Keeping It Fresh

Today's song is by a band from Rhode Island called ZOX. This band has a very upbeat and fun sound to it What I find so interesting and entertaining about this song is how it has a reggae and rock sound to it! The energy it brings is something I have heard before, but the actual melodies are quite different and brilliant! Now a lot of rock bands today are not necessarily focusing on the reggae specific sound, but the music industry in general is starting to see a reemergence of that Caribbean style sound. And I love that because who doesn't like that chilled out, calm, and bubbly kind of music? Now what sets this band apart from other bands that employ the reggae technique is that the vocals do not necessarily match. I mean, the vocals fit the band and musicality of the group, but at the same time, there is something about these vocals that give this song a more dynamic sound. I guess if you put the music on wave crests, the instrumentals have the vocal wave next to i...

Today's song is probably the best cover I have heard of this song, and one of the most incredible covers of all time. Chet Faker is honestly one of my all time favorite solo artists. This is a man who has so many musical capabilities, that I can't help but be extremely impressed by his music. Now believe it or not, this is the first single Chet Faker ever put out, and it happens to be a cover of one of the biggest R&B songs of the 90s. I have never heard a hip hop and rap song turned into such a cool, acoustic, and smooth song with such perfection and pristine. Every note is beautifully done and the whole song was arranged in such an incredible manner to where it maintains an R&B beat while still being an indie song. Chet Faker uses the sultry rasp in his voice to add a seductive factor to this rendition. That also makes his voice something that can be mellow and emotive, making us really feel what he feels. What I find really cool about this cover is the weird mix of s...

Today I have some newer music for you! Now it has come to my attention that there is a new dance out there, the successor of the whip/nae nae. Now this song has recently become a viral phenomenon. I mean there are videos all over YouTube of people making parodies, performing, and teaching this dance. So I guess we have moved onto bigger and better things, right? Now this song is by iHeart Memphis, and if you are like me, that name means nothing to you. I had never heard of this artist until I saw a video for the dance to this song. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks as to why this song got so popular. Because it is one of those that has an easy dance to go with it, something a great majority of people can do. Am I working on it? Of course! I mean I want to be able to do it when the song comes on at the club, right? Anyway, this song is definitely similar to all the other songs out there that have dances to go along with them. But I won't lie, there is a certain level of swag t...

Today I have some music for you by a guy who started out on YouTube. We all know how big vlogging has gotten these past few years, and a lot of these YouTube personalities have started breaking out of the internet scope in order to expand their influence. Now this YouTuber has expanded in a very interesting way, in the sense that he entered the music world, but did so through the internet. He also started out by singing and posting those videos, and then got into the vlogging trend. Troye Sivan is probably one of my favorite music discoveries of the past couple of years. There are so many amazing things about Troye Sivan and his music that I just had to post his music! Troye Sivan has a very unique sound, one that has started to pick up in popularity, but is also a lesser known genre. I don't really know how to classify his sound, but the closest I would get to is a mix of indie pop, indietronica, and R&B. The beautiful thing about Troye Sivan's voice is that it has this so...

Today I have music from a band out of Texas called Seryn. This song definitely has its folksy sound, but it also has something that really makes it stand out from many other folk sounding bands. There is an element of more off beat drum work and the pulse of the song is something different. I love how there is an indie flare to the song, and I think this is a band worth looking deeper into. As a whole, the band's strength and musical power comes from the vast musical abilities and instrumental talents. The understanding of how to harmonize and create a song that has a dynamism rooted in a commonality is part of the graceful beauty the song has. What makes this song vocally dynamic is the splendid array of harmonies throughout. Each voice is so important to making the song flow the way it needs to. One voice is no less than another, nor is one voice more important than another. While this song starts out as something folksy, it turns into this wall of sound that is incredibly euphon...

Today I have some slower music for you again. I haven't really been feeling the more hyped up music lately, given the circumstances. But just because a song is slower and more melancholy doesn't mean it is a bad song. In fact, a lot of the slower and more emotive songs are the ones we fall in love with the most. This song is by Charice, a highly underrated vocalist. She comes from The Philippines and was discovered by Oprah. She has a voice that can completely blow you away. She has a voice that is so incredibly powerful, even when she is singing softly. Her voice is full of so much soul and you can feel that she sings with her entire being. For someone so young, her voice speaks volumes and boasts so much maturity. Her vocal control is absolutely phenomenal, soaring up to hit the high notes and dropping to get the lower ones. I am putting her live performance up today because listening to her live is so much more rewarding than listening to the recorded versions. Charice is a ...

Today is a rough one. Yesterday marked the anniversary of one of the most tragic events in American history. It marked the day that America watched the towers fall. It marked the day people all over the world joined together in prayer and love and support. But I am sad to say, as of yesterday, it also makes the passing of family. Biologically, we were not related. But this man was father to one of my best friends. A role model, a loving figure, and an incredibly kind and gentle person. I cannot understand why these things happen. I wish I had the words to convey the pain I feel for the kids and wife. I wish I had the words to comfort them and let them know that time can heal. But my words fail me now. And all I can do is be there. So my posts may be a little more sporadic these next few days. But I wanted to tribute this post to the man who was a father figure to me. A man who watched me grow up, and a man who never let me forget how much I was worth. I love you, and may you be with yo...