Hello
degenerates, heathens, weirdos, and deviants. I am the Rock Otaku, and
I’m here to show you worlds such as hard rock, metal, punk, alternative rock,
movies, TV, anime, video games, and anything that makes us scream, shout, and
let it out.
As
for this entry, this is to tell you what’s in store for June 2017. If you’re wondering what things are like,
here’s a Brief Summary. A lot happened
last May, but at the same time, I feel like branching out into other
realms. Not just in this blog. There are many aspects about me that work in
prose and written speech, but there are others where experimenting with other
styles is necessary for my evolution.
But beyond that, I got two more LTEM entries that help with issues that
I’ve been having while also putting the Billboard stuff into overdrive. Also, I broke 50 entries on Blogger, so
that’s a plus. For that, I expect to
have LTEMs be a special occasion kind of thing from now on. If the time demands one in my mind, I will
have one out. Other than that, I’m
considering how that’ll affect the schedule, so expect a lot more time between
entries. In spite of this, I do not plan
on ending the blogs in the next month.
Instead, I plan on changing how I do things, such as taking advantage of
YouTube until it becomes a corporate entity.
Speaking
of YouTube, I have plans on expanding into that. For Tumbler, I am practically linking my blog
series to there, but YouTube will be a different entity. For that, I plan on a Vlog series that may
include me discussing various rock, metal, alternative, movie, TV, comic,
anime, game, and even political news and dissecting it while also having a
recommendation of the week. That way, I
can start showcasing random albums and songs I’ve been listening to, but I
don’t feel deserve a written entry yet.
But I also know about corporate bullcrap, so I may also set up VidMe and
DailyMotion accounts for them while also asking you all to subscribe (and/or
create YouTube accounts of your own) to my account so you can see them.
Oh,
and the Billboard stuff is definitely a weekly thing for now.
Now
for the goals. If you desire a DeviantArt
pages of yours truly, here are the metrics:
DeviantArt: 120 views of a single entry
Patreon: Whenever I feel that ad revenue isn’t going anywhere
and I need to ensure that I’m able to create some new projects, may them be
written or made for visual pleasure.
Any other social media site of choice: 150 views of a single
entry.
Yes,
I am planning on getting those YouTube, VidMe, and Dailymotion accounts started
and ready to go by next week.
And
for the rest, 100 views of a single entry leading to me to start taking
requests and suggestions for my work, but considering how impatient I’ve
gotten, you have that ability to send requests immediately. I can also take suggestions if they do allow
for greater quality of my work. 150 will
lead to the start of the first Q&A, where I’ll, based on your questions,
reveal my deepest, darkest secrets. 200
views will lead to the first ever special entry of Let Them Eat Metal: Let Them Eat Metal by The Rods, the
album whose name inspired the title of my main heavy metal and hard rock series
(when I’m not talking about rock and metal making the Billboard chart). 300 views will lead to a review of the movie 300 and/or it’s sequel/prequel/interquel
300: Rise of an Empire because why
the hell not? 400 views will lead to a
LTEM for Metallica’s Master of Puppets. And for 500 views, I’ll do a multipart LTEM
reviewing every Judas Priest album in a multipart mini-series (which might lead
to LTEM being a weekly series for a brief time) as a tribute to my first post
of this series here: http://rockotaku92.blogspot.com/2016/12/let-them-eat-metal-1-screaming-for.html. A part of this will be a re-review of
Screaming for Vengeance with my evolving style depending on a poll
beforehand. For an Iron Maiden, Accept,
Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Savatage, Van Halen, or even Metallica min-series,
that will be decided on various factors such as how well it does. And for every final/most recent album, I’ll
come up with, as I’ve done for Band-Maid, ideas on how the band’s should go
forward or how any aspiring bands or artists should take elements in music and
image from the band being discussed, depending on if the band isn’t as
legendary as they should be. Overall,
things should be fun this month, and they rely on you as they do on me.
As
for my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, check them both out for
updates, news, interesting facts, and other fun stuff. Be sure to like and follow them
respectively. Here are the links if
you’re interested:
Hello degenerates, heathens,
weirdos, and deviants. I am the Rock Otaku, and I’m here to show you
worlds such as hard rock, metal, punk, alternative rock, movies, TV, anime,
video games, and anything that makes us scream, shout, and let it all out.
Welcome to my Rockin’ Billboard
Chart Watch. Here, I take a break from reviewing classic heavy metal
albums, movies, TV, anime, games, and so on to review what is popular in the
rock scene according to Billboard. Back in the late 19thcentury, the magazine started as a
news source for the entertainment industry back in the day (thus, circuses,
fairs, and burlesque shows were covered), then, when music became a big
business, it started covering music. Then they started having an album
chart, then a singles chart, in the mid-20thcentury, both of which are still going
on to this very day, with changes to accommodate the changes in the landscape
of music distribution. But for the rock stuff, the first chart, which
would be known today as the Mainstream Rock chart, debuted on March 21, 1981,
with the Alternative Songs chart following suit in 1988, the Adult Alternative
chart premiering some time in 2008, then the all-encompassing Hot Rock Songs
chart came to fruition in 2009. Here, I review them all, in order of
either mainstream importance, date of creation, or which songs have the most
material I can cover each week.
While I may not completely
discuss all 4 of those, I will provide my thoughts on this week’s charts.
I’ll provide some of my smooth commentary on the new tracks that came out for
each chart. For the older ones, there are two methods I’m planning: the
first is to edit this entry depending on views while also creating entries
based on charts made earlier in the year based (again) on views. So for
today, I’ll provide my two cents for the songs that came out for Billboard’s June
17, 2017 versions of the Hot Rock Songs, Alternative Songs, and Mainstream Rock
songs in that order. As for Adult Alternative, that would be more of a
special moment if there’s a song everybody reading these things wants me to
praise or tear into.
Like with the last few, I’ll
review the top 10 songs in order from highest charting to lowest with a short
review that’ll provide my thoughts on it as of this week. That and I’ll
discuss songs that Billboard considers having merit, like best increases in
position, sales, streaming, and airplay. But with all of these songs
having already been reviewed, and my focus on how many views I’ll need to
re-review each reviewed track (which is 100 times the ranking the song is in),
that isn’t as likely as of now. That and
the new songs will be reviewed as well, and they’ll definitely be reviewed.
Unless I reviewed it in a previous entry, initially or updated due to it
meeting my viewership goals. Anyway,
let’s begin.
Now for the Hot Rock Songs, in
order of highest position to lowest, with reviews for new tracks:
The classic classic rock staple
makes the charts in the memory of the late Gregg Allman. But does that mean this song did not age
well? It didn’t, and it’s probably as
good as it was once was. With its
interesting mix of guitar playing, basslines, drums, and vocal harmonies, this
southern rock hit has the vibe to help with your chill attitudes or lower it,
and it has the technical skill to keep you on your toes. Adding to that is the guitar solo in the
bridge. Plus I do feel that this song is
great in what it’s about; being about a vagabond from what I gather, but I do
feel that they have an equally strong tune in this lyrical style.
A new song by Foo Fighters? Sweet.
And it has a weird and pretty humorous music video, too. Starting this song, we get a clean arpeggio
with Dave Grohl singing how he desired to run, then as the drums start to get
more aggressive, the song goes from nice ballad to quasi-metal hard rock number
with Grohl alternating between screaming and singing, with the guitars, bass,
and drums playing with energy and aggression.
And while the chorus is a lot nicer-sounding, it has some power to it as
it goes on. And there’s also some great
guitar licks during the verses to keep this from getting too monotonous. Don’t forget the guitar solo, which may not
be technical, but it’s quite melodic and energetic. If you want a fast and furious rock song that’s
straight to the point, loud, and a lot of fun, then you can’t go wrong with the
Foo Fighters.
With the opening guitar notes, this song makes its claim for
rock glory. But even then, this
country-tinged southern rock hit is the right mix of story-driven and chill enough
for a booze-filled party. The chorus is
catchy, the idea of a song about a vagabond who feels like he’s home on the
road, and the amazing guitar solos in this song are enough to make this
essential rock listening. The vocals are
great, including the harmonies, as well.
Plus, the rhythms, while understated, work here in their chill focus but
having an upbeat vibe. And that ending
solo is southern rock glory on the guitars; enough to inspire rednecks to pick
up electric guitars, as well as buy a glass slide for their solos. There’s a reason why this was in both Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2.
21. Melissa – The Allman
Brothers Band*
While it may be weird that we got an acoustic-ish ballad here on
here rather than the iconic “Jessica,” it’s still an Allman Brothers Band
song. Included in this tune is an
acoustic guitar spine alongside the bass guitar and drums to the soulful vocals
dedicated to this woman who drives the singer crazy, plus there’s the electric
guitar giving the song its southern vibe.
In my mind, whoever this Melissa is, she must be a very lovely woman to
drive Gregg Allman (is it Gregg Allman? This
may be a little rushed) nuts. Plus the
guitar solo shows off the improvisational, jam-based skill of the guitarist
here (and from the tone, I think it may be Duane Allman), and it ends the
song. In short, this song is good for
what it is.
From the 80s is Gregg Allman’s
hit tune, “I’m No Angel.” While the
elements of southern rock that he nailed with Allman Brothers Band are here,
there’s a strong 38 Special influence to this track, from the mix of southern
rock and arena rock to the production values.
That and how the guitars, bass, and drums are played, even if Gregg
Allman has a much rougher voice than Donnie Van Zant. And like his work in Allman Brothers, the
guitar solo feels like something he just came up, even if it isn’t as energetic
as his other tunes. As for the lyrics, I
feel that this is about how much of a bad boy he his. Even then, it’s hard to hate the Allman
Brothers as people. They’re just too
likeable. A certain other band of
brothers, on the other hand, they’re worth the mudslinging.
While I feel like this could play
on country stations with its vibe and instrumentation, this has more of an
indie pop vibe to it. While I don’t hate
this song in concept, it’s still an okay-sounding tune, not one to inspire
greatness. Even then, it’s still a fun
little song, but I do get the vibe that this came from the CCR scene. The guitars are alright, with some strong
usage of acoustic and electric, the bass is okay, and the drums are fine, plus
Zach Williams has a good voice for singing.
If there’s an issue with this, it’s not challenging. At all.
I don’t feel like I learned anything, and I also feel that this song is
way too sappy. If I want sappy, I go
with j-pop and anison. I can choose to
ignore this. If you like this kind of saccharine
sappiness, then you’ll like this.
So for this, we get a classic
70s-style hard rock tune from a band who’s trying really hard to emulate Led
Zeppelin. I’m serious, the guitar riffs,
the basslines, the drum beats, and the vocal performance feels like it came
from Led Zeppelin. While I like Led
Zeppelin, I don’t know what Greta Van Fleet sounds like outside of them trying
to sound like Zeppelin. Even the guitar solo
reminds me of Jimmy Page. While I can
also mention the elements of Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa
(maybe), and Stillwater, I do feel that this sounds way too much like a
Zeppelin tune. Even then, it’s still
better than what passes as rock today, and that has to do with the ract that
their musical skill OUTSHINES the rest.
While I’d think that some punk and glam should be integrated into their
bluesy hard rock sound (and yes, I can call this song heavy metal), I do feel
that Greta Van Fleet going their own path would be as good, even if they end up
becoming Led Zeppelin Light. Okay, I
think this song is alright, and it’s great for listening to when going down the
highway. I-it’s not that I d-don’t hate
this band’s direction. Baka!
So those were my thoughts on the
charts and the new arrivals. If you feel that I skipped out on certain
songs, then feel free in the comments what songs you want me to elaborate
on. I have plans depending on how this is received for what I will review
next week as well as what is new next week for the chart(s) I ultimately look
at. If you have different opinions on the songs I reviewed, feel free to
tell me in the comments as well.
Finally, expect updates to the
reviews (specifically songs I’ve missed) when this entry gets a certain amount
of views each time. RIP Gregg Allman (1947-2017)
Until Next Time, This is The Rock
Otaku. Live Loud and Play Hard.
All used references are done
under the rules of fair use and are owned by their original creators.
