5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #139

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. Here's to You, by The Dark Element

Anette Olzon, former vocalist of Nightwish has a new album coming out soon with her new band The Dark Element. This is one of the singles from it. While there are definitely some heavier, more modern elements to it in some ways it reminds me of early 80's/early Dio solo stuff. Some of the instrumental melody definitely has a bit of a Rainbow in the Dark kind of vibe, but without sounding like they're trying to copy the old greats.

2. Wish You Were Here, by Avenged Sevenfold

With the long slew of covers Avenged Sevenfold has been putting out lately, I'm not all that surprised that they chose to do this Pink Floyd classic. In terms of lyrical themes and overall musical vibe it's right up their alley. They stay more faithful to the original than most people might think they would, but at the same time they aren't afraid to veer off and do their own thing a little bit here and there where necessary in order to make it their own.

3. Play That Funky Music White Boy, by Wild Cherry

Despite the fact that I LOVE 70's music, not everything from that era was great. Some of it was trash. This particular tune is among the garbage. That said, it's trashy in all of the most fun, and awesome ways. It's got a sexy groove to it while at the same time throwing a sexy chorus hook at you that will make you want to sing along over and over again long past the time the last note fades from your speakers. If you want a cheap, easy good time then look no further.

4. Who's to Say, by The White Stripes

I discovered this song as a B side to the 45 of their song I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself from their 2003 masterpiece Elephant. I'm kind of sad that this song was only a B side because of how good it is, but I get it. It's a cover of a song by Dan Miller from Blanche, a not as well known artist as Burt Bachrach who penned the A side. Regardless, it's something you can let envelope you and get lost in. It sways and flows, making you feel like your in a waltzing trance.

5. Master of Puppets (demo), by Metallica

Metallica is gearing up to do their big rerelease of their 1986 hallmark masterpiece album Master of Puppets. The album is going to include a crap ton of stuff that the fans have never heard, including alternate mixes, demos, and live recordings. This demo of the title track will be among the copious amounts of bonus material. It's definitely interesting to hear what the song sounded like at its genesis. In a way it's a blend of Kill 'em All's instrumental sound and Ride the Lightning's vocal style.