First Batch Of Incentive Songs

I finally got to use my the first $30 of my $150! (the other 20 had already been spent on applications, but not music)!  I purchased:

The Sailor Song Toy-Box
“You’re a Pirate”    LazyTown Cast
“Everytime We Touch”    Cascada
“Sandstorm”    Darude
“DotA (Radio Edit)”    Basshunter
“Raver’s Fantasy (Radio Mix)”    TUNE UP!
Geordie Gabry Ponte
“Dance Dance (Radio Mix)”    TUNE UP!
Friends! Luna’s Ceiling
Siriusly Smiling
“Thoughts on the Ministry of Magic”    The Whomping Willow

Further thoughts on them after listening to them!

[AUTO-UPDATE]

Da Rules: Music: Addendum

Here’s some music that has come into my possession after I posted the previous list of music on the Insomnia playlist!

“Bad Guy” by The Basilisk In Your Pasta
The normally acoustic French wizard rock band rocks out with the electric guitar in this ode to Snape.

Treestylin’ by Big Whompy
The debut EP of the rap spin-off band from The Whomping Willows is probably the best rap from the point of view of a magical tree that you will ever hear.

“Power of Love” by The Cruciatus Curse feat. The Curse Breakers
When you take the dark techno/hip-hop vibe of TCC, and infuse it with the stellar vocals of TCB, you not only get the chance for ironic naming, you get the first really great collab track of the year.

“Dark Lord”, “Gato’s Revolution”, “Gato’s Song” by Dawlish and the Archies
Oops, my band’s here again.  The first song’s backing track was on the previous list, and even my vocals can’t completely mar its catchiness.  The other two tracks are remixes of a great theme from the game Chrono Trigger DS, which I may have mentioned once or twice on the blog…

What Witches Want by Gred and Forge
Jarrod so completely captures the spirit and energy of the twins that for a long time I actually thought it was two people!  Their EP features guest vocals from some of the “headliners” of wizard rock, and is just a very fun album to listen to.

“21st Century Breakdown [Demo]” by Green Day
The first new song from Green Day since American Idiot is a tad disappointing, but only in that you realize that it really has been, like, 5 to 6 years!  The actual song is fine enough, and has enough guitars to keep me awake.

“Before OWLs” by Gryffindor Common Room Rejects
GCR2 really surprised me in their debut EP.  I had previously heard only one of their songs, and it was a wonderful piece of overlapping vocals and acoustic guitar work.  However, most of their music is of a synthpop bent.  This song is very bouncy and fun.

“It’s Too Hot”, “Accio Deathly Hallows”, “Obama Llama Song” by Hank Green
The musical half of the internet superstar duo the Vlogbrothers, Hank Green has made nerdy music with such sheer enthusiasm that you can’t help but grinning.
“The Economics of the Wizarding World Don’t Make Sense” by Harry and the Potters
The punkest of songs from their punkest of albums makes nitpicking fun again.

“On Thestral, We Ride”, “So This Is It (Taking Off That Locket)” by the Hermione Crookshanks Experience
“On Thestral, We Ride” recounts a relatively scary and sad event, but somehow makes it upbeat and hopeful, with soaring melodies and masterful composition.  The second song is basically a power ballad sung by Hermione, and thusly wins at life.  If, you know, songs were living organisms.

“Krum”, “Dumbledore Is Gay (And That’s Ok)” by Justin Finch-Fletchley And The Sugar Quills
The lyrics and music are both simple and catchy, a potent combination.

“I Wish You’d Be My Witch” by The Mudbloods
The Mudbloods are often great, but often very lyrical and retrospective.  This song manages to get just poppy enough to get on this playlist.

“The Copywrong Song” by Song by Mike Corb. Produced by Luke Rowell/Disasteradio
Yes, that is what is in the Artist field in iTunes, and I hadn’t noticed that until just now, and I am keeping the alphabetical order.  Anywho, the opening synth theme of this protest song is very catchy, and the makers of this song have released free remixing packs, to fit in with the message, so props to them.

Later today will be my personal history with sleep deprivation.  Happy Mardi Gras!

Da Rules: Incentives

So, does anyone remember back in the fall, when on MyPCC they were asking you to take a survey, and you might win a $150 in iTunes gift cards?  Well, guess who has three thumbs and did win the raffle – not this guy!  But guess who has TWO thumbs and won that raffle – THIS GUY!

OOOOOHHHHH, YEEEEAAAAAHHHH.

So, as an incentive, I haven’t spent much of that $150 yet (I only recieved it in late January), and for every 20 hours that I go, I will be allowed to spend $50 in iTunes.  That way, I’m pretty much guaranteeing that I go at least 60 hours, and then hopefully I will have ammassed enough good music to get me through the final 12.

Also, I have spent about $20 of the first $50 already, so, after the first 20 hours, I will only get to spend about 30 bucks.

Also, also, when I get music, I must listen to it, post a quick review of it, and, if any of the songs deserve to be put on my Insomnia playlist, they will be, and I will do a post about them, in the same style as the previous music-related posts.

Speaking of which, I have a few songs to add to the playlist… I’ll talk about those tomorrow.  Next, the importance of being NINJA!

Da Rules: Drinks

Finally, it’s here!  Sorry that it took so long.  For some reason, I was thinking of doing some history of drinks used to keep people awake sort of thing, when there was only one reason to: I wanted to work in this great song called “Surgerunner”, which is a song about the popular energy drink/soda hybrid.  It was, to quote YTCracker, “hocus pocus focus juice”.  It was discontinued, but there was a fight to bring it back, and it did, in a way.

Coke later introduced into the market “Vault”, another green energy drink/soda hybrid.  And that is the only energy-fueling beverage I will be allowing myself.  No Amps, Red Bull, Monstar, coffee, tea, caffeinated sodas, nada.  Also, I will be putting a limit on how much I can consume – I can drink only four 20 ounce bottles of Vault over the course of my escape from Mr. Sandman.  I will ration out the green elixir to my liking.

Wow, that was dissapointingly easy.  Sorry that it took so long.  Next, I believe, is ninjas?  Or possibly incentives.  Hopefully that will be up soon!

Brief Hiatus

Till, like, tomorrow. But I got the latest Percy Jackson book for 6 bucks, NEW! For some reason, Albertson’s had this random bin of books. Like, they were literally just thrown in there haphazardly, with a big sign above saying “CLEERENCE!”, I kid you not. Unfortunately, they were no longer selling February bus passes, but I got a cheap book out of it!

Also, I finally received my shipment of the 2008 Wizard Rock EP of the Month club, so I got 12 new albums (and actually 13 CD’s!) of wizard rock, so I will be reading and wrocking out today.

But tomorrow, if not later tonight, I will have the drinks post, and there will be two or three posts tomorrow! To tide you over here, I have included a photograph of myself during one of my trips to Scotland:

I Once Accidentally Memorized The First 50 Digits Of Pi

It happens.

I AM THE FIRST FIFTY DIGITS OF PI

Da Rules: Music: Caramelldansen

If you do not remember, Caramelldansen is a song made by some Swedish Eurodance group.  It became famous through the following looped animation set to the chorus (which was also looped):

This song is just so… high energy, that I am placing a further restriction on it, in addition to the fact that it is in the Insomnia Playlist.  The restriction is thus: For every 24 hours, I can only spend 2 of them listening to Caramelldansen (speedycake remix, by the way).  Now, that might seem like a lot, but the song is almost 3 minutes long, and so that becomes only about 42 listens.

So…. yeah.  I don’t have too much else to say.  Ooh!  I do have something I could share – I got SOCKS!  They’re blue, and have lightning bolts on them, and they remind me of socks that Dobby would make!  Awesome!  Oh, and here’s another video, but this time with the entire song, not just the chorus.  Same blasted animation, though.  Oh, and that is apparently an actual dance.  People have filmed themselves dancing to that song whilst doing that dance, and put it up on youtube.  Anywho:

Addendum: Please do not judge this blog based on the AMV’s in this post.  This blog is really much cooler than that.  It has Harry Potter references!  And breasts! (See top right corner)

Da Rules: Music: Scorpions – YTCracker

“Rock You Like a Hurricane” by the Scorpions
I have used this song in conjunction with footage of storms more times than is probably morally acceptable.

“Expecto Patronum” and “Shrieking Shack Disco Gang” by the Shrieking Shack Disco Gang
One of the most fun to dance to wrock bands in existence, they sadly left the scene over a year ago.

“A Hazy Shade Of Winter” and “At The Zoo” by Simon & Garfunkel
Again, proof that folk rock can be awesome.  Sometimes.

“Dominique” by The Singing Nun
What can I say?  I have weird musical tastes.

Slovakian Republic and Syrian National Anthems
I only ever checked out the “S” CD from the library.

“Celtic Techno Burrito (Extended Version)”, “My Sister-In-Law’s Ears”, “Shuffle Function Theme”, “I Like To Eat Eat Eat Aples and Bananas “, “Celtic Techno Burrito”, “Mike Celestino, What Have You Done With Star Wars”, “We Got Technical Difficulties”, “Napoleon”, “Super Mario Brothers Theme (Original Nintendo Is Awesome Remix)”, “MC Underwear vs. MC Pantz”, “Dinosaurs With a Outragous BMP”, “Beware the Sea Anenemone”, “Fishcat Catfish” by Songs To Wear Pants To
“Songs To Wear Pants To / Is a website / It has some songs / And you can listen to them on your computer / All you have to do is Right Click / And Save-As / Pants Solo!”

“Blame” by Soul Coughing
Odd lyrics and a catchy tune make this one of the better random songs I have found whilst listening to internet radio.

“Harry’s Wand” by Steve Goodie
One of the most professional-sounding filks out there, this song has gotten much play on Dr. Demento’s show.

“Eye Of The Tiger” by Survivor
THE song for montages.

“Supernova” and “Supernova (Radio Version)” by Syrian
Some random trance-techno band made one of the most fun songs in the genre.  At some point in time.  Somewhere.  It’s a good song.  Moving on.

“Hallelujah (The Boy That Lived)” and “The Sorting Hat” by Talons & Tea Leaves
This collaboration between Catchlove and Oliver Boyd & the Remembralls has produced songs so great it seem criminally unfair that only four of them have been made.

“Cherry Chocolate Rain” by Tay Zonday FEAT Mista Johnson
When large corporations and internet memes pair up, the result is often disastrous.  This is one of the very few times that something magical happens.

“Chinese Dance” by Tchaikovsky
I have a theory that all of Tchaikovsky’s opuses (opi?) are, in one way or another, about sex.

Da Rules: Music: Gunther – Scar

Here’s the second batch of music that will be on my Insomnia playlist!

Pleasure Man by Gunther & the Sunshine Girls
You know how Aqua had great music and hilariously bad lyrics?  Gunther is like that, but even more so.  This album WILL make you move, be it uncontrollable dancing, or uncontrollable laughing at lyrics like “Ohhhh, you touch my tra la la / Mmmmm, my ding ding dong” and “I’m so free / You wake the stud inside me / So take your chance / Let’s do the mating dance”.  Throw in a deep understated sense of irony, and you’ll have one of the best albums to drive away sleep, EVER.

“Hampster Dance Techno Radio Edit” by Hampton the Hamster
De de de de de do du du…

“O Little Town Of Bethlehem” by Hangnail
Hangnail’s super fast rock version of one of the most somber-sounding Christmas hymns is nothing short of amazing.

Enchanted Ceiling EP by Harry & The Potters
What it would sound like if Fishboy and They Might Be Giants teamed up to make a wizard rock album.

The Power of Love by Harry & The Potters
My first ever wizard rock album, and still one of my favorites.

“Platform 9 And ¾”, “Save Ginny Weasley”, and “Blood of a Prince” by Harry & The Potters
Two of the HatP standards, and one of their darkest, most metal songs, respectively.

“Girlfriend” by Harry’sJulie
Filking (fandom-themed parodies) takes the guilt out of guilty pleasure music, like this parody of the Avril Lavigne song, from Ginny’s point of view.

Da Rules: Music: 2 Unlimited – Green Day

“Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!”
-Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Time for the first post explaining the rules!  First off, we’re going to tackle the issue of music.  Music has long been recognized as a key weapon in the fight against sleep, and as such, I’m going to set a “budget” of time for me to listen to certain songs.  You see, it’s not enough to just stay up for 72 straight hours.  Any fool with loud enough music, bright lights, and some surgical needles can do that.  I want to make it challenging.

So, I have compiled a playlist (entitled “Insomnia”) of the bounciest, danciest songs that I have.  For every 24 hours, I can only spend 8 hours listening to the songs on that playlist.  I will compute this by resetting the play counts for all the songs at the very beginning of my sojourn, and then resetting it again every 24 hours.  After the 8 hours are used up, I can only listen to music from another playlist (entitled “Limit Break” – it’s a Final Fantasy pun/reference) until I’ve hit the next day.

So, for your reading pleasure, I have typed up that list of songs, and appended to each a quick note of explanation, or some such.  Also, please note that titles in quotation marks are song titles.  Title in italics are album titles, and thus, all songs in that album are part of the playlist.  Also, some entries have relevant links in them, so be on the lookout for that.