Sun; pouring rain; more sun; more pouring rain – the Sweetlife Festival definitely had its share of weird early summer weather. But none of that detracted from the experience that was had listening to the bands playing there last Saturday. If anything, the pouring rain added to the religious experience – especially during Phoenix’s set.
I’ll admit it, I don’t have particularly high expectations for Tyga albums. Tyga, the rapper most known for strip club anthem “Rack City,” is pretty much the definition of mediocre and generic pop-rap that straddles the gap between the clubs and the radio. So naturally when I started my first listen through of Tyga’s latest album, the unfortunately titled Hotel California, I was not expecting much. Much to my surprise, as I neared the end of the album, I found myself actually enjoying parts of Hotel California. Read More »
Experimental Sounds; That is what makes the Flaming Lips such an intriguing band, their experimental sounds. Their songs introduce a combination of futuristic synthetics and raw vocals, an odd combination to say the least. To add to their bizarre musical chemistry is their weird choice of song names; not just simple one or two word titles [example, "Butterfly, How Long It Takes to Die"]. Since the mid-1980s, the band has been wowing crowds with their elaborate live performances, even ranking among Q Magazines “50 Bands to See Before You Die” (take that one to heart). At the turn of the 21st century, they were signed, sealed, and quickly becoming a famous international act with Grammy Awards to boot. Read More »
It is that time of year again. You’re either done with finals, still have one or two left, or somehow still have all of your final papers due on Saturday. If you belong to these previous two categories, this song will represent you at varying levels. Those who are just tired of finals will connect to the disconnected, non-linear lyrics and narrative. Others might just mind the overall darkness and jumble of the song to represent your current state of mind. Read More »
“Do It” is the headboppin’, fingersnappin’ intro track on mysterious artist Tuxedo’s first EP. While the promising release is only three songs deep, the collection of smooth and soulful grooves has garnered much praise, including many a comparison to popular crooner Mayer Hawthorne. Read More »
Carbon Leaf is a folk-indie-bluegrass-Celtic band from Richmond, Virginia that manages to blend four different styles of music to create-in my humble opinion-the perfect sound of the summer. A little bit of a country, an impressive lead singer (who once showed up to a concert with his face entirely covered in one large bushy beard, completely unrecognizable except for his distinctive Southern-drawl-inspired crooning voice) and lyrics about returning to the greatest state in the Union-Virginia. What more could you want? Read More »
Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y are two of rap’s most prolific artists. Where other artists would be content to release an album every year or two, these guys drop a half dozen albums, EP’s or mixtapes a year. Their most recent offering is a collaboration work named Live in Concert released to celebrate their favorite holiday, 4/20. Like the artists who created it, Live in Concert is not particularly ambitious, but it is extremely successful at what it does. Read More »
Yoünusual is quite an experience. Their self-titled album is a listening experience that unsuspectingly draws in your attention. Each song is an adventure: an adventure that brings together elements so diverse that it parallels the diversity of the infamous study group at Greendale Community College. Read More »
