Music of Our Years

So Semester 1, Year 1. Long road ahead and makes you a bit nostalgic thinking about the end of high school again. Well one of the most important things coming from school that I brought through with me was my music. Yeah, people say that I am a purist. It's true though. I love music and love to go back to the roots of popular music back in the 1920s. I love the crackle at the sound of the old LP's, 45's and 78's. Might not appeal to what everyone else is looking for in a record but that authentic, pure sound that sends you right to their living room or recording studio makes me shiver with excitement every time I put the needle on. It's time to look back at the most important music that I can take with me through university. Plato once said, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” I can't think of anything better to describe the impact of music on my life. Music makes you cry, laugh, think and dance. For those that appreciate great music as much as myself, I'm sure they would agree with me that there are two kinds of people in the universe - lyric people and melody people. Quite simply, lyric people are those that always grab the record sleeve once they open their new vinyl or CD and read deep into the poetry before them. On the other side, all melody people need is a tune to dance or sing to, and we all know these kind of people. I can't help but always point all the good and bad things that have happened to me back to The Cure. The band from Blackpool, whom have passed through the cold age of UK post-punk into Gothic and alternative rock have endured the test of time, still going strong after 37 years. Robert Smith and company manage to bring out every emotion through their huge discography of work, from happiness to depression and everything in between. You only have to look at a few different songs to see how good The Cure is. I always fall back to the 1989 record, Disintegration, and in particular the track Prayers for Rain; quite possibly the saddest song recorded by the group. Yet, you only need to look 24 month prior to this record to witness their most "poppy" record to date and the regular radio hit Just Like Heaven () and then you really understand how brilliant The Cure really is. They got me through a lot of hard times and kept the good times going for even longer. Do you have a band or artist that got you through your life (so far)?

New Foals Record

So just listened to the new Foals record. Brilliant. The sound and energy bring the classic warmth and vibrant sounds that have accompanied their work. First impressions is that it is a record to watch for in 2013 and definitely will be featured on radio play all over the world. In depth review coming soon.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Heist It

Look back to 2010. Macklemore for many means nothing. To some, he is an uprising Seattle hip hop artist working with his producer Ryan Lewis. Above average for sure, his debut record does alright though not hugely successful. Back in 2012, he creates this masterpiece - The Heist. Macklemore present a lot of awesome hip hop tracks and none is better than the hit track Thrift Shop. A fun and exuberant performer, Macklemore rocks this track like any other about simply second hand shopping to find that sweet suit for the party of the weekend. The Heist revolves with other classic upbeat hip hop tracks like Can't Hold Us and Wing$ (a song about materialism revolving around kicks or basketball shoes). But his most emotional and important work may be his plea to America for same sex rights and marriage - Same Love. Recorded with fellow Seattle vocalist Mary Lambert, this song deals with every pertinent social issue in the last 50 years of American history and makes me cry every time. I would highly recommend checking out Macklemore out and definitely find his Tiny Desk Concert on NPR or iTunes.

Now is the time

Now is the latest single from revamped pop-punk band from Tennessee, Paramore, and they deliver with a whopper of a classic single. Opening with a very upbeat intro, reminding me of what The Yeah Yeah Yeahs brought to the table 5 or so years ago. The vocals are simple and work beautifully with Hayley Williams' well tuned voice and she delivers a booming chorus to accompany the somewhat new sound that the trio have embraced with a variety of single tracks that have been released through their Singles Club. Throughout the track, it feels very much like Paramore and no doubt will be a favourite live track with lots of regular playability. In fact, Now sounds almost like it could be recorded live on one track (though that seems highly rare these days with the advancements in recording technology). They have come a long way since the inner turmoil that ruined their majorly successful 2010 with a plethora of radio hits and various live tracks that are staples of their ever growing set list.

Be sure to check out Now and their hugely anticipated full length alb coming soon!

Updates

Hey guys.

Just some quick updates. It's like 6 in the morning. I have been away from blogging for close to 2 years. I'm been travelling and working out my life and stuff like that. I'm back home to finish my studies. Been a real blast to take a break, meet some sweet buds over in the US and Canada.

I will be resuming this blog with regular posta (daily I hope) and also add a podcast shortly.

See y'all soon!

Heartthrob - Tegan and Sara

Tegan and Sara, the quietly popular indie duo from Calgary, return in 2013 with their new record released for the end of winter in North America. First impressions shout out pop record at once, and is no surprise with new producer, known for his work with many other indie/pop artists. Heartthrob presents a new direction for the Quin sisters into the pop arena, something which they always seem to be closing in on with their emotional, lovesick lyrics and beautiful harmonies that proceed to get even better after every listen. They are far from their original work with their acoustic guitars in their living room and now are producing top notch radio hits with a heavily processed sound, yet they still feel like the same duo 10 years down the track.

Opening with their first single Closer, Tegan and Sara sound very different from their works from So Jealous and The Con. Instead, it reminded me of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, in the upbeat, high energy track yet still they remain deep and focused on the lyrics as always. This high energy has always been with Tegan and Sara, as much as they love to play the melancholy stuff as seen in previous tracks like Speak Slow and Northshore. Here we see a whole record of this sound with a lot of delay effects and synth work. It continues with Goodbye, Goodbye and Drove Me Wild.

And then we hit a very familiar sound. I Couldn't Be Your Friend begins with a very familiar sound (I'll leave it to you to figure it out) and they are again showing this new energy and sound that will please old fans and bring new ones to their plethora of shows I'm the next 18 months. There are a variety of tracks on this new record that will are a lot of radio airplays and the success of the record has great potential to what the Canadian duo have released after a decade of writing and touring around the world. Though they have left the concept of the great record, they have presented us with a gem and are looking forward to a long road of touring ahead.

Tegan and Sara head to Australia May for Grooving the Moo and headlines shows (dates to be announced shortly). Heartthrob looks to be an early leader for album of the year though its the first of my review since resuming We Called It Music. See y'all soon!