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The 2008 YECA: Attack of the Ambition (Top 10 MVs + ??)
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Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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Attack of the Ambition: Top 80 Songs (50-46)
We're in the top 50, and I'm running on fumes, personally, so let's just get right to it!
Believe it or not, this is one of the most grinding and hard songs on this year's list. Richard Patrick's vocals in this song are among the best on Filter's Anthems for the Damned album, but it's the music that really stands out on this song, a song that immediately starts off with a fierce riff and is joined by machine gun-like drums. There is a nice little slowdown area for a period before jumping right back into the madness, so, if you need to catch your breath, you better do it there.
YouTube Link: "The Take (sorry, only a live version this time)"
This song is better than "Crazy". This song is better than the "Gone Daddy Gone" cover. Hell, it's even better than "Smiley Faces". So, tell me again why "Going On" was not a hit. Yeah, it debuted on the Hot 100, but was it nearly as big of a hit as "Crazy" was? Of course not. And, to be honest, it's a little depressing to know that we live in a world where a song as great, as catchy, and as single worthy as "Going On" is can barely make a blip on the radar nowadays. You know who to thank for this.
YouTube Link: "Going On"
Originally one of my favorite songs of 2008, "I'm Not Scared" is still a very awesome song, even though I overplayed it a bit. Helen Marnie continues to wow with her dreamy, uncaring vocals, and the simple music provided continues to have just enough spark to accompany her vocals. Now, granted, this is not a case like the one with Paramore, where Hayley Williams is clearly the band. Helen Marnie is wonderful, but she doesn't completely overshadow the band. Mira Aroyo is just as noticable throughout Ladytron's discography, and the boys in the background still have their own flair that makes them something more than just props. This song is a showcase of Marnie's vocals, as well as a showcase for what happens when all of Ladytron's components come together perfectly.
YouTube Link: "I'm Not Scared"
The song sounds so simple at first, yes? Besides the (as always) unusual and gorgeous harmonies of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone, the basic music arrangement is a catchy guitar riff, a slight, driving bass sound, and drums. Or so you think. There's a lurking background sound throughout that becomes louder and more profound as the song continues, until the song reaches its chorus, when a cascade of sound, brought on by the beautiful vocals, the lurking sound, the guitar riff, the bass sound, and, yes, the drums, overwhelms the listener with its power and bombasticity. Two words seem to fit this song better than any other words: "Epic" and "CATCHY". Oh, so catchy. On an album filled with songs that any joe schmoe can dance to, this is one of those songs that is destined to become a hit at parties for years to come.
YouTube Link: "Golden Age"
Is it possible that people just forgot that this song existed, in the wake of one of the biggest hits of 2008? Because, honestly, for a while, I did. "Viva la Vida" was a tour de force of a song, a bombastic, sweeping tune that actually hit #1 on the Hot 100, thanks, in large part, to a very successful iPod commercial. In the process, however, it cast an enormous shadow over what was a pretty good album, in its own right. Covered in the shadow the most was "Violet Hill", the first single, the song that showcased just what Brian Eno can do for a band that had been accused of being, among other things, "the worst thing to happen to rock." The most apparent thing about "Violet Hill" is that it is, without a doubt, NOT a Coldplay song. I mean, yeah, it's Chris Martin singing, and it definitely says Coldplay beside "Violet Hill", but this is a Brian Eno song, in which Coldplay just so happens to be able to get credit for. In particular, the drumming separates this song from normal fare, because it's so noticable throughout, especially in the chorus, when it becomes the most prominent sound in the song, even moreso than Martin's vocals. So it's funny, then, that the best part of "Violet Hill" is the part that sounds the most like Coldplay: the ending, when it's just Martin and a piano leading us to the end of a wonderful song.
YouTube Link: "Violet Hill"
45-41 should be up today or tomorrow. Be prepared...or ELSE!...I don't know what "else" is, but be prepared for it, anyway!
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Member Since: 1/14/2007
Posts: 6,202
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For the last 5, 3.5/5
You know which one I left out. Either that or you have memory loss.
I'll check the others I missed later when I have more time.
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Member Since: 11/4/2006
Posts: 37,808
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Banned
Member Since: 10/21/2001
Posts: 25,547
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Violet Hill <33333 Probably one of the best videos of the year.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 10/1/2002
Posts: 14,726
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"Ricochet" is so badass - and way to recognize both Paramore and Kanye West.
Although I think "808s" is beyond brilliant - 'Flashing Lights' is better than most of the material off that album.
And about "Violet Hill". I agree that VLV cast an unnecessary shadow over this terrific song.
But I think radios realized it too when the track experienced a slight increase in spins after VLV began to tire.
"If you love me, wont you let me know....."
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Member Since: 4/11/2007
Posts: 5,472
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Violet Hill
2,5 | 5
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Member Since: 1/9/2004
Posts: 9,558
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Going On, Golden Age, and ESPECIALLY Violet Hill <333333333
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Member Since: 4/6/2007
Posts: 25,604
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2/5
''Violet Hill''
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 2/21/2005
Posts: 21,684
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Gnarls Barkey and Coldplay ^__^
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Member Since: 2/22/2008
Posts: 46,108
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Coldplay
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ATRL Moderator
Member Since: 12/21/2002
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I Give It Two Thumbs Up.™
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 11/6/2002
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"Violet Hill" is better than "Viva" and I show it on my year end countdown
Another perfect set sir.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 7/23/2007
Posts: 35,994
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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Attack of the Ambition: Top 80 Songs of 2008 (45-41)
I'm glad to see that some people are taking the time to checking out the songs they haven't heard, I think. Or, at the very least, I hope. This set features another big ATRL rock song. Woo!
I didn't get it. I didn't understand what was so damn special about "Psychosocial". I liked it, sure, but it didn't stick out to me...that is, until I finally buckled down and listened to All Hope Is Gone in full, and then, what made it so special became immediately apparent. It took all of that time to realize it, but this song is, BY FAR, the catchiest song on the album, and one of the catchiest songs that Slipknot has ever made, if not the catchiest. Corey Taylor's vocals are not overbearing, just right, and are absolutely a highlight, up there with the beautifully brutal drumming of Joey Jordison and one of the shreddingest shreds of a solo you will find in any song. It may have taken me a while to realize this song's true brilliance, but I can now see why so many people adored this song.
YouTube Link: "Psychosocial"
Day & Age kicks off with this song, a song that lets you know EXACTLY what you're going to hear throughout the album. The opening sounds promising, and a total mix of both Hot Fuss and Sam's Town, and then...HORNS! HORNS!!!! Brandon Flowers sounding like Brandon Flowers! The bass in this song, in particular, is prominent and just plain awesome, especially in the chorus, where everything seems to come together at once to provide an amazing music experience for the whole family. And what's that I hear? A solo? Awesome. Epic and awesome.
YouTube Link: "Losing Touch"
Here we go, another song from The Mars Volta that has a tough to decipher message, but continues to have music that is more awesome than my or your fist. The song comes bursting out of the gate, immediately flying at a furious pace, only for the song to come to earth slightly. And I do mean slightly. As you've come to expect from The Mars Volta, the first half of the song is relatively normal Mars Volta fare, with a little more distortion in the vocals than usual, and a second half that is completely ******* crazy. The tempo immediately speeds up, the horns become more apparent throughout the sound, the guitar riff becomes much more intense and catchy in its sound, and keep in mind that this ALL HAPPENS AT ONCE. The Mars Volta is an orgasm of music instruments brought to life, and "Aberinkula" is just the beginning.
YouTube Link: "Aberinkula"
If any one song on The Gaslight Anthem's gorgeous The '59 Sound reminds me of the Bruce Springsteen sound, it's "Meet Me by the River's Edge". Who can't help but think of The Boss when listening to the music and the words of this song? "Our father's factories marked our cars, while Eden burned against the stars." Or how about the ending lyrics: "No retreat. No regrets. Meet me by the river's edge." Seriously, listen to the album already. It's a must.
(No YouTube link. It's on their MySpace, though.)
"Sometimes! I said, sometimes! I go crazy, like I'm crazy." Scars on Broadway will never, ever be known for great lyrics, I have a feeling, but what they should be known for is an understanding of how to make a really nice, and, more importantly, a really catchy hard rock album. Take "World Long Gone", for example. This is NOT a great song, lyrically. It repeats itself more times than I can count, and I'm willing to guess that the guys were high on SOMETHING when they came up with this song. However, musically, this song is a beast, and a much different beast than that of first single "They Say". Daron's vocals are much more melodic, and the sound is much less drudging and much more bombastic and powerful.
YouTube Link: "World Long Gone"
While this set had a big forum song, the next set has a ton of them. The only one that isn't may wind up being one, too.
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Member Since: 8/2/2006
Posts: 31,102
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Banned
Member Since: 10/21/2001
Posts: 25,547
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Very nice list. I was amazed I liked a Slipknot song so much.
Check out the songs on mine too if you're not familiar with some of them.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 6/9/2002
Posts: 6,789
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I like that picture of The Killers. It looks like they just got kicked out of church.
Good couple sets here. You got your Gnarls, and your Coldplays, and your TVs on Radios, and your Gaslight Anthems, and your Killerss, and all that.
Great Job!
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ATRL Senior Member
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Member Since: 9/3/2006
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I'm late, but I have to say that I agree on what you said about "Violet Hill", it's better than "Viva la Vida".
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 5/9/2003
Posts: 3,779
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Losing Touch!!!!!! Grows on me with every listen; and I loved it on the first listen.
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