Mixing Things Up

Breaking the "rules" of genre can produce some really interesting things...

Screenshot from Lady Gaga: “Judas” (YouTube)

To borrow a question from

Kevin Alexander

: What are you listening to right now? Anything surprising or a little mind-bending? Please share below!

I’m on tap for the Riff Album of the Month this month. Whatever you are listening to, I hope you’ll add the album I picked and that you’ll join the discussion and share your thoughts (or not — it’s okay just to listen in!) Meanwhile, I keep looking for new stuff that will amuse and entertain.

I’m not a compiler of playlists, but here are some things I’m really enjoying right now. I think they are both playlist material, and they share one similarity: Each is the result of mixing things up. Both of them are barn-burners. Other than that, not a lot in common.

The first is a new supergroup that just popped up. Most members have day jobs, so it’s unclear whether this is more than a project, but we’ll see. The hook? This is a metal band built around a violinist. To top it off, she plays a custom five-string violin. I’d say that qualifies as metal.

Violin: Ayasa (currently with Morphonica)
Guitar: Yuki (founder and co-lead in D-Drive)
Bass: Wakazaemon (bassist with Marty Friedman)
Drums: Mizuki (x Lonesome Blue)
Vocals: Akane Minato (x Predia, several other groups)

The second is a mashup of two major artists with seemingly little in common. Many folks are making mashups of well-known videos, but this one works better than any of the others I’ve seen. In fact, I think it improves on both originals, which almost never happens. I would pay good money to see them actually perform this together.

I give you Lady Gaga and Judas Priest:

…….

Your turn! What are you obsessively listening to these days? Is there anything that has made you sit up and take notice? Leave it in the comments!

And don’t forget to check out the Album of the Month!