A Return to the Blogosphere

Hey all, I'm back and yes this time it's for real. I have taken an 8 month hiatus from Plug in Your Head and for that I am desperately sorry, but my personal life took a dive and then I sort of just forgot about Plug in Your Head in general. But I am here to make amends.

I'd like to talk rather about MY music life and what's going on in it for a little while, but I can't say for sure how often I will be doing Plug in Your Head at the moment, but there is a new very exciting project I will be working on soon that I will let you all in on as soon as it all gets finalized.

So many of my friends at college are writing exams, which means that a lot of the time I am alone now, but that's alright because the weather here in the Southern Hemisphere is is finally turning right. After the first snow seen in the greater Johannesburg area in the last 20 years blanketed the CBD last month, it is finally warming up! So with this new found spare time and warm weather, I have found myself sitting in the sun and listening to music fairly often. This happened today for instance when I put my head phones on, (Plugged in my Head if you will) closed my eyes and got lost in Bob Dylan's, Highway 61 Revisited. 

This truly is a masterpiece of music. Dylan sure as hell can write fantastic lyrics! This is one of the very rare albums that make me completely devote my attention to the lyrics all the way through. Yes the lyrics aren't sung particularly well, as Dylan's voice sounds like something in a lot of pain, but if Desolation Row doesn't make your top 20 best songs of all time, I don't know what will.

For those fans of more recent rock, My Chemical Romance released their cover of Desolation Row in 2009 for the soundtrack of The Watchmen. This movie is fantastic by the way and is very true to the Comic Book. This song is much shorter and VERY different to the original, but it's still pretty good.

But I digress. As my eyes were closed for well on 30 minutes I didn't realise what was going on around me, so when I finally did open my eyes after the 11:22 Minute EPIC that is Desolation Row, I found that I had been joined by a large group of my friends who were seated next to me and all in deep conversation!

So the sun, Bob Dylan and Neil Young's After the Goldrush (Which I failed to mention) made for a pretty good early afternoon!

I'd definitely  recommend both of these albums, they are classics for a reason. Links to some of the music mentioned are at the bottom.

This has been another Plug In Your Head, after way too long.

So until next time, turn up the volume and Plug in Your Head!

Xtian Zzyzx

tl;dr- Bob Dylan, Neil Young, My Chemical Romance and The Weather. And I'm back!

Massive Attack - Heligoland

Article first published as Music Review: Massive Attack - Heligoland on Blogcritics.

Massive Attack are widely referred to as the founders of the early '90s U.K. wave of music known as Trip-Hop. They seem to fuse together different aspects of several genres of music, including House, Electronic, Dance, Hip-Hop and even Progressive and Experimental Rock. The truly unique aspect of Massive Attack is that they are able to gel all these aspects into a fusion in which these become one without the loss of any listening pleasure due to extreme experimentation.

The efforts of Heligoland are shared between the duo who make up Massive Attack and six other artists who are featured throughout the album. And whilst so many contributing artists can often lead to several challenges, Heligoland never seems to stray too far from the original tone and at the same time doesn't become repetitive.

Heligoland lends itself to the eerier side of music which comes across especially in songs like "Rush Minute," "Atlas Air" and "Paradise Circus," which featured in the soundtracks of the TV series Misfits, Luther, True Blood and Gossip Girl. The album also relies on the heavy presence of a main melody specifically in "Psyche," in which a sampled picked guitar sound is heard throughout the entire song. However, several changes are made to the melody throughout the song, ranging from volume change to an increase of a reverb effect which results in different atmospheres being introduced throughout the song without changing the notes played. This is a very creative and yet simple production element which allows the music to create a climax or even suspense without relying on lyrics or other instruments.

As with most electronic music, the bass and drum sounds are very important and act as the foundation of the song. Heligoland is no exception to the rule, even in the track "Paradise Circus," where these aspects are very simple. But it's the simplicity of the bass and drum sounds that makes the song so noticeably unique. The effect of the music, topped with vocals done by Hope Sandoval make this song haunting and is possibly the most memorable track on the album.

Where this style of music could easily turn to a self-indulgent tangent of the artists, it is still captivating and enjoyable throughout. I'd advise listening to this album not expecting a fusion of multiple genres and especially not expecting one genre to dominate because this album simply cannot be classified as any genre other than Trip-Hop and that is what I feel makes this album so unique.

This album has introduced creativity and complete originality into a music industry where both are lacking. And saying that I would highly recommend giving Heligoland a listen.

Happy New Year

I am back! And I hope I've come back in time to stop Plug in Your Head from drifting out into the huge sea of blogs.I have just come back from a holiday to England and now that the new year is in full swing, Plug in Your Head will be too.

I went to England believing that I could see a major band every weekend and an indie band everyday. And with this hope I had put some money aside for my brief stay in London where I expected to see my hero's in action. I was disappointed however, as I apparently came at the wrong time of year and that my hero's were back home, celebrating Christmas. After searching the internet, luckily I was able to find a band who I was quite keen too see.

On the 18th of December me, my friend Josh and roughly 100 other people all packed into the small and sweaty Scala Theater in London to see Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Hawthorn Hights. I have never been a big fan of either band and so I went in expecting very little and that is precisely what Hawthorn Hights and the opening band (Who I cannot remember the name of) gave me. However when RJA took the stage the entire room went crazy! The entire dance floor became a mosh pit and I became entranced by the Pop-Metal band. It was undoubtedly, the best live performance I have ever seen and I took the tube home, sweaty, in pain and smiling my head off.

Once back in Salford where I was staying, me and my hosts debated music and music journalism until the early hours of the morning. These debates rekindled my passion for writing and thus started reading every music publication I could find. They were all shit. I was gutted as the publications I had hoped to someday work for gave uninteresting reviews and boring segments. This really made me sad as I then thought that my future career in Music Journalism was a wasted effort.
However when I returned home, I found that Rolling Stone South Africa had finally been launched and thus my aspirations are back on track. I hope I can write for Rolling Stone one day and pursue my Journalistic Career.

In the meantime however, Plug in Your Head will return every week and I hope you all will support me in the year ahead.

Happy New Year.

Xtian Zzyzx

Plug in Your Head Break

Hey all, I'm sorry there hasn't been a Plug in Your Head recently. I have had problems with my internet and so I haven't been able to post on Blogspot. But I was able to find a brief spot where it worked in which I posted my review on Metallica and Lou Reeds "Lulu" on blogcritics.org so go check that out at http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-lou-reed-and-metallica/

Finally, I am taking a holiday and Plug in Your Head will come back in January. Thank you for all your support these last 6 months, you guys rock.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from me to you.

Xtian Zzyzx

Article first published as Music Review: Korn Featuring Skrillex - “Get Up” on Blogcritics.

I apologise for the delay in this weeks Plug In Your Head and the lack of a Plug in Your Head last week. My internet was down, and when it came back I was extremely ill. But today I am back with another Plug in Your Head- Track Review.

Today’s track review is a big one in the metal and dubstep communities: “Get Up,” by nu metal band Korn and From First To Last lead singer-turned-dubstep DJ, Sonny Moore (a.k.a. Skrillex).

I’ve heard many lesser known artists attempt, without success, creating a seamless fusion of classic wobble bass and hard-hitting guitar riffs in the past. None come even close to results achieved by the the big names involved in this track. Unlike other dubstep/metal collaborations, this track just seems so effortless! It makes me think that these two genres were meant to meet, and the brain-child of these two artists is irrefutable proof of this.

One of the things that makes this track so good is that it’s hard to tell where the dubstep ends and the metal begins. It all flows so well. The wobble and guitar fit together to create one riff of such unique sound, I don't believe I've ever heard anything quite like it.

The song builds in a gradual dubstep progression, untill finally the full force of this track makes its impact in the main riff. The song demonstrates the possibilities of this genre fusion even before the lyrics begin.

A dubstep song is nothing without a hard-core drop, and with an entire band behind Skrillex, he was able to create one of the craziest drops I’ve ever heard. The pre-chorus ends with a halt to the instruments and the dubstep loop seems to back up on itself. Then the drop comes in with Korn lead singer Jonathan Davis screaming, “Shut the Fuck Up! Get Up!”

There’s nothing but pure power in this drop and it’s sure to impress anyone who dares call himself or herself a dubstep aficionado!

Around the 2:30 mark, as the chorus appears to be drawing to an end, the breakdown makes its unforgettable mark on this track! Skrillex seems to take the lead in the breakdown, but guitar and samples of Jonathan Davis’ voice are also incorporated into the dubstep.

I assume that because of Skrillex's prior involvement in a metal band, he has the required understanding of group dynamics essential to this, and any, collaboration. And perhaps that this is why similar cross genre tracks may have failed in the past; DJs simply lack this kind of experience.

This is a great song and I would encourage these two artists (should they listen to me) to collaborate more often in the future. Korn and Skrillex did in fact work together recently on a track titled, “Narcissistic Cannibal.” However, after hearing “Get Up” it was a bit of a disappointment, but a brilliant track none the less.

Give “Get Up” a listen, as it's well worth the experience, even if you don’t like dubstep or metal because musically, this track is very intricate and well thought out. “Get Up” is truly a revolutionary song that could possibly result in the creation of a whole new genre entirely!

So until next time, Turn up the volume and Plug in Your Head.

Xtian Zzyzx

Sage Francis- "Going back to Rehab" Our Generations Bob Dylan?

Article first published as Music Review: Sage Francis - "Going Back to Rehab" on Blogcritics.


I’m gonna try something a little different today. Plug in Your Head- Track Review! And the track in question is Sage Francis’ “Going Back to rehab,” from the album, Human Death Dance.

Sage Francis is an “indie” rapper and the only hip-hop act signed to Epitaph Records. He’s by far my favourite rapper and possibly the best artist I have come across recently.

One of the things I love about Sage Francis is his use of a live band rather than an entirely computerised backing track. This gives a lot more emotion to his music, and "Going Back to Rehab" in particular wouldn’t sound the same or have the same emotional impact without it.

The picked guitar in the beginning, together with Sage’s voice sets a mood that the flow of his words and the instrumental progression build on throughout the song, making it an epic, emotional journey.

The song starts with a voice reading out an alphabetical list of drug names. The voice then starts to fade out with an increasing reverb effect. Once the voice has been drowned out, Sage starts rapping.

The lyrics in this song are nothing short of art. Most people have forgotten that RAP stands for Rhythm And Poetry, but I believe that Sage Francis is exactly what we all need to remind us of this. I would even go as far as saying that he’s our generation's Bob Dylan. And that’s a bold claim!

When the chorus comes in, the song starts to fill out. Piano, violin and drums are added to the mix before the drums drop out a few barres into the second verse.

Around the four-minute mark in the song, it sounds as if the track is over. However, the first verse is then repeated with the vocals mixed into the background, almost joining the music in a way that makes them sound like another instrument or a sample. As the verse ends, the whole band, including the drums come back with the addition of the voice we heard in the beginning of the song, which finishes reading the list of drugs. So the song ends as it began, like a reprise.

This is the kind of song you can listen to with the lights off and your eyes closed. It absorbs you until there is nothing but the music. Mainstream rappers can take a page from Sage’s book and be reminded of the beauty that can come from this genre.

Even if you don’t like rap, give Sage Francis a listen. He is an artist in every sense of the word, and you won’t regret it.

Here's a Link to Sage Francis- "Going Back to Rehab" on Grooveshark.com

So Until Next Time, Turn Up the Volume and Plug in Your Head


Xtian Zzyzx

Stone Sour- Come What(Ever) May

I 100% support artistic freedom and therefore I find a musician having more than one band or "Project" as they smugly call them a great idea. But what annoys me is when people pretend to know what they're talking about when talking about these other "projects" when they clearly don't. And now to the point I was about to make. Stone Sour IS NOT Corey Taylor and Jim Roots "Other Band"! Slipknot is. Stone Sour was formed first and so I maintain that Slipknot is the "Other Band."
Pedantic Ranting 1. Know it alls 0


Come What(Ever) May is possibly my favourite Hard Rock album out there. Mostly because most bands who call themselves "Hard Rock" SUCK! Unfortunately this rule also applies to Stone Sour because honestly, this is their only good album. The only creditability that their Self Titled album has is that, the single "Bother" was on the Spiderman sound track. Woopdy-Fucking-Hoo! And Audio Secrecy just... Isn't very good. So I guess this band is the Album equivalent of a One-Hit-Wonder. 


The album starts out with the cheesiest Hard Rock cliché I know of! An angry down-tuned guitar riff that tries to say, "Hey look! We've changed! We're metal now!" And then the lyrics come in and I can imagine Corey Taylor on a golf course with cocktail in hand saying, "Just Kidding!" But to be fair, as a Hard Rock song, 30/30-150 is a good song. Even though I have no Idea what a 30/30-150 is and what exactly this numeric value possibly has to "Hate" other than possibly 30/30-151! Smug bastard, always just a little better than him.


Then Track 2, the title song, Come What(Ever) May also seems to try and be (me)tal. But in the way Nickle(back) try to be (me)tal... Badly. AND WHAT'S WITH THE B(RACK)ETS!?
It seems as if this album is desperately trying to be something it's not. It should just get over itself because then everyone will "love you for you!" as Dr. Phil would say. 
The lyrics in this song make no sense and I know I may be nit-picking by this point but surely in the lyric.
"You Want the World to be free?
What the fuck is free about it!?"
The person who "Wants the world to be free" knows that it isn't free and so asking him, "What the fuck is free about it?" is just a little redundant? But hey, Just nit-picking here.


Track 4, Sillyworld. *sigh*. Please just look at the title of the song and form your own opinion because a song that can call itself that and still take itself seriously is a little eh-hem... Silly. 
However, I do like one lyric in this song.
"Peace is just two fingers now
Peace was just a phase
When someone put it on a shirt
you knew to count the days
So take those fingers tape 'em up and shove 'em up your ass and carry on"
Its kinda true cuz peace is more than wearing a shirt that says "Give Peace a Chance!" So I guess I can give Stone Sour that. They also seem to stick with the reoccurring theme that we have no freedom.

Track 4, Made of Scars is quite catchy and the lyrics are quite well written. But to be honest I can't really talk about the music in this song and this album in general because there isn't much to talk about really. It's angry, generic and would probably be great to mosh to. The entire album really is a giant Ctrl+C Ctrl+V. Sure the lyrics and the main riff in each song are different, but its all too samey! All too structured. Like every song has to follow the same pattern. 

Intro Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Solo Verse/Chorus Bridge Chorus End. EVERY SINGLE SONG! Oh! Mistake! Track 7, Your God has TWO guitar solos!

Now I genuinely like Track 9, Through the Glass. I can't say that it doesn't follow the same pattern but it just does something different. IT DOESN'T TRY TO BE METAL! This song knows that it's a cheesy rock ballad thing and as one who generally hates Rock Ballads, its hard for me to say but, I really like this song.

I hate bands like Guns and Roses, Aerosmith and Def Leppard simply because they thrive on their cheesy love ballads! And I can't stand any of the vocalists for these bands. 

Perhaps Ballad is the wrong word for this song though, because it doesn't tell a story so much as repeat the same lyrics over and over. But How the song progresses and flows is what really makes this a good song. No Chorus is the same and it's done well.

Finally, Track 12 Zzyzx Rd. As you all can probably tell, I love this song. This song IS a ballad. The kind of Wave your lighter in the air at the concert ballad. There is alot of debate about what this song is about, but my 2 theories are, 1) It's about someone in the army who just wants his tour to end. Or 2) It's about him on tour with his band and how he feels, the record label is controlling him...And wants his tour to end.

Both theories make sense so pick the one you prefer.

This song couldn't be more cheesy if you used the disk as nachos but, I love it because it felt kinda uplifting when I was in a bad place in my life. So even though I could, I won't hate on this song because it means alot to me.

All in all, If you can overlook the absolute cheese, the crappy solos and how it's not Slipknot (You Fanboys). You may love this album as I do. Because even though it isn't a "Great" album, it does have some gems and some great memories.

So give it a listen, Here's a link to Stone Sour- Come What(Ever) May on Grooveshark.com

Finally, please can you guys all go to www.sosbrunodebbie.co.za. Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz were kidnapped by Somalian Pirates in October last year and a ransom of US $4 million (ZA R28-million) has been demanded by their captors. I know that their families would love to see them safe again but they are unable to pay this sum. So please go to www.sosbrunodebbie.co.za and make a donation! Ontop of that, for every new follower Plug in Your Head gets between now and their safe return I will contribute R10. If everyone works together we can bring them home.

Thank you everyone who has made a contribution and please tell your friends to follow Plug in Your Head and make their own donations.

I'll be back next week with another Recommendation, so until then, Turn Up the Volume and Plug in Your Head!

Xtian zzyzx