Current Obsession 07/29/13: Linked Horizon – Guren No Yumiya

This is the opening theme song to the new anime “Attack on Titan”! My enjoyment of anime has cut down drastically in the last few years mostly due to a diminished ability to commit to animation with so few frames per second. “Attack on Titan” is a perfect example of everything that is both right and wrong with anime and it has thoroughly grabbed my attention. It has the extremely long winded drawn out internal monologues that take up half an episode with an overdramatized story but it also has moments of intense awesomeness and interesting plot lines that you WILL NOT find anywhere else. It has sometimes terrible/sometimes perfect animated characters and cliff hangers that span multiple episodes filled with flashbacks. Oh an lots and lots oh whining. To be fair though, the horror that these characters face merits a lot of that crying. What is absolutely flawless is the anime’s music headlined by this excellent, extremely epic over the top piece by Linked Horizon.

Revo, a japanese composer and leader of the group Sound Horizon, specializes in creating epic fantasy operas told in the form of multiple intertwining stories on giant concept albums. He also writes music under Linked Horizon which focuses its efforts on anime and video game soundtracks. “Guren No Yumiya” may be the single greatest opening to an anime of all time (this is making me really want to make a ranked list about great anime openings) with a huge brass section, a chanting choir, multiple vocalists and a guitars that support a climb into heaven. The song is so epic that it borders on parody of epic music. There has been a huge amount of videos on youtube putting this theme to non-epic things in order to make them more epic. Think the guile music goes with everything series on steroids.

I made the mistake of watching a couple episodes of the show back to back before heading off to work and my brain literally replayed the trumpet and choir parts OVER AND OVER in my head for my ENTIRE 8 hour shift. It kind of went like this:

 

And this is my favorite so far of the goes with everything videos:

Build a Workout Mix: Successful Mix 9

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

This mix is a reworking of Successful Mix 8 which you can read about HERE

First, the tracklist:

1. Demon God – Joe Hisaishi

2. Angel of Salvation – Galneryus

3. Corpus Christi Carol – Jeff Buckley

4. 24 – Jem

5. Dynomite – Ima Robot

6. Farewell to Cheyenne – Ennio Morricone

This mix, like the last one is really focusing around my new additional song type: The Monster. That track here is “Angel of Salvation” which I kept in the mix since it worked so well. Instead I basically changed around all the rest of the tracks.

I started things off with Joe Hisaishi’s “Demon God” from the film Princess Mononoke. Unfortunately the song was pulled off of youtube so I dont have the link. I think the song worked ok as a warm up. A bit slow on the build and it never gets quite fast enough but it does the job. I think it works better if you’ve seen the film.

Next come the monster “Angel of Salvation” which worked just as well as last time.

I followed this up with another cool down just like last time since “Angel of Salvation” is basically a 14 minute burn out. Jeff Buckley’s “Corpus Christi Carol” works perfectly as a cool down with its quiet music and colossal falsetto vocal work by my favorite vocalist of all time. This is actually the first song by Jeff Buckley I ever heard. Seriously consider this one!

There is just something about the strings in “24” that scream: GET READY FOR BATTLE! “24” served as an excellent warm up as instruments are continually added until you reach the bouncy chorus and you body goes into full on power mode.

I chose “Dynomite” for my burnout because I wanted something that only lasted a few minutes. The song has this really wild nature to it and it just gets crazier the longer it goes on. I dont think its a burn out for everyone but it will definitely serve if youre in the right mood.

Ennio Morricone for a cool down. Seriously what more needs to be said?

Not my best run for sure but nothing really fell apart either so I’m still naming it a success.

 

 

Build a Workout Stride: Toshira Masuda – Naruto Main Theme

The original Naruto anime has a ton of great music in it. Case in point with this main theme which works great as a stride. The song combines old school japanese drums, flutes and shamisen with modern drums and electric guitars to create a perfect blend of motivational strengthening music. Tell me this song doesnt make you want to rise above adversity and save the world with your friends.

Build a Workout Mix: Successful Mix 8

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

To keep things fresh, I decided to create a completely new mix today.

1. The Ecstasy of Gold – Ennio Morricone

2. Angel of Salvation – Galneryus

3. Interchange with Ohmu – Joe Hisaishi

4. Arco Arena – Cake

5. Naruto Main Theme – Toshiro Masuda

6. Requiem, Dies Irae – Verdi

7. Yakusoku no Chi – Nobuo Uematsu

With this mix comes a new structure that is mostly based around a new mix component: The Monster. The Monster is any song that is over 6 minutes though the time value is not set in stone. Basically this type of song serves to take over a large section of your workout and may include warm ups, strides, burnouts and cool downs within it’s massive length. Todays example is “Angel of Salvation” toping in at a whopping 14 minutes and 42 seconds.

Listening to “The Ecstasy of Gold” while trying to accomplish anything comes with insane results. Just walking down the street while listening to this song will provide you with an uncanny ability to shoulder other people out of your way as you slow motion bad ass walk to your next destination, oblivious to all those around you. The song works very well as a warm up when you really need to get your mind in the proper place for an extended workout. It didnt make me run too fast but it did set my mind in the perfect place for the rest of my run.

When I say that I had to create a new mix category just to add this song, I hope you get excited. This may be the single best song to run to I have discovered yet! This Monster of a song tops in at 14:42 and contains some of the best fast paced melodic electric guitar I’ve ever heard that. Liquid Tension Experiment quality guitar combined with Dragonforce levels of epicness and the sexiness of X-Japan makes up this absolutely fantastic mega burnout. I would say I was running at top speed for almost 10 minutes of its 14 minutes length, resting for a couple minutes during the middle extended guitar solo and during the final two minute finale. A Monster is a song you should only add to a mix with special preparation as it is designed specifically to push your body to its limits over an extended period of time. Each Monster must be used with very specific purpose since each one may allow for a different amount of warm up, stride, burnout and cool down. In the case of “Angel of Salvation” it is probably 80-90 percent burnout! This song will destroy your body in the best of ways. I cannot recommend it enough.

I followed up this Monster of a track with Joe Hisaishi’s “Interchange with Ohmu” as a cool down. Unfortunately I cant find a version on youtube so I wont be able to share this under two minute break I took.

After my short rest I went right into this brief warm up psyche myself back up. Cake’s “Arco Arena” is a short mesmerizing fury of dancing guitars and chilling beats and builds at just the right pace to get my body pumped up again.

The original Naruto anime has a ton of great music in it. Case in point with this main theme which works great as a stride. The song combines old school japanese drums, flutes and shamisen with modern drums and electric guitars to create a perfect blend of motivational strengthening music. Tell me this song doesnt make you want to rise above adversity and save the world with your friends.

I wanted one final burst of energy for the end of my run so I selected this piece from Verdi’s “Requiem” which for me brings up memories of Battle Royale. There is this sheer intensity to the strings and choir that brings out whatever you have left for one final lap. Great when you only have a minute or two left of burnout in you.

This beautiful choral piece off of the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children soundtrack is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever heard. What a great way to cool down for the final three minutes of your run.

So there you have it. I highly recommend this mix for those with a soft spot in their hearts for epic music and who really want to push their body to the limit.

 

 

Build a Workout Mix: Successful Mix 4

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

I didnt have much time to reorganize my mix tonight and the gym was closing in 25 minutes so I had to shorten it too! But it was still a success. Heres the tracklist:

1. My Body Is a Cage – Arcade Fire

2. Fuckin’ In the Bushes – Oasis

3. Alive & Amplified – The Mooney Suzuki

4. Baby Boy – Beyonce

5. The Dragon Boy – Joe Hisaishi

6. Totalimmortal – AFI

7. Intergalactic – Beastie Boys

8. Invocation – …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

As you can see I had to remove “…To Die For” near the end in order to finish on time. Mainly everything stayed the same and worked just as well. The two changes were both successes.

I knew “My Body is a Cage” would be a PERFECT warm up! The song has this natural build that slowly adds instruments over the first couple minutes. By the time the drums are crashing and the organ is blaring, your body can go into a full on run!

Beyonce’s “Baby Boy” just has one of those BEATS!! So addictive! It could keep me occupied for hours so obviously it kept my body in full stride for its entire four minute length.

Build a Workout Warm Up: Joe Hisaishi – The Dragon Boy

If you dont know the composer Joe Hisaishi, he is responsible for the soundtracks of all of Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli animated films. This one comes from the wonderful “Spirited Away”. Stop reading this and go watch the movie if you’ve never seen it. The song is a bit soft but still served as a good warm up. It must be pointed out that “The Dragon Boy” is only the first 2:13 seconds of the youtube video I posted.

Build a Workout Mix: Successful Mix 3

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

I did run yesterday but I skyped with my fiance and didnt have time to post this. This mix is built off of successful mix 2 which can be found HERE.

Lets start with the new tracklist. Lots of updates on this one.

1. Lose Yourself – Eminem

2. Fuckin’ In the Bushes – Oasis

3. Alive & Amplified – The Mooney Suzuki

4. Seventeen Years – Ratatat

5. The Dragon Boy – Joe Hisaishi

6. Totalimmortal – AFI

7. Intergalactic – Beastie Boys

8. …To Die For – Hanz Zimmer

9. Invocation – …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

Like I said, almost a complete overhaul. I figured that if the mix is successful, I should switch out more of the tracks so that I can introduce new ones to add for your own mixes.

The mix starts off the same with the excellent warm up “Lose Yourself”

I complained last time that “I Get Around” didnt fit in mood wise after “Lose Yourself” so I replaced it with the new stride “Fuckin’ In the Bushes”. This Oasis gem is a perfect stride with its repetitive guitar riff. I first heard the song during the climactic scene in the movie Snatch(Seriously if you havnt seen that movie, its a must!) and fell in love with it!

Next up comes a new burnout “Alive & Amplified”! I cant remember when I first discovered the Mooney Suzuki but this song got stuck in my head almost immediately. Like its name implies, this song will get you amped!! I was feeling extra tired since I was coming off a nine hour work day for my run tonight and when it was time for my burnout I couldnt remember what song I had picked. I just kept thinking, this thing better be BIG or else I’m giving up. Needless to say I did NOT give up!

“Seventeen Years” has returned for one more run but I’ve finally replaced its companion with the more mellow “The Dragon Boy” by Joe Hisaishi. If you dont know the composer, he is responsible for the soundtracks of all of Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli animated films. This one comes from the wonderful “Spirited Away”. Stop reading this and go watch the movie if you’ve never seen it. The song is a bit soft but still served as a good warm up. It must be pointed out that “The Dragon Boy” is only the first 2:13 seconds of the youtube video I posted.

Another amazing burnout! I have no idea what the leader singer of AFI is saying most of the time but this song amps me up like nothing else. Everytime he says “This! Rage I! Cannot! Let! Go OH!” The bass line is mesmerizing and the guitars provide this perfect intensity that forces your body to give its hardest effort. And when he starts yelling at like the 2:05 mark?? I just wish there was anything else in AFI’s catalogue as amazing as this song.

I also finally retired “Ringa Ringa” replacing it with the very fun stride “Intergalactic”! The song as a great shuffling beat that keeps perfect pacing while each of the emcees provides plenty of funny lines to keep you entertained throughout.

“…To Die For” spins again as both a burnout motivation and a cool down

And finally another new cool down in the form of “Invocation”.  I’m gonna be honest, you CANNOT go wrong placing this song as either an intro or an outro on ANY mixtape. The perfect subtle beauty of the piano works to either build tension towards the first powerful track on an album, or build towards a moment of rest as it does here at the end of the mix. Wonderful Wonderful music! For some reason the original version isnt up on youtube!! I had to settle for this cover which does a fairly good job of conveying the beauty of this song. Find the original if you can!

Build a Workout: Successful Mix 1

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

This mix was built off of Failed Mix 3 which you can read about HERE

This mix isnt perfect but it definitely got the job done without any hiccups! Let’s start with the playlist.

1. Akatsuki – Takanashi Yasuhara

2. I Get Around – The Beach Boys

3. Bloody Mary – Lady Gaga

4. Prayer for the Refuge – Rise Against

5. Seventeen Years – Ratatat

6. Toreador – Apocalyptica

7. Liberi Fatali – Nobuo Uematsu

8. Ringa Ringa – A R Rahman

9. Forever Young – Alphaville

I changed a couple things around for this one. I removed the second warm up at the beginning of the mix for a stride, in this case “I Get Around” and then coupled that with a second stride to keep me going longer. I moved up “Bloody Mary” to keep a familiar song at the beginning of my run. “Prayer for the Refuge” was moved to the burnout position followed by newcomer stride “Seventeen Years” and warm up “Toreador” replacing “Americano”. I put my burnout staple “Liberi Fatali” towards the end of my mix followed by the comfortable “Ringa Ringa” and closed out the mix with a new cool down: “Forever Young”

Lets start at the beginning. “Akatsuki” has been doing a great job as a warm up and today was no exception.

I was a little nervous about using “I Get Around” as a stride but the songs happy-go-lucky nature helped get me in the mood to run and its simple straightforward pacing provided excellent motivation for a steady continued run. I guess surf rock can be used for running too.

“Bloody Mary” worked well as a second stride as its beat continues to keep my legs pumping.

I first used “Prayer for the Reduge” as a stride but the jump in energy from the verse to the chorus didnt really help my body maintain a consistent pace. The songs hardcore punk sound definitely work well to get my blood pumping for another 4 minutes as a burnout at the end of a 6 minute stride. The song is definitely lighter than some of my other burnouts as the slower verse sections allow a bit of leeway in terms of pacing while still providing the all out fire necessary for a burnout during the choruses and the excellent guitar solo and final rush!

Ratatat’s “Seventeen Years” turned out to be a perfect stride! It bursts out in full on electric guitar pop beats and drums early on and keeps things fresh with some fun guitar solos. The longer a stride song is, the more you want there to be a bit of variety so your brain doesnt grow board from hearing the same basic beats. Here this is accomplished by the sheer variety of guitar riffs as well as a subtle shift in the energy of the song about halfway through. This “taking it down a notch” affect allows for your body to adjust accordingly either remaining at higher speeds or slowing down with the music to save some breathe. I can definitely see “Seventeen Years” used to anchor the center of a workout allowing for a quick cool down embedded in the stride before the next warm up.

Apocolyptica doesnt seem like the ideal work out music since it is performed by a band of all Cello’s with absolutely no drums. Thankfully the power of said cellos is more than enough to both keep the beat and encourages those muscles to build some adrenaline. Im a huge fan of stringed instruments and they always make me feel like I’m in some epic fantasy land. “Toreador” is actually a perfect warm up! It starts off very slow and deliberate. With each minute, layer upon layer is added to the song as it starts to grow a bit faster with each minute. By the two minute mark, your feet will be moving and the cello solos will keep you on your toes. This warm up  is great if you want a bit more of a gradual build that still leaves you sweating by the end of it.

At this point, you’ll notice the familiar “Liberi Fatali” and “Ringa Ringa” combination. I did this because it’s important that the songs near the end of your run are the most solid. When you’re tired and ready to quit, you’ll want to make sure you have songs guaranteed to rescue you from that place. Thats why I’ll always faze songs towards the back of my mix and add new songs towards the front.

I guess it all depends on how you feel about the genre but 80’s pop ballads are almost guaranteed to work as cool downs! Something about their cheesy synth pop nature and addictive over the top choruses just really works to make you feel like you had a successful run. “Forever Young” is no exception and it was the perfect endcap to a great run.

Overall I’m happy with my mix and my run today! I took a couple days off to visit my brother in Ann Arbor and celebrate Memorial Day with my family. It’s always tough to get back into a running mood after you’ve had a few days off. Unfortunately your body can also give up earlier due to lack of practice. I’d like to say it was partially due to this mix that I made it through todays run and still kept my time and distance up. Cant wait to run again!

Build A Workout: Failed Mix 3

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

This mix was developed off of Failed Mix 2 which you can read about HERE.

Alright! I got to go for another run and while I didnt think the mix flowed well enough to be successful, I am definitely getting more fit! When I started this project I was putting in 2 miles over 30 minutes. Today I put in 3 miles in 34 minutes! Lets start with the track list.

1. Akatsuki – Takahashi Yasunara

2. In for the Kill (Skrillex Remix) – La Roux

3. Prayer for the Refuge – Rise Against

4. Liberi Fatali – Nobuo Uematsu

5. Ringa Ringa – A R Rahman

6. Americano – Lady Gaga

7. The Decisive Battle – Powerglove

8. Bloody Mary – Lady Gaga

9. Viva Rock – Orange Range

The first thing you’ll notice is that I’ve increased the length of my run. After the last mix came up short, I increased the length to about 34 minutes. The two new song additions were added at the beginning to extend my initial warm up period and replace a failed stride. That failed stride which also failed as a warm up (“Viva Rock”) was moved to the cool down position in a last ditch effort to make it work.

How’d it go? The weakness in this mix was definitely the new additions. “Akatsuki” was an excellent warm up.

I mentioned last time that it can be a bit short so I added a second  warm up in the form of “In for the Kill”. Unfortunately I just couldnt get into the build. It starts off perfectly which is why I chose it. Right up to the first Skrillex dubstep drop at the minute and half mark it works great. The drop just didnt propel me forward the way I thought it would. The other problem is that the song then kind of stalls out before going back to its original momentum. Warm up‘s really require a more consistent build to motivate you to get faster and faster. This one just left my body confused wanting to accelerate when the pace of the song wasnt allowing it to.

I had a similar pacing problem with “Prayer for the Refugee”. While the song is pretty frickin amazing, I just felt that it didnt have the steadiness required for the stride positon. The song has this ebb and flow between its verses and chorus that just doesnt translate to the consistency necessary. Still, I love the song and I’ll definitely be trying it out as a burnout in my next workout.

Speaking of burnouts “Liberi Fatali” continues to be an amazing one! Actually from this point forward I have no complaints until the end of the mix as the rest works as well as it did in my previous mix.

I moved “Viva Rock” to the cool down position. Can you tell I really wanted this song to work? It was too fast paced for a warm up and too jumpy for a stride. I thought it might still be able to work as a cool down with its marching beat. Unfortunately, even here it left me feeling uneasy and confused trying to make my body work when it should have been time to rest. Maybe there is a place for this song in a workout mix somewhere but not for me. I think its time I retire this song after three failed attempts.

Lets hope I learn from these failures and eventually produce another great mix to run to. Good luck on your work outs!

Build a Workout Warm Up: Takahashi Yasunara – Akatsuki

“Akatsuki” is the naruto villain theme. This was an excellent warm up! The song has a full on chorus and lots of organ which are huge pluses in my get pumped to work out brain. The song also has a nice level build giving me enough time to get into the mood. The song keeps heaping on tension so that by the end of the two minutes youre ready to go. If the song has any weakness to take note of, it is definitely the length. Know yourself, if you need more than 2 minutes of warm up, you may want to tack this on the beginning of another warm up for some extra time.

Build a Workout: Failed Mix 2

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

Another run and another failed mix, a bit for the same reasons and a bit for different ones. This mix was developed off of Failed Mix 1 which you can read about HERE.

Here’s the tracklist:

1. Akatsuki – Takahashi Yasunara

2. Viva Rock – Orange Range

3. Liberi Fatali – Nobuo Uematsu

4. Ringa Ringa – A R Rahman

5. Americano – Lady Gaga

6. The Decisive Battle – Powerglove

7. Bloody Mary – Lady Gaga

8. We Are the Champions – Queen

Changes to this mix include adding a new warm up to the beginning of the mix, sliding  “Viva Rock” into the stride position previously occupied by “Born This Way” and replacing the stride “Government Hooker” with “Ringa Ringa”.

What went wrong? Two problems.

The first is that I still didnt like “Viva Rock” in my workout. It didn’t work out as a warm up so I thought it might as a stride due to its happy go lucky bounciness. I just wasnt feeling it. I felt like my body could never get into a good pace with the song while running which is never a good thing for a stride. I powered through it but at the end of the day, its possible “Viva Rock” just isnt meant for running.

The second and more important problem was mix length. This was actually my most productive run so far! It could be that it was my third one this week and my body is becoming more accustomed to it. I made the changes to this mix last minute and failed to look down at the length of the mix ahead of time. Currently I’ve been running 30 minutes and you’ll notice my first two mixes were approximately 32 minutes in length. I like to tack on a little space just in case. This mix clocked in at 28:21! If it had been a tiring day where I didnt feel like going the distance it wouldnt have been a problem. Instead, I had completed my usually distance at 25 minutes and was definitely ready for another stride to keep me going! Instead I was served a cool down and there went the end of my workout. Lesson: Know what you want ahead of time and plan for it. Now that I know my body is developing a bit for longer runs, I’ll either have to increase the length or increase the intensity. Either way this mix just didnt reach that standard.

How did the run actually go?

I started off with the Naruto villain theme music “Akatsuki”. This was an excellent warm up! The song has a full on chorus and lots of organ which are huge pluses in my get pumped to work out brain. The song also has a nice level build giving me enough time to get into the mood. The song keeps heaping on tension so that by the end of the two minutes youre ready to go. If the song has any weakness to take note of, it is definitely the length. This song being two minutes is probably what docked my overall time on my mix. Know yourself, if you need more than 2 minutes of warm up, you may want to tack this on the beginning of another warm up for some extra time.

“Viva Rock” once again disappointed as I mentioned above.

“Liberi Fatali” was just as excellent as ever as a burnout.

You may recognize “Ringa Ringa” from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. I find that the best strides have a consistent drum beat. This song is just 4 and half minutes of stride bliss. The slick tapping drums kept my body moving and the vocals kept my mind distracted and entranced the whole time keeping from thinking too deeply about my run. Thats a good thing.

“Americano” continues to provide a great mid-level warm up that brought me out of my stride to and even faster paced run.

I was starting to get tired but once again “The Decisive Battle” kept me racing for another 4 minutes!

“Blood Mary” rounded out my run with another encouraging stride. All I wanted to do was head into another burn out when it ended.

Unfortunately I went into “We Are the Champions“, my cool down. I definitely felt like a champion, I just wanted to go further.

So yes, another failed mix but its only by failing that we can learn to succeed! Thanks for continuing to read. I hope soon I’ll add enough songs and ideas that you can begin building your own mixes. Please comment, share, like and stay connected.

Song of the Day 08/08/12: Joe Hisaishi – Tatara Women’s Work Song

Joe Hisaishi is my favorite Japanese soundtrack composer.  Probably best known in the US for providing soundtracks to all of Hayao Miyazaki’s soundtracks.  This song comes from the movie Princess Mononoke.  It is an absolutely gorgeous piece of music.  The way the women’s voices blend together give me chills on every listen.  The drums and ambient music provide a calm backing theme.  Just beautiful.