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« on: April 22, 2008, 03:24:19 AM »
Ok, let me take a shot at this. Hopefully I can satiate SE a little bit.
Ah Via Musicom by Eric Johnson. If you like guitar in any way, shape, or form, you really need to listen to this album. Cliffs of Dover is, in essence, a very upbeat 4 minute guitar solo. Before my iTunes got wiped, its playcount was well over 100. I believe that CoD was the first instrumental song that was good enough to hold my interest for the full length of the song, because it goes up and down so often that, although there is a repetition to it, it never gets stale. Nothing Can Keep Me From You was the number 1 most played on my iTunes before it got wiped, and I believe that, at its peak, it was well over 150. When you are talking about Eric Johnson, it goes without saying that the guitar is the focal point of the song, and he does it so well. Again, he uses repetition, but he is so good at knowing when and how to switch things up that you don't get bored with it.
Our Lady Peace. Ok, first of all, when I talk about Our Lady Peace, I am mostly referring to all of their albums but Gravity and Healthy In Paranoid Times. That's not to say that these two albums don't have potential, as a matter of fact, one of the songs off Gravity is contender for my favorite Our Lady Peace song (Somewhere Out There). However, after their first four albums, Our Lady Peace drastically changed their music, so my description of why I like their music isn't why I like their later stuff. Ok, so, back to the beginning. I have to say that Our Lady Peace was an acquired taste for me. If you have that problem, I would suggest starting with Clumsy, which is a bit easier to get into than the rest, and start from there. Now, keeping all of that in mind, in my opinion, Our Lady Peace is one of the best bands to come out of the 90's. Their music reminds me of another personal favorite band, Toad the Wet Sprocket, in that it is so quirky, but it ends up working so very well once you get used to it. Raine Maida's voice hits ranges that I have never heard out of any other vocalist before. The song Clumsy is a great example of this, and that is one of the biggest reasons why it is the other contender for my favorite Our Lady Peace song (which, by the way, makes it a strong contender for my favorite song, period). I would go further into specific songs, but honestly, they are one of the bands where it would be faster to list the songs that aren't my favorite. So, if you have some time, take one of their cd's and listen to it. If you don't like it, listen to it a few times, until things start to click. When they do, it will be worth the trouble.
Toad the Wet Sprocket. Ok, again, a very quirky band. However, unlike Our Lady Peace, Toad was very accessible for me. Part of this is that they have such a large range of music. So much so, in fact, that when I first got into them, I recall listening to little else for the first two or three months. They have something for every occasion, and again, it would probably be shorter for me to list the songs that I don't like by them. When you are listening to Toad, no one part of their music really stands out as the source of its quality. Yes, their lyrics can be a bit eccentric, and I do enjoy that, but that isn't why I like them. I really like the fact that everything fits together so nicely that, although I do occasionally notice one part in particular that I like, I usually just end up liking the song as a whole. I mentioned that Toad has an incredible range, and that is true. However, I will amend that to say that especially if you are looking for music to relax to, you should give Toad a try.
Third Eye Blind- Third Eye Blind. Ok, so I have given a couple bands in general to try, I thought I would give a specific album this time, so I could comment on specific songs. Before I do that though, I should say that I could listen to this album from start to finish and never be bored with a song. True, I have favorite songs, but I wouldn't say that there is a weak link in this album. If you were ever near a radio during the 90's, you know at least two songs off of this album, i.e. Jumper and Semi-Charmed Life. I can understand if some people got sick of listening to these songs over and over on the radio. I, however, didn't. They are just so catchy that I can't bring myself to stop liking them. That is one of Third Eye Blind's biggest strengths. I can't think of a band that does catchy better. However, even disregarding catchy, if you are looking for upbeat music, Third Eye Blind does it well. The Background is a great example of this. It starts out soft and slow, and gradually builds, until, 3 minutes in, it hits a climax with a great guitar piece. Narcolepsy is another example of this progressive buildup that TEB carries so skillfully.
I could go on forever with this, but I think I am going to have to close it out with one more favorite, and come back later.
Counting Crows - August and Everything After. Ok, I picked one album, but that is definitely not to say that you should dismiss the rest. Far from it. But I think that this album characterizes Counting Crows very well. It starts off with Round Here. Round Here sets the tone as wistful, and a bit sad. This is something that Counting Crows does as well as anyone, and better than most. If you want some sad music, you can find it in songs like Round Here, Perfect Blue Buildings, and Raining in Baltimore to name a few. The best thing about Counting Crows though, is that they aren't exclusively depressing. They have stark contrasts. Rain King, and Murder of One are two of the most hopeful, looking-up songs that you are likely to find. It's that duality that really defines Counting Crows and makes their music so enjoyable to listen to.
So there.
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