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