Jared’s Blog

On Monday, Rick’s Xbox360 came back from getting repaired. It had the 3 Red Lights of Death. For Xbox owners, that’s the equivalent of flatlining. But now things are better than ever. The first thing we did was go out and get Guitar Hero 2. Can I just say those Harmonix people are geniuses!?

I remember a couple of years ago being in Best Buy and they had the original Guitar Hero on the Playstation 2 demo console there. I watched someone play and thought it was just some cheap game with a silly expensive guitar-looking controller. Shortly after I began hearing how cool it was. Bands playing it constantly while on tour. Then there was the MLB pitcher who missed a game because he injured himself playing GH. And then there was the guy who started the site “Guitar Hero broke my knee” after an especially raucous session.

Anyway, Guitar Hero 2 is awesome and I can’t put it down.

I also set up Vista as a media extender for the Xbox. So now I can watch videos and listen to music from my computer on the home theater downstairs. Pretty cool! Now if I could only get it to play Xvid and Quicktime files…

Rick and I went and caught Endwell, This is Hell, Comeback Kid, and It Dies Today last night. I took a bunch of pictures as usual, but last night the stars must have aligned. I got a number of high quality shots, a couple I hope to frame for my wall in my new room. I’m going to take 5-6 of my favorite shots and get them printed at 8×10. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile and why not decorate my new room.

New study finds “many adolescent “metalheads” are extremely bright and often use the music to help them deal with the stresses and strains of being gifted social outsiders.” Haha, validation.

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This really explains a lot about me.

As I’ve mentioned previously, my iPod is becoming less and less reliable. Just yesterday, I was driving home and it decided to freeze on me. Often times to fix it requires connecting it to my computer at home, so when this happens at work, I’m music-less for the rest of the day. During those times, I’ve resorted to using services such as Pandora, last.fm, and iTunes internet radio.

There’s a lot of stations in iTunes by default, but none of them really play any of the metal I like to listen to. As a result, I find myself listening to the Electronica stations quite a bit. House, Trace, Progressive, whatever. It’s the type of music you don’t have to pay attention to. If you space out and miss part of a song or even a whole song, it’s no big deal. I also find it helps me focus more on my work tasks when I’m not singing or following along (like I would if I had my iPod).
I have to give credit to one of my ex’s for getting me into this kind of stuff. Once she left one of her CD’s in my dorm room and I checked it out just to see what it was. I believe it was Paul Oakenfold’s Tranceport. It’s pretty cool because the whole CD just melts from one song into the next. I guess she was good for something other than cheating on me.

I haven’t blogged in awhile and I really can’t decide on one topic, so this is going to be one of those boring “what I’ve been up to” entries.

The first thing that comes to mind is shows. I just took a peek at my calendar and over the last 2 months or so, I’ve hit up 7 shows. Going back to October, the number is 9, and I had another half dozen or so on my radar that I didn’t make it out to. Needless to say, I’m getting a little burned out on shows these days. I think I’m going to take it easy for awhile.

Ironically, tonight I’m heading to First Ave. to catch In Flames, one of my all-time favorite bands. They’re from Sweden. They kick ass. I saw them at Sounds of the Underground last summer and I can’t wait to see them headlining. But after tonight, I swear, no more of this show per week stuff!

Being as much of a music fan as I am, it’s really hard not go when bands are in town. I’ve got this obsession with checking bands of my internal list (One of these days maybe I’ll make a list of bands that I’ve seen and how many times I’ve seen them). It’s especially hard when I can most often get into these shows for free with Decoymusic. Rick is usually up for the shows as well because everyone knows that it’s not as much fun to go alone.

I had a funny conversation with my family last weekend while we were out for my mothers birthday. My sister, Brenna, isn’t known for having a whole lot of common sense, but my youngest sister, Hannah, is pretty sharp as am I. My reasoning was that I got all the good genes right away, then they had Brenna 4 years later which wasn’t enough time for the gene pool to replenish. Then with Hannah, they waited 7 years which was enough time. Everyone laughed. Had Brenna been present, she probably would’ve smacked me. It’s all in jest. I love both of them.

Mom also quickly reminded me what a nut case I am myself. She’s got a point there.

We just posted our Top 50 feature over at Decoymusic. Here’s mine.

This year, much like 2005, didn’t have me expecting much. There was only a handful of releases that I really thought would wow me. As it turns out, I was completely wrong.2006 also saw me fully embracing metalcore. I couldn’t get enough of it this year (yes, even all the As I Lay Dying rip-offs) and you’ll see that in my top 10.You may also notice my honorable mentions list is pretty long. What can I say, I thought a lot of albums deserved some attention this year, but couldn’t quite give them a spot in my list.

Honorable Mentions

36 Crazyfists - Rest Inside the Flames
A Static Lullaby - A Static Lullaby
Bigwig - Reclamation
Catherine - Rumour Has It Astaroth Has Stolen Your Eyes
Clifton - We Never Change
Destroy the Runner - Saints
Hawthorne Heights - If Only You Were Lonely
Himsa - Hail Horror
Ignite - Our Darkest Days
Into Eternity - The Scattering of Ashes
Katsumoto - Cadence
Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies
Lamb of God - Sacrement
Light This City - The Hero Cycle
No Trigger - Caynoneer
Rise Against - The Sufferer and the Witness
Thebleedingalarm - Beauty in Destruction
War of Ages - Pride of the Wicked

10. The Human Abstract - Nocturne

Nocturne was a complete surprise. Before I gave the album a shot, I had never heard of the band. It’s a fresh take on the metalcore genre that is quickly becoming stale. The generous use of clean, melodic vocals really makes this a standout record.

9. All That Remains - The Fall of Ideals

I was highly anticipating this release as I was in love with This Darkened Heart. From the moment that Labonte screams out on ‘This Calling,’ I knew I was in for a treat. Though The Fall of Ideals has been criticized as a neutering of All That Remains’ style, I think it is a very listenable release.

8. As Blood Runs Black - Allegience

Allegiance is another one that came out of left field and knocked me upside the head. It’s just the right mix of death, thrash, and metalcore. It definitely brings “the motherfucking ruckus.” It’s only weakness is it’s length.

7. After the Eulogy - Libertine’s Dream

I usually don’t put much stock in EP’s as I’d much rather hear a fully fleshed out release, but Libertine’s Dream was an exception to that rule. Every song on this album is solid. To make up for it’s length, I usually ended up listening to it several times over in one sitting.

6. Purified in Blood - Reaper of Souls

I usually take my metalcore with more metal than hardcore, but Purified in Blood just are the opposite. This is straight edge hardcore with a sprinkling of metal at it’s finest. I think breakdown of the year goes to these guys for Unmarked Graves. “Brutal” is the only word that can describe Reaper of Souls.

5. If Hope Dies - Life in Ruin

Having proven themselves with The Ground is Rushing Up to Meet Us, I was eagerly anticipating the release of the next If Hope Dies album. Needless to say, it met those expectations and even exceeded them in some cases. With the recent announcement that the band is going on indefinite hiatus, this may be their crowning achievement.

4. Saosin - Saosin

The hype for Saosin’s self-titled debut was immeasurable. Fortunately for the band, they put together a catchy, well-crafted release. The first few spins I gave the album left me disappointed, but I was coming from the standpoint that this was a progression of their previous EP. Instead, you must realize that this is somewhat of a new band. After doing that, I saw Saosin for what it is, a brilliant album.

3. In Flames - Come Clarity

In Flames have been around for a very long time. They’ve progressed quite far from their melodic death metal roots. This release marks both a return to their former style and a progression on their more recent albums. I had originally cast Come Clarity aside as just another In Flames album. Only after hearing some of the new material live, did I come to realize how good this album really is.

2. Underoath - Define the Great Line

Coming off the success of They’re Only Chasing Safety, a release that saw the band style evolve, Underoath were feeling the pressure. They not only managed to create a killer album in Define the Great Line, but they also managed to do it at a time when stress and media pressure was at it’s highest. They weathered the storm and are a better band and better people because of it.

1. Unearth - III: In the Eyes of Fire

III: In the Eyes of Fire is a blistering album packed with breakdowns and plenty of ferocity. Talent gushes from every single note. This album is a freight train barreling down the tracks at 100 miles an hour. Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.