(c) Youtube
Ever had a group that you listen to remind you of someone else but you couldn’t quite figure out who it was? Remember when you couldn’t exactly understand why you really liked a band? That was how I felt when I first listened to “Ode to Sleep” by Twenty One Pilots. Reminded me a bit of Panic @ the Disco mixed w/ a bit of Hollywood Undead. But, that’s just me, tell me what you think about them.
-See you on the flip side-
The time has come to reveal the 8th edition of “The List,” my ranking of the top ten albums of the past year. The List has grown in terms of scope, design, and credibility since it’s inception, but it still serves essentially the same purpose: it is my way of sharing the music I found to be the most impressive and to have the most impact on me over this past year. That’s really all there is to it when you get down to the basics. Ranking music is always going to be somewhat subjective, so tastes will vary, and just because we disagree, it doesn’t mean that one of us is wrong about the quality of an album. I do try to use some objective means to rank these albums, but in the end a lot of it still comes down to the feelings I have in my gut. I would imagine that most music ranking lists work the same way, and if they don’t I think it might be worth questioning their legitimacy. After all, is not the most important aspect of music the effect it has on its listener?
To give you an idea of what I look for in an album, I will list a few of my qualifications. First, I think that popular music genres such as those represented on this list should be judged not only upon the quality of the music, but also on the quality of the lyrics and the message put forth by the album. Because this is a music list and not a poetry list, the music element weighs more heavily in my decisions than the lyrics do, but it is never the only quality by which I appraise an album. Furthermore, I appreciate cohesiveness. The lyrics should match the music in terms of feeling, and the songs should preferably be related to each other to make the album feel like a connected work. This second idea is not necessary for a great album, but it does make it much easier for the album to be considered great in my mind. Another common tool used for judging the quality of albums is their uniqueness. While uniqueness can affect my rankings, it is not automatically considered a good thing, nor is it considered the most important thing. I think people often fall into the trap of giving more points to something just because they have never heard it before. While this is fine and good if it is something truly great, new ideas can be unimpressive just as easily and ideas that were good before can remain good.
Hopefully that gives you guys some insight into my thought process. Now, it’s time to present the albums of the year. I love commentary, so if you like what I put on the list, comment and tell me why. If you don’t like it, tell me that too! Just make sure your comments are thoughtful. Don’t just say something is stupid. No one wants to read that.
2013 was a solid and surprising year in music for sure. Most of the albums that made this list were not on my radar to begin the year. Hopefully, if you haven’t heard them already, this will be a great introduction for you. Without further adieu, here are this year’s choices:
Hello everyone. As I promised a couple weeks ago, I am here to present you with songs ripped from my other song page. You will now receive a much more frequent dose of musical suggestions from me, though they will not be talked about in near as much detail. Don’t worry, I will occasionally come back with a large post, but for now, we’re showing flashbacks of a simpler time.
In addition, since these posts have already been previously made on my other music page, I will not necessarily be required to post them. As such, sometimes you may get a word or two from XIV as an introduction before moving on to my flashbacks, because he might be posting them instead of me. In fact, don’t be surprised if this happens frequently. Rest assured though that the content of the actual flashbacks is mine.
Today, we begin at the beginning. Here’s hoping you all enjoy it!
(c) Gogomix.com
Howdy folks, it’s about time for another S.O.O.L. post. (Yeah, I’m gonna start abbreviating that. I like it that way.) Today, we’re going to throw a few tracks from one of the artists on the b-side of my album on the set. The topic for today is: St. Vincent. I’ll see ya after the jump.
(c)piperbasenj
So actually, I’ve been using the moniker “XIV” for about 3 years now. I’ve been riding around the blogosphere on my magical unicorn unicycle since way before that. But, that’s neither here nor there, let’s not wonder what that has to do with our musical selection today. Because you’ll hear it in my shortest post of the last 3 or so. My sound track has been updating at such a weird variety that I can’t really explain everything so well. But, as normal, you can find the low down on what’s up plus the song (which is from Ratatat for you guys who don’t want the suspense) after the break.
from mrkash.com
Today’s song is long in a sense. It’s longer than what I played yesterday, both in time and in longevity. There’s no words but that’s not the most important part of this classic. Yesterday, I spent pretty much the entire day watching Ken Burns: Civil War. Oh what a Glorious Documentary that is. So much joy, pain, sadness, joy, and despair. A great war. Wonderful conflict. And absolutely needed for the current state to exist. A house divided and all that jazz. But, all about the music after the break.
Not really a dossier page but more of a “shoot the shit” page for today. Going to talk today about ways to find new music. School’s back in session so there isn’t as much time to just chill and surf youtube or Spotify your reality. Not many people really understand the impact that music has on your everyday life. Jingles, jangles, the tunes on the radio, and the even the sound of crickets chirping. So much music out there. I’m going to try to get you just a taste of the sound I heard yesterday, today. Every day I can. After all, It’s the soundtrack to your life, I’d love to influence it with a sample of mine. More after the break…
13 & xiv 