The Resistance

It's probably a well-known fact if you've even so much as brushed the topic of my music taste with me or anyone I've met that Muse is one of my favorite bands of all time. A favorite adjective among Muse fans is "Epic", and Muse is epic, but the word really only skims the surface of what all is behind their amazing music.

Muse has been expanding the definition of both the word epic and the rock genre of music since they formed in the early '90s. They're always pushing the envelope and stepping up to the next level in their music, adding more synth, more elaborate guitar, stretching the vocals, and using their many musical influences.

You can't pigeonhole Muse. There is no one genre for them to fit into, no one adjective to describe them. They are eccentric, eclectic, classic, and epic. They play glam classical rock symphonies from universes far beyond our own...




"The Resistance" is their latest album, and they spared no wild ideas.
This album is influenced by so many things... George Orwell's 1984, The Apocalypse, Beethoven, and a resistance against an oppressing government to name just a few. Most of these influences come from the mind of Muse's frontman Matt Bellamy who, has a strong love for classical music, and conspiracy theories. In fact he admitted in an interview with Q Magazine that he recently bought 50 cans of baked beans and an axe in case of the apocalypse... but he's an artist so who's to judge?


In addition to their usual electric guitar fueled rock songs, a three movement rock symphony finishes off this album. Heavily influenced by Chopin and Beethoven.

Tracklist:
1. Uprising
2. Resistance
3. Undisclosed Desires
4. United States of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)
5. Guiding Light
6. Unnatural Selection
7. MK Ultra
8. I Belong to You (+Mon Cœur S’ouvre à ta Voix)
9. Exogenesis : Symphony Part I (Overture)
10. Exogenesis : Symphony Part II (Cross Pollination)
11. Exogenesis : Symphony Part III (Redemption)



It was really hard for me to choose which track to share with you, but I decided on one that included all the elements of this album..."The United States Of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)" (Note the 1984 reference, Bellamy makes them often throughout this album.)
The song begins in the style of a classical Muse ballad with sweet vocals and a piano back, but soon swells into what can only be described as an Arabian ensemble put on by Gershwin and Queen. The song finishes with a rendition of Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2.

It truly is...well, epic.

Enjoy!


-Muse-
-The United States Of Eurasia-



-Lyrics-

You and me are the same
We don't know or care who's to blame
But we know that whoever holds the reins
Nothing will change
Our cause has gone insane

And these wars, they can't be won
And these wars, they can't be won
And do you want them to go on
And on and on
Why split these states
When there can be only one?

And must we do as we're told?
Must we do as we're told?

You and me fall in line
To be punished for unproven crimes!
And we know that there is no one we can trust;
Our ancient heroes, they are turning to dust!

And these wars, they can't be won
Does anyone know or care how they begun?
They just promise to go on
And on and on
But soon we will see
There can be only one

United States!
United States!
Of...

Eurasia!
... sia!
... sia!
... sia!

Eurasia!
... sia!
... sia!
... sia!

Eurasia!
... sia!
... sia!
... sia!

Yngwie Malmsteen

The name's a bit of a tongue twister no? Just to get you started here's how you pronounce this guy's name, Ying-Wee Malm-Steen.

Now, who exactly is he?
A metal guitarist with the heart of a classical composer. Think of every variation of metal guitar you've heard to date, and then think even farther, you've got Yngwie and his amazing style.

He was trained classically as a child and went on to perform heavy metal guitar music, but what I'm interested in is his Symphonic Metal. He has composed classical concertos and symphonies for electric guitar and entire orchestras.
This is what classical music has evolved to for him...and it's amazing.

I discovered him when a friend gave me a CD with some of his classical tracks, I fell in love...this stuff is awesome.

I really don't want to say too much though, other than of course that you must listen!
Form your own opinion, I'd love to hear it. This is less a review and more me introducing you to his music and wanting to know what you think of it.

I think it's something else!

Enjoy.


Cavallino Rampante (LIVE)-Yngwie Malmsteen and the Japanese Philharmonic Orchestra

Nightmare Revisited

Every few years Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, and team see it fit to re-issue "The Nightmare Before Christmas" soundtrack, and add a bonus CD with covers of all the song by current artists. This year was one of those years!

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" really is a classic. It was a movie that was ahead of it's time in stop motion animation technology. Not to mention it had an amazing score/soundtrack written and composed by master of movie music Danny Elfman.

The music is really what made the movie so magnificent. More than a decade later people still line up yearly to see the movie in theatres (in 3D), and kids (and adults too) sing along with the great songs.

Nightmare Revisited takes today's artists and gives us the songs we loved from the movie, with a twist.



The Track list
Coupled By My Opinion Of Each Song


1.Overture-DeVotchKa
[This track really got me. It's quite the opening. The style is almost Cirque Du Soleil. Very circus. An absolutely wonderful start to the CD!]

2.Opening-Danny Elfman
[This isn't that different than the original which was narrated by actor Patrick Stewart. I do think that Danny's voice has a very neat sound to it though, especially since he did Jack's vocals in the original]

3.This Is Halloween-Marilyn Manson
[Definitely a Manson track. Creepy as ever. Has some techno undertones, but sticks with the goth sound that Marilyn does so well.]

4.Jack's Lament-The All-American Rejects
[This isn't my favorite track, by any means. Tyson's voice seems a bit whiny for the song...not as good as it could have been.]

5.Doctor Finklestien/In The forest-Amiina
[This was really nice. There's a slightly Asian backbone to the song, and I love the deep strings (Bass I think?) that keep the beat. It also has a music box feel.]

6.What's This?-Flyleaf
[One of my favorite tracks on the CD. Flyleaf did an amazing job. The song is quite a bit slower and more melancholy than the original (and definitely more so than Fall Out Boy's cover from the last special edition!). Lacey's voice really shines in this song.]

7.Town Meeting Song-The Polyphonic Spree
[The beginning of this song was really cool, futuristic! Lol. Almost David Bowie's Space Oddity sounding. Actually, the whole song had a Bowie-esque sound to it. I liked how they changed the vocal melody...it's like a completely new song. Towards the middle it gets a bit Broadway sounding. It's really something new.]

8.Jack and Sally Montage-The Vitamin String Quartet
[Exactly the excellence you'd expect of Vitamin. Beautiful strings. I could listen to this over and over.]

9.Jack's Obsession-Sparklehorse
[Falsetto. That really sums it up lol. I will say though that the acoustic guitar is quite beautiful, as well as the vocal melody, which like in The Town Meeting Song was changed. There's the faint hint of something that could be a lullaby, maybe.]

10.Kidnap The Sandy Claws-Korn
[Classic Korn. Creepy, strange vocalizations, the whole nine yards.]

11.Making Christmas-Rise Against
[Love the electric guitar opening! And being a Rise Against fan, I'm kinda biased, but I'll say that I really liked this. Very hard-core. Love it.]

12.Nabbed-Yoshida Brothers
[Done in a very beautiful classical Japanese style, with a techno/dance twist. Really great.]

13.Oogie Boogie's Song-Bordrigo y Gabriella
[Spanish! It has that wonderful acoustic guitar flair you get from Spanish flamenco music.
This is the first track on the CD that takes a song that originally had vocals and made it instrumental.]

14.Sally's Song-Amy Lee
[What can I say other than gorgeous when describing Amy's voice? She just owned this song. It's haunting. I love the extra Goth she added to the song. Absolutely amazing, brilliant, beautiful!]

15.Christmas Eve Montage-Rjd2
[Electro. Fun. Christmas with it's own neat little spin. All I can say is it's way fun to listen to, and you can definitely dance to it!]

16.Poor Jack-Plain White T's
[I liked this one. Tom's voice really complimented the song, it's not very unlike the original Elfman version. This song really shows a side of Tom's voice I've never heard, he has quite a range. This exceeded my expectations. Really a good song.]

17.To The Rescue-Datarock
[More electro, techno, synth-pop, whatever-you-wanna-call-it. I'm also a Datarock fan, and I can say they did quite the job on this instrumental piece. Fun stuff.]

18.Finale/Reprise-Shiny Toy Guns
[I love how it starts with a almost "broken carousel" version of "Here Comes Santa Clause" with the guys in the band creepily whispering "la-la-la-la". Then it goes hard-core on us. They even through in a few "Phantom" style organ chords. Another curve, it turns into a very pretty ballad, with church style organs. Again, vocal melodies have been changed, but it's all for the better. The song is really great.]

19.Closing-Danny Elfman
[Same as opening really. Just the original piece narrated by Elfman instead of Stewart]

20.End Title-The Album Leaf
[A very clam, pretty, instrumental end to the CD. Kinda makes me that warm kind of sleepy when I hear it.]



Anyway, it's a great album with surprises around every corner. Be sure to get a listen! Truly a great album, and definitely the best so-far of the Nightmare remakes.

I'm going to share one of (because there's no possible way to fit all of them!) my favorite tracks, Flyleaf's version of "What's This?.

Enjoy!





What's This?-Flyleaf


Lyrics

What's this? What's this?
There's color everywhere
What's this?
There's white things in the air
What's this?
I can't believe my eyes
I must be dreaming
Wake up, Jack, this isn't fair
What's this?

What's this? What's this?
There's something very wrong
What's this?
There's people singing songs

What's this?
The streets are lined with
Little creatures laughing
Everybody seems so happy
Have I possibly gone daffy?
What is this?
What's this?

There's children throwing snowballs
instead of throwing heads
They're busy building toys
And absolutely no one's dead

There's frost on every window
Oh, I can't believe my eyes
And in my bones I feel the warmth
That's coming from inside

Oh, look
What's this?
They're hanging mistletoe, they kiss
Why that looks so unique, inspired
They're gathering around to hear a story
Roasting chestnuts on a fire
What's this?

What's this?
In here they've got a little tree, how queer
And who would ever think
And why?

They're covering it with tiny little things
They've got electric lights on strings
And there's a smile on everyone
So, now, correct me if I'm wrong
This looks like fun
This looks like fun
Oh, could it be I got my wish?
What's this?

Oh my, what now?
The children are asleep
But look, there's nothing underneath
No ghouls, no witches here to scream and scare them
Or ensnare them, only little cozy things
Secure them in their dreamland...

What's this?

The monsters are all missing
And the nightmares can't be found
And in their place there seems to be
Good feeling all around

Instead of screams, I swear
I can hear music in the air
The smell of cakes and pies
are absolutely everywhere

The sights, the sounds
They're everywhere and all around
I've never felt this good before
This empty place inside of me has been filling up
I simply cannot get enough

I want it, oh, I want it
Oh, I want it for my own
I've got to know
I've got to know
What is this place that I have found?
What is this?

Lacrymosa

As I've mentioned a few times in the past my musical taste has stemmed most predominately from my upbringing in a family that loves classical music, and through listening to the classics during my ballet training. So it goes without saying that I lean toward bands and artists with classical backgrounds. I especially lean toward those with symphonic and orchestral sounds. So many of my favorite bands and artists are those like Yngwie Malmsteen, Nightwish, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and of course, Evanescence.

My favorite track of their album "The Open Door" is most definitely "Lacrymosa". The symphonic sound, the chorus in the background, and of course Amy's voice. What many people don't know (though I'm sure die-hard Ev fans, and Mozart fans alike do know)is that the entire backing for this song, not including the electric guitar parts, is Mozart's "Lacrimosa".

"I saw Amadeus when I was nine years old and fell in love with Mozart. The part of Mozart's Requiem called "Lacrimosa" is my favorite piece of music ever. I always wished we could cover it, but with programming and guitars and make it cool. It's our moment to try all the things I wanted to and couldn't, so I started messing with it in Protools. Terry wrote some riffs and turned it into this awesome metal epic." -Amy Lee

And boy is it amazing! I love how well it blended, her vocals and lyrics with Mozart's masterpiece playing in the background. The original Mozart piece has such power in it, yet it's expressed with elegant and mournful notes. It really is quite amazing.

I'd never thought of what would happen if you were to write your own song, but use a classical piece as the basic structure of it. It seemed a bit undo able, that you would butcher the original piece or that it just wouldn't work...covering a classical piece and turning it into something with a metal sound, I knew that would work. It's been done, and done wonderfully, but this was something different all-together, yet it came out utterly perfect.

I really believe this to be Evanescence's best song on an epic scale, and on a scale of sound.

So, To show everyone the bigger picture I'm posting three videos. One, Mozart's original piece "Lacrimosa", two Evanescence's finished song "Lacrymosa", and three and re-mix of Ev's song that is rumoured to be the original version.

Enjoy!

Mozart's "Lacrimosa" (From Requiem)
(The Video Shows The Music For The Vocal Melodies)


Mozart Lyrics

Lacrimosa
Lacrimosa dies illa
Qua resurget ex favilla
Judicandus homo reus.

Huic ergo parce, Deus
Pie Jesu Domine
Dona eis requiem, Amen.


Evanescence's "Lacrymosa"
(Video Is Just Pictures Of Amy Lee and Band)



Evanescence's "Lacrymosa" (Remix)
(This version is rumored to have been written for the opening scene of "The Chronicles Of Narnia" movie, but was not approved because it was not considered "original" because of the use of Mozart's "Lacrimosa")


Evanescence Lyrics

Out on your own,
Cold and alone again.
Can this be what you really wanted, baby?

Blame it on me,
Set your guilt free.
Nothing can hold you back now.

Now that you're gone,
I feel like myself again.
Grieving the things I can't repair and willing...

To let you blame it on me,
And set your guilt free.
I don't want to hold you back now love.

I can't change who I am.
Not this time, I won't lie to keep you near me.
And in this short life, there's no time to waste on giving up.
My love wasn't enough.

And you can blame it on me,
Just set your guilt free, honey.
I don't want to hold you back now love.

Requiem For A Dream

I haven't seen the movie, but I heard this song for the very first time Janurary, in a dance class.

Ou jazz teacher chose this music for a dance we were working on. I heard it and immediately thought "Wow. That's amazing."

The way it starts, with faint vocals and a slow sad tune. Soon going into strings. This song is beautifully eerie. It sends chills down the spine, but in a very good way.
The song picks up towards the middle, louder, faster, and then slows again, only to pick up once again.

This soung gets your adrenaline running, along with all of your emotions. "Three Cheers" for Clint Mansel on composing this piece, it's sheer brilliance!

There's not much else I can say about it. You truely have to listen to this to understand the splendor!

Vitamin String Quartet - A New Spin On Old Favorites

What do AC/DC, Death Cab For Cutie, and Linkin Park all have in common? The Vitamin String Quartet has covered all of their songs - using the violin, viola, and cello!
From the very first time I heard the Vitamin String Quartet cover of My Chemical Romance's Helena, I was hooked. I was instantly drawn in by the talent the Quartet had to not only play the song, but perform it, with just the right amount of emotion to tell the story of the song, without any lyrics to back it up. After hearing the Quartet's My Chemical Romance covers I went on to look up some of their other work, and was surprised and delighted by the sheer volume in which they had recorded. They had covered songs from an unmeasurable amount of artists in seemingly every genre.
But not only had they recorded tributes to individual artists, the Quartet had also recorded themed albums; there was the "Rock N' Roll Wedding Collection", the "String Quartet Baby Shower Collection" ... There were tributes dedicated to specific genres, or the biggest hits of a particular year. And not only were there string covers, but piano covers as well ... I was slightly overwhelmed by the mass amount of recordings, but loved every minute of discovering the Quartet's work. Every once in a while, they'd branch out past the strings or keys and incorporate a different instrument when it would add just the right touch; the Vitamin String Quartet's cover of Guns N' Roses' Don't Cry includes a snare drum roll, and at the end of the cover of My Chemical Romance's Teenagers, an electric violin joins the group, imitating the punk-rock sound of an electric guitar.
All in all, I am blown away by the talent of this Quartet, and have loved listening to their covers of so many amazing songs. I encourage you to check out the Quartet for yourself, because what I post on this blog could never do the group justice. Please, do yourself a favor; go to vitaminrecords.com and see all of the amazing recordings this group has done. You won't be disappointed.
But, for now, check out a few of my favorite Vitamin String Quartet covers in the videos below.
Enjoy!

Vitamin String Quartet - String Tribute to Helena by My Chemical Romance



Vitamin String Quartet - String Tribute to Broken by Seether feat. Amy Lee



Vitamin String Quartet - String Tribute to I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At The Disco