A friend of mine asked me to start teaching him about bands, and I posted about this on the Facebook page. A few people got into the idea, and didn't seem opposed to the idea of it becoming an actual series here on Immortal Music.
Problem is, I don't know if it'd be a waste of time, actually. The reason I am teaching him more about bands is because while he listens to the music, he knows very little about the bands as people. Being a music journalist, I like knowing who's behind the music, so that comes easily. However, I feel like a lot of people who are very into music are the same way as me, so there's a very high chance that nobody will really be learning anything from that series. So, I would like someone to weigh in on this. Would it be a good idea or is it a waste of time? Someone suggested I make it a video series, as a way to resurrect the YouTube channel, and that does sound like a good idea to me. It also crossed my mind that it would be cool to somehow make this series incooroprate not only the channel but the website too. Like some things are talked about in a video, but other things are brought up on the website. Please let me know what you think about this. Should I start a series teaching people about the people behind the music? Or should I leave it be because people probably already know most of it anyways? If you have something to say, please don't hesitate to say it here, Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.
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Somehow we forgot to post the fifth installment of our '10 Best Songs' series for a few days, so we are doing it now.
Today's choice is Shinedown, who has been a favorite of Immortal Music's for several years now. We first discovered them via YouTube in either 2007 or 2008, and have followed their work ever since. The first song we ever heard by them was "Save Me", quickly followed by "I Dare You." And obviously, we never looked back. We are very excited for the release of their fifth studio album, which is promised later this year. For now though, we have four other albums filled with great music, so let's get into the favorites from those albums. As with all of these lists, the lists are in no order, just in the order that they came to mind.
Yes, we did exclude the first album with this list. The main reason for this is while its a very good album and it does feature their incredible cover of "Simple Man" and "45" which is just legendary but other than those two songs, we don't actively find ourselves listening to that album. Its a good album, but we like all the ones after that. We also want to say that "Simple Man" is spiritual live. Not sure why but its a religious experience live. The number one favorite by the way is, "Unity." Its just beautiful, and there's nothing more to say there. So, let us know what your favorites by Shinedown is! We really want to know. You can tell us here, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. A press person for the progressive rock band Highly Suspect emailed me about their song, "Lost", and we were very intrigued.
Right off the bat, I liked the way it sounded. Its quite fast paced, and catchy. The vocalist is cool, the voice sounds reminiscent of someone...but I can't place who. Something from the early 2000's or late 90s, I want to say, but with a still modern feel all at once that can't quite be explained. As the title shows, it tells the tale of feeling lost. It sounds as though its just after a possibly toxic relationship fell apart. He talks about his love growing 'like a vine around his throat', and it seems like she's pulling him down. He's questioning if it ever will be the same, and says it took him too long to take the blame. Poor guy. I think everyone's felt that way before though, sadly. Its a great song, and honestly, I see these guys going far. Hopefully we hear more from Highly Suspect soon! It appears as though they do have a release coming out soon called Mister Asylum that you can pre-order now on iTunes. Want to check out this song or more from them? Check them out over on Soundcloud. Its time for the fourth installment of the '10 Best' series we have been doing for a few days now. This series has come basically full circle (yet is still not done), as this all began when Alternative Press posted the '10 Best PTV songs.' They didn't pick their favorites though, they picked the most popular ones, and that inspired me to write out the top ten favorite songs from my favorite bands.
So far, we have covered Papa Roach, All Time Low and A Day To Remember and now it is Pierce The Veil's turn. In coming days we will more than likely also cover Shinedown, Three Days Grace, and quite possibly several others but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Hopefully someone out there is actually enjoying this series, as very few have responded to anything related to this series. Please know your feedback is always welcome, and we would love to hear your favorites as well. Now that all of that is out of the way, let's get into the real reason you're here -the list. As with all of the lists previous, there is no order to this list. Its also worth mentioning that I had previously enjoyed Pierce The Veil but did not really get into their music until the Collide With The Sky album was released. They were not new to me by the time this was released but that is what fully got my attention.
The temptation to put all their most popular, and the entire album for Collide With The Sky was there. I tried to resist that though because I do enjoy all of Pierce the Veil's music, I just happen to really enjoy Collide With The Sky. Me and every other person who likes Pierce The Veil, right? The first song I ever heard from them was "Drella", and was followed by "Caraphernila." I have no idea how I found Pierce The Veil, but I do remember when I found "Caraphernila" I got very excited because I had only just recently discovered A Day To Remember. As soon as I heard Jeremy McKinnon's voice, I remember thinking, "Hey, I think that's the guy from A Day To Remember..." Sure enough, and I loved it. It was one of the first collaboration songs I had found where I knew of the person featured in the song, and I just thought it was cool. I honestly am not sure which PTV song is my ultimate favorite, but I kind of want to say "Stained Glass Eyes And Colorful Tears." The chorus gets to me in a way. "Fine. Maybe I'll pretend right now -but I swear to God that I'm gonna change the world. And I promise you someday we'll tell ourselves, 'Oh my God, this is paradise.'" That's just beautiful and I kind of like the message it gives. You can make it seem like you're just going with the flow, but really you know what you're going to do in life. If that's not what its supposed to mean, well, too bad because that's what it means to me. Eventually I'll learn the real message. So, that's my list of Pierce The Veil songs! Please let me know what your favorites by Pierce The Veil are either in the comments here, over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Please feel encouraged to also tell me your favorites out of the other bands I've done lists for as well! See you on the social medias. I feel like I have an unpopular opinion here, but I prefer 'newer' ADTR. Like, their last two albums speak volumes to me. I like the earlier ones (Homesick and For Those Who Have Heart) but What Seperates Me From You and Common Courtesy are my favorite albums from them. I discovered ADTR not long after For Those Who Have Heart came out, I think, but didn't really get into them until What Seperates Me From You was released.
1. All I Want 2. All Signs Point To Lauderdale 3. Sometimes You're The Hammer, Sometimes You're The Nail 4. I'm Made of Wax Larry, What Are you Made Out Of? 5. 2nd Sucks 6. If It Means A Lot To You 7. Have Faith In Me 8. Right Back At It Again 9. Sticks & Bricks 10. The Downfall Of Us All I find myself quoting ADTR lyrics a lot, especially ones from the first three songs on the list. I even have a quote from "Sometimes You're The Hammer, Sometimes You're The Nail" tattooed on my leg. The first song I ever heard by ADTR was actually their cover of "Since U Been Gone" originally by Kelly Clarkson, and sadly I forget what my first original song by them is. I want to say that it was "I'm Made Of Wax Larry.." but I cannot be sure. Anyway, there's that list! What are your favorites from A Day To Remember? Let us know! Wanna see the other lists in this series? There's been two others so far! Papa Roach and All Time Low. Stay tuned, lists from other favorite bands from Immortal Music will be coming soon. Yesterday, we posted our top favorites from Papa Roach, and it was all inspired by Alternative Press posting the most popular Pierce The Veil songs. Now, we are starting a series of sorts where we name our favorites from our favorite bands. Today is All Time Low. As many know, the creator of Immortal Music is a rather big fan of All Time Low, and has been for several years now. So, nobody should be surprised that this list exists.
As with any favorite band, its hard to pick a handful of favorites, but its a challenge worth taking. Here are my top favorite All Time Low songs, in no order whatsoever. 1. Weightless 2. Stay Awake 3. Somewhere In Neverland 4. Kids In The Dark 5. The Irony Of Choking On A Lifesaver 6. Jasey Rae (The MTV Unplugged edition!) 7. Canals 8. Lost In Stereo 9. The Reckless And The Brave 10. A Party Song (Walk of Shame) Honorable mentions also go to "Backseat Serenade", "Damned If I Do Ya, Damned If I Don't", "Walls", "For Baltimore", "Backseat Serenade", "Poppin' Champagne", "Coffee Shop Soundtrack" and so many more. All their songs are great, just some stick more than others. I did add "Kids In The Dark" in there because not only do I love the song, but I love the video. This list may change once Future Hearts is here, but as of right now, I think this is my list. Let me know what your favorites by All Time Low is, and stay tuned for more lists of favorite songs. Alternative Press posted an article about the '10 best Pierce The Veil' songs, and it inspired us to pick out a band and do the top ten best songs from them. We may just do this for all our favorites through out the week, so stay tuned for that.
AP pretty much just chose the most popular PTV songs, which basically states the obvious 'best ones', but a quick YouTube search could tell you that as well. One of the editors, or writers for AP could have taken the time to express themselves and share their favorites. They didn't, but we're going to. Maybe nobody cares, but maybe someone out there does! Feel free to comment your favorites as well, and we can get a conversation going if someone would like that! At some point, we probably will cover our favorite Pierce The Veil songs, as we fans of Pierce The Veil, but right now, we are going to talk about Papa Roach. Please remember that these are just our favorites, and its nothing against their other songs. This list is also, for the most part, in no order. Some songs were explained, because there was a set reason, and others didn't have a set reason, so no explanation was given. Papa Roach, recently has been one of Immortal Music's absolute favorite bands, and has been one of the favorites for several years now. The favorites list always fluctuates, but right now the favorites for us are Papa Roach, All Time Low, Shinedown, A Day To Remember, and Pierce The Veil. Probably in that order, actually. The song list for us are as follows (But again, not in any real order.) The explanations were also written in first person, just so everyone is aware. It didn't make sense to speak in third person while talking about the favorites.)
Picking just ten songs for a band you love is really a challenge! Some may disagree with me on this, but the F.E.A.R album is a work of art, and my personal favorite album. I had such a hard time not just listing that whole album. Its been nearly on repeat since its release in late January. Every day a different song from it has gotten stuck in my head and its just incredible. What's even more incredible is Jacoby said in an interview when they went to record the album, he had no lyrics ready. The lyrics are my favorite thing about the album, so its mind blowing that he went into the studio with nothing. That's my favorite Papa Roach album, and as you can see by my list, for the most part, I prefer 'newer' Papa Roach albums. Many people have disagreed with me on that, and that's okay, but this is how I feel about it. If anyone wants to fully hear what I think of the album, I did do a review of it when it came out. The love for it has only grown, but the favorites still stand the same. Stay tuned for more '10 best' lists, and please feel free to give your feedback! Also, please feel free -encouraged, even, to suggest bands for this series. This could be a great way to get you guys involved, and this will give bands some individual love. I can see myself in a broken reflection, and I'm not okay. It just magnifies my imperfections, aand I'm not okay. Beaten down and I'm crawling, I'm craving affection, afraid of rejection
I'm scared to get close, I hate being alone. I long for that feeling to not feel at all. The higher I get, the lower I sink. I can't drown my demons they know how to swim. My demons are stronger than ever. This lifetime is harder than ever to become somebody better...somebody better. It's never enough, no it's never enough. No matter what I say. It's never enough, no it's never enough. I'll never be what you want me to be. I'M DONE! You thought you were there to guide me, you were only in my way. You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you. You left me on the side of the road, and now I got no place to go. I walk this empty street on the boulevard of broken dreams. Where the city sleeps, and I'm the only one and I walk alone. If you take it from me, live your life for yourself. 'Cause when its all said and done -you don't need anyone else. I don't wanna finish what we started, I never should have let you out. You thought I was an easy target. Now I know who you are – who the devil is. You can try to take my salvation, you can try to take everything. I'm not a slave to your temptation. I will fight, one last fight. Don't break down in front of me. I will fight, will you fight? I am not the enemy. I will try one last time. I will forgive, forget. 'Cause I know that it will set me free. And all that's left is the emptiness inside of me. You murder my heart, broke my trust and watch me fade away. Now I see, now I see that you're just as broken as me. I can't help you fix yourself, but at least I can say I tried. I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life! All I want is a place to call my own, to mend the hearts of everyone who feels alone. You know to keep your hopes up high and your head down low. Its easy to feel like you're all alone, to feel like nobody knows the great that you are. The good that's inside you is trying so hard to break through. Maybe its your time to lift off and fly, you won't know if you never try.. Don't let anyone tell you that you're not strong enough. Don't give up, there's nothing wrong with just being yourself. That's more than enough. Pick yourself up off the ground. You're sure as hell too good to let them hold you down. I'm wide awake and thinking, with my pillow on the floor, that maybe I'm just wasting my time dreaming. In a harsh reality, I don't wanna wake up just to find out. I've been deceived...Well somebody told me that I would be a dreamer for life.Somebody told me I would never reach the other side. Well you say I'm old news, but cross your fingers -I’m yours to lose. I'm better off, better off without you. If I can get through this, I can get through anything. If I can make it through this, I can get through anything. Wake me up, say enough is enough. I'm dying to live -something's gotta give. Maybe its not my weekend, but its gonna be my year. And I'm so sick of watching as the minutes pass as I go no where. And this is my reaction to everything I fear. 'Cause I've been going crazy. Do you think about everything you've been through? You never thought you'd be so depressed. Are you wondering 'is it life or death'? Do you think that there's no one like you? You're not alone, you're with me. Don't let the world bring you down, there's always hope for the willing. Don't let the world bring you down. It's not over, you're not alone anymore When it feels like all is lost and there's no guide that's left to prove it. Take a look inside, cherish your life, and live before you lose it. When it falls apart and you're feeling lost, all your hope is gone, don't forget to hold on. Keep holding on, 'cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through. Just stay strong. Its funny how some distance makes everything seem small. And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all. Its time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through. No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I'm free! For the first time in forever there'll be music, there'll be light. For the first time in forever, I'll be dancing through the night. 'Cause this is a wasteland, my only retreat, with heaven above you, there's hell over me. All your worries, leave them somewhere else. Find a dream you can follow. Reach for something, when there's nothing left, and the world's feeling hollow. Can you hear it calling? Can you feel it in your soul? Can you trust this longing? And take control! Fly. Open up the part of you that wants to hide away. You can shine, forget about the reasons why you can't in life and start to try, cause it's your time..Time to fly. Its time for me to fly, time for me to soar. Time for me to open up my heart and knock on heaven's door. Life's what you make it, so let's make it rock. All the lies and now the truth. Here I am with nothing left to lose. Now that I'm crawling in my skin, maybe it's time I just give in. I've become the leader of the broken hearts. And now I finally know what it feels like to risk everything and still survive. When you're standing on the battlefield, and all the pain is real, that's when you realize that you must've done something right. 'Cause you've never felt so alive. So have you ever been caught in a sea of despair? And your moment of the truth is the day that you say, "I'm not scared." Put your hands in the air, if you hear me out there. I've been looking for you day and night. Shine a light in the dark, let me see where you are. 'Cause I'm not gonna leave you behind. If I told you that you're not alone, and I showed you this is where you belong -put your hands in the air. One more time. I was broken, I was choking, I was lost -This Song saved my life. I was bleeding stopped believing, could have died -this song saved my life. I was down, I was drowning but it came on just in time. This song saved my life. Let the music help you...I don't have more to say. I have a million more lyrics I could quote, and at some point, I probably will. This whole combining lyrics thing is fun for me, and hopefully someone out there enjoys it. All the songs used are listed below, in the order they were used. This was just for fun, and I will probably end up doing it again soon, and I think I have done it before. Skeletons -Papa Roach, Can You Feel My Heart -Bring Me The Horizon, Where Did The Angels Go -Papa Roach, Never Enough -Five Finger Death Punch, Just Like You -Three Days Grace, The Flood -Escape The Fate, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams -Green Day, All I Want -A Day To Remember, Devil -Papa Roach, Broken As Me -Papa Roach, Scars -Papa Roach, Make Some Noise -Hannah Montana, So Long And Thanks For The Booze -All Time Low, Let It Roll -All Time Low, Lived A Lie -You Me At Six, Better Off -Art Of Dying, Get Thru This -Art Of Dying, Weightless -All Time Low, One X -Three Days Grace, You're Not Alone -Of Mice And Men, Hold On -Jonas Brothers, Keep Holding On -Avril Lavigne, Let It Go -Idina Menzel, For The First Time Forever -Kristen Bell, Hell Above -Pierce The Veil, Fly -Hilary Duff, Time For Me To Fly -Jonas Brothers, Life's What You Make It -Hannah Montana, Leader Of The Broken Hearts -Papa Roach, Unity -Shinedown, This Song Saved My Life -Simple Plan Most people are well aware of the unwritten band merch rule, right? "Don't wear band merch unless you listen to the band." You wouldn't wear a shirt for a TV show you didn't watch, so don't wear a shirt for a band you don't listen to. Simple as that! You're supporting something you know nothing about, and that's not right.
However, perhaps there is some loopholes to this rule. There's a reason for saying this, so hold on to your comments until you read on some more. Say you don't really listen a band's work, but you listen to a song by them -is it okay then? For myself, I generally say no, but that's a grey area that varies from person to person. However, what if that band comes out with a t-shirt quoting that one song? Is it okay to get that then? I have to say yes! The reason this came up is a photo of a Blink 182 shirt showed up in one of my many news feeds (It may have been Facebook, may have been Instagram, I don't remember.) that made me instantly go, "I want that!" I cannot seem to find a picture of it again to show you guys, but I will describe it. It was a brown shirt that said Blink 182 at the top of the shirt and in the center was a big '23' and around it it said, "What's my age again?" Someone's going to freak on me for saying this -because someone always does but I am not a fan of Blink 182. I never really have been -though I am curious about their future new singer because its generally been Tom Delong's vocals that have stopped me from getting into their music. I have an unpopular opinion, I know. I don't have a problem with them, but his vocals just aren't my taste. I'm like that with most 'traditional' punk or pop punk bands, its not just Blink. I totally just digressed there, let me get myself back on topic. The band is growing on me now, but "What's My Age Again?" has always been the one I really can say I enjoy. It is also the only one I have on my iPod, and because of that, I don't buy Blink 182 merch. They have had designs I liked before, and I have considered getting them because I do appreciate Blink and what they have done for bands but never have for that reason. That shirt however might be okay for me to wear because it quotes the one song I really listen to. Not that it really matters, I cannot find that picture again and because of that, I don't think I'm going to be able to find the t-shirt. If I find it, I'll post it on Facebook or Instagram or something. So, what are your thoughts on band merch in this sense? What would you personally do? And while we're asking questions, what band do you find yourself wanting merch from but not buying because you don't listen to them actively? Blink is one of the only ones I have this dilemma with now, but I have also had this issue with Motionless in White. That has changed now because I do listen to a couple of their newer albums. I'm rambling again, so I am going to shut myself up. Let me know your thoughts here, Facebook, Twitter, or now Instagram! Thirteen, a hard rock band from Washington DC contacted me on Twitter to ask if I would preview four of their songs (All available on iTunes, and give my input) and rather than just listening and telling them what I thought over a message, I decided to listen to them and give my feedback here on the website. These are not all on an EP, they are all singles on iTunes.
They only asked me to listen to four songs, but I must say, I was very impressed! Those four songs were, "Romeo Kiss", "I Let Go", "The Siren", and "Time" and those four showed off their talent a lot. They are currently still a 'smaller' band, but they are incredibly talented and hopefully will get some recognition soon. The four songs they asked me to check out told stories of romance, break ups, possible suicidal thoughts, and strength. It appears as though they have two very talented singers, one male, and one female. Their male singer, Mark, sings on "I Let Go (His Goodbye", and "The Siren (The Man On The Edge)" and the female, Savannah, sings on "Romeo Kiss" and "Time." All four songs are wonderful, but our personal favorites for the moment are "Romeo Kiss" and "Time." "Romeo Kiss" sounds as though it is about a break up, but rather than being saddened by this, she sounds rather glad to be free of the control and just wishes to forget it. "I think I'll start a fire to burn this memory. Baby please, set me free." I found that to be rather empowering, and thought it stood out because of that. "Time" is one of those songs that stands as the perfect example of what music is there for. Its generally an escape, or serves as reminders for various things for various people. This particular one may just remind people that everything will get better if you just give it some time. Too many people forget that, and this song will definitely help remind some people of that. These guys are definitely worth checking out -don't pass them up. Be sure to check out all these songs and many more on iTunes and follow them on Twitter, and Facebook. |
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January 2022
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