Music

[rome8180]

Their two best singles:

 

[rome8180]

Heard from a friend that Muse has basically the best live show of any band out there.

I've heard the same.

 

[physicsfactor]

That triplet run Muse's drummer does in "Assassin" is so badass yet so simple if you can play at that speed. I've been trying to work up to his tempo for weeks, and I can't get close.

 

[rome8180]

They are really, really good musicians. Try playing some of those rifs while singing.

 

[rhfarmer]

Lhys, I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you like Muse. My only "gripe" with Knights of Cyledonia is that they should have tuned down to finish that epic riff on a lower note...they just run out of neck in standard tuning.

 

[physicsfactor]

It was a sad day when I realized my wife wasn't enjoying Creed ironically, but rather she was actually enjoying them.

 

[JohaadDBC]

I used to like them. Then I turned 12.

 

[JohaadDBC]

Honestly, I still like them for nostalgic reasons, but it's certainly not good music.

 

[Rollins]

Been into this band a lot, especially this song.

 

[Rollins]

Little songs like this by Nas are why I love him

 

[rome8180]

Yeah, I love that one.

 

[JohaadDBC]

I like the Kooks a lot.

 

[dkst0426]

Maybe this is more appropriate for the technology thread, but does anyone know the difference in quality between and mp3 and an m4a? From what I understand m4as are better, but what really matters is the size of the file. So if the mp3 file is twice as big is it better? Where's the tipping point? Also, since I'm putting it on iTunes after downloading it, won't it just convert it to mp3 anyway? Do I lose quality in that conversion process?

I'm asking because I use "alternative means" to download music and I've received stuff of highly varying quality. I want the best possible balance of fast download and high quality.

m4a is basically the audio track of an mp4 format. It's actually a better-quality sound format than mp3s, but they're not as universal as mp3s yet. If an mp3 file is twice as big as a standard m4a, it's probably encoded at a higher bitrate. More and more mp3 releases coming out now are available at 320kbps. I'm not an iTunes user, so I'm not sure how the encoding works when you add it to the library.

Heard from a friend that Muse has basically the best live show of any band out there.

They were pretty solid as U2's opening act in Raleigh a couple years ago.

I go through phases where I think to myself that I should get more up-to-date on music, and I'll go on download binges - I seriously had not heard of Mumford & Sons until last summer, for example!

Seems like I just end up falling back on my old standbys: Pearl Jam (I thank God daily for SiriusXM adding a dedicated PJ station), Johnny Cash, U2, the Beatles, and the Who. Oh yeah, and throw in the guilty pleasure of 80s hair bands, especially GnR.

 

[rhfarmer]

If you are going to download in Itunes, at a minimum, you want lossless Apple files. MP3's are highly compressed files. Lhys, as a musician, MP3's are the live equivalent of mic'ing up your 10 watt practice combo.

 

[torontoduke]

Wilco is a great live band if you ever have the chance

 

[bfactor]

 

[dkst0426]

Mike McCready: New Pearl Jam Album 'This Year, for Sure'

Pearl Jam hope to have their next album out "this year, for sure," guitarist Mike McCready tells Rolling Stone. Preparing to travel to New Orleans, where he will perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" and run the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon in support of his close friend Steve Gleason, the former New Orleans Saint, McCready says the bandmembers are "working on demos right now and we're going to be recording soon.

"What everybody's been saying is halfway done," he says of the follow-up to 2009's Backspacer. "I think that's true – we have seven songs that are relatively completed. But then we have an additional 15 ready to go aside from any that Eddie brings in, so we'll weed through those."

Though he's reluctant to categorize the album just yet – "because what I can say won't make any sense until you hear it" – he can offer a few details.

"I would say as a cliché answer it's kind of a logical extension of what Backspacer was," he says. "But I think there's a little bit more experimental stuff going on. There's a Pink Floyd vibe to some of it, there's a punk rock edge to other stuff."

He's excited to reteam with producer Brendan O'Brien for the fifth time. "We're excited to get it done, because we've kind of been waiting for about two years to do it."

:D :D :D :D :D

 

[Pantone287]

Probably my worst post here:

 

[rhfarmer]

You know, I've been a bit of a Pearl Jam basher from time to time, mainly because out of the Seattle scene, they were like my 6th favorite band. But they play a fantastic live show, and they have never, ever, ever churned out some shit albums like "aging" rockers tend to do. I mean, look at the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They have made total, absolute shit records since Blood Sugar Sex Magic, which was 2 decades ago. They have just mailed it in. Pearl Jam still makes great records. My hat is off to them for not sucking.

 

[rome8180]

I am not a fan. But they have a great amount of integrity. I really admire them, even while not liking their music.

Seattle bands I liked better:

1) Nirvana
2) Soundgarden
3) Alice in Chains


That's really probably about it. From that era my favorite band is Smashing Pumpkins, but they are neither Seattle nor grunge.