My MP3 player has almost 2,000 tracks on it.My musical tastes vary from Ray C to Ray Charles, Nonini to New Edition.Since I had to leave behind around 120 cds when I came to the States, actually I gave them to my ex-college room mate; I had to start rebuilding.With occasional access to peer to peer software I have been able to do quite a bit.I have some music in my collection that has always had most Kenyans I know saying WTF?!This is because most of it is music they have never bothered listening to at all, this covers half of what I listen to but I am going to focus on what I listen to that has them covering their ears while curled in the foetal positions whenver I turn up the music.My hard rock collection, Hard Rock here being a blanket term for alternative rock , punk rock, grunge, nu-grunge, punk metal, indie rock, thrash metal, industrial rock, geek rock, pop rock and the list goes on and on and on.
Anyway here is some of what I have in my collection at the moment.
Linkin Park
I am sure that after the Jay Z collabo (Numb/Encore), all of you know who these dudes are.According to me their best album was the first one.Their music is a good starting point into nu-metal for beginners.If you can develop a taste for them then you can get into stronger stuff.
Papa Roach
Also according to me a good starting point into nu-metal.Their best song according
to me is "last resort" that expresses the anguish of a young man who wants to
commit suicide but manages to overcome his demons.Some of the lyrics here:
Cut my life into pieces
I've reached my last resort, suffocation, no breathing
Don't give a fuck if I cut my arms bleeding
Would it be wrong, would it be right
If I took my life tonight, chance are that I might
Mutilation out of sight and I'm contemplating suicide
Cause I'm losing my sight, losing my mind
Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine
Nothing's alright, nothing is fine
I'm running and I'm crying And no this song actually prevented some teens from committing suicide...
Static X
Static-X is an American Industrial nu-metal band.I first heard their music on the Need For Speed Underground soundrack and also as on the Dracula 2001 soundtrack.I am not a fan of most of their work but they do churn out a gem once in a while.
Rammstein
Rammstein is a German electronic industrial metal/hard rock band.Their musical style, which they have dubbed Tanz-Metall ("Dance Metal"), incorporates elements of metal, industrial and electronic music. Their songs are performed almost exclusively in German. Rammstein is quite different from most bands due to their keyboard which plays elements of different kinds of instruments, helping to give their songs a "fuller" sound.The first time I heard them was on the Matrix soundtrack
with the song "Du hast."The Director of XXX who cast them in the first 10 mins of the
movie said this about their performance:
"I guess it was in 1997 I was going through Hamburg and I caught their [Rammstein's] show as they chased each other around with dildos spurting custard, the fire pots and all of that, this is a crazy band; they're very theatrical and exciting, but their music is very, very good and German; it's very interesting in terms of the energy it evokes."
Disturbed
The name says enough!I love the raw energy that this band has.Their music falls within the hard rock or metal category depending on who you ask.I have decided to
make one of their tracks the video of the week so do take a look.
Deftones
Unlike what their name suggests they are not tone deaf, in fact their music is
pretty good!They don't all squarely in the nu-metal category and have alot of
alternative rock influence in their music.Their songs have very intelligent lyrics,
I recommend "change (in the house of flies) as an intro, 4 years down the line I
am still listening to that track.
Marilyn Manson
Of course you knew I couldn't leave him out.If you look past the hype and listen to
some of his lyrics he actually does have alot to say.I first heard him on the Matrix soundtrack, I can never forget his lyric in his song that was an observation of people today "God is in the TV" from his song Rock is dead.If you look at people
today TV as opposed to God dictates how they live their lives.I also like "fight music" and "beautiful people" from his other albums.
Korn
This nu-metal group are among the first who brought the genre to the forefront of
public awareness.They have done collabos with rappers like Ice Cube and have had their music featured on various soundtracks and tv programmes ie Tomb Raider:Cradle of Life.Their grammy winning video for the 1998 song "Freak on a Leash" is a must see!Lately EMI has paid Korn $25 million upfront in exchange for a share in the profits of their next two LPs, including tours and merchandising.Their latest video has been a masterstroke, the first single from See You On The Other Side was "Twisted Transistor," which featured a Spinal Tap-esque style documentary video where 4 of today's biggest rappers played the parts of Korn. Lil Jon played Jonathan Davis, Xzibit played Fieldy, David Banner played David Silveria and Snoop Dogg played Munky. The idea for the video came from the mind of singer Jonathan Davis who thought of it while in the Caribbean. Plans to turn the video into a full-length movie are in the works.So who says that metal is only for the white folk?
There are other "hard" bands that I do listen to but I feel that this post is long enough.I do like to vary
what I listen to coz "shake like you gon break it, roll is down slow, I'm the biggest
dog on the block, I'll hit your number one spot" and all those other lyrics that we
hear in rap/hip hop and pop get old.That's another reason that I dont listen to much
radio, you can only hear the same songs for so long!Anyway I had my dose of nu metal for the day now to listen to my trance,goa,dance,techno collection (post for another day )
