Like Bounty paper towels that only require one sheet to apparently pick up an oil spill, this blog keeps picking up all my various academic blog assignments.
Let's just all agree to agree that unless you're some kind of joyless shell of a person, you most likely enjoy some form of music. Whether it be Led Zeppelin or Lady Gaga, music is usually a driving force in our day. I, however, sometimes have the problem of discarding a band after a few good listens. You know those songs that are amazing the first 46 times that you hear them, but after that cursed 47th, you'd rather hear nails on a chalkboard? Sometimes I just do that with bands in general. But there is always that one band out of ten or twenty that absolutely stays with me, and in the same vein of my last post, I am going to comprise a top 5 list of bands and/or musicians that have stood a considerable test of time with me. I was going to dedicate this post to classic rock and roll bands, but I decided to be more inclusive, because although I do hang my head at some atrocious lyrics and "musicians" in today's world (Britney Spears, for one, is abysmal to me. I think a dying cat could probably sing better), I do believe that good music is still being produced.
Disclaimer: I'm sorry, reader, if the bands in this post seem to fall one way. Unfortunately, there will be no rap, country, or metal on the list. I'm not trying to be a musical snob; I'm sure that there are talented artists in all of those genres. Besides, I told you in the first post that this blog is going to be full of biased opinions. ;)
So without further ado:
5. The Smashing Pumpkins
Although I was almost put into a coma when I heard the rumor that Billy Corgan, the lead singer of the Smashing Pumpkins, was dating Jessica Simpson, I have decided to almost forgive him and include him in the list. I've been listening to the Smashing Pumpkins since my early teens. Well, I'd probably been listening longer than that with no knowledge of who they were, but early high school was the time of the Smashing Pumpkins for me. This band has endured many lineup changes, and even style changes, but to me, Billy Corgan has one of the most original sounding voices that I've ever heard. Some people just cannot stand to hear him sing, but I could listen all day. (So could my 50 year old mother. Figure that one out.) The Smashing Pumpkins are widely known for Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (although I am partial to their album Adore, even though it wasn't as successful as the aforementioned), two amazing albums producing hits such as Cherub Rock, Disarm, Bullet with Butterfly Wings (come on, you know the lyric: Despite all my rage/I am still just a rat in a cage!), and my personal favorite: Tonight, Tonight.
In fact, here's a live video of Tonight, Tonight.
4. Regina Spektor
I don't think I've ever heard another person on the entire planet make the noises that Regina Spektor does when singing a song. She'll buzz her lips in the middle of the music or beat a chair with a drum stick. She doesn't care. She likes it. And I love it. What I also love is her vocal range. She doesn't adhere to one octave of singing; she plays around with anything she can. She'll take your expectations about what a song and then destroy them, which I will commend, because not many artists are willing (or talented) enough to do that, in my opinion. Although she's not as mainstream as the music that you'll find as you flip your radio channels, she's been gaining ground for the last couple of years, and you've probably heard some of her stuff on TV shows, namely her song "Fidelity." From beautiful, lyrical songs such as her new "Eet" to RAP ("Consequence of Sounds"), Regina Spektor showcases such a range of talent, I might just explode.
3. Sufjan Stevens
Oh, Sufjan Stevens, where to begin? Shall I begin with your ambitious (yet almost irrational) plan to write an album about all 50 states of America? Or your proficiency in a billion instruments? Or your VOICE? Let's just go with all three. Sufjan Stevens is the embodiment of musical Americana; he'll take a landmark or city and write a song completely dedicated to it. And this is no factual lesson or School House Rock-like session if that's what you're thinking, it is a complete musical celebration. So far, Sufjan Stevens has made two state albums: Greetings from Michigan and Come On Feel the Illinoise, not to mention his Christmas album and more spiritually themed Seven Swans. Once again, Sufjan Stevens is not as popular as Beyonce right now, butI actually saw one of his songs advertising that new Robert Pattinson movie (whatever it's called) on MTV the other day. His most popular song as of yet is probably "Chicago" which was featured in the movie Little Miss Sunshine, along with his "No Man's Land." Give this guy a listen. You will not regret it.
I love this live version. Skip to about 2:10 to get straight to the music:
2. Fleetwood Mac
If you know me, you'll know that I fall at Stevie Nicks' feet. I LOVE her. Well, I love the band, too (But especially her). I remember loathing Fleetwood Mac as a child and comparing Stevie Nicks' voice to a goat (I was WAY ahead of you, South Park), but as I got older, I miraculously had an epiphany, and the epiphany is that it really doesn't get any better than Fleetwood Mac. The fact that the band just recently went on tour is astounding, since the group has been together since the 60s. Like the previously mentioned Smashing Pumpkins, the band has endured many lineup changes, but the picture to the left is how I prefer the group, with Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie in the group as well. If you're new to the group, be sure to first check out the 1977 album Rumours. "Gold Dust Woman" and "Secondhand News" are the highlights of the album in my opinion.
But here's "Gypsy." Probably my favorite Fleetwood Mac song. Ignore the hokey video, hahahaha.
1. The Beatles
What can be said about my favorite band of all time? They revolutionized music as we know it today, ranging from a 50s rock sound to absolute psychedelic wonderfulness. Comprised of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and my personal favorite George Harrison, the Fab Four have continued to influence today's music, even though they've been apart for more than thirty years. I mean, look at Beatles Rock Band, the remastered albums, and that atrocious movie Across the Universe. Beatlemania is still here and appealing to younger generations, such as myself. With twelve studio albums, the Beatles offer a style of music for every listener, though I myself would say that the top three albums are The White Album, Revolver, and Abbey Road. If you've never taken the time to discover this one-in-a-million band, I suggest you do so as soon as possible.
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." "The End" from Abbey Road
Oh, Spring Break. I've promised myself that I was going to spend you catching up on schoolwork. Guess what? I'm not. I've completely gone into a vegetative state over the weekend, and I think I'm loving every minute of it. That is, I love it until next week when reality deals me an awful fate. So, I've decided to update the blog. That way, I can sort of feel as if I'm doing something worthwhile academically. What a paradox. In utter celebration of laziness, I am going to recommend 5 websites (other than Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter) that will completely waste your time in a fabulous way.
This is probably my favorite thing about the internet at the moment. StumbleUpon is a personalized recommendation engine; when you install the toolbar and make an account, you are asked questions about your likes and interests. After the toolbar is installed, just hit the Stumble button, and you are moved to internet pages that match your interests. Want another page? Just keep hitting the Stumble button. Possibilities are endless. Hours are wasted. Nothing is accomplished. But hey, it's a wonderful little do-dad.
If you're a music lover like I am, this website is tip-top. Don't you hate when you feel, even though you have two weeks worth of music on your iTunes, that you have no music? This is your solution. You can either check out music by artists that you already know, or you can type in a band that you like, and last.fm will give you some really great recommended artists that you might in which you might not be familiar. And like other music websites, such as Pandora, last.fm also has a personalized radio for your musical tastes.
You might have seen this design somewhere circulating on the internet, or on someone's t-shirt. This is courtesy of Threadless. Not only do I waste time on Threadless, I waste all of my money. These are the best t-shirts that I've ever come across. Whether you're into pop culture, artistic designs, or all-out wacky pictures, Threadless has a plethora of t-shirt designs. What is even better is that a few times a year, Threadless has huge sales; the shirts are usually $10 or less during those spectacular times. If you're an artist or think you've got the next great slogan, you can even submit your work into the site. If your design is chosen, it's printed on a shirt, and you get a nice cash prize.
What can I say about another arcade website besides "THIS ONE IS TOTALLY AWESOME." I just played checkers, and this website offers a lot of old school games, like Connect Four, Uno, and the like (they're under different names, of course.) You can also play multiplayer games and create an account to save all your laziness victories. Wonderful.
See this little comic? It's hilarious. The whole website is hilarious. Thanks to StumbleUpon, I was introduced to this gem of a website, and I've been laughing ever since. The whole website is the work of one guy named Matthew Inman, and these little comics will make you want to read more and more. It seems as though he's getting a book deal, and I'm really glad to see the success of this little website.
