I have a great variety of music floating around my Ipod. But there are three albums that are above and beyond the rest of the music that I listen to.
3: King James Version by Harvey Danger - They are best known for their pop-rock smash hit "Flagpole Sitta" but "King James Version" was one of the best albums that no one ever heard. After recording the record their record label began merging and reshuffling with other labels and it took over a year before the record was released. It's lead single "Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo" has a great, almost swing-like beat, and deals with a woman who wants to quit her job and join the rodeo. Top to bottom it is one of the best albums to come out of the Seattle music scene since the grunge era. Its driving rhythms, entertaining lyrics, and eclectic musical styles makes "King James Version" one of my favorite albums.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBgmC_USeoM (Flagpole Sitta)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTnLVX689fE (Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo)
2: Ten by Pearl Jam - It is one of the greatest albums by one of the greatest rock bands of all-time. It produced three hits (Alive, Jeremy, and Even Flow), sold 13 million copies, and legitimized Pearl Jam as grunge music icons. Unlike Harvey Danger who came up during Seattle's post-grunge, indie-rock era, Pearl Jam was grunge all the way and "Ten" shows us Pearl Jam at their finest. They deal with strong subjects, including death, and their music sounds unlike any other band from that era. "Ten" will stand the test of time for decades to come.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vohRMsqV4yM (Even Flow)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS91knuzoOA (Jeremy)
1: Thriller by Michael Jackson - Say what you want about the King of Pop's personal life, but he could sing and there has never been a better pop album since "Thriller" came out 25 years ago. The videos were unlike anything seen before, and the music took the pop genre to new heights. It truly is one of if not the greatest album of all time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA (Thriller)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WObfcDIf6lY (Beat It)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
12 Tone Music
The namesake of this music blog, 12 Tone Music, is an atonal form of music that can manipulated in so many ways that it sound both chaotic or harsh and calm or soothing within the same piece of music. The only real rule of 12-tone is that every note in the 12-note chromatic sequence need to be used once before any note in the sequence can be repeated. This sequence is called a tone row and the technique was first used and created by Arthur Schoenberg, an Austrian composer. The link below takes you to a sample of Schoenberg's music that beautifully illustrates the chaos that is 12-Tone Music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWQAw7XSkDY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWQAw7XSkDY&feature=related
The Best "Bad" Songs of All-time
Everyone makes lists of the "Best songs of all time" or "The 90s Greatest Hits", but I'm different. I've compiled a list of five songs that we love to hate. They range from pop and rock to rap and hip-hop:
5: Who Let the Dogs Out By The Baha Men
When this songs pops on over the radio or over a PA system at a baseball game it always makes me feel happy because its upbeat, radiant, and reminds me of when I was a kid. However, when I am trying to fall asleep at 2 a.m. and all I hear pounding in my head is "Who let the dogs out!?! WHO!......WHO!.....WHO!" it gets aggravating.
4: Hot or Cold by Katy Perry
Even hearing three seconds of this pop hit locked it into my head for at least two days. Its bubblegum like rhythm and catchy lyrics made it one of the top pop hits of the last decade and plagued me for many an evening.
3: Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z
I loved this song, its a classic. But then it got so big that it hit the stage of popularity called "Radio Overplay" and then it too became another great song that started plaguing me throughout the day as Alicia Keys' chorus kept playing over and over in my head.
2: Let it Rock By Kevin Rudolf
The multiple false endings give it the illusion of being three songs and Lil Wayne's feature is catchy as hell.This is the kind of song that you need to hear only a note before it latches on to you.
1: Macarena by Los Del Rio
Do I even need to explain this one?
5: Who Let the Dogs Out By The Baha Men
When this songs pops on over the radio or over a PA system at a baseball game it always makes me feel happy because its upbeat, radiant, and reminds me of when I was a kid. However, when I am trying to fall asleep at 2 a.m. and all I hear pounding in my head is "Who let the dogs out!?! WHO!......WHO!.....WHO!" it gets aggravating.
4: Hot or Cold by Katy Perry
Even hearing three seconds of this pop hit locked it into my head for at least two days. Its bubblegum like rhythm and catchy lyrics made it one of the top pop hits of the last decade and plagued me for many an evening.
3: Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z
I loved this song, its a classic. But then it got so big that it hit the stage of popularity called "Radio Overplay" and then it too became another great song that started plaguing me throughout the day as Alicia Keys' chorus kept playing over and over in my head.
2: Let it Rock By Kevin Rudolf
The multiple false endings give it the illusion of being three songs and Lil Wayne's feature is catchy as hell.This is the kind of song that you need to hear only a note before it latches on to you.
1: Macarena by Los Del Rio
Do I even need to explain this one?
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