lights - romance is

there are a lot of people, especially girls on tumblr, see pictures of this girl all the time but don't know who she is. if you fall into that category, you've come to the right place.

lights is one of those artists who truly sound better on acoustic songs, or at least in my opinion. honestly, i don't like too many of her songs, but i can watch her play songs on the guitar forever. this song stuck out to me. it was one of those unreleased songs until she released her acoustic ep. this song is more on the darker side. the lyrics are pretty sad, and lights' emotional, intimate voice really breathes life into the story.

listen to "romance is" on grooveshark

watch the original webcam chat version

taking back sunday - makedamnsure

i barely listened to taking back sunday before this year's warped tour. it's not because i didn't like them, it was just because i never tried really hard to actively listen to them. as a result, i only knew this song and another song by them, and i mistakenly thought that the other song was by jimmy eat world.

"makedamnsure" is a killer song. the mix is so basic and raw that all the different tracks come through. the chorus is so big and driving that you can't help but move. also, when the singer goes up and octave for the prechorus, the transition is really abrupt and hard so it really lifts you when you hear him singing his heart out at the peak of his range. overall, it's a good alternative song to listen to. enjoy!

watch the music video for "makedamnsure"

killswitch engage - holy diver

i feel that killswitch engage is pretty famous for their cover of dio's holy diver. although killswitch engage got jesse leach back after he left, i'm really going to miss howard jones on vocals. his screams weren't bad, but i really loved his singing voice; he sounded like a modern day dio to me. that's part of the reason the cover was so good. of course, the added weight to the song is really nice too. killswitch engage does pinch harmonics the best, and that really helped a lot of the parts. the verses are really awesome because of the palm muted rhythms using combinations sustained and staccato playing styles. to me, the verses are heavier than the breakdown. i don't really feel like my writing is flowing very well, so i'm just going to stop. have a good listen. if you're not a metal fan, i think you'll still like this track.

watch the music video for killswitch engage's cover of "holy diver"

i try to stay away from unofficial youtube videos as much as i can, but you have to see the original music video for "holy diver"

new radicals - you get what you give

one hit wonder songs are always nice to listen to, and this one is no exception. so, here's your daily dose of 90's pop. they made things good back then.

watch the music video for "you get what you give"

stealing axion - 47 days later

it was a tough call, but i think the release i was most looking forward to this week is stealing axion's "moments." honorable mentions go to obey the brave, kamikabe, and as artifacts. yep, they're all heavy bands.

47 days later stays pretty loyal to the band's undeniable influences from meshuggah. it's very bass (as in bass guitar) heavy too. personally, i'm not a big fan of their clean singing parts, but i'm so used to scene bands and their sugary sweet bubble gum pop choruses, so i'm definitely feeling like my opinion doesn't count there. although most of the song is groovy, there are some parts with some straight up in your face metal that you're probably more used to.

listen to "47 days later"

listen to "moments" in it's entirety on no clean singing (even though there is clean singing)

born of osiris - abstract art

omg i almost forgot to post one! it's almost midnight! here's one of my favorite "sumeriancore" songs because of the breakdown with the fake harpsichord or whatever. sorry, first day of school; i got distracted.

listen to "abstract art"

for the foxes - the revolution

for the foxes is signed, but i feel that they're still a relatively unknown band. to be honest, i don't like most of their songs, but the revolution is such an energetic modern rock song. personally, what makes it for me in this song is the vocal delivery; i think he's great.

watch the video for "the revolution"