The Force of Dragons

It's been a little a while since I've written a blog, just been really busy with work and real life and BS like that... I apologize. I know you were all biting your nails, wondering which band I would tell you about next... AND THAT BAND IS...... DragonForce?? 
    DragonForce is a bit different from the type of band you normally see "E" and I writing about... but I felt compelled to write since their upcoming album is set to be released this Sunday, April 15th.
    For those who don't know, DragonForce is a British power metal band that's been around for over ten years and has released four studio albums, the fifth coming this weekend.
    They're most well known for their over-the-top lyrical style, ridiculously fast guitar riffs and solos, absurd double-bass, and mind bending keyboard/keytar. Basically, they're an epic power metal band.

Herman Li

    The thing about DragonForce that I love is their guitar players. Herman Li and Sam Totman are the bands two incredible guitarists. These guys are absolutely amazing!! The amount of technique and skill it takes to play their music, at the speed at which they play it is out of control. Li has won numerous guitar awards and is considered by many to be one of the fastest guitar players in the world. It's really pretty ridiculous.
    I had some friends in HS that were absolutely in love with DF and they really got me into them. Their music isn't for everyone, but I think most people will get a kick out of hearing the music and how fantastic the lyrics are. You may have even heard a song of theirs on RockBand.
    For this fifth studio album, "The Power Within," the band has made some changes to their lineup. They've replaced their lead singer ZP Theart with Mark Hudson. Now, I really loved ZP. He has an amazing voice and the perfect singing range to be the quintessential power metal singer. So he is definitely missed.... but their new singer brings a refreshing style to the music without losing the sound that made DF a power house in the metal world.
    They released the single "Cry Thunder" prior to releasing the album and I was very impressed with it. I think shows how mature the band has become since their earlier days and has made me pretty excited for the album. For anyone who ever said they could only pull off songs that were crazy fast, and all sound the same... well this new album seems like it will be quite the departure from what we're used to. I'll post the video below so you can check it out. Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!


-A

I Don't Know If You're Looking For Romance Or...Don't Know What You're Looking For

The year was 2006. I was a senior in high school and beyond excited for graduation and what the world had to offer me. It was this same year that I heard of a little band on Myspace from England that was making waves. This band was none other than the Arctic Monkeys! Almost everyone at some point or another heard their hit song "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor." I was instantly hooked and had to see them live. I did...three times! I cannot say enough about this band and can't really put into words why they have remained, since 2006, one of my top three favorite bands out there...but I'll try.

Lets start with the music. It's amazing They take everything I love about rock n roll, and more specifically British rock n roll, and play it with their hearts on their sleeves. No one has ever accused the Monkeys of being bland and no one ever will and it is because of the raw energy and emotion they play with. I'm no music expert but I do know that when something gets me jumping around by myself in my room that it's pretty damn good! What makes this one of the best bands out there in my opinion are the lyrics penned by lead singer Alex Turner. He has grown so much in only a few years as a songwriter and has a knack for writing extremely catchy songs. What I love about him the most however are the ideals he reminds me of. It is far too easy in this cynical and bitter world to forget about all the things you were so excited for in high school.

One of the biggest ideals is that of love. Alex Turner is in my opinion one of the best poets on the subject in quite some time. He has a way of making me remember all of the crushes I had as a kid and the ideals I once had before being toughened up by a dog eat dog world. The Monkeys remind me that I once had a plan and that it isn't too late to get back on track. I miss the days when having a good time with my friends and crushing on girls was all that was important and that is why their first album Whatever People Say I Am, I Am Not meant so much to me. 

Over the past 6-7 years they have since released Favorite Worst Nightmare, Humbug and Suck It and See. The latest album to me is the best one they have written as it ends on an epic note with "That's Where You're Wrong" where Alex sings : 

All the old flames fastened on
Make a wish that weighs a ton
There are no handles that you can hold
And no understanding where it goes

She looks as if she's blowing a kiss at me
And suddenly the sky is a scissor
Sitting on the floor with a tambourine
Crushing up a bundle of love
Don't take it so personally
You're not the only one
That time's got it in for honey
That's where you're wrong

I think these words just speak to the unpredictability of love and the fact there really are no guarantees in life other than we are all growing older and learning as we go along.

I will leave you with my top ten Arctic Monkeys songs that you MUST hear if you wanna get into them and a music video for their newest single "R U Mine?"

Top 10 Arctic Monkeys Songs
10. Crying Lightning
  9. I Bet You Look Good On the Dance Floor
  8. She's Thunderstorms
  7. Fake Tales Of San Francisco
  6. Mardy Bum
  5. When The Sun Goes Down
  4. Suck It and See
  3. Florescent Adolescent
  2. That's Where You're Wrong
  1. Certain Romance

Hope you enjoyed reading and if you haven't ever really gotten into this band hopefully you'll give em a shot soon! Comments are always welcomed!

-E

The Most Challenging Top 10 of Our Lives

Anyone that knows us (E & A) well enough, know that our friendship really kicked off when we found out we had the same favorite band. There are so many bands that we love and listen to regularly, but
we can always come back to this band, listen to any record, and remember why they're our favorite.

    I'm talking about Death Cab for Cutie. Some of you might be asking yourself, "Aaron, Death Cab for Cutie? But they're so.. so..... emo." Well to that, I say SHUT UP! They are FAR more than just an "emo" band. In fact, I wouldn't even categorize them as "emo." Their music runs the gamete of emotional context and meaning, and they're simply amazing. But I digress and without further adieu...

 "Passing_Through_Unconscious_States Presents; Our Top 10 Death Cab for Cutie Songs You Should Know."


 Aaron's Picks (in no particular order... gimme a break. It was hard enough narrowing it down to 10):
       10. Cath...; Narrow Stairs
        9. Brothers on a Hotel Bed; Plans
        8. Transatlanticism; Transatlanticism
        7. A Movie Script Ending; The Photo Album
        6. What Sarah Said; Plans
        5. Bend to Squares; Something About Airplanes
        4. The New Year; Transatlanticism
        3. Marching Bands of Manhattan; Plans
        2. Tiny Vessels; Transatlanticism
      *1. A Lack of Color; Transatlanticism

*This is actually my favorite Death Cab song. I can comfortably say that.


Ok so here is our other list, by me, Elliot. Aaron surprised the crap out of me at 11:30 pm with a text asking me to type a list of my top 10 DCFC songs, no big deal right? WRONG! Very big deal. As he wrote in the intro this is our favorite band. I have to admit to wanting to throw my computer across my room at least 10 times out of frustration caused by not being able to hammer out this list. I just couldn't do it. This band has shaped me as a person and has meant so much to me over the years that an undertaking of this sort seemed impossible. I mean this is THE band, they were my first concert as a 16 year old, they opened my eyes to a completely different scene...they basically popped my music cherry in  every imaginable way (sorry for the vulgarity). I finally decided to stop stressing so much and just write the first 10 that came to my head...and these are them....


Elliot's Picks:
       10. Photobooth; Forbidden Love EP
        9. You Are A Tourist; Codes and Keys
        8. The New Year; Transatlanticism
        7.  Why You'd Want To Live Here; The Photo Album
        6. A Movie Script Ending; The Photo Album
        5. I Will Follow You Into the Dark; Plans
        4. Cath...; Narrow Stairs
        3. Title and Registration; Transatlanticism
        2. Tiny Vessels; Transatlanticism
        1. Transatlanticism; Transatlanticism

...after jotting these 10 down i realized that "hey these really are my top 10 picks!" In all honesty the albums The Photo Album, Transatlanticism and Plans are hands down my favorite albums ever by any band out there so I feel terrible for leaving any of those songs off my list. I would go into detail about why those 10 songs are the ones that stand out the most to me but that would end up being the worlds longest blog and I wouldn't do that to you. I leave you with my favorite music video of theirs and it adds to why number 3 is on my list.

Hope you enjoyed the lists, comment and let us know what you think/your favorite Death Cab songs!!!

-A
-E

The Dear Hunter

I first saw this band in 2007 when they opened for Circa Survive at The Mayan in LA. I had never heard them before that night, but I couldn't put down their album after I bought it at their merch table after the show. They put on an incredible performance! To this day, probably one of the best small venue shows that I've ever seen.

I think what sets The Dear Hunter apart, for me, is their use of instrumentals in their music. I would definitely call them Indie Rock, but they also push the boundaries of Progressive Rock, always impressing me with their use of strings, percussion instruments, a variety of keyboard melodies, and their use of texture in the music. There's a lot going on in their songs, it's not just drums, guitar, bass, and singing... there's so many layers and components that go into the songs, it's pretty impressive actually. They have also a somewhat "bluesy" sound at times, which I love, changing tempo and rhythm in their bridge verses that always keep you guessing.
   To date, they have 4 studio length albums. The first three, Acts I-III, are all part of a six album story line that follows the life of "The Dear Hunter," the main character of the story. The craziest part is that if you really pay attention to the albums, the songs, and the lyrics, there really is a developing story line. It's like an epic musical theater production, without the annoying dancing and spirit fingers. The albums could be a made-for-TV-movie.... they have everything from death, to hookers, to war, and it's only half way through the story line!
   Their most recent album, The Color Spectrum, is another project that consists nine EP's, each one a different color. The band decided to take a break from Acts I-VI, but I'm not complaining. This album is just as good as the Acts, and lets you see a different side of their song writing.
    Lead singer and writer, Casey Crescenzo writes most of the material and has an incredible voice. By just looking at the guy you would never know he sings as well as he does. He writes with incredible imagination and has a great ear for vocal melodies. He's also got a very "indie" voice and way of singing, but I love his style and vocally, he's freaking awesome.

"Now if you were in bloom I'd pluck your petals clean. Although it won't seem so, I can promise you my ego's running me. Then I'd be called, you were the only one that didn't fold. But I just broke right down for you in an attempt to gain control."

These guys are still not very well known, even after touring with Circa and playing Coachella. They just toured with Anthony Green (lead singer of Circa Survive) and are always playing shows and working on new material. Definitely check these guys out! My favorite album of theirs is Act II: The Meaning Of, And All Things Regarding Ms. Leading. Check it out! I'm listening to it while writing this blog, and it's freaking remarkable! Do yourself a favor and listen to the song below. I think it's a great representation of the band, in just one track. You hear a lot of the diversity that I love, and his vocals are just impeccable. The intro might be a little jarring, but in context with the album it fits perfectly and the vocal track, about 30 seconds in, is out of this world.

I know what you're thinking..WOW... Check out the rest of this album, and the whole story line. You won't be dissapointed. Leave some comments and let me know what what YOU think of The Dear Hunter.

-A

Viagra for my soul

I don't care one bit if the headline makes sense or not, it's how I feel about this next band. Just the other day I casually asked a friend of mine if he had heard of any new bands recently that were really worthy of noting. He told me "listen to Of Monsters and Men they are the next big thing." Boy was he right! Within 60 seconds I was hooked and purchasing their EP.

I was stunned that this band was from Iceland too! Call me ignorant, call me crazy, call me an American  but I haven't seen anything this epic come out of Iceland since the Olympic team that almost beat Coach Bombay and his Mighty Ducks. In all seriousness though it isn't often you get bands from there making it big in the States.

This band deserves every single bit of recognition they are starting to get and I honestly hope they are here to stay for a long long time. They draw comparisons to so many different bands I've heard through out my life yet sound so fresh and so new. They are one of the purest bands I've heard in quite some time.

Their style can best be described as 1/3 Mumford and Sons, 1/3 Arcade Fire and 1/3 Ska. When you put all three of those together along with VERY catchy hooks in all of their songs you get this amazing feeling bubbling up inside you that can really only be subdued by humming along.

Their first album My Head Is an Animal is set to be released in the States soon  and I cannot wait. If it is anything like the EP we are all in for quite the treat. Please please please give this band a listen if you haven't heard of them yet. I apologize in advance for you having to walk around all day tomorrow singing this in your head.

Hope you enjoyed that! Let us know what you think in the comments section and check back soon for another very exciting new band!!!

-E

More Scottish goodness!

So, in keeping with this week's theme of bands from the northern most part of the UK, I present, Frightened Rabbit. 

My brother showed me this band after he had seen them open for Death Cab for Cutie this past summer, and from there, my love for them has only grown. Formed back in 2003, the band was only made up of lead singer and guitar player, Scott Hutchison at that time. It wasn't until 2005 that they had an actual three-piece band, which has since grown to five members. And for now it seems like that's where they'll keep it.

Taken by: William Haun

Very similar to We Were Promised Jetpacks (see our other post), Frightened Rabbit brings another awesome Indie voice to the music scene, along with BADASS Scottish accents. They've released three, full length studio albums and are said to be working on another which will hopefully be out later this year. I love this band's sound! They use a lot of reverb and echo in many of there songs which gives them this HUGE sound. From their drummer to the keyboard player, everything plays so well together. A lot of good bands never become great through, an amazing singer is hard to find. But they have one! That's why they're great! The tone in his voice is perfect, and he sings fantastic melodies on top of the already music. I think it'd be pretty hard not to enjoy his voice and the music. They have a very mature sound for an Indie Rock band. They understand the benefits of using musical texture and layering, and you can tell they put a lot of time into putting everything together.

Their two, latest albums would definitely be my favorite. The Midnight Organ Fight and The Winter of Mixed Drinks both have amazing singles, and are very listener friendly albums... meaning, there isn't a bad song on them! Tracks like Modern Leper and Swim Until You Can't See Land prove that these guys can not only produce one album with amazing songs, but two, and probably a whole lot more. That's the great thing about having an insanely creative leader like Hutchison.

So there's only one thing left for you to do.... Check them out! What have you got to lose? I even made it easy for ya (click play).

See? They're freaking awesome! Let me know what you think with a comment.

Until next time,
-A

Can only promise you Scottish awesomeness, not jetpacks.

Let me just start this post with a story. I'd say about two years ago I went to a concert with two of my friends. The show was for Jimmy Eat World and they were one of my favorite bands at the time. I took to my seat on the balcony eagerly waiting for the opening band to come on so they could quickly finish and get the hell off the stage. Just then a quartet of guys with real heavy accents walked up to the beautiful Wiltern stage. The lead singer mumbled something and then they launched into a set that left me speechless. Jimmy Eat World came on after them and they were awesome as usual but I couldn't stop thinking about that opener. That opener was We Were Promised Jetpacks.

These guys play with such an energy that it is really hard to not be in awe of their presence. How this band hasn't blown up yet is really beyond me. They are currently building a pretty nice following here in the States but are already pretty well known in Europe. They are almost Scotland's answer to the British Arctic Monkeys. As fast as these guys play they are able to change tempo's in a song almost flawlessly and make it sound really natural. 

The band is made up of Adam Thompson (vocals, guitar), Michael Palmer (guitar), Sean Smith (bass) and Darren Lackie (drums). Their first full length album came out in 2009 and was titled These Four Walls and it was quite an impressive debut. The songs that will grab you by the you-know-whats are It's Thunder and it's Lightning, Quiet Little Voices and Roll Up Your Sleeves. They also slow it down with the beautifully atmospheric Keeping Warm which in 8 minutes delivers through out. Overall a very good album. Their second album In The Pit of the Stomach is just as good and a little bit more mature. Literally every single song is amazing and different. 

The second album was so good that I just had to see them again. I took a friend who had never really heard of them a few months ago and he was blown away. An hour after the show once we both regained our ability to hear properly his response was "one of the best shows i've ever seen in my life, top 3 for sure." More people need to know about this band as they surely are one of the best up-and-comers out there today. Give it a shot would ya!? It's awesome, I promise. 

Not bad for a couple Scottish lads, eh?

- E