“Some Things Last a Long Time”: An Evolution of a Song

February 7, 2016

The art of spotting a sample has faded to technology. Now all a good ear has to do is a quick google search or peruse a blog to reveal the mystique of an eloquent beat. But an infectious hook, loop, and vocal can haunt me for an afternoon. Or a few days. Or this past week. Red Pill’s 2015 release Look What This World Did To Us has been on regular rotation on my Spotify feed. Rum and Coke especially speak to my Friday nights’ struggles between a girlfriend, a graduate student’s bank account, and a bar tab. Yet that’s not what this post is about. On the self-titled track “Look What This World Did to Us”, Red Pill tells a Bukowskian tale with an acerbic tongue. Familiar to early Atmosphere, the track speaks of a guarded regret singular to the loss of youth.

How Much Should We Rely On Discover Weekly?

February 3, 2016

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When a friend told me about Discover Weekly on Spotify, I thought it was one of the better ideas of online music services. A playlist tailored to your music preferences, including songs from artists you probably don’t know? Every week? All the work of finding new music now done by a computer for you. How unbelievably convenient!

Swans Are (Almost) Dead

February 3, 2016

Thirty-four years ago, Swans hit the underground in New York with their self-titled EP. Now (thirteen studio albums, ten live albums, a heap of EPs and compilations, dozens of members, and a thirteen year hiatus later) the band is finishing up work in the studio on what is, according to the band, going to be the final work from this incarnation of Swans. After this album and its subsequent tour, Michael Gira and the rest of this current six-piece form of the band are ending a historic reunion run the likes of which just don’t happen.

Money’s “Suicide Songs” a Celebration of the Process of Identity Formation as Transformative, Transcendent, and Redemptive

February 1, 2016

 

In Galaxie 500’s incredible On Fire, the opener “Blue Thunder” immediately places the album—and the listener—into a state of motion. The iconic refrain of “I’ll drive so far away” never really addresses the place from which the speaker is so intent on leaving, letting the focus rest on the act of departure and the imagined “elsewhere” to which we’re going and being taken. Money’s sophomore album Suicide Songs is at times thematically and sonically reminiscent (with singer Jamie Lee even belting “I’m on fire” in “Night Came”), positing suicidal ideation as an act of departure from the self, offering a framework through which to explore and complicate the notion of identity formation as simultaneously oppressive and liberating.

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Oh, Hello

February 1, 2016
theohhellos.com
theohhellos.com

Allow me to introduce you to The Oh Hellos. Siblings Tyler and Maggie Heath (center) formed a folk rock duo in 2011 and have since released three albums. Today, as you can see, they are supported by an army of musicians. The Oh Hellos are an independent band, meaning they are self-funded and do not belong to a record label.

Before you say “oh no, not another indie folk band,” hold your judgment and watch their NPR Tiny Desk Concert from December.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwvCEWWWt7Q

Monday Music

February 1, 2016

Everyone knows that Monday is the worst day of the week. Even if you don’t agree, it’s usually true to say that having a full week of meetings, assignments and…

The Death of a Bachelor and the Start of Something Great

February 1, 2016
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The cover art of Death of a Bachelor. (Image courtesy of panicatthedisco.com)

Possibly one of the most notable things about Death of a Bachelor is that it is the first time Panic! at the Disco wrote an album with only one member. After the departure of drummer Spencer Smith in April 2015, Brendon Urie was left to carry on and write what actually may be the band’s best album yet. Already, it has done much better than the previous four. In its debut week, it sold more than 190,000 album units and scored a spot as number one on the US Billboard 200, the first album by the band to accomplish such a feat.

Rostam Batmanglij’s New Song and Vampire Weekend’s New Direction

January 30, 2016
Vampire Weekend in its true form as we always knew it. RIP. (Image courtesy of Rolling Stone)
Vampire Weekend in its true form as we always knew it. RIP. (Image courtesy of Rolling Stone)

When I was in high school, a close friend of mine introduced me to the hilarious and often ridiculous wonder that is Ezra Koenig’s twitter. I initially dismissed his posted jokes as self-indulgent banter with a worshipping fan base. But, admittedly, I was intrigued, and started listening to Vampire Weekend. I got almost immediately hooked, and rapidly transformed into a person who listened to their self-titled album and Contra every day after school.

Tool and Primus Bring Psychedelic Bliss to Bridgestone

January 28, 2016

I’ll the first to admit that I’m a bit of a fanboy of Tool, and I was definitely a pretty big Primus fan back in the day (I mean, with a bass style like Les Claypool’s, how could I not?), so when I read that the two bands were going to be playing Bridgestone Arena, I did the logical thing and set a reminder on my phone for when to stop paying attention in stats class to buy tickets as they went on sale.  I was a little excited.

Young Thug Remembrance Post #1

January 28, 2016

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As always when we find ourselves awaiting a new soon-to-be-released Young Thug album/mixtape/symphony, we are living in a historic time. Slime Season 3 (SS3) is coming (Feb. 5th) and all we have to do is make it until then, which is easier said than done.

Jukebox the Ghost Sneaks In A Nashville Show In Between Snow Days

January 27, 2016

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Jukebox the Ghost managed to plan a perfectly timed show, performing for Nashville on Thursday night and celebrating the rain, as opposed to the snow, that lingered the day before and after. The band brought along Greg Holden to open the show, bracing the stage similarly to how Passenger did a few years ago, with just his songs and guitar to carry the mood. Although many voices were heard singing along to the Brit’s 2015 single, “Boys in the Street,” those just hearing him for the first time seemed pleasantly surprised based on the chatter in between sets. His stage presence paralleled his music, honest and heartfelt.

Two concerts to get you through finals week

December 10, 2015
This could be you!
This could be you!

If you’re like me, you routinely neglect responsibilities in favor of going to concerts (or maybe you go to concerts as a reason to neglect responsibilities… um, also guilty). Whether that’s the case or you just need a study break (#treatyoself), definitely check out these concerts that are coming up in the next week.

Need some more help studying for finals?

December 8, 2015
Courtesy of USC News
Courtesy of USC News

We can all get bogged down studying for finals or writing final papers, so I wanted to share some songs that get me focused while writing or studying. Good study music is a point of strong opinions for many people, but I am always open to suggestions. Music that gets old quickly can serve as another distraction while studying or writing papers, and students know that another distraction is the last thing we need. Hopefully my playlists will get you in the zone.

Five Songs to Get You Through Finals Week

December 7, 2015

Everyone who has ever gone through finals week knows that it is quite possibly the most stressful week of the semester. While at other times during the semester you may have a lot of competing interests, over finals week you need to have laser-sharp focus on the upcoming assessments. For some classes finals can be worth half of your entire semester grade or more, so the pressure is most definitely on. Now, given the extreme proximity of finals for this particular semester, I present you with five songs to help you weather the upcoming week:

keep-calm-and-survive-finals-week1.Tubthumping by Chumbawumba

Sure, the rest of the semester might have knocked you down, but now is the time to get back up again. We’re all tired after the work of the semester, but we can’t throw in the towel just yet. Chumbawumba is here to help you bounce back and power through this last trial before you go home for the holidays.

Let’s Talk About David Bowie’s “Blackstar”

December 6, 2015
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/71/David_Bowie_-_Blackstar_song_cover_art.png
David Bowie — “Blackstar”. Image couresty of Wikipedia.

David Bowie released the title track off of his forthcoming album, a 10-minute behemoth complete with a disturbingly surreal music video, about two weeks ago now. And despite almost obsessive listening over the past two weeks, I’m not sure I know any more what “Blackstar” is than I did when I first heard it. All I know is that I can’t stop listening.

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