Check out what tracks the HMXers are buying this week, plus this week's special guests, RBN authors Xenigma, Scratching the Itch, FairwoodStudios, and S1ckH4nds.
HMXLachesis, Web QA tester
Minnesota Sex Junkies - "Burning Rome" - Halfway through the demo, I knew I'd buy this. Singing this song satisfies the same parts of me that singing Jefferson Rabbit's "White Rabbit" satisfies. It's not that they're in the same genre or about the same topic, but there's something about the sound that's reminiscent. "Burning Rome" is languid without being lazy, energized without being frantic, and emotional without being melodramatic. It's easy to fall into a groove while you're singing or playing bass for this song, and the groove feels good. Look out for the drums, though - they're harder than you expect!
HMXBinThrDunTht, RBN Executive Producer
This week, the best-known new song in our store is Third Eye Blind with “Never Let You Go 09.” Since we have all probably heard that song and we all know it’s an awesome song to play because Rock Gamers authored it, let’s talk about some of the other bands this week.
First up, Order of the Crimson Wizard’s “Scream Ceremony.” I wanted to highlight them this week because they are one of a handful of bands we allowed into the closed beta as part of the “control group” (non-HMX bands), that has actually come out on the other side with a completed track. They play a kind of “baroque punk, Bach-n-roll medieval power metal.” They made it through the process…you can too! Congratulations Arlo and company!
Modern Skirts - “Eveready” – This band was a pleasant surprise to discover. Their song is a catchy, melodic, indie pop song with good hooks and vocal harmonies. I looked them up online and discovered they were from Athens, GA, they have released 6 CDs, toured with R.E.M., have good press, and have a pretty solid fan base. They are still out there on the road playing up and down the east coast.
Finally, The Bronx's “Young Bloods” – Let's say that I rediscovered this band. I was aware of this LA-based punk band from last summer’s Warped Tour and I didn’t make the connection after hearing this week’s song until I dug in a bit. This band has been around since 2002 and had some solid success. They have had several releases, toured extensively, and had a major label debut in 2006 on Island/Def Jam. They currently have two songs in the game from the album The Bronx III with one more on the way. Check them out!
Xenigma, Scratching the Itch, FairwoodStudios, S1ckH4nds, RBN Authors
Texas in July - "Elements" - Admittedly, I downloaded this mostly because it's a devil-tier guitar part and it's charted by RockGamer. Was thrilled to find that the chart strays away from crazy-hard solos and instead gives you a constantly moving main riff that, while difficult, stays fun throughout. Excellent guitar song, and it's only 80 points!
Glass Hammer - "Hyperbole" - The Glass Hammer tracks were early favorites during the beta period. Author Mickstafa has a way with great sounding mixes and clean charts. I pick Hyperbole as the best of the bunch. This is the sort of accessible prog rock that may bring new listeners to the genre. Highly recommended.
Modern Skirts - "Eveready" - Unless you follow the Athens music scene (or everything loosely connected to R.E.M.) you might not have heard of these guys, but if you're a fan of piano rock you should have. This song is on their more guitar-focused side, along with a varied drum line that serves almost as practice for trickier Beatles and Boston tracks.
Ultra Saturday - "Superhero!" and "Not My Fault" - speaking primarily as a bassist, these songs are chock-full of fun, interesting, non-standard charts that keep your fingers moving. As I understand it, the band's bassist has an extra pinky, which definitely makes some of these patterns a bit on the challenging side, but they never stop being fun. Excellently groovy pop-punk that never fails to put a smile on your face!
All Rock Band Network tracks are available on the Xbox 360 and can be purchased through the in-game Rock Band Music Store or online by clicking on the Xbox Marketplace link on each song page. Pricing varies. For more information about the Rock Band Network, please visit the official Rock Band Network page. To see a list of all songs available in the Rock Band Network Music Store, please visit the Rock Band Network song page.
