... I must report that I will be taking a hiatus. It's been just a month since the start of my senior year, and I have not found the time in my schedule to keep this blog updated.
It started as a hobby and a source of release, and I had loads of fun doing this. I didn't mind the amount of time dedicated and energy invested (nocturnally) to keep this going. But as of late, it has become a chore, and also sort of a job. Now I have to listen to music and have to discover new topics to discuss, instead of it being just for kicks.
There's still a bunch of ideas for future posts buzzing in my head, but until I find the grace to manage all the rest that life throws at me, I will set these drafts aside for a while. If this bums you out, then I'm sorry for making you feel this way. If you don't really care, then I'm sorry you don't feel otherwise. =P
I don't know why you say goodbye,
Kelvin
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
That 70's Post
I thought it'd be fun to continue the theme of era-specific posts and do one on the groovy times that were the 70's. Little did I know how little of 70's music I actually know. It's a poorly represented section of my music library, but I'd still like to share some of my favorite albums from the decade (... a number of which I was introduced to in the past month).
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1970 - Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Ah, the 60's... a time when psychedelic drugs, flower power and The Beatles ruled the world. So how do you usher in a new decade in music? Well, you back-track a bit to when blues was the genre of choice, then you read some books and watch the news. Follow up with forming a four-piece band and voila! You have "War Pigs." British rockers Black Sabbath released Paranoid in November 1970 in the U.K. (January 1971 in the U.S.), founding heavy metal in the process. Despite their name, most of the band's songs deal with themes of the psychological and social nature, as their staples "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" make evident. And although the only thing Ozzy Osbourne has learned since the 70's is how become more of a pansy, deep down he's still that pivotal frontman whose name we can't escape.
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1970 - Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Ah, the 60's... a time when psychedelic drugs, flower power and The Beatles ruled the world. So how do you usher in a new decade in music? Well, you back-track a bit to when blues was the genre of choice, then you read some books and watch the news. Follow up with forming a four-piece band and voila! You have "War Pigs." British rockers Black Sabbath released Paranoid in November 1970 in the U.K. (January 1971 in the U.S.), founding heavy metal in the process. Despite their name, most of the band's songs deal with themes of the psychological and social nature, as their staples "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" make evident. And although the only thing Ozzy Osbourne has learned since the 70's is how become more of a pansy, deep down he's still that pivotal frontman whose name we can't escape.
"Hand of Doom" by Black Sabbath
Sunday, July 17, 2011
2006 was a GREAT year in music!
So, I got into the music scene a little later than most folks. I remember one day in my high school freshman Engineering period a fellow classmate asked me what type of music I was into. At that point, I wasn't into anything except the adult contemporary my parents played on the car radio (and that was passive listening). So I just blurted out something random: techno. Needless to say, said fellow classmate never spoke to me again...
In any case, that summer (2005), I visited Nicaragua with my aunt and cousin for two weeks. Around the second day, I met my cousin's cousins (my second cousins?) whom were teens like us. When I entered their room, I saw "Be Yourself" playing on the TV. I ended up spending the majority of the trip making up for lost time alongside MTV Latin America.
Not too long afterwards, I saved up the earnings of my 15th birthday and went to Best Buy to purchase a cheap Durabrand CD player, From Under the Cork Tree, American Idiot and Demon Days. And now, almost 6 years later, I'm here updating a blog about my not-so-secret passion.
Because it's so close to when I first began engrossing myself in music, I have to say that my favorite year in music is 2006. When I started out, I watched music videos like it was nobody's business. But after a few months of that, I got tired of just singles and delved into the albums of my favorite artists, discovering the gems no one cared to search for. Below are a few of my top picks...
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#10 - Panda - Amantes Sunt Amantes
A young, lonely, pop-punk listening Hispanic teenage boy was eventually going to come across this CD. It was one random day at my other cousin's house that I saw the video for "Narcisita Por Excelencia" on MTV Tr3s. I was instantly hooked by the sound and energy, and I also had an ear catered to "emotional" music. When I picked up Amantes Sunt Amantes, I became a fan overnight. What I liked most about the album (and still do) was the unconventionality of the composition, characteristic of post-hardcore. I wouldn't know it until later, but their previous release, Para Ti Con Desprecio, was the product of heavy plagerism. Panda writes some pretty catchy tunes, but sadly these are songs to slit your wrists to (and unfortunately the band doesn't make that a subtle point =///).
In any case, that summer (2005), I visited Nicaragua with my aunt and cousin for two weeks. Around the second day, I met my cousin's cousins (my second cousins?) whom were teens like us. When I entered their room, I saw "Be Yourself" playing on the TV. I ended up spending the majority of the trip making up for lost time alongside MTV Latin America.
Not too long afterwards, I saved up the earnings of my 15th birthday and went to Best Buy to purchase a cheap Durabrand CD player, From Under the Cork Tree, American Idiot and Demon Days. And now, almost 6 years later, I'm here updating a blog about my not-so-secret passion.
Because it's so close to when I first began engrossing myself in music, I have to say that my favorite year in music is 2006. When I started out, I watched music videos like it was nobody's business. But after a few months of that, I got tired of just singles and delved into the albums of my favorite artists, discovering the gems no one cared to search for. Below are a few of my top picks...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#10 - Panda - Amantes Sunt Amantes
A young, lonely, pop-punk listening Hispanic teenage boy was eventually going to come across this CD. It was one random day at my other cousin's house that I saw the video for "Narcisita Por Excelencia" on MTV Tr3s. I was instantly hooked by the sound and energy, and I also had an ear catered to "emotional" music. When I picked up Amantes Sunt Amantes, I became a fan overnight. What I liked most about the album (and still do) was the unconventionality of the composition, characteristic of post-hardcore. I wouldn't know it until later, but their previous release, Para Ti Con Desprecio, was the product of heavy plagerism. Panda writes some pretty catchy tunes, but sadly these are songs to slit your wrists to (and unfortunately the band doesn't make that a subtle point =///).
"Los Malaventurados No Lloran" by Panda
Saturday, July 2, 2011
How did that get up there?
So I've created a YouTube account associated with this blog. I had one before, but I wanted to change the username and thus had to create a new account (the videos from the old account are now gone with the wind...).
I don't have much on there now, but I will be uploading more vids as the future becomes the present.
Link to the account page "NocturnalInvestment"
[http://www.youtube.com/user/NocturnalInvestment]
Link to the song "Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop (Cover)"
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcUv13c-jsg]
Link to the song "Green Day - When I Come Around (Cover)"
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BFe5B-aHQ0]
Link to the playlist "Love IX"
[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL722E8CCAC5217B72]
Now you know, and knowing is half the battle,
Kelvin
I don't have much on there now, but I will be uploading more vids as the future becomes the present.
Link to the account page "NocturnalInvestment"
[http://www.youtube.com/user/NocturnalInvestment]
Link to the song "Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop (Cover)"
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcUv13c-jsg]
Link to the song "Green Day - When I Come Around (Cover)"
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BFe5B-aHQ0]
Link to the playlist "Love IX"
[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL722E8CCAC5217B72]
Now you know, and knowing is half the battle,
Kelvin
Monday, June 6, 2011
Love IX
I've described my method of making mixtapes in the last post. Today, I'd like to give an example of what I consider to be an okay mixtape. This is the 9th mix I compiled (circa January 2010).
Like I said before, when you give out a mix it's a gift from one admirer to one apple-of-their-eye. Therefore, reusing the same mix is bad protocol on the mixer's end. As such, you can consider this mixtape as a gift from me to the Internet and the members therein (especially my loyal readers... all 5 of you...). =]
I hope you enjoyed it! And that you're inspired to create some mixes of your own!
(Edit: Per somebody's smart suggestion, I've compiled these songs into a YouTube playlist so as to better get the feel of listening to an actual mix CD. You can listen to it here and it is also embedded below.)
It's just not me to wear it on my sleeve,
Kelvin
Like I said before, when you give out a mix it's a gift from one admirer to one apple-of-their-eye. Therefore, reusing the same mix is bad protocol on the mixer's end. As such, you can consider this mixtape as a gift from me to the Internet and the members therein (especially my loyal readers... all 5 of you...). =]
Love IX Tracklist
- "Plug In Baby" by Muse
- "About a Girl" by Nirvana [guitar smashing not originally included]
- "Carpathia" by Taking Back Sunday [specifically the album version]
- "Believe" by The Bravery
- "Go with the Flow" by Queens of the Stone Age
- "Crystal" by New Order
- "Still Take You Home" by Arctic Monkeys
- "Any Way You Want It" by Journey
- "Buena" by Bacilos
- "Here Comes Your Man" by Pixies
- "NARC" by Interpol
- "Light My Fire" by The Doors
- "Up and Up" by Relient K
- "Dime Ven" by Motel
- "Work" by Jimmy Eat World
- "Girl's Not Grey (Acoustic)" by AFI
- "Tonight, Tonight" by The Smashing Pumpkins [specifically the album version]
- "A Letter to Elise" by The Cure
- "Everything" by Lifehouse
I hope you enjoyed it! And that you're inspired to create some mixes of your own!
(Edit: Per somebody's smart suggestion, I've compiled these songs into a YouTube playlist so as to better get the feel of listening to an actual mix CD. You can listen to it here and it is also embedded below.)
It's just not me to wear it on my sleeve,
Kelvin
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