One of the few benefits of being incredibly easily bored is that I tend to get expose myself to a lot of different things, and that’s no less true when it comes to music. When you combine this with innate obsessive/compulsive tendencies, you get some interesting results. In my case, it results in me listening to lots of different music, but with the compulsive need to listen to every song a given artist has ever made and rate it. And no, I’m not kidding.

My current MP3 library is roughly 170 GB in size, and contains something like 50,000 songs. Of these, I have rated around 40%, or something like 20,000 of them.

One.

At.

A.

Time.

Seriously

But there are some benefits to this type of compulsive behavior: Occasionally, I come across a song that hardly anyone has ever heard of that is a complete gem. Those songs are actually the whole reason I go through all of the rest of the crap. So I thought I would save the world some effort and post a few of those.

First up are some deeply emotional songs that I had never heard, but once I did, I ranked as some of the best songs by these artists. These are:

Kenny Loggins – Brothers

“It’s all about give and take…

And the way you treat others…

It’s all about the choices you make…

My brother…”

I honestly think this is Kenny Loggins’ best song, hands down, despite (or perhaps because) it wasn’t in a movie. Heartfelt and very emotional, with some great lines.

Bruce Springsteen – Paradise

“Where the river runs to black…

I take the schoolbooks from your pack…

Plastics, wire, and your kiss…

The breath of eternity on your lips…

In the crowded marketplace…

I drift from face to face…

I hold my breath and close my eyes…

I hold my breath and close my eyes…

And I wait for paradise…”

There are a handful of Springsteen songs that really hit me hard, and this is one of them. It’s a very powerful, emotional, and overwhelmingly sad song, with multiple meanings depending on how you want to interpret it.

VAST – Flames

“You are the only thing…

That makes me want to live at all…

When I am with you,

There’s no reason to pretend…

When I am with you,

I feel flames again…”

I don’t like love songs as a general rule, as, ironically enough, I find most of them trite, empty and heartless. However, this one is a gem. It doesn’t say much, but what it does say it says wonderfully.

VAST – One More Day

“How are you?

Are you ever coming back?

I have changed…

And I’ve realized I was wrong…

I was wrong…

Now I’ll never see your face…

Anymore…

Oh my Love…

I’d give anything for one more day,

With you…”

Like love songs, I’m not usually big on breakup songs for the same reason, but this one is exquisite.

Stone Temple Pilots – Wonderful

“As I’m fadin’ out…

I don’t feel anything at all,

Think I’m movin’ on…

Know you’ll be safe but not alone…”

I think this is probably one of the best songs by STP, and one that I’ve never heard anywhere. It’s also one of the few that sounded better live, in my opinion.

In addition to emotional songs, here are some songs in a genre affectionately known as ‘Extreme Metal’. Most of these are actually better described as Math Metal, but they are all top notch if you like technical metal.

Now, I have to say, if you are a fan of ‘soul’, this is the wrong place to find it. I’ve heard people complain, for example, that Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders) doesn’t know how to bend a note (which obviously isn’t true), but if you are listening for a crying guitar line, you are in the wrong section. Math metal is the musical equivalent of a Mandelbrot fractal. It’s organic, but in a very structured way, and you can feel an underlying organization, but every time you think you have it figured out, it changes on you, proving that note by note it’s almost chaotic. Like classical, you’ll probably find that either it intrigues a very odd part of your brain, or you just completely don’t get it.

Anyhow, here are some of the better tunes I’ve found in this genre of late:

Animals as Leaders – CAFO

This song is everything that math metal should always be. Heavy as lead, technically demanding, off-beat, melodic in a strange way, and brutal. Dual 8 strings for the win.

Necrophagist – Seven

I really don’t like Necrophagist much. Most of their stuff is just boring Technical Death Metal. But this song rocks. The opening 7/4 guitar riff is hands down one of the heaviest things I’ve heard recently. Killer tune.

Bulb – Coldemark

Bulb is one of Misha Mansoor’s many projects, and I generally love everything from this guy. Top notch stuff along the same lines as Animals as Leaders. This song has a little more soul, but still crushes.

Periphery – Racecar

Another Misha Mansoor project, Periphery is awesome. This song is a lot more structured than most in this genre (with singing vocals and everything!), but still rocks.

Tosin Abasi – Wave of Babies

Another track to end it at five. If you like this kind of stuff, pick up the Animals as Leaders album, there really isn’t a bad song on it.