Artist Watch: Everything Everything

Everything Everything is one of those band’s whose sound you think you have heard before. But upon closer inspection you realize there is an entire other level of awesome that is involved in this band’s sound. Based out of Manchester England Everything Everything, along with Ellie Goulding (a previous artist watch post of mine), were named as one of 15 artists on BBC’s Sound of 2010 (list of rising music stars from the UK).  They recently released single My Kz Ur BF (My Keys Your Boyfriend) is an incredibly catchy indie-pop-rock infusion. Their previously released single Suffragette Suffragette has probably one of the weirdest music video’s ever but is also incredibly fun and interesting to listen to. Check out the following songs from their new album (released Yesterday!) Man Alive:  Schoolin an extremely hip and quick lyrical song. Qwerty Finger is a song with a similar sound to the other tracks off of the album, however it has a bit of a harder edge than the other tracks. Tin (The Manhole) is an ethereal, almost strange, and slow song. It almost seems as if it belongs on a separate album. Everything Everything are for fans of Tokyo Police Club, Two Door Cinema Club, and Phoenix.

Lyric of the Week

Today I am starting a new weekly blog post which discusses, in my opinion, some of the most clever/interesting lyrics out there. The songs can be new or old, but the lyrics always have to be incredibly smart and well written. Unlike many lyrics today which consist of nonsense phrasing or extremely repetitive words, these lyrics will be substantial and intriguing. Feel free to let me know about any songs you feel contain lyrics that are really great.

Song: Mockingbird

Artist: Rob Thomas

Smart Lyrics: “Take my hand. I will lead you through the broken promise land.”

Now, on the surface, these lyrics may not seem like much. But when you understand the context of the song the lyrics come together in a beautiful neat package. Rob sings about a relationship that has fizzled and is no longer what it used to be. In the chorus Rob says “Maybe you and me got lost somewhere, we can't move on we can't stay here. Well maybe we've just had enough, well maybe we ain’t meant for this love.” This is not a love that one is giving up upon easily, rather it is one that has been fought for. Yet, the relationship is still not working. How many times in our relationships do we make promises we can’t keep? That is what Rob is easily alluding to, and by doing so, he is clearly showing the fictitious woman this song is about, that their relationship was full of problems and that their relationship cannot go on further. I like these lyrics not only because I happen to love this song, and Rob Thomas, but also because I like the smart play-on-words (broken promise- promise land) and the subtle delivery through which Rob sings them.

And the Beat(les) Go On...

Growing up one of the most influential artists in my home were The Beatles. I had listened to majority of their songs (on cassette tape) and pretty much knew every song by heart. As a kid my favorite song of theirs was Twist and Shout, namely due to its fast pace and integral part in Ferris Buellers Day Off, one of my favorite movies at the time. I also did not realize until I was older that the Beatles repertoire was much larger than I could have ever imagined. What I had learned was that in my household Beatles music ended before their “druggy stage” as my mother put it. I had never really listened to any of their LSD influenced music aside from the occasional Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds or Come Together and even on occasion Strawberry Fields Forever. But songs like Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, I Want You (She’s So Heavy), Carry That Weight, or Dig a Pony to name a few weren’t EVER played in my home, and I didn’t even know they existed. Much to my surprise I was impressed and in awe of the magnitude of the Lennon/McCartney song book, and to this day do not think that another song writing duo will come along that could have the potential power on Global culture as the Beatles did. That being said, I would like to attempt to name my top ten Beatles songs. As it is near impossible for me, or anyone, to really list The Beatles songs in order of importance, I choose to list them in order of album release date.

1)   I Saw Her Standing There off of the Beatles’ first album Please Please Me: The opening line of this song is so famous, I would be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t know what song it was just from the first few lyrics: “Well she was just 17, you know what I mean.” This song did for pedophiles what The Police’s Every Breath You Take did for stalkers. It is creepy but still crazy catchy.

2)   All My Loving off of the Beatles’ second album With the Beatles: This song happens to be my husband’s favorite Beatles song so I couldn’t not put it on the list. It also happens to be extremely sweet and cleverly written.

3)  Yesterday off of the Beatles’ fifth album Help!: Yesterday is one of those songs you can’t help but love because of its beautiful melody. It proves that a song doesn’t have to be long or complicated to be considered beautiful.

4)   Norwegian Wood(This Bird Has Flown)off of the Beatles’ sixth album Rubber Soul: Rubber Soul contains some of my favorite Beatles songs, like the catchy, but at the same time sad song I’m Looking Through You about a relationship that has changed over time, and the poignant In My Life. But Norwegian Wood has to be the one I mention. Not only is it one of the first times a Sitar was ever used in a rock song, but it is also hauntingly beautiful and sad. I read that it was written by John Lennon about an affair he was having, which in turn made me even sadder about this song than I had felt by just hearing the melancholy melody. (Also just a quick factoid: George Harrison wanted to use the Sitar in this song because of his growing involvement with Hari Krishna)

5)   Eleanor Rigby from the Beatles’ seventh album Revolver: In my opinion one cannot have a Beatles list without mentioning Eleanor Rigby. Not only is it one of my favorite songs but it is probably one of the most interesting songs that the Beatles ever created. It used non traditional instruments (orchestral instead of guitars/pop instruments) and created an amazing background melody. Like Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby is short in time but that does not hinder its influence on modern music today. (quick factoid: Paul McCartney had originally written the song about a woman named Daisy Hawkins)

6)   Revolution from the Beatles’ tenth album The Beatles (White Album): Even though every time I hear this song I laugh to myself that every word that ends in “ution” is in it, I still love it. Not only is it an awesome anti activism song but it also represents something angry and still exciting. I like how they are basically screaming towards the end, and that alone makes this song more real for me.

7)    Hey Jude from the Beatles’ single Hey Jude (1968):  How can one not love this song? I know I spoke about it in terms of repetition, but the truth is that Hey Jude has one of the best rock codas (a long outro, most-likely different than the rest of the song) of all time. Not only is this song extremely catchy even in its extreme length, but it is also just a happy song written to cheer someone up (Paul wrote this song for John’s son Julian after his parents divorce calling it Hey Jules).

8)   All You Need Is Love from the Beatles’ eleventh album Yellow Submarine: This song was one of the first Beatles’ songs I was exposed to and I fell in love with it right away.  Not only is the use of trumpets extremely interesting but it also gives the idea of love a regal and majestic quality. Another great thing about it is the fact that the ideas present in this song cannot be misinterpreted. The meaning is simple, and cannot be delved or read into.

9)   Let It Be from the Beatles’ final album Let It Be: This happens to be my favorite Beatles song. It has an incredible powerful message, and is a beyond beautiful ballad played almost completely on the piano. I find it to be both comforting and alluring, and I always know that when I am down I can go to this song and it will make me feel better

10)  Across The Universe from the Beatles’ final album  Let It Be: “Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup,” and “Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box, they tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe,” are probably some of the most abstract and philosophical lyrics ever. Yet, they are also some of the most beautiful. Again, the Beatles were able to show through musical expression how their point of view is ever changing.

The Beatles remain probably the most influential artists in Rock and Roll to date. They are a global phenomenon whose affect is still felt across the universe. 

Artist Watch: The Secret Handshake

The Secret Handshake aka Luis Dubuc has been around since 2004 when he self-released his first full length album. It wasn’t until 2007 that his career began to pick-up momentum with the EP (an album bigger than a single but too small to be considered a full length album) Summer of 98. I don’t know if you have heard any of the songs from that album but the title track (Summer of 98) is one of my favorites. It is complete electronic-pop very reminiscent of the band Hellogoodbye specifically their song Here (In Your Arms). In 2008 Luis covered Skee-lo’s song  I Wish  for the compilation album Punk Goes Crunk  which ultimately mainstreamed his name for many listeners. This week The Secret Handshake debuts the new album Night and Day.  This album has a completely different feel than his previous albums. It is heavily influenced by Motown/soul music. In fact every song on this track sounds like it could have been a hit back in the 60’s. Every Single Time has such an amazing oldies feel that I actually don’t want to stop listening to it. The same feel applies to songs like Domino, Woman, and Magic. It is really impressive to me that Luis is able to take such a classic music-artform, like Motown, and infuse it with his electronic tendencies. All in all this is an album I am seriously considering purchasing, and I suggest you should as well.  Good job Luis.
The Secret Handshake's upcoming album (featuring the songs mentioned in this blog) is available for free listening this week on AOL's free listening party.

“There’s so much fun in this room right now, and we’re having it!”

Yes Ladies, I have seen Adam Levine’s underwear. Well so did the other thousand people at the PNC Bank Arts Center Sunday night, but it still felt special. Sunday night August 15^th, I went to see Maroon 5 in concert and they were phenomenal as usual.  But I will speak more about that after I discuss the opening acts. My husband, friend, and I decided that we were going to skip the first performer- V.V.Brown’s performance and show up slightly before Owl City came on. Once Owl City (Adam Young and his back-up band) began performing the mood in the concert hall changed. Instead of playing his one really big hit Fireflies first, he chose to play it for his last song. He, meanwhile, tried to interact with the audience in a very awkward and bizarre way saying quotes like the title of this post and other ditties such as, “look at all the clapping people” or “ I think I should move to new jersey because its so fun here!”, and the classic “Can I see some angels?” I was glad to hear a few of my favorites played (Hot Air Balloon, Dental Care, Technicolor Phase) but most of the audience was annoyed by his performance style (his moves consisted of flailing his arms about, and falling on the floor) and were very excited for Maroon 5 to come on. Of course I wasn’t surprised when the first song they sang was Misery their newest single. Yet, everything about Maroon 5’s performance style was really phenomenal. First, Adam Levine moved around the stage a lot and bumped chests with James Valentine, the lead guitarist. Then, shortly after, Adam picked up his own guitar and started rocking out. A few really amazing things happened that night. First they debuted some songs from their upcoming album Hands All Over (set to drop this September) and they were really awesome. I couldn’t actually hear what the names of the songs were but I thought one was called Stutter.  The other, Give a Little More was so heavily influenced by 70’s pop/disco that I actually felt transported to an earlier time. I’m not sure if this was a collective effort on the band’s part or just Adam Levine’s influence, but there were also a few mash-ups within their performances. My favorites were mashing up The Sun with the Paul Simon hit 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, and Secret with the Tina Turner song Whats Love Got To Do With It.  They also performed an incredible cover of Alicia Keys’ If I Aint Got You (material below). Adam also brought a 5 year old girl on stage and serenaded her with the song She Will Be Loved. All in all, Maroon 5 remains one of my favorite bands to see live because they are incredibly entertaining and often times better live. I would recommend seeing them at least once if you have the opportunity.

Some awesome Adam Levine quotes:

After Pulling Out his underwear to show the audience “I feel like Superman. Skinnier and Jewish, but Superman nonetheless”

Before Singing She Will Be Loved “ Ladies, this song is for you. Because without you (pause) we would have to have sex with other dudes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Wow. I’m a Jackass.

To the 5 year old girl on stage “If you need a drink you can have one from my bottle. Don’t worry I don’t have the cooties.”


Pictures/ Videos from the concert:   

Owl City Performing The Technicolor Phase

Maroon 5 performing Misery

Maroon 5 performing Harder To Breathe

Maroon 5 performing She Will Be Loved to a 5 year old

Maroon 5 performing If I Aint Got You

Artist Watch: Ellie Goulding

Ellie is a 23 year old British song-writer whose debut album “Lights” came out March 2010. I stumbled across Ellie’s music while perusing VEVO’s videos, and honestly I was impressed. She describes her sound as “folktronic,” two sounds I never thought would go together. Ellie’s first single Under the Sheets is the most synthesized of all the singles she has released singles to-date. The song’s vibe reminds me of what Avril Lavigne would sound like if she took a trip into the clubbing scene. Her single Starry Eyed reminded me of something I would have heard from another British songstress- Little Boots. The song Guns and Horses is my favorite that has been released. It features just the right amount of electronica to make me want to tap my toes, but doesn’t over power you like many pop-electronic artists. It also has a really strong folk sound, much like her most recent single The Writer. It is slow, and beautiful, and reminds me a lot of Kate Nash. Ellie Goulding’s music is perfect for fans of Annie, Florence and the Machine, and Kate Nash.

It was the soundtrack of my summer...

Anyone who knows me knows how important soundtracks are to me. If I could, with my life, I would work on compiling soundtracks and could only dream of having the opportunity to add songs to movies and television.  Soundtracks are incredibly important because music can greatly affect the way a scene or mood is viewed, and if a completely inappropriate song is placed in the wrong context the result is often comical or strange. As one of my most anticipated movies is being released this week (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and its soundtrack is up for free listening on AOL listening party I wanted to discuss some of my all time favorite soundtracks.

1)  The Graduate- Simon and Garfunkel- One cannot speak of soundtracks without mentioning this Simon and Garfunkel vehicle. I have to admit, I hate this movie, and the only redeeming thing for me is S &G’s soundtrack. Favorites include: Mrs Robinson(obv) and The Sound of Silence brilliantly used in the final scene of the movie. 

2)  Almost Famous- Various Artists- Unlike The Graduate this is a movie I happen to really enjoy. The idea of traveling on the road with a band has its allure to me.  This soundtrack filled with early 70’s period music seriously rocks. Favorites off the album include the classic Tiny Dancer by Elton John and I’ve Seen All Good People (Your Move) by Yes.

3)  The Blues Brothers- Various Artists- Yes, I know, I’ve spoken about this movie too often. But in terms of soundtrack this movie cannot be beat. It excellently features amazing R&B artists. Favorites include: Aretha Franklin’s Think, James Brown’s gospel classic Old Landmark, and of course Ray Charles’ Shake Your Tail feather.

4)  The Wedding Singer- Various Artists- I LOVE this movie. I know every line, and honestly believe that the music supervisor did an amazing job choosing 80’s classics for this film. Of course I also love the Adam Sandler originals (Somebody Kill Me and Grow Old with You). Favorites from the album are Culture Club’s Do You Really Want To Hurt Me and Billy Idol’s White Wedding. Also not present in the soundtrack but in the forefront of the film, You Make My Dreams by Hall and Oats and Dead or Alive’s You Spin Me Right Round. 

5)  500 Days of Summer- Various Artists- Not only was this one of my favorite movies to come out in the last ten years but it also has an amazing soundtrack. The fact that it uses Hall and Oats You Make My Dreams in a cartoon love like sequence was beyond amazing in and of itself. Favorites from the album include Regina Spektor’s Us, The Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition, and The Smiths’ There is a Light That Never Goes Out.

6)  Once- Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova- Anyone who hasn’t seen Once must go out and watch it right now. The music IS the entire point of this movie about two strangers who make an album together.  I loved Falling Slowly so much that my bridesmaids walked down to it at my wedding. Favorites include The Hill and Once. 

7)  Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist- Various Artists- This happened to be another album that came out during my internship at WMG. The songs are all Warner-labeled and the songs are indie-fabulous. Favorites include Vampire Weekend’s Ottoman and We Are Scientists’ After Hours

8)  Away We Go- Various Artists- This Alexi Murdoch driven vehicle is actually the driving force behind the entire film. As John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph make there way across the country trying to find the perfect place to live, Alexi’s soothing tones propel the movie forward in a soothing positive way. Favorites include All My Days and The Ragged Sea.

9)  American Graffiti- Various Artists- The George Lucas film that asks “Where were you in 1962?”features a bevy of oldies classics. It tries to transport you back to the sock –hop diner days, and does a fantastic job at it. Favorites include Bill Haley and The Comets Were Gonna Rock Around The Clock, Danny and the Juniors’ At The Hop, and the Chuck Berry hit Johnny B. Goode.

10) I Love You Man- Various Artists- One of the many reasons I love this soundtrack is because of its fabulous use of Rush songs. Aside from that it takes some awesome indie artist tunes and places them in a really popular movie. Favorites include Mr. Pitiful by Matt Costa, Soul of a Man by Beck, and Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend.

Notable Mentions include the soundtracks from a) Elizabethtown- feature such hits as My Fathers Gun by Elton John and Eastmountainsouth’s Hard Times b) Wayne’s World- with awesome hits like Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and Tia Carrere’s version of Ballroom Blitz c) About a Boy- a vehicle of the amazing band Badly Drawn boy with hits like A Minor Incident and Dead Duck, and lastly d) 10 Things I Hate About You- which features a personal favorite FNT by Semisonic and amazing tunes from Letters to Cleo.

What are your favorite Soundtracks?    

Why does it take so long for a song to hit the radio?

As I watched and rewatched One Republic’s video for their BEYOND incredible song Marchin On, I thought to myself, why is it that this is not on the radio yet?

One republic’s album came out in November of 2009. Immediately I fell in love with three songs on the album 1) Secrets- the song which I believe is slowly making its way onto the radio 2) Good Life – which was poised to be their third single but was replaced by 3) Marchin On- this song was chosen to be played at the world cup and is actually probably my favorite song of theirs. I don’t know about you, but I really dislike their current radio-overplayed hit All The Right Moves. This was the first single off of the album and is still playing. But I’m not really sure why. With videos already released for Secrets and Marchin On why is there a need for All the Right Moves to still be on the radio at all? 

This phenomenon has been happening for as long as I can remember. When I was an intern at Warner Music Group I was able to listen to all the new albums the week they were released. One of my favorite albums that came out during my internship was Shinedown’s The Sound of Madness.  I had never heard Shinedown before and immediately loved their hard rock sound. The great thing about Shinedown was the fact that even though some of their songs were very hard; like their first single Devour (an anti-war/anti bush number), their lead singer (Brent Smith’s) voice is so beautiful that it is actually very easy to listen to the rest of the albums more soft rock songs. My favorite song of the album is and was Second Chance. I think I listened to that song maybe 400 times that summer while I commuted from NJ into the city. Yet this song, which became hugely successful on mainstream radio, was not popular for at least 6 months! In fact I had recommended Shinedown's album to almost everyone that I knew and continuously mentioned how appalled I was at the fact that Second Chance took so long to mainstream. Now I understand it may be a little bit harder for a hard rock band to become popular on today’s pop radio stations, but it was just a really really long time for something like that to have happened. 

I’m not really sure why this happens aside from the ridiculous tendency of the radio to play a song ad-nauseum because its on the billboard hot 100. If the radio played songs that were actually up –to-date with the album’s release, it would greatly enhance our listening pleasure.

Artist Watch: Stars Go Dim

This will be my first installment in my “artist watch” posting category. Basically, I’m going to be talking about a band or artist that isn’t necessarily new to the scene but doesn’t get a lot of air-play, and is therefore only popular in smaller circles.

The first band I’d like to discuss is Stars Go Dim. Stars Go Dim are a completely unsigned, independent band, who met and wrote/sung songs more as a hobby than anything else. It wasn’t until their EP was released that they began to get press for their interesting genre-blending style. Recently, they have released their first full length album titled  Love Gone Mad. The first song I heard by Stars Go Dim is Crazy which is a hauntingly beautiful song about living life to its fullest/through love. The title track of their debut album Love Gone Mad is a vocal master class. Songs like Catch Me If You Can display a small bluegrass tendency which adds another layer of complexity to the album.  My favorite song, by far, off of the album is Hoping for Tomorrow. It is actually so beautifully sung and written that I got teary eyed when I heard it.  Stars Go Dim are perfect for fans of Augustana, Jack’s Mannequin, and The Calling. They graciously have offered their ENTIRE album on their website http://www.starsgodim.com/ for free download. I suggest you download it at your earliest convenience, because it is rare that an album with such artistic clarity and excellence is free online. All in all, in my opinion Stars Go Dim are an up-and-coming force to be reckoned with.

My Ultimate Guilty Pleasure Songs

Everyone has guilty pleasure songs. You know the ones I’m talking about; they are so bad/ cheesy/ silly that they are good and inevitably get you excited whenever you hear them. Here is my list of ultimate guilty pleasure songs.

1) Meatloaf’s Paradise by the Dashboard Light- yes, this was the song my guidance counselor (sister) played when discussing sex-education. However one cannot help but love this song. It is crazy and has a random baseball –foreplay interlude. Meatloaf’s voice is beyond awesome and it soars as he promises his girl that “he’ll love her til the end of time.” 

2) U2’s Pride (In the name of Love)- This song is on my list because in high school a boy made me a mix tape and put this song on it. When this song came on, he immediately said…ohh… how’d this get here? And then he skipped it. Definition of a guilty pleasure- one that others would possibly make fun of or mock you for liking much like I did when he skipped this awesome song.

3) Ace of Base’s All That She Wants- I would assume that many would put The Sign in this category, since almost every Ace of Base song could be considered “guilty pleasure.” Yet, this one is my favorite because of its slow tempo and reggae sounds.

4) Melanie’s Brand New Key- I can’t help but bob my head to this super odd song by Melanie. Why exactly is she talking about bicycles and keys? I can’t really be sure but I know that I happen to enjoy the beat of the song and the lilting melodies that Melanie produces.

5) Brittney Spears’ Toxic – So many songs by Brittney could be on this list, but Toxic is the first song that really jumps out as a guilty pleasure. It is lacking in vocal talent but more than makes up for it in catchiness. I can’t really understand majority of the lyrics but nonetheless would rock out to this in any club.

6) Styx’s Mr. Roboto-   Oh Styx, what can I say about this completely ridiculous and campy song? Not only does it make me do the robot every time I hear it, but it just makes me laugh. It is so strange, and can barely even be called a normal “hit.” The only thing I can say is “Thank You, Thank You.”

7)  R Kelly’s Ignition (Remix)- You would all most definitely make fun of me for knowing EVERY word of this song. It is dirty and ridiculous, but I still love it. It is so beyond catchy that it took me maybe 3 times on repeat to get every word. It is an instant guilty pleasure classic.

8) Spin Doctors’ Two Princes-  I’m not really sure what this is a story of, or whether its actually about princes, but I thoroughly enjoy it. It’s even one of my all time favorite Taboo clues (word is spin doctors, and I always say- they sing two princes! Because what else do they sing?)

9) Stacie Orrico’s Stuck I was recently informed by my good friend Jenn that Stacie Orrico is a hardcore religious singer. Yet this song is still a great religious-pop crossover. I may actually be stuck on this song. Like Stacie says “I hate you but I love you, I can’t stop thinking of you….”

10) NSYNC’s I Drive Myself Crazy-  It was hard for me to choose between this song and It Makes Me Ill,  but ultimately I had to choose I drive myself crazy. I probably listened to this terrible song like 300 times when it first came out as I harbored my crush on Lance Bass. It happens to be a great song vocally for JC, but an only ok song that I am irrationally in love with.

11) Five’s When The Lights Go Out- the album 5ive was one of the first albums I had ever purchased. The novelty of the fact the bands album was called five-ive was not lost on me even at that age. That should tell you something about the quality of songs from the band which was produced by the same team as the spice girls. This song is fun, and wild, and whenever I hear it I definitely jam out.

12) Chumbawumba’s Tubthumping- this song has absolutely no substance, but I can’t help but jump every time I hear it. It is even an anthem for the recession (getting knocked down, getting back up again). My favorite part of this song, that without fail I always scream out to, is at the end when all the parts come together at the exact time almost like a round.

Do you agree with my guilty pleasures? What are yours?