Keeping It Fresh

Hello, hello! It has been quite a while since I last dropped a post on the blog. I want to go ahead and send a huge shout out to everyone who has been patient with me, and the more sporadic nature of my writing. Everything is a work in progress, and continuing to write about music remains in “progress” mode. Moving onto the music, I would be remiss if I didn’t include this particular song. Why? Because it may just be one of the single greatest musical moments to come out of the world of Game of Thrones and television as a whole.  As you all may know, Florence Welch is a singer I am completely in awe in. She has harnessed something so magical in music, something so enchanting that you cannot help but be enamoured by it. Her voice has the power of a tidal wave, soaring and crashing as she chases the high notes and smashes the lower notes. But her voice can also be gentle and deep, like the calm waves of a splendorous ocean. The versatility and depth with which she can sing made he...

Today I have some very interesting music for you especially because it falls in a weird space between being older music and newer music. One of the most well-known events in recent hip-hop history is the legal battle that one of the most prestigious names in hip-hop was fighting. Lil Wayne has brought so much to rap and has influenced so many rappers. The creative differences and legal battle that Lil Wayne was going through is now over. And what this means is that he can go back to releasing and creating music. Now when this legal battle started Lil Wayne was going to release an album but was never able to since the legal battle was with his record label. And now that he has been released from any legal obligations, Lil Wayne has now been able to release that album after waiting almost 9 years. Needless to say, this is quite the triumph! This is also where the music gets very interesting because this album was recorded so long ago and maintains the musicality, structure, and rec...

There have been quite a few albums which have dropped over the past few days. One such album comes from the ever elegant Florence + The Machine, and as per usual, the album is stunning and haunting. Florence + The Machine is always such an interesting artist for me to discuss for a number of reasons. For starters, each album tells a deep and powerful story about life and the human condition. Each track on every individual album has such a strong purpose and grandeur, that the story being told is so completely clear while leaving much room for interpretation. Florenc Welch does an exceptional job of creating open conversation, allowing her music to connect the thousands around the world. Her latest album is the most introspective, personal, and vulnerable piece of work. There are so many feelings and sentiments which resonate with the idea of being a human and overcoming the struggles life has thrown. This album is like an artistic autobiography. We get to hear the personal narrati...

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...

Today I have music for you by another artist I had the opportunity to watch at SXSW. Marco McKinnis is an artist who has taken R&B to new levels of seductive and creates music that is incredibly refreshing. This track is a dangerously sultry one. Marco McKinnis pulls us in with his vocals prowess and delivers an R&B ballad which proves that he really is in his element. The song is effortlessly smooth, drenched in a seductive soul and passion. I love that we can hear the old school soul influences throughout the track. The way Marco McKinnis holds his voice tells us how sure he is about his sound and style. There is a confidence there which makes this song sound and feel organic and natural. His voice is silky smooth, with the texture, richness, and sweetness of molasses. Marco McKinnis immerses this track in his deeply soulful and yearning voice. There is tantalizing tease in his voice, yearning and arms outstretched to welcome us into the embrace of his music. Marco McKinni...

Today I wanted to share some Indian music with you all, as I happen to have traveled there a short while ago. Indian music comes in so many differnet flavors and sounds, but for today, I wanted to go with a song that is one of my favorites. Now this track is one that is not of the more stereotypical Indian songs. Though the track does come from a film, the song itself does not necessarily carry a lot of the same elements as your usual Bollywood song. This song is a bit darker for starters. There is a very special group of songs which fall into this darker category of songs because they outline tragedies in life and love. We do have our melancholy heartbreak songs, but this track is about losing a love to something more than just a breakup. There is so much sadness and almost even a sense of despair in this track. The song evokes a passionate yearning for a beloved who cannot be reached, a desperate call for them to be together just one last time. There aren't a lot of Bollywood ...

Today I have some suave and dark music for you out of England. Everything is Recorded, is an artist pseudonym and project. The man behind Everything is Recorded goes by the name of Richard Russell, a producer, and owner of XL Recordings. His label was meant to produce and release original dance tracks. But somewhere along the way, the focus of XL Recordings changed and so did its artists. And as a result, we get amazing music and side projects, such as Everything Is Recorded. This song definitely has darker undertones.The invisible touch that Richard Russell provides is so noticeable in those darker moments and motifs of the song. As the composer and producer of the track, Richard Russell brings to life the song's heartbeat. He makes the song ebb and flows, crescendo and decrescendo into the seductively dark tones of the song. He makes this song tell a story through the music alone, a story filled with suspense and drama, maybe even tragedy. It's a story which involves pain ...

Today I have music for you by the California duo known as XYLO. This is dark pop at its finest, a song that is slow and calculated. Every beat and chord has been purposefully chosen and placed. everything strategically put together so that we get something that is ethereal and dark and spectacularly somber. This is a track that is incredibly well rounded and is a fantastic way to debut XYLO's sounds. Their production is way beyond that which we would expect from an indie band. The music and instrumentals serve as the perfect harmonies to the vocals, and the layering of these synth notes gives the song a lot more musical depth and complexity. And that combination between the music and the vocals is what really capitalizes on this dark pop kind of sound. The vocals are haunting and strong, but they don't boom with power and robust vibration. The song drips in this dark melancholy, something that makes that gloomy indie sound burst forth. The whole song is just created in overc...

Today I have some music for you that will leave you completely speechless. Emeli Sande is a singer out of Scotland who has become a pop sensation in the UK. However, it seems like she hasn't made her way to the States, something which I hope will change. But what makes Emeli Sande so special is her spectacularly beautiful and powerful voice, and how she uses that voice to tell us a story. This track has to be my favorite one by her. It's been featured here and there but hasn't taken off the way some of Emeli Sande's other tracks have. None of the music that Emeli Sande has released can be considered "throwaway pop." All of her songs center around a topic and subject, unfolding into a story of some kind. And sometimes these stories are more tragic and heart wrenching than others. The story that we are told in this song is a mix of melancholy and inspiration and moving all the same. One of the beautiful characteristics of this song is the fact that it can be...

Today I have some music for you by an artist who seems to have blown up the charts the past couple of years. G-Eazy is one of the more popular rappers making music right now, even though there is quite a bit of his music that goes unnoticed and unheard by the vast majority of radio listeners. G-Eazy is an artist that has the capability of creating extremely meaningful and heartbreaking music. This is one of those deep songs, a song that shows the grounded and vulnerable side of G-Eazy. A lot of rap and hip hop today is about living larger life, that feeling of being completely invincible and constantly on cloud 9. But what G-Eazy does with this song, is bring everything back to humanity, directing the music back to that flawed and imperfect sense of humanity. This song is definitely a meaningful one for G-Eazy, bringing his own demons up to the surface. And I love that he did this song with Kehlani because of what she has gone through. Kehlani has met som...

So today, I only have one song for you. But it is an absolutely riveting and amazing one, so bear with me. Today's instrumental song is one that never fails to leave me breathless and completely in awe and transcendence.  Hans Zimmer has this innate genius, this intense passion which allows him to compose breathtakingly beautiful and moving scores. This song is one of his most recent compositions, and my goodness it has to be one of my favorites. Interstellar is one of those films where everything was done right. The cast, the cinematography, and yes, the score. But if I were to rank my top ten Hans Zimmer compositions, this would be on that list. Now I am going to do my absolute best in talking about this score, but there are so many moving parts and moments that I simply cannot accurately dissect this composition and give justice to Hans Zimmer's piece. The song starts out tense and riled with suspense. There is a soft tapping which introduces the song, a consistent heartbe...

Today I have some music for you which airs a bit more on the bittersweet side. I have always been a huge fan of Andrew Belle. He has a talent and a gift for creating incredibly introspective songs. But what makes them so beautiful is that we know he is speaking from his heart, yet we end up looking at ourselves during the song. In this case, we don't take a moment to step into the artist's shoes. Instead, his music allows us to take the same journey of discovery that the Andrew Belle went through. Our outcomes may be different, and what we discover will vary, but we still go on this introspective journey which is universal. Andrew Belle recently wrote this song, and it had me absolutely spellbound. There is something so enchanting and mesmerizing about this song. And the thing is, most of Andrew Belle's music follows the same stylistic elements found in this song. What I think gets me though, is the lyrical quality found in this song. This song is all about rediscovering ...

Today I have some music for you that is certain to get many people very excited and very hyped up. Last night marked the premiere of the seventh season of Game of Thrones. I am a huge fan of the show, and can tell you that there are many others who are just as crazy about it. What this show offers is a saga of a story about political scheming, danger, and mystery. And to accompany this saga is one of the best scores I have ever heard.  Ramin Djawadi has done a lot of composing since he started on Game of Thrones. But there is something so incredibly unique and distinct about the way this show has been composed. The music reflects so much emotion and power. Every scene with an accompanying track has been enhanced ten fold because of Ramin Djawadi's compositions. His skill and ability are so incredible, as he knows how to capture moments and feelings with such perfection. If you took the music away from the show, the intensity and fantastical nature would be completely lost. And i...

Today I have some music by an artist we haven't really heard from recently.  Gotye was at a tall peak of popularity a few years ago with a hit single that was heard all over the world. But, I am not here to talk about a song that pretty much everybody seems to know. Gotye is an artist who has a very interesting an unique style. While none of his songs sound the same, there is this commonality in the way they are produced and performed, which makes them stand out as clearly one of Gotye's. Whether it be a more energetic or a subdued song, there always seems to be an underlying motif that connects all the songs together. Gotye creates music that can be seen as a bold move in the realm of pop music. He is not afraid to make the music completely his and totally out there. This is one of my favorite songs off the album for that very reason. This song in particular is incredibly intriguing because it has this intense energy to it that kind of captivates and holds you tight in its g...

Today I have music for you from a musical that was adapted from a movie. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is an extremely fantastic movie, one that talks about a lot of things without us even realizing it. Now last week helped bring in a new wave of Broadway shows, so I thought it might be interesting to write about the music from one of these shows. I am completely spellbound and speechless with this soundtrack. There is a special kind of beauty that comes with a choir and orchestra. Now what is cool about this song and the album as a whole, is that each vocalist is a character. They still have the lines of their original characters, and their collective voice is what makes the choir. This is the first song that appears in the movie and in the musical, and it is still my favorite. Even the narrator has a singing version of the narrator lines. And each person has something fantastic to offer. Whether it is the character line they are providing or a part of the choir, each voice is so beau...

Today I have some new music for you by the French rapper, Disiz la Peste. What I find interesting about a lot of popular music that is being released today, is that there is always some sort of electronic or tropical undertone. It doesn't matter if it is a DJ producing new music or a pop artist releasing a new single, we seem to be surrounded by music that has the same base. Which is why this song was a nice breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy tropical and electro songs, but it's nice to be surrounded by something else. Listening to something else. Disiz la Peste is an artist that has dabbled in a few different styles. However, the man definitely prefers to stay within the realm of French rap and R&B. Disiz is my focus for today because of how interesting this particular song is. It was released about a month ago, and I still haven't been able to shake how strangely eerie this song. One of the first things you notice, is that there is no bas...

Today I have music for you by the English singer-songwriter Jessie Ware. She is an artist that really go into the spotlight this past year, and it can be seen as to why that is. Jessie Ware likes to air towards the side of atmospheric music, going with more ambient songs, especially the ones that leave you in the feels. This song is almost hypnotic, with airy and breathy vocals that flood your ears and leave you in a trance. This song definitely has more of kick back feeling to it, a calmer and more controlled instrumental sound. This goes very well with the soaring falsetto that Jessie Ware brings forth in this song. This song is an unapologetic explosion of passion and sparks and love. This is a firework of a love anthem, one that has shimmering synths and warm bass thrums. There is this cool 80s and retro kind of sound to it, although, it is not the peppy kind of sound that most people expect. But the song also has a darker kind of twist on that retro sound, making it a piece that...

Today I have music for you by the California duo known as XYLO. This pop duo started with published songs on the internet and then exploded in popularity and recognition. I must admit, they haven't received the same limelight status as other pop groups, but XYLO has a rich authenticity and sincerity which cannot be shaken, and I love that so much about them. This is dark pop at its finest, a song that is slow and calculated. Every beat and chord have been purposefully chosen and placed. everything strategically put together so that we get something that is ethereal and dark and spectacularly somber. This is a track that is incredibly well rounded and is a fantastic way to debut XYLO's sounds. Their production is way beyond that which we would expect from and indie band. XYLO has created something that is tantalizingly hypnotic and delightfully dark. and The music and instrumentals serve as the perfect harmonies to the vocals, and the layering of these synth notes gives the so...

Today I am keeping things a little bit on the shorter side, so bear with me on that! But it dawned on me today, that I have never made a Star Wars related post on this particular day. That's right. On this iconic day in every calendar, especially for geeks and nerds like me, no Star Wars jokes were made. Why you may ask? I legitimately don't have a good answer. So in honor of today's date and for the sake of the awesomeness that is Star Wars, I have two pieces of music from the franchise. Now, this first song is hands down one of the most recognizable compositions to come from a film. This is a song that has been used in all kinds of pop culture references and remains the butt of many jokes. But in a way, I love that! This song represents Star Wars in a way that most people forget. There is a light-hearted goofiness to the song which reminds us of how much personality is in the films. I won't deny, I do find most of the characters to be a bit somber and emotionally st...