Tea Time

GENRE: alternative rock  This hasn't happened before but I basically pulled this song from a Guitar Hero stream. It's an old song, but damn if it have a unique sound to it. Harmonics are fun now and then, but this song makes it work a main component of the instrumentation. The bass line is simplistic and one-note. I would enjoy something with more momentum to match the tone of the rest of the song though. The singing is meh. It doesn't strike me as anything out of the ordinary. The spotlight is rather on the rest of the band, because they have some pretty cool breaks in between the verses, ESPECIALLY at 3:20 ish. I am absolutely a stan for syncopated sections like. It's just so fun to groove to. I mean, I got to give it a high rating just for that daring move. Rating: 7.5/10

GENRE: alternative It's a bit embarrassing, but I've heard a bunch of Smashing Pumpkins' hits before, but never knew they names nor that they were the ones performing them. I've decided to do them proper justice and listen to one of those songs. To be honest, I only know the line, RAT IN A CAGE. And to think, it's not even the name of the song. Otherwise, it's got the angst and edge that Smashing Pumpkins can put out. The chorus is pretty iconic too if I remember correctly. What more could you want when you're feeling the mood? Rating: 8/10 

GENRE:   alternative rock This type of genre tends to draw a blank for me. Aside from the more popular bands (e.g. The Cure and the Smiths), I haven't really taken the dive to find more. Without a doubt, their songs are great; I wonder if it's universal. Anyway, here we are with a new exposure, at least to me. You get the uplifting drums and bluesy guitar riffs, with a dual paradigm going on with both a distorted guitar and a cleaner guitar. The singing style seems to skew into that certain style that's famous for the time. The style echoes the bands I mentioned previously, but there doesn't seem to be the energy or same emotional depth in the performance that grabs me like the others do. The singer's vocal performance almost verges on sounding lazy and exasperated. This may have sounded better if I grew up in the time, but it definitely seems B-tier material in context of the other titans in the genre. That, or this just isn't really my genre. Rating: 5/...

genre: alternative rock, psychedelic We slow things down with this small gem from the 90's. One thing that stands out to me is its high quality and full range of sound. Just from the acoustic and bass guitars, the sound is complete and encompassing. It seems fleeting what with the timid slides and soft attacks from the electric guitar. There's a slight country vibe overall, but Mazzy Star's  voice is undoubtedly taken straight from the 90's. Her intonation and style of singing is so resonant with that era. Overall, there's not a lot of focus on the instruments themselves. In fact, the lyrical performance is quite subdued as well. No one piece of the song takes the spotlight. Instead, all the elements are quite blended and harmonious. It's a little too slow and steady for my taste, but I can see where it shines. Rating: 7/10