Skillet "Awake"

      This record starts with awesome one two punch of "Hero" and "Monster." One of which is how he needs a hero to save him just in time with a great intro and instrumentals throughout (and the great interplay between husband, John, and wife, Korey Cooper) before he turns into a "Monster." It basocally speaks of his anxiety and that there is another side to him: "My secret side I keep hid under lock and key/I keep it caged but I can't control it/'Cause if I let him out he'll tear me up, break me down/Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?/I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin/I must confess that I feel like a monster/I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun." The next song,"Don't Wake Me" is okay, but the next track is one of the best songs on this record, almost like this album's "Whispers in the Dark."  The vocal interplay is great, the instrumentals are great, and it almost makes you feel "Awake and Alive." Next track is a song about not putting off something tommorrow that can be done today because it could be "One Day Too Late". So no one is reading this blog, I'm sorry I must say this, but "It's Not me, It's You" which has Cooper talking about a toxic relationship where the blame is always put on him and the offender always tries to set him up to fail, kinda cheeky and different for them. Hope you read this now or you may think you "Should've When You Could've" after I'm famous; I'm just kidding, that will never happen (being famous or you wishing you have read this or gotten to know me). Basically it has a similiar message to that of "One Day Too Late."  If you "Believe" when I said I was wrong..then maybe you can listen to this song. "Forgiven" is a sentimental song that how someone can forgive someone  for their mistakes. "Sometimes" it's hard to have one song that does not sound like another on the same album, and this one sounds kind of like "It's Not Me, It's You," but the lyrics talk about how sometimes one does not want to change for someone else, even if they will change for the better. He mentions how sometimes he doesn't try to make (Korey) happy or does not want to be put back together, and how it would be hard to believe to find someone as mad and p*ssed as him ; broadcasting his flaws to the world? Great solo and lyrics are nice (earnest and heartfelt) and it has this nice ending."Never Surrender" is an inspirational tune telling you to keep on trying and to never give up. "Lucy" is a song about someone real or...He answered this question but did not answer it fully or iIforgot, but it is a nice song too. "Would It Matter" is another great song, and Bonuus! it is one, but it should have been on the record. It is existential, wondering if it mattered if he tried one more time or if he died the next day if he would be missed by anybody, and one that hits home with me for reasons only I need to know. Last bonus track is basically "Monster" with a different title, no really. IfIHadToChoose,Only,7TracksTheyWouldBe: Hero, Monster, Awake and Alive, Forgiven, It's Not Me, It's You, Sometimes, Would It Matter? P.S. I know..."Why didn't you just pick one of those if they sounded the same?" Meanings are different and so is their effect.                                                                                                

Clipse "Til The Casket Drops"

This album is pretty good, I have not listened to any of their other records, but after this I would say that I would try. "Freedom" has this great intro, and  "Popular Demand(Popeye's)" is a great follow-up when eating chicken and fries;a nice piano loop and I love this line:"I knew your moms well, tell your mother hi/I’m the other guy that got your mother high/Up like a caterpillar, I make butter fly." Love the surf guitar and drumbeat in this song, and besides the great verses Kanye makes an appearance which is "Kinda Like A Big Deal." Feel like showing out and warming up your swag? Listen to "Showing Out" which features Yo Gotti, with a great beat and low volume delivery playin it cool. What, Pharrell ? No thanks,"I'm Good," but if you're on the song what the heck,sure. He also said the line of eatin' chicken and fires at popeyes on track two. "There was A Murder," on the last track, but I think that the "Door Man" did it to steal the horns in his namesake thinking it was crack. "Never Will It Stop," this feeling I get that "All Eyes On Me" that features Keri Hilson, and has this nice beat and loop in the background. "Counseling" is another one of my favorites, I think it's about an obsession with women? not sure, but the vocals of the hook by Nicole Hurst, and the awesome background music make for an awesome song. "Champion" says livin life is about hangin in with your kids watchin' Madagascar. A great song that says champions and living life are more than just those that care about themselves, but care about others too. "Footsteps" is all it takes to make a "Life Change"; yeah, right! If it was that easy almost anyone would do that and try to make their life better, but the songs flow really well together and the album ends on a positive note with the latter track. In "Footsteps:" I could've been a corner, but I had to save my SOOOOOUUUULLLL(save my soul)/I'm out there chasing my dreams lookin for a place to GOOOOOOOO(place to go)/Tryin to get up out the ghetto come follow with my footsteps/Put down the heavy metal then follow with my footsteps/Cause if ya don't it might be daaaaaanger. While Life change goes from introspective" I was wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked/So much so I had left my family forsaken/A troubled soul whose heart was often achin/So much dough but my spirit ever so vacant/Foul and fragrant I was taken off course/The road ahead should have ended me in divorce" to redemptive: Money hoes and clothes is malices past tense/All said forgiven, all you do is askin/Even when laughin I can't explain the hurt/Knowin I can't change the world in a verse."  IfIHadToChoose7SongsTheyWould Be : Freedom, Popular Demand (Popeye's), Kinda Like A Big Deal, Door Man, Never Will It Stop,  Counseling, Foot Steps/Life Change (can't decide between these two as the last selection).                                                                                 

King Midas Sound "Waiting For You"

                                                                                                                                                              Listening to this record gives you time and space to think. It doesn't require that much attention to listen to it, or enjoy it. "Cool out" is spacey and has this muted hip hop beat and his this feeling of desperation and fear. "Earth a Killya" has the vocal delivery in talking mode, with the same refrain of the earth tries to kill you if you try to hurt it or body will heal you if you discipline it, for most of the song, but then it goes to a story of his grandmother dreams which would tell her what to eat and they would feel better. I will not be forced to review every song if I don't feel I should, and to be honest it kind of feels like one big long song. The one-two punch of "Meltdown" and "I Man" with their great beats n shizz. "Goodbye Girl" has a nice intro and takes the view "Lost" is even better with its one two step beat and atmospheric intro and great instrumentals throughout. "Sumtimes" is a speaking  aside,that mentions his lover "Miles and Miles" finishes it off, with its quick muted beat but sparse atmospheric bloops. Seven Songs I would have to choose: Cool Out, Waiting For You, One Ting, Earth a Killya, Meltdown, Goodbye Girl, and Lost.

Robyn "Body Talk Pt. 3"

It starts off with the original version of "Indestructible" which replaces the strings with keys. Ever wanted to use a "Time Machine" to fix old mistakes or change what you would have said or done in a certain situation? Well, so does Robyn as she yearns for the chance to take it back. "Call Your Girlfriend" has Robyn telling her new lover to call his girlfriend, tell her not to get upset, and that it's not her fault. Well, good luck with that; we know how those situations work out! It's time to "Get Myself Together" with these spacey keys and techno-beat.The final song has us as "Stars 4-Ever" which has this nice keyboard loop and positive sentiment, in spite of the repetitive lyrics "I can be there right next to you/No matter where in the world you are/I got you right here next to me/Forever connected through the stars." Since there are only five tracks on this EP, I will say that the feature is void, but the songs I remembered most were "Indestructible" and "Get Myself Together," ok, maybe "Time Machine" too.                                                                                 

Robyn "Body Talk Pt.2"

 Robyn starts to cause "In My Eyes" this percussive beat and atmospherics. "Include me Out" sounds like a hip-pop dance techno bloop, with a little rap-sing break before she gets to the final chorus verse. The "electric" version of "Hang With Me," is nice to listen to and has this recurring key loop and steady beat as she sings "If you're real, and not pretend/ Then I guess we can be friends/When my patience wearing thin/when I'm ready to give in/Wil You pick me up again/Then I guess you can hang with me." You, as well as I  know that "Love Kills," whether directly or indirectly, or can be an unforgiving emotion leading someone to idiotic decisions that are made through rage or blindness instead of clear thinking. "We Dance To The Beat" and not the repetitive lyrics, but in dance music who listens to the words, it's the beat that rules the roost and the other instrumentals that cause us to dance. With "Criminal Intent," it has these siren sfx and distortion often leading to bad karma in the end.Snoop Dogg? "U Should Know Better" than to smoke kush right in front of the cops., and "..to F*** with me." This song has nice keys with vocal interplay between Robyn and Snoop Doggy Dogg. The acoustic version of "Indestructible" has nice strings, and is a nice way to end the record. IfIHadToChoose4SongsIWouldChoose: Include Me Out, Hang With Me, Criminal Intent,  and U Should Know.                                                                            

Robyn "Body Talk Pt.1"

"Don't F*cking Tell Me What To Do" is about her asserting her independence and the ability to make her own choices, as it mentions some of the stuff that is killing her(drinking,smoking, diet, heels, shotgun, ego,etc). As a whole, the lyrics just mention things that can be a pain, but the song "Fembot" features the story of a female robot who says "Guess what, I have news for you/ even fembots have feelings too." Single "Dancing on My Own" is also a great song."Cry When You Get Older" is more somber, but still allows room on the dance floor, because it says love hurts if you do it right, and you can cry when you get older. "Dancehall Queen" has this great dancehall (really? you're going to mention that?) and reggae like vibe and beat. "None of Dem" is another good song to listen to one of the best lyrics in this song is that "None of these beats are raw/ None of these beats ever break the law." There is an acoustic version of "Hang With Me" on this part, but the electric version is on part two I believe; it is a nice addition to this EP. "Jag Vet en Deljig Rosa" is a nice way to end the EP. Overall the best songs are: Don't F8cking Tell Me What To Do, Fembot, Dancing on My Own, Dancehall Queen, None of Dem, Jag Vet en Dejlig Rosa.    

Wild Light "Adult Nights"

We start with "California on My Mind" which has a nice beat, and great harmonica, and vocals which sound like those of Jim Adkins from Jimmy Eat World! The song is hummable and has a great melody. Anybody up for a trip to "New Hampshire"? With some nice instrumentals and beat like this, why not? I think he also sounds like Gordon Downie from the Tragically Hip, I was like, I know he sounds like someone else too! "Canyon City" has a nice beat and keys that could work for a nice driving at night song. I think there is moog at around 1:30...NICE! Not sure though, I am pretty ignorant...this is nice too. "Surf Generation"  gives off a  chilled surf vibe. The next song starts with piano, and a nice bass line; nother song to bob your head to. You know, it sort of makes you want to "Call Home," maybe. Nice guitar and strings, horns in this one, but the bass and the beat are the focus. However, all the other touches only make it better. Seems like too much is in this song, yet it doesn't feel too crowded. "Heart Attack" has great instrumentals and nice vocals, this one sort of reminds me of KOL's "Knocked Up", it has that southern fried bass, which then changes a little at the last thirty seconds. "Future Towns" is also nice on the keys and drums ,with a bassline lightly in the back of that piano, but what about "The Party?" OH MY G_D, sorry cannot do it. It has sleigh bells in the background? Visions of reindeer flying overhead as the snow falls and two lovers smile at one another, destined to be together, but not in the know at the time. The dual vocals really help this song, and the beat is a dancing beat I love the bells in this one because it makes me think of some light snow falling. The vocals sound really nice at the last minute, in fact the whole song just ends really awesome at the last minute, with a nice audience clapping at the end  (very light,but any louder and it would probably sound cheesier than it does already; which is not too bad). "My Father Was A Horse" starts with a driving beat and slowsdown, then speeds up a bit as they prepare to jump over that fence. Ok, we made it! A minute and a half they prepare to jump again. Now at times he sounds like both aforementioned vocalists, and others he sounds like himself. I may even think he sounds like another vocalist too. The chorus is the best part of the lyrics: "Now you're running like a deer being hunted /By a boy holding guns in the air/But you don't care!/You're not scared!/You're not there!/I guess you took the easy way out/Now I'm headed home." which at first they started respectful, but with these he is refferred to as basically giving up as it becomes too hard to try anymore. "Lawless River" starts with some nice toy piano. Then gives us and a nice beat and synth, with introspective lyrics  "when I'm in the dark, don't follow me around," or maybe not. The two short instrumentals that follow are "New Year's Eve," and "(Surfer's Reprise)" which come to a total of 1:37, but were not just thrown in there with no thought, they both are nice musical additions to this record.  "Red House" is a nice song to end a record such as this with a nice driving beat, lovely vocals, and nice synth. I think it's time to just stop, but before we go we must mention the Best Songs: California on My Mind, New Hampshire, Canyon City,Call Home, Heart Attack, Future Towns,The Party (Oh My G_D), My Father was A Horse, New Year's Eve, (Surfer's Reprise).