The Top 10 for 2006 are:
1) It’s a TIE! Two songs have lifted me the most: Adagio For Strings; Love Comes Again by DJ Tiesto
Seriously, y’all, this DJ from Holland is so amazing, he constantly sells out concerts to crowds of 50-200,000 people. I would like to hear him live someday. I know, it’s Psychedelic Trance, and if you don’t get it, then you just don’t get it! Americans usually don’t jive with trance or techno, it’s TOO simple for them. Not me, I LOVE it! In my humble opinion, it’s the most amazing music made. Tiesto is great at creating a fusion with classical music and amazing percolating drums and electronic sounds.
2) Don’t Stop by ATB
No song is simpler than about ATB’s second all-time hit. It spans 5 different chords throughout this song, but it’s just so HAPPY. What you have to understand is that I used to drive to the desert/Zion/Moab with my friend Mark, and we would just put this stuff on and listen intently what the music and rhythm was trying to tell us. It’s insanely GREAT music to drive to. A good bass system is an absolute essential when listening to trance.
3) Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance
These guys remind me of Queen. The lead singer has a great range, and he also reminds me of the lead singer of Blink 182, but less of a whiner.
Any time a song can change the overall direction and begin anew in the middle of the song, you know the composer has OBVIOUSLY studied the sounds of Rush and Chicago. I look forward to more of MCR in the future.
4) Nothing But You by Hemstock and Jennings; Paul Van Dyk
Back when I was at SLCC, I would bolt to the library between classes and watch Yahoo’s videos that they had on their launch player. The video is pretty silly, but this song just RADIATES energy and happiness. There are no words in this song, but a female’s voice reverberates through the whole song and she is just singing LA-LA-LA style. It’s gorgeous! Apparently she is singing in some Scandinavian language, but not unlike Lisa Gerrard, it doesn’t matter WHAT she is singing about, it’s the beauty of the voice in the song.
Paul Van Dyk
5) I Love You by Sarah McLachlan
I have owned the “Surfacing” CD by SM for quite a while, but I guess I was just touched by Track #2 on this CD. It’s a touching song. She has a soothing sound, so she’s tough to pass up.
6) Hysteria by Muse
D-Rock introduced me to this cool band as we took a Sunday drive in the Jeep and we went over to Porterville and Big Mountain. Hysteria is an adrenaline rush of a song. When it comes to a good bass guitar, only John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin takes the cake. However, Muse’ bass guitarist has some AWESOME riffs throughout the whole “Absolution” album. These guys have a great sound, and it makes me want more.
7) Attention Deficit Disorder by DJ DSD
This is about the silliest song ever created. I picked it up from a friend who just spent the last few years in Japan. He bought the CD at a Trance party in Tokyo, and I cannot find the author since I cannot speak Japanese. It’s totally A.D.D., but it sports a tantalizing beat that I can’t resist bouncing to.
8) Would You Go With Me by Josh Turner
I would never downplay the talent of Pete Townsend (The Who), the genius orgasmic vocal talent of Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), or the shrieking cries of Geddy Lee (Rush), but sometimes all I need is a song that boasts a baritone or bass voice. Josh Turner (as D-Rock has blogged about before) has an awesome voice, and is incredibly deep. I read that he can hit 5 notes below me as clear as a bell. That is DEEP! I’m not generally a country fan, but every once in a while, I’m swept off my feet by a great song. I know the ladies love this guy, and his music is actually pretty decent.
9) The 1812 Overture (assisted with the explosions in V for Vendetta) This movie would NOT have been the same without the 1812 Overture by our man Pytor Tschaikovksy. This is definitely an amazing movie, and I was officially moved to tears at the end when the coordinated efforts of this song is fused into the…well, you will just have to see it for yourself!
10) Mars and Venus by the Brunettes
Has anyone else picked up this CD? I received a mix CD from my friend Jamie Sanders, and among other great lesser known bands such as the Magnetic Fields, Brendan Benson, Old and the Way, there lies a song by the Brunettes. I don’t know much about this guy/girl duo, but they have some FUN songs. It’s almost a throwback to the 50’s style with their songs, but they are creative and catchy.
A great place to listen to new songs and songs like this is either at iTunes,
www.pandora.com, or use the Guide in your Windows Media Player.
Tune in next year for the Top 10. Who knows where our different strains of musical taste will lead all of us? That is one adventure I am always willing to go on…you just never know.
1 comment:
I'm so glad that I was able to lend a helping hand in guiding you towards a few of your last year's favs.
Muse, for me, is swiftly climbing the ranks to Beatles, Alanis and Erasure status (you can stop laughing now...), in that I don't get sick of listening to them and continue to find the music they produce fascinating and novel, even if I feel I know the songs backwards and forwards.
Specifically with Muse, the mix of simple rhythms, electric and acoustic instruments and cord progressions seem to excite something very primitive and basic in my brain the force me to react kinesthetically. I honestly can't help but move my entire body to the beats. It's raw and quite honestly a little freaky. But I love it.
Okay...so this year you need to check out the soundtrack to "Requiem for a Dream", written by Clint Mansell and performed by the Kronos Quartet. You probably have already heard it before, but it's new-agey modern classical stuff, but GOOD. I think you'd dig it.
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