The Finer Things

mattrucker: Check out my friends’ band War Games...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:48:00 -0400

Check out my friends’ band War Games from Massachusetts. They have a unique jazzy-indie sound to them. Definitely one of my favorite touring bands. It’d be nice to see them get bigger than they are.

http://www.facebook.com/WARGAMESmusic

"Call your mom on the telephone, tell her your muse is gone. Tell her there’s not a chance you’re..."

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:58:41 -0500

“Call your mom on the telephone, tell her your muse is gone. Tell her there’s not a chance you’re ever gonna change the world.”

- “Red Oyster Cult” by Guster (via mattrucker)

“You Are a Tourist” by Death Cab For Cutie The...

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:35:00 -0400

“You Are a Tourist” by Death Cab For Cutie

The second half of the second verse always stands out to me. The guitars remind me of wind chimes and they help make the song feel dynamic and even brighter than it already is: a perfect fit for the optimistic track. Sometimes small parts like that can say a lot.

“Ice Monster” by Minus the Bear I love the chorus of...

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:20:00 -0400

“Ice Monster” by Minus the Bear

I love the chorus of this song. It comes unexpectedly. After a verse of wistful guitars and playful bass, the song changes gears with syncopated guitars, changed time signature and bluesy melody and lyrics. Not many abrupt changes sound so right.

Returning

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:03:29 -0400

Thanks to some requests that I’ve been getting recently, I’ve decided to start posting on this blog again. Sorry I’ve been gone for a while. I tend to be bad at posting regularly sometimes. I’ll try posting more often!

“You Won’t Know” by Brand New This song uses...

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:21:01 -0400

“You Won’t Know” by Brand New

This song uses one of the most chilling effects I’ve heard used in this genre. I love how the singer’s chopped-up yell fades in right before the louder section of the song kicks in and reappears after the section ends. I don’t know exactly what they did to get that effect, but it was nice.

“Follow and Feel” by Saosin The drums in this track...

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 18:56:49 -0400

“Follow and Feel” by Saosin

The drums in this track are amazing, especially the fill that was played in the bridge. The drummer does a good job with playing a variety of beats that go from being staggered and intricate during the verses to simple but effective in the pre-chorus kicks in. I also love the little nuances the bassist adds into the chord progression in the second half of the chorus.

“Stylo” by Gorillaz This track has a very retro...

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:17:37 -0400

“Stylo” by Gorillaz

This track has a very retro sound to it. The bass line and drum machine that spans the entire song makes it feel drone-like vibe while the higher synths makes it feel trippy and almost dated (in a good way). And I thought that it was also interesting how much the vocals in various parts of the song contrast each other.

Last night

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:20:56 -0400

For my birthday, I went to go see Victor Wooten and Stanley Clarke play in the area. May I just say that the level of skill required to not only play, but also compose jazz like that is astronomical. I grew up listening to people like Stanley Clarke, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Bob James, and it never ceased to amaze me that they could put so much emotion and feeling into songs without lyrics. To me, that’s the true essence of music, the kind of music who’s melody, harmonies, chords and rhythm can stand alone and all come together to hit you on a deep level. Although I do love (and I mean love) well written lyrics, I feel that instrumental music is an entirely different beast all together.

“Fed to Death” by Say Anything One of my favorite...

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:27:38 -0500

“Fed to Death” by Say Anything

One of my favorite things about this song is how bold it sounds. The track starts right off with vocals with out hesitation and gets straight to business. And the intensity only escalates more when the full band kicks in. I’m also a big fan of the acoustic guitar tone in the intro.

“Tree Village” by Dance Gavin Dance The section...

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:40:00 -0500

“Tree Village” by Dance Gavin Dance

The section after the first screamed vocals has to be my favorite part of the song. I love the effects on the left guitar and the intricate drums underneath. They give that section a trance-like sound and help make it stand out from the rest of the song.

“Fortress Around Your Heart” by Sting I’ve...

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:24:00 -0500

“Fortress Around Your Heart” by Sting

I’ve always loved the guitars in this song. Listening to their chime-like tone and the low synth sound in the beginning always makes me think of a late, rainy day.

“Stare at the Sun” by Thrice The bass line during...

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:56:00 -0500

“Stare at the Sun” by Thrice

The bass line during the verses of this track is so sweet. It’s constantly moving, never quite centering on a specific chord. Combined with the syncopated guitar chords, it makes the verses almost unsettling (in a good way) to listen to.

“Scream Louder” by Michael Jackson I feel like the...

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:12:37 -0500

“Scream Louder” by Michael Jackson

I feel like the vocal harmonies over the chorus fit absolutely perfectly over the melody and chord progression. Any tension built up over the verses are instantly released as soon as the first notes of the chorus hit your ear.

Sorry

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:30:03 -0500

that I haven’t updated the blog for a while. It’s been a busy past couple of days haha. But I’d like to thank everyone for the follows and the reblogs =]. Let me know if there are any other genres or bands in particular that’d you guys would like to see in the future.

“HTML Rulez D00d” by The Devil Wears Prada The...

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 18:14:25 -0500

“HTML Rulez D00d” by The Devil Wears Prada

The section leading into the first breakdown is probably one of the more sinister sounding pieces I’ve heard, but I can’t help but to be drawn into it. The guitars and drums create a dark, march-like pulse for the track.

“Hands” by The Almost I’m a huge fan of the...

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 22:24:55 -0500

“Hands” by The Almost

I’m a huge fan of the guitar tones in this song. They have a earthy, natural sound to them and they harmonize very well with the bass in the intro. They help give the track a more homely impression.

“Red Oyster Cult” by Guster My favorite thing about...

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:26:00 -0500

“Red Oyster Cult” by Guster

My favorite thing about this song is probably how the whimsicalness of each verse seems to die off as the singer says “tell her there’s not a chance you’re ever gonna change the world”. Those small, pessimistic sections contrast beautifully with the rest of the song.

“Chapter II: A Strange Conversation” by Fall of...

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:39:00 -0500

“Chapter II: A Strange Conversation” by Fall of Troy

That tempo change in the beginning of the track never fails to make me smile. And I think it’s also cool how the guitars in the song stay in line with the nautical theme of the EP by giving it sort of a “pirate” fell.

“Walk on Water or Drown” by Mayday Parade For some...

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 20:56:00 -0500

“Walk on Water or Drown” by Mayday Parade

For some reason I’m in love with the chord progression in the chorus, so it’s a pleasant surprise to hear it extended a bit in the second time through. The harmonies and slight changes in melody and beat help to progress the last half of the chorus and work with the chords to give it a new and fresh feel.