en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal The Last.fm journal for cheldoll. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2011/09/03/4lqc00_i_love_the_fact_that... Sat, 3 Sep 2011 21:18:44 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2011/09/03/4lqc00_i_love_the_fact_that... ...even though I haven't scrobbled the majority of the music I've been listening to (my iPod scrobbler app stopped working after iOS 3.1.5 and I resubscribed to Sirius XM) for approximately... FOREVER, my play count still averages out to 35 tracks per day.

Awesome!

I don't think my music tastes have changed much, but my top artists (and definitely top tracks) might change up. I've been on this 90s grunge binge thanks to Lithium on satellite radio, but since it's summer, I gravitate to the faster-paced songs.

Anyway, I'm using iScrob on my iPhone now so let's see if we can bump that number up, shall we?

xoxo]]> http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2010/03/22/3i8tex_dark_horse_tour Mon, 22 Mar 2010 07:41:52 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2010/03/22/3i8tex_dark_horse_tour So I am officially going to see the "Dark Horse Tour" in May! Smiley face.

The line-up's got Sick Puppies, Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin and Nickelback and I'm totally pumped. I'm most excited for BB, but I could simply be biased because Benjamin Brunley's way too fucking adorable to have such an epic voice... but that's beside the point. It's going to be fantastic.

I think Nickelback is technically the headliner (from the promos I've seen and the tickets themselves) though. Which isn't bad -- I love Canadian boys and all, particularly of the Alberta variety ♥ -- but they're not my favorite. Actually, I don't even know who my favorite Canadian band is... probably State Of Shock at the moment. But that's an unrelated plug.

Anyway, all four of the bands have chunks of my play counts here so I'm sure it'll be an amazing show. Sick Puppies I am not actually very familiar with -- I've only heard singles from them on Octane -- but I mean.... Australians are awesome by default, right? Yeah. They apparently also have a chick on bass, which, although it's bass, is fantastic IMO. I plan to take some more of their stuff from Thomas' library eventually. According to him, there isn't anything impressive.

Some of my favorite tracks:
Sick Puppies -- You're Going Down
Shinedown -- Son Of Sam, Son Of Sam, Sin With A Grin (If You Only Knew ♥)
Breaking Benjamin -- Shallow Bay Dance With The Devil, Give Me A Sign
Nickelback -- Figured You Out, Hangnail]]> http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2010/02/24/3fzp9z_bands_i%27ve_seen_live! Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:32:17 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2010/02/24/3fzp9z_bands_i%27ve_seen_live! I'm almost ashamed at how few shows I've been to. :(

Bands I've Seen Live:
3 Doors Down
Breaking Benjamin
Buckcherry
Drowning Pool
Finger Eleven
Hurt
Jimmy Eat World
John Mayer
Lifehouse
Nickleback
Papa Roach
Saving Abel
Seether
Shinedown
State Of Shock
Sublime
Tantric

Bands I Would Do More Than What I Would Do For a Klondike Bar to See Live:
Adelitas Way
Dashboard Confessional
Disturbed
Escape the Fate
Mayday Parade
Metallica
New Found Glory
Queens of the Stone Age
Rise Against
Saliva
Staind
Theory of a Deadman
Three Days Grace
Trapt

If I wasn't a tiny asian woman I might go to shows myself -- but alas, I rely on having at least one person to make sure I'm not physically torn apart. I get the feeling that I'd be a bit out of place in the crowd. :(]]> http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2010/02/20/3fjtka_how_i_create_playlists Sat, 20 Feb 2010 02:58:02 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2010/02/20/3fjtka_how_i_create_playlists I had a friend looking through my iPod yesterday and as he stumbled upon my playlist, he inquired,

"What the hell?"

I have similar playlists (albeit usually outdated) here on Last.fm, but to give you an idea, some of my labels:

- "She said, "he's so sweet...""
- "Pushin' the pedal through the floor!"
- "That's all right, mamma."

basically just confusing at first glance. I typically use a lyric that captures a particular emotion or overall mood -- and I tend to be subjective here, since it's my playlist afterall. Let me explain my thought process.

"That's all right, mamma," whose song should be obvious, is actually a family-friendly playlist I use most often in the car while driving with my own mother. No cursing, nothing sexual, nothing with screaming or heavy electric guitar. A lot of it is actually Matchbox Twenty because she is obsessed with Rob Thomas. (Occasion-based)

"Pushin' the pedal through the floor!" is taken from Rev Theory's track, "Hell Yeah." It's what I have blasting when I'm alone or with select people that have fun tastes in music. Teehee. Fast tempos, no songs longer than ~3-4 minutes (I love you, James Hetfield, but people complain when the entire trip isn't even long enough to finish one song.) and anything better when it's played louder. (Occasion-based)

"She said, "he's so sweet..." was previously titled "Do it once, do it twice..." and if you're familiar with the following lyrics, you understand what that playlist is for. Long songs are good. (uhhh. Boyfriend-based)

"I'm Only Happy When It Rains." -- Slower, pessimistic or cynical songs. Strictly nothing tear-provoking. (Mood-based)

"She said I'm Better Off Dead." -- Typical angry music to direct towards an ex or anyone you imagine grinding into a bloody pulp. (Mood-based)

"Make you Banana Pancakes!" -- For lazy mornings. Moderate tempos, no songs longer than ~3-4 minutes, typically catchy. (Time-based)

etc! So next time you see my iPod, don't freak out.

Well, at least not just because of the playlist names.There's a madness to my method.

Wait, I think I got that backwards...]]> http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2010/01/25/3d9f52_john_mayer_--_battle_studies Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:03:12 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2010/01/25/3d9f52_john_mayer_--_battle_studies John Mayer is and has always been one of my favorite people -- witty, sarcastic, thoughtful, and just really fucking talented. It doesn't hurt that he's cute, either.

Let me first say that it's hard for me to really be objective when I review his music; the original slower recording of "No Such Thing" from the Inside Wants Out EP and the entirety of Room For Squares were major parts of the soundtrack to my middle school-early high school years, and the release of Heavier Things was something to celebrate when you're 16.

Now, all that being said, John released another album in 2006, literally less than a month after I'd went to McMinnville for College. Continuum blew my little Chelly mind out of the water. A good friend of mine snagged the album off iTunes the second it was available and it couldn't have fit better into our lifespans -- "Stop This Train," "Waiting on the World to Change," "In Repair" -- and, just as God intended, he included a cover of Hendrix's Bold As Love.

It felt mature, it felt classy, yet unready and raw. There's no doubt in my mind that Continuum's the peak of John's career. Around this same time I was exposed to his work with Pino Palladino and Steve Jordan in the John Mayer Trio on Try! and saw him live in concert for the first time. Incredibly talented guitarist.

I could not get enough of this man -- he oozed awesome from every orifice.

In fact, he's almost single-handedly uprooted me from mainstream pop and introduced me to the worlds of jazz and blues. Every orifice.

Getting to the actual album I wanted to review, Battle Studies: in a word, I'd call it "good." And... that pretty much covers it, I think.

I wanted more tracks like his cover of Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues" ("Crossroads" on the BS album) -- I require more proof for my theory that John also sold his soul to the devil to be able to play this well.
I can settle for just one of these gems in an album. After all, he's considered a pop artist... covers like these are almost like B-sides, and I'm happy to even have that much.

The album as a whole is, like I said before... good. There are a few songs which bug me -- I can't help but cringe at "Who Says" and "All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye" just makes me want to punch him in the face for some reason -- but it's all genuinely John. Lyrics, guitar and production. It isn't something to rave about obviously, otherwise this review wouldn't be two months late. It's a good album even following Continuum's act.

In addition to "Crossroads," some of the best tracks on the album: "Heartbreak Warfare," "Edge Of Desire." I fucking love this man.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2009/12/14/38t77u_itunes,_you_fucking_virus Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:12:47 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2009/12/14/38t77u_itunes,_you_fucking_virus So I turned on my laptop last night and opened up iTunes only to find that the entirety of my library and playlists were gone.

Am I surprised? No. It's Apple.

Am I pissed? Fuck yes.

Apparently it's happened to a lot of people, too, but I haven't found a damn thing (much less any info from Apple) on how to fix it.

I've gotta figure out what I want to manage my music and iPod with now. Sigh.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2009/11/27/370tka_escape_the_fate_--_%22not_good_enough%22 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:28:55 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/cheldoll/journal/2009/11/27/370tka_escape_the_fate_--_%22not_good_enough%22 So I'm not sure how I feel about "Not Good Enough (for Truth in Cliché)," one of the free mp3 downloads I just snagged. It's an old single (~2006?) by Escape the Fate and, quite frankly, if no one told me that I wouldn't have guessed.

I adore This War Is Ours completely, and not just because their leading single featured Josh Todd. Honest! I just love the lyrics and overall energy of the album -- I haven't seen it myself since I was out of the country when the Vegas boys were in Portland (waaaaah), but I hear Craig Mabbitt's stage performance is just as exciting.

At the moment, I've got "We Won't Back Down" going on iTunes; they're really almost a whole new band. I mean, I guess that's what happens when your band makes a pit stop in DramaVille and you lose your lead singer and a guitarist. I sort of feel that if you're getting a whole new songwriter, you're getting a whole new band. But hey! That's just me. I'm sure they just kept their name to hold onto their fan base.

Anyway, back to the single -- I'm going to have to give it a thumbs down. They sound pretty generic, and if this was the first ETF track I heard I definitely wouldn't have followed up. The lyrics aren't bad; they're a bit emo for my tastes, but they're not bad. I think Craig's vocals mesh with their sound really well.

So, sorry Ronnie! I think my expectations were just too high from the new Escape the Fate.]]>