Keeping It Fresh

Today I have some music by a band that is nothing short of beloved in the world of rock music. The Killers are a band that have seen a lot of success and popularity with rockers, but in general, have been a band that have pushed their way towards the realm of popular music. Never really falling into that classification though, The Killers have done a great job of appealing to other music listeners while still maintaining their take on rock music. Now this song by The Killers is a really cool blend of sounds and musical styles. Of course, the basis of this song is their typical and iconic rock sound with syncopated drum rhythms and solid guitar work. But another really cool aspect of this song is that it employs the use of a gospel choir. Now this is something I haven't heard from The Killers before, and I totally loved it! The tone of this song has a slightly angelic theme to it, with gospel choirs and piano melodies that sing of redemption. That is something really cool about this...

Today I have music for you by a band that I have not talked about in ages. Bombay Bicycle Club has been pretty quiet with their music for about a year now, taking a break for a while. Their past five years were definitely busy with touring and dropping amazing albums, so it is definitely warranted. Now this song is possibly my favorite song by Bombay Bicycle Club. First of all, this is an infectiously catchy and happy and sweet song that I cannot get enough of. I mean listening to it puts a smile on your face and just makes you feel happy and content. Now another thing about this song that I found to be absolutely amazing, was the fact that there is a beautiful integration of cultural music. This song is a vibrant and colorful integration of Bollywood and indie rock. Now I can assure you that this is not a common combination, and quite frankly is something I had never heard of prior to hearing this song nor after. But that is what makes this so wonderfully creative and original. Bombay...

Today I have music for you by the band Bag Raiders. Now a lot of people may know this band because of their huge hit "Shooting Stars," however, there is so much more to this band than you can even fathom. Bag Raiders is one of those bands that has no boundaries to their music. Bag Raiders traverses all kinds of electronic scales and synthpop areas. On one hand you have songs like the one mentioned earlier. And then you have songs like this one. Songs that are so energetic and lively and completely addicting. This song is just so catchy and vivacious and exciting! There are a lot of different and incredible things happening with this song. Now this duo is out of Australia and with this song you can kind of hear that coastal and beach-like influence. However, we also get a more tribal and tropical beat which I would like to attribute to an Aboriginal tribute. I could be wrong, but I like how Bag Raiders incorporates different aspects of the Australian culture in this song, whet...

Today I have music by the band Parachute. This band has a very pop punk sound to it which is something that hasn't come out in a long time. The era of punk bands passed a while ago so it is nice to hear something that goes back to punk roots. It is fantastic that Parachute began as a punk group and evolved into the sound you hear today. This song has this easy, carefree sound to it which is consistent with some of Parachute's older music. Wil Anderson has an absolutely phenomenal voice. He sounds good in both the recordings and live which is always a fantastic skill to have. Wil Anderson has a very dynamic voice that can change from a deep sound to a higher pitched one and he also sprinkles in some voice cracks as well. This song is fun and energetic and is one that you can be caught tapping your feet to. This song is very percussion and beat oriented. The opening mainly features the drums and keyboard synths. The guitar doesn't make much of an impression in this song which...

Today I have some new music for you by the artist known as Vaski. I am going to be totally honest, I have no idea how to even begin classifying his music because there are elements from a lot of different styles in this song. What I can tell you is that Vaski has really pushed his sound barriers far out to carry and express those subtle complexities and nuances. That is something I can definitely appreciate in a producer because it most certainly is not an easy feat. This is a super laid back approach to EDM production, and that is pretty darn okay with me. Vaski is an artist who has drifted a lot towards crazy dubstep and heavy electronic songs, but this was a nice change. This is a great step away towards something completely different and very laid back. This song has a lot of R&B influences in it, something that has recently become a trend we see. It works really well in this song though because the beats themselves follow the R&B style, while the vocals are more along the ...

Today I have music for you by an artist whose music is some of the most antiquely soulful. Charles Bradley has been a musician for a long while, and brings such a wonderful sound to his music. Sadly enough, he wasn't really discovered till recent, but Charles Bradley has been singing for years without the help of record companies. However, now, he is making amazing albums, geared towards the music that got him interested in it all. Charles Bradley has a very interesting style of music, combing 70s funk with soul and R&B. More often than not, Charles Bradley's music features a lot of big band sounds and brass instruments. This allows him to make a grand point with his music, and these instruments are a great accompaniment to the deep and funky voice that he has. Now this is a very interesting song because it is actually the cover of a Black Sabbath song. Going from heavy and hard rock to something that is more jazzy and blusey is quite the turnaround. But Charles Bradley doe...

Today I have some wicked music for you by a multitude of artists. This song is mainly a collaboration between Yogi, Pusha T, and Skirllex, but the other artists featured in the song make this into something that is sick and absolutely hype. We all know Skrillex has the reputation of being quite a hype artist, a musician who can turn music into something that is more fluid and free form, into something robotic and crisp. This is not a bad thing, whatever people may think. For the genre and style of music that Skrillex produces, that crisp and sharp sound is a perfect compliment to the very electronic sound that he has. Skrillex does not try to dim the level of electronic usage in his music, which I definitely can appreciate. In this song we get to hear a lot more of a combination of styles with Skrillex's instrumental work. For a good portion of the song, Skrillex does not employ the use of his signature electronic scratch. In fact, most of this song is focused on heavy hitting beat...