Song: "Queen of Bees"
Artist: Witchcraft
Album: Firewood (2005)

YOUUU

WERRE

MYYY

HIIIIIIIIII
-YAH.

OHH,

YOU
WERE
MY

EV
ERY
THING.

Now we've both died, I don't stand here without assistance because I'm fucking dead and how the fuck am I standing? Whatever. Stupid hypocrite zombies.

"Don't eat brains."

Duh nuh na na. NuhnunununununuNunununununuhnuh.

I like how I can call me fucking around on the internet, if it's musically related, "research".

I was doing "research" last night and randomly found this song as someone's live show video. I looked up the song and ended up doing some mass downloading all because I needed to find it as an mp3.

Early Man - "Fight"

In any case, it sounds...really...good. It feels fairly typically thrash but, you know, modernized for the kids who don' growed up on the em teevees. And fucking catchy as shit lyrics. I like the way the singer's voice is [produced] here, too.

You'll find this on their self-titled 2005 EP. You'll also enjoy how the second song sounds like Black Sabbath after the first sounds like Metallica.

Here's the vid (and check out the rest of that user's videos while you're at it):

I was trying to put together a comp of bands that have "evil" songs last year. I didn't finish it, but I kept the rough draft and consequently ended up listening to it many times since... particularly because of this song.

"Evil Is" kind of reminds me of Children and, more loosely, Saviours. Early Man's toured with a bunch of different metal bands ranging from modern thrash to cheesy 80s power metal to stoner metal - from me you'll recognize Red Fang and High on Fire - so I suppose many other comparisons would make sense.

Either way, give that song a listen.

Song: "The Destroyer"
Artist: The Atomic Bitchwax
Album: 3 (2005)

Heh. This album was released the day of a new moon in Gemini and the first song is called "The Destroyer". If only I could hear the lyrics in order to figure out what the song's actually about.

In any case, I love the energy of this song.

... Strangely, the first song that came on after this was "Over The Mountain", aka "don't need no astrology".

Song: "Christ Hunt"
Artist: Saviours
Album: Warship (2005)

This song's lyrics: KRAH MUH LAH HAK MEGH RARGH FLUUH.

I've been listening to this a lot lately. Where did I go wrong?

Hey, you can hear words on the Crucifire version!

Song: "The Baying of the Hounds"
Artist: Opeth
Album: Ghost Reveries (2005)

Thanks to yesterday's attempt at entertaining all of my unamusable finger-mutes, I had a horrible time trying to sleep because Opeth would not leave my fucking brain. So here you go, the missing link.

Ah, my sarcasm.

I was resistant on this band due to the high number of nerdy assholes listening so I don't think I gave this song a chance until last year after realizing that their singer has the sexiest speaking voice I've ever heard. Gradually the music began to stick, and unexpectedly I came across a situation where I was alone in a big room hearing this song against my will, unfortunately about to spend the next month with the song stuck in my head. It's sort of funny in a sick way how these things happen.

And also, I have a need to break out in song in front of Bobo, "you are everything - they are nothing!" I will try not to but one of these days I'm not going to be able to help it. Let's hope there's no company over that day.

So am I the only girl offended that I can't reach the vocal heights of, say, Tweak Bird? Even in falsetto, it's just not happening. But I will try anyway. It's for a good cause. BOBES.

Song: "Venus in Red"
Artist: Valis
Album: Champions of Magic (2005) / Valis/Kitty Kitty split (1998)

I sampled these guys briefly due to their tour with Nebula, which I don't think is happening anymore since the local show now lists different bands (OMG: Mongoloid Village, Sandrider, Entrance). If you haven't heard them yet, either, now's a good time.

This song is a little bit on the psych side, but I'm hesitating calling it that. It certainly has a familiar sound if you know related bands or just the genre of stoner rock. Warm, soft, easy to listen to, nice groove, good vocals... and I'm talking about the split version, which is most apparent in the video below.

Song: "Simple Man"
Artist: Deftones
Album: B-Sides & Rarities (2005)

The last entry made me think of two years ago, and two years ago this week I saw Deftones live, finally. There were a lot of people there dressed up for Dumb and Gay (dir en grey) and the crowd was gothy in general, so while waiting in line we were all solicited by a religious guy giving out flyers and such. It was a long wait so it was a nice, amusing interruption.

That was also the first time I went up on the balcony for that venue. Some drunk guy wouldn't leave me alone. When I quit responding he started elbowing me... incredibly irritating. The show wasn't ruined but I definitely wasn't feeling comfortable after that guy started talking at me and threw all kinds of creepy vibes at me.

Used to happen a lot... Still does, just less concentrated.

...Youtube just randomly went down so I can't give you a song. You should hear this album, even if you're not normally a fan of the Deftones. It's fucking brilliant - best album they ever did.

Edit: Of course, two seconds after I pushed "save", it worked.

Song: "This Is Rape"
Artist: Overmars
Album: Affliction Endocrine...Vertigo (2005)

This is how I felt when I had to activate credit/bank cards this morning.

One of them just had an in-phone electronic thingy to confirm that I was indeed myself, which wasn't too bad even when I forgot my phone number. The other had that plus I had to talk to a real person to further confirm activation and then get sold a hundred different ridiculous "important" "products". The lady would just not give up. Then, just when I thought she might finally be done, I had to be transferred to someone else for some unclear reason. Apparently the lady sent me to a wrong number... Maybe she was pissed I didn't buy one of her fancy fucking useless things.

It was nice to hang up and find out my card worked anyway.

I hate phones. A lot.

Song: "Amaze Disgrace"
Artist: 3
Album: Wake Pig (2005)

Was just a matter of time.

If you're not convinced, stick around for the 4-5 minute mark.

Song: "My Friend Dario"
Artist: Vitalic
Album: OK Cowboy (2005)

This song isn't that great by itself, but good luck not remembering it in the future when you hear about people named Dario. I think this goes more for particular people, because, where I live, Dario's an unusual name... yet somehow now that I've heard this song, it's not so unusual anymore.

Song: "Druganaut"
Artist: Black Mountain
Album: Druganaut EP (2005)

The song I am talking about is the one currently on their myspace, on the EP... because it's better than the one on their self-titled album.

This song is committing an act of 70s abuse. Maybe it's 60s, I haven't done my math on this. Either way, it's a sparkling gem on the I-don't-get-it mountain-side.

PS. Dragonaut.

My life started to improve in late 2004. Coincidentally, this is when I downloaded all of the Kyuss albums - Wretch, Blues for the Red Sun, Welcome to Sky Valley, and And The Circus Leaves Town.

I knew, beforehand, that this was going to be something epic so I wrote down all of my first thoughts on the songs. This resulted in a comment from a guy I knew who didn't listen to fucking garbage, telling me to check out the band Sheavy.

I tried to listen but I never gave a fuck about Black Sabbath despite my one-off argument with the ex about them, and didn't really want to hear a vocalist that sounded like Ozzy. This was not appealing. Take your BS obsession somewhere else, asshole.

Then I actually listened to the lyrics in "Electric Sleep". "Cyberspace is no place for the real world" about covers it. My wordy friend went off on tangents about the band, about Black Sabbath, about a whole genre inspired by the same sort of crap... He sent me Unida and Dozer. I gave them all a listen... I liked them better. But, in time, I was coming back to Sheavy and getting used to their 'sound'. Before long I was even broken on Black Sabbath. Apparently, covers aside, I'd just never heard Vol 4.

Meanwhile, I talked to one of the guys from Sheavy. I could not fucking believe it. I was coming from bands like Tool where band contact is pretty much impossible. This guy fucking found ME. THE HELL. Theoretically I'd been friends with people involved with music before, but not a member of a now-favorite band. Crazy.

About that time, my friend introduced me to Dream Theater. I liked some, but... what a bunch of wankery.

He also went off about Fiona Apple. I knew her from 1997 or whenever it was, but singer-songwriter wasn't really my cup of tea. I downloaded some random songs that I didn't already have, anyway... and subsequently became very caught up in the drama going on about the release of Extraordinary Machine. Fucking bullshit. I bought everything she had and pre-ordered the album.

With Teeth by NIN came out. Pretty much everyone around me were saying it was a joke, even though most of these people were not "typical" listeners of NIN. I was a bit sad that it wasn't really that great, but that didn't stop me from buying a ticket to see them the second it went onsale for me.

And I got DSL. I needed to utilize this for music. I found 20 years worth of top-100 billboard songs for each year, and downloaded every single one. I wrote about them all. I was reminded about a lot of artists I hadn't bothered with in years, resulting in a little more downloading. I'd gotten a last.fm account a few months beforehand, and during this time my charts were fucking schizophrenic because I was also listening to a lot of Sheavy, Monster Magnet, Kyuss... 80s and 90s pop right next to stoner rock.

Madonna came out with Confessions on a Dance Floor. I didn't really want to like it, but I was stuck on it for a while.

Extraordinary Machine came out, naturally great.

Sheavy's new one, Republic? came out. I was disappointed.

I listened to Autolux's album in preparation for their show with Nine Inch Nails.

I also did Queens of the Stone Age research, though I was still sick about them. I ended up looking at a link on their site for the band Eagles of Death Metal. I figured I had nothing to lose, I guess, and watched the "Speaking in Tongues" video... and died laughing. HOLY SHIT THIS WAS BRILLIANT. It was a tutu'ed death metal growl about ponies and rainbows short of my ideal band. MORE PLS.

I saw Nine Inch Nails live... In itself, it was a great experience. The first time I saw them, and the first time I saw Tool in 2001, I was a little sick afterward because I didn't have the money to be spending on concerts but I really liked the whole feeling/experience. Now I had some expendable money. I could do this if I tried to. I wasn't sure. I was scared. My friends now didn't listen to my music. And they were "old" in my eyes, "over" the inanity of momentary experience, more interested in security and assurance. Bleh. I didn't want to do this alone but I was going to have to if it was going to be accomplished.

Seeing Queens of the Stone Age... just, what? They'd been this awesome all of this time? How the fuck? Where did I go wrong? I got a bunch of their albums starting with Over the Years, and probably got Desert Sessions at this time as well.

I had to see another show soon, so I went to Fiona Apple. It was my first non-arena, middle-sized venue show, and my first non-rock show. It was really great and just what I needed. Yep, more concerts...

Song: "Joker & The Thief"
Artist: Wolfmother
Album: Wolfmother (2005)

The Creed dilemma reminds me of Wolfmother. I think the best part of this band is that Mike Patton insulted them on camera once. I suppose it's "nice" that they temporarily introduced a more creatively authentic sound to the masses... but in the same, FUCKING CLONES.

Song: "Human After All"
Artist: Daft Punk
Album: Human After All (2005)

Being 13-14 years old when Daft Punk first violated my brain, I never got a chance to make a decision whether what I was hearing was any good or not before they were stuck in there forever. I do remember listening to this band at that age on a radio station that made me think they were of a classic dance nature rather than brand new or even an actual entity, but... I was musically retarded and dance definitely was not my thing to begin with.

After a decade of practical avoidance, I finally downloaded some Daft Punk songs in 2006... And promptly had this god damn song stuck in my head, just like that fuckin' "Around The World" song. It's good sometimes, bad in its repetition most other times.

Also, did you know that if you bind yourself to a simple formula of repetitive, easily dancable but slightly strange electronic music, people will refer to you as gods?

Er, stupid people.

Song: "Ghost of Perdition"
Artist: Opeth
Album: Ghost Reveries (2005)

I hope you won't mind the live song. You probably won't since you've probably heard this song before now. Which I suppose is good. Hey, you get to sample his speaking voice. If you're a lady, please do that so you can see how much your boyfriend/husband/endeavor of the day sucks in the vocal department.

I listened to this today and it was promptly stuck in my head. Great. The last time it took a month to leave. Especially the "darkness by her side" part near the middle and the next quiet-loud part. I hate the asshole who introduced me to this band.

Song: "Used To Love Him"
Artist: Fiona Apple
Album: Extraordinary Machine (Jon Brion version, unreleased)

2005...

Song: "Everything I See"
Artist: The Mighty Nimbus
Album: The Mighty Nimbus (2005)

I download a bunch of random albums tonight to see if I could inspire anything or find something perhaps even brilliant. Most of it has turned out to be crap, and the rest is music I'm going to have to sit with a while to decide whether it's mediocre or I'm just tired.

This, however, stood out immediately.

Song: "Quantum Mystic"
Artist: YOB
Album: The Unreal Never Lived (2005)

As you should know by my repetition now, I'm way behind on my music, lately and in general.

I only recently gave YOB a chance, and have not been able to stop listening to this song. Unfortunately, its only internet presence is via compressed files. :(

Edit: No wait! There's this! Could be better quality, but still! Listen!

Edit #2: Added a video! Thanks Doom metal Alliance!

Song: "Pink"
Artist: Boris
Album: Pink (2005)

AHOWW!

That is all.

Song: "Flying Whales"
Artist: Gojira
Album: From Mars to Sirius (2005)

Here's the first song I ever heard by Gojira. It was a fine introduction as the band apparently stuck after this despite just barely crossing the line of the realm of my tastes.

It also suits really well when I'm as tired as I am today, having to quickly get mentally ready for so-called "metal" after a day of fun-rock excess. It's a nice bridge with that slow prog metal build and stomping beat.

Am I the only one that laughs at "...but it's true!" (4:48)? Someone tell him his punch has been spiked. Then again, considering, who would have the heart? He lubbs his whales...

Song: "Ain't No Easy Way"
Artist: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Album: Howl (2005)

Fuck this band. No idea why I hate them, I just do. Probably starts with the completely stereotypically inaccurate band name.

But they do have a few okay songs.

Song: "Chylde of Fire"
Artist: Witchcraft
Album: Firewood (2005)

ARGH! Out of my head!

This one surprised me by barely missing the void of course moon, too.

Song: "Waltz"
Artist: Fiona Apple
Album: Extraordinary Machine (2005)

This song explains it self.

Just hanging out, wasted wasting time ... just hanging out. This song is nice to have around when nothing matters.

Song: "The Heaviest Matter of the Universe" (two links)
Artist: Gojira
Album: From Mars to Sirius (2005)

It took me a long time to get into this song in comparison to the other songs on this same album, but during my days of music-lack and subsequent headphone rape, I missed songs like this one so much. How wonderful it is to have this in my life again.

Gojira has a new album called The Way of All Flesh due out October 14th, with a European tour to coincide.

Lyrics:
Lay down fall away
Lie awake
Just cannot move
My arms and legs
I'm paralyzed
Don't recall how to free
Myself from this
In the heart of the dark
My face contorted
Don't know how to
Reach the light
But I feel so bad
Like a freak in a cage

Open the door
Enter your heart
You go so far

Golden unworldly silence
Space flight at speed of light
I cross the clouds and colours
The black hole is calling me
I slide on the horizon
On the frontier not to cross

Black dwarf
Time's gone distorted
In the heart of the dark
A whirl of light

Enter in
The realm of nothingness
I fell the cold, my eyes are shut
My fear is slowly dying
Light years from here
Are my thoughts and cages
I can hear their moan
But now a long deep breath
Is calling

Overtaking time
And now understanding space
I feel united
I do cross light
I feel the living
Here in the center
Stands the light of love
That never can be touched
From greater silence
Shall return

Song: "Poney"
Artist: Vitalic
Album: Ok Cowboy (2005)

The video begs the question - What the fuck?

Birds. For real.

If you're seizure-prone, you may want to consider downloading Firefox and getting "Ad Block Plus" before visiting their myspace. It's useful for obnoxious images.

Song: "High Rise"
Artist: Ladytron
Album: Witching Hour (2005)

Decent song, just varied enough not to be boring, while still being a sleepy Ladytron track.

I saw these guys live recently, and in doing so I quickly discovered that their unconscious sound is tough to translate through live performance. However, watching middle-aged fat men trying to dance to their music made it worth it.

Song: "Broken Box"
Artist: Queens of the Stone Age
Album: Lullabies to Paralyze (2005)

One of my biggest annoyances is when I clearly set out to have and maintain social independence, then someone comes along and decides I need to be trapped. Girls in particular do this to me constantly. Why, I don't have a fucking clue. Maybe women do this to each other all of the time and I've never noticed, maybe women put up with this normally and I'm somehow the obnoxious exception, hence the tenser situations I find myself in. Regardless, it's very irritating when I've set out to do something and someone thinks they have the ultimate right to know what, why, when, how and, if possible, control me and whatever I'm doing that has nothing to do with them. Naturally, when I set out to achieve my independence despite being passive-aggressively told how to behave, the result is endless drama. All I have to say to that is... if you fucking volunteer, you deserve the pain.

Not a popular idea, but at least Josh agrees with me. And like Mr. Homme, I, too, am gonna go & dance in the rain.

Song: "Devilution"
Artist: High on Fire
Album: Blessed Black Wings (2005)

What an exhilarating, lovely song.

Yes, lovely.

Song: "Mentor"/"Erase"
Artist: Torche
Album: Torche (2005)

Torche is playing next to Boris for a states tour this summer, and is currently on tour with The Sword and Stinking Lizaveta. I had one Torche album at the time I found out about the Boris tour, but I hadn't given it a proper chance yet, so I went to do proper research.

This is a pretty solid album in sound/feeling. I'm liking the first track's lyrics and overall style, but "Mentor" is very catchy. It's a heavy song overall, but the vocals make it seem lighter somehow.

The next track, "Erase" is a must-hear. It is musically very similar to "Mentor", but has an element of uplifting dreaminess to it.

This is not traditional doom/stoner, where one needs to have a default state of mind in order to 'get' what's going on. Despite their musical heaviness, this album is very accessible and "light" in feeling - closer to pop-rock than metal. There's a line in the first track - "war is beautiful" - that sums up their sound very well.

Song: "Octavarium"
Artist: Dream Theater
Album: Octavarium (2005)

You may find this song a very painful 24 minutes the first time you listen to it, but it's a lot easier in the future. Especially since you can skip right ahead to the best part. Part III / Full Circle which starts musically about 12-13 minutes is the most obviously appealing, although it's not particularly satisfying without the beginning of the song.

Unlike doom, this song is quite varied both musically and emotionally. Unlike electronic, it is meaningful as a whole (nevermind being a hell of a lot more intellectually stimulating than electronic). There's an actual story here, and it isn't simply regurgitated.

If history has anything to say about it, music geeks will love the shit out of this song. The instrumental lead-in/out pieces between definitive emotional moments in this song are genius alone.

If you've never heard it and you have a half hour to spare, here's a link to the whole track. Totally, absolutely worth it.

Song: "O.F.G."
Artist: zZz
Album: Sound of zZz (2005)

I got greedy and nearly broke my computer today. Nothing like the fear of no computer to make one load up the most difficult mp3s available and listen to them in full once said computer is available again. But this is always followed by a sudden shift in mood. After a certain hour-long Sleep track, one needs speed and organ.

This band sounds like it belongs on the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas soundtrack.

Song: "You'll Rebel To Anything (As Long As It's Not Challenging)"
Artist: Mindless Self-Indulgence
Album: You'll Rebel To Anything (2005)

This song explains itself, so...

Lyrics:
You don't mean it

You need a uniform
So you won't be ignored
You are affected
And so you're accepted

It's time you invested in a bottle of poison
So we don't have to hear about your bitchin and moanin
You think you could afford a fuckin bottle of asprin

Boo fuckin hoo you're not the only one whose live's a piece of shit
And yet miraculously somehow we all seem to deal with it
Did anybody think that you would really seriously slit your wrists
In fact I think that everybody thinks you're seriously full of shit

You don't mean it

You need a uniform
So you won't be ignored
You are affected
And so you're accepted

It's time you invested in a bottle of poison
So we don't have to hear about your bitchin and moanin
You think you could afford a fuckin bottle of asprin

You think you're saying something relevant as you connect the dots
You never realized you have to get in line to suck a cock
You're telling me that fifty million screaming fans are never wrong
I'm telling you that fifty million screaming fans are fucking morons

You don't mean it
So you're accepted

Boo fuckin hoo you're not the only one whose live's a piece of shit
And yet miraculously somehow we all seem to deal with it
Did anybody think that you would really seriously slit your wrists
In fact I think that everybody thinks you're seriously full of shit

You think you're saying something relevant as you connect the dots
You never realized you have to get in line to suck a cock
You're telling me that fifty million screaming fans are never wrong
I'm telling you that fifty million screaming fans are fucking morons

Boo fuckin hoo you're not the only one whose live's a piece of shit
And yet miraculously somehow we all seem to deal with it
Did anybody think that you would really seriously slit your wrists
In fact I think that everybody thinks you're seriously full of shit

You think you're saying something relevant as you connect the dots
You never realized you have to get in line to suck a cock
You're telling me that fifty million screaming fans are never wrong
I'm telling you that fifty million screaming fans are fucking morons

You don't mean it

Song: "Electric"
Artist: Boris
Album: Pink (2005)

What the hell? I haven't had a Boris post yet!

This song is amazing. If you don't listen to it and like it, you are no longer my friend. ... Oh wait, I have no friends. Well then, if you listen to it and like it, you can possibly be my friend at a time I'll be gaining in social populous. This is surely a rare privilege for 1 minute and 45 seconds of your life.

Anyhow, I've read that the band Boris is named after the Melvins song of the same name. However, Boris the band sounds little if anything like "Boris" the song. This particular song is way off.

I have also heard some of Boris' material outside of the this album, and it similarly sounds little if anything like Pink. Boris is cross-genre with a tendency to be classified as doom/drone or stoner rock, but this album seems neither to me (though it isn't particularly pure of any genre as a whole).

That said, it's been their most well-received and popular album to date. If you like anything from standard rock to metal, many songs on Pink are sure to appeal.

Song: "International Dateline"
Artist: Ladytron
Album: Witching Hour (2005)

The irony of posts like this is that I have yet to see or know of anyone on this site who is either female or cares for electronic music. My wild guess is that this band requires at least one of these presets. However, the stoner rock and metal posting has gotten old, and I'm repeating myself too often.

Ladytron has about ten songs I'd like to post, to date. They have a new album coming out June 3rd, so theoretically that means more. Their songs tend to be simple, and for the most part are gentle or fly-by-night. In other words, they're a really easy listen. The first song I heard and cared for by them, "Seventeen" is difficult for me to discern why I liked it first since it's so repetitive, but in the cosmic sense I think that all women suffer this dilemma of going out of style. A lot of their songs are like this, simple yet universal.

If you like this post-Depeche Mode electronic stuff, even kind of, try some of their other songs out: their discography thus far is fairly balanced.

Song: "Modern Girl"
Artist: Sleater-Kinney
Album: The Woods (2005)

The album version of this song is way better. After the first verse, the song progressively melts into static, eventually to where it's almost unlistenable. In a way, it's fucking hilarious... but that static in comparison to the half-retarded triteness of the lyrics makes a nice point.

Good album, but I'm not familiar with their others.

Circumstances of my life have been changing in recent weeks. Though welcome in a larger sense, the new daily trudgery is, at least, emotionally, socially, and creatively frustrating. My usual amount of angst has skyrocketed. Which brings us to today's song...

Dream Theater - "Never Enough". I mentioned Octavarium, the 2005 release that this song comes from, once before in regards to "Oblivious".

That said, I read recently that Dream Theater will be touring the States again this spring. Dates and venues have yet to be set.

I'm going to break a rule and recommend more songs for today. We'll see how badly my archiving system gets screwed up by this.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - "Will You Smile Again?". It comes from the 2005 album Worlds Apart.

Great song by an overrated band. You can hear the whole song here.

Today's Dozer - "From Fire Fell". It's on their 2005 album, Through the Eyes of Heathens.

This song is just really good. Unfortunately, it's only a little over two and a half minutes long.