Środa 26 Gru 2007, 14:01
So, two years and nineteen days ago I was told about this wonderful fairly new service called Last.fm. So being the music collector/audiophile that I was I just had to check it out and get an account, and install one of those old last.fm/audioscrobbler plugins that they were still using to get on this service.
And now, over 2 years and nearly 100,000 scrobbles later, I have formed a great looking database that when looked over with a fine-tuned comb, you can notice what moods I was in during certain weeks, what artists that I've known for years but for some reason would become an obsession over a certain week. I'm of the belief that you can look through someone's last.fm profile and see their life story for at least the time that they've been a user.
I'm going to break down my current top 10 for you guys and explain how they've been a part of my life for the last 2 years.
Here we go:
#1: MxPx: I had never seen this artist live until just recently, then I found out how much I've missed. Defining a punk sound from the early 90s to now, they're definitely a must for any punk rocker's playlist. Top played songs include: Heard That Sound, Shut It Down, and You're On Fire.
#2: Five Iron Frenzy: Bringing a faux heavy-metal/ska sound to the forefront, definitely a big hit back in the 1990s, FIF was a deep part of my everyday life back when I was growing up, and their catchy, Christian-based and usually politically-based lyrics caught in my head, and Reese Roper's (see: Roper) infectious vocals are definitely a must-have for any audiophile that has a liking for ska revival music. Top Plays include: The Day We Killed, Cannonball, and Every New Day.
#3: John Reuben: Where can I start about how much of an effect that John Reu has had on my life? When I lived in his hometown of Columbus, OH, I had the honor of attending his home church for a time, and got to know both him and his family personally. We have since switched phone numbers and keep in contact when we can and I make it a point to never miss a show. John Reuben is a Messianic Jew that defines what it means to be a white rapper. With his incredible beats, smooth hooks, and catchy lyrics, one can find oneself really being addicted to his music very soon. I think that I would be very bored if I couldn't listen to a little Reuben every once in a while. Top Played Songs include: Him Her He She, Make Money Money, Breathe, and Nuisance.
#4: Audio Adrenaline: Simply put, Audio Adrenaline changed my life. Not just over the course of the last 2 years, but from around 1998 to now. The first band that I really ever saw in concert, ever really met, and ever really got addicted to. I love them. They are so amazing. This year was their last year of being a band due to Mark Stuart's inablity to sing anymore and I felt like an era was coming to an end. Audio Adrenaline's sound changed so many times over the course of their 15 year tenure, but their message always remained the same. Top Tracks Include: Ocean Floor, Leaving Ninety-Nine, and Worldwide: One.
#5: The Wedding: Oddly enough, two years is exactly the same time that I've known of and have been listening to this band, ever since one crazy Fall day in Akron, OH, when I got the pleasure and honor of meeting their lead guitarist, Trevor Sarver. Through it all, through many lineup changes, people quitting, new people joining the band and then leaving for personal reasons, my friends and I have always been there for this band, and will probably be there until the bitter end. Their sound is amazing, especally from their recent release Polarity. They have gone from a pop/punk feel to a harder mix of punk, hard rock, a little screamo, melodic jazz, and other types of music to make the opus that is their last CD. I hope to retain the personal friendship with this band that I have had for 2 years from here to eternity. Top Tracks Include: Rebound, Schizophrenia, Wake the Regiment, Song For The Broken, and I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.
#6: Disciple: I only really got into listening to this band from a friend of mine from my church, and have really liked them. They have a hard-rock sound that really can't be reckoned by many other bands in this genre. I've begun to really love them. Top Tracks Include: 10 Minute Oil Change, Love Hate (On and On), and Game On.
#7: tobyMac: I've followed the career of Toby Mackeehan aka tobyMac since his days with that one fairly famous band named dc Talk. Over the course of the last six years since he went solo, he has really formed his guitar-fused form of holy hip-hop and each CD is anticipated as a total change from one of the most famous Christian rappers in the business. He still throws out good rhymes and beats being 44 years old. I hope he is still doing this well into his 50s. Top Tracks Include: Ill-M-I, Momentum, and Catchafire (Whoopsi-Daisy).
#8: Mae: I can't particularly remember what or who told me about Mae (an acronym for Multi sensory Aesthetic Experience), but since I found their debut album, The Everglow, I have been addicted to them. If you are a follower of my profiles, you've noticed many a week where Mae is all that I ever listen to. Piano-driven rock, with influences as old as The Beatles, you can fully tell where they come from. I absolutely love them, so much so that a song from their most recent release entitled Singularity made it to my Top 100 Influential Songs of My Year. Top Songs Include: Waiting, Brink of Disaster, and On Top.
#9: ApologetiX: I really wasn't a big fan of ApologetiX until the 2 times that I've seen them in concert in the last couple of years. If no one knows who they are, they're a Christian parody band, taking the reins of those artists/bands like "Weird Al" Yankovic and They Might Be Giants, but making their parodies out of Bible stories, different Biblical figures, and other things from the Christian Perspective. Top Tracks Include: Meshach (Parody of "Love Shack" by The B-52's), The Spittle (the parody of "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World), and Corinthians (parody of "In the End" by Linkin Park).
#10: Zao: All I can say is that Zao is a very angry band. Even though they claim to be a Christian band you can see how angry they are for some reason or another. They just made my list because they're the biggest collection of metal that I have. Top Tracks Include: The Lesser Lights of Heaven, Praise the War Machine, and All Dressed Up (With No Place To Go).
And there we are. That took a while. I hope you enjoy my synopsis and I hope that things will change by the time I have been here for 5 years. I love music, and I'm of the opinion that one can never have enough.
Current Plays: 95,286
Most Recent Track: April Sixth - Same As Me.
Cheers.
– jxe.