Stuck In My Skull 355: 90s Week, Part 1 -- "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"

90's Week, Part 1 || Song: "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" || Artist: Backstreet Boys || http://youtu.be/O6XE1XRiLeY ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/O6XE1XRiLeY]

Comments: Well, Amanda proposed we do 90's week, so here we are. For the life of me, I don't know where I'm going to find a week's worth of 90's. The 90's essentially predated my interest in music, and the only bad I really cared about, well, here they are. And it turns out, yes, I still know the words. Campy? Nostalgic? Of course. But awesome. Enjoy the memories! And make sure you check back tomorrow -- we might be teasing some announcements in the new year!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 354 -- "Sleepless"

Song: "Sleepless" || Artist: Deadmau5 || http://youtu.be/l2L599fMDPI ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/l2L599fMDPI]

Comments: Good morning, everyone. This song comes from Deadmau5's latest album, called " > album title goes here < ". It's a really new and different sound for Deadmau5, and I thought it was really interesting, so I just had to post it here. Rather than search for words, I'll just say it's slower and quieter than most songs by Deadmau5, and you should definitely give it a listen. Enjoy!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 353 -- "Last of the Wilds"

Song: "Last of the Wilds" || Artist: Nightwish || http://youtu.be/vouAtmE13vs ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/vouAtmE13vs]

Comments: So, I recently (Christmas) came into quite a bit of music. In addition, I recently turned on a radio and realized "Wow, I'm really behind on pop music!" So, between both of those factors, I will be sending you some new tunes soon. But for today, I beg your pardon, but I have to pass this song along. Nightwish is generally considered to be masters of symphonic metal, but they're also really good at putting together an instrumental track -- all of the symphonic and none of the metal. "Last of the Wilds" is the symphonic track from Nightwish's album Dark Passion Play. Enjoy!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 352 -- "Thrift Shop"

Song: "Thrift Shop" || Artist: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz || http://youtu.be/QK8mJJJvaes ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/QK8mJJJvaes]

Comments: Hello, everyone! Hope you all had a good Christmas (if that's your thing) or other holiday/normal day. Somebody suggested that I listen to this song forever ago, and now that I have, I realize I should have made time to do so sooner. And I feel really bad, because I don't remember who told me! Whoever you are, please please please message me and I'll credit you! Anyway, song. Song is hilarious. And true. If you think Goodwill is lower-class, icky, or generally not worth it, you are so wrong. I personally have gotten a suit and a tuxedo from thrift shops, and they were dirt cheap. I also found an old computer there the other day. Sure, it's missing some stuff, but it was $6... and the RAM is selling for $16 on ebay. And on that note, enjoy the song!

Download

Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone, and happy holidays! The column Stuck In My Skull is taking the day off to celebrate the day with family. Enjoy your holiday!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 351 -- "Scream and Shout"

Song: "Scream and Shout" || Artist: will.i.am feat. Britney Spears || http://youtu.be/kYtGl1dX5qI ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/kYtGl1dX5qI]

Comments: Happy Monday, folks! Let me preface this commentary by saying watch this video. Some of my comments might sound a tad negative, but watch the video. That being said, this song confused me. I feel as though will.i.am is still exploring his style as a solo artist, and this video feels like he was trying to go more hiphop than electro or pop. The iconography in the video seems to reinforce this. But I can't really look at this song and say "Oh, will.i.am just wanted to go hiphop," because he didn't. There are so many styles in here, that I really can't figure out what he was trying to do. But the glory of will.i.am is that he still managed to make the song sound good. And say what you will about his music, but he knows how to make a visually striking music video. As for Britney... why does she sound British? And is it just me, or is she channeling Dev?

Enjoy the song!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 350 -- "Until the End"

Song: "Until the End" || Artist: Breaking Benjamin || http://youtu.be/_sK2pp2Vkto ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/_sK2pp2Vkto]

Comments: Today's entry is going to be pretty short, sorry. In a nutshell, I ran into this song, realized I hadn't posted it, and had to post it. It's so angst-y, it's wonderful! Enjoy, and enjoy the holiday weekend!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 349 -- "Love Lockdown"

Song: "Love Lockdown" || Artist: Kanye West || http://youtu.be/HZwMX6T5Jhk ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/HZwMX6T5Jhk]

Comments: Alright, I'm going to do my level best to not rephrase and rehash what every music critic and has already said about this song -- especially since they said it years ago then this song came out, and I'm behind the curve. Some things, though, can't be avoided. Putting on my Pitchfork hat, I have to say that the tribal drums aesthetic is excellent, as is the minimalist beat. Apparently this album (808s and Heartbreak -- thanks Amanda for giving it to me!) is the first album in which Kanye really uses Auto-Tune. That surprised me to discover, since he could write the book on the proper and tasteful application of that oft-lampooned technology. He uses it to do some tasteful shifts of tone in the song, but more interestingly, he uses Auto-Tune to add distortion to his voice in a really excellent way for a really nice effect that's in that just-right spot between obvious and subtle. The song is lyrically a bit cliched, but he puts a nice spin on things by actually attempting to deal with his relationship failures. More importantly, his attempt to not drag everyone else down and "...keep a secret code / So everybody else don't have to know" is really interesting. It gives it the realism that this biographical track deserves, and it really speaks to me.

As to the video, I think the tribal aspect might be a tad overdone, but it's not bad. I would legitimately prefer to see more Kanye and fewer warriors in the video, but that's personal preference for emotion over bravado. The part that actually grabbed me (once I got over the dancing) was the spaceship (is that a spaceship?) at around 2:00. Anyway. Song is excellent. Video is excellent. If you haven't seen/heard it lately, give it a go. Enjoy!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 348 -- "Jesus of Suburbia"

Song: "Jesus of Suburbia" || Artist: Green Day || http://youtu.be/FNKPYhXmzoE ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/FNKPYhXmzoE]

Comments: If I'm correct on this, I believe the album lists this song as "Jesus of Suburbia: Jesus of Suburbia/City of the Damned/I Don't Care", which is more than a little bit too long. Also, I have to admit that I haven't seen the video to this song, and I really really haven't seen the 'long' version of this song, which apparently is 11 minutes long. But this song came up last night, and I just couldn't resist putting it on the blog. It sounds so crass, but years later, I'm still convinced it's deeper than surface, and still haven't bothered sitting down and thinking about it. I need to. I really do.

Download

Stuck In My Skull 347 -- "The Real Slim Shady"

http://youtu.be/eJO5HU_7_1w

Song: "The Real Slim Shady" || Artist: Eminem || http://youtu.be/eJO5HU_7_1w ||
Comments: Sorry about the lateness of today's post. I promise, after the holidays things will be more regular. I don't know why I had this song stuck in my head, but I definitely did. It's weird, it's freaky, and it's definitely some vintage Eminem.
On a completely unrelated note, Wordpress looks different now, and the New Post screen has changed. Let me know if this looks any different!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 346 -- "42"

Song: "42" || Artist: Coldplay || http://youtu.be/Z0xfWCDLoCU ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/Z0xfWCDLoCU]

Comments: Yet another late post! I think I'll try and write out a few extra entries over this weekend, so I have a backup plan for when things get crazy. We'll see.

Anyway. This song comes off Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends album. It's a lesser-known track from the album, and nowhere near as popular as "Viva la Vida" or "Violet Hill" or even "Strawberry Swing." I like it, though. The beginning starts off at a nice, slow pace, then picks up into a merry tune. It's catchy, and a nice, relaxing listen. Enjoy, and have a good weekend!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 345 -- "Give Me Novacaine"

Song: "Give Me Novacaine" || Artist: Green Day || http://youtu.be/ZKAwIwjHwZI ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/ZKAwIwjHwZI]

Comments: Late post, but better than no post. I really do have to apologize for the inconsistent pattern of posts lately. Life has been a little (that's an understatement) crazy lately for all of us. I promise things will get better soon.

Anyway, the song. I haven't listened to this in months, but when I woke up this morning, it was stuck in my head. I And hey, it's not electronic music, the streak is broken! I first ran into Green Day back in middle school, years ago when bashing US President George W Bush was still popular. The album American Idiot was one of the first bands I'd ever gotten into that was at all political, and while it didn't directly or immediately inform my political views, it definitely opened my eyes a bit. I mean, it might be crude, but "Holiday" makes a point. If I recall correctly, it was years later -- after this album fell from popularity -- that I really started to shift my politics, long enough that I feel comfortable saying American Idiot helped, but was not the cause. Oddly enough, the two memories I have of this song/album are completely normal (for me, anyway). I remember playing videogames to this track and "Are We the Waiting", and bringing a portable CD player in the car when I was out with my parents so I could listen to the album. Oh well, enough biographical rambling. Enjoy the song!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 344 -- "Skrillex Orchestral Suite by Varien"

Song: "Skrillex Orchestral Suite by Varien" || Artist: Skrillex || http://youtu.be/ryR9A8-Nl0Q ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/ryR9A8-Nl0Q]

Comments: Ack, I meant to write this last night, but I fell asleep. Sorry! Anyway, after a long stretch of electronic tracks, I figured it would be good to post something without so much as a trace of synthesizer. Don't let the Skrillex piece fool you -- this is a really excellent orchestral version of a medley of his songs. Enjoy!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 343 -- "Animus Vox"

Song: "Animus Vox" || Artist: The Glitch Mob || http://youtu.be/17PM-UMVud8 ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/17PM-UMVud8]

Comments: Things I feel bad about as a blogger right now:

• Overusing electronica as a genre


• Overusing The Glitch Mob as a band


• Not posting yesterday


• Not posting anything new and unique today

Don't get me wrong. I love Glitch Mob. Those gentlemen know how to make a beat. And I love electronic music. But I've put too much up lately, and too much Glitch Mob. So it is with this in mind that I beg you to go and listen to the song anyway, because it is fantastic. Enjoy!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 342 -- "Eye Bear" [HIPSTER WEEK PART 5]

HIPSTER WEEK, PART 5 || Song: "Eye Bear" || Artist: Gingerbread Patriots || http://youtu.be/QcReWa6N9TM ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/QcReWa6N9TM]

Comments: Wow, sorry about that, folks. Suffice it to say I had a very crazy day. Bad blogger is bad, and didn't just write the post in advance. Oops...

Right. Song. This song is... a song. I'm finding it really difficult to describe Gingerbread Patriots' sound in this track. For some reason, the vocals remind me ever so slightly of Owl City. The song is both electronic and acoustic  and I don't begin to know how. I'm seriously at a complete loss for good words to describe this song, so I guess I'll just have to settle for "Go listen and judge for yourself!" While you're at it, give us some feedback -- what did you think of Hipster Week? Enjoy the weekend!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 341 — “Below the Surface” [HIPSTER WEEK PART 4]

HIPSTER WEEK, PART 4 || Song: "Below the Surface" || Artist: Ben Preston || http://youtu.be/FB9cvps5bPQ ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/FB9cvps5bPQ]

Comments: Happy Thursday everyone! I have a bad habit -- my desktop on my computer is so cluttered with virtual sticky notes that sometimes I can't actually see my own background. Usually, I have at least one sticky full of music. I generally forget to look at them, but for some reason, I remembered to tonight. And, oh, am I glad I did. Continuing the theme of 'Most of Hipster Week is Electronic,' Ben Preston. As I recall, I originally ran into this song on Pandora, and liked it so much that I wrote down the track name and artist. Going back and listening to it again, I'm having trouble staying in my seat, because my ears are commanding my body to dance! Enjoy!

Download

AMANDA-- "SWERVE CITY" by DEFTONES

Download

Stuck In My Skull 340 — “We Lost the Signal” [HIPSTER WEEK PART 3]

HIPSTER WEEK, PART 3 || Song: "We Lost the Signal" || Artist: Fidgital || http://youtu.be/HrU0A7W48FA ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/HrU0A7W48FA]

Comments: Note to self, get a normal sleep pattern and keep it. Anyway, welcome back to Hipster Week! Though at this point, it might be worth calling these last few days the "Canadian Electronica Special Series," as Fidgital is another Canadian act. Given only a phrase to describe Fidgital based on what I've heard, I'd call them ambient electro-jazz. Woot for making up genre titles. Fidgital's website uses some slightly different language.

Fidgital is electronic pop that draws inspiration from jazz, big band, techno, and an ever-widening range of genres. We (Producer/remixer Keith Gillardand vocalist Ryan Slemko) work with a cast of talented electronic and jazz musicians from Vancouver, Canada and all over the world to create progressive, unique, and ultimately catchy pop music.

Anyway, "We Lost the Signal" is a nice and mellow jazzy track, and I love it. It's about as calm as I am... Which is very, as it's 2:08 AM at time of writing. Good night to me, good morning to you, and good music to all.

Download

Stuck In My Skull 339 -- "So Beautiful" [HIPSTER WEEK PART 2]

HIPSTER WEEK, PART 2 || Song: "So Beautiful" || Artist: Adriane Lake || http://soundcloud.com/adrianelake/so-beautiful-2 ||

http://soundcloud.com/adrianelake/so-beautiful-2

 

Comments: Well, we have retroactively declared this week to be Hipster Week! It's been FAR too long since we've done a Theme Week, and we just couldn't help ourselves. The rules of Hipster Week are pretty simple: The video must have less than 1,000,000 hits on youtube. And with this entry, I'm impressed. It has zero hits on youtube. Actually, the song I originally wanted to hit isn't on Soundcloud either! So, I settled for this equally-excellent track by the same artist. Adriane Lake is a Canadian producer of electronic music, and that's about all her bio really says. She's hipster enough not to have a wikipedia entry. Regardless of that, her CD Morning Glow recently made its way into my hands, and I love it. This song is featured on Soundcloud, and did I mention it's downloadable? You're welcome. If that doesn't sell you yet, here's a chunk of description from her website to either make or break the deal for you.

With Morning Glow, she brings a tenderness, sweetness and emotive quality to her squishy ambient and thumping arrangements. The addition of her own vocal layers and lyrics to a number of the tracks adds a quirky nerdy femininity when melded with organic textures and stiffer electronic instruments. Using uncommon time signatures, deep bass, treated acoustic instruments and even found sound Morning Glow is an unusually accessible confection of otherworldly songs, decorative textures and unorthodox beats.

Enjoy the song!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 338 -- "Over the Pain's Madness" [HIPSTER WEEK PART 1]

Song: "Over the Pain's Madness" || Artist: Immortal Pain || http://youtu.be/aqgoFsIbRPg ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/aqgoFsIbRPg]

Comments: Good Monday morning, all! Today's song comes by way of Emily, who has my sincere thanks for sending it my way. According to her, Immortal Pain is "death metal from Saudia Arabia." While that might be true in some of their songs, this song is a nice, fairly mellow instrumental number, and I'm really impressed. I'll definitely be checking out more of their stuff. Enjoy!

Download