Wicked Playlist - Music Blog

I am not going to judge Michael Jackson on what he may or may not have done. I am just going to remember him for his musical body of work. I was in 5th grade when I got Thriller and it was amazing. Thriller stands alone and does not need nor does it fit in with other music at the time. If you think Thriller was a specific genre, that is because so many other people wanted to sound like Thriller.

Even today, you can go almost anywhere in the world and hundreds of thousands of people will turn out to catch a glimpse of Michael Jackson. His body has passed on but he will never die. The best of Michael Jackson will always be here in Thriller.

Michael Jackson’s Thriller Video

I love having some drinks with my friends and listening to Jimmy Buffett. I have been to countless Jimmy Buffett concerts and I even sport a Jimmy Buffett tattoo to display my fealty. I know that doesn’t seem to have much to do with the Zac Brown Band, but the point is pretty simple. When someone asks me to explain Zac Brown Band, I say, “imagine Jimmy Buffett if he had talent”.

Zac Brown Band’s The Foundation is for lack of a better description, the CD I want to hear every Friday at 5 o’clock. It brings a smile to my face, a happiness to my heart, and a song to my lips. It is one of those rare yet unmistakable CD’s that will never leave you and will always show you something new.

The first song I heard from The Foundation was “Chicken Fried”. I have to admit, I heard it briefly in passing a couple of times and kinda blew it off. It hit too many of the usual country song stereotypes so I didn’t pay it much attention. Then I had the chance to actually sit down and listen to “Chicken Fried”. From there I started reading about Zac Brown Band and from there I found an amazing southern country band.

Born the 11th of 12 kids, Zac Brown cut his musical teeth playing everything from bars to parking lots around Georgia. Wait, parking lots you say? One of the defining attributes of Zac Brown Band is their actual musical ability. The Zac Brown Band can stand around a parking lot jamming and sound better than many of the produced studio albums you will hear on the radio today. As proof I offer up Zac Brown Band playing “Can The Circle Be Unbroken (by and by) live in a gas station parking lot.

Picking the best song from The Foundation is like playing darts with a shotgun. You are gonna win. “Toes” and “Where The Boat Leaves From” reminds me of that one vacation a year that makes everything in the real world seem alright. Then you can go back to work when Monday rolls around.

Concrete and cars are there own prison bars like this life I’m living in
But the plane brought me farther.
I’m surrounded by water
And I’m not going back again

“Chicken Fried” has certainly had the most radio airtime and really showcases some of the southern rights of passage we come to expect from our southern country/rock. As fun and catchy as “Chicken Fried” is, there are also some very moving heartfelt songs on The Foundation. The heartbreaking story of divorce and children in “Highway 20 Ride” and the visions of freedom and love in “Free” really showcase Zac Brown’s talented writing ability. The Foundation reall is an album full of excellent songs and each song masterfully paints a picture.

Check out The Foundation and I think you might be pleasantly surprised. I know I was.

Listen to Zac Brown Band’s The Foundation

It was pretty easy to get my attention with a soundtrack containing Maynard James Keenan, Puscifer, Danny Lohner aka Renholder, The Cure, Deftones, AFI, Perry Farrell, and William Control. I mean seriously, when you have The Cure’s “Underneath The Stars” featuring Maynard and being remixed by Renholder, that has to be worth the price of admission. That lineup also means the CD has to be smokin because ok just will not do.


The first track out of the gate is “Lighten Up Francis” by Puscifer (JLE Dub Mix) and I would be lying if I didn’t mention the first half of the song made me think of Maynard sitting in his basement with a wine buzz playing with his synthesizer. That isn’t a knock on the song either. You will just have to hear it to see what I mean. Next up is an amazing remix of The Cure’s “Underneath The Stars”. Renholder took an ok song and made it fantastic by focusing more on Smith’s voice and less on the jam.

The middle tracks on Underworld: Rise of the Lycans are anchored by another excellent song from William Control and the albums second song by the one and only Davey Havok. The second one with Havok’s side project Blaqk Audio. Both are strong songs that make you want to keep listening. You can see the official video for Deathclub on youtube.

It would be easy at this point to expect a let down with so many kickass songs already on this cd. To make sure that isn’t the case, I give you two of my favorite tracks from the cd. Drop Dead, Gorgeous wins lyric of the night with “If I see you again and this gun is loaded, you’ll sleep in hell” from the song “Two Birds, One Stone”.

love is what i lost
we had a connection
This feeling has gone too far
and killed two birds with one stone
a terrible love song
you sang it so sweet

and if i ever see you again
and this gun is loaded
you’ll sleep in hell
you’ll sleep in hell
-Drop Dead, Gorgeous

Not too be outdone and immediately following is King Black Acid with a chorus that absolutely makes the song “Let’s Burn”.

And all those girls
they want those boys
with the stars in their eyes
they dance so close to the fire
it burns like a white hot light
-King Black Acid

I had high hopes for this soundtrack going in, but even I am surprised how good it is. This CD is loaded with smokin songs from start to finish including 4 tracks that all have to share the “Repeat This Track” button. If the movie is even remotely close to being as good as the soundtrack, it is gonna be a hit. Check it out and leave your own feedback in the comment section.

Listen to Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Kings of Leon new CD Only by the Night is one of two new upcoming reviews that found its way to this music blog despite our best efforts. I was cruising along one day when a friend sent me a link and told me I needed to listen to a Kings of Leon play list she had created. I fired it up in Rhapsody and immediately recognized them but at the same time realized I had heard them but for one reason or another they hadn’t clicked with me. Then the song “Closer” came on and I suddenly found myself hitting the play it again button.

The Kings of Leon is a four member band, containing three brothers and a cousin, from Nashville, Tennessee. They have been around since 2003 and Only by the Night is their fourth album. Oddly enough, this band from Nashville did better in the UK than in the states. Only by the Night was the UK’s 3rd best selling CD of 2008.

Leading the charge from Only by the Night is the single “Sex on Fire”. While not one of lead man Caleb Followill’s favorite tracks from the CD, it still shows off his powerful and exotic rock vocals. The darker and much more sinister “Closer” paints a Vampire picture just before Vampires became popular again.

Overall, Kings of Leon CD Only by the Night is a good listen. It is one more brick in the wall of bringing rock music back to the radio.

Ok, the latest marketing exec to hit a musical homerun is the one that paired the new Max Payne trailer with Marilyn Manson’s “If I was your Vampire”.  The song fits perfectly with the dark world of Max Payne.  The scene in the trailer where the Valkrie pulls the guy out of the window is cool enough to make me want to see this movie.

The trailers on Youtube have had the vocals removed (they are still in some of the TV commercials) and that is a shame because it takes away some of the effectiveness of the song.  Here are the lyrics for Manson’s “If I Was Your Vampire”.

6 a.m. Christmas morning.
No shadows,
No reflections here.
Lying cheek to cheek
In your cold embrace.

So soft and so tragic
As a slaughterhouse.
You press the knife
Against your heart.
And say,
“I love you, so much you must kill me now.”

I love you
So much
You must kill me now.

If I was your vampire,
Certain as the moon,
Instead of killing time,
We’ll have each other
Until the sun.
If I was your vampire,
Death waits for no one.
Hold my hands
Across your face,
Because I think
Our time has come.

Digging your smile apart
With my spade tongue.
The hole is where the heart is.
We built this tomb together,
And I won’t fill it alone.
Beyond the pale
Everything is black
No turning back.

If I was your vampire,
Certain as the moon,
Instead of killing time,
We’ll have each other
Until the sun.
If I was your vampire,
Death waits for no one.
Hold my hands
Across your face,
Because I think
Our time has come.

Blood-stained sheets
In the shape of your heart,
This is where it starts…
Blood-stained sheets
In the shape of your heart,
This is where it starts.
This is where it will end.
Here comes the moon again.

6:19 and I know I’m ready
Drive me off the mountain.
You’ll burn,
I’ll eat your ashes.
The impossible wheels seducing
Our corpse.

If I was your vampire,
Certain as the moon,
Instead of killing time,
We’ll have each other
Until the sun.
If I was your vampire,
Death waits for no one.
Hold my hands
Across your face,
Because I think
Our time has come.

Beyond the pale
Everything is black
No turning back.
Beyond the pale
Everything is black
No turning back.

This is where it starts.
This is where it will end.
Here comes the moon again.

This is where it starts.
This is where it will end.
Here comes the moon again.

Here comes the moon again

Here comes the moon again