Okay, does anyone feel like helping out a Rath? I need music recommendations, because I think I have just noticed an odd quirk in my musical tastes, and I want to see if there is a real pattern here or just an illusory one...

The thing is, W. was kind enough to give me the first Eisbrecher album (and the second one, but I haven't listened to that one as much yet) and I've been devouring it enthusiastically. My favourite tracks are, without question, Willkommen im Nichts and Fanatica. Schwarze Witwe is hanging around third place, tieing for now with Herz Steht Still (which is gorgeous but being left aside for now cos it doesn't fit the topic under discussion).

Now, what's interesting about these three tracks? All of them are quite heavy, quite crunchy, solidly rhythmical, but they have - either in the backing vocals (Schwarze Witwe), the main vocals (Willkommen im Nichts), or both (Fanatica), a bizarrely conspicuous pop influence. The prechorus of Willkommen im Nichts has a brilliant looping, dipping pattern that really does sound like a pop chorus in a horrible, black, spiky, grinning disguise, and the English chorus of Fanatica probably wouldn't sound out of place on a chart single if it weren't backed by distorted synths and being powered from underneath by a vocalist who sounds like he's snarling through a static generator.

Which got me thinking, now, what other bands and songs do I like that feel like this? And the list is interestingly long. Lordi - are a melodic hard rock band with a harsh lead vocal, using a lot of pop and rock lyrical concepts with a dark twist. Devilish Presley - feel like the Fifties like the Fifties never were, twisted sideways by Johnny and Jacqui's sneering snarls and skewed lyrical concepts. Marilyn Manson covering Sweet Dreams. Children of Bodom covering Bed of Nails. Carpathian Forest covering the Cure. Power metal versions of ABBA songs. W.A.S.P. ballads. The list goes on. And as far as I can nail down, the mystic link between them all is the combination of pop/rock melody structures and/or mirrorverse-style twists on mainstream musical ideas, with vocals that are theoretically too harsh for but nevertheless follow the conventions of the melodic structure.

So. Dear flist, do any of you have any songs that sound like they fit this description (any genre from metal to electronica to goth to whatever, guitars not obligatory!) that you think I should hear? Caveat: I still tend to strongly dislike filks, "novelty" covers or pisstakes, some of which would fall into the description above. Some degree of straight face and musical integrity has to be involved, so the band in question has to be doing this style because it's what they want to sound like, rather than because they're looking at the audience going "are we funny yet?" But that aside, I'm sure there must be more Stuff That Sounds Like This, so if anyone has any, please wave it at me? Thank you!

In other news, a) I am going against the trend and actually kind of gutted at what happened to Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules (and I really hope his shoulder and finger heal up quick, best wishes Jeff!), b) I think I have a cold, and c) I need more sleep. >_< How are you guys?

Laters,
Rath

Overheard last night:

navigatorsghost, frowning at a large sheaf of paint swatch cards: "I want something pretty to stare at while I'm in bed." *pause* "So since I'm single, I'll have to paint the ceiling."

In related news, I am apparently still a teenage metalhead. I've been trying to work out what colours to paint my room and I've told myself "not black, it's too much of a bitch to paint over and the landlord will hate me." Because I am trying to be grown up. Unfortunately it turns out that every colour scheme I know how to do a decent job of uses black as a base colour...

I think I have an alternative scheme now, but just in case anyone here is a frustrated Changing Rooms star... what colours should I paint my room? Answers in the comments please!

Laters,
The Navigator

I have a new bed - well, sort of a bed. It's actually a large bean bag that was given to me by deepbluesquee, and Koi took a photo of me curled up in it with my nose sticking out of the duvet, and... well, see above. ^_^

Interestingly, though, it seems to make me sleep a bit differently. More lightly, I think, to be precise. I seem to wake up in the middle of the night more often (which is cool, as the full moon has been shining straight through my window for the last couple of nights and it's absolutely magic getting to see that at five am when nobody else is awake). But the one difference I've really noticed is that I seem to be dreaming more than I was, and this is a good thing because when I don't dream, I feel wretched when I wake up and am well below optimal levels of functionality for the rest of the day.

Does anyone else notice what effect their dreams have on their wellbeing, out of curiosity? Or am I just weird? (If Freddy Krueger ever shows up, of course, I'm proper screwed...)

Meanwhile, in other news, I went in Body Shop yesterday and treated myself to some new bath things. Their Christmas range this year (amber/cranberry/vanilla) is fantastic. Especially the Vanilla Spice body lotion, as it's got gold shimmer in it and leaves you sparkling all over like some kind of demented Mary-Sue while also being incredibly good for your skin. I shall definitely be using this more.

Now, though, I'm stuck at work and miserably bored. Entertain me? Anyone? Please?

Laters,
Rath

PS And in the news today: Obama's new Secret Service codename is "Renegade". I like it. ^_^ Meanwhile, there's finally a proper sighting on a planet orbiting Fomalhaut... iä, Cthugha!

Because it's frankly awesome to realise that you're watching history in the making... I would just like to raise my glass *lifts, er, a McDonald's soda cup since that's what I currently have* to President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama II. Congratulations to the man who stole America's heart, and may he take good care of it now he's got it!

*applauds*


And now a meme, since everyone else is doing it. From deepbluesquee and raisedbymoogles:

One little compliment can make you feel amazing.

So give me a compliment, anything in the entire world, even that my shoelaces are pretty. Put this in your journal, so I can return the favor. And once you get some comments, put that entry in a memory or tag so that when you are feeling down, you can go to that entry for a quick pick-me-up and a smile.

Backhanded remarks, friendly insults, and general abuse are also okay because, hey, I know some of my friends have issues with the idea of ever being overtly nice to another sentient being. *grins*

Laters,
The Navigator

PS Is anyone else who also uses Livejournal finding that their clever security checking measure for their new "find a friend" feature is killing their browsers? I mean, at least they're trying to do what their membership want (ie, allow people to opt IN to intrusive data searches rather than OUT) but nul points for the coding, right there...

So I was out with (lj)oml404 yesterday, and quite by accident we'd wound up in the neighbourhood's new gay bar (replacing the one down the road that closed the other week, apparently there is some law that there must always be one gay bar on that stretch of Newmarket Road). While I was getting drinks from the beautiful, confident-looking lass on the bar, a grinning chap just round the side of the bar from me - who'd apparently just done something impressive on the pool table, I think - broke out in a gleeful yell of "Who's your daddy?!"

I smiled. He turned to the barmaid, grinning all over his face. "Come on, who's your daddy?"

The barmaid grinned right back. "My wife!"

You could've heard a pin drop. You could also, distantly, hear muffled Rathgiggles. PWNED.

***

In other news, I gather I forgot to mention that I have yet another new journal, this one on Livejournal because I realised I needed something easier to find (and less full of total nonsense) than this one, to be my muso/band journal. So, over at (lj)faithinfire, you will now find plugs for Fire & Forget, reviews of gigs/albums/other stuff, and life-type posts such as are not too incriminating and might be of interest to someone who only knows me as "'er wot plays bass in Fire & Forget". The only thing currently in there is my review of the Iron Maiden gig last Saturday, but there will be more soon.

How is everyone today? I'm bored now, someone entertain me?

Cheers,
Rath x

Argh. I have nothing constructive to do right now. If it gets any worse I'm going to have to start putting things in date order just for something to do...

So instead here's my (slightly late) Beltane resolutions list (ie, things I'm going to do before the next time the leaves fall):

- get a room of my very own
- pay off my last credit card
- go up to Yorkshire at least once
- get my next tattoo
- resurrect my unfinished creative writing course
- finish and post at least one decent-length fic (I am really determined about this. So sick of never finishing anything!)

Anyone else got any summer resolutions? I think this is actually a better time of year to be vowing to do things than the middle of winter is - you can take advantage of the tidal surge of cosmic enthusiasm that hits as the world warms up and everything suddenly realises that it's time to burst out in spontaneous fits of flowers and leaves and singing and shagging. It's been so weird this year, too - from near winter to what feels like high summer in about a week flat. I don't think I've ever seen spring happen so fast.

What's everyone else up to today? Talk to me! Or to my boys. Or give me links to things. Anything is welcome right now!

Love,
Rath