Fall, Glimmer, Sparkle and Fade

:: Saturday, April 17, 2004 ::

Drivers Wanted

No better time than now for this one:
Hmm.. During the course of this last one, you mentioned a couple you'd play in the car.
Which gives me a nice segue for: *drumroll* Top 5 driving songs! Ta da!

I got into my car this afternoon and for the first time in quite some time, I could drive to work with the windows down. It might sound like nothing, but I consider it one of the best parts of spring and summer. After scanning through my CDs, I realized I didn't have the right songs to properly enjoy this experience. Obviously everyone has different 'needs' when it comes to driving music. If you have a big system in your car, then you want something very bass heavy. In my case, I drive a Ford Taurus. 'Ford Taurus' and 'big system' are words that don't work very well in the same sentence. There are certain songs that just sound right being played with the windows down. Next time you're gonna take a drive on a nice spring/summer day, throw these on and you'll see what I mean. Especially if you're unlucky enough to also be driving a Taurus.

1. Better Than Ezra "This Time of Year"
- I've used this one before, but it works best in the car. Lyrically it's about the time between the summer and fall, but who's keeping score? An absolutely timeless song, which is rare nowadays.

I know there's a reason to change
I know there's a time for us
You think about the good times
And you live with all the bad
You can feel it in the air
Feeling right this time of year

2. Marvelous 3 "Freak of the Week"
- One hit wonders by music industry standards, but that doesn't stop this song from kicking ass. I never felt like these guys really got a fair shake. Butch Walker, the lead singer, is a hell of a producer. You've heard plenty of stuff he's produced (Simple Plan, Midtown, new Avril), it's just that unless you're The Matrix (old Avril, Liz Phair, Jason Mraz, etc...) producers of pop music don't get a whole lot of publicity.

I spend a lot on all the clothes that I got
Cause all the geeks that I meet, they all look cooler than me
What to do when they're all looking at you
Cause you're the freak of the week, cause you're on the TV

3. Something Corporate "I Want to Save You"
- I can't get into a lot of pop/punk stuff since it tends to all sound similar. While the kids of SoCo didn't break new ground on this song or any of their stuff, they tend to separate themselves from the pack. A handful of their songs could be here. It came down to this, "I Woke up in a Car" and "(Hurricane) The Formal Weather Pattern". Pick your favorite and run with it. Er, drive with it.

Home by three
Deafening quiet
The porch light's off
Yes, they forgot it
She'd cry herself to sleep
But she don't dare

4. Everclear "Santa Monica"
- There are about four or five that could go here, but old reliable works best. No matter who's in the car with me, they won't have to give me that confused look when this comes on. Only music snobs enjoy confusing their friends with their music. I don't understand the whole "you don't know this song?! It's only the best B-side to only be available in Japan for three months in June 2002!" No thank you. Everyone can sing along.

I'll walk right out into a brand new day
Insane and rising in my own weird way
I don't want to be the bad guy
I don't want to do your sleepwalk dance anymore
I just want to feel some sunshine
I just want to find some place to be alone

5. Eve 6 "Open Road Song"
- Is this too obvious? I had actually forgotten about it, when LJ kindly reminded me. Another band that I think got brushed aside a bit too quickly. What is it that people dislike about bands that write catchy 3 minute pop songs? If any of these songs is gonna make you want to roll the windows down and sing along, it's this one.

I crack a window and feel the cool air cleanse my every pore
As I pour my poor heart out
To a radio song that's patient and willing to listen
My volume drowns it out

:: Ryan 5:32 AM [+] ::
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Pump Up The Volume

The ST reference alone makes it a great list:
I was watching Spinal Tap when I came up with this one. "It's one louder." I attempted this once, and only came up with a few songs. Top 5 songs that get better with volume.

If you've been reading this site semi-consistently (I know there are at least three of you out there), then you probably have a good handle on what I tend to listen to. While 3/5 of bands on the list have made at least one appearance on the site before, there are two that are debuting and it should come as somewhat of a surprise. If only for the fact that both bands are on the same suck level as Creed, which is saying quite a bit. All five are great driving songs, so burn yourself a copy and hit the road. Enjoy.

Oh, and I'd like to say hello to all the fine folks that have made their way here looking for the Steven Segal Mountain Dew commercial. It's a great spot, so I understand why you're looking for it but unfortunately I don't have a copy. While you're here, why don't you take a look around? And if you're truly a Steven Segal fan (isn't everyone?), do you also feel that the Rock is starting to turn into a newer version of Segal? I'm pretty sure every Segal movie has the exact same premise as 'Walking Tall', but maybe it's just me. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. Loud songs. Once again, enjoy and don't forget to turn the volume up to 11 in honor of the wigged ones.

1. Brand New "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows"
- The perfect blend of a somewhat quiet intro and getting louder/faster as it goes along. On a completely unrelated note, the video to this song is incredible, you can see it here. Make sure the volume is cranked up to 11 when the multiple harmony chorus' kick in. God, I love those screamo kids.

Wasting words on lowercases and capitals
I lie for only you
And I lie well
Hallelujah

2. Buckcherry "Lit Up"
- I had forgotten how fucking loud this song can be. Then I discovered it on an old mix CD that I made and it's now back to being a staple in my car stereo. Especially when I'm on my way home from work at 6am. If this doesn't keep you up, I'm not sure that anything will.

Can you feel it?
Can you feel it tonight?
Are you high love?
Tell me, are you fucking high?

3. The Juliana Theory "If I Told You This Was Killing Me, Would You Stop?"
- TJT were going to have a song on this fine list, it was just a matter of deciding between this one and the equally as wordy "To The Tune Of 5,000 Screaming Children". This one wins out if only because the first 'pop' in the song jumps out and grabs you a bit more.

Watch your mouth
Hold your tongue boy
Because you're running out of breath
Running out of time
Before every careless word that you utter
Renders you utterly useless

4. Limp Bizkit f/ Method Man "N 2 Gether Now"
- Surprise number 1! I am the furthest thing from a fan of LB, but this song just gets better as the volume gets louder. Another Limp song -- "Break Stuff" -- can get pretty nasty too, but you really need to be in a crappy mood for that one. How can you turn Method Man down? You can't.

What's that?
I didn't hear you
Shut the fuck up
Come on a little louder
Shut the fuck up!
Everybody N2 Gether now
Shut the fuck up

5. Linkin Park "One Step Closer"
- Surprise number 2, and quite possibly the upset of the year! Please keep the hate mail to yourself, but I really don't like the boys of LP very much. One of the most important things when it comes to songs you crank, is they have to be produced well. Cause who wants a shitty sounding song to be even louder? And the one thing these kids do is produce the hell out of their stuff so that everything is super slick. Funny side note, I used to think there was a curse in the song. Listen to what he screams right at the end of the breakdown in the middle. The lyrics are 'shut up when I'm talkin to you', but I thought he was saying 'shut up mother fucking ......' If you listen close enough, you might be able to figure out that last word. I was so convinced it was dirty that I pulled it from rotation at my station a few years ago because it wasn't 'edited'. Oops.

Wish I could find a way to disappear
All these thoughts they make no sense
I find bliss in ignorance
Nothing seems to go away
Over and over again
Everything you say to me
Takes me one step closer to the edge
And I'm about to break

:: Ryan 5:15 AM [+] ::
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