After two years of waiting for my husband to cash in on that $25 iTunes gift card I bought him, I finally just told him he should let me spend it, and he agreed. So I’ve been downloading some tunes.
I’ve downloaded a variety of music, but my major motivation at the time was Adam Lambert…
He’s the big topic of conversation these days, so I thought I’d single myself out as a fan. He seems to be the guy you either love or hate, as far as I’ve been able to gather anyway. I can certainly see how people wouldn’t like him. His voice is something of an acquired taste–like beer–but his vocal control, range, and entertainment value are undeniable. I personally think his voice is rad, and have downloaded most of his songs. He’s pretty poppy at this point, and I don’t usually go for that kind of thing, but it is American Idol after all, which is a pop star competition (I’m informing you that American Idol is a pop star competition in case you’ve been living under a rock on Mars for the past decade…). I’m hoping his album will be more interesting.
But I do have to admit, I love his “Mad World” and “Ring of Fire” renditions, which are pretty much his most depopified offerings (yes, I made up a word). “Mad World” is a dramatic rehashing of the Gary Jules version, and it’s really a beautifully depressing song. Ring of Fire is basically nothing like the original, taking the form of a pseudo-middle-eastern pop song. Super creative arrangement, which Lambert received some negative criticism for, both on and off the show. However, it’s turned out to be one of the most popular Adam Lambert downloads on iTunes. The public has spoken, and apparently it disagrees with Simon. And The Soup.
In music not related to Adam Lambert, I’ve downloaded some random songs from A Perfect Circle, Rage Against the Machine, Switchfoot, Puscifer, and Jimmy Eat World. I only have six or seven bucks left. What a shame.
I loved his Mad World performance. I know I’m going to sound all lame and silly, but it was sort of hypnotic. And Ring of Fire was amazing (although I’ll always laugh when I think of him singing “it burns”).
Awesome that you snagged the iTunes card and put it to use! Although…Puscifer… *cough*
No, I’m kidding. Actually that song you showed me was good, just kinda creepy. Who’s A Perfect Circle? I feel like my music land is sort of small, with lots of fences. I should open a few gates, go exploring a bit.
Well, I haven’t heard any Puscifer I like except for that song. They’re sort of known for being without genre, and each song is different from the next. Mostly very… odd. A Perfect Circle is fronted by the same guy who fronted Tool (and, incidentally, the same guy the fronts Puscifer–busy guy, LOL!). Again, A Perfect Circle just has a couple of songs that I actually like. They’re without genre as well, but a little less so, gravitating towards alternative rock. Tool I think is also considered alternative rock, but it’s really just a category for music that has no category, hehe. Tool was pretty out there as I recall, I haven’t explored their music much. I’ve heard it’s pretty angry, hehe.
The songs I downloaded from A Perfect Circle are called “3 Libras” and “The Outsider”. Both are lyrically disturbing and settle in the realm of suicide and drug abuse. “3 Libras” from the perspective of the drug user, and “The Outsider” more from the perspective of the person who is without compassion. Not easy listening by a long shot, but the music is outstanding.
Right now I’m looking for someone with the sound that “The Outsider” has. It has a driving beat/baseline and great singing. It’s just hard to find music in the alternative rock genre that has both. Most alternative rock vocalists I abhor, especially that whole faux-deep-voice thing that’s been a trend for the last decade. I hate that. The dude from APC (I get tired of typing the whole thing, lol) has real vocal talent without any of that fakey weirdness that I hate. His singing is more old school rock. I’m dying to find another singer like that who is also matched with a good band and good music. Anymore it seems to be one or the other… =/
OK, I have to correct myself. I knew what “The Outsider” was about, and I always took “3 Libras” to be the opposing individual, but I was mistaken. For some reason I thought I’d heard or read that somewhere, but “3 Libras” is actually about people who parasitically feed off of the good things of people, rather than nurturing or caring about them. That’s what the writer said anyway. Interesting lyrics either way.
I like his voice. What I DON’T like is that he looks like the other-other Jonas brother. :/ Maybe that’s a more pressing concern for someone my age than for you, though.
The Jonas Brother thing always cracks me up. I don’t see it. People have been wearing that “look” long before the Jonas Brothers rolled around, so to me, if anything, the Jonas Brothers look like Adam Lambert. *shrug*