New Feature: Stuff We Spotified this Week

Hey All,

Guardian Force’s other Guild members have been posting more recently, hope you like what you’re seeing, the “Date my Avatar” video was particularly funny.

Anyway, on to the post.

This is a new feature I am going to try to do weekly as a shout-out to the one form of media we don’t talk about too much on the site, music.

Guardian Force are actually pretty into their music, we have been to a whole shitload of gigs together and between us I don’t think there is a genre we don’t like so I decided we should do a new post section, stuff we have recently added to our Spotify playlists complete with links so you can enjoy our recommended tunes! Hopefully the other members will add to this but I am going to get the ball rolling.

Oh if you don’t know of Spotify, stop messing around and download it. It’s an ace alternative to iTunes where you can stream (kinda) free music to your computer. The links in this article are all to the tracks themselves on Spotify so open it up while you’re reading so you can add them quickly.

Stuff Diablos Added to Spotify Recently…

Steel Panther – Feel the Steel: Like Tenacious D? Like 80′s metal? Then Steel Panther are for you. They are essentially a cross between Judas Priest and The D and blend crazy (but enjoyable) classic metal with funny, and often explicit, lyrics to create their first album “Feel the Steel”.

It’s not one for your Gran but many of the songs bring a chuckle, if not full on laugh out loud. Favourite tracks on this album are probably “Turn Out the Lights” and “Party All Day” but “Community Property” is very, very funny.

Florence + the Machine – Lungs: It’s overly trendy and sometimes a little whiny but I really like Florence + the Machine. I love the mellow sound while I’m working and kinda like some of the wacky lyrics and crazy vocals.

I don’t think I would recommend this one to people who don’t have patience for new music, you definitely need to give it a few listens. As I said, great to work too, handy to chill to, probably crap to rev up on but worth giving a try if you have not already heard them. Especially liking “Kiss with a Fist” and “Rabbit Heart”.

Steriogram – Schmack!: Under-rated New Zealand based Rap-Rock act Steriogram are most famous for their iPod selling, Elite Beat Agents poping, track “Walking Talkie Man” (you’ll know it when you hear it), but the whole Schmack! album is full of gems, I really enjoyed this album on first listen and still like it today.

The closest comparison in my head is the “Collision Course” album between Jay-Z and Linkin Park or Sum 41 but really Steriogram are their own genre and you should check out this album in your next spare 40 minutes. Favourite tracks from this one are Schmack! and Tsunami, they also illustrate how varied this band can be.

Don’t wanna (as they say in High Fidelity) blow my Mix Tape load so that’s all for now, call back next week when I will have 3 new albums for you and maybe some input from the rest of the guild.

Stuff Nilhuanwen Added to Spotify Recently…

I have a pretty specific taste in music :D Although my iTunes is pretty varied, my all time favourite music can be categorised as epic metal. Normally from Europe. I’ve really enjoyed using Spotify to listen to new music of this kind that I wouldn’t have been able to get at easily other wise. Here are my recommendations this time around…
Ayreon – Universal Migrator 1 & 2: Ayreon is more of a musical “project” than a band, spearheaded by Arjen Lucassen. I’ve just bought this CD, proof that free music can result in purchases! This album is a concept album, like most Ayreon albums, and tells a part of a story that is covered on their other albums. This particular part is about the last man alive and the rather incredible journey he takes via a machine called “the dream sequencer”. The sound of the music is epic, haunting and varied, particularly on the first part of the album, “The Dream Sequencer”. If you want something really different to listen to, give this a spin.

Sonata Arctica – For The Sake of Revenge: This is a live album from the Finnish power metal band, so it has a pretty good mix of their songs. “My Land” and “Don’t Say a Word” are great, but for me the real stand out track is “Broken”. It has a big sound, good guitar parts and carries well live. Tony Kakko’s powerful voice sounds great in the live setting as well. This is more familiar sounding stuff than Ayreon and I would say that anyone looking for some metal to listen to wouldn’t go far wrong with this.

That’s my choices for this week. I have other things lined up to chat about but don’t want to go over the top in one post :) Oh, and if you’ve not listened to any Nightwish yet, what are you waiting for?!

Stuff Jesta Added to Spotify Recently…

Well, I use Spotify to listen to the music I wouldn’t normally listen to, or buy, or in some cases, admit to.  So I’m not going to be adding Incubus, Meat Loaf etc  Instead, it’s going to be the less conventional for me.  So here’s a quick list of stuff that stuck in my head while having the Box on in the gym every day…

I Kissed a Girl – Katy Perry
Hot n Cold – Katy Perry
The Fear – Lily Allen
The Promise – Girls Aloud
Love Storey – Taylor Swift
Womanizer – Brittany Spears

Good gym tunes, decent beats.

Apart from that, I’m done.  I haven’t been listening to music at all!  I guess I can recommend the following albums as I’ve had them on my phone and in the car…

The Atari’s – End is Forever
“Pop Punk” apparently, no idea what that means.  I just know it sounds good.  Prefer it over “So Long, Astoria”, maybe ’cause I listened to that album to death, which is probably the same reason I very rarely suggest Bon Jovi to anyone anymore.  From the Punky “Song #13″ to the rocky “Giving up on Love” and the slow “Hello and Goodbye”, each track provides a bit of a change with Kris Roe’s typical quality lyrics.

My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade
Emo’s that make you kill yourself according to the establishment, puh! I’m still here.  I LOVE this album, even if one of the genre’s is “Post hardcore” (I swear they make these up).  “House of Wolves” is easily one of my fave songs and an M1 sing-as-loud-as-I-can horror-fest special, as is “The Sharpest Lives” but I can handle it a bit better.  Great album, but remember, suicide is for life, not just for MCR.

Paramore – Riot
Despite being ginger she’s pretty good.  Emo, Punk, and wait for this one… “POWER POP”, oh yes! :)  “CrushCrushCrush” got my interest on Kerrang! Radio and then as soon as I heard “Misery Business” I bought the album, awesome!  Never had an album stuck in my head as much as this one since Richie Samboura’s “Stranger in this town” way back when.  The rest of Guardian Force can confirm that I love to butcher “That’s what you get” on Rock Band (100% on hard vocals, not bragging but I am a manly man and this was originally sung by a ginger midget) and it probably put them off Paramore altogether! :)

BTW, Should Hayley Willaims ever read this please know I’m only joking! and I’m single ;) Giggidy