Songs to check out #2

4/21/09

More songs to check out, i've been into these lately. The first few are mainly guitar oriented, the others are not. Please comment and let me know what you think. Or if you have songs you want me to check out, let me know somehow. 

1. Allan Holdsworth "Things You See"- I dont know much about Holdsworth's music, but this is an excellent composition that features some insane guitar playing. According to what i usually listen to, which is a usually less "in your face" guitarists, i feel like i wouldnt be into this guy. But I love that he has a very unique style unlike a lot of guys that are chop-monsters. I'm suprised that he isn't more popular among guitar players. 

2. Jimmy Herring "Scapegoat Blues"-from "Lifeboat". Just picked up this CD recently and I am blown away by Herrings ability. I've always been a huge fan, but i've never got to listen to him as a solo artist. This didnt let me down in any way. Herring's tone is probably my favorite of all time, and just gets better with every song on this CD. His mix of PRS and Strat tones is just incredible. He has all these little subtle things involved in his improv that make him really stand out. Like his impeccable pinky volume swell technique, legato style, and ability to play "outside". Add the fact that he's now a legitimate composer, and you've got a total beast of a musician. "Scapegoat Blues" combines blues and fusion to make an great mix of both inside and outside feels. The fusion section is both fun to listen to and play over, due to the symmetrical scale that is used. Once you think that the band is going off into fusion land, they come back into familiar territory with some straight up blues shredding. Herring in any form is worth checking out, his combination of tasteful licks, incredible tone, and chops make him one of my favorite guitar players ever. If you want to listen to him, he's involved in the band Aquarium Rescue Unit, Project Z, Jazz is Dead, and has taken over lead guitar for jam band Widespread Panic. 

Now for a few songs not on the guitar shredding side. 

3. "Something's Missing"-John Mayer-from "Any Given Thursday"-One thing i really like in a song is when it can actually put you in a certain mood, really make you feel a certain way Mayer manages to do this perfectly with this tune. As with most Mayer songs, the lyrics and music match up perfectly. This song is also really fun to play, because of the alternate tuning, you get some great droning sounds. This version is much better than the studio version. Big props to Mayer's touring guitar player on this CD who takes an excellent solo. Its simple, straightforward and does a perfect job at displaying some of the emotions in this song. This solo takes this song to another level. It almost seems like a composed part included in the song. 

4. "Go Let it Out"-Oasis-from "Familiar to Millions"-Oasis is known for writing really catchy "Beatles like" melodies. This song is no exception. The chorus of this song is the highlight, featuring some great melodic ideas and solid rhythm guitar playing. I think Oasis just know exactly what notes to include in the melody which make people feel good, and want to sing along. Particularly in the chorus when the lyrics "Is there any wonder why Princes and Kings..." section turns into the "We're the keepers of their destiny" section. 

5. "We Own the Sky"-M83-from "Saturdays=Youth"-First heard this song in a soundtrack to a snowboarding video called "That's It That's all". It fit in so perfectly with the guys up on those gigantic mountains doing impossible tricks. This song feels so big and epic when i listen to it as a part of the snowboarding video. There's some great harmonies in the vocals and a pulsing bass line that is always pushing the song forward. The end of the song has a building up of a lot of layers which ends up being pretty powerful. This reminds me a lot of the Mayer song i mentioned earlier called "Somethings Missing". They both have a distinct mood to them, and because of that, you can really get inside the song. 

That's it for now, more to come soon. Thanks for reading!

-MD