Last night, when I heard that David Bowie had died, I immediately flashed back to the summer of 2003. I spent that summer hanging out with my friend Jay. I was an aspiring writer and he was the musician who got all the girls. Jay was also a David Bowie fanatic whose cover of The Man Who Sold The World was at least as good as Nirvana’s. When I think about that summer, I remember the all-night bull sessions, smoking in Jay’s backyard, watching reruns of Hawaii 5-0 and agreeing that McGarrett was one cool dude, and the weekly poker games where I always seemed to lose. But mostly, I remember David Bowie providing the greatest soundtrack anyone could want.
Over his 50 year career, David Bowie reinvented himself many times. When he released his first single in 1964, he did so under his real name. He was 17 years old when Davie Jones and the Queen Bees released Liza Jane.
By the time he released Space Oddity in 1969, Davie Jones had become David Bowie. Space Oddity would introduce the world to Major Tom, a character to whom Bowie would return in the future.
1970’s The Man Who Sold The World is often erroneously believed to be a retelling of Robert Heinlein’s novella, The Man Who Sold The Moon. In 1997, Bowie himself said that the song was about being young and feeling incomplete.
Life on Mars? was once described by BBC Radio 2 as being “a cross between a Broadway musical and a Salvador Dali painting.”
1975’s Golden Years, with its chorus of “run for the shadows,” is one of my personal favorites.
In 1977, David Bowie appeared on the final Bing Crosby Christmas Special. He and Bing performed Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy. At the time, Bing was quoted as saying about Bowie: “clean-cut kid and a real fine asset to the show. He sings well, has a great voice and reads lines well.”
In 1980, Major Tom returned in Ashes to Ashes.
Rather than grow stagnant as an artist, David Bowie was always reinventing himself. In 1997, he proved he was still a force to be reckoned with when he released I’m Afraid of Americans.
In November, David Bowie released Blackstar. In the song’s video, Major Tom made his final appearance.
Lazarus was the last single that David Bowie released during his lifetime. The video was released three days before he died and feels like it was his way of saying goodbye.
Rest in peace, good sir. And thank you for the music and the memories.
Whenever we have visitors here at Shattered Lens HQ, the first thing that they always seem to notice is the wide variety of music being played. Considering the number of contributors that we have working here on any given day, it makes sense. After all, we all have our own individual tastes in music and we’re not afraid to play it loud.
(Occasionally, if I’m lucky, I can convince Valerie Troutman to come to my office and sing the Degrassi theme song with me. Whatever it takes, I know I can make it through….)
Anyway, my point is that every writer at the Shattered Lens is an individual with her or his own taste in music, movies, and … well, everything. So, when you look at my list of my 10 favorite songs of 2015, you should keep in mind that these are my ten favorite songs and they do not necessarily reflect the musical opinions or tastes of anyone here at the Shattered Lens but me! And, in fact, if you want to see just how eclectic a group we here at the Shattered Lens, be sure to check out Necromoonyeti’s list of his favorite metal albums of 2015!
Anyway, here are my favorite songs of 2015. Notice that I didn’t say “best.” Instead, these are some of the songs that I spent the previous 12 months obsessively listening to. When I make my autobiographical movie about my life in 2015, these are the songs that will appear on the soundtrack!
Honorable Mention: Elle King — Ex’s and Oh’s
Ex’s and Oh’s has pretty much been my song all through 2015. However, the song itself was originally released in 2014 and this is a list of the best songs released in 2015. That said, hardly a day in 2015 went by without my listening to and singing along with this song and there’s no way I can’t include it.
Special Bonus Track Included Because Otherwise There Would Be 11 Songs Listed And Lisa Has A Phobia About Odd Numbers: Ellie Goulding — Love Me Like You Do
And now the list:
10) Adele — When We Were Young
9) Icona Pop — Emergency
8) Kelly Clarkson — Take You High
7) The Chemical Brothers — Sometimes I Feel So Deserted
6) Public Service Broadcasting — Go!
5) Taylor Swift (featuring Kendrick Lamar) — Bad Blood
4) Purity Ring — Bodyache
3) Big Data (featuring Jamie Liddell) — Clean
2) Public Service Broadcasting — Gagarin
1) The Chemical Brothers (featuring St. Vincent) — Under Neon Lights
Fourteen years posting a year-end list somewhere, and the rule never changes: odd-numbered years produce more good music. Thankfully, we just concluded 2015. 🙂
15. Deafheaven – New Bermuda
14. Peste Noire – La Chaise-Dyable
13. Mgła – Exercises in Futility
12. Veilburner – Noumenon
11. Botanist – Hammer of Botany
10. Enslaved – In Times (track: Building With Fire)
It’s amazing that after 24 years and 13 studio albums, Enslaved still routinely make it into my year-end top 10. They have continually evolved without letting go of their black metal roots, and the consequence lately has been a long stretch of memorable, prog-rock infused releases that keep up with the times and never grow stale no matter how often I resurrect them. If In Times won’t stick with me quite so permanently as Vertebrae in 2008, it still achieves everything I’ve come to expect of them lately and has managed to entertain me more than the vast majority of other albums I have heard this year. I think I have a bit of a subconscious inclination to prioritize newer bands, but #10 was as low as I could justify dropping this one.
9. Krallice – Ygg Huur (track: Wastes of Ocean)
Like any Krallice album, Ygg Huur takes dozens of listens to ingest. What struck me at first as a rather disappointing, spastic blathering of sound comes together much more coherently if you give it its due time. That being said, it is still a sharp break from their previous four albums, and it lacks that element of progression and overarching vision that has traditionally made this band, for me at least, infinitely repeatable. (I have listened to Krallice more than any other band in my life by a large margin, and they only came into existence in 2008.) Ygg Huur is a brief an meandering mood piece that does not, perhaps, maximize the band’s song-writing talents, but I’ve enjoyed it plenty never the less. More avant-garde than post-black metal, am I allowed to love it and still hope it was just a one-time experiment?
8. Ghost Bath – Moonlover (track: Golden Number)
This is a pretty gorgeous post-black metal album that I’m surprised more sites haven’t picked up on for their year-end summaries. It lacks a touch of refinement that might have earned it higher standing, but the song writing is fabulous. Moonlover delivers a well-rounded package of post-rock infused metal that seems to pay a good deal of respect to Alcest and Amesoeurs, but their undertone is bleak and depressing. It’s a sad album in a way that makes me think of Harakiri for the Sky’s Aokigahara last year, but peppered with little bursts of joy that will bring a smile to your face.
Oh yeah, metal’s not supposed to make me smile. Check.
7. Sumac – The Deal (track: Thorn In The Lion’s Paw)
I never really got into Old Man Gloom. Make what you will of that. The Deal certainly wasn’t Aaron Turner’s most well-received album, but I personally enjoyed it more than anything he’s contributed to since Oceanic. A lot of that has to do with Nick Yacyshyn’s brilliant mastery of the drum set, but I also feel like Turner’s chugging out riffs that really sink into my head more than I’m used to. It’s like a doom metal reinterpretation of Isis, albeit with less progression, and I love the subtle stylistic diversity he brings to the field on this one. It has moments that remind me of everything from black metal to Converge. (And it probably wins this year’s ‘most listened to in my car’ award. <_<)
6. A Forest of Stars – Beware the Sword You Cannot See (track: Virtus Sola Invicta)
Beware the Sword You Cannot See is one of the most eclectic albums I have heard in a long time that I still managed to really enjoy. If I could begin to put a finger on how to describe it, I would have reviewed it ages ago. Black metal at its heart, it weaves a wild mix of strings and spoken word and avant-garde breaks around that core. I like it, quite a bit, and I think the vocals and lyrics (at least, what I can make of them) might be its strongest selling point. I really don’t know what to say about this album. Hear it for yourselves, and be prepared to give an attentive listen–possibly many–if you want to soak it all in.
5. Blind Guardian – Beyond the Red Mirror (track: Grand Parade)
It’s pretty hard to measure the worth of an epic power metal band on a list that is heavily dominated by innovative new styles of music. I don’t think I would have felt entirely comfortable with my positioning of this album no matter where I put it, but I tried to make the cutoff a sort of drifting point between albums that really made me reflect and albums that I just really enjoyed, because there’s never going to be a particularly deep hidden truth to a Blind Guardian track, but they’ve proven a dozen times over to be the ultimate kings of all fantasy-themed music. In the broad scheme of BG’s vast discography, I would probably place Beyond the Red Mirror fourth, after Nightfall in Middle-Earth, At the Edge of Time, and A Night at the Opera. That translates roughly to: it’s awesome.
4. Bosse-de-Nage – All Fours (track: A Subtle Change)
Am I a little biased since I got my initial rip of this direct from frontman Bryan Manning? Probably not, but in my weird little world that’s still a bragging point. 😉 Like Cara Neir’s Portals to a Better, Dead World in 2013, All Fours takes everything I love about screamo and turns it into post-black metal. This might be a coincidence. I’m pretty sure the band claims no direct screamo influence (don’t quote me on that), but the consequence is the same. These guys have worked their way into the top-tier of bands pushing metal in new directions today, and, more so than their previous albums, All Fours really strikes me as a well-rounded composition that possesses the maturity to fully deliver its vision. And Manning has a way with lyrics that’s… well… you just have to read them.
3. Obsequiae – Aria of Vernal Tombs (track: Orphic Rites Of The Mystic)
When I first heard Obsequiae, it was one of those rare moments where I went a-ha, you are that band that’s going to pioneer the style I have always desired but been too inept to create myself. I can guarantee you without much doubt that, of all of the albums of 2015, Aria of Vernal Tombs will find its way into my playlist the most for the longest period of time. Ten years from now, I will probably still be listening to this album when its competitors are all but distant memories. Like Summoning, they fit a unique mood for me that no other band has really begun to approach. (Perhaps Opeth’s Orchid crosses into this terrain, briefly and insufficiently.) A collection of captivating medieval melodies that press themselves upon you by-and-large through euphorically well-mixed guitar and bass (the bass on this album is absolutely gorgeous) rather than traditional instrumentation… my god, I’ve been waiting so long for a band that sounds like this, and they’re easily my favorite new discovery of the year.
2. Panopticon – Autumn Eternal (track: The Wind’s Farewell)
It’s amazing to think that, in the absence of one album this year that won my heart in a landslide, Panopticon could have taken my #1 slot in 3 out of the last 4 years. To put it bluntly, Autumn Eternal is Austin Lunn’s best album to date, and Austin Lunn is arguably the most accomplished metal artist of the 2010s. An incredibly versatile musician who can sample uninhibited from the melting-pot of styles that is post-black metal, Lunn’s newest offering is a mindblowing amalgamation of post-rock and black metal that leaves the more popular bands of this persuasion choking on his dust.
1. Liturgy – The Ark Work (track: Kel Valhaal)
What can I say…. it didn’t make Pitchfork’s top 25? I will probably look back on The Ark Work as one of the most underrated albums ever recorded, and I think its merits have more in common with Radiohead than with anything that has ever derived from heavy metal. It constantly threatens to collapse into a blundering mire of amateur garbage, from the excessive bell tones to Hunter’s marshmallow-mouthed rap vocals. This might be the turn-off for so many listeners, but it is necessary, and the key to this album is in how Liturgy always manage to somehow hold it together. It’s the musical equivalent of your kindergartener handing you a crayon scribble that, on second glance, turns out to be a Picasso.
On Aesthethica, Liturgy explored a very explicit reinterpretation of black metal that found quite a bit of inspired company among bands who were beginning to recognize and explore the similarities between black metal and post-rock. That album helped to define a movement, but it only achieved the band’s vision in a very direct sort of way: through rhythm and melody and progression. The Ark Work nails Hunter’s vision home with an extremely more robust and precise pallet, bringing lyrics and glitch effects and atypical instrumentation and a totally unorthodox approach to metal vocals into the fray. If you listen to a track like “Vitriol” and can barely take it seriously, that’s part of the point, but barely is the key word. Every risk and gamble they take ultimately works, and I am unabashedly unashamed to blare Hunter’s trap beat ‘occult rap’ at max volume out my car stereo. 😀
You might listen to The Ark Work and hear some childish clusterfuck, but I hear absolutely brilliant attention to detail–a musician completely in control of the degree to which his work teeters on the brink of nonsense. Top 20 all-time contender? I could go there. Leave your fear of speaking too fondly of Hunter Hunt-Hendrix at the door and just embrace this album with the assumption that he knew exactly what he was doing. You won’t be disappointed.
Late today the heavy metal and hard rock world were hit with some sad news. Lemmy Kilmister (born Ian Fraser Kilmister) died at the age of 70 from cancer.
Lemmy was the frontman and the face of the band Motörhead and one the great bassist of hard rock and heavy metal. His band would help influence the rise of both speed metal and thrash metal. The band would combine the speed of punk with the heavy sound of metal. While he would never acknowledge his contribution to both speed and thrash, Lemmy and his band’s influence would be felt early on. Metallica even covered one of the band’s classic songs, “Overkill”, as a birthday gift to Lemmy.
Lemmy lived his life as he saw fit. He drank, did the drugs, had the sex and continued to do so despite what the world at large thought of such behavior. He was one of the true gods of rock and his presence will be sorely missed. Yet, despite his passing he would be the first to tell everyone to get off their asses and celebrate his life and not mourn his death.
I plan to do just that and drink a couple fingers of bourbon in his honor.
Rest in peace Lemmy.
Killed by Death
If you squeeze my lizard I´ll put my snake on you I´m a romantic adventure And I´m a reptile too
CHORUS: But it don´t make no difference ´cos I ain´t gonna be, easy, easy the only time I´m gonna be easy´s when I´m Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death
I´m a lone wolf ligger But I ain´t no pretty boy I´m a backbone shiver and I´m a bundle of joy
CHORUS
But it don´t make no difference ´cos I ain´t gonna be, easy, easy the only time I´m easy´s when I´m Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death
Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death
The 2016 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been announced and classic rock wins the majority; with Deep Purple, Cheap Trick, Chicago and Steve Miller. Getting a boost from ‘Straight Out of Compton‘, N.W.A. rounds out this years inductees.
Eligibility requirements:
“To be eligible for induction as an artist (as a performer, composer, or musician) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the artist must have released a record, in the generally accepted sense of that phrase, at least 25 years prior to the year of induction; and have demonstrated unquestionable musical excellence.” **
Deep Purple:
Waiting for more than 20 years, Deep Purple finally got the honor they deserved. Deep Purple has been listed as ‘Heavy Metal’, ‘Hard Rock’ and ‘Progressive’. Having sold over 100 million albums, they are one of the most influential bands of all time. The band has gone thru many line-up changes thru the years, and it will be interesting to see which members show up on stage.
Chicago:
Formed in 1967 Chicago pulled a brazen move with their first release, Chicago Transit Authority being a double album, which went Multi-Platinum. Self-described as a “Rock and Roll band with Horns” Chicago has changed their sound thru the years, but remains one of the best selling and longest running bands of all time.
Cheap Trick:
Having preformed more than 5,000 shows, Cheap Trick is one of the most enduring bands of all times. Formed in 1973 they broke thru in Japan first, before the US, often referred to as the ‘American Beatles’. In 2007, the Illinois senate designated April 1st as Cheap Trick day as opposed to April fools day in honor of the band.
Steve Miller:
Although releasing his most notable hits with the ‘Steve Miller Band‘, Miller is being inducted alone. After a storied career, Miller may be ‘The Joker’ after all!
N.W.A.:
Pioneers and legends in the Rap and Hip-Hop genre, N.W.A.’s induction into the HOF is only the third Hip-Hop / Rap group to be let in. Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, MC Ren and the late Eazy-E were portrayed in this years Oscar nominated ‘Straight Outta Compton‘
Lyrics NSFW:
Snubs:
Among many left out this year were ‘The Cars‘, ‘Nine Inch Nails‘, ‘YES‘, ‘Janet Jackson‘ and ‘The Smiths‘.
The 31st Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at the Barclays’ Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on April 8, 2016 and be filmed by HBO for a later broadcast.
Today, the Academy announced the 74 songs that have been ruled eligible for a Best Original Song nomination! And you know what that means — it’s time for my to post the list! (Our longtime readers should know, by now, how much I love lists!)
The big news is that the 2nd song from the end credits of Love & Mercy — the one that everyone was expecting to be a front runner — has been ruled ineligible. Here’s what is eligible! Be sure to listen to all of these songs before the Oscar nominations are announced in January…
“Happy” from “Altered Minds”
“Home” from “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip”
Tonight the music world found out that Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland passed away at the age of 48 while on tour in Minnesota.
The years after graduating from high school was a chaotic time for me. not knowing what role I had for myself moving forward and afraid of the world beyond the regimented, secured, but understood confines of high school. While I enjoyed the freedom of being a young adult after graduating in the summer of 1991 the reality of it all was that I wasn’t that far removed from still being a teenager a couple years later.
I call these my adrift years.
From this time in my life I was drawn to the music that every young adult trying to leave his teen years behind. Whether it was hip-hop, metal and, the genre of the era, grunge, I was listening to it. While I wasn’t as huge a fan of grunge as the rest of my contemporaries of the time I did gravitate to a couple of the titans of the genre: Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots.
It was with Stone Temple Pilots that I was introduced to one of my favorite frontman of my Adrift Years: Scott Weiland.
Weiland encompassed not just the brooding, alienation that made grunge such a popular genre of music during the 1990’s but also had a touch of the wild and dangerous aspect of what made rock frontmen so-called Rock Gods. He was the Axel Rose of grunge. An enormously talented vocalist, but one who was also scandal-bound with his off-stage drug use and self-destructive behavior.
Scott Weiland helped make those years adrift during the early 1990’s with his singing. It’s a shame and a loss to the music world that like other rock legends before him his early years battling his inner demons would take him away too soon.
Nothing epitomizes who Scott Weiland was to me better than the song “Big Empty” which was the first single off of their second album Purple.
Big Empty
drivin’ faster in my car falling farther from just what we are smoke a cigarette and lie some more these conversations kill falling faster in my car
time to take her home her dizzy head is conscience laden time to take a ride it leaves today no conversation time to take her home her dizzy head is conscience laden time to wait too long to wait too long these conversations kill
to much walkin’, shoes worn thin too much trippin’ and my soul’s worn thin time to catch a ride it leaves today, her name is what it means to much walkin’, shoe’s worn thin
Composer Basil Poledouris crafted one of cinema’s most powerful and enduring scores for John Milius’s Conan the Barbarian. His sweeping orchestral sound defines the film’s mythic tone, giving the story its emotional depth and sense of destiny.
From the first track, “Anvil of Crom”, Poledouris sets the stage with thunderous brass and relentless percussion — a musical invocation of strength and survival that announces the film’s world of gods, warriors, and fate.
Today’s selection, “The Leaving/The Search”, accompanies Conan’s departure into exile and his first steps toward vengeance. The piece moves with controlled majesty — its somber strings and noble themes capturing both the loneliness and courage inherent in his quest. It’s music that transforms the hero’s physical journey into a spiritual pilgrimage.
Other unforgettable themes include “Orphans of Doom/The Awakening” and “Atlantean Sword”, each echoing the film’s blend of melancholy and grandeur. Yet it’s “The Leaving/The Search” that best represents the score’s heart — a reflection of loss and perseverance wrapped in orchestral beauty.
Poledouris doesn’t just score a fantasy adventure — he gives it a sense of history and feeling that makes it linger long after the credits roll. His work turns Conan the Barbarian into more than a sword-and-sand saga; it’s a story that feels legendary in its own rough-edged, heartfelt way.
Latest “Song of the Day” comes from episode 11 of the ecchi anime series Binbougami ga! and comes at the very end. It’s simply called the “Song of Fanservice”. It’s a very brief song but one that goes straight to the point. It has been picked up by fans of the fanservice as the anthem that best describes why ecchi anime series are so beloved by many anime fans worldwide.
So, with this brief detour from all things horror, I present to you “Song of Fanservice” from Binbougami ga! and let your fanservice flag fly.
What better way to end another month of horror here at Through the Shattered Lens than with a showing a the greatest music video ever made (not even a contest or a question). No matter what one’s personal opinion of Michael Jackson as a person there’s no denying the genius talent the man had and this video just speaks to the horror fan even if one was not into his music.
It has a werewolf (though here it’s a werecat), 50’s horror trope of the girl in distress, zombies, John Landis directing, Vincent Price with one of the best spoken word performance in a music video…and did I say zombies courtesy of make-up FX guru Rick Baker.
A music video that was more a short film plus horror musical, Thriller would become a cultural phenomenon that spread across the globe. It didn’t matter whether one lived in the US or the furthest corner of Mongolia. Everyone saw and enjoyed this music video. Even it’s detractors could only nitpick flaws from the final product.
Oh yeah, it has ZOMBIES!
Hope everyone had a great, happy and safe Halloween!
Thriller
It’s close to midnight, and something evil’s lurkin’ in the dark Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart You try to scream, but terror takes the sound before you make it You start to freeze, as horror looks you right between the eyes You’re paralyzed
‘Cause it’s a thriller, thriller night And no one’s gonna save you from the beast about to strike You know it’s thriller, thriller night You’re fighting for your life inside a, killer, thriller tonight, yeah
You hear the door slam, and realize there’s nowhere left to run You feel the cold hand, and wonder if you’ll ever see the sun You close your eyes, and hope that this is just imagination Girl, but all the while, you hear a creature creepin’ up behind You’re outta time
‘Cause it’s a thriller, thriller night There ain’t no second chance against the thing with the forty eyes, girl (Thriller, thriller night) You’re fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight
Night creatures call and the dead start to walk in their masquerade There’s no escaping the jaws of the alien this time (They’re open wide) This is the end of your life
They’re out to get you, there’s demons closing in on every side (boom!) They will possess you, unless you change that number on your dial Now is the time, for you and I to cuddle close together, yeah All through the night, I’ll save you from the terror on the screen I’ll make you see
That it’s a thriller, thriller night ‘Cause I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try (Thriller, thriller night) So let me hold you tight and share a killer, diller, chiller thriller here tonight
‘Cause it’s a thriller, thriller night Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try (Thriller, thriller night) So let me hold you tight and share a (Killer, thriller)
I’m gonna thrill you tonight
(Vincent Price voiceover)
“Darkness falls across the land The midnight hour is close at hand Creatures crawl in search of blood To terrorize your neighborhood And whosoever shall be found Without the soul for getting down Must stand and face the hounds of hell And rot inside a corpse’s shell”
I’m gonna thrill you tonight (Thriller, thriller) I’m gonna thrill you tonight (Middle of the night, thriller) I’m gonna thrill you tonight Ooh, babe, I’m gonna thrill you tonight Middle of the night, babe
(Vincent Price voiceover)
“The foulest stench is in the air The funk of forty-thousand years And grizzly ghouls from every tomb Are closing in to seal your doom And though you fight to stay alive Your body starts to shiver For no mere mortal can resist The evil of the thriller”
Through the Shattered Lens 