SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-27-2026

 

SONG:  "Unthought Known"  (Pearl Jam cover)

ARTIST:  Eddie Vedder

ALBUM:  "Water On The Road"

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  San Diego, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1988 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The core meaning of the song "Unthought Known"  centers on human agency, self-worth, and tapping into deep, internal intuition. Written solely by Eddie Vedder, the track serves as an anthem for breaking free from negative thought cycles, overcoming social conditioning, and realizing your own untapped potential.

EDDIE VEDDER DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2007 - Into The Wild (J Records)

* Peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200

2011 - Ukulele Songs (Monkeywrench Records)

* Peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200

2021 - Flag Day (Seattle Surf/Republic Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2022 - Earthling (Seattle Surf/Republic Records)

* Peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON EDDIE VEDDER:

Eddie Vedder was born in Evanston, Illinois, just outside of Chicago but his musical roots formed in San Diego, California. He bounced around in a few local bands, one was called Indian Style which also featured future Rage Against The Machine drummer Brad Wilk. In 1988 he was in a band called Bad Radio which was a slight Red Hot Chili Peppers knock off. Of course, the infamous story of befriending Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons and Jack Irons giving Eddie a demo from  Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament from Mother Love Bone, who just lost their singer Andy Wood to a drug overdose. Eddie put words and vocals on 3 instrumentals which would become "Once", "Alive" and "Footsteps" and in 1990, Pearl Jam was born. Ok, they were initially called Mookie Blaylock! Pearl Jam, of course, has been one of the most influential and successful hard rock bands of all time and I could go through their entire history but I'll save that for when I have a Pearl Jam song as my "song of the week".  Eddie would drop little nuggets out there solo, mostly a song for a soundtrack or whatever. He would guest for bands during their live sets as well, think The Doors ("Break On Through", "Light My Fire") and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ("The Waiting"). There's a lot more too. Eddie's first solo full length album would be the soundtrack for the movie "Into The Wild". This album was basically Eddie and an acoustic guitar. It was a very stripped down album and there are some killer tracks on there like the Indio cover "Hard Sun" and "Guaranteed". In 2011, Eddie dropped "Ukulele Songs". What rock star puts out a ukulele album?! It seemed logical as when Eddie did solo tours, he would do a few uke songs so. 2021 saw Eddie contribute music to another soundtrack called "Flag Day". This album also featured first time vocals by his daughter Olivia. In 2022, Eddie put out his most ambitious solo effort and it featured a full band too. Eddie Vedder on vocals/guitar, Glen Hansard on guitar, Josh Klinghoffer on guitar and keyboards, Andrew Watt on guitar, Chris Chaney on bass and Chad Smith on drums. The band would be called The Earthlings and the album was also called "Earthling", produced by Andrew Watt. Eddie loved working with Andrew Watt so much that he got the guys in Pearl Jam to agree to have him produce their latest album "Dark Matter", which is just a killer album. Most recently, Eddie released the single "Save It For Later" in 2024, which is an English Beat cover. Eddie Vedder is legendary. One of the best vocalists and lyricists not only of his generation but of all time. One of the most influential rock vocalists of all time for sure. His solo stuff is really cool. I mean, if you're a Pearl Jam fan you're gonna love his solo stuff as well. But there's nothing better than when the guys get back together and work on new music together. Like I said earlier, their "Dark Matter" album is just fantastic and I love the way Andrew Watt made the band really work together on the songs, almost from scratch. Eddie's doing some solo tour dates in Japan coming up pretty soon. After that, I don't know if Eddie's gonna do another solo project or if the PJ guys are going to release something. Either way, I'm always wanting new stuff from Eddie and PJ!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Pearl Jam

Chris Cornell

Temple Of The Dog

Mad Season

Audioslave

TEN EDDIE VEDDER SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Against The 70's (w/ Mike Watt)

2. The Waiting (Tom Petty cover w/ Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)

3. Hard Sun (Indio cover)

4. Mrs. Mills

5. My City Of Ruins (Bruce Springsteen cover)

6. Guaranteed

7. Brother The Cloud

8. Drive (REM cover)

9. Constellations (Jack Johnson cover w/ Jack Johnson)

10. The Haves

SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-20-2026

 

SONG:  "It Starts In Our Heads"

ARTIST:  The Living Daylights

ALBUM:  "What Keeps You Breathing"

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Lincoln, England

YEARS ACTIVE:  2007 - 2017

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

Positioned as the introduction to an album titled "What Keeps You Breathing", the track implies that survival, resilience, and our perception of reality are entirely psychological. The struggles or the drive to keep pushing forward "start" internally.

THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2008 - Ways To Escape (Fond Of Life Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - What Keeps You Breathing (Fond Of Life Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS:

The Living Daylights formed as a band back in 2007, hailing from England. The band quickly came out the gate self-releasing an EP titled "The Living Daylights". The band followed that up in 2008 with their debut full length album "Ways To Escape". The band toured extensively to support that album and followed it up with their sophomore full length album, "What Keeps You Breathing", in 2011. If ever a band could wear themselves out by being on the road, this is exactly what happened with The Living Daylights and in 2012, they announced a hiatus. In 2017 the band did a short reunion tour which also served as a farewell tour. The band played their last live show on April 29, 2017 in their hometown of Lincoln, England. The Living Daylights played a melodic style of punk rock music offering some harsh vocals, think Hot Water Music or Rise Against. They got some pop punk to their sound as well. They had definitely created some buzz in their home country of England and across Europe. They were known for their energetic live shows and their commitment to the road. Perhaps they just overdid it as touring exhaustion was a definite factor in them calling it quits. I don't remember exactly, but I think I learned of The Living Daylights through the website DyingScene.com. I used to find out about a lot of bands through that site and I still do. It's too bad that The Living Daylights couldn't keep things moving as they seemed to definitely have some promise as a band.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Consumed

Rise Against

Hot Water Music

The Bouncing Souls

A Wilhelm Scream

TEN THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. What Keeps You Breathing

2. Carve It Out

3. It Starts In Our Heads

4. Maps

5. These Roads

6. Wasted On The Rain

7. A Thousand Lights

8. Undertow

9. Melancholy

10. Beyond The Town

SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-13-2026

 

SONG:  "Down"

ARTIST:  Seether

ALBUM:  "Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray"

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

YEARS ACTIVE:  1999 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Down" by Seether is a heavy, emotionally raw track that explores themes of suffocation, emotional manipulation, and toxic relationship dynamics.

SEETHER DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2002 - Disclaimer (Wind-Up Records)

* Peaked at #92 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

2004 - Disclaimer II (Wind-Up Records)

* Peaked at #53 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2005 - Karma And Effect (Wind-Up Records)

* Peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2006 - One Cold Night (Wind-Up Records)

* Peaked at #50 on the Billboard 200

2007 - Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces (Wind-Up Records)

* Peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2011 - Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray (Wind-Up Records)

* Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

2014 - Isolate And Medicate (The Bicycle Music Company)

* Peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

2017 - Poison The Parish (Canine Riot Records)

* Peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200

2020 - Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum (Fantasy Records)

* Peaked at #37 on the Billboard 200

2024 - The Surface Seems So Far (Fantasy Records)

* Peaked at #138 on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON SEETHER:

Seether is a South African band that got it's start back in 1999. Originally the band was called Saron Gas and released an album under that moniker in 2000 called "Fragile". In 2002, the band changed their name to Seether, after the Veruca Salt song of the same name. Seether, I guess you would call official debut album, would release "Disclaimer" in 2002. Right off the jump, singles like "Fine Again" and "Gasoline" created huge buzz for Seether. In 2004, the band would put out "Disclaimer II" which basically was "Disclaimer" with extra tracks. This album also featured what may be Seether's biggest song, a version of "Broken" featuring guest vocals by Amy Lee of Evanescence. This album would be the beginning of a string of 3 releases that went on to be certified Platinum. The next one was 2005's "Karma And Effect" and following that, 2007's "Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces", an album that features my favorite song by the band "Rise Above This". 2011's "Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray" would be the last album release with label Wind-Up Records, who the band had been signed with since 2002. That was also the band's highest charting album, peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts. In 2014, Seether released "Isolate And Medicate". The band would continue a streak of albums which charted in the Billboard 200 with the release of 2017's "Poison The Parish", 2020's "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" and the band's most recent full length album, 2024's "The Surface Seems So Far". The band released an EP in 2026 called "Beneath The Surface" which is considered a continuation of their album "The Surface Seems So Far". Seether is a post-grunge, alternative metal type of band. Heavily influenced by the grunge era, you can hear the styles of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden all through their music. Seether has also been one of the most successful hard rock acts of the 2000's for sure. I got into these guys right away. The first song I heard by them was "Fine Again" and I was like, yeah, that's a band that's right up my alley! They just constantly put out great albums and great songs. Their song "Rise Above This" from their 2007 album "Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces" is a fantastic song. I just love it. It's not as heavy as some of their other material but for me, it just sunk it's teeth into me! There aren't too many playlists that I put together that don't feature that song on them. Awesome band, Seether!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Staind

Breaking Benjamin

Three Days Grace

Chevelle

Saint Asonia

TEN SEETHER SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Rise Above This

2. Broken

3. The Gift

4. Remedy

5. Country Song

6. Dangerous

7. Let You Down

8. Words As Weapons

9. Judas Mind

10. Seether (Veruca Salt cover)

SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-6-2026

 

SONG:  "The Fight"

ARTIST:  Avenged Sevenfold

ALBUM:  "Diamonds In The Rough"

YEAR:  2008

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Huntington Beach, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1999 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"The Fight" by Avenged Sevenfold is a song about individual critical thinking, resisting social brainwashing, and breaking free from systemic indoctrination. Released on their 2008 b-sides and rarities album, "Diamonds in the Rough", the track stands out for its straightforward, politically charged lyrics. Instead of the dark, mythological, or deeply personal themes the band is often known for, "The Fight" serves as an anthem for mental independence.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2001 - Sounding The Seventh Trumpet (Good Life Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - Waking The Fallen (Hopeless Records)

* Peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2005 - City Of Evil (Warner Bros. Records)

* Peaked at #30 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2007 - Avenged Sevenfold (Warner Bros. Records)

* Peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2008 - Live In The LBC/Diamonds In The Rough (Warner Bros. Records)

* Peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2010 - Nightmare (Warner Bros. Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2013 - Hail To The King (Warner Bros. Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2016 - The Stage (Capitol Records)

* Peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200

2017 - Live At The Grammy Museum (Capitol Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2023 - Life Is But A Dream (Warner Records)

* Peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON AVENGED SEVENFOLD:

Avenged Sevenfold got it's start back in 1999, hailing from Huntington Beach, California. Starting out with a metalcore sound, the band dropped their debut full length album, "Sounding The Seventh Trumpet", in 2001. The band's sophomore effort, 2003's "Waking The Fallen", continued that metalcore style and the single "Unholy Confessions" started to give the band a big bump. 2005's "City Of Evil", in my mind, is where Avenged Sevenfold honed their sound. Gone was the gutteral screaming vocals and their style veered towards a more mainstream heavy metal sound. The lead single "Bat Country" really propelled the band to new heights of success. In 2007, the band dropped "Avenged Sevenfold". This album features the ballad "Dear God", one of my favorite Avenged Sevenfold songs. In 2009, tragedy struck the band as their drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan passed away unexpectedly.  2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King" finished a string of five straight albums that would be certified platinum for Avenged Sevenfold. It also marked the end of the band's relationship with major label Warner Bros. Records. In 2016, the band released "The Stage" through Capitol Records. This would mark the band's first concept album. The band's most recent release would be 2023's "Life Is But A Dream", a true departure in style. Very experimental and avante garde metal. In 2026, the band dropped an EP titled "Statica". This proved to be a side project for the band featuring "electronic" music and since the band has stated that the side project will also be called Statica. Avenged Sevenfold has been one of the most successful heavy metal bands to emerge in the 2000's. They have a style and sound that allows them to play punk festivals like the Warped Tour or metal festivals like Ozzfest. Sometimes that acts as a detriment to the band from backlash from diehard fans from either genre. Whatever.. the record sales and the sold out tours prove that Avenged Sevenfold is a juggernaut of a band! The first song I heard by these guys was "Unholy Confessions". While that wasn't my favorite song, it definitely planted a seed in my head. The band had me when they released "City Of Evil". I'm iffy on gutteral, screaming vocals. I like some bands that do it, but I prefer the cleaner vocals so I instantly became a bigger fan of the band when "City Of Evil" dropped. I'd also say i'm more of a punk fan than a metal fan but Avenged Sevenfold is one of the band's that crossed over for me. Them and Bullet For My Valentine who I also am a big fan of. 

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Bullet For My Valentine

Stone Sour

Three Days Grace

Breaking Benjamin

Godsmack

TEN AVENGED SEVENFOLD SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Beast And The Harlot

2. Dear God

3. Nightmare

4. St. James

5. Hail To The King

6. Unholy Confessions

7. The Stage

8. Nobody

9. Crossroads

10. Darkness Surrounding

SONG OF THE WEEK: 8-30-2026

 

SONG:  "Rope"

ARTIST:  Foo Fighters

ALBUM:  "Wasting Light"

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Seattle, Washington

YEARS ACTIVE:  1994 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The Foo Fighters song "Rope" explores a frantic emotional struggle, anxiety, and the desperate need for stability through a supportive relationship.

FOO FIGHTERS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1995 - Foo Fighters (Roswell/Capitol Records)

* Peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

1997 - The Colour And The Shape (Roswell/Capitol Records)

* Peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

1999 - There Is Nothing Left To Lose (Roswell/RCA Records)

* Peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2002 - One By One (Roswell/RCA Records)

* Peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2005 - In Your Honor (Roswell/RCA Records)

* Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2006 - Skin And Bones (RCA Records)

* Peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200

2007 - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (Roswell/RCA Records)

* Peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2011 - Wasting Light (Roswell/RCA Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2011 - Medium Rare (Roswell/RCA Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2014 - Sonic Highways (Roswell/RCA Records)

* Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

2017 - Concrete And Gold (Roswell/RCA Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

2021 - Medicine At Midnight (Roswell/RCA Records)

* Peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200

2023 - But Here We Are (Roswell/RCA Records)

* Peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200

2026 - Your Favorite Toy (Roswell/RCA Records)

* Peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON FOO FIGHTERS:

The Foo Fighters started out as a secret solo project of Dave Grohl, who at the time was best known as the drummer of Nirvana. The debut 1995 album by the Foo Fighters basically featured Grohl playing every instrument and laying down the vocals. Once the album was released, Grohl decided to put a band together to tour the album. He enlisted Nate Mendel (bass) and William Goldsmith (drums) from the recently disbanded Sunny Day Real Estate, as well as legendary Germs guitarist Pat Smear. In 1997, the band dropped their sophomore effort, "The Colour And The Shape". This album exploded the Foo Fighters to headliner material, thanks in part to hit singles like "Everlong" and "My Hero". Shortly after the release of this album, Pat Smear departed the band and Grohl's bandmate from his previous band Scream, Franz Stahl, took over for Smear. Also, William Goldsmith left the band after the recording of "The Colour And The Shape" because he felt disrespected that Grohl re-recorded all the drum tracks by himself. Taylor Hawkins replaced Goldsmith on drums. 1999 saw the band let Stahl go and release the album "There Is Nothing Left To Lose" as a 3 piece featuring just Grohl, Mendel and Hawkins. Former No Use For A Name guitarist Chris Shiflett was brought on as lead guitarist in 1999. In 2002, the band released "One By One". 2005's "In Your Honor" was a double sided album with full on rock songs on one side and acoustic tracks on the other. This led to an acoustic tour in which Smear came back to play additional guitar and it's the first sighting of keyboardist Rami Jaffee with the band. This tour led to the live acoustic album "Skin And Bones" in 2006. In 2007, "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" was released which featured stand out single "The Pretender". In 2010, Pat Smear was officially back in the band. 2011 saw the band release "Wasting Light". For 2014's "Sonic Highways", the Foo Fighters recorded 8 songs in 8 different cities in America trying to connect with the vibes of those cities. In 2015, Rami Jaffee was officially in the band. In 2017, "Concrete And Gold" was released. This was the band's second album after "Wasting Light" to peak at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. "Medicine At Midnight" was released in 2021. On March 25, 2022, while the band was touring South America, tragedy struck the band as drummer Taylor Hawkins was found dead in his hotel room in Colombia. This was a devastating blow to the band as Taylor was so loved by all the band members, especially Dave Grohl. The 2023 album "But Here We Are" was a tribute to their fallen bandmate and friend. Josh Freese took over on drums for that album but was let go in 2025. Ilan Rubin who had recently played with Nine Inch Nails, took over on drums in 2025. Most recently, the Foo Fighters released their latest full length album, "Your Favorite Toy", in 2026. The Foo Fighters are a juggernaut of a band. Arguably the biggest rock band that's out there today. Their first 7 albums were all certified platinum and while some say that guitar rock has lost some spark, don't tell that to the Foo Fighters who have been selling out stadiums for decades. Though they grew out of the grunge era, their sound is not quite as dark as those early 90's grunge stalwarts. The Foo Fighters have carved their own way en route to becoming one of the biggest bands ever! 

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Pearl Jam

Audioslave

Stone Temple Pilots

Them Crooked Vultures

Queens Of The Stone Age

TEN FOO FIGHTERS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. All My Life

2. Everlong

3. The Pretender

4. Learn To Fly

5. Walk

6. Best Of You

7. Waiting On A War

8. Rescued

9. This Is A Call

10. Asking For A Friend