Weekend Warm-Up No. 6: Screamo/Metalcore Throwback
–Words and list by Michael Hogan
I remember the first time I heard As I Lay Dying. I believe it was 2003; it was the demo for “Forever,” not even the real track off of Frail Words Collapse. Hell, Frail Words Collapse hadn’t even been released yet. Up to this point I had been running on a borderline unhealthy mix of AFI and Slipknot, but this was a game changer. As I Lay Dying was so much heavier, so much more chaotic. It was like a mix of all the best qualities of my reliable staples of the time and I loved it. Of course, it also opened the floodgates to my discovery of all the bands that made this list. So with that, he’s a trip down memory lane with some old-school heavy.
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Weekend Wind-Down No. 5: Post-Rocking
–Words and list by Kevin Madert
We’re pushing the chill envelope (chillvelope?) this week with a collection of instrument-centric tracks the genre gods term “post-rock.” Snatching elements of ambient, rock, jam, and even a hint of classical, these ten tracks are just as much about the journey as each individual moment. When the final arpeggiating guitar cadence of “Your Hand In Mine” comes to a close it feels as though you’ve accomplished something.
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Weekend Warm-Up No. 5: Tranced
–Words and list by Kevin Madert
This one was a no-brainer. Nothing says “get the f*ck up” like the rigid structure and crescendo progression of a hard-hitting trance song, and even though these ten caught my ear this list could have been populated by one of thousands of other equally worthy tunes. Anjunabeats is well-represented – “Sushi” being one of the better progressive tracks the label has released – and I’ll defend to the death the inclusion of Basshunter on this list.
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Weekend Wind-Down No. 4: Illusion of Speed
-Words and list by Michael Hogan
This was one of those concepts that sounded great in my head. When it came time to explain what I was trying to accomplish, things got a bit cloudy. This isn’t a drum ‘n’ bass playlist, and it’s not quite a downtempo playlist either. I suppose it’s a bit of both. It’s got mellow, melodic leads over drums that are consistently fast-paced and yet never once make you feel rushed. They simply provide a constant support for the track, pulling you along with it without dragging you forward.
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Weekend Warm-Up No. 4: Rad Drummers
–Words and list by Michael Hogan
Do you remember sitting in chemistry class in high school, trying to figure out a new concept, and your brain just keeps stumbling over itself? You’re reaching to understand something, and you feel like you’re so close, but it’s always just out of reach? Maybe I’m just especially terrible at chemistry (I am), but this same principle applies to these tracks, featuring some of the gnarliest drumming ever recorded.
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