VI- Foreigner Music

MUSIC
This is the 1st post about music for The Apprisal. Seeing as this is only the 6th post ever, you probably already knew that. Music is a very intriguing topic and learning about new artists is a very interesting process for me. I find that I personally, listen to music like I do a lot of other things such as drink beer. Sometimes I listen to a lot of music for hours, sometimes I only catch a little radio. I'll listen to several different artists and genres on the same CD, or I'll just listen exclusively to one artist. I find it weird how you have "cravings" for different songs. Personal Note: I haven't heard "Ice Ice Baby" in a long time, I need hit that up on YouTube.

On the other hand, I'm sure everyone has CD's from high school that they might as well throw in the recycling bin because A. you are never going to listen to them again, and B. they suck. I find I don't burn a lot of calories looking and searching for new artists, or at least as much as I used to. I find something I like, and I listen to it. I hate hearing about well-regarded artists/ bands and finding out they have 8 studio albums and another 3 live ones spanning 15 years, how do I delve into that? Besides, some of my favorite bands abandon their sound by the 4th album anyways.

A Guide to a Rock Career
Every band should model their career after Rage Against the Machine.
A. Have a clear vision of what you are going to do
B. Be musically proficient and genuinely innovative
C. Be good live
D. Make 3 Studio Albums, that although different, are still recognizable as the original artist
E. Make a cover album of your favorite songs
F. Hate each other forever and break up the band.

The Alternative
A. Get labeled "Selling Out" as your sound changes
B. Fade from popularity, try to "keep with the times".
C. Have rock career and personal life interfere (i.e. "Scott Weiland")
D. Putting out exhausted albums degrades your music as a whole, ruining your legacy.

Rage against the Machine can once in a while get together, and sell out a venue of any size. Bands that have overstayed their welcome play casinos. Small casinos. It's similar to sport athletes running out of gas but still suiting up. It truly is better to go out on top.

For this maiden music post, I've decided to highlight two artists- Someone I've been listening to for a very long time and someone I haven't. Also, to complicate matters, these aren't two of my "favorites" per say, but I decided to write about for some type of convoluted/arbitrary reason.

Cadence Weapon

Mr. Weapon is an artist I heard of from a great site, http://www.thehoodinternet.com/. The 'hood does mash ups of indie rock/rap/etc. and puts out a lot of great, free music. I was listening to one of their mix tapes for the 3rd or 4th time and finally looked up the rapper on one of my favorite parts of the mix. Cadence weapon is very lyrically oriented, and uses a lot of unconventional background beats/ ideas. A lot of it is good, some of it is bad. All of it is interesting. Hailing from, Edmonton, Canada he has some unique ideas and was invited to do some live poetry at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He has some interesting lyrics, such as talking about getting tattoos and wondering how the whole tattoo artist/ customer relationship is suppose to work, complexities and oddities of friendships, styles/fads, and non-ghetto Edmonton.

Some of my favorite Cadence Weapon Songs/Mash ups (that are readily available online)



Cadence Weapon/ Professor Murder

Foreigner

I decided to write about Foreigner because I enjoy their music, and are infinitely better than a similar band that gets all the attention. That band is Journey. Journey are hacks compared to Foreigner. Everybody LOVES Journey because they have that "Don't Stop Believing" song that everyone LOVES to sing when they are plastered at dive-karaoke bars. Cadence Weapon is from Canada and raps about Canada. Journey is from Canada and sings about South Detroit. Journey has a few great songs such as "Lights" "Wheel in the Sky", and "Anyway You Want It". That's about it. I'm not a Journey "hater", but all that love should be shoveled onto Foreigner. In terms of 80's ballad-rock stuff, or whatever you want to call it, Foreigner is far superior.

Stack "I want to know what Love is" to "Don't Stop Believing". Foreigner's catalog is much deeper, and their lead singer sounds like he is actually, a man.

The Hottest Sax Solo. "Urgent" alone tops the majority of Journey's Catalog. Working at a grocery store, hearing a good song 3 times is a 40 hour work week, Urgent was a favorite of mine.

You say you aren't convinced? You say you love the Journey too much to show Foreigner their due respect?
Hot Blooded.

Jukebox Hero is "masterpiece" status

Break it up 1982

I know a lot of music is subjective, but clearly Foreigner rocks harder and stands up to the test of time better. I was going to make mention of the fact the 80's were a weird time musically, when the 80's were a weird time period. It's good to know some actual rock was being made. I don't have any specifics laid out, but I'm confident I'll end up blasting "The Eagles" sooner rather than later. In a music-oriented article or not. Happy Rockin'!