Author: Paul Traunero

Categories
Music

Quickspins: Brian Eno, Charli XCX, One Direction, Aerosmith

Brian Eno – Lux (2012; Warp)

The Latin word for “Light,” Lux is a return to Brian Eno’s ambient roots and a continuation of his ‘Music For Thinking’ project. This 75-minute, 12-part, four-movement ambient composition was commissioned as a sound art installation for the Great Gallery of the Palace of Venaria in Turin, Italy.

Much like the experience of entering a gallery and immersing yourself in art, Lux transports the listener to a contemplative mindspace that continuously shifts and morphs in on itself, changing yet remaining constant. Relaxing, all while being compelling, Lux creates a soundscape of delicate synthesizers, strings and light piano notes that does not demand your attention, but lures you into a half-lucid state like the whisper of a dream.

Eno is also releasing an app to accompany his new album. “Bloom” is an interactive composition program that allows the user to create a Eno-esque sound art installation of his or her own.

Trial track: “LUX 1/2/3/4”

Rating: 8/10

– Paul Traunero

 

Charli XCX – Super Ultra – Free Mixtape (2012)

The 20-year-old British singer-songwriter Charli XCX is back with a crazier-than-usual mixtape, Super Ultra. The mix, which includes both original music and covers, is a strange blend of pop, rap, hip hop, indie and a touch of techno, all somehow coming together into what the singer calls “Angel Pop.” The intros are inventive, one of which even includes a dialog from Cruel Intentions.

With their perverted lyrics and strange beats, her tracks are incredibly catchy. Lyrics go from angst to rebellious teenager. In “2 Moments in Love” she is a rebel, saying “I just want to get high with my best friend/kiss her on the tongue just like I’m your boyfriend.” But other tracks, like “Forgiveness,” have a little more depth.

Although it is clear that Charli XCX is still trying to find her voice, she seems to be on to something. It’s a sugarcoated mess, but still worth a listen.

Trial track: “Cloud Aura” ft. Brooke Candy

Rating: 6.3/10

– Nathalie Laflamme

 

One Direction – Take Me Home (2012; Syco Records)

Despite being trite and formulaic, One Direction’s second album Take Me Home is painfully addictive. The tried and tested formula of cheeky guitar riffs, crowd-pleasing choruses and five-part harmonies creates an album that is essentially identical to their first one, except for deeper voices and riskier lyrics.

The album’s strengths lie in irresistibly cheesy pop tracks like “Kiss You” and “Heart Attack,” which are the musical equivalent of over-indulging in sugary junk food. Meanwhile, most of the ballads feel out of place, including British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran originals “Over Again” and “Little Things.” Although they are the best-written songs on the whole album, they are awkwardly dissonant with the rest of the tracks.

There are no surprises on this boy band’s latest effort. It is neither musically nor lyrically creative, but it is undeniably enjoyable if you don’t let your pretensions get in the way.

Trial track: “I Would”

Rating: 6/10

– Suzanne Lafontaine

 

Aerosmith – Music from Another Dimension! (2012; Columbia)

After an eight year hiatus, Aerosmith is back with their 15th studio album, Music From Another Dimension! In a year filled with comebacks from the likes of Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith has managed to maintain its signature sound thanks to Steven Tyler’s energetic and unmistakable vocals, paired perfectly with Joe Perry’s stellar guitar riffs.

The first track, entitled “LUV XXX,” leads us to believe that the band is opting for a younger, more modern sound. Despite the tacky title, Aerosmith still possesses the same great energy and musicality that made them famous back in the ‘70s. Tracks like “Legendary Child” could easily be off of their classic album Toys in the Attic alongside the anthems “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion.” From the opening track to the closing track, Music From Another Dimension! will not disappoint diehard fans or even new listeners.

Trial track: “Legendary Child”

Rating: 8/10

-Jessica Romera

Categories
Music

Quickspins: Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Calvin Harris, Macy Gray, Luke Lalonde

Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill (2012; Reprise)

After almost half a century of making music, Neil Young is back with Crazy Horse for his 35th studio album, Psychedelic Pill. The album delivers over an hour of brand new material with the same soul of earlier, classic Young albums like Everybody Knows This is Nowhere. Throughout the album, Young pays homage to the decade where it all began for him: the ‘60s. In “Twisted Road”, Young reminisces about the ‘old-time music’ and the first time he listened to Bob Dylan’s monster hit “Like a Rolling Stone”.

The entire album has a nostalgic feel that will take those who lived through the decade back to a time where peace, love and rock ’n’ roll reigned supreme. For those of us born not so long ago, Psychedelic Pill allows us to back-track to a different time. Regardless of age, Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s new album allows us all to feel like a part of the psychedelic sixties.

Trial track: “Twisted Road”

Rating: 8.5/10

– Jessica Romera

 

Calvin Harris – 18 Months (2012; Columbia)

Over the past year, few DJs have experienced as much commercial success as Calvin Harris. The Scottish-born pop-star-turned-DJ burst onto the North American scene with club anthem “Feel So Close” and monster hit “We Found Love”. His third album, entitled 18 Months, is a collaboration of all his recent singles and features international stars Rihanna and Tinie Tempah.

Harris’ style of combining catchy hooks with talented vocals is one that Brits have known about for years and is now attracting a North American audience. The only problem with 18 Months is that it is a collection of songs that electro-pop listeners have heard repeatedly over the past year or so.

For the most part, 18 Months is more pop than it is electro, with few exceptions. Songs such as “Mansion”, “Iron”, and “Awooga” don’t rely as heavily on vocals and show Harris’ potential as a rising EDM producer.

Trial track: “Bounce” (feat. Kelis)

Rating: 7.5/10

– Alexandre Beaubien

 

Macy Gray – Talking Book (2012; 429 Records)

Teamed with Hal Willner, who also produced Gray’s last album, the R&B songstress returns to reinterpret Stevie Wonder’s multiple Grammy Award-winning album, Talking Book. Originally released in 1972 by Motown Records, Talking Book is celebrating its 40th anniversary on the day of Gray’s release.

While showcasing her distinct vocal style, the “I Try” singer sincerely reworked every track from the acclaimed album as a ‘love letter’ to Stevie Wonder. From “Superstition” as a slowed-down ballad, to “I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)” as a gospel masterpiece, Gray takes liberties with several songs from Talking Book, changing styles, tempos and instrumentation, but her devotion is clear.

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, reinterpretation is the expression of love.

Trial track: “Blame It On the Sun”

Rating: 6/10

– Paul Traunero

 

Luke Lalonde – Rhythmnals (2012; Paper Bag)

Frontman of Born Ruffians Luke Lalonde proves he’s quite capable of working solo in his aptly named debut album, Rythmnals. Rythmnals is a whimsical collection of spacey and nostalgia-inducing tracks, bound to make just about anyone sway quietly and peacefully.

The songs themselves are early Born Ruffian pieces that never quite made the cut. Fans of the band will enjoy listening to these tunes, revamped by Lalonde to reflect his own personal style. Considerably softer than the average Ruffians tracks (like the 2008 hit “Hummingbird”), Rythmnals boasts cleverly placed piano and violin punches tied together with electronic beats. The two flow together with a surprising smoothness, notably in the impressively catchy “Red Wagon”.

Taken individually, the songs are new and creative, but taken collectively they lack one crucial characteristic: diversity. The ingenuity of the style is drowned by a limited tempo and repetitive sound throughout the whole ensemble. While this new side of Lalonde is pleasant to the ear, a change of pace once in awhile would have been welcomed.

Rating: 7/10

Trial track: “Grand (Rythmnals)”

– Victoria Kendrick

Categories
Music

TOP TEN: Covered songs of the 20th century

10. “Moon River” – Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer

“Moon River” first appeared in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, performed as an acoustic version by its star Audrey Hepburn. It went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1961. Check out The Smiths’ frontman Morrissey’s version of “Moon River.”

 

9. “Eleanor Rigby” – Paul McCartney & John Lennon

Despite its relative obscurity, “Eleanor Rigby” boasts a huge number of covers. It appears on at least 62 studio albums, in addition to countless live versions. Written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon for The Beatles’ 1966 album Revolver as a departure from the band’s ‘pop’ aesthetic, this song is powerful because it relates to humanity’s fear of loneliness and death.

 

8. “Imagine” – John Lennon

Written by John Lennon in 1971, “Imagine” is the best-selling single of his solo career.

Representing Lennon’s statement about collectivist positivism and inspired by poems from Yoko Ono and the idea of positive prayer, this song has had international success and touched generations. Noteworthy covers by Elton John, Madonna and Neil Young.

 

7. “Body and Soul” – Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour & Frank Eyton 

First introduced in the 1930 Broadway musical, Three’s a Crowd, “Body and Soul” has become a jazz standard covered most famously by tenor saxophone legend Coleman Hawkins and recently interpreted by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse. Though considered relatively challenging, the song allows for quite a bit of improvisational freedom, which has added to its success.

 

6. “Over the Rainbow” – Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg

This Academy Award winning ballad, was written in 1939 for The Wizard of Oz, where it was famously sung by actress Judy Garland. The song has received the top spot on many influential lists as “the song of the century.” Many covers have been performed, but none as significant as Hawaii-native Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s ukulele version in 1993.

 

5. “Yesterday” – Paul McCartney

With more than 2,200 covered versions, “Yesterday” is a modern pop masterpiece! Written by Paul McCartney, for The Beatles’ 1965 album, Help!, the lyrics are simple and relatable, lamenting a break-up. This song was covered by an eclectic mix of artists, including Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Marvin Gaye.

 

4. “St. Louis Blues” – W.C. Handy 

Praised as the first blues songs to succeed as a pop song, “St. Louis Blues” is a fundamental jazz classic, notably performed by Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith and Stevie Wonder.

At the time of his death in 1958, composer W.C. Handy was earning royalties upwards of $25,000 annually for the song.

 

3. “Greensleeves” – Traditional

This traditional English folk song, first registered in 1580, could be a reference to the way grass stains might be seen on a woman’s dress if she had engaged in sexual intercourse outdoors.

It first appeared in print in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor in 1602. The character Mistress Ford exclaims: “Let the sky rain potatoes! Let it thunder to the tune of ‘Greensleeves’!”

 

2. “Summertime” – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin & DuBose Heyward 

With more than 33,000 covers, this song originally hails from the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. 

Following the style of the African American folk music of the period, American soprano Abbie Mitchell first sang “Summertime.” Since then, the song has been reinterpreted as a jazz standard and famously covered by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Janis Joplin.

 

1. “Happy Birthday to You” – The Time-Warner Corporation?

Here’s something to consider next time you gathered around a birthday cake:

According to copyright registration, The Time-Warner Corporation has owns the rights to “Happy Birthday to You” since 1935, an ownership that is not set to expire until 2030. Any unauthorized public performances of the song are technically illegal unless royalties are paid to Warner.

In 2008, Warner profited about $5,000 per day ($2 million per year) for the song.

Categories
Music

Top Ten Halloween-themed party songs

Listen up guys and ghouls. Halloween is upon us, and you know what that means: P-A-R-T-A-Y!

In this top ten, we take a look at some of the best tunes to properly get your groove on this Halloween.

 

10. “My Body’s A Zombie For You” – Dead Man’s Bones

Founded by hunky movie star Ryan Gosling, Dead Man’s Bones released their monster-themed, self-titled debut in 2009 to critical acclaim. Is there anything more creepy than a choir of children shouting, “My body’s a zombie for you!” Unless you’re into that … not judging!

 

9. “Poor Edward” – Tom Waits 

This is a song about Edward Mordrake, a 19th century heir to English nobility. He supposedly had a second face on the back of his head, which would laugh, cry and whisper to him in Satanic language. Poor Edward was driven to suicide at the age of 23.

 

8. “Sally’s Song” – Fiona Apple

Originally written for Tim Burton’s stop-motion masterpiece The Nightmare Before Christmas released in 1993. Sally was a rag doll and desperately in love with the film’s protagonist, Jack Skellington. In “Sally’s Song,” she laments her unrequited love for Jack. This song is perfect for a slow dance or a bump-in-the-night.

 

7. “Monster Mash” – Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers

The song is narrated by a mad scientist whose monster arises to performs a new dance called “Monster Mash”. This 1962 novelty “mash” is sure to catch on in a flash, and be a graveyard smash!

 

6. “In A Gadda Da Vida” – Iron Butterfly

“Wait a minute, this sounds like rock and or roll.” This 17-minute jam was famously covered in an episode of The Simpsons, as Bart exchanges the sheet music in church during Sunday mass from their usual hymns to this pipe organ-driven psychedelic rock number. An instant classic!

 

5. “I Put A Spell On You” – Bette Midler

Originally by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, “I Put A Spell On You” was performed in the 1993 Halloween-themed comedy Hocus Pocus. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are witches executed during the Salem witch trials, who come back to life on Halloween night for one purpose: to boogie!

 

4. “Ghostbusters Theme” – Ray Parker Jr.

This was the theme song for the 1984 cult classic, Ghostbusters. The film features Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver as unemployed parapsychology professors who create a ghost removal service —with hilarious results. This catchy tune is sure to haunt even the most skeptical.

 

3. “Time Warp” – Motion Picture Cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Dust off those fishnets and corsets boys, because we’re doing the “Time Warp” again! This song was featured in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The film stars British actor Tim Curry as a sexually ambiguous and flirtatious ‘Sweet Transvestite’ from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania.

 

2. “Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565” – J. S. Bach

Although there is nothing inherently spooky about a pipe organ, the pop culture references transcend Bach’s original intention for the piece. With references ranging from Dracula to Phantom of the Opera, this melody is definitively Halloween. (Bonus: It also makes an obnoxious ringtone!)

 

1. “Thriller” – Michael Jackson 

Composed by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones, Thriller is one of Michael Jacksons’ lasting musical legacies. This song has it all: a killer beat, catchy hooks and a dance-ability that lands this song at the top of my list. All we need is Michael to come back from the grave this Halloween to re-enact the infamous music video.

 

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