Stuck In My Skull 469 -- "Pon de Replay"

Song: "Pon de Replay" || Artist: Rihanna || http://youtu.be/oEauWw9ZGrA ||

Comments: Good morning! I woke up this morning with this song stuck in my head, and I (as usual) have no idea why. I can tell you why it hasn't left, though -- Rihanna being Rihanna, this song is full of infectious beats that won't leave me alone. Everyone's favourite Barbadian hit-maker has known for a long time how to write an awesome song, and her debut single is no exception. Give it a listen -- you won't regret it.

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Stuck In My Skull 468 -- "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites"

Song: "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" || Artist: Skrillex || http://youtu.be/WSeNSzJ2-Jw ||

Comments: Good afternoon everyone! Sorry this post is going up so late, today has been kind of hectic. Frankly, I have no idea why this song is stuck in my head -- it's absolutely unrelated to anything I've been doing. Though in all fairness, when do I ever know why I have a song stuck? This song is a Skrillex classic -- weird but amazing piano and freaky vocals punctuated by cast-iron hard waffles. I'm not ashamed to admit this: I love Skrillex. He's so darn weird! If you haven't heard it, check it out!

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Stuck In My Skull 467 -- "Infinity"

Song: "Infinity" || Artist: Guru Josh Project || http://youtu.be/jzy2dgEUOhY ||

Comments: Hello everyone! After Tuesday's entry, I realized I'd never actually posted the Guru Josh Project song I was talking about. Today I am correcting this massive oversight. "Infinity" is an amazing song, and I love it. True of many electronic music videos, this song has a music video that makes no sense and attempts to catch the user's eye with attractive people, so if that bothers you just skip the video and listen to the song. The song is totally worth it. "Infinity" is a smooth track with a good beat and a catchy rhythm, backed by of all things a trumpet. An amazing trumpet, which if I'm not mistaken appeared again in "Ray of Sunshine." This song is one of my favourites, and I'm so glad Guru Josh is producing music still. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 466 -- "Ray of Sunshine"

Song: "Ray of Sunshine" || Artist: Guru Josh || http://youtu.be/kEEd4NZhNHw ||

Comments: Holy crap, one of my favourite 'one hit wonders' just released a new song! GURU JOSH IS NO LONGER A ONE HIT WONDER. Forgive the caps-spam, but I am literally having to exert a conscious effort to not be jumping up and down screaming right now. Guru Josh (Project, the Project behind his old name with two other members) hasn't released a song since 2009's "Crying in the Rain" which flopped, and hasn't released a song that did well since "Infinity" in 2008 and it's subsequent remix. I have no idea what Guru Josh has been up to in the intervening years, but I am glad that he's back. This song is excellent. Please, go listen to it now. You won't regret it. It's upbeat, happy, and awesome.

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Stuck In My Skull 465 -- "Sierra Leone"

Song: "Sierra Leone" || Artist: Mt. Eden feat. Freshly Ground || http://youtu.be/j37SniohwFA (video) || http://youtu.be/5o2HHVxt6uU (audio only) ||

Comments: Good morning everyone! Why is it a good morning? Because look at the bright side -- no matter how bad your day gets, you're alive to see it. Okay, I admit it, I'm in a really great mood. I am back in action, blogging away and full of energy. Speaking of full of energy, have you heard today's song? If you haven't, give it a shot! If you have, have you seen the video? It only came out in May, which is impressive for a song that's been out so long. After five years and a million versions on Youtube and soundcloud, Mt. Eden released their official, final version with Freshly Ground through Ultra, and it's great. The video is a tad weird, but not necessarily in a bad way. Freshly Ground's vocals really make the song, just as they have in every bootleg version on the internet. Backed by a bass that makes the world tremble and waffles (the technical term for those "wubs") that are just the right amount of in-your-face, this song is a classic example of "How to make good dubstep." Enjoy!

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Related Reading

Hey guys,
I'm off taking care of some personal stuff, and I'll be back with normally-scheduled posts next week. In the mean time, check out this blog: Music Manifested. I had the distinct honor to work with the author of this blog in my radio days, and I think you'll enjoy the read and the songs. See you Monday!

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AMANDA-- ANNOUNCEMENT

Hey everyone! I just wanted to take a second to say that starting this week I will not be posting as frequently. I won't go into all the details but needless to say my job is keeping me busier than ever. I apologize if it feels like I'm springing this on you guys but I will do my best to write as often as my schedule allows. Thanks for sticking with SIMS and stay awesome!

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Stuck In My Skull 464 -- "Tempest" [Symphonic Metal Week III]

Symphonic Metal Week III || Song: "Tempest" || Artist: Adasteria || http://youtu.be/yfiJEmiyI5Q ||

Comments: Well, I'm pretty sure I'm just a really derpy blogger this week. I meant to write this entry yesterday and didn't get it written in time, so I decided I'd put both this entry and another one of Newt's up today. But when I got on blogger I realized that the entry I wrote Wednesday was still stuck in draft. So now that's been published, this is about to be published, and I'll be publishing one of Newt's later. What a day!

So let's talk about the music. I've heard of Adasteria from some of my more metal friends, but I've never really heard Adasteria prior to this. What I've heard, though, I am definitely liking. This song is eight minutes of awesome. Granted, I'm known to be a sucker for power ballads, but this song is so totally worth it. Chugging guitars and a double bass drum behind soaring female vocals and intricate instrumentation? Sign me up! Check it out, and check back later today for an entry from Newt!

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Stuck In My Skull 463 -- "Wild Card" [Symphonic Metal Week III]

Symphonic Metal Week III || Song: "Wild Card" || Artist: ReVamp || http://youtu.be/cvpV0b3TvKY ||

Comment: Hello, everyone! I was being an idiot yesterday and posted the wrong entry on the wrong day, so my usual day (Tuesday) got Newt's entry, and today (Wendesday) gets mine. What I was going to write, however, can wait. Nightwish has announced their new lineup! Troy Donockley and his menagerie of musical mechanisms joins Nightwish as a full-time member of the band, and Floor Jansen is the new vocalist. To give everyone a sample of Floor's work, I've posted a song from Floor's other (previous?) group "ReVamp." It's a decent song, check it out!

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Newt-ricious Music, 4

Hey everyone, as a partial apology for last week's lack of entries on my part, have an entry by DJ Abso-Newt-ly. Enjoy!
--Chris

One million views- Goldfish
http://youtu.be/S5cOAb2mSWU
Everybody those happy songs that make you want to bounce in your seat, bob your head, or just get up and dance like a fool when nobody is watching.  For me lately, that song has been One Million Views by Goldfish.  Goldfish is know for having songs with an aspect of swing to it, and this one is my favorite by far.  Also, the video is absolutely hilarious, pretty much shaming a bunch of famous and well known DJs (Skrillex, deadmau5, and Steve Aoki just to name a few) for seemingly just pushing play when onstage.  Its about a rise to success, and I honestly can not get it out of my head.  Just take a listen, it will be stuck in yours as well.

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Stuck In My Skull 462 -- "Valentine" [Symphonic Metal Week III]

Symphonic Metal Week III || Song: "Valentine" || Artist: Xandria || http://youtu.be/Rx9OoLwiAho ||

Comments: Good morning everyone! Sorry about the lack of posting last week. I was really, really sick (for the second time this cold season, no less!) and just couldn't manage to get anything done. To make up for it, I'm going to finish off Symphonic Metal Week III this week -- hopefully with a bonus post or two -- and post some entries from the one and only DJ Abso-Newt-ly. So hold on, folks, this week is gonna be a wild ride!
Speaking of wild rides, let's talk about Xandria. I'm going to head off the inevitable comparisons between vocalist Manuela Kraller and former Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen by paraphrasing a youtube comment. (Wait, what! Yes, really!) They're both female soprano singers with an operatic style providing vocals for a symphonic metal band. But they are not the same, and while every once in awhile an eerily-similar note creeps through, they generally don't even sound close. Moving on. Vocals aside, I really enjoy the sort of 'hard rock' guitar riffs I hear in the song, which is ever so slightly unusual for a symphonic metal band. And to head off the obligatory Nightwish comparisons I suspect are coming -- Xandria is much more guitar and drum focused, whereas Nightwish loves to play up the keyboards and symphonic instrumentation. Xandria isn't old Nightwish, but Xandria is amazing. Whether or not you liked old Nightwish, I think you'll like Xandria. Give it a listen!

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AMANDA--Sorry!

Hey guys, I'm afraid I've got to take the week off  from blogging to attend to some personal affairs. Check back tomorrow as Symphonic Metal Week III continues and next week for more posts from Chris and myself! Thanks!

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Stuck In My Skull 461 -- "Stand Up and Fight" [Symphonic Metal Week III]

Symphonic Metal Week III || Artist: Turisas || Song: "Stand Up and Fight" || http://youtu.be/7woW7DmnR0E ||

Comments: What happens when you mix vikings and violins? Turisas. Dear lord, where has this band been all my life? They are absolutely glorious, prancing about in facepaint and leathers like they just got back from pillaging a village somewhere. Their music is excellent, full of adrenaline-pumping double bassdrums and chugging riffs, contrasted with violin and accordion lines that really make the song work. I know next to nothing about this band, just what a quick glance at Wikipedia told me, but that will quickly change. I cannot get enough of this sound. Be careful where you watch this video -- you might need to go sack some cities afterwards.

Warning: Heads up all you arachnophobes out there -- this vid has a tarantula at a titch before 4:00.

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