Song of the Day: Rage Against the Machine - Calm Like a Bomb

     I know, I know, Rage Against the Machine is neither terribly heavy nor terribly new, but they're still getting the Song of the Day nod today. Why? It's a bit of walk, but here goes. I've had people tell me that The Battle of Los Angeles is the best Rage record, to which my reply has always been (as it usually is) "No way! The old stuff is better!" or something similar. And while I still like older Rage better, today I finally get what my friends are talking about.

Song of the Day: Thrice - Deadbolt

     Just like yesterday, today's band isn't new at all, and unlike yesterday, I would say Thrice are actually pretty big in the world of heavier music, with eight solid albums and a live double CD and DVD (with another live double album forthcoming this fall) under their belts. However, if you've only heard their more recent stuff, you could be forgiven for not knowing that Thrice can be pretty fucking heavy. They started off during the days of emo as a punky, hardcore-type band with strong sense of melody that was tempered by a bit of metal.

Song of the Day: Architects - The Darkest Tomb

     OK, today we're actually back to business as usual, for realsies, which means heavy music. I often try to come up with something you're probably not familiar with, and today I think I've got one. UK-based Architects* aren't a new band, but they might be new to you. They've also got a pretty deep catalogue now, so if you like today's song at all, you can chart their progression from techy, mathy metalcore through to more "mainstream" post-hardcore and (somewhat) back.

     Your Architects song today is "The Darkest Tomb" from their very first album, 2006's Nightmares. I can't remember if this was the first song I ever heard by these guys (which would make it an archetypal Song of the Day here at Loud Noises) but I do remember this being the first song I really dug. It made me give a little bit more time to the rest of the album, and I've been a fan ever since, even if never a huge one. And listening to this song now, I think it still holds up as one that will make you want to hear more of Nightmares.

* I phrase it this way because that's how you have to look them up online. There seems to be at least of couple of bands called Architects in the US, hence the distinction.

Song of the Day: Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2

     I said something yesterday about getting back to business as usual today, but I lied. While fall's not officially here yet for another few weeks, but it might as well: the weather's not so warm, the leaves have already started to fall, and kids have gone back to school. As a show of support with beleaguered students everywhere, and because I myself am a cog in the education machine (albeit at the post-secondary level), today's song is a special tribute for the end of summer.

Song of the Day: Sublime - Santeria

     So here it is, people. The unofficial last day of summer, and for some (including my younger brother) the practical last day, in the sense that kids in public and secondary schools are back in class starting tomorrow morning. This doesn't really affect me, but since it's also the Monday of a long weekend (happy Labour Day, workers) it means I owe you one more summer weekend song before it's back to business as usual. As with yesterday's choice of "Drive" by Incubus, I have little doubt that, should you put today's song on at a party, a great deal of singing along will result.

Song of the Day: Incubus - Drive

     This one's a little more "radio friendly" than some of the stuff I put on here, but it is at least in keeping with the more relaxed summertime weekend Loud Noises feel. Incubus is another one of those bands that we used to listen to a lot of, but have lost interest in in recent years. I don't know whether this is because our tastes have changed, or because the band's musical direction has changed (or more likely a combination of the two), but I do know that Incubus' back catalogue has a bunch of good songs in it, like today's good-time sing-along.

Song of the Day: The Beta Band - Squares

     Last weekend of the summer, people. Time to get your ya-yas out. As has been the case the last couple of weekends, I'm going to chill things out a bit today, so hold on to your drinks/bongs. When we were in high school, in addition to listening to a lot of heavy stuff, a lot of rockin' stuff, we also like some different stuff too. That's when my love of Radiohead was born, and that's when we spent at least one summer listening to a particular mix of bands and songs from which I've drawn today's song. I'd never heard anything by these guys before, and haven't since, but my buddy Ben was into them, so this song made it into our regular rotation.