Tuesday, June 25, 2013

“Yeezus” Might Just Be Kanye West’s Most Dynamic, Genius, and Offensive Album Yet

Kanye West is no stranger to creating controversy and being the focal point of intense public scrutiny. In fact, many would say he relishes it. After months of guerrilla advertising, Internet track leaks, and much anticipation, Yeezus, West’s sixth solo album has arrived, and once again, he’s got the music industry buzzing.


Some critics and fans have been quick to say that this is clearly West’s darkest, most dynamic album yet, while others are suggesting that Yeezus is only the next chapter in the ongoing saga of Kanye West, that it’s more shock value than musical masterpiece. Whatever his intent, West is one of the few contemporary entertainers who has the ability to truly raise a public ruckus. The public is obsessed with Kanye West, waiting with baited breath for the next highly opinionated, controversial thing he’ll say or do next.

According to Ryan Dombal, in a review for Pitchfork, “For Kanye, there's purpose in repulsion. And on Yeezus, he trades out smooth soul and anthemic choruses for jarring electro, acid house, and industrial grind while delivering some of his most lewd and heart-crushing tales yet.” Other critics agree that the trim, 40-minute album is heavy on the electro-industrial sound, with a mash up of jagged layers of sound and warped vocals that tint the record in a demonic hue. It’s content is very much in the style of Mr. West, in that it is provocative, misogynistic, race-centric, and bold.

According to Jody Rosen for Vulture, “Shock, surely, is the point. Kanye wants to get under our skin, to rile and appall,” which he certainly succeeds in with Yeezus. Rosen abhors the album’s sexist, degrading lyrics, but admits, “The knucklehead and the genius go hand-in-hand. For every provocation that falls flat on Yeezus, there are five moments that startle and make you think.” This is something that not many artists today can do. The album is full of shock value, but with Kanye West, there is always something deeper at play.

For an informative, in-depth review of Yeezus, read Ryan Dombal's Official Pitchfork Review, and be sure to listen to tracks from the album to weigh in! 



Monday, June 24, 2013

Three of Summer’s Most Highly Anticipated Tours

Is there a better time to catch a great concert than during the summer? It’s that time of year when bands pack up and tour across country, the weather is optimum for outdoor performances, when music festivals with stacked lineups seem to crop up like weeds, and when you and your friends can see the best acts in the business perform live.

Here are three of the most highly anticipated tours that you do not want to miss out on this summer:

The Rolling Stones. That’s right, these rock stars are still filling stadiums with screaming fans and touring after all of these years. One of the most anticipated international tours of the season, The Rolling Stones’ “50 and Counting Tour” has already hit major U.S. cities like Oakland, CA, and Boston. This isn’t your dad’s rock concert. These rock and roll legends have been entertaining audiences for more than 50 years, and are just as talented and fearless as ever. Find tickets and dates on the band’s website. 

Best Coast. Los Angeles duo Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno, also known as Best Coast, will be hitting the road this summer, touring North America and performing songs from their past albums and off their most recent EP. The surf rock band is scheduled to stop in over twenty cities, starting on the east coast before making their way back west. If you catch one of their energetic, dance-worthy shows, you might also get to see Belle and Sebastian, Bleached, Guards, and Lovely Bad Things, other bands that are set to share the stage with headliner Best Coast on a number of dates. Check out the band’s touring schedule on their website. 


Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z. Just when you thought that Justin Timberlake’s collaboration with rapper Jay-Z for his latest album couldn’t get any better, the two decided to go on tour together. These iconic performers are sure to pack stadiums this summer on their “Legends of the Summer” tour, where they will share the stage at huge venues in more than a dozen cities across the country. Visit JT’s official website for all the details! 

Have fun this season catching all of the best summer shows!


Friday, June 21, 2013

Pitchfork Music Festival Set For Chicago

If you haven’t heard of Pitchfork, you’re clearly not a music nerd—or you are and have been locked in your basement with no Internet for the last several years. For the rest of us, Pitchfork is a household name, a self-appointed musical tastemaker that specializes in snark and scathing reviews. Its word is influential, for better or for worse, and artists like Bon Iver know the full extent of that truth.


Photo by TylerJSwenson

In 2007, Bon Iver was skyrocketed into the indie music scene before his first official album was even released. Bon Iver, AKA Justin Vernon, wrote his debut solo album while spending four snowy winter months isolated in a remote cabin in Wisconsin. He self-released the album, and soon it was reviewed by Pitchfork writer Stephen M. Deusner. The positive review and overall score of 8.1 led to a torrent of downloads of the album, For Emma, Forever Ago. Since then, his fame and influence have grown—and at the 2012 Grammys he was awarded “Best New Artist” and “Best Alternative Album.”

Unsurprisingly, Pitchfork also hosts its own music festival each year. This year’s festival is set to be in Chicago from July 19-21, and Friday night is being headlined by Björk. The full lineup is diverse in both gender and genre, including both well-established artists such as R. Kelly and rising stars like Autre Ne Veut.

Autre Ne Veut has received numerous positive reviews on Pitchfork for its three albums (Anxiety, Body EP, and Autre Ne Veut) and has risen from “fringe” status to emerging star in the indie scene. The group is signed with independent music label Mexican Summer, sister label to Andres Santo Domingo’s Kemado Records.

Three day passes for the Pitchfork Music Festival are already sold out, but individual tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are still available for $50 apiece. Be sure to check out the full Pitchfork lineup for this year; it includes names like MIA, Yo La Tengo, White Lung, and more. Pitchfork’s lineup has managed to stay impressive yet manageable, unlike some of the larger festivals (Coachella, Lollapalooza) that also cost an arm and a leg to get in.


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Brooklyn’s Best Music Venues are Underground

It’s well after midnight and the headliner is still tweaking the sound equipment before their set begins. You’ve got a beer in your hand, the one you just spent $5 on at the “bar” which consisted of a tattooed guy reaching into a cooler to procure it for you. The only bathroom is out of toilet paper and the sink looks like it hasn’t been in working condition in years. You’re sweaty, the band t-shirt and leather clad hipsters surrounding you are sweaty, and the tiny basement space will soon explode into an energetic fit of movement as the amplifiers emit the harsh, punk rock cacophony of a band you’ve maybe never heard of.

Welcome to the New York City DIY music scene, where underground art spaces are created to give no-names or even popular bands an alternative stage. These venues usually charge admission on a by-donation basis, are open to all ages, and can be found in the deepest corners of neighborhoods like Brooklyn, often in abandoned buildings or community artist lofts. These spaces are artists’ and musicians’ answers to overpriced, commercially regulated concert venues, which are a plenty in cities across the country. NYC is ripe with these music venues, The Village Voice describing them as part of a “chaotic do-it-yourself music ecosystem.”

Much like the rest of the incredibly creative Brooklyn art scene, DIY music venues add to the culturally rich essence of this neighborhood, inspiring people to create music and artist spaces accessible to everyone, regardless of age or income. With Brooklyn’s rise in visibility on the public cultural sphere, many of its underground music spaces have gained notoriety in recent years.

For instance, Death By Audio, a DIY space in Williamsburg, has gained attention for being a venue for local art and touring bands. Likewise, The Schoolhouse in north Brooklyn, a converted schoolhouse indicative of the venue’s name, has been pegged as a great spot to check out infrequent, but fantastic live shows at little or no cost of entry.

These venues have no website, no contact information, operating only by the word-of-mouth advertising of the locals who frequent them. Though their presence is discreet, it’s still a force that adds greatly to the artist communities of neighborhoods like Brooklyn, pushing the boundaries of how one can experience music and art today.

For more information on DIY Music Venues, check out The Village Voice’s list of the greatest underground music spaces in NYC, or The L Magazine’s A User's Guide to the Brooklyn DIY Music Scene.


Photo credit Po' Jay Flickr

Friday, June 14, 2013

Summer Music Festival Packing Essentials


With this summer’s music festival season in full swing, it’s never the wrong time to make sure you’re prepared for your favorite festival weekend. At a music festival, the elements can work against you in a number of different ways, so packing accordingly is essential if you want to truly enjoy yourself. Most festivals offer the sparsest of amenities (think porta-potties and a parking area to pitch a tent), but “roughing it” doesn’t have to be so rough if you come prepared. 



Here are a few things that you really can’t go to an outdoor music festival without:

Sunscreen. Most likely, it’s going to be incredibly hot, with little shade available to you and your friends. Pack lots of sunscreen because there’s really nothing worse than waking up the second day of a weekend, or even weeklong festival, with a sunburn. In the same regard, bring a hat! You may go days without a shower or shade, so protect your eyes and face, and keep long hair pulled back under a hat to avoid the inevitable development of dreadlocks (unless of course that’s what you’re going for).

Water, and reusable water bottles. This one might seem like an obvious item to pack, but its importance can’t be stressed enough. You’ve got to stay hydrated to avoid heat stroke and other symptoms related to the summer heat. Many festivals provide water, so keep a lookout for stations to refill your water bottle.

Walkie-talkies. With thousands of people flooding one area at a festival, cell phones to contact the crew you came with might become useless with cell towers overloaded by signals. Also, you may not have access to outlets to charge your phone. You can buy cheap, battery-powered walkie-talkies to communicate with your group if you get separated.

A few other items you might want to consider packing are: toilet paper, extra socks and clothes in case it rains, and hand sanitizer or baby wipes (a.k.a. known as the closest thing you’ll get to a shower this week).

Check out this detailed list of even more things to be sure to pack for your favorite music festival this summer.


Photo credit: Flickr Josh Bis

Is iTunes Radio Arriving a Little Late to the Party?

On Monday, Apple announced that it would soon be releasing a streaming radio service through iTunes. Starting this fall, iTunes Radio, which the company says has been in the works for a while, will be available on all Apple devices and on Windows-based devices that have iTunes installed.

Photo credit - Apple

The streaming radio service will be free (with advertisements), or can be subscribed to, eliminating occasional ads. It will feature genre stations, much like what Pandora Internet Radio and Spotify offer. According to Apple, what sets iTunes Radio apart from other music streaming programs and websites is that it’s a more “personalized experience,” that allows your stations to evolve with the music that you listen to. So, “the more you use iTunes Radio and iTunes, the more iTunes Radio knows what you like to listen to — and the more personalized your experience becomes,” Apple explains. Oh, and Siri can help you navigate the program and take requests if you have an iPhone.

This announcement from Apple about their new streaming radio program might seem slightly ill timed and underwhelming. After all, Pandora has been around since 2000, existing as a free music streaming website whose mission it is to play music people love with tailored radio stations and a vast number of genres and artists to choose from. An even newer streaming program is Spotify, which features radio options and even full albums from another enormous library of artists. Both programs are free with advertisements, but allow users to upgrade to a version where advertisements are eliminated for a small fee.

These advancements in music streaming and listening have forever changed the music industry and how people can enjoy and discover new music. So why has Apple, a pioneer in innovative and new technology, arrived so late in this radio streaming trend?


Only time will tell if iTunes Radio is superior to preexisting radio streaming websites and programs. Will you try out Apple’s newest product when it arrives in the U.S. this fall?

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Rock and Roll Rebels of the Twentieth Century

In the twentieth century, Rock and Roll music was revolutionized by artists who pushed the boundaries of what that genre could be. Musicians often inserted radical politics into their songs, creating controversy by making important social commentary. Rolling Stone Magazine just released their list of 15 Rock and Roll Rebels , a sparse list, but an important one that highlights a few of the many powerful voices in punk, grunge, and folk rock. These often intersecting genres propelled iconic Rock and Roll musicians into infamy for their rebellious nature.


The magazine's list doesn’t honor rock stars who gained notoriety for trashing hotel rooms and being bawdy, eccentric musicians, but rather, those who weren’t afraid to challenge social norms through music. One artist who made the list is Elvis Costello, who once said, My ultimate vocation in life is to be an irritant.” His musical style, originally formed from punk ideals, is what remains rebellious; Costello has mystified fans and critics by continuing to change his style of music.

Photo credit Flickr

The only female to make the list is Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor, who gained a rebellious reputation for her outspoken opinions about the government and organized religion. Rolling Stone wrote, “she will forever be remembered for shredding a photo of Pope John Paul II on the October 3, 1992 episode of Saturday Night Live...to protest the Catholic church's long suppression of evidence of sexual abuse among clergymen.”

Kurt Cobain of 90s grunge band Nirvana, also made the list. The magazine explains that “In his short life, the bandleader made it his duty to challenge beliefs – both his fans' and his own.” He often questioned society’s treatment of marginalized groups in lyrics and in interviews, which wasn’t always received well by fans. An artist who died young, Cobain is most rebellious for his beliefs, and his impact on the grunge rock genre.

Other notable names to make the list of Rolling Stone’s 15 Rock and Roll Rebels are: The Clash, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fela Kuti.