Music Shuffle Monday 08.02.10

1. "Beast and the Harlot" by Avenged Sevenfold
I had heard of Avenged Sevenfold in my later college years but it wasn't until I heard this song on one of the Guitar Hero games and the "Seize the Day" on the radio that I was able to say I had heard of their stuff. Gotta admit, while I've never bought an album of theirs, I do like most of the singles I've heard from them! Their a bit heavier than a lot of rock stuff out there, kinda reminiscent of some of the "good" metal back in the day (ie Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, etc). It also amuses, interests, and peaks my curiosity when a clearly non-religious band uses a lot of religious references and such in their songs - Beast and the Harlot is a reference to stuff mentioned in the biblical book of Revelation, and if you haven't heard Avenged Sevenfold's latest single, "Nightmare" that whole song is about being trapped in the nightmare that is Hell. Pretty interesting!

2. "Stupid MF" by Mindless Self Indulgence (aka MSI)
Can't say I'm too familiar with this song or the album it's on, but it's typical MSI. They're a bit punk mixed with rock and electronics for a sound all their own. My bestest buddy at the theater had some of their stuff that he would occasionally play in the office and I liked what I heard and went home and got their entire discography. Their stuff is pretty catchy, despite some of the lyrics being NSFW...

3. "God is Not a Secret" by The Newsboys
The Newsboys were pretty huge when I was in Jr. High and our youth group would play their few CDs that were out at the time on a regular rotation. This one is off their "Take Me to Your Leader" album which had a few amusing tracks on it such as the title track and "Breakfast." I even saw em in concert when they came to town too - sorry Powerman5000, but The Newsboys beat ya with the spacesuits by a few years, as that was part of the Take Me to Your Leader tour gimmick. In the mid-late 90s The Newsboys were more straight up rock with some pop rock thrown in... by the new millennium though they were more pop with a disco/dance feel... I hear their sound has once again evolved too... I prefer their mid-late 90s sound best!

4. "Tarzan and Jane" by Aqua
Everyone knows Aqua for their controversial "Barbie Girl" song and many of us bought their debut album Aquarium. Many though forget that they did put out another album a few years later with a cute but innuendo filled ditty about "Tarzan and Jane" in which Tarzan replaces Barbie and the female singer is singing about him from the point of view of being Jane - it didn't get much airplay and we haven't heard much from Aqua since...

5. "Wait and Bleed" by Slipknot
One of the first Slipknot songs I heard back in high school that I actually liked. Slipknot's kind of hit or miss with me - while I've never bought an album of theirs, I've only heard the singles and well, I like some, but not all. This one is fast paced, driven and heavy. One thing I find really neat about Slipknot is that their like a 10 piece band (if I recall correctly) and I believe they have something like 3 drummers drumming at the same time which you can really tell adds to the heaviness of their sound!

**Bonus Song**

"What Would Brian Boitano Do?" from the South Park Movie
Because it popped up and I can't NOT write about this one! Probably one of the funniest songs from the movie (the version that plays in the end credits), it makes Brian Boitano out as a super hero and being that I figure skated when I was a kid and Brian Boitano was one of the greats at the time, well... this song always cracks me up!