This issue is a rather short one, covering a band which I've only just discovered in the last few days.

They are Amplifier, an alternative / progressive rock trio from Manchester, UK. For a three-piece band with only 2 full length albums under their belt they have a huge, solid sound with a good range of variety in their songs. Their super fat guitars remind me of a cross between the early 90's sound of The Smashing Pumpkins, the presence of Porcupine Tree, and the bass, digital effects and riff wizardry of Tool. Pretty damn good combination right there I think!

According to their entry on Wikipedia, Amplifier have toured with bands such as Deftones, Opeth, and Porcupine Tree. They have also finished recording on their 3rd studio album which should be released in the coming months - something to keep an eye out for.

I don't have any players to embed in this issue, so head on over to the Amplifier page on last.fm to listen to their top 10 most played songs. I've been playing them a bit and would love to pick up their albums! Dear Santa... :)

This issue in my Weekend Coding Riffs series is a bit of a tribute to one of my all time favourite bands Porcupine Tree. Porcupine tree are one of those bands that are hard to put into a box because their back catalogue has so much depth and range in musical styles, from psychedelic rock through to progressive metal. Steven Wilson creates awesome guitar riffs, Gavin Harrison is an amazing drummer, and the whole package of Porcupine Tree playing live is, I think, unparalleled. A dash of Porcupine Tree in my headphones definitely puts me into the coding zone. m/

The first two tracks in this playlist, Blackest Eyes and Shallow, were chosen because they bring a smile to my face every time I hear their opening riffs; if you're a guitar player you probably know what I mean :) How is it possible to fit so much rock into a riff? Both of these songs, as Jack Black would say, "rock my f#$!^@& socks off".

The last two tracks, Arriving Somewhere and Anesthetize, are both monsters at 12 minutes and over 17 minutes respectively, but these songs prove that a "long" track doesn't necessarily mean boring or repetitive. In fact most of my favourite songs probably weigh in at well over 7 or 8 minutes, and I'd liken it to contrasting novels (and in some cases a series) against short stories. They're all great for different occasions, of course, but when you want to listen to something with some real substance and weight behind it these songs are excellent.

So go on - sit back, press play and write some code!
 

 

P.S. You're going to need a good 45+ minutes to give these songs a listen right the way through, but it's most definitely worth it ;)

I love coding while listening to music. Not only does it help block out unwanted background noise - like phones ringing, people typing loudly or the bad jokes of the office clown (just kidding, those things don't bother me so much) - a good guitar riff and some heavy drumming puts me "in the zone" for coding.

(Weird observation: I've frequently had the experience where I've been listening to music at work and paused a track to get up and go to lunch, and upon returning 45 minutes later I've pressed play and the resumption of the song has put me straight back into "the zone"; almost like I didn't have a break in concentration. Weird but cool!)

So I thought I'd start sharing some of the music I like, in a series of "Weekend Coding Riffs" postings. There are a couple of good music services around which let you share songs or playlists online, such as Deezer (my favourite at the moment, supports playlist) and Songza (good for individual songs). I know there are other services like Pandora but these days it's unfortunately restricted to the US only. If you know of any others that work well then let me know ;)

I had a few great songs in mind today from upcoming Australian artists but some are really quite difficult to find online. Instead, I've just picked a couple of songs with similarly themed names, from two of my favourite Aussie bands. Without further ado...

Cog - No Other Way

Via last.fm/music/Cog:

"Organic in the sense that Cog play their instruments, some people would say Cog’s music resembles some sort of progressive rock that flows effortlessly from thick slabs of distorted guitars, twisting rhythms through to vast playgrounds of ambient organospace and back again. Not shy to incorporate sequencing and sampling to propagate more ideas in a live and recording environment, Cog feels this has opened the possibilities for more musical exploration."

This is the opening track from Cog's latest release. This song has an amazing climax and is just a taste of the power they deliver in the other tracks.

If you're a fan of any progressive rock / metal you need to listen to the whole album! :)

Karnivool - The Only Way (cover)

Via last.fm/music/Karnivool:

"Karnivool is a five-piece music group from Perth, Australia. Their music style is a combination of melodic progressive rock and alternative rock, with alternative metal influences. Major influences of the band are Nirvana, Meshuggah and Carcass. Capturing a perfect blend of both melodic beauty and heavy, spine-bending rock, Karnivool will appeal to anyone who desires a truly unique sound."

This song is cover of an original song by Gotye, but the Karnivool guys do it amazing justice. I've seen them play this song live and my spine was tingling the whole time, so turn it up loud!

Jump on over to their MySpace page to check out some of their original songs. (In fact, the version of The Only Way on their MySpace page is much better quality, but I don't think it's possible to embed them, bah!).

I hope someone finds these tracks interesting, and maybe in a fortnight I'll whip up another post. (Definitely not next weekend though, because I'm moving to London ;) Haha...)