My iPod #249: Nine Black Alps - Daytime Habit

The studio version of "Daytime Habit" isn't on YouTube; here it is on the band's official site.

"Daytime Habit" is a song recorded by Nine Black Alps whilst recording their second album "Love/Hate". It ended up as a B-Side to the second single released "Bitter End". (It is a big problem that none of Nine Black Alps' official music videos are on YouTube; you'll have to look for that song on your own).

I heard the track for the first time when browsing the group's website. On there you can listen to "Everything Is", "Love/Hate", their B-Sides and a few of their old demos. I've said before that I do not have as much 'love' for their second album as much as I do for the one that preceded it and the ones that followed. If I could find the tweet I would also show you that the band posted that they wished they had recorded it better.* There was nothing wrong with the songs, I have two in particular that I think are very good, but it was mild and soft compared to "Everything Is" - it missed that cutting edge and the large front which the aforementioned album had.

"Daytime Habit" however is quite different. It has that glaring and menacing tone reminiscent of some tracks from "Everything Is", but still has the close and tight sound of "Love/Hate". It is an awesome song, and I believe if this and the many other B-Sides that were recorded during that period were actually put on the record I would have liked it a lot more. But that's how it is I suppose.

Whilst on the topic of Nine Black Alps, THEY HAVE A NEW ALBUM COMING OUT. APRIL 21ST.  I'm on it.

They unveiled a song from it already. Listen to the newer one.

* I found the tweet.

My iPod #132: Linkin Park - Breaking the Habit

I don't like Linkin Park very much mow. They've done a Coldplay, which means they've changed their sound so much I don't even know who they are anymore. "Mylo Xyloto" is pretty shitty. I'm more of a "Parachutes" man. This is very much like Linkin Park. I think the only newer song I liked was "Waiting for the End", but I haven't bothered with their newest albums. "Meteora" is my favourite album, which will probably polarize a lot of you readers.

"Meteora" gets a lot of crap for apparently sounding the same as "Hybrid Theory", but I haven't listened to that album. The singles are good enough. Meteora on the other hand, you've got the song seguing into each other and Chester and Mike get an equal contribution on everything. "Breaking the Habit" is the exception. That is Chester's song. For sure. Mike doesn't rap on it, there's no distorted guitars. Just a lot of keyboards and synth-strings. It's very emotional.

The "Breaking the Habit" video is the first of Linkin Park's that I can actually remember watching on the TV when it was released. It freaked me out. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just that when I was seven, my uncle got me this "Animatrix" DVD which is supposed to link in with "The Matrix" film series. It is also rated fifteen by the way. That DVD was so confusing and fucked up - I think I can remember a person's head being squashed or something - and the animation for "Breaking the Habit" reminded me of it. So I didn't want to watch the music video for a while. I got over it though.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.