Refreshments-Yahoos and Triangles

AKA the King of the Hill theme, as the Youtube title suggests. It’s a quick-paced, hard-hitting song with a riff that Clyne has called “Bonzanza on steroids”. The band’s suggested landing it took a lot of luck, along with prompting the crowd on the demo of it to make as noise as possible at the end of it. It’s a big song to leave out… except it’s pretty short (even the full version), and since I’m featuring the lead singer, it seems odd to do so with an instrumental.

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers - Green & Dumb

This is a song that bounced on and off my top 31, but (obviously) landed just off. Maybe it should’ve been on? Hard to say; I submitted when I was starting to shuffle around songs like there was some magical “correct” combination. I can certainly be accused of being “empty in the head and tied up in the tongue”.

 

[Zegras11]

Down to 11 left to enter...

17	Northern Voice	The New Pornographers
24	landryshat	John Prine
26	John Maddens Lunchbox	Tears For Fears
27	FairWarning	CheapTrick
31	zegas11	Tom Petty
33	otb_lifer	Siouxie
34	Hov34	Ben Folds
39	sneveneleven	Scott Hutchison
40	zazale	Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
43	DrianMalcom	John Lee Hooker
45	Sam Quentin	Rainbow

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

@Zegras11 I just turned in an updated list with what I hope are Spotify links. Can you check and see if I did this at all correctly? I've never used Spotify before.

(Alas, there is no link for track 3. Totally sucks.)

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Down to 11 left to enter...

17	Northern Voice	The New Pornographers
24	landryshat	John Prine
26	John Maddens Lunchbox	Tears For Fears
27	FairWarning	CheapTrick
31	zegas11	Tom Petty
33	otb_lifer	Siouxie
34	Hov34	Ben Folds
39	sneveneleven	Scott Hutchison
40	zazale	Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
43	DrianMalcom	John Lee Hooker
45	Sam Quentin	Rainbow

Tears for Fears submitted

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Tears for Fears

Tears for Fears were formed out of two previous bands, Graduate and Neon. Without sounding Spinal Tappish about it, they all split but had interesting members, which we will get to down the line. One of the hassles Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith had with these bands is the constant touring for apparently little success. These two just wanted to write songs. Both bonded through the discovery that they had terrible childhoods and were fans of a Arthur Janov, a Californian psychologist who preached primal scream therapy. Hence Tears for Fears.

Both were big fans of the early synth pioneers Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and particularly OMD who presented as a Duo. Hard at work writing, Roland Orzabal was and always has been the main songwriter accounting for 99% of the bands non covers. He initially lacked confidence in his vocal ability and preferred the more gregarious Curt Smith to sing songs he wasnt passionate about or required presentation. The first album, the Hurting was a big success in the UK producing 3 top 5 singles. 4 of the bands first 5 singles were sung by Smith. Then Smith sung on the iconic Everybody Wants to Rule the World on Songs from the big Chair. Since then Smith has barely sung lead, reduced to one or two tracks an album. Mainly filler.

Once Orzabal realised he could sing, and actually sings better, Smith got disillusioned and left in the early 90s. Smith had also divorced his wife and moved to New York. Orzabal carried on using the name to diminishing returns on 90s albums Elemental and Raoul and the Kings of Spain, saying lots of nasty things about Curt in the process. After a 10 year period of not talking to each other, a business decision forced the two to talk. In that time they matured, had time to breathe and learned to like each other again.

A comeback album in 2004, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, divided opinion. I didnt listen to it purely on series after series of bad reviews. We will talk about this album in detail down the line. Trudging along afterwards to record company doubts, the band were popular on the revival circuits but were keen to record new material. Bits and pieces popped up in the 00s and 10s to promote compilations and keep from boredom, but the world was finally really ready to hear new material. 2022s The Tipping Point was a massive success and people wanted to hear from the band again.

I was expecting to add a few of this centuries songs, but was pleasantly surprised at their quality and have included a significant percentage in the final results. Several songs will place much higher than expected, some much lower. The songs you know and love, well they will mainly be where you expect, with a surprise or two. It was easy to cut down to about #37 and the last two cuts were not pleasant as they should be on the list. I included two in their place which tell a story despite being inferior songs.

They have had plenty of big names cover their material over the years.

Enjoy

 

[FairWarning]

Just have to finish the order and submit this weekend.

 

[zamboni]

Lots of very new artists to me in this round. Looking forward to expanding my horizons.

 

[Tau837]

Here is the rest of my Mike Shinoda preview. Warning: NSFW language.

I ranked my top 50 songs and posted 41-50 here to help those of you unfamiliar with him to get some exposure. Here is 32-40:


40
Song: In My Head
Artist: Mike Shinoda and Kailee Morgue
Album: Scream VI (Music from the Motion Picture)
Released: 2023
Genre: pop rock

Mike Shinoda produced this track, which deals with the voices that echo in our minds. Here he explains his process for writing the song, including how it was influenced by iconic rappers like Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg.


39
Song: My December
Artist: Linkin Park
Album: The Real Slim Santa
Released: 2000
Genre: alternative rock

Chester Bennington said this about the song:

"KROQ started playing the album before anybody else. They invited us to write a song and open up the show last year and this year we came back and we're headlining, it's just crazy."

"We did it a charity album for a radio station in LA a couple of Christmases ago for these guys named Kevin and Bean out in LA. It does a lot of good for some charities and they've done great work and we felt we could something special for them. What was amazing was, that Mike wrote this song in about two hours man. It was ****ing unbelievable. Unbelievable. We recorded in Nashville in a place where ****ing Elvis used to record man. That was kind of creepy, you know what I mean? It worked out pretty well, I think."

38
Song: Somewhere I Belong
Artist: Linkin Park
Album: Meteora
Released: 2003
Genre: nu-metal / rap metal / alternative rock

Mike Shinoda has said this about the song:

"...it's really the first time you hear some optimistic views, some optimistic lyrics from us. I think that lyrically this album is a little older, a little more mature hopefully. When we were writing a lot of songs for the first album, we're talking about writing as 18 and 19 year olds. Being 25 now, I feel like I just look at things a tiny bit differently. It doesn't really have much to do with where we're at with the success of the first album and it has everything to do with having seen some of the world and just being a little bit older."

"We had written, finished, and performed 39 different choruses to that song. But our producer told us that it wasn’t quite right so we kept rewriting it. It was very stressful, as chester got sick and it scared the crap out of us. If his voice was different in any way, we would have had to scrap the song, and given that it was the single, you can understand how important it was to us. Thankfully, on take number 40, we got it right."

"I don’t know. It is just a part of who I am. When I went to art school, we were taught that craftmanship was the most important part of what you do as an artist and I think I have carried it over into the way I work in the band. When we are putting together all of the musical parts, I want to make sure that every little detail is scrutinized. It just has to be right."

37
Song: The Catalyst
Artist: Linkin Park
Album: A Thousand Suns
Released: 2010
Genre: electronic rock / techno / synth-pop / alternative rock

The song became the first song in history to debut at #1 on the US Billboard Rock Chart.

Mike Shinoda has said this about the song:

"It's about more adversity and overcoming it. Like we are the oppressed and we are tired of it, we are tired of being scapegoated and oppressed."

Here are a few quotes from critic reviews of the song:

"nearly six-minute anthem of aggression"

"If [the album] was a film, this would be the victorious fight scene"

"the best distillation of Linkin Park 2.0"

36
Song: Can't Hear You Now
Artist: Mike Shinoda
Album: Post Traumatic
Released: 2018
Genre: electropop / rock

Mike Shinoda interview about the song:

When talking to iHeartRadio in 2018, Mike was asked about "Can't Hear You Now." The interviewer said, "But it's funny to me as a listener how conflicting some of the emotions on this record are. There are moments of real rising above. I think of "Can't Hear You Now," which is almost like a battle rap. "If you're a hater, I can't hear you now," because that's really one way of looking at that song or hearing that song." Mike replied, "Really, I think that was the intention of the song for sure."

The interviewer continued, "And yet I hear it now and I come to that line "woke up knowing I don't have to be numb again," and maybe that's a reference back to this other thing I've been thinking about on this record." Mike answered, "Yeah. Well, the reality of the record and of going through something like this is that, most of us know, it's messy and the references are going to blend in to one another..."

35
Song: Leave Out All The Rest
Artist: Linkin Park
Album: Minutes to Midnight
Released: 2008
Genre: alternative rock

Chester Bennington said this about the song:

"We knew this was going to be a single from the very beginning, so we worked really hard on making sure it had great lyrics. I'm singing 'pretending someone else can come and save me from myself' during it because it's supposed to feel like an apology letter, as though I'm moving on but I want people to remember the good things and not the bad things. A lot of the song is about humility."

34
Song: Papercut
Artist: Linkin Park
Album: Hybrid Theory
Released: 2001
Genre: nu-metal / rap metal / rap rock

The band said this about the song:

Brad Delson said: ""Paper Cut" is my favorite right now because I think it best integrates all our influences into one song and does it in a way that's tasteful and cohesive. In other words, one criticism that people have leveled at existing bands is that their songs don't always sound organic, that some of the songs might sound forced. And our goal has always been to integrate these influences in the most seamless way, and I think Paper Cut does that really well."

Chester went as far as calling it the "identity of the band," saying, "When we got to that song, the chorus was so dope and the words behind it were so cool, that I kind of didn't need to do much melodically until we flipped it up at the end. That was a lot of fun; I felt like that song really captured what the vibe of the band about." Mike reiterated this, saying, "Remember what I always said about Papercut? It was the calling card for the band. It said 'hi, nice to meet you, this is what the band is about.' First song on the first album. And that's important."

33
Song: Promises I Can't Keep
Artist: Mike Shinoda
Album: Post Traumatic
Released: 2018
Genre: rock

Mike Shinoda said this about the song:

"There isn't anything really unique in terms of that song, it wasn't different making that one versus making the other ones. The Post Traumatic record, everything was just capturing what was going on at the time when each song was made. And make the whole song as quickly as possible, at least get all the lyrics and vocal recordings as quickly as possible so I could capture that day and that moment in time. So, the same thing for that one. I think the lyrics are very self explanatory. The music was a track that I already had that I didn't use. And I heard it... I was like picking through folders of things, "oh I really like this one." And I feel like it filled a role on the album, because I wanted something on there that felt a little more like a Linkin Park song, like my version of what that would be if that would be, if that makes sense. It dipped its toes in the water of like a Linkin Park. So I thought that was important to have on the record."

32
Song: Roads Untraveled
Artist: Linkin Park
Album: Living Things
Released: 2012
Genre: electronic rock / rap rock / alternative rock

Chester Bennington said this about the song:

Chester Bennington stated that the band looked towards the artists that inspired Bob Dylan while writing "Roads Untraveled", and wanted to create a strange combination of a driving beat with very folk-like melodies. Brad Delson further backed that claim, stating "One of the dominant musical inspirations early on in the process was a folk influence. We had The Anthology Of American Folk Music, and we listened to a lot of that."

 

[Tau837]

Ran into a character limitation there... here is the rest:

My 32-50 songs cover this broad spectrum of genres:

• nu-metal
• heavy metal
• rap metal
• alternative metal
• rap rock
• hard rock
• alternative rock
• electronic rock
• alternative pop
• pop rock
• pop
• electropop
• R&B
• hip hop
• alternative hip hop
• electronic dance music
• techno
• synth-pop

That's a lot. It will narrow down a bit in my top 31 countdown, but I intended for these two previews to provide a broad exposure to Mike's music. As I said last time, I hope you like something in this list!

 

[Ilov80s]

Sufjan Stevens: 7 Things, 7 Songs

1. A Michigan born and raised singer songwriter
2. Multi-instrumentalist, on his most acclaimed album he is credited for: acoustic guitar, piano, Wurlitzer, bass guitar, drums, electric guitar, oboe, alto saxophone, flute, banjo, glockenspiel, accordion, vibraphone, recorders (alto, sopranino, soprano, & tenor), Casiotone MT-70, sleigh bells, shakers, tambourine, triangle, electronic organ, vocals, arrangements, engineering, recording, production
3. He is a composer
4. And a modern composer dabbling in the classical, the electronic, folk and all their possible meeting points
5. Sufjan is a storyteller, often of the most offbeat kind. Even serial killers aren't off limits.
6. He is a devout Christian and banjo player extraordinaire
7. With a new album coming out during the countdown

I posted this 2 weeks ago but will run it back as we look to start the fun.

 

[scorchy]

Against Me!

I’m finishing up the bio of Laura Jane Grace (founder and lead singer of Against Me!) just in time for this round of MAD31. Been meaning to read it for a long time, but the fact that it’s titled Tranny made me a bit wary about doing so on a plane or at the beach (not out of embarrassment, but because the title is often used as a slur, and no one would ever confuse me with a member of the community).

I’ve been a fan of Against Me! for a couple of decades and knew the broad outlines, but the specific details in the book run from hilarious to infuriating to drug-addled to heartbreaking to inspiring then back again. I started dog-earing pages for stories worth retelling as we go through the songs, but ended up marking so many that I likely won’t be able to find what I’m looking for. Oh well.

Against Me! was started by Laura Jane Grace in her mom’s basement in Naples when she was just 17. She moved to Gainesville (home of my alma mater) a year later in 1998 and started playing anywhere that would have her and recording demos on home equipment. Less than 10 years later, Against Me! (now a full four-person band) released Spin’s #1 album of 2007.

If you hate LJG’s screaming, she actually starts to sing a few albums in. If you hate her voice in general, just wait for the hormone treatments to kick in. If you hate the politics, well, she may have realized she was a wee bit strident as a teenager.

For ease of explanation, I think Against Me’s career can be divided into four periods:

The Crust-Punk/DIY Years (1997-2002)

LJG and at least one other member of Against Me! were proud anarchists/crust-punks. They lived in flophouses and played crashpads and laundromats and whatever night clubs would have them. The band released a few self-recorded tapes and EPs before recording their first LP through Gainesville’s independent No Idea Records in March 2002.

The Supposed Sellout Years (2003-2006)

Against Me! signed to Fat Wreck Chords (founded by NOFX’s Fat Mike) in 2003. The crustpunks accused them of selling out, which seems kind of ridiculous given that the label was fiercely independent. LJG still screamed a lot, but the music was way more electric and the politics were toned down a smidge.

The Real “Sellout” Years (2007-2011)

Against Me! Signed to Sire and released their most popular album in 2007. True-believer punks hated it. I and other less strident punk fans thought it was amazing. Less screaming, more melody, great hooks. This is the one that Spin magazine raved about. OTOH, spending the first few years of your career ranting about anti-capitalism then signing a $1 million contract with a major label is sure to raise the ire of the crust-punk scene.

The Laura Jane Grace Years (2012-2018)

LJG came out as trans women in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2012. She was embraced by her band and the punks that had once rejected her. Against Me!'s shows had always had a huge sense of community, but this was amplified ten-fold as a whole new set of fans started showing up too, idolizing one of the few rockstars who spoke specifically to them.

Sorry, I’ve been drinking and didn’t proofread at all so hopefully that makes sense. I’m fully content with my 31 so not gonna post a bunch of songs that missed the cut, except for this cover, which I didn’t pick solely because it’s not available on Spotify.

Laura Jane Grace - I Keep Forgettin'/Close to Me

 

[KarmaPolice]

Sufjan Stevens: 7 Things, 7 Songs

1. A Michigan born and raised singer songwriter
2. Multi-instrumentalist, on his most acclaimed album he is credited for: acoustic guitar, piano, Wurlitzer, bass guitar, drums, electric guitar, oboe, alto saxophone, flute, banjo, glockenspiel, accordion, vibraphone, recorders (alto, sopranino, soprano, & tenor), Casiotone MT-70, sleigh bells, shakers, tambourine, triangle, electronic organ, vocals, arrangements, engineering, recording, production
3. He is a composer
4. And a modern composer dabbling in the classical, the electronic, folk and all their possible meeting points
5. Sufjan is a storyteller, often of the most offbeat kind. Even serial killers aren't off limits.
6. He is a devout Christian and banjo player extraordinaire
7. With a new album coming out during the countdown

I posted this 2 weeks ago but will run it back as we look to start the fun.

I was so confused for a bit there.

 

[Ilov80s]

Sufjan Stevens: 7 Things, 7 Songs

1. A Michigan born and raised singer songwriter
2. Multi-instrumentalist, on his most acclaimed album he is credited for: acoustic guitar, piano, Wurlitzer, bass guitar, drums, electric guitar, oboe, alto saxophone, flute, banjo, glockenspiel, accordion, vibraphone, recorders (alto, sopranino, soprano, & tenor), Casiotone MT-70, sleigh bells, shakers, tambourine, triangle, electronic organ, vocals, arrangements, engineering, recording, production
3. He is a composer
4. And a modern composer dabbling in the classical, the electronic, folk and all their possible meeting points
5. Sufjan is a storyteller, often of the most offbeat kind. Even serial killers aren't off limits.
6. He is a devout Christian and banjo player extraordinaire
7. With a new album coming out during the countdown

I posted this 2 weeks ago but will run it back as we look to start the fun.

I was so confused for a bit there.

Just putting it back out for those who are just me coming back here looking for the new musics lol

 

[JB Breakfast Club]

Against Me!

I’m finishing up the bio of Laura Jane Grace (founder and lead singer of Against Me!) just in time for this round of MAD31. Been meaning to read it for a long time, but the fact that it’s titled Tranny made me a bit wary about doing so on a plane or at the beach (not out of embarrassment, but because the title is often used as a slur, and no one would ever confuse me with a member of the community).

I’ve been a fan of Against Me! for a couple of decades and knew the broad outlines, but the specific details in the book run from hilarious to infuriating to drug-addled to heartbreaking to inspiring then back again. I started dog-earing pages for stories worth retelling as we go through the songs, but ended up marking so many that I likely won’t be able to find what I’m looking for. Oh well.

Against Me! was started by Laura Jane Grace in her mom’s basement in Naples when she was just 17. She moved to Gainesville (home of my alma mater) a year later in 1998 and started playing anywhere that would have her and recording demos on home equipment. Less than 10 years later, Against Me! (now a full four-person band) released Spin’s #1 album of 2007.

If you hate LJG’s screaming, she actually starts to sing a few albums in. If you hate her voice in general, just wait for the hormone treatments to kick in. If you hate the politics, well, she may have realized she was a wee bit strident as a teenager.

For ease of explanation, I think Against Me’s career can be divided into four periods:

The Crust-Punk/DIY Years (1997-2002)

LJG and at least one other member of Against Me! were proud anarchists/crust-punks. They lived in flophouses and played crashpads and laundromats and whatever night clubs would have them. The band released a few self-recorded tapes and EPs before recording their first LP through Gainesville’s independent No Idea Records in March 2002.

The Supposed Sellout Years (2003-2006)

Against Me! signed to Fat Wreck Chords (founded by NOFX’s Fat Mike) in 2003. The crustpunks accused them of selling out, which seems kind of ridiculous given that the label was fiercely independent. LJG still screamed a lot, but the music was way more electric and the politics were toned down a smidge.

The Real “Sellout” Years (2007-2011)

Against Me! Signed to Sire and released their most popular album in 2007. True-believer punks hated it. I and other less strident punk fans thought it was amazing. Less screaming, more melody, great hooks. This is the one that Spin magazine raved about. OTOH, spending the first few years of your career ranting about anti-capitalism then signing a $1 million contract with a major label is sure to raise the ire of the crust-punk scene.

The Laura Jane Grace Years (2012-2018)

LJG came out as trans women in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2012. She was embraced by her band and the punks that had once rejected her. Against Me!'s shows had always had a huge sense of community, but this was amplified ten-fold as a whole new set of fans started showing up too, idolizing one of the few rockstars who spoke specifically to them.

Sorry, I’ve been drinking and didn’t proofread at all so hopefully that makes sense. I’m fully content with my 31 so not gonna post a bunch of songs that missed the cut, except for this cover, which I didn’t pick solely because it’s not available on Spotify.

Laura Jane Grace - I Keep Forgettin'/Close to Me

LJG also does amazing Cameo videos. Here's one I ordered for a friend a few years ago. She made it personal and added a song at the end (starts at 3:30). Really great stuff.

https://www.cameo.com/recipient/61ac52daf03ac7b7b21db327