Bleeding Out - Imagine Dragons

A Track To Be Replayed With Louder Bass

From a pop rock alternative band that has a few hits, it’s hard to say Imagine Dragons is really all that amazing. And I will stand behind that statement, they have come out with a handful of good songs, but they are only into their second album. Bleeding Out is an interesting song and one that should not have been passed up by the mainstream listeners. The vocals are a double edged sword, they are passionate and fill the songs empty spaces, but his voice can get old and unoriginal real quick when compared to any of the other songs. But the instruments are the best part of this song by far. The beginning guitar strum meld with high sounds and the vocals. The synth, almost slowed sounding vinyl that goes along right with the bass and drums sound great. Very well put together and the chorus gets a little too much like other alternative rock, but keeps enough personality to stand on it's own. This song is not a show stopper or a totally new thing for Imagine Dragons, but I like it better than the entire second album Smoke and Mirrors. If they come back to sound from this song and become a little more and imagine a l little more, we might get some more some good stuff from them.

Originality:6

Instruments:8

Vocals:6

Longevity:6

Red Score:6.5

Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio

An Overplayed and Overlooked Work of Art

Easily one of the most recognized rap anthems from the 90's, Coolio put together a song that really stood above others. This song has a lot of history and was over shadowed by it popularity and parodies, for example Weird Al's version, Amish Paradise, has 32 million views of Youtube, while Coolio's original's only has 6 million views. And in reality, this song has taken a lot of it's sound from Steve Wonder's Pastime Paradise, the chorus and the orchestra parts are about 90% the same, but let's look at what Coolio does different. First is the actual music track, the string sections are less of a copy of Wonder's song and more of an evolution of the orchestral part with the added cellos and more bouncy violins. The bass moves a lot, but unfortunately is too quiet to really appreciate amidst the rest of the song.  Coolio adds a lot of depth in the song's meaning, the raps are slow in comparison to today's standard, but the rhythm and flow are perfect with the music. L.V. covering the chorus is a great compliment to Coolio and call back to Wonder. This song suffers from being overplayed and looked at as such a sensation that face value of the song is really diminished, which is too bad. Going back and listening to it again really made me appreciate it and I might have to download more music like this.

Originality:7

Instruments:8

Vocals:9

Longevity:7

Red Score:7.75

Sea of Voices - Porter Robinson

Soft Sound For the EDM Enthusiast

Porter is normally known for his club anthems and creative use of electronic beats, but this song is from his newest album Worlds, and is the soothing brother to the other tracks. If you’re not in the mood for an ambient relaxing experience, I would really skip this song and come back on it another day, because things don’t pick up until a little after 3 minutes into it. If you are still here, let me tell you why I enjoy this song. The wind-chimes in the background with the long soft synth beginning flows ever so perfectly. The light guitar strum and ‘trills’ of synths high parts bounce around with a soft voiceover that lead a listener on and on. It breaks down with slow hard bass and drum and a pounding, simple melody. The voice is one that feels like little magical guide, taking you on a journey. Let your imagination go in this song, and just enjoy the fantastic ballet of sounds.

Originality:7

Instrumental:8

Vocals:7

Longevity:6

Red Score:7

Nuthin' - Lecrae

Breaking The Mold With Style

There is something to say about music that has a lot of attitude. From the power houses personalities of Will Smith, Daft Punk and Kiss, we know a strong sense of personality can make an artist, Lecrae does a pretty good job of really separating himself from others. The instruments and music part are quite good compared to the other stuff in his genre. The bass is split into two sections, one long resonating tone that fills the song, and another which comes in delayed triplets which really sound good, especially because they come in and out of the song.  There are lots of small samples and sound effects here and there to add to the melody of the rap, but nothing that stands out too much. But the actually singing/rapping/talking or whatever you want to call it in the verses are well separated and flow well into the chorus, a lot better and less obvious than most song on the radio. Also if you want to actually listen to the words, it tells an interesting story of people selling out to the music industry producing garbage that talk about ‘nuthin’. He makes some good point and actually refer to how people normally turn to God for help, but no one sings about it in songs, even though people do it. I hope I keep hearing good stuff from this guy, the music and message are great, and the vocal part at the end really hits it home. If you want something refreshing, much more original and better put together than the general crap on the radio from modern hip-hop, listen to Nuthin’.

Originality:7 

Instruments:7

Vocals:8

Longevity:7

Red Score:7.25

Romantic Rights - Death From Above 1979

Enraged Rock With A Strong Unique Bass

Two man bands are not that common, and DFA 1979 is not your normal band and Romantic Rights is not your normal rock. The bass guitar takes lead with a strong first note and scratches on the string to make for a rich opening followed by fast perfect drums. Then the bass switches to the main baseline and the breathy soft vocals come in. I am not a fan of really heavy air filled voices, but Sebastien does a great job of building up with a calm almost whisper of a voice. And then comes his more violent voice which is more normal for him and brings in the energy. Just as a side note, he is the drummer too, which makes this song all the better. The chorus also has a very slow rising note that come from a synth or just background noise out in, but it really help build to the song as a whole. With all these great pieces coming from a two man band, it's hard not to like this song.

Originality:8

Instruments:8

Vocals:7

Longevity:7

Red Score:7.5

World Alone - Lorde

Young Talent Coming Through Soft Strength

Most people only know her for her song Royals, but the rest her debut album is worth your time for a few listens, you may find some things that intrigue your ears. World Alone moves away from her more electro/pop sounding songs. She is talented, a lot more than I originally thought. With a few crisp guitar chords and a strong bass drum, and progressive precision melded with her voice, the opening can be quite enveloping. Her voice is raw and full of personality, it is a little unrefined, if we compare her to Adele or Hayley Williams we see that she has a way to go. She doesn’t take many risks with her voice, but the soothing way her voice comes out is really good. The voices in the background as if in a dinner goes well with the song and creates a good sense of what the song is trying to say, that we should embrace who we are and ignore the others who judge and live for the world. The high guitar chords layered with bass synths go great with her voice and never seem to get old. A good song, that was overlooked by the public and show off Lorde’s ability to write and perform more original music.

Originality:8

Instruments:7

Vocals:8

Longevity:6

Red Score:7.25

Kansas - Carry On My Wayward Son

Classic Rock At It's Finest

When rock was emerging and really finding it’s place during the 70’s, Kansas came along and hit the world with a rock ballad and guitar riff for the ages. Let’s talk instruments first. We have five main parts, drums, guitar, piano, bass and organ. In live versions our lead singer/organ player also rocks a wicked bongo part that we miss in the original recording. The drums are great, steady and strong. The bass is a good companion to the guitars but lack a real depth and uniqueness except in the second verse. The guitar parts are amazing. The main lead brings some of the best riffs in music history and the solos spiced through the piece are just fast enough to be impressive, and still keep enough character and flare to show a mastery level of quality. The rhythm/back-up guitar is a good counterpart to the lead, playing much more than just a general strumming of the strings. The piano parts bring the lively and classic feel and quality that can only be achieved through musical intelligence. This also comes about in the organ, which played by our lead singer Steve Walsh, who is frankly amazing on that electric organ. The whole song comes together with Steve and his backup singer who bring the wonderful biblical lyrics to life and make a song no rocker can stay quiet to when it comes on. This is one of the best songs of all time in my book. And it should be in your book too.
Originality:9

Instruments:10

Vocals:9

Longevity:10

Red Score:9.25

Bongo Bong - Manu Chao

Moving Through Sound At Smooth Slow Speeds

This may be one of my more odd songs I will review, but it really is quite the listen. The bounce and strum of different instruments giving small tidbits to make a full rhythm make for a dream scape of sound. I think the vast amount of instruments pulled together to make a relatively simple sound song is pretty impressive. I wouldn’t call this purely reggae, but it takes some of the elements from it and creates an interesting piece. Lyrically, it is fun, interesting and worthy of analyzing for deeper meaning, but I enjoy just hearing the words flow. The singer, Manu Chao, has a soothing tone that draws in it’s listeners. He isn’t anything special, but his voice is unique and uses it to his advantage. The female backup singer, which acts more like an echo, is identical, nothing special but well utilized in the song to make for a grand experience. The instruments are everywhere, in a good way, I’ve listened to countless times, at least five time consecutively for this review, and I’m still hearing small little words and instruments and harmonies. It really must have been quite the mixing challenge. Guitar off-beats, organ high and low pitches carrying the song, a long twang and mix of too many to count instruments make my head spin, but in a good way. I love bouncing my head to this song and just letting the simple soft percussion lead me along.

Originality: 8

Instruments: 8

Vocals: 7

Longevity: 7

Red Score: 7.5

Adventure of a Lifetime - Coldplay

Adventure Through Similar Joys

Returning again for another album, Coldplay puts out A Head Full of Dreams, and this is one of their flagship songs (for now). Coldplay delves back to the sounds of albums Viva La Vida and even more Mylo Xyloto for this song and the other pieces of A Head Full of Dreams. This song has a great sound and is light and playful guitars with a simple drum set are the quiet and subtle base for the song. The song really builds though in its various sampling sounds/voices, chimes, calls, claps and bouncy bass line. Chris Martin sings like he always does, which is a welcome thing, but it takes no real leaps in growth on his part. With that said the song is a fun listen, but it is not really revolutionary at all, and even falls a little to current pop/alternative/rock tropes and patterns. With no real risk, the reward isn’t strong. Adventure of a Lifetime, however, does do those tropes a lot better than other people and succeed where others sound like vague repeats. Just like a lot of Coldplay hits, it will sound amazing for the next couple of months and last a year, but isn’t revolutionary like the songs Viva la Vida, The Scientist, and Clocks. The sounds and format of the song may draw a little much from past victories of the band (that’s not really a bad thing), but this song is still far better than 85% of what is on the radio, so enjoy it, I do.

Originality:6
Instruments:7

Vocals:8

Longevity:6

Red Score:6.75

White Knuckles - OK Go

Classic Head Bobber 

White Knuckles is a song that is almost impossible to not tap your foot to or bob your head to. OK Go has always been great at writing songs that have great beats, but this song sticks out because of it’s great solos and harmonies. The bass line is really smooth and gives a funk style to the song that teams up well with its subtle guitar parts and claps. The song also uses a lot silent moments in which we only hear a few instruments and it really make the rest of the marching theme really stand out. The words of the song and ideas of white knuckling through inevitable things is well emphasized with the harmonies and uniform beat. The song also has a huge amount of very ambient sounds that can really only heard with some high quality speakers of headphones, and they are noticeable with them, but for your average listen they will just help fill in the gaps of song to make a nice sounding environment that you’ll probably not even notice. When you need a pick me up and a fun song, I’d recommend this, sing along and enjoy that slow headbanging bass and drum.  

Originality: 6

Instruments: 7

Vocals: 7

Longevity: 6

Red Score: 6.75

All These Things That I’ve Done - The Killers

An Ode To Music Which Brings The Past Back To Life

When we think of the Killers, we see a pop/punk/rock style with a voice and sound. The radio portrays this image of them while losing their much more unique and strong side. This song in particular is one of my favorites for many reasons. Brandon Flowers approaches the song with a firm tone of regret and passion which makes the song all that more powerful. He delves into softer “spoken word” and his normal singing style that is used in various other song, but just a little less whiny and adolescent, which is greatly appreciated. Listening to the instruments, we see the fantastic drums, which feel common at first, but we hear the sophistication of different cymbals and toms to deepen the musical harmonies and melody. The long synth pads in the beginning with a light piano and follow into the chorus contrast beautifully with the guitar during the bridge. The guitar and bass are standard Killers sound, and that works out perfectly. The thing that make this song far better is the bridge and transition. “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier,” repeats and is a great phrase which is followed by a choir and build into the ending, and finale of the song. The Killers are a fantastic band, we may only hear the most whiny, and in my opinion, and some of their worst songs on the radio, go back and listen to Hot Fuss and Day and Age, I’m sure you’ll be surprised at their great music.

Originality:9

Instruments: 8

Vocals:8

Longevity:9

Red Score: 8.5

Around the World - Daft Punk

1980's Versatile Repetition

Long before Daft Punk “got lucky” with Random Access Music, they were making song of the first world recognized and renowned electronic and house music. Around the World may seem repetitive, but it is supposed to be with that, it is meant to be played in clubs where they pound out music all night. But we see the variety and key talent that Daft Punk had in creating club anthems that can keep going and using the same bass line, melodies and drums in various ways to keep their listener entertained. The voices saying “around the world” is altered a lot, obviously, but this is more of a instrument instead of an actual vocalist and singer. The song moves a lot and every 20 or 30 seconds it transitions and plays with the sounds, echoing more or distorting them in order to add a great variation to the same sound. If you listen to a lot of modern house music, it feels as though the repeat button is stuck for five minutes on the same five second loop. But here with a gnarly bass line, bouncy lead synth, and a simple yet addicting drum part, the song never seems to get old through all seven minutes of it. Get to know the classic Daft Punk, for musical educational purposes and because they are awesome.

Originality:9

Instrument:9

Vocals:---

Longevity:7

Red Score: 8.3

Passenger - Royal

A Journey Of Sound

"Your body is the ship, your soul is the passenger." The lyrics and soothing sounds that blend electronic bass and choral parts is what makes this song so amazing. With thunder crashing in the beginning and a slow, progressive, call and response vocal part, the song brings its listener into a deep ambient experience that I have not found in very many other places. Royal uses a lot of electronic sounds and is mostly an EDM artist, but this song really sticks out from the normal loud thumping beats of average techno music. When the bass comes in long reverberating tones, it rounds out the high synths and melodies. This song will be one that you need to sit and listen to, dedicate some time to just close your eyes and let it all soak in. Listen a few times, this is perfect relaxing song from a long day. Everything here is so good, you may just need those multiple listens to really understand the song and love it, and once you will, you won’t stop.

Originality:9

Instruments:9

Vocals:8

Longevity:7

Red Score:8.3

Message Man - Twenty One Pilots

Ominous Sound In Perfect Clarity

From the opening the resonating organ at the beginning to the reverberating bass that follows the initial few lines, this song has a lot strong points. This song is odd none the less, it won't follow your typical beats. It has a constant beat that you can follow, but the half tempo sections used for the two verses and rap bridge make the song seem to change beats very often, but in reality the song keeps the same constant strong beat. The song has a very epic, operatic almost religious sound hidden throughout, which is why this song needs a few, real thorough listens to feel the effect of the different sounds working together. But after hearing the bass-line, irregular drums and various melody created synths, guitars and other instruments, the lyrics will become the primary focus. The call and response used in the verses is normal for Twenty One Pilots and well executed here, the verses are very interesting and you can pick at the meanings of lyrics for a long time. The rap is my favorite part, because it is just a fantastic constant flow of words that when finally read and understood show how impressive Tyler's, lead singer, skills of writing and rapping really are. This song shows a great leap in what music can be and how risky creativity in style of sound can greatly pay off.

Originality: 9

Instruments: 8

Vocals: 10

Longevity: 9

Red Score: 9