Lose Yourself: From 8-Mile to Cloud 9

Rap has always been a controversial genre. Some would argue that it's not even music. I, however, would like to set the record straight. Rap is music. It's a very expressive way of laying out emotion, passion, and overall discontentment. Like any genre it has its stupid songs and stereotypes (look at my car, I make tons of money, I have lots of sex, etc.), but rap can also have meaning and purpose. This brings me to my topic today: the Eminem hit "Lose Yourself." 

This song was written during the filming of the movie, 8 Mile, and was later included in the film. The song tells the story about the film's main character B-Rabbit and his journey into gaining respect as a rapper. This kind of story closely mirrors Eminem's journey and has been seen as somewhat of a ballad for him and his career. The passion truly shines through.

The tone of the verses of "Lose Yourself" alternate between stress, anger, and frustration. The song's subject continually fails repeatedly, knowing that each time could be his last shot to make it out of his terrible situation. The song hits you with this urgency from the very first measure right up until the last moment. It's almost like a racing pulse the entire time, interspersed with a rather beautiful piano riff.

The rhyming scheme has a very distinct dual structure. Two words are often combined to create a sort of rhyme that fits with the beat of the song. This unique structure is very well presented and is not at all distracting. It's clear that a lot of thought went into each and every lyric. While you're listening, you begin to feel for the song's subject and root for him against the world and his own demons that wants to bring him down all while hearing that he's only got one shot to make it work or he could "end up in jail or shot."

"Lose Yourself" has won several awards. Among them is an Academy Award for Best Original Song, MTV Music Video Award, and the Grammy for Best Rap Song. I can see why; this really is Eminem at his best. He sounds aggressive, frustrated, and full of ambition, which he expresses with an almost desperate yelling throughout the rap. This song is definitely worth a listen. If you're a rap skeptic, this song may just convert you.

~H. Logan Christensen

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