The Secret Rock Songs You Should Know!

The Secret Rock Songs You Should Know!

Do you like discovering awesome new music?

Are you a fan of Skillet, Breaking Benjamin, AC/DC, or other popular rock bands?

Then ooh, boy, have I got a real treat for you!...

In a reaction video to Metallica's 'Enter Sandman,' George of the duo Lost in Vegas asked "What happened to the rock superstars? Who are the rock superstars today?"

That's a great question! There doesn't seem to be a ton of promotion of rock bands coming from major record labels, for whatever reason.

Obviously, major acts like Fall Out Boy or Imagine Dragons do get tons of promotion. You could argue whether they're truly a rock band, or whether their sound is more of a rock-oriented power pop (and, like with everything else under the sun, some people DO argue about this! Or, in the case of Slipknot's Corey Taylor, write profanity-laced books about it...).

I'm not going to get into such debates here. My point is that there are plenty of other outstanding bands that should be household names, but somehow...aren't.

So, in my little corner of the Internet, I'll carve out a place to share some of my favorite music. Now, I grew up listening to classic rock, but I've branched out to appreciate a variety of artists in a variety of genres. Some of my favorite popular/well-known artists include, but are definitely not limited to:

• Led Zeppelin
• Skillet
• Jason Derulo
• Casting Crowns
• Rihanna
• AC/DC
• blink-182
• T-Pain
• Bad Lip Reading (yes, BLR makes songs--and they're pretty catchy, too!)
• Chiddy Bang
• Third Day
• Boston
• Kanye West (the Graduation album, in particular)
• Kid Ink
• Jeremy Camp
• DMX
• Three Days Grace
• Sean Kingston

Yup...everything from Casting Crowns (Christian pop) to DMX (hardcore rap, definitely not Christian) to blink-182 (irreverent punk rock) to Rihanna (mainstream pop). There's even one Justin Bieber song that I like!

Chill, it's only one: Sorry. It's a really catchy and well-done song...I don't feel bad about liking it!

• Random interesting note: A 2016 lawsuit, which has since been dropped, alleges that the catchy hook in the intro to "Sorry" was stolen without permission from "Ring the Bell," by an artist known as White Hinterland. The intros certainly sound similar, but a video Tweeted by producer Skrillex shows how he made the intro, which just so happens to resemble White Hinterland's work. Was the idea an uncredited rip-off? The world may never know...

The purpose of this particular post is for me to introduce you to stuff that I think should be more widely-known. Whether it's a criminally underrated artist that should be a household name but isn't, or a promising group that's just getting started, that's what I wanted to show you all.

This is going to be focused on rock, but not exclusively so.

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So, what does all this have to do with this blog's purpose of "Talking sen$e about dollars?"

1) bookmark this article for loads of free entertainment!

2) this is MY blog, and I'll get off-topic if I want!!!

3) it's a good opportunity to plug my favorite high-quality, low-cost headphones. After listening to music on these, you'll never want to use cheap earbuds again!...

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In 2017, I hit the jackpot: I stumbled upon a YouTube channel called spaceuntravel, which posts songs by bands that are either unsigned, or relatively unknown. It's updated every day, featuring a variety of rock/metal songs. I found the channel because I looked up a song I heard a couple years ago, "Alive" by Stria.

I really like some of the songs on that channel, some others I dislike, and there are some that just don't get much of a reaction from me one way or the other. So here, I'll share some of my favorites, most of which are spaceuntravel uploads. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Hypnotize - Awaken the Giant - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aehklBwPqRM
        *One of my favorite songs right now!!!
    
2. Boomerang - Smash Into Pieces - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUyHv3iKBYA
        *Another of my favorites!!!
    
3. You're The Worst - Sixlight - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3dGrq9WLXk
        *Another of my favorites!
    
4. Coming for You - Hyperdose - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMYQ2SZbUkk
    
5. Crazy - Lowborn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZO4HJUkNg
    
6. Lonely - November Lights - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZRMizPja6w
    
7. Cloud 9 - 7 Days In Alaska - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2hFEQy5AIs
        *Mellow compared to some others on this list, but definitely another of my favorites
    
8. Perfect The Way You Are - Dead By April - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srRjQDfg2bo
    
9. Let It Burn - Citizen Soldier - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wxkbJun380
    
10. Blind - Black Satellite - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gXxCd9Bv_0
     
11. The One - Memnoir - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvyb1QVokAw
     
12. Love Me To Death - No Resolve - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1IEe4HMsY0
         *Careful, this one's addictive...
      
13. Hate Hate Relationship - Colt48 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-k81ZjsoxM
     
14. My Heart Became Your Home - The Last Element - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL68b4Rfem8
     
15. Physical - Killer Kind - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAZh_Ctst3A
     
16. Disaster Highway - Smash Into Pieces - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7efpcs9gLk
     
17. Collapse - Before the Fire - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bayf3DOsPWY
     
18. Reminiscent Life - Archetypes Collide - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_z4WHPrRNQ
         *Bonus: They have a really good cover of Sam Smith's "Too Good at Goodbyes" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFCyUQwSnMo; I like this cover better than the original!
     
19. Speaking of covers, a band in the Philippines called Blueboybitesback made this outstanding punk rock version of the Backstreet Boys' "As Long As You Love Me": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEsW2e9NHMU
     
20. Berlin - Sixlight - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtFuaEs3ZMU
     
21. Love Me Hate Me - 7 Days In Alaska - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOc7y-_tuvQ
     
22. Get You Alone - Sleeping Wolf - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14syKuAf7SQ
     
23. Dangerous! - Kill The Ideal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIg5yJb-jH0
     
24. Castle In The Clouds - The Wise Man's Fear - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG1nzWfC19E
         *Note that this band has two singers, one who sings and one who growls. Growling (in general) isn't my personal preference, but I like this song so much that I don't mind. The same goes for the next song.
     
25. What Time Brings - The Wise Man's Fear - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djTn8Hj1pX4
     
26. Priorities! - The Hunting Circus - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZ_iBUx8N8
     
27. Fever - Rival - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PbDw41kM-c
     
28. Machines - All Good Things - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xQn9iP7dxQ
         *A sterling example of uptempo rock!
     
29. Empty Strings - Memnoir - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYPFF3i6P5E
         *A very haunting and melancholy feel.
     
30. Magnolia - Vault 51 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXnI6ksabHM
     
31. Light It Up - 7 Mazes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlS-hPzdqvs
     
32. Pressure - Fifth Dawn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZakOqR-b7Ts
     
33. Resound - Cold Black - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86Ch8VaWJpk
     
34. Impact - Hyperdose - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw3AJPqjhrw
     
35. Savior - Hope for the Hollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LTPmc0lYm8
     
36. Valkyrie - Black Satellite - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDsQ0k9-QXQ
     
37. These Days - Modern Wolves - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTty9GhAUz0
     
38. Human - Smash Into Pieces - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nZPT0SZu3U
     
39. Wasted Youth - Everyone Loves a Villain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpY6MH3M1hs
     
40. Thrive - Valiant Hearts - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WvJcTZ5f4k
     
41. Don't Wait - I Am the Pilot - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oLlVK4qAow

I'd also like to share some great rock from bands that are signed but aren't well-known:

1. Cheaper to Drink Alone - Black Stone Cherry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IhcwulFAZE&t=35s
    
2. White Trash Millionaire - Black Stone Cherry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ8itDYP6HU
    
3. Can't You See - Black Stone Cherry (cover of Marshall Tucker Band) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b2rLXGdWw4
        *Speaking of covers, you may have heard the song "Stay" by Florida Georgia Line. When I first heard "Stay" by Black Stone Cherry, I assumed it was a cover. Turns out the Florida Georgia Line version is the cover; Black Stone Cherry originally wrote and performed the song. So the cover is more well-known than the original!
    
4. Right Here - Ashes Remain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MvhmPc_0dM
    
5. I Won't Run Away - Ashes Remain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXBV1N-5iwo

I created a YouTube playlist that highlights of most of these songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aehklBwPqRM&list=PLb2DPbkcFypkXPl0PpXzS7I1GjAg7kH9O

Also, enjoy a couple good pop songs that I found over the summer of 2017:

• The Grave - Michael Trapson 
• Trapson is also known as OG Cano. This guy is a music artist in the Philadelphia area; the Trapson persona is obviously inspired by Michael Jackson, though with a modern twist.
• If you want the full video, which is remarkably close to the "Thriller" music video, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5ULXKMJlK8
• If you just want to hear the song itself (which is really catchy!), here's the link for that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDRtbUoPl94
   
• Party On The West Coast - Matoma - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi5BQAOIdH4
• Some people consider such 'tropical' remixes contemptible. I like the vibe of this song; if you don't, here's the original version by Faith Evans [Biggie's widow] and Snoop Dogg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aEFUD9lmg4.

Finally, here are some of my all-time favorite songs that aren't well-known, by bands that are well-known. These are the classic "how is this not more popular?!" kinds of songs:

• Rebirthing - Skillet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTbKorqc56o
• Darkest Part - Red - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVqVjzI-3VA
• Telepathic - Starset - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccBDu4ZARIo
• Avalanche - Bring Me The Horizon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNaYpBpRJOY 
• This is pretty popular, but only among a certain segment of music fans
• Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60iwmyhV8pQ
• Peace of Mind - Boston - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ42CLtr7Jg
• Spirit of Radio - Rush - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tq-UsaRchI
• Run Like Hell - Pink Floyd - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySO-gryuO-c 
• Okay, this song is pretty well-known, but most of Pink Floyd's Roger Waters-era stuff is legendary! Compared to some of Pink Floyd's other songs from that era, this one tends to get overlooked, so I wanted to include it here. Disagree with me? Make your own list...
• Mars - Jay Sean - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p0oKQhF5d4