5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #15

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. Alive, by Adler's Appetite

Back in 2010 former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler made a brief comeback with a band called Adler's Appetite. With the new group he released three singles-the first new music he had made in two decades. Alive is a dirty little upbeat rocker of a song that is pretty reminiscent of the style of music he had made with his former band in the late 80's. However, despite the similarities it is still a great way to rock out. There are some pretty passionate heartfelt lyrics and no lack of cowbell whatsoever.

2. Wasted Years, by Iron Maiden

This is one of what I feel is Iron Maiden's more melodic songs. The moment you hit the play button that guitar melody is instantly recognizable. It is dark, eerie, and gives you the notion that it is building up to something big; especially with the bass melody bringing up the rear. The vocal harmonies in that driving chorus is what really adds the icing to the cake, however. Singer Bruce Dickinson puts his absolute all into belting out that chorus that has by this point become iconic amongst fans of the band and the heavy metal community in general.

 
3. Daydream Believer, by The Monkees

And now for something completely different. This song is also quite melodic, but in a far different way from its predecessor on the list. Then again, anyone who hasn't lived under a rock for the past 5 decades or so would probably know this. It is definitely a classic and guaranteed to bring you back into a happy sing-along mood if you're feeling a little blue. It's one of those songs I feel ages well and is timeless as far as pop/rock is concerned because it doesn't use a whole lot of gimmicks from the time period it was made in and is written in such a way that anyone can relate to it in some way or another.

4. I'm the One, by Danzig

Now when you think of Glenn Danzig, normally you would think heavy metal and punk rock. However, on his second album Lucifuge: Danzig II he did a track that was entirely acoustic delta blues. This track being I'm the One. It also has a bit of a shuffle to it and is vaguely reminiscent of John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom. It's pretty easy to just close your eyes, tap your feet, and get caught up in the overall feeling of the music in this one. At the same time you could kind of mistake it for a song from The Doors, but you could pretty quickly recognize it as Danzig lyrically and vocally. Either way, it's an interesting take on an old style.

5. Free Fallin', by Tom Petty

For a song that is pretty much three chords that repeat throughout the entirety of its course it is one of the most memorable and classic of the genre. It is definitely a case where lyrical content actually seems to matter more than the music that backs it; though the music itself is nothing to scoff at by any means. This is Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne's songwriting at its absolute best. It's a pretty great song to sway to and again just get caught up in the musical atmosphere it creates that seems so real you feel like you could touch it.