Lifting Shadows Off A Dream/Dream Theater

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzLoR2xEwVM

A defiant anthem written at a time when the world was listening to grunge music. Guitarist John Petrucci's melodic riffage in the verse is out of this world.

Sound And Vision/David Bowie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IJsAuUgSgc

The guitar just lifts you up into the air, it's so joyous.

Marks/Nicolas Jaar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuBuMgvlZI0&ob=av2e

A technoshuffle groove? Really? Jaar never ceases to amaze.

Cruel Reality Of Nature/Buckethead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-7-rAsI-gc

Possibly the greatest driving tune ever made.

Heart Of The Sunrise/Yes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDqG9agd5wc&feature=related

For fans of mind-blowing sonic journeys.

On The Mend/Foo Fighters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDVkO7FMvdk

For me, In Your Honour (Disc 2) is the CD that defines the music of the Foo Fighters. I bought the album six years back, and still play it once a week. Highly recommended for those of you who think the band is merely an outcrop of Nirvana.

Found Love In A Graveyard/Veronica Falls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUw-1YdhFrI

Interesting sound. Love the guitar's raw tone. The Smiths seem to be the major influence here.

Mother Goose/Jethro Tull

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpO_oVtXCa4

When the drum track takes off from the rhythm guitar, I start bobbing my head involuntarily.

Daylight/Coldplay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2qPxSUnOFg

One of the darkest, edgiest tunes this side of the millennium. It's hard to believe that the same guys are responsible for popular feelgood standards such as "Fix You" and "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall". 

Trends: The Bass Drop

Although it's a form of electronic music, dubstep borrows many elements from rock. Structurally, it is not very different from nu metal, the key elements in both cases being a tight verse and an over-the-top chorus. The most defining aspect of a dubstep track is, of course, the bass drop. It is marked by a heavy (and often distorted) bass part. A 'low frequency oscillator' can be used to rhythmically manipulate an extended bass note. This gives it a distinct 'wobbly' effect that is usually accompanied by a syncopated drum groove.

The bass drop has already been discussed and glorified at length via many a Youtube video. For those who are new to the genre and would like a DIY approach to discovering it, I recommend doing what I did and entering 'dubstep' in the Youtube search bar. A few of my favourite bass drops are listed below.

Paradise (Coldplay) Remix/Glebstar  (Bass drop at 00:58)

Eyes On Fire (Blue Foundation) Remix/Zeds Dead

Magical World (Nelly Furtado) Remix/Bassnectar

Rude Boy (Rihanna) Remix/Chrispy

Ghosts N Stuff (Deadmau5) Remix/Nero

Theme From Requiem For A Dream (Clint Mansell) Remix/Parkus

Computerlove/Kraftwerk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-edTeO92S_g&feature=related

Their 8-night retrospective concert from the 10th to the 17th of this month at the Museum of Modern Art, NY, promises to be one of the greatest live experiences in the history of techno.

Someday Soon/Doves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If2W-ZmD9k8

Love how the rhythm breaks in the chorus. They make extensive use of atmospheric vocals in their songs.