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!
Category Archives: Alternative Rock
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: Oasis – F**kin’ 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!
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!
62. Anberlin – Cities
Anberlin is alternative rock sonic perfection. I can still remember the first time I heard the album after reading about it in a Christian music magazine. It seems a lot of the albums on this portion of my list are simply about rocking out and having fun. Lead singer Stephen Christian has this astral voice that kind of floats over the music. What sticks out about it the most is the way it NEVER stops. His voice constantly interlaces over itself in a way that can only be the result of production because the man never takes a breath. That doesn’t take anything away from the fun and the constant chorus of back up vocals adds variety. I love the flow of the album and the way the band sets out their tracks. There’s a very good blend of fast/ slow songs to keep you moving along on this musical ride. In fact, it is this ability to be both heavy rockers and beautiful harmonizing ballad makers that has helped me to fall deeply in love with Cities. Another fun fact and part of my love comes from the fact that I have no idea what the songs are about most of the time. Stephen Christian has stated that his first album was about Man Vs. The World, his second about Man Vs. Man and his third (Cities) is about Man Vs. Self. Two main factors contribute to clueless feeling I get towards the lyrics. The first is Stephen’s non stop singing style. Because of the way he connects his sentences, it is very hard to even figure out what words he’s saying. There are just wave after wave of words coming atyou. The second is his choice of words. He often uses words with tons of syllables that when yelled at you are almost impossible to make out. He also uses repeated phrases that sound convoluted and strange such as “I am the patron saint of lost causes.” A perfect example is on one of my favorites “Dismantle. Repair”, I still thought he was singing “This mental breakdown” for a long time when he is really singing the title of the song. Now, some people may take this as a criticism. I assure you it is not. It’s one of the things I love most about the album when you sit down to talk about it with someone else and laugh about what you thought he was singing in a certain song. Yes, Im sure I could go look up the lyrics and sit with them and try to make sense of it all but it would defeat the purpose of a fun loving head banging album. I’m content to sing along at the top of my lungs, the lyrics I think he’s saying while a friend in the room sings something different.
What does it make me feel like?
I’m on the run with the love of my life in a futuristic city
What to listen for track by track
– The opening moments of Godspeed, no time is wasted getting down to business.
– The beautiful bridge of A Whisper and a Clamour
– I LOVE all the vocal harmonies in The Unwinding Cable Car!
– The “OH OH OH” part on There is no Mathematics to Love and Loss
– There’s a little part about a minute into Hello Again about a “coastal town?”
– I love the chorus of Alexithymia and the guitar solo really shines
– The verses of Reclusion
– Inevitable is absolutely perfect. “I wanna be your last, first kiss”
– Dismantle. Repair is amazing but that moment where he sings “Things are gonna change…”
– *fin… Wow! 8 minutes of experimental wonder. Amazing!
Example Track
Current Obsession 04/17/13: House of Heroes – In the Valley of the Dying Sun
This song has actually been highlighted as a song of the day in the past. To put it up again shows exactly how much I love this song. If I ever create a top 1000 songs of all time list or something similar, this song will be near the top. I can go on and on about why this song is amazing and I have done so in the past. Here, I’d just like to share a quick story about what makes this song truly amazing for me. “In the Valley of the Dying Sun” is a retelling of the story in the Bible where Jacob wrestles with an Angel( or God, the story is a little hazy). The song switches between Jacob and the Angel’s perspective as they discuss Jacob’s life and eventually wrestle. This morning I had to take a very important exam that determines whether or not Ill be able to transfer my pharmacist license to NY where I can be near to my fiance and plan our wedding. No pressure right? Im a very anxious person so naturally I was a mess on the way to this exam thinking about all the things that could go wrong. I was listening to a mix and this song came on.
When the Angel (God) says “I see your future, though you long for peace, the sword is your father,” it hit me like a ton of bricks. These waves of emotion just started coming out of thin air. All I could think of was how true this was for me. All I want is to live a peaceful life free of stress and anger and yet I’m constantly forced to go to battle against the pain of this world.
The first chorus sung by David then goes:
I’m thinking of you
I’m thinking of you when I kill a good man
To keep myself from being killed by him
I’m thinking of you
I’m thinking of you when I hold my girl
And wonder if she’ll ever love again
I’m thinking of you
Wash the blood off my hands
Once again all I could think of was how closely it was describing my heart. That while I do every action, be it violent or loving, my mind is always on my God and how he judges actions I take.
The Angel responds:
Bathed in the powder of a thousand guns
I am the king of sorrows
Watered by the tears of the innocent ones
As I sat with the lyrics in this new context of me and God, I was overwhelmed by that name. The King of Sorrows. It’s not a title I would readily apply to God but when you think about it, if he truly loves humanity as the Bible describes, a part of him must be in constant turmoil over the current state of humanity. All this emotion just kept bottling up inside me. You know that feeling where you realize you’re about to cry?
The second chorus changes up the words slightly to reflect God singing the same thoughts back towards David
‘I’m thinking of you
I’m thinking of you when you kill a good man
To keep yourself from being killed by him
I’m thinking of you
I’m thinking of you when you hold your girl
And wonder if she’ll ever love again
I’m thinking of you
Wash the blood off your hands
Something about that. Something about God singing back how much he was thinking about me at the same exact times I was thinking about him… I burst into tears. This is while I’m driving on the highway by the way. Not good. But in the moment… I felt like all the stress and pain and pressure I’d been holding in over the past year came pouring out in those tears.
Next:
I howled at the moon like a wolf in the night
You want to finish it
We’re gonna finish it right
And then I felt it with a chill up my spine
There are no words to use that truly describe
The glory of the angel or the terror in me
Tonight will be my ending or tonight my new beginning
This became my inspiration for the exam. Whatever may happen, today will decide what happens to me next.
But more importantly:
All through the night
I wrestled the angel
To undo the curse
That’s burdened me all of my life
And for the first time I could see
That God was not my enemy
Definitely my favorite section of the song musically and lyrically even before today. I never get tired of hearing the words “God was not my enemy”. Its so easy in the stress of life to start thinking the world is against you, and if you become bitter enough, that God doesnt want your life to be happy or better. Just hearing that extra “I’m thinking of you” is so freeing.
And the song ends with:
Like pieces of the sun
Our light burns on and on and on
Like stars in the night sky we shine
I’m living to shine on
All I could think of was the fact that pass or fail this exam, my light would burn on and on. I’m not living to be a pharmacist or a husband or a friend. Im living to shine for God. Everything else will fall into place when it will.
I just want to share that story because it brought me hope today. I dont know if I passed my exam or where I’m going to end up in the future but I do know that God is thinking of me and Im thinking of him too.
Why do I always end up telling stories about me crying on this site?
Song of the Day 12/13/12: Midnight Oil – Short Memory
My parents are watching Lost. Of course Lost always puts me in the mood for all things Australian so here’s another gem from the excellent politically charged ’80s rock/metal band Midnight Oil. My family has had an obsession with the band ever since my dad bought their best album, probably like 15 years ago. “Short Memory” is still one of my favorites. All the little guitar hooks get me every time. Fun fact, Midnight Oil is also the first concert I ever attended!
So… I’m going to post this message on every post for the next couple days. I got way behind due to being on vacation, work, and christmas shopping. I’m planning to post a ton of stuff now so I want to encourage you to check back and take a look at all the songs since Ill probably be posting at least 10 songs of the day in a two day period. Thanks for continuing to like, comment and share my little works.
Song of the Day 03/12/11: House of Heroes – God Save the Foolish Kings
YES! More House of Heroes! lol. This one comes from their new album, which is a much more playful fun album. Id say this song is a combination of High School Musical, West Side Story, Green Day and The Protomen. I know right??? Thats insane! And Awesome! And… playful. Yeah i really like it and I’m sure you will too.
Song of the Day 11/27/12: House of Heroes – A Man Who’s Not Afraid
House of Heroes a capella! Golden. This is the opening track off of Cold Hard Want. My only complaint is that it isn’t longer. I just wish more bands would utilize the falsetto vocal range while also not trying to be over the top or dramatic.
Song of the Day 11/10/12: Anberlin – Self-Starter
Anberlin released a new album last month! They still haven’t released an album I adore as much at Cities but Vital definitely attempts to take the crown. I will say this, the album is definitely their heaviest. “Self-Starter” is the opening track and also my favorite at the moment thanks to that part where he sings along to the guitar part. Im a huge sucker for that sort of thing. If youre a fan of the bands older material or you like this song, I’d encourage you to check out the rest of the album.
Song of the Day 10/30/12: Anberlin – Alexithymia
My girlfriend is in town an extra week! This is due to the terrible Sandy. I hope everyone on the east coast is ok! My love goes out to all of you. I was listening to this the other day with Elaine and we we’re laughing about how we have no idea what most Anberlin songs are about. The name alone. Just no idea. Still, it does sound very nice! Plus this album graces my top 100 of all time. That guitar solo always makes me smile too.
Song of the Day 03/04/11: House of Heroes – Codename:Raven
I warned of more House of Heroes. Love the progression of this song and the chanting. Oh and its about a french saboteur fighting the nazis! One interesting fact about the album is that all the recorded vocal harmonies were recorded at the same time, in the style of the 60’s which means they had to take much longer to record the album but it provides a very unique sound to the harmonies. Once again, the band is kind enough to give us a behind the song:
Song of the Day 03/02/11: Anberlin – Pray Tell
If you havnt heard of Anberlin, theyre an awesome christian membered post punk band with an Album called Cities that is pitch perfectly awesome with some really cool vocals. The funniest thing about them is its often impossible to understand all of the lyrics and my siblings and I like to joke about the fact that we sing along to his voice without really knowing what hes saying. I wasnt a big fan of their album after Cities but ive picked up their 2010 effort and its been a wonderful guilty pleasure. As i said earlier, the vocals are where its at and Stephen Christians voice is just totally amazing, though I DOUBT he can actually sing his songs in concert. lol. Still, Pray Tell has all the things that make Anberlin great so feel free to sing along even if you dont really know what hes singing about( although in this particular song it is easier to understand him.)
Song of the Day 10/27/12: Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra – Grown Man Cry
YES! More Amanda! Did you get the album yet? “Grown Man Cry” was originally one of my least favorite tracks on the album. At the moment, it is the one I listen to the most! Subtle songs on an album full of crashing epics often get overlooked but Ive finally rested on this gem. There are so many amazing little sounds going on in the background of the song adding depth. But lets be honest, the best moment is at exactly 3:21 – 3:41. I am someone who gets fixated on a very small portion of a song and falls head over heels obsessed with it. Something about that little guitar solo keeps me coming back to this song over and over.
Song of the Day 02/28/11: House of Heroes – By Your Side
So, I’m gonna be honest, if you get some House of Heroes music, you can probably pay less attention to my songs of the day for a bit because a lot of House will show up though ill try to cut it down. Ive just been listening to them a lot lately. By Your Side is a lot more chill than In the Valley of the Dying Sun although it does still have some awesome falsetto. This song is about Canadian Soldiers storming the beaches during WW II (most of the songs on the album deal with WWII theme) and how the brothers in arms gather around one of theirs whos dying and encourage him that death is not the end and they’ll be together in heaven. Its truly beautiful. Once again, ill let House of Heroes explain it for themselves:
Song of the Day 02/24/11: House of Heroes – In The Valley of The Dying Son
House of Heroes is my new obsession. Ive acquired about 40 new artists in the last week but i listen to house of heroes about 90% of the time. In the Valley of The Dying Sun, is one EPIC 5 minute song. Its hard to say exactly who they remind me of since you can see their influences are from different places, but energy wise, they remind me most of Panic, in the best of ways. So yeah, i could describe what the song is about, basically the ability to change the path youre on, even if its one you believe youre cursed with, but the band put up a cool video explanation so im posting that. 
doctorizmusicremedies 