Abbey Road

Abbey Road, in contrast to The Beatles' early albums, is less pop-sounding and its lyrics seem to be more mature than the songs in albums such as Please Please Me or Help.  Abbey Road is the Beatles' album I'm most familiar with, it was the first album I heard when I was little, although I remember little to none of it. It's definitely not their best album, and in my opinion isn't in their top 3 or 4. One thing I don't like about the late-Beatles is how in some of their songs they use filler sounds and repeat lyrics over and over, something I didn't think they did much in their earlier stuff. This is what made them stand out in the early years because of how good and nonrepetitive their writing was. Abbey Road isn't something I could listen to on my own, not because it's a bad album but because it doesn't catch my attention in the way other music does. 

The Beatles

I have recently gained some newfound respect for arguably the most influential rock group of all time, The Beatles. The amount of albums they released over a 6 year period is ridiculous and almost inhuman. Not only did they release 8 albums in 6 years, the quality of each album was very high. Another jaw-dropping fact about The Beatles is they held the number 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 spots for albums on the charts at one time. That is the epitome of how undeniably successful The Beatles were.  I'm more of a fan of their later stuff as opposed to the projects they released in '63-'65 because of how they matured and their sound changed. Although the White Album was very sporadic in the way it sounded I still enjoyed the variety. The Beatles left an enormous legacy that will carry on for much longer than their lives. 

Led Zeppelin

The first album by Led Zeppelin, called "Led Zeppelin", was decent at best, in my opinion. I'm a fan of metal, or whatever category Led Zeppelin fits in to, but I'm not a huge fan of this album. I think most of the songs were way too long, with too many guitar solos and unneeded spots without vocals. I usually don't mind 6 or 7 minute songs, as long as they're that long for a good reason. Led Zeppelin seemed to make these songs so long just so they could show off their ability to slay on the guitar or drums. I respect their abilities, but I don't need to hear every bit of it in one album. A lot of music nowadays is similar to that, in the sense that producers just want to show off their producing abilities and don't care about the lyrics or content. This is definitely a problem, but hopefully Zeppelin figured it out within the next couple of years of recording. 

Childish Gambino - Because the Internet

Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, has recently been releasing a few of the singles contained in his upcoming album "Because the Internet".  I have always been a huge fan of Childish, ever since his first album "Camp" was released, and he is continuing to grow and mature as a rapper with these recent singles. Known for his versatility and compared to all star rapper Drake, Childish has upped his game since "Camp" almost 10 fold. His voice has become even more smooth and his range has sharpened, while his rhyming and lyricism has also developed. He's always been a clever lyricist, but now he has combined his cleverness into realness, rapping about denser subjects instead of just spewing one liners. I'm very excited for the release of "Because the Internet" and will be purchasing it the day it comes out. 

It Might Get Loud

I thought the movie "It Might Get Loud" was probably the best, or at least most interesting, film we've watched in class so far.  I'm not exactly a music expert, much less a guitar wiz, but it was definitely cool to see how guitar styles changed from each decade between each different guitarist. I've never played guitar so I don't have a very good sense of how much skill it takes to do certain things, but I definitely respect the three guitarists for their talents, even though I have no ability to compare it to anything. Guitar is probably my favorite instrument to listen to, mainly because of how many different things a good guitarist can do with it, and watching this documentary kinda made me jealous of the skill of each guitarist. It was a good watch. 

GQ's Man of the Year

Recently GQ magazine named rapper Kendrick Lamar as one of their "Men of the Year".   This is obviously a very prestigious award, but Kendrick decided to skip out on the gig he had lined up at the "Man of the Year" party because of the article that was written about him by a GQ writer.  I'm summarizing a summary of the article in saying this so it won't be the most detailed, but the white man who wrote the article basically passive-aggressively used racism (or at least Kendrick claimed he did).  Kendrick is widely known for his lack of a partying lifestyle, something very common with nearly every rapper.  This was highlighted in the GQ article, which stated it's surprise that Kendrick didn't party and drink as much as his peers, especially because of where he grew up (Compton).  Kendrick did not like how the writer highlighted this, he wanted the writer to highlight his accomplishments rather than how he stands out against other rappers because of his lifestyle.  In some part I agree with Kendrick's opposition to the article, but I think it was disrespectful to GQ as a whole to cancel his concert.  He should've shown the opposition in a different way, rather than completely missing out on a concert that was to acknowledge his accomplishments.  Although it was slightly pre-Madonna, Kendrick did have a good reason for missing the concert. 

Festival vs. Small Venue

In my opinion, smaller scale venues that don't hold a large amount of people are better for listening to an artist who you deeply enjoy and for a more low-key listen.   Festivals are more for someone who wants to be around a large amount of people, a large amount of drugs, and a large amount of unwanted noise.  Festivals are also for someone who wants to see a variety of different artists in a small amount of home. Small venues don't host as many bands or artists as a festival does, and a festival also takes more effort and planning to completely utilize.  I prefer smaller scale venues if I want to see someone I deeply enjoy, and festivals for socializing and seeing a lot of different people.  The crowd who attends festivals is a more "outgoing" and " adventurous" group, while the crowd that attends smaller venue shows is a crowd that genuinely enjoys who is playing. 

Sgt. Peppers

From someone who's not a huge fan of the Beatles, I actually thought the Sgt. Peppers album was a pretty good listen. It might be because it was influenced by Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys and I'm a fan of the Beach Boys, but something about it made it more bearable than the previous Beatles albums. The trippyness of a few of the songs added a new element to them that I hadn't heard before and I definitely enjoyed it. The second song, I can't remember it's name right now, was probably my favorite.  I also liked John's voice in one of the songs, again I can't remember the name of it, but he sounded a lot different than I he previously sounded, in a good way. Sgt. Peppers was a definite success in my opinion. 

Beach Boys

Pet Sounds was definitely my favorite album we have listened to far, the Beach Boys also being my favorite band so far. I'm not really a musical expert so I can't come up with a bunch of technical reasons for my preference to them instead of the Beatles, but it's definitely there.  Everything about them is catchy and I just enjoy their music. It's surprising that this album didn't sell and was considered a failure, considering how good it actually is. I also like the fact that each song is only about 2:30-3:00 minutes long and never very repetitive.  The leader singer's voice is contagiously fun and lightens the mood instantly. I will probably download a couple of their albums and check them out further. 

MMLP2

Following up with one of my previous blogs about Eminem's new singles, I'm going to review his new album "Marshall Mathers LP 2".  I had previously mentioned how Marshall hasn't been living up to his legacy.  I think the only reason I said this was because I have become so used to the continuous increase in quality of his music with every album, to the point where when he releases something of good quality, just not increased quality, I dislike it.  MMLP2 is not a bad album in any way, shape or form, it's just not as good as some of his previously released albums.  His lyric quality is up to par with most of his old stuff, I think the only difference is the production. A lot of the songs sound the same, not necessarily in a bad way, but they don't make me want to listen to them over and over like "Recovery" and "The Eminem Show" did. I'm still a huge Eminem fan, but I do think Marshall has hit the end of his career with this one. 

Free Will/Destiny Spectum

The Free Will vs. Destiny debate is one as old as time itself. There have been countless arguments for both sides, and most of them are soldly logical. No matter what anyone says, it all comes down to the simple fact that there is no worldly way to prove either side. That is why I believe there is a spectrum between free will and eventual destiny.  I have no physical proof for this, like everyone else, but I do have logical reasons for my belief.  Naturally, us humans are given the feeling that we create our own future and make our own independent choices to determine an unforeseeable future. Religion brought in the idea that an omnipotent being has control over every aspect of everything, therefore every human's past, present, and future life has been mapped out and predetermined before they are even born. I think this way of looking at life is much more depressing, seeing as one has no control over how one's life will turn out. With a "Free Will" mindset, it puts more meaning to ones life, seeing as one has complete and utter control over one's future. Now here's where it gets tricky. I do think at some point, one has a destiny from birth, mentally handicapped people for example.  They are born with something, out of their own control, that hinders them (in most cases) from ever having the choices most fully-functioning human beings are capable of making. This is why I think it is impossible to say free will and destiny are mutually exclusive. 

New Eminem

Eminem has recently been coming out with a few new singles leading up to the (hopefully) last album of his career, Marshall Mathers LP 2.  I am a huge fan of Eminem, I've heard every one of his songs since Infinite and I've always liked every one of his projects, even Encore and Relapse (both highly criticized).  That being said, I think his new stuff is just awful. It all sounds exactly like Recovery, his last album, but at a much worse level. I respect Marshall more than any other rapper, but I don't think he is what he used to be.  He doesn't use his former alter-ego Slim Shady anymore, which I think accounts for a lot of why his new music isn't as strong as his older music. I'll still be buying MMLP2 and hoping the singles are worse than the rest of the album. 

Another Beatles Movie

I think I'm not the only one who thinks the most recent Beatles film was both weird, confusing, and at times a tad bit stupid.  I got lost almost immediately and never caught on to the plot line. It might be partly because I've never been a huge fan of British comedies but I strongly disliked it. It was hard to pay attention most of the time, and I'm not really sure the whole point of the singing. I respect those who enjoy that kind of comedy but I am definitely not one of them. 

Yeezus

Self proclaimed "god," Kanye West, recently released his sixth studio album named "Yeezus".  This guy is obviously very humble and selfless.  And he has a sense of humor too, naming his first born son North.  All jokes aside, Mr. West has had a phenomenal career thus far, and although his most recent releases have not been as strong as his older projects, he is still one of the best in the game.  His over-confidence with himself is part of what makes him so good.  He's not afraid to say what he thinks, which a majority of the time has something to do with how awesome he is. Kanye's most recent album "Yeezus," although not widely received very positively, is actually a pretty decent album. Although his actual lyrics aren't as strong as previous albums, I think the beats are what makes Yeezus stand out so much. His production is outstanding, and combined with mediocre rapping I actually think it is a album worth a listen.  

Grade Inflation

Similar to the value of currency, the value of grades has slowly been decreasing over the years.  Contrary to the inflation of currency, I think grade inflation is a positive thing. There are a lot of instances where the knowledge one is required to know and learn in the modern school system does not correlate to a student's actual intelligence.  A plethora of students have specialized skills that can lead to a successful career, but because of the grading system they are considered failures and have no opportunity to excel in their field. With grade inflation, more students are given opportunities to go to college and begin studying in the field they actually desire, rather than one they are forced upon.  Although these less than mediocre students might not have a chance to attend the most prestigious of universities, they are at least given more of a chance than if they were failed in high school. 

Simple Logic

Behind Eminem, Logic is one of the best white rappers in the game. Although not widely known, this kid has some major talent. Since 2010 he has made a name for himself with the releases of "Undeniable" and "Welcome to Forever," his two most popular mixtapes. His lyricism and flow are consistently sharp throughout every song and he features a few superstars including Jhene Aiko, Kid Ink, and Trinidad James. I love his sound, never sounding exactly the same and never having a potentially "mainstream" pop crappy song like a lot of rappers. He has a very bright future and hopefully has a very successful career. I would also like to add he is label-mates with Kanye West and The Roots, two very popular hip-hop artists. 

What is Rock

I think the question of what "rock" is, is being extremely over analyzed. Obviously it's a very subjective question, but the subjectivity should be able to be narrowed down more than it currently is. Rock comes with preconceptions (in my experience) of wicked electric guitar solos along with some awesome drums. I think the argument that hip hop is rock is quite silly. Hip-hop/rap is it's own unique genre and has it's own unique sound and rhythm. I'm not a music expert so I might be a little out of my league saying these things but I think in order for something to be classified as "rock" it should have that rock and roll sound that's hard to describe with words. It should sound like Metallica or Van Halen or Led Zeppelin. When I think of rock I think

One of Those Days

Everyone has days when nothing goes their way, and when these days come around certain tactics are used in order to get through the day. Personally I need a physical release to improve my mindset. Sitting around watching something or listening to music doesn't do it, I need to be exerting energy as if it's a bad omen.  Most of the time I'll go outside and shoot some hoops until I'm either bored or feeling better. I almost always listen to music when I shoot hoops, mainly because it provides some background noise but it also helps calm my mind if my day has been terrible. I definitely think music can act as a release from reality and help someone cope with a bad day or experience. I sometimes use it this way but I find it hard not to do something else while listening to music.  If I want to feel better I'll listen to rap or uplifting music, if I want to feel even worse I'll put on some Drake and think about my past relationships.  

ACL Review

The Austin City Limits music festival, although a weaker lineup than previous years, was a great time. Friday started off slow with fun. being the only band I thought was worth seeing, their concert actually was pretty good. After fun. some friends and I decided to camp at the stage where Kaskade would be performing at in order to get a good spot up front. Okkerill River was the band who played before Kaskade and I really enjoyed them, they had a good concert. Kaskade was fun, although I don't like his music very much I still thought his concert was a blast. Saturday definitely had potential for being awesome. Walk the Moon was great, although I left early to meet up with some friends, and for the rest of the day I camped at the stage Kendrick Lamar would be performing at. This was one of the worst experiences I think I've endured. It felt like it was 100 degrees and the sun was shining directly on us. I probably sweated the equivalent of my body mass and fried like a lobster. I can't say it was worth it, but Kendrick definitely had a great concert. Sunday was alright, the only artist I stayed for an entire act being Paper Diamond who was an okay DJ. All in all I had a great time but I'm hoping for an improved lineup next year. 

Jaymes Young

Thanks to Ben Holztman I have found a new artist that I genuinely enjoy listening to.  He asked for him to be played during class and I liked the sound of his music so I decided to check him out and I really like him. His music can be described as melancholic, trippy, chill, and electronic-ish.  Young's voice is good and he combines it with a trippy techno beat in most of his songs that is a great combination in my opinion.  It's good music to sit back, maybe do homework to, and just relax.  He's not very well known, and I'm not sure if he produces the songs himself but I would definitely recommend songs like Northern Lights and Moondust to someone who likes chill music. 

ACL

This weekend is the first of 2 weekends of the world famous Austin City Limits music festival.  Renowned for it's live music, ACL is one of Austin's most famous music festivals. Personally I'm very excited for the weekend. My favorite artist performing is Kendrick Lamar, who plays on Saturday. Other artists I will probably check out include Kaskade, Wick-it the Instigator, Muse, Walk the Moon, Grimes, fun., Kings of Leon, Portugal. the Man, and Dawes. This year's lineup is nowhere near as solid as last year's, or the year before, but there is still some definite talent. I love the environment of ACL because of how many people are at Zilker at once (75k per day), and I love getting amped at concerts. This weekend is going to be amazing and I'm hoping to make it out with as few bumps and bruises as possible. 

Ill Mind of Hopsin

Marcus Hopson, better known as Hopsin, is one of the better lyricists of our generation of rappers.   After starting his own record label he burst onto the scene with his series of songs known as "Ill Mind of Hopsin," most of which describe his opinions on certain aspects of life. His best song is Ill Mind of Hopsin 5, a song I definitely think is worth listening to. He mentions how the current generation of kids is so obsessed with using drugs and alcohol and having sex that they have lost their grasp on what really matters. The beat is well produced and Hopsin is spitting about real issues with our current generation. The other Ill Minds sound similar and he never fails to hit right on impending social flaws. He is definitely worth a listen and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to hear good rap music. 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hRVOOwFNp5U

G.O.O.D. Rap

So it's apparent that the meaning of good rap/hip-hop music is ambiguous.  Here's what I think good rap music should contain: catchy hook, thoughtful rhyming, intelligent lyrics, and a beat that won't make the listener fall into a deep sleep. Here's what a lot of "rap" is nowadays: annoyingly repetitive lyrics with a somewhat catchy hook that eventually makes your ears bleed because of it's overuse, and lyrics that a 10 year old could understand. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of good modern rappers who still make great music, some of which include Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper (this dude is the next big thing), Kendrick Lamar (yeah), Hopsin, and occasionally Drake (although plenty of his songs are meant for swagfags with emotional issues). And then of course there are the legends who will always be the kings of rap like Tupac, Biggie, Eminem, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, and the old Kanye.  Now this list contains 11 rappers, all of which had/have some serious talent in either producing and/or rapping, but there are countless other "rappers" who are popular for being catchy but whose music is neither dense nor meaningful. In other words these artists will not leave a legacy behind them. Rappers like this include 2 Chainz, Juicy J, Lil Wayne, Trinidad James, and plenty others that I can't think of at the moment. Without them though we would not be able to determine whether or not a song or artist has some quality. Contrary to popular belief I don't think rap is currently facing a depression, I think it's a time where new rappers are starting to make names for themselves.  

Preconceptions

You're lying if you say you've never had a preconception about anything. The world is made up of preconceptions, depending on which region of the world you're from. Anyone who has not been to Texas and stayed for an extended amount of time has a preconception that we all ride horses, have super strong southern accents, and say "y'all" all the time (the latter being somewhat true with all southern states).  People who have never been to Italy think they all love pizza and spaghetti, and talk in the typical "Italian mobster" accent. In reality, preconceptions can be true, but the majority of them are exaggerated due to exposure of media that heightens the stereotypes. A lot of people have not been to Italy or Texas, so they have no way of knowing whether or not the stereotypes they were presented are credible, therefore they assume the preconceptions are true. 

Drake

Drakes new album "Nothing Was the Same" recently leaked about a week before it's official release date. Being a moderate Drake fan I had to check it out, and I actually really enjoyed it. My favorite songs are Wu-Tang Forever, All Me, and Furthest Thing. His voice sounds as good as always, and whoever produced it knew what they were doing. By far I think this was Drake's best album where he sings the majority of the time. His melodies are beautiful. Him and The Weeknd have the best voices in hip-hop in my opinion. 

Chance the Rapper

One of the most intelligent, fluid, relevant rappers of 2013 is the not-so-up-and-coming rapper, Chance the Rapper. He burst onto the rap scene with his 2nd mixtape "Acid Rap," where he is known to have been on LSD while recording about 40% of the songs. The entire mixtape is amazing. Chance's lyrics are some of the most clever lyrics I've heard since Eminem.  Some might find him to be a bit of an acquired taste, but in my opinion he is the best rapper under 24 years old, and has a very very bright future. It's always kinda cool that he was trippin on acid while recording awesome music. 

youtube.com/watch?v=QRv2_zAPrhc

The Beatles

Although I had previously said I'm not a huge fan of older music, I actually did enjoy listening to The Beatles' first album.   Paul is very easy and enjoyable to listen to. My favorite song was probably the last one, Scream and Shout, mainly because it the most upbeat song on the album and John definitely killed it.  I feel like the length also made it more enjoyable, there wasn't much repetition of lyrics or spaces without vocals (both of which are wildly popular in modern mainstream music). I came in to class today thinking I would be dreading listening to The Beatles, but left feeling like I wanted to listen to more of them. 

The Weeknd (yes that's how you spell it)

One of the artists I have recently started listening to is The Weeknd. He's sort of a mix between Pharrell and a pre-pubescent boy, with a voice similar to an angel. Most of his popularity has come from featuring in songs with popular artists including Drake, Juicy J, and Wiz Khalifa, but has come out with a couple of solo albums. If he ever comes to Austin, and I'm not aware that he is anytime soon, his show is definitely something I'd want to attend. A lot of his songs sound similar, but with the voice close to that of an angel, it's definitely not something to complain about. 

youtube.com/watch?v=tfrWuiQ4QNc

youtube.com/watch?v=O1OTWCd40bc

Elvis

As a 90s kid, I wasn't exposed to Elvis very often, unlike my parents who grew up listening to the rock legend. Because of how highly my parents talked of Mr. Presley, I always had respect for him, without knowing why. Like I mentioned in one of my other blogs I don't particularly enjoy listening to music from back in Elvis' day. It's most likely because of my inability to grasp the historical context of Elvis' accomplishments, or the outdated feel I get when listening to him. Personally, I respect Elvis as a recording artist but not as a role model. He was known for his drug use and with the popularity equivalent to Justin Bieber he wasn't an ideal person to look up to.  All in all Elvis Presley made a huge impact on music, and for that he should be known as one of the most influential rock legends ever. 

I am not a rapper

Rap, although not very popular with my parents' generation, is my favorite genre of music. I think the all time King of Rap is Eminem (not because of our shared skin color, I have legitimate reasons). Eminem, or Marshall Mathers came from a broken, poor, horribly dysfunctional family, making his ride to the top even more impressive. First off, his flow is unmatched, containing speed but always in control. His lyrics contain thoughtful content (although this can be masked by his vulgarity occasionally) about his past and current situations, and political and social problems. He was also the first GOOD white rapper, and changed the game forever. There will always be arguments that rappers such as Tupac, Biggie, Jay-Z, or even Kanye hold the title for best rapper, but in my opinion Eminem raps smarter and made much more of an impact than any other rapper in history. 

Music in the 1950s

I'm gonna start out by saying I'm not a huge fan of the music that was prevalent in the 50s. It might seem extremely superficial but it sounds too outdated. I get the fact that it was new-sounding and mind-blowing at the time, but it's hard for me to put myself in the position of someone who hasn't.  Although the music of the 1950's doesn't fulfill my musical taste, I still greatly respect all the artists who succeeded at the time. Some of the songs are catchy, but they aren't something that I would listen to in my free time.  The only artist I have heard of extensively is Elvis, which shows how much I listen to 50s Rock.

Music plays a pretty big role in my life.  I listen to it almost everyday, depending on how much free time I have.  All genre's interest me,  with an exception of classical and gospel music. My favorite artists/bands include 30 Seconds to Mars, Eminem, A$AP Rocky, Childish Gambino, and countless others. Rap is my favorite genre, closely followed by Rock. Without music my life would be a lot more dull.