Fans might think Beyoncé effortlessly handles life’s curveballs because, well, she’s Beyoncé. But her new, highly secretive album Lemonade is visual and sonic proof that’s not the case. Even further, her latest artistic effort shatters the typical boundaries of pop music—utilizing striking visuals to accentuate an already powerful message.
Opening with the prophetic words, “The past and the present merge to meet us here…What am I doing my love,” Lemonade’s official trailer left fans unexplainably disturbed, intrigued and downright confused. The promotional video itself didn’t include an excess of Bey-focused shots; rather, it put the attention on art—with starkly contrasted visuals of peace and tranquility, juxtaposed to utter chaos and destruction.
After weeks of hearing Justin Bieber’s pulsating “What Do You Mean?” and EDM-heavy Skrillex and Diplo Collaboration “Where Are U Now” infiltrate every frat house basement and Ryan Seacrest show, fans were happy to get a new feel for the singer’s upcoming album.
First there was “Sorry,” then there was “I’ll Show You,” and now, “Love Yourself” has become our most recent Justin Bieber “jam-sesh” fix. While the 21-year-old singer’s newest installment, Purpose, is set for release this Friday, Bieber has teased the much-anticipated album with a melody of hard-hitting bangers and subtle ballads.
On Friday, Adele said “Hello” to another No. 1 spot on iTunes with her tear-jerking new single.
While the 27-year-old singer isn’t set to release her newest album, 25, until Nov. 20, fans got a sneak peek of the album with the single “Hello,” and its accompanying music video of epic proportions.
The sepia-filtered video, directed by Xavier Dolan, opens with a frazzled Adele trying to find cell service, as she stands in the middle of a forest windstorm. After closing her flip phone, Adele makes her way into an old country home, where the windows are coated in dust and the furniture shrouded in dirty sheets.
Earl Sweatshirt hit a rough patch after the release of his mixtape Earl when he was sent to boarding school in Samoa until he was 18-years-old.
Sweatshirt felt that he doubted himself in his first studio album released in 2012, shortly after his return from Samoa, Doris. Sweatshirt needed a voice after his days of conformity with rap group Odd Future and his lost mind on Doris.
Even through all the uncertainty, I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside serves as a platform for Sweatshirt to reveal his true talent as an artist, and to finally let his voice be heard.
Image courtesy of youtube.com
“Huey” serves as the opening track to Sweatshirt’s album. The song goes back to Sweatshirt’s Odd Future days with its comical lyric content as he rants on critics and talks about the change in his career as he came back to Los Angeles again. The song changes from a dreary organ to a simple drum beat with some synthesizer thrown in between.
“Off Top” creates an unsettling mood with its eerie piano and cold lyrics including “I’m only happy when there’s static in the air cause the fair weather fake to me.” The production is extremely choppy, but it goes along with the rap perfectly.
“Wool” features rapper Vince Staples; he matches Sweatshirt’s dark rap with his own dark verses. The beat is simple with the use of a cut up piano and a simplistic drum beat that captures the dark tone of the song.
“Grief” is the hit single from the album and comes off as artistically driven. The beat is glitchy and gives an eerie vibe to the song. Sweatshirt takes us to a dark place in his life, rapping about his struggles with drugs and finding himself after losing his grandmother.
Sweatshirt was upset with how National Public Radio handled his album’s release.
The album was originally supposed to only have been a music video released for the song “Grief,” but Top Dog Entertainment released everything but the music video.
Sweatshirt said through NPR Music: “I was so mad cause it was like — especially because I feel like this is my first album. This is the first thing that I’ve said that I fully stand behind, like the good and the bad of it. I’ve never been behind myself this much. So for them to not treat it as importantly as I was treating it was just like — I couldn’t help but to feel a little disrespected, you know?”
Earl Sweatshirt took simplicity and turned it into something special. Though the glitchy beats and dark raps, Sweatshirt finally found his own voice. Over the past few years, we have seen Sweatshirt mature through his projects, and I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside feels like the rounding off of his maturity. He has finally stepped away from the childish ways of Odd Future and has grown into a stronger rapper because of it.
Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly has not only defied expectations after his last album Good Kid M.A.A.d City, but it may go down as one of the best hip hop albums of all time, and I’m not the only one saying it.
Pitchfork gave it a 9.3 out of 10, Rolling Stone Magazine gave it four and a half stars and Spin Magazine gave it the first 10/10 in over nine years. Even the harshest of critics are singing this albums praise. With that said, dissecting this album is like dissecting a Picasso painting, or trying to dissect why Taylor Swift has so many issues with men – it’s difficult.
To begin, the production is incredible. Kendrick and the TDE team out did themselves this time as the creative hands that touch the album shine through with each producer providing their signature flair. Terrance Martin, Flying Lotus, Dr. Dre and Pharrell Williams are all on point each creating something that challenges the listeners’ preconceived notions of hip hop. By stepping outside the comfort zone using Miles Davis’s style of funk, neo-soul and 70s jazz replacing the typical hip hop beats, typical trap production is tossed to the wayside, a bold move with the overarching popularity of the sound.
To put it bluntly, it’s going to be tough for other rappers to use the beats Kendrick spits on. Of course, genius doesn’t need half-rate impostors to bring it down.
The funk comes about early in the first track “Wesley’s Theory,” where Kendrick introduces the album by making a multiple entendre in the song talking about women, hip hop culture, the rap game, the celebrity lifestyle and much more. The song is centered on a repeating chorus that brings it all together beautifully. Kendrick enlists the help of funk legend George Clinton to give the song even more kick than it already had, and it effectively sets the tone for the ride you are about to go on through the album.
The 16 track masterpiece has way too much content to review in a limited format – honestly, I might write my senior thesis on it – but some of the highlights consist of rhythmic spoken word poetry interludes such as “For Free?,” more double and triple entendres in “These Walls,” conversations with God disguised as a homeless man in “How Much a Dollar Cost,” an awesome feature verse from newcomer Rapsody in “Complexion” and a surprise ending that will jar the listener in “Mortal Man.”
Going into specifics, more time needs to be spent on maybe the most powerful hip hop song emotionally since Eminem’s “Stan,” in “U.” This song shows a moment of weakness. Kendrick hits a rock bottom where he questions his purpose on earth. He fights internally about his desertion of Compton and wonders if he’s lost himself in the celebrity lifestyle.
Simply put, this song hits your heart with a javelin and haunts the psyche as Kendrick’s lyrics create a movie-like scene in your head. Everyone is able to relate, on some level, to this song; however, Kendrick’s feelings are far more intense and exaggerated. It’s a listening experience that is tough to put into words.
In comparison to other artists, you can argue that there are often filler songs that can weaken an album. However, To Pimp a Butterfly doesn’t suffer this fate as all 16 tracks are top-notch quality and only get better with repeat listens. Even the Interludes are excellent, which is not the easiest task.
With all the good mentioned, there is criticism to address. Many people have complained that the album doesn’t contain any “radio hits,” “party music or “low riding music.” To those people I say this: you are missing the point.
This is not an album suited for the average listener. To Pimp a Butterfly requires intensive listening and understanding the complexity of the lyrics. Furthermore, this is about more than the rap game, or music in general, this is about Kendrick’s metamorphosis from a rap star into an activist, a voice of black culture. This is Kendrick essentially taking the step towards fulfilling his self-defined prophecy as one of 2pac’s disciples. You just need to sit down and let Kendrick take you on the journey for 80 full minutes, and you’ll come out a smarter human being.
Overall, years from now, the rap game Mount Rushmore may just have a space carved out for King Kendrick Lamar next to Rakim, Nas and 2pac. Still, for now, it is official, Kendrick Lamar is the king, and it’s extremely doubtful we see anyone take the crown as long as he lives and breathes.
Modest Mouse seemed to have bad mojo thrown their way the past seven years while creating Strangers to Ourselves. The band has recorded with artists including Krist Novoselic of Nirvana and Big Boi; however, these tracks were released. The band has changed producers multiple times and even lost their founding bassist Eric Judy. It seemed as if Strangers to Ourselves would be left in limbo, never to be released, but it has finally made it out of obscurity.
“Lampshades on Fire” is a song that carries Modest Mouse’s original indie-rock sound. Isaac Brock is noted for his unique singing voice that comes off shaky and often changes pitch – but it works for him. The guitar is vibrant as it bounces along with the vocals giving some energy to the song.
“Coyotes” gives a softer tone to the album with its gently picked acoustic guitar and silvery voice from Brock. “The Best Room” has a similar sound to that of “Coyotes,” but the acoustics are instead replaced by effect-heavy guitar and a heavier voice. While “The Best Room” begins smooth, a heavily picked guitar solo towards the end of the song creates a transition that brings the album together after their brief hiatus.
Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock performs on Jimmy Fallon. [image courtesy of billboard.com]
It feels as though this album was left in limbo for too long. Even though it is a traditional Modest Mouse record at heart, there are no other improvements on it or brand new concepts. Not to say that is bad at all, it’s just that there is a higher expectation for more after seven years rather than just to play it safe. The album gives some great singles, but leaves a longing for something new and bold.
Modest Mouse [image courtesy of mtv.com]
Even with that statement, the band members are extremely generous live performers because of the energy they put into all of their appearances.
Modest Mouse appeared on The Tonight Show and gave another great performance. They played “Lampshades on Fire” to large applause as they bounced and jumped around on stage. The performance was their first one in nine years on television since they released “We Were Dead before the Ship Even Sank.”
Modest Mouse will perform on the newest Late Late Show with James Corden tonight at 12:30 a.m.
On March 13, Welch singer/songwriter Marina Diamandis, known professionally as Marina and the Diamonds, released her third studio album, Froot. While Diamandis’ latest effort was originally set to release on April 3, its recent release was prompted due to a series of unauthorized internet leaks over the past few months.
A tweet from Diamindis’ Twitter shortly after her album hit iTunes. [Image courtesy of bhmaincdn.breatheheavy.com]
While the complete release of the album came as a shock to some, many fans anticipated an upcoming release due to Diamandis’ constant promotional campaigns on her website and her Twitter account. To kick off the promotion of the album, one official single was released each month leading up to the official release. By the time the album was made available to the public, the singles “Froot,” “Happy,” “Immortal,” “I’m a Ruin” and “Forget” were officially released and received generally positive reviews from critics.
Often noted for her 2012 pop track “Primadonna Girl,” Diamandis features a much more mysterious tone on these new tracks – unlike her definite pop sound on her preceding effort Electra Heart. Overall, the majority of the leading tracks are somber with serious undertones. While Diamandis’ evolving style may stray her away from guaranteed success in the pop world, it is likely that it will create an appeal to a whole new audience.
“Happy,” the first track to appear on the album, features the dark story of a struggle to find happiness. Singing the words, “I found what I’d been looking for in myself / found a life worth living for someone else / never thought that I could be, I could be / happy, happy.” “Happy” discusses the human condition of being upset, wanting to find love and finding someone we feel we can live for.
Other songs which conform to the haunting nature of many of the tracks are “Solitaire,” “Weeds,” “Gold” and “Immortal.”
While “Happy” is a sentimental ballad, the second song on the album, “Froot,” has a slightly more upbeat and mysterious tone. Perhaps this song is the most eclectic of the bunch as the track uses the metaphor of Diamandis being a fruit waiting to be juiced. This song seems to be fairly sexualized and is one of the more promising successes off the album.
A screen capture from Marina Diamindis’ music video for “Froot.” [Image courtesy of idolator.com]
The third song to appear is “I’m a Ruin” which comments on a lover’s desire to continue on loving, despite being a detriment to their partner. Also on this track, it is suggested that the lover being discussed has some sort of secret as shown in the line “Don’t wanna keep a secret but I don’t know how to keep it fair, yeah.”
Moving through the album, “Blue” is the most seemingly pop conforming song on the album. Much like “Froot,” this track seems to have pop undertones that may be hit for mainstream broadcasting. “Forget” and “Better than That” are other upbeat tracks off the record.
Perhaps the most empowering song on the album is the feminist track “You Can’t Pin Me Down” which plays off of the expected sexual and gender roles of women. Diamandis takes a bold risk with this song and touches on a topic often ignored singing the words “I am never gonna give you anything you expect / you think I’m like the others, boy, you need to get your eyes checked / checked.”
The most controversial track off the album, “Savages,” mentions some touchy topics like rape. This effort seems to be a direct critique on society’s violent, narcissistic and hedonistic nature. The catchy chorus of this painfully honest tune comments on facades and deception: “Underneath it all we’re just savages / hidden behind shirts, ties and marriages / how could we expect anything at all? / we’re just animals still learning how to crawl.” Also, throughout the song Diamandis discusses the idea that man should be our biggest fear due to the recurrent destruction of self and others we see in the media.
Diamandis’ efforts are expected to be successful—whether in the mainstream media or among her constantly growing fan base. Along with Diamandis’ efforts with Froot, she is also expected to go on “The Froot Tour” which will be stopping at major annual events such as Coachella Festival and Lollapalooza Festival.
Regardless of if listeners are past fans of Diamandis, emerging fans or are uninterested in her catchy tunes, most agree that she has most definitely rocked the music industry.
Indie rock band Florence and the Machine has announced that they will be releasing their third album after a four-year hiatus. The record How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful is set to hit the music market June 2, 2015. The album will consist of 11 tracks that Florence Welch and Markus Dravs have written.
The hit single off of this album “What Kind of Man” was released on Feb. 12. The track starts off slowly, but quickly picks up with the familiar tambourine and background vocals usually offered by the group. The song “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” has also been released, but it is not being promoted as much as “What Kind of Man.”
The lyrics of the song are written about a romance in which Welch sings of how she was committed to love, but the man was leading her on with empty words. One verse reads, “But I can’t beat you, ‘cause I’m still with you. Oh, mercy, I implore– do you do it? I think I’m through it, then I’m back against the wall.” While the singer cries about being completely devoted to her love, she cannot say the same about the man that she has fallen deeply for.
The band also released the music video for “What Kind of Man” on their Vevo account on YouTube. The video portrays Welch in self-torture as she recognizes that the love she feels is not a real love at all. Starting off with dialogue between her and a man driving down a road, it quickly spirals into a whirlwind of emotion.
[image courtesy of rollingstone.com]
There is a great deal of excitement from the band’s fans after Florence Welch decided to take such a long break. “I’m pretty excited for the release of How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful,” said St. Bonaventure freshman Madeleine Feddern, an elementary education major. “I’ve listened to “What Kind of Man,” and it seems to promise some stellar things for the new album. Lungs and Ceremonials are so iconic, and I don’t think Florence and the Machine will disappoint.”
“When I first found out that Florence and the Machine were making a comeback, I was overjoyed at the thought,” said Catherine Boyd, freshman and math major. “Hopefully, their new songs will have a twist, without losing the deep meanings and subliminal messages that their old music possessed.”
Overall, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful is a highly anticipated record. With less than four months until its release date, the eagerness is building up among many. It is hard to say if it will have the same sounds as Lungs and Ceremonials, but only time will tell.
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