My Week in Music (more like month, really...)

Why doesn't anyone else listen to production music? It's so good...Instead of doing homework, I've been thinking long and hard about what kind of personal content I could throw up on my site. Pretty much everyone knows I'm a tech-enthusiast, as well as an avid gamer, but I don't want to have a monotonous site filled with techno-babble because that's not really a good representation of who I am.... LOL good one, Winston. Of course that would fit me. BUT, it would be a pretty boring subset of my character. I thought about blogging about food, but then I remembered I already have an Instagram. So then my mind turned to music. I follow a few dozen artists on YouTube and Soundcloud, and my musical tastes are pretty varied. But they also seem to be pretty far from mainstream. And I'm honestly pretty curious about where and how my music preferences diverge from the norm.In my mind, the vast majority of the world is missing out on the incredible talent of dozens of small and large music production houses. Companies like Immediate Music, Audiomachine, Position Music, and Two Steps From Hell make some of the most iconic and moving pieces ever to grace an orchestra. They're used extensively in trailers, and other high-impact media... which means you probably know their work already, just not by name.Take this track for example:

Used in all sorts of TV spots, including an MMA promo reel focusing specifically on each fighter. It evokes a very particular set of emotions, with an uplifting melody and pacing that suggests overcoming adversity.Or this one...

It's a fantasticly grand piece that was tragically disgraced by being used in a Twilight trailer.How can anyone *not* enjoy this stuff? Is it because a lot of these albums aren't publicly available? FALSE. Two Steps from Hell and Audiomachine both have public albums. Audiomachine even has its own Youtube channel and spotify channel. Many other production houses do to. But let me hear your opinion on why this kind of music is or isn't in your music library.Moving on. Last week Alesso, Swedish DJ and EDM producer extrodinaire, released his latest mix, a take on the few months-old One Republic track "If I Lose Myself." I think it's an awesome-tastic track, and you can listen to the 3 minute version on his soundcloud. He also has a 7 minute extended mix, which is also pretty sick. It's pretty much the only track (except for maybe Feel Again) that's worth putting on repeat from their otherwise mediocre album Native.Alesso vs. One Republic - If I Lose Myself[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/82523324" params="color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]Just added to my library are a pair of tracks from MitiS, some bloke from PA who's been working his way up the electronic music ladder for the past 2 years. His tracks, especially Blu and Born have a slight Owl City tonality combined with a reassuring heavy beat that doesn't come across as skrillex-y. It's not quite dubstep, but chillstep. Give him a shot, and if you like his tracks, most of them are free.MitiS - Blu[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/76450976" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]Lastly, new and in the process of being integrated into my library is Fall Out Boy's soon-to-be released album Save Rock and Roll. The two punchiest tracks are the ones they're already released: Phoenix and MSKWYDITD (too lazy to type it out). But unlike One Republic, there are still some decent songs left in the remainder of their album, which sounds refreshingly new without treading into "meh" like Anberlin has lately. Alone Together and Just One Yesterday are decent tracks, and Save Rock and Roll (the song) which features Elton John (LOL WHAT?!) actually works out surprisingly well. It has a more laid back, less pop/punk/pseudo-emo feel.Fall Out Boy - Save Rock 'n Roll[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/4548978" params="" width=" 100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]Aaaaaand, with this blog post complete, I have killed enough time that I can now take a shower and make breakfast. Currently without sleep for 22 hours and counting...