I Love Donald Glover

A few years ago I was introduced to a youtube channel called "Derrick Comedy." The group consisted of a few guys in college who made funny videos and posted them up for others to watch. So began a love affair between me and one of the members, Donald Glover.
Over the years, I watched many of their new videos as they were posted. I found their website, and discovered that they were coming out with a full length movie. Fans had to vote to have the movie premiere in their city. Some of my friends were lucky enough to see the New York premiere (which I told them about) but I couldn't as I was taking SAT's the next day. Finally, the movie came to Boston, but alas, Donald Glover could not attend, as he was busy starring in one of my favorite TV shows: Community.
My favorite part about the show is at the end, when Donald Glover's character Troy and another character, Abed, star in short clips: these involve rapping in Spanish, krumping, hosting an imaginary radio show, and teasing other members of the cast.
Now you are probably wondering what any of this has to do with music. Well, I discovered recently that not only is Donald Glover a great actor, comedian, and writer (he often writes for 30 Rock, another one of my favorite TV shows) but he is also a rapper. A good one. I was shown the video for his single Freaks and Geeks, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otPxoVQiIGo) and was blown away! His lyrics are extremely clever and punny and include many pop culture references in a clever light. I downloaded his EP, and the other songs are also good, although my favorite remains to be Freaks and Geeks.
I was ecstatic when I learned that Donald will be at Bonnaroo this summer, a music festival in Tennessee which I am attending. I impatiently await seeing him perform and I am sure that our love affair (however one sided it may be) will continue on for a long time.

Eastern Blok

So this week (per request) I have been listening to some Eastern Blok. I went onto Wikipedia to find some background info about the band, but all I found was the definition for the Eastern Bloc, which is the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe. However, upon a google search (duh, why didn't I do that to begin with?) I found their website, www.easternblok.net, which describes them as "Balkan Fusion."
At first I wasn't quite sure what Balkan Fusion meant. The balkans are in the middle east or something, I think. Its definitely obvious once you start listening to their music. The middle eastern sound is unmistakable, even for someone (me) who so clearly knows nothing about the Middle East. They have a good sound, and definitely would be nice to listen to in a Jazz club (which is where most of their music videos on youtube come from). They're not exactly the kind of music that I'm into, but for their genre, they seem to be pretty good. Maybe I only don't like their music too much because some of their songs remind me of the Klesmer band my mom forced me to have at my Bat Mitzvah (against my will). You can check out their videos and see for yourself here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q95Lx9WGn7k&feature=related

Takk...

So I guess I'm feeling foreign lately. This week I decided to give a listen to Sigur Rós, an Icelandic band. So they don't sing in English, and the lead singer's voice is pretty high. Wikipedia lists them as a "post-rock" band, which makes sense. Their album, Takk... sounds pretty futuristic, but in a good way!
Their use of xylophones, strings, synthesizers...other unidentifiable instruments makes their album very fascinating and different. However the music is calming and quiet, easy to listen to and is entirely soothing if you play it as you are lying down for a nap. And I don't mean this in a bad way ("This music is so bad it will put you to sleep"), but in a really superb and awesome way.
I first heard of them waay back in the day, when my friend invited me to a Bon Iver and Sigur Rós concert for about 20 bucks. I blew him off with a "pshhh who is that? I have better things to do with my time" but now I seem to be regretting that decision, a lot, as the band announced a hiatus last January. My chance to see them may have passed.
Like I have mentioned before, I am not great with song titles, but I can usually guess if you give me a few minutes to think about it. Howevr, considering all of Sigur Rós' songs are NOT in English, and neither are their names...I can't really discern between them. Glósóli, Hoppípolla, Saeglópur...they all sound the same to me. But the music is great...so check it out. I'm super sleepy, so I'm off to listen to Sigur Rós and go to bed. Sweet dreams all!

Dance Dance Dance

So I don't know if it's pronounced lie-key-lie or licky-lee (that's what I choose to call it) but the most recent album I have tackled is by Lykke Li. Her real name is Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson: she's Swedish. But anyways, despite her name being confusing, her album, Youth Novels, is great.
I'm cheating a little bit, since I didn't actually hear about Lykke Li from my friend who doubled the music on my iPod just before the semester started. I randomly decided to click on her takeaway video on La Blogotheque (yes, La Blogotheque strikes again), and loved it. The song, Dance Dance Dance, is light and cheerful, as is the video. The song is simple, and yet uses a large number of instruments spread out through out the song showing her depth and musical talent.
Most of the other songs on the album are equally artistic and catchy. There are a few songs, I must admit, which are a little weird and probably wouldn't appeal to the general public. Melodies & Desires and The Trumpet in My Head involve some strange music playing in the background while Lykke Li talks softly, saying some nonsense about trumpets in her head and how love is the harmony, and desire is the key.
Alongside her creative indie music, what also appeals to me is her voice. It is definitely different than what you might expect, and very hard to explain in words - you just have to hear it. It isn't the same as your average diva - she doesn't sound like Shakira or Lady Gaga. Her voice is softer, and almost more old-fashioned. Her music is very soothing, great for listening while doing homework or reading a book (not that I ever do that, but I imagine it would be nice). No matter how you pronounce it, Lykke Li is definitely worth checking out!

My New Favorite Song

About 3 years ago, a friend introduced me to the group Bon Iver, and their album "For Emma, Forever Ago." I immediately fell in love with the entire album (and not just because it contained my name), and particularly one song called Skinny Love. This has been my favorite song ever since, and I never thought anything would top it.
However, I was recently introduced to a new band, Beirut. At first I wasn't so down  - my boyfriend of over a year, a few minutes after breaking up with me, told me I should give them a listen. But after a few weeks I decided to try them out. And I hate to admit it, but he was right. They are amazing.
Almost all of Beirut's songs have weird and confusing titles (Gulag Orkestar, Prenzlauerberg, etc) so it was hard for me to distinguish between them. However, one song in particular stood out to me. Something about it caught me off guard, and for weeks on end I couldn't get it out of my head. You would think this would be a bad thing, but it really wasn't. I found the song on Blogotheque, which made it even better, and was listening to it every day, multiple times a day. After much consideration, I have come to accept the fact that Nantes, by Beirut, has become my favorite song.
This isn't to say that the rest of their songs are unmentionable. Every song on the 3ish albums (some EPs) which I have inherited are equally amazing. I highly suggest you take a listen.

The Best Website Ever

You know what's cool? Music. You know what's cooler? Live music. You know what's even cooler? Live music being played through the streets of France. This week I was introduced to a wesbite/youtube channel called "La Blogotheque" and it is probably the best thing that has happened to me as a music-lover. And the worst thing that has happened to me as a student.
La Blogotheque is a French blog completely devoted to music and...completely in French. I speak a little bit of French but not really enough to figure out where to find the videos on the actual website. Lucky for me, they also have a youtube channel, found here. The videos are called "Take Away Shows" as they feature various artists walking through the streets, instruments and all.
And when I say various artists, I actually mean pretty much every artist ever (that actually uses instruments). They've got pretty much all my faves: Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, The Kooks, and even artists I've already featured on here like Menomena and artists that will be featured in the future like Beirut!
When I say that this site is the worst thing that has happened to me as a student, I mean that I have found myself spending endless hours discovering tons of new music when I should be writing papers and studying for midterms. But, I can't complain, because it really has opened my eyes to a whole new world of music which I can feature on future blog entries!

Bzzzzzzzzz

When a friend first told me of Menomena, all I could think of was the Muppets. So when I sat down for a listen, I wasn't sure what exactly to expect. Well, not exactly, since this friend had been ranting and raving about them all weekend. I had high expectations.
And my expectations were not disappointed! Every song on the album, Friend and Foe, is extremely well put together and pleasing to the ears. The wide variety of instruments used in their songs is impressive, considering there are only 3 men in the band.
There are a few moments on the album in certain songs that I could just play over and over again. The happen in Evil Bee and Rotten Hell. The moments in these songs just make me feel really lucky to get to listen to music, as weird as that may sound. I also really enjoy Muscle n' Flo, and Air Aid.
What's really great about this album is how different the songs are - a lot of times an artist will have a lot of really great songs, but they all sound pretty much the same. Each song has a very unique and different sound from the one before it, and its easy to differentiate between them. I'm not usually one to remember song titles - I usually play the music and then go off and do my homework or play a computer game or take a shower, so I can't see the title of every individual song. When all the songs sound the same, they all tend to just blend together. But every song by Menomena is just so unique, its much easier to learn song titles. And enjoyable to listen to.
Check out Evil Bee, the great moment happens at 2:00. Hope it makes you feel as happy as it made me!

I Am Not A Robot

You might think that Marina is a singer and the Diamonds is her backup band. But, in fact, Marina & the Diamonds is one person, Marina Diamandis, who comes from Wales. When I first ran into Marina, I was shown her video "Oh No!" At first I thought she reminded me a bit of Ke$ha - what with the glitter and sparkles and glam and girl power and such. But after further listening, I realized - wait a minute - her music is actually good! Not only that, but she doesn't appear to be drunk, she isn't dancing around in her underwear, and she's probably never released a sex tape. So far, so good.
As one of her songs suggests, Marina looks like Catherine Zeta-Jones and sounds like Shakira. But her music is nothing like you might expect from someone fitting that expression. Her songs are poppy, but a little quirky. They are catchy and I find myself listening to her whether I am doing my homework or having a dance party.
My favorite song is definitely Oh No! - its super upbeat and definitely gives off the girl power/independent woman vibe. I also like Mowgli's Road, not only because it reminds me of the Jungle Book which was one of my favorite Disney movies, but because of its slightly soulful chorus.
Another thing that's great about Marina is all of her music videos - they are super creative and exciting to watch, each equally peculiar and unique. And, they're all on youtube. I Am Not A Robot is probably the most famous song off "The Family Jewels" and I highly recommend you check it out, along with the rest of Marina's music!

Ballin' on a Budget

I was first drawn to the Nappy Roots because of their catchy album title: "Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz." Maybe because it seems artistic and I thought their music would be equally interesting, maybe I was just hungry. But my instincts were right, because I haven't been able to stop listening.
All the songs on the album are upbeat and catchy, and they all have song names equally awesome to the album title: Sholiz, Headz Up, Country Boyz, and my favorite, Ballin' on a Budget. The samples are atypical for rap, a lil' bit more old school. Unlike modern rap you hear on the radio, the Nappy Roots manage to not swear every other word - which I admit can work for some people, but its nice to have a break from it every once in a while and just sit back and enjoy the music.
My two favorite songs on the album are Po' Folks and Aw Naw. Po' Folks has some nice, soulful background music and slow lyrics. Not only is it calming and catchy, but it sends a valuable message - they may be poor, but they're not worried about it, they're focusing on the good things in life, like enjoying the company of each other and their girlfriends.
Aw Naw (besides the funny title) is a nice upbeat song about something. "Them country boys with them big fat wheels"?? "cow grills"?? The lyrics are a bit mysterious but the song is definitely pleasing to the ear.
I've been listening to Nappy Roots every week at the gym, because their songs tend to be exactly at the pace I work the treadmill at: upbeat, but not too fast.
I wanted to leave you with the most upbeat and uninterpretable song of the album, but I guess they're not cool enough for youtube (or they're too cool for youtube, depending on which way you look at it). So you can listen to a 30 second preview here: Sholiz - Nappy Roots or search for them on your own if you are really determined. Enjoy!

Give Up the Funk

As winter break ends and we settle back into the school schedule, and prepare for the many more long and cold days of winter ahead of us, we've got to find something that will keep us going through the endless hours spent sitting in the library or studying in the window seat. Before letting ourselves drop into an inescapable funk, we have to find a way out.
I realized over winter break that my iPod was becoming cluttered with various pop songs that I didn't actually like and loads of albums which I had never listened to, to the point where I'd have trouble finding any of the music I was looking for. So I went to one of my more musically capable friends from high school, plugged my 80G iPod into her computer, and proceeded to steal all music that seemed the slightest bit interesting.
Last week I began to tackle the 2,000 songs which I had just uploaded. Over the next few months I plan to share and review some of the albums that I have been listening to; my favorite songs, my favorite artists, lyrics that catch my attention, or whatever is on my mind about this new music. Hopefully this help prevent me, and anyone else who happens to read this, to give up the funk.

Give Up the Funk