Summer Setlist

Well, it's nearly that time...Summer time, that is! I've heard a lot of good music, great music, and seen a few good movies this year, and I'm glad the blog has given me the opportunity to do so. I've not much more to say, except to keep on rocking and leave a few of my own recommendations to make your summer tunes enjoyable. :)

If you like bluesy jazzy pop, I recommend you check out Adele's 21

If you like alternative rock, keep an eye out for All Time Low's new album.

If you're into country, listen to Brad Paisley's This Is Country Music.

And of course, always keep a look out for a new Glee album.

Peace!

--Isabelle

P.S. Just for fun, I welcome you to check out Beyonce's new video:

Speak Now

Artist: Taylor Swift
Album: Speak Now
Tracks: 14
Released: 2010

"Mine" opens the album nicely with a mild country pop; simple and cute lyrics with a vocal flair that adds greatly to their meaning. The instrumentals are appealing yet not overcrowded and compliment the visually engaging lyrics perfectly. "Sparks Fly" is a pop-versed ballad that is calming in the only way that country can be. Its rhyming lyrics keep you waiting for the next part of the story, and add a heartwarming touch to the album. Swift's vocals succeed with the performance of the lyrics, hitting all the right notes. "Back to December" tells the story of a girl that realizes she'd made a wrong decision and broken the right one's heart in the past. This is an emotion-packed apology for past wrongdoings, but it isn't overbearing or appear whiny. The instrumentals subtly glide through the background, while Swift's easy vocals take center stage. The poetic lyrics easily carry the song, and add just the right touch to the track. "Speak Now" expresses the unique situation of a girl looking in on her true love--marrying the wrong girl. The instrumentals keep a steady pace throughout the song, the lyrics made to bring a smile to your face. The title track impresses, both sweet and spicy at the same time. "Dear John" carries a light guitar melody that establishes its presence among the melancholy lyrics that illustrate a relationship that's gone down the wrong path at the fork in the road. Though at first it seems to be a heavy song, it's actually uplifting in an odd way. The pure poetry expressed by this song surpassed any expectations of this 6 minute treasure. "Mean" is a peppy anti-tribute to a bully that's never quite managed to get under Swift's skin. The moral of the song is that someday, Swift planned to become great, while the bully would stray down the same path they'd always been on. It's a cute, almost storybook expression of all the feelings anyone wanted to let out in that situation. "The Story of Us" blends pop and country elements to tell a tale of a relationship that's lost its spark. A girl is trying to cling to a relationship because it seemed so perfect, but at the same time realizes that it's not going to be happily ever after, after all. "Never Grow Up" expresses the feeling parents have wishing their children could stay safe and happy forever, and the desire for independence that children want from this feeling as they eventually grow. The nostalgic-toned song floats effortlessly through illustrative verses and choruses that are both touching and simply universal in their subject. "Enchanted" contains rhythmic verses about the discovery of a new love. The mood drifts from laid back to mildly intense as verses transition into choruses, and display Swift's easy vocal switching. "Better Than Revenge" immediately jumps into a fast paced pop rock track that you can't help but wanting to sing along to. The lyrics are unbelievably catchy, and the instrumentals create the perfect complimentary impact. "Innocent" combines almost coffee-shop-toned beats with mellow vocals that create an impeccable blend. "Haunted" uses an intriguing alternation of intense instrumentals and hints of almost classic horror soundtracks to create the overall feeling of the track title. Swift demonstrates a constantly powerful performance that adds even more depth to the track. "Last Kiss" masterfully weaves background elements and instrumentals with Swift's soft toned vocals and poetic lyrics. A calm descends over this song, allowing you to fully appreciate the story it has to tell. "Long Live" appropriately ends the album with a great toss of graduation hats. A class is graduating and knows that they have their whole future's stretched out in front of them, and still remembers the years that came before. The song builds up to a well formed peak, the whole song demonstrating the smoothness of transition and complimentary elements. It's an inspirational song and undeniably great track.
Swift's album definitely impresses, containing elements from every part of a relationship and every part of a life. There's inspiring, go-get-em' tracks, balanced by the ballads and more emotional songs that situate themselves throughout the album. The lyrics always strike home, and the instrumentals go along perfectly. If there's anything else to say about this album, it's "long live".

Are You Into It?

I'm Into You feat. Lil Wayne
Artist: Jennifer Lopez
Album: I'm Into You-Single
Released: 2011

"I'm Into You" opens with exotic sounding vocalizations and a light hip-hop beat. Lil Wayne joins in and raps for about thrity seconds in the beginning of the track. His rhymes are clever, but sort of cliched and expected. His input doesn't necessarily add to the song, but it doesn't take away from it much either. The beat picks up and the first verse of the song commences. It's a song that's easy to follow and nothing really to interpret, but the overall feel of the song is what will keep your repeat button on this track. The chorus could be a little more imaginative, sure, but most of the song keeps you energized and dancing along. Guaranteed to be stuck in your head for a very long time, "I'm Into You" adds an engaging, exotic flavour to Jennifer Lopez's new album "LOVE?", and makes me interested to see what else her album has to offer.

Summer Fun: Playlist Review

Aurelia and I had decided to create summer playlists for the blog, and eventually thought it might be fun to take it a step further and trade playlists (we'd review each other's). Each playlist contains only 15 tracks. Here's Aurelia's playlist:

1. Adele - Rolling In the Deep from the 2011 album "21"
2) Mayday Parade - Your Song from the 2006 EP "Tales Told By Dead Friends"
3. The Script - The Man Who Can't Be Moved from the 2008 album "The Script"
4) The Ready Set - Operator from the 2011 album "Young Forever"
5. My Genuine Find - 1,2,3 (feat. Mod Sun & Nickasaur) from the 2010 album "Love Enough"
6) The Icarus Account - Dear Love from the 2008 album "Mayday"
7. Watchout! There's Ghosts - A Beautiful Goodbye from the 2009 album "Ghost Town"
8) All Time Low - Dear Maria, Count Me In from the 2007 album "It's So Wrong, It's Right"
9. Never Shout Never - Coffee and Cigarettes from the 2010 EP "Melody"
10) Panic! At the Disco - The Ballad of Mona Lisa from the 2011 album "Vices and Virtues"
11. Nickasaur! - Combat Chitchat from the 2010 album "Combat Chitchat"
12) Sick Puppies - Maybe from the 2009 album "Tri-Polar"
13. Save It For Sunrise - Something to Remember from the 2006 album "More Than You're Made Of"
14)Patrick Stump - Love, Selfish Love from the 2011 album "Truant Wave"
15. Go Radio - Hollie Ollie Oxen Free (never officially released demo track)

"Rolling in the Deep" opens the playlist with a jazzy, bluesy melody accompanied by powerful vocals and a storyteller's touch in the lyrics. However, none of these elements drag the song down and make it in any way slow to develop or uninteresting; on the contrary, "Rolling in the Deep" is fierce and potent, but easy to sing along to and a great addition to the playlist. "Your Song" is an electric-guitar, bordering on screamo charged track that shakes you down to your bones and still manages to make you stand up to dance. It has unbelievably catchy choruses, and hints of lyrical sweetness during the bridge. It's a love song that keeps all the components that make you want to headbang for ninety percent of it. "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" is a mellowed out story of a breakup gone wrong. There's a man who can't imagine losing his true love, and decides to wait for her on the streetcorner where they first met. Though telling the story of a breakup that didn't go right, the track manages to be heartfelt and easy to relate to, rather than whiny and overbearing as some breakup songs tend to be. The lyrics are simple but carry so much meaning, and when set to the vocalists soothing voice, "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" proves to be a winning combination. "Operator" has catchy lyrics and a beat that ranges from hip-hop to light pop, is easy to follow, and proves itself to be great dance track. The only complaint about "Operator" is that the autotune and background effects can sometimes become a bit nagging, and at times appear to be out of place and overly distorting. "1, 2, 3" takes elements from electronica, pop, alternative, and pop rock, and mixes them up to create a pleasing combination. Though some of the lyrics and effects are a bit crowded, that effect surprisingly adds to the song, creating a hip-hop like charm. The rap inserted into the end of the track provides that little extra something that makes the track unique. "Dear Love" takes poetic lyrics and sets them to a lovely guitar melody and a smooth duet of voices that immediately calm and catch your attention. The song glides effortlessly through verse and chorus alike, and has you singing along before the last bridge. "A Beautiful Goodbye" displays amazing instrumental and vocal range, going from regular vocals to screamo in a single lyric line, and employing the use of simple drum and guitar instrumentals, as well as various autotuned sounds. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but "A Beautiful Goodbye" fits nicely into this summer playlist. "Dear Maria, Count Me In" becomes instantly recognizable as All Time Low's signature catchy and unique in-your-face style. This track encourages the part of you that just wants to scream out the lyrics without caring who's around you. Guitar, drums, and vocals all compliment each other extremely well. "Coffee and Cigarettes" takes everyday scenes and transports them to a mellow and poetic realm that is both calming and unbelievably perky. One thing's for sure, "Coffee and Cigarettes" gives you your daily dose of artsy energy. "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" combines both soft and powerful sounds to create a strong base beat, and the quirky lyrics and vocals create a unique atmosphere that you can't help but adore. Though you might not know exactly what's going on with this track, you won't really care as you lose yourself in its enchanting world. "Combat Chitchat" has clever and amusing lyrics, however its electronic driven beat and effect infused entirety is more reminiscent of a video game theme than anything else. It's charming in its own way, but the vocals in contrast to the beat create a visible gap. "Maybe" creates an almost country rock atmosphere, geniously weaving engaging lyrics and complimentary instrumentals. The vocals are perfect for the song, with hints of strong rock elements, but not too overpowering in comparison to the song's material. "Something To Remember" presents a mild screamo track with a guitar melody that knows it's boss, and high vocals that manage to be pleasing rather than on the wrong side of pitchy. The lyrics are interesting, and the emotion is clearly written across the track. "Love, Selfish Love" borrows a rock background, an electronic pop beat, jazzy vocals, and a poetic air that wins this song the "most unique" spot on the playlist. There's art in progress as every line of the track passes, and though there's so much going on, everything is extremely uniform, working together to create something beautiful. The blend of so many different elements shows the talent that went into making the song. "Hollie Ollie Oxen Free" has a steady, easy alternative beat overlaid with gravely vocals that make the song so capturing. The guitar riffs and backup vocals greatly enhance the greatness of the track.

All in all, the playlist was very good, taking different parts of the musical spectrum and adding them to one another, effectively balancing the playlist out. Many of the artists are up and coming, and this gave me the chance to take a peek at their talents and pursuits of their art, and I have to say I'm very impressed. Every part of this playlist has something to add to my musical experience, and I'm glad I was able to review it. I'd recommend any one of these artists for your summer listening!

Check out "Love, Selfish Love" by Patrick Stump, Live:
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Artist of the Month - Never Shout Never

For our first Artist of the Month article, we will be featuring Christofer Drew Ingle, better known by his previous stage name Never Shout Never. For those of you who don't know who this artist is, here's a quick run-down. Christofer Drew is a 20-year old musician from Joplin, Missouri who can sing as well as play the guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, violin, drums, various percussion instruments, tambourine, cabasa, djembe, glockenspiel, xylophone, marimba, sleigh bells, piano, keyboard, banjo, and harmonica along with using programming to create beats and sounds on his tracks. He began his rise to fame by posting demos that had become his first EP, Demo-shmemo, on his MySpace page. (Remember, this was back when MySpace was still popular.) On July 29, 2008, he released his second EP entitled The Yippee EP, which included the single "Bigcitydreams" that gained him quite a few fans. Having gone though different phases with the spelling of his stage name, eventually settling on Never Shout Never for his release under Warner Bros. and his label division, Loveway Records. Prior to his first mini-album What Is Love? that was released in 2010, Christofer Drew went on tour with his live band known as "the Shout" to promote the EPs that he continued to release. Following The Yippee EP came Me & My Uke Ep, The Summer EP, and an self-titled EP released in January, June, and December of 2009, respectively. January 26, 2010 saw What Is Love?, the debut mini-album from Never Shout Never, in stores, with his full-length Harmony following on August 24. Melody - EP provided a filler between the two bigger releases, and a second EP with The Maine, Split - Ep, as a thank-you to fans that helped with the charity tour that the two bands did together.

Christofer Drew's music has a distinct sound, often categorized as a mix of the acoustic pop, indie pop, and pop rock genres. With lyrics that are drawn from his own life and delivered by a voice with an impressive vocal range, each song allows fans to relate to the meaning of the words, even if it's not always in a literal sense. A new feeling and tone is introduced for each track, catching your attention with unique usage of extra instruments and programmed beats. Some songs have a softer sound, while other songs lean more toward the pop rock style of music. No song fails to be true to Christofer Drew and his view on things, and despite some negative associations with his stage name because of his sometimes blunt way of sharing his views he continues to be successful with his music. Extremely talented for his age, he doesn't shape himself to be what the people want, but instead shapes himself to be what he wants. His music practically screams that fact, especially his older songs. Some of his more popular songs are "Can't Stand It" from What Is Love?, "CheaterCheaterBestFriendEater" from Harmony, "Trouble" from Me & My Uke Ep, "Happy" from The Summer EP, and "Bigcitydreams" from The Yippee EP.

Here's a video for his song "What Is Love?" to give you a taste of his style.

Big Time Rush

Artist: Big Time Rush
Album: B.T.R.
Tracks: 12
Released: 2010


"'Til I Forget About You" isn't quite an explosive opening to Big Time Rush's self-titled album, but it adds a cute flair to their already fresh-soda-pop boy band image. The typical breakup song with a little twist, "Til I Forget About You" provides enough autotuned lyrics and peppy beats for a whole album, but smoothly manages to pull it off. "Boyfriend" contains even more autotune than the last track, catchy beats, and a sense that the track has skipped over too much, literally. There's a syllable skip in the track that occurs too many times. Though at first it's tolerable, sometimes it becomes irritating. "The City is Ours" flows with a dance friendly beat and carefree lyrics, but doesn't hold much substance after a few verses. "Nothing Even Matters" describes how nothing matters when a couple are together, and states that this relationship will last forever. The chorus and single verse are constantly repeated, and though the melodies are light, they float away with their seeming lack of meaning. "Worldwide" tells the story of the ever lasting performances that take Big Time Rush around the world and away from their significant others. It reassures their girlfriends that they're thinking of them and no one else while traveling. While it's a nice sentiment, and the instrumentals compliment the song, nothing really manages to draw a reaction out of you. "Halfway There" is a motivational tune about being halfway to achieving a major goal, and is unbelievably peppy as a result. "Big Night" takes all of the previous autotune, skipping lyrics, catchy beats, and cutely cliched scenarios, and creates perhaps the best track of the album. It's elements are balanced out by each other, and finally none seem so overwhelming. It's a feel-good track that requires nothing but someone to dance along to it. "Oh Yeah" contains rhyming lyrics and a beat that leans further toward hip-hop than any of the previous songs. It's peppy and fun, the strongest and most attention grabbing track so far. "Count On You feat. Jordin Sparks" experiments with R&B tunes, and Sparks' guest appearance greatly compliments the sweet lyrics and adds a bit of spice to this otherwise partly stale album. "I Know You Know feat. Cymphonique" adds a new twist to the album, with a rap verse that brings the track to life, along with the vocalizations of Big Time Rush themselves. "Big Time Rush" is reminiscent of a rock pop genre, and the track has just enough of both to be taken seriously. The lyrics are less generic than others that are heard on the album, and make the track interesting enough. "Stuck" tells the story of a reluctant commitment to a relationship and has plenty of smoothly autotuned vocals, hip-hop/ R&B beats, and is quite enjoyable.

Big Time Rush is fond of their synthesized beats and autotune, but if they're confident enough in their musical ability, they should remove some of this veneer from their work. They have the type of vocals and lyrics that are appealing and pleasing, but the manipulation overshadows much of that. For a debut album, it's definitely not bad, but, with the exception of a few tracks, is not much to write home about. The band is definitely engaging and entertaining in certain ways, but only you can decide if they bring you the Big Time Rush.

The Sun, It Rises Slowly

Artist: Mumford & Sons
Album: The Cave-Single
Released: 2010

Built in Britain, Mumford & Sons broke out into the American music scene last year with their earlier hit "Little Lion Man". A charming folk element adds to intriguing accent-toned vocals to create a band and a musical image like no other. The entrance to "The Cave" opens with poetic, engaging lyrics and guitar accompaniment, later applying layers of banjo melodies and smooth backup vocals. There appears to be an amazing amount of instrumentals--from the powerful banjo playing to the guitar highlights during the chorus--as well as the vocals that drift from light to incredibly strong and imposing. However, these components compliment the track, rather than distract or become unattractively overwhelming. "The Cave" ends with an artistic flourish, and leaves you unconsciously lingering around the replay button. Mumford & Sons brings a refreshing gust of folk rock breeze onto the American music plane.