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!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
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!
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!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
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!
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!
Monday, February 7, 2011
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)