Pick of the charts (26/09/10) - Stephen King

Hey guys! It seems like we have hit a little bit of a slow patch, what with our entire review team still looking for full time employment. I am still determined to keep up my pick of the charts though, so here they are!

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are (Amazing)

Emma's Imagination - Focus

Enrique Iglesias featuring Nicole Scherzinger - Heartbeat

Mark Ronson & The Business Intl - The Bike Song

That's all of 'em! Hope you enjoy the best of the new chart music, and leave a comment!

Pick of the charts (19/09/10) - Stephen King

So, another week and another set of songs from the official top 40. A bit of a slower week due to my efforts not to put in the same songs every week. This ain't no easy task; mostly because there is a lot of crap in the charts. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the tracks I have for you this week, as specially, "Enter the Ninja". You had better prepare yourself for this song because it is; and I quote:

"All up in the interwebs!"

Give them a listen and why not tell us what you think. Leave a comment, spark some discussion, and remember these are my picks, not yours. So, why not tell us your favorite songs too?

Example - "Last Ones Standing"

Die Antwoord - "Enter the Ninja"

Missing Andy - "Sing for the Deaf"

Lone Wolf - "The Devil and I"

In 2007 Paul Marshall’s debut album “Vultures” was received with a delirious fanfare of critical acclaim. Compared to Nick Drake and Tim Buckley and snapped up by independent label Bella Union everything to be pointing to a successful career

Three (very quiet) years pass and Marshall emerges under the new guise of Lone wolf, and with a new name a new approach appears to be the name of the game. Gone is the very stripped back sound of just guitar and voice to be replaced with full band (consisting of members of the Grammatics and Napoleon iird).

“The Devil and I” is without a doubt a work of stunning vision and coherence. Dark ideas reign supreme over the dozen tracks the albums comprises of. With ominous titles such as “We Could Use Your Blood” and “Buried Beneath The Tiles” one could be excused for expecting a bumpy ride but underneath the Gothic almost Lovecraftian surface there is much beauty to be found. Beauty encased in melancholy. Beauty scarred, bruised and battered perhaps, but beauty all the same.

First Single “Keep your eyes on the Road” with the pounding driving bass combined with flowing guitar sweeps and mellifluous vocals is foot tappingly good. “We Could Use Your Blood” and “This Is War” being obvious choices for further singles.

I really don't think I could praise this effort any more.

What Should I do?
BUY IT!

Where to get it?
Play
Amazon

Pick of the charts (12/09/10) - Stephen King

Welcome to the first installment of what I hope will be a weekly feature. This is a selection of songs from this weeks top 40 that I think are worth a listen. You may find that the number of songs fluctuates from week to week, as it will be dependent on how many new songs catch my attention. I will not be putting any duplicates up, so there will always be new material for you to listen to! Some have been in the charts for a while others are just new, but all have one thing in common; they have caught my attention. I hope you enjoy them too.

Katy B – “Katy on a Mission”

Roll Deep – “Green Light”

Usher featuring Pitbull – “DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again”

Swedish House Mafia featuring Pharrell – “One (Your Name)”

Chase and Status featuring Mali – “Let You Go"

Magnet Man featuring Angela Hunte – “I Need Air”

Example – “Kickstarts"

The XX – “Islands”

Klaxons - "Surfing the Void"

Three years in the making for the second album from the Klaxons. Surfing the void is the result of this hard work. In march 2009 it was reported that the band were told to re-record some of the album after being advised it was too experimental for release. So they went back and produced new material, which made me worry this might sound too rushed.

One of the main reasons that I wanted to listen to this album was the involvement of metal producer Ross“godfather of Nu Metal” Robinson. Who has worked with Korn, Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Soulfly and Machine Head to name just a few.

The first song is 'Echoes', which is also the first single released, is actually very good. With a blend of electro rock and hypnotic vocals that keep you hooked. This mix of experimental electro and rock make this album fairly unique. Every song is well constructed and very well executed. The only fault I could find was the absence of any stand alone songs, the ones that first draw the attention to any album. I'm not saying that they are poor songs, quite the opposite. I found every song to be solid and catchy. Surfing the void is a good solid effort that is worth buying but with 2 or 3 great songs it could have been fantastic. Looking forward to album 3, so get working guys.

What Should I do?
BUY IT!

Where to get it?
Amazon
Play

Brandon Flowers - "Flamingo"

I can still remember the first time I sat down and listened to Hot Fuss. It was just one of those albums that stick with you, that you can listen to over and over. I imagine there are people all over the world who hate this style of music, but still can’t get Mr Brightside out of their heads. And so it was with this love of all things Killers that I sat down with Brandon Flowers latest offering.

Much in the style of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington’s off shoot project Dead by Sunrise,Flowers wrote this album while writing for The Killers, and pulled out tracks that he didn’t feel matched where the band were going at the time. With that in mind, the album still has a distinctly Killers feel (helped by Killers drummer Ronnie Vannucci playing on first single “Crossfire”, and “Playing with Fire”). Tracks like “Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts” and “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” are catchy enough to keep you listening, while slower tracks like “Only The Young” are classic Killers ballads. There are a few oddball tracks in there too (I’m not entirely sure what “Swallow” is about, nor am I sure that I want to find out...)

All in all, Flamingo is a must buy for Killers fans. For everyone else, there’s enough to keep you amused until the next band album, even if it doesn’t reach the heights of “Hot Fuss” and “Sawdust”.

What Should I do?
BUY IT!

Where to get it?
Amazon
Play

Some of my favourite Collaborations - Stephen King

And here we are! The very first article to be written for Audionaughts is ready to go. I have; for your listening pleasure, brought together some of my favourite collaborations of all time. Understand, that these are just in my opinion, so feel free to tell me I'm wrong. Or in a better case, that I am right!


Chase and Status featuring Plan B – “End Credits”

Check the song out here!

I am not a big fan of Plan B, but there is something about this song that just has an amazing energy. The drums and synths come in strong and leave you feeling like you have just drunk a 24 pack of Red Bull!


Black Eyed Peas featuring Papa Roach – “Anxiety”

Check the song out here!

This song provides a very odd clash of styles from one of the Black Eyed Peas earlier albums. It makes for interesting listening, with vocals and guitars provided by Papa Roach, with the hip hop lyrics of the Peas.


Santana featuring Rob Thomas – “Smooth”

Check the song out here!

An absolute classic there is no doubt! This song was everywhere; on TV and every radio station, and yet I have never grown tired of it. The song plays like its title; just so damn smooth.


Korn featuring Ice Cube – “All in the Family”

Check the song out here!

At the birth of the Nu metal genre there was no stronger sound than Korn’s. Add a little Ice Cube into the mix and you get a whole new beast. A song for when it has just been one of those days...


Eminem featuring D12 – “When the Music Stops”

Check the song out here!

This song catches Eminem and D12 at their finest. They have had a few great songs in their time, but now after the death of Eminem’s long time friend and member of D12; Proof, the songs have stopped. I find this to be an ironically named track as it seemed to foretell a point in both of their careers. Full of angst and great lyrics, definitely worth a listen.


B.O.B featuring Hayley Williams – “Airplanes”

Check the song out here!

A recent chart hit for new comer B.O.B and the ever popular Hayley Williams of Paramore. An unusual pairing, but one that worked to some success. Relevant lyrics rested upon a bed of pretty piano, with a chorus that you will be singing until you die makes this track an instant classic.


Well, there is my selection. Hope you like them, and if you have any favourites of your own leave them on the comments!

Stone Sour - "Audio Secrecy"

Audio Secrecy is Stone Sour's third studio album to date and naturally I was excited to give it a listen. With the uncharacteristic slow and subdued instrumental opening track, I was intrigued. This then leads into the second track 'Mission Statement', which is more like a typical Stone Sour song. Unfortunately this seems to be the theme for the majority of the album. Just more of the usual with very few songs actually standing out.

The format for this album is very similar to Come What(ever) May. We have the heavy, repetitive guitars and drums with focus on the vocals of Corey Taylor. These are broken up in the album with the slower acoustic tracks, like 'Dying', 'Imperfect' and 'Anna'.

There were only two songs that I enjoyed, 'The Bitter End' and 'Nylon6/6'. Audio Secrecy seems to lack the sheer genius that was in Stone Sour and Come What(ever) May. I'm not saying that it is bad album just that it is a lackluster effort which will probably be for the die hard fans only. If it's a true Stone Sour experience you are after then stick to the first two albums (especially songs 'Inhale', 'Bother', '30/30-150' and 'Through Glass').

What Should I do?
For fans only...

Where to get it?
Amazon
Play

Disturbed - "Asylum"

As a fan of the whole nu-metal genre, I was looking forward to this new outing from Disturbed. Every one of their albums has had its fair share of great songs, and this one is no exception. continuing with their usual styling, Disturbed have managed to put together yet another master class in metal!

The album is full of catchy riffs, piercing vocals and thrashing solos. Interestingly the band have written some material that sounds a little more old school, some more thought provoking songs and even a cover of a U2 track. Disturbed have not only continued with a great run of albums, but they have gone outside of their comfort zone and proved that they can be more than just your typical metal band.

If you are a fan of Disturbed this album is nothing less than essential. If you are a fan of metal, I would say the same thing. I might even go as far to say that most people could find something on this album that they like. I tremendous effort!

What Should I do?
BUY IT!

Where to get it?
Amazon
Play