Keeping It Fresh

It's been almost 2 weeks since my last post. And to be honest the reason I haven't I just haven't been feeling any inspiration. There hasn't been a song that has compelled me to write or an artist that makes me want to share their music the past couple of weeks. And it's not because there isn't any good music out there, we all know that there's plenty of good music. But it just felt kind of like a dry spell, until I came across this song. Now, I know the Hamilton mixtape was all the rage when it came out. And now that I have listened to it in full, I can definitely see why. This mixtape is such a beautiful piece of art because it attacks so many different issues across so many levels and does so in a way that is so incredibly relatable and catchy. One of the best parts of this mixtape though is that it features artists from so many different heritages. And this song specifically features work by rappers from various ethnic backgrounds. And what makes i...

Big news! Last weekend was the first weekend of Austin City Limits! Now ACL is one of the biggest music festivals in the South, and rightfully so! The festival claims six days over two weekends and over 200 artists, which is pretty nuts! I was lucky enough to be able to go, and I wanted to share my experience with you all. Which is why I thought it would be great to talk about some of the artists I got to see who completely surprised me! So let ACL Week begin! Today I want to talk about an artist who blew me away within the first 10 seconds of their performance. Greta Van Fleet is a band I had never heard of and probably wouldn't have come across in my music discovery paths. But thanks to ACL, I have been exposed to such a riot of a band, and I am excited to be able to share their music with you. This band sounds like a modern y Led Zepplin, and when the lead singer opened his mouth and let out the first note, I was hooked. It wasn't so much a note as much as it was a growli...

So, rock music for anyone? It has been too long since I last discussed rock music, a shame if I am to be honest. But I thought today and going forward, I can talk about more rock music, whether it be rock n roll or modern rock. Starting today with a band out of Japan, ONE OK ROCK. Now I only recently started listening to their music, and it took me back to my rock roots. I will say ,ONE OK ROCK tends to take a little bit more of a punk sound with this song, but it really works for them. One of the things I really have to appreciate about ONE OK ROCK, is that each album sounds different. The band is not afraid of trying out new sounds and vibes each time they put out an album, and I respect that both as a listener and as a musician. You can also really tell who has influenced the band. Some albums are almost like an homage to ONE OK ROCK's favorite and most inspiring bands, but they are still able to make each album sound like their own. Now the album which this song comes from i...

Today I have some smooth and groovy music for you by the duo known as The Electric Sons. What I find so interesting about this duo, is that neither of them really started out in music. In fact, both of the members have backgrounds in design and illustration. One of them even went so far as to be an illustrator for the ever popular show Archer. But now we have two guys who have come together to make music, and my word is it good. The Electric Sons tends to be more of an alternative and electronic group. Their melodies aren't of the pop variety and they certainly don't fit into the world of EDM. Their music tends to have a more indie and alternative melody and energy while utilizing the electronic instruments available to them. We hear this style of music a lot nowadays. The beautiful and seductive blend of electronic and R&B, soul, and even jazz elements has become a popular direction for musicians and artists. And I understand why! This style of music allows artists like...

Today's song is very interesting one. It isn't often that I talk about heavy metal groups or heavy rock groups in general. While it is common to hear rock bands cover each other, it isn't necessarily common to hear covers done the way that Bad Wolves has covered this iconic song. Bad Wolves created a cover of The Cranberries' most iconic and classic song. And the way they did it is not only an incredible performance but a moving tribute to Dolores O'Riordan who sadly passed away this year. I hadn't heard of Bad Wolves until I heard this cover get released. And I have to admit, I was so humbled and moved by this version of the song. There are quite a few things that are going on in this song, which makes me love it even more. One of the things which makes this song so powerful is that the vocals are incredibly ferocious while displaying and a graceful and emotive sound. Tommy Vext delivers a growling performance about a topic that is sensitive and political an...

Wow, okay, it has been an awful long time since I last posted a song. Hopefully we can get back to some normalcy! And today I wanted to start out by introducing you all to some folk and acoustic music. And before I really jump into this song, I wanted to clear up a question that I have gotten multiple times in the past. Whenever I talk about music with people, I somehow always get asked the question "what is the difference between folk and country?" And I won't lie, at first I didn't have a definitive answer. It was always something I could hear in the music, an automatic distinction and difference between folk and country. But it took me quite a few times of trying to explain myself, before I actually was able to start verbalizing a good explanation as to what those differences may be. The first main difference, is that the term "folk" music, can apply to any style of music which is culturally traditional. It is an umbrella term which describes the music...

Today I have music for you by a more underground band by the name Gossip. This is a track I actually forgot about for a little while, until it started playing off one of my playlists. Naturally, I started to really jam out because, hey, it's been a while! And of course, hearing this song again after so long reminded me about how good this song is. Which leads us to the rest of today's post! There is so much energy in this song, and carries the energy of a rock song. This song goes from being a brooding prowl to being an energetic disco and indie rock song. This is something we could hear from more underground rock scenes, and was especially popular in the UK. There is a very distinct rock sound, one that makes it clear that this is a rock song and not a synth pop or electronic poop song. But at the same time, it has the dance-like qualitites of those kinds of songs. There is a sense of groove to the song that is heightened by the guitar beats and melodies. This song is defini...

Today I have some new music for you by a band that I have loved for a long time. 30 Seconds to Mars is a band that I have spent a lot of time talking about in the past, and they are out with a new track and hopefully, another album to follow suit. But the band has spent a lot of time touring and performing, taking a bit of a break, the frontman acting in a few films, etc. But I have to say, it is exciting to have the band finally drop some new music, so let's get into it. In standard 30 Seconds to Mars fashion, this song makes me feel like I am capable of doing anything. That tends to be a common theme across all of their albums. From the opening to the very end, this song surges with power and passion, ferocity and intensity. There is this fierceness to the music which feels like it is coursing through your veins, powering your mind, body, and soul. And that is one of the things I absolutely love about the band. The music is passionate and empowering, as are the music videos whi...

I feel like it has been such a long time since I have talked about some hardcore rock music. So today I have some heavy rock music for you all. This song just started playing in my head earlier in the evening, and it feels like a nice throwback to the time when rock music was full of this grit and grunge. Breaking Benjamin  I know it was for me, especially because this song definitely seemed to capture my mood for part of the day. This is one of the my favorite songs by the band Breaking Benjamin. A lot of people have heard this song, and many have fallen in love with it. For me, it is easy to see why this would be so popular among all age groups. Breaking Benjamin creates music that is very raw. Each song has a depth to it which we can all appreciate because we have been there. And that rawness is something to be commended. Now one of the reasons Breaking Benjamin isn't what we would call main stream rock, is due to their stylistic elements. One of the most prominent (and my a...

For some reason, today I couldn't get enough of electronic music. And so I figured, why not make today's post all about electronic music. But here's the plot twist. Today's electronic music isn't necessarily EDM. In fact, it borders more along the lines of funky house, with a lot of soul and groove thrown in. Chris Malinchak is the star of the day, with today's song also featuring the stunning vocals of one of my favorites, Mikky Ekko. Chris Malinchak got some acclaim with his first big song and I can see why. This guy has really great talent in instrumentation and song production. The style of this song is so funky smooth and has a great energy to it. This song sounds like what Michael Jackson hitting the electronic scene would sound like. Everything about this song captures the groovy disco and hip hop feel that Michael Jackson mastered and made his own. I could not stop dancing to this song no matter how many times I put it on repeat, and the song is so rem...

Today I have some wildly sick music for you. The band Sigur Rós is one of the most eclectic and hauntingly incredible bands I have ever heard. This is one of those bands that people seem to know about but also not know a thing about. Struggle, I know. But, for those of you who have never heard of  Sigur Rós or know the name but no songs, this is a special treat for you.  If there is one thing I have learned from my dabbles in literature, entertainment, and music, you really only get to experience these things for the first time once. I know it sounds so stupid, but when you think about it, the reality of that is there. You only get to experience something for the first time once. That elation and excitement and complete shock and utter bliss is something that you feel from experiencing something for the first time will never happen again once you have experienced it. So for those of you who are hearing Sigur Rós for the first time, I hope you really enjoy this first expos...

Today I have a little bit of a shorter post, but I can promise you that it's a good one. Today I wanted to focus on ethnic music, particularly, Indian music. And I have music for you by an artist out of England by the name Zack Knight. Now this is a guy who has a really great thing going on in terms of musicality. In fact, this is something I have seen a lot more of, a nice resurgence of a style of music that definitely went underground for a few years before resurfacing. This hip-hop oriented music is a great style because it is a smooth fusion of Indian and Western music. I mean it is a straight flow between the two, switching between them and making sure the song gets some Hindi in there as well as English. Now this song, in particular, is definitely geared more towards English, with only a few verses done in Hindi and Punjabi, but I seriously haven't been able to get the song out of my head. I mean it has everything- a sick beat, a catchy chorus, and a really good vibe....

Today I have some music for you that is so refreshing because it is just some good old rock and roll. This song is by a band called Splitter, a name that I would automatically think would suit a  more metal sound. But this song is what I think the Beatles would sound like if they had a little heavier rock. And I love it! This song has a lot of the older rock elements that have become classic, but the lyrics and style of guitar playing is very modern. That combination is pretty damn swell when we hear it in a song like this. I mean you take the guitar solo that is thrown in the middle, and that just screams rock and roll. And then, of course, we have the vocals which remind me so much of Paul McCartney. This is definitely what a modern day Beatles would sound like, and there is nothing wrong with that! Every kind of artists needs some evolution, it just so happens that a second band proves to be a bit of that evolution for the Beatles.  This song opens up with a repeated gu...

Today is a day of mourning for the music community. We lost an incredible vocalist, musician, and music member last night. Chris Cornell was the lead singer of the bands Soundgarden and Audioslave, and to this day remain one of the most important and pivotal influencers in the music community. The Grammy-nominated singer could be considered one of the fathers of grunge rock music and helped kick start a movement which shook the entire world. He helped define the niche genre that is grunge, taking the best elements of punk and metal to brew something completely unique and edgy. His voice was a force to reckoned with, being able to fluidly transition from a vulnerable howl to a gritty growl, with a range that spanned four octaves. From 1984 to now, Chris Cornell is a powerful presence and overcame much in his life. I pay so much respect and love towards Chris Cornell and his family. His work with music and his influence within rock music have been so transformative for the genre. My ...

Today I have some music for you by a trio of musicians who are an odd mix of electronic dance and rock music. And this rock music is more along the lines of hard rock. Art vs Science is a group out of Sydney, Australia with an intense, lively, and spunky spirit. Art vs Science is one of the oddest groups I have heard, but I absolutely love how unique and fun their music is. This band is one that has received some mixed reviews, with some dismissing their music and others praising them as one of Australia's greatest live acts. I will leave you to decide how to feel about the band, and would love to know what you think! But before we even get to that, let's take a look at a breakdown of this song. For starters, this is such a pumped up and fist-bump worthy song. The energy felt in this song is really reminiscent of The Beastie Boys and The Chemical Brothers for me. There is this very particular kind of sound that comes with musicians like this. I am going to try to put it in wo...

Today we are continuing on this "new music" tend, so I have some fresh melodies for you from a man who has really taken a leap forward in the entertainment game. For those of you who don't know, Harry Styles has just spent a good amount of time on filming the newest Christopher Nolan film, Dunkirk. However, just this past week, the One Direction singer turned actor released a solo track and I have to say it is quite interesting. This song is vastly different than what we are used to hearing from Harry Styles' work with One Direction. While the boy band seemed to focus more on young love and youthful shenanigans, this song is an odd ode to maturity and age. This song has a bittersweet kind of melancholy to it. I will say, I really like the way he has embraced the rock side of things, and almost takes a David Bowie or Oasis kind of approach to the song. There is a classic rock kind of vibe to this which I really enjoy. That mix of modern and classic works very well for ...

Today I have some music for you that comes from a band that has so much nostalgia attached to it. Last night, Panic! At the Disco played a show in Austin. Now many of you who have been following the blog for a while now, know that I like to report on the concerts I have been to. You probably also know that I frequent a lot of concerts. Keeping those thoughts in mind, I have to say, Panic! At the Disco was one of the most incredible and well-done shows I have ever seen. The lead singer, Brendon Urie, is one the most incredible and talented entertainers of our time. Not only can the man write songs and sing, but he can play multiple instruments and dances incredibly well. To top it all off, the man can perform so many different genres, and it is absolutely fantastic. So when I say that Panic! At the Disco was one of the greatest shows I have ever seen, it isn't a joke. Even before the show started, there was a theatrical aspect to the show. From beginning to end, the concert was rive...

Today I have some darker music for you. This is by one of my favorite bands of all time- Thirty Seconds to Mars. This is a band that has consistently delivered incredible music even in the wake of evolving their sound. I won't lie, I am mildly in love with Jared Leto. I mean the man is extremely gifted and versatile. From producing music to creating music videos to being one of the most low key-brilliant actors of our generation, Jared Leto is a man who expresses things so well. This song is one of my favorites by the band. It doesn't use the conventional band instruments as much as it does use synths and keyboards and strings. This is a song that is weirdly gut wrenching and pulls at your heart. But not in a sad and romantic. This is more of a personal battle, a fight with yourself, and that anguish is what we really get to feel and hear in this song. And we get that feeling the most from Jared Leto's vocals. In this song, we get a more raw version of his vocals, a sound t...

Today I have music for you by a band known as Small Black. This song is a cool and chill song that really takes on the idea of trance and psychedelic music. There is something about this song that really captures your attention. I don't really know what that one thing is and it is so hard to discern when there are lots of amazing things happening in this song. For starters, there is a great correlation of the indie feel this song has with the idea of synthpop. I think the two styles melded very well together and made something entirely new. While still maintaining elements of the indie and synthpop feel, this song took a turn towards more chill style and dream style music. And that, that is one of the greatest things about music. You can start with two totally different things and end up with a new sound and idea. This song has very interesting vocal work. It is almost like a lower quality of recording because the vocals are so far removed from the rest of the music. There is an et...

 Today I have music for you by a band called She Wants Revenge. Now I won't lie, this was not a band I was familiar with until recently, but man was I impressed and jamming to this introductory song. This is a song that has a lot of grit and is a little rough around the edges. The guitar takes on a much edgier sound, which is something we are really missing from rock music today. This is a song that takes me back to the grungier times, the early 2000s style of rock. I mean when I listen to this song, it makes me feel like I am someone who strut down the hallway of some huge corporate office, and have everyone know that I am definitely someone important. This song oozes that kind of suave danger and I like that. It isn't too tame and has a prowess to it that makes the song something of a mischievous one. She Wants Revenge reminds me a little of The Black Keys. It is a two man band with the music consisting of a drummer/percussionist and a guitarist. But there is also a lot of co...