Back to hip-hop/rap this week, this time with Wale. Wale aka (get ready for this)....Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, is a young rapper out of Washington D.C. born in 1984 to Nigerian immigrants who had arrived in America only five years before. As the self proclaimed "Ambassador of Rap for the Capital," Wale has been writing and playing with music his whole life even after attending Robert Morris College and Virginia State on football scholarships, then transferring to Boise State. Eventually though he dropped out to pursue his recording career. Many of his early songs sampled 80's disco and go-go (a more raw sounding, percussion driven disco out of Washington) including the popular song "Dig Dug." Transitioning from the underground rapper that he once was, Wale has released two full length albums under Interscope "Attention Deficit" (2009) and "Ambition" (2011) along with many mixtapes one being "More About Nothing," a sequel to "The Mixtape About Nothing." Wale has recorded many famous songs with many other superstars including the likes of: Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Miguel, and many more. Songs like "Chain Music," "Lotus Flour Bomb," and "Ambition," were huge hits off of Ambition. What I also like about Wale is that many of the songs that he writes sound highly educated making me actually think about what he's saying, one of these songs being "The Problem," off of his most recent mixtape, "More About Nothing."
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(He makes an interesting comparison here that I had never noticed before)
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This is my personal favorite song because of the quality of lyrics in the extended intro and really the whole song in general. It's really quite surprising that this insight is coming from a modern artist especially a rapper.
Wale, only at the age of 28, has a very bright future in store for him especially if he continues to write and record with the quality he has now. And who knows, he might even get better.
How does one even start when it comes to addressing Jimi Hendrix? Especially because he really only had four extremely short years of superstardom and was still one of the greatest guitar players in Rock & Roll history. Today, he is still considered a rock legend even though some of his guitar "tricks" are a little outdated or we've seen before; but, at the time, he could have even be considered a rock God. Hendrix really became an international superstar in 1967 as if he had dropped out of the sky, even though he had been playing since the beginning of the decade. He was made famous with his band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, in England, with top ten tracks that included: "Purple Haze" and "The Wind Cries Mary." But only in June of 1967 did Hendrix become really popular in the U.S., with his album, "Are You Experienced," at the Monterey Pop Festival (allmusic). But in 1969, as the last performer of the Woodstock Festival, Hendrix became even more popular most notably with his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner as an epic guitar solo. He then ended his set with "Purple Haze" and "Hey Joe."
(I not sure what it is, but something about this version of the song makes me feel very patriotic)
It really is unfortunate that so many young and extremely talented musicians die at such a young age because at the time, there was no limit as to what (in this case) Hendrix and his band could do.
When it comes to metal and "emo" music, I am not the biggest fan. This is mostly because I'm not too fond of screaming and screeching into a microphone but this band is a little more than that. A Day To Remember was formed in 2003 in Ocala, Florida mixing elements of heavy metal with alternative and "modern" rock creating a sub genre of rock affectionately referred to by their fans as "pop-mosh"...whatever that means. Because all of the bands' songs aren't full of obnoxious screaming and there is actually a melody to them, they have kinda grown on me. Vocalist: Jeremy McKinnon and guitarist(s): Neil Westfall and Tom Denney are very talented individuals, whose sound flows extremely well together really making quality music.
Scary dudes aren't they
Even though some songs of theirs could be considered "screamo" a lot of their music is full of very pleasant singing and even some audible and comprehensible lyrics (shocking, I know). Some of these include: "Have Faith In Me," "Homesick," "If It Means a Lot To You," and "All I want."
And once again an an acoustic version. (This is actually a really good version of the song; I highly recommend.
Overall A Day To Remember is a pretty outstanding band, unfortunately because they aren't played on "mainstream radio" they don't receive the proper respect they deserve from the majority of the public. RYIL: Papa Roach, The Devil Wears Prada, Four Year Strong
Well, once again, it's The Beatles. This time with their second to last album and probably one of their most famous, Abbey Road. After listening to The White Album, which I thoroughly enjoyed despite its incredible length, I wasn't sure I'd like Abbey Road as much. This might be shocking to some Beatles fanatics out there, but honestly, before really listening to the band, I didn't really like them. But after listening, I realized how great this album was. Not only was the melodic aspect great, the writing and vocal progression has also greatly advanced, creating one pretty amazing album. Tracks like "Come Together," (also covered (not originally recorded by) Aerosmith, (just in case anyone was confused)), "Oh! Darling," "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," and "Here Comes the Sun," became instant classics as soon as the album was released. But also songs like "You Never Give Me Your Money," and "The End," were still spectacular for their own individual reasons. Regarding "I Want You;" some could consider it a "jam band" song simply meaning that it is repeated over and over and over and over until it almost gets obnoxious, but I really enjoyed that song and others like it mostly because of its killer guitar featured throughout the song. On the album, from tracks "You Never Give Me Your Money," to "The End," the same basic melody is repeated in some way whether it be through piano, guitar, or even trumpets.
Where'd Paul's shoes go?
(Even though I am a huge Aerosmith fan, I am choosing not to feature their cover because this version really is that much better.)
It really is quite amazing, in my opinion, the progress the group made from Please, Please Me to this album. At the beginning they were all extremely talented musicians but at the time of Abbey Road, they were simply amazing. I mean listen to the difference between "I Saw Her Standing There," and "Golden Slumbers," or "Carry That Weight," it's quite a change. Nothing against the early Beatles but there definitely is a change that took place, some could possibly even argue for the better. -Brooks Gonzales
First I'd like to say that i'm fairly confident that many of those in my class are also blogging about The Band and I apologize but also to say that the opportunity is too good to forgo. The Band formed in 1967 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Throughout their prestigious and incredibly successful carrier they backed for the amazing writer (and not so amazing singer) Bob Dylan. Who in turn, when The Band moved on, helped with song writing and mentoring along the way. The Band cannot be categorized and put into just one genre because they contain elements from styles like rock to country to soul to even funk. This is apparent in four of their biggest songs: "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek," and a cover version of the Marvin Gaye song "Don't Do It." Note all of the videos I chose to show were from the extremely famous "rockumentary " The Last Waltz. All of these performances are live yet still sound extremely amazing simply because they are such talented writers, musicians, and performers, who have been perfecting their craft for decades.
The Band was one of the greatest "classic rock" bands of all time, their storied career is quite an amazing one having great success with pretty much all of their endeavors, gaining many fans from all generations including me. -Brooks Gonzales
After ACL most chatter I was hearing was either about the Chili Peppers, Crystal Castles, or NEEDTOBREATHE. I dismissed this as just talk and went about continuing with my old musical ways. In hindsight, this was a major mistake. NEEDTOBREATHE is definitely not just "talk," but an outstanding compilation of rock, soul, and alternative music. Lead singer, Bear Bryant, named after the lovely man who coached at one of my favorite universities...Alabama. Regardless, he is an amazing singer, his soulful and rough yet extremely smooth voice really make the band what it is.
With songs like "Oohs and Ahhs" off of their latest album, The Reckoning, the slow and almost somber tempo really accentuates the melodic genius that occurs in the song. Not only does it have great vocals but also great lyrics:
"We got oohs, we got ahhs
We got everything a man could need
We got oohs, we got ahhs
Still got a mountain full of mouths to feed
Tear the ocean and the skies apart
Circle up the wagons underneath the stars
Watch us spin around like a meteorite
It goes down and down and down
Cause in our hearts we know it's true..." (chorus)
and a pretty amazing trumpet feature towards the end of the song.
Another really great song is entitled: "Washed by the Water," yet what's even better than the original (in my opinion) is the acoustic version off of their second album: The Heat. Usually I don't really care for acoustic versions of songs mainly because I feel like they are lacking something instrument wise, but this is simply not the case for this song. Because there isn't as much of a melodic influence from the electric instruments, the vocals are much more apparent.
All in all, this band is really quite amazing. With both their amazing style of singing to their true talent for song writing, this band really does have it all.
The modern R&B scene is filled with many superstars like R. Kelly, Chris Brown, and Usher yet there are many underground artists like The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) who have just broken into the music world. At the young age of 22 the young and extremely talented singer out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada created his Alternative/Contemporary R&B solo act. Throughout his career, he released three mixtapes: "House of Balloons," "Thursday," and "Echos of Scilence," yet when he signed with big time record label Universal Republic all three mixtapes were remastered and combined into one giant album (Trilogy) along with 3 new songs. His career launched with his first mixtape yet his features on Drake's album- Take Care. The song "Crew Love," reached the top 10 on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-hop chart. He also appeared on Wiz Khalifa's "Remember You," a few months later.
(Explicit) On "Trilogy" Tesfaye's Trey Songz and The Dreamish like flow and sound contribute to his rapid success. With songs like: "Wicked Guns," "High For This," and "The Morning," all coming from his first mixtape/ first disk on the album: House of Balloons. On the second disk Drake is featured on the song- "The Zone," returning the favor.
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All in all, The Weeknd's somber and soft lyrics really are almost hypnotizing, along with his modern R&B sound rivaling superstars like Trey Songz and The Dream. Because he is so young he has great potential for future success as he eventually transcends into the ranks of the R&B artists we know today.
One of the most influential rap groups in the 90's and 00's was Black Star, a group that consisted of two extremely famous and successful rappers: Mos Def and Talib Kweli. The story behind their name is actually very interesting, Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) More UNIA info , created the Black Star shipping line that was trying to "repatriate blacks to Africa." Not only did this movement inspire their name, it also caused an epiphany within the two rappers that not all African Americans were gangsters in the 90's, making them some of the most intelligent rappers during that decade. Not only did it inspire those thoughts but it also inspired their lyrics to explain things that weren't being told in the communities drawing their sound from rappers of that time like Run D.M.C. and Public Enemy.
Technically Black Star only made one studio album "Black Star" in 1998 but toured and made other music from 1990 to throughout the 2000's. This album, although majorly successful in the "underground" scene, was headed in a completely opposite direction as the hip hop created by artists like Puff Daddy. But this album still had some great tracks on it: "Definition," "Re-Definition," and "Respiration (feat. Common)." The songs "Definition" and "Re-Definition" were in sequential order on the album. Both tracks with a variation of the same hook but with different feels and verses. The song Definition is made to feel more old school in a sense with a lighter and more pop-like beat and dryer verses whereas Re-Definition was much more "new school," adding an instrumental aspect in the background.
Another song that was highly successful off of the album was "Respiration." This song featured the equally famous rapper, Common. All three rappers deliver great and deep verses as shown in the video below.
Overall, they were a great hip-hop duo killing the underground scene throughout the 90's and 00's. Unfortunately the two were only together for about 10 years and never made more than one studio album. I'm very curious as to what they could have created and accomplished for the genre. -Brooks Gonzales
England 1966, a band consisting of the first super trio, Cream, was created. With vocalist- Jack Bruce, drummer- Ginger Baker, and the ever famous guitar legend- Eric Clapton, the group soared to the top of the blues rock and hard rock industry in England. The band's first studio album "Fresh Cream," was a success with songs like "I Feel Free," but the group's second album, "Disraeli Gears," was far more popular.
Their second album, released in November of 1967, is definitely one of the better Cream albums. The songs are superior to those on "Fresh Cream,"lyrically and I personally think that the overall musicianship is better. With songs including the very popular "Sunshine Of Your Love," and "Outside Woman Blues," the album was a huge success.
There are a few things I'd like to say about this video: first- Ginger Baker looks like a red haired caveman with his mouth open like that throughout the video and second: this certain video has an amazing Clapton solo about halfway through the song; during this solo not only does Clapton shred on the guitar, Bruce also kills the bass part as well.
Songs like "We're Going Wrong" and "Outside Women Blues" also showcase Clapton's supreme guitar skills. Although in "We're Going Wrong" he only has about five, 8 second solos, they are extremely skillfully played and preformed. In "We're Going Wrong," Clapton and the guitar play a more involved role within this piece sounding just as amazing.
Even though the band unfortunately was disbanded in 1969, the extremely talented group gave the world 4 full length studio albums. And not only was the band popular by themselves, some could say that they launched Clapton's very successful solo career as well.
This week I'd like to move away from rock a little and transition into a new style- Electronic/Drum'n bass. Pendulum is one of the most popular Drum'n bass acts of the 21st century. This is partly because they're really good but also because the genre hasn't really been "alive" that long. For those of you that don't know what drum'n bass is here's a basic definition: a form of electronic music that is around 160-180 bpm (beats per minute) that incorporates elements from hip-hop, metal, jazz, reggae, and even classical. The group originally consisting of producers Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, was created in 2002 in Australia but based in the UK, eventually adding two more members later in their career. In 2005 they released their first full length album- "Hold Your Colour," featuring hit singles "Tarantula" and "Slam."
But there career really didn't take off and reach its full potential until they made their debut on BBC's radio 1 essential mix in 2005 (for those of you that don't know what an essential mix is it's basically 2 hours of epic electronic music).
Their third full length album, "Immersion," is probably my favorite for various reasons but the biggest one is definitely the quality of songs it contains. A few of these include the very popular "The Island- Pt. I" and "The Island- Pt. II" (part two is just a dubstep remix of part one by the way). Both of these songs are really cool and super chill that create a great party atmosphere.
Another great song off the album (and my personal favorite) is "Salt in the Wounds." Although the song is a little more dubstep oriented at the beginning, it has a really cool melody, and isn't so glaringly obnoxious towards the middle of the song. "Self vs Self" is one of the cooler tracks off of the album because it is not really an electronic song as much as it is a remixed metal song. The song features a band called: In Flames, a heavy metal band out of Sweden with strong Iron Madden and Black Sabbath roots. I feel like the electronic accompaniment goes really well with the electric guitar, creating a really interesting balance between instruments and creating an overall mood that is very unique to this style of music.
Pendulum is a really cool band although they haven't put out anything recently, which is very disappointing, but I'm glad they've recorded what they have because it's really good music. Although they can get a bit repetitive after a while...I can only take so much bass.
Magical Mystery Tour, the Beatles 9th album recorded, was released in the fall of 1967 (November 27). Just like Sgt. Peppers, it was equally as psychedelic and very strange, if not more so. Although it did not keep the theme of a "concept album," like Sgt. Peppers, Magical Mystery Tour was a 6 song EP that eventually bloomed into an 11 song masterpiece. Within the album, John's weirdness combined with his and Paul's masterful song writing makes for a pretty impressive record. Although it was by far the strangest time for the Beatles. Their song writing was heavily influenced by drugs. This also influenced their method of touring...in a giant buss, and their kinda creepy animal costumes that were featured throughout music videos and the album cover.
Although eventually it was a success, it did not sell well in both the United States or in England, as it was first introduced as an EP. Why this occurred is definitely a reason unknown to me because it really is one of their better albums containing many huge hits including: "I Am the Walrus," "Hello Goodbye," "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Penny Lane," and "All You Need Is Love." One of the strangest songs ever sung by John or even that the Beatles ever wrote was "I Am the Walrus." The nonsense lyrics and very odd melody make it unique to something only the Beatles could come up with. There is also a very strange instrumental break about half way into the song along with creepy laughing to complete the "jolly" nature of the song.
Don't worry guys (guys? who am I even talking to? Only like 3 people read this)anyway...I found another Across the Universe clip to share! One of the not as popular songs that I still really enjoy is "The Fool On The Hill," written and recorded by McCartney. The song features a flute in the background throughout the whole piece yet the guitar isn't as prevalent in this song. I really think the vocals are great in this piece partly because halfway through each verse, Paul switches between a major and a minor key. His voice is also really almost calming even though the lyrics are pretty depressing.
"All You Need Is Love" is probably one of the most popular Beatles songs that they have ever made. Lennon backs away from his stranger more electronic tone and brings it back home to almost "old school" Beatles, actually singing nicely (But don't get me wrong, I still definitely like the other side of Lennon too). George also has one of my favorite Beatles guitar solos in this song; another reason I really enjoy it. In my opinion, Magical Mystery Tour, as weird as it is, is a big step up from Sgt. Peppers because of the superior song writing and quality of songs. -Brooks Gonzales
Staying on the topic of rock, Papa Roach, a hard rock band formed in 1993 in Vacaville CA, is definitely one of the pioneers of modern rock. Starting out as a more punk rock and hip-hop influenced band, their first EP's "Potatoes for Christmas," and "Caca Bonita," were released in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Eventually the band lost its hip-hop influence transitioning more into harder rock with definite alternative metal influence.
Their second album "Infest," reached the extremely prestigious level of triple platinum due to the success of its most popular song "Last Resort." The hip-hop element is noticeable with the songs less than melodic verses. Although the guitar is very important in the songs' rock structure.
In their third studio album "Getting Away With Murder," the success of songs like "Getting Away With Murder," and "Scars," helped the album hit platinum. The change from a hip-hop band so to speak to a more conventional rock band is very apparent in this album in both their songs and image. The guitar starts to become a more prominent and center stage role on the tracks, there is also more singing during the verses and not only limited to the chorus.
On October 9th, Papa Roach released their first "real" album in about 4 years and seventh studio album; "THE CONNECTION." The album is strikingly flowing and creates a "balance between its early roots as a nu-metal/rap-rock outfit and its more recent interest in '80s-style Sunset Strip hard rock," (Allmusic). With songs like "Wish You Never Met Me," and "Give Me Back My Life," The Connection is probably their most contemporary sounding album to date.
(Although this isn't the video of the actual song, I thought this guitar cover was pretty cool, enjoy...here's the link to the real song Give Me Back My Life video link).
Papa Roach is one of the most popular and respected rock bands of my generation and hopefully they will continue to make great music for many more years.
On June 1st, 1967, The Beatles released their 8th studio album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," entering the psychedelic era that The Beatles are known so well for. This coming only four years after "Please Please Me," a very drastic change in my opinion. This album really accentuates the "Great Leap Forward," made by their last album (Revolver) including more sophisticated song writing and higher/more unconventional experimentation with lyrics and styles. The album is very different to say the least, but even one who has never studied music or even The Beatles before, could notice that drugs play a huge role in influencing the album. Ringo even says it himself in "With a Little Help From My Friends," in chorus he says: "I get by with a little help from my friends, I get high with a little help from my friends," I'm not sure how much more obvious one could get. But there is also the argument that his friends just make him happy and lift his spirits high...although I'm not buying that scenario. Even with this subliminal messaging of sorts, it doesn't take away anything from this song, and its very catchy melody and overall feeling of an instant classic. Another instant classic and the third track on the album, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," was also heavily influenced by drugs. Is it just merely coincidence that the only three capitalized words in the title first letters spell LSD? Maybe (although probably not), but the song is "trippy" to say the least. Even though some of the lyrics include the images of "the tangerine trees and the marmalade sky," the song is probably the best songs of psychedelia as a whole. The soft and comforting melody emphasized by Lennon's whispery vocals along with the organ in the background makes the song what it is.
Another really trippy song off of the album is "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" Lennon wrote most of the song although Paul is said to have collaborated on the track as well. But the song isn't really a song at all. Shortly after the release of the song, Lennon openly said that the lyrics were taken almost word for word from a poster for a circus from the 1840's. After the first verse there is an instrumental break that encompasses a merry-go-roundish sound creating a "swirl of sound," creating an almost creepy feel.
Regarding the video below: as I was looking for a version of the real song I found this...I'm not sure what to even say at this point except for drugs are bad kids...although my favorite part is most definitely 2:15
Even with it's controversial themes, Sgt. Peppers is still a pretty good album with its first three songs becoming breakout hits. Not my favorite Beatles album but still important nonetheless.
1966 was a very busy year in Rock & Roll but probably one of the biggest events was the release of The Beatles 7th album "Revolver." This album pretty much screams drugs..but it still is probably one of my favorite albums. This CD has songs raging from the satirical song "Taxman," to "Love You Too," both preformed by George to the ever famous "Yellow Submarine," (to be honest even though I now am a Beatles fan I still think that it's a really stupid song). The song "Love You Too," began Georges' first and in my opinion best try at the Indian feel that The Beatles and other bands were experimenting with at that time. Georges mastery of the sitar really makes this song what it is.
Another huge hit on this album is none other than "Elanor Rigby," sung by Paul, only accompanied by a double string quartet in the background adding to the somber and very serious mood created by the song itself. This is also the first track in which no other Beatles were apart of or played on. Another strange aspect of this song is that even though it is led my McCartney, the song is still depressing, something that is rarely seen by The Beatles, let alone Paul.
The second to last track on the album, "Got To Get You Into My Life," was another hit on "Revolver," eventually even being covered by the one and only Earth, Wind & Fire. The two versions are very different from each others version yet still maintaining some similarity. The Beatles version sung by McCartney introduces a prominent brass section like the Earth, Wind & Fire version but also takes a more bluesy route with the chorus. Also a short guitar solo that is almost identical to the guitar riff in "Paperback Writer" appears right before the horns re-enter. The Earth, Wind & Fire version seems to take a more "funky" role as that is what they do best.
Another of my favorites from this album is a song called "And Your Bird Can Sing." The reason this song is so cool in my opinion is that the repetitive harmonies of "...and your bird can sing," are never sung the same, always on a different chords. The song also has great guitar playing with many solos along with a really technical and cool repeating riff. And Your Bird Can Sing video link
Overall, this album is one of my favorite Beatles albums because of its diversity and the quality of songs that it contains. In this album The Beatles are still transitioning into the psychedelic band they will become in the later 60's yet there are definitely moments of foreshadowing this change, making the album all the more interesting.
Breaking Benjamin, a band out of Wilkes-Barre PA formed in 2000, has flown to the top of my radar recently. Their alternative metalish, hard rock feel is really accentuated and not possible without guitarist- Aaron Fink and bassist- Mark James Klepaski, along with lead vocalist- Ben Burnley, and drummer- Jeremy Hummel.
They look like the kinda guys you don't want to get into a bar fight with...
Both bassist and guitarist, came from the alternative metal band Lifer (formally known as Strangers With Candy), a very surprising and unexpected decision, especially because Lifer was signed to Universal and Breaking Benjamin, well wasn't. In my opinion, Breaking Benjamin is much better band in general and far from a copy of Lifer, taking a "radio friendly" approach with aggressive yet melodic songs. Although they are all very talented men, the lyrics of their songs can be depressing yet Burnley finds a way to keep the songs energetic and really interesting. There's a rough and engaging quality about his voice that really defines what a rock band should sound like.
One of my favorite songs "Into the Nothing," is no exception to this rule. Its heavy guitar fits right in with Ben's rugged but very somehow soothing lyrics. This song is off of their last recorded album to this date "Dear Agony" from 2009, also featuring killer songs like "Dear Agony" (a really depressing song but with amazing playing) and "I Will Not Bow," another great rock song.
The video synced up to the song (Dear Agony) is a clip from Seven Pounds, starring Will Smith. I feel like this clip works perfectly with what the song is about. Watch and listen and you'll know exactly what I mean.
This video is of the band actually performing; To be honest, I never would've thought that that sound could come out of that mans body. But it does, and it sounds really good.
Another great CD their 2006 album Phobia. This album picks up were "We Are Not Alone," (2004) left off, mixing hard rock aspects and a "moody demeanor" creating an amazing flow and killer songs. Not only does this album have intense songs like "You," it also has uplifting songs (to a sense) like "Until the End," showing his resilient and never give up attitude "You" video link/ "Until The End" video link
Overall Breaking Benjamin is exactly what I think of when I think hard rock band containing a great mix of guitar and rough rugged vocal with an almost hypnotizing melody. (RIYL- Three Days Grace, Crossfade, Skillet)
