Skrillex - Bangarang

Skrillex's logo

I know that I have featured Skrillex in the past, but I gotta say that he has made some interesting little pieces during his reign as the modern, de facto king of dubstep, ruler of college parties. Whether it be the combative Santa in Ruffneck or the pedophile being stomped by a shadow in First of the Year, this student gives Skrillex a big thumbs-up.

While certainly not his best (I think that title may be reserved for the popular Scary Monster and Nice Sprites), Bangarang is definitely worth the watch (and the listen!) for all fans of Skrillex. In my personal index, it ranks in this student's Top Five, up there with the songs mentioned in this very post.

If you like Bangarang, then check out some more of Skrillex's catchy dubstep tunes with First of the Year (Equinox) or Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, both of which I'm sure you can find on YouTube with a cursory search.

Check out Bangarang below:

R/D ft. Nadine Risha - Face of God

Check out this excellent electronic song by R/D (and also featuring Nadine Risha) called "Face of God." If it weren't enough for you that this song is just ridiculously good, the music video created to accompany this piece is also quite visually enthralling.

Though all pieces of art are highly subjective, especially songs and their videos, I would like to venture a guess as to what this may have meant (and what I, personally, got from this video). The "Face of God" is supposed to be this perfect, infallible thing that would wow and amaze anyone who stared into it -- yet everyone in the video had an eccentric style not usually considered perfect.

Ignoring the metaphysical debates that seem bound to anything involving the topic of God (especially from college student redditors on r/atheism and the like, haha) I think this video shows excellently that the face of God may not be as "perfect" as you think -- especially since, after all, we are supposed to be modeled in his image. Something to chew on. ;]

Also, enjoy this little nugget: "Miracle" by Blackmill (another electronic piece).

Seven Lions - Isis

"Californian producer Seven Lions have given us an exclusive pre-release of their upcoming Polarized EP dropping April 23rd on Beatport.com. The new track is called ‘Iris’ perhaps reference to the goddess of Ancient Egyptians, as feels to have a middle eastern influences coming through." -The Music Ninja

Perhaps this little piece deserves being compared to a goddess, because my ears love it when I listen to Isis by Seven Lions. I found it on r/dubstep (reddit, if you don't already know, is basically a circlejerk for college students and liberals, of which I happily participate), and I have been listening almost non-stop since. Love it, hope you will, too.

Mac Miller - Frick Park Market

Mac Miller's hit single "Frick Park Market" is an excellent indie hip-hop song that a fan of either genre would enjoy. Usually, this sort of style isn't my thing, but Frick Park Market is surprisingly well-done. The fantastic quality, editing, and choreography of the music video alone is enough to attest to the hard work put in.
The song refers to a food store in Miller's Pittsburgh hometown where he used to work (imagine it; one day you're some lowly student working a store job, the next you're a professional rapper and hip-hop singer). The market is near to the park referenced in the album title, Blue Slide Park (also known officially as Frick Park). The music video was filmed at the store itself, and that video reached well over 17 million views on YouTube.

Check out the video above to enjoy Mac Miller's Frick Park Market -- I promise you won't regret it.

Skrillex - Voltage (HD, Unreleased)

We've got a special treat for you, today, oh yeah.

Skrillex may be one of the single most famous dubstep artists ever -- if not THE most famous dubstep artist. AKA Sonny Moore, this guy has done more making electronic music than most have with their entire pop-culture music -- and even took MTV's EDM Artist of the Year, placing ahead of even deadmau5 (which is really saying something, considering).

His first true album as Skrillex is slated to come out this year, though the details are a bit foggy. We do know that it is called Voltage, as is the only single out from it so far. Though only caught in live performances, there have been studio, high quality versions of it on YouTube, and you can listen below:

Check it out, and tell us what you think in the comments! ;]

Sublime - What I Got

What would this music blog be if I did not mention a band straight from my hometown of Long Beach, CA? In fact, this band is quite well known in Long Beach -- and for good reason. On more than one occasion, the band has mentioned their hometown in their music, much to the excitement of those in the city itself.

That band is the massively successful group Sublime (I bet you know that already though, right?). They are known for so many songs it would be hard to list even just the big ones, but of course I am going to give a try: Santeria, Date Rape, Caress Me Down, Smoke Two Joints, Badfish, and... well, jeez, it just keeps going!

The Sublime song that I am posting today is another one of their biggies: What I Got. It is by far my favorite Sublime song, probably because of how easy-going and realistic it is. For many people, this song represents how life is, and signing it has become something of a nostalgic past-time for my family. You can hear it below:

Chevelle - The Red

Here is a band that has been successfully releasing music for around sixteen years now: Chevelle. Yet, despite the band's age, many would still say they are in the game -- though, not quite hitting as hard as they used to. Their last two albums, while reaching a wide fanbase, did not make waves in the music world like their previous work had.

Speaking of their previous work, I think now is a good time to butt in with today's featured song, The Red. This song was a breakthrough single on their album Wonder What's Next, the album of which was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The Red is an excellent example of Chevelle's potential, as evidenced in the music video below:

Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground

Here is a song that you may have heard of sometime on the radio, or maybe even on some obscure cassette mix-tape. This song is actually a hit from way back in 1996, believe it or not, by the British trip-hop band Sneaker Pimps. Oh yeah, we are going back far here for this one! ;]

Believe it or not, this song was more popular a whole year after it was released than when it first reached the charts, and no lie, 6 Underground re-emerged on the charts in Britain after being in an American film. If that was not weird enough for you, it then proceeded to show up in films across the mainstream cinema scene for almost fifteen years, most recently making an appearance in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

Sneaker Pimps is not an exceedingly well known band, even if their song 6 Underground is. The members of the band proceeded to make side projects and a few other albums into the new millennium, but nothing quite reached the popularity of 6 Underground. To be fair, though, they did make it on the charts with each of their successive albums, but not much has been heard of the band since.

Check 'em out!

Infected Mushroom - Becoming Insane

Infected Mushrooms -- oh boy, are you in for a treat today. This band is absolutely, entirely, most definitely something else. It is actually a bit hard to determine what category of genres this would go in, much less than specific genre itself. Starting in the really late 90s, the Israeli-born core members, Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani, made what would be sensations across the darker electronic music world.

Starting out in 1998 as Shidapu & Duvdev and eventually evolving into Infected Mushroom as a duo, this band achieved moderate fame and success across the globe, playing at popular events like Coachella. Some of their more popular songs are Smashing The Opponent, Killing Time (Infected Trance Remix), and of course perhaps their most well known so far, Becoming Insane.

This band has grown to include other members like Tom Cunningham, Erez Netz, and Rogerio Jardim, but this is not bar far their only cast of people to work with. They have done work alongside DJ Jörg, Astrix, and Deedrah, and their success is only rising. It is easy to see why, when their music is so unique and filled to the brim with talent. Check it out!

Broken Bells - The High Road

Today, I present you with some alt rock by the band Broken Bells, a duo consisting of James Mercer and Brian Burton (a.k.a Danger Mouse, famous for his work with Cee Lo Green in the soul duo Gnarls Barkley). Broken Bells was briefly famous for their song The High Road, which is perhaps their greatest success.

The High Road showcased as the lead single for the eponymous debut album Broken Bells, which really did not feature any other songs that were of any serious fame, unfortunately. This one song did really catch my attention though, as I am sure it did for the many listeners it garnered through its extensive radio broadcast in the U.S.

Here is the official music video on YouTube:

The project, as they consider themselves, came back together for another collaboration called Meyrin Fields, which seems to still be in the phases of being added on to. Meyrin Fields features singles from the Broken Bells album's b-side, so not much new there.

Until they complete their second album, let's enjoy The High Road!

Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood

Let me take you back, to a world where music was simpler and yet oh-so-intricate. Let me take you back to a time when the land was ruled by the Gorillaz, with their very first single on their debut album. Yeah, that's right, I'm talking about the ever popular Clint Eastwood.

Sure, you may know the Gorillaz from the more recently popular (and an even bigger hit, believe it or not) Feel Good Inc., which seemed to stay on the forefront of radio stations for ages. Who can blame them? The Gorillaz just make a lot of good music, but there is always a diamond in their albums that shines out.

Check out Clint Eastwood below on YouTube:

Oh yeah, and don't worry about whether or not the video is safe to watch. It is by the official record label for the Gorillaz, so it's all a-okay. ;D