Tracklist:
53. Factory 81 – Peace Officer
54. Scars on Broadway – They Say
55. Simon Sayz – Hey You
56. Sinisstar – Freak Of Nature
57. Sloth – Dead Generation
58. Sparta – Taking Back Control
59. Sprottenrock – Couchparty (German)
60. Stereomud – Sunlight
61. Strata – Piece By Piece
62. Superheist – Pulse
Download Vol. 5 here.
Previous volumes:
-Chad 2
Tracklist:
43. Ours – Sometimes
44. Darwin’s Waiting Room – Feel So Stupid
45. Pressure 4-5 – Melt Me Down
46. Double Drive – 1000 Yard Stare
47. Project 86 – The Spy Hunter
48. Dracma – Blanco Y Azul (Spanish)
49. Ra – I Believe
50. Dredg – Symbol Song
51. Reach 454 – New Scar
52. Revelation Theory – After the Rain
Download Vol. 4 here:
Previous volumes:
-Chad 2
Another round of BYSK!
Tracklist:
33. Memento – Nothing Sacred
34. Boy Hits Car – I’m A Cloud
35. Nevada Tan – Niemand Hoert Dich
36. Boysetsfire – High Wire Escape Artist
37. No One – Chemical
38. Breaking Point – Brother
39. One Minute Silence – Holy Man
40. Crossbreed – Machines
41. Oomph – Augen Auf
42. Dangerous New Machine – Burn
Download Vol. 3 here.
It is officially that time again. New music, new year. I’ve compiled an eclectic mix of rock, nu-metal, metal, alternative and any other genre you want to lump some of these acts in. Some of it you may hate, some of it you may love. Who knows? The point is, there is so much music out there that it would truly be a crime to chain yourself only to what is “popular” or “well known.” BYSK is an attempt to spread music that may otherwise have gone unheard.
If you like, or don’t like, Volume 2, please let me know in the comments. If you have any suggestions for bands you think I should check out, please let me know!
Volume 2 picks up right where Volume 1 left off:
Tracklist:
21. Dry Kill Logic – Kingdom of the Blind
22. Finger 11 – Drag You Down
23. Five Bolt Main – Pathetic
24. Flaw – Only the Strong
25. From Zero – Check Ya
26. Full Devil Jacket – Fastblack
27. Guilt By Association – Sleep
28. Ancient of Days – Innocence
29. Ill Nino – Have You Ever Felt
30. Ben Moody – The End Has Come
31. Instruction – Breakdown
32. Blindside – Pitiful
Click here to download Volume 2.
And, because I love you all so much, I have re-uploaded Vol. 1. You can find it here.
I claim no ownership of these songs. I am only sharing these mp3s in order to garner support for these bands. If you like the music, please buy the CD or MP3s.
Enjoy!
-Chad 2
All too often great bands go unnoticed. Sometimes they are from another country. Sometimes they are simply too small to get much attention. I pride myself on tracking down every band I can possibly find as you can never have too much music. Lately, I’ve noticed people posting (sometimes pretentiously) music on Facebook. I wanted to create a sampler to showcase some of the best artists I’ve run across on my explorations into aural pleasure. With that said, please enjoy my first volume of Bands You Should Know.
Tracklist:
01. 8Stops7 – Regression
02. Amplexus – End of An Era
03. Deepfield – Into the Flood
04. Drop To Zero – Silver Streets
05. Egypt Central – You Make Me Sick
06. Element Eighty – Parachute
07. Geist – Wer Wenn Nicht Ich
08. Kamikato – Irgendwann
09. Karnivool – All I Know
10. Kidney Thieves – Black Bullet
11. King Mungi – Languish
12. Onesidezero – Instead Laugh
13. Orkest – #
14. Pete – Sweet Daze
15. Project 86 – Cement Shoes
16. Pulse Ultra – Big Brother
17. Spineshank – Smothered
18. Spiritfall – My Reason
19. Spoken – Fall Further
20. The Butterfly Effect – Slow Descent
I claim no ownership of these songs. I am only sharing these mp3s in order to garner support for these bands. If you like the music, please buy the CD or MP3s.
Download link
(note: link only active until November 16th)
-Chad 2
Couple administrative points….I’m starting a new section called Aural Pleasure to quickly point out some bands I think everyone should give a listen to. Also, I have taken a second job and between it, my regular job and working on my second book, my ability to update this blog has gone from sporadic to virtually non-existent. I will endeavor to get back to normal when my second job ends. Please bear with me!
I’m not sure where I stumbled upon Onesidezero. I know years ago, back in the days of Supernova (a music torrent site) I downloaded anything that I thought might remotely interest me. That is how I stumbled on greats such as Karnivool and Superheist. Anyway, I had the song “Instead Laugh” on my iTunes for years before seeing the band on HBO’s amazing (and ill-fated) music showcase Reverb. I was intrigued by their three-song set and downloaded the rest of their catalog (all 12 songs) and became infatuated.
Though the band was formed out of LA in 1997 and toured alongside the likes of Incubus, 311, Sevendust and Linkin Park, OSZ has fallen into relative obscurity. Though the band reformed in late 2007 to release a second album, I wasn’t exactly impressed with the result. It felt as though they came back to spit out something simply for a paycheck. According to their Facebook page, the group is currently writing material for their third studio album. I hope we’ll see a return to what made them great in the first place.
Their first CD, in its entirety, is definitely worth purchasing, or at least giving a listen.
-Chad 2
Some of you may know that I am a huge Project 86 fan. Way back in 1998, the first concert I ever saw was Project 86, POD and Blindside in Columbus, Ohio. Ever since then, I’ve been hooked to their amazing sound and lyrics. With a Breaking Benjamin concert coming up tomorrow (Thursday), I was worried about going to the P86 show in Akron, Ohio. However, I’m glad I did.
Promising a set full of “tunes we haven’t played in years and some we haven’t EVER played live,” Project 86 put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Packed into a tiny bar/cafe called Musica, I managed to work my way to the front of the crowd and ended up right in front of the stage.
It is hard to put into words exactly what the concert was like. P86 rocked out their set, delivering a brutal hour long set of songs that spanned almost their entire 7-album career (bar any songs from their first album, unfortunately). In fact, the band only played three songs from the new CD, Picket Fence Cartel.
The highlight of my night was “Chimes.” I’ve often daydreamed of Andrew Schwab (lead singer of P86) yelling out to the crowd for a suggestion on what song to play. In that daydream, I always imagined yelling at “Chimes” or “When Darkness Reigns,” neither of which, to the best of my knowledge, had ever been played live. Andrew must have read my mind because I got to experience (and video) “Chimes live. It was orgasmic.
I drank beers with Drew Carey. I hung out with KoRn backstage. I’m not someone that gushes when they meet celebrities. However, I get that way around Andrew and Project 86. I know, to most of you, he isn’t anything to write home about. However, he is one of my heroes. And, no, I don’t care how cliché that just sounded. I guess this whole thing really wasn’t a review, but more of me saying “OHMYGODIFREAKINGLOVEPROJECT86,” but thats okay. Maybe my passion for their music will inspire someone to check them out!
SET LIST from Musica, Akron, OH
3/16/2010
SMC
The Butcher
Sincerely, Ichabod
Safe Haven
Oblivion
Me Against Me
One-Armed Man (Play On)
Destroyer
Chimes
Dark Angel Dragnet
Last Meal
Evil (A Chorus of Resistance)
PS
Spy Hunter
-Chad 2
Karnivool
Sound Awake
Release Date: June 5, 2009
I first came across Karnivool when I was searching for Australian rock bands (don’t ask) to listen to. After discovering their first album, Themata, on Amazon, I become enthralled with them. Though listed as an alternative/progressive band, I find it hard to really classify this five-piece after the release of Sound Awake. They have progressed so much since their freshman album, especially in the realm of production quality. Though it clocks in at just over an hour, Sound Awake is very well put together. Good production is often overlooked by the masses and can make a good band great or a mediocre band awful.
The entire band has grown as a whole, from Ian Kenny’s vocals to Drew Goddard’s exceptional guitar work. The soundscape Karnivool creates is incredible. With Sound Awake, it took me a few listens to really get into the album, but once I did I couldn’t stop playing the tracks. Over and over and over again. “All I Know” and “New Day” are near perfect renditions that will cause you to forget they clock in at a staggering 14 minutes combined.
The only thing missing in Sound Awake is the tension and build up from Themata. Both albums have succeeded in constructing an environment of music around the listener, but only Themata was able to add that extra pinch of emotion to put it over the top. Don’t get me wrong, Sound Awake drops your ears into something they’ll never thank you enough for, just not a perfect as it could be.
-Chad 2
Dredg
The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
Release Date: June 9, 2009
The first thing you’ll realize about Dredg is the pure and unadulterated talent of vocalist Gavin Hayes. Formed in 1993, Hayes and company have flown under the corporate radar as they released four albums that crush anything else I’ve heard up to this point. As with their previous releases, Dredg once again manages to combine an aggressive sound with visceral, thoughtful lyrics and beautiful musicianship.
I definitely wouldn’t use words such as “catchy” or “radio-friendly” with Dredg though I would wager that many people will walk away with that impression upon first listen. Dredg isn’t really a band you can listen to once and pick up all their subtleties. Dino Campanella plays his drums with quiet abandon. Often, his technique and expertise gets swallowed up by the twangy guitars and audible bass lines.
Some critics and fans have complained that Dredg didn’t seek to think outside of the proverbial box with this release as they once did with their second studio album, El Cielo. I believe the band is simply pushing forward and maturing as a group. When not producing instrumentals that sound as though they’d be more at home in a Tim Burton film, Dredg proves to fan and casual listener alike that they truly love making music. And in that love they illustrate their profound ability to produce music. The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion is one of the few albums I’ve ever listened to that managed to engulf me completely and utterly. You owe it to yourself to buy this album.
-Chad 2
