Suggestions (Part 2)

Music

Preface: I have never written out a music critique so this ought to be interesting. If you want a more professional look at the bands check out iTunes, and while you're there buy some of their music!

SafetySuit - One of my two FAVORITE bands/singers. SafetySuit is composed of Douglas Brown (lead singer and plays guitar), Dave Garofalo (guitar), Tate Cunningham (Drums), and Jeremy Henshaw (bass). My sister got one of their songs free for the iTunes song of the week and liked it so much she got the whole album. Then she recommended it to me and I've been hooked ever since. The band has two albums out right now; their first album, Life Left to Go, and their second album, These Times. There newest album, On Your Side, comes out in a few weeks and I am really excited about it! One of the reasons this band is spectacular is the lead singers voice... which I can't describe. I think good contrasting examples of his voice are Annie and Gone Away. The second album added a few new elements to the original albums sound. For example, Get Around This has a beautiful string orchestra in the background while still incorporating the rock vibe and Let Go throws in a pop song. Never Stop is one of my absolute favorite songs, EVER! To top off the wonderful vocals and beautiful lyrics are the powerful guitar melodies and strong drum beats. Some good examples of this are Someone Like You, Down, and Believe. I also appreciate the slower songs they incorporate in their albums, two of which are Gone Away and Life in the Pain. Yeah, I love this band. I hope you give them a shot! Also, check out some videos of SafetySuit performing live on YouTube, Douglas Brown really gets into it!

Goo Goo Dolls -My other favorite band/singers. Lead singer (and a guitarist) John Rzeznik, Bassist (and vocalist) Robby Takac, and drummer Mike Malinin form the Goo Goo Dolls. The Goo Goo Dolls have been around since 1985, so they have been around for a while. Something I really appreciate about the band is that each of their albums is distinctive and you can see the growth/change in each new release. The band started off as a punk band but the two singles that kicked off their career were Name and Iris which dramatically altered the direction of the bad as a whole. Goo Goo Dolls became a pop/rock group and have remained so to this day. They have released 18 albums, the latest one, Magnetic, came out this year. Each album is different then the last but one of the biggest changes was between the 2010, Something for the Rest of Us, and the 2013, Magnetic. Something for the Rest of Us is one of the more serious albums they have done but it is also one of my favorites. The songs highlight the richness of Rzeznik's voice and the instrumentals weave beautiful melodies throughout. Some of my favorite songs from that album are Still Your Song, NotBroken, and Postcard from Paradise. Magnetic is very up beat and light. Coming off of their last album it was quite a shock to hear their new sound. Still, I love the song Caught in the Storm, it's my favorite off of that album. The Goo Goo Dolls music has also been used in movies. They sang I'm Still Here, the main character's theme in Treasure Planet, Disney's twist on Treasure Island. Sam and Mikaela's theme, Before It's too Late, in Transformers is by the Goo Goo Dolls, as well All That You Are in the third movie. I encourage you to check out their work on YouTube or iTunes. Right now they are touring for their newest album. Some songs to get you started (that I haven't already listed) are Big Machine, Sympathy, Better Days, Let Love In, and Broadway. They have many more, go find the ones you like.