5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #44

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Dear Maria, Count Me In, by All Time Low

This mid-late 2000's song takes me way back to my sophomore year of high school. I know this kind of cheesy over produced pop-punk isn't what I usually put on here but I can't help it. It's a guilty pleasure. It's cheery, upbeat, and fun. It's just the kind of tune to pop in when you're feeling kind of down and need something to put your mood back into an elevated place.

2. Buckethead's TV Show, by Buckethead

For some reason even though this song doesn't really have anything to do with the subject, it's always given me the picture of a fallen hero getting back, pulling himself together, and rushing off into the distance to go surprise the enemy that took them down in the first place so they can turn the tables and put an end to their evil. Kind of funny the different interpretations instrumental music can bring about, you know?

3. First Avenue, by Elf

If you're in the mood for a cool swanky blues shuffle, this should be right up your alley. Plus, this is one of the few times you will ever get to hear the late Ronnie James Dio sing with a falsetto; definitely not something that would be heard in his later heavy metal works. It's too bad. He did a pretty nice job in that kind of vocal style. I guess it would have been weird to hear something like Heaven and Hell, Stargazer, or Rainbow in the Dark with that though.

4. The Forgotten (Part 2), by Joe Satriani

This track ALWAYS gives me the feels. Despite the fact it has no lyrics/vocals whatsoever it always raises the hairs on my arms and neck and connects with me on such a deep emotional level. I'll admit that when I'm down in the dumps and this song has come on I've shed a tear or two. It takes real skill and finesse as a musician and composer to be able to do such a thing. Props to Satch for that.

5. Dancing in the Moonlight, by Thin Lizzy

For anyone who has ever been young, in love, and stayed out past curfew to have one more dance with that special someone this song is for you. It's got a sexy dance groove to it (of course) and some sweet guitar melody harmonizations. Phil Lynott really was a true great of song writing. He may not have been the best singer, but he managed to convey so much of that raw emotion that Thin Lizzy songs usually did.