Keeping Track (Sound)

Two or three years ago, I had a weird observation about the numerous music albums that I own- I noticed that the songs I like best or the ones that I deem to be most radio friendly are usually the fourth track in the album. I found myself selecting track four whenever I listen using my portable disc player, forwarding or going right back to the fourth track even if I happen to enjoy listening to the entire album.

I kept this observation on the backseat and satisfied myself with the assurance that I shall go back to check on that observation and see if a vague theory can be made…

Forward to the present date: I have finally taken the time to isolate the fourth tracks of all the albums I love listening to. The results is both exciting and unnerving for me, almost 90% of these fourth tracks are actually my most loved (or one of the two or three most loved) tracks in every particular album. Take a look at my “Track 04” playlist:

“Gravity” of Continuum by John Mayer

“I Miss You” of Spin by Darren Hayes

“Spaceboy” of Halfway Down the Sky by Splender

“Nice to Meet You Anyway” of Chariot by Gavin DeGraw

“Talks Shows on Mute” of A Crow Left of the Murder by Incubus

“Girlfriend” of Swim by July for Kings

“Do the Panic” of Raise the Dead by Phantom Planet

“Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)” of Everything You Want by Vertical Horizon

“Slide” of the Dizzy EP by The Goo Goo Dolls

“Dosed” of By The Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers

“Last Beautiful Girl” of Mad Season by Matchbox 20

“The Phrase That Pays” of Almost Here by TheAcademyIs…

My Chemical Romance Grows Up with The Black Parade

It would not be a mistake to say that My Chemical Romance has finally created its anthem. A song magnificently called Welcome to the Black Parade- the carrier single of their most recent release “The Black Parade”. This anthem serves to unite all the fans and admirers of this neo rock band. One cannot actually go on without mentioning that the fan base of MCR has dramatically increased since its latest release. The reason for this further rush forward regarding the amount and intensity of the band’s fame? The advent of its long-overdue maturity.

Because the songs and themes of the band have gone beyond juvenile matters in “The Black Parade”, older age groups got stopped on their tracks and they finally gave the band the well-deserved time of their day. The theme of this particular album is considerably darker than the first two major releases. Not just because it has the word “black” in the title but because it deals with more mature topics instead of the band’s usual themes on crime, romantic love and drug addiction.

Cancer is a searing lamentation about confronting death and a farewell song to one’s family. Mama is a song about living a life of regrets.

The sound of the album has also matured significantly. The tones of Teenagers is still as catchy as their recent albums but most impressive are the grating sounds of classic rock that ring loudly with songs like This is How I Disappear and The Sharpest Lives.

MCR has finally acquired a better and more matured sound; let’s hope that as the sound grows older and their lyrics grow darker, these kids are parading on to a bright future.

Best Movie Soundtracks

What makes a great motion picture soundtrack? It’s quite hard to explain in plain words, allow me to just give you a few examples:

City of Angels. Any album that bears the names U2, Peter Gabriel and Alanis Morisette is most definitely a shoe-in on this list of best Movie OST’s. However, what really sets this particular collection apart is Iris, a contribution from The Goo Goo Dolls. This rock ballad single-handedly bears the theme of the whole movie and has even become the one of the longest-staying anthems for broken hearts in the mid 90’s. Just say Iris and City of Angels comes to mind, it also works the other way.

Rocknrolla. The soundtrack boasts of classics like The Gun from Lou Reed and Richard Reed’s Have Love Will Travel as well as catchy new tunes like Rock and Roll Queen by The Subways. The best thing about this soundtrack is that each song brings you back to the movie house- the dark, the feel of that comfy chair, the laughs and catcalls of everyone around you. Each single song takes you right back to a particular scene. If all that isn’t enough, then the included dialogue snippets should do the trick.

I Am Sam. The refreshing renditions of classic Beatles songs like Sarah MacLachlan’s Blackbird and Ben Fold’s Golden Slumbers would make Beatle-maniacs drool and would definitely convert new ones.

High Fidelity. One simple thing says it all- Jack Black singing Let’s Get It On.

Thirteen Going on Thirty. A cool trip back in time… as cute as Jenny Garner, as cute as the movie itself.

It actually boils down to either one of these: a single song that represents the entire movie or a collection of songs that brings the movie back to memory.

a Music Legend

The rock and roll genre, may it be punk, metal or alternative, being old enough, now has countless classic bands. These bands are never forgotten, though they may not exist now, and though they may not possibly hold concerts, even for reunions; all of these bands have made great music; and as attribute to them all, we consider their music classics. There is the Beatles, Queen, Nirvana, Elvis Presley and many more. One of these classic bands is the band Led Zeppelin.

Who could have forgotten them? Their songs always made it to the top during their time. Their fame must, for sure, come from the music they produced and how the people responded to it. The people loved their songs because they were never monotonous. It seemed like they always had an adventure ready for their listeners in their every song. At first they place a spoonful of metal rock into their songs, and then they slowly added a teaspoon of folk songs then soon stirred their music with a spice of reggae and funk. The perfect blending they made with the different tastes of music probably was the reason why, up to now, they are considered one the lords of rock and roll.

The New Beatles?

Because of rock and roll’s reclamation of its throne in the music world, many bands arose; a first batch, then a second, then anther, and so on. The second influenced and motivated by the first, and the wave moves on and on and on. One of these bands that came to life is Panic at the disco. They are boys from Las Vegas who just happened to be so good at what they are doing; they are blessed with so much.

These guys have only done two albums but the effect they had on the world is just still so unbelievable. Their success must come from the uniqueness of their band. The band seems to create a genre of its own. The rhythm and the lyrics just won’t rub off the brain. The music is so catchy it could infect one with the Last Song Syndrome and make it incurable.

Their success is much proved when they released their second album and stormed the world with their tours. The band is said to be very much a success because despite the fact that the two albums seem to be quite different (the pace mostly), the public still loved their songs just the same; it just proves how flexible the group really is.