5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #11

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. All Over the Road, by Rival Sons

A song whose title seems quite appropriate given the current weather situation, don't you think?  The lyrical content is quite different from anything weather related, though. For those who don't know, Rival Sons is a blues flavored hard rock band from Long Bach, CA that got started back in 2008. This is a fun old school style rock song with modern nuances. The guitar tone is fat, big, and loud and is backed by drums and bass that punch through your speakers and leave them wondering who did this to them and why. It is mildly reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, but has a more aggressive rhythm to it.

2. UFO, by Mythra

Mythra was a highly regarded band from the New Age of British Heavy Metal movement of the late 1970's and early 1980's. However, they only put out one EP (and later a full LP was released by the record company in 1998) before contractual/business reasons forced them to split. The tune UFO is one of the best that they put out. The beginning sounds a bit like Deep Purple's Space Truckin', but it doesn't take long for it to become its own song. The rhythm has a gallop to it, but then again many metal songs in that day did. The chorus has a memorable vocal hook to it, and that is what makes it particularly memorable. It's a shame that Mythra did not carry on, but this song at the very least is worth checking out if you're into old metal.

3. Time, by Pink Floyd

This classic about the passage of time and the way life seems to slip out from underneath us when we are not looking is one of Pink Floyd's finest works. Not surprising, considering it's from Dark Side of the Moon. The intro will startle any unsuspecting listener with its burst of a multitude of alarm clocks going off simultaneously. The rest of the song is a bit more melodic and less nerve racking. As with many of Pink Floyd's songs, though the melodies are quite powerful it's the lyrical content that makes this song the masterpiece that it is known to be.

4. S.A.T.O., by Ozzy Osbourne

S.A.T.O. as far as I'm concerned is one of Ozzy Osbourne's most under rated songs of all time. It comes from his second solo album Diary of a Madman. Every last vocal melody is catchy and will ingrain itself into your brain. At the same time, the band is playing their butts off and putting everything they have into the creation and performance of this magical song. Guitar wizard Randy Rhoads outdid himself immensely in his guitar work and song writing. This upbeat rocker almost makes you feel like you are actually going on a journey across the ocean.

5. Jumpin' Jack Flash, by The Rolling Stones

Who with any taste in music hasn't danced around to this cheery toned rock n' roll ruckus by The Rolling Stones at least once in their lives? For as much flack as they have gotten over the years for various reasons, they put out some of the absolute BEST rock n' roll mankind has ever heard. That being said, with the mid-winter blues getting us all down we could use a good tune to get us up on our feet and forget about all of the troubles we all have in our lives right now. At the very least it will keep your mind off the snow for a few minutes.