Songs Of The Week (1)

this is amazing GIVE THIS GUY A MIC RIGHT NOW

Kinda crazy how this was filmed 37 years ago and this is still exactly what we’re going through, except it’s so much worse now. I don’t want to be a downer, there’s still a lot of great music being made out there for sure, it’s just that it sometimes feels like all I hear is heavily processed, formulaic songwriting that makes me either irritated or pessimistic. Haven’t seen anyone else articulate what I’ve been feeling lately so clearly, so have this.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHI

Nobody knows how much I love this dude. It’s probably visible in my other posts but I genuinely believe that Chi Cheng is incredibly underrated in terms of his impact on Deftones’ music, especially in white pony and the self titled album. Somehow I get the impression that people usually perceive him as more of a nu metal-y, unsophisticated bassist when in reality his baselines are just gorgeous. He also brought something to Deftones that I can’t quite figure out; sometimes it literally feels like he was the soul of this band but hey I wasn’t there yk. AND HIS BACKING VOCALS LORDDD!!!! In a way it’s bittersweet to write this post, mainly because while death is always a touching subject, it’s especially tragic to be writing a happy birthday post about someone who will never celebrate a birthday again and hasn’t in 12 years (in reality it is more, of course).

Chi Cheng was such a bright presence in Deftones and in this world in general. Rest in peace Chi.

I absolutely love Musora, but especially these two videos. They show that a good song is good outside of genre or form. I just love these interpretations sm, it’s so refreshing to see such creativity and talent. If you have like 15 free minutes give at least one of these a watch, you won’t regret it.

I FUCKING LOVE CHI IN LIVE PERFORMANCES

credit to @bm2brad on tiktok

DAMN this is a good album. Beautiful production, intense instrumentals, insightful lyrics, haunting vocals. Don’t know if this is their best album because I’m honestly not that into tool yet but I literally can’t stop listening to some of the songs on here, despite the uneasiness they bring. Such a great listen. Yeah, it’s not casual, but the effort of sitting down and trying to dissect the songs is so worth it omg.

Deftones albums, best to worst (my opinion):

1. Saturday Night Wrist

2. White Pony

3. Diamond Eyes

4. Around the Fur

5. Deftones

6. Koi No Yokan

7. Ohms

8. Adrenaline

9. Gore

I genuinely love all of them and hold a strong belief that Deftones never made a bad album, but some I am attached to less than others.

Songs of the Week (3)

1. Junkhead (Alice in Chains)

This was definitely an Alice in Chains week for me. Seasonal depression or whatever people choose to call it had me playing Dirt on repeat, and Junkhead is such an obvious standout (for me personally) that I just had to include it here. This song is so confident in what it wants to be that every listen feels different and it’s impossible to get tired of. Lyrical content and context aside, it’s a positive and enjoyable listen every single time.

2. Fist (Deftones)

Since Adrenaline’s 29th anniversary was a couple weeks ago and I forgot to make a post about it, I’m honoring it here. Besides, it was about time I added a Deftones song to one of these; just because there’s less of them in my daily rotation doesn’t mean I love the band any less. Fist is technically a hidden track, meaning that many forget about it when talking about Adrenaline, which I think is incredibly unfair. Fist is absolutely bewitching, a beautiful track that doesn’t really fit with the rest of the album, but it’s such a gorgeous addition that I could never have the heart to critique it.

3. Mic Check (Rage Against the Machine)

Is it obvious that I love the Battle of Los Angeles yet? I love how inventive this song is, what is done with the guitar and the vocal effects. It’s a little too out there to play in the car or public places, but god is it beautiful. One of the best tracks off the album.

4. Riders On The Storm (The Doors)

I’m switching it up a little this week. I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s the weather, but for some reason this song easily made it into my daily rotation. I don’t listen to The Doors much so this feels like a very welcome change. It’s so charming and confident and beautiful that sometimes I put it on just to calm myself down.

5. I Know Something (Alice in Chains)

I fucking love Facelift and this song is one of the main reasons why. I adore the bass on this one and the way it blends with Jerry Cantrell’s guitar is insane. It’s weirdly positive and upbeat for this album and Alice in Chains in general but in the best way possible; it brings a kind of funkness (is that even a word) to their work I really appreciate. An overall amazing listen, so captivating.

6. Jimmy Recard (Drapht)

This song was introduced to me by my stepdad and it’s actually one of the biggest reasons I love it so much. Music is one of our main bonding points and it’s just always so beautiful to have people you love give you a glimpse of their music taste (especially if the taste is stellar). I tend to gravitate towards music that’s a little different from Drapht, which only makes songs like these all the more interesting to me. Absolute banger.

7. Sober (TOOL)

Sober is this week’s TOOL song because apparently I need to have one on every single one of these. If I’m being completely honest, I haven’t checked out any other tracks from Undertow, but if Sober is anything to go by this album fucking rocks. As always, the lyrics are amazing, the vocals are as intense as can be, the atmosphere is transcendental, and the passion is out of this world. I have such a deep appreciation for this track because let’s be honest, there’s nothing like TOOL out there and this is an integral part of their origins.

He is NEVER beating them gay allegations

cuties

I think people underestimate the significance of Chi Cheng to Deftones. While I believe Chino’s lyrics are the perfect fit for their music and he’s an incredibly talented lyricist, let’s not forget that it was Chi that studied English, it was Chi that was a poet (if you haven’t looked into The Bamboo Parachute yet PLEASE DO it is so worth it). In other words, Deftones always had someone to fall back on if Chino couldn’t deliver (I’m not saying he ever couldn’t, but just the added security Im sure meant volumes), and the only reason Chino was the primary lyricist was because Chi believed he was amazing (lost the interview he said this in but you know what I mean). I really do believe the world lost an incredibly bright soul when Chi died.

Wes Borland was such a blessing to Limp Bizkit. I’m not saying Fred Durst being such a character didn’t play a role in their success (I still absolutely despise him as a vocalist and lyricist though), but literally the only redeeming qualities about their music (at least to me) are Borland’s riffs and talent. The only reason Rollin or Break Stuff were such big hits was because he has the ability to play guitar in a way that makes you jump up from your seat and go insane.

All I’m saying is that there’s a reason Results May Vary sucked so bad.