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!

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Stuck In My Skull 332-- "Beautiful Lies"

Song: "Beautiful Lies" || Artist: Mt Eden || http://youtu.be/uZnpikoHNWw ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/uZnpikoHNWw]

Comments: The internet is weird. I mean, who honestly sat down and said "Let's take a picture of a cute cat, put a funny caption on it, and butcher the spelling on the caption?" And beyond that, who would have thought they'd be hilarious  and turn into a hallmark of internet culture? Besides just locats, we have the internet to thank for the rise and spread of numerous bands and artists, such as Mt Eden. I'm not a huge dusbtep junkie, but I really like this track. I would almost have to call it 'chillstep'-- that wonderful portmanteau of a genre. However, I'm fairly sure there is an actual definition for chillstep, so I'll just settle for calling it 'really chill dubstep.' I love this track. And I love that it's a free download. The link in the youtube description leads to a 'file not found' on rapidshare, but as the annotation on the youtube video itself points out, the song is available as a free and legal download on their soundcloud, found here. Enjoy the track and enjoy the day!

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Stuck In My Skull 319 -- "Tetris"

Song: "Tetris" || Artist: Electrixx || http://youtu.be/_pXUl8KMJmc ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/_pXUl8KMJmc]

Comments: Happy Monday, folks! To those of you in the path of Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Insert_Weather_Event_Here Sandy, hunker down and carry on-- be safe above all else. To those of you who aren't, send your thoughts/prayers/good karma/positive feelings to those who are. To anyone reading this, have some music. "Tetris" is a superb remix of the theme of the game Tetris, as mixed by a group I've never heard of called Electrixx. It has excellent dance and dubstep elements in the song, and blends them beautifully. Songs like this remind me why I got into electronic music in the first place. Enjoy!

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Entry 301-- "Elements" and Announcement!

Song: "Elements" || Artist: Lindsey Stirling || http://youtu.be/sf6LD2B_kDQ ||

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf6LD2B_kDQ]

Comments: Sorry about the lateness of this post, folks! But today, Stuck In My Skull has a major announcement! As of Monday, October 8th, Stuck In My Skull will be moving to Wordpress! Our website will be the same, the only thing that is changing is blogger is becoming wordpress, so you can find us at stuckinmyskull.wordpress.com. In addition, Miriah and Amanda will be starting their own columns that week, to bring you even more variety! All this week, Wordpress will be running in synch with Blogger. What this means for you is that you can read the post of the day on either Blogger or Wordpress. Wordpress is running in 'beta,' though, so there may be a few bugs. If you see anything weird on the Wordpress site, please please please let us know! Facebook us, email us, leave a comment on either site, and we'll get it taken care of. Also, we are pleased to announce we reached and exceeded 6000 hits over the weekend!

Anyway, the song. This is the second time that Lindsey Stirling has produced a violin/dubstep track, and like the original offering, Ms. Stirling did a fantastic job on this song. She emphasizes the dubstep part of the track a titch more than in "Crystallize," but I'm okay with that, as I think it sounds fantastic. As is usual for her, she put together a stunning video to accompany the song. All in all, I think Lindsey Stirling is an amazing artist, and I look forward to hearing more of her work.

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Entry 300-- "Must Be the Feeling"

Song: "Must Be the Feeling" || Artist: Nero || http://youtu.be/ld50mfW-BCM ||
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld50mfW-BCM]

 

Comments: Hey all! Amanda here! A couple months ago I posted Nero's  "Promises" from Welcome to Reality, the same album this song comes from. It samples the 80's track "Time to Move" by Carmen and though perhaps too repetitive at times is as catchy as all get out.  If electronic music really isn't your thing, I at least hope you can appreciate the music video. The vibe I get from it is reminiscent of Blade Runner and Back to the Future with a touch of Tron thrown in a la Daft Punk. Happy listening and have a fantastic weekend!

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Entry 289-- "Time (H320 Dubstep Remix)"

Song: "Time (H320 Dubstep Remix)" || Artist: Chase and Status || http://youtu.be/p1xgJS37MKE ||
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1xgJS37MKE]
Comments: I was sitting around with Miriah trawling through youtube and stumbled upon this song. I'm familiar with H320 from Entry 231, but I never really listened to anything else he/she/they have done. In retrospect, that was a mistake. This song is both chill and dubstep, possibly the subgenre known as "chillstep"-- but I admit I'm not quite fluent enough in dubstep to make that call definitively. The song is excellently put together and mixed, and I've decided I'm quite fond of it. Enjoy!

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Entry 275-- "Promises"

Song: "Promises" || Artist: Nero || http://youtu.be/llDikI2hTtk ||

Comments: Hello everyone! Amanda here! Today's pick was not at all what I had in mind for this entry. I intended to do something bluesy but after hearing "Promises" in a HP laptop commercial for the billionth time it finally stuck. Funny enough, I remember watching the music video when it came out over a year ago. From what I can tell, Nero is a dynamic electronic band. Admittedly, dubstep is not my favorite genre. I appreciate the fact that their music sounds more like Daft Punk than Skrillex and I think the female vocals have a lot to do with how catchy and danceable their songs are. Also, Nero seems to be trying hard to make videos that have some substance and tell a story, which I like. They also have an interesting visual style and compliment the music quite well. Enjoy and have a good weekend!

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Entry 259-- "Too Close"

Song: "Too Close"
Artist: Alex Clare

http://youtu.be/zP50Ewh31E4
Comments: Some of you might recognize this song, but have trouble placing it-- this song is currently getting used in the ads for Internet Explorer 9 (not endorsed by this blog in any fashion), and getting a ton of attention for it. It is, in fact, where I encountered the song. I'd heard the ad a few times, but yesterday I went and looked up the song, and it's been raging in my head ever since. And I mean raging. Resonating, deeply, all the way in my soul where only a few songs ever reach. It's heartfelt, but has all the deep, thrumming bass of electronic, with a hint of dubstep. It is beautiful. Please, listen. Hope you like it!

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Entry 225-- "Bangarang"

Song: "Bangarang"
Artist: Skrillex

http://youtu.be/YJVmu6yttiw
Comments: First off, this video has the single weirdest thumbnail of any video I've yet posted. That aside, I'm still not sure what I think of this song. I feel as though I should dislike it, for reasons I won't get into. But in the end, I still like it. This song to me is like James Bond. No, it's not a misogynist dinosaur, but for a whole host of reasons, I really should hate it, but yet, I keep coming back for more. Either way, it's ridiculously catchy. Enjoy!

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Entry 213-- Tour of Techno Week, Part 3: Some Dubstep

Tour of Techno Week, Part 3
Song: "Pumped Up Kicks Dubstep Remix"
Artist: Foster the People, remixed by Butch Clancy

http://youtu.be/LXO-jKksQkM

Song: "Numb (H320 Remix)"

Artist: Linkin Park, remixed by H320

http://youtu.be/3Rum_dpo8gE

Comments: I'd have to check on this, but I do believe this is the first time that Stuck In My Skull has ever put two songs in one entry. Welcome to the dubstep entry. The wikipedia entry on dubstep is a decent starting point, but I really don't like their definition. If pressed, I'd call dubstep a "heavily electronic sound with complex and/or irregular rhythms, heavy use of dirty, synthesized base, and distinct use of electronically generated effects." I wanted to introduce dubstep to readers who haven't heard it, and attempt to bring some of the naysayers around to a more moderate position, so I went looking for really excellent 'soft' dubstep. I'll admit, the harder end of dubstep (dirtier beats, less regular rhythms...) is an acquired taste, and really isn't for everyone. The first song in today's entry is worth watching the video to, even if you truly hate dubstep, just to watch this guy dance. The song itself is pretty decent, but I'll admit, I wanted a video that had more than just the music working to hold the attention. I like the second song better as a song, but as the video is entirely one image, it's rather dull. Regardless, the song is excellent, and the vocalist puts a nice spin on the song. Anyway, all I ask is that you set aside any preconceived notions and give these songs a try. If you like 'em, great! If not, oh well, there's always tomorrow's entry. Enjoy!

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