Video Playlist for August 3, 2011 - Kings of Leon

With the recent news coming out of the Kings of Leon camp, I figured it would be a good time to take a look at the band that was. They probably won't break up, which might be a good or bad thing.

I've dropped this band since their craptastic Only By The Night album, however, you will find one song (Crawl) on this list. That was the only song worthy of adding to today's playlist. You will not find any songs off their new album either.

Kings of Leon used to be a dirty, grimy band that played loud and hard, but once Only By the Night came around, the band changed - and for the worse. Their sound was cleaned up and you couldn't recognize the sound. It was almost like they were a completely different band.

So today, we look back at what Kings of Leon used to be, and the way I will always remember them by.



1. Knocked Up (It's a live version only because Youtube won't let me put any other version of this song in a playlist.)
2. Red Morning Light
3. Crawl
4. Charmer
5. Molly's Chambers
6. Kings of the Rodeo
7. McFearless
8. Pistol of Fire
9. Spiral Staircase
10. The Bucket
11. Razz
12. Four Kicks
13. Happy Alone
14. Genius
15. On Call
16. Taper Jean Girl
17. Dusty
18. Holy Roller Novocaine
19. Velvet Snow

Video Playlist for August 2, 2011

Video Playlist for August 2, 2011
1. Red Fang - Wires
2. The Cure - Sleep When I'm Dead
3. The Breeders - Cannonball
4. Queen - Stone Cold Crazy
5. The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night
6. Hot Hot Heat - 21 @ 12
7. Neil Young - Heart of Gold
8. The Raconteurs - You Don't Understand Me
9. Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing
10. Supergrass - Moving
11. Noisettes - Never Forget You
12. Soundgarden - Burden In My Hand

Video Playlist for August 1, 2011

Video Playlist for August 1, 2011
1. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Ain't No Easy Way
2. The Whigs - Right Hand On My Heart
3. Pink Floyd - Have a Cigar
4. Travis - She's So Strange
5. Stereophonics - A Thousand Trees
6. Weezer - Undone
7. The Police - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
8. R.E.M. - Nightswimming
9. Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down
10. Amy Winehouse - You Know I'm No Good
11. Diana Ross & The Supremes - Reflections

Video Playlist for July 29, 2011

1. The New Regime - Live In Fear
2. Manchester Orchestra - Mighty
3. We Are Scientists - The Great Escape
4. Mad Season - I'm Above
5. Viva Voce - Daylight.
6. Beady Eye - Millionaire
7. Alain Johannes - Gentle Ghosts
8. Thurston Moore - Trees Outside The Academy
9. Kasabian - Switchblade Smiles
10. The Strokes - Under Cover Of Darkness
11. Arctic Monkeys - All My Own Stunts
12. The Walkmen - The Rat
13. Paul McCartney - Too Many People
14. Them Crooked Vultures - Highway 1
15. Chris Cornell - Seasons

Video Playlist for July 28, 2011

Video playlist for Thursday, July 28, 2011
1. Cream - White Room
2. Built To Spill – Big Dipper
3. The Association - Never My Love
4. The Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings
5. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Sugarfoot
6. Black Keys - Howlin' For You
7. Green Day - Walking Contradiction
8. Foo Fighters - My Hero
9. The Velvet Underground - Rock and Roll
10. Hole - Violet
11. Oasis - Some Might Say
12. Sam Roberts Band - The Last Crusade
13. Young the Giant - My Body
14. Sleeper Agent - Get It Daddy
15. The Strokes - Juicebox
16. Spoon - Written in Reverse

Vote for the best

One of the main things I was hoping to bring to Compressed Audio was the fans' thoughts about the music being put in the daily playlists.

So one way to get that going is to have a weekly voting system where you the fans let me know what are the best songs from each playlist. Then at the end of the week, after the votes have been tallied, I will put up a Top 10 of the week video playlist.

Fans have a few days left before the end of the week, so leave a comment in the box under this story, or find me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/compressdaudio

Video Playlist for July 27, 2011

Video Playlist for Wednesday, July 27, 2011
1. The Hives - Tick Tick Boom
2. The Roots - The Seed (2.0) ft. Cody ChesnuTT
3. Nirvana - Lithium
4. The Doors - People are Strange
5. I Fight Dragons - Helplessly Hoping
6. Incubus - Adolescents
7. Wilco - I Might
8. Mutemath - Typical
9. The Beatles - Day Tripper
10. Stevie Wonder - Master Blaster (Jammin')
11. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Two Against One - starring Jack White
12. Yuck - Get Away
13. Birds of Tokyo - The Saddest Thing I Know
14. Sublime With Rome - Panic

Video Playlist for July 26, 2011

Video playlist for Tuesday, July 26, 2011
1. The Walkmen - Little House of Savages
2. Built To Spill - Wherever You Go
3. Death Cab For Cutie - Little Bribes
4. The Heavy - How You Like Me Now?
5. The Features - Lions
6. Flipsyde - My People
7. The Head and the Heart - Coeur D'Alene
8. Bass Drum Of Death - Nerve Jamming
9. The Vines - Ride
10. Ikara Colt - Rudd
11. Gnarls Barkley - Gone Daddy Gone
12. The Beatles - In My Life
13. Howling Bells - Low Happening
14. Bloc Party - Ares

Video Playlist for July 25, 2011

Video Playlist for Monday, July 25, 2011
1. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - The Death Of You And Me
2. Rival Sons - Pressure and Time
3. Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood
4. Living Colour - Cult of Personality
5. Kool And The Gang - Jungle Boogie
6. The Smiths - This Charming Man
7. Crosby, Still, Nash & Young - 4 + 20
8. Arctic Monkeys - Mardy Bum
9. Radiohead - There There
10. Pink Floyd - Us and Them
11. Miles Kane - Rearrange
12. Kasabian - Me Plus One
13. Crash Kings - Mountain Man
14. Modest Mouse - Gravity Rides Everything

Video Playlist for July 22, 2011

Video playlist for Friday, July 22, 2011
1. Nirvana - Lake of Fire
2. The Black Crowes - Remedy
3. The Black Keys - Strange Desire
4. Clinic - The Bridge
5. Noisettes - Scratch Your Name
6. The White Stripes - Hotel Yorba
7. Kasabian - Where Did All the Love Go?
8. The Hives - Try It Again
9. Elliott Smith - Somebody That I Used To Know
10. Lovin' Spoonful - Daydream
11. Blur - Park Life
12. Al Green - Im still in love with you
13. Pulp - Refuse to be blind
14. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home

Happy birthday Kris!

July 22 has always been a special day for me, mainly because it is my sister's birthday.

I always had a ritual on that day. As soon as I woke up, I made sure I had my Beatles' White Album all set up and checked to see that my sister was still asleep. When I returned to my room, I put the volume up to 10, blasted Happy Birthday and started singing the song to her.

We are miles apart now, as adulthood struck - like it has for everyone else. I don't get a chance to run into my room any more to play the song, but I try my best to make sure she hears the song, whether that was by calling her up and playing it over the phone or putting it on her Facebook wall.

And just in case she doesn't see it on Facebook, hopefully she will see it here.

You say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too, yeah
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRIS!

Video Playlist for July 21, 2011

Video playlist for Thursday, July 21, 2011
1. At The Drive In - One Armed Scissor
2. Hot Hot Heat - Goodnight Goodnight
3. Portishead - Sour Times
4. The Strokes - Alone Together
5. Outkast - Elevator (Me & You)
6. Mudhoney - Touch Me I'm Sick
7. The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
8. Them Crooked Vultures - Reptiles
9. Klaxons - No Diggity (Blackstreet Cover)
10. Elbow - I've Got Your Number
11. Packy Lundholm - Good Year
12. Manchester Orchestra - I've Got Friends

Compressed Audio 2.0

Back in 2009, I had an itch. It wasn't a big itch, but one that was a solid hit.

Needless to say, it was one that didn't last long as my first venture into music blogging didn't go far.

Fast forward two years later and here we are, the unveiling of my second version of Compressed Audio. This version will be a cornucopia of all things music. I regularly plan on putting up playlists of songs, giving my thoughts on current music topics, and reviewing songs or albums when time presents itself.

This is also a place for you, the music fans, to chime in on your thoughts on musical trends and topics. I warmly suggest you give songs or bands that you are currently enjoying for others to take a peek, and who knows that said band or song may appear in a playlist of mine.

So thanks for stopping by and taking a peak around. Remember, music is an opinion everyone has, and not everyone agrees with the opinions of others. But we are all here for one thing – the music. So sit back, put on your headphones, blast the volume up to 11 and enjoy!

Whatever You Do, Don't Tell Anyone

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is from my first site that went under.

Note: this will be the second part of a series of artists that helped mold my musical tastes.

The days of listening to Oasis was starting to come to a sudden end.

As my love for music and the itch to hear new bands continued to blossom, the very band that caused me to return to music was slowly disappearing from my CD player.

Yet it would be that very band that caused me to find the next love that shaped the very core of my musical mindset.

I was working at Sam Goody's at the Water Tower Place, and I somehow persuaded my parents to allow me to get AOL, which was a big deal back in that day. During my endeavor on the net, I went to NME to catch up on some of the new and exciting bands I was starting to get into. During this time, I was starting to listen to Travis, Radiohead and The Verve, mainly because of my affinity with British music. Then I stumbled on a story about Noel Gallagher's new favorite band.

The article talked about the future of Oasis after they released Standing on the Shoulders of Giants just a half year prior. And at the end of the interview, Gallagher was asked about some of the new bands he's been listening to lately. Weird enough, he only mentioned one – Queens of the Stone Age.

Apparently Gallagher found out about this crazy band from California from one of his bandmates, and liked what he heard after listening the opening lines from Rated R. So I thought, if he liked it, then I really need to give this a try.

I immediately went out to find the album after reading the article. I opened up my music player and excitingly listened as Josh Homme's handiwork played over my speakers.

But it wasn't the guitar playing that lured me in.

It was the opening lyrics from Feel Good Hit of the Summer, just like Gallagher said in the NME interview.

Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marijuana, Ecstasy and Alcohol
Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marijuana, Ecstasy and Alcohol
Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marijuana, Ecstasy and Alcohol
Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marijuana, Ecstasy and Alcohol

C-c-c-c-c-cocaine

Whoa!

Are you kidding me?

The power of this opening track was stunning. I felt like I was having a flashback, like I was listening to Hello from Oasis just four years prior. And just like (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, every song off Rated R kept getting better, and better and better.

The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret, Leg of Lamb, Auto Pilot, the Alice in Wonderland-like Better Living Through Chemistry, Monsters in the Parosal.

I was blown away by the first four songs off (What's the Story) Morning Glory? before I heard a song I didn't like. When I was listening to Rated R, I was starting to believe there wasn't going to be a song I didn't.

And I was right. Then Quick and to the Pointless started.

I don't even know what I'm doing here ... YEA YEA YEA!

I jumped out of my chair as the opening lyrics to Quick and to the Pointless blared over my speakers. Throughout the entire album, the punk qualities of Nick Oliveri and the trippy guitar playing from Josh Homme just flowed together so well that it was hard to deny this album was incredible from start to finish. I knew based off one listen why NME named Rated R its album of the year for 2000, and why Gallagher called Queens of the Stone Age his new favorite band.

Then I got to In the Fade, sung by Mark Lanegan, and I went nuts. I was a huge fan of the Screaming Trees because of hits like Nearly Lost You and All I Know. To know that one of my favorite singers from the 90s was playing in this relatively unknown band was thrilling yet comforting, so much so that it became the standout track for me.

As In the Fade progressed to the end, QotSA returned with a reprise of Feel Good Hit of the Summer, as if they were telling me, "Hey, we are still here."

This newfound love affair with Queens of the Stone Age grew exponentially as I came to the closer, I Think I Lost My Headache, and once Rated R came to an end, it immediately replaced (What's the Story) Morning Glory? as my all-time favorite album.

And just like the start of the Oasis era, Queens of the Stone Age was in my CD player for an extremely long time, and for nearly nine years (EDIT: make it 15 years now), Queens of the Stone Age has yet to be removed as my all-time favorite band.

The band that started it all

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is from my first site that went under.

Note: this will be the first part of a series of artists that helped mold my musical tastes.

I remember the day like it was yesterday. Well, I don't remember the actual date, but still, it was a pretty significant time for me.

It all started after a deep bout of depression back in Feb. 1996. I was a pretty shy and quiet kid during my high school days, but started to slowly creep out of that shell right after a key moment in my life.

The majority of my art classes at Archbishop Quigley during this month was spent listening to my friends talk about the Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, R.E.M., Rage Against the Machine, Foo Fighters, etc. And me already being the outcast, I added to my problems by chiming in that I never heard of these bands because I was too busy listening to sports talk radio, the only band I knew at that time, Hootie andd the Blowfish, or the music my parents were listening. Shocking as it might be, it was the life I led during the early portion of my high school days.

Then one day, I decided to give in.

I was sitting in front of the TV in the dining room at my old house in Chicago playing Coach K Basketball for the Genesis, listening to The Score 820-AM (yes, the original station, not the third generation station we have now) with my walkman. After a lengthy discussion about the Bulls, I decided to turn over to the FM side to see what was on. I shifted through the stations that I used to listen to, one station being B96, an old staple when I was in a Top 40 phase in the early 90s, where I was exposed to bands like Naughty By Nature, Boyz II Men, 2Pac and Biggie just to name a few.

After changing the channels on my digital walkman in hopes of finding something that would peak my interest, I stumbled upon music that I just couldn't say no to. It was Q101's Top 5 at 5 with James VanOsdol (a great half hour segment the station had. I'd say maybe second to the half hour with Pearl Jam at 7 p.m.). And the first three songs blew me out of the water.

First was Foo Fighters' Big Me. Then Seven Mary Three's Cumbersome. Not a bad start, but it wasn't until the third song that had me hooked. As the simple yet sweet acoustic sounds from Noel Gallagher's guitar, as Liam Gallagher's young voice played through my headphones, I was instantaneously falling in love. And as the final chords of Wonderwall finished, I knew I was going to be in for an amazing ride.

I listened to Q101 so much that first week, I recorded tapes of the songs I was listening to for the first time. In fact, I think I still have some, if not all of those tapes, with me right now. I need to break them out and listen to some of those. It be interesting to see exactly what I was listening during that time.

Anyway, I digress. I ended up buying What's the Story Morning Glory two weeks after my second venture into the world of "alternative," with my first failed attempt coming in 1992. I went out to a record store near Old Orchard Mall after my parents went shopping on a Friday so I can look around and capitalize on the new music I stumbled upon. I didn't know what to get, seeing that I was brand new to this.

Then I realized why I was there in the first place: Oasis.

I didn't know what I was in store for. The only songs I knew from this wonderful band from across the pond was Wonderwall, which ruled the airwaves for numerous months, and Champagne Supernova.

As I popped the cassette into my walkman, I sat in anticipation in hopes of something great. I looked over the cover to read the track listing. My head raised as the opening guitar licks of Hello popped through my headphones. Then Liam's voice chimed in.

I don't feel as if I know you
You take up all my time
The days are long and the night will throw you away
Coz the sun don't shine

Hello indeed.

Then it was Roll With It, Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger. At the tender age of 15, I was thinking, "Can it get any better than these first four songs for an album." I felt like I was experiencing something no one else would understand.

Then it continued. Hey Now, Some Might Say, Cast No Shadow, Morning Glory, and the epic anthem Champagne Supernova. There was no turning back after that. My walkman never left my side after buying that cassette. From the moment I left home until I got to school (a good 45 minute bus and train ride), during lunch, then on the trip home and the entire time I'd stay in my room doing home work, Oasis was the only thing playing.

That would eventually change three months later after I finally realized Oasis had an album prior to their modern classic. And when I finally listened to Definitely Maybe, Oasis was permanently etched into the books as the only band that mattered.

Needless to say, Oasis never left my ears for two and a half years. The first concert I ever saw was Oasis, sans Liam, in 1996 after their unbelievable showings at Knebworth and the MTV Unplugged. I saw them again in 1998 as they toured behind the underrated Be Here Now album. In all, I have been lucky to see Oasis four times in my life, and all four shows were spectacular.

My Oasis listening pleasure would continue all the way until my second year at Northern Illinois in 2000. I went nearly over four years with Oasis in the forefront of my musical collection.

However, as the days of Oasis dominating my cd player continued to diminish, the Manchester band would play a huge role as I opened my eyes to the world of music. The Gallagher brothers have been linked to a lot of bands I listen to today. I would not have the massive collection of music if it wasn't for them. I defintely would not have known about bands like Doves, Elbow, Kasabian, Charlatans UK, Arctic Monkeys, etc.

And if it wasn't for Oasis, the next phase of my musical life would never had seen the light of day.

I've rolled my stone away from The Rolling Stone

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is from my first site that went under.

Ok, so after another piss poor commentary for an album, I've decided that I will never, ever read one of The Rolling Stones' review section. The magazine has been useless in my mind for well over a decade, especially when crappy pap like Brittany Spears is getting hailed as great music, while bands like Kasabian get panned for an excellent effort like West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum.

So, besides Pitchfork, does anyone have any good magazines, or online sites, that have fair and unbiased reviews?

These are My Twisted Words

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is from my first site that went under.

Has there really ever been a dull moment when it comes to Radiohead?

From the opening lines of their first single, Creep, all the way to the magnificent In Rainbows, fans have clammored over this band in numerous ways.

And just when Thom Yorke comes out and says there won't be any more albums, the band finds another way to tease their fans with the leak of a brand new song, These Are My Twisted Words, just a few days ago. First found on a message board at the www.ateaseweb.com Web site, fans and critics alike have gone gaga over what could be next for one of the brilliant bands of our time.

The song opens with the haunting and chilling, yet comforting sounds of Jonny Greenwood noodling on his guitar while Phil Selway quietly intertwines his drums for more than two minutes.

Then, at the 2:37 mark of the song, Yorke jumps into the fray with his trademark eerie voice. Yorke's vocals have been distinguished over the years so much so that you can immediately tell this is Radiohead.

You can feel the pain exuding from Yorke's voice as he sings "When are you coming back? I just can’t handle it," as if the distance seperating him and his loved one is starting to be overbearing on his soul.

These Are My Twisted words might not be the greatest Radiohead song to be released, but it displays the true genius that is Radiohead. The parts come together to make another masterpiece. Then again, it wouldn't be Radiohead if it wasn't. In fact, this song almost sounds like an answer to Weird Fishes off In Rainbows, down from the Greenwood noodling all the way to the lyrics.

Could this be a sign of an EP around the horizon? It could very well be.

Whatever it is, though, Radiohead has peaked the interest of its fans again, just like it has for the past 16 years.

A quick peep

EDITOR'S NOTE: This was from my first site that went under.

Hey everyone who stumbles upon this site. My name is Nick and I'm here to guide you through this wonderful world that is called music. Granted, I've never picked up an instrument in my life, and hopefully that will change very soon, but what I can offer you is a vast knowledge of music from all era's and genres.

The goal is to turn you on to music that you have possibly never heard of before, or to engage in interesting coversations about artists and bands that you and I enjoy. I'm not going to be one of those critics who will be overbearing and tell you what you should be listening. It's a free world and everyone has distinct views and tastes. What I want is a community of listeners to share their tastes and maybe discover new bands along the way.

Let the adventure begin!

PS: If you can guess who sang the song I used as the title to this post, then you score a lot of points in my book.