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I love discovering that a band that I really like released a new album that I had no knowledge about.

I just found out that Streetlight Manifesto released a new album this year, and i've already got it in my queue to be put onto my iPod. I've given a few tracks a listen, and it sounds absolutely fantastic!

Streetlight Manifesto - The Hands That Thieve




I also just discovered that Iron & Wine released a new album, and it seems as though he's gone for a more jazzy feel with his music, and it really does work with him. Really diggin' it.

Iron and Wine - Ghost on Ghost

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Number 1 out of 15: A Swarm of The Sun - Zenith

Favorite track: Lifeline



A Swarm of The Sun is a post-rock duo that I have gotten to love a lot since I first heard them about a year ago now. They've been on my to go to list for when I just need something to chill out to. The song Lifeline in particular is a special one for me as well as my favorite, because it was the first song I had heard that gave me an introduction to their music. Not too long after that, I got to experience Zenith in it's entirety, and it is by far one of the best post-rock albums in my collection. It takes me a long time to really find a few key points with a post-rock band that I cling on to, but they are definitely one of the few that have allowed me to see post-rock being done in a bit of a heavier and smoother fashion. I could be butchering this review entirely, but it's late and I wanted to get this part of my journal rolling. Just give the album a listen if you want to hear some good post-rock.

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Song of the day for 5/16/2013

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Number 2 out of 15: Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

Favorite track: Falling Snow



This is definitely an album that I wanted to bring to this list sooner rather than later, for a variety of reasons, a big one being...this album is exactly what I was hoping to hear when I heard there was some post/black metal floating around. The rhythm at the beginning pulls me into the entire song (listed as my favorite above) right away, and it continues to do so throughout, which the album does as well. I quickly checked out their other albums and got the same feel give or take a bit of excitement, but they all seemed to give me the same impression, this is some damn good post black metal, if that's what they call it anyway, i'm just labeling it from what I hear. I also found a vinyl rip of the album online, and i've been keeping it in my mind that I should try to track down a vinyl copy of the album, just to sort of have it in my possession at all times.

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As 15 Albums You Should Probably Listen To...But You Don't Have To...I'm Just Going To Write About Them Anyway and the collaboration for The Song of the Day are both doing pretty well, I wanted to add a third item to my list of things that I will have featured in my journal for the time being. I don't want to get too overwhelmed to the point that I don't want to finish anything, but I have been thinking of this one for a while, so...introducing...


This will basically include two key characteristics:

1. Allowing me to listen to albums / bands that I have thrown to the side due to not being too interested.
2. Trying to understand why the albums / bands get as much hype as they do. Bands like KISS, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, etc.

I won't be doing full discographies, and most of the reviews will be brief, but they'll end with one of two outcomes:



Disclaimer: None of this is meant to be taken as fact, as i'm doing this for myself and the enjoyment of posting it in a journal. If you disagree with any of my outcomes, feel free to let me know, however it most likely won't change my opinion.

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Number 3 our of 15: Pendulum - Immersion

Favorite track: Under The Waves



When it comes to electronic-esque, dubstep-esque kind of music, this is what I like. I don't go with the "wub wub wub" constant type stuff, but when it can combine a great singer and awesome music to dance to, it really makes for a fantastic album as a whole. This one in particular is a personal favorite based mostly on The Island (parts 1 and 2), because I remember dancing to it when they played it at the show I went to about a year or so ago. They put on a fantastic performance, and I would easily see them again if they made their way here again.

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Song of the day for 5/20/2013

Alexisonfire - Rough Hands

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That's right. The first entry for Worth The Hype? will be introduced by none other than Daft Punk. With their recent album "Random Access Memories" being a huge hit among most of their fans, it brings up the question, are they worth all the hype they receive? A lot of people out there seem to see them as this basic electronic group that don't understand why they are so important, but than there are the people who do understand why they are so important. Me personally? I see them in the category of "sticking to their original plan". It never seizes to amaze me the beautifully structured things they can put together, hence the term "two heads are better than one". I remember when it was released that Daft Punk were the creators of the soundtrack for Tron, as if the movie hadn't been badass enough, just add a more than badass soundtrack, it's a fantastic listen if you ever get the chance. They are also very well known for tracks like One More Time, Around The World (in which that's ALL they say, and yet it still sounds good) and Robot Rock. I don't know, I could be completely butchering this and saying the wrong things, but I do see them as a duo of extreme talent that have only gotten better through the years, and their latest release proves that they've still got a bunch of talent in those heads that is just waiting to burst. So the album in general was definitely worth the hype, but is the band? Well...



That's is a big yes from me. They are a group that you need to give a fair listen to without jumping to conclusions too quickly, because with them, you don't know what you've missed. They could change your opinion in a blink of an eye just with one or two songs sounding differently than the others you've heard. Would I recommend listening to all their albums in one sitting? Probably not, we don't need your head to explode. But I will recommend listening to them when you have the time, because concentration is key.

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taking a short break from song of the day and other entries. regular programming will be back soon.

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Aaaaaand, we are back to a regular-ish schedule, we had our memorial sale day and pre sale day at work so I needed sleep, but now I can be distracted with my journal. Now...let's see:


I know i'm treading dangerous territory by posting about this band at this forum as I know there have a large fan base, and trust me, before you read further, please keep in mind that I have given them a very thorough listen to come to the conclusions you will read about. Now...onto my brief review. So, to start off, when The King of Limbs was released back in 2011, I was actually one of those that actually found some songs that I liked, but I didn't really have much familiarity with the band other than the fact that people go bat **** crazy over them, personally, I don't get it, I have asked many times what is special about them, and I get the same answer: "listen to OK Computer and Kid A and you'll see", well...I took that advice and got myself a copy of OK Computer and Kid A, and you know what I was left with? The same damn confusion that I had when I asked the question prior, so then I asked the question again, and I got another response that was along the lines of "you mustn't be listening to the albums correctly." Well then, I had no idea I was supposed to listen to an album a certain way. Now don't worry, this won't be all negative, I did find some and that is a small amount of liking with OK Computer, with a track called Electioneering. I'll probably regret this later, but I found Thom Yorke listenable in that song, which is tough since I can't seem to find a reason why people see him as this fantastic singer, I find him to be average at best. This band definitely gets a lot of hype, and perhaps more hype than they deserve, but hey, they have a huge fan base whom love their music to death, so I suppose they are doing something right, so I congratulate them for that. However, as you've probably already assumed, my verdict comes to...



I really don't want to come off as one of those typical Radiohead haters, because I really am not trying to piss people off, I did give them a fair chance by listening to all their albums, and even listening to the two highly acknowledged albums, and like I said, I did find some enjoyment out of OK Computer, so I am happy that I was able to see some sort of liking. I did try, and I wanted to like them, I also wanted to see what the big deal was with all the hype, and to me, it wasn't worth it. I didn't get what I was hoping to get with listening to them, I was actually filled with a lot of disappointed and a weird sour taste in my mouth. At some point, I do plan to give them another thorough listen to hopefully alter my opinion, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.