We're Doing A Little Moving

Due to inactivity and a lack of response on this side of the blog, we are officially moving the blog to Tumblr. We won't be deleting any of the previous posts and we continue to review albums as well as turn our followers on to new music and artists. We'll just be doing it at our new home!!

So check us out at http://www.thesummermusicproject.tumblr.com!!!

Culture Shock (NMM)

Lovely Monday troopers, we have reached yet another beginning of a work week but as summer lurks closer and closer, our name has even more and more meaning! With that said, why not keep the spring feeling going with a new song from a well-loved band that goes by the name of Arcade Fire.



This little number is called "Culture War" and was literally released today on BBC's Radio 1. The song is expected to be on Arcade Fire's next record, which would be a follow up to the 2010 release of The Suburbs, a Grammy-award winning album. Whatever is next for this extremely talented 8 piece band, I am certain it will be extraordinary.

-Whitni

Welcome To Throwback Tuesdays!

So, every once in a while I'll be mixing it up by doing Throwback Tuesdays instead of New Music Mondays. Now, don't panic, you'll still get your NMM most of the time, but what's life without a little change? With that said, what's up Tuesday people? Let's go back 39 years ago to 1972, when David Bowie released his fifth studio album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.



One of the singles from this album, called "Stardust" was released April 9th, 1972 and did well on the charts, even getting Bowie a place on the hit show of the time, "Top of The Pops." Listening to the song, it's one of those classics that has just as much meaning now as it did then!

-Whitni

Schizophrenic Lucky Rock and Other Sunny Things: An Interview with Silversun Pickups

The SMP is proud to present yet another interview from an well known alternative rock band by the name of Silversun Pickups. The band has been making music since 2002 and have released two albums and four EPs since. One of their single's, "Panic Switch" hit number 1 on the alternative charts and their latest album Swoon hit number 7 on the Billboard top 100. Jennifer Llyod talked to the band's bassist, Nikki Monninger.

Previously published in The Knox Student in April 1, 2010

Nikki Monninger, the bassist for Silversun Pickups talked with me about their tour with Muse, why she choose music and live performances.

Nikki: Did you enjoy the Muse light show? I really liked watching it. It’s nice to see a band that prides themselves on putting on a good show. I don’t think we’ll have a million lasers in our future but it’s nice to see what other bands are doing. And it’s over the top but I think they do it really well.

Jenn Lloyd: Where did you get the band name from and were there other ideas?

NM : I think it was always Silversun Pickups. We got the name from a liquor store called Silversun Liquor and was on the corner of Boulevard. We joked around that it would be called “A Couple of Couples” because we started out with Brian [Aubert] (lead vocals and guitar) and his girlfriend at the time and me and my boyfriend at the time, so it was two couples. But it’s pretty much always been Silversun Pickups.

JL: How would you describe the band’s music?

NM: Brian likes to say we’re schizophrenic lucky rock; basically indie alternative music.

JL: How did the band create their style?

NM: It’s just what happens when the four of us get together. We could potentially plan on a sound, but our sound is just what has happened from playing together over the years.

JL: Why did you personally decide that you wanted to be a musician and be in a band?

NM: It’s always been in the back of my mind. My mother put me in piano lessons when I was five years old and I took lessons for ten years so I’ve always kind of been around music. Then when I went to college, my best friend’s brother was selling a bass so I decided to buy it for $100. When we were starting the band we didn’t have a bass player and I’ve always enjoyed listening to the bass, I’ve always been drawn to the instrument. But in college I didn’t want to major in music because I didn’t want to burn out from it, so I majored in art history.

JL: If you weren’t in music what other career would you have had?

NM: In college I interned at several record companies…so I was always doing things related to music. So, yeah, I’d probably be working on some videos I was working with a little bit.

JL: Did you ever have any interest in art history professionally?

NM: Yeah, definitely. I’d always be interested in working with a museum or along those lines. That’s also a very competitive market and there aren’t a lot of jobs open. That is something I would definitely have done if I hadn’t gone the music route.

JL: What music did you listen to growing up?

NM: It’s kind of diverse, but during my formative years Modest Mouse, Wilco, but also Madonna and Prince. But in general, we have a lot that we all grew up listening to, which brought us together as friends first and then we started the band a few years later.

JL: Who writes the lyrics and what is the creative process that you guys go through?

NM: Brian writes most of the lyrics. Sometimes, when I do my parts I’ll write those parts, but in general, Brian writes all the lyrics. He’ll come in with song ideas and then we’ll work out creating some songs. Then the lyrics will come in usually only after we’ve been recording in the studio. He’ll have melodies but he likes to wait till towards the end of the recording process for the lyrics.

JL: What is your favorite song or songs to perform live?

NM: We really like starting off with “Growing Old is Getting Old,” and I love playing that song. I like how it begins quietly and just builds. It’s also a harder song for me to play so I enjoy the bass end of it. I’d say that’s my favorite one to play right now.

JL: How do you think hearing your music live is a different experience than hearing recorded?

NM: We’re able to get more dynamic live, and, musically, can mix sounds more live. We don’t want it to sound exactly like the CD but, at the same time, we don’t want to stray too far from it. Live is more of an extension of the CD.

JL: Where is your favorite venue to perform?

NM: One of my favorites is The Fillmore in San Francisco. Right now we’re playing in a lot of arenas but before that we were in a lot of theaters. I enjoy playing in those because there’s so much history to them. Also The Wiltern in Los Angeles.

JL: How has Silversun Pickups gotten along with Muse?

NM: We get in a lot earlier than them, so before the show we don’t get to see them. But once the show is over, we’ll see them backstage. They’re very nice and it interesting to see Matt [Bellamy] so reserved after rocking out before during the show. They’ve been really nice to us.

JL: What is it like being the only female touring with all the men?

NM: Luckily there are some girls working with Muse so I’m not the only girl backstage. But overall, it is mostly a male dominated area. I get along well with everyone so they’re fun to travel with. There is about ten of us that travel together and we’ve been traveling together so long that they’re like brothers to me.

JL: How does Muse's over-the-top performance mix with Silversun Pickup's relaxed show?

NM: As an opening band, we just don’t get the opportunity to have all the craziness, but they have definitely inspired us for our upcoming headlining tours. It’s opened up a whole world of what lights can do. In general, we focus so much on the music, we sometimes forget that a light show could be cool to watch as well.

Wake From Your Slumber

Despite my hopes for better weather in this not-so-small town, the rain continues to fall and we continue to solider on, holding on to music for dear life. But as hard as I try, rain makes me lazy and sleepy, as it does many of my comrades. Who knows, maybe this Okkervil River song (or just the song title) will actually inspire me to combat the rainy day blues.



Or maybe I'll just lie in bed and listen to this song :) Either way, this is "Wake and Be Fine" by Okkervil River, off their sixth studio album I Am Very Far. There are still a somewhat small band (less than 50,000 fans on Facebook) but they've been around since 1998 and are seasoned professionals. Let the indie magic roll.

-Whitni

We All Sing The Blues [NMM]

Sup Monday people! I'm trying to send good vibes your vibe but, with all this Midwest rain, it's not the easiest thing to do. Usually I love rain, but it's been raining for about a week and a half without stop, and that can make a girl crazy. Hopefully it's nothing a little Frank Turner won't cure!



"Peggy Sang The Blues" is the name of this song, a future single for the album England Keep My Bones. Turner is an Englishman making his living as a folk singer, and this new album is his fourth, so he's not doing to bad. Who knows, maybe hearing this song one more time will send my blues away. See if it works on yours.

-Whitni

Third Time's The Charm

Are you feeling pretty healthy right now? Well I'm not cause, " my watch sick, yeah my drop sick, yeah my glock sick."

Sorry. Bad joke, I know. Just couldn't resist.

Now down to the serious stuff. Contrary to popular belief, Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr doesn't just rap about sex, drugs and money, though those things do come up, and often. Hidden underneath, Mr. Carter has a couple different messages racing through his head and his lyrics, and that makes his music pretty damn good.

If you haven't caught on by now, I'm talking about infamous rapper Lil Wayne, who's sixth album Tha Carter III came to be under my perspective eyes and ears. First, a little background. How are we ever to understand the often misunderstood Wayne if we know nothing about him?

Wayne grew up in New Orleans and his parents divorced when he was only two. Wayne was enrolled in a gifted program at school in his youth and by the age of eight had written his first rap song. Originally involved in drama and plays, Wayne accidentally shot himself at age thirteen and shortly afterwards decided drop out of school to focus on pursuing a career in music, even though he was an honor student.



Wayne was in a group called The Hot Boys until 2001, though he put out his first solo album in 1999. That album went over well, but his next two didn't quite have the success of his debut. It was the Tha Carter series that brought Wayne back into the spotlight.

Tha Carter III was released in 2008 and is Wayne's sixth solo album, making him a well-seasoned rapper, something you can hear in the music. The first song "3 Peat", like a lot of rap songs, has message sandwiched between sexual innuendos and cursing. Most of it's ego-centrical, but some of it's about Wanye's "being back and in business."

The second song, "Mr. Carter" was strangely good, in a not-so-obvious way. Wayne speaks on how far he's come and Jay-Z's collab only makes the song that much better.

Speaking of collaborations, Weezy (as he's often referred to as) has a boatload of them in this album. Jay-Z, T-Pain, Babyface and Robin Thicke are just a few of the many artists to add their style to Wayne's sound. Wayne seems to have picked up this habit from a man mentioned several times in the album, especially in the song "Dr. Carter", by the name of Mr. Kanye West. West produces some of Wayne's songs on this album, and it looks like Wayne's happy to have West there. But back to the songs!



"A Milli" is the second single from this album and if anything else, it's catchy as hell. Out of the four singles released from this album, this is the only one I really liked. "Got Money" wasn't bad, but it wasn't exceedingly spectacular. I have always held the opinion that "Lollipop" is a nasty song and I still have that opinion. The song, to me, doesn't seem to fit in with Wayne's style and has that feel of a "record company encouraged" hit. Lastly, I also didn't enjoy "Ms. Officer", which felt forced in it's sexuality and just poorly done.

"Dr. Carter" was one of three songs on the album that really blew my mind. The lyrics, "Where is your originality? You are so fake" basically describe this genius song. Wayne, essentially, is giving advice to young aspiring rappers through the song, posing as a kind of rap doctor. Lyrically solid and addictive, this is one of the best songs on the album.

The other two songs that really made this album for me were "Tie My Hands", an ode to post-Katrina New Orleans and a dive into Weezy's soul as he calls out to the city that nurtured him and has been through hell and back, and "Dontgetit", which is more or less a song/monologue where Wayne just talks about life, African-Americans in today's society and people hating on him.



There isn't too much or enough I could say about Wayne, he's a complicated kind of guy. He seems to truly express himself through his music and from what I can tell, he's a smart guy who seems to live in two different worlds, but they somehow blend.

If you're a rap lover, this album is a must. If you're a rap like, this album is a must. If you're not big on rap, listen to a couple songs, and not just the singles, and decide for yourself. As Weezy would say, "You have to do you."

-Whitni

Three Weeks Of Magic - The SMP Radio Show

Hey guys, long time no see!! Here are the first three weeks of broadcasts from the SMP Radio Show. Oh how lovely...

Song title, then musician’s name, with album name in parenthesis.

Week 1 - April 9, 2011:

1) Everybody Come Outside - Pomegranates (Everybody, Come Outside!)

2) 16 Military Wives - The Decemberists (Picaresque)

3) Under Cover Of Darkness - The Strokes (Angles)

4) Let's Stay Together - Al Green (Greatest Hits)

5) Holiday - Vampire Weekend (Contra)

6) Electric Feel - MGMT (Oracular Spectacular)

7) Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - The Beatles (The White Album)

8) He Doesn't Know Why - Fleet Foxes (Fleet Foxes)

9) Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks (The Kinks Kronikles)

10) The Girl Is Mine - Michael Jackson (HIStory: Greatest Hits)

11) Yeah Yeah Yeah - New Politics (New Politics)

12) I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe - OK Go (Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky)

Week 2, April 16, 2011:

1) Wake Up - Arcade Fire (Funeral)

2) Elephant Gun - Beirut (Elephant Gun EP)

3) The Bucket - Kings Of Leon (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

4) Tighten Up - The Black Keys (Brothers)

5) Kids - Two Door Cinema Club (Tourist History)

6) Awake My Soul - Mumford & Sons (Sign No More)

7) Here Today - The Beach Boys (Pet Sounds)

8) If There’s Love - Citizen Cope (Live at the World Cafe Vol 15)

9) Smile - Eyedea and Abilities (By The Throat)

10) Lisztomania - Phoenix (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)

11) A Mirror Without - Royal Wood (A Good Enough Day)

12) Destrokk - MGMT (Time To Pretend EP)

13) Losing My Religion - R.E.M (Out Of Time)

Week 3, April 23, 2011:

1) Little Secrets - Passion Pit (Manners)

2) Moneygrabber - Fitz & The Tantrums (Pickin’ Up The Pieces)

3) Henrietta - The Fratellis (Costello Music)

4) Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear (Veckatimest)

5) Forecast Fascist Future - Of Montreal (The Sunlacdic Twins)

6) Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley (Whenever You Need Somebody)

7) What Would You Say - Dave Matthews Band (The Best Of What’s Around)

8) Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio (Return To Cookie Mountain)

9) Read My Mind - The Killers (Sam’s Town)

10) Everything’s Happenin’ So Fast - MGMT (We (Don’t) Care)

11) Reptilla - The Strokes (Room On Fire)

12) Boy With A Coin - Iron & Wine (The Shepherd’s Dog)

13) The Resistance - Muse (The Resistance)

14) Video - India Arie (Acoustic Soul)

15) Walking The Dog - fun. (Aim and Ignite)

Springtime In The City - - NMM

I hope wherever you guys are, it's nice and warm! We are officially in spring and moving our way towards summer, and you know what that means? Summer music!! Here is a song that could definitely get some constant play on anyone's summer playlist. Upbeat, but not annoyingly pop-py, all with a nice jazz influence.



The song is "The City" by Patrick Wolf, an English singer-songwriter who has been recording since 2003. He's releasing an album called Lupercalia in June and calls the record, "really romantic and extremely honest." Just what we need for the summertime :)

-Whitni

Feel That Celtic Swing (NMM)

Two words Mondayers - Celtic punk. Now, I know I'm about a month too late for St. Patrick's Day, but that doesn't mean I should forego posting about this unique not-so-little band who hail from Los Angeles. Flogging Molling is a seven-piece band Irish-American band that started making music in 1997, and haven't stopped since.



Flogging Molly has released five studio albums to date. This song, "Don't Shut Em' Down" is from their latest album, Speed of Darkness., which will be out May 31st. Fun fact? The band's name comes from their early experience playing in the bar, Molly Malone's, so much that they felt like they were flogging it to death. Hmmmm..., you know, there's a Molly Malone's in Cincinnati....

-Whitni

You Are Here - New Music Monday

Ever feel like a tourist in your head, or in your own life? I know I get that feeling sometimes, and I know I'm not the only one. If it makes you feel any better, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie knows how you feel as well. DCFC's new single, "You Are A Tourist" came out today and it perfectly exemplifies that feeling of their being ..." a burning in your heart."



This song is off their new album Codes and Keys, which is going to be released May 31st. To say I'm excited for this album would be an understatment; I have come to expect great things of Death Cab and they have always delivered. We can only wait and see what greatness these boys will show us.

-Whitni

SMP Pic Of The Week

Fall Out Boy might be suburban punks, but Green Day rules the neighborhood. In 1987 (whoa!), the punk rock band was started by Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt, 15 years old at the time. The band was originally called Sweet Children, but later on they changed it to Green Day, referencing their fondness of marijuana. They went through several drummers before settling on their now permanent drummer Tre Cool. Their debut album, 39/Smooth, was released in 1990 (yea!). They were well known underground, but Dookie (1994) allowed them to break out to the rest of the world. They found immense success, and their next two albums, Insomniac and Nimrod, were received with largely positive comments. Their popularity began to decrease in the late 90s and early 2000s, but they bounced back with American Idiot in 2004. Their most recent album, 21st Century Breakdown, released in 2009, ended their longest break between album, and you can expect a new album in the near future. Green Day is well known for songs like, ‘Basket Case’, ‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)’ and ‘21 Guns’. But, more than anything, Green Day gives millions of teenagers the chance to sing/shout the feelings they can’t put into words, suburban or otherwise.

Instant Dance Party

Welcome to the revolution- that's what it feels like when you start listening to Daft Punk. No, this is not punk music folks, it's electronic dance, called house in Europe. Daft Punk is made up of two lovely Frenchmen- Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo and Thomas Bangalter, and together they spin magical beats that make you want to grab a random girl/guy and dance the night away.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit (not really), but the music really is good. I'm not a clubber, but I could stay all day (wait... night I guess) if the DJ's were Daft Punk. The album is called Discovery, and it was released in 2001. Daft Punk formed in 1993 and released their debut album, Homework, in 1997, which quite successful. This would lead up to Discovery. After that, they released another album called Human After All, as well as a live album Alive 2007 (which won a Grammy). Last year they composed the score and did the soundtrack for the movie Tron: Legacy.



But you can read about all this stuff on their Wikipedia page, so lets get to the nitty gritty. The album starts out with 'One More Time', which would become their biggest commercial hit ever. I recognized the song as soon as I heard it. Next would be 'Aerodynamic', which introduced the instrumentals that would pop up in the rest of the album (well, most of the album). I liked that better than most of the spoken word songs- the dance music really spoke for itself.

There is heavy auto-tune in all of the spoken songs, heavier in some more than others. The only song on the album I didn't like was 'Digital Love'; it was so cheesy. It sounded like a mix between Owl City and a 80's disco/techno band like the Buggles, who were made famous by their song 'Video Killed The Radio Star'. The last three songs were also kind of looked over- I didn't pay a crazy amount of attention to them either. They were good, but they were also not very memorable or life changing.


'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' was memorable. Yes, I know Kanye West covered this and made 'Stronger'. I love 'Stronger'. But I like this, the original, better. It starts out classic 80's pop, and goes into a electronic dance mix. It's creative and keeps you wondering what twist the beat will take next. It's a musical masterpiece. My favorite song on the album was 'Something About Us', which an interesting change from the fast beats of the rest of the album. It reminded me of a disco hall love ballad, and it is amazing it comes together so beautifully. Plus, you can hear his (not sure who's) lovely French accent.

Fun fact before we continue: these guys never take off their helmets. Right below this paragraph is a picture of them as youngsters, right before they got together again (they had a rock band as teens called Darlin'). These picture (there's a handful floating around the 'Net) are rare, but there, and they offer us a glimpse of the men inside the robot costumes. Another note- Daft Punk are well known for their eccentric concert, filled with flashing lights and visual effects. They create a story to go along with their music, which brings me to this next bit...

^Daft Punk as babies.

This is a conceptual album. There is a story, through beats and weird sounds and funny lyrics and 80's style rhythms, being told here. Now, do I know what that story is? Nope, not in the slightest. I'm going to keep trying to figure out that ever important message. However you, the listener, must decipher this yourself. I'm not going to tell you what I figure out, because I really want you guys to give this one a listen. Tell me what you discover.

-Raivynn

The Winner Is... New Music Monday!

Lovely beings, welcome to another Monday! Last week I featured a song so new, I couldn't even find it on Grooveshark. Well, this week belongs to an artist a bit more known that Noah and The Whale, but in an completely different genre. Wiz Khalifa's single, "Black and Yellow", gave him a solid start in the rap industry, though I should note that I can't stand that song. This one, however, is right on the money.



"The Race" by Wiz Khalifa is the latest single off his new album Rolling Papers. I'm not of fan of rappers, or anyone for that matter, saying the n-word, but Khalifa is an artist and artists don't always color within the lines. This song speaks for itself and Khalifa is clearly telling the world he's doing his own thing.

-Whitni

The Odd Couple (New Music Monday)

Mondayers- I'm a back! It's once again Monday and that, of course, means new music for my lovely followers. This spring week brings Broken Bells to our to our windows (look up their new EP, you'll get this little pun). BB (who is James Mercer of The Shins and known music producer Danger Mouse) was nominated for a Grammy this year (Best Alternative Album) but lost to The Black Keys. But who's counting?



This is a song off their new EP "Merilyn Fields." The song shares the same name and the fans are cruisin' on a rush of excitement that can only come when your favorite band releases new music. This song is exactly that, a rush of excitement, coupled with electronic bursts and indie poetry called lyrics. This band can only get better.

-Whitni

The Music Above, The Talent Below

Outkast is a name pretty known in the R&B world, but not only because they make great music. The duo is made up of two very talented artists- Andre "Andre 3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They had four albums before the one I'm reviewing today- Speakerboxx/ The Love Below. To give you an idea of their music, every album Outkast has put out has been received well and Rolling Stone has never given an album of theirs anything less than three stars.

Speakerboxx/The Love Below is actually a double album. The side Speakerboxx is solely by Big Boi and The Love Below is the solo side of Andre 3000. Together, there are a whopping forty songs on this album and it last almost two hours, though for the record, many of the tracks are short interludes. Either way, the two side have some obvious differences.


Before I review the album though, I need to speak on something. I don't know if you guys remember, but I did a post a long while back about rap, and I still stand by that post. However, I don't hate rap in anyway. I just hate the way it's going, the way rappers and listeners are treating it. Rap is, truly, an art form. It really is poetry with music and if you treat it right, it can make your day. Well, treat it right and try to read between the lines sometimes. Rappers are smarter than we like to think, and often put positive messages between not-as positive lyrics. They often seem to mix the stupid-ness that is expected of them with actual meaningful lyrics, in a cliche parade of song. Rap, all together, is kind of a misunderstood art.

Speakerboxxx takes on the rap, head first. Big Boi starts the album with a forgettable intro, and rampages into the fast paced and mind blurring "Ghetto Musick", a good choice to begin the album by the rapper. It's a catchy mix of chill R&B and fast-paced hip hop. After that, it's just a slew of music. From the well-known single, "The Way You Move", which has slick lyrics and an infectious melody, to lesser known songs like "Unhappy", "Bowtie" and "The Rooster", which were good, but not especially memorable. "Bamboo" was probably one of the cutest "songs" I've ever heard. This little duet with Big Boi's son Bamboo (what a name!) is nothing short of adorable.


One of the best songs on this side of the album was "War", a lyrical pot of deep meanings. It's obvious Big Boi put a lot work into creating great lyrics, but he could have afforded a bit more creativity. Though he infuses R&B and soul sounds as well as other rappers styles, his beat stays the same, especially in the second half of his side of the album.

The second half of this album, The Love Below, is all Andre 3000, who does a fucking great job, excuse my French. Personally, this was the better side of the double album. The album begins with "Love Hater", a cooky mix of 20s jazz bar music and great lyrics. "Happy Valentine's Day" was one of Raivynn's favorites. True to it's name this is an anthem of this love-filled day.

Other greats on this album include "Prototype", a groovy little number, and two popular singles (though Prototype is also a single). "Hey Ya!" is clever, catchy (like many songs from this album), and just plain fun. It's gotten a significant amount of radio play, hitting number one in the US, as well as Norway, Australia, Canada and Sweden.


"Roses" is both Raivynn's and my favorite song on the album. It's almost indescribable, and if you choose to listen to one song from the whooping forty on the album, choose this one. It's arguably the best song on the album.

Since the album is so long, it's hard to really fit it all into one review. There are so many different sounds and it's an activity all in itself just listening to it. But Big Boi and Andre 3000 poured a lot into this baby, and it grew up to be great.

-Whitni

The Moment You've Been Waiting For... New Music Monday

Okay Mondayers, I'll admit it, I haven't been posting NMM. Not only did I miss one week, I missed two! Super sorry awesome readers, but I have lots of good excuses that I won't name here! Either way, I'm back, and have an amazing song for you this week from an upcoming and coming band with a name that sounds like a children's book and a sound that reminds one why they love indie music. Because who doesn't love indie? Right? Right????



The song is "Tonight's the Kind of Night" by Noah and the Whale. I love the fun vibe of this song mixed with what can only be described as youthful energy. Noah and the Whale, overall, is definitely a great band to cheer you up on a rainy spring day! Their new album, Last Night on Earth, will be released March 7th and this song won't be released as a single until May, so you almost definitely heard it first here! Cheers mates!

-Whitni

Quickie Review - Come Together (An A Capella Tribute To The Beatles)

I listened to this album, which is an A Capella Tribute To The The Beatles called Come Together. I was really excited about this, since I adore The Beatles and have recently got into A Capella. Here is a quick, song by song review of this most interesting album.

Twist and Shout sung by The Knudsen Brothers: Pretty good song. I would have liked more ‘Woo!’, but overall, good, but not iPod worthy. Rating: Medium.

All I Got To Do sung by Toxic Audio: Mmmhmm…It’s okay. I’m funny about women singing guy songs. Not iPod worthy. Rating: Medium-Low

If I Fell sung by The Essentials: Best song early on in the album, but not the best song on the album. Good vocals :) Possible iPod worthiness. Rating: Medium-High

Eight Days A Week sung by M-Pact: First song I really didn’t like. I could see this group doing other songs well, but not this one. In the beginning, I couldn’t even name the song. Not iPod worthy. Rating: Low

Yesterday sung by Swingle Singers: First song I skipped. Eh, I’m really funny about Yesterday, and this just didn’t cut it. The singer sounds like he’s trying too hard. Not iPod worthy. Rating: Medium-Low

Drive My Car sung by Cadence: This song is sung quite poorly. The vibe was all wrong, and it just sucked. Sorry guys. Not iPod worthy. Rating: Quite Low

Tomorrow Never Knows sung by Five O’Clock Shadow: This, among a couple of other songs, saved the album! The beginning? Magnificent! The singer gets the trippy quality of this song, and they just hit it on the head. iPod worthy. Rating: High

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sung by Kickshaw: Mixed feelings on this one. The beginning sucked, and the singer sounds like he’s trying to be in a 80’s rock band. It’s really the background singers, who are doing the instruments, that save this show. Possible iPod worthiness. Rating: Medium

I Am The Walrus sung by Tufts Beelzebubs: I liked this one a lot. I have heard this group before, and I liked them. Singer’s voice goes along well, background singers do great. Overall, impressive cover. iPod worthy. Rating: High

Strawberry Fields Forever sung by The Bobs: No. This is a bad cover. The guys voice is really squeaky like, he sounds like Urkel. The background is pretty good, but…no. Not iPod worthy. Rating: Medium-Low

Blackbird sung Beachfront Property: I tried really hard to accept the fact that they had changed it, but it was hard. There are really good moments, and they sound like a good group. Someone else would probably like this, but I couldn’t. Not iPod worthy. Rating: Medium

All You Need Is Love sung by The House Jacks: If you can get past the first 45 seconds, you can hear genius. The chorus is incredible, but the verses! They are trying to do to much, and it overwhelms you. The end of the song is really great though, so try to hold out. Possible iPod worthiness. Rating: Medium-High

Come Together sung by Spiralmouth: I liked the beginning bit, which features “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”. Then it just goes downhill. The singer’s voice is only okay, but its the background I really don’t like. Not iPod worthy. Rating: Low

Let It Be sung by The Nylons: This is the way a Beatles cover should be done, with real respect for the original artist’s work while infusing your own talents in. The feel is that of a gospel choir, and it just makes this a masterpiece. iPod worthy. Rating: High

In all, I was mostly disappointed. This should be an album of greatness, with spots of okay(ness), not the other way around. Maybe I’m just an anal Beatles fan, but I did, and will continue to, expect great respect, care and talent in Beatles covers.

Who Will Win? (Really, It's Who We Want To Win/Should Win)- Grammy Predictions From Your Favorite Blog

Yes, the Grammys are on Sunday. Yet another year of the same people getting the same awards, with the exception of a few upsets (Zac Brown Band beating out MGMT. Not that ZBB is bad, but come on. MGMT is the shit). However repetitive the Grammys might be, we as music bloggers must still report our predictions and general ideas of who really should win this year (not just the popsters, aka Lady Gaga).

So here it is, genre by genre. Oh, and, disclaimer: It would be impossible/ridiculous for us to try and hit every genre since we don't listen to every genre. So we'll just hit the ones we know. The rest is up to you. We'll put who we think will win in bold, and who we think should win in italics.

Best Alternative Music Album:

The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
Infinite Arms - Band Of Horses
Brothers - The Black Keys
Broken Bells - Broken Bells
Contra - Vampire Weekend

Best Dance Recording:

Rocket - Goldfrapp
In For The Kill - La Roux
Dance In The Dark - Lady Gaga
Only Girl (In The World) - Rihanna
Dancing On My Own - Robyn

Best Short Form Music Video:

Ain't No Grave/The Johnny Cash Project - Johnny Cash
Love The Way You Lie (Explict Version) - Eminem & Rihanna
Stylo - Gorillaz, Mos Def & Bobby Womack
Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

Best Recording Packaging:

Brothers - Michael Carney (The Black Keys)
Eggs - Malene Mathiasson, Malthe Fischer, Kristoffer Rom, Nis Svoldgård & Aske Zidore (Oh No Ono)
Hadestown - Brian Grunert, Anaïs Mitchell, Peter Nevins (Anaïs Mitchell)
What Will We Be - Devendra Banhart & Jon Beasley (Devendra Banhart)
Yonkers NY - Andrew Taray (Chip Taylor)

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance:

King Of Anything - Sara Bareilles
Halo (Live) - Beyonce
Chasing Pirates - Norah Jones
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance:

Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Buble
This Is It - Michael Jackson
Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert
Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars
Half Of My Heart - John Mayer

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:

Don't Stop Belivin - The Glee Cast
Misery - Maroon 5
The Only Exception - Paramore*
Babyfather - Sade
Hey Soul Sister (Live) - Train

*This song deserves a Honorable Mention. They also deserve to win!

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals:

Airplanes, Part II - B.o.B, Eminem and Haley Williams
Imagine - Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare
If It Wasn't For Bad - Elton John & Leon Russel
Telephone - Lady Gaga & Beyonce
California Gurls - Katy Perry & Snoop Dog

Best Pop Vocal Album:

My World 2.0 - Justin Bieber
I Dreamed A Dream - Susan Boyle
The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
Battle Studies - John Mayer
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry

Best Rap Solo Performance:

Over - Drake
Not Afraid - Eminem
How Low - Ludacris
I'm Back - T.I
Power - Kanye West

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:

Nothin' On You - B.o.B & Bruno Mars
Deuces - Chris Brown, Tyga & Kevin McCall
Love The Way You Lie - Eminem & Rihanna
Empire State Of Mind - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
Wake Up Everybody - John Legend, The Roots, Melanie Fiona & Common*

*We sincerely believe this song belongs in the category of R&B, not Rap.

Best Rap Song:

Empire State Of Mind - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
Love The Way You Lie - Eminem & Rihanna
Not Afraid - Eminem
Nothin On You - B.o.B & Bruno Mars
On To The Next One - Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz

Best Solo Rock Performance:

Run Back To Your Side - Eric Clapton
Crossroads - John Mayer*
Helter Skelter - Paul McCartney
Silver Rider - Robert Plant
Angry World- Neil Young

*This song deserves an Honorable Mention. This was also awesome!

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:

Ready To Start - Arcade Fire
I Put A Spell On You - Jeff Beck & Josh Stone
Tighten Up - The Black Keys
Radioactive - Kings Of Leon
Resistance - Muse

Best Rock Song:

Angry World - Neil Young
Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons
Radioactive - Kings Of Leon
Resistance - Muse
Tighten Up - The Black Keys

Best New Artist:

Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence + The Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spalding

Song Of The Year:

Beg Steal Or Borrow - Ray LaMontagne
Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
The House That Built Me - Miranda Lambert
Love The Way You Lie - Eminem ft. Rihanna
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

Album Of The Year:

The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
Recovery - Eminem
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry

Record Of The Year:

Nothin On You - B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars
Love The Way You Lie - Eminem ft. Rihanna
Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
Empire State Of Mind - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

These are what we think will/should happen, so it's just our opinion. Thanks :)

-Raivynn & Whitni

MGMT Shoes

We decided (after seeing some Tumblr chatter about this) to make some MGMT shoes, that you should definitely check out. If we had the money, we would definitely buy three pairs- one for Raivynn, one for Whitni and one for Andrew Vanwyngarden.

I designed this at Converse.com

Help Is Here! New Music Monday

This week's new music comes after an explosive weekend. I know a lot of people don't watch the Superbowl, but we here at The SMP do, and were happy to watch the Green Bay Packers celebrate their victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I (Whitni) am sad for the Steelers, but Raivynn says f**k 'em. So much love.

Onto the music, today's song comes from a well known punk rock band I happen to love called Rise Against. Their new album, Endgame, is due in March and this is a single off that album.



The song is "Help Is On The Way" by Rise Against. I really like this song, despite the screaming that seemed to throw off some Youtube listeners. But Rise Against seems to find a balance between singing, screaming and awesome guitar riffs. I wouldn't be surprised if I heard this on the local hard rock radio any day now.

-Whitni

Love and Talent: New Music Monday

There are very few music lovers in this world who have not heard of Mr. Robert Nesta Marley, known by the world as reggae legend, Bob Marley. This man changed music as we know it and believed the world could be cured of hate through music, so to cover his songs is no small feat. Yet, that's exactly what Corrine Bailey Rae has done. Her new EP, The Love EP, covers Prince, Doris Day and Paul McCartney and The Wings. One of the notable covers is of Bob Marley's "Is This Love."



This version is different than Marley's, but Rae gets the message across the same way. She takes the song and will preserving it's beauty, makes it her own. I can't say I've heard a better cover of Bob Marley. This NMM is a definite have-to-listen.

-Whitni

You Can Hear; Are You Listening?

Stories come from everywhere. From every corner of the globe, every single nook and cranny. This happens in music too. Music has the unyielding ability to give us stories in the form of beats and chords, making it feel so much more powerful. Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea by singer-songwriter PJ Harvey is the sixteenth album on the SMP to be reviewed, and I have to say that this review will be mixed, leaning towards positive. Polly Jean is well established in the music world, and it has been a interesting process listening to music closely related to artists like Bjork and Massive Attack, sounds which I haven't really listened to before now.

I will say, right away, that this is a 'listen to it twice' album. Really, with most albums, you should listen at least twice, but I don't always feel the need to do that. It's like leaving meat in the fridge overnight to let the spices soak in; you just hear everything a little differently the second time around. Once it's soaked in a bit. The first time I scanned this album (listened to it), I didn't really like it. It was kind of boring. True, I wasn't really listening, but I could tell it wasn't my sort of thing. So, I listened again. I can see why Rolling Stone, NME and Pitchfork all gave creds for this album. It's, I have to say, not that bad.

As a reviewer, I have to work to separate my music from my feelings. This is hard, because music makes you feel, always. Stories makes you feel like you are walking around your own favorite city. For me, that would be either Cincinnati or Austin. You can see the memories, you can feel the same feelings you felt at any defining moment. But this is also happy music. It makes you smile. It makes you feel elated, but it doesn't force it. The music is like a by-product of the happiness.

Harvey is successful in telling her own city story. Her previous albums had had a more melancholy sound, and she worked to make this one lighter. The first song on the album, "Big Exit", hits you with powerful guitar, and then a strong woman's voice. I have to say, it's nice to review a woman's album again. There is power within the whole album, but there is also repetitiveness. The sound doesn't change too much. Some might like that, but I don't. That is probably what made me feel bored the first time around.
My favorite tracks were "A Place Called Home" (3) and "This Is Love" (10). Whitni liked "This Mess We're In" (7), which featured Thom Yorke from the band Radiohead. I liked that one too. There really aren't any bad songs, just ones you don't feel the need to point out, or they just weren't memorable.

Overall, pretty good album. According to its placement, I wouldn't put this above Kings Of Leon, Arctic Monkeys (that was way too low on the list) , Fleet Foxes or U2, but it does deserve to be on the list. It wasn't my favorite, nor was it easy to review (sorry if this review seems to suck), but definitely listen to it. And definitely more than once.

-Raivynn

Games For Kids - New Music Monday

Monday kids, welcome to a new week! Today's lovely new tune may sound familiar, not because you've heard the song, but because you've probably heard the artist, especially if you've taken a peek through our archives. We're going back (back back back) all the way to June 2010, when we reviewed Bright Eyes We Are Nowhere And It's Now. We gave the album a fairly good review and I am proud to say Conor Oberst (lead singer) is my homeboy.

So, with that being said, the SMP is happy to introduce you to some excellent new listening this incredible band has just put out.



The song is called "Shell Games" by Bright Eyes and their new album, The People's Key, is being released on Febuaray 15th, Conor's birthday. But until then not only can you hear the song here, but you can download it for free! This isn't a scam or anything, I promise, it's legit. Click here kids (and grown-ups)!

-Whitni

PS- Want to read that review about Bright Eyes? You can click here! Or would you prefer to hear more of their music? Check out our "Listen While You Read" box on the right!

New Music Monday... Sunday... Monday...

What's up Mondayers? Well, Sundayers I guess. I bet you (whoever you is!) are wonder exactly why I'm posting New Music Monday on a Sunday. Well, right now, computer time is a little hard to come by and I wanted to make sure that you guys had something to read come Monday morning/afternoon/evening.

This song isn't really new, and neither is the band. The Black Keys have been around since 2001 and their latest album, Brothers, is the one that really got them off the ground. This single, "Tighten Up", was released in May 2010, but is just starting to get mainstream radio play.



The video is great ("But he smells like ranch dressing!") and I love Patrick and Dan's look and sound (the whole hobo and geek making indie music thing really works for them). We here at the SMP rated them as the best new artist of 2010, and I see them only getting bigger in '11!

-Whitni

Have A Good Laugh, Kids

Found this video while doing some stuff online- it features Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, the guys who make up The Black Keys, and Ezra Koenig, lead singer of Vampire Weekend, on the Colbert Show having a sell-out off. It's hilarious and, hey, who couldn't use a good laugh?

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
MeTunes - Grammy Vote - Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney & Ezra Koenig
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

- The SMP Mgmt

Down For Beats? New Music Monday

Good evening sir and madam Mondayers! Again, happy new years to you! This week's song is a blast from the future, not the past! In the past it would have been unheard of for a Jewish guy to make traditionally "black music", like rap or soul. Yet, here is Alex Clare making soul-reggae-blues and, well, why shouldn't he? I'm not trying to play the race card in a negative way. I think this is awesome- both the phenomenon...



...and the song. "Up All Night" by Alex Clare hit the street about a month ago, but his name is still unknown to many lips, despite the obvious awesomeness of his music. I know I constantly say I dig stuff, but I really dig this song. You should too.

-Whitni

Ok Talk! An Interview With Youtube Band Sensation Ok Go

The SMP is proud to present an awesome interview with a really cool band. Ok Go has been giving the world music since 1998, and are known for their funny/weird music videos, like "Here It Goes Again" (which won a Grammy), "A Million Ways", "This Too Shall Pass", and "White Knuckles". The have released three albums, their latest being Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky. Thanks to Jennifer Lloyd for interviewing the band's lead singer (and cutie), Damian Kulash. Peace, love, and treadmills.

Ok Go performed on October 10th at the House of Blues in Chicago. Jenn talked with the lead singer, Damian Kulash about their live shows, choreographed dances and why the older Star Wars movies are better than the newer ones.

Jenn Lloyd: What do you enjoy most about performing live?

Damian Kulash: It’s kind of hard to put into words. It’s the emotional connection with the audience that when a show is going really well everyone is sort of feeling things when we go for as much energy as possible and get everyone as fired up and as excited as possible. Standing there in a crowd of 200 or 2000 people and everybody is concentrating on the same feeling, it’s an amazing experience.

JL: Does Ok Go have any preshow routines?

DK: Tours are so repetitive that the whole thing is a little like a routine. About a half hour before we go on we make sure everyone has their monitors ready and everything is ready for the performance. There’s a moment of focusing before anything happens, but it’s not like we all speak a Latin prayer or something. It’s a very functional thing, but because we do it every day it has a routine quality to it.

JL: Describe an Ok Go show in 2-3 words.

DK: Fun, surprising, colorful

JL: What do you hope to achieve as a musician? When will consider being a musician a success?

DK: I don’t think there’s ever a particular moment of a single plateau that is a success. Success is being proud of what you make and being excited about the places you are going. I think if you ever decide you have achieved all you want to you are finished. I think you are always working towards the next new project.

JL: So, you graduated from Brown University. Did you go in knowing you would pursue music?

DK: I was both art and music. I was going to pursue visual art afterwards but I guess I felt like the things happening in the art department and the art world in general didn’t resonate well for me. Music was really fun for me; I had been doing a lot of music and I had bands and played a lot in my bedroom in high school so I was doing a lot of music. I don’t think I figured it would become a career or anything. At school I started working in the music studio at college and become completely fascinated with that process.

JL: Do you feel that musical ability can be made better through learning in school versus picking it up on your own?

DK: They’re totally different processes, I don’t think better or worse. You become more efficient if you are trained, but I think music encompasses a great many types of communication. What’s so wonderful about music is that you can make it with a beat and a chord. You communicate incredibly complicated, fulfilling, emotional statements that words could never get to. That doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with someone’s skill. Different things: like asking about being a good writer. If you want to become a good writer you certainly make it a lot easier by being a good writer, but becoming a good writer is also helped by spending a lot of your time writing, but that doesn’t mean you will be good.

JL: Did you know how successful the videos for A Million Ways and Here it Goes Again would be on YouTube? Do you think it was because of YouTube that they became so popular?

DK: I don’t think we predicted exactly what would happen and no I don’t think it was all because of YouTube. The logic of the question is like asking, do you think you are alive because of air, you certainly need air to survive. Those videos traveled the world via YouTube but the success is not just because of YouTube.

JL: How did the idea of dancing on treadmills come about?

DK: We had danced on the stage for years for sort of shocking the audience. One of the big challenges of mine at shows is that a lot of people have set expectations of what should happen all the time and it gets really boring; what they expect to happen happens. There’s no surprise or excitement. Having choreographed dances on stage people just thought songs would have crazy routines. Having done that for a few years we came up with a new dance routine with my sister for the song A Million Ways and when the video of that exploded online, I thought to myself if we can have a video that by accident travels the world at that speed then we can make an intentional video. So we altered the parameters of the dance so there would be something where we weren’t repeating ourselves but going somewhere new. That’s when we came up with the idea of the treadmill.

JL: It seems that Ok Go is into making complicated music videos that require a lot going precisely right. How would you describe your music videos?

DK: I think that says it pretty well. I think that music itself is a version of choreography. You get a bunch of people together and what everybody does when they hit the right outcome creates something that is bigger than the parts. When you hear a song you don’t think, ‘I hear a bass and also a guitar and also drums’, what you hear is the emotion and feeling that is behind the music. Choreographing is doing the same thing visually: coming up with system by which every part has to be just right to achieve the outcome.

JL: Your song, "A Good Idea at the Time", from the CD Oh No is a response to "Sympathy for the Devil". Why did you decide to take on such a well known song?

DK: I really love that song. I was listening to it and there is a line in it about the troubadours were killed before they reached Bombay. I tried to figure out what that was about and went online to find out what that was referring to. This was all during Bush’s second term and I was not a fan of what was going on politically. I was thinking about how the evil that is perpetrated in our world does not have to be by mysterious forces like the devil, but just by us so I wrote a song about it.

Two selected student questions from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois:

Sara Koehnke, junior: You get a lot of press for the treadmill video, but what was your favorite video to make?

DK: The "White Knuckles" video that just came out.

Connor Schmidt, freshman: What is your opinion on the newer Stars Wars movies?

DK: Not a big fan. I feel like they didn’t have the magic that the original three had. You can tell from our music videos that we are big fans of no constraints. The original Star Wars were amazing because you felt the technology, incredible people created a futuristic universe. When you move into our decade and you have computers that can do everything you lose some of the magic of the futuristic world. I just felt like I was being yelled at by a computer.

Interview performed by Jennifer Lloyd in October 2010.

New (Crystal) Music (Sounds) Monday

Monday grinders, welcome to the new year! What 2011 will bring, I have no idea. Just know, the SMP is going to be here to turn you onto new music and love on the old. This is the first NMM of the year, so I looked deep and wide, trying to find some good stuff. If you don't like what I pick this week, remember, come back next week and see what's new- you might like that!

So... you can probably tell we here at the SMP like The Beatles. A lot. And The Beatles (as well as other guitar wielding 60s and 70s bands) influenced a genre called britpop, which is right where today's chosen band fits in.



The song is "The Loneliest Star" and the band is Thirteen Senses. Their album, Crystal Sounds, is coming out in February and I will be looking for it. The song is traditional indie pop of sorts, but leaks with a little something I just can't give words to. I got to say, I love Britpop. In fact, I love most anything British. Now take that and run with it!

-Whitni