A Sweatshirt and a 50 inch HDTV

While both a sweatshirt and a 50 inch HDTV are beautiful things to look at, a sweatshirt can actually shrink in the dryer and not cost a fortune.

Thesis though

The Killers

The Killers are a band I’m sure you already know about, but I wanted to show you that there’s more to them than their disco-pop side. Coming from Las Vegas, Brandon Flowers (Lead Singer), Mark Stoermer (Bass Guitarist/vocals), Dave Keuning (lead guitar/vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr (Drums/Percussion) make up the killers.

Releasing their first album, Hot Fuss, thet went 4x platinum with songs like Mr. Brightside and Smile Like You Mean It. Some of the songs aren't even noticed by some people like On Top, Andy You're A Star, and All these Things That I've Done. I heard On Top while listening to the radio station "WFNX (101.7)" online and thought that it was very vivid and up-beat, then I heard "Dare" by the Gorillaz afterwards which carried the same beat. I looked into that album more and was astonished at what they produced. Electronic disco-beats made the band what they are today; songs like On Top, Smile Like You Mean It, and Mr. Brightside express this certain sound.

3 Years later, they released “Sam’s Town” which struck oil as soon as people listened to the hit single “When You Were Young”. “When You Were Young” reached number 5 on the charts, very popular worldwide. To me, hearing it all the time can get a little boring and that’s when I slowly hearing it every now and then can still bring out the same feeling. Feeling down? Listen to “Bones”, one of the best heartwarming songs I’ve ever heard; Tim Burton even helped produce the video for the song, which had a soft mood and a very essentric feeling to it. There’s another song that carries the same soft feeling called Read My Mind, amazing, it had a lot of reflection between pauses; it became an instant favorite for me.

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In 2007, only a year later, they published their third album Sawdust, which became famous because of Shadowplay, Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf, Tranquilize, and Romeo and Juliet. Shadowplay which was a cover of the song by Joy Division was widely acclaimed because of its trans electric beat. Not one of their best albums of the bunch, yet it’s still out there and selling. I love “Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf” because it’s got a simple flow to hold onto and promotes a gray feeling.

A year goes by and they produce another impressive album that went gold because of their trademark single “Human”. They’ve established they’re sound and became famous worldwide because of this album if the past 3 weren’t enough. My brother couldn’t stop listening to Human in the fall, He was WILD over it and got me into them (you couldn’t ignore him, playing it from his laptop, without the headphones, on high volume, 10 times, 20 times a day). I liked the song Spaceman before the video went out and before it was really recognized, I would rock out to it, just beautiful. Other songs off the album that deliver a similar respective feeling would be Neon Tiger, Losing Touch, Dustland Fairytale, and Joy Ride. They have a few bonus tracks that went with it if you got the deluxe version off your mp3’s store (iTunes, Zune’s store, Zen, and others), such as Tidal Wave, Forget About What I Said, and The thin White Duke’s remix of Human which was an exclusive pre-order song (my brother of course had to have it, but you can hear it in my upcoming playlist too :D) ; Tidal Wave generates a slow soft feeling almost like how Read My Mind does, Forget About What I Said carries a rushed feeling that goes along with his vocals perfectly. The thin White Duke Remix of Human is something amazing; it’s beautifully crafted and put together, just mixed up with soft vocals and vivacious gaps of beat.

They've also been producing one holiday each year since 2006, for Product Red. In 2006, they made "A Great Big Sled" with Toni Halliday (former lead singer for the band Curve); a pretty basic song with a cheerful flow to it: "Little boys have action toys for brains, I'm living proof it can last a long time." I love the song, you need to listen to it a couple of times to get into it. It was very thoughtful that the guys decided to do another one the following year, which was my favorite song and video "Don't Shoot Me Santa", still supporting Product Red with some of the proceeds. The year after that, 2008, The Killers teamed up with Neil Tennant and lengendary superstar Elton John, to create "Joseph You Better Than Me" which, I have to say wasn't as good as their other holiday songs, but I think they took a more quiet approach to this one like most of their songs.

The Killers have achieved fame, they’re done, they’re set, they’re music. If you like New Order (hence, the killers got their name from the video “Crystal”), The Cure, The Flaming Lips, or even The Police, I’m sure you’ll enjoy listening to Joy Ride every once and awhile. They deliver the purpose for being a band; every electronic beat and guitar riff guides their voice and their passion for music.

Word Count: 909 words (This is getting kind of embarrasing but I don't really care, it doesn't matter if I'm too high or too low of the word count, what matters is that I have a decent blog)

The Strokes

Another one out of many unknown bands that lots of different people know and praise, that should be brought to attention, would be none other than The Strokes. Like most people, you may know them for their song "Reptilia" which was on Guitar Hero at a time. Believe it or not, the first time I recognized the strokes was when I played Guitar Hero with my brother, in CO-OP mode of course, we never got to finishing the song because I would always start cracking up and losing focus from the way the song moved me, he, in the end, gave up on me and I don't remember the last time we played it again. I didn't really get into them since then because the 8th grade was being a bitch, until I got their album "Room On Fire" out of the library during mid-September. I instantly fell in love with all of their songs off that album. Not many artists have a different sound/flow/style, in each of their songs, that's why I love The Strokes.

But, I do have something to say about songs and the videos that go with them. Usually when some bands or artists (pop rock/pop overall) make a music video, they just show themselves walking around some environment meeting up with someone and kissing and whatnot, and in their next music video? the same thing, different lyrics different beat, different place, same people. Then you got every other rock band jamming on some rooftop with high quality and lighting, either that or running after a girl in a subway.What I like about The Strokes and any other Indie Rock band, is that they carry a unique style and theme, but I personally think that watching the video before the song (vice versa), can change the way you experience that song. For example, their song "Last Night" introduces a calm tune at the start of the song and maintains the feeling throughout it as well; It almost sounds like "Are you gonna be my girl" since it builds up a beat in the beginning and explodes later on. The video for it expresses a nostalgic 80's theme, which is clear once you see their hairstyles and apparel. Their song Juicebox which became an instant hit when it was released, uses the theme to Peter Gunn in the bass but in a more dark and moody tone; the guitar keeps you on path while the drums support the suspense and of course the singer leads. I saw the video for it first which takes place at a radio station with a slightly obscure radio host, then later shows a porno developing on top of a building where a couple's cab stops at. The scenes in the video are pretty confusing or can mis-interpret the message that's trying to get told, but all and all the scenes actually do co-incide with the song's beat which was very effective.

As I said before The Strokes are recognized by many as a very raw, reflecting band as most Indie Rock bands. The Strokes caught attention for their 2001 debut album, which was comprised of many reflective and bass-ic songs; such as my personal favorites Someday, Last Night, Is This It, and Hard To Explain. They later put more sound and spirit into their second album, "Room On Fire" which was released in 2003, and which in my opinion, is their best; songs like Automatic Stop, 12:51, Meet Me In The Bathroom, I cant Win, The End has No End, Reptilia, and Whatever Happened are proof that they've established their own style of music. They're third album to date is still pretty good, and I feel they put a thought into it. Released in early 2006, they instantly went gold with Juicebox, You Only Live Once, and Heart In A Cage. It got fair reviews, but 3 stars, 4 stars, 5 stars, they're all the same to me. If you don't like a song, I'd advise you listen to it a couple of times because the first time's always the hardest (this doesn't count for Aerosmith's "Rock In A Hard Place" XD).

Remember that annoying, god-awful sneaker commercial for Cherake or something that had paper-cut-outs of people sliding across everywhere? that lasted 30 to 60 secs at a time and took up every other commercial break last summer? What's ironic is that the singer to The Strokes, Julian Casablancas, was featured as one of those people (cut-outs). Plus, he said earlier this year that they've already started working on their next album which is probably gonna come out by the end of this year or early next year :DDDDD. If you want to go see them live, I'd suggest you book a seat for New York because they can get pretty epic on their own turf, I've heard.

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