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magistralucis · 3 years

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🦆🔥🦆 I really love the way you talk about Tillchard. It's so different from what we can read elsewhere, it's quite a welcome change. You have a very unique perspective on them and it shows in your writing, be it in answering questions or in your own fics. What do you think of the "Let's Go" song? Of the way it was recorded? It's such a sweet song, friendship love letters like that one are too rare in the music world!

The thing I like best about ‘Let’s Go’ is how uncomplicated it is. How straightforward. Not that I dislike complicated, R+’s complexity is what got me into them in the first place - but ‘Let’s Go’ encapsulates, for me, a rather unusual way for Till and/or Richard to have done things.

I think a lot of R+’s appeal comes from dissonance. There’s spectacle, yes, and the excellent poetry, powerful music, generous amounts of mindfuck, and the constant appeal to fans. But rather than those factors in isolation, I think the actual charm comes from how those things interact with each other - and the band members seldom let them do so directly. They take Verfremdungseffekt to its logical extreme, almost every time. That’s how we regularly end up with combinations like ‘a song about an extremely mundane problem + ultraviolent music video featuring Lenin heads that weep blood’, or ‘a song about horrific assault + flake having an absolute ball dancing around’, or ‘a serious commentary on immigration and the displacement of peoples, and the hypocrisy they face from developed nations + sexy poppy holiday retreat’. They might delight us, confuse us, maybe even repulse us somewhat - but it sticks in the mind, and it always leaves room for thought.

‘Let’s Go’ isn’t like that. I wonder if it’s not one of Till and Richard’s most honest moments in the studio; honest, not only in the way they wrote and sung of their friendship, but honest as in what we heard is exactly what they wanted to convey. To the listeners, and to each other. Richard has stated his intent was to convey his relationship with Till, and that the music was written as a homage to their shared past, and that intent comes through perfectly.

From the lyrical side of things, ‘Let’s Go’ is a dialogue. It’s Till’s solo verse that really makes it, imo. Richard sings about himself (’I find myself scratching at the bottom’), then Till responds (‘Du musst mir gar nichts sagen’, ‘you don’t need to say anything to me’), and outlines the relation they have (‘Zwei Herzen [...] eins ist deins und eins ist mein’, ‘two hearts [...] one is yours and one is mine’). The first-person plural, in other words, the ‘we/us’. This is the subject which is then maintained for the rest of the song, for the chorus and all of the second verse (’Remember back to where we started’).

As far as conversations go, this is all very straightforward. There’s no dissonance here. The music is mellow, the lyrics are equally as mellow and sincere, and they sing in a way that conveys that perfectly. It’s not what one conventionally expects of Rammstein (rightfully so), and if you don’t have Tillchard lenses on, it might even be wholly unremarkable. But it’s a good song, imo. I like to think it was made for each other, because it shows all the hallmarks of sending each other a heartfelt message, and maybe that’s all that matters. I don’t know if that made any sense, but that’s my feelings about the song 💖

#tillchard #richard kruspe #till lindemann #emigrate #Anonymous #long post #rammstein

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borisbubbles · 4 years

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17. CZECH REPUBLIC

Benny Christo - “Kemama”

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So first off, thank you for the nice commens. 😇The past few months haven’t been the happiest time for me, so thank you for your patience as I scraped my bearings together for another post! 😁

So I will now extend that same sympathy to Benny Christo, whom I think I damn fucking underrated. Let’s jump in~

ENTRY ANALYSIS

As one may expect i INSTANTLY liked “Kemama” because you know, it’s a fun, laid-back, tropical afro-breeze, completely different from anything else we would see in NFs and the year. EXACTLY the type of song I was hoping the Czech NF would deliver (and deliver they did, see NF Corner). This level of mild like swung into strong unironic like upon realizing that the title is a contraction of “Okay Mother” 😍 and the song deals with the subject of overcoming racially-tinged discrimination and rising above the hate. That just feels very poetic and apt? “Kemama” felt like the entry that had to overcome the highest odds in order to earn the respect it so fully deserves, and still hasn’t fully reached it.

.In our Western European bubble, comprised mostly of gays and left-liberal straights, we have a very grateful and universal acceptance of many different kinds of [lizard] people that make up Eurovision casts. Yet with “Kemama” we may have reached an unusually grimy undercurrent of coded racism.

Of course nothing I read was outrageously rancid, than Cod for that. The worst statement I read was a double-whammy of “EWW THIS ISN’T CARIBBEANVISION” and “WHY WOULD SOMEONE FROM *KENYA* WANT TO REP CZECHIA IN EUROVISION?”, and yes they first got the continent wrong and then *also* got the country wrong in the follow-up post and then they were torn limb from limb by a pack of aformentioned left-liberals. I’m sorry but i can’t not have any other response than laughter in the face of yet another fucking MORON faceplanting themselves with words like a... racist JK Rowling if you will?

Still, while I never read something outright vile about Benny doesn’t mean I found his deniers really annoying and they were! Think “Ew Solovey is ‘Too Aggressive’ it will NEVER DO WELL IN ESC”, a statement that isn’t coded nor racist (and yet extremely false and misguided), functioned as a similar idea by the same minds. A statement borne from the same breed of narrow-minded stubbornness which has caused elitist morons to be all “there is **SOMETHING** about “Kemama” i do *NOT* like and I cannot lay my finger on it... but I **DO NOT** like it at ALL. It won’t ever qualify because everyone will think the same way I do” -- Eurovision snobs, tiptoeing around racial coda in January 2020.

They would also insist that Benny was “arrogant” because he was seemingly impervious to their (de)constructive criticism. Like, if you were a biracial butterfly living in a slavic country who had to deal with statements such as the above on a regular basis, you WOULD block out the noise. And if you heard them often enough you will start to block them out pre-emptively. DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW COPING MECHANISMS WORK?? (oh wait you’re white-privileged. Nevermind 🙄)

So naturally, when Benny decided that he would revamp “Okay Mother” by adding in MORE African elements it only made me love him even more lol. 😍 Was it a bull-headed, contrarian and possibly really stupid decision? Yes, yes and absolutely yes. Was it worth it? Well he managed to incite even more meltdowns in a group of people I feel nothing but contempt for, so hell yeah? Eurovision was cancelled anyway so who cares how much ‘worse’ “Kemama” actually got.

Okay, so we’ve arrived at the revamp.

Granted, it wasn’t the best ‘vamp, I’d be a fool to deny it. The new elements threw a wrench in the melodic balance of the song. Out went tropical laid-back fun, IN went that fucking guitar oh my god this is some Hotel FM piano levels of overbearing I swear. (nb: this still didn’t stop me from ironically stanning Hotel FM’s lame asses anyway 😍). However, it made the personal backstory that I loved and savoured take a backseat to the now inferior composition. 😭

Regardless, New Kemama was fundamentally the same song, and I fundamentally liked Old Kemama, so whatevs, it made no different to me. In the eyes of many Eurovision diehards we were experiencing WORST PRESHOW SEASON EVER (after three songs... lol) and nothing clinches this brainworm more than a revamp announcement. “OH MY GOD HE WILL RUIN IT! I CAN GUARANTEE YOU I *WON’T* LIKE IT”. Self-fulfilling prophecies, ya know? It certainly didn’t help when the official channel accidentally uploaded a vid with broken soundmixing (‘OMG HORRIBLE LAST IN THE SEMI!!!!’ calm the ever-loving HELL down) and took another FULL WEEK to upload the correct vid. The damage had already been done. Typing "SEE I TOLD YOU THE REVAMP WOULD BE SHITE HA HA HA” in the Kemama comment box really just is the ESC equivalent of reponding with “Actually, *all* lives matter :smug:” to a BLM support pamphlet, isn’t it?

NF CORNER

While not my favourite NF of the bunch, I found the Czech NF to be lowkey epic. Not epic enough to remember its name but regardless Czechvision or whatever marked the end of an era because it was also the last selection spearheaded by Jan Bors :o

I think I’ve made it clear enough in the past that I’m somewhat mixed on Bors Era Czechia - Lake Malawi were a toetapping good, Ickolas was a pockmarked, skin-crawling evil and the other three inhibit a purgatory somewhere between “moderately nice” and “moderate timewaste.”

Still, I have great respect for the man who orchestrated Czech’s comeback after scoring NINE POINTS TOTAL across three years with the mindset of “So what? Why says we can’t win?” so ofc I was all into the idea of the “EIGHT INDIE ANGELS, HAND-PICKED BY BORS HIMSELF” NF that would serve as his swan song.

Naturally things went down the drain the second Bors left, with one of the eight peacing and his successor cancelling the live broadcast (does anyone remember what exactly happened? I vaguely recall one was the cause of the other but lol it’s July can’t be bothered to factscheck (Factsczeck?) anymore, bitches.

Anyway, ON TO THE GOOD STUFF, and yes, there was plenty.

We All Poop - “ All the Blood (Positive Song Actually)”

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Yes, as you can imagine I ofc IMMEDIATELY fell into like when I saw that chyron and invisioned the inevitability of the Czech Rep’s Rep immediately alienating every parent just based on their name alone <3 😍 w/e WAP quickly became that “Good but not great” song you find in every NF that everyone gushes over because it’s the whitest option available. Like, yes, “All the blood” is good, but musically it’s identical to Green Day and Twenty-One Pilots and god name ANY 90s-early00′s American Punk Rock band. For me the enjoyment came from the fact that WAP were openly crazy vegan fundamentalists and the VC clip actively condemns the use ANY animal protein by replacing the cattle and game with LITERAL HUMAN BEINGS. 😍 :fusedmarcintensifies: :kasiamosage:

Pam Rabbit - “Get up”

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Ohhhh YES a glorious experimental Synth-Trap song only I could love and ofc I did. God what is there even to say; the provocative darkness of the verses combined with the swirling amorphousness of the chorus gives me LIFE. LUFF THIS SHIT <3333 Ftr, this was also the fave of Slovene Juror duo / synth angels / Boris faves ZALAGASPER, further proving their pathetic naysayers that they own all things music and the haters can suck a series of-

Barbora Mochowa - “White and Black Holes“

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Lol, yes even with a “Get up” existing, there was a song I liked even more. Barbora proved a very competent Lana del Gay last year, but I was a YUGE fan of this year’s... Kate Bush-Björk blend of ethereal awesome. It is so soothingly beautiful and the rare example of a song that I find completely free of flaws. Were the competition not such a hard place, I’d be pissed she didnt win (at least she won the jury vote MASSIVE KUDOS to every alum on that) but w/e this selection had opions and I’m rather robbed of a “Kemama” than I am of a BRILLIANT IRREPLICABLE AETHERBALLAD. ~Danse balance sûr les white and black holes~

Elis Mraz & Cis T - “Wanna be like”

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I *VERY* strongly felt that if the Czech Republic wanted to win ESC, they should have picked Elis and even now I STILL believe she could have won. That isn’t to say I gushed over “Wanna be like” because I find it kind of annoying lol. Yes, I LOVE an annoying female voice (:Tones&Icackle:) but Elis’s reaches a Camilla Cabello sort of place for me (good lord get Senorita OFF the fucking radio) and the Scat + White Guy Rapping middle-eight. 😬. However, the second I opened up the video clip for this paragraph and was immediately BLASTED by Elis murdering a ukelele and wearing a “schoolgirl” outfit straight from a Japanese tentacle porn movie and OH MY GOD THE AGGRESSIVE TWERKING made me reconsider that hey, this min-sized Meghan Traynor actually kinda highkey owns, yo! Yet, I’m not at all bothered we lost her in the Czech NF because we got UNO DOS QUATRO CINCO SEIS :fatmansplit: fill up the megameme slot instead, so...

Eurovision 2020 vs Eurovision 2021

BENNY RUINED HIS SONG AND NEVER WOULD HAVE QUALIFIED. jk I’m not a moron. Sure, “Kemama” wasn’t an easy sell because you know AFROBEAT in a contest where half of the people watching are fash (ie: all of Eastern Europe, who watch out of ~Nationalistic Sentiment~ 😬), but there are Kemama live renditions out there and he owns them SO hard lol. A few soundmixing issues really would not have stopped Benny from qualifying in that RIDICULOUSLY WEAKSAUCE SEMIFINAL are you fucking kidding me. He probably would’ve bombed in the Grand Final, but I mean it’s Czech and it’s not Ickolas so ofc it would have.

And Czech renewed him for 2021 regardless of the sceptics, woohoo! I think part of it was due the Czech not wanting to re-organize an ENTIRE NF from scratch without Jan Bors, but probably also because Benny owns live when he isn’t engaged in psychological trench warfare with actual human detritus <3 and also because the Czech fucking CARE about their artists and don’t drop them like a sack of rotten potatoes wtfshitprus.

Can’t wait for the moment when he qualifies and Efendi does not, etc, etc.

FREAKY! FRIDAY! FACTOR!

I’d say that the core around which the Ben Drama spun was pretty standard fare: niche fave beats out the concensus fave, meltdowns ensue, people convince themselves it was the WRONG decision because it wasn the result they wanted, try to disown the song and make a fool of themselves because the song slaps, sorry. Even the revamp drama felt more of less generic for me, because yawn fantards melting down over a revamp of a song they don’t even like what else is new.

However, what I do take away that the revamp was ENTIRELY Benny’s idea which he told no one about (cue to JAN BORS having a social media meltdown like he’s Caesar at the Ides of March 💔) added MORE afrobeat just to troll his haters even more <3 God, I’d say it was bad from a musical perspective but this level of in-your-face defiance is fucking iconic and hilarious, sorry. This entire this year is so batshit bonkers that the concept of a someone potentially shooting themselves in the foot and “torpedo’ing” their qualification chances (not rly, he would’ve Q’d anyway lol) JUST to take the moral high ground in a racially coded argument only HE took seriously may not even be the craziest concept in the year! (lol it definitely isn’t. Look at the pics I haven’t greyed out yet)

This and more yield Benny some well-earned Senheads! Yay!!

Score: 3 Senhits out of 5.

#Eurovision #Eurovision 2020 #Eurovision Song Contest #Czech Republic #Czechia #Bohemia #Ben Christovão #Benny Christo

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lucindarobinsonvevo · 4 years

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This week, a record made and released by close collaborators Eerie, Indiana and Heart on a Chain received a re-release with a deluxe edition to celebrate its 20th birthday

Though the front cover of Marshall’s Theory of Believably, the joint album by bands Eerie, Indiana and Heart on a Chain names only those two bands, the project was a collaboration between all the members of the Indiana seven. The Indiana Seven were a close group of collaborators who had a close working relationship in the 90s, creating iconic tracks and albums. The cover, which depicts a lone man in a ghost costume was shot by Sara Sue, an artist/photographer who shot most of the Eerie, Indiana’s album covers, and a track labeled ‘we gave this track to Tod’ features the enigmatic artist known as Tod, who also helped on the band’s delayed record Broken Record. The album art is different from the works of both bands, with Eerie, Indiana frequently having a sort of DIY feel to their photoshoots and Heart on a Chain tending to the more abstract kind. These particular photos (remastered for the deluxe edition) depict various band members in the dessert wearing a sheet over their heads with large black eye holes. The cover is Holmes, peering from behind a large unlit bonfire at the viewer. The title is written in the handwriting of Janet Donner, who also features as the figure on the CD itself. Teller features on the back of the album, and the back page of the liner notes, waving goodbye. Inside the liner, there are images of X, with Monroe being absent, apparently due to having a broken leg at the time of the shoot following an incident at a waterpark.

The album features twelve tracks, with many of them focusing on the idea of cryptids and other mysterious entities to make up the metaphors of the song. On the idea for the Album, Donner said: We wanted to talk about love as we knew it. This broad, mysterious concept that so many people in their twenties make love out to be.” On what she thinks of love now, Donner then remarked: Love is being glad the world hasn’t ended yet. I’ll leave you to make of that what you will. On the album, both X and Teller have cited the other as an inspiration behind the tracks, which will not come as a surprise to anyone who frequently listens to Eerie, Indiana as the pairs sometimes tumultuous relationship is often at the center of the most controversial and interesting projects done by the band. But this album is, more than anything else, a happy one.

The first single released from this album was the track ‘Sometimes I Almost Miss You’ in the one-two punch style of Eerie, Indiana the track is titled like a break-up but is a love song. Over an energetic guitar track and drum machine, Monroe sings about the heart transplant she’d had some years before and how she believes that she can still feel the donor even though he’s (according to the lyrics) long gone and sweetly resting. The track is careful to avoid any religious implications, instead suggesting that the donor (who has since been identified as Devon Wilde) instead rests inside her chest. With X on the guitar and Holmes on the drum machine and (of all things) the triangle, Teller is free to singe verses from the perspective of the heart donor, viewing the world from inside Monroe’s chest while Donner provides very beautiful backing harmonies. The overall mood of the track is one of quiet love and happiness, as well as gratefulness to the young boy who gave her the second chance. Those familiar with the work of Heart on a Chain know that the transplant features heavily in their songs and it’s no surprise to see it here.

The second track released in the work was ‘Me and My Jackalope’ and fueled rumors about a relationship between Teller and his bandmate, Dash X. At the time, both were closeted at the request of the label to avoid scandal. “Being in the closest literally almost killed me.” Teller would reflect later, interviewing for a project he did, releasing tracks for an LGBT themed album in the 2000s.”The funny thing is, I don’t think anyone who listened to us gave a damn. We’d go on stage, and we used to stand so close our knuckles were almost touching getting up in each other’s face and people would just go crazy.” Me and My Jackalope is, as you may have guessed, a song about impossible love. A love that the singer, in this case, mostly Teller, keeps hidden under his bed, only bringing it out to play when he’s alone. It’s a slow, sad track with Teller crooning to his animal “If they saw you, then they’d send you away.” Both Holmes and Monroe are credited as writers on the track, with the usual Eerie, Indiana flavor of complicated guitar playing set aside in favor of Donner and a violin and Holmes playing an assortment of other instruments.

The third and final promotional single was meant to be Skylines, which lyrics from are also featured on the inside booklet of the album however at the last minute it was swapped out to the Meatloaf cover in the center of the album, Midnight at the Lost and Found due to ‘label meddling’ after it was decided they needed another upbeat track after Me and my Jackalope. The track is nothing special, a seemingly typical Eerie, Indiana cover. Eerie, Indiana frequently covered Meatloaf and Jim Stienman tracks, hoping to work with one or the other someday. Sadly, this collaboration never came to be. But it’s a fun song, much like the original version from the 1983 album by Meatloaf. Somewhat of a deep cut by today’s standards, but it’s fun. Which I think was probably the mission statement of this album if Dash X is to be believed (Yes, that’s his stage name, no I do not know his real name). ‘We were a bunch of 20 something friends given a studio and a year or two to do whatever we wanted. So we did whatever we wanted, which was being weird.’

Skylines and it’s reprise is a group effort, with every member of the group joining in with the writing process to produce something that could have gone astray but managed to come together into something coherent. Skylines covers the re-treaded ground of many bands, it’s a song set about missing people while on tour. Set against New York’s bright, iconic skyline the track is mostly led by Donner as she wonders what her lover is doing right now. Her lover, played by Teller wonders about if his lover will stay in New York, swept up by the bright skylines, and pleading for them to simply be theirs. The track has backing vocals from all of the members involved, including Holmes who mostly shies away from singing parts. ‘It’s not that I don’t love to sing.” He explains, “I’m just not very good at it. Marshall was always the singer, I’m much happier playing the drums, or a cello or something.”

The final track on the album, clocking in at nine minutes, is Cryptids (I Still Believe in You and Me). This track shows off the impressive guitar skills of Teller and X, this time paired with the violin playing from Donner who shows she can keep up with the boys by playing speedy, intense sections with precision. This Dash X penned track also has extensive work by Holmes on the drums and a solo from a very jazz saxophone in the third act. Ultimately, the song doesn’t quite come together, feeling disjointed and a little over-complicated. But...Maybe that’s how it’s meant to feel. Dash was never brought into Eerie, Indiana as a writer, he was brought on to foil with Marshall on stage and because he was the only person the label could find that could play the punishingly difficult riffs Teller produces. On his Instagram speaking about pride X has suggested that a lot of his music was changed during production because it was too overtly about men, while Donner and Teller both proficiently changed pronouns in there songs, or stuck to calling their love interests you.

The album has three tracks that feel like filler, the intermission track which is not unusual on the cinematic, large scale Eerie, Indiana albums, a seemingly ‘story’ track called ‘Lost in Time’ which is a piece of Holmes poetry performed by Donner and an odd little track called ‘We Gave This One To Tod’ While the enigmatic Tod was often credited on Eerie, Indiana albums and opened for them at live shows he never quite reached the level of recognition his peers did. However, seeing the bizarre and experimental nature of his work, and his goth and punk leanings I think it’s safe to assume he was happier underground than his friends were blinded by the lights of showbiz. This piece features heavy synths and a drum machine. It doesn’t hit for me, but perhaps for a fan of Tod, it could be a holy grail.

On this version of the album, known as the deluxe edition, we’re given three additional tracks. A demo version of Elvis and the Mothman, which is lyrically the same slowed all the way down with the shouting chorus replaced with a mouth against the mic crooner style. The released, upbeat anthem style track is a far better fit for the album. Baba Yaga in Heels is a Heart on a Chain only track, perhaps why it was discarded. It features a techno style dance beat, with the lyrics being about a night out with Baba Yaga, a Banshee, and a harpy. Ultimately, the lyrics are not that impactful but they don’t need to be. The final listed track is a cover of Meatloaf’s Bat out of Hell, which lyrically and sonically is almost identical to the original.

Overall, what Marshall’s theory of Believability tries to do is ambitious. It’s an album between two experiential groups of friends trying to make something that they enjoy. But it’s not the best work of either group, which is a shame because it could have been something very special if they were given a little more time to work out some of the kinks and if they pruned some of the tracks that are superfluous to the story of the album. I’m happy to have a copy in my collection, but honestly, I’d rather listen to something the group produced independently anyway.

#eerie indiana #mitziedits #(eerie indiana as albums cinematic universe)

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theselectfewblog · 7 years

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DUSK TILL’ DAWN

ARTIST: ZAYN ft. SIA

Genre: R&B / Pop

Initially, the news of a collab of ZAYN and Sia came as something as a surprise to me. One is an anonymous powerhouse pop sensation whilst the other is an R&B musician with an impressive vocal range and known for his past as a member of One Direction. However, after listening to ZAYN’s new track ‘Dusk Till Dawn’, it seems to be an unprecedented match made in heaven; for what Sia provides in impressive vocal runs, ZAYN matches and harmonises with effortlessly. The effect is a creation of seamless melodies which seems almost undemanding to sing in a way that only Sia and ZAYN can achieve.

Similarly, the opening notes of the song were somewhat unexpected. The opening of the first verse is a soft piano melody under his raspy voice. This is understandably very different to his typical solo work such as PILLOWTALK or BeFour, both of which are fast tempo, sexy and sultry R&B songs. However, it seems his foray into more acoustic songs plays well in his favour as it enables for his vocal talent to shine through and the sentiment of the lyrics ‘Not tryna be indie/ Not tryna be cool/Just tryna be in this/Tell me are you to?’ to become apparent. It harkens back to his days as a member of One Direction, something which he said he was keen to leave behind, yet as the song progresses, it becomes more and more his own style.

The chorus is an emotional, drum and bass driven section, interlaced with impressive harmonies and finishing with a large vocal run that not many artists other than these two can achieve. It echoes ZAYN’s other works, yet it still allows for the talents of Sia to shine through as she gives her own unique touch to the song.

Overall, the song, although different from what we have come to expect from ZAYN, and initially perhaps unusual, is an impressive work which allows for both of the singers’ talents to shine above the well-crafted melodies of the instruments. These instruments heighten the emotion in both of their voices to create a sonic story of heart-felt devotion, with an easy to follow beat that keeps the listener engaged and in time despite the rapid runs, cutting out at the end of the bridge to truly show the capacity of ZAYNs vocal ability in one soaring note, which although unoriginal in this genre, is still worth listening to and admiring.

I hope ZAYN will explore other types of music like he has here, rather than stick to just tracks like PILLOWTALK, which, as much as I love, can become tedious for both listener and artist. This track is a refreshing example of how he can still remain talented and true to himself whilst still dipping his toe into other aspects of Pop and R&B.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

#zayn #zayn malik #dusk till dawn #new music #sia #theselectfew #pop #rnb #rnbmusic #popmusic #accoustic #review #music review #song #songs #music #musician

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alanjguitar · 4 years

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The Best Electric Guitars For Playing in Church

When you play praise and worship music, you want to sound your best and give your all to elevating the congregation in joyous celebration.

You want to be able to stay grounded in the holy moment without worrying about your tone and tuning and your cramping hands.

You don’t need a multi-thousand dollar guitar to keep up with the rest of your rocking praise band, but it’s important that you have a reliable axe that isn’t going to slip out of tune mid-song or be so uncomfortable to play that you’re praying for salvation by the start of the second verse.

Our Recommendation

For under $500, my favorite guitar in this category is the Fender Offset Series Mustang, offering a Strat/Tele fusion tone in a vintage style body, nothing too flashy but all you need for clean, crisp chords and silky smooth solos. It trumps the Epiphone SG Special, whose strong tonal characteristics are somewhat diminished by the unreliability of the Epiphone electronics.

Overall, the number one contender on this list is the PRS SE Custom 24, in which its solid maple/mahogany construction, dual humbuckers, and sturdy tremolo are capable of a huge range of tonal variations, from soft and sweet rhythms to incredible sustain-filled solo work.

Whatever your budget, here you can find an ideal choice of the best electric guitar for worship and all other areas of your life that demand pristine performances.

The 7 Top-Rated Electric Guitars for Worship Music – Overview

#7 Epiphone SG Special

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3.5/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Mahogany

Neck – Mahogany

Fingerboard – Indian Laurel

Electronics – 650R Humbucker neck pickup and 700T Humbucker T bridge pickup

Pros

Affordable SG model based on the Gibson original

Punchy tones for powerful performances

SlimTaper “D” neck profile for speedy riffage

Cons

Ground wire can become loose with major bumps and bangs

All mahogany muddiness inhibits crisp chords

Review

Although this is the lowest ranked guitar on this list, I’ve seen the Epiphone SG Special in the hands of several worship band guitarists, from my own church band in high school years, to my friend’s current praise band in a West Virginia megachurch, to worship services at Christian rock festivals and live-streamed praise music across the U.S.

I first fell in love with SG models after seeing School of Rock, and since then it’s remained one of my favorite electric guitars. It’s not so much something you want to use to highlight your group’s rhythm section, but when utilized correctly, in can add an immense amount of oomph and power to your band’s pre-chorus buildups.

Outside its rhythm capabilities, the SG Special is a great guitar for high end licks, with the top frets never singing shrill but rather soaring in like the precision strike of a skydiving raptor. Want to learn to get the most out of this guitar by soloing like a pro? Check out our how-to solo guide here.

The main drawback of all Epiphone electric guitars is the hastily configured electronics; a lot of the time they just don’t hold up, leaving you with the issue of crackles and pops when you turn the tone knobs, and at worst totally disabling your pickups. It’s not a problem without a fix, but you’ll need to factor in the need for electronics repairs to the overall cost of this guitar.

Nonetheless, if you’re a player on a tight budget, the Epiphone SG Special is one of the best options available to get you rocking without draining your savings.

#6 Ibanez S 521

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4/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Meranti

Neck – Maple

Fingerboard – Jatoba

Electronics – Dual Quantum humbuckers

Pros

Super fast, thin Wizard III neck

Light meranti body reduces player fatigue

Quantum humbuckers emphasize bass response, pumping up the low and mid range tones

Cons

Nontraditional body and fingerboard woods

Susceptible to feedback due to light body construction

Lacks tone controls for separate pickups

Review

Ibanez has been one of my favorite brands since I started playing guitar, in part because I’m a huge Steve Vai fan, but mostly because their guitars are just so fast and fun to play.

The Ibanez S521 is versatile enough to perform in nearly every genre, but for worship music specifically you’ll be delighted with its treble heavy rhythm capabilities. With a bit of chorus effect on a clean tone, open chords on the S521 sing like a choir of angels.

Unless you’re in a really unusually rockish praise band, you probably won’t be doing a ton of shredding, but if the opportunity does arise, there’s no better neck to rage away on than those made Ibanez. The Wizard III neck on the S521 is sleek, slim, super fast design made with sturdy maple, great for quick riffs or comfortable chord work in any genre.

Without being too biased, I’ll mention that I like my guitars a bit on the heavier side — something to do with the denser wood imbuing a sense of higher quality. In this regard, I’m not a huge fan of the light meranti body of this Ibanez. But if you’re a smaller-framed guitarist or just someone who doesn’t want several kilos of wood weighing down your shoulders for hours at a time, you’ll find the S521 light enough to reduce fatigue yet solid enough to feel like a perfectly reliable axe. You can learn to further reduce playing fatigue with these handy tips.

#5 Squier Classic Vibe ’70s Telecaster Thinline

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4.5/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Soft Maple

Neck – Maple

Fingerboard – Maple

Electronics – Dual Fender Wide Rang Humbuckers

Pros

Semi hollow maple body delivers beautiful full-bodied chords

All maple construction for crisp rhythms and funky leads

Dual humbuckers for crunch when you need it

Cons

Cheap tuning machines that can cause tuning slippage

Desperately needs a setup

Review

In the Under $500 range, it was hard choosing the number one spot between this Telecaster Thinline and the guitar that ultimately claimed the win. To be fair, it was really a tie.

The Squier Classic Vibe ’70s Telecaster Thinline is an amazing guitar for worship music, especially if your role in the group is the main rhythm guitarist. Its semi-hollow body sings out chords with perfect clarity and depth, sounding almost more like an extra bright acoustic than an electric guitar.

Whether your group focuses on mellow tunes or upbeat praise pop, the all maple Thinline Tele shines with a prominent voice in all playing styles. Based on Fender’s vintage 1972 Thinline model, Squier keeps it real with the lightweight body, dual humbuckers for added sonic depth, and retro style headstock and bridge. You can read about the interesting history and evolution of the Telecaster in this article by Fender.

This guitar is great for any genre ranging from totally clean sonnets to slightly dirty punk praise and has a pretty solid sound from the low to high end.

My only complaint is with the tuning machines, which can really use an upgrade. However, they’re not necessarily a deal-breaker, and if you’re feeling up to the task, changing them out yourself can add an important and useful repair skill to your guitarist toolbox.

#4 Fender Offset Series Mustang

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4.5/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Alder

Neck – Maple

Fingerboard – Maple

Electronics – Dual Mustang single coil pickups

Pros

Crisp leads and fat rhythms in a solidly constructed rocker

Comfortable “C”-shaped neck profile for hours of fatigue-free playing

Fender Mustang single coil pickups for true sonic superiority

Cons

A bit on the heavy side for smaller players

Unusual offset body shape might be unattractive for more conventional guitarists

Review

Fender’s Mustangs are maybe more well-known as bass guitars, but that doesn’t keep the Offset Mustang electric from being one of the finest instruments you can find for under $500.

Your congregation will find nothing to bemoan in its classic Fender tone, which in the Offset Mustang falls beautifully in the middle between a Strat and Telecaster sound.

The only guitar under $500 on this list without humbucker pickups, this Fender Offset Mustang is perfect for clean rhythm work and joyful lead riffs. Its solid alder body keeps it feedback free and reduces the buzz you’d expect to encounter from dual single-coils.

The Offset Mustang was originally introduced as a short-scale beginners guitar, but over the years has come to be known as a great instrument for anyone looking for crisp tones with a comfortable playing range.

There are no major problems with this guitar at all. It’s surprisingly affordable, and can suit your needs as a guitarist both in your church performances and anywhere else the music takes you.

#3 Fender Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster

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4/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Alder

Neck – Maple

Fingerboard – Maple

Electronics – 3x Vintage Noiseless Single-Coil Strat pickups

Pros

3 single coil pickups with

Super versatile tone controls including 6-way rotary switch with onboard preamp

Stable-tuning tremolo bridge for funky bends and squeals

Cons

Synthetic bone nut decreases sonic performance

Review

You might be thinking, “Geez, another Fender?” I almost am too, but for the best electric guitars for worship music they’re truly hard to beat.

That’s because Fender’s have long been known for their brightness and clarity and amazing rhythm attributes. Fender has long been one of the leading guitar manufacturers, and when you get above the $500 price point, you really start to see the scope of their quality.

The Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster is one of the most tonally versatile guitars I’ve seen. You can play this electric through the cheapest most basic amp and still be amazed by the range of tones you can get just with a flick of a switch and a turn of a knob.

There are three single coil pickups in the Deluxe Roadhouse, which might leave you worried about undue buzz during quieter moments. But, with the special Vintage Noiseless Fender design, they stay quiet even when you’re silently waiting through a bassline to kick in to the mix with your part.

It’s a great guitar all around, ready to rock out with clean to distorted rhythms or tear through the noise with high-vibe leads.

#2 Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro

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4.5/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Mahogany with AAA Flame Maple Top

Neck – Mahogany

Fingerboard – Pau Ferro

Electronics – ProBucker-2 humbucker in the neck position and ProBucker-3 humbucker in the bridge position

Pros

Coil-tapping feature for versatile tones

True-to-form Gibson LP remake

Beautiful Flame Maple top

Cons

Tone can be a bit muddy

Review

This is one of my favorite guitars period. There aren’t many electrics available at such an affordable price with even a fraction of the quality of the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top Pro.

It barely breaks the under $500 price range, being the lowest-priced guitar in our under $1000 category, but it’s a top contender for the best guitar on this entire list.

For worship music, you’ll love the rhythms you can crank out with this Epi LP’s emphasis on the low and mid-ranges. It might not be the best guitar for bright poppy progressions due to mahogany’s inherent muddy warmth, but it fits well in the mix of any size praise group.

The coil tapping mechanism gives you a huge amount of control over your tone, essentially allowing you to turn your dual humbuckers into single coil pickups, which can help if you need to bring your brightness up a bit.

If this guitar has grabbed your attention like it did mine, you can take a look at our in-depth review of the Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro here.

#1 PRS SE Custom 24

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5/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Mahogany with Beveled Maple and Flame Maple Top

Neck – Maple

Fingerboard – Rosewood

Electronics – PRS 85/15 “S” dual humbuckers

Pros

An affordable entry from PRS — top quality at a relatively low price

Wide-thin neck profile for chord gripping power

High quality humbucking pickups with push/pull tone control and 3-way selector switch

Cons

None!

Review

Paul Reed Smith guitars don’t get a lot of mention on our site, though they certainly deserve the top-rank in a lot of reviews, with an impressive list of artists who favor the brand.

This Custom 24 is from PRS’s more affordable SE line, a high quality range of models at a price that won’t leave you wallowing in debt.

The PRS SE Custom 24 can do everything, from crystal-clear rhythmic opens, to crunchy distorted power chords, to soaring solo melodies, all with a tuning-stable tremolo bar for added fun.

It’s a super solid guitar, and you can feel the quality the moment it hits your hands. The neck is wide enough for strong chording but slim enough through the curve for lighting fast solos.

With the 3-way selector switch and tone controls for both pickups, you can adjust your voice to fit anywhere your prasie band needs you, whether that’s adding subtle bass power to clean progressions or kicking into overdrive for the bridge that brings it all home.

I can’t find a single problem with this guitar, and if it fits in your budget, I’ve got to recommend it for the best electric guitar for worship you can get your hands on.

The Final Word

As I always say, you’ve got to search within your means for the best guitar for your needs, and I’ve tried to make this list fairly wide-ranging in terms of price while maintaining a standard of quality fit for live performances.

Any of these guitars will be fine for your worship music as long as you play from the heart, no matter if you choose the lowest priced Epiphone or the built-for-pros PRS.

Stay true to yourself and your faith and your congregation will be happy to have you on stage.

Blessings to you and your music!

The post The Best Electric Guitars For Playing in Church appeared first on Beginnerguitar.

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deadcactuswalking · 6 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 27th May 2018

Rushed episode is rushed, but hope you enjoy anyways.

Top 10

When I said the top 10 was stagnant yesterday, I meant it. We have a few shake-ups, but otherwise, especially at the top, nothing’s happening. Is that a good thing? Maybe, but for now, we still have “One Kiss” by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa at the top, and wow, it’s grown on me a hell of a lot. I hope this becomes a hit in the US because this has a chance of making my best list. If you wanted a reason to take my initial reaction and review of songs here with a grain of salt, here it is.

Oh, yeah, and “Nice for What” by Drake is still at the runner-up spot.

“No Tears Left to Cry” by Ariana Grande has no spots left to climb at number-three.

“2002” by Anne-Marie moved up one spot to number-four, thanks to another song absolutely collapsing – more on that later.

“Answerphone” by Banx & Ranx and Ella Eyre featuring Yxng Bane has moved up two spots into the top five.

“I’ll be There” by Jess Glynne has shot up seven spaces to number-six – joy!

“Flames” by David Guetta and Sia has lazily enunciated its way to number-seven, taking a two-spot jump from last week.

“Paradise” by George Ezra is still at number-eight. Nothing changed there.

“This is America” by Childish Gambino featuring Young Thug has fell by three spots to number-nine.

Finally, for some reason, “Better Now” by Post Malone rebounds a spot to number-ten, rounding off the top of the charts.

Climbers

We have some pretty big climbers at the bottom of the top 40, like “If You’re Over Me” by Years & Years zooming up 14 spaces to #24 off the debut, “First Time” by M-22 featuring Medina finally gaining some traction, moving up seven spots to #26, Yxng Bane living off his “Answerphone” fame to get “Vroom” up five to #27, “Man Down” by Shakka featuring AlunaGeorge somehow taking 12 spots in a leap of faith up to #28, overtaking “Back to You” by Selena Gomez, which also jumped 10 positions to #29.

Fallers

Okay, I said once when this track made the top 10, that I would never mention it by name because it was that despicably bad. However, I’ve got to give myself a victory screech and a celebratory drink because “Freaky Friday” by Lil Dicky featuring Chris Brown has tumbled 11 spaces to #15. Hopefully, this will be off the charts soon enough. Unfortunately, it took “In My Blood” by Shawn Mendes down with it, falling eight spaces down to #18, though it’ll rebound next week after the album impacts. We also have pretty intense 10-spot drops for “Paranoid” by Post Malone and “Call Out My Name” by The Weeknd, to #37 and #38 respectively.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

For dropouts, we have (finally) “Feel it Still” by Portugal. The Man, dropping out from #34, as well as “Mad Love” by Sean Paul, David Guetta and Becky G dropping out from #31, but nothing else is worse than the massacre that Arctic Monkeys faced, with “Four out of Five”, “Star Treatment” and “One Point Perspective” dropping out from #18, #23 and #26 respectively. As for returning entries, we have two songs from The Greatest Showman, “Never Enough” and “A Million Dreams” coming back again, to #39 and #33.

Before we get to our new arrivals in the top 40, I want to talk about what’s just right outside of it, and thought I’d never talk about on this channel – K-pop.

Special Feature

#42 – “Fake Love” – BTS

I’ve not really been exposed to much K-pop, and to be honest, I don’t like a lot of snippets I’ve heard. However, there was a charm to BTS’ most recent album, in its polished production, catchy hooks and just clever pop writing. This song in question? Yeah, I love it. You start with that simple guitar strumming as the synth noise builds up into the first of like six freaking hooks on this song – it’s catchy as hell – where the trap snares kick in and we get a typical pop song, but instead, with charismatic rappers and singers, performing pretty fantastically over an otherwise somewhat cliché beat – but that beat is still great, don’t get me wrong. It is a perfect backdrop, like any pop beat should be, to the performers. It isn’t amazing, but it isn’t horrid. There’s a barking noise for some reason, and I love it. The rappers here flow surprisingly well here as well, especially the second dude who comes in before the smoother singing on the bridge. This song will be in your head for years and is a fantastic presentation of how simple trendy pop can be done very well.

NEW ARRIVALS

#40 – “Family Tree” – Ramz

So, this is Ramz – you may know him from his #2 hit “Barking”. Well, he’s finally back, and he’s been spending time fine-tuning this new song, “Family Tree”, which is his official follow-up to his last hit. Is it any better than the last one? Well, kind of. The autotune is more obvious and blatant here, used to accentuate his otherwise dull performance, with a joyful, childish melody on what seem to be steel pans behind the trap snares and reverb-drowned vocal samples, as well as a great concept from Ramz, where he just starts to talk about his “family” – rather, his friends or “squad” he met in primary school who he has stuck with through his whole life. Listen, this isn’t reinventing the wheel or anything, hell, I doubt Ramz has a grasp on how to draw a wheel yet, but for what it is, it’s a solid dancehall tune. No real complaints here, but nothing to write home about.

#35 – “Leave a Light On” – Tom Walker

This took so long to finally breach into the top 40. It’s been bubbling under in the top 100 for a few weeks, if not months, but due to its use in an advertisement (of course), it debuts at #35, and you know, maybe this wasn’t worth the wait. Backed by a piano, Tom Walker croons pretty clumsily with a somewhat raspy voice that loses all its edge in the verses – where he goes for an annoying, Passenger-type nasal delivery, only bursting out in the chorus, which is unfortunately very anti-climactic, with its calmer synths and skittering trap percussion, as well as brief interjections from a female singer. Then it kind of ventures into perfection in the bridge, with Walker screaming through distortion over the ironically calm drop, which ends the song proper, before a few scattered notes are played on the piano and Walker calms down with a few repeats of the title, and you notice it’s too little, too late to save an unnecessary addition to pop radio. The Cheat Codes remix is just as bad, but Chaney’s efforts to remix the song aren’t half-bad. I’d check out that groovier version before the original any day.

#12 – “Solo” – Clean Bandit featuring Demi Lovato

Okay, what is it with EDM producers censoring the F-word? I know I’m not one to talk, but am I the only one annoyed by this? Is it because they want more plays in clubs or whatever? I’m not talking about the radio edit here, no, I’m talking about the official version provided on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, whatever streaming service of choice. So, there was another “solo” dance hit last year, “Solo Dance” by Martin Jensen, which I absolutely love, for the record, but to be honest, I think “Solo” – with its contradictory name – might be up there in terms of quality. Now, at first listen, I hated this and wanted to tear it to shreds, but then I noticed that all the half-hearted, clumsy production kind of accentuated the lyrical content, that Demi wants to go solo and do everything in her own way, no matter how much she thinks she needs company. She sings it like it’s a rebellious, reckless thing to do, and that really puts the careless arrangement in perspective.

So, we start with a somewhat tropical synth backed by a pitch-shifted singer shouting Offset ad-libs (they return throughout Demi’s well-sung verses) and some strings as always, but then as we get into the verses, we have an unusually autotuned performance from Demi Lovato, which is so blatant that it makes her sound robotic, turning her into an instrument, similarly to how Blank Banshee chops up vocal samples to make a synth noise that fits in with the airy trap beat, which is pretty clear in the chorus, before the absolutely heavenly drop, which is anti-climactic but it works because there’s no real build-up, rather just Demi being more affected and distorted by the production, until she turns into a void of Ric Flair ad-libs, orchestral elements and an oddly comprehensible Vocaloid melody, also known as the drop. It sure is an interesting song that I’ve grown to love out of its pure quirkiness. Yeah, I prefer “Solo Dance” and it’s pretty middling as far as Clean Bandit go, but this is great too. Check it out.

Conclusion

We only have three songs this week, so no Honourable or Dishonourable Mentions, rather just Best of the Week, which I wish could go to “Fake Love” by BTS, but sadly, it doesn’t count, so it’s easily going to “Solo” by Clean Bandit and Demi Lovato, and Worst of the Week, which goes to “Leave a Light On” by Tom Walker. See ya next week!

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