grahamregarding.com

the nephilim- the art of drowning- afi

this afi is not what most people know today. this was the last album before sing the sorrow. from sing the sorrow they changed their approach. it appealed to a larger crowd than their original following, and with that they lost a lot of old fans. many old fans said that they’d sold out, and honestly from some aspects of it all they kind of did. but the music didn’t suffer. it was different, but not terrible.

personally i love sing the sorrow. i think it’s a fantastic album. it doesn’t have all of the old punkness that their previous albums had, but it’s still a real solid album. they always had that mourning, goth edge to their music, they are just embracing it more now. (kind of like alkaline trio)

times change, and people as well. like i’ve said before, you can’t expect people to make the same exact music their whole career. look at mike patton, he’s made an album in almost every genre there is. let the artists stretch their wings, they don’t owe you anything.

this isn’t the real video, these guys make funny interpretations of a lot of songs. enjoy…

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teenage kicks- will destroy you- driver of the year

i’ve written about driver of the year before, they’re from my hometown. teenage kicks opens their latest album with style. i love this album and i love the way they’re going. they have such a unique, and refreshing sound for this day and age.

if you’re never in the quad city area (on the mississippi between iowa and illinois) then definitely check them out on itunes or their myspace page.

for some people, the singer’s voice might take some time to grow on you, but give them a chance. they’re a great band with a great sound, help them get off their feet by supporting them.

listen here

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spider home- gigantic 7″ single series- o’death

i came across o’death last october sometime and they still remain one of my favorite new (to me) bands that i’ve discovered or been introduced to. in previous posts i’ve written about how much i love them. they’re very different and not for everybody, but i hope you give them a chance because there is so much soul and beauty in their music. so please give them a chance. i didn’t listen to anything like them before, and now i love them.

spider home is an insanely good track. i’d say it’s my favorite but all of their songs are. they have yet to write a song i don’t love, and i don’t see one coming anytime soon.

listen to spider home here. you’ll love it.

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dollars and cents live- i might be wrong live recordings- radiohead

i really don’t need to say much about this song. it holds it’s own. if you’re not a radiohead fan or haven’t ever heard this song before, i forgive you, but it’s never too late to start. the album that the original version of this song comes from, “amnesiac,” is a good place to start.

“dollars and cents”

radiohead was on conan o’brien the other night. and here it is…

“house of cards”

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the buzzing- parade of chaos- zao

zao is a staple in my music collection. even though i am not friends anymore with the person who introduced me to zao, i still thank that person very much for showing them to me. i like to focus on the positive influences and ways that people touch my life along the way. life’s too short to dwell on the past and focus on the negative. like chuck palahniuk says in invisible mosters, (to the best of my recollection) “we are the collective effort of everyone we’ve ever met.” my copy is in storage and it’s been at least six years since i read it last, so that’s pretty good for me.

anyway, back to the song…

having undergone a complete change in its lineup, zao is technically its own cover band, but the fans make them the same. they may have different members and a slightly different sound at times, but to their loyal fans, they can do no wrong.

the buzzing opens their classic album, parade of chaos, with that raw power in which daniel weyandt leads the band. it gets you rearing and ready to go for “suspend/suspension” and the rest of the album. “parade of chaos” has more of a “hardcore dance your ass off” feel than the other albums. it just sounds like they had more fun writing and recording this album.

i definitely prefer older zao to newer zao, but i still remain loyal. my personal favorite album is “where blood and fire bring rest,” fantastic album. if you don’t have it, buy it now.

listen to the buzzing here.