Buzzard's Top Fives

Top Five "Odd" Albums on My IPhone

I've got several albums on my IPhone that I listen to on my daily commute (along with several weekly podcasts).  Sure, I've got my traditional staples of Jazz, Classical and even some Pop from the late 90's just like most folks my age.  Some of the more... eclectic works I listen to on my way to work, however, are as follows:

  

(1) ABRAHADABRA (Dimmu Borgir) - No, I'm not generally a heavy metal fan, and no I don't worship Satan.  But for some reason, I really dig this album.  If the cast of the video game Doom and a couple of those old dinosaur monks from The Dark Crystal kidnapped James Horner and Stephen Soudheim to force them to collaborate on an album dedicated to the life and works of H. R. Giger, you'd come pretty close to what this album sounds like.  Personally I was sold as soon as I heard tracks #1 (Xibir), #7 (The Demiurge Molecule) and the magnificent #3 (Gateways).  No, it isn't for everyone; and yes, like most heavy metal albums several of the tracks in between the better works are fairly interchangeable (i.e. you wouldn't be able to tell that you'd moved on to another song if there hadn't been a pause between the tracks), but I do enjoy this album.

(2) Contraption Vol. 1 (Beats Antique) - Almost entirely instrumental, this is a bizarre little album.  If you could drag the steampunk movement out of Victorian England and drop it into the orient, I think this is the music those folks would be listening to.  I find most of the songs on this album very lighthearted and freeing... unlike some of the darker undertones of the album above.  Grab your favorite belly dancer and give this one a listen.

(3) The 13th Hour (Midnight Syndicate) - Ok, I'm pretty sure that this album was put together for the sole purpose of creating mood music for a haunted house.  In fact, that's why I bought it!  But I do enjoy the moody tracks on this album regardless.  If you skip the creaky doors, occasional wolf howling, and the rattle of chains, this could be an interesting album just to sit back and listen to... which I do.  I mean, how often do you get to insert a grandfather clock bonging away the hour during a cool atmospheric tune, right?  Yeah, it's weird, but I like it.

(4) Best. Concert. Ever. (Jonathan Coulton) - Without trying to insult him, I think of Coulton as a modern day Weird Al Yanknovic... with actual musical talent.  Unlike Weird Al, of course, Coulton is writing his own music and isn't ripping on the work of someone else.  Coulton's music is just good fun.  From Ikea to Skullcrusher Mountain to my favorite, Re: Your Brains, Coulton weaves fun little stories with a great sense of humor. 

(5) Portrait of an American Family (Marilyn Manson) - Yeah, once again, I'm not generally into alternative metal, and am not generally a big fan of Manson either, but I do like this album.  One thing I generally do NOT get hung up on when I'm listening to music is lyrics.  I guess I'm more of an instrumental kind of guy -- give me a decent tune, and I'll listen.  Hell, if I listened to the actual lyrics of most music, I probably wouldn't have Dimmu Borgir in my playlist at all!  (Although, admittedly, who can really tell what the hell he's saying?)  But unlike all the rest (except Coulton), it's actually the lyrics in this album that turned me onto it in the first place.  There is some fascinating introspection going on in this collection of songs, and the lyrics are the most important part.  Say want you want about the bizarre antics of Manson, but the man is much deeper than pancake makeup and a vinyl/latex bodyglove.  There is some real art going on in this album, and I dig it.

Buzzard's Top Fives

Top 5 Rock Anthems

I don't often speak or write about music, but as I was listening to the radio the other day, I kind of realized that the true Rock Anthem is kind of a dying (dead?) art form.  I'm not a concert goer, but doesn't everyone love the big sound, and easy repetitive celebratory lyrics of a good rock anthem?  I mean, what the hell else are you going to sing as a celebratory mob after your team wins the big game?!  (After the obligatory school song, of course...)  Here are my top five:

1) We Are the Champions (Queen): This one says it all -- we are the victors because we kept on fighting until the bitter end. To me, this is the epitome of 'celebratory' music, and an easy tune to get stuck in your head forever. Of course, Queen had a LOT of hits like that, but this one stands out as a true 'anthem.' 

2) Eye of the Tiger (Survivor):  Come on, who doesn't love this song?!  It's about that driving spirit deep within us; that animal source we have to tap into for those last few strides at the end of the race.  Am I the only one who, as a child, thought the name of the movie Rocky WAS Eye of the Tiger until he was ten? 

3) Back in Black (AC/DC): It's a tough call for me as to whether or not AC/DC's Back in Black or Highway to Hell is the superior anthem, but I give this one the nudge for the underlying 'revenge' or 'survivor' theme to it -- I mean come on, he's out of the noose, on the loose, and he's rounded up the frickin' posse!  That's a little more threatening than simply driving around without stop signs or speed limits. 

4) Livin' on a Prayer (Bon Jovi): Bon Jovi, along with Springsteen, Seager and Mellencamp (among others) are the consummate rock story tellers. While this isn't a list about story telling music, I think this one still satisfies the criteria, and allows me to keep my ravenous childhood self from slapping me upside the head for not including Bon Jovi in this list in some way, shape, or form.  While this song is a little more... desperate than some of the other choices, the message is still celebratory: we're going to make it because we're almost there and luck has already gotten us this far.  A good driving beat with a great fun chorus.

5) Born to Be Wild (Steppenwolf): This is that classic, feel good, 'don't mind me, I'm just going to raise a little hell over here for a while' tune.  Love it or hate it, you will NOT get this song out of your head once you've heard it.  Probably a little over played and over used in advertisements over the years, it has knocked some of the wind out of the sails of this one, but I think it still works. 

There are so many honorable mentions that I had to sort through to get to this top five that I couldn't possibly name them all, although I will give you a smattering of some that really wanted to beat the crap out of Steppenwolf for that final slot: Cum on Feel the Noize (Slade), We Will Rock You (Queen), We're Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister), Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple), Rock You Like a Hurricane (The Scorpions), Rock and Roll all Nite (KISS), Cherry Pie (Warrant), Best (Tina Turner), Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Great White), Enter Sandman (Metallica), Invincible (Pat Benatar), Dream On (Aerosmith), and so, so many more...