VEGANGELICA

Hey Dieselboy,
I've been enjoying your journal. I like the musical taste pie chart Tore made for you. Isn't he a hoot? And so helpful. Electronica isn't a genre I know much about, so your perspective and knowledge are helpful to me. Your journal style is friendly and personable. It's fun to hear how excited you are by the music!

So far I've especially liked "All That Makes Us Human Continues." The video, combined with the music, makes me think of being under a wooden dock as light reflects off a lake onto the wood...or perhaps being in a house or ship under construction with shafts of sunlight flitting through trusses or scaffolding in timelapse photography. I especially liked a sound he incorporated repeatedly in the music...it sounds like a ship's deck or a wooden floorboard creaking when under tension while someone walks on it. The lullaby bell-like melody combined with the powerful lower notes makes me imagine the song is describing the delicacy of his child's life that is so fleeting while also being connected to the lives of those around her (parents, ancestors, and humanity in general).

I also enjoyed La Roux's music, particularly "Tigerlily." Her voice didn't surprise me...she has nice clear high notes and a strong middle range. It suits their music well.

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Engine

I've always loved the feel of it. Dubby anger? Maybe you're right about the cohesion and as for the sound - to me it was like he was going for pure dub made with the newest technology and the loudest bass. Still in the field of dubstep but with intentions to make some new dubs.

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Like an arrow,
I was only passing through.

Dieselboy

Just got done checking Bug out...Yeah I like this man. Definitely will get a few more listens in the very least.

Dieselboy

Haha, thx. Yeah, I love this journal to be honest, and am having a lot of fun updating it. I'm kinda learning as I go, and I feel it was pretty sloppy at the start, but improving. I have quite a few items in mind that I want to talk about still, and I really hope it will continue to be helpful if you are able to keep up.

Very cool interpretations. I can see all those things you mentioned as I watched it again with those in mind. Personally, I always pictured the first half of the song as the middle of the night and early morning, with not much going on and just the creaks and groans of the house settling as he, or someone, thinks about their kid. Then around the 4:00 to 4:30 mark in the song, the sun comes through the window, the alarms go off and they get out of bed to get their child dressed. Then the rest of the song is them walking down the street holding hands in slow motion, on a sunny day, to get to the bus.
I think both work. That's what's great about songs like this right? There's no right or wrong way to interpret it.

Dieselboy

Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

To be released on: January 19, 2010

Inspired by Gavin B.'s recent recent Song of the Day entry about Laika & the Cosmonauts, I went on sort of a mini-hunt for some more surf music. Incredibly, I came across this very cool group from Palm Beach, called Surfer Blood, who is actually set to release their debut album Astro Coast on the 19th of this month.
After reading up on them, and listening to samples on Amazon, I am pretty excited for this groups release atm. The amount of styles they mix, and the happiness they convey through their sound, makes this sound like a great choice to play at any fun outdoor function...ESPECIALLY the beach. I feel like I sometimes fail to describe sounds accurately enough for these boards, but I will tell you what another reviewer used to describe this debut:

Sounds like fun to me. I would probably add that they do sound a little lo-fi, if that is the correct term. Just not extremely polished.

Their single, which they've been using to pump the album, and playing on live shows, is called Swim (To Meet the End). I've just been playing this over and over on youtube these past few days. While the vocal intro here is a bit abrupt, the rest of this tune has the nice grungy rock sound that sorta takes me back to my high school days, while being light-hearted enough to keep a smile on your face. The way his voice changes range during the chorus was really bugging me for awhile, cause it sounded so familiar. I figured it out as I was making this post though...it sounds very similar to the singing style on the chorus of the Adam and the Ants song Stand and Deliver. The little xylophone part leading up to each chorus is a nice touch as well here, even if it is very short.

Surfer Blood - Swim (To Reach the End)

Dieselboy

M.O.M., Vol. 1: Music for Our Mother Ocean

So the story behind me getting this album is simple. Young dieselboy is on vacation with the family, driving across country. At a random stop I saw this disc on the shelf and reached out for it, drawn by the cover art. I turned it over and, being the musically uneducated young man that I was, became excited by the list of names, which was almost a who's who of popular 90's artists. There were a few acts on there I failed to recognize...but with names like Beastie Boys, Silverchair, Sublime, Pennywise, etc. on the list, I figured this had to be a safe purchase that I would enjoy. I wanted it to be something to keep from getting bored as we drove. It did that, but little did I know, it would also be a favorite comp of mine for many years to come too.

Starting with a small clip of tribal sounding drums, it then goes right into a band that I was unfamiliar with at the time, Sprung Monkey. Fast and snotty sounding with a catchy chorus about good times, I fell in love with this song right away and was very psyched to continue on. The song that follows is called Gremmie Out of Control and is Pearl Jam sounding like I bet you'd never expect. Surf sounding guitars and yells of "Cowabunga!" really make this song quite fun.

There's really too many highlights to try to list here, but the rest of the disc is just choke-full of upbeat sounding original recordings, as well as covers like: Surfin' U.S.A., Surfin' Bird, and Wipe out. All by artists at the height of their popularity in the late-90's. Even those artists that were unknown to me really added some amazing songs, which I would listen to in entirety. In fact, the Pato Banton and Common Sense songs on here are probably my 2 favorites with the reggae sounding songs they bring. After it's all over, the closing song is simply a soft instrument playing over the sound of crashing waves.

I know all these big names is most likely a turn-off for most MB'rs. I would definitely recommend this to people for at least one listen though...for the covers and also the Common Sense song if nothing else. Everyone I've previously played this for while driving or just hanging out, has loved it. The best part with this comp is that, even the popular artists on here aren't just showcasing singles (with the exception of Soundgarden...whose My Wave just fits too well). The songs all mesh and fit together to make this an amazing sunny-day listening experience. Bottom line: If you want a nice variety of sounds for the beach, and don't mind (or actually would enjoy) feeling a little nostalgic at the same time, then you really can't get much better than this compilation.

Pearl Jam - Gremmie Outta Control

This is the best single youtube had available to sum up the sound here. Fun.

Tracklist:

Dieselboy

The trio is called Outlandish. They represent three separate nationalities (Moroccan, Pakistani, Cuban), and two religions (Muslim and Catholic), they come together to form a single powerful unit of socially consciousness messages and amazing music. Labeled as hip-hop, they also have strong leanings into R&B and soul, as well as some world sounds. They have released quite a bit of material in the past decade, but I made this post to mention one song specifically.

The song is called Rock All Day and is one of my favorite songs of 2009. With a catchy hook and a chorus that is SO simple, but just begs to be sung along with, this is the perfect song for busting out of a bad mood or remaining in a good one. The vocals are a good mix of soulful singing, rap, and the chorus...oh that chorus. Oh, and it's also my theme song. That's right, whenever people throw that lame question at me, I'm going to answer with this tune from now on. So fitting. I think it would probably fit a few other MB'rs as well.






^If you like this, the album it comes from is called Sound of a Rebel, and is very good as a whole. If anyone wants to check that out just ask.

(Also have to up DJ Nihal's show again here. Introduces me to so much good music, like Outlandish.)

Dieselboy

Moving forward with great songs from this last year, I'm going to put another in this post right here. I'm also going to introduce the artist responsible (who I'm REALLY excited for atm) with a short bio. So, with no further adieu, I give you:




Ok, the favorite that I mentioned of last year is called Diminishing Returns, and it is amazing. I'll get to that at the end of this post though, after a proper introduction. Thing is though, some of you might have already had your introduction to this man. You might tell me I'm wrong, but have you maybe heard this little diddy...by a very popular group indeed:


No, he's not one of the Chemical Brothers. Those are Mr. Love's vocals on the track however. He actually had a couple independently released singles of his own prior to this Chemical Brothers hit, but I'm putting this in here just because this was what most people would call his "first big break."

Shortly after Do It Again, Ali released his own single called Secret Sunday Lover. Sort of a wussy sounding title you're probably saying, but this tune is definitely fun and upbeat, with a disco feel and catchy chorus. It actually climbed up to #22 on the UK singles chart in '07. Unfortunately, this is probably one of the dumbest music video's I've ever seen. I'd suggest starting this video and tabbing to something else personally, if you do decide to check it out. ><


After Sunday Lover...Love's album was supposed to be released, but for reasons unknown, was never actually put out commercially. He ended up more or less going back under the radar.
In mid '09 though, he returned with a bang when he released the amazing Diminishing Returns. This song, heralded as his "comeback single", is an absolutely brilliant tune. I'm a sucker for anything with 80's sounding synths...and this song uses them and uses them well. Throw in a melancholy, but catchy chorus with a nice bass-line, and this song is sure to make your head nod as you suck in your breath on first listen. Hopefully a good indicator of the quality album that Ali Love will put out. There is a full-length EP supposedly on the horizon. Please god, let it happen this time.

Dieselboy

You get the feeling right away when listening to this album, that Blockhead isn't too thrilled with musics direction lately. One hint to this is the crooner sounding sample in the title track, which repeats, "The music scene has got me down. Cause I don't want to be a clown." over and over. If you pay more attention too, you might see that the title of the album on the cover, is all left in lower case...perhaps suggesting that the current scene is just so generic that he doesn't even find the need capitalize?

Ok...that second one might be a stretch, but if you want another clue to his dismay, then you could simply look at the music itself. Nearly every song on here has a string, horn, or vocal part that sounds as if it was probably taken right off a very old jazz or blues album. Of course many artists in this genre, such as Shadow and RJD2 use older samples as well, but never this much I don't think, and not this well either. After many listens now, I get the same feel from this album that I used to get listening to Moby's Play cd, where I feel like I have one foot in the past and the other in the present.

Whether it's old or new sounds though, the amount of sampling and layering here is immense. You can listen to this and just nod your head with the beat, but if you really pay close attention and get into the music here, it's almost possible to get dizzy with the progression. This can be realized right as you put the CD on and listen to the opener, It's Raining Clouds...and it just builds from there. Because of this, I really feel that this disc is more designed for sitting by yourself in the dark with a nice pair of headphones, or maybe just night driving...as opposed to partying with friends (though I haven't had this opportunity I admit.) With the exception of Tricky Turtle, none of the songs on here would be what I'd call upbeat. Indeed, quite a few of them could actually be described as depressing...but in a good way!

As you make your way through the album, another thing that really stands out and must be discussed is the vocals. Yes it is technically instrumental, but there's quite a few vocal samples mixed in with it all. Some of the samples here, although short, say as much as a full song of verse/chorus could. The couple shouting and cussing at each other throughout The Daily Routine, and the nun talking to "her flock" of kids in the intro of Hell Camp both set the stage incredibly well for the tones of those songs. When you get to the middle of Hell Camp there's yet another vocal sample of a male counselor saying good-night to the kids. It's just so weird...I honestly feel pained for those little campers when I listen to this tune. I really feel like the vocal samples on the entire album are something special though, in connection with the music.

In conclusion, everything works well together on the music scene to make this a very solid album. Beautifully done. Highly recommended...and yes, I'd have to say...the best album of 2010 (so far)! However, RJD2's new album is being released today, so there may be some competition very quickly. Seriously...what a month for instrumental hip-hop.

Here's the title track. A standout for sure.

This song breaks my heart. Poor kids.

Tracklist:


1. It's Raining Clouds
2. The Music Scene
3. Only Sequences Change
4. Which One Of You Jerks Drank My Arnold Palmer
5. Attack The Doctor
6. The Prettiest Sea Slug
7. The Daily Routine
8. Tricky Turtle
9. Four Walls
10. Pity Party
11. Hell Camp
12. Farewell Spaceman

Dieselboy

How to make a mash-up that Dieselboy will listen to until his head explodes... in three easy steps.

By - DJ Kayper