Keeping It Fresh

Today I have some music for you by the artist known as Nathan Ball. Now from the name, you would think that this is a one man show. Which technically it is. I mean the main part of the act is indeed the singer songwriter, Nathan Ball. But this is actually a four man band. Now when I say it is a four man band, I mean that Nathan Ball has a great entourage of musicians who play and make his music complete. And, I am so happy to say that one of these musicians is a cellist.  Also known as my favorite stringed instrument. Of course I am biased because I am a cellist myself, but it always makes me so happy to know that orchestral instruments are making a lot of headway in the music industry today. But on to this beautiful song! So this is a song that has a lot more ambiance to it. It isn't a sad or happy song, melancholy or bubbly song. But it is one of those songs that has the ability to put you in the moment. It is the kind of song that you can listen to while paying attention, or hav...

Today's music is by an artist that I haven't been able to stop listening to lately. The Knocks is an awesome musical duo from the great, New York City. The Knocks is such a great musical group because they are able to pull off so many sounds without a second's hesitation. This song though is my absolute favorite. This song is so unlike the rest of their music. Normally they have a more rave kind of sound, something that is more high energy. And this song does have a great dancing beat and movement to it! But this song has that really special kind of energy that makes you feel everything around you. It isn't everyday that you hear and electronic song that takes you to that special place where everything falls away, and it is just you and the beautiful world. This is one of those psychedelically wonderful songs, taking you to a higher state. This is a song that reminds me of the ecstasy of being alive and doing things that make me feel completely free and alive. This is a...

Today I have some darker, more moving music for you. Both songs today are very piano heavy, relying mainly on those graceful notes to convey so much emotion. This song is by solo artist Too Far Moon. Music like this is the kind of music that leaves you completely speechless. There is a heavenly allure to the song, and when you listen to the song, you don't want to break that silence. You don't want to let go of how that song pierced an arrow through your soul, and breaking that silence would be like pulling that arrow out. This is one of those songs that bypasses your mind and goes straight for your heart and soul. Too Far Moon writes the lyrics and produces all of his music, and the fact that he created a song as spectacular and heart wrenching as this is a bit bittersweet. Sweet in the sense that we are able to hear something that is so full of emotion and life. Bitter in the sense that he must have gone through something utterly heart shattering to write this work of art. Wh...

Today I have a remix of one of the most popular songs of 2015. But you see, I am not here to talk about the original song. That has been overdone and overheard for a while. No, today is all about how genius and well done this remix is. This was done by Balvin and Farruko, a duo of Latin American artists. Now what makes this remix one of my favorites is the fact that Balvin and Farruko totally embrace that Spanish and Latin American flair and add it to the song. What is great about this song is that Major Lazer made it a culturally ambiguous one. While it is clear that the instrumentals and beats are more inclined to one cultural style over another, there are a lot of these ethnic sounds that sound so great with the song. And because of this, having a Spanish remix is something that is new and innovative and very compatible. This has a really interesting twist of reggaeton in it, which makes it less noticeable because the original song is moombahton. A quick breakdown of moombahton, it ...

Today I have the newest single by The 1975. I am super excited for this album because we get to hear a different side of The 1975. Their debut album was darker, both lyrically and musically. But this song is a really bright and poppy song. More so than normal for The 1975. This is an album that is going to be filled with more color and more excitement, rather than having those darker melodies and more melancholy sounds. From what I gather with this song and the first single they dropped for the album, there is a lot more light heartedness to the musicality of the songs, even if the lyrics aren't quite so. This song is a lot funkier and more upbeat than a lot of the music we have heard from The 1975. This is an exhilarating and somewhat provocative pop song, something that the pop scene in general desperately needs. Instead of sticking to topics about love, sex, alcohol, and staying strong, The 1975 goes with topics that we all really feel on a day to day basis. Matt Healy captures ...

Today I have music to commemorate one of the greatest actors of our time, if not all time. Alan Rickman was a man who was not only talented, but had a true passion and love for the art of drama and theatre. For our generation, he is most known and loved for being the complex and multi dimensional character Severus Snape. Whether we loved this character, disliked the character, or couldn't choose between the two, one cannot deny the beautiful brilliance with which Alan Rickman carried this character. Alan Rickman never played a role. He embodied the character, gave the character depth and made them these elaborate masterpieces. In any movie he has been in, we can't help but be drawn the characters he embodies. Whether those characters have been good guys, bad guys, or animated characters, we are pulled towards the life he breathes into those characters. Giving them personality. Giving those characters trademark looks and sounds and movements. But above his acting, Alan Rickman w...

Today I have some music for you by a Finnish duo by the name Super8 & Tab. Now this is the trance music of old. I mean the original trance that we used to love and listen to. This is like rave throwback music, which is so cool because this style of music actually used to be really underground. And in a weird way, it has come back full circle and has returned to the underground scene. A lot of clubs and dance venues play house and trap nowadays, but you do have those more underground places which would be more likely to play music like this. That sweet and sensational trance music. It is really nice to know that this song came out in 2014, and that it still sounds like that old trance. This song is honestly kind of a masterpiece in itself. Maybe it is because it has been a long time since trance music like this has been put out, or maybe because it is genuinely freaking awesome. I like to think that it is a combination of the two, but then again, that is just my opinion. But this so...