Nitpickery: Random Access Memories -- It's Okay to Say No

Hey y'all.  Have you heard the rant wars about Daft Punk?  They've just released their new album, Random Access Memories, and it has been getting pretty polarized reviews.  On the one hand, you have the people who are disappointed that this album sounds pretty unlike anything else Daft Punk has done.  On the other, you have those who like the new sound and are irritated that anyone misses Daft Punk's old sound.  It's been really weird to read into, and you can get the picture pretty clearly by reading their iTunes reviews.

Music You've Probably Never Heard -- Grab Bag 2, Techno Collection

Bah, long title.  Hey y'all, I'm back.  It's been a pretty slack week for posting.  Sorry about that.  I'm going to have to get better about it.  I want to have a schedule that I more or less follow, but for right now I've got a lot going on.  I still have one last fanfiction to finish, and I've got to work on publishable stuffs.

But anyway, music time.  This week I'm going to be telling you all about the songs I have in my collection playlist on youtube.  The best ones will get a mention here, and hopefully you'll like them as much as I do.  This week won't be for those deeply entrenched in the pop realm, I have to warn you.

Let's start off with a trio of songs by Acen.  My mom likes to comment that I like drug music, and despite the lack of drugs in my life, I have to admit that I like these songs.  This trio is known as Trip II the Moon, and it comes in three parts.  Part number one is my favorite, as it's the most story-esque.  Part 2 is more trippy, and part 3 is more pop accessible....for trippy stuff.   What they did was take some bits from a James Bond song and turn them into the most nuts thing you've ever heard.  Here ya go.

Trip II the Moon part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8v7dRXuzEw
Trip II the Moon part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfMlQJ5SeFo
Trip II the Moon part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6TT0J0pPsQ

What else we got?  Would you like something more happy?  Sure!  Let me show you the most happy song that Happy Hardcore has to offer: Love, Life, and Happiness!  It's fun, and it will catch you off guard with how much you like it.

Love, Life, and Happiness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNn-3pN1VGc

Some of the stuff I like has a more urban feel to it, and this next song feels very much that way.  It's fun, but not the easiest song to get caught up in.  Very hypnotizing...

Is It True? (To The Unknown): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg890as9IKk

Okay, so I'm not really into Acen enough to give them their own week, but I will admit that I love another of their songs, Close Your Eyes.  This one right here is definitely more of a druggie song.  I'll include two remixes, though I'm sure there's like forty bajillion more.  I like the XXX version best, but I'll let you decide which you think is good.

Close Your Eyes (Remix II)(The Sequel): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-GICHHP_CI
Close Your Eyes (XXX Mix): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7I6BR_XY10

Dream Injection is just a beautiful trance song.  It really deserves a listen.  No really, just sit there and relax to it.  Don't worry about doing other things.  It's the perfect chillout song, and it reminds me so much of my childhood and adventurous days...the image in the video is absolutely perfect for the song. 

Dream Injection: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3Sn_PTgkOs

I just ran into Brainskan the other day, and they have two songs I really want you to check out.  The first of which is No Commin Back, a mostly lyricless piece with the totally acid sound and a right creepy party beat.  Seriously, it's good stuffs.  Human Spirit is a somewhat more cheesey song, but hey, I think you'll like it.

No Commin Back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq0iLRaDehA
Human Spirit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xixVQ85fKyI

Wanna chill out with something less ecclectic?  Well, here you go, Pacific Wish.  It's very trancey, odd, and tropical.  The image with this vid sums it up well.  It's just a lot of fun and party.  Perfect for people who don't hang out in the more rave genres.

Pacific Wish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaKiEfvJ4gg

Song of the Second Moon sounds like a really cheesey movie title, doesn't it?  It's actually the name of one of the weirdest mess songs I've ever heard.  You might not believe it, but this song was made in the fifties.  People have been working on electronic music for a long time.  The fifties spawned some weird stuff, because nobody was sure then where exactly this whole electronic music thing was going.

Song of the Second Moon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsk6AcjQF24

Let's chill it down to finish this off.  Manifesto by Aztech is a very pleasant song, quiet and subdued.  It's perfect for calming down after all this weird mess.

Manifesto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tofb4UatMIM

Alright, so hopefully I'll be posting a little more this week, just to let y'all know that I'm still alive.  I like to write, and I actually need to stop lazing around.  Of course, my boyfriend is coming home soon from Afganistan, so we'll have to see.

Music You've Probably Never Heard -- DJ Redlight

Hey y'all! It's time for another posting of music you've never probably never heard before. This week it's DJ Redlight, otherwise known as Ashley Carr, and I can almost guarantee that you've never heard of him before. That's because he's an unknown, mostly.  He's new to the scene, but he has the skill to become known some day.

The difference between last week and this is that DJ Redlight's work is not as rave as LA Style or as hardcore as the James Brown is Dead remixes. Redlight tends to stick to house, funk, and downbeat, with a bit of trance from time to time. He doesn't use a lot of lyrics. The song "Computer People" has a few computer generated lyrics describing the plight of little people that make your electronics work, and there is an emo parody song up, but other than that he works without words.

That is something I've always admired in an artist. Words tie down a song to a set meaning, and lyricless tunes take form and shape in the heads of those that listen, and it communicates ideas from the artist that cannot be expressed in any language. Some of the songs seem to even take on words themselves, particularly Dream of You. It sings a song in a most delightful voice without even expressing it in words. Inhibition is also the same way, a passionate song with a life of its own.  Real music is not about words, but the soul, and anyone who says it's less is wrong.

Most of his stuff is not pop sounding, and Ashley prefers to do emotive works rather than things that are good on the surface. So he's automatically better than all the pop artists that all sound the same and prefer to rap or sing about themselves or the high life. Songs are best when they are not focused on oneself, but when they are focused on others or common feeling and desires. Carr understands this better than "artists" of today, who make everything sound alike as they croon in generic and flat tones.

Carr seems to like the time period from 1970 to the nineties, and since he mostly does house music, it's completely understandible. Those were the golden years for house music, with disco, synthpop, and nineties electropop. Funkilicious, Retrospect, and Electrohouse are the three most reminiscent, and Electrohouse in particular is my favorite as the optimistic and adventurous kind of tune I remember from my childhood. Yours Sincerely is a marvelous tune, as is Shades of Grey. They are both soothing tones that sound like the end of a story, with everything ending not entirely happily, but contentedly. Or you can put your own meaning to them. They have such calm and peace that I can't help but love them. Most of his stuff is original, but he has done remixes on Doom, Dr. Who, and Dr. Mario.

My favorite tracks include:
- Stupid Melody. This track has a title that makes you underestimate it, but it's actually a lovely piece that fights its own first impression. I love the irony of it.
- Still Waiting (Waiting for Romero to Play Remix). This song is crazy and powerful, with perfect storytelling drama.
- Girl from Mars. This track is weird, urban, and very picturesque of a street theme.
- Hotwire. I love this song. It makes a strong impact, and it's a very hyperactive piece.

Don't just listen to me. Go to www.djredlight.com and download it for yourself. What tracks do you like? It's all free and legal because the author does it himself.