Terrible Top 10s #5: 1997

Hey guys, and welcome back to the blog for another top 10 post! This is one I've been waiting to do for a while now, but I feel like now is the time to crank it out, so here it is! Let's dive right in!



INTRODUCTION

1997 is considered by many to be one of the best years for music. There were many fun pop, rap, and R&B hits that dominated the charts throughout this time that made people in love. And honestly, I have to agree with the people who call 1997 one of the best years for music. Along with 1998, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2015, 1997 is one of my personal favorite years for music because of all the good stuff that came out during that time. Because I love that year so much, I decided to put together a list of my top ten songs that were hits during that year. It was extremely difficult, but I did it, so I'm here to present it. Any song that appeared on the Hot 100 Year-End Singles chart, Hot 100 Year-End Airplay Singles chart, or was a notable alternative hit during that year is eligible to appear on here, just to make it easier for me. Also, I tried not to include any repeats from 1996 on this list because I can see myself making a 1996 list in the future. In other words, I would have had the huge hit "Don't Speak" by No Doubt on this list, but I'm saving it for 1996 in case I do that. So yeah, let's get to this list!

10. Mariah Carey - Honey
When people call Mariah Carey a queen and one of the best R&B vocalists of all-time, they are not lying. She really is that good. While I do not think this song is her best vocal performance nor her best song, it is more than worth talking about here. You may not know this song, but it was a huge hit, as it debuted at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. So think of it as a "thank u, next" of 1997. It was the third Mariah Carey song to do this, which is pretty impressive if you ask me. The song was also nominated for two Grammy awards, and while it did not win any awards, the nominations were well-deserved in my opinion. Mariah Carey has an amazing voice and she really shows it in this song. The song does not represent her usual style very well in my opinion, which can be good because it means she's trying something new. One thing I do really enjoy about it is that piano riff that comes in once every few bars. I think that is really satisfying to hear for some reason. It makes the song sound really good for me. I doubted about putting it on this list because of how great of a year 1997 was for music, but this masterpiece is my most played Mariah Carey song, and it's not close either. So it had to be on here.

9. Third Eye Blind - Graduate
Just listen to a few seconds of the chorus to tell how amazing this song is. The band is trying something a little different with this song and I love it. In fact, the only one of the five singles from their self-titled album I'd say is like their usual style is "How's It Going To Be", so I overall love how they tried some different styles with the singles. This song is a lot harder and more energetic than their usual stuff, which I enjoy. It definitely wasn't as big as the three top ten singles from the album, but it still was an alternative hit which was good. I wasn't sure what the song really meant until I got 3EB's greatest hits CD and read the inside booklet, where lead singer Stephan Jenkins was giving commentary on each of the songs. For this one, he said that it's about "demanding your place", which kind of makes sense considering that the main hook is where he says, "CAN I GRADUATE?" A bio of the song as written on Genius says similar things like, "Graduating from play-pretend to making things happen." I really like this theme as we all will probably feel this way at least once in our lives. That and the energy level always make the song fun to listen to. This isn't the last 3EB song we will see on this list, but this song is still amazing and deserves to be recognized more.

8. Puff Daddy/Faith Evans/112 - I'll Be Missing You
Unlike the previous two songs, I'm pretty sure most of us have heard this song or the song that this song samples at least once in our lives. That's part of why it spent eleven weeks in the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1997. But the other part means everything. We'll get to that in a minute. Anyway, this song samples and interpolates the 1983 hit single "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, which is why it could have sounded familiar during the first listen for anyone. I think the sample was made very well and holds up the song nicely. Puff Daddy's rapping is great and Faith Evans's chorus is amazing. 112 also made some nice contributions on the bridge. But the real highlight of this song is the meaning. Unlike a lot of songs, the meaning should be easy to tell if you have just a little bit of background knowledge of hip hop music of the 1990s. It's really nothing more than a tribute song to rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who was murdered in March of 1997 at the young age of 24. You can tell from the verses that Puff Daddy and Biggie were very close friends, which means that Puff was very saddened by his death. You could probably tell that Faith Evans, who was Biggie's wife, was feeling the same things as Puff was just by listening to the chorus. I'm not really sure what relation 112 had to Biggie but there's some emotion in their parts as well. So if you don't know how talented Biggie was and how much he meant to the world of rap music at the time, listen to this song and you should tell. It was amazingly written and proves its point perfectly. My personal favorite Puff Daddy song.

7. Foo Fighters - Everlong
Well, here's the first of five songs from this list that I've talked about on this blog already. I won't spend too much time raving about those because they are already praised in other posts, but I will still give an overview. Anyways, to me, this is kind of a song you have to listen to to see the deal. It is hugely iconic and hugely amazing, but I can't really explain why. That's kind of something you have to hear for yourself. But I think the guitars here sound really good, especially the ones in the intro, and Dave Grohl sounds great along with them. The song isn't a huge banger like songs like "The Pretender" (which is still my favorite Foo Fighters song), so it sounds good in the sort of non-banger way, I guess. It sounds like a usual Foo Fighters song, but better, let's put it that way. So yeah, not much else to say. This song was a huge hit everywhere and is often considered as the best and most iconic Foo Fighters track, so don't be afraid to give it a listen.

6. The Offspring - I Choose
...and we're back here again. I already gave a huge explanation as to why this song is just amazing in my top 10 Offspring songs post I put out on Sunday, so go check that out if you want more. But in short, life is often unfair and messed up to us, and that sucks. But you can make the choice to look at life in a more positive way, and make it like, as the chorus says, a playground rather than a nightmare come true. That's basically what the song is about and I love that theme so much. It also has that insanely catchy guitar riff that follows the song very well. The chorus is amazing not just lyrically, but musically, too. But yeah, I won't get too much into this one because I already did in that top 10 post. Let's get to the top 5 now!

5. Chumbawumba - Tubthumping
As random as this song seems, you've probably heard it before, you just don't know the name of it. This is that bouncy one-hit wonder song that goes, "I get knocked down, but I get up again..." and stuff like that. I think I might have known it from memes or something like that, but I really don't know. This song is really catchy to me and I like how the intro makes it sound slower, but it really just breaks into something awesome and full of energy. The chorus really shows that, as it's the part that makes me enjoy the song so much. The rest of the song is cool, even if it can be weird. I also think the guy singing in this (not sure who it was because this band had a lot of different singers) sounds really good and makes the song slightly better. This song deserved to top lots of charts and gain lots of recognition around the world because it is that good. Very iconic song that is worth still listening to 20 years later.

4. Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life
Have you ever heard a song, like "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster The People, that is really fun and catchy but actually has a pretty dark meaning behind it? Well, here you go. This song is a perfect example of that. In fact, it goes so extreme that the catchy guitar riff that helps make the song upbeat even has a connection to the darkness behind it. But more on that in a minute. The main reason why I enjoy this song is because it's catchy and I love catchy. The song is set up very well and flows through perfectly and it's hard to get tired of that. Stephan Jenkins sounds good throughout the song, too. But what's also really good about it is how well the song was written and set up so that the dark meaning is disguised behind the fun stuff in the song. Basically, the lyrics have to do with an addiction to crystal meth, which is obviously kinda dark. While I definitely do not have much to say about that theme because I wouldn't be able to relate to any of it, I really like how it is hidden behind such fun instrumentals that it shouldn't matter too much. Also, I heard once that the great guitar riff that follows the song is a reference to the charming sound of crystal meth or something like that, and if that's true, then that's just genius at work. I love that. This is definitely not my favorite Third Eye Blind song, as that title goes to "Jumper", but this is still an unforgettable song because of how well it is written and structured.

3. The Notorious B.I.G./Puff Daddy/Mase - Mo Money Mo Problems
I already talked some about this song in my top 25 songs of all-time post, but it's time to revisit it because of this post. I feel like it would be quite wrong to not include a Biggie song on this list because 1997 was quite the year in terms of his music. His second and final album, Life After Death, was released, he had two number one songs in this and "Hypnotize", and another song about him (which I already talked about in this post) spent most of the summer at #1. But on the flip side, it was also the year when his life was tragically brought to an end at the young age of 24. Even though he only released two albums and didn't have too many mainstream hits, he is still considered one of the best and most iconic rappers of all-time, and I agree with anyone who says that. He really is that good. And although he only has one verse in this song, it really proves how good he was and his affiliates are. All of the verses are amazing and the chorus is iconic, too, and the beat is really fun. Some of my personal favorite old school rap songs are ones with both awesome rapping and a more upbeat/catchy production, and this song is a perfect representation of that. It's exactly my style and I enjoy it. Sounds like a pretty amazing song, right? Well, let's just see how much more amazing our top 2 are, because they're obviously pretty good.

2. The Offspring - Gone Away
I kind of just reviewed this song in my top 10 Offspring songs post I put out the other day, but I'm fine with revisiting it again because it's just so good and the version that Five Finger Death Punch did is not. The guitars sound great and the drum line fits with it very well in my opinion. I like how it brings the heat for a few bars in the intro, slows down quite a bit for the verses, and then goes back up for the chorus because it's the best part. As for the lyrics, they're great. They're about what lead singer Dexter Holland was feeling after he lost his girlfriend in a car accident, and although this might be tough to write about, Dexter did it perfectly. He is Noodles's favorite poet for a reason. The emotion in this song can really be felt when Dexter sings it, which is also amazing. So yeah, I won't get too much more into it since I just did a week ago. This is still a pretty awesome song that I'm glad was a big hit.

1. The Wallflowers - One Headlight
I debated for some time on whether to count this song as from 1996 or 1997, but since it peaked on the alternative charts on 1997 and won its two Grammys in the 1998 ceremony, I included it here. I gave a full, in-depth review for it already in my top 25 songs of all-time post, so I'll just go over the basics for this one. I think the production for this song is absolutely on point and fits with the song very nicely. Jakob Dylan has great vocals throughout the song as well. It takes a lot of listens to finally get it and see why I think it's as amazing at it is, so when I was able to get it and see what the big deal was, that was cool because this song was a new favorite of mine. The song is so well-written that it often just speaks to you, and that's really cool. So yeah, I won't say much more since I already talked a ton about it in my first post. This song is overall a masterpiece and I'm glad it was as popular as it was and won as man Grammys as it did.



And that wraps up this post! I hope you had a fun time reading it because I had a fun time making it. 1997 was truly an awesome year for music and a lot of the songs we got out of it were just amazing. If you want to listen to any of these songs because they sound cool to you, I embedded YouTube videos for each song when presenting them so you can listen to them that way. I recommend all of these songs because of how good they are. I will have a 2018-related post out pretty soon (hopefully) so I need to get working on that, but until that comes out, thanks and if I don't post again today I'd like to wish everyone a happy new year and that you have a fun time celebrating today and tomorrow! See you next time!

Awful Album Reviews #7: Three Days Grace - One-X

Well, it's been over two weeks since I last did an album review, and since I randomly put some Three Days Grace albums on my Spotify queue today, I feel like today is a perfect time to review this album! So let's crank it right out!



INTRODUCTION

One-X is the second album from Canadian rockers Three Days Grace, first released on June 13, 2006. This was their first album to feature Barry Stock on lead guitar, as they were previously a trio. The album was very acclaimed by critics and sold pretty well, debuting at #2 on the Canadian Albums Chart and at #5 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Many of the album's songs were written while lead singer Adam Gontier was in rehabilitation for a drug addiction, unlike what they had usually done. Because of this, lots of the lyrics in the album are pretty dark because Gontier was often writing about how he felt at the time. The critics didn't seem to mind this, though, as the reviews for this record were still pretty positive. So, what do I think about the themes throughout here and how dark it can be? Let's look in and see.



REVIEW

I like to call this album and Three Days Grace's music in general a harder and less poppy variation of a band like My Chemical Romance. They are always described as alternative metal, and I think that's accurate. But I think the lyrical themes in this album are similar to what you'd hear from My Chemical Romance or any other emo band, such as Dashboard Confessional or Simple Plan. Things did change for the band when Adam Gontier was battling his addiction, and I guess how deep the lyrics could go was one of them, because I think there are only about three or four songs on their self-titled album that would fit on here. But to be honest, I kind of enjoy the darker themes from this album. Sometimes, it's just fun to indulge yourself in a video game or something while listening to some kind of deep music, and I feel like this is a great album to listen to for occasions like that. It's satisfying to me sometimes. All of Three Days Grace's first three albums are ones I would use for that occasion, which is an honor because I'd usually just queue some random songs and roll with that. So yeah, I like how deep it goes, even if some people would get bothered by it.

As for the singles, I think the choices were pretty well-made. "Animal I Have Become" is a great choice as the lead single. It's basically about how Gontier was feeling while he was on drugs, and that's what motivated a lot of the darker themes from this album. I think the other three singles were good choices as well because the stories behind them are easily noticeable and stand out when compared to the rest of the album's songs. I do think "Riot" should have been a bigger hit, but I guess it's understandable that it wasn't because it's not as radio-friendly as the other three singles are.

The album tracks are also all unique in their own way. I'll get into specifics when I review each track, but I'll just say for now that they all are at least somewhat dark and sort of sound like they were written by someone like who Gontier was at the time. They also have the hard rock theme going in them, which for me is always very fun to hear. There's really not much stuff in this album that isn't fun to hear in my opinion. It's sort of unique in a good way. Gontier has a lot of great vocal performances throughout the album, too. They help the songs sound really good. Other than that, I don't really know what else to add. So let's review each track.



TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEWS

1. "It's All Over"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: I like how an album full of big rock hits opens up with an album track that is lesser known. This is a cool song to open it. It could have more to it but it's still fun.

2. "Pain"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I talked a lot about this song in my top 10 Three Days Grace songs post, but in short, the harder feel in this song is cool and I like the story behind the lyrics. This song really helps define the album in my opinion.

3. "Animal I Have Become"
Rating: 11 10/10
Comments: Yay, this masterpiece again! Revisiting it as a part of this album is fun because it fits with the album perfectly. This record would not be the same without it. As for why, I talked about it in my top 10 post for these guys, but it is really fun despite having a really dark theme. Three Days Grace are good at this and this song proves it.

4. "Never Too Late"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This is just a song about not giving up and finding light in dark situations. It is performed very well and it shows what these guys can do. I enjoy it a lot.

5. "On My Own"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: I think this is one of the better album tracks from this album. It's very hard and I like it that way.

6. "Riot"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: LET'S START A RIOT!!! A RIOT!!! LET'S START A RIOT!!!!!!
Seriously, though, this is the perfect example of an amazing hard rock song that I could listen to for hours at a time and not get tired of. The tone in this song is just so angry and I love that for some reason. And it's not even my favorite song on the album, which says quite a bit.

7. "Get Out Alive"
Rating: 8.5/10
Comments: This is not an average Three Days Grace song, as it's kind of slow up until after the second chorus. But I still think it was made very well.

8. "Let It Die"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This is by far my favorite album track from this record. It's not my overall favorite Three Days Grace album track (we'll be seeing that song when I review Life Starts Now), but it is a stand-out song for me. Adam Gontier sounds very good throughout the song and the guitars accompany that pretty well. A definite score for me here.

9. "Over and Over"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: This is a slightly less energetic version of "It's All Over" to me. I enjoy it, it's just not one of my go-to songs from this album.

10. "Time of Dying"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: This was a song I got into after a few listens to this album. The chorus here stands out and makes the song as good as it is.

11. "Gone Forever"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Another good deep hard rock song. It's a good example of what to expect when hearing an album like this or a song by a band like this.

12. "One-X"
Rating: 8/10
Comments: While I enjoy this song, I was never really a huge fan of it. It feels a little too out of place for me for some reason. But what is in place works well and makes the song sound decent.



ALBUM RANKDOWN

1. "Animal I Have Become"
2. "Riot"
3. "Pain"
4. "Never Too Late"
5. "Let It Die"
6. "Time of Dying"
7. "On My Own"
8. "Gone Forever"
9. "It's All Over"
10. "Over and Over"
11. "Get Out Alive"
12. "One-X"



OVERALL SCORE

112.5/120 = 9.375/10 = 0.9375 = 93.75%



FINAL WORDS

This album is awesome! It's exactly what a great hard rock album should sound like musically, and lyrically it has some interesting themes that just captivate me even more. Hard rock is not for everyone, but if you think it's for you, you can listen to this album on Spotify here or on YouTube here. I highly recommend it to any rock fans looking for something to listen to. Also, I recommend this video from last fall of Adam Gontier as a surprise guest at a Breaking Benjamin concert and performing "Animal I Have Become" with them. It's really cool seeing him with another band and the crowd being really into it. Really fun stuff.

And that brings this post to an end. Thank you to anyone who read it, and be sure to leave any suggestions for me if there's a post you'd like to see me do! Have a great rest of your Christmas day and I'll see you guys soon!

Terrible Top 10s #4: The Offspring

Well, after reviewing lots of their albums, this post is finally here! I've been waiting for a while to find the right time to make it, and for certain reasons I feel like that time is now. So welcome, everyone, to this post talking about my ten favorite songs from The Offspring! So let's do it!



INTRODUCTION

The Offspring is a punk rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally named Manic Subsidal, the band's starting origins were in 1983, when two friends and cross country teammates, drummer Bryan "Dexter" Holland and bassist Greg Kriesel often played music in a garage together. However, two things made this duo motivated to start a full band: Their failure to get into a Social Distortion concert and their hearing of T.S.O.L.'s album Change Today? at a party. So they did. The original lineup consisted of Doug Thompson on lead vocals, Jim Benton on drums, Kriesel, and Holland, who had switched from drums to guitar. Thompson and Benton departed the band shortly after forming it, though, so Holland became the band's lead vocalist and James Lilja became the band's drummer. They also added additional guitarist Marcus Parrish for a short period of time, but in 1985, school janitor Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman replaced him because he was old enough to buy alcohol for the other members, who were not yet old enough to do so. Manic Subsidal changed their name to The Offspring in 1986, when they released their first demo tape that contained the single "I'll Be Waiting". Lilja left the band soon after and was replaced by teenager Ron Welty. Three years later, they recorded and released their self-titled debut album with producer Thom Wilson after signing with a smaller record label. They toured nationally for six weeks to support the album. They recorded another EP and demo with Wilson in 1991 before going back to the studio the next year to record their second album, Ignition. That album, which helped give the band the right to tour with Pennywise, Lunachicks, and NOFX, was released in October of 1992. Just two years later, they went to the studio again to record their album Smash, which was released on April 8, 1994. This album is what got the band into the mainstream and high up on the charts. In fact, this album smashed the record for the most album sales by an independent label band. It has been certified platinum six times by the RIAA to this day. Motivated by this success, they went on to release three more albums in the next six years: Ixnay On The Hombre, Americana, and Conspiracy of One. While none of these albums were as successful as Smash, they all helped the band reach even higher heights of fame. Following the unexplained departure of drummer Welty in 2003, the band recruited Josh Freese to record drums for their seventh album Splinter. This record was released in December of 2003, and shortly after they got Atom Willard to replace Welty. After releasing a greatest hits album and touring for it in 2005, the band decided to take a break from writing, recording, and touring. But that didn't last long, as they were back in the studio by late 2006 to record their eighth album. Freese drummed on this album, although new drummer Pete Parada was recruited before the album, titled Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, was released. It was released on June 17, 2008. Their next album was planned to be released in 2010, but in order to tour more they pushed it back. The record, Days Go By, was released in the summer of 2012. Their long-awaited tenth album has yet to be released, but since Holland finished the work for his Ph.D. and the band put out a new song this summer, Noodles says that two separate albums will be coming pretty soon! So while we wait for those, I'm here to count down my favorite songs from this band. This list was hard to make because I love so many songs from them, but I did it, so let's present it!

Also, one more note for this list. Because using every single song they've made would be extremely hard to work with, only songs officially released as singles in the U.S. are eligible for this list. It does exclude a lot of album tracks that I can call favorites of theirs, including "Secrets From The Underground", "Spare Me The Details", and "Dammit, I Changed Again", but it makes it easier to work with, so I'm putting that down. That said, let's get this over with!

10. Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) (from Americana)
Let's start off with a song I'm pretty sure all of us have heard at some point in our lives. We just often didn't know the name of it or who it was by. But I'm glad that I do because I can listen to it on my own time, and trust me, I have done that plenty, as it's my 37th most played song ever according to last.fm at the time of me typing this. I just think the song is really fun, and you can tell that just from the title. It has a very playful production that gives the song a happy tone, and Dexter sings very well throughout the song. The lyrics in the song are about a white guy from the suburbs trying to act like they're a gangster from the ghetto or something along the lines of that. Dexter even said once that he had met a lot of boys like that in Orange County (where he lives), so that could have been what inspired him to write this song. The music video, which is what's embedded above, shows this pretty well if you're unsure of what I'm talking about. There is a white man in the video that is dressed like a wannabe gangster that is walking around acting like one throughout the video, which is the perfect way to represent the song in my opinion. Even if it's bad to be one of these people, the song is still really fun and energetic which I love to hear from bands like The Offspring. I'm pleased with how popular this song it is because it's pretty iconic. Not the best song off of Americana, but it is one of the songs that makes that album really stick out.

9. Self Esteem (from Smash)
Believe it or not, this is the only single from Smash to appear on this list. Don't get me wrong, Smash is a beyond amazing and iconic album, it just doesn't have many songs that stand out too much against the rest of their discography. Except there's this song. You might even have heard this song before because it was a huge hit around the globe, reaching number one in Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, and Norway. Lots of critics even call it the best and most iconic Offspring song. While I personally disagree with this, I can see why they think this. This isn't the most upbeat song out there, but it does still sound pretty fun. I'm not really sure what the meaning behind the song is, but that's okay because not every song has to have a real meaning like "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" does. I think the guitars in this song also work out well and fit with the style of the song. But my favorite part is Dexter. This song has always been one of my personal favorite vocal performances from him, especially when it comes down to that awesome chorus. That's what really makes the song stand out in my opinion. It's definitely not my favorite Offspring song, unlike what others think, but that doesn't mean it isn't amazing, either.

8. Hit That (from Splinter)
This is the only Splinter song that will be on this list, unfortunately. I did discuss that in my review for that album, saying that there were only two singles from this album because most of it isn't too radio friendly, but that's okay because there are more amazing songs to come after this. This is also not my favorite Splinter song, but my favorite one wasn't a single in the U.S., so I think this is the better of the two U.S. singles from there. Aside from that issue, this song is really nothing but fun. It is a bit of a step away from The Offspring's usual style, but that happens sometimes so it's okay. I don't know much about the meaning of the song, but Dexter sounds really good when singing about whatever that is, which is great. It's not the loudest rock song out there, but it's not the quietest either. But yeah, I really just enjoy listening to this not because of a cool story behind it or an awesome vocal performance, I just do because it's fun and I love fun. Not much else to say about this one. It's definitely not my favorite alternative song of 2004, but it is one of the highlights from that category.

7. Half-Truism (from Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace)
The first of three Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace singles to appear on this list, this one caught my attention from the very first listen. It's not very uptempo, but it does sound very good with the amazing guitars and Dexter's amazing vocals. I've browsed the web a lot for possibilities as to what the lyrics in this song are saying, because it does sound like they're saying something to me. But I can come to the conclusion that no one really knows that for sure. That's okay, though, because I love the song either way. I have not talked Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace yet, but I'd like to make a post on it pretty soon because it is a very good album that I think I would have a lot of fun talking about. It's mainly the three singles from the album that appear on this list, including this one, and some of the album tracks that get my attention as well ("Takes Me Nowhere", "Nothingtown", "Stuff Is Messed Up", etc.) that motivate me to talk about it. So I hope to do that soon. But for now, this song is amazing and really shows what the band can do. Even though this wasn't too big of a hit, it's a pretty good place for an aspiring Offspring fan to start because of that.

6. Hammerhead (from Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace)
Oh, look, here's another single from Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace that I can call a major Offspring favorite of mine. Actually, if I had to be honest, there are only two real differences between this and "Half-Truism": This was a much bigger hit and this actually has an interesting meaning behind it that people know about. So, anyone remember that 2011 song "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster The People that was about a school shooting? Well, the meaning in this song is very similar to that. Both Dexter and Noodles have confirmed that the song is from the perspective of a gunman initiating a school shooting, which is a very interesting perspective to write from. And I think they did it pretty well. Dexter's vocal performance here is also one of the best off of the album in my opinion. Also, I think the guitars in the song fit very well with the song. I like how before the bridge it starts off with a new riff only on the bass, then the guitar breaks in and it gets really lit from there. The energy in this song helps it be what it is in my opinion as well. So yeah, this song is amazing and while it's not quite my favorite song off the album, it is still an extremely fun listen even if the meaning is sort of dark.

5. Original Prankster (feat. Redman) (from Conspiracy of One)
First of all, I'd like to mention that the video for this song is amazing and goes with the song perfectly, so be sure to watch that if you decide to listen to this song. Second of all, YES! Out of all artists that The Offspring could collaborate with to make a song, they chose an amazing rapper that has a lot of talent, and that makes me very glad, especially considering that he's an affiliate of my favorite rap artist Wu-Tang Clan. And since he's basically the 10th member of the Clan because of how much they've collaborated, this is basically a collaboration between my two favorite music artists, which is nothing but epic. The song is catchy in pretty much every way, and just like "Hit That", it's really nothing but fun. As for the meaning, well, you can watch the video for it if you want to find that out. Other than Redman's cool contributions to the song and video, that's pretty much it. This is definitely my favorite single from Conspiracy of One, even with some really cool other ones on there. I recommend this song (and this band) for anyone who loves fun rock songs like one called "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" because that's basically what it is.

4. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid (from Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace)
Even though this song was a hit only ten years ago, it's extremely iconic to the point that doesn't even matter. It even just sounds that way in the song. That's how cool it is. And to be honest, that's really the only reason why I love this song. It just feels really good, even if the meaning isn't too bright. Speaking of the meaning, I've done research and concluded it has something to do with the government, probably along the lines of them manipulating their people. That doesn't stick with me too much, but what does is a lot better. There aren't as many guitars present in this song as I'm used to, but they make the background of the song at least somewhat memorable. And Dexter sounds amazing as usual. There's also the fact that while this was not the first Offspring song I listened to on my own time (that was "Days Go By" for some reason), this was the first one that I kind of got into and looked forward to listening to after I first heard it. And as you can see by its placing on this list, it remains as one of my favorite singles from them to this day. Very good song that deserves to be one of their most commercially successful ones.


So it is now time for our top three. These three songs are not my top three overall favorite Offspring songs, but they are all still flawless songs that make this band very amazing for me. I have already done an in-depth review for one of them, so I won't have much to say about it, but as for the other two, I might have quite a bit to say about them, so bear with me as I do this. Let's get started now.

3. I Choose (from Ixnay On The Hombre)
So the only two Ixnay On The Hombre singles on this list are in the top three. Pretty impressive. The fourth and final single from the album is the first of them. It took me a few listens to get into this song, but I did, and it was just so good once that happened. So let's start off with the basics. The guitar riff that keeps the song flowing is really simple, as it's easy to play on guitar, but it's really awesome at the same time, with the muted chords and all. The bass is good, too, because it helps the first half of each verse go along pretty smoothly. Dexter's vocals are very good as usual, and while he has a lot of amazing vocal performances on Ixnay On The Hombre, this is one of the best. And the chorus is the best part. You really have to listen to that to see the deal. Okay, now for the fun part. I enjoyed the song a lot when I was first into it, but when I found out the meaning behind it, everything changed for me. In short, it's just one of those songs about life and how unfair it can be to you. But in depth, it's about how even though life is often that way, you have the ability to choose (hence the title) to turn it around and look at it more positively. This song's lyrics about this theme are just totally on point in my opinion and could not have been any better. It really helps the song take shape and click with the listener. That combined with how catchy and energy-filled the song is makes for something totally awesome. I have not talked much about Ixnay On The Hombre yet, but I do plan to give it a review when it turns 21 years old this February, so stay tuned for that. But until then, we have this amazing song plus another amazing song from that album which is...

2. Gone Away (from Ixnay On The Hombre)
New music fans might have heard of this song because heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch covered it recently for their seventh album And Justice For None. But that cover is so bad that I could not even make it through the whole thing. This is just not a good song to cover and I'll explain why in a minute. But for those of you that have heard of this song only because of that cover, please stop what you're doing right now and listen to the original version, because it's so much better that it doesn't even compare to the Five Finger Death Punch version. If you think it's good then replace the cover with this in your playlists, because you don't need to be listening to that awful cover. So now onto the song. I think the drum line that starts off the song is great and gets the song started pretty well. When the guitars come in, it starts getting pretty lit. I like that guitar riff that comes at the beginning and in the chorus. After the intro, it slows down a little for the verse and then jumps back in for the chorus. It's basically that back and forth for the whole song, which I enjoy. Now onto the lyrical content. Basically, Dexter wrote this song after his girlfriend died in a car crash, and this song is about what he felt after that happened. It's so strong that you can feel the emotion that he feels by listening to his voice in this song. Just amazing. That is also exactly why most of the time this is not a good song to cover. When hearing the Five Finger Death Punch version of this song, you can't feel any emotion in Ivan Moody's voice at all because I don't think he had anyone close to him pass away before he performed the song. If any other artist, even if it was one of my favorites, did this, it would probably be just as bad because you can't feel the emotion that you're supposed to feel with this. And that's exactly what sets this song apart from the others. You can tell that there was a lot of effort put into this song because it's about something personal that can't be copied by others easily. And that's why I love it so much that it's easily one of the fifty or so best songs I've ever heard before. Great job, guys.

1. The Kids Aren't Alright (from Americana)
Well, I'm pretty sure this was expected because this was the only Offspring song to appear on my top 25 songs of all-time list I did back a month or two ago. Because I already did a pretty in-depth review of this song in that post, I won't get too much into it here. But I love this song because it's a perfect representation of what this band can do. It's not just an outright nothing but fun song like "Hit That", and it's not a super deep and emotional song like "Gone Away". It's right in between, which is great. It is one of the band's most uptempo songs as well, which accounts for a whole lot of energy. Even if it is very fast, it flows super well. All of the guitar riffs here sound great, and I love the short but sweet solo as well. The song is about Dexter going back to the neighborhood that he grew up in only to see that everything is not as great as it used to be, which I enjoy very much. Dexter sings very well in this song, which is also cool because it is pretty different from most of the songs off of Americana. So yeah, if you want to see more about this, you can check out that post I linked. This song is truly incredible and exactly what I want to hear in a great punk rock song. My ears were extremely pleased after being introduced to this flawlessness, and I'm sure yours will as well. ;)




And with that, this post is officially done! I'd like to give a big thanks to anyone who made it this far, as I really appreciate that. Also, if you have any suggestions for future posts, please feel free to share them because I will not turn down anything. And I will most likely not post anything else before Christmas, so I want to wish you guys a merry Christmas as well! Hope it goes well! Other than that I recommend all of these songs to anyone looking for good rock songs to listen to, I have nothing else to say here. Thanks for reading again and have a great Christmas!

Miscellaneous Mondays: December 2018 Edition

Hey guys, and welcome to the start of this new series I will be doing called Miscellaneous Mondays! Basically, these posts will come out once every month on a Monday. In the post, I will choose 5-10 random songs I don't think I'll be doing an in-depth review for in a top 10 or other post and just talk about them and why I love them. That way, we can bring some light to our Mondays with some great music! So that's basically it, so let's get into it!

INTRODUCTION

Lately, I've been listening to lots of different kinds and ranges of music, but a lot of that music has been on the alternative side due to these games called rankdowns I do on a music forum called Pulse Music Boards. One theme I have done recently is some 2000s alternative songs that crossed over to pop radio, so because I have been into that, a couple songs in that list have been in my rotation because of that game. I also picked out a few songs from outside of that game I've been enjoying in the past month or two just so the post isn't only about these alternative crossovers. This equates to six songs to discuss in this post. That's really enough said for this, so let's do it!

1. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Face Down

I liked this song from the first listen, but it took me a few months to really get into it. I first heard it in April when digging through old Billboard year-end charts, as this song was #52 on the 2007 edition of that chart. I listened to it once in May after adding it to my Spotify, according to my last.fm page. Then I had three more plays for it in September of this year because I was going back through the old alternative charts. The song was still really cool then, just not quite a keeper. Well, that changed about two weeks ago when I was listening to the songs for the 2000s alternative crossovers rankdown on Pulse Music Boards. This was one of the songs I had not heard or remembered much about, so I had to relisten to it for that. And that time, it not only clicked with me, but it stuck with me, so much that twenty eight of my thirty two plays for it have occurred this month. That's pretty crazy if you ask me. The song itself is extremely catchy and has great instrumentals throughout, and the story behind it is really cool. It's basically about a girl who gets abused by her boyfriend, but she still really loves him, so she hides her wounds with makeup and still sticks around with him, hoping for a change. But by the end of the song, the boyfriend discovers that his girlfriend will finally leave him if he doesn't stop beating her up. Pretty cool story if you ask me. All of this coming together makes for a pretty great song that definitely should have crossed over and become as much of a success as it was. I won't say any more here, but I found an article that discusses the song and why it still matters today. It's worth reading so you should check it out.

2. Three Days Grace - Never Too Late

I know I just did a whole post on songs I love from them, but I feel kind of bad for leaving this song out of it because it is really good. Plus, it is one of their most acclaimed songs, so I feel like I have to talk about it more in-depth than I would in an album review (yes, a One X album review is coming pretty soon). But anyways, I think this doesn't sound that much different from a normal great Three Days grace song. It just sounds a little better. I can definitely tell from listening to One X that they put a little more effort into songs like this, "Pain", and "Animal I Have Become", which is the first thing that brings the song up. It feels about as deep as those two songs do, too, which is cool because Three Days Grace are good at doing that. The meaning behind this song has to do with finding a way out of a very dark place, or just simply not giving up. And remember how much I talked about "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers in my top 25 songs of all-time post? Well, this song has a lot of similarities to it in terms of lyrics and theme. I also think that the guitars in this song work really well, and I like how it's mostly acoustic in the intro and verses but then gets heavier in the chorus. Same goes for the vocals. I like how all of that flows. This song isn't meant to be a huge banger, and I really don't mind that because of how cool everything else is. Amazing song overall, I would have put it on my top Three Days Grace songs list but there just wasn't room for it. But I still strongly recommend it.

3. Papa Roach - Who Do You Trust?
After going into two older alternative songs, here's a newer one to change things up. I haven't been into newer alternative music too much just because it's gone so downhill in the past five years or so, but this song shows no evidence of that. I first heard it on my local rock station a couple weeks ago, and while I thought the song would be forgettable after that listen, I kept hearing it on that station, and that's what made me come to really enjoy it. Eventually, I decided that it was just really good for a new Papa Roach song, so I added it to Spotify, and I have not hesitated any to give it a listen ever since. The song is just really catchy and has a fair amount of energy inside of it. Jacoby Shaddix has some cool vocals in it, too. I'm currently not sure how this song is doing commercially or on alternative radio, but I do know that they have a new album coming out next month, so that might be fun to review. We'll see when the time comes. But for now we have this song, which is very enjoyable because of how catchy it is. If you are not a huge fan of modern alternative music and want to hear something new from a band popular in the 2000s, then this song is for you. It's very good and deserves to be popular.

4. 6ix9ine/Fetty Wap/A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie - KEKE
Here's a newer song by an artist that is frowned upon by most music fans today because of his criminal acts and weird-sounding songs. But personally, I don't have a problem with his music. "GUMMO" was a pretty good song despite a negative vibe that the song has for some reason. "FEFE" is okay but did not deserve to be as big as it was in my opinion. Then there's this song. It is an average song from 6ix9ine, which is pretty bad for the average music fan. But because I respect music way more than the average music fan does, I enjoy this song quite a bit. It's very catchy and can get stuck in your head really easily. And I think that 6ix9ine is a really good fit for this beat and this song for some reason. I could do without Fetty Wap's parts, but A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, who I think is actually a pretty good rapper, comes in perfectly and makes up for that. Unlike the first two songs I discussed in this post, this song doesn't really have any meaning to it, which is fine because not every song has that. Some are just for fun, like this one. And I like that. This was the first 6ix9ine song I got into, so while he is not one of my favorite rappers out there, this is probably my favorite song from him that deserved to be bigger than some of his other songs.

5. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
My story with getting into this song is very similar to the one I told for "Face Down": I first heard this in May when doing a 2000s rock rankdown for Pulse, and I thought it was cool. In fact, I still have my rankings that I did then, and I ranked this #24 out of 40 songs, which is pretty good considering how amazing the list was. Then I had to listen to it again in September when going through the old alternative charts, and I racked up a couple plays for it then. But a couple weeks ago when listening to it again for that 2000s alternative crossovers rankdown is when I really got into it. The song is really upbeat and fun, for one thing. I also think the dude sounds good throughout the song. As for the lyrics, I didn't really know what was going on in the lyrics until looking it up, so not much to say there. I was surprised to hear that the song wasn't about a girl, though. But yeah, I don't immediately spot many flaws in this song, which makes it really good. It's always fun to listen to, even if it wasn't as popular or as good as a lot of other pop punk songs from the 2000s.

6. Migos/Drake - Walk It Talk It
This is not a song I loved from the first listen. The first time I heard it a few months ago, I didn't like it because I thought it was lazy or something like that. And I guess I can understand it. But more listens got me into it, and while it isn't close to my favorite Migos song, it's very enjoyable. It's definitely not the most upbeat song out there, but it's not the most boring song out there either. I think the chorus is really good even though it's repetitive. But as someone studying music production and how songs are made, I can tell you that songs by popular artists like this are often repetitive because that gets stuck in your head the easiest and makes you want to listen to it more, therefore making it more popular. So I can see why that's there. The verses are also cool and flow really well. I'm not sure which is my favorite, but I can say that all of them contribute to making the song great, including Drake's, which is especially cool. The beat isn't the best, but it helps give the song a pretty decent vibe. This is not one of my favorite rap songs released this year, because there are way too many songs in that category, but it is something fun to listen to when there's nothing else. I thought that Culture II would be a somewhat disappointing album, but with how enjoyable this and "Stir Fry" are, I doubt that now.




So that wraps up my first miscellaneous Monday post! It was fun to make, and I hope it was fun for you guys to read as well. If you want to check out any of these songs because they sound cool to you from what I said about them, I embedded their YouTube videos when introducing them, so you can listen to them that way. I might make a Spotify playlist with all songs I talk about in these posts, and if I do, it will be on the sidebar where you can access it pretty easily. But we'll see about that. Until the next post, see you guys later and have a great rest of your day and week!

Terrible Top 10s #3: Three Days Grace

So I finally get to do this post! I'm really excited about talking about my top 10 songs from this awesome band because all ten of these songs are amazing and deserve to be talked about. This list was very hard to make, but I'm glad I did because I didn't think I could. But yeah, without further ado, let's jump right in!



INTRODUCTION

Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock band. The band was formed by singer and guitarist Adam Gontier, drummer Neil Sanderson, and bassist Brad Walst in 1997 in Ontario. Guitarist Barry Stock joined those three in 2003, the year that their self-titled debut album was released and hit the charts. The singles "I Hate Everything About You", "Just Like You", and "Home" helped propel this album to success, with the former being noted as their signature hit. However, around the time that the latter two were being released, Gontier was in bad shape due to a drug addiction, and knowing that the band couldn't continue with him being that sick, he went to rehab in 2005. While in treatment, he wrote a lot of lyrics describing how he felt during that time, a lot of which ended up on their second album, One X, which was released in June of 2006. Songs such as "Animal I Have Become", "Pain", "Never Too Late", and "Riot" made the album receive generally positive reviews from critics (like me). After three years of touring for it, they released Life Starts Now, which took a turn from their more angry sound that everyone was used to. People seemed to like that, as they ended up touring with bands such as Nickelback, Buckcherry, and My Darkest Days after its release. In 2012, they released Transit of Venus, but just three months later, the band confirmed that Gontier had left due to then-unexplained reasons. He was soon replaced with Walst's brother and My Darkest Days lead singer Matt Walst. So far, they have released two albums with him, 2015's Human and 2018's Outsider. So you ask, what's the big deal about them, and why do the critics and the general public really love them? Well, I will attempt to show why by sharing my top ten favorite songs from them. Let's do it!

10. Chalk Outline (from Transit of Venus)
This song is really good for a hard rock song released in a decade fueled by computer-generated instruments. I'm glad that like the Foo Fighters, Three Days Grace didn't abandon that sound when this new decade rolled around. As for this song, I like the theme in it, which if I remember correctly is about the feeling you have when someone just leaves you. That is the usual kind of thing for Three Days Grace, and I like how they continued it on into this decade. The hard rock feel in this song makes me feel so good knowing that it goes against what's popular. Really good song, and it deserved its Rock Song of the Year award given by Loudwire.

9. The Good Life (from Life Starts Now)
If this was an average artist I was ranking, this song would've been top 5, maybe even top 3. It hurt to put this song this low on the list because of how good it is, but I guess that shows how much I love Three Days Grace. This is an average great hard rock song for me, as it has some cool, heavy guitars, along with a faster tempo that gives it energy. And like most of these, the chorus is the best part because of how awesome it feels. This isn't quite my favorite Life Starts Now song, but I'm glad it was a single because it feels like a good one to me.

8. Pain (from One X)
This is one of their more well-known songs, and although it took a while to really click with me, I enjoy it quite a bit. It's not like a big banger like "The Good Life" or anything, but when he yells, "rather...feel...PAIN!" it's pretty awesome. And considering that there were a couple great absolute bangers off of One X, this is really good for a slower one. The theme of the song, according to Gontier, is the feeling that, "you're constantly numb to things around you, thanks to your own actions, and it's about being sick of that feeling." I'm pretty sure a lot of us have experienced that before, so it's a good idea for a song in my opinion. And Three Days Grace is the perfect band to make it, and because of that it's really good.

7. Just Like You (from Three Days Grace)
This is the first of three songs from their self-titled debut album to appear on this list, and while the highest one is #3, I still think the album is amazing and might be their best work to date. While I didn't give this song too much praise when reviewing their self-titled album, I grew into it a lot recently, so I decided to give it a spot on this list. That said, I think the way the song is structured and how it flows is really nice. Also, that main guitar riff that you hear in the intro and throughout the verses is really nice. The meaning behind this song is, as Gontier says, that you're often told how to live your life by your parents or someone else, and how you can stand up to it and choose your own path. This theme reminds me a lot of another great song that has a similar meaning, "Numb" by Linkin Park, for some reason. But yeah, I really enjoy this song, and despite what I might have said about it on my review of their self-titled album, it deserves to have been a single because the side of them shown here is really awesome.

6. Painkiller (from Human)
This is the only song on this list that features Matt Walst on lead vocals rather than Adam Gontier. And the reason why I put this this high is that when I heard that Three Days Grace had a new lead singer starting in 2013, I was quite afraid to listen to their music after that, just because it might be so different that it's not that good. But surprisingly, I really like Walst's contributions to the band, and I'm glad they picked him as a new lead singer because he has a lot of talent. And while I think this song would've been much better if Gontier sang it, Walst has a really good effort here. This song, which drummer Neil Sanderson says is about how everyone is addicted to something, has a really high energy level, which you could probably tell by now is something I love to hear from Three Days Grace and in general, and that's the first thing that makes me love it. And there's also the fact that this song was released in 2014, which was definitely not a year when you could hear rock songs with guitars on the radio. I like how they continued their classic alternative metal sound this far into this decade. Overall amazing song that really shows that a band doesn't always go downhill after getting a new lead singer.

5. I Hate Everything About You (from Three Days Grace)
Yes, you read that right, this band's most commercially successful hit is only at #5 on this list. Although this song is amazing and the song that got me into them, I think that it isn't very original and that another band could've done it and it would've been just as good. But in terms outside of this list, I don't care. I still think that this song was very well-made and deserved its success. It has a catchy guitar riff and an awesome chorus that gets you every time. And the fact that this song was their debut single is just cool, because it sounds like something by a band that's been around for a while. But just like a lot of my favorite bands and artists, their most popular song is not always their best song, so if you're making a list and feel like you should put the most popular song first, you don't have to. It's fine.

4. Break (from Life Starts Now)
If I remember correctly, this was the second song I came to really love from Three Days Grace after "I Hate Everything About You". And knowing how good I thought "I Hate Everything About You" was, I was excited to hear more from them when I was listening to older alternative charts. In fact, my last.fm account says that the week before I really got into them, I had 47 scrobbles (or plays) for "I Hate Everything About You". But by the next week, I had ten brand new plays for this song, including seven in a three-day span, because the first time I listened to it, I was shook. The theme about wanting to break away from a situation that you're in that you don't like stuck out so much to me, along with the extremely high energy level, really showed me what this band could do aside from their commercially successful songs like "I Hate Everything About You" and "Lost In You", and that started my true love for them. Seems like a really good song for only number four on this list, right? Well, then there's no telling how legendary all of our top three songs are. So let's introduce them.

3. Home (from Three Days Grace)
I know, I know, I ranked "I Hate Everything About You" higher than this when reviewing their self-titled album. But I feel like that for this list, "Home" should be higher because it represents Three Days Grace's sound way better than "I Hate Everything About You" does. So it is. As for everything else, it's not quite as upbeat as some of their other songs like "Break" and "The Good Life", but that doesn't stop Adam Gontier's aggressive voice from coming out and showing what it can do. In fact, it's the first thing that catches my attention when the song kicks in. According to songmeanings.com, the song is apparently about a typical conflict between a parent and a teenager, and although some say it's about a conflict between a boyfriend and a girlfriend, I personally disagree because it sounds way more like parent vs. teenager to me. Pretty interesting to me because I know what it's like, as I've been through that many times. Aside from the lyrics and vocals, the heavy sound in this song is just cool. Like I said before, it's not a total banger because it doesn't have as high of a tempo as some of their other songs, but everything else revolving around that makes up for it. And by far the most satisfying part (at least to me) is when Gontier belts out the chorus. You can feel what's going on in the song then, and as someone who loves hard rock, it's satisfying and fitting for me. So yeah, everything about this song is amazing, and if something was changed, it wouldn't be the same. I don't know if this is my favorite song off of Three Days Grace, but it sounds the most like a great Three Days Grace song, which does so much for me, which is why it's this high.



Alright, so now that everything else is done. it's time for our absolutely legendary top 2. And honestly, picking which one of these songs to put at #1 was an extremely hard decision for me. Both of these songs are truly amazing in every way, and while one was more popular than the other, I like them both pretty much the same amount. But I had to make a decision, so I did. The only real reason why I put my #1 pick at #1 is because I discovered it before my #2, but just note that they are interchangeable because they're both just so good and it's almost impossible to make a true decision. So take that into note when I reveal my top 2. Let's do it.

2. Riot (from One X)
On an average hard rock list with this song on it, in most circumstances I wouldn't hesitate to put a song like this at the top spot. But as I just said, this song is pretty much just as good as my #1, I just put this here because I had to. Anyway, if you're trying to get into super hard rock music but don't know where to start, here you go. This is the perfect example of a great 2000s hard rock song because it has pretty much everything I need. It's super upbeat, has that super fast and catchy guitar riff, and has such an energy-filled chorus, so much that sometimes you can't help but just get up when you hear it. The lyrics in this song don't go too deep, but I love them. They're basically about being really angry to the point where you're just not being afraid to show it. In other words, normal Three Days Grace stuff. And you can definitely tell from listening to it that Three Days Grace were the perfect band to make it, because nothing can sing these lyrics better than Adam Gontier's angry-sounding voice. So not much else to say here. This is a pretty simple song, but no one said that a song has to be super complex to be good, so that doesn't bring this song down any. Everything else added to it makes it even better, which makes this #2 spot on this amazing list of songs very deserving. But the #1 song, although being just as good, was also pretty deserving. And considering that there is one big hit of theirs I haven't talk about, my #1 shouldn't be that hard to guess. It is...

1. Animal I Have Become (from One X)
I don't say this about many songs, but other than one or two small things, this song is flawless. It just has lots of good things in it put together to make something just so amazing. I could spend hours raving on about everything great about this song, but I don't have the time or effort to do that, so let's make it short. I love the guitar riffs that come all throughout the song, and the first few measures where it's just the kick drum and the bass is really cool as well. The verses sound pretty much perfect, as if just one thing was changed it wouldn't be the same. And that brings us to the story behind the song, which might be my favorite thing about it. Basically, after the band finished touring for and promoting their self-titled debut album, lead singer Gontier became addicted to drugs so much that it was preventing the band from starting work on their second album. He has said that during that time, he was just so angry and abusive and couldn't figure out who he was. So while he was in rehab for that addiction, he wrote a lot of songs for a possible second Three Days Grace album, and this song was among that bunch. It's basically about that rough time he went through and how much he wanted to get out of it. It doesn't sound like too much, but to be honest, this is one of the most well-written songs I have heard in quite a long time, because you can tell what he was going through just by listening to this song. Lots of other artists have tried to do something like this, but most have failed, so it's nice to see one succeed. As for everything else, the song has so much energy in it it's almost unreal to me. It's definitely Three Days Grace's usual sound, but a lot better. And that plus that interesting story makes something awesome. Also, this isn't really about the song, but the music video for this is really cool and describes what's going on in the song pretty well. I embedded it above if you want to check it out. But yeah, I think I've said enough. This song is great in every way and definitely deserved to be Billboard's #1 Mainstream Rock song of 2006.




And that's it for this post! Thanks for reading, and if any of these songs sound cool to you (which I hope they do), you can listen to them with the YouTube embeds I provided with each one. So yeah, see everyone tomorrow for a cool new series!

Awful Album Reviews #6: The Offspring - Splinter

Hey music fans, and welcome back to another awful album review! Because The Offspring's seventh studio album Splinter turns fifteen years old today, I decided today would be a perfect time to review it! So let's get into it!



INTRODUCTION

Splinter is the seventh studio album from punk rock band The Offspring, released on December 9, 2003. This was The Offspring's first album without longtime drummer Ron Welty, but it still proved to be successful, as it was certified gold within two months of release. There were two singles to accompany this album: "Hit That" and "(Can't Get My) Head Around You", with "Spare Me The Details" also being released in Australia and New Zealand. This record, which gets its title from a lyric in the track "Long Way Home", didn't receive as much acclaim as some of their other albums, but it still charted on the Billboard 200, peaking at #30. Although it was not as successful as albums like Smash, Ixnay On The Hombre, Americana, and Conspiracy of One, it still seems like there's a lot of exciting stuff in it, right? Well, let's see what that is.



REVIEW

If I could describe (not review) this album in one sentence, I would say that although there are many different styles and sounds presented in the album, all of the tracks have one thing in common: They are at least somewhat comedic. Not every Offspring album is like that, which makes this album a really fun listen if you love funny music. As for the different styles and sounds in the album, there is the sound that makes the songs sound comedic, and also the punk sound where The Offspring's roots come from. Also, I'd like to put out there that the longest song on this album is just over three and a half minutes long, and the whole album is only 32 minutes long, which can be significant because a lot of iconic punk songs are really short, so this can show how much that they are going back to their roots. Not every song on the record does that, but the ones that do are really good.

Now, although I love pretty much every song on this album, I think it was a good choice to only release two singles from it in most countries. I say this because most of the songs on the album aren't very radio friendly in my opinion. Sure, they're funny and cool, but that does not equal radio friendly. The two singles that did get released in most countries, "Hit That" and "(Can't Get My) Head Around You", are two of the most radio friendly songs on the album in my opinion, and although they're not quite my favorites off of it, they work the best as singles for me. "Hit That" proved to be a fan favorite, as it peaked at #64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the alternative charts. "(Can't Get My) Head Around You" also peaked at #6 on the alternative charts, so it must have been loved as well. Although I am not mad that "Spare Me The Details" did not get released as a single in the U.S., it seemed to have worked well in New Zealand, as it peaked at #31 over there. So the comedic sound that comes in a lot of these songs does seem to be liked by people, including me, which is why I always look forward to listening to this album. I am quite looking forward to reviewing every track as well, so let's do that.



TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEWS

1. "Neocon"
Rating: N/A
Comments: This is a really cool track to open out the album, with the crowd and everything, but I won't rate it just because it's nothing more than a one-minute long intro. But it does do that job pretty well.

2. "The Noose"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: The Offspring's classic punk sound comes back into play extremely well in this song. It's very fast-paced and very catchy, which I always love to hear in songs.

3. "Long Way Home"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This is another great example of this band going back to their roots really well. Enough said.

4. "Hit That"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Fun, fun, and more fun! I love fun, so I love this song!

5. "Race Against Myself"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: This is slightly slower than most of the songs on the album, which is cool, I guess.

6. "(Can't Get My) Head Around You"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: I am fine with this being one of the two singles because of how radio friendly it is, but I prefer a couple other songs on this album, so there's that.

7. "The Worst Hangover Ever"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: The album's comedic sound is shown pretty prominently here. This song is so cool that after I got into it, it went into my rotation of Offspring songs, and hasn't come out since.

8. "Never Gonna Find Me"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Pretty forgettable song to me, but still really enjoyable. Also, the punk sound here tho.

9. "Lightning Rod"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: I wish I could remember this song more than I do, because it is really good.

10. "Spare Me The Details"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Can I please give this song an 11/10 because of how good it is? No? Okay then. But yeah, this song is just so awesome, it's funny, catchy, and has some awesome vocals throughout the whole thing. It might even be in my top five Offspring songs, just because of how awesome it sounds.

11. "Da Hui"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Although this is only just over one and a half minutes long, I will count it as a song, because reasons. And it is a really good song, as the punk sound here is just cool.

12. "When You're In Prison"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: It doesn't have too much to it, but it is really a good, fun track to close out the album.



ALBUM RANKDOWN

1. "Spare Me The Details"
2. "Hit That"
3. "The Noose"
4. "The Worst Hangover Ever"
5. "Da Hui"
6. "Long Way Home"
7. "Lightning Rod"
8. "(Can't Get My) Head Around You"
9. "Never Gonna Find Me"
10. "When You're In Prison"
11. "Race Against Myself"



OVERALL SCORE

106/110 = 9.636/10 = 0.9636 = 96.36%



FINAL WORDS

I can sum up this great album in just one word: Fun! And do you know how much I love fun? Quite a bit. So yeah, this album is a great listen, and I recommend it to any of you out there who love fun music. If that describes you, then you can listen to this album on Spotify here or on YouTube here.

So that will wrap up today's review. Thank you if you made it this far, because I really appreciate it. And don't forget, you can always hit me up with post suggestions, because I will he happy to review anything you want me to! I will never turn an album or chart review down, so it might be good to suggest something if you're curious to see what I think of it. But until my next post, which should come pretty soon, thank you, and I'll see you next time! Have a great day!

Terrible Top 10s #2: Foo Fighters

Hey guys, welcome back to the blog for another top 10 list from me! This time, instead of breaking down a year, I will be sharing my favorite songs from an artist, which I see myself doing quite often, actually. We are starting this with the Foo Fighters, who have more than enough songs I love, so it was kind of easy to put together a list for them. So without further ado, let's get into it!



INTRODUCTION

The Foo Fighters are a rock band originally founded as a one-man project for former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl after the death of Kurt Cobain. While Grohl was on tour with Nirvana, he often brought a guitar with him and wrote songs when he wasn't performing, but since he loved Cobain's songs too much, he kept them to himself. After Cobain died and Nirvana was disbanded, Grohl began to record a lot of these songs anonymously under the name "Foo Fighters" because he wanted it to sound like a group. But unexpectedly, the tape of these songs gathered interest among several record labels, so Grohl gathered together some other musicians to support the album. After he recruited guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Nate Mendel, and drummer William Goldsmith, the album was completed under Grohl's new record label. They went on to release eight more albums that contained many hit singles. Because I personally enjoy a lot of these hit singles, I picked out ten of them to represent my favorite songs that they have recorded. And I'm here to present those ten songs and talk about why I love them. Let's dive in!

10. Learn To Fly (from There Is Nothing Left To Lose)
This is one of the most noticeable hits from the Foos, as it peaked in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Personally, I think it deserves it. It's not a very hard or upbeat song, which is what I'm used to hearing from them. And this type, which reminds me a lot of their iconic single "Everlong", is a nice change. Also, Dave Grohl sounds a little different here, too, and that's also kind of cool. So yeah, this is pretty good for the only Hot 100-charting single from There Is Nothing Left To Lose.

9. Rope (from Wasting Light)
Unlike "Learn To Fly", this song, and this album in general, isn't much different from what I'm used to hearing from the Foos. That's part of what I like about it. This song is really fast and energy-filled, which is the big thing that makes me want to stick around until the end. It also has some cool guitar riffs that go with that tempo nicely. It's not my favorite song off of Wasting Light, but it is an honorable mention for that honor.

8. No Way Back (from In Your Honor)
In Your Honor is not one of my favorite Foo Fighters albums, but it did have some cool songs on it, such as this one. It's a very good example of this band's usual sound, which I like. The guitar riff is the catchiest part of this song to me, as is the chorus, which defines the song along with that riff. While I do prefer seven other songs from the Foos over this, if I had to listen to any song from In Your Honor, I would immediately go to this one.

7. Walk (from Wasting Light)
Here's another Wasting Light single that I think shows their sound really well. I like how they continued their harder rock sound even into the 2010s, as that wasn't what was popular at the time. But some people, like me, enjoy hearing it, so I'm glad this song is out there for that. We'll have to wait until the top five to see what my favorite Wasting Light song is, but although this mystery song is better, I really enjoy this one.

6. Monkey Wrench (from The Colour And The Shape)
This is one of many songs from the late 1990s that were renowned hits but never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 because of the chart rules at the time. I think this is definitely cruel, but that doesn't affect my opinion on this song. It has some really catchy riffs throughout, plus that really hard rock feel that Dave Grohl is great at making. It's not better than "Everlong", which will appear on this list eventually, but I'm glad this was a hit along with it.

5. All My Life (from One By One)
I personally thought that One By One was a forgettable album, but I remember it at least somewhat because of this song. I like how this song starts with not as much in it, then some breaks in during the second half of the first verse and pre-chorus, then by the chorus it's just super fun. I don't know why but those kind of songs really stick out to me in a great way, and that's why I love this song. I considered putting it higher, like at #2 or something, but I guess this placing shows how strong their discography is.

4. These Days (from Wasting Light)
I love this song for the exact same reason why I love "All My Life": It has an awesome build-up that sets the stage for the song very nicely. And this is yet another one of those songs with actual guitars in it that was made in this decade, which you don't see or hear every day. But yeah, I like how the Foos didn't change according to the trends and just stuck with what they were used to playing, as many artists throughout this decade are victims of that. But the Foos aren't, and I'm very glad about that.

3. Something From Nothing (from Sonic Highways)
Okay, so think back to "These Days" and Wasting Light in general for a second. That album was released in 2011 and still possessed that great hard rock sound that is almost extinct in the 2010s because of new trends. Well, this song and album were released in 2014, which is a year right between the dance-pop and trap trends. And those subgenres are based off of computer-generated instruments. The Foos probably knew this, but even this far into this decade, they were still making actual rock music, and I admire that so much because not many artists will have the courage to do that. Anyway, this song is fantastic in pretty much every way. It is another one with an amazing build-up that is very noticeable, and very good at the same time. The many different riffs coming together help a lot with that. And how Dave Grohl's voice changes throughout the song to match the tones of it...just so good. 2014 was not an awesome year for music, but this song is one of the real highlights from that year, even though it barely did not chart on the Hot 100.

2. Everlong (from The Colour And The Shape)
Yes, this hugely iconic single is not my top pick for the best Foo Fighters song, and you'll find out why in a minute. But for now, let's just say that this song is a part of why 1997 was such an awesome year for alternative rock music, and music in general. There were a lot of great pop crossover hits from that year that helped make it what it is, but there were also songs on more of the actual rock side, like this one, that helped as well. While this song is certainly not the best of those, because 1997 was so awesome, it's up there, and I still enjoy listening to it when I get a chance to. However, as good as this song sounds like it is, it's not quite my favorite Foo Fighters song. It wasn't very close, either. So what is? Well...

1. The Pretender (from Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace)
If this song was a bigger mainstream hit and not have been caught between years, 2007 and 2008 would have been so much different for me. That's because this song just outright stands out when compared to other songs from that era. Okay, so if you decide to listen to this song, or have already, you probably heard the first 25 seconds or so and went, "Man, this is so slow and boring, I don't see why so many people love it. Maybe I should just stop here." Well, that's when it breaks right in and goes so hard that the energy is just way over the top. And by the time that super awesome chorus hits, you just feel so good because the song is now so upbeat and energy-filled. I know I've talked about of a lot of these other songs being really upbeat and energy-filled, but they don't even compare to how hype this one is. And I love hype songs, so this is perfect for my taste. You might not agree and think that something like "Everlong" is better, but I personally love this song too much to not say it's my favorite from them.






And that does it for this top 10 list! What do you think? Did you agree or disagree with my opinions, or do you just want to share your thoughts on the songs? Well, that's what the comment section or my Discord DMs are for, as you're welcome to hit those up anytime. You can also use those for suggestions for other posts you'd like to see from me if you want. But yeah, I had a lot of fun making this list and this post, and if you want to hear the goodness in these songs for yourself, that's what the YouTube embeds I included are for. I recommend all of these songs to anyone who is looking for things to listen to, so you are free to check them out if you're bored. But for now, that's it for this post and I'll see you guys next time! Have a great rest of your day!