A sweet Spitz video

Spitz is yet another awesome band that isn’t American - and they rock!  (not that I have any clue what’s going on in this video)

Another great song

Continuing in my pattern of promoting all things awesome (in my estimation, at least), here’s a “video” of “Falling Away With You” by Muse. Ok, try to ignore the fact that it’s just a picture with music playing. I decided that I really like the song - it is one part beautiful and two parts super cool - and, in true blog, fashion, decided to let the internet know.

A music video that actually works

Ok, so it turns out that the Travis video doesn’t like being embedded into blogs, but be sure to check it out on YouTube here. Instead, here’s “Knights of Cydonia” by Muse, a delightful, riff-heavy romp. It’s funny, my first exposure to this song was playing Guitar Hero against my little sister, and I got whipped. But now I am the master, and ready for a rematch!

I haven’t posted anything by Travis lately

Ah, great music, great video, great band. Travis always makes for a good, self-indulgent post

Because I like them and I’m too lazy to write…more Travis!

Travis (the band, not the person) probably makes the best music videos

These guys crack me up! I especially like the epic battle at the end.

American music = crappy, part 2

Merry belated Christmas and happy belated New Year! Well, fortunately for whoever actually reads my blog, most of the various things that occupy my mind never actually make it to the keyboard, but one thing which I feel must be expressed is this very important idea: American music sucks, and U.K. music rules. Now, this is not a hard and fast rule, as The Killers, an excellent band, emerged from Las Vegas, and Rush, though not strictly American -they’re Canadian, if that makes any difference-, is regarded by millions as one of the greatest rock bands ever (and this is nothing to say of all the mediocre U.K. music that I’m sure does exist). It’s worthy to note, however, that both The Killers and Rush credit some big British names as significant musical influences.

I have two recent experiences which have supported my belief that the U.K. somehow produces better music consistently. First, I was recently introduced to Muse’s music, specifically their latest album, and I liked it over all. Initially, I didn’t realize they were British (notwithstanding the resemblance of the lead singer’s voice to that of Thom Yorke of Radiohead). It was only after listening to their music and liking it that I learned that they were British after all. Again, the U.K. makes better music than us.

My second and most recent experience to back up my claim is simple: for Christmas I got “The Boy With No Name” by Travis, a Scottish band, and it is understatedly excellent! Great lyrics, catchy melodies, a pleasant mix of optimism and bittersweetness. Does America ever produce music like this? Nope. Generally speaking, we seem to like our music loud and obnoxious, not deep and reflective. There is so much to love about this country, but when it comes to popular music, I prefer the greener pastures across the pond.

More Rush: Far Cry

I know that I don’t do much musing on Mormonism here at Musings on Mormonism, but I sure like Rush’s music. That said, here’s another great song off their newest album!

The Main Monkey Business is here!

Here it is, one of my favorite new Rush songs! (supposedly played on the drums by some long-haired dude)

A few sweet songs from Rush’s “Snakes & Arrows”

I recently purchased Rush’s 18th studio album (or is it 19th?), “Snakes and Arrows”, and found it to be a mixed bag, unlike its predecessor “Vapor Trails”, which I thoroughly loved. Many of the songs on this album just drag on without really doing anything for me. For instance, I find “Armor and Sword”, despite some cool musical phrases here and there, to be somewhat boring, while other tracks like “Workin’ Them Angels” and “Bravest Face” give me a headache without offering any compensatory thrills. But then, of course, there are the gems of the album, most of which are, interestingly enough, instrumentals (the opening track, “Far Cry”, though not an instrumental, is also one of the best tracks)! “Hope” and “Malignant Narcissism” are both excellent, but my favorite track is probably “The Main Monkey Business”. I know, it’s a goofy name, but the song is just rife with rad riffs - and those who know me well know how I feel about rad riffs! If you like sweet guitar riffs and funky beats as much as me, you must hear this song! Hurry, go to Amazon or iTunes and listen/buy!