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It’s hard to put into words how much I enjoy the epic metal of Mastodon, so i won't even try. Instead, let's just jump right into the countdown, Follow us for more content at @thedeathofthemixtape on Instagram, Facebook and Spotify. Thanks for reading.
10 ALL THE HEAVY LIFTING: THE HUNTER Something to know about me is that I love love love soaring vocals and big choruses. It’s almost as if it’s implanted in my DNA. This song has both of those things, which is likely why it ends up as Number three on our countdown. The “Just Close Your Eyes,” section of the chorus manages to tingle the skin as the story of a frantic family trying to survive is unfolded before us. Lyrically it’s a powerful song able to also shine musically in an introspective way. The band is utterly focused and winds through sections with ease and a grace that is missing sorely in music. In the end though, “All the Heavy Lifting” is about solidarity and remaining calm under extreme pressure 9 IRON TUSK: LEVIATHAN Oh my god the opening of this insanely brutal song is like no other openings I’ve ever heard. They don’t even get to 100 miles per hour in the first five seconds because that’s where it fucking starts. It’s as in your face and rambunctious as anything they’ve ever written, and in the context of the Moby Dick inspired concept album, you can imagine this track being set to imagery of the mighty creature devastating everything it touches in the ocean waters, and not taking any prisoners, but only lives. It’s a polarizing song that hits hard with every punch, and also remains one of the heaviest tracks they’ve ever created. 8 AQUA DEMENTIA: LEVIATHAN When listening to this blistering track from the epic “Leviathan,” I like to imagine the song being written while the band members, aka crew members, are fighting the great whale, and for their lives on a monstrous boat on the sea. It’s that chaotic energy that’s makes this song so powerful and intense. The guitars from Hinds and Keihler don’t much hurt either. At roughly four minutes, it’s more music than vocals, yet it never gets old or tedious. That’s how you know it’s being done right. You may not like the band or genre, but you simply can’t say these guys don’t know their instruments. 7 MORE THAN I COULD CHEW: HUSHED & GRIM A newer selection gets lucky number 7 on the top ten Mastodon countdown. The guitars and drums rose and fall like a storm passing through a heartland, while the vocals of Troy Sanders shimmers brightly through the murky instrumental sections. The high pitch wail matches well with the more throaty vocals, which again speaks to the versatility of the band and of Sanders as a vocalist as well. In short, another heavy ass masterfully constructed epic price of music. 6 THE MOTHERLOAD: ONCE MORE 'ROUND THE SUN The video with the butts. Yes, you read that right. Mastodon tends to be all over the place with their music videos, and for this clip, they incorporate ladies you’re more likely to see in a Juvenile video than a metal one. Either way though it works its magic, and adds to the essence of the song. Speaking on the song, the drums and vocals, both presented by Brann Dailor make themselves the stars of the show, and thus they propel the song to a high energy place that makes it difficult to ignore, whether you like it or not. I also really dig the Ozzy-esque sounding vocals mixed through the track. It doesn’t come off as trying to rip him off either, which is easier said than done when you try to pay homage. 5 BLACK TONGUE: THE HUNTER for my money there’s few opening moments guitar riffs that match the explosive kinetic energy of “Black Tongue,” from the often overlooked “Hunter” album, which in itself is a tragedy. Regardless the vocals are epic and full of dark whimsy, while Dailor’s drums fight for the attention, much to the joy of this listener. 4 COLONY OF BIRCHMEN: BLOOD MOUNTAIN One of the best things the band does is concept albums. Time after time they’ve demonstrated, and with “Blood Mountain” from 2006, the may have made an album that matches up against their other great concept album “Leviathan.” Accompanied by Queens of the Stone Age founded Joshua Homme, the song whirls and climbs slowly up the treacherous mountain in search of safety, which likely won’t be found. Homme especially adds a great mixture to the track with his signature voice. I wish they'd have more guest vocalists, but if he’s all we ever get, I’ll gladly take it. 3 MARCH OF THE FIRE ANTS: REMISSION My first introduction to this band was this video, as seen back when MTV2 played video(Seriously read that sentence again and mourn that the channel specifically made for videos doesn’t even do it.) Moving on, the vocals are cutthroat and gravelly, and the power behind the rhythm section is top notch, even for a band at their early days. Almost everything about the song is a force unto itself, but of all the new wave of american heavy metal bands that came forth, Mastodon managed to stick through it and have become an amazing band,. 2 TREAD LIGHTLY: ONCE MORE 'ROUND THE SUN It’s hard to top a killer album opening song, but they always seem to start off every album in wonderfully epic and big ways. “Tread Lightly” off the most recent “Once More ‘Round the Sun” is another solid example of the band blowing up sonically to introduce a new record. The vocals are harrowing and hopeful, and even enlightening at moments. Seriously it’s one of the most uplighting metal tracks I’ve ever heard, and because of this it finds itself way up on the countdown. Doing this is tricky, especially in the genre they’ve been lumped in with. It’s an eye opening example of what metal can do, and along with the brilliance of the instrumentation, it never gets old and played out. If anything it gets better with every listen. 1 BLOOD & THUNDER: LEVIATHAN Maybe an obvious sort of choice, but the song is so well thought out and paced that it’s difficult to argue with, at least in my eyes. From the crunchy opening of the guitars, to the blowup at the end, this song easily has everything a fan could want out of his band. The opening track off of their mind-blowingly good, timeless record “Leviathan,” “Blood and Thunder” shatters windows with it’s sprawling drumming, the backup vocals, and especially the guitars. This is likely the band’s best known track, and always a highlight at their live performances. I can’t even imagine another track opening the record, which is good, because it sets the epic scale and quick pace for the remainder of the record. Records like this don’t come around too often, and it’s song like this that makes albums this special. The vocals at the end regarding “the White Whale” only add to the tension of the song, and for that reason it lands at number one. Thanks for reading!
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Throughout the duo’s reign in the early Aughts indie rock revival scene, Jack White, along with his then by then ex wife continued their band and over the course of roughly 15 years, made an impact few others did in the genre, unless you’re the Strokes. Regardless, today we’re jumping into a sorta on the fly entry. I hope you enjoy it.
10 IN THE COLD COLD NIGHT: ELEPHANT When this track dropped, audiences, myself included, found themselves enraptured in the slow strength of Meg's voice reverberating over the singular guitar. Its a sexy track, very accessible, and it gave Meg a platform to be more than just a drummer. At number ten, “in the cold Cold Night welcomes us to the world of Megs' lovely, raspy voice, and a rarely mentioned gem in the Stripes catalog. 9 THE BIG THREE KILLED MY BABY: DE STIJL Since first hearing this rocker, I’ve always found it to be more in vein with 70’s stoner rock than the genre tey found themselves in. The drums are epic, boisterous even, but the guitar riff is oozing with black Sabbath heaviness, and the vocals are forced and angry, which lends itself perfectly to the anger simmering during this killer track. After all, they should be angry, they found out their baby is dead. 8 THE HARDEST BUTTON TO BUTTON: ELEPHANT A video that's more remembered than the song, but listening to the track again reminds me that the song is where it all started. By this point, the Stripes were the biggest band in indie rock, and arena’s came calling, “Hardest Button to Button” is a perfect compliment to the newly enlarged venue sizes, it fills a large room with unattainable energy, especially when the chorus hits. Its sing structure isn’t as unique as their earlier works, but the energy, the drums and the electric guitar all make this an important inclusion in this list. 7 FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL: WHITE BLOOD CELLS Many songs stand out over time, and for me this is one of the most vivid reminders of where I was when I first came into touch with this kick ass Detroit duo. Nearly immediately after hearing the pulsing energy of “Fell in Love with a Girl” the album was purchased and filled my house with electric jams that were unique and familiar all at the same time. Even after all these years, I still get pumped when “Aluminum” rips apart with reckless abandon, 6 HOTEL YORBA: WHITE BLOOD CELLS For a band known for being on the rock spectrum, few songs swing to country tinges as easily as “Hotel Yoruba.” It has gentle, albeit upbeat guitar and drum patterns, but the lyrical content fills the listeners heart with a swaying relaxing sense of comfort. When White yells “Let’s Get Married,” you feel the love radiating from his senses and brain, and it makes the song that much more sentimental for me. 5 A MARTYR FOR MY LOVE FOR YOU: ICKY THUMP One of the saddest songs on this countdown , “Martyr” captures all the hardships of a relationship failing. The lyrical sections of the song, sung softly at first touch on the complexities of this failed love, while as the song progresses the turmoil in the singers heart comes to the surface, with grave warnings of future actions being spread through the song. As a person prone to outbursts and being mentally unstable, I feel the urge to leave people alone, for fear of overdoing this. This theme permeates the song, and leaves the listener reeling with emotion. 4 THIS PROTECTOR: WHITE BLOOD CELLS All these years later and I still don’t really know what this song is about. I do know I miss the piano being used by this band, but oh well. It’s a simple song, but with simple examining you find the track to be a call to arms to protect your world, or at least that’s how I see it. It’s under three minutes, but that’s all it needs to be memorable. 3 DEAD LEAVES AND THE DIRTY GROUND: WHITE BLOOD CELLS And finally we get to the raucous beginnings of the band's mighty reign. This didn’t the first song the band ever released, but for many it was the first time they heard the album and song. It’s psychedelically heavy at the forefront, yet it manages to veer into garage rock heaven immediately after that. It’s one of the bands best known songs, and in general is just a top tier song. For these reasons it lands at number three on our White Stripes countdown. 2 WE’RE GOING TO BE FRIENDS: WHITE BLOOD CELLS One of the coolest images from any White Stripes video is the entirety of this video. Jack softly plays guitar and regaling us with the memorable days of school as an adolescent, while Meg peacefully sleeps on the couch next to him. Beyond that though, the song is simple and beautiful in the way many of their songs tend to be, but there’s a gorgeous naivety to it that profoundly displays what it’s like in the simpler years of your life where the only thing you want to do is explore the world with your new favorite person in the world, who you just happened to meet that same day. 1 SEVEN NATION ARMY: ELEPHANT I still remember the moment my old friend and I first listened to this record. Of course, the now classic “Seven Nation Army” had already been blowing up the FM frequencies, but it’s the powerful opening this track gives to the album that truly makes “Elephant” even better. With Meg on drums and principal songwriter Jack White laying down grooves and a blues infused guitar part, this song catapults the listener to a type of rock that becomes hugely popular and anthemic, even though that maybe wasn’t the intent. It’s still one of their best overall songs, and well these days, for better or worse, it’s used far and wide at sporting events. I can’t say for sure how the White Stripes feel about that, but I’m sure it garnered them more fans than they expected when they started out in a room in Detroit.
Over the course of four eye opening records, Kevin Parker has managed to not only bring us some of the best alternative music of the last decade, but he’s also been able to find a niche in his creativity that doesn’t hobble him based on subject matter. While no official word has ever been given on how much Parker pulls from his personal life and past relationships in order to reach his fullest potential, many of his songs appear deeply experiential. Today we’ll be talking about Impala’s music, and how in just a matter of records he’s gone from underground sensation to full fledged rock star capable of selling out huge festivals and arenas.
From the first track of Tame Impala’s debut album “Innerspeaker,” (which very well could be a metaphor for pouring out the turmoil and regrets that fill all of us from time to time) Parker is able to paint a vivid picture of a lovelorn man meandering contently “sitting around smoking weed.” The she in question on this song, titled “It is Not Meant to Be,” doesn’t appreciate Parker’s approach to life, and the song is a construct of the many things that could go wrong once you realize that the shoes of a particular relationship no longer are able to fit the feet of the participants. Mutterings of this nature abound on many of these songs, but it’s this first track that let’s us know that Tame Impala, and really Parker solely, are able to go there and bring this type of music to a place where few ever dared to stray. Part of why this works so well for Parker is that it comes off as genuine. Songs work best for mass audiences when you’re able to connect to experiences that the listener has also been through, and throughout many of his songs, Parker is able to do that with ease. As you go further into his works though, influences and romantic nuances are trickled through many of the songs. This helped to make those first two albums so powerful in terms of emotions stemming from previous experiences. On Parker’s sophomore release, “Lonerism,” the themes of lost loves and regrettable moments sneak a little bit more into the forefront. On a track like “Why Don’t You Make Up Your Mind” from the first record “Innerspeaker,” the message is more narrow in terms of a typical person incapable of being decisive in regards to what they want, but Parker expands on that greatly on “Lonerism.” Tame as an entity continually straddles the line between normally routine things in psych rock (i.e. visions of the future or of the end of the world), but what they add in grandiose imagery is only as good as the lyrics being presented, and this is where Parker kills it. Even a song like “Apocalypse Dreams,” seems like a letter from a person struggling to understand what is happening in his sphere of existence. The song is more about the monotonous nature of life and how nothing ever truly changes. Whether or not this is in regards to a former partner or not, it’s plays to the idea of the ability to romanticize anything, from a breakup that was always supposed to happen, or to the eventual death of our world. For every song whose meaning is indeterminate and abstract though, there’s a song like number four on “Lonerism,” “Mind Mischief.” The song and video alike are both built to perfect effect and fully burrow into the concept of unrequited love. When Parker belts out “She remembers my name,” you know the thrill of someone you feel connected to actually knowing who you are. This might seem strange for some, but as a person who’s had feelings for someone I barely knew, or who I was convinced had no idea I even existed, this concept is enthralling and exciting at the same time. Above all else though, the song that most clearly speaks to heartbreak on the second album is without question “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards.” Many people have felt this way (I know I certainly have), but the pain involved in any long term relationship can have a crippling effect on the participants. This song works so well because it’s relatable, human, and the listener can quickly find themselves in the headspace of the musician sending out his signals of heartbreak, uncertainty and misdirection. I know the pain, specifically because I’ve lived through it. I’ve been at those points where I can recall a time where I heard a former partner's voice calling out to me, and I’ve felt stagnant in a position where there was no easy way out. The song’s brilliance and triumph are ones made from the blood, sweat and tears of it’s composer. On the third record, all nodes or nuanced statements are essentially blown away for something much more literal, and in your face with the pain and openness exhibited. The first obvious sign of this direction on the album comes to us during the song “Yes I’m Changing.” The record all in all is a mix between a typical psych-rock record with sweeping beats that pulsate, but there’s a very clear indication that this is a R&B classic breakup record simply done in the way that Parker had refined on the first two albums. Now while Parker has gone on record and said this is not a breakup album, it’s hard to see his logic when discussing it’s most personally profound tracks. That’s why “I’m Changing” is such a stark contrast to what had come before. I know the pain behind the song because, while I was still getting to know this record, a detachment from my ex-wife was taking place and enveloping every fiber of my being. This song became my pick me up and make me understand song, even though all the keys I needed to make sense of this terrible event were already in my head, waiting to be worked out. On that track, you don’t get the impression of a good guy or a bad guy. Breakups are incredibly hard, and the more time you spend trying to make it work, the worse you feel when it ultimately ends. No one comes out the victor, just two more people with a little less trust and hope in their hearts. Over and over again on “Currents” you are thrust into that breakup mentality. Songs like “Eventually” drill the notion home that mistakes happen and that everyone will “Eventually” make their way through the downsides of failed love. When Parker croons “But I know that I'll be happier and I know you will too,” you feel the relief of knowing that even though it sucks at this moment, it does eventually become better. I, for one, can fully understand the concept of moving on is easier if I never knew a person, but with all that hard work, you’re able to grow and set out on a new path with your remade self to attempt to make something work in this toxic, never good enough world. Halfway through “Currents” we meet a song filled with classical romantic moments of regret, and of witnessing the person you want giving their attention to someone that isn’t you. That song “The Less I know the Better,” isn’t only the best track on the album, it seems to be the most rational and realistic. We’ve all felt how Parker feels when he explains how he “was doing fine without ya, ‘til I saw your face, now I can’t erase.” This section is a huge bomb of truth dropped, simply because we all know what the feelings and emotions running through you are like when these moments come up, usually as a relationship deteriorates and all sense of what is supposed to work and not work suddenly become a thing you can’t separate. Songs like the one’s mentioned, as well as tracks further down the tracklist of the album (“Cause I’m a Man,” or album closer “New Person, Same Old Mistakes”) further build the notion that while “Currents” may not be an autobiography of a breakup in Parker’s life, at the very least it has an overarching theme of heartbreak, suffering and the resolve of a person trying to learn from their fuck ups and unfortunate circumstances, and how that pain can truly be a catalyst for change. At the start of the year, 2020 literally the night before my step-mom Babs passed away, my wife and I got the most recent Tame Impala record, “The Slow Rush.”. I didn't know it at the time, but yet again a Tame Impala record would be very much like my year. A slow rush of emotions, huge changes, massive decisions and plenty more unsettling news to grapple with had never reeling emotionally and mentally. The album, while not the classic that many perhaps expected, is still powerful, albeit heavily produced and nuanced in its soundscapes. In other words, a normal between album progression from Kevin Parker. The songwriting is mesmerizing and beautiful, nothing new there, but the growing maturity of Parker has started to be reflected in his more precise but ultimately more groove oriented psyche-pop. It’s not perfect, but it doesn't deserve the lackluster response it's gotten from many. Much of the vibe surrounding the “the Slow Rush” revolves around tightly arranged dance notes, with more upbeat elements than on previous efforts. We already talked about this in some length earlier in this piece, but “Lost in Yesterday,” likely the best track of the album for my money, deals with lyrical content that's rooted in real life stresses and turmoil about the future that faces all of us. It’s easy to get lost (no pun intended) during the four minute run time, most likely because of the infectious beat, but seeing the song live, with a full band and a light show that would make Pink Floyd jealous, really is something that takes your breathe away. Plenty of folks apparently didn’t latch on to this record like Parker’s previous three, but there are plenty of great songs to go around. “Borderline,”, with its synth dance vibes and difficult to pin down lyrics., is a song about the dangers of contentment, and what may come out of that feeling. You can tell during the song that feeling of uncertainty even though he’s grateful to have found a worthy life partner. Again all of this is done on the shoulders of Kevin Parker, who’s mastery in songwriting is now very well documented. “Slow Rush” and its parts might not be masterpiece worth, but tracks like “Borderline” show no less skill or attention than what we’ve become accustomed to when it comes to Tame Impala. With four albums Parker has changed not only the shape of alternative rock, but has also left the lines blurred in a world that’s able to combine indie, psyche rock, R&B and whatever else Parker decides to integrate into his works. |
AuthorLandon Murray is a music connooisseur who craves sounds of all shapes and textures. He's seen over 2000 bands and looks forward to welcoming you into his world of sound, Categories
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