Entry 214-- Tour of Techno Week, Part 4: "Evacuate the Dancefloor"

Tour of Techno Week, Part 4
Song: "Evacuate the Dancefloor"
Artist: Cascada

http://youtu.be/A68j28KQaik
Comments: Well, after all the hooplah about scheduling entries and writing them ahead of time, here I am, having forgotten to do both. Anyway, welcome to Eurodance! This genre, I'm really not even going to define. Instead, I'm just going to point at Cascada and say "That is Eurodance." Eurodance is upbeat and positive, generally has a female singer with a male rapper, is catchy, and runs from about 120 to 140 beats per minute. (I  checked, and this song drops in about 128 bpm.) Essentially, Eurodance is Casacada. Take a listen, and if you like the song, go looking for more! Try Wikipedia for similar artists or examples listed in the Eurodance article.

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Entry 213-- Tour of Techno Week, Part 3: Some Dubstep

Tour of Techno Week, Part 3
Song: "Pumped Up Kicks Dubstep Remix"
Artist: Foster the People, remixed by Butch Clancy

http://youtu.be/LXO-jKksQkM

Song: "Numb (H320 Remix)"

Artist: Linkin Park, remixed by H320

http://youtu.be/3Rum_dpo8gE

Comments: I'd have to check on this, but I do believe this is the first time that Stuck In My Skull has ever put two songs in one entry. Welcome to the dubstep entry. The wikipedia entry on dubstep is a decent starting point, but I really don't like their definition. If pressed, I'd call dubstep a "heavily electronic sound with complex and/or irregular rhythms, heavy use of dirty, synthesized base, and distinct use of electronically generated effects." I wanted to introduce dubstep to readers who haven't heard it, and attempt to bring some of the naysayers around to a more moderate position, so I went looking for really excellent 'soft' dubstep. I'll admit, the harder end of dubstep (dirtier beats, less regular rhythms...) is an acquired taste, and really isn't for everyone. The first song in today's entry is worth watching the video to, even if you truly hate dubstep, just to watch this guy dance. The song itself is pretty decent, but I'll admit, I wanted a video that had more than just the music working to hold the attention. I like the second song better as a song, but as the video is entirely one image, it's rather dull. Regardless, the song is excellent, and the vocalist puts a nice spin on the song. Anyway, all I ask is that you set aside any preconceived notions and give these songs a try. If you like 'em, great! If not, oh well, there's always tomorrow's entry. Enjoy!

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Entry 212-- Tour of Techno Week, Part 2: "Some Chords"

Tour of Techno Week, Part 2
Song: "Some Chords"
Artist: Deadmau5

http://youtu.be/MEQMkzjcLEA
Comments: Welcome to House music! For those of you who love definitions, Wikipedia explains House like this: "Early house music was generally dance-based music characterized by repetitive 4/4 beats and rhythms centered around drum machines, off-beat hi-hat cymbals and synthesized basslines. ... House music today, while keeping several of these core elements, notably the prominent kick drum on every beat, varies a lot in style and influence..." Anyway, the song. This song is taken from Deadmau5's (pronounced "dead mouse") album "4x4 = 12." Deadmau5 is one of the biggest names in House music, and is an acknowledge master of these beats and basses. Check it out, and if you like this song, I encourage you to go looking for more

Edit: So, I used Blogger's scheduling feature, and wrote this post last night. As it's now up, I am pleased to announce it works! I'll probably use this again. This bodes well for the regularity of future posts.

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Entry 211-- Tour of Techno Week, Part 1-- "Bring Me To Life (Drum&Bass Remix)"

Tour of Techno Week, Part 1
Song: "Bring Me To Life (Drum&Bass Remix)"
Artist: Evanescence, mixed by Black Sky

http://youtu.be/jj1wYkk6LhU
Comments: Welcome to Tour of Techno Week! This week, I'll be giving a whirlwind tour of the entire genre of electronic music-- a huge genre that has something in it for everyone. In all fairness, this week is more accurately "A tour of Electronic Music," but I really liked the alliteration, so accuracy has been sacrificed for entertainment value. Anyway, the song. This song is the first example of a drum and bass song that I ever heard, and it sent me looking for more. According to Wikipedia, this genre is "characterized by fast breakbeats (typically between 160–180bpm)... with heavy bass and sub-bass lines." Honestly, I think that description is far too dry. It really doesn't convey any of the energy or catchiness of the genre. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the song, and if you do, welcome to Drum and Bass! Don't forget to like us on facebook!


Edit: Fixed some wonky formatting. Now it's easily readable!

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Entry 210-- "Drive By"

Song: "Drive By"
Artist: Train

http://youtu.be/oxqnFJ3lp5k
Comments: To be honest, this actually isn't stuck in my head. "Where Have You Been" is, probably because it was just playing. However, because I won't reuse songs, I'll toss you the previous song that was stuck in my head. It took me a bit to warm up to this song, because originally I thought it was fairly bland and generic. The more I hear it, however, the more I enjoy it. It's a good song, and if you haven't heard it yet, you should take a listen! Enjoy the song, and enjoy the weekend!

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Entry 209-- "How Soon Is Now"

Song: "How Soon Is Now"
Artist: David Guetta, Sebastian Ingrosso, Dirty South feat. Julie McKnight

http://youtu.be/GRfVeHRCdxM
Comments: So far, this song is taking the 'most artists in the credits' award. I originally encountered this song on the Swedish House Mafia album "Until One," and promptly fell in love with it. Hopefully the quality and unique sound of this song makes up for the lateness of this post. Enjoy!

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Entry 208-- "Kiss Me Slowly"

Song: "Kiss Me Slowly"
Artist: Parachute

http://youtu.be/lXqYw_II6Pc
Comments: Hey all, it's Miriah!  I don't have any country or foreign music today like I had anticipated.  I heard this song at work recently and fell in love with it.  I've had it stuck in my head several times so I figured I would share it today.  I didn't realize that Lady Antebellum worked with Parachute to write this song until I watched the video.  Enjoy!

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Entry 207-- "Yellow"

Song: "Yellow"
Artist: Coldplay

http://www.youtu.be/1MwjX4dG72s

Comments: At the moment, I'm having some computer problems, so I'm writing this from an old netbook. Old enough that the video to this song is too much for the computer to handle in a reasonable amount of time. So, I'm posting this video without having watched it. I feel confident it will be good, however. Coldplay makes good videos, and even better songs. Case in point, this song. It's amazing. Enjoy!

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Entry 206--"Pokémon Theme Song"

Song: "Pokémon Theme Song (Gotta Catch Em All)"
Written by: John Loeffler
Sung by: Jason Paige

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuYeHPFR3f0

Comments:  Hello! Amanda here to kick off the week! If you grew up in the 90's and watched Pokémon, you probably know the opening music by heart. Summer is here and for no other reason than I can today I decided to re-watch some of the older episodes of the original Pokémon anime (a good life choice I must say). I loved it as a kid and appreciate it even more now that I’m older. Anyway, the theme song is just as fantastic as ever. When I hear it, I’m reminded of my childhood and my friends, many of whom are avid fans of the video games. Hopefully it’s as enjoyable for you.

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Entry 205-- "Good Girl"

Song: "Good Girl"
Artist: Carrie Underwood

http://youtu.be/7-uothzTaaQ
Comments: Hey guys, it's Miriah with some fresh country to round out the week.  This song is the latest release from Carrie Underwood.  And this particular song doesn't have that country twang to it like some of the others she has released.  It's very upbeat and I like what she did with the video.  There's the typical black vs white, but there's also the mirror clips and the rose dripping black.  Anyhow, if you like this version of Carrie consider also listening to Cowboy Casanova.  Enjoy!

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Entry 204-- "You Give Love A Bad Name"

Song: "You Give Love A Bad Name"
Artist: Bon Jovi

http://youtu.be/KxdR0bOK7BM
Comments: Not really sure why this song is stuck in my head, but it is, so here it is. Most of you have probably heard this song before, it's basically a classic. Enjoy!

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Entry 203-- "Stone Cold Sober"

Song: "Stone Cold Sober"
Artist: Paloma Faith

http://youtu.be/29zumqpqFLM

Comments: Amanda here! A dear friend of mine showed me this video last year and I absolutely fell in love with Paloma Faith. This song, her debut single, was released in 2009 and is simply amazing. I don't have much else to say except that she's a sassy redhead with an incredible voice (and stunning hair of course!) and that I adore her music. The video is also quite good and fun to watch. Enjoy!

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Entry 202-- "Where Have You Been"

Song: "Where Have You Been"
Artist: Rihanna

http://youtu.be/HBxt_v0WF6Y
Comments: Oh, Rihanna. It's about bloody time. "We Found Love" was decently good, but it wasn't quite the level that I expect out of Rihanna. This song, on the other hand, bumps the bar up even higher. It has everything I like in a song of this genre: decent vocals that aren't completely trite, a steady and danceable beat, and a nice dose of electro. The sound is unmistakably Rihanna, which is refreshing. I'm sick of songs that you can't tell who the artist is without having to work at it. (Thankfully, there aren't too many of those.) Also, the video is pretty excellent. It has the best choreography I've seen in awhile, and isn't selling itself solely on sex appeal or special effects. It's actually a video, not an advertisement (I'm looking at you, Pitbull) or a sex scene (I'm thinking Nicki Minaj here, but I couldn't find more and better examples). Anyway, both this song and this video are excellent-- check them out!

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Entry 201-- "Springsteen"

Song: "Springsteen"
Artist: Eric Church
http://youtu.be/l2gGXlW6wSY

Comments:  Hey all, it's Miriah!   I'm bringing some country for today.  This song has recently been getting lots of radio play and I have had it stuck in my head several times.  I especially love the song and especially the line "it's funny how a melody sounds like a memory."  Hopefully, Eric Church will put out another single soon.  Enjoy!

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Entry 200-- "Elements of Life"

Song: "Elements of Life"
Artist: Tiesto

http://youtu.be/j2fNloJAge0
Comments: Sorry for the lack of posts recently, folks-- life has been kind of crazy. The update schedule might be a bit off for awhile-- I'm now in a different time zone, and once I get over the jetlag, the regular content will be at a slightly different time of day. Anyway, the song. This song has precisely nothing to do with Hydrogen and Oxygen and Carbon and such, and everything to do with an awesome piece of music. It's been a favourite of mine for a long time, and it sounded like a good idea to celebrate Entry 200. Enjoy!

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Entry 199-- "My Give a D*#%'s Busted"

Song: "My Give a D*#%'s Busted"
Artist: Jo Dee Messina
http://youtu.be/DFG9dwolo3Q

Comments:  Hey everyone.  It's Miriah providing some country for this week because it has been a while since I've posted this genre.  So I think it's safe to say that we've all had these days at some point where caring about things is low on our priority list.  Personally, the majority of my responsibility is gone for a few days so I am currently at this "who cares?" stage.  I'm sorry to say that this song isn't new, but it is definitely worth taking a listen.  Enjoy!

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Entry 198-- "I Want My Tears Back"

Song: "I Want My Tears Back"
Artist: Nightwish

http://youtu.be/fV2C9_MAJ0E
Comments: I woke up this morning with this song in my head, and despite being sick, managed to not only power through my morning, but be amazing about it. Thank you, Nightwish! Anyway, this song hasn't been released as a single, and I don't think it's going to, which is a shame. It's off the Imaginaerum album, which you should definitely listen to, straight through. Enjoy the song!

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Entry 197-- Soundtrack Week, Part 5: "Legend of Zelda Theme"

Soundtrack Week, Part 5
Song: "Legend of Zelda Theme"
From: Legend of Zelda series

http://youtu.be/AKYn4ACAd7s

Comments: I'm not exactly sure which orchestra is playing this, but whoever they are, they make this medley of theme songs from the Legend of Zelda series sound amazing. I've played a handful of LoZ games, and I love the series, and this gives me chills. Listen, and enjoy. Hope you liked Soundtrack Week, and have a great weekend!

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Entry 196-- Soundtrack Week, Part 4: "Brand New Day"

Soundtrack Week, Part 4
Song: "Brand New Day"
From: "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"

http://youtu.be/wx5xpwY0bNg
Comments: Oddly enough, this song came up in conversation this morning, and has been in and out of my head ever since. I'm short on time, but Neal Patrick Harris sings the point quite well, so I really see no need to comment. The link below the video leads to a slightly higher quality version. Enjoy!

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Entry 195-- Soundtrack Week, Part 3: "Diablo Rojo"

Soundtrack Week, Part 3
Song: "Diablo Rojo"
Artist: Rodrigo y Gabriela
http://youtu.be/2NAYojZY6aA

Comments:  Hey all, it's Miriah here with some Spanish for the week.  My apologies that my soundtrack song isn't from anything as awesome as Game of Thrones, but rather from an animated movie. (The movie was great for anyone wondering.)  Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Mexican an instrumental guitar duet.  I didn't realize this when I bought their album, but I fell in love with the music.  Almost all, at least on the album this song appears in are upbeat, fast paced, and amazing.  Anyhow, this song (whose title means "Red Devil" in Spanish) was released some time ago back in '06 on the duet's self-titled album.  In the movie, the song plays during a dance off which was an excellent scene to put this song.  Enjoy!

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Entry 194-- Soundtrack Week, Part 2: Game of Thrones Theme

Soundtrack Week, Part 2

Song: Game of Thrones Opening Credits Theme

Artist: Ramin Djawadi

http://youtu.be/s7L2PVdrb_8

Comments: This song is just epic. Two minutes of catchy, orchestral bliss. I'd go into detail at great length about this song, but to be honest, I have a headache, and I think it speaks for itself quite nicely. Enjoy!

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Entry 194-- Soundtrack Week, Part 2: Game of Thrones Theme

Soundtrack Week, Part 2

Song: Game of Thrones Opening Credits Theme

Artist: Ramin Djawadi

http://youtu.be/s7L2PVdrb_8

Comments: This song is just epic. Two minutes of catchy, orchestral bliss. I'd go into detail at great length about this song, but to be honest, I have a headache, and I think it speaks for itself quite nicely. Enjoy!

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