New Switchfoot Single: Awakening

The summer is finally here. This time I would just like to bring to your attention Switchfoot's new single, Awakening. As you can see by reading my review of their album here, that I correctly predicted that this would be the next single and it is a good one at that. The new music video, which I will post at the end of this article, was released about a month ago but I have yet to hear it on the radio or see it on MTV. Hopefully it will get some airplay this summer. This video is great, one of my favorites from Switchfoot. As a avid guitar hero fan, I found this video to accurately portray the average Guitar Hero addict. The music video is hilarious and the song is great, not much more to say. Check it out.


Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: My Favorite Artists (Week 13)

For this playlist I thought that I would treat you with some of my favorite music from bands that I really enjoy. Chances are that you might not of heard these before. These will be from familiar bands but nothing that was ever played on the radio. I tried to put my them in descending order according to how much I like each artist, my favorite being on top and tenth favorite as number ten. This doesn't necessarily mean that the particular songs are in that order though. I had a really tough time narrowing it down to ten artists but I think that this will really give you a sense of my musical taste. This is probably my favorite playlist to date and it contains some of my all time favorite songs. Anyways, here it is and hope you enjoy it.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 13 - Feb. 12-18 2007
1. Third Eye Blind - God of Wine
2. Lifehouse - Six Cycle Carousel
3. Better than Ezra - Special
4. Barenaked Ladies - Light Up My Room
5. Jimmy Eat World - Kill
6. Eve 6 - Amphetamines
7. Switchfoot - Redemption
8. Goo Goo Dolls - Hate this Place
9. Duncan Sheik - For You
10. The Wallflowers - Closer to You

Here's the link for the whole playlist: Top Ten Unknown Songs From My Favorite Artists

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.


Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: Rizzo Music's Top Ten Songs Of 2006 (Week 11)

It's another Monday and with a newly revamped site, it's time to update the format of our playlists. From now on I will try to make Imeem playlists so that everyone can have easy access to listening to these great songs. Of course, not every song is on Imeem so I have decided to make honorable mentions for those left of the list due to unavailability. Once again, you can add me as a friend on Imeem here if you haven't already. My profile is still a work in progress but it should be done fairly soon. This week's playlist features some of my favorite songs released in 2006. Of course I can't fit all of them on to a 10 song playlist but this selection is more to draw your attention to 10 great albums more than the individual songs released in 2006.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 11 - Jan. 29-Feb. 4 2007
http://media.imeem.com/pl/ZMnZ3ioYdU/aus=false/

Honorable mentions include:
"The Guy that Says Goodbye to You is Out of His Mind" - Griffin House
"With A Bullet" - Sam Roberts
"Running Away" - Lifehouse
"The End of the World" - Gin Blossoms

Thanks again for listening and tune in next week for another great playlist.

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.


Switchfoot - Oh! Gravity Album Review

SwitchfootSwitchfoot is a post-grunge band from California that made it big in 2003 with "Meant to Live" and "Dare you to Move" off their album The Beautiful Letdown. That album is one of favorite albums of the last few years. There is not one song on that album that I would ever think of skipping over. They then went on to release Nothing Is Sound with a fairly big hit "Stars". I was not as impressed with this effort as their previous album but there were plenty of songs to note, such as "Lonely Nation" and "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine".

Then came Oh! Gravity., released on December 26th 2006 with 12 new tracks (3 bonus tracks at the end) and a running time of 51:57. This is their third album in four years and they continue touring rigorously. They are really dedicated to their fans and it shows. The album kicks off with their new single "Oh! Gravity", a song full of energy with politically charged lyrics. This is nothing new for them, as a lot of their previous songs have spoken out on political issues. The next song, "American Dream" is more of a social commentary on society's infatuation with money and material wealth. It has the same kind of high energy as "Oh! Gravity" which is not really my style. I think that yelling shows the passion for their message but these songs can do with out it. Next up is "Dirty Second Hands", song about how time flies and that you should make the most of it. This is where the album starts to turn around in my opinion. With "Dirty Second Hands" you can see that this album has the makings of a great album and the next song, "Awakening" only further proves this.

"Awakening" is the kind of song that Switchfoot has been creating for years and the reason why I think that they are such a good band. I predict that this song will be there next single and be a bigger hit then "Oh! Gravity". It seems that the trend with Switchfoot is to release the hard rock song first and then follow it up with a more mellow song. This song really showcases lead singer Jon Foreman's voice and the lyrics display a longing for something better which remind me of "More than Fine". Next up, they slow it down a little with "Circles". With lyrics of struggling through daily life with a search for meaning, the song evokes emotions of desperation. Another favorite of mine is up next with "Amateur Lovers", a more upbeat song musically. The lyrics speak truth about the search for love and the recklessness that pursues. The seventh song on this album, "Faust, Midas, And Myself" is another good song. This song expresses a lot of the same messages of Switchfoot pasts songs. It is about regret and that you should be careful in the life you lead.

Switchfoot - Oh GravityWe are now halfway through the album and ready for "Head over Heels (In This Life)". This song is great and makes me begin to think that this album has the potential to be just as good as "The Beautiful Letdown". This song sounds like a classic Switchfoot song and a classic alternative rock love song. "Yesterdays" is up next, this song will run chills up your spine. If you have recently lost someone close to you, this song could be playing on repeat for the next couple of months. It is a beautiful song about grieving and holding on to someone who has passed on. The next song, "Burn Out Bright", is another song about living life to the fullest and how short life is. It's a short song that picks you up after such a sad song, "Yesterdays". The next song is known only as "4:12" as it refers to the time mentioned in the lyrics and also to the length of the song. This song refers again to the materialist society we live in and that our dreams should be more than obtaining wealth. "Let Your Love Be Strong" is the last new song on the album. This song is about finding hope in the face of despair and holding on to "your love".

The album ends with acoustic versions of "American Dream" and "Awakening". They also throw in a remix of "C'mon, C'mon", which I believe is previously unreleased. These are great bonuses for the dedicated Switchfoot fan.

This album is everything that I hoped it would be and definitely fulfilled my expectations. I wasn't crazy about "Nothing is Sound", though it had it's moments. I believe that "Oh! Gravity." is a step back in the right direction and it is nice to see that Switchfoot is consistently releasing great music. I would highly recommend picking up Oh! Gravity. and I give it 4 and 1/2 stars out of 5.

I'll end this review with a couple links for you.
Switchfoot.com
(Check out the Tour Dates near you)
Blog about Switchfoot
Switchfoot Fansite
Oh! Gravity. Music Video on YouTube
My Favorite Songs from the Album
Yesterdays
Head Over Heels (In This Life)
Faust, Midas, And Myself
Amateur Lovers
Awakening


Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: Week #8

We are back on schedule with a new playlist for the second week of January. This playlist is no different then the others, great songs, some you might of heard of, some you haven't. It's nice to finally get back in the swing of things and hopefully I'll have a tribute or album review up in the next couple days. This playlist features some artists previously mentioned and some I haven't but nonetheless great songs. Enjoy and thanks for listening.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 8 - Jan. 8-14 2006
1. Girl Eyes - Eve 6
2. Lonely Nation - Switchfoot
3. Boston - Augustana
4. Shelter - Big City Rock
5. The Warmth - Incubus
6. Happiness Is - The Verve Pipe
7. Open Your Eyes - Alter Bridge
8. Polaris - Jimmy Eat World
9. Time Stands Still - All-American Rejects
10. Breathless - Better than Ezra

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.


Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: Week #3

I may have been lazy this week with Thanksgiving and other events but I am trying to hold the Monday theme for this playlist so here it is again. For those that don't know, this is a list of ten songs that you may not of heard before because most of them aren't singles but come from fairly popular artists.

This playlist features some pretty solid songs, my favorite from this list is probably "Jet Pack" but its a tough choice. I tried to stick with the theme and feature 10 artists that haven't been mentioned in previous playlists. This list features quite a few so called one hit wonders with Lit, Marcy Playground, Stroke 9 and Splender but if you get a chance to check out their songs, they are pretty good. There is a reason that these artists had hits and that is because they make good music. This playlist is pretty well rounded so enjoy.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 3 - Nov. 27-Dec. 3 2006
1. This is your Life - Switchfoot
2. Back to California - The Wallflowers
3. Jet Pack - Eve 6
4. Not Even the Trees - Hootie & The Blowfish
5. Four - Lit
6. Gone Crazy - Marcy Playground
7. Letters - Stroke 9
8. Yeah, Whatever - Splender
9. Crazy Life - Toad the Wet Sprocket
10. Light in Your Eyes - Blessid Union of Souls

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.