September was a month dominated by one sole band, The 1975. I stumbled upon their music while browsing iTunes, and I love their material. They have such a unique sound that instantly makes their songs recognizable, catchy, and memorable. A few other new songs also enter my charts, while surprisingly, there isn't room for song of the year candidate, Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon.
1. Chocolate - The 1975 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfBKqaVk2Co
This song sounds very similar to Robbers, at least, the intro guitar riff does. Still, it is more upbeat, actually a really groovy song. The drum beat is very simple, but add in the guitar riff, and bass, and the song really makes you bob your head. The lead vocalist voice is perfect for this vibe in the song as well.
2. Robbers - The 1975 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjHgiSx0RNQ
It's a battle between this song and Chocolate for my favourite from The 1975. I love almost all of their songs, but these two are a step ahead of the others. That could change though, with the band releasing some new music soon (within the week)!
3. Wasn't Expecting That - Jamie Lawson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AydFkrm6UrU
This song is mounting a huge challenge for song of the year. Especially with Shut Up and Dance dropping off the top ten this month, Jamie Lawson's single is right up my alley of preferred music, and seems to be on contemporary charts as well. I really think Ed Sheeran has paved the route clear for other similar songs such as this one to start breaking onto the scene. Soon, these songwriter style of songs are going to be dominating.
4. Where Are U Now - Skrillex and Diplo feat. Justin Bieber - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKS1xjqEv8o
I really do hope that this is the direction that Justin Bieber takes with his new album. From the sound of What Do You Mean, it does seem like this is Justin Bieber's sweet spot. Hopefully his maturity comes through with the fame this next album brings, because it really would be a shame for him to fall down the same horrible path.
5. Fix My Eyes - for King & Country - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lol1tOMR3Y
Cool story, on a major satellite radio station, this song was in the top ten countdown list, of a contemporary station! It's great that this band can be heard outside of the Christian household, especially when their sound is so catchy. The best thing is that every one of their songs remains true to their mission.
6. More Than Conquerors - The Rend Collective - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p8_4NbrcKA
Another Rend Collective song on the list! I'm even more excited about their new album As Family We Go. Their unique style still dominates, but they've added some variety with this album as well. They've stuck in a couple of ukulele tunes, and added some upbeat electric guitar work. In fact, their sound has taken on a Mumford and Sons kind of vibe.
7. Renegades - X Ambassadors - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tu4wWSbnIs
This is another one of the new songs that I've added to my list. I love the anthem feel, especially with the introduction built through the acoustic guitar. The chorus of voices also adds to the anthem feel. Interestingly, the band apparently wrote this song as a jingle for a commercial within days. Reminds me of a few Ed Sheeran song stories.
8. What Do You Mean - Justin Bieber - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NywWB67Z7zQ
Justin Bieber is back! This song was the perfect re-introduction for him bursting back onto the scene. It displays his new style, his new sound perfectly, in an upbeat, catchy tune. The song is actually extremely simple, with the same electronic base track repeating over and over. In fact, there isn't a whole lot of variation throughout the song. Still, it's a classic Bieber track in terms of the hype it has created.
9. Menswear - The 1975 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDIKByXhA80
The intro to this song almost reminds me of an Owl City track. It's also a different sound for this band, with a little more of an electronic feel to it, rather then the bass, drum, and guitar driven vibe. Still, I love this song as it adds another dimension to the band. It's a great way to start a concert as well.
10. Always - Kristian Stanfill - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb4VvNq8WEM
I love this song, because it's another classic Kristian Stanfill song. He is the epitome of vocal dynamics, especially when it comes to pitch and range. He loves to start his songs off in a lower dynamic, and then when he hits the chorus, he raises his pitch and therefore raises the dynamic. It really changes the way this song is received and the impact that the song has.
Wednesday 30 September 2015
Friday 11 September 2015
Best Distortion/Overdrive Pedals
1. MXR GT-OD - http://www.jimdunlop.com/product/m193-gt-od-overdrive - 99.99 - 4.7/5
This is definitely the best overdrive pedal on the market. Surprisingly, it's also the smallest, and one of the cheapest! Almost all of the MXR pedals made by Dunlop are shrewd purchases, but this is the star of the pack. It has great control, amazing tone, and is an all round sturdy overdrive pedal.
The GT-OD provides three options for control, making it an extremely simple pedal. It provides an output option, great for selecting just how much you want the overdrive to power your sound, a tone option, for selecting what flavour of overdrive you want, and a gain option, a must for all distortion pedals. Together, these three provide for an endless array of sounds, but most importantly, a way to get that perfect sound simply. Each end of the spectrum that this pedal provides (which is extremely wide) is great for a multitude of situations, making it a mainstay on your board. Another plus is its small build, which allows for it to squeeze onto almost any board.
This pedal is definitely my next purchase, and my top choice for overdrive pedals.
2. Boss BD-2 Blues Driver - http://www.bossus.com/products/bd-2/ - 99.99 - 3.9/5
This is another very basic pedal. The name is slightly misleading. While the pedal is great for blues music, it actually produces a mean distortion sound, with many electric guitarists, such as Lincoln Brewster, using this pedal as the launch to their experiment in effect pedals. It is a slightly basic pedal, but the sound being produced is still amazing.
With the only three options being level, tone and gain control, it is really quite simple to produce a great sound. The range isn't too amazing, but either end of the spectrum still produces a stellar distortion sound. Actually, the special thing with this pedal is that it kind of combines distortion and overdrive into a blues sound.
3. Ibanez Jemini Distortion - http://www.musiciansfriend.com/distortion-overdrive-effects-pedals/ibanez-jemini-distortion-guitar-effects-pedal - 280.00 - 4.0/5
This is one funky pedal! And it's not just the appearances that is freakishly unique, but also the actual effects. However, the swirled colours give you enough reason to add this pedal to your board to brighten it up a little!
This is one of very few dual or double distortion pedals. As far as dual pedals go, they are more designed for the extra effects, such as modulation or delay, rather than distortion. However, Ibanez have made sure to keep this pedal as simple as possible in an effort to use the dual pedal method in a way that doesn't confuse the user. The options to control the effects are fairly simple, and the set up is extremely self explanatory.
The cool thing with this pedal, is because it is dual, you get distortion and overdrive in the one pedal, rather then having to buy two separate pedals. Ibanez is known for focusing on the rock side of electric guitar work, and their distortion and overdrive effects are no exception to that special focus. The sounds are gritty, hard core, but great for a solid rock sound.
A neat added feature is the LED lights that help to differentiate between overdrive and distortion. There is also the option on the pedal to have these lights bright, or dim.
4. Visual Sound Route 66 - http://www.musiciansfriend.com/distortion-overdrive-effects-pedals/visual-sound-route-66-american-overdrive - 250.00 - 4.1/5
This pedal can almost be considered a classic now! This model has been discontinued, sadly, as this was the best build of the model. You can still get Route 66s, but only in the version 2 or 3 models, unfortunately. This version remains the best of all three. Actually acting as a dual pedal, with overdrive and compression effects combined, the sound produced is breath taking.
Again, the pedal is fairly simple control wise, with only three options for either effect. Overdrive includes drive, tone and volume, while compression has controls for sustain, tone, and gain. The two together also include a bass boost, and tone control option. While those options are basic, the sounds created are amazing. There's not much variety, but whatever you choose is a stellar sound. There's actually not much poor to say about this pedal, other then it's weird shape which is just another unique feature of this unique pedal.
5. Boss MT-2 Metal Zone - http://www.bossus.com/products/mt-2/ - 87.00 - 3.7/5
I played around with this pedal for a while previously. It was a lot of fun, but there is a reason why it is not in my current set up. Although it seems to provide many options for control over the effect displayed, the sound is actually quite similar on either end of the spectrum. It is a much dirtier distortion, with not much quality or tone produced.
The three options are level, distortion, as well as high, low, and two middle frequencies control. However, the options aren't widely varied, and don't provide different sounds to the effect produced.
This is a good starter distortion pedal, especially for those who are in to medal. It isn't one that I would take to a gig in any situation, but it was fun to play around with during a home practice.
This is definitely the best overdrive pedal on the market. Surprisingly, it's also the smallest, and one of the cheapest! Almost all of the MXR pedals made by Dunlop are shrewd purchases, but this is the star of the pack. It has great control, amazing tone, and is an all round sturdy overdrive pedal.
 |
| Jim Dunlop |
This pedal is definitely my next purchase, and my top choice for overdrive pedals.
 |
| Boss US |
2. Boss BD-2 Blues Driver - http://www.bossus.com/products/bd-2/ - 99.99 - 3.9/5
This is another very basic pedal. The name is slightly misleading. While the pedal is great for blues music, it actually produces a mean distortion sound, with many electric guitarists, such as Lincoln Brewster, using this pedal as the launch to their experiment in effect pedals. It is a slightly basic pedal, but the sound being produced is still amazing.
With the only three options being level, tone and gain control, it is really quite simple to produce a great sound. The range isn't too amazing, but either end of the spectrum still produces a stellar distortion sound. Actually, the special thing with this pedal is that it kind of combines distortion and overdrive into a blues sound.
3. Ibanez Jemini Distortion - http://www.musiciansfriend.com/distortion-overdrive-effects-pedals/ibanez-jemini-distortion-guitar-effects-pedal - 280.00 - 4.0/5
This is one funky pedal! And it's not just the appearances that is freakishly unique, but also the actual effects. However, the swirled colours give you enough reason to add this pedal to your board to brighten it up a little!
 |
| Baz the Axeman |
The cool thing with this pedal, is because it is dual, you get distortion and overdrive in the one pedal, rather then having to buy two separate pedals. Ibanez is known for focusing on the rock side of electric guitar work, and their distortion and overdrive effects are no exception to that special focus. The sounds are gritty, hard core, but great for a solid rock sound.
A neat added feature is the LED lights that help to differentiate between overdrive and distortion. There is also the option on the pedal to have these lights bright, or dim.
4. Visual Sound Route 66 - http://www.musiciansfriend.com/distortion-overdrive-effects-pedals/visual-sound-route-66-american-overdrive - 250.00 - 4.1/5
 |
| Harmony Central |
Again, the pedal is fairly simple control wise, with only three options for either effect. Overdrive includes drive, tone and volume, while compression has controls for sustain, tone, and gain. The two together also include a bass boost, and tone control option. While those options are basic, the sounds created are amazing. There's not much variety, but whatever you choose is a stellar sound. There's actually not much poor to say about this pedal, other then it's weird shape which is just another unique feature of this unique pedal.
 |
| Boss US |
I played around with this pedal for a while previously. It was a lot of fun, but there is a reason why it is not in my current set up. Although it seems to provide many options for control over the effect displayed, the sound is actually quite similar on either end of the spectrum. It is a much dirtier distortion, with not much quality or tone produced.
The three options are level, distortion, as well as high, low, and two middle frequencies control. However, the options aren't widely varied, and don't provide different sounds to the effect produced.
This is a good starter distortion pedal, especially for those who are in to medal. It isn't one that I would take to a gig in any situation, but it was fun to play around with during a home practice.
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