Track Drop Tuesdays

This Guy!

2012-02-16T22:03:00.001-08:00

http://soundcloud.com/tyler-jarvis-erickson/

SOMM!

2012-02-02T17:29:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine shared this AWESOME Levels remix with me and I thought you all would enjoy it!

Check it out on SOUNDCLOUD!

Peace.

WINNING REVIEW - ZEDS DEAD - ADRENALINE EP

2012-01-31T19:47:00.001-08:00

R. Kelly’s rockin’ review of Zed’s Dead Adrenaline EP.

SO first and foremost I’d like to give an overall review of the EP and then delve into particular tracks. In its entirety the EP definitively expresses the unmistakable Zed’s Dead sound, but what I love about these guys is that they dared to not stay safe. They expanded on their familiar techniques and style to create something truly unique. These songs will definitely turn the heads of other electronic artists. Figure has already locked on to these guys, remixing Bassmentality; Zed’s Dead piece with the Killabits (both songs are awesome, go check them out now if you haven’t already).

“In the Beginning” is my second favorite on the EP and it vaguely reminds me of one of their more popular tracks “Rude Boy”. It has a heavier drop for people who prefer that stuff but also has a melodic feel to it which Z.D. have been consistently incorporating into their style which makes their tracks more complex and also more easily accessible to an untrained ear.

The title track “Adrenaline” is comparable to a harder version of “Right on Time” (Skrillex, 12^th Planet, Kill the Noise). It’s as if the song is constantly climbing toward a drop that’s not delivered, but at the same time you feel satisfied as they introduce new things throughout the track. That was somewhat unspecific but if you listened to the song you know what I’m talking about. “Adrenaline” is my least favorite on the EP but by no means does that mean I think it’s bad. Just not my style.

“Hit Me” is my favorite from the EP. Absolutely stellar drum(machine) work. Not your typical heavy drop, but then again Z.D. has never been known for ‘shit-yourself-omg-what-just-happened’ drops. They prefer to almost ease into it which works wonderfully here and is just as successful as a crazy bass drop. The vocal sampling towards the end of this song is awesome too, I want to sing along and dance at the same time. It’s certainly the most progressive on the EP.

“Oh No” is the least progressive track on the album but is also the easiest to listen to I believe. When you think of Zed’s Dead a year from now, you won’t think of this song but as soon as someone plays it you’ll say “oh I know this one!” as opposed to “Oh I love this one!” That’s all I can really say about it.

I don’t write music reviews, this isn’t my thing, so forgive my untechnical lingo or lack of musical theory knowledge. Just what I think.

I can’t wait to see what they do with a full length album.

Bangarang EP - Skrillex Review on Track Drop Tuesdays

2012-01-31T19:43:00.000-08:00

I am starting this review off with the title track, “Bangarang” – Skrillex ft. Sirah. This song features Skrillex’s trademark style, vocal cutting and bouncing bass lines. Right off the bat that is not a bad thing. This song is very difficult to listen to and not want to move. The build is stylish and fast, another great quality of Skrillex. So many filthy songs take a long time to build up enough energy to really do the drop justice. Skrillex always manages the feat quickly and efficiently.

The next track I am going to write about I will admit is my favorite off of the EP. “Breakin’ a Sweat” – Skrillex ft. The Doors. It is my favorite, but I resent that it is one of the few songs that I cannot find any copies of that are the a) final version b) High Definition, and c) not blocked by copyright offenses, except for the one uploaded by HyundaiUSA. Copyright laws are very annoying. I am glad I found the one though. This song was produced as collaboration with some of my favorite human beings in the music industry ever. Undoubtedly a heavy bass line and the build seems to ooze confidence, border-lining on arrogance. Vocal edits such as “that’s good”, “okay, play that beat again”, and “let’s kick ass” are the primary indication of this arrogant style. Usually I would dispute that kind of attitude, but this song blatantly does “kick ass”.

“Kyoto” – Skrillex ft. Sirah is bumping on my ear drums right now. This song, right from the first beat is aggressive. I had to put in headphones to listen to this song the first time because I was afraid to piss off my neighbors with my system. Skrillex and Sirah are a brutal combination. This song is not as great as “Breakin’ a Sweat” in my opinion, possibly because I am biased by my love of the Doors, but, like “Breakin’ a Sweat” it is also pretty confident. “Yo, Skrill’ drop it hard”. I must say Sirah absolutely lays it down on this track. “Bitch, I kill… beat your girl up with the drums, as the bass makes that bitch come.” Also you can’t help but admire Skrillex’s vocal edits.

“The Devil’s Den” – Skrillex ft Wolfgang Garter. This song is evidence of Skrillex’s background in the hardcore scene. The track is gruesome in the best possible way. The entire progression is dark and evil, but that is to be expected, with a track called “The Devil’s Den”. My favorite part was right after the first drop, at around 1:47, when the track started a new build, I much prefer this build to the beginning of the song’s build. It is a longer build than the first, which is why I believe it is in the middle of the song, as opposed to starting the song off with it, favoring a quick filthy build that is just oh-so-Skrillex, before dropping in the longer builds that permeate the rest of the song. I, personally, find the second and third builds much more satisfying than the first. The entire track gets lighter and dance oriented after that first build and drop, almost as though the first section were a tip of his hat to his own background.

“Summit” Skrillex ft. Ellie Goulding is up next. Maybe I have a bit of a soft spot for Ellie Goulding. I love this song. I think this is Skrillex moving towards something new and beautiful, that doesn’t have to drop in order to be a club smash or a dance floor favorite. This song seems to build and relax fluidly and in a gorgeous fashion. Most of Skrillex’s heavy dropping songs kind of remind me of a person drawing in a lot of air before screaming their lungs out. “Summit”, on the other hand, seems to be a fluid inhale and exhale, building tension and emotion before relaxing. Chalk another victory up for both Skrillex and Ellie Goulding with this track.

I won’t lie; I don’t really have much to say about “Right In” or “Right on Time”. Neither of these songs really did it for me. Honestly, I think it came down to having listened to 5 other very Skrillexy songs, and these didn’t stand out to me. What I have to say about this EP boils down to just about how I felt about these last two songs. It was what we expected. Skrillex is Shaun White. Last time at the X-Games Shaun threw the highest score in history on the Super Pipe. This year he topped himself again and threw the first perfect score in X-Games history. Skrillex’s monster beginning was totally topped by this new EP, and it is totally what we all expected from him.

Reviews for this week are coming, bear with me!

2012-01-31T19:38:00.000-08:00

In the mean time, dig this Levels Remix! Avicii - Next Levels (TheFatRat Remix)

Shout to Andy McKee, one of my all time favorite guitarists, for his AMA on Reddit today.

2012-01-31T16:59:00.001-08:00

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/p4s50/iama_acoustic_guitarist_named_andy_mckee_ama/

Please check this out, Andy McKee's Ask Me Anything that was posted on Reddit today.

I have been challenged!

2012-01-25T11:29:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I issued a challenge to all of you to write a review of the new Zeds Dead EP.
Some of you guys got back to me real fast and I also got a challenge. I was challenged to write my own review for Skrillex's Bangarang EP.

I will post my review on Tuesday, alongside my Zeds Dead review and my favorite review written by you guys.

Peace!

So, for this week's TDT I propose a Challenge.

2012-01-24T17:01:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday Zed's Dead dropped a new EP, Adrenaline.
For this week's TDT I challenge you, reader, to listen to the EP, only four songs.

Adrenaline EP - Zed's Dead

Write a review of the EP and e-mail it to me, or post it on TDT's Facebook Wall.
The review that I most agree with (I have listened to the EP and have made my opinions) will be posted next Tuesday, before my regular post.

e-mail here: trackdroptuesdays@gmail.com
TDT Facebook Page

Good Luck!
Peace.

Sorry, Here is a SOMM to make up for it!

2012-01-19T10:56:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,
Sorry I missed last Tuesday, it was the first day of my Second College Semester! So I had some stuff I had to do.

Here is a SOMM to make up for it.

It is from The Front Bottoms, off of their album, "How to Dance to Soft Rock".
Here is "The Beers".

Peace.

Tiesto Live at CES HP/intel live broadcast on Twitter

2012-01-12T08:51:00.001-08:00

watching Tiesto live from Las Vegas
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tiestolive1
He is fantastic.
At about 20 minutes in the crowd still sucks.
Like and Repost if you watch and agree.

STREAMING another day and change.

Whoa. Talent.

2012-01-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

Skrillex - Summit ft. Ellie Goulding (Piano Cover)
Awesome.

SOMM Love this cruisin' filth from Bombs Away

2012-01-11T10:02:00.000-08:00

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (Bombs Away Dubstep Remix)

2012-01-10T19:49:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks!
As you know I was snowboarding at Okemo last week and didn't have regular internet access, so I had to skip last week's post.

BUT DON'T WORRY! I am here now. It is alright.

1. You've Got the Love (shmallen remix) - Florence and the Machine. First of all, everybody loves Florence and the Machine. This Avicii styled House Progressive Remix by shmallen only enhances the awesomeness that is FatM. Keep an eye out for University of Connecticut DJ shmallen in the future. Check out his FB fan page here, his SoundCloud is in the first link. This remix was posted January 3, 2012.
2. Everybody Talks - Neon Trees. Folks, it's true. Neon Trees are better than just "Animal". HEAR ME OUT! They are a great band. Please listen to their other stuff. "Animal" shouldn't have been a one-hit-wonder. This alternative power pop song rocks. This is the Neon Trees. Give 'em a shot. Uploaded to the band's YouTube channel on December 6, 2011.

3. Somebody Than I Used to Know - Gotye. Let's face it. Gotye is cool. This song is pretty cool. Gotye is chill. This song, well, it's pretty chill. This song was uploaded onto their YouTube account July 5, 2011. That being said it didn't really show up on my radar until recently. The video is cool and the song features amazing vocal and musical talent.

4. Get Burned - Sleeper Agent. Sleeper Agent rocks. I already blogged about them once, and I put in a lot about the band. Scroll to find it! I like Sleeper Agent because they are different. They are an alternative powerhouse and I believe they have a few great years in them that are yet to come. Mark my words, we haven't seen the best of Sleeper Agent yet. I don't have an exact date on the song, but it is pretty darn new.

I'm BACK!

Peace.

So this Week...

2012-01-02T20:42:00.000-08:00

Cellphone's dead. We're lost in the desert. One by one I'll knock ya out.

Okemo for the week. No cell service. See you on the other side.

Beck - Cellphone's Dead.

Peace.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

2011-12-31T23:21:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year readers. Lets hope that 2012 brings us plenty of new music!

Happy New Year, and I hope you all had a happy holiday.

Peace.

Future Posts

2011-12-22T21:16:00.001-08:00

So. As most of you know, I worked real hard on this blog, and I tried to post almost everyday. Well, that kind of became to stressful and took a LOT of time. So, until future notice I will be cutting down my posts and posting Track Drop Tuesdays and Sub Woofer Saturdays, as well as posts that are odds and ends, such as SOMMs.

Peace.

TRACK DROP TUESDAY!

2011-12-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

The FIRST TDT since my hiatus because of exams.

Love you all if you are still reading this. Sorry about the break.

First up! Sleeper Agent's first hit, Get It Daddy. This girl has a great voice. She brings the band's sound together and, shocker, Alex Kandel, at the age of 18, has been in the band since she was 16. Getting started young doesn't hurt, and neither does having a hit like "Get It Daddy". The song was uploaded to the band's VEVO account on 9/27/2011.

Second Song! Grouplove's Tongue Tied. Tongue Tied, the follow up to the hit tune Colours, is, in my humble opinion, a better song than the first. It went onto the band's YouTube account 7/25/2011. The song is catchy and quirky, an awesome combination. I think it shows more complexity than their first hit, and they will be remembered more so for it.

Third Tune. Turn Off This Song and Go Outside, The Lonely Forest. This song is over a year old. I apologize. However it is awesome and just starting to show up now. Showing up just this last weekend on one of my favorite Alternative Rock stations, AltNation, as 16, this song is pretty cool. I think it sends a good message, but that message almost made it hard for me to listen to the whole song! ....it kept asking me to stop listening....

Fourth number. The Joy Formidable, A Heavy Abacus. The Joy Formidable has a very cool sound. They remind me of what I would describe as natural music. I would describe natural music, or in this case, natural alternative, is from a classic set up band, with standard instruments. I love electronic and dubstep and house, don't get me wrong, but the two are very different. This is natural music. It sounds great.

Fifth and final. I have been waiting to blog about this song for so long. I always seemed to forget about it when I was writing, but now, on the first post after the hiatus, I present one of my favorite songs, and the timing couldn't be better. Although it has been out since 10/7/2011 on the band's old YouTube, it was recently put on their VEVO account, on 12/8/2011, as a music video. Electric Touch, Don't Stop. I love this song. It describes a moment that I would swear occurs at least a thousand times in the average person's life, or at least in my life. If you can't pick up that message, then you must have been listening to a karaoke version that didn't have any words. Seriously. It is a pretty common scenario.

So. That wraps another TDT.

Just remember, I'M BACK!

"like" the blog on Facebook!
Hit me up on Twitter: @TDTuesdays
E-mail me: trackdroptuesdays@gmail.com

Peace.

END OF HIATUS!

2011-12-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

I WILL BE BACK! WOOOO!

NEW POSTS COMING UP NEXT WEEK!

I'm exited. Are you guys?

Peace.

Hiatus

2011-12-07T08:59:00.001-08:00

Hey,
So, finals are really stressful and time consuming, so I need to reallocate the time I spent on TDT to studying and preparing for those. I'm sorry for the small break, posts will resume on December the 19th with a MEMO MONDAY.

Peace.

For Your Entertainment

2011-12-05T20:17:00.001-08:00

Don't feel obligated to check it out, but if you would like to check out this mash up then feel free!

http://soundcloud.com/thetruebrew/cinema-levels-subclimax

Peace.

My Apologies

2011-12-05T20:13:00.001-08:00

It has been a stressful week getting ready for my final exams, so I haven't been able to post as often as I would like.

THERE WILL BE A TDT TOMORROW!

Everything else is still up in the air and frankly depends on how much other work I have to do.

Peace.

TRACK DROP TUESDAY 11/29/2011

2011-11-29T18:12:00.001-08:00

Here is this week's TDT!

1. First up we have some Local Natives with their song Airplane. This song is alternative to its core, albeit with an interesting introduction. The song is quirky and embodies some fun qualities of alternative rock. This song was uploaded to YouTube on 1/21/2011. It is a pretty fun song and I wanted to get it in before it turned a year old.

2. Second this week is Help is On the Way by Rise Against. This classic punk band is releasing constantly. Their music retain's the same original grit that the punk movement was all about, but the songs are universal enough to appeal to most audiences.

3. Third, Midnight City by M83. This is a cool song. Synth bass lines are combined with some great electronic pop sounding lines in this alternative chill song. Apart from my blatant lack of understanding for this video there isn't much else to say about the song. The song's music video was uploaded to the band's YouTube account on 10/17/2011.

4. And then we have some Electric Touch with their song, currently playing on Altnation on SiriusXM radio, Don't Stop. This song rocks. I love the feel of it, and it relates to everybody. The song is fairly new, uploaded to the band's YouTube on 10/7/2011.

That's all for today folks, see you tomorrow for WAY BACK WEDNESDAY!

Hit me up on Twitter and Facebook.

Peace.

SUB WOOFER SATURDAY 11/26/2011

2011-11-26T20:40:00.001-08:00

Over the last week I was privileged enough to attend a few wonderful shows. Those shows inspired me to add electronic to my blog as a more regular piece.

So here we go, the first Sub Woofer Saturday.

1. I got to see Zed's Dead, the Canadian dubstep duo, this week. They dropped a lot of great tracks but the energy was so vamped for Rude Boy. This particular mix is Zed's Dead and Omar LinX. Rude Boy is a great song that encompasses heavy bass with plenty of tripped out electronic.

2. Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites - Dirtyphonics Remix. I love this song. I saw Dirtyphonics at Best Buy Theater and I almost died when they dropped this track. Seriously. The entire place was rocking hard. This is some seriously grimy dubstep, and nothing tops these guys live. The mixing was beautiful and displayed their talent perfectly.

3. 50 Caliber - Funtcase. Cool ass song. These guys opened with Liquid Stranger for Dirtyphonics. I love the drop in this song it goes so mellow and flawless. It encompasses everything that I love about a heavy drop, without a huge build up, which I think is really cool. Instead of climbing up and then dropping hard this song kind of flattens off and then drops like a cliff!

Thats all I got for tonight folks!

Tune in TUESDAY FOR ANOTHER TDT!

Peace.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING and THROWBACK THURSDAY!

2011-11-24T10:38:00.001-08:00

Here are some awesome Throwbacks for Turkey Day!

1. Vampire Weekend's Giving Up the Gun is a great song. I love Vampire Weekend, this band has been around for awhile, I remember the first time I heard Kids Don't Stand a Chance, this song captures the same identity that is Vampire Weekend. Catchy lyrics on an awesome track, that is also pretty chill.

2. Fader by the Temper Trap is number 2 this week. I love the Temper Trap, they are a pretty cool band. This song could be described as the power pop style answer to their previous hit, Sweet Disposition.

3. Trinity by the Paper Tongues. The Paper Tongues are awesome and this is a catchy song that encompasses a serious message. "You got a way of living, Your ways, I want that. I try to live my life for the people who need a come back. There's too many problems to think that you can fix me, my name is called the World and I'm dying of unbelief see." Great song

Follow me on Twitter @TDTuesdays
"Like" the blog on Facebook
E-mail suggestions to me: trackdroptuesdays@gmail.com

Peace.

WAY BACK WEDNESDAY 11/23/2011

2011-11-23T17:44:00.001-08:00

Here is the FIRST Way Back Wednesday. These songs are classic rock or alternative from the 60s, 70s and 80s that help define today's music.

1. Light My Fire by the Doors. Jim Morrison and his band really lit a fire with their alternative sounds, one of the great things that the Doors did for alternative was the incorporation of the organ into songs. While this had been going on the Doors were able to take it to such a timeless level that we still listen to the song today.

2. Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones. Everybody loves the Rolling Stones. These rock gods will outlive Miley Cyrus. Satisfaction is a great Stones tune that everybody knows and influences many acts today. The Rolling Stones had it right, so clearly their model is a decent one to follow.

3. Baba O'Riley (Teenage Wasteland) by the Who is song number 3. Just like the Doors, the Who used organs and synthesizers in these songs too. The Who had two main strategies, raw garage band style, and also overly orchestrated style, courtesy of Townshend and Daltrey.

These songs all influenced alternative and punk today.

Follow me on Twitter @TDTuesdays
Like the Facebook page.
E-mail me suggestions at trackdroptuesdays@gmail.com

Peace.