#1. Raptamei Pi by E.S. Posthumus
I stumbled upon E.S. Posthumus while listening to the band Muse on Pandora radio. Muse tends to be very theatrical with their music so that's probably why an E.S. Posthumus song played on that channel. You've probably heard their music before and not known it. Their music has been featured in movies like Spiderman, Planet of the Apes, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Matrix Reloaded, National Treasure, Avatar and The Hunger Games. They've also been featured on TV shows like Lost, Brothers & Sisters, Heroes and Law & Order: SVU. Learn more about them by clicking here.
#2. A Shadow on Me by Project 86
This is the only video I could find. This band has been on Tooth and Nail records since dirt was invented. This song is on their album "Songs to Burn Your Bridges By" Here's the cover art:
I'd like to do a post on some of my favorite album covers from my collection someday. You can find Project 86's website by clicking here.
#3. Playing with Fire (Acoustic) by Emery
Emery is one of my favorite bands. They're also on Tooth and Nail records. The best way I can describe their music is by using the word "bi-polar". Some of their songs can be very soothing but then within the same songs there is also some screaming. That's how I like my music, music that sounds very calm and soothing and music that kicks you right in the face. With Emery you can get both in the same song. There website can be found here.
#4. Why Wait? by P.O.D.
Ah, this song makes me want to go back to Jamaica. Good times. I think P.O.D. has really matured as a band. They have more a diverse sound than they did when they started out. They're primarily a hard rock band as everyone probably knows already. But there are elements of hip-hop, punk, and reggae in their music as well. It's a nice blend. Their website is here.
#5. Fight by PFR
This is the only video I could find on YouTube for this one as well. I especially like the pic of Jesus hovering over earth. Is that smoke coming off of him? Is he re-entering the earth's atmosphere? Anyway, PFR is one of the first bands I started listening to and they're still one of my favorites. Originally they were called "Pray for Rain" but there was already a band with that name. That band threatened to sue, so they had to change the name of the band to PFR. Click here for their wikipedia page.
#6. Hello Ego by John Reuben
I went though a phase where I liked hip-hop a lot. John Reuben is one of the few hip-hop artists I still listen to. I like his intelligent lyrics and he goes against the grain of mainstream hip-hop. Just like in the song "Hello Ego", so many hip-hop artists are so full of themselves and this song tackles that issue. For John's website, clicky here.
#7. The Breeze by Dr. Dog
This is the unofficial video for this song, I thought it was clever. Dr. Dog is a rock band from West Grove which is near Philadelphia in my home state of Pennsylvania. Even though Dr. Dog is a newer band, their music sounds like it's from another time. They are influenced by 60's pop and rock and it definitely shows in their music. Learn more about them here.
#8. Suspended in You by Skillet
Skillet is another band I've been listening to for awhile, since the mid-90's. It has been interesting to see how their sound has changed over the years, but their first album is still probably my favorite out of all their other albums. You can find their website here, no, here.
#9. Under the Floor by Switchfoot
Switchfoot probably doesn't really need an introduction, but perhaps this song in particular does. This one came out long before they became popular. Lead singer Jon Foreman has a couple side projects as well including 4 EPs called Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Another side project he's involved with is a band called Fiction Family with guitarist Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. I think I actually like the side projects more than I like Switchfoot. But you can check out Switchfoot here.
#10. Coffee by Copeland
Copeland sadly disbanded a few years ago but had a great run. They started out on Militia Group Records and recorded their last album with Tooth & Nail Records. This is probably one of my favorite songs by them. Lead singer Aaron Marsh and Anberlin's lead singer, Stephen Christian started a band called Anchor & Braille which is still active. Visit Copeland here and here.
I don't expect you to listen to every song, but at least sample them, see what you like.
Well, this was fun. I'll have to do something like this again someday.
