Sign 'O' The Times

Subtle Rock/Pop Poured Blues

In honor of music legend and major media media influence Prince, I wanted to discuss a little of his impact and reflect on his mastery through the review of this song. Just to let you know, it was kind of difficult to listen to any of his stuff, I could only find it on paid spotify and a some of his stuff on google play or iTunes. I did find a place to hear the actual version, but for the blog I had to link a pretty close version of the song with his original voice overlaid, sorry. This song screams uniqueness, from the guitar and bass to his specific voice and blend of electric and real drums, this song oozes creativity. The song’s percussion sections use of snare and fast bass drum combined with the repeated syths parts and the electric drum solo is awesome, we don’t hear such creative use of percussion parts that often. The bass starting almost at the beginning and carrying the song with smooth, cool, and a sort of dark sound is something that you could never get tired of. The guitar sparking strong flares of personality into the song is like the marshmallows in the Lucky Charms that make that good cereal even better. Prince’s voice is lower here for most of the song compared to his normal pitch in other songs, and this just shows how amazing of an artist he was being able to gracefully use his voice in high sopranos or strong tenor depending on the need of the song. But this is not all of his talent, he is an outstanding songwriter, and this song’s magical blend of various and irregular sounds being able to create a superb piece is his greatest feat. I don’t know for sure, but I am sure he could play all the parts of the song and sing at the same time if it were possible. The lyrics are clever and upfront. He has no problem showing the world that things in the world are messed up. He has made expressing oneself in music a part of your songs. He never worried about what people thought, he made music that he wanted to and you can see that by the unique personality in all of his music. I am grateful for his powerful sense of identity that he carried and encouraged through his music. Hats off and heads down in solemn respect to the great Prince and his life, thank you.

Originality:10

Instruments:9

Vocals:9

Longevity:8

Red Score:9

Eyes Wide - Meadowlark

Alternative Pop That Takes Shape Through Progression

Meadowlark is a band made up of two members (it was three at a time, but now two), with the most notable being Kate McGill who became youtube famous with a few covers of notable songs, and Daniel Broadley is the lead guitarist and does some other small parts. Kate plays guitar, piano and is the primary songwriter. This song creates a great ambiance and starts pretty simple, but picks up momentum with slews of instruments that exponentially grows until the end. With the start of the drum and piano/synth pads, there is a sense of simplicity that sounds great. The chorus picks up the pace and the second verse adds some extra bits to the piano and the synth pads get a little louder. The second verse adds some more back-up singers with some guitar here and there. The almost acapella bridge with Daniel singing very faint harmonies adds that small extra depth which strongly transitions to just very airy sounds and the piano and drums again like in the beginning. The last chorus brings in more back-up singing, a violin section and few other small noise sample to flush out the song wonderfully. Kate’s voice is good, she has a natural glow to her voice which is great, but the range of the song seems to limit the potential of the song and limit its emotional impact. Don’t get me wrong, she does great, but as a more relaxed song she doesn’t need to be screaming, but there seems to be a lack of emotion or devotion that holds the song back a little. Overall the song is good though, simple and true, nothing too fancy, but that what makes certain things in life so good.

Originality:7

Instruments:7

Vocals:7

Longevity:5

Red Score:6.5

Blues Magic - Santana

Fantastically Melded Instruments

Santana has been around for a number of years grabbing classical latino musical sounds, mixing in jazz, blues, a little rock, and they now successfully have come back with there new album, Santana IV. Carlos Santana is one of the best guitarist in the world and an amazing songwriter. Blues Magic is an amazing mixture of blue and jazz that has the instruments play into each other and melt to make a beautiful sound that is so rich it is hard to put into words. Starting with that iconic guitar, there are sublime riffs sprinkled through the song that echo against the chords that are played through the whole thing. The solo is unbelievably smooth. Santana is absolutely brilliant with the guitar using technically good tricks perfectly. But he has a great talent for practically singing through his guitar, and that is what makes his guitar so good, it feels like it has it’s own personality and is alive it is so good. The drums are great, following the song strongly and smoothly, but the extra bongos and other percussion parts really bring a lot of personality to the song. The bass is pretty good, but almost impossible to pick out with the organ parts continually playing in the background (which is a nice touch, adding a little “soul.” But they do drown out the bass which is too bad). Gregg Rolie is the main vocalist, and he does a great job, almost as good as his days when Black Magic Woman came out. The instruments never are loud or boisterous, they are sophisticated and show a perfect amount of control, that is what make this song just become one beautiful piece. In an era or fast paced electronic fueled music, it is very refreshing to hear this.

Originality:7

Instruments:9

Vocals:7

Longevity:7

Red Score:7.5

(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To - Weezer

Upbeat Fun Rock Following A Solid Pattern

When Weezer comes on, you’ll know there will be solid lyrics, guitar, fast drums and a singable chorus. Weezer can make great music, no questions, but the creative level from song to song isn’t that magical, and yet they keep coming out with songs that people love, and I proudly am one of those people. The guitar is what stars this song off, and the acoustic sounds great strumming away happily through the song. The drum part is simple but enjoyable. The bass is the most creative instrument, going up and down the bars in a quick fashion. The vocals are good, Rivers is great. His voice is very unique, and he does a fantastic job here as always. The lyrics are good, an interesting tale, but nothing that really stands above a teenage angst love-ish song. The strongest point of the song is the speed and energy the song has, a very fun, “windows down during a hot day while driving” vibe which makes it so good. It unfortunately doesn’t break the constant and continuous mold that is a “Weezer Song.” The album Raditude does explore some other sounds, but none of it is really as good as their standard formula. A good, fun song for all intensive purposes, but it misses the mark for creativity.

Originality:5

Instruments:7

Vocals:7

Longevity:6

Red Score:6.25

avf - Stromae

Rapping French Could Not Be Better

Being one of the most famous french artist of this time, Stromae is mostly known for Alors On Danse which is honestly a huge mistake because he has so much music that is far superior than that song. He is a mix of rap, pop and some hip-hop with a strong electronic music support system. avf is a song that breaks the mold with various rap sections, drops, irregular chorus and very heavy dub-step background, it throws caution to the wind. For this reason and others, I love this song. Our instruments consists primarily of electric pianos and only a few drums. The bass drum follows the singing to emphasis a couple of parts. The “claps” and other pieces of quick percussion sound like an army of dancers marching to battle. The bass is one smooth repetition of a note’s declining pitch that is mirrored by other parts in the chorus, and it fills the empty parts of the song nicely. The piano that plays through it all really is a “partner to the singers,” going on beat with them. The saxophone and other small instrumental parts could easily be just computer made, but it is the best quality and like most rap songs, it just sets the artist and other rappers up to show off the skill to sick beats. Stromae calls to the name of the song, singing and rapping excellently, a song that demands a little more of his voice than others for sure. Their are too many other people in the song to really talk about them individually, but they all do a fantastic job of being very unique and pass the microphone around for numerous sections. It is very refreshing to hear various voices working together to make such an intricate piece. When I want something that itches my intense rap and techno craving, this song does it for me every time. I encourage you to listen to more Stromae, and I’ll be posting more of his work in the following months because of the genius level creation of pop/rap/electronic sound that our radios lack. (He is normally “good message” kind of singer, but I am sorry if there might be anything inappropriate or curse words in French)

Originality:9

Instruments:7

Vocals:8

Longevity:8

Red Score:8

Come Sail Away - Styx

The Perfect Rock Opera Piece

I don’t remember where or when I heard this song originally, but the moment this song became a part of my life was during a road trip with my friends, we lowered all the windows and played the song so loud that it almost hurt while screaming our voices to the heavenly song that is Come Sail Away. This song comes from the epic age of rock, when Queen, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and too many to name reigned supreme. This song stands with the classics for anyone who is ready to brave a new frontier. A great ballad type opening that transforms into hard rock that will blow your socks off. Dennis DeYoung is our singer here, a great tenor who reaches those higher and lower notes with a strong punch. It is practically impossible to not sing along to this song. Also on the piano, he plays with sophistication and it just perfectly played and written for the song’s story and purpose. This song’s call to “sail away” and the story it builds is fascinating and all too invigorating. The drums comes in during the second segment and become quite versatile during the bridge and last part of the song. The guitar is fantastic, its creative riffs, powerful and invigorating chords will bring a person to air guitar mode without fail. Also, the song has a second bridge of “space synths” and a solo from the electric keyboard like nobody's business, which then breaks into an amazing third segment of even heavier rock that gives me goosebumps. This song is so freaking good. There are few song that pack quite this much variety and perfect control of every instrument. If you don’t love this song with your heart, you should, because it is unbelievable. Play it as loud as possible and I guarantee amazingness.

Originality:10

Instruments:10

Vocals:10

Longevity:9

Red Score:9.75

Feels Like Coming Home - Jetta

When Humble Music Produces Power

Jetta is not a musical prodigy, she has not become a pop icon, an alternative rock star or anything like that. She is a heartfelt singer and someone who loves writing music. You can see it in her music, her voice and deep, sometimes dark, music shows a lot of her inner soul. This song got some good reception, but didn’t stay in the charts for long. This song has a lot of parts and instruments and effects for all of them, but the live version is just as fantastic, and listening to her other stuff online and live sessions, she is quite talented. The song starts with a quiet piano that sets the stage for her gorgeous voice. Her voice is seamlessly soft, strong and almost in pain all at the same time, which is amazing. She has great control and the lyrics are deep enough to bring any listener in. Hearing her voice in the rich chorus parts is great, but the bridges that only include either a piano or guitar allow her voice to shine more and be appreciated. The guitar part is simple and goes off into a fast strum fest which blends with the good bass. The piano keep the tempo with the drums in an amazing way, changing and growing and shrinking perfectly. But as you can tell, my favorite part of all this is the pure sound of her voice. It is like a fountain of beautiful angelic voices. This is one my favorite song that dive deep into my soul through my ears. A wonderful song, something that I hope all of you can enjoy more and more every time you listen to it.

Originality:8

Instruments:8

Vocals:9

Longevity:9

Red Score:8.5

One Dance - Drake (feat WizKid & Kyla)

Remixing Others Music To Make Your Own

This song will be very hard to review: on one hand the song oozes with catchy parts and has a very addicting club sound, but on the other hand it lacks any musical depth or variety. So I’ll start with the facts. Kyla is a R&B singer songwriter whose song Do You Mind is the inspiration for One Dance (as far as I can tell). It sounds like One Dance is just a remix of Kyla’s original with his rap and hook put over it with a few other minor alterations and a tempo change. He does a good job, and I personally think he improves on the original. But the fact that it is claiming to be it’s own song is difficult to accept. The songs percussion, piano part and ambience is practically identical, which shows that this song does not stem from his own creativity. But on the other hand, he does transform the song just enough that is a better song than the original. Now on to the actual music. The beat is exactly what you would hear in the club, the piano and other bits and sample are good, and very addictive, but also terribly repetitive: from beginning to the end it is the same 10 second clip more or less. Kyla singing is good enough, and WizKid is faintly in the background to add a little bit of flavor. Drake does a better job than in other songs, the hook is great, but it is odd to just hear the same thing over and over again, even for club music, this song seems too repetitive. I could be really critical on this song, but it just sounds good, no matter how you look at it, the parts are kind of good. I’ll leave this one to you guys, what do you think? I’ll put my personal review here, but I totally see why this song would get either an 8 or a 3 out of 10.

Originality:6

Instruments:6

Vocals:7

Longevity:5

Red Score:6

(Because the song is restricted in certain ways, it's not on youtube yet. Sorry. Yu can listen to it on i-tunes and google play that I know of. I did link Kyla's original song so you can hear that at least)

https://play.google.com/music/m/Bksltqsvexstqmr3pzuiodsgivu?t=One_Dance_-_Drake

Injection - Rise Against

Angry Music…...Infectious Angry Music

For heavy rock bands, Rise Against might be my favorite. This song is a great demonstration of the skill and talent of the band as a whole. Let’s dive right into the song because it is amazing! Starting with the drums, the raging heartbeat of the song is very powerful, they vary often through the song to keep things engaging the whole time and their silence between chorus and verse makes them standout even more. The guitar is outstanding, the epitome of heavy rock from the 2000’s. The powerful chords from lead and back up guitars and the solo transitions are excellent. With just those two instruments, this song stands above the norm. The bass is pretty quiet, but if and when you can pick it out, the speed, the movement up and down is great (it can be heard more in the choruses and last half of the song). But the best part of the song is Tim McIlrath, our lead singer and guitarist. His voice is perfect for this. Just like Freddie Mercury is perfect in his genre and Eminem for his, Tim’s voice was crafted for hard rock. His voice is not quiet screaming, but not just singing, he finds a good blend and dips into both throughout the song. The lyrics are also pretty good, not the best for the band, but very good compared to the modern world’s standards. In the originality score, if you listen to more Rise Against, you’ll see a very similar pattern, and a very similar sound, but I am always impressed with how most tracks sound unique, but if not listened to carefully, all the songs will sound identical. There is one thing that really sticks out in this song and Rise Against in general, it is the pure emotion and passion that you feel as you hear it. I am never able to listen to this song without air drumming, air guitar, or screaming my lungs out. Seriously, don’t let me listen to this song in the car, I will embarrass everyone to no end. This is a fantastic song in my book and if you need an energy boost or need to let off some steam, this song will do the trick.

Originality:8

Instruments:9

Vocals:9

Longevity:8

Red Score:8.5

Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani

A Golden Song, But Not Quite 24 Karats

Gwen had established herself as a hit pop star by the mid 2000’s and came out with the album Sweet Escape with the flagship song sporting the same name. The song Sweet Escape reached most top 10 charts and just about everyone who listened to music in the 2000’s know it. The beat and initial parts of the song were developed by Akon and brought it to Gwen to collaborate and finish. The beat is really catchy, the whole song is, from chorus to Akon’s “woo-hoos,” they both know how to make music that people will play over and over again. The beat is great, it really doesn’t come from the drums, but the guitar and tambourine mix predominantly make the rhythm. The drums are there, don’t get me wrong, but you have to pay a more attention to pick them out. The guitar and other melodic parts are great at making this very bright sound that surprisingly doesn’t get annoying by the end. Gwen’s voice is just as it always is (which is great), but the back-up singers really brings the whole song up a notch, and Akon’s parts are a perfect response to Gwen’s singing. The lyrics are good, and interesting apology piece telling a story of a place to escape for her and others. There isn’t much to break the song apart, the song is like a blender shot to the face of modern pop, which works out great because it’s reception was excellent. This is a song that is basically good to play in any feel good moment, it is just a little dated by now.

Originality:8

Instruments:7

Vocals:8

Longevity:7

Red Score:7.5