#18 - New Found Glory - Selfless
New
Found Glory have been pumping out solid pop-punk anthems since the late
'90s, and they made a successful comeback in late 2014 with the album
Resurrection. The album peaked at #25 on the Billboard Top 200, and #6
on the Rock chart. It features NFG's traditional poppy hooks and song
about love, all woven together by singer Jordan Pundik's sing-a-long
choruses and lyrics. Other songs that I loved on this album are "Vicious
Love", "Degenerate", and "The Worst Person".
"Selfless"
has a slow build, but when the guitars drop in, you immediately know
you're listening to a New Found Glory track. The lyrics talk about the
band wanting to make the world a better place by living a selfless life,
contributing their gifts and living every day like it's their last. The
video has two themes - the band playing on a somewhat trippy fractured
screen, and the guys doing what they do best; goofing off. They may be a
little older now, but they still seem like a pretty fun bunch. The song
is ultra-positive and loads of fun. A fitting return to a band who has
been doing this type of thing for a long time now.
Title: Selfless
Artist: New Found Glory
Album: Resurrection
Previous #18s
2014: Bleachers - I Wanna Get Better
2013: Biffy Clyro - Black Chandelier
2012: Santigold - Disparate Youth
2011: House of Heroes - Galveston
2010: Rammstein - Fruhling in Paris
2009: Sick Puppies - I Hate You
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
The 2015 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #19
#19 - The Frozen Ocean - Kerosene
It's always nice when you find an artist who you truly love, and they release an album that you anticipate greatly, and it ends up being phenomenal. too many times in life, we're confronted with high expectations that are impossible to meet, especially when it comes to music. Well, in 2008 I found a fantastic self-titled album from a band called The Frozen Ocean. The band is the side project of guitarist Dave Swanson, former guitarist for T+N artist Life In Your Way. Anyways, Dave's first album was a highly experimental, ambient, indie release that incorporated a load of different stylings, but it was an album that I loved from the first listen. The song "Ghosts" has been on my MP3 player ever since I first heard it, and I figured the album would just be a one-off. But in May 2014, Dave announced a Kickstarter project for a new album entited "Skeleton Key". The album was funded over the timespan, and released this January. The album is still an indie masterpiece with a lot of ambient elements, but a lot of the crazier elements of the self-titled disc have gone away. Still, stand-out tracks include "Skeleton Key", "Grey Town", "Harvest of my Heart", and "Light Years".
But from the moment I first heard the disc, it was "Kerosene" that stood out to me. It starts out with a slow acoustic guitar accompanied by haunting keys that slowly pace through the song. It tells a tale of a man who loved too much, and found that his love was not reciprocated. There is an absolutely beautiful harmony on the bridge followed by what I feel is the line of the year: "We are tiny worlds of evil born with violence in our blood. Our words can heal the broken and our words can bring a flood". Dave puts all of his heart into every song of the album, and it really has a wonderful feel to it.
But the best story I have comes from when I purchased the disc. For whatever reason, I missed the crowdfund and didn't end up buying the album until this summer. I made my purchase and got the (what I felt was) obligatory followed up "Thank You For Your Purchase" e-mail. However, the next day I received another e-mail from Dave. This one let me know that he was about to start a summer merch sale and wanted to send me a shirt for purchasing the album. I e-mailed him back and lo and behold he sent me an awesome shirt along with the album. It was a really cool gesture and we spoke a little on his Facebook page after the fact. It just caught me off guard that a musician would do something seemingly unnecessary for the benefit of a fan. Either way, I'm a fan for life. I hope you enjoy as well!
Title: Kerosene
Artist: The Frozen Ocean
Album: Skeleton Key
Previous #19s
2014: Destiny Potato - Take A Picture
2013: Relient K - PTL
2012: Silversun Pickups - Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)
2011: The Knux - Razorblade
2010: Demon Hunter - Collapsing (ft Bjorn Strid)
2009: Parachute - She Is Love
It's always nice when you find an artist who you truly love, and they release an album that you anticipate greatly, and it ends up being phenomenal. too many times in life, we're confronted with high expectations that are impossible to meet, especially when it comes to music. Well, in 2008 I found a fantastic self-titled album from a band called The Frozen Ocean. The band is the side project of guitarist Dave Swanson, former guitarist for T+N artist Life In Your Way. Anyways, Dave's first album was a highly experimental, ambient, indie release that incorporated a load of different stylings, but it was an album that I loved from the first listen. The song "Ghosts" has been on my MP3 player ever since I first heard it, and I figured the album would just be a one-off. But in May 2014, Dave announced a Kickstarter project for a new album entited "Skeleton Key". The album was funded over the timespan, and released this January. The album is still an indie masterpiece with a lot of ambient elements, but a lot of the crazier elements of the self-titled disc have gone away. Still, stand-out tracks include "Skeleton Key", "Grey Town", "Harvest of my Heart", and "Light Years".
But from the moment I first heard the disc, it was "Kerosene" that stood out to me. It starts out with a slow acoustic guitar accompanied by haunting keys that slowly pace through the song. It tells a tale of a man who loved too much, and found that his love was not reciprocated. There is an absolutely beautiful harmony on the bridge followed by what I feel is the line of the year: "We are tiny worlds of evil born with violence in our blood. Our words can heal the broken and our words can bring a flood". Dave puts all of his heart into every song of the album, and it really has a wonderful feel to it.
But the best story I have comes from when I purchased the disc. For whatever reason, I missed the crowdfund and didn't end up buying the album until this summer. I made my purchase and got the (what I felt was) obligatory followed up "Thank You For Your Purchase" e-mail. However, the next day I received another e-mail from Dave. This one let me know that he was about to start a summer merch sale and wanted to send me a shirt for purchasing the album. I e-mailed him back and lo and behold he sent me an awesome shirt along with the album. It was a really cool gesture and we spoke a little on his Facebook page after the fact. It just caught me off guard that a musician would do something seemingly unnecessary for the benefit of a fan. Either way, I'm a fan for life. I hope you enjoy as well!
Title: Kerosene
Artist: The Frozen Ocean
Album: Skeleton Key
Previous #19s
2014: Destiny Potato - Take A Picture
2013: Relient K - PTL
2012: Silversun Pickups - Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)
2011: The Knux - Razorblade
2010: Demon Hunter - Collapsing (ft Bjorn Strid)
2009: Parachute - She Is Love
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
The 2015 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #20
#20 - Florence and the Machine - Ship To Wreck
We kick off the 2015 Countdown with a familiar face. Florence and the Machine barely missed making it into the inaugural countdown in 2009 and surfaced at #12 in 2012 with "What The Water Gave Me" and "Shake It Off" (the first double). While I didn't find the new album as good as the last two, there were still many of the traditional Florence elements, and I found enjoyment in the tracks "What Kind Of Man" and "Hiding"
"Ship to Wreck" is a wonderfully upbeat tune considering the self-loathing lyrical matter, in which Florence sings about setting her life up for failure. The bass-line bounces all over the song and complements the rest of the instruments as Florence wails about the life she's lived while referencing multiple animal similes. It's a bit odd at first, but rather brilliant. The video features a frazzled Florence dealing with the chaos and craziness of her life. It's always good to kick off the countdown on a familiar note, and I hope you all enjoy what's coming up the next 20 days!
Title: Ship To Wreck
Artist: Florence and the Machine
Album: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Previous #20s
2014 - I, The Breather - Swine:Cult (ft Ricky Armellino)
2013 - Grouplove - Ways To Go
2012 - Reptar - Stuck in My Id
2011 - Avril Lavigne - What The Hell
2010 - Dark Tranquility - The Fatalist
2009 - Collective Soul - Staring Down
We kick off the 2015 Countdown with a familiar face. Florence and the Machine barely missed making it into the inaugural countdown in 2009 and surfaced at #12 in 2012 with "What The Water Gave Me" and "Shake It Off" (the first double). While I didn't find the new album as good as the last two, there were still many of the traditional Florence elements, and I found enjoyment in the tracks "What Kind Of Man" and "Hiding"
"Ship to Wreck" is a wonderfully upbeat tune considering the self-loathing lyrical matter, in which Florence sings about setting her life up for failure. The bass-line bounces all over the song and complements the rest of the instruments as Florence wails about the life she's lived while referencing multiple animal similes. It's a bit odd at first, but rather brilliant. The video features a frazzled Florence dealing with the chaos and craziness of her life. It's always good to kick off the countdown on a familiar note, and I hope you all enjoy what's coming up the next 20 days!
Title: Ship To Wreck
Artist: Florence and the Machine
Album: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Previous #20s
2014 - I, The Breather - Swine:Cult (ft Ricky Armellino)
2013 - Grouplove - Ways To Go
2012 - Reptar - Stuck in My Id
2011 - Avril Lavigne - What The Hell
2010 - Dark Tranquility - The Fatalist
2009 - Collective Soul - Staring Down
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