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Friday

Jul232010

When Top 40 Radio Gets Deep [Airplanes pt. 2]

Friday, July 23, 2010 at 7:00 AM

Normally I'm not one to champion songs that are playing on Top 40 radio, but I've been hearing one song that has been really caught my attention. And it's not because it gets stuck in your head against your own will (like any Lady Gaga song). No, this song caught my attention because I couldn't stop thinking about the lyrics. Which let me emphasize again, yes, I am talking about a song on Top 40 radio.

The song that's been running through my head as of late is the song "Airplanes," by B.o.B. I encourage you to give this song a listen, the "pt. 2" version specifically, to get an idea of the lyrics that I'm talking about.

In case you need reason to give the song a listen, let me break down the main message of the song for you.

The song "Airplanes" is a song that asks, what if? There are so many times that people look back on their lives and wish that certain things never happened. We think that if we could take away some of the miserable things we went through, then maybe life would have been better off for us. But it's often that when we look back, we forget that although these things may have been unpleasant, they shape who we are. Take a look at a sample of the lyrics:

Pretend he just stayed outside all day and played with his friends

Pretend he even had a friend to say was his friend

And it wasn't time to move and schools weren't changing again

He wasn't socially awkward and just strange as a kid

He had a father and his mother wasn't crazy as shit

These lyrics are pretty raw. But we see here that yes, maybe life was difficult as a kid, but it is going through these things that have taken us to the place we are now. Yes, life would be great if it was just awesome all the time. But if life were easy and awesome all the time, then we would never grow or learn.

Beyond this retrospective, there is also a look towards the future. In order to get somewhere in life, you've got to have the drive and the motivation. Take a look at this:

Alright lets pretend Marshall Mathers never picked up a pen

Lets pretend things would have been no different

Pretend he procrastinated had no motivation

Pretend he just made excuses that were so paper thin they could blow away with the wind

I absolutely love that a message like this is being played on the radio. There are so many people in the world that think that if you want something in life, you'll get it. But this isn't true. You've got to be willing to work hard, to sacrifice, and to get through all of the rough stuff to get to the good stuff.

This takes us to the main point, the chorus:

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars

I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now

Yes, there are times where we wish things could be different, where we could look into the sky and make a wish and any single thing could change. But life isn't like that. A person can want things to be different, to stare off into space and just wish, or a person can work through the situations of their life and make it what they want it to be.

So please, go ahead and give this song a listen to. I think you'll be surprised by what you find, I know I was. You shape what your life becomes. It takes more than wishing.

Tone Hoeft |

Eminem's Return ["Recovery" Review]

Friday, July 2, 2010 at 7:01 AM

Is it just me or does it feel like Eminem has been around forever? In terms of the life span of a celebrity, you can say that he is basically ancient. His first album came out in 1996 and "My Name Is" became popular in 1999. I have vivid memories of seeing that music video on Total Request Live in middle school. It's like Eminem has been around for most of my pop culture life.

And here we are now in 2010 and Eminem has released another new album, Recovery. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge Eminem fan. I've followed him on and off through the years and was not really a big fan of Encore (2004) and Relapse (2009). So when Recovery came out, I wasn't even that interested to listen to it.

But all that changed after I heard "Not Afraid" off the new album. There was something about the song that drew me in; it made me want to listen to more. It was like Eminem was being straight up, putting his guard down, and letting us into his world. This is what you'll find if you give Recovery a try. You'll find one of the most intimate CD's put out in a long time.

Listening to Recovery, I had a similar experience akin to the first time I listened to Songs for Christmas by Sufjan Stevens. There's something about the songs and something about the way that the artist pours themselves into their work that makes you feel like you take a piece of them with you after you are done.

The main reason for this is because of the content on Recovery. Let me put it this way: This shit got real. Listening to this album makes you feel like Marshall Mathers has grown up a little bit. Yes, there are some things that really take it down a notch, namely his continuously abusive language towards women and gays, but the situations he's talking about are extremely mature. And not mature in the "explicit" kind of way but mature in the "adulthood" kind of way.

What you get when you listen to this album is a man that is not pretending to be anybody but who he is. And that's what makes it complexity enjoyable. Eminem's transparency really makes you think about relationships and what it means to get what you want. In fact, if you really think about the lyrics, they may mess you up a bit.

Recovery is a sharp turn from the mediocre albums of the past six years, but it's a turn for the better. Eminem returns to his strengths: Intricately woven rhymes that fly at you faster than the decent of popularity of soccer in the States after the U.S. lost to Ghana.

Bottom line: Recovery is not for the faint of heart. The lyrics are mature and explicit, but if you can get past it, you will find some thought provoking tracks. It's worth a listen.

Tone Hoeft |

Music Necessities: The Swell Season

Friday, November 13, 2009 at 7:00 AM

Once in awhile there comes along a CD that you just connect with completely. Something about the lyrics, the type of music, and the aesthetics just make you want to listen to it over and over again. This is exactly how I feel about Strict Joy by The Swell Season. If you haven't listened to this CD yet, then seriously, you need to make this a priority.

The Swell Season consists of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. If these names sound familiar to you, it is because they are the stars of the hit indie movie of 2007, Once. I absolutely loved this movie (a review of which can be found here) and fell in love with the soundtrack. So imagine my excitement when I discovered that the two would be releasing an album together. This little indie heart leapt for joy, strict joy in fact.

If you have listened to the soundtrack for Once at all ("Falling Slowly"), then you already know the type of music you are getting. There are some tracks that are more tame and ethereal ("Fantasy Man," "Paper Cup," "I Have Loved You Wrong"), songs that require you to pour yourself a glass of wine and relax with some friends ("Low Rising," "In These Arms"), and other songs that are just downright fun and catchy ("The Rain," "Feeling the Pull"). They really do cover the whole gamut here.

But all of the songs have that distinct feel that Hansard and Irglova bring to their music. The music is so passionate and so well done that it just compels you to listen. Their two individual styles compliment each other well, and Strict Joy results in something so wonderful that you won't be able to help play the CD over again when it's all said and done. If you're into this type of music at all, there is no doubt in my mind that you will love it. So seriously, go listen. Now.

Tone Hoeft |

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Friday

Sep252009

Is Muse Still Good?

Friday, September 25, 2009 at 7:00 AM

I don't think I've ever done a review of a musical album before, but if this blog discusses movies and literature, I don't see why music can't be involved as well.

Last Tuesday, Muse released The Resistance to U.S. audiences. Muse is a band with a huge following across the world but has never managed to get the same type of stardom in the United States. This is a shame because their music is so fantastic. Needless to say, with that kind of attitude you would see how I was very excited for the released of this album. Was it worth all of my excitement?

To say that my only feelings for this album were excitement would be inaccurate. While I was excited because it was a new Muse album, I was also feeling a bit discouraged because of the tracks released ahead of the album's official release. "United States of Eurasia" was the first song pre-released and it sounded like a rip-off of every Queen song ever. I don't have anything against Queen, but I listen to Muse because of their capacity to create brash, epic, and grandiose sounds, not because they are the best Queen cover band. "Uprising," the first single off the album which was also pre-relased sounded bland and boring compared to most of the Muse I've listened to. With all of those things combined, I didn't know quite how to feel about the new album.

Last Monday night, I logged into my iTunes and downloaded the new album hoping to find an album that I would love and be true to the name of Muse. While it is not my favorite album ever, The Resistance does have some fantastic tracks on it. "The Resistance," has much of the huge glam rock feel that I love. "Undisclosed Desires," is funky in the vein of "Supermassive Black Hole," which is not a bad thing at all.

But the greatest part of the album is the three part "symphony" at the end, entitled "Exogenesis." This three part "symphony" encapsulates everything I love about Muse. Brass and in your face melodies, subtle and quiet lows with epic soaring peaks, quirky sounds, and influences from classical music, "Exogenesis" is some of Muse's best work yet. This three part song alone makes the album a must have.

In short, I still love Muse. I appreciate anyone that can have a list of influences including Tchakovsky, Saint-Saens, Ravel, Chopin, Richard Strauss, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and Queen. Who else can do that and make it work? Only Muse my friends, only Muse.

Tone Hoeft |