A Little Alternative Christmas

Hey,

As I’m sure you guys are aware, we have four days until Christmas. At this point, I’m sure we’re all pretty tired of hearing “Jingle Bells” and that screechy Mariah Carey song every radio station seems to over-play. Since I strive to be your musical savior, this week I am highlighting five good renditions of these Christmas songs performed by alternative/indie acts.

Here we go…

5. Auld Lange Syne by Andrew Bird- Granted, this song relates more to New Year, but I’m including it because it’s in the same season and a solid song. Andrew brings a barebones feel to this typically flowing, heavily orchestrated song. I love that violin after the introduction and the light-hearted feel his vocals give the song.

4. Little Saint Nick by She and Him- It wouldn’t really be a Christmas post if I did not highlight these indie darlings who released a fantastic Christmas album last year. Typically, this song gives me a headache, partially due to the fact that this song has absolutely nothing to do with the real meaning of Christmas and partially because the original arrangement is obnoxious and tries too hard to be cute. She and Him specialize in cute, so it works. Zooey’s vocals complement the twinkling strings section in the background and the harmonies are perfect.

3. O Come O Come Emanuel by Surfjan Stevens- Absolutely beautiful interpretation. Between the woodwinds, varying instrumentation, and his gravelly yet smooth vocals, I’m sold. He took a slightly boring Christmas carol and brought some depth and splendor back to it. Amazing.

2. Tonight It’s Christmas by Hey Ocean!- One of the few Christmas songs I can listen to all year. I love the strong, alternating vocals, different percussion lines, and surprising horn lines. Take out the Christmas lyrics and it sounds like your everyday Alternative hit. Love it.

1. Sleigh Ride by fun.- One of my favorite indie-now-gone-mainstream-bands. I hate to be a jerk, but I like to remind everyone when I bring fun. up that I knew “We Are Young” a year before it got big. Alright, hipster antics out of the way, this is probably the best cover I’ve ever heard of this lackluster Christmas song. It opens with a gentle, swaying orchestra section, in a typical fun. fashion, adds in distinctive percussion, sound effects, and eventually adds in Nate’s distinctive voice. This song is always stuck in my head, which means if you listen to it, it will be too. J

Next week, the 28^th, will be the last Friday of 2012, which means it’s time to do a review of my favorite songs from 2012. I could pick the worst songs of the year, but my goal with this blog is to bring some positivity to the music industry, not add more negativity. Yes, I do like to highlight the flaws in the music industry, but my job is not to solely critique. So, that’s why I’m going to do a “best of” list, rather than a “worst of.” If you’re looking for a worst of 2012, click here to listen to one of my favorite guys on YouTube.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

Bella

What is Bella Listening To?

Hey,

It’s time for another installment of “What is Bella Listening To.” No, my playlist may not be super exciting, but I love sharing with ya’ll what’s been trending on my Spotify account. J

Here we gooooooo….

 Damn You by Lana Del Rey- One of Lana’s unreleased, early tracks, this song really stands out above the rest. I love her emotion, the poetic lyrics, and the simple instrumentation. Lana can take a potentially sleep-inducing song and turn it into something memorable. The lyrics detail a failed relationship, and even if you blocked out the words, only listening to her voice, you would easily be able to hear exactly what happened in the relationship. Honestly, the one characteristic is what is lacking in the music industry. Artists today, with several exceptions, do not show emotion in their songs; they’re just autotuned robots. Anyways, Lana’s song is worth checkingout.

Only You by Ellie Goulding- Ellie’s album just dropped this last week, and while it’s not quite as stunning as her debut album, it boasts a few good tracks, one of which is “Only You.” I like the well-developed electronic sound—she’s dating Skrillex and it’s painfully obvious he was a big influence on this album—and her high, light vocals, though it sounds like she’s stretching her voice a little too far, but somehow, she makes it work. This is not something I would typically listen to, but I do respect Ellie for her musical ingenuity and think she may be one of the best female pop artists we have.

Because I Know I Can by Andy Burrows- Andy Burrows may be a familiar name to some, as he was the drummer of Razorlight, switching to We Are Scientists for a while, eventually creating a side project I Am Arrows, and finally settling into this solo venture. I highlighted “Green Grass” by I Am Arrows a few months ago, and I really like Andy’s work. This song is essential alternative rock. It features a prominent, strong drum section, beautiful melodies, varying instrumentation, and Andy’s Simon and Garfunkel-esque vocals. Really good work, Andy.

Starz In Their Eyes by Just Jack- I discovered this guy thanks to Pandora, my faithful musical ally. I like the memorable instrumental beginning, Jack’s mixed singing-rapping vocals, and the tempo changes. He never quite settles on just one style, which is a nice surprise. It’s cool when bands—or artists—play around with a song format. This song is six years old, but honestly, if a popular “band” (I put that in quotation marks to let you know that’s used sarcastically) put this song out, I could see it charting. Oh, well, it’s a well-kept indie secret. J

Cinema (Disparate Youth) by Mike Tompkins - This cover makes it on my list because I have a deep, heartfelt admiration for a capella artists. And, Mike Tompkins embodies everything I love about YouTube. He takes a simple cover, puts his own spin on it, and gets millions of hits. I admire his creativity, truly. Anyone who does a capella, though, automatically gets my respect—assuming their cover doesn’t suck big time…lol. Mike’s cover fuses Benny Benassi’s song “Cinema” with “Disparate Youth” by Santigold. The mash up sounds, at first blush, like it would clash and sound awkward, but oh…it’s stunning. Mike’s incredible talent with the software paired with his soaring vocals and the fact that, using the software, he can recreate the Skrillex sound that we all know and love (or hate, depending on your musical preferences). It’s a beautiful piece of art, really. Check it out here...

Until next week,

Bella

Beecher's Fault

Hey,
Happy Friday! Granted, for most students like me, Friday is just another day of the week, but if you're working good for you. You survived another week. For me, I'm just happy I survived the heat; it's supposed to be 100 degrees this weekend. But I'm keeping cool, exercising indoors and listening to good music. :)

So, speaking of good music...

I love social media. It goes without saying that social media connects us, brings us together, and introduces us to new people/ new things we might never have found otherwise. I was slow to join twitter. I thought, honestly, I have an e-mail account, Facebook, and a blog. What else do I need? It turns out, I was missing out. In the past, bands tried to reach new ears by way of MySpace and now, they use Twitter. One day when I logged on my account, with my unbearably long e-mail address (thesoundtrackofmylife2012@gmail.com)  I saw I had a new follower. Usually, it’s just like one of my sister’s friends, but it turned out to be a new band I had never heard of (hence the word “new”) called Beecher’s Fault. Curious, I clicked on the link to their Facebook page and listened to their song “Misbehavior.” I am so glad I did.

          These guys are incredible. The band is comprised of three guys from Astoria, New York : vocalist/guitarist Ben Taylor, vocalist/keyboardist Ken Lamken and drummer Eric Levine. Their music boasts many features such as a beautiful indie vibe, some aspects of modern alternative sounds, and an unmistakable sound. When they come on my Spotify playlist I know automatically who it is. They are very distinctive and I like that. I find even in alternative circles that bands tend to get lazy and bang out a boring melody and some mediocre lyrics. Maybe it’s just me, but I like bands that put effort into their sound. With Beecher’s Fault, you never have to doubt that they worked at their music. All of their tender loving care really paid off.

                My favorite songs are Leftover People and Conductor. Leftover People is cool because the piano intro leads into the song perfectly, the drum line fits perfectly, and the overall beautiful simplicity with a touch of chaos. Simplicity and chaos, though they might be antonyms, work well with each other. And Conductor stands out because of the emotional lyrics, simple instrumentation, and the vocals give me goose bumps.

They also have really cool music videos. I especially enjoyed the music video for Liars, which uses shoes to tell a story. Very creative. I loved it. J

So, in the end, I really enjoy their music. I like the polished yet slightly gritty sound. They embody alternative music and I hope nothing but success comes their way.

If you want to connect with these guys, their music is available on iTunes, Spotify, and their website. You can find them on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and their official website.

Here are the links:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/beechers_fault

Website: http://beechersfault.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeechersFault

MySpace:  http://www.myspace.com/beechersfault

YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/beechersfault

If you are in an undiscovered band or if you are a fan on an undiscovered band and would like a review on my blog, please leave a comment, e-mail me, or tweet me at twitter.com/tsoml2012

Until next week,

Bella

Why I Hate Mainstream Music (AKA Why I Support Alternative Artists)

Hey,

So I thought I should explain why I did not post last week about hipster/alternative philosophy. In short, I watched a really good documentary, got freaked out by The Walking Dead, and forgot about my blog until pretty late. Therefore, I had to whip something together fairly quickly—for me, that meant almost 50 minutes. I put a lot of time/effort into each blog post, fyi. So, no, I’m not an amnesiac and I’m not like Dory; I don’t have short term memory loss (P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney) Tonight, a night early, I’m aware of that-I’m going to my grandparents’ house and don’t want to feel tied to a computer—I’m making up for what I meant to write last week: why I like alternative music.

I’m deeper than just “Oh, I hate mainstream music ‘cuz it’s popular.” That’s a pathetic disgrace to music and logic. My disgust with music stems from my musical roots. I have two parents who prefer to listen to music from yesteryear as opposed to today. My mom listens to country—not my favorite, but at least back in the 70’s and before they were talented and knew how to write good quality music. My dad listens to 1980’s music, primarily, with a little 1970’s tossed in there for good measure. The 80’s were great. The artists were talented, they knew how to play instruments—a band is not a band unless they are playing instruments when you see them in concert—and they were much less concerned about their backup dancers or celebrity gossip or how much humping can one fit into a 3 minute music video. It was just about the music.

That’s what we are missing today.

The 1980’s boasted bands like Men At Work, Duran Duran, the B-52’s, The Buggles, Devo, Blondie, and Soft Cell. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but did Devo ever autotune their vocals because they did not possess the talent to sing? I don’t think so.

Today, artists don’t even need talent. They need money, powerful parents, an agent, and a willing producer who will make them sound like WALL-E. Maybe it’s just me but I thought robots were supposed to do chores and stuff, not sing. A robot chorus, now that could be interesting. I would like that. I would like that very much.

Back to the point, the 1980’s and previous generations had what this and the last decade or two have missed: an emphasis on talent, not how well an album will sell or who’s sexy. That doesn’t matter, but yet, today, it does. Rihanna, for example, is pretty much talentless, save for her constantly wagging butt and boobs busting beyond her bikini. That will sell.

All the blame cannot be dumped on the artists and the producers. Anyone one who buys this crap is supporting it, which encourages them to make more of it. Don’t encourage them. Ever. Even if you’re someone—and I do this occasionally—who buys  or listens to just one song on Sportify, where they earn money, you’re also in the wrong.

As well, it’s never “funny” to buy or listen to a song as a joke, because it earns them money and makes them feel important. Take Rebecca Black, for example. That frightening excuse for a singer appeared out of nowhere and got a billion gazillion views on YouTube. She, and those two scary guys, are rolling in the dough right now, laughing all the way to the bank. Congratulations, idiots, you just made a ton of money for some talentless fools.  That is something we need to avoid, as a whole.

Well, what can we do?

 What we need to do is stand up to these talentless zombies and remind them what music is supposed to sound like. It is up to us to boycott their music, videos, TV specials, movies, what have you, because there are thousands of struggling artists right now who want so badly to show they world that they possess real talent, not this fake stuff we’ve been digesting for the last twenty-two years or so. We should support these alternative/indie artists. That is why I started this blog, so these musicians can hopefully reach a greater audience. That’s my goal, at least.

Next week, I will define some hipster terms/ explain their logic. Then, I’ll get back to music reviews and different things like that.

Until next week,
Bella

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