Category: music

The New Punk?

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Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. Quite a name for a rap group, isn’t it? However, OFWGKTA, or Odd Future, as they are often called, is as far from a traditional rap group as they come.

They have been described as “horrorcore” and “Alternative Hip Hop,” and have dismissed the first, while reluctantly accepting the second. However, thinking about what the represent in the Hip-Hop world today, I’ve come up with an new way to describe OFWGKTA, “Punk Rap.”

The definition of Punk Rock is, “rock music with deliberately offensive lyrics expressing anger and social alienation; in part a reaction against progressive rock.”

Well, if that’s Punk Rock, and Odd Future’s music could be described as rap music with deliberately offensive lyrics expressing anger and social alienation; in part a reaction against progressive rap, then I’d say that that makes them pretty Punk.

I can’t post any of their lyrics that demonstrate it here, but the Orange Juice and Yonkers show it pretty well.

“The Black Plague”

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First it was the “Bieber Fever,” which was pretty awful to begin with, but now the world has moved onto a new disease; “The Black Plague.”

To be honest, I’m really surprised that no other fellow OVS blogger posted anything about her. It’s been a considerably sociable talking subject.

To be honest, I feel really bad for her for three reasons.

One, she may very well think that she is a good singer. I can openly admit that I’m an absolutely awful singer, and that would stop me from ever wanting to take a career in vocalizing. Can’t she hear herself sing? How could her parents let her put herself out there. The world is cruel and no matter how great she may be, the general public will pick away at her until they could find something worth hating. However, in her situation, her main act was apparently worth hating.

Two, all the death threats. Even if she is a good singer, nobody deserves to be told “I hope you cut yourself,” and “I hope you’ll get an eating disorder so you’ll look pretty, and I hope you go cut and die.” It’s awful! Even if she was an awful conceited person, she doesn’t deserve to be told that. No matter how many times she may deny the fact that it really takes a toll on her confidence, it must.

Three, her fifteen minutes of fame are really from people making fun of her. Even if she is thirteen, there is no excuse for using something so embarrassing to put yourself out there even further. I guess that you could say her confidence may be admirable, but this seems more like ignorance. Is she really that oblivious to what people actually think of her?

Mumford and Sons.

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Mumford and Sons

Mumford and Sons are a folk rock band from London. They are a four-piece band with one common cause- to make great music.

Formed in 2007, the band emerged from West London’s Country Scene. When the group first  came together they shared one thing in common, passion. They’re  love for music, specifically in the folk scene, made it easy for them to write and create great songs  that emitted their enthusiasm.

After writing their first bundle of songs the band hit the road, drawing in the masses with their unique style and quirky songs.

By October 2009 Mumford and Sons released their first album “Sigh No More.” This debut proved a success both in their home nation, coming second in the UK Album Chart, and in the U.S where it peaked on the Billboard 200.  Mumford and Sons had not just triumphed their hometown but also a super power.

After the release of their first album the group have only gone up in people’s opinions. With melodies full of warming tones and lyrics that tell of great tales, the group really can do no wrong.

The Secret Life of an Abandoned Band Room.

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The cramped room has faded white walls with various cracks that run like spider webs along the ceiling. There rectangular light on the ceiling flickers occasionally, casting a dull fluorescent glow around the room.

There is a large window covered by shut and dusty blinds, hiding the room from any passerby outside. Opposite of the window is an old door that never fails to creak upon someone’s entrance; it’s rusty handle jamming every third turn. There is a massive black amplifier next to the door with countless amounts of lined papers atop it; each one with at least seven scribbled out lines that had to be rewritten.

The amplifier is attached by a winding black chord to a beaten up and dented microphone, carelessly left at the foot of its towering stand as if dropped by its owner. The once perfectly rounded head of the microphone points to a wooden chair with two electric guitars leaning against it; one is black and sharp, the other orange and rounded.

The bodies of the guitars are almost touching a menacing bass drum precariously placed on a weak stand; one hard kick from its pedal would make it shudder and squirm, as though it was discomforted. The drum is attached to an entire kit, but its crash cymbal has a large crack that splinters out from the center of the dull gold cylinder. In front of the unsteady drum kit is a single sheet of lined paper, resting face-up on the musky blue carpet.

The paper is slightly crinkled around the edges and bright blue ink litters the page in an unceremonious scrawl. The violent markings on the paper form silent words and unfinished thoughts, starting strong with personal ramblings, “Time has frozen the lives we chose.”

There are so many things I would do to escape back to the wondrous place of Power Chord Academy. It’s enchanting with its college-dorm-rooms-turned-band-room and its dingy rental drum kits and its ever musically gifted and ever smiling students. PCA, you’re only a summer away.

A new concept.

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Music
I have always admired and loved music. From birth my parents would play artists such as Simply Red and Blur around the house. My parents always encouraged me as a child to listen to music and Friday night became the highlight of my week when I became introduced to the music show, Top of the Pops.

Throughout my life I have heard music from bands such as Oasis, U2 and Coldplay which has consequently lead me to have a great love for music of all types. Although I love music I never really made the effort to learn to play a musical instrument.

Two years ago my Dad started learning the acoustic guitar. He greatly regretted never learning and encouraging me and my sister to learn so he attempted to inspire us later on in life.

Throughout my life I have excelled at different hobbies but never seem to follow them through due to fear of failure. From the age of 3 I did ballet, carrying on until I was 11. But after a move in location, out of fear, I never restarted. My teacher recommended I go to proper dance school but I just never had the faith that I’d be good enough. Now I look back at these moments with much regret but I acknowledge that maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.

I now have no real talent or hobbies so I thought it was about time I found something. Last week after discovering a music shop in Ventura called Pulse Drumming, which  advertised Ukulele lessons, I began to learn how to play the Ukulele.  It’s a small start but after going to buy my first Ukulele today I have become truly inspired.

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O Music, Where Art Thou?

theycallmedame1 Comment

Okay, rant time.

Music Appreciation.

I am currently sitting inside the journalism classroom between fourth and fifth period with three other students and “thebrownguy.” (by the time you read this I probably won’t be in the classroom, but whatever)

I am playing Queen on my computer.

One of students raised their head from their computer screen with a confused look on her face, “What band is this?”
I look at her, stunned.
“You don’t know what band this is?!?” I’m shocked.
“Um, no, should I?”
“Um, YES!” I exclaim, “Queen only wrote We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Bicycle Race, Fat Bottomed Girls, Bohemian Rhapsody, and that’s just naming the famous songs!”

The rest of our time goes like this:

“Do you know who Aerosmith is?”
“No.”
“Guns N’ Roses?”
“No.”
“Led Zeppelin?”
“No.”
“Oh my god what is wrong with this generation?!?”
“I know Drake and Rhianna, that’s pretty much it.”
“WHAT?”

I want to cry.

How can we live where the only music people appreciate is written by someone who isn’t the artist, the chord progressions are so generic you can find 100 other songs with the exact same ones, and that the voices are doused in auto tune and pitch correction the listener doesn’t even know how the artist really sounds like?

What ever happened to real musicians?

The Beatles, Bessie Smith, Queen, The Turtles, Tom Petty, Michael Jackson, Andrew Anderson?

Have we really reached a point in history where those who are “musicians” have a pretty face and cheap software to make their voice sound like a robot on crack?

Oh world, please come back to your senses.
Please?

R.I.P. Biggie Smalls

dmilesburton1 Comment


March 9th, 1997, 1:15 AM. Christopher George Latore Wallace lies in a hospital bed. He has four bullet wounds in his chest, and he is dead. In the coming hours and for years to follow, Wallace will be mourned by more than just his family and friends. Biggie Smalls, the face of east coast rap, has died, and rap music will never be the same.

Wallace was twenty four years old, and if you asked his mother the day he was born if she thought he was going to be one of the greatest rappers in history, she probably would have said no. A straight-A student at a private school, he later transfered to a state-funded school where Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes were also in attendance, where he began rapping.

Wallace released his first demo in 1992. It gathered almost no attention for him until he was featured in The Source’s Unsigned Hype column. He then was invited onto a mixtape that was reviewed by Sean “Diddy” Combs, who imedeately signed him to Uptown Records.

His first solo album was released in 1994, and it peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200. By the end of the year, he and Tupac Shakur were involved in one of the largest hip-hop feudes of all time .

Two years later, Shakur was shot in Las Vegas, Nevada. He died six days later due to complications from the bullet wounds. Before Shakur was pronounced dead, Wallace had already been blamed by multiple sources. A formal investigation was never conducted, but Wallace denied any relation to the shooting.

In 1997, Wallace released his second album, which ended up at #1 on the Billboard 200. He had gotten in a car accident that shattered his leg during the recording, and had decided “to focus on his ‘peace of mind’. ‘My mom… my son… my daughter… my family… my friends are what matters to me now'”

On March 8th, 1997, Wallace attended the Soul Train Music Awards. He left after the show was over with no idea that in 45 minutes, the world would lose one of its most prominent public figures, him.

R.I.P. Biggie Smalls

Best Coast

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It’s not common that a band is found that is titled exactly as they sound.

Best Coast, a rock group from Los Angeles, California sounds exactly like a California summer should. They sound pretty much like the 1950’s rock scene mixed with modern beachy music which makes an overall enjoyable sound.

Their lead singer Bethany Cosentino, pictured above, is the main attraction with her easy going voice and her overall adorableness. The band however also consists of female drummer, Ali Koehler, and a multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno.

The band is currently signed to Mexican Summer Records and is continuing making new albums. However their older music can be found all over hipster blogs and youtube along with itunes and mediafire.

Bethany is practically my idol because not only does she write all her own songs that are easy for everyone to play, she also is an overall beautiful person. Her life also relates to mine in the sense that both our dads are musicians and we have very similar tastes in music. She also isn’t afraid of what other people think of her music.

She stated in an interview, “I don’t know. I’m inspired by the idea of writing about romance and writing about love. I think it’s relatable thing. I think that when you write a record of songs that are all really about really loving somebody, or really caring about somebody, or somebody is driving you crazy because you can’t figure out what the situation is… I think anybody can listen to a Best Coast song and can think, “Oh yeah, I’ve been there at one point in my life.” and she couldn’t be further from the truth.

For more of that article click here

If you haven’t heard of them or listened to them give it a try, and hey if you don’t like it, no big deal.

Lykke Li.

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Female artists always inspire me and Lykke Li is no exception.Li’s music is classified as indie.

Originating from the small european country of Sweden the female artists music has now progressed world widely. Through her songs we see influences of her european heritage and swedish roots.

Lykke Li’s music is excellently varied. She has slow songs such as “Tonight” for those who need to relax and quirky up beat songs like “Get Some” for those who prefer the busier melody. Thousands across the world enjoy her music with it’s soothing tones and quirky  attitude.

Her became known after her song “little bit” in 2007. The release of the song followed on to numerous remixes which included a  debut by the well-known hip-hop artist Drake.

Although Lykke Li has had many of her own songs she has also collaborated with many other artists such as Primal Scream, Kleerup and Royksopp.

Releasing her new album “Wounded Rhymes” on the 25th of February 2011, her latest single  “I follow rivers” is proving to be a hit among indie lovers, appearing on popular blogs and sites.

In my opinion Lykee Li is different from artists and that is what I love about her. She’s unique and doesn’t try to impress or conform to the stereotypes, releasing great songs that are easy to listen to and put one in a great mood.
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An Idol Falls

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She was at the top of her game. When she stepped out onto the stage the audience roared with excitement, but most of all inspiration.

Christina Aguilera’s career started off at the top of charts with consecutive hit singles and

She began, at an early age, as a member of the world famous Mickey Mouse Club and blew everyone away with her “powerhouse” voice. Almost instantly her career built up to complete stardom. The Latina songstress caught everyone’s eye, or ear, when asked to sing the theme song for the 1998 Disney cartoon, Mulan and the publicity led to a successful debut album and suddenly she was the girl that everyone wanted and wanted to be.

After her fame had been set in stone she continued to come out with songs that blew our minds and wrenched our hearts. One album entitled Stripped featured poetic lyrics that reassured an unsure and self-conscious crowd of doubtful

Every time she opened her mouth the most beautiful, powerful sound came out.