Some Songs I've Been Jamming of Late

It's past due I give some commentary on what I've been listening to. I want to put some suggestions in you guys' ears.

1. All Hail the Yeti - Slow Season

© minus HEAD RECORDS

All Hail the Yeti is a relatively underground metalcore band from Los Angeles. They lean more towards the 'melody and clean vocals' end of the metalcore spectrum. They have spectacular choruses, amazing solos, and abrupt breakdowns. Things sometimes get a bit 'poppy' but the vocalist can definitely tear it up in the screaming department. (And he also hosts a metal themed tattoo show.)

The band are experts at blending a slow, groovy punk sound with more aggressive, relentless death metal riffs and vocals. For example, 'Slow Season' opens up with the vocalist shrieking and the guitar squealing. It wouldn't be out of place as the score for some amped up 2000s horror movie (Think House of 1000 Corpses.) Then the chorus transitions to power chords and crooning vocals. It kinda sounds like you're listening to the desperate cries of someone in said horror movie. It's a jarring transition, but they pull it off. And that's what so awesome about All Hail the Yeti.  

2. Kane Brown - Heaven

© RCA Nashville

Truth be told, I don't know why I like this song so much. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. Whenever the house gets quiet enough, you best believe I'm hooking up to the speaker and blasting this song. 

The lyrics get right to the point and I like it. Being with the perfect girl feels like Heaven. I agree with that so I can't help but sing along. Kane's voice is offputtingly deep at first but it grows on you. Then again so is the Man in Black's so maybe that's a plus.

3. The Doobie Brothers - What A Fool Believes

© Rhino

Every time you listen to this song you catch something you didn't hear before. Whether it be something new about the lyrics or something cool about the music. Michael McDonald has one of the most enchanting voices I've ever heard. No one sounds like him. That keyboard intro is unmistakable. Whenever you hear it out in the wild you already know what time it is. And the drummer is playing a nice-sounding setup. I love it. 

Also, the lyrics are very relatable. I don't want to become the guy singing this song, but I already ain't too far from it. I can see the scenario playing out in my head right now. Oh, brother. Next song.

4. Dierks Bentley - What Was I Thinkin'

© Capitol Nashville

Yup, more country! This is a fun song. The riff that plays throughout this song gets stuck in my head every time I hear it. Then I find myself whistling it. And then eventually I have to listen to the song again. And the lyrics roll right off the tongue. The guy's singing about having a good time despite the consequences. (Which is my motto.) Sometimes you just gotta turn off your brain and live it up a little bit. And this song definitely puts me in the mood to do just that. Crank it up.

5. Nickelback - If Today Was Your Last Day

© Roadrunner Records

How many people can say they've had their life changed by a Nickelback song? 

Nickelback gets a bad rap. Which honestly isn't completely unwarranted. There was a period where they tried to blend nü-metal lyrics with a southern rock sound and that led to more than a few dogshit songs. But there's always a recurring theme in their more serious songs - living the best life you possibly can and being kind to others.

The opening lyrics to this particular song are - "My best friend gave me the best advice / He said each day's a gift and not a given right."  

Anecdote Time

Back in college, I used to get up around 5 AM to go meditate. And every morning I would see this student who was wheelchair bound. He would take the very first shuttle downtown every morning. He was the friendliest, but I never knew how to talk to him. I would greet him and it would always be awkward. He had a reputation as one of the nicest people on campus. So I decided I was going to build a relationship with him. Eventually, I changed my schedule and our paths stopped crossing. I would occasionally still see him. I still intended to build some sort of relationship.

One day I got an e-mail from the school saying one of the students had been in a bad accident. I opened up the attached news article and it was the same guy. That morning he was crossing the road downtown and was hit by a truck. He passed away an hour later. 

That messed with my perspective on life.

He was just going about his everyday routine when his life suddenly ended. He didn't know that he was going to die. None of us know when we're going to die. Not even me.  I don't know when my time is up, so I have to make the most out of every second, every hour, every day. So why the fuck would I put off anything I want to do with that knowledge?

I really understand that line now. "Each day's a gift and not a given right." Those words are on my phone's background now. Sometimes I'm having a shit day and I think of that and it just fills me with joy. I know that I may not have the time to give a shit about the small things in life. It keeps me giving my 100% because I don't know if it's my last chance to do it. 

So this Nickelback song helped me to change my life.

What Do You Think?

Those are some songs I've been listening to of late. Got any songs that you want to share? Feel free to leave them in the comments.

Peace.