Best of Alt. Rock: Post #6

Beck

He is an amazing artist with some really intriguing music.  I say "intriguing" because not all of his music is what you might consider "normal," which I think is a promising trademark of alternative rock.  Also, the guy has produced several albums and is still making music today!  The longevity of his career should also indicate Beck's merit for joining the Pragmus Media Alt. Rock Hall of Fame. Also, there is the minor detail that Beck kiiinda produced a song that could serve as an anthem for all the people out there who simply don't give a darn about what people think of them.  That is, the "Losers." ;) If you have never heard Beck's song "Loser" and if you've never seen the music video, I strongly encourage you to do so now.  If you appreciate alt. rock or the style it adheres to, you will love that music video!  It is one of the best from the 90s, and I would contend that it is one of the best song/music video combos today.  Just... great!

The reason why I don't see Beck as a One-Hit Wonder is because 1.) he is a great musician who has proven his abilities on numerous occasions, 2.) he still plays for big-deal venues like freaking Saturday Night Live, and 3.) when it comes to producing new music, Beck does not fall short.  I guess you could argue that quality is more important than quantity, but Beck's albums pretty much fit the bill for quality as well.  No way!, right? ;)  I won't talk too much more about his many albums here, but my personal favorite pieces by beck are "Where it's at" from his album, Odelay and "Loser" from Mellow Gold. Some other good songs by Beck are "Little ones" (please forgive the spelling if it's off), "Sunday," and others.  Beck is just cool.  Although, I must warn you that you might be a tad annoyed with a few of his songs that use synthetic sounds to an extreme--honestly, just skip those... Other than that, I think Beck's creations are rockin' good.

To be continued...

<<Next time: Last Alt. Rock post for Pragmus:

"Nirvana!">>

Best of Alt. Rock--Post #5

Hello everyone!  It has been about a week since the last alt rock post, so I thought today would be an ideal day to do one.  As I write these, I hope they indicate that there is great music that is so often overlooked by our media because we ignore who top bands in sub genres might be to find the top rock songs of all time.  I though that label was way too broad for music lovers who know that there is more to rock than just the label "rock."  Rock actually contains numerous sub genres that I believe go underappreciated, such as "Alternative," "Punk," "Classic," "Metal," and others.  This segment is part  of our assessment of the "Alternative" category, without the typical superficiality of "Top Whatever" lists.  We have a total of about five bands left to look at, and then we will be moving on to our next category: Punk. Thanks for reading, let us know what you think, and please offer any suggestions for our next sub genre, "Punk" in the comments or to our email, pragmusmedia@gmail.com.

Pearl Jam 

Let's talk about Pearl Jam.  Yeah, there is a great chance you already know about these guys, because they as a band are pretty much super famous and really stellar at what they do.  The general tone of Pearl Jam music is just, "Yes, I am so ready to have a jam session," and I think they are a fantastic band to listen to at any chill time, really.  According to Pearl Jam's bio from Rolling Stone, they, along with Nirvana, helped popularize that alt./grunge Seattle sound we love so much.  Thanks, Pear Jam!  They really produced a ton of great stuff, which is precisely why I chose them: they are a fantastic band that is not a one-hit wonder!  My favorite albums from Pearl Jam include "Vitalogy," "Vs.," and "Ten."  I just happen to loooooove he album cover art on these pieces too, so I will post those covers here.  Oh!  Rearview Mirror was a pretty good album too--check it out sometime!

CD Cover for the album, "Vs."

And what is interesting is that, much like Nirvana, Pearl Jam produced music that meant something; they read newspaper articles and sought to make their music much more than mere entertainment.  I think this is the mark of a great band.  An example of what I am talking about if PJ's song "Jeremy," which, at the same time as being very popular and catchy, represented the hardships of a real young man who the artists read about in the newspaper.  It is a sad song, but we love it because it means so much more than just rhythm and rhyme--it represents a true human experience.  If you look at Nirvana'a "Polly," you will find that the song has similar origins in the songwriter's (Kurt Cobain's) reading of an article from the paper about a young woman who was kidnapped.  Both bands rock hard and add an additional element of awesome with their awareness of current events of their time and of adversities in modern American society.

R.E.M. 

These guys are are a band that is somewhat lesser-known than Pearl Jam, but they are also deserving of a spot in the Pragmus Alt. Music Hall of Fame because they created sooo many great songs that are still favorites of many today.  According to R.E.M.'s MTV artist biography, the band "marked the point when post-punk turned into alternative rock."  I think this is recognizable in their sound as well because they have a hint of punk and atlernative-ness that makes their music a great fit for a changing era.  With that, this band is also a personal favorite of my mom and this really cool shuttle driver I had the opportunity to talk to a while ago.  Go figure!  Great band with a cool following, and I think they should be recognized more as a whole because, often when I mention this band, people have no idea who they are!  Such a pity too, because a lot of their music is well-known, so I think people could benefit from listening to more of their work.  I put one of their music videos below so you can check them out if you have not already.  The song in the video is one of my favorite R.E.M. songs, and I think you'll enjoy it, especially if you appreciate alt. rock!  It's really not a bad music video either.  :)

Oasis...

"Definitely Maybe," one of their best albums.

Okay, guys, this band is one of my all-time favorite groups, so get ready for some heavy fan-bias! ;)  Yeah, they have sooo many great hits, they have a really great attitude to their music and as a band (love it!), and their music is wonderful to listen to on my occasion.  Gah! I am fan-spazzing so much that I cannot really concentrate on this section! Gosh, if you have not heard of them, please do so now. ;) Listen to all the songs you can because they still have older hits that are played on some pop stations today! Some of their biggest hits include "Champaigne Supernova," "Wonderwall," and sooo many others! 

Another of their greatest works, called
"(What's the Story) Morning Glory?

Also, they are from Manchester, England, so they are not only one of the crown jewels of a sweet sub genre (Alt. Rock), but they are also one of the many stellar bands to have come out of the U.K.  And, as such, it makes sense that they played music that was influenced by such bands as the Beatles (Rolling Stone).  Below, is their music video for "Wonderwall," which is an amazing song that you most likely have heard before, as this is one of the songs I referred to that still gets played on modern pop and rock stations today!

Oh!  And fun fact about Oasis: they use the work "shine" a lot in their music!  Give  a listen to some of their albums, and you will see this almost immediately. ;)

Thanks for reading, Pragmus fans!  Check us out on Twitter (@PragmusMedia) and on Patreon, and don't forget to subscribe to the blog!  Keep rockin' our socks, Pragmus peeps!

Corey Cherrington
(Pragmus Sigma)
Blog and Social Media Administrator

The Big Dogs: Best Alternative Rock Bands (Post #4)

BLIND MELON

This is a great band because you can chill to their music,
but their lyrics and music videos will make you think.

Heard of 'em?  Well, perhaps most of you have heard people say "blind melon" in everyday speech because it is such a goofy, iconic name that just stuck with people.  However, not many people appreciate the band itself or even know who they are.  This is totally surprising to me because they are a quintessential alternative rock band with a great sound that differs from any other band.  Maybe you've heard their song called, "No Rain?"  This was their most popular song by far, and the rest of their work was great too!  Their other music was probably just a little too alternative for a general audience.  If I were you though, I would totally listen to some of their other songs!  They really deserve more attention for how cool they were.  I'd personally recommend, "Soul One," "Life Ain't so Sh*tty," and others (shoot us an email if you'd like more suggestions ^_^).  Like I suggested for Smashing Pumpkins, I'd give a listen to an entire Blind Melon album just to get a glimpse of their overall sound, which is psychedelic yet rocking.  And the music video for "No Rain" is something you won't regret watching either!  It is funny, fun, sad, and liberating all at the same time.  I won't spoil too much of it for you, so just click on the video above to watch it for yourself.

<<This is "No Rain"--I think this is easily Blind Melon's 

best song/music video and it has a sound that reflects alt. rock very well.>>

ALICE IN CHAINS

I really like this band!  They are among my favorite alternative rock bands, and I think they need wayyyyy more attention than they get.  What's so great about these guys?  Well, they have a chill sound to their music, but they are somehow able to be pretty intense at the same time, which I think is a very positive quality for any alt. rock band. My favorite albums from the band (and I think their best albums) are called "Jar of Flies" and "Dirt."  There is just sooo much great stuff on these albums that I think will literally blow your mind!  Alice in Chains is truly great not only for their sound, but also for their music's general attitude and the sense of alt-rock-ness you get from chilling out to an Alice in Chains album.

"Jar of Flies" album cover.

I'll let the music speak for itself with this band because I think that it is fully capable of doing so!  :) In my opinion, their best songs are many, including, "Nutshell" (my personal favorite!), "Them Bones," "Rooster," "I stay away," "Brother," and "Don't Follow." Yeah, this band is pretty much amazing and is one of my all-time favorites.  :)

<<I LOVE this song!  Especially the unplugged version...  

Gah, they just have a great sound!>>

That's all for now!  Check back tomorrow for another post about the best alt. rock bands!  Please comment so we can have more opinions on the best alt. rock bands!  Thanks! :)

Corey Cherrington

(Pragmus Sigma)

Blog and Social Media Administrator

Best Alt. Rock Bands (Post #3): Stone Temple Pilots and Smashing Pumpkins

Okay, so here is post #3 in the alt. rock series!  I bet you're excited huh?  Totally, wicked excited.  ;) Haha, so let's get down to business...

Stone Temple Pilots

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.>>

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.

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

The Big Dogs: Best Alternative Rock Bands (Post #1)

So its's finally here! My list for the top Alt. Rock bands.  This actually turned out WAY different than I intended it to; in fact, it is really a list of bands that I just think are among the most awesome in the Alt. rock scene.  My selections for the best of the best will come one at a time, so keep your eyes peeled!  So, enjoy, and just take the posts for what they are.  ;)  As Kurt Cobain wrote, "come as you are."

ALT. ROCK BANDS THAT I ADORE!
I'm sticking to the '80s, 90s, and early 2000s, so not really current bands, but I think these decades (esp. the 90s!) are the core decades for alt. rock awesomeness.

U2 

Click the album cover for the MP3
on Amazon

These guys are just like WOW amazing...  They have produced so many hit that still play on the radio frequently (well, most of these guys do, actually!).  Some of their top hits include, "Beautiful Day," "With or Without You," "Where the Streets Have no Name," "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "Still Haven't Found what I'm looking For..."  And these are just some of their mainstream hits--they actually have produced countless other amazing songs that I absolutely love, including "Bloody Sunday," which is about the massacre in Ireland (U2 is very Irish btw :), "All I want is you," and countless others.  U2 just has a fantastic sound and makes great music that everyone should get into.  Check them out if you're not familiar with them!

<<Check them out above!  You won't regret it.  Even if you've heard the song before, it's totally something you should listen to more than once, that's for sure!>>

To be continued...