April’s Drum Till You Drop Mix

When you feel your foot or fingers tapping to a song, that is the beat going in your ears and flowing through you, it uncontrollable, especially if it is the right beat. Drums and percussion give a song a heart, a rhythm and a keep it steady. This mix of drum/percussion pieces are not the best in the world, but I find them addictive and creative.I wanted to dedicate a week to the man or woman in the back keeping our head bobbing and our legs jumping. From remixes by the infamous Travis Barker, or the odd beats of Kim, I hope this set-list really can bring some fun old and new music to your ears. You’ll hear fast at lightning bass drums and smartly designs mood setting pieces ranging in classic rock and modern hip-hop. Just have fun and listen to those hidden parts, they’ll surprise you.

GHOST - TREN

A Similar Formula Continued and Still Loved

TREN is a musical group that found each other at BYU and started an epic band. They work primarily towards the creation of songs and anthems for movies, and with the newest James Bond movie Specter, the decided to make their own song for it. The song GHOST is a perfect addition to the songs that bring James Bond to life. The song is meant to be one part monument to the years of Bond music and another part an original piece for the newest movie. Our vocalist does a great job of bringing that seductive and strong sound to the song. The lyrics are great, adding that level of mystery and need for a hero that all past bond songs have excelled at. The orchestra is good and the writing is on par with any professional songwriter for modern film. The strings move quickly, the brass is loud and booming, the percussion supports the song like Atlas holds the world. The only thing the song might suffer from is originality, it does sound like every other James Bond song in reality. However this is on purpose, they wanted a song to fit the universe, but it still doesn’t have too much going on that hasn't been done before. But this is really the only criticism I can hear, and it is one of circumstance, not because they can’t produce original sound, it just comes with doing a Bond theme. But overall, a great song, and even better than a number of the other Bond songs.

Originality:6

Instruments:8

Vocals:8

Longevity:6

Red Score:7

Tiptoe Through the Tulips - Tiny Tim

An Odd Song......That's About It

When we hear this song, I think most people make that same face when someone makes a bad joke, that face of “stop, do we really need to hear this?” I will just get this out of the way, the song is odd because of the extreme falsetto voice obviously, and it is hard to seriously at. I am going to look at its musical value though. Let's start with the ukulele, it is pretty upbeat and simple, not too fast and only a few chords, but good enough for the song. The drums are also on the same level, simple and slightly more creative than an average beat. There are some supporting strings here and there, but they mostly just fill the empty air, but they are nice. Now, to the main part, Tiny Tim’s voice. As it may be annoying or odd and just out of place to the normal ears, but on a technical perspective, he is pretty good. He can hit unreasonably high notes and has great control of his voice. The only problem is that nobody could really take this song seriously. I could only imagine that I would want to listen to this song for silly nostalgic reasons. Insidious used it for their Horror movie franchise to creep people out, so this song really has no home to go to, only in your funny weird songs that you only pull up to get a kick out of them. Okay music with an interesting voice that is impossible to take seriously, that is our Tiny Tim.

Originality:7

Instruments:5

Vocals:6

Longevity:4

Red Score:5.5

The Sound of Silence - Disturbed

A Reinvented Powerful Song With An Extra Punch

We often remember this song as a sorrowful classic from the famous duo, Simon and Garfunkel. Their version was more rock and upbeat, really bringing this deeper sound through their unique style. Disturbed took this song much farther into the darkness, and they do it with great sophistication. Starting with a slower piano and David Draiman’s deep, rich voice, the song takes those steps into the soul of the listener. This is a very different sound for him, he is often singing in a heavy rock and metal sound with a gritty voice that is heard at the very end of the song, so it is really refreshing to hear him like this. His voice is fantastic, and I would love to hear more from him as he embraces his more melodic voice. He has masterful control of his voice, quiet and daunting in the beginning and smoothly get stronger and louder as the song progresses, it’s hardly noticeable, and builds perfectly. The guitar stays very focused and play as a counter to his low voice, balancing it very well. The drums boom with passion in the second half of the song. There is a beautiful string section that follows the piano nicely and creates a good support. The piano also grows very full, hitting very low notes while keeping the high notes afloat. I think the best part of this song is the re-imagined creation of a classic song, keeping the melody and strings of notes that allude to the original. Most artists will take songs and just add their voice to a classic song without taking the extra risk and effort to make it their own, but Disturbed put their name on this song. Also will say that just like his voice, the song is one long crescendo, which is hard to find be done so well in any other song. A great song, a little louder than most of my chill music on Wednesdays, but a slow and powerful piece that should be widely renowned.

Originality:8

Instruments:8

Vocals:9

Longevity:7

Red Score:8

Formation - Beyonce

Hip-Hop’s Most Updated Powerhouse Call To Arms

Beyonce has been a music idol for years, and this song is much more than just another party song. Let’s divide this review into two sections, the message and the music. The music: When you hear the repeating, echoing “beeps” from the beginning of the song, there is a very definitive ambiance in the song. It has a very unique sound, the drums are irregular, and yet keep a good beat, which hold the song together, but get lost in the rest of the other sounds and her voice. There are too many small samples and sound bits to pin-point and discuss, but they do a good job of playing off each other to keep moving the song along. The best instrument is the bass, which will move very slowly in the chorus parts while mixing it up well in other parts,  but is hard to hear or notice if you don’t have wrap around headphones or a good sub-woofer. Obviously Beyonce is a great singer, hands down, but this song is not one of her stronger vocal pieces. The song breaks into a long bridge and seems to start over after the first minute, which is odd at first, but is nice to see the pattern of the song is more inventive and different than classic A-B-A-B-C-A-A pattern. The message: The lyrics may just be odd to people and make no sense, but there is a lot of discussion and allusions to the black lives matter movement and classic civil rights movement problems and racism in general. I think the song is alright, and all these people making a big deal and hating Beyonce for her trying to embrace her culture and call others to be proud of who they are is ridiculous. First of all, music is a form of expression, art, and you can’t hate someone for expressing themselves, especially when it is an expression of strength and unity, not of hatred or violence. A good song, interesting and non-typical for the sound and the blunt political message that embraces today’s problems and culture.

Originality:8

Instruments:6

Vocals:7

Longevity:5

Red Score:6.5

Dear God - Logic

Rhymes and Lines That Go the Extra Mile

Logic is a surprising artist, I don’t know much of his stuff, but from this song we see a lot of effort and creative juices go into his music. Starting from Gaithersburg, Maryland, Logic came from a very difficult family situation and then created music on his own until he signed up with Def Jam Recordings. This song show the true spirit crying out to God for help and not understanding why things happen. The lyrics are fantastic, especially for the young inexperienced mind working, he does great. In comparison to the radio stars, I feel a lot don’t come close to the depth and quality of writing that is here in this song as he writes of his inner conflict and his complicated relationship with God. He keeps good rhythm and his voice is well used, but doesn’t explore it too much, which I hope to hear in his other music. The drums are pretty simple and the piano part, but lay a good enough foundation for the rest of the song. There are various other samples and sound clips that fit nicely, and are never abused. The bass is is more or less just there, nothing special. I did post a clean version of the song because the words are pretty explicit, but he is never gross or really inappropriate, instead he is blunt and strong. A good song, and if you want to look into local talent, he has it.

Originality:8

Instruments:6

Vocals:8

Longevity:7

Red Score: 7.25

Daydream - Christina Perri

A Sweet Song Whose Name is in the Sound

A young artist playing what she wants and how she wants, no matter what the world tries to make popular. Christina Perri has a great talent and ability to convey a lot of her personal feelings though her music making very unique music. Her live versions are just as good if not better in various ways because her voice shines so much more than when edited and “enhanced” with musical garble. This song tells of the daydream of a possible love, but without wanting it to actually happen so that it won’t be ruined by eventual heartbreak. The guitar is bright and very crisp. The piano melds in the background supporting the guitar. The drums are there to keep the beat and add a little flavor here and there, but nothing special. Our back up singer for Perri is pretty much just there because she can’t back herself up in live versions, but the harmonies go well. What really stands out is her unique voice and predominant lower ranges. She is a great singer, but this song isn’t the best demonstration of her impressive voice work, but you can see it here and there. I like this song because of the interesting lyrics, upbeat sound and her grand voice. If you like Christina Perri’s main songs, really take a look at the rest of her music (which isn’t much for now) and I’m sure you’ll find some other great songs to listen to.

Originality:7

Instruments:6

Vocals:7

Longevity:6

Red Score:6.5

Honey - Bobby Goldsboro

An Eternal Love Memoir

This song is one from decades past, and yet can tug at every person’s heart strings. Bobby Goldsboro brought a lot of passion to his music and helped shape this style and emotion driven music of the generation. This song has a number of good parts, but the obvious star of the song is his voice and the lyrics. The bass guitar is a great foundation along with the drums. The string sections are beautiful, keeping a melody with the light guitar throughout. The choir and “angelic voices” that appear in certain parts and strongly in the chorus bring that extra sense of heaven that shows more throughout the song. The voices are wonderful and a great addition and support to Bobby. But getting onto the main part, Bobby’s voice. His voice amazing, it is perfectly controlled and balances love and sorrow, it is hard to come by a voice as perfect sounding as his. The song itself sounds nice and like a springtime daydream, but the lyrics bring the song up a few levels. It is a perfect ode to a love lost, but love not forgotten. It tells a sincere story of a man who loved a woman so purely and loses her. The story is told through moments and memories, as if seeing a series of pictures or videos. The song is about remembering her and the beauty of their love. This song almost brings me to tears every time I listen to it, so heartfelt and so strong, it is amazing to say the least. Enjoy it, and if you need a bitter sweet song, this is it.

Originality:8

Instruments:7

Vocals:10

Longevity:8

Red Score:8.25

Move On Now - Hard-Fi

A Heart Calling From Simple Sounds

Starting with a driven and steady piano, Hard-Fi brings down their strong rock to a mellow serenade surprisingly well. I found this band’s album in a clearance sale, 25 cents per CD, and I thought this one looked cool, I got it and was crazy lucky. This song does have a great dreamy or thoughtful sound which includes a few different instruments. There is a piano, a synth pad, a trumpet and light drums. I think that is what makes this song so good. Sometimes we forget that less can be more. The piano part is simple and constant, but it does the job right. The synth in the background strings the song together phasing from part to part, as a subtle transition in places. Then during the final bridge and solo, a smooth trumpet and jazz driven drum really brings in a fantastic sound which really takes the song full circle, adding that depth that the song uses to really hit hard. I normally hate the word ‘baby’ in any context other than to actual babies, but our singer here uses that and the other rhyming words excellently to make this song swim from the headphones to the ears. We can hear a lot of heartfelt emotion in this song which can be hard to actually find, but I like to think that this song is from the heart. A fantastic simple piece that shows the beauty of music comes from the heart than just technical finesse.

Originality:8

Instruments:7

Vocals:8

Longevity:7

Red Score:7.5

Worry - Jack Garratt

Fresh Upbeat Rhythm With Amazing

I think the best part of new music is the risk, the power and ability to take a sound and run with it. I feel that I rant about the way music is slowly going on every review, so I’ll skip the monologue. This song has great very modern feel to it while being very unique in it’s use of the various tools of digital creation of music. The instruments vary a lot, and other than the electric organ, bass in the back, drums and short shouts from what I think are saxophones, there are no real lead instruments. But they all very much work together to create a platform for his voice to grow and shine through the song. He uses an electric guitar and various other samples in the official recording it seems, but if you watch a live performance, you get this unreal performance of multitasking and balance. He thrashes on the guitar and is amazing at keeping the loops going on the piano and drums at the same time, it really is a feat to watch. I feel that this is the perfect way that these technical parts of electric instruments to be utilized. Using quiet parts, acapella and silence to his advantage works great for the song too. This is a great song, period, a fun new type of one man band, I hope you enjoy this and I would urge you to keep an open mind and listen to the rest of his debut album, Phase. (this is a link to his live version that will help you appreciate his talent as a writer and performer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pqWKAoMnpk )

Originality:9

Instruments:8

Vocals:7

Longevity:8
Red Score:8

Her Majesty's Royal Army - RJD2

The Beat Blender of Glory

I am putting a disclaimer on this song now, it is very different, it may seem like noise and garble, but give it a chance and focus the on the songs percussion and many beats, and I think it will grow on you. RJD2 is a powerful hip-hop/rap artist, he has been producing music for years and started his own label. After years of making music, I can’t believe I had never heard of him until two or three years ago. This song is very very technically good. I am amazed how well he can mix 3 or more percussion parts at a time throughout the whole song. I am gonna split the song into 2 parts, the faster part that starts the song, the Call, and the slower bridging section, the Response. The Call is fast, sporadic and changes around, mixing instruments and various samples and electronic beat parts. The Response is more melodic and the smoother personality of the song. I love the sound bits, the voice at the end saying buy, sell, sold and the constantly changing parts of the songs. A great piece to dance to, drive to, or do anything with an intense nature. It isn’t for everyone, that’s for sure, but I hope you can find a place to enjoy and appreciate his skill as an artist.

Originality:8

Instruments:8

Vocals:---

Longevity:7

Redscore:7.7

Somebody to Love - Queen

One of the Greatest Love Songs Ever

Starting with a profound group of voices from the band declaring the heart of the song, this is easily one of the most relatable and powerful songs done by Queen. I know this song is not strictly about love, but is about pure and real intent to find love in world so full of difficulty. But I am not here to preach, let us look at the actual song. Our piano part here is very very good, it is full of soul and strength, the slow builds in the bridge, the way it carries through the verse and chorus part is one of the best, if not THE best piano part by Queen. The drums do their job of holding a steady beat, but through various different patterns which blend very well. The guitar solo that starts with copying the singing is seamless and leads the audience into the next part with grace. The best part of the song is Freddie’s voice singing with great emotion and the chorus/back up singers doing an absolutely fantastic job at bringing amazing feeling into the song throughout it all. I love how powerful the builds are near the end and the way this song professes the natural desire to love in a perfect and pure way. I hope you’ve enjoyed Queen week and I wanted to end it with a bang. I have found a great new appreciation for this beloved band, let me know what band/artist you would want me to review next.

Originality:8

Instruments:8

Vocals:10

Longevity:8

Red Score:8.5

Keep Yourself Alive - Queen

The Beginning of the Queen

I find it amazing listening to a band or artist’s first album, their sound and style is so interesting to hear. Some bands change for better while others change for worse, but many don’t truly find themselves until the second and third albums. This song starts with guitar parts that stay strong through the whole song with strong personality. They work great in the solo and work well off the drum solos. The bridges between verses is longer than normal, keeping the sound fresh and powerful. Singing from May and Mercury is great and simple, but work well for the 1973 debut album, but don’t hit the amazing strides that come in later albums (which is pretty normal). The drum solo might be the most interesting part of the song, we don’t hear many of them in songs anymore, which is unfortunate, because they work great. When the album came out, they made sure to emphasis that they didn’t use any synthesizers, but used harmonies and layering of various effects on their guitars to make sound that brings a unique sound to the song and band. Go back and see what your favorite artists created, and I think you’ll be impressed how they changed, and appreciate the work they have done to become who they are, I can see the natural progression of Queen and am grateful for these awesome beginnings which lead to fantastic pieces.

Originality:7

Instruments:8

Vocals:7

Longevity:6

Red Score:7

All Dead All Dead - Queen

Sweet and Soft Odes to Memories

When I was putting together this week’s line-up, I couldn’t really think of a well known slower songs, and so I began my listening binge. I found this, which avid Queen fans may know, but I had never heard the song, which is too bad because I think this song is quite beautiful. The piano and singing are the stars of the song. The piano chords and triplets are subtle and create a fantastic atmosphere. The feeling from the piano is one part sorrow and one part content, it an amazing blend with even a small bit of jazzy upbeat sound in there too. The distorted guitar and electronic piano parts in the bridge go great and build the song to its end. The singer is Brian May, the guitarist for Queen, often heard in back up parts of the other songs (exactly why the harmonies sound identical to the other songs played by Freddie). The harmonies are perfect and sound almost unreal. The bass and drums plays a small part in the song, but lay good foundation when the song picks up in certain parts. Lyrically the song is beautiful and the singing is so simple and sweet to the ears. The pauses in the “all dead...all dead” and in other parts shows again how silence is a way to best utilize sound, and how overhauling a song with effects and samples could have ruined this song (as is does others). I personally love this song for it’s natural feeling and sound that carries wonderfully, as if just being played right in front of me.

Originality:9

Instruments:8

Vocals:9

Longevity:9

Red Score:8.75

Cosmos Rockin' - Queen

A Tune Too Average And Cliche

When we think of Queen, we remember those amazing lyrics, hard rock and powerful guitar from the 70’s. I did not realize that they continued to make music up until 2008, which is pretty amazing for starting in the 1970’s. I went through this album knowing that it would be different, without Freddie there it obviously wouldn’t be the same. And we see the amount that one person really impacts a group. The song is, to be frank, generic. The guitar is good and has some nice sound, the drums are normal, and the singer does alright, but nothing is new compared to what we have heard in the past 30 years. Yes, they have talent, but the creative juices seem to be gone, and it is hard not to compare it to their glorious albums of the past. But I think the hardest thing to listen to is the generic and outright boring lyrics. I know that they are changing over the years, and they have to try and adapt to a new age, but it is disappointing to listen to this album after A Night At The Opera. Paul Roger’s does good, like he always does, but it really is not impressive or innovative. All in all, if you love this album, great, but I would recommend to not even bother with it and go back and listen to anything by Queen before 1990.

Originality:4

Instruments:6

Vocals:5

Longevity:4

Red Score:4.75

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

The Anthem That Calls To Everyone

Starting Queen week off with all the power possible, here is the beginning of this remembrance of one of the greatest musical groups of all time. When I hear those initial acappella voices of all four of them singing, “is this the real life? is this just fantasy?” it amazes me and starts one of the best songs of all time. Queen had made music for years before this, but Bohemian Rhapsody may be their best song. I know this song has a lot of fame and history, Wayne’s World, UK Top Song of All Time and so forth, but I want to focus on the actual music for now. The piano is masterful, from soft start to melodic middle to fantastic finish, I am impressed every time by the personality of the piano. The percussion are strong and steady, allowing the instrument’s punch to be better every second. The guitar shines in that bridge/break down and truly goes to volume 11 and tears down the house. Lyrically, the song uses various references and deep meaning that could have extensive papers written about it, but I’ll leave that and proceed to talk about Freddie Mercury and all his vocal glory. A strong, mature, emotion filled voice that is well supported by his band mates carries the song from amazing to perfect. This song is practically impossible not to sing to also, no one can avoid it. Finally, the transitions and different parts of the songs flow together even after tempo changes, acappella and instrumental parts, and words that seem to make no sense. I am amazed at the at the brilliance of this song, the writing and execution are phenomenal and this will always be one of my top songs, ever.

Originality: 10

Instruments: 10

Vocals: 10

Longevity: 10

Red Score: 10

March Club-Step-Drop-Bass-House-mau5-Techno-Mix

For the first week of March I wanted to post a mix of some of my favorite electronic songs. I have found a lot more great songs from just your "average joe" DJs online, either through youtube surfing or soundcloud binge-ing. People that just make random remixes and songs are pretty darn good and make the writers for most pop stars look like novices. If you want more from any of these artists just let me know, I’ll be happy to give you a much more extensive list and recommendations. Rob Swire does the Pendulum remix (he is the singer of Pendulum too) and is of the two guys in Knife Party, one outstanding artist. These songs are the energy boosters, head banger and reasons why raves can actually be amazing. Let me know some of your favorite dub-step and electronic pieces, I love hearing new stuff. From house to club and remixes to heavy, mind blowing drops, I’ll take whatever you’ll throw at me. Have a awesome weekend and I’ll be reviewing all Queen music next week! RMR over and out.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcB3g-KqT0_4udzS-xstD3BxkUopSebhN