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Opeth - Heir Apparent Heir Apparent - (n) An heir whose legal right to receive somebody’s property, money or title cannot be taken away because it is impossible for somebody with a stronger claim to be born

(n) A convoluted, nebulous, dark and brutal rhapsody by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth

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Someday- Steve Earle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyi6mFZv9SI

For when you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed or out of place.

For all the small town girls and boys. Thanks for this beautiful song and submission.

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U2 - Window in the Skies Just a while ago, I was seeing pictures from a year and a half ago when I went to Chicago. We visited the SkyDeck. Unmistakably, I couldn’t think of a better song as I skimmed through the pictures. Wow. .feels like just yesterday when I saw the premiere of this video on VH1. I wasn't even in college back then. 2006 is now farther away than 2025. This is one of those videos which will make you feel great. Like watching and celebrating music.

So, I'm gonna listen to this all night, maybe cry a little because of the nostalgia and hum this atleast for the next 2 weeks.Did you see Bono in the crowd? If you pay close attention, you’ll see all of U2 in the crowd. Thanks to youtube user Garry Lineker, you don’t have to struggle. 00:14 Frank Zappa 00:17 Billie Holiday 00:19 Simon & Garfunkel 00:20 Roy Orbison 0:22  Bjork 00:23 Aretta Franklin 00:24 Bob Marley 00:33 Louis Amstrong 00:38 David Bowie 00:44 Lou Reed 00:46 Frank Sinatra 00:47 John Stirratt (Wilco) 00:49 Kanye West 00:50 The clash 00:51 Mick Jones (The Clash) 00:52 Nat King Cole 01:01 Sam Cooke 01:02 Ozzy Osbourne 01:10 Ramones 01:15 Nirvana 01:25 Joe Strummer (The Clash) 01:26 Johnny Cash 01:27 Iggy Pop 01:31 Paul McCartney 01:33 Thom Yorke (Radiohead) 01:34 Mary J. Blige 01:36 Red Hot Chili Peppers 01:38 Elvis 01:46 Beck hansen 01:47 Britney Spears 01:48 Elton John 02:08 Adam Clayton 02:16 Arcade Fire 02:21 Keith Richards 02:22 George Harrison (Beatles of course) 02:23 Jimmy Hendrix 2:27  Bob Dylan 02:30 Adam Clayton 02:32 Chrissy Hinde 02:33 Alicia Keys 02:34 Ray Charles 02:39 Sam Cooke 02:43 David Bowie 02:45 Smokey Robinson 02:47 Elvis 02:51 Robert Plant 02:52 Vladimir Horowitz (Pianist) 02:55 Tina Turner 02:57 Dusty Springfield 03:03 Queen (?) 03:07 James Brown 03:12 David Byrne (Talking Heads) 03:21 Adam (dark glasses) and Edge 03:26 Jerry Lee Lewis 03:29 Bono 03:33 Jay Z 03:36 Patti Smith 03:37 Steve Wonder 03:47 Pete Townshed 03:51 Edge 03:54 Adam 03:55 Edge

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Goodnight to the Good ones

4 famous people dead because of cancer in a span of 20 days - Lemmy Kilmister, David Bowie, Alan Rickman and now the relatively not-so-famous René Angélil. Yeah, The world is mourning and I liked some of these people but I do want you, whoever you are, to also think about the millions of people mourning the loss of the not so famous people of the earth. I remember from many years ago seeing a mother from the middle-east holding the corpse of her baby and wiping the dust of the rubble off his face and asking the reporter “Do you know how it is for a mother to lose her child? It’s unexplainable, like death itself“ and she quietly sobbed as the lady reporter couldn’t hold her tears.

If a person dies, it’s a tragedy. If it’s more than one, it’s a fucking statistic. Let’s not reduce this into a statistic. Cancer is awful. Death is awful. I went back on facebook recently and god it’s dreadful. I don’t care about you posting a status message and I know it might even be difficult for you to empathize with a person who lost a dear one. I know I lost one of my favorite people more than 4 years ago and I still have this little void inside that makes me feel that there was something I could’ve done. It wasn’t an illness nor an accident. It was loss - the death of her favorite sister, the fact that her grandson moved to a different country for an uncertain period time, the human touch she needed the most as she gave into senility.

If any of your loved ones is fighting a life-threatening disease or has just passed away, I’m sorry for your loss. I feel your pain. I hope the passing away or the condition of your loved one isn’t overshadowed by these famous people. Losing a person has made me a stronger person but I would give everything away. .every little bit of myself to see my Nana again.

This one is for you guys, who continue to keep your heads high even after all you’ve seen. Sending you some love, respect and courage.

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I get it, Hypocrites

Poor Chap Bowie.

But no one seemed to care when Lemmy passed away. I was never a Bowie fan and I won’t even pretend to be one. But it’s getting fucking old seeing people suddenly giving all the fucks they have when a person passes away.

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Nightwish - Nemo

I’ve become a bitch for this song. I’ve pissed many many people playing this as many times I have. I’ve fallen for how beautiful the video is and her looks in it - the robe she wears, her ghostly pale complexion, the sharp features including the dominant cheek bones that, apparently make females all the more attractive. She’s probably the best singer they ever had. There's already endless argument over it but I’m glad she sang the studio version of this song. In the live performance, I like how she sings the word ‘Nemo’.

Not long ago, I read S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst and I can’t help but think this song should’ve been the theme for the main story in the book. If you haven’t read it yet, please give it a go. It’s concept is unlike those of most books you’ll ever read. Also, check out Spythriller’s over of this song.

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The Birthday Massacre - Shallow Grave

The only good thing about being on Facebook was getting to know of new songs from a hand full of friends. But for over 2 years now, I’ve been away from all the dumb shit drama that goes on on my Facebook. Good thing. Luckily, there’s Pandora radio. Didn’t hear any of their music until a few months ago. Late to the party but I’m glad I’m on-board.

This is by far my favorite Birthday Massacre song closely followed by the title track of this album, among a dozen I’ve thumbed up on Pandora. I have all of their albums to listen to but I’ve left myself to repeat this song till I’m satisfied with it. That means 10 to 15 times at a stretch. Industrial music is supposed to be catchy but I wish I was wrong when I guessed that they’re not that great live. I also wish this song had a face melting bluesy guitar solo in between.

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Dolores O’Riordan - When we were young

I’ve asked myself countless times why I’ve hardly made any posts. It seems that I’ve lost my motivation to do so. Do I want to? Yes, totally but then I think to myself, for who? me? I didn’t start off for myself in the first place. That’s one more thing I’ve realized about myself in the last few months. Everything I’ve done, in fact continue to do is more for others than my own self. Though it makes me feel good that I do stuff for others, I wish I were a little selfish sometimes. Many have taken advantage of this and although I can see right through it, I haven’t able to bring myself to stop.

I also realized that I listen to the same old albums and songs over and over and every passing phase of life sheds new light on the meanings of these songs. I wish something I didn’t chew on my thoughts so much. Over-analyze and chill. If I would only chew the food I ate as much, life would be better. Another song reminiscing the past, describing the restlessness I feel when I’m in - not doing anything, triggering my inherent homesickness that been around for 4 and a half years. “Nostalgia is the dirty liar that insists that things in the past were better than they are”. True, but I want some peace and it seems like I’m always searching for it. Should I be searching for it?

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Strings - Titiliyan

This has been in my drafts for over a year. It feels good to finish it.

All the songs that I hear of this band are so heartfelt. Strings is a 2 man Pakistani band in which I see traces of Poets of the fall and U2, mostly because of Faisal's (the lead singer) voice. This is the first time I heard Bilal, who usually rocks the guitar like one should, sing and damn does he do a great job. Coke studio sessions are big in Pakistan, India and the middle east where a lot of Sufi and classical music is fused with modern, western elements. More often than not, the coke studio versions are better than the original but there are instances where they fuck the song up real bad. This song is a another great one by this band - melancholic and beautiful. The supporting vocals of the girls adds that ‘Aha‘ to this song and there were many times that I listened to it just for their voices. Her name is Saba Shabbir, and you’re welcome ;)

I started listening to it 2 years ago and was probably the only song I listened to for the entire month that I was back home in December 2013. This song reminds me of a girl I started talking to online when I first got on Tumblr (Summer of 2012). After a few months, she said she liked me and then she loved me. After more than a year of making it work, she suddenly ‘woke up‘ and realized that for all we know, we’d never meet in person. She broke it off and there was nothing I could do to keep her. I still think of her and why not, she was the first girl I ever loved. Blame myself for falling for her. What is life without a little heartbreak eh? It’s weird, it was my first relationship. .I sometimes doubt it could be called one. I want to get all of it out of my system on this blog. All of it, so I don’t have to think about it and fret. Here’s the translation of the lyrics -

My heart was a toy. Now that it's broken, what can one say? There was a friend who was loved, they left me miserable. What can I say?

Butterflies of my memories fly away. In their colors I see them trying to tell me something.

There was a lake. There were many flowers. They're all trampled now. What can I say?

Wanted to say so much, never uttered a single word.

I was left behind, alone, burning in the path.

Your love was my light, now its put out. What can I say?

Seeing your warm, protective embrace, how can I forget? what can I say?

The singing Cuckoo, the blooming garden, how can I forget? what can I say?

There was a face, that was ours. It’s faded away now. What is to say?

The heart was a toy. Now that it's broken, what's left to say?. .what's left to say?

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My Favorite Albums of All Time:

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Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

I've been wanting to post Pull me under and Octavarium on my blog as they've become very close to me in the last 2 years. I was looking around for song posts on tumblr along with something personal about the person who posted it. First success. The search shall be on. Thanks for sharing.

This is the 41 minute score by Dream Theater: Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence. It is a sequence of 8 songs from the album, each leading into the next. The score addresses the experiences of coping with six mental illnesses: Bipolar Depression, PTSD, Schizophrenia, Postpartum Depression, Autism, and multiple personality disorder (If you hover over the annotations wiith your mouse it briefly describes each song). The band plays live along with a full orchestra without taking any breaks. This is definitely the most amazing musical creation i have ever heard, both lyrically, rhythmically, and melodically. If you have an open musical mind, 41 uninterrupted minutes to spare, and good ear buds, then i highly recommend you experience this. For the anon who asked me what my favorite song is - it’s this one.

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Katatonia - Unfurl Flashing back to her fragile, tranquil sapphire blue eyes gazing into mine…I can’t tell if it is her or I that cannot move. Everything around us is moving slower than it should…Her mouth quivered like a naked wolf in a blizzard, and her slim fur jacket I’d given her over a year ago must be keeping her warm, for I mustn’t. She kissed my lips, with the look in her eyes pleading forgiveness, begging for a response…and it was this moment a lone, solemn tear drifted down her right cheek. The wind brushing against her hair ignited the scent that sent us back to when the world was filled with lights, and only pure shadows slid inside us. It’s been eight minutes since I forgot to breathe, and I poured myself into her. We collapsed to our knees in each others arms…and I felt something wet on my hand. I reached back and held it up towards the sliver of light in the alley, and saw nothing but vermillion. I quickly looked back to where my hand was and saw a bullet wound deep in her stomach, and swiftly looked to her face. Again her eyes gazed purely into mine, her quivering mouth attempting to smile. With only the passive tone of sorrow and horror, she whispered, “I’m sorry…I lo-“ "You are still... Are you…paralyzed?"

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Linkin Park - The Little Things Give You Away

They did face a lot of backlash when they came out with this album which I felt was unnecessary. Change is not everyone's cup of tea but I remember being so happy that they got an album out after a long hiatus. I was impressed with Minutes to Midnight - the songs, the music, the inspiration that lead to the creation of the album, even the damn cover art. Yeah, it lacked the aggressive vocals of their lead man and the trademark rock-rap feel but it was a healthy change. Their music did go downhill since then though with a few tracks as saving grace. I remember listening to this from morning to the wee hours of the night, in the shower, in class. . .and eventually the whole class was listening to it.

Chameleon, my band loved to cover 'What I've done' and used to get an encore every time we decided to play it. I loved singing the song, can't sing for nuts now. Need to train my voice, which I've been hoping to do for a while. This song happens to be my favorite off the record though. After listening to so many songs, I do think though that my pedestalization of the guitar solo back then was my naivety :P but it's so fitting with the emotion and the message captured by the song. The way it leads into the best part of the song is so uplifting and gives me chills - with the synchronous overlap and how they layer the voices on the music. They then used this same cascading effect in the Catalyst but nah, it wasn't that great.

So many years as the memories come flooding back - my lead guitarist playing the guitar solo for the first time, how my guitarists and me just yelling the last part out of key, getting my classmates in undergrad to listen and appreciate what they did with this song. Talking about flooding, when I did find out many years later that this song was written about Hurricane Katrina, it made so much sense. Gotta give it to them. I always expected a little too much when they played it live.

My cousin Vernon and me had a fallout many many years ago. We'd have them regularly now that I think about it but that particular time it was really bad. Aha, I now remember what it was about. This Philippine chick he met on a fucking yahoo chatroom who was chatting him up and was promising to get him off. He gave me shit because of her. Everytime he'd get pissed for some stupid reason (we'd later ridicule anyone who'd get pissed for no good reason that they had Vernon Syndrome), feel victimized and who else was there to blame other than me? Unlike previous times where I'd try to patch up, my ego finally kicked in. We didn't contact each other for years. Whenever I heard the pre chorus and chorus of this song, I used to think about him and feel bitter. We've come a long long way since then after much of such drama. So thankful that things have gotten so much better between us now.

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Kelly Clarkson - Please come home for Christmas

Yes, Christmas has come a little too late to this blog. I've been thinking of posting a lot of songs but I haven't been motivated to do so. I have to admit, I often think "Who's looking forward to my posts anyway?" but I've gotten pretty busy with work, which is good, gym and have been reading ton loads of books. I've actually been thinking from the past 2 weeks that I'll make a post, just for myself if not anyone but I was beating myself up on which one. I wasn't able to sleep until 6am yesterday as my mind was occupied by a lot of things. Even my blog :D and even now at 3:00 am I just couldn't help but make a post and hopefully it'll help me go to sleep early.

This past Christmas, I sadly wasn't able to go home. Tempe got really cold though and I spent all of December driving around it or in my room. I missed being home. I miss it everyday. I remember I was driving back home one evening with my sister (Yes, she's in the US now and was in Phoenix for a month in December!) and the Eagels' rendition of this started playing and as soon as Don Henley uttered "Please come home for Christmas" for the first time in the song, I was so moved I said to my sister sitting in the passenger seat that if anyone sang that to me I'll drive across the oceans without thinking twice just to get there. Just to get home. It really wasn't as sentimental as I put it, it was rather funny and I remember us cracking up. We laughed a lot when she was here, for the silliest of things. We laughed a lot when she arrived here for the first time in August. I had her spend 10 days here before she went off to Rockford, IL where she's working hard getting her masters in medical biotechnology. I miss her but I make sure I call her regularly. If it wasn't for her, really, I wouldn't have a real purpose to staying back in the US.

The people on my facebook are boring as fuck. Anyway, I posted all the versions of this song I liked on Christmas eve in one single post and I can bet $1000 no one listed to them. Yeah, what was I expecting? After the Eagels' version, I heard Martina McBride's live version (Damn does she look hot in the video) and was really really impressed with it. The more I heard it, the more I felt Carrie Underwood sounds like her but then, I'd been following Kelly Clarkson on facebook and spotted her "Wrapped in Red" album cover/poster a lot. Couldn't help but click the link when I saw the same album art with her heavily made up yet sexy face on the search results of this song. It's the only version I listen to now. No one belts the high notes on this like she does. She's so awesome. I'd love to give her a biig hug and her daughter is so sweet too. There's a video of Kelly and a group of women singing as her daughter is laughing away in amazement. It's super cool.

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all i do is listen to music and overthink shit