Sunday Music Guest Post #6

In celebration of reaching the halfway point of my (50) Sundays of Music countdown, I wanted to do something to celebrate. I figured what better way than to turn the tables around and hear about other people's favorite music. So I asked some of my blogger friends (and a special guest) to give me a week full of guest posts talking about one of their favorite artists, albums or songs and to give the reason why. Today's guest post comes from...

Nick! Now, you will notice, there is no hyperlink over his name. That is because he is this week's special guest. Nick doesn't have a blog as of press time, but he got here because he is my brother. At one point in his life, literally not too long ago, he was following in my footsteps and was thinking of pursuing a journalism degree. His thoughts have now changed in a direction that is taking him to music school in Los Angeles. I still am incredibly proud of his writing talents, at times honestly becoming jealous. It must be in our blood to write about music with a passion. Let him showcase what I believe to be a talent below:

Dance Gavin Dance - Dance Gavin Dance [DeathStar Album]

In today's era of a music industry there is, needless to say, a mass multitude of music out there and available for music- goers worldwide. With that said, it is far from guaranteed that every album produced is pure gold. It is sort of crazy in that sense, that you can get so lost in the music industry these days looking for some good music to suit your ears, you can honestly wind up more confused than ever trying to find that new great cd. After countless music shows and concerts, honestly countless, I've been able to witness many forgettable acts which would be tactful to name, but yet on the flip-side there have been quite a few musical groups that have simply been able to awe and blow me away with whatever they were doing. And it is because of this live aspect, which everyone should at least experience once for the atmosphere, that I'd have to say it was honestly difficult narrowing down my choices of a favorite cd.

When first prompted with the question of preference, I sort of wanted to go retro-ish and bring back a cd everyone has heard but may not remember, with UnderOath's "They're Only Chasing Safety." For me that cd was monumental; first screamo band in high school. So many people I know would cringe if they ever listened to this music, but for me it was just a raw blend of melodies and angst via Spencer Chamberlain, screaming vocalist. Even though this wasn't my pick, this cd was significant enough for a mention, because it was thanks to these guys [ and a friend's band, La Circa] that I got into that whole genre for a fairly long time. In this time, i was able to come across some really good bands that honestly had a very good chance of stealing this pick. For instance, Pierce the Veil and Lower Definition, two up and coming bands from San Diego, Ca. I saw both these bands when I was in high school, and was hooked ever sense. The crazy thing was that the same night that i first saw Lower Definiton, I was also able to see another standout band from Sacramento, Ca take the stage. Anybody ever heard of Jonny Craig? Jon Mess? Well if not, then I was in your shoes that night. After that show though, I have honestly seen Dance Gavin Dance at least a dozen times, and have practically grown with them through their cds, which is kinda weird but also a cool thing, if that's not too contradicting. But for real though, if you have never heard Jonny Craig sing, in what ever band, you've been missing out. This guy may not possess the greatest personality, but the man can sing. And Jon Mess is a whole different story.

After being apart of Dance Gavin Dance for two studio albums, Jonny Craig left the band, with Kurt Travis filling his vocalist shoes. I personally feel that this is where Jon Mess took his writing to a whole other level with the Deathstar album. He just wrote with an edge, cynically even, and it worked extremely well for my listening likes. For instance, in the song, 'Me and Zoloft Get Along Just Fine,' Jon Mess has a distinct line that goes "Rate me and judge me, on a graph that you drew, hope i compare to the friends that left you for dead." I remember reading the lyrics tothat song for the first time in the summer of '08, and just getting the chills.

The added intensity of Mess' vocals was not the only new features of Dance Gavin Dance's Deathstar though. There was also the new melodic riffing of guitarist Zac Garren, who gave DGD a funkier tone to their already intricate musical works. Then there is the total 180 of singing with clean vocalist, Kurt Travis. He gave DGD a breathe of fresh air while tag teaming with Mess and the rest of the band to create this master piece. This was a great change of pace, because it introduced the likes of great songs like RockSolid [Featuring vocals from Lower Definition's Matt Giese] People you know [ Mess' giant rant song] and Uneasy Hearts weigh the most, a song in which everybody can get into and enjoy.