Keeping It Fresh

Today I have a really beautiful song for you by One Direction. While I am not a directioner, I cannot deny the vocal talent that theses kiddos have. I think what really makes this group work beside the boyish charms and "boy band" factor is that fact that these guys can really belt out a moving song. The greatest asset is the way they harmonize. Sometimes it is a simple harmony and other times it is a four part harmony along with the main line. I can tell you right now that harmonizing is not an easy task, but they way these five guys have harmonies weave in and out of the main line so effortlessly and very smoothly is very impressive. I won't deny it, I really love this song. The vocalization they came up with for this song is really quite brilliant. A lot of the charm and sweetness to this song is the use of less instruments and relying more on the voices. The harmonization in this song is what makes this song really quite beautiful. Are some of the lyrics cliche? Yes. ...

Okay, today I am very excited to post this song because it is by one of the members of the most iconic trio in history, Swedish House Mafia. This song is by Steve Angello, a man who is a really great DJ and producer. This song features the beautiful vocals of Dougy from the band the Temper Trap (another great band to check out.) This song goes back to the old progressive house, the older style which made this genre what it is today. This song goes back to the roots of house music and I enjoy that so much because it seems to me that a lot of that sweetness has been sucked out of electronic music. There is not a crazy build up and there is so much more focus on the marriage between the vocals and the instrumentation. This song tells us a story in a beautiful way which is something that has not been done in the electronic world for a very long time. This song is a great example of how worlds can collide. With the main chorus, we get that electronic feel that Steve Angello provides, one th...

Today I have music for you by an incredible solo artist who goes by the name Mika. This song is one of the earliest to involve Ariana Grande before she became famous and when she sounded like a normal human instead of a child. I know, that is slightly rude but it had to be said. I won't deny her talent, but her old style is much better than her new stuff. Anyway, this is one of favorite songs produced by Mika. This man is a very talented vocalist and I love the type of songs he sings. Yes, they do have that pop feel to it, but it isn't your standard kind of pop. This song is so much fun to listen to because Mika and Ariana Grande harmonize so well together and this range allows the song to be more upbeat and exciting. This song has such a great beat to it and the instrumentation is a mix of pop and jazz and swing which I thought sounded really good. Mika has that very distinct and unique style that fits only him and this song really makes use of that style. The thing about Mika...

Today I have a very interesting combination of songs. This first song is a pretty popular song by the band Magic! Now this song is actually very catchy and has a pop reggae sound to it which I found very enticing. It isn't everyday that you hear a band that plays music like this and have it be on the radio waves. But I really like the resurgence of reggae fusion because it has been a very long time since we have heard anything else on the radio other than the excessive auto tuning and strange things in general. But this band does a great job of sounding pretty unique while also being something that a vast audience could listen to. Now the song composition is pretty great. I really like the way Magic! used two guitars to make those easily recognizable reggae tunes. All in all this song is really catchy due to these reggae beats. I would have liked to hear a little more reggae percussion, but hey, this will do just fine! The lead singer Nasri Atweh is a brilliant songwriter and has w...

Today I have some epic music for you. Linkin Park seems to be quite masterful in the art of making epic songs. It is almost as if they don't have to try very hard to make things sound really bad ass. This song in particular focuses heavily on the bass guitar and percussion. Even the rapping is flawlessly epic and it has this powerful energy. This song has all the power and strength that comes with a song that is full of energy and dark sounds. There is a tribal guttural sound that really makes this song the great sound that it is. The lead singer Chester Bennington has this forceful sound to the guttural singing and it reminds me of the Dothraki from Game of Thrones. The way they speak and the way he sings is so perfect for this growling song. Gosh, Linkin Park is just so capable of creating a song that can take your breath away because it is that incredibly wicked. Now if we talk about the instrumentation of this song, there is much to appreciate. For starters, the song opens up w...

It has been a very long time since I have posted a song by this duo. Hurts is one of my favorite musician groups. There is something very distinct about all of their songs. Even when the message is something happy or romantic, there is this melancholic sound that drips over everything. It is very interesting to hear that because many artists make songs that reflect one major emotion, one that connects to the song the most. But what Hurts does is reflect the range of emotions that we feel all the time. When things are jovial and great, there can still be a twinge of sadness we feel. When things are really bad, there is a chance at hope. This band so aptly describes the human condition in both their music and lyrics. This song in particular explores the desire to be in love and fall in love and want that elation that only being in love can bring. This song has a phenomenal instrumental sound to it. There is the normal synth sound that accompanies Hurts and that subtle gospel sound to it...

Today I have some music for you by Tritonal and Paris Blohm. Both of these artists are forces to be reckoned with. They may be considered "new blood" in the world of electronic music, but these two definitely belong up there. This song is so incredibly wicked! This song was just so well produced and it has some of the sickest elements I have heard in a very long time. The opening of this song starts calmly and with a piano but then it turns into such a pumped up song. When people see video clips of electronic concert goers jumping and dancing and having a wild time, this song is something that could be playing in the background. It has all the elements of a fantastic trance song. The vocal verses are less intense and less electronic oriented. In this case, the piano and keyboard take the verses on. But then during the buildup, the vocals turn into a beautifully strong scream accompanied by synths and then leads up to a drop that makes you want to go wild. The composition and ...