Why you should be using Spotify:

Let me start by saying this: I work at a desk all day, in an office where I am the only
person here. Spotify might not be suitable for everyone’s work environment like it is for me, but let me tell you, this program has changed my life. An import from England (why is it that England is way ahead of the music game than America?) this music streaming program allows you to listen to endless amounts of free music. Think Itunes meets Pandora. Not only can you add your own music, but you can also search for albums and add songs to playlists. You can search for music you were too skeptical to buy because you could only hear 60 second snippets thanks to Itunes, and listen to the songs and album in full. Yes, not every song is available on Spotify yet but I can only assume that it's only a matter of time.
 
This FREE service comes with limited commercials which can be a bit annoying at times, but it's totally worth it for this free unbelievable service. Where else can I make a playlist that features The Steve Miller Band, Coldplay, Simon and Garfunkel, Madonna, Maroon 5 and T.I? (I’m sure I could find this through random shuffle on my ipod, but I am lazy and need a way to listen at work without headphones). This service is seriously for anyone who loves music (even you mom! They have Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra). 

To request an invitation for Spotify click here and create your account today! Also if you are super cool and have a smart phone this can be added as an app!

Best Music Videos of 2011 (so far)

I know it’s been a while since my last post, so I’m trying to come back on this one with a bang. I’m going to list my favorite music videos of 2011 so far. As you know music videos hold a lot of water in my estimation. They need to have one or more of the following qualities in order for me to like them 1) It has to be visually appealing 2) It has to be humorous, or not take itself too seriously 3) It should relate in some way to the song (even if that means splashing the lyrics occasionally on screen).  So here goes:

10. Yellowcard: Hang You Up:  I’m not sure why I found this video so funny, but It was amusing to me that no matter where Ryan, the lead singer of Yellowcard goes, everyone thinks its bizarre that he is singing. Basically it’s breaking the fourth wall within a music video, since most music videos have the singers singing and most of the people in the video completely oblivious. I particularly like when his ex-girlfriend, who he keeps singing about, comes on screen and without seeing who it is knows it’s her ex-boyfriend because he keeps singing. She says “I got a restraining order against you! You can’t sing within 500 feet of me!” Hilarious.

9. Ke$ha: Blow:  “No Mythical Creatures were harmed in the making of this video.” Genius. I love how Ke-dollar sign- ha doesn’t take herself very seriously. I love James Van Der Beek in this video saying “Don’t Slanderbeek my name.” And I particularly like how their guns shoot rainbows! Can I get one of those?

8. Maroon 5: Never Gonna Leave this Bed:  Originally, when I heard this song off of the album it was one of my favorites. I imagined a sexy romp in the sack video with Adam Levine (which in and of itself would have landed on this list). What I got instead, was an interestingly thought out video. What would happen if we decided NEVER to get out of bed? Maroon 5 tells us that the bed will travel with us (Bed knobs and Broomsticks was obviously WAY ahead of its time!) Needless to say, Adam Levine in a moving truck bed or a bed in the middle of Santa Monica is definitely a sight to be seen.

7. Foo Fighters: Walk: This video, a funny replica of the 1993 movie Falling Down starring Michael Douglas tells the story of an average guy who basically cracks while stuck in traffic. The movie is a bit more violent, where this is more amusing, and features Grohl in the same getup (down to the glasses) as Douglas.

6. All Time Low: I Feel Like Dancin’: This satire on the music business shows the band in the middle of trying to film a music video. They are getting advice from a manager type guy from “the label” who has his own advice for exactly how the video should go. He has 3 tips to make a video succeed all “following the model” of other music videos. I won’t ruin the surprise but the last one is by far the most hilarious. I actually laughed out loud.

5. Coldplay: Every Teardrop is a Waterfall: This video falls into the ‘visually appealing’ category. It uses a similar stop motion technique to their video Strawberry Swing but it doesn’t disappoint. When it gets to the main part where everything is backlit it plays out like an intimate and cool concert that you wish you were actually participating in.

4. Matt and Kim: Cameras:  I love a good old fashion fight video and Matt and Kim’s Cameras does not disappoint in that vein. Not only did this video look fun to shoot, but many of the hits actually look quite real and make me wonder how bruised they got in the process.

3. The Black Keys: Howlin for You: Not only did the Black Keys give their video a plot, they gave it the plot of a movie! It’s an entire fake preview for a movie that doesn’t exist and it is brilliant. It appears to be a mix of Kill Bill and possibly a random buddy cop comedy? Regardless it’s quite smart and interesting.

2. Katy Perry: Last Friday Night TGIF: From start to finish I love this video. From the random cameos (Darren Criss? Rebecca Black?? HANSON!?) to the great acting by Katy Perry as a nerd turned pretty woman for a night, not to mention a crazy cameo by (“uncle”) Kenny G who plays the sax solo on the song, and then 80’s icons Debbie Gibson and Corey Feldman this video is an extreme foray into awesomeness.

1. Beastie Boys: Make Some Noise: This tops my list for part of the same reason as Katy Perry’s. CAMEOS ABOUND!  Will Arnett?! Rashida Jones!? Kristin Dunst!? Will Ferrel!  I LOVE how this video captures the same sentiment as Fight for your right to Party. I love even more that they hired actors (Elijah wood, Seth Rogen, Danny McBride) to play the versions of themselves straight from their other video (since they are definitely too old to play themselves now). On top of it all this song, is classic Beastie Boys. Basically everything about this video is pure genius.

Notable Visually Appealing Videos: Death Cab for Cutie: You are a Tourist: this light and action show supposedly was captured in one take, if that’s the case it’s a huge feat.

Maroon 5: Hands All Over: Stylized animation of Adam Levine? Hells yes.

What are your favorite videos of 2011 so far?

Glee's Top Ten Covers

In honor of the Glee concert last night at the Izod Center in New Jersey which I attended (YAY), I’d like to list my favorite Glee covers and why they are so great.

If you haven’t seen Glee, it is a television show about a group of misfit high schoolers who make up the school’s show choir and perform for their chance at the state and national championships, with many bumps and typical high school drama and romanced mixed in.

10. Blackbird originally performed by the Beatles, covered by Chris Kolfer (Kurt): I happen to love Kurt/Chris and think he has one of the most interesting voices on the show, that’s not to say it’s the best because it doesn’t compare the powerhouse vocals of either Rachel or Mercedes, but it is still really interesting in unique. Kurt has many great hits (I particularly love his duets with Rachel and find all of them to be really beautiful melodically), but this one really touches my heart. The Beatles song, while slow and sweet is brough alive by Kurt and the Warblers and made all that much better.

9.  Maybe This Time from the musical Cabaret performed by Kristin Chenoweth (April Rhodes) and Lea Michele (Rachel): In my house, Kristin Chenoweth can do no wrong. We would see every show she is in and love it regardless of its quality (For Example: The Apple Tree). This song made famous by Liza Minnelli and the cast of Cabaret was actually pretty new to me, in fact the first time I heard it was when it was performed on Glee. Kristin who is usually a powerhouse in her upper register actually sings in a much more mature lower register to get the husky quality of this song. In a duet with Rachel, the Glee club’s resident Broadway belter this song couldn’t be much better. 

8. Poker Face originally performed by Lady Gaga, covered by Lea Michele (Rachel) and Idina Menzel (Shelby Corcoran):  I can’t say this enough about this song, I LOVE THIS ARRANGEMENT. I know a lot of haters felt like this version lost the Gaga-esque quality by being stripped down and sung slowly, but I found it to be both amazing and inspiring. Idina Menzel is as fabulous as always and Rachel and her (both look alike and sound alike) play an amazing mother/daughter tag team. 
7. Like a Virgin originally performed by Madonna, covered by Lea Michele (Rachel), Jonathan Groff (Jesse St. James), Naya Rivera (Santana), Cory Monteith (Finn), Matthew Morrison (Will Schuster), and Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury): I chose this number from the Madonna episode not only because it was an ensemble, but also because I felt like it was the most well done of all the Madonna covers (and there were lots). Each character’s voice had a chance to shine (thank you Ryan Murphy for finally putting Santana in the spotlight here!) but it was fun, and frothy, and even lost a bit of the 80’s vibe which made the song so popular back in the day. Kudos.
6. Songbird originally performed by Fleetwood Mac, covered by Naya Rivera (Santana): Ok so this number, a more recent performance, was immediately one of my favorites. Santana has a really interesting sultry and bluesy vibe to her voice, which usually comes out when she sings songs by Amy Winehouse. However on this number, a classic Mac song, she slows it down in one of the most heartfelt and beautiful performances of the entire second season.
5. Aint No Way originally performed by Aretha Franklin, covered by Amber Riley (Mercedes): Oh Mercedes. How I love you. Mercedes to me has the best voice in the Glee oeuvre. She can belt, she is a mini Aretha (no great feat) which is why this song is really brought to life. It’s a pretty underrated Aretha song, taking a backseat to more popular numbers like Natural Woman, and Respect. But Mercedes does this song incredible justice and brings it back into mainstream and the spotlight where it really deserves to be.
4. Teenage Dream originally performed by Katy Perry, covered by Darren Criss (Blaine) and the Warblers (The Beelzebubs): This was one of the biggest surprises for me. As many of you know I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Katy Perry’s music. Sometimes she is good (Hot n Cold/I kissed a Girl), and sometimes she is really bad (Firework, Peacock). Katy’s version of the song was completely overplayed on the radio when the Warblers version came out but what I wasn’t expecting was how different and exciting it would be. The fact that it is an acapella version elevates the song about 20 levels from pop froth to actually good music.
3. Don't Rain on My Parade originally performed by Barbara Streisand from the musical Funny Girl, covered by Lea Michele (Rachel): It’s incredibly hard to beat Barbara, but I think in this number Rachel does it. Her version literally gave me goose bumps the entire song. She can 100% belt out a song, and doesn’t need help from anyone else to make a song great (as noted by the fact that this song is sung without any vocal accompaniment).
2. River Deep Mountain High  originally performed by Ike and Tina Turner, covered by Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Naya Rivera (Santana): This is probably my favorite glee song to date. I wasn’t super familiar with this song before it was on Glee but I can tell you it’s been on the oldies radio station probably 100 times since then. Because it featured two of my favorite singers in the entire cast (Mercedes and Santana) I was bound to love it. The two harmonize beautifully, and belt incredibly. All in all an amazing number.
1. Don’t Stop Believing originally performed by Journey, covered by the entire Glee cast: How could I not have the song that put Glee on the map as my #1. When I heard the preview for Glee I wasn’t necessarily going to watch it that is until I heard a tiny snippet of their version of this song. Again, even in snippet version, it gave me goose bumps (a sure sign in my book that the artists are talented, and that the song is a success). The cast sounds phenomenal in every note, and actually performs the beginning semi acapella which is interesting.

What are your favorite Glee covers?

Lady Gaga Born this Way Album Review:

As many of you know, I’ve been looking forward to this album’s release pretty much all year. I didn’t need to know what her album would be called or really hear any of Gaga’s songs to know that this would be my most anticipated album of 2011. So when Gaga released her first single Born This Way I was extremely pleased. When Gaga released her second single Judas I loved it and sang it in my house for weeks, much to the annoyance of my husband. When she recently released The Edge of Glory I was elated because even though it has a random 80’s sax solo, I thought her voice sounded really amazing. Yet, upon listening to her entire album I can safely say that this is not The Fame/Fame Monster. It is always incredibly hard to follow up such an amazing album. I would say that I don’t think there is a song on this album that can compare to the crazy awesomeness of Bad Romance or Poker Face.  On Born This Way Gaga does a few things: 1) She has an obscene amount of Christian/Religious symbolism. 2) Many of her songs are throwbacks similar to retro 80’s Madonna. 3) She repeats many themes from songs on her first album, and uses the same melodies on many of the tracks on this album. In terms of #1, Gaga has songs like Judas, Bloody Mary, Black Jesus (Amen Fashion), and those are just the titles! In Bloody Mary Gaga sings “I won’t cry for you/ I won’t crucify the things that you do.” In Black Jesus she sings “Jesus is the new black/ amen fashion on the runway/work it black Jesus,” which in itself is bizarre. In terms of #2 Gaga’s really trying to bring the 80’s back. Songs like Edge of Glory and Hair while entertaining; feature classic 80’s saxophone solo’s by Clarence Clemons of the E-Street Band. Songs like Bad Kids, and Fashion of his Love(written about Alexander McQueen) are fun, and good, but still way too 80’s for right now.  I can safely say that Gaga’s voice does blow Madonna’s out of the water, but I cant help but feel like this album, or at the very least these tracks on the album would feel more at home in lets say 1986(my birth year). In terms of #3, a song like Americano in my humble opinion is a pale imitation of its greater more interesting cousin Alejandro. In Sheiβe (pronounced Shy-e-zah) uses the exact same chorus/beat as the random “prostitute wench” section of Judas. She may even be saying the exact same words but in German. Where Gaga shines is on songs like You and I a ballad similar to her amazing song Speechless on her previous album. Her voice really comes through in songs like this and it is definitely a force in and of itself to be reckoned with.  She also shines on songs like Government Hooker, a song that when I first heard it was like…meh, but actually can not stop singing it now and seems to get better to me each time I play it. It’s classic bizarro Gaga comparable to Paper Gangster Teeth.  I also really like the songs Electric Chapel and The Queen but again they aren’t as good as her earlier material. What I can say is this cd is really a mixed bag for me. I really like her singles so far, and I do like a few of the songs on the album a lot. Its just not to the extent of the last album where I literally loved every single song, and felt that Gaga had a purpose and story to tell with her music. Here I felt she really dropped the ball in terms of storytelling and instead used religious imagery to the max as well as heartfelt inspirations (her grandfather, Alex McQueen) in order to drive the album. All in all I would give the album a B, not the best, but not the worst either. 

Traffic Songs

Many of you know that I commute by car to work. My drive is roughly 40-50 minutes on a good day. This means I have LOTS of time in the car to either listen to the radio or any of the 25 CDs I have made since I began my job in August of 2009. Yet what bothers me most is what happens when I get stuck in traffic. I know every person has their own driving personality and mine is one of anger, resentment, and frustration towards the road and specifically other drivers on the road. Hitting traffic always puts me in a foul mood, and really the only thing that can get me through it aside from viciously banging on my steering wheel is good music. In regard to different personalities though, a song that would work for me during traffic would not necessarily work for someone who is a calm, reassured driver. Therefore I present to you a list of songs you should listen to in traffic by personality type:

Angry Driver:
LIT: My Own Worst Enemy
AC/DC: Highway to Hell
Seether: Rise Above This
The Fratellis: Chelsea Dagger
JET: Are You Gonna be My Girl  

Calm Driver:
America: Sister Golden Hair
The Backstreet Boys: As Long as You Love Me
One Republic: Good Life
Paula Cole: I Don’t Wanna Wait
Duncan Sheik: Barely Breathing

Drivers who like to sing/scream along:
Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody
Guns and Roses: Paradise City
Meatloaf: Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Offspring: Pretty Fly For a White Guy
Beyonce: Single Ladies

Classic Rock Buffs:
The Beatles: Hey Jude
Journey: Separate Ways
Rush: Tom Sawyer
Led Zeppelin: Kashmir
The Who: Who Are You

Drivers who use their time to discover new artists:
Freelance Whales: Hannah
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Pairs Ooh La La
Ellie Goulding: Your Song
Locksley: The Whip
Safety Suit: Get Around This

Drivers only interested in top 40 hits:
Lady Gaga: Hair
Nicki Minaj: Super Bass
Britney Spears: I Wanna Go
Christina Perri: Arms
Hot Chelle Rae: Tonight Tonight

Wannabe Gangstas aka Drivers who wish they got on Pimp my Ride:  

Jay Z: Big Pimpin
Eminem: Lose Yourself
Kanye West: Power
The Notorious B.I.G: Big Poppa
Beastie Boys: No Sleep Till Brooklyn

Drivers Stuck in the 80's 

Flock of Seagulls: I Ran

Dexy's Midnight Runners: Come On Eileen

Peter Gabriel: Sledgehammer

Bon Jovi: Wanted Dead or Alive

Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Relax 
 

Cowboy/girl in Training:
Big and Rich: Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy
Miranda Lambert: Gunpowder and Lead
Blake Shelton: Honey Bee
Carrie Underwood: Cowboy Cassanova
Rascall Flatts: Life is a Highway

Drivers who complain that "they don't make em [records] like they used to:"

Frank Sinatra: My Way

The Beatles: I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Chuck Berry: Johnny B. Goode

Elvis:  Hound Dog

Aretha Franklin: Chain of Fools  

The Broadway Belter

South Pacific: Wonderful Guy

Wicked: Defying Gravity

Anything Goes: Anything Goes

Thoroughly Modern Millie: Gimme Gimme

Spamalot: Find Your Grail

 

 

Who I’m Loving Right Now: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Do any of you remember my Lilly Allen phase (late 2009), my Florence and the Machine phase (early-middle 2010), or my Adele phase (still kind of happening, but mostly late 2010-early 2011)? Well friends and readers, I have now entered the Grace Potter and the Nocturnals phase of my life. I’m actually shocked to find that this band, with such a freakishly amazing singer is not so popular. In theory, these artists are all not super popular. I mean Adele’s hit Rolling in the Deep is JUST becoming popular on mainstream radio which in a way is a travesty, but at least she is getting some recognition for being the amazing artist that she is (albeit late). Yet Grace Potter, an incredible singer, with a bluesy rock tone to her voice reminiscent of singers like Peggy Lee, Melissa Etheridge, and Fiona Apple has had little/no mainstream success in her bands 6 year run.  On fast songs like Paris (ooh lala) and I Want Something That I Want the blues rock of Grace’s tones really shine through. On slower songs like Tiny Light, Apologies, Treat Me Right and Ah Mary you can hear the soulful and intense quality of her voice that draws you in and demands your complete attention. If you haven’t had a chance to hear any of the band’s songs you should definitely listen today and I guarantee you won’t regret it. Let me know your thoughts on my latest obsession below.

Saxomophone

This week Lady Gaga released her third single from her upcoming album Born this Way. The song called Edge of Glory features a crazy (long) saxophone solo by Clarence Clemens of the E- Street band. I happen to really like this song, although I’m not sure why it needed a saxophone solo. The sax, while popular with Lisa Simpson, hasn’t been used frequently since the 80’s. But apparently in this song Lady Gaga is trying to make the sax have a comeback? This got me thinking about other artists who have used a saxophone in their songs. Below is a list of popular songs with sax solo’s in rated order:

1. Aretha Franklin: Respect: Did you all know that the Aretha song is actually a cover of an Otis Redding song? Mind blowing. Meanwhile one of the many reasons this song was more successful than good old Otis’ is the addition of saxophone legend King Curtis extraordinary talent. A
2. Bruce Springstein: Born to Run: Another song on this list featuring Clarence Clemens, this song accurately portrays how a sax should be played. It is fun, sparingly used, but always effective. A
3. Gerry Rafferty: Baker Street: Many of you who have attended a Jewish wedding have heard this crazy intro sax solo, as a possible entrance song for the bride and the groom onto the dance floor. In fact it may even have been used at my wedding. Regardless, the solo which is so bold in its tone and different than the rest of the song actually adds a random but delightful layer to this song. My rating: A-
4. Hall and Oates: Maneater: Surprise! Hall and Oates made it on yet another list of mine. I love those 80’s rockers; what can I say. This song is amazing. From the great lyrics “Whoa here she comes/watch out boy/she’ll chew you up/whoa here she comes/she’s a maneater,” to the crazy cheetahs/lions that are used to represent the maneater women in the video, and the cheesy but awesome guitar solo, this song is a hit for the ages. B+
5. Billy Joel: Just the Way You are: I love Billy Joel and I think he is an incredible piano virtuoso. But his addition of the sax in what would otherwise be a beautiful piano ballad is a bit too cheesy for me. Sorry Billy. B-
6. Katy Perry: Last Friday Night (TGIF): Another song trying to add a sax solo to add a new “fresh” twist to their song. However, in my humble opinion, I think the sax actually dates the song back like 10 years. Bad choice Katy. C
7. Madness: It Must Be Love: Aside from the music video cheese factor of filming the saxophonist playing in a pool, the saxophone solo in this song is so confusing! I actually think this song could probably have been a really cool mix of new-wave and reggae, but it verges on crazy with the addition of that sax. C-
8. Kenny G: Songbird: Of course my list HAD to include Kenny G who basically redefined the use of the saxophone. This song, most used in weddings is so beyond cheesy that it makes me cringe. D