The Music Box

[Citanul]

X

Xalt - I initially thought that I was going have to skip this letter, but I discovered that I do have one song by an X band as a part of Christian metal compilation. I don't know anything about them though.

Y

Yes - I couldn't resist posting this video as it feature's Geddy Lee filling in on bass for the deceased Chris Squire. Since Rush no longer appear to be a going concern, I wouldn't be unhappy if this guest spot turned into something more, although I suspect it's not all that likely.

Z

ZZ Top - it was either them or Frank Zappa for this letter, and I prefer ZZ Top. They're also last alphabetically, so it seemed fitting to end on them.

That was a lot of fun, and my search for songs resulted in me listening to some stuff that I haven't heard in a long time. I might post some more songs as I still have plenty more music in my collection.

 

[SarahsKnight]

That was a lot of fun, and my search for songs resulted in me listening to some stuff that I haven't heard in a long time. I might post some more songs as I still have plenty more music in my collection.

I would like to see more of them, for what that's worth, Citanul.
_____________

But as for myself, I still have a long ways to go.

Part 6! =>

From "Mega Man":
Rockman (as Mega Man is known in Japan) has always had great music in terms of catchiness in nearly all of his games. It was hard just to choose a few from that folder to display here. But perhaps only fellow Rockman fans since way back in his NES days (~1987 to ~1995) here at CF Singles can understand such enthusiasm.

Naturally I would have an affinity for the music of KNIGHT Man's stage. ,

「MEGAMAN ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION」 ~MEGAMAN 2~ Dr. Wily Stage 1 (Navi Mode)

I only had music from the NES games there, yes, but believe me, the SNES and even the Playstation titles had plenty of great music to rock out to as well.
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From "Magic Knight Rayearth":
Your classic fantasy tale about three righteous babes blasting their way through monsters and demons in an RPG-like environment to rescue a Princess whose fate is directly tied to that of the world she benevolently rules, definitely has its share of great vocal songs.
With Rayearth - In my life

Magic Knight Rayearth OST 1 - Shoujo-Tachi no Waltz

Magic Knight Rayearth - Ano Hi No Futari Wa Mou Inai

Magic Knight Rayearth Soundtrack *Lantis ~ Kodoku no Kenshi

Magic Knight Rayearth Soundtrack *Main Theme

 

[Citanul]

I would like to see more of them, for what that's worth, Citanul.

And here they come.

In going through my collection I realised just how many different countries I have represented, so I decided to go on a bit of a world tour.

Argentina

Skiltron - a metal band who use bagpipes, wear kilts and sing songs about the highlands. So they're a long way from the place that inspired them.

Australia

Midnight Oil - I think I mentioned earlier that I'm fan of good lyrics, and Midnight Oil have always done well in being able to convey their message while still writing good songs. It was tough to pick just one song, but I decided to go with this one rather than the perhaps more obvious "Beds Are Burning".

Austria

Crimson Cult - I don't know a lot about this metal band, other than that I do like the one album I have by them. It's been a long time since they released that album, so it's possible they're not active anymore, which would be a pity.

 

[Citanul]

Bahrain

Osiris - a progressive rock band who aren't the most prolific, which I suppose is understandable given where they're from, but they do what they do pretty well, and could hold their own against the British neo-prog bands doing the rounds in the 80s and 90s. In fact, I would say they're one of the better bands of this type not to hail from the UK.

Belgium

Neo-Prophet - a progressive rock band who fall into a pattern I've noticed that happens with a number of bands for me (especially bands who form part of this world tour). I'll pick up an album, enjoy it, but never get around to checking out any of their other albums. Too much music, too little time (and money)...

Botswana

Skinflint - photos of leather-clad Botswana metal fans went viral a few years back, and while the metal scene in that country isn't all that big, it is vibrant with Skinflint being one of the more popular bands. I like them musically and that their lyrics tend to deal with African history and folklore, something which other bands don't really touch on, but I do feel that they suffer a little when it comes to creating hooks. Not that I'm suggesting that they start including poppy choruses, but their songs need to be a bit more memorable as if I'm battling to bring to mind what I just heard after the album comes to an end then that doesn't really work for me.

 

[Citanul]

Brazil

Angra - long-running power metal band, although I felt they lost something when their original singer (featured in this video) left, and neither the band's nor his subsequent solo work was quite as good as when they were together.

Bulgaria

Nikolo Kotzev - a guitarist who put together a rock opera about Nostradamus which featured some decent names as vocalists - Joe Lynn Turner, Alannah Myles, Glenn Hughes, Jorn Lande, and Doogie White. I haven't listened to this album in a long time, and as this song didn't ring a bell when I went looking for something to post, I don't think I was all that impressed by it.

Canada

Mystery - this progressive rock band gained some fame when the singer (not the one featured in this video although he did sing on the studio version) was chosen to replace Jon Anderson in Yes. They're a band who don't do anything spectacular, but they do what they do really well.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Brazil

Angra - long-running power metal band, although I felt they lost something when their original singer (featured in this video) left, and neither the band's nor his subsequent solo work was quite as good as when they were together.

Bulgaria

Nikolo Kotzev - a guitarist who put together a rock opera about Nostradamus which featured some decent names as vocalists - Joe Lynn Turner, Alannah Myles, Glenn Hughes, Jorn Lande, and Doogie White. I haven't listened to this album in a long time, and as this song didn't ring a bell when I went looking for something to post, I don't think I was all that impressed by it.

Canada

Mystery - this progressive rock band gained some fame when the singer (not the one featured in this video although he did sing on the studio version) was chosen to replace Jon Anderson in Yes. They're a band who don't do anything spectacular, but they do what they do really well.

Wow. You weren't kidding, Citanul. You really are doing a world tour here with your music. And here my coworkers at my first laboratory job (the first ones to ever hear music coming from my section of the lab ) told me that I had an eclectic ear for music. ... I'd say that's you.

 

[Citanul]

Wow. You weren't kidding, Citanul. You really are doing a world tour here with your music. And here my coworkers at my first laboratory job (the first ones to ever hear music coming from my section of the lab ) told me that I had an eclectic ear for music. ... I'd say that's you.

Musically, it's not all that eclectic. While the countries of origin may be unexpected, for the most part it's metal or rock that doesn't sound all that different from their British or American counterparts, apart from accented vocals.

There is a bit of a novelty aspect that has led to me checking out some of the bands (e.g. "A band from Bahrain? I wonder what they sound like"). And while some of them end up being a bit derivative and not all that good, I have come across some gems.

 

[Citanul]

My plan had been to go in alphabetical order by country, but I discovered that I missed a few bands when I compiled my original list, so the first two of this batch are out of place. Not that it really matters, but my slight OCD tendencies are a bit unhappy about it.

Angola

Neblina - this metal band does sing in English, but the song they have a music video for is their one Portuguese song. It's still a decent song, even if I don't know they're singing about.

Bangladesh

Exenemy - there's no faulting this power metal band from a musical standpoint, although their songwriting is perhaps a little on the weak side as the choruses don't seem to quite gel with the verses.

Chile

Aisles - progressive rock. I liked the song I've posted here, but the rest of the album didn't hold my attention all that much. I did pick it up a time when they were giving it away as a free download, so I suppose I can't complain all that much.

 

[Citanul]

China

Barque of Dante - this song is taken from this power metal band's first album. On their later albums they've used singers from other countries, which probably helps as a Chinese accent doesn't work quite so well when singing in English.

Croatia

Code of Nelson’s Folly - pirate metal, so they sound similar to Alestorm, although Alestorm do it better.

Cyprus

Winter's Verge - power metal band. It's another album I haven't listened to in a while, but in this case it's perhaps more being lost in the crowd as this song is pretty good.

 

[Citanul]

Denmark

Royal Hunt - a melodic progressive metal band who seem to like using American vocalists. One of a number of bands who I've just not got around to checking out beyond a single album, although not because I didn't like them.

Faroe Islands

Týr - the only viking metal band that I like, mainly because they use clean vocals rather than growls.

Finland

Von Hertzen Brothers - there are some countries where I have plenty of metal bands to choose from, and Finland is one of them. However, for the sake of variety, where possible I'm not going to pick the metal bands. It also helps that this progressive rock band (formed by three brothers, hence the name) is one of my favourite Finnish bands.

 

[Citanul]

France

Delusion Squared - female-fronted progressive rock band. Their albums apparently form an ongoing story, but I wasn't taken enough by their first one to ever go any further.

Germany

Alphaville - time for some synthpop. This isn't one of their better-known songs, but I've always like it.

Greece

Crystal Tears - power metal band who went through a significant line-up change after their first album, which is the only one I have (I think the drummer is the only original member left), and I actually like the songs I've heard from later albums more than those on this one.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Part 7! =>

From "Mortal Kombat":
This subfolder contains vocal music from both live-action Mortal Kombat movies (not that I thought the second one was good, mind you, but you can kind of rock out to the music, at least ).

________________

From "Other Anime":
Opening and ending music from random anime (some of which I saw as a kid and liked for whatever reason, and others I only heard of but don't really know anything about) that didn't get its own folder. We get a little multi-cultured in this one =>
Record of Lodoss War,

Final Fantasy Unlimited,

Sakura Wars TV,
Sakura Wars TV Ending 1

Legend of Himiko,
Yuko Sasaki - Pure Snow

Nadia - Secret of Blue Water,
The Secret of Blue Water OST - Yes! I Will

Rurouni Kenshin,
Samurai X(Rurouni Kenshin) Trust and Betrayal Original Soundtrack-The Wars of the Last Wolves

Dirty Pair Flash,
Dirty Pair Flash Mission 2 opening - Loving in the Thrill

 

[Citanul]

Hungary

Wisdom - I don't think you could accuse this band of being particularly original, as they basically run through a checklist of what you'd expect from a power metal band, with speedy songs that are catchy and feature big choruses, and the usual lyrics about fighting battles (although they do seem to avoid fantasy elements). But that lack of originality doesn't really matter for me as they hit all the right spots.

India

Slain - a Christian metal band who are a little tricky to categorise. They're not quite heavy enough to be properly regarded as power metal, they through in enough extra things to be more than straightforward melodic metal, but not enough to be properly regarded as progressive metal. But even if they don't fit nicely into one classification, they doesn't stop them from being really good.

Ireland

The Duckworth Lewis Method - a band who sing songs about cricket. But despite that being a bizarre concept for a band, they are saved from being a novelty/joke outfit by the songs actually being pretty good.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Part 8! =>

From "Radio" Folder:
Containing mostly the pop music that I know has shown up on the radio in my lifetime ... that precious 5% of pop music that doesn't suck.

(If there is more ... unsavory music featured on the same Bruno Mars album, as indicated by the "Parental Advisory" box seen on this image, I do not know of it. I assure you this song I have linked to is perfectly tame.)

Probably my second favorite Five For Fighting song,

The band Keane almost always has great sound,

Do not know anything about O.A.R. but this one song. At my first "serious" job out of college, working the twelve-hour nights, a running joke that I and this other guy about my age had all the time was the line in this song "Turn the car around", which we developed into a catchphrase about not wanting to come to work during the day when doing so meant having to deal with the lab manager and his annoying right-hand man, Harold and Greg, who nobody liked mainly because they always were sure to remind the lab crew that we were all expendable every time the most minor of complaints from other departments came about. Oh, the memories of when I was such an enthusiastic youth just entering the occupational working world.

I was so burned out on horrible pop music by 2009 that when this song first came out and featured on the appropriate radio station one night at work that same year, I stopped what I was doing and turned to look at my older friend and coworker Verna across the huge room and called "What? What is this?! A good-sounding pop song? That's not possible in this day!" =P

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From "Resident Evil":
Fear not. Even a classic survival horror series has its share of soft, gentle ballads that please the ears. Here are my favorites among them.

Rebecca's theme from the original Resident Evil in 1996, when you first meet her and she panics and sprays you in the face with medical spray as you enter the room where she is hiding, currently unarmed and mistaking you for a zombie. Even despite the famously terrible B-movie voice acting it is quite an endearing scene.
Resident Evil 1996 OST - Meeting Rebecca

This one from RE2 (1998) is a bit more somber but still depicts a scene of relative safety where the two hapless protagonists Claire and Leon meet in the infamous Raccoon City Police Station for the first time since their separation at the beginning of the game, and discuss how they might find a way to survive the dangerous zombie-filled night they have both stumbled upon,
Resident Evil 2: Leon And Claire Meeting Soundtrack

The ending theme to Resident Evil 3, most appropriately subtitled "Nemesis", after the great monster who stalks and terrorizes the protagonist Jill Valentine throughout the entire game with one purpose in mind: to take the do-gooding all-American heroine out of the picture once and for all,
Resident Evil 3 Nemesis - Ending Theme ( Staff & Credits )

The theme that plays whenever you enter a "safe room" in Resident Evil: Code Veronica,
and have a moment of respite in a domain in which the usual bogeymen of the night cannot trespass,
Resident Evil Code Veronica X - A moment of Relief (Save room)

This is a less friendly theme from the prequel Resident Evil 0, played in a certain area of the game where there are no monsters in the immediate vicinity but you might be less than enthused to uncover the dark secrets behind the plot of the game though documentation lying around. The creepy piano build-up in this song really sells it,
Resident Evil Zero - Chapel III [EXTENDED] Music
_________

Still more to come.

 

[Citanul]

The band Keane almost always has great sound,

I wasn't as taken by their subsequent albums, but their debut was excellent. Not a bad song on it.

 

[SarahsKnight]

I wasn't as taken by their subsequent albums, but their debut was excellent. Not a bad song on it.

I think I know songs from only this album and another, Under the Iron Sea, it was called?

And yeah, having an album with all good or okay songs on it is pretty rare, even from your favorite bands. There always seems to be at least one you don't like, if not around 50% of the total songs.

 

[Citanul]

I think I know songs from only this album and another, Under the Iron Sea, it was called?

That was it. It wasn't bad, but not as good as Hopes & Fears. A second album can be a bit tricky as it usually needs to be written from scratch in a shorter space of time as opposed to a first album which can feature songs that have been around for quite some time and have had plenty of opportunity to be polished.

Keane are a bit of an oddity for me as they're very different from most of the stuff I listen to. But for some reason I picked up the album (I think it was a time when I was trying to keep up with what was popular) and it hit the right spot for me.

And yeah, having an album with all good or okay songs on it is pretty rare, even from your favorite bands. There always seems to be at least one you don't like, if not around 50% of the total songs.

Well, I can think of a lot of albums that I own that I would regard as being all good, but then again maybe it's sheer weight of numbers as I own a lot of albums.

 

[Citanul]

After a couple of days where I didn't have a chance to look for the appropriate videos, the world tour resumes.

Israel

Desert - a power metal band made up mostly of Russian ex-pats. They've managed to get some decent names to provide guest vocals in the form of Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear) and Joakim Broden (Sabaton). If you're not into metal those names won't mean anything, but you don't get guys like that to sing on your album if you don't have something going for you.

Italy

Rhapsody - cheesy, over-the-top power metal with lyrics about dragons. What's not to like?

Malta

Different Strings - progressive rock. Another one of the many "one album" bands that I have in my collection.

 

[( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

I just farted. And I'm glad for y'alls sake you get to just read about it and not smell it.

 

[Citanul]

Namibia

Arcana XXII - a metal band who I find a bit inconsistent, but they are good when they get it right, like with this song.

Netherlands

Ayreon - the Netherlands was always going to be represented by one of Arjen Lucassen's bands/projects, but he is best known for Ayreon, so that's what I went for in the end.

Norway

A-ha - Back to the 80s, and a band I'm sure need little introduction. Apparently Morten Harket can still hit those high notes after all this time, which is impressive.