Hey there. It's my first proper post on here in over a week. I've been really ill recently and also in honesty, I kinda needed a little break from this site! I try to post every two days and some of my articles are quite long. But I love doing it so it's no excuse. No one puts that pressure on me but myself. It's good pressure though. But you also need a break once in a while.
Anyway, back to business. Female vocals in rock and metal are, for some reason, hard to find. I mean you find certain bands and certain artists come and make a small dent in the genres of rock, metal and indie, but it's a lot harder for a female vocalist to get the success that a male vocalist does. In pop it's a different story, you have female vocalists and girl bands all over the place. It's an oddity. So today, I'm paying homage to female vocalists in rock, metal and indie music.
Not familiar with my Mixtapes? Here are the rules.
A Mixtape is a playlist of a certain genre, band or era. The
list is generally 80 minutes long, the same length of a blank CD, with further
recommendations if some of the songs aren't to your taste. Remember kids,
downloading is wrong!
This Mixtape doesn't sound as good as some of the others I've done. But, the content is a nice balance of all the subgenres of rock, metal and indie. So in that respect this Mixtape is a success. Also, some of the choices aren't obvious, it's to my personal taste. Anyway, enjoy!
And
that's it! I hope you enjoyed this list. There's a lot of variety here. I'm running low on Mixtape ideas, do you want to suggest any? Let me know, comment below or on my Facebook page or Twitter. That's it from me today, have a good evening!
For the latest updates on my work, 'like' me on Facebook here!
To view part 2, click here. To view part 3, click here. To view part 4, click here. To view part 5, click here. To view part 6, click here.
Here we are, welcome to the Johnny Mercyside Top 40! It’s like the UK Top 40, but better. Of course I’d say that as it’s my biased list! Anyway, let’s get to it.
#40. “New Born” – Muse
Released: 5/6/01
Album: Origin of Symmetry
Listings: Best Riffs
Come on; is there a better song to start off a Top 40 with than this? The song I rated the best riff of the decade starts us off today and why the hell not? I absolutely love this song; I could listen to that riff all day any day (although it probably would get boring after a while). It’s definitely one of Muse’s best tracks, and if people want to listen to why Matt Bellamy was considered the best guitarist of the decade by Total Guitar, then listen to this. By the way, in that CD cover, is that guy giving out a yellow card?
#39. “B.Y.O.B.” – System of a Down
Released: 2/8/05
Album: Mezmerize
If there’s one big SOAD single I like more than Chop Suey! it’s this one. I loved B.Y.O.B., and was so excited for Mezmerize’s imminent release, so much that when this song got announced and got airplay, I really marked out. It’s a fantastic song, a very typical SOAD song, with frenetic guitars and Serj taking control of the verses. The big difference with this song is Daron starting to have more time as a singer, as he does the choruses and the “Blast off!” bit towards the end of the song. It’s a great song, a very strong political song, but even without the politics it sounds great.
#38. “Pin” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Released: 22/7/03
Album: Fever to Tell
I love “Pin”, it’s probably my favourite song by the band, it’s just 2 minutes of post-punk bliss. It wasn’t a big hit for the band, probably for this reason, but this was released when the Yeah Yeah Yeahs didn’t seem bothered about their mainstream attention. Karen’s vocals, combined with that buzz guitar just makes a fantastic track, a short one, but it wouldn’t be as good if it was extended any further. It’s just a good, no, a great song.
#37. “Chelsea Dagger” – The Fratellis
Released: 28/8/06
Album: Costello Music
I said in my “Best Albums” listing, I prefer “Here We Stand” to “Costello Music”, if minimally, but one thing that “Costello Music” did right was the singles. As an avid Fratellis fan, I’d be stupid if I didn’t say that if I hadn’t heard “Chelsea Dagger”, I wouldn’t be that big on the band. This song made the band, it was a huge hit, and is still heard even now, in football stadiums, on the radio. It was close to being put in my unbiased listing but it didn’t make the cut. The hook, the “do-do-do, do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do-do” is just so catchy. It’s a brilliant song, it’s just a shame that none of their other great songs get the same reception.
#36. “Michael” – Franz Ferdinand
Released: 16/8/04
Album: Franz Ferdinand
While “Take Me Out” will always remain Franz Ferdinand’s golden moment, I always preferred this. It’s my favourite single off their self-titled debut album, and I think it sounds great. The song’s lyrics have a distinct yet subtle feeling of homosexuality to it, and while Alex Kapranos has stated that the song is about two of his friends having a great time, sexually, in a dance club, he has never stated the gender of those two friends. It feels very homosexual, and the video is suggestive in that direction too. It doesn’t matter though, the song still sounds fantastic and it’s very catchy too. It’s one of Franz Ferdinand’s best songs in my opinion.
#35. “Seven Nation Army” – The White Stripes
Released: 7/3/03
Album: Elephant
Listings: Best Riffs, Best Videos
Another song that is probably not going to be beat in terms of popularity by a band. When people think of The White Stripes, they often think of this song. It was their golden moment, although they are still very popular, and definitely features in my unbiased listing. But why do I love this song so much? The same reason everyone does. The riff is so simple yet so catchy, and so memorable. The songs lyrics are great, and of course, the video helps too. I’ve just found out that this is the only song that’s made two different listings in the best riffs and videos. So there you go then!
#34. “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!” – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Released: 18/2/08
Album: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Man this song is so cool. It’s probably Nick Cave’s biggest single since “Into My Arms”, which was released 11 years prior. Nick Cave never stopped making music in the 11 years between the tracks, but his popularity in mainstream music definitely waned. But he’s back with a bang, a sister project (Grinderman) and an elevated status of veteran/legend. Anyway, I went on a bit of a tangeant there! This is an awesome song, it sounds great and Nick Cave’s vocals are as smooth and poetic as usual. It’s just the way he does it though, that really cool way, his distinctive swagger really stands out in this track. It’s a piece of brilliance.
#33. “Psychosis Safari” – The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster
Released: 8/7/03
Album: Hörse of the Dög
Listings: Best Videos
“Hörse of the Dög” was full of two minute raw, punky gothabilly Halloween treats. Their second album, “The Royal Society”, was a more mainstream, pure, crisp album, with added maturity and more care into the product. However, “Psychosis Safari”, probably TEMBLD’s finest single format song, mixes the raw intensity, the punk/goth hybrid sound from the first album, with that of a song that could hit cracks into a mainstream audience, break new ground and ultimately get them some attention. That’s exactly what this song did, but they rarely capitalised on it. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good song though, it’s a phenomenal track, I absolutely adore it and love listening to it. TEMBLD at their best.
#32. “Fire” – Kasabian
Released: 1/6/09
Album: West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Kasabian’s biggest song to date (it got to #3) is also the song I choose as my favourite by the band. It was definitely one of the best songs of 2009, a year I found to be quite abysmal in truth. But “Fire” stood out very well in the pack. With the very distinctive Leicester vocals starting the track off, it turns into a song that merges indie with an ambient dance chorus. The chorus just sounds great and it’s definitely one of Kasabian’s best songs.
#31. “Low” – Foo Fighters
Released: 23/6/03
Album: One by One
Listings: Best Videos
This is the Foo Fighters only entry into the Top 100 (although The Pretender did come close), but this song is just so good. I put it down as the best video of the decade, but even if the video sucked, the song still stands high as a great quality track, one that is underrated. The Foo’s don’t play this often live, and if it wasn’t for the video it wouldn’t be remembered as a single much. It’s a real shame because it sounds fantastic. I love Taylor’s drums in this track, and the guitars are great too. I’ve never understood why this song wasn’t more popular, it doesn’t help that it was the third single mind.
That’s it for today, another 10 songs gone, 30 more remain. I hope you find some songs in this list that you have never heard before and think sound good, not all of these songs are popular and mainstream, so if I can get you into any bands that makes me a happy guy. Let me know if it becomes the case. Take care and see you tomorrow.
Welcome to Part 3. Look below if you’ve missed the first two parts. This is the biased listing, looking at my personal favourite tracks of the decade. Let’s continue from #80 - #71.
#80. “Gold Lion” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Released: 21/3/06
Album: Show Your Bones
It’s always been a debate for me, what was the better song, “Gold Lion” or “Turn Into”. I always liked “Gold Lion”, but not really loved it, where as I always had a soft spot for “Turn Into”. Yet as time went on, the roles started to reverse, I now prefer the first single off the album to the second. It’s always been seen that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs started to mature and tweak their sound starting from this band, and their attempts have made them a more popular, if not more indie sounding band rather than a gritty post-punk, art-rock band. Regardless, I like this band and this is one of their better songs.
#79. “Bitches” – Mindless Self Indulgence
Released: 4/4/00
Album: Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy
Bitches is a very simple song, by this silly yet awesome band called Mindless Self Indulgence. Little Jimmy Urine talks about how “bitches” know how awesome he is at whatever he does. It’s a very silly song with silly lyrics but I love the music, I love the typical MSI style and sound that goes with this song. As I said it’s simple, stupid. But it’s still a great song, and it’s MSI at their immature best.
#78. “Spitfire” – The Prodigy
Released: 4/4/05
Album: Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned
Exactly five years after MSI released “Bitches”, The Prodigy released “Spitfire”. It’s not important but an interesting observation on my part. Anyway! Spitfire is one of the most popularly played dance tracks of the decade, especially in clubs. This song was huge when it came out, it’s probably The Prodigy’s biggest hit of the decade. Juliette Lewis, like in “Hotride”, provides the vocals for the song, and does a great job. This is one of those dance tracks that just have to be played LOUD. The bass is just fantastic to listen to when done appropriately.
#77. “Fix Up, Look Sharp” – Dizzee Rascal
Released: 18/8/03
Album: Boy In Da Corner
Dizzee Rascal’s second single was the song that turned heads really, “I Luv U” set the tone for his rise, but this definitely made people seek this young alternative rapper out. His “propa Cockney” skills, penetrating “The Big Beat” which is sampled in the back ground, a fantastic song to sample may I add, really made people think we had a rising British star on our hands. And since then, this young lad Dizzee has continued to rise to be just that, a very good, promising young British artist. The sky is the limit for this man.
#76. “Bad Things” – Jace Everett
Released: 27/9/05
Album: Jace Everett
Full credit has to go to Gary Calamar, the man in charge of True Blood’s music direction and chosen tracks, for Jace Everett’s slow rise in popularity. This song barely surfaced anywhere back in 2005 when it was released. However Gary Calamar liked it, bought/downloaded the song and three years later whilst playing his music on random, heard it again. He loved it and decided to use it as the main theme for True Blood. The rest is history. It’s a brilliant track, and as someone who is not too huge on country music, it just sounds so good.
#75. “Red Flag” – Billy Talent
Released: 11/9/06
Album: Billy Talent II
Yep, so on the five year anniversary of the horrific 9/11 attacks, Billy Talent release this fantastic track. There’s no connection, just another odd observation I noticed whilst writing. This is the only Billy Talent song on this listing, it’s probably their best single, but I do like their stuff, despite the many similarities they may have with a lot emo bands. I make a good exception to Billy Talent as musically, they’re a very good band, and put a good amount of modern punk into their stuff. Red Flag just sounds great, and the video is very good too, which you can see below.
#74. “Paper Planes” - MIA
Released: 11/2/08
Album: Kala
I haven’t seen Slumdog Millionaire. It’s one of those films that I’d like to see, yet don’t have much urgency to do so. Yet this song was played a lot around the time the film came out, and I listened with intrigue to it mostly. I never knew who MIA was and I never knew the name of the song. But when I was doing some research on the decade of music that I’m currently talking about, this song was chosen as one of the highlights of the decade, in many difference forms of music journalism, that’s freelance, magazines and also on satellite television. I saw the name of the song pop up a few times and then remembered what the song was. After that, I really started to like it, and listened to it a lot. I still play it quite often now; it’s a great little track by the alternative rapper. Kudos to her.
#73. “Lose Yourself” – Eminem
Released: 22/10/02
Album: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture 8 Mile
“Lose Yourself” for me, is possibly Eminem’s greatest rap. I wasn’t too keen on the song when I first heard it; I thought it was okay, but nothing special. But then the more I hear it, the more I love it, the rapping, the lyrics, it’s great stuff by Eminem. He really put a lot of effort into the song, it’s sound, and wanted to make a good quality, completely non-controversial rap song to help with his film. He succeeded in doing that greatly, and “Lose Yourself” is the end product.
#72. “30-30/150” – Stone Sour
Released: 1/8/06
Album: Come What(ever) May
I’m not the greatest Stone Sour fan in the world, I much prefer Slipknot’s musical direction personally. However this song is very good, and is a good favourite to listen to in clubs as well. The funny thing about this song is the amount of speculation around about the origin of the song’s title, no one really knows in honesty, and Corey Taylor has been relatively cryptic about it.
#71. “No You Girls” – Franz Ferdinand
Released: 6/4/09
Album: Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
An underrated Franz Ferdinand song in honesty, I find it quite disappointing that Franz Ferdinand haven’t been able to maintain their popularity as the decade wore on. Their songs, as I said before have been of decent, consistent quality and I thoroughly enjoy their music. This is the second single from their third album, and it’s probably the most popular song off it, but it never got into the Top 20 in the charts, which in contrast to earlier material is a disappointment. But it’s a great track, one of their best singles, in my opinion.
Here we go one part gone, another to come tomorrow. Here’s a quick wrap up, because… well… because I can! See you tomorrow I hope!
Here we are, the final mixtape of the series. It's been a journey. I've given you my favourite tracks from each year, from 2000 to 2008. 2009 is the last one. I've covered the decade in its entirety now. I'd like to big this mixtape up... but I'm not particularly excited by it. It's in my opinion by far the weakest mixtape, I see 2009 as an awful year for music. It was hard getting this list together, or at least I feel I struggled. When I played this playlist back it was quite uneventful. But you may like it, or you may not. Anyway, for the final time in the series, the rules of the mixtape.
A Mixtape is a playlist of a certain genre, band or era. The list is generally 80 minutes long, the same length of a blank CD, with further recommendations if some of the songs aren't to your taste. Remember kids, downloading is wrong!
So let's finish this! My favourite tracks from 2009.
And there we go! All the mixtapes are done and dusted. I hope you liked them. But this isn't the end... no no no! This is the beginning of the end, a very long end... on Saturday I shall be starting the first of the two mega listings, my favourite 100 tracks of the decade. Every track in that large listing you will have seen in these Mixtapes, but not in favourite order. Now I'll be celebrating what I think the best 100 singles of the decade are. This is the biased listing. The unbiased one will be after, and will be celebrated on a daily basis. But we shall start on Sunday with the biased listing. I hope to see you then.
Here we are, Part 14 of the Noughtie series. This is the seventh Mixtape, celebrating the year of 2006 in rock and metal. When I looked back on the year 2006 I wasn't really that excited about covering it. But, when I made this mixtape, and listened to it back, I really enjoyed it. It was a sleeper year, but it's not like there wasn't good songs coming out, there was.
Also, another interesting thing. Back in the year 2007, I actually made a "Best of 2006" mixtape to celebrate the previous year. I can't find that mixtape at the moment, but it's actually much different to this mixtape. I'll highlight the tracks I think were included, but I can't be sure. Anyway, the rules of the mixtape.
A Mixtape is a playlist of a certain genre, band or era. The list is generally 80 minutes long, the same length of a blank CD, with further recommendations if some of the songs aren't to your taste. Remember kids, downloading is wrong!
Green Text = Songs that were in my original 2006 Mixtape I made back in 2007.
* = I preferred "Turn Into" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs back in my original 2006 mixtape. I've changed it to "Gold Lion" in this one.
Yes, so as I said, the songs have changed, that's for a few reasons. The first is that I didn't know some of these songs came out that year, for instance "Vicinity of Obscenity" by System of a Down. At the time I never knew it was released as a single. Other songs were discovered at later dates, or just plain forgotten about when I made the original mixtape. Remember I've made a huge amount of research into this Noughtie series, so my resources are vast this time.
Anyway, what were your favourite songs of 2006? You can comment below if you want to put in your two shillings. I shall be back on Wednesday for one of the biggest listings of the series, my Top 20 favourite albums. I'll see you then.
