I’ve always liked 30 Seconds to Mars and I wanted to switch things up by covering a song that you wouldn’t expect to see here, so I decided to cover their new single ‘Hurricane’. A year after releasing there third album ‘This Is War’ the band released their fourth single late last month.
Ever since I heard ‘The Kill’ I have always been intrigued by the bands sound, and I think that Leto has a great voice. More times than not their songs have a dark undertone, and while I can’t listen to that type of music all the time, I appreciate it when I’m in the mood. Continue reading →
As I said at the beginning of the weekend, the VMA’s usually result in a sales increase for both the nominees and performers. Florence + The Machine have seen the biggest jump since they made their performance of ‘Dog Days Are Over’ last night. The song has jumped to number 10 on itunes, a new peak for them, and their album, ‘Lungs’ has jumped to number 2. This should be a huge week for them sales and chart wise. Thankfully they are gaining fans from a performance that was true to their artistry.
30 Seconds to Mars will probably see their song, ‘Kings and Queens’ reach a new peak next week as well. The song has reached to number 22 on itunes. If they were smart the song would be re-released to Top 40 radio to gain audience impressions while the song is popular on itunes. Their album, ‘This is War’ also moved up to number 22 on the album chart.
Usher moved up a few spots as ‘DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love’ zooms to 3 on itunes. It is not surprising since his performance was the most exciting of the night. Drakes song ‘Fancy’ is at a new itunes peak of 48. I am hoping that a remix with Mary J. Blige will be released soon.
I am glad to see that Florence and 30 Seconds to Mars seem to be benefitting from the VMA’s the most. Considering that they are less commercial than all the other acts I am sure they are celebrating their success today.
The second nominee for video of the year is 30 Second to Mars. The band dropped their third album, ‘This is War’, late last year. ‘Kings and Queens’ was the first single from the album, peaking at 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 4 on the Rock Chart. Even though the song did not see chart success, the video has garnered up a lot of buzz thus becoming one of the best rock videos of the year. It received a total of 4 nominations this year. After winning the MTV2 video award 4 years ago I am sure the band are hoping to end their VMA drought, and I’m they will.
30 Seconds to Mars have always created cinematic works of art with their videos. Watch ‘From Yesterday’ or ‘The Kill’ if you don’t believe me. A lot of their creativity should be attributed to lead singer Jared Leto, who often lends his acting chops to the bands videos. ‘Kings and Queens’ is not simple a video about a group of people riding around on bikes, but it is a representation of freedom and persistence. Starting with the landscape shot of Los Angeles , the video was filmed to reflect the theme of unlimited boundaries.
3o Seconds to Mars are consistently a good band. ‘Kings and Queens’ is quite possibly their best song to date. It sounds similar to the sound that Kings of Leon had during there last album. I’m surprised that the song did not succeed on the Hot 100 chart because it has a simple melodic tune that would fit well with the other songs on Top 40 radio. The best part of the group is Jared Leto. He has an unparalleled voice that get better with every album. The harmonies during the second verse and his voice in the chorus reveal both the power and range that he is capable of. 30 Seconds to Mars generally are overlooked which is a shame because they are far more superior than many of the other bands out there.
Considering that they received 4 nominations I would be surprised if the band left empty handed tomorrow night. Similar to what I said about Florence + The Machine, it is an honor for the band to even be nominated because it gives them both the credit and attention they deserve. I am looking forward to their performance tomorrow because I’m sure Jared will not let me down vocally.
Rating: A-
Kick The Ear Drum 