Monday Music Challenge: Nostalgia

Ahhh! Nostalgia. It's the best. Those songs that remind you of good times long past... That's what today's challenge is about. You'll have to find 4 pieces of music that make you nostalgic. I'm not going to have categories this time, so the challenge is more open. Just try to keep your music varied...

My first pick is the Hamster Dance. When my brothers and I were little, our parents had a lot of old songs stored on their computer, and this was one of the songs they would play on Saturday morning while we ate pancakes with our hands. I vividly remember making my beanie babies dance to the tune. XD I had never seen the music video until now, and I must say: it is weird. But in a good, funny way.

Next is Hero, by All Insane Kids (who I know nothing about). I first heard it in a 2005 music video promoting LEGO's Bionicle toys... which, even though I never owned any, were an influential part of my childhood. I have Bionicle to thank for my robot-drawing skills. The song is actually pretty good.

 Unity! Duty! Destiny! Ahem, er... excuse me.

My next pick is the soundtrack from Medal of Honor: European Assault. My goodness, my friends and I had the most fun time ever playing this game back in the day... 4-player splitscreen was just the best, especially for the "Nemesis" game mode (where one guy runs around with the rocket launcher while everyone else tries to kill him and get the launcher for themselves). We invented so many hilarious catch-phrases and inside jokes from that.

Finally, we have DC Talk's Jesus is Still Alright. This was another one of those songs my parents had on their computer, but we rarely listened to it. I had never seen the music video until now, but seeing it now... well, I can't help but feel that it's a corny attempt to make Christianity seem "cool" and "hip." However, it's sill got  good beat, and it's kind of funny, and reminds me of my childhood, so that's why I still like it. :)

And now for a bonus song... um, I'll do two bonus videos, just because. AWWW, WHO AM I KIDDING. THIS WHOLE 'CHALLENGE' IS JUST AN EXCUSE TO POST ALL MY FAVORITE NOSTALGIA-INDUCING SONGS. But hey, it'll make a good excuse for you, too!

The first is the level one music from the game Commando 2. I used to spend hours on that game, which was a total waste of my time, and which I regret doing. I haven't played it in years, but I heard the music again recently, and really liked it. It has a cool 70s/80s action movie/show vibe to it, like Airwolf or A-Team or Rambo.

Last and certainly least, is that ridiculous Taylor Swift song that everyone likes except me. There is nothing I like about the song itself, HOWEVER, the time period it reminds me of was awesome. My parents were gone, me and my bros were cleaning the house and getting ready to leave for PA. While we cleaned, we made up parodies of this song (or at least, I did). After that, we went on the trip and had an awesome time with our friends, despite listening to this song several times over the duration of the trip... including at the end, when we had to leave, and my older bro sang is song with my best friend Blake. It. Was. Hilarious. Sadly, I do not have the video of them singing (I shall obtain it!), but here's the original:

Enjoy! What are your favorite nostalgia-inducing songs?

Monday Music Challenge: 8-Bit Music!

I've recently discovered the wonderful world of 8-bit music! 8-Bit music is basically made to sound like old video-game music. That may sound unappealing to some, but TRUST ME. These next few songs are AMAZING. You're not going to want to miss out.

As usual, You will have to find 4 pieces of music relating to this week's theme (8-Bit)... this time, I think that making distinct categories would prevent us from having maximum fun... So, just post your four favorite 8-bit songs!

You will have to rank them from best to worst. Here are mine:

1: Duel of the Fates!

LOVE IT! You just can't beat that right there!

2: Pirates of the Carribean!

Epic! Just epic!

3: Concerning Hobbits:

Cuteness level: Over 9,000.

4: The Avengers theme!

Gotta love it!

5: Bonus Category! I'm just going to put another 8-Bit Star Wars soundtrack in here:

Battle of Heroes. Seriously guys, there was no WAY I could leave this out, it's so good.

Sorry this week's challenge isn't much of a challenge. I admit it: It's just an excuse for me to post all my favorite 8-bit music. But it's also an excuse for you to post yours! What are your favorite 8-bit songs? Post them in the comments! :D

Monday Music Challenge: Star Wars!

Those of you that don't live under a rock know that yesterday was "Star Wars day" (May the fourth be with you)!

In honor of that, and since today is technically "Revenge of the Fifth," and since I am a huge Star Wars fan, this week's challenge is Star Wars-themed!

As usual, there are four categories. You must find a piece of music for each category, and submit your picks in the comments or on your own blog (just remember to link back here!)

Even if you've never seen Star Wars (uncultured potato! JK), you would do well (extremely well) to listen to some of the music. Honestly, you have no idea what you've missing out on. Forget Pirates of the Caribbean; this is the good stuff!

Without further ado, here are the categories:

1: Favorite battle music

2: Favorite Lightsaber Duel music

3: Favorite character's/location's/faction's theme

4: Favorite overall piece of music

5: Bonus category! Again, you can post whatever piece of music you want, just as long as it's related to this week's theme. My suggestions: Favorite Star Wars music video, favorite Clone Wars soundtrack, overall least favorite Star Wars music, or favorite romantic theme (even though there are only like, 2 or 3 to choose from).

Here are my picks!

1: Favorite battle music: Each large-scale battle scene from Star Wars had a unique soundtrack; from Yavin, to Hoth, to Endor (just to name a few from the Original Trilogy). It was a tough choice, but I'm going to have to pick the Battle of Naboo. I'm really disappointed that the best version on youtube is 18 minutes long and has such a ridiculous thumbnail. I doubt any of my readers are brave enough to play it (please prove me wrong!).

2: Favorite Lightsaber Duel music: Duel of the fates is what most people would pick. But personally, I think the theme for Anakin and Obi-Wan's duel on Mustafar was much more dramatic. I'mma have to go with that. Like, seriously: this is probably some of my favorite music from the entire saga. Gives me chills.

3: Favorite character's/location's/faction's theme:
Every single planet, person, and army had it's own theme. Star Wars was revolutionary that way, and John Williams (may he live forever) was the first composer to do this for a movie, much less a movie series. Now, there was a lot to chose from, with the Imperial march and the Droid Army theme being way up there with Darth Vader and Luke's theme, but... In the end, I had to go with General Grievous' theme. It's just so... epic! Sinister! Combative! I know the video is a long one, but t least listen to the first five minutes worth.

4: Favorite Overall piece of music:
Oh gosh. The main theme, of course! One of the most recognizable soundtracks in history, and one of the only soundtracks that is instantly recognizable from the first note!

5: Bonus Category: The award ceremony music! Why? Because it will play at my wedding, of course! ;D

JK. I can only hope.

This has, for me at least, been the hardest challenge yet! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

Monday Music Challenge: Your Playlists!

For those of you new here, the Monday Music Challenge is simple: I mention 4 categories related to a certain theme, and we each post a piece of music for each category. Today's theme is playlists, and here are the categories:

1: The song from the very middle of your largest playlist

2: The song from the very middle of your shortest playlist

3: Your least favorite song from your favorite playlist

4: Your favorite song from your least favorite playlist

5: Bonus category! Whatever you want. The longest song from your longest playlist, The shortest song from your shortest playlist; it can be anything! Just make sure you include the name of your playlist and what makes that piece of music special in that playlist. Now, if I may make a suggestion... post the most embarrassing song from your most embarrassing playlist. >:)

Hint: pick all your entries from whatever device you own that has the most playlists. iPod, smartphone, tablet, mp3 player, computer, whatever; as long as you take all your entries from the same device. If you're using a computer, it's fine to substitute folders for playlists. If you're going to use youtube playlists, take all of your entries from your youtube playlists. If you have even-numbered playlists or the first two entries, then pick whichever of the two middle songs you want!

Here are mine!

1: The song from the very middle of my largest playlist: Thrice Welcome, from my Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug Playlist.

 I had actually never listened to this before, but had simply downloaded it with the rest of the OST. This challenge forced me to listen to it, and it's actually quote good. It's obviously from one of the Laketown scenes. I forgot how much I liked the Laketown theme.

2: The song from the very middle of my shortest playlist: "Happy Gru" from my Despicable Me playlist.

It's extremely short, but very sweet, and brings back hilarious memories from the movie. :)  I love the whistling, though the ending is kind of abrupt for my tastes.

3: My least favorite song from my favorite playlist: "Jaeger Tech" from my Pacific Rim playlist.

 I don't necessarily dislike this song, it's just... my least favorite. It's kind of obnoxious at the beginning, one has to admit. But it redeems itself later on, no question.

4: My favorite song form my least favorite playlist: Rising Legend, from my random "Sci-fi" playlist.

This was basically the theme song for the game Raze 2. It's epic, and lives up to its name. I love the pot-clanging sounds that start around 3:20. :D

5: Bonus! "Star Trek" from my "Star Trek" Playlist.

It's the second-to-last song in my second-to-last playlist, and has the same name as its playlist. It's also pretty cool, despite being so short. The harp at the beginning is a beautiful touch, and the ending is very ominous, giving a sense of impending doom.

Well, digging through playlists was fun for me, I hope it proves just as fun if not more so for you! Post your vids in the comments!

Monday Music Challenge: People!

This week's subject is people. Specifically, the people in your life. The important people. Let's get right into it!

You know the drill. You gotta find 4 pieces of music that best represent:

1. Your parent(s)
2. Your Sibling(s)
3. Your best Friend(s)
4. Your role model(s)
5. Bonus!

Number 5 is a new bonus category that I've added that allows you to add one more piece of music to describe... whatever or whoever you want, as long as it fits in the week's theme! "Bonus" implies that it's completely optional, so you don't have to fill it out if you don't want to (but I know you will want to!). If I may make a suggestion though... If you can't think of someone who you'd want to do for number 5, try doing me! I'm really curious as to what kind of music you think describes me.

Anyway, I don't exactly have time to make my picks right now! So I'll just post this here for now, and update it later when I've made my picks. Sound good? Great! Start finding that music!

EDIT: I almost forgot: it is perfectly acceptable to pick multiple pieces of music for each number. Like, if you had one for each sibling, that would work fine.

UPDATED WITH MY PICKS:

1: My Parents. I'm not sure what music fits them best, but I do know that they're better than your parents. Sorry. It's just true. I have the best parents ever. :3 Anyway, the Jurassic Park theme fits them well, especially the first half. Which may seem odd, until you've actually heard it. Just ignore the goofy slideshow and listen, while imagining the best parents ever:

2: My Siblings. They're a fine mix of epic and silly, and I think that's perfectly captured by the Lord of the Rings Dubstep remix by None Like Joshua:

3: My Best Friend(s). This is a toughy, because I have several best friends scattered over different locations and time periods in my life, and they're all so different. But they all had a few traits in common, so I think the following song fits them best: Fight to the End, from the Clone Wars. It's got everything. Action, suspense, emotion... Everything I've been through with each of my best friends. From the little Vietnamese kid from Boy scouts, to my formerly-fat squadmate Blake, to an unnamed girl or two, I think there's a spot in this song for each of them. :)

The reason it ends so abruptly is because it's supposed to flow right into this track:

4: My Role Model(s). Well, obviously, my ultimate roll-model is Jesus. But I have several earthly role-models, including Eric Metaxas and Brian Jaques. What they all have in common is that they love to create, inspire, and make people laugh. I think "All of Me" sums that up nicely:

Man, I'm so happy I came up with this challenge thingy. I hope you guys are enjoying them a much as I am! It wouldn't be fun without you!

Monday Music Challenge: Your Dream Come True!

We all have a story in our head which we think is perfect. This dream story typically involves us overcoming some great obstacle or enemy(s) to achieve some kind of prize (usually true love).
This week's challenge? Express that perfect fantasy of yours using music!

You must find four pieces of a music, each one describing a different part of your fictional life story:

1. You!
2. Your true love
3. Your arch-nemesis
4. The story itself

As always, I will post my four songs, and you can submit yours either in the comments, or on your own blog if you like (just link back to me)!

Let's do it:

1. You! This piece of music describes the ideal you, as imagined in your little fictional world. It's fine if it describes the real you. If you're having trouble, think of it this way: if this was a movie, then this music would play whenever you walk in the room. It's your theme song.

My pick is: the Main Theme from Medal of Honor: European Assault. It exudes honor, which is something I want to be known for, even if I don't live up to it now.

2. Your true love. I shouldn't need to explain this one. ;) Find some music that describes your ideal partner (if you pick my last pick, that would be the ultimate expression of awkward).

My pick is: Ghosts of Reach from the Halo 2 soundtrack. The first half shows us my princess' beautiful, graceful side, but in the second half we see that she also has determination and a fighting spirit; not a girl to be messed with.

EDIT: I'm changing this one. Listening to this track again, I'm just not sure it fits. So, I'm replacing it with Hella Bar Talk from the Star Trek XI soundtrack. It retains all the elements I like from the last one, but I feel that it's better defined.

3. Your arch-nemesis. Every great bad guy has a distinct theme, from Darth Vader to Sauron. What theme plays when your nemesis comes on the scene?

My pick is: Just a Memory, from Pacific Rim. Variations of this theme play whenever the Kaiju -- giant monsters out to destroy mankind -- come on screen. It's very chilling, and I get goosebumps whenever I hear this specific version. I like how it lightens up at the end, perhaps suggesting that my nemesis will redeem himself in the end.

4. The story itself. What is the main theme of your overall story? You, your true love, your nemesis, and your other characters interact with each other in a dramatic story. What does that story sound like?

My pick (and this was the hardest one) is: the Battle theme from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Like I said, this was the hardest one. But I hadn't heard this in a while, so when I did, I immediately re-fell in love with it.

What's the soundtrack for your dream come true?

Monday Music Challenge: Emotions!

Spicing things up once again... today (and for subsequent Mondays) we have a Music Challenge!

Here's how it works: This week's theme is "emotions" I'll ask for four videos that pertain to that theme:

1. A song that makes you happy
2. A song that makes you sad
3. A song that makes you excited
4. A song that makes you embarrassed

I'll post my 4 songs, and you can submit yours in the comments (or on your blog!) and I will feature your picks under each of the four categories! Make sense? Let's go!

1. A song that makes you feel happy, glad, joyous, etc:

My pick is: Concerning Hobbits, from The Fellowship of the Ring. I mean, come on. How could this theme not make you happy. I actually would've picked Made to Love You by TobyMac, but I just posted that the other day.

2. A song that makes you feel sad, depressed, low, etc:

My pick is: The Great Jedi Purge from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I would post Gandalf has Fallen, but I already know that at least one of my readers will pick that.

3: A song that makes you feel excited, energetic, aroused, etc:

My pick is: The music from the "Base" map in the game Raze.

There are other songs that do a better job at making me feel this way, but I've already posted most of them, and I don't want to have too many repeats so close together.

4. A song that makes you embarrassed... you're embarrassed that you listen to it, you're embarrassed that you like it, and you would be embarrassed listening to it around your friends, etc.

This is... a tough one... my pick is: Lights by Ellie Goulding. I draw particular embarrassment from the fact that I actually like Ellie Goulding's music. I'm not into pop, but her voice... I really like it. For some reason. I think it's the British accent. ANYWAY.

Well, what are you waiting for? Submit your picks!