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