music

Alright. My Spotify Wrapped was once again filled with Bedroom, for the third year in a row. I think it's time to discuss it.

Bedroom is the solo project of Noah Kittinger, an artist from Nashville, TN. The project began with the Toys EP in 2012, and since then he has released three albums. On Bandcamp, Kittinger uses tags like alternative, bedroom pop, and lo-fi, which I think sums it up decently enough. Spotify likes to call it "sad boi indie" but that's so reductive and it pisses me off. There's a lot of really beautiful things about Bedroom and I hate when people take something like that and say ohh it's music for sad people when they're saddd- fuck no shut the fuck up. You wouldn't get it. Get lost.

Anyway, rant aside, let's talk about the tracks! I really like the Grow album, because it was the first one I listened to and it talks about like getting out of shitty mental states. I actually wrote a paper on "Hurry, Get Up" for my college writing i class freshman year, and I was really proud of it. I interpret that song in particular to be a letter from the current, healthier self to the past, destructive self, and it makes me feel a lot.

I don't know if I can really rank songs or albums. They all mean different things to me. Also, the reason Bedroom is always so high on my end-of-year reviews is because I mainly listen to it when I'm in a rough place. Sometimes I have it on 24/7. It's tough. But even if my results weren't skewed by my mental health, I still really like Bedroom :) I think if I were to recommend anything it would be Grow, so give that a listen sometime when you feel like it, okay? Special thanks to Desiree :) Hope art school treated you well.

The Garden is a bit bizarre, but I like them, so I'll do my best to explain.

Formed in 2011, The Garden is an experimental rock band based in Orange County, California, consisting of twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears. They currently have four studio albums as well as multiple singles and EPs. They describe their genre as "Vada Vada," which they explain on their website as, "a term that represents total freedom of expression without boundaries or guidelines of any sort," although most describe the music as art punk or something similar. Their music is fast, and mainly utilizes complex bass and drums, although they have branched into different sounds in more recent work.

A friend of mine, Desiree, introduced me to them after they released Mirror Might Steal Your Charm, showing me the beauty of "Shameless Shadow," but it wasn't until they released their next album that I decided to sit down and listen to their other stuff. I'm glad I did, because I really like a good chunk of it. Sure, their older stuff is a little strange, and their newest releases aren't quite my thing, but I'm glad I found them anyway.

Now that all the introduction is out of the way, I need to tell you all the albums and songs I like best. For my health. My three favorite albums are:

1. Mirror Might Steal Your Charm (2018)
2. Kiss My Super Bowl Ring (2020)
3. Haha (2015)

In addition, my top five songs are:

1. "Shameless Shadow" [Mirror Might Steal Your Charm]
2. "California Here We Go" (single)
3. "No Destination" [Mirror Might Steal Your Charm]
4. "All Access" [U Want The Scoop?]
5. "Hit Eject" [Kiss My Super Bowl Ring]

And that's all I've got to say on the matter. You should listen to The Garden :)

Hoo boy. Haken.

Haken is quite possibly my favorite band of all time. I love Haken. Smiley is the one who introduced me to them :) They are one of the few bands that I can listen to their albums over and over again and enjoy every second.

If you don't know Haken, they are a British progressive metal band formed in 2007. They currently have seven studio albums released, and frequently go on tour across Europe and the United States with similar groups.

Currently, Haken have six studio albums, one EP, and one live album. I would probably rank my top three studio albums as follows:

1. Affinity (2016)
2. Vector (2018)
3. Virus (2020)

Like I said, I enjoy listening to ALL of their albums. The albums that didn't make the cut here are also great, just not in my top three. They're all good. But especially Affinity. Go listen to Affinity.

As you might be able to guess, the albums I like better also have more songs that I enjoy. If I were to pick a Top 5 Songs from Haken, though, I would probably say:

1. "1985" [Affinity]
2. "Cockroach King" [The Mountain]
3. "Carousel" [Virus]
4. "Nil by Mouth" [Vector]
5. "Visions" [Visions]

Some honorable mentions include all five parts of Virus' "Messiah Complex," particularly parts III, IV, and V; Fauna's "Nightingale," which I listened to about a hundred times when it came out as a single; "The Good Doctor" and "Puzzle Box," from Vector; and the entirety of Affinity. Please stream Affinity.

As for the members of the band, I really enjoy the contributions everyone makes to each album. Ross Jennings' vocals are incredible in every song, Ray Hearne is insane on the drums (and tuba, apparently?), Richard Henshall and Charlie Griffiths work great together as the guitarists, as well as Connor Green on bass, and Pete Jones (who just recently re-joined the band as the keyboardist) was awesome to see live. Also, everyone helps with backup vocals, as well as writing songs and lyrics, which is really interesting and is a testament to their skill as artists.

So yeah. I like Haken a lot. Go listen to Haken.

Pinback is a pretty good band. Let me tell you a little bit about them.

Formed in 1998 by Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow, Pinback is an indie rock band. Wikipedia calls them emo, which is funny and incorrect. Their stuff is largely accoustic, mainly using accoustic guitar, drums, bass guitar, and occasional other things depending on the album. If I were to describe them properly, though, Pinback is what I like to call the seasonal depression original soundtrack. It's autumny. It's sleepy. It's sad. And I like it so much. Some of it is super mellow, but most of it is like mildly energetic and not all that loud.

I found out about Pinback from my sister, who was told to try them out by her guitar teacher in like middle school. Her and I have individually moved away from it since then, in our own directions (she's really into disco right now?), but I, for one, always come back to Pinback every fall. It's not even like a conscious decision. I don't see the leaves start turning and say, "Ahh, perfect time to listen to Pinback." The way I choose what music to listen to is like having a very shy, very young child follow you around and hide behind your leg. You have no idea where they came from, and every once in a while they get Really persistent about how you should be spending your time. But not like how a sibling or child of your own would yell and whine and tug, because you don't actually Know this child, and they only convey what they want to listen to by, like, staring directly into your soul with their big sad wet eyes and a blank, vaguely demure expression. And you just sort of have to go with it.

So yeah. That's sort of what Pinback is like. Here's a list of my favorite songs:

• "CLOAD "Q"" [Information Retrieved]
• "Proceed to Memory" [Information Retrieved]
• "Good to Sea" [Autumn of the Seraphs]
• "X.I.Y." [Blue Screen Life]
• "Concrete Seconds" [Blue Screen Life]
• "Grey Machine" [Some Offcell Voices]
• "Off by 50" [Autumn of the Seraphs]
• "Microtonic Wave" [Some Offcell Voices]
• "Crutch" [Pinback]
• "3 x 0" [Summer in Abaddon]

Give them a listen and I hope you enjoy :)

Rush is one of those bands that, due to it's legacy, I've known about for a long time. Back when I was a kid and I didn't know anything about music genres or what sort of music I enjoyed, my dad would play whatever he liked on the radio whenever we were in the car. Rush was often featured on many of his favorite stations, but it wasn't until recently that I actually sat down to listen to their music actively.

Rush is a Canadian progressive rock band, which consisted of Geddy Lee (bass/keyboard/vocals), founder Alex Lifeson (guitar), and Neil Peart (drums). They released their first album in 1974, and might still be making music today, had Neil Peart not passed away in 2020.

On Neil Peart, I wholeheartedly believe he was the best drummer who ever played. His work is notoriously difficult to play, but he had it down to a science, and I'm glad that he was able to live the life and make the impact that he did. He was also an excellent lyricist, writing the lyrics for all of Rush's albums except for the first.

I honestly haven't been able to listen to every single Rush song actively, mostly because there are so many, so I can't really rank the albums. However, I can list some of my favorite songs, in no particular order:

• "Red Barchetta" [Moving Pictures]
• "Fly By Night" [Fly By Night]
• "Freewill" [Permanent Waves]
• "Losing It" [Signals]
• "The Spirit Of Radio" [Permanent Waves]
• "Subdivisions" [Signals]
• "Tom Sawyer" [Moving Pictures]
• "Limelight" [Moving Pictures]
• "Manhattan Project" [Power Windows]

I hope to spend more time listening to Rush, but for now, this is what I've got. You should listen to Rush.

Thank You Scientist is a cool band. Let me attempt to express why.

Thank You Scientist is a progressive rock band from New Jersey. Formed in 2009, the band currently has seven members, and features a combination of strong vocals, electric guitar and violin, brass instruments, and intricate drums. The genre is best described as a fusion of rock, metal, and jazz. They're another band shown to me by Smiley.

I don't have any particularly strong feelings about the band members (there's so many and so many former ones that I can hardly keep track), but I do have a few favorite tracks. They are, in no particular order:

• "Rube Goldberg Variations" [Stranger Heads Prevail]
• "Terraformer" [Terraformer]
• "My Famed Disappearing Act" [Maps of Non-Existent Places]
• "Mr. Invisible" [Stranger Heads Prevail]
• "FXMLDR" [Terraformer]
• "A Salesman's Guide to Non-Existence" [Maps of Non-Existent Places]
• "Psychopomp" [Stranger Heads Prevail]

I can't really rank their albums, as there are only three, but I'd say that Terraformer is probably my favorite. Still, every album has some really great tracks, and I highly recommend you give them a listen :) "Rube Goldberg Variations" is especially good; it's an instrumental track that really showcases their unique sound, although it lacks Salvatore Marrano's excellent vocals. Go listen to Thank You Scientist!!

It's time to address the guy in the sidebar. We need to talk about Tool.

Tool is a band that can be described by many genres, but people tend to go with some combination of progressive metal and art rock. It was formed in 1990 by vocalist Maynard James Keenan, drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and bassist Paul D'Amour (replaced in 1995 by Justin Chancellor). Mr. Keenan occupies the sidebars of this page, although he is a little fucked up. Not that he is particularly regular in other pictures or in real life. I could say a lot about Maynard James Keenan. The summary is that is a goddamn genius, he is goddamn ridiculous, and his voice and lyrics are goddamn incredible.

Back to Tool.

Tool released an EP in 1992, followed by five full-length albums since then. Their most recent album came 13 years after the one that preceded it. Some people think that's interesting, but the reality is that Maynard James Keenan fronts three bands and works as a winemaker, so he was a little busy during that time. To put it in his words, from 2004 during only a five-year gap, "They keep going, "Are you working on another Tool album?" I'm like a mother on a table. I'm, like, giving birth to a baby, and you're asking me if I'm going to have another baby." But enough about that. Let's talk about the music.

My three favorite Tool albums are as follows:

1. 10,000 Days (2006)
2. Fear Inoculum (2019)
3. Lateralus (2001)

One of the things about Tool is that they have evolved over the years. I absolutely prefer the newer albums, and the only reason 10,000 Days is higher than Fear Inoculum is because it means a lot more to me (and my friend "Rosetta Stoned" is also in there). Still, the guys put so much technical work and heart and soul into their art, so it's only natural that each album is better than the last. Undertow is the only album I really don't listen to, and that's just because it's very grimy by design, which isn't something I'm super into.

I have probably 20 Tool songs in my main playlist, just because there's SO MANY good songs by Tool. If I were to pick my Top 5 Tool songs, it would be very difficult! I think I would have to settle on:

1. "Opiate²" (single)
2. "Parabola" [Lateralus]
3. "Ænima" [Ænima]
4. "Fear Inoculum" [Fear Inoculum]
5. "Rosetta Stoned" [10,000 Days]

Some honorable mentions include "10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)," which makes me cry like a baby; "Schism," from Lateralus; "Sweat," from the original Opiate EP; "7empest," from Fear Inoculum, which one a Grammy for Best Metal Performance; and "The Pot," from 10,000 Days. I could go on, honestly. Like I said, I like a LOT of TOOL songs.

I already talked about Maynard James Keenan. You know him. He rules. I also like Danny Carey and Adam Jones. Justin Chancellor is cool, too. And they're all fantastic musicians. There's nothing I could say here that hasn't been said before.

Tool is an incredible band. Go listen to Tool.

The Guilty Gear original soundtrack is excellent. Here's why.

If you wanna read up on what Guilty Gear actually is, you can check out my post on it here. To summarize, though, Guilty Gear is a series of fighting games started in 1998 and still being added to today. Fittingly, most of the games' themes revolve around musi; the main character is based on Freddie Mercury, almost all of the character names, designs, and attacks reference a band, artist, song, or genre, and, most importantly, the soundtrack goes hard as fuck. Most of the older songs were composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari, the creator of Guilty Gear, while newer songs are by NAOKI or AISHA. I cannot stress enough how good this soundtrack is. Whether it's the songs from the oldest games (which for some ungodly reason are kept in like 8 identical-looking albums) or the most recent ones, all of them absolutely rip.

Most of the songs, especially the earlier ones, are metal, but recently they've moved away from that to make use of other genres for certain characters or sequences. Personally, I like metal, so I'm biased towards those songs being better, but the other ones are good too!

You can find my playlist on Spotify here. It's got all my favorite songs :)

Some of my favorite songs from the Guilty Gear OST* include:

• "Sky Should be High (Vocal Version)" - Xrd -Revelator- boss theme; Strive match loading theme
• "Mirror of the World" - Baiken's theme (Strive)
• "N.S.F.W." - Arcade mode credits theme (Xrd REV 2)
• "Drift" - Happy Chaos' theme (Strive)
• "TSUKI NO SHIHAI" - Raven's theme (Xrd)
• "Smell of the Game" - Strive opening theme
• "Enough is Enough" - Answer's theme (Xrd)
• "Rock Parade" - Anji's theme (Strive)
• "The Town Inside Me" - Bridget's theme (Strive)
• "HEAVY DAY" - Xrd Arcade mode opening theme
• "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" - Johnny's theme (Xrd), probably
• "Jack-A-Dandy" - Slayer's theme (Xrd)
• "The Kiss of Death" - Goldlewis' theme (Strive)
• "Home Sweet Grave" - Kingdom Cemetery theme (Isuka)
• "Ride the Fire!" - Sol's Dragon Install theme (Xrd)
• "Keep in Gates" - A.B.A's theme (XX)
• "Black Soul" - Zato's theme (GG)
• "Hellfire" - Leo's Theme (Strive)
• "Rock and Roll, Rock Hard Maniac" - Strive vocal track

* "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" by The Offspring is NOT from the Guilty Gear soundtrack. It is, however, Johnny's Xrd theme. Hope this clears some things up.

Sometimes metal is good for thrashing. Other times it is good for napping.

Dragon Magic was released by Ice Sword in 2018. It is their only album at the time of writing this, and it rips. I really like it for a lot of reasons. It's about a guy who gets turned into a dragon by a wizard and he HAAAATES it it makes him so miserable and angry and depressed. The music is excellent, especially the way it changes at different parts of the story. I also really like the vocalist, which is saying something because sometimes I can be straight up allergic to the lead singer of a new band.

Fun fact: I almost excusively listen to this album to sleep. It is like the sweetest lullaby to me, like a bedtime story. It makes me sleep like I've taken medicine or like I swam 100 miles and I like to imagine the scenes playing out in my head while they knock me unconscious. It's awesome and you should try it sometime.

Special thanks to 7oby "Sol" Radguy for posting about this album that one time on tumblr. I will never be the same lol

This one had to grow on me for a bit, and now I know the truth: it goes hard as fuck.

Tiltaalika is a solo album put out by Haken guitarist Charlie Griffiths in 2022. The lyrics were performed by various guest singers, and it's about the first prehistoric fish to walk on land, tiktaalik. It talks about the progression from sea to land and fossils and cool shit like that. I must have listened to it on loop for months... It's really good lol. It has a mix of vocal and instrumental tracks, and honestly I like them all. Also, the album loops really nicely, with the last track ending how the first track starts. I cannot reasonably tell you my favorite tracks; you have to listen to the album properly.

It's prog. It's metal. It's sick as fuck. Give this one a listen for sure.