"Helena" by My Chemical Romance (2005)

Summer vacation led to "Helena"

How blessed I was 10 years ago! If it wasn't for my parents, I wouldn't have heard "Helena" (plus some songs I'm gonna feature here in some other time). Those were the good old times for all forms of rock music, both foreign and OPM (original Filipino music).

It was one hot May afternoon in the capital, where my mother used to work. I was there for vacation. Browsing channels while waiting to shut eye for siesta, I stumbled upon the music video of the song on a local channel that play music videos at lunch times. The video was already at half-way, and I tracked from the scene where the dead lady in the casket arose and danced down the nave. The part where the band carried the casket to the hearse in the pouring rain while being surrounded by dancers with umbrellas is for me, the best ending I've ever seen in a music video.

Days later, I watched the complete video at my aunt's house. Weeks later, a friend lent me his VCDs of alternative music videos.

The vocalist belting the tune for those crossing over into the afterlife

Getting hooked on emo, alternative rock

"Helena" made me feel comfortable listening to emo and alternative rock songs, though I had come across many emo and alternative tracks before that. But My Chemical Romance made the genres cool in my ears. The song influenced my creativity and helped molded my personality, though in a deeply personal and private way.

"Helena" was the soundtrack of my life in 2005, probably the best song that year. It was the song that defined 2005, one of the best years of my life. It was the most requested track during the Halloween, with listeners dedicating the song to their deceased loved ones.

"Helena" dances down the nave, meaning she's crossing over into the afterlife.

Good music no more

My Chemical Romance later released "Welcome to the Black Parade" in 2006 and "Famous Last Words" in 2007. Music acts release materials as they should do, but for me, the band did it to keep alternative music alive in the time when music glorifying sex, drugs, thuggery and bullshitness are getting more plays and publicity.

Today's music is not about musicianship anymore. It's about playing false, playing cute, playing a fool at bar parties and orgies, playing sexy, seductive and macho. Young listeners don't listen to quality songs anymore.

If only the good Lord will bring me back to the good old times.

"Until The Day I Die" by Story of the Year (2003)

Last hurrah for emo

As far as I can remember, music and bands like the one above thrived in 2003 up to early 2007. After then, we heard a lot of guys and gals who pose as musicians, but in fact are thugs and whores singing about sex, drugs, having good time and all that jazz. If we only can throw justin bieber, ariana grande, nicki minaj or iggy azalea off the building or boat...

Anyways...

When music is bad, we take the trip down memory lane on YouTube to relive memories of great music and great artists whose voice we no longer hear on the radio... because FM stations are going with the flow, the bad flow. Music used to be all about artistry. Now, it's all about gyrating, thuggery, showing off the boobs and shaking that booties. Ughhh!

The feelings and nostalgia every time we hear old songs. It makes us feel super old. Memory lanes flashing before us. We wish we could go back a little while. Timeless. Awesome.

Today's artists got nothing on the ones who used to hold the mic and play the instruments.

Old music = memories of old loves

What do I remember of the song "Until The Day I Die"? Or what do you remember?

Old loves? The one you swore to love until death? It's years now and you have already forgotten their names. It sucks that sometimes when we relive the past, we wish we could go back in time. We would have played it all way differently. We wish we would have sat back and not tried so hard. We could have moved on to the next person or else pursued a hobby or two.

We could have loved a different person. We would have done different things or done things differently.

It sucks to remember old music and past hurts at the same time. But music soothes the soul. Bad memories don't.

We heard. We had tried.

To my former objects of infatuation, I regretted having been infatuated over you.

"Summer Sunshine" by The Corrs (2004)

Memory of a great Irish folk rock band

I miss summer vacation, and I miss the songs that popped out many summers ago. I'm not talking about the singles of lady gaga or demi lovato.

I'm talking out this one, "Summer Sunshine" by the Irish band The Corrs. One talented lad plus three beautiful and equally talented ladies equal one great band, and they were gone. They make Irish / Celtic music sound cool. Like many artists of the yesteryears, they made good music...real music.

They are great musicians, them Corr siblings: Multi-talented, multi-instrumentalists, and good-looking too. They are one of the best music acts to come out of Ireland. The others include U2, Boyzone, Westlife and to some degree, B*Witched and Bellefire.

Back in high school, we played one of their popular songs for the prom dance. In the summer of 2004, "Summer Sunshine" came out, and a midnight music show played their songs almost every midnight for the whole summer. While going through this classic, I recalled a number of past songs. (They will be featured later in this blog.)

Too bad I hear less of The Corrs on the radio today. People now care about justin bieber, one direction, taylor swift, kanye west, nicky minaj, ariana grande, iggy azalea, etc. Even if these things combine, they would still end up less talented than The Corrs. Music is so relaxing back in the days, and it was all about music. But now... never mind.

Sorry, it's just another bout of generation gap. I have no right to criticize today's youth's choice of music. Blame it on the FM stations, blame it on the record shops and blame it on us elders who fail in our mission to spread good music.

But let today's youth know, music is all about music back in the days, not striptease and good looks.

"Papercut" by Linkin Park (2001)

Longing for the old Linkin Park

Too bad Linkin Park doesn't make music like this anymore, and we old fans are kept wanting for more nu metal or rap metal. We long for Chester Bennington shouting or screaming at the top of his lungs and Mike Shinoda blowing us away with his rap while the rest of the band play their instruments. We still long for the sound that's reminiscent of the songs in Hybrid Theory and Meteora.

"Papercut" single cover

The shift after Meteora

After the release of Meteora in 2003, the band began exploring other genres and experimenting with new sounds. The effort led to the release of their third studio album Minutes to Midnight in 2007. With the release of that record, they had deviated from the signature nu metal sound. More albums followed, with more alternative metal, electronic rock and rap rock, but no more nu metal. Mike still raps, though, like with their 2012 single "Burn It Down" and Chester still has his recognizable vocal.

With rock, particularly alternative rock and nu metal, not getting the sales and airplays they need nowadays, attention is getting scare for Linkin Park, though they still churn out albums and tour around with other bands.

The band doing their stuff

Linkin Park experience through people

First heard Linkin Park way back in 2002, when a classmate recorded "Papercut" and "In The End" instead of the NYSNC songs that I asked for. He even told me "Papercut" is an NSYNC song. After playing the song multiple times on the cassette player, I concluded NSYNC doesn't sound like that and realized my classmate lied to me, but I wasn't angry. I liked what I had heard, and I asked my classmate about the name of the band.

Months later, I bought a bootleg cassette of Hybrid Theory from another classmate and borrowed a VCD of music videos from another. Months later too, my mother sent me Meteora. I then started composing song lyrics and tried rapping too. Years later, I saw Megan Fox in Transformers.

But the nu metal sound is gone. As we should know, nothing is permanent but change. We need to adapt to change. Wherever Linkin Park goes, we go.

What's up with Limp Bizkit?

"Crush On You" by Aaron Carter (1997)

Aaron Carter, a memory of a kid phenom revisited

Before Justin Beiber, there was Aaron Carter. Before Bieber looked like a thug, Aaron looked more like a real popstar than that guy who sang "baby baby baby ohhh" multiple times on YouTube, something which musicians of the yesteryears don't have to get famous or land a record deal. Before Bieber acted arrogant and registered a diva-like attitude, Aaron faded into obscurity and figured into some troubles.

The young Aaron Carter, way back in 1997

Trappings of fame

Fame is such a cruel mistress, and for someone like Aaron who tasted it early on, it always has a dark side. Aaron cheated on his girlfriend in 2003, experienced emotional and spiritual issues (and entered a treatment facility in 2011), was sued in 2006 for allegedly reneging on a record deal, was arrested for overspeeding and marijuana possession in 2008, and filed for bankruptcy in 2013.

Aaron in 2000

Aaron Carter all the way

If I am to choose between Aaron and that dude from Canada, it's no contest. Aaron may run into troubles, but he was never thuggish and never exhibited a diva-like attitude to fame. He was all about music, entertainment and not thuggery and braggadocio. His music videos were far more wholesome, more viewer-friendly, never commanding the thuggish and arrogant vibe that's present in the videos belonging to that dude from Canada. Moreover, his music is more fun than today's so-called hits.

Aaron in 2002

Generation gap? Nah! Who would not hate that dude from Canada who goes around pissing people and creating public scandals? The dude is full of himself.

Aaron Carter may never have fans who will bleed and die for him. I believe his fans also feel sad about his demise, but I'm sure Aaron has never embarrassed his fans throughout his whole career. Anyway, he's back in the music scene, though not experiencing the same level of success he had many years ago.

Aaron in 2012

To the fans of that dude from Canada, forgive me. And if you're not angry, please listen to Aaron Carter. You'll be surprised to find out he's way cooler than your dude. You're not too young to ditch that ex of a former Disney Child star (whose song I will write about in some later time.)