Stone Temple Pilots
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| Cool shot of the band members. |
You ever heard of these guys? Not too many people know the band name, but people often recognize the STP (Stone Temple Pilots) tunes that were pretty popular in the 90s. I chose the STPs because they were not one hit wonders, but they produced a really great body of work. In my opinion, some of their best songs include, "Dead and Bloated" (interesting title, I know, but this is alt. rock, baby!), "Wicked Garden" (I LOVE that song!), "Spoonman," "Vasoline," "Plush," "Creep," and ZOHMYGOODNESS! These guys know how to rock!
To be completely honest, I actually prefer the STPs over Cake in some senses and they continue to grow on me as I listen to their music more and more. Please listen to it if you have a moment! You will be missing out if you are an alt. rock fan and don't know about these guys' music. One more thing about the STPs is that they have a great sound as a collective band. For example, typically you can tell a STP song from another generic 90s pop or alt. song because they have their own unique "no BS" sort of sound. I just can't tell you how cool these guys are! ^_^ But beware! Their songs will get stuck in your head because not only are they catchy and chill, but they also have great lyrics that you will want to keep repeating to yourself. Not because they are the most profound or necessarily inspiring, but because they are mysterious and rather well-put together.
<<Tell us what you think in the comment section below! We love comments, and we want more opinions from rock fans on this.>>
Smashing Pumpkins
So, for you alt. rock fans out there, please don't come after me with torches and pitch forks when I say the following... I actually was not a Smashing Pumpkins fan until recently. My fear for assault comes from the fact that Smashing Pumpkins (I'll call them pumpkins from here on out) is absolutely raved about by people who like rock. It used to be that I rolled my eyes when I found that people were Pumpkins Fans. However, having listened to more of their work, I am a fan myself. That's not to say that they are my favorite, but I definitely think they deserve a post on my best of the best alt. rock list.
<<This is not my favorite Pumpkins song, but my film teacher once showed this video in class for its cinematographic value. It's pretty cool and it imitates an early French Film by Geroges Melies called A Trip to the Moon.>>
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| This is the Melies film I mentioned. |
Pumpkin's songs are very distinct in their sound--if you have listened to their music, I'm sure you have heard the lead singer's unique voice and have felt the effects of it on the music. I did not used to appreciate this in the past, but now I aee a lot of beauty in it because it is really unlike the voice of any other alt. rock singer that I've heard. And that is saying a lot! To be completely honest, sooooo many singers of the alt. rock scene that I am looking at right now sound almost identical to others. I have listened to a lot of the same alt. rock songs numerous times and some of the songs I listen to cannot be easily distinguished by band, no matter how much I memorize about the bands and their sounds. This is because of the similar sounds found in a lot of the alt. bands' vocals, guitar, etc. Although, at the same time, it is the bands that stand out from this cookie-cutter alt. rock norm and many of the bands I chose for this list are great because they stand out. Smashing Pumpkins is an example of this. I would totally check them out, even if you are skeptical of their unique sound at first. I think I was initially too quick to judge about them, and I know now that I should have listened to more of their music to get a better picture! :)
One more thing I'd like to mention is don't get hung up on what these guys' biggest "hits" are. That's not to say that the "hits" are not good, just that Pumpkins have great songs other than their most popular works. But I'd suggest just giving a listen to an entire album of theirs; for this, I'd recommend "Siamese Dream," which I think is their best album. Don't be distracted by their big hits on the CD (i.e. "Today," and "Cherub Rock"), but just catch the vibes of the band's songs overall. It really is a great sound once you get into it. And they really produced a tonof good music. Some of my favorites from the "Siamese Dream" album are "Mayonaise" and "Quiet." I'm certain yours will be different from mine though! Let us know what your favorites are in the comments section.
*Oh! One more thing, one of the Pumpkins' hits that I think is really great is "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." Yeah, there are loads of notable songs from these guys, which it why they are deserving of recognition as one of the best of the best.
*Oh! One more thing, one of the Pumpkins' hits that I think is really great is "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." Yeah, there are loads of notable songs from these guys, which it why they are deserving of recognition as one of the best of the best.
That's all for this post. I'll be back tomorrow with another alt. rock post though. ;) For now, just keep rocking our socks, Pragmus fans!
Corey Cherrington
(Pragmus Sigma)
Blog and Social Media Administrator
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