Interesting Writeup About Tragic Kingdom

[StageBeans]

My earliest favorite album was Steve Vai's Alien Love Secrets. This was before I was even in elementary school, which clearly explains why my favorite song off of ALS was "Ya Yo Gak," which was a song built around Vai's son speaking baby nonsense. Perhaps it was hearing a kid like me sing on a real rock cd instead of some Raffi tape offered my little mind a glimpse of the excitement of playing music. Every time I listen to this album, I can remember first learning to air guitar to "Bad Horsie," and that's an important development for a young one.

Quite a bit later, in high school, I had begun to get past the long stretches populated only by Weird Al parodies when my dad brought along a few albums to listen to while he taught me how to drive. Now, we'd had Deep Purple's Machine Head since I was a little kid, but it took on a completely new dimension when I was actually speeding around an empty parking lot to "Highway Star." The rest of that album is classic, but that song is synonymous to me with experiencing firsthand the excitement of driving. It helps that I was learning on a rented mustang, too. And imagine my delight upon hearing that song first thing every time I turned on the first Rock Band.

The other album my dad took along that night was Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are DEVO! This album was strange and hilarious to me, and while "Uncontrollable Urge" contributed to the speed freak urge that I (like all new drivers) had, it was "Mongoloid" that I remember finally mastering the stick shift to. The strangeness of that album stuck with me and I remember recommending it to all of my friends, none of which listened to the copy I offered to lend them. Jerks.

I moved later on high school, and had a tough time fitting in. The first thing I did in the city I moved to was get a library card and check out a few cds, Beck's Guero being notable among them as the one I'd listen to almost every day. On the way to school, I'd listen to the first half of the cd- the poppy, happy, single side with "E-Pro" and "Girl" on it to try and get me excited for the possibilities of a new school. After a long, lonely day, I'd walk home and listen to the second half, populated by sadder songs like "Missing" and "Earthquake Weather." By the time I got home, the songs had returned to hopeful territory like "Scarecrow" and "Rental Car" and I was already feeling a little better about myself. That album got me through those tough first few weeks of a new school and it'll always remind me of that difficulty.

I had at least three other albums I wanted to talk about, but holy Life-Story, Batman. I think I went a little overboard.

[overcookedbacon]

Are there any albums that completely signify a certain period in your life? And if there are tracks from those albums in Rock Band - what did it feel like to play them the first time?

Prepare to be bombarded with the significant events in my life as told through music. Warning: Somewhat angst-filled personal stories to follow.

Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks and Johnny Cash - At San Quentin
When I was young I used to go on vacation almost every year to visit some friends of my family in Kelowna (in British Columbia). I live in Calgary and we'd always drive out there (it's about an 8-10 hour drive if I remember correctly), and my dad always played those two albums every time.

I remember absolutely loving Johnny Cash, but not so much Bob Dylan because I thought he had a goofy voice (I love his music now, but his voice is still pretty goofy). Both albums bring up memories of driving through the mountains (and the Okanagan valley in particular) in the summertime, which is a beautiful place to be.

Gary Jules - Greetings From The Side
I have really distinct memories of walking through my neighborhood at about 4:30-5:30 in the morning while listening to this album and thinking about this girl I was really into at the time. This girl was not a "first crush" or anything, but she was the first girl I really liked and connected with in any meaningful way. Later that day I more or less had my hopes crushed after finding out she was already dating someone, and I then walked home at about 9:30 PM or so and listened to the album again to cheer myself up. Both times I listened to the album I was by myself, it was dark out, and it was snowing. Now I'm reminded of this album (and that day) quite often whenever I'm walking alone at night in the snow.

Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
A couple years ago I was dating this girl who I was really close to, but ended up being absolutely crazy. I don't mean that in a general "my ex was crazy" sort of way either. She was a pathological liar, possibly manic-depressive, insanely codependent, and she varied between incredibly emotionally needy and completely emotionally detached. Needless to say things ended badly and I was pretty crushed by the whole thing.

The first time I remember feeling really happy after that was when me and a few friends went out to buy Rock Band 2 and ended up playing it for 10-12 solid hours. We had a blast, and I just remember absolutely loving the song "Float On" when we played it. I bought the album a few days later and it really helped me get through that breakup. That was actually my first introduction to Modest Mouse (a band that I am now a huge fan of), and ended up being a massive contributor in defining my taste in music.

Jens Lekman - Oh You're So Silent Jens
The last year and a half or so that I lived with my parents was rough. My parents were going through some things, and were fighting with each other or with me almost constantly. It wasn't abusive or anything, just somewhat of a hostile environment and I felt trapped in it. I was also at a point in my life where I was very depressed, felt as though I had no direction, and despite having friends I felt very alone.

In addition to cheering me up immensely I felt as though I really connected with this album, and the song "Black Cab" in particular stood out for me. I can relate to pretty much the entire song, but one lyric in particular goes "I feel like going home, but at the same time I don't," and it felt like it described my situation perfectly. I wanted a place to go home to, but the home I was living in wasn't somewhere I wanted to be. I almost always listen to this album whenever I want to cheer myself up.

The National - High Violet
Oddly enough I found myself really associating where I'm at in my life at the moment with the songs on High Violet (which is a huge part of why I enjoy it so much). I've always been able to relate to The National's lyrics, but never to the extent that I have with this album. The album itself is very brooding and somewhat depressing to listen to, but to me it feels like more of a transitional phase than anything else. Indeed the album contains several songs that seem to deal with accepting responsibilities, and facing your problems instead of running away. Overall I still have issues with some things that have been going on, but I finally feel as though I'm really beginning to face them.

/sadsackery.

Oh, and to anyone who actually read all of that: Congrats, you now know me better than most of my friends do...

[iamtheddrman]

The first disc of Legacy (Boyz II Men's greatest hits) is awesome for getting through a breakup. When I broke up with my girlfriend my senior year of high school, it was just because we were growing in different directions. Even though it was a good thing, it still really hurt to break her heart (and mine in the process). My sister made me a mix CD that had "Doin' Just Fine" amongst other songs and it really helped me get through it.

Meteora - Linkin Park is my "angry" album. I don't care if it's "bad" music, it gets me fired up haha.

Back in Black - AC/DC is one that always gets me pumped up, so I play it a lot when I get frustrated (especially at work).

A Mark, A Brand, A Mission, A Scar - Dashboard Confessional is another good "I'm feeling down" album. I know I'll probably get grilled for even mentioning this album, but I really like it. Playing "Hands Down" for the first time in Rock Band was AWESOME even though the drums were way too hard for me at first.

...Somewhere More Familiar - Sister Hazel is a great lost love album too. While it isn't tied to one particular break up, it does remind me of my first couple of years in college. It's a really emotional album with great songs and some really good beats. Maybe we can get it into RB one day?

Yeah, so my stories are probably pretty lame, but there you have it.

[BallisticJunkfood]

For me, Sam's Town by The Killers is probably the album that has had the greatest positive impact on my life. It was the album I listened to almost all the time during those high school years when I was shaping who I am today. It makes me feel amazing every time I listen to it.

Edit: That album can also be tagged as the single solitary reason why I have all the friends I do today.

[neckermanncj]

Prepare to be bombarded with the significant events in my life as told through music. Warning: Somewhat angst-filled personal stories to follow.

Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks and Johnny Cash - At San Quentin
When I was young I used to go on vacation almost every year to visit some friends of my family in Kelowna (in British Columbia). I live in Calgary and we'd always drive out there (it's about an 8-10 hour drive if I remember correctly), and my dad always played those two albums every time.

I remember absolutely loving Johnny Cash, but not so much Bob Dylan because I thought he had a goofy voice (I love his music now, but his voice is still pretty goofy). Both albums bring up memories of driving through the mountains (and the Okanagan valley in particular) in the summertime, which is a beautiful place to be.

Gary Jules - Greetings From The Side
I have really distinct memories of walking through my neighborhood at about 4:30-5:30 in the morning while listening to this album and thinking about this girl I was really into at the time. This girl was not a "first crush" or anything, but she was the first girl I really liked and connected with in any meaningful way. Later that day I more or less had my hopes crushed after finding out she was already dating someone, and I then walked home at about 9:30 PM or so and listened to the album again to cheer myself up. Both times I listened to the album I was by myself, it was dark out, and it was snowing. Now I'm reminded of this album (and that day) quite often whenever I'm walking alone at night in the snow.

Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
A couple years ago I was dating this girl who I was really close to, but ended up being absolutely crazy. I don't mean that in a general "my ex was crazy" sort of way either. She was a pathological liar, possibly manic-depressive, insanely codependent, and she varied between incredibly emotionally needy and completely emotionally detached. Needless to say things ended badly and I was pretty crushed by the whole thing.

The first time I remember feeling really happy after that was when me and a few friends went out to buy Rock Band 2 and ended up playing it for 10-12 solid hours. We had a blast, and I just remember absolutely loving the song "Float On" when we played it. I bought the album a few days later and it really helped me get through that breakup. That was actually my first introduction to Modest Mouse (a band that I am now a huge fan of), and ended up being a massive contributor in defining my taste in music.

Jens Lekman - Oh You're So Silent Jens
The last year and a half or so that I lived with my parents was rough. My parents were going through some things, and were fighting with each other or with me almost constantly. It wasn't abusive or anything, just somewhat of a hostile environment and I felt trapped in it. I was also at a point in my life where I was very depressed, felt as though I had no direction, and despite having friends I felt very alone.

In addition to cheering me up immensely I felt as though I really connected with this album, and the song "Black Cab" in particular stood out for me. I can relate to pretty much the entire song, but one lyric in particular goes "I feel like going home, but at the same time I don't," and it felt like it described my situation perfectly. I wanted a place to go home to, but the home I was living in wasn't somewhere I wanted to be. I almost always listen to this album whenever I want to cheer myself up.

The National - High Violet
Oddly enough I found myself really associating where I'm at in my life at the moment with the songs on High Violet (which is a huge part of why I enjoy it so much). I've always been able to relate to The National's lyrics, but never to the extent that I have with this album. The album itself is very brooding and somewhat depressing to listen to, but to me it feels like more of a transitional phase than anything else. Indeed the album contains several songs that seem to deal with accepting responsibilities, and facing your problems instead of running away. Overall I still have issues with some things that have been going on, but I finally feel as though I'm really beginning to face them.

/sadsackery.

Oh, and to anyone who actually read all of that: Congrats, you now know me better than most of my friends do...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I F'ING LOVE JENS LEKMAN NOW!


made me

[Lameboy19]

yellow

my eyes exploded on that post

I'm curious forum goers - after reading through the article (or just my little blurb above) - what albums are your "belt out alone/feel empowered/get over a breakup" records?

Jane Doe was probably the most life changing album I listened too after my most depressing break up, lately as I've dug deep into the depths of loneliness again I find Joy Division to recently be calming, and I've never heard a more happy depressing album that sings about nearly everything I've been through other than The Format's Dog Problems, I tend to turn too music while the loneliness overtakes me, well until I find another girl to chase after


and the only album to have a line where I actually felt like I could relate too was with Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence


"Take Your Sh*t and Leave and Take My Memories of Her With You"

[neckermanncj]

my eyes exploded on that post

better than that lime green. if you type or write anything in any color of green it means you're crazy.

[ShadowEclipse]

How about not typing that big at all. I think that's the problem here.

[ROCKBANDFANATIC7526]

The only reason to ever type like that is if Cream comes to Rock Band.

[FrankieB]

I remember being around 12-13 years old, sitting on my bus on the way to and from school and hearing all of the other kids, along with my friends, talk about bands like Nirvana, Bush, Pearl Jam, etc., and wondering to myself why I hadn't really connected with any kind of music. I felt sorely left out and being the fat nerdy kid with thick glasses, tight cheap clothes, low self-esteem, velcro strapped sneakers, long curly ******ed looking hair and high grades didn't really help my situation.

So one day I made it a point to turn on MTV and watch music videos until I finally connected to something. The only bands I had ever liked previously were the Jackson 5 (My mother was obsessed with them. She had passed away when I was very young and listening to the Jacksons brought back fond memories of her and I) and New Kids on The Block (I heard one of their songs and liked it, a cousin bought me the tape and I ended up hating them with a passion). So I think you can understand why I felt left out and awkward throughout the early teenage years of my life. I'm also trying desperately hard to leave out the teasing from girls too...but I guess I just failed...

Anyways, after weeks and weeks of watching MTV and not really feeling anything...a new music video came out one day that immediately struck a chord in my chest. That video was Basket Case by Green Day.

I'm not sure exactly what it was or why, but it was like musical sex to my ears. I became obsessed. Every single time I came home and was aggravated over kids beating me up, girls throwing things at me or teasing me or people just generally treating me like crap, I would rewind to the recording I had on my cassette player and scream out my frustrations.

Shortly thereafter I heard Longview and could not get enough. I gathered up as many quarters, dimes and nickels as I could out of my bedroom stash (and some out of my cousin Nancy's which she doesn't know about to this day), rode my bike up to the nearest music store and bought the first album in my life. That album was, obviously enough, Dookie and proceeded to go home and wear out my ears listening to it over and over and over again.

Other bands followed. The Offspring's "Smash" came up next and Aerosmith's "Big Ones" were the next purchases I made. Throw in a little Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise (Uncensored)" for good measure.

But 15 years later, nothing really has changed. My angry/vent frustration playlist has expanded, but Green Day is still the first band I go to to let go of the weight off my shoulders. There's a bit of Nimrod, Insomniac, American Idiot and now 21st Century Breakdown sprinkled in there, but the Dookie tracks are what started the journey that has been my transformation into awesomeness.

With that being sad, I seriously cannot express how much love, respect and admiration I have for the people at Harmonix. Through your work and games you have helped expand and change me in ways I never imagined.

June 8th absolutely cannot come fast enough.

Other notable albums, especially in the Rock Band catalog, would include some No Doubt and Rush, all of which I find myself playing on a daily basis. But I mostly just play what is semi-difficult in order to increase skills. I can imagine there will be a lot of tears rolling down my cheeks and memories flowing through my mind once I get my hands on Green Day: Rock Band.