Dancing at the dawn of Armageddon part 2

I must apologize for not updating yesterday but had to work on an essay for my criminal law class such fun but I did it get ready in time and can now finish part 2 of my top ten favvy albums of all time! Now that apologies are out of the way we shall get on with the show.

5. Insane Clown Posse-Hells Pit

Release date: 2004

Genre: Horrorcore rap

Now this one will probably turn a few heads, but I absolutely love the Insane Clown Posse, yes they wear clown make up, yes they do have a few silly songs but at heart, in my opinion, they do have a serious message and a large amount of talent. They can rap and they do rap, just a little differently to other more mainstream rappers but each rapper has their own unique style, you can’t compare one to another. On this album it is the last of the first series of Jokers Cards, and the "other half" to The Wraith, this one shows the listener what will happen if they live a life of evil and show no compassion for others. The Wraith on the front cover is outstretching its hand to take you on a tour of Hells Pit. The lyrics are some of the darkest they have written, mostly devoid of their trademark humour that helps break up the seriousness of their message and with a production that is both murky and heavy on the bass. The band were at the time not speaking to their usual producer Mike E Clark and have got Esham on board, what else would you expect from the rapper responsible for the album "Kill The Fetus"? As with its sister album "Shangri La" the albums comes with either a concert CD or a mini film to their song "Bowling Balls"

4. The Smashing Pumpkins-MACHINA/The Machines of God

Release date: 2000

Genre: alternative rock

The last album recorded by what many consider to be the "real" Pumpkins, or you could say the last album before Billy Corgan’s ego caused them to implode. An album that was originally meant to be a two disc album about a rockstar living in a futuristic world named Glass who becomes some sort of a messiah figure and……… Yeah, Virgin Records for some reason thought a two disc album like this wouldn’t sell very well, especially after their previous album "Adore" had made fans feel distant from them and grunge was in its death throes and metal was all the rage. So Billy Corgan trimmed it down to one disc and released the incomplete disc 2 for free on the internet. *its still available and despite its convulted plot if you listen to it all at once its amazing!* Billy Corgan’s is raw and rough throughout the record, the guitars are tuned up high and dominate the sound once more like on their debut "Gish" sweeping syth sounds undercut the guitars giving the slow songs a little bit of a softer but for the most part this is a raw album and one that was made to be played live. While the plotline is a little thin on the ground, the lyrics are some of the best of Corgan’s songwriting career, I challenge anyone to listen to Eye of the Morning without feeling misty eyed. They are personal and definitely display how alienated the band where feeling at the time.

3. Elton John-Captain and the Kid

Release date: 2006

Genre: rock

The nights me and Mark have spent drink in hand playing this album in the early hours of the morning are too numerous to mention but its one that has many fond memories for me. Elton’s paino is finally back at the forefront after years of soft rock and soppy love balladeering, and he sounds like he is having an amazing time and bashing out honky tonk contempary country style music. His voice is rough from his, at the time, recent throat operation. The album is a sequel to his and Bernie’s early 70s masterpiece "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" finishing the story of Elton and Bernie’s rise to the top filled with all of the broken relationships, drug addictions and reflections upon dear friends lost to the terrible AIDs virus. It’s a touching and intensely emotional album, one that when you listen to it you should have a good friend and even better drink with which to while away the night talking of adventures and friends and lovers long since past, because that is what this album is, it’s a conversation between Elton and Bernie about their lives together. Its short, sharp and maybe only ten tracks long but it gets in plenty of punches during that time.

2. Darren Hayes-The Tension and the Spark

Release date: 2007

Genre: Pop/electronic/dance

So this album effectively killed Darren Hayes’ career for a few years and sent in to his record company in to panic mode, they expected another album in the style of his first solo album "Spin" a flashy pop album filled with light lyrics and dancefloor grooves. What they get was an album spawned from his divorce, his recent coming out and attempt to become involved in the gay scene and find love. So not a cheerful one. Whereas the previous album has many happy memories for me this is one I return to when feeling lost in love and life, an album that helps me reflect upon my problems, feel like I am not alone. I cannot believe that anyone in the world will not relate to at least one of these songs here. The music is cutting edge dark dance music, as usual he works with a team of collaborators’ and here is probably the tightest team he has ever worked with, never since the early days of Savage Garden has he been so at the fore front of dance music, the lyrics talk of the struggle between light and darkness, sex and love, friendship and hatred, and the music moves from orchestral synths and low, murky erotic dancefloor grooves. This is an album to be played alone, early in the morning, in bed and with a decent pair of headphones on. Only then can you experience the meaning of his lyrics and the subtleties of music. The NME called him a genius, they were not wrong.

1. David Bowie-Never Let Me Down

Release date: 1987

Genre: New wave/rock/pop

David Bowie apologised for this album publically saying how much he hated it and did not want his fans to hear it. Well I adore this album, its brilliant, never before or since have Bowie's lyrics been so socially conscious, has he sounded like he is actually having fun on record! His voice was sweet with enough ageing to give it a rich, deep sound and helps the listener get that Bowie knows what he is talking about, that the songs are lived in and well worn. This album was Bowie's full embracement of the new wave movement, a movement born from people who were know of age but in youth inspired by his "Berlin" trilogy of albums. Well that genre birthed some brilliant bands but it all sounded trite when Bowie himself stepped in to the scene. its an album that sounds sunny, the music is drenched in 80s excess and conjures up images of Miami Vice, every track on this album is simply begging to be played in a club, as with Blind Melon every party I have stuck this album on at has gotten people moving straight to their feet and started dancing. My all time favorite album, I never get bored of it and it never fails to put a smile on my face.

Well there you have it, my top ten favvy albums, these are the stories of my life, each one is connected to my life in some way, each one has a handful of good and bad memories.

I hope if you listen to any of these albums or songs from them you will please tell me in the comments below.

Dancing at the dawn of Armageddon part 1

First things first I have not made any updates for a few days as things have not been terribly well in the world of Jessica L so todays and tomorrows post will be a two part countdown of my top ten favorite albums of all time. I wanted something happy for me to write, something that might take my mind off of things.

10. Lordi-The Monsterican Dream

Release date: 2004

Genre: Hard rock/shock rock

I was first planning on placing this album higher on the list as it is an album I listen to quite frequently and I enjoy it immensely but sadly I am trying to not only share with you a few stories about why they mean so much to me but also to give a slight critical evaluation. Looking at the other albums on this list I felt that as fun as this album is the musicianship just isn’t as good as the others nor is the music as original. Lordi are a band that follows in roughly the same tradition as Kiss and Alice Cooper but with more of a modern edge and heavy metal stylings, image wise they also have monster costumes that gets them compared to GWAR *unfairly in my opinion* This is there second album and is lyrically darker to what came before and has come since, song titles such as “Blood Red Sandman” and “Children of the Night” should give you an idea of what you are in for. The music is much heavier and quite similar to Rob Zombie’s debut album “Hellbilly Deluxe” the guitars are tuned down low and all the songs have guitar solos set to an industrial-esque drumbeat.

This album does however have some flaws, Mr Lordi is not exactly the best or strongest singer and I feel a few of the songs are lyrically quite weak and could have been taken off to make the album stronger if fairly short. But I have fond memories of this album, when I went down to my GFs house for the first time I listened to this album on repeat so for me this album represents that wonderous day.

9. Five Iron Frenzy-Our Newest Album Ever

Release date: 1997

Genre: Christian Ska

There is often a certain stigma attached to a band when they label themselves as being “Christian” but in my opinion this band are so good and lyrically quite fantastic that I have read a lot of comments from fans saying they do not feel the need to be Christian to enjoy the bands music. Musically they set themselves apart from other “third wave ska bands” by incorporating other musical elements *to varying degrees of success* lyrically they often address problems and contradictions within the Christian religion, the plight of Native Americans, life in an underground band warts and all, and oddly a song about how great it is living in Canada *they make it sound so brilliant* being a somewhat Christian *I am transgender after all* the lyrics speak to me, how unafraid they are to point out faults and flaws within their own faith and that each of their albums have a handful of non-religious songs that are just damn good ska. Doug TenNapel *created Earthworm Jim and wrote and drew the comic mini series Gear* did the artwork for many of the bands albums including this one.

8. Black Grape-Its Great When Your Straight….. Yeah!

Release date: 1995

Genre: Experimental dance/Britpop

What can really be said  about a band who names themselves after their favorite flavor of fizzy pop? Formed by Shaun William Ryder after his previous band The Happy Mondays pretty much imploded in on themselves Black Grape was a duo with himself and British rapper Kermit performing cutting edge dance music infused with Britpop and acid house stylings. Lyrics that were often written freestyle in the studio and taking a tongue in cheek look at their drug use and career lows, this was an album that didn’t even have a British company backing them due to their reputations at the time, an album that everyone expected to fail and then took them back to the top of the charts the moment it was released. There is very little I can say about this album, it’s the perfect party record, manic, full of energy and is in the humble writers opinion the type of music people should still be sweating on the dance floor in clubs. Put it on at any boring party and it will be lively in no time.

7. Oingo Boingo-Dark At The End Of The Tunnel

Release date: 1990

Genre: alternative rock/new wave

Fronted by Danny Elfman who is now known as a film composer, primarily for Tim Burton, Oingo Boingo burst on to the scene in the 70s as an avante garde musical theatre troupe playing… Anything they felt like at the time, before trimming down its 20-strong member list and switching gears to performing manic new wave music with heavy political and socially conscious lyrics as well as singing about how great it is to die and other equally cheerful lyrics all sang with such gusto and enthusiasm by Elfman who is such an amazing singer with great range its sad that he barely ever sings at all anymore. Who doesn’t melt when they watch Nightmare Before Christmas and hear Jack sing? Over their career Elfman’s lofty ambitions were becoming apparent as the music became more subdued and orchestral, the horns were fazed out and Elfman started singing in a lower register addressing much more personal themes such as his divorce and this album contains a beautiful, haunting song about suicide “Out of Control” that I challenge anyone who has been low not to tear up at it. Its not totally recognizable as the group that brought you “Dead Mans Party” or the theme to Weird Science but all great bands change over time and whenever I am low or feel I’m the only one awake at 3am I stick this on.

6. Joydrop-Metasexual

Release date: 1999

Genre: post grunge/rock

Sadly breaking up after making only two albums Joydrop were a band that has been all but forgotten except for known as “ the band that made that Beautiful song that plays over the end credits of Ginger Snaps”  a sad fate considering those two albums are perfect slices of post-grunge, angsty, achingly melodic and sometimes quite beautiful music. Fronted by Tara Strong who made a fairly decent solo album after Joydrop broke up, her voice isn’t the strongest in rock but it is more than capable for what is required here and she veers away from the trappings of most female rock singers by keeping her voice in lower registers and not shrieking like a banshee when proclaiming to be sad and hopeless *I’m looking at you female fronted metal bands* Most people even at its time of release brought this purely for “Beautiful” but its not even my favourite song on the album, with such cuts as “Over and Under” a hard rock track that shows off how competent the band were at playing their instruments without slipping in to pretend metal mode and makes feel great sadness that they didn’t make a third album as they would probably have done some fantastic blues infused rock music *I.E. LA Woman era Doors* or the psychedelic tinged “Strawberry Marigold* a beautiful ode to a relationship with heartbreaking lyrics. I recently got a friend of mine in to Joydrop a few days ago and when looking on YouTube for more songs to recommend to her by them was in disbelief that so few of their songs are even there. For a band with a small back catalogue that is to me a crime. Their Wikipedia page is bare and their albums for those of us outside of America are hard to come by but for anyone who does they will find a brilliant rock band. Nothing more, nothing less just damn good rock music with superb and original lyrics. Maybe I love them so much because in my younger teens I discovered this band and was only ever able to find a few songs by them and played them endlessly wondering if their albums were just as good, it was only last year that my parents surprised me with both of them, it was such a wonderful, happy moment for me to say I at long last own Joydrop’s two albums on CD, I couldn’t even find them for download on the internet so that Christmas I finally got to find out that yes, they are just as good as the singles.   

Always hiding the fact I have ever so little to say that is of real worth

While I work on my second full post of my pink, fluffy and ever so moist blog I thought to help get the ball rolling I shall do a top ten list of random facts about your ever so lovely hostess, and who doesn't love pointless top ten lists?

Soooooo here we gooo!!!!!

1. I have what some might term an unhealthy fixation on Darren Hayes, seriously, ask Rambling Person :P

2. I have completed Max Payne a total of 19 times and Max Payne 2 17 times :D

3. I have a tattoo of the Umbrella Corp logo from Resident Evil on my left wrist and despite how much the series sucks at this point I am still proud of it

4. Whenever I or someone else tells a joke I can't help but play a little laugh track in my head like in American sit-coms and have always maintaned life would be much more fun it had a movie soundtrack. I also get tempted to wave to the studio audience when I walk in a room and feel sad no one cheers for me when I enter a room

5. My personal heroes are; Oscar Wilde, HP Lovecraft, Emilie Autumn and Danny Elfman *more for his work with Oingo Boingo*

6. My all time favourite book is Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and quite often like to hold my own little "mad teaparties" with my GF and teddies. It took my GF a long time to get what I mean't when I congralutated her on her "unbirthday"

7. My all time favourite album is "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" by Elton John though it is closely followed by "Make Them Die Slowly" by White Zombie.

8. I have recurring dreams of being an orange rolling through the woods at dawn, I cannot help but see this as proof that I shall one day be Queen of all oranges....

9. My favourite TV show next to Twin Peaks is Will & Grace and wish my life to be more like a sit-com

10. My best friend is the Rambling Person despite the fact he never, ever takes my advice, his life would be so much better if he did.......

So yeah ten facts about me!!! Don't you feel much more enriched having read this?