Pick of the charts (24/10/10) - Stephen King

Wow...what can be said about this weeks charts? I can tell you this; things are getting a lot of worse, really, really fast. Out of the eight new entries in the charts I can only deem one of them worthwhile listening to. So here is my "list" for this week.

Skepta featuring Preeya Kalidas - Cross My Heart

Seriously...we need to get something new and fresh. I have even excluded Nelly's new track, which I kind of wished was good. Sadly it isn't and he will continue on a steady decline.

Hope you enjoy what there is this week.

Spread the music - Kidnap Kings

In 2006 I discovered a band called "Dropping Daylight". Part "Hoobastank", part "The Fray" and part "Anberlin". An incredible mix of styles, and a sound that knocked me off my feet. I listened to their debut album "Brace Yourself" more times than I can remember, and this was at the same time as my favorite bands new album was released! I made time to listen to them, and as the months went by, I started to wonder where their new material was.

The year is now 2010, and only barely. There was still no new music from them, so I started to worry that they had broken up. I looked on the wiki page for the band and couldn't find anything about a split, but there was a short sentence at the bottom explaining everything.

"This band has changed their name to Kidnap Kings"

A great sense of relief washed over me, as I would have been quite upset if they had only ever produced a single album. It is exactly the same band line up, but they felt that their newer sound should have a new name. I thought that the name meant that they were the kings of kidnapping, but I was corrected rather quickly.

The kidnap in Kidnap Kings is a verb...as in "we kidnap kings"...not an adjective..as in "we are the kings of kidnapping...the Kidnap Kings"

At present the band only have one song on their page, and even more annoyingly than this they are still unsigned! I can't believe a band with such potential has not been picked up by someone yet. As far as I can see they have plans to release their debut album "Flashing Lights and Sounds" within this year. However, I can't see this happening, unless they go for pure digital distribution.

Regardless, this is a band worth listening to, and I would highly recommend getting a hold of their previous incarnation's material as well. That will tide you over until the release of their album.

I hope you enjoy their music like I do!

Article by Stephen King

Pick of the charts (17/10/10) - Stephen King

I'm a little late at putting this up this week, but I hope you will get the chance to listen to them all the same. An interesting week in the charts and Cee Lo Green is still in at number one with the song "Forget You". I very, very catchy track that will be extremely difficult to knock off the top spot. Anyway, here is my selection of great music for this week. Enjoy!

Michael Bublé - Hollywood

Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules - Mad World

The Ting Tings - Hands

B.o.B featuring Rivers Cuomo - Magic

This week being made even stranger by the presence of "Mad World" - the 2003 Christmas number 1, and my personal favorite - in the top 40 once again. Hope you enjoy the new tracks and remember to leave a comment!

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

I know the content isn't exactly flowing on the Audionaughts page at the moment, but I am doing a very lengthy feature for another site at the moment and it is taking time. However, I am determined to keep the chart music coming once a week. So here it is, my selection of the best this week!

Cee Lo Green - Forget You

Robbie Williams & Gary Barlow - Shame

Swedish House Mafia Vs Tinie Tempah - Miami 2 Ibiza

Kings of Leon - Radioactive

Magnetic Man featuring Katy B - Perfect Stranger

Plan B - The Recluse

A much better week for the charts this time! This is a good record keeping exercise for me, because I always forget what chart music I actually liked. Anyway, enjoy this weeks tunes, and remember to comment.

Spread the music - Remy Zero

Sometimes we find a band that make us smile with just a few lines of any of their songs, for me this band is Remy Zero. If the idea of Radiohead singing U2 songs is what you dream of then Remy Zero is the answer. Remy Zero consists of Cinjun Tate (Vocals, Guitar), Shelby Tate (Guitar, backing
vocals and keyboard), Jeffrey Cain (Guitar), Cedric LeMoyne (Bass) and Gregory Slay (Drums) who tragically died on January 1st 2010.

Originating from Alabama USA, Remy Zero got their first taste of the big time when Radiohead found their demo tape and invited them on to their US tour the bends. It was this experience that inspired their first ,self titled, album in 1996. This album didn't make a big impact on the music world even after all the attention from Radiohead ( plus it has my personal favourite song 'Twister'). So two years later they released Villa Elaine. In my opinion this is their finest album. Every song is a
masterpiece that hold your ears and mind hostage. Apparently I wasn't the only one from this school of thought, as songs from this album have been used on countless films and TV shows. Zack Braff is a big fan and used 'Fair' in his film Garden State. The bands third and final album to date is 'The Goldem Hum'. Released in 2001, 'The Golden Hum' is probably most famous for the song 'Save Me' which a 50 second version was used as the opening song for the popular show Smallville. Once again Remy Zero
found a way make another fantastic album without it becoming stale or repetitive. All the songs again are works of art in their own way but two that really stand out are 'Bitter' and 'Perfect Memory'.

However as most of the greats tend to do, they broke up. It happened after 'The Golden Hum' and each member went their own way, apart from Shelby and Cinjun Tate who created the band Spartan Fidelity. The band have decided to get back together for 4 live shows in honour of Gregory Slay. Details of these shows are at www.remyzero.squarespace.com. If you are ever feeling a little down and need a musical pick-me up then I urge you to give Remy Zero a chance to brighten your day.

Article by Sean Kiddie

Pick of the charts (03/10/10) - Stephen King

So here we are again. My pick of the charts for the new week. To be honest, I was not particularly impressed by too much in the top 40 this week. Not a lot of good material, but a couple of worthwhile tracks none-the-less.

Tinie Tempah featuring Eric Turner- Written In The Stars

Labrinth - Let The Sun Shine

The Wombats - Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)

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

Linkin Park - "A Thousand Suns"

I remember it well. The year was 2001, and my interest in music was heightening. A lot of bands had caught my attention; mostly metal music, which is still my go to genre to this day. Then one fateful day while skipping through the music channels, I heard a song that really hit a home run. That song was Linkin Park's first single, "One Step Closer". Ever since then I have eagerly awaited any new material that the band would produce. From the first album, "Hybrid Theory" there was hit song after hit song, and the album as a whole was a nu-metal masterpiece.

Linkin Park as a band are quite reserved on releasing new material, despite having a large amount of recycled material that became popular. "Reanimation" was an album full of remixes of the first albums tracks, "Meteora" brought a new mellow tone to the the band that wasn't as apparent in their debut effort. As time went on the band seemed to mellow out more and more, focusing on powerful sorts of ballads, and less on their metal roots. By the time "Minutes to Midnight" was released, my interest was at fever pitch! However, my excitement hit rock bottom upon hearing the album. What I was listening to was not what I expected, not what I wanted and generally mediocre. My interest in the band died out; that is until I saw that a new album was on its way.

"A Thousand Suns" is an album that could not be a farther departure from the original Linkin Park sound. On my first listen through of the album, I couldn't help but feel like I had been let down, yet again, by a band I had once gone out of my way to listen to. Every album was one step closer; forgive the pun, to losing my interest. This collection of songs was the final straw for me. I had given up on them.
It wasn't until having a few drinks with some friends that it hit me! I hate it when bands churn out the same old stuff on every album, too afraid to change anything for fear of losing their fan base. I like it when people try something new, something different and interesting. Why was I holding Linkin Park in a different light?

To be honest, I think it is a similar reason to my affinity for the original Korn & Limp Bizkit albums. They were raw, full of angst and a great release for pent up teenage emotion. I am no longer a teenager, and as a result I think that I should be looking at this from a different perspective.

On my second time through the album, I started to note that their were some very strong tracks. Songs like "When they come for me", "Blackout" and "Wretches & Kings" provide a nostalgia for their older material, but at the same time they give you something that is an altogether new experience. The album is broken up using small interludes throughout, and it all adds up to something that Linkin Park have never managed to do before: create an album, not just a collection of songs.

What Linkin Park have achieved is a triumph of music, an incite into the bands mentality and an experience that you will listen to again and again, with every time providing you with a better understanding of the band. If nothing else this album serves as a testament to how the band have matured, and have brought their sound with them on the trip.

If you are looking for something that reminds you of the Linkin Park of days gone by, you might find something here; I did. It was this sliver of what had been that allowed me to persist and hear this album for what it really was. Linkin Park have successfully moved through the barrier to a whole new genre and have kept me as a fan. It is a message, and one that is worth the purchase for the chance to listen.

What Should I do?
BUY IT!

Where to get it?
Play
Amazon