Showing posts with label Ska. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ska. Show all posts

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Day 91: The Atomic Age

On this day in 1945, I would argue, America began a course of destructive events that would strip the world of its innocence forever; somewhere in the American Southwest the Trinity Nuclear test laid the groundwork for the technology that would be used in Nagasaki & Hiroshima.

When I say stripping mankind of its innocence, I mean it in the sense of not only an unprecedented capacity for mass destruction, but an ability for that destruction to be completely remote and impersonal. There is no understating the barbarism and brutality of war, but the ability to take the lives of 200,000 people in a single day without setting foot in the city escalated mankind's potential for chaos.

This chaos, this unbridled ability for carnage, permeated nearly every aspect of society, especially music. The loss of innocence and Cold War tensions were manifested heavily in (obviously) metal and punk, but surprisingly in pop music. I've put together a list of 10 songs about nuclear war. Enjoy.

YouTube:
01. Genesis - Land of Confusion
02. Randy Newman - Political Science (Raaaaaaaandy!!!)
03. The Clash - Stop the World (Not the greatest song by any means, but the lyrics are pretty phenomenal)
04. Can - Mushroom
05. Ozzy Osbourne - Thank God for the Bomb
06. Nuclear Assault - Critical Mass
07. Iron Maiden - 2 Minutes to Midnight
08. Nena - 99 Red Balloons
09. The Specials - Man at C&A
10. The Postal Service - We Will Become Silhouettes

imeem: External:

Day 91: The Atomic Age

Duck & Cover,
Erik

Video:


(Image by Jhayne, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Day 79: Adventure

Today is a special day! On this day in 1944 and 1952, respectively, acclaimed directors George Lucas and Robert Zemeckis were born. What I feel connects these two filmmakers is their sense of fantasy and adventure; Zemeckis being responsible for Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Forrest Gump; and Lucas obviously being responsible for Star Wars.

In honor of these two movie men I've put together a list of 15 songs that encapsulate a sense of adventure. It was a tough list to whittle down because, believe it or not, there are a lot of adventurous songs; mostly because adventures can be fantastic or commonplace. I tried to assemble a list that included some of the many types of adventures out there. If you have any suggestions, feel free to drop me a line.

(Note: This list probably could have been entirely prog rock and power metal, but where's the fun in that?)

YouTube:
01. Europe - The Final Countdown
02. Elton John - Rocket Man
03. Deep Purple - Space Truckin'
04. Styx - Come Sail Away
05. The Aquabats - The Wild Sea!
06. Crosby, Stills & Nash - Marrakesh Express
07. Simon & Garfunkel - America
08. America - Horse With No Name
09. Tom Waits - Hold On
10. The Decemberists - Mariner's Revenge Song
11. Beach Boys - Sloop John B
12. Genesis - One For The Vine
13. Led Zeppelin - Kashmir
14. Metallica - Wherever I May Roam
15. Dragonforce - Through the Fire and Flames

imeem: External:

Day 79: Adventure

Travellin',
Erik

Videos!


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(Image by Nik Jones, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Day 77: George Carlin

Today is a little bittersweet, for it marks what would have been George Carlin's 72nd birthday. Unfortunately, he passed away last year, leaving a huge hole in the comedy world. Being a Milwaukeean, I feel it my duty to personally make up for the fact that in 1972 Mr. Carlin was arrested in Milwaukee for disturbing the peace.

The act that got him arrested was his "Seven Dirty Words" routine. One of his legacies, of course, is his liberal use of profanity (and free speech in general). To commemorate Mr. Carlin, I've put together a list of 10 songs (some of which are short) that display my favorite use of profanity. There are a lot of songs out there that use a bunch of swears, but they come across as obnoxious to me (I'm looking at you, "My Neck, My Back" and "The Whisper Song").

Not to say some of these songs don't use profanity cheaply; they do. But, the difference is, they don't take themselves seriously, and I like that. And so should you.

YouTube:
01. Reel Big Fish - Another F.U. Song
02. Blink 182 - Happy Holidays, You Bastard
03. Tenacious D - Karate
04. Eminem - Kill You
05. N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
06. Pantera - Fucking Hostile
07. Dr. Dooom - No Chorus
08. Lil Jon feat. Ice Cube - Roll Call
09. Frank Zappa & Steve Vai - Fuck Yourself
10. Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit

imeem: External:

Day 77: George Carlin

Fuck,
Erik

Vid.


(Image by Thomas Roche, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Day 64: The Earth

Yesterday was officially Earth Day; and, concordantly, this week is the week where your environmental conscience is meant to be tested. Repent! Repent for leaving that light on or that faucet running. Repent for driving an extra three miles out of your way to buy non-organic whatever... blah blah.

This list is environmental songs about the earth and making it a better place for future people to ruin.

YouTube:
01. Michael Jackson - Earth Song
02. Counting Crows - Big Yellow Taxi (Sue me... I like this version better.)
03. Beach Boys - Don't Go Near the Water
04. Radiohead - Idioteque
05. Rush - Subdivisions
06. The Kinks - Apeman
07. The Aquabats - Worms Make Dirt
08. Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me
09. Arrested Development - Children Play With Earth
10. Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World

imeem: External:

Day 64: The Earth

Dirt,
Erik

Vid Vids:


(Image By Woodley Wonderworks, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Monday, April 20, 2009

Day 62: Grounation Day

Jaaahh!! Rastafarianism!!! Today is Grounation Day, which is apparently the second-most important day (behind Coronation Day) in the Rastafari religious movement. For those who are unaware, Rastafarianism is commonly associated with Jamaica, which is notoriously associated with reggae music. So, for the holiday I've put together a list of ten reggae songs; ten being the most reggae songs I can listen to in a row. Also, yesterday was 4/20. Weed is illegal and you will get caught if you use it, but this does seem like the appropriate list for this time of year. And it turned out pretty good, so enjoy.

YouTube:
01. Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved
02. Toots and the Maytals - Pressure Drop
03. Jimmy Cliff - Many Rivers to Cross
04. The Melodians - Rivers of Babylon
05. Gregory Isaacs - Night Nurse
06. Barrington Levy - Murderer (though I realize this does ruin "Bad Boyz" by Shyne from this blog. Nuts.)
07. Peter Tosh - Get Up, Stand Up
08. The Congos - Children Crying
09. Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey
10. The Upsetters - Haunted House (N/A on imeem, "Soulful One" instead)

imeem: External:

Day 62: Grounation Day/Reggae

Irie,
Erik

Videos!


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finally


(Image by zentolos, Licensed Under Creative Commons)