What You Should Have Heard #46

My Mix CDs

I’ve got a lot of music but limited space to hold it in, especially in my car. So I’ve gone the old tried-and-true way of making mix CDs to have access to as many bands as possible while driving. I’m going slightly old-school since I’m a bit backwards and have no iPod.

Most of the songs will be more upbeat, with probably only the occasional ballad or slower song included. I like to sing in the car, and the more upbeat songs are more fun to sing.

I’ll be going in alpha-numeric order with these, so if you’re wanting to argue with me about what Weezer songs should be included, you’re going to be waiting for a while.

My only limitations are that I use 80 min. discs, and I’m only going to use one disc per band/artist. I will make exceptions for only my most favorite bands with huge playlists (Foo Fighters and Self, off the top of my head), but I’d really like to boil everything down to just one disc.

Here’s the list guide:

Track # - Song Name - Album Name [Artist if album is by a different artist]

I’m going to be in a pretty serious crunch at work through the holidays (and after, apparently), so my posts may be more infrequent and contain less content. Of course, seeing as nobody comments on this stuff, I’m probably just doing nothing but blog flogging (also, if that’s not a term yet, I call dibs!).

Korn Mix CD

1. Freak on a Leash – Follow the Leader
2. Got the Life – Follow the Leader
3. Children of the Korn – Follow the Leader
4. All in the Family – Follow the Leader
5. Cameltosis – Follow the Leader
6. Word Up – Greatest Hits Vol. 1
7. Falling Away from Me – Issues
8. Make Me Bad – Issues
9. Wake Up – Issues
10. Somebody Someone – Issues
11. Got Money – Got Money (Website Download) [Jonathan Davis]
12. No Place to Hide – Life is Peachy
13. Wicked – Life is Peachy
14. A.D.I.D.A.S. – Life is Peachy
15. Twisted Transistor – See You on the Other Side
16. Coming Undone – See You on the Other Side
17. Right Now – Take a Look in the Mirror
18. Did My Time – Take a Look in the Mirror
19. Y’all Want a Single – Take a Look in the Mirror
20. Kick the P.A. – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Spawn]

A few notes on Korn:

• The first cut ended up being just 15 minutes shy of a double disc, so some serious trimming had to be done.
• I was turned onto Korn with “A.D.I.D.A.S.” I thought that was so clever. I was in high school.
• Jonathan Davis and Korn are responsible for the rise of Fred Durst. That right there is a mark against them in my book.
• I don’t like auto-tuned songs, but I enjoy “Got Money,” if only for the (hopefully) sarcastic nature of the song.

Korn Official Website

Korn Wikipedia entry

Korn AllMusic entry

Korn Facebook page

Korn MySpace page

Korn Twitter feed

Various Artists: Nightmare Revisited (CD Review)

Worth It

If you’re a fan of The Nightmare before Christmas or of the handful of bands on this CD, then this collection is probably worth it to you. This is the NbC soundtrack performed by an eclectic assortment of bands. On one end of the spectrum we’ve got Marilyn Manson and Korn (two of the four artists I got this CD for), and on the other we’ve got The Polyphonic Spree and DeVotchKa. In between are The All-American Rejects, Flyleaf, Sparklehorse, Rise Against, Yoshida Brothers, Amy Lee (of Evanescence), RJD2, Plain White Ts, Datarock, Shiny Toy Guns, and Danny Elfman, who wrote the original score and even provided singing voices for Jack and other characters.

I haven’t seen the movie. It’s something I’ve wanted to see, but I’ve just never gotten around to it. I am familiar with Danny Elfman’s music and Tim Burton’s movies. I’m just surprised Johnny Depp wasn’t involved somehow. It’s like they’ve got some kind of weird threesome going on.

Regardless of why I originally got the CD, I’ve come to enjoy the whole thing. I only say that it’s sort of worth the purchase because movie soundtracks aren’t for everyone, especially musicals. It helps to somewhat know the plot of the movie, or you’re just listening to an odd assortment of songs.

Some tracks are purely instrumental pieces (Overture by DeVotchKa, Doctor Finkelstein/In the Forest by Amiina, etc.), and you can definitely feel Elfman in the music. He’s got a unique sound to his compositions.

It seems as though the performers, both in the instrumental pieces and those with lyrics, retain their own sound while also putting out the Elfman vibe. I obviously can’t comment on artists I’ve never heard of (Amiina, Yoshida Brothers, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, RJD2, and Datarock), but I was pleased with those I came for (the afore mentioned Marilyn Manson and Korn along with Flyleaf and Amy Lee), and I was pleasantly surprised by some groups that are very hit-and-miss with me. I only like a handful of All-American Rejects songs, and I’m adding their version of Jack’s Lament to that list. I’m only familiar with one Polyphonic Spree song, but their version of Town Meeting Song seems very consistent with what I’ve seen (they were on an episode of Las Vegas) or read about the group. It’s a very large ensemble, so we’re blessed by having each voice in the piece actually sung by a different voice.

So if you’re a fan of the movie, definitely pick this up. If you’re a fan of even one of the groups represented on the album, also pick it up. I’m sure you’ll be surprised by what else you might find pleasing to your ear balls. And if you’re just in the market for something different, it can’t hurt to give this a try. It’s definitely something different.