Are you one of those who find it extremely difficult to create a playlist?
Can't choose which song to include?
I hope I can take that pressure off you with this maniacally shortened blitzkreig playlist that will rock your world.These tracks are THE SONGS of 2010.As it is, it has been a wonderful year for all major artists and there have been quite a few hard decisions for me to make, in order to provide you with this playlist.Some heart breaks in eliminating some wonderful songs which didn't make the cut.
Yeah, no review this week.I'm postponing that to next week.Go ahead and enjoy these songs.
TOP 15 : [SongName,Album,Artist]
15.The Past,KoRn III:Remember Who You Are,KoRn
14.The Infection,Asylum,Disturbed
13.Change,Twilight Theater,Poets Of The Fall
12.Holding All these Lies,KoRn III:Remember Who You Are,KoRn
11.Oildale(Leave Me Alone),KoRn III:Remember Who You Are,KoRn
10.Asylum,Asylum,Disturbed
9.Nightmare,Nightmare,Avenged Sevenfold
8.Waiting For The End,A Thousand Suns,Linkin Park
7.Given And Denied,Twilight Theater,Poets Of The Fall
6.Wretches And Kings,A Thousand Suns,Linkin Park
5.Save Me,Nightmare,Avenged Sevenfold
4.So Far Away,Nightmare,Avenged Sevenfold
*3.The Catalyst,A Thousand Suns,Linkin Park*
**2.Buried Alive,Nightmare,Avenged Sevenfold**
***1.Dreaming Wide Awake,Twilight Theater,Poets Of The Fall***
SCOREBOARD:
4
3
3
3
2
I want feedback on this one,guys.
Till next week then!
Dead By Sunrise is:
Chester Bennington (vocals,compositions,guitar,synthesizer)
Elias Andra* (Drums)
Brandon Belsky* (Bass,synthesizer)
Amir Derakh* (Guitar)
Ryan Shuck* (Guitar,synthesizer)
Anthony 'Fu' Valcic* (Keyboard,synthesizer)
I really must begin with what this band actually comprises of.It's got Chester of Linkin Park on vocals with all the programming, instruments and production work done by Julien-K.Those who know who Julien-K are will understand this- "Dead By Sunrise is Chester's Julien-K".
Orgy guitarists[Ryan & Amir]+Brandon Belsky+Elias Andra=Julien-K Julien-K+Chester=Dead By Sunrise
Ryan Shuck,Chester Bennington,Amir Derakh [from left to right]
Out Of The Ashes has been too long in the making.It was originally slated to be released sometime in 2006, but since Chester had to concentrate on his Linkin Park duties, with Minutes To Midnight in 2007, recording for Out Of The Ashes was held up indefinitely.Finally, it saw the light of the day in late 2009.
Chester has written and composed all the songs on this record and claims he took them up as a side-project with Julien-K as he didn't think they were consistent with the "sound" of Linkin Park.Ryan Shuck visited Chester at his home one day, and heard him strumming what was later to become the track 'Let Down',and was so excited about it that he suggested they collaborate.And I think he is very insightful to make this decision, as I have noticed some LP songs which I would have definitely placed under Dead By Sunrise hadn't I known better.
I was blown away by this album on the first listen, but sobered down a bit after growing close to it.But by all means, this is a very good collection of songs that may have never existed.
Out Of The Ashes-------------- ********oo [8/10]
Well, for Chester's fans, this was a welcome album.They hadn't got a Linkin Park album since 2007's Minutes To Midnight [MTM] and there was no news whatsoever about their next album,which eventually released in 2010,named A Thousand Suns.And he didn't disappoint.
Another interesting point here is the role played by Ryan Shuck.He's not credited for providing backing vocals, but I'll bet anything I heard him on 'Crawl Back In' and 'In The Darkness' among some other tracks.He's only credited for beat-boxing on 'In The Darkness'.
Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park actually said just before the release of the album that Dead By Sunrise actually sounded 'rockier' than Linkin Park, but I whole-heartedly disagree.People may second this only because LP strayed from their Nu-metal sound in MTM.
Now, down to business.The track-listing is a bit messed up, with the first impression being pedestrian, but the songs get better and better and in the end, it doesn't even matter, because this album is best listened to when shuffled.
Kicks off with Fire.Nothing wrong with the track except that it's nothing exceptional, the type you come to expect of Chester.Even the lyrics aren't inspired.
Now comes the show-stealer: Crawl Back In.This is an awesome track and will remain in your playlist for a long time.The beat is peppy, the guitars are bold and Chester is in his forte pitch, making everything sound like Heaven.To the technical mind, you'll be pleased to notice that each time he sings "I wanna crawl back in....", he goes one pitch higher.His magnum opus is at the climax.Don't miss this one.
This song is about Chester's past, his drug abuse incidents, and how he doesn't want to be buried into all that again.
Too Late is a brilliant song.Beautiful melody with wonderful lyrics.It is so hum-worthy that if someone gave me a dare to sing any song, I would without doubt choose this one!It speaks of sometimes it being too late to revert to old times and what may come might not be as dandy as the past.I would have loved a music video for this track.
The album continues it's upward trend with Inside Of Me.This tracks returns to aggressive vocals after the calmer Too Late.A catchy number and doesn't disappoint after many listens.
Let Down is another soothing song, with deep and intense music & lyrics.And like all beautiful songs, it is about love, and pain emanating from the same love.
Give Me Your Name is a disappointment.
My Suffering features the first proper screaming vocals on this album.Gets your heart racing.You'll love it only if you are a fan of Chester's screaming.
Condemned continues the trend with vicious screaming.
Into You marks the return to the melodious kind.It's a lovely track with a scintillating climax."Then I Fall......Into You,And I Fade Away", a great composition.
End Of The World comes as a pleasant surprise.It's about time Chester complained about the world, as all the previous tracks had he himself as the protagonist.The lyrics are hard-hitting, speaking of all the miserable things we see on T.V., read in newspapers, and Chester tells us to believe that there's no hope left and the only solution is to fall to your knees and beg God for forgiveness.
We near the end of this journey with Walking In Circles.An intriguing song.Sometimes I feel it's crap, while sometimes I wonder at it's depth.I guess you'd better decide for yourself.Chester's reach is truly amazing and this is yet another example.
In The Darkness is the shocker.It's almost a trance song, and I loved it's execution.The programming and synth on this one are out of this world.This song will coax even an insomniac to sleep, and that's a compliment!
Chester fans, don't think twice before listening to this one.Others, this is not something that keeps on happening on a daily basis-Check it out!
My verdict is that they should look at making another album.(Mike Shinoda, are you listening?We need you as an executive producer here!)
A fully-deserved 8/10 for Dead By Sunrise's debut attempt.
News: *Well, no new news about Limp Bizkit's Gold Cobra yet.This is starting to bug me now.Heard a leaked song on their website and wasn't that impressive.Didn't lend credibility to the rumours of them returning to their original Nu-metal sound.
Despite repeated clarifications that Gold Cobra is ready, why aren't they releasing it ?!?!?
Next Week: I can't believe I'm saying this but yeah, My World 2.0 by Justin Bieber, the baby.
*Posts on MusicManiac now come with Linkin Park Radio at the bottom of the page.Tune into some LP hits as well as tracks from other leading artists, selected by LP, and hhosted by Chester and Mike as RJs!!*
Note from the author: Hey, guys!Sorry for the extended break.How long has it been, 20 days?They were absolutely crazy,and I was asleep before I hit the sack.Well,I'm back now, and I will try my best to be regular now.So,moving on..........
Julien-K is:
Ryan Shuck (lead vocals,rhythm guitar)
Amir Derakh (lead Guitar,synthesizer,backing vocals)
Elias Andra (Drums,percussion)
Anthony 'Fu' Valcic [2010-present] (Keyboard,Engineering)
Brandon Belsky* (Bass,synthesizer,backing vocals)
*Brandon has now left Julien-K.
Julien-K is the newest band on the block.It was formed by guitarists Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh of the erst-while popular,but now inactive band,Orgy.Ryan takes up vocal duties,while drums are manned by the industrious Elias Andra.Close friend Brandon Belsky did Bass for their debut album, Death To Analog, and has left since.
The name Death To Analog smashes the brand of music Julien-K play at your face.Nothing is analog around here,everything is digital.They combine their electronica prowess with Rock,and oh,what a combination it is!Brandon Belsky and Amir Derakh are experienced DJs and have released DJ sets under the name JK-DJS.With this kind of personnel, the electronica part is taken care of.
Ryan Shuck brings in the Rock element with his lyrics and vocals.Ryan is a revelation as a singer.His voice is crisp,clean and hits the right note continuously.The clincher is his low notes, which makes me such a big fan of his work.
The resultant is a path-breaking album of our times and a must -listen.
DEATH TO ANALOG ------------------------- *********o [9/10]
This album was released in phases and last phase, Europe, was completed recently in 2010.It has been in the making for a lot of time after Orgy disbanded in 2004 after their critically-bashed 'Punk Statik Paranoia', which for the record, I loved.
Starting off with the title track, Death To Analog.Very aggressive and tells you what to expect throughout the album when you listen to the synth and guitars, oh the guitars, being blended like heaven on Earth.Screaming vocals make their only appearance.
Someday Soon is classic.The lyrics are classy and even hard-hitting words are dealt with velvety smoothness by Ryan Shuck.It can be a great dance number because of the peppy disco-like theme and synth-vocals.It elaborates on the eventuality of failure/the end and also speaks of metaphorical re-birth.
The biggie-Kick The Bass.My absolute favourite on this record.Elias on the drums makes his mark.His work & drumming technique is squeaky clean and he deserves a lot of credit for that, because that is exactly what suits this album.This song is about bondage, cannibalism and....well, you'd better check out the video. P.S.-Yeah,it's Chester wearing the hat and the painted face!
Technical Difficulties is a head-scratcher.Does it belong here or not?Lyrics are hardly comprehended as the instruments cloud it all up, not to mention they are distorted and so are the vocals.In the end,it's an average track.For those who've seen the Transformer movie, you might have possibly heard this one.
Systeme De Sexe, la track fatale.The provocativeness and suggestiveness of the lyrics are best experienced with Ryan's smooth vocal tone.This one is sure to appeal to both Rock and Electronica fans.
Maestro is stellar performance by Ryan and proves him as a singer to reckon with.For rookie singers,try this.If you can hit the right notes,you've got talent!
Forever is more of rock, with hard-hitting drums and guitars, but all of that without losing vision of Electronica.This song is about a lover hopelessly in love.
Spiral is an energetic track.You'll love Ryan's "Ooh oohs..." when you're done.Bass can be clearly heard in the riffs for once.
Nvr Say Nvr is actually a cover of a Romeo Void hit from way back in 1982.I wasn't particularly impressed, except for the bridge in this song where Ryan is very good.Still, it didn't hurt the credibility of Julien-K.
Dystopian Girl is a winner and a perfect example of Rock+Electronica.One of my favourites on this track-list.The emotion in Ryan's voice makes this a track hard to keep away from your playlist.Belsky joins in with his well timed 'spice' on the synth.I can hazard a guess that this song is about an immoral girlfriend.
Look At U is a stock track.Exactly what it was meant to be, but nothing that catches your 'ears'.The climax to this song is worth a mention.
Stranded is about all the lies we hear and are told in this world, and the consequent confusion and apparent blindness.This song is also one of my favourites and is a laudable effort by Julien-K.
With Disease, we near the end of this wonderful album.It is a track worth listening to.A very dark track, it captures the mood of Julien-K.
Futura (DTA Mix) is the last track here and an average one at that.Still, the thing that amazes me is that you don't hate the track.Still, a better ending would've been great.
This is an album worth buying.All those who don't like metal music, you'll love this record.They have a stalwart of Electronica in Amir Derakh, a proficient drummer in Andra, new discovery of Ryan as a singer, the legendary producer Tim Palmer and an executive producer going by the name of a certain Chester Bennington of Linkin Park.With that kind of talent and creativity,they just had to succeed. Julien-K already have a new, un-named as of now, record that is 70% complete and will hopefully be out in 2011.
It will be a bigger success if Ryan's vocals are not restricted and if he opens up and sings freely.There were times in Death To Analog when that happened, and he was IN THE ZONE.
A spunky 9/10 is what they get for this piece of art.
News:
1]Vocalist Jay Gordon of Orgy has stated that he still owns the name 'Orgy', after the band broke up in 2004, and is looking to write new material.Now that's interesting seeing that Jay had a see-saw career, with critics always at him for his singing.
2]KoRn have some amazing news this Monday.Keep checking this space for more.
Next Week: Review of Chester's amazing side project, Out Of The Ashes by Dead By Sunrise
