Hot Rock Singles of Early 2011

I can't think of anybody to tell about how ecstatic I am for all the spectacular upbeat rock singles that have been released in the past few months. So I will do it here!

Lies of the Beautiful People - Sixx: A.M.
I only have one other song by this band, so now my total count is two, but the two are really great. Lies of the Beautiful People is one that you belt out as loud as you can in your car, but you must be very careful about who is around you and possibly snickering at your one-man show. The bridge is cool because it calms down and has a heavy drum beat in the background without all the rest of the instruments going on. It is intense and builds anticipation for the chorus to come back again.

Feed the Machine - RED

I'm pretty sure this qualifies as a "single" because it was on the radio the other day, even though it wasn't the first song they've promoted off their new album. Did I blog about that CD yet? I think I just said it was too awesome to put it into words. Anyway, if this song isn't hardcore, I don't know what is. (And they're Christian! Always a plus.)

Rope - Foo Fighters

Out of all the songs on this list, I think this one takes the cake for being the most elementally diverse. It's one of those songs that you can't predict what's going to happen next, but everything still blends together well. I especially like the noticeable 'ting ting ting' of the snare on the chorus. It's upbeat (yay!), and it actually has a short drum solo section for once, which is somewhat rare in this day and age. 

Country Song - Seether

If you haven't noticed, this one I like so much that I put it on the sidebar of this here blog, under "what I'm listening to." It might be hard to tell, but it's always a struggle picking the music I'm MOST into at the time to display in that section. Anyway. Describing this song is kinda hard. It has a funky beat - so funky that I have to stop typing in order to tap my hands on the edge of my laptop in syncopation. And somewhat like the previous, you don't expect the melodic progressions of the chorus to go where they go, which makes it pretty unique. But all around, the song is successful for it's cool country vibe that you just have to listen to in order to know what I'm talking about.  

Hesitate - Stone Sour                            *Good song for all music lovers!*

I have to be honest and say the first time I heard this song I actually thought it was David Archuleta. You know, that cute kid who won American Idol when he was 17 (and is from Utah!). Then I found out it was Stone Sour, and I was reminded of all their other ballad-like songs that I'm a fan of. I was surprised, since "Hesitate" is kind of sweet for a rock song, and has fewer traces of their scratchy and rough sound. Which doesn't make them any better or worse, because in the end I still like it enough to put on here :)

Architects - Rise Against              

Rise Against is kind of like the ADHD kid of the preschool class. They have such speedy tempos, always bouncing around and super excited, more so than anyone else on the playground. They are coming in concert soon ... I'm still debating if they deserve my money more than other bands I really want to see around the same time period. It's going to be a tough decision. Note: I don't know how I ended up with this song, because their #1 on iTunes from the new album Endgame is actually "Help Is On the Way," which easily could fill this slot on the list as well. Both are good new singles. 

Hold On - All That Remains
Technically this came from a 2010 album, but they're just promoting this song now. I'm starting to like this "metalcore" band for their really heavy and deep percussion ... stuff ..., and at the same time their kinda catchy choruses that you can actually sing along to. iTunes accurately describes it as "melodically infused hardcore death metal." While I don't know if I could listen to a whole album of this straight up, I do really enjoy this song. 

When You're Young - 3 Doors Down

3 Doors Down has an easily recognizable style; most of their songs follow a similar pattern. This one can be compared to "Let Me Be Myself," "Here Without You," and "It's Not My Time." They all start off with a slow  acoustic guitar intro, and then pick up speed with added instruments. On this list, it's one of the more subdued singles, but it's still noteworthy.

Move Your Body - My Darkest Days                     *Good party song!*

I'm fast becoming a big fan of My Darkest Days. Believe me when I say I was one of the first on the bandwagon with their first single "Pornstar Dancing," that took a while for people to catch on to, but when it happened, it shot off like a rocket. "Move Your Body" doesn't have exactly the same dose of magic as "Pornstar," but it comes close with its catchy chorus that makes you want to dance and shake all over. As such a new band, My Darkest Days is truly making a great name for themselves early on with their unique vocals that sound like no other band on the radio these days. When I heard this one, I knew it was them even though I'd only ever known that first single, just because they have a recognizable sound. Job well done. These guys will be big soon. 

That was fun. Thanks to all the great bands who know exactly what I want to hear this season. The end.