Showing posts with label Phoenix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phoenix. Show all posts

Friday, April 19, 2013

Fall Out Boy Saved Rock and Roll


Hey,

Sorry for not posting last Friday, but I had plans. J Anyways, I was going to post a review of Fall Out Boy’s new album last week, so I’ll do it this week instead. Without further ado, my top 5 favorite songs off FOB”s new album “Save Rock and Roll…”

5. “Death Valley”- I am so freaking obsessed with this song; I hope I can put it into words. I have literally listened to this song like a million times since the album came on. Patrick’s incredible vocal range, the kicking drum section, and the guitar lines all come together to make a remarkably sick, genius song. I saw some negative comments online about the section around 2:50, which some fans have dubbed “FallStep.” I dunno, I think it’s kind of cool. FOB has the right to experiment with new styles if they want. It’s a cool track and I have a feeling this song is going to be so much fun performed live.

4. “Just One Yesterday” ft. Foxes- I am a big fan of this track as it switches from heavy to light back to heavy. It’s not just playing on one level, but rather many. My favorite aspect is the lyrics “Letting people down is my thing baby/ Find yourself a new gig/ This town ain't big enough for two of us/I don't have the right name/ Or the right looks/But I have twice the heart.” Dang.

3. “Young Volcanoes”- The third single off the album, it has a kind of bouncy, Cali, almost Train-like vibe to it. I appreciate that FOB is experimenting with some acoustic guitars, especially in this track. This song is probably the “happiest” song on the album, considering most of the other songs have a slightly darker tone, but I like it. Very cool.

2. “The Phoenix”-This is my second favorite on the album, though it really deserves like 1.75th place, because it is just as good as The Mighty Fall. I like the darker sound, Patrick’s soaring vocals, the dynamic changes, and the song combines rock, alt, and a little pop into one big, super good track. I love to see artists branch out every now and then.

1. “The Mighty Fall” ft. Big Sean- I love how it starts out with the light percussion and then eventually everything else just comes in. Patrick’s vocals + the distortion give this song a nice, hard edge; it kind of combines their older stuff with his own Soul Punk album. I truly believe that chorus is the best thing on the album. It’s rough, raw, and entirely perfect. It’s almost taunting, which fits with the theme of the song. The only thing I don’t like is Big Sean’s part, as I don’t think he’s up to par with FOB, but I suppose it could have been worse. J Overall, though, it is by far, my favorite song on the album. Love it!

I just wanted to say really quickly that people on the internet have been complaining about how FOB is different, their new music sucks, it’s Patrick’s fault, they’ve changed, and so on and so forth. But, I saw this really good comment on YouTube that completely supports how I feel about FOB and other artists who change their style. “In music, we generally become fans of an artist on the basis of how he or she executes our own favorite style of music. When they deviate, we complain. Rather than trying to reorient our taste to keep up with the artist himself, we stick to the past. It exposes how we are not really lovers of music or artistry, but ourselves. Following an iconoclast, i.e.[Fall Out Boy], is a challenge, but doing so allows us to grow with [them] rather than using [them] to fulfill our stale expectations. Listen regardless.” Thanks to shotinthedark90 for that insightful statement. Think on that next time you or a friend starts to complain about artists changing their style.

Anyways, thanks for reading.
Until next week,
Bella

Friday, March 9, 2012

Happy Post

Hey,
I have a surprise, y'all...for the second week in a row you are getting 2 posts!


Top 5 Songs of the Week:
5. Your Ghost by Greg Laswell. I love this song. It was created following, what is arguably, the best recipe for beautiful music. Here it is: 1/2 cup Cover-That's-Better-Than-The-Original-Song (the song was originally recorded by Kristin Hersh back in 1994); 1/4 cup deep baritone, four tablespoons simple percussion; one teaspoon gentle piano; equal parts powerful guitar and strings; one cup perfect guitar accompaniment. Yum.

4. Holdin' on Together by Phoenix. These guys are French. They write nonsense lyrics. I have no idea what they are saying 99% of the time. . They are what I like to call "Genre Bouncers." I have a feeling you know what I'm saying; they rarely/never stay in one genre, electing to be alt/pop/dance/house/indie/mainstream all at the same time. It truly works.

3. Acoustic Kingdom Underground EP by Matt Duke. No, this is not an individual song, but an entire EP. This was released back in 2009, but I think it's still relevant. And you can't tell me differently, because this is my blog. ;) Just kidding. Anyways, this is EP is filled with 6 tracks from his first album that he re-recorded with just his voice, a guitar, and a few other strings here and there. It's beautiful. Some of his "skippable" tracks are made into something goose-bump-inducing.

2. Up Up Up by The Givers. I first heard this song at Younkers one night when I was shopping...good place to find music, quite honestly and made sure to remember this song. It's obnoxious, catchy, and cute all at the same time. Kind of like dogs and some people...haha But, really, this song is worth checking out if you like simple drum-lines, alternating female/male vocals, and songs that repeat words.

1. The Longest Road (Deadmau5 Remix Radio Edit) by Morgan Page ft. Lissie. This track came on my 3OH!3 Pandora station and I stood frozen in my bedroom, just mesmerized by the vocals. Turns out, Lissie is quite the talented lady and has been big for a while. Things I like: the minor key, the thumping bass (just like Dev, I like my bass down low. I'm not serious; I just couldn't resist), and the tinking sound in the back. It reminds me of Ellie Goulding, and lo and behold, Lissie and Ellie toured together.

So, that concludes my weekly playlist. Enjoy and check them out.

Until next week,
Bella