No Song Unsung Blog

I was browsing the Rolling Stone website tonight and discovered that the Top Album according to Rhapsody plays is Linkin Park’s Minutes to Midnight.

This Los Angeles-based rock band formed back in 1996 and their first album, Hybrid Theory, was released in 2000 under the Warner Bros. label. The album was welcomed with open arms and did very well on the Billboard charts.

Linkin Park’s most recent album, Minutes to Midnight, was released earlier this year and has had equal, if not more success, than their two previous albums.

Personally, I don’t listen to a lot of metal or rock music - except for some of the old 80’s groups. However, I do like that Linkin Park’s songs have a message in them. For example, here’s a snippet of one of their songs, “What I’ve Done“:

In this farewell,
There’s no blood,
There’s no alibi.
‘Cause I’ve drawn regret,
From the truth,
Of a thousand lies.

Put to rest,
What you thought of me.
While I clean this slate,
With the hands,
Of uncertainty.

That headline probably goes against everything your parents taught you about studying. However, during high school and college I found it pretty easy to study while listening to music. I wish I could site a study that says that listening to music increases productivity, but until then I’ll just trust Jon Lee’s word.

The other day I was feeling a little sluggish and didn’t feel like sitting down in front of the computer to do work. However, once I turned on Justin Timberlake, I started to feel that energy rushing through me. Plus, it helps to get up and do a little boogie as well

However, I do find that listening to classical music while I’m working does keep me calm and I don’t feel rushed into completing my tasks. I don’t have anything to do that really requires a “deadline” - all I do is blog all day - so classical music helps me stay at a smooth and steady pace. Apparently, classical music also helps one solve mathematical problems and it can heal the body, also known as the “Mozart Effect“.

Of course, you would want to listen to music that suits the activity that you’re doing. You definitely wouldn’t want to listen to classical music if you were doing something like working out at the gym!

This video of Filipino Inmates has been making its way around the internet. It’s their rendition of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video…

Hey, who says that Filipino inmates can’t have their 15 minutes of YouTube fame?

[via John Chow]

I have a new favorite music-related game show…Don’t Forget the Lyrics! Contestants have an opportunity to win $1,000,000 by simply knowing the lyrics to all different types of songs. If you’re a human juke box like me, this game is a dream come true.

You see, I grew up listening to the radio. We didn’t have DVD players in cars back then, so when our family went on road trips, we had to listen to the radio or tape cassettes or else suffer in silence. I was exposed to groups like ABBA, Hall & Oates, and artists like Lionel Richie, Cher, and Billie Joel. I’m a big 80’s music fanatic! If I wasn’t doing homework or playing outside, I was listening to the radio and playing my air guitar right along with Prince & The Revolution.

In fact, one of my favorite shows back in the 80’s was Name That Tune. So naturally I was drawn to watch Don’t Forget the Lyrics! However, I really could do without all the suspense and commercials!
Read a review of Don’t Forget the Lyrics! over at PopMatters.

As a lover of music, I figured I should be out discovering other blogs to find out what other music bloggers are talking about these days…

I stumbled upon the OpenCulture blog where they have listed 25 music blogs! That sure made my life so much easier. I scanned the list and found these interesting posts and blogs:

• Thanks to SOULcrates for sharing this download of the day. Love it!
• If you’re a lover of jazz like I am, then you’ll discover a boat load of jazz blogs over at All About Jazz
• Jake Brown of Glorious Noise muses on Barry Manilow being mellow. Yeah, when has the man not been mellow?
• My Old Kentucky Blog is an interesting compilation of music and pop culture, news, and events

I have fallen in love with Robin Thicke’s song, Lost Without You from the album, Evolution of Robin Thicke. It’s smooth, it’s sensual, and the words…Yes, ladies, don’t we wish that our men would sing that song to us!

I recently watched the BET awards and saw Robin Thicke’s performance. I couldn’t find a video of his performance on YouTube, however, you can enjoy the video to his song here…

He’s got that boy-next-door kindof look that Justin Timberlake has. It’s not surprising that Robin is affiliated with Pharrell. Thicke got his start in the music industry by songwriting for artists like Christina Aguilera and Usher - both of whom I admire for their singing skills as well.

Robin Thicke came out with his first album back in 2003 which is titled A Beautiful World. Somehow that album slipped my musical radar, but his sophomore album has definitely hit the charts! His latest album currently sits at the #34 position on the Billboard Music Charts while his song, Lost Without You is #18 on the top hits for R&B/Hip-Hop songs.
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