I’ve been in a state of lacking motivation and feeling really bad. But all that ends soon. I am going to make a schedule. I’m going to post one review every week for the next several weeks. I might come back and add an actual schedule so you know what it coming but I hesitate to do so because sometimes writing reviews proves to be a little difficult and I have to change what I am writing about to get something out. In the future, expect a bigger presence here. You might even see some theme changes and some updated tag buttons. If you have anything specific you want me to talk about or listen to, leave me a comment somewhere in here and I’ll get to it.
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Dearest readers,
I have been very busy, lazy and overwhelmed. But, I’m coming back. I have a bunch of music to share with you and a lot of snark to do it with. Keep a look out for some new posts soon.
Love me still please,
Bee
So, it’s no secret that Cobra and I have had a falling out and they have pretty much become the reason I hate everything all the time (if you have no idea what I’m talking about, click here or here and then come back).
Against my better judgement I bought the new album as a “Congrats for getting bitches out of your life” present. Little did I know it was going to be more of a punishment than a reward.
None of the album really feels like Cobra Starship. It feels like the pop music machine got a hold of them and rang all of the talent and cheekiness that was Cobra Starship into a bucket and tossed it out the window like yesterday’s bath water. It has been replaced by awful, over produced melodies and lyrics to match.
At least two songs are very clear rip offs of songs that have already hit it big. I won’t go into the details about “You Make Me Feel…” because I already have gone through it once and just thinking about it makes me want to vomit.
What I can talk about is “#1nite.” I dare you to listen to it and not have a familiar taste in your mouth. I will give you the answer. The song is a mash between Usher’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” and Chris Brown’s “Forever.” On top of making me scratch my head for ten minutes trying to figure out what this sounded like the lyrics are awful. “I got one hand up, the other on you.” Come on, you can do better than that.
By far the worst song of the whole damn mess is “Disaster Boy.” This is the sad, sorry excuse for a chorus:
Yeah every girl has given up
But I’m the one who’ll stand by you
Can’t you feel my heartbeat
Listen up
Disaster boy I’m dialling you
Don’t you pin your heart on my sleeve
Don’t you pin your heart on my sleeve
It is only made worse by the fact that Vicky-T can’t sing. I don’t mean to be harsh, she kicks ass in almost every other way but she just shouldn’t sing lead. To really feel how bad this song is, just go listen to it, I guarantee you won’t make it through the whole thing (If you do, let me know, and I will personally send you a hand drawn picture of what ever you want).
The only redeeming song, mind you it doesn’t make up for the rest of the crap, is “Fool Like Me.” It has a fifties feel and some really great lyrics, “I’m sorry that I hit your dog with my bike, but he still got three legs, he gonna be just fine.” It is the only song that keeps up with their witty, cheeky reputation.
Once I waded through all the crap there is a glimmer of hope for Cobra still. Gabe’s voice is getting better all the time. It is crystal clear and he hits the notes perfectly. They need to go back to locking themselves in cabins on the mountains, and not let Kara DioGuardi get a hold of them again.
So as you can see, the most recent post (aside from this one) is about my loves Cobra Starship and their two new songs.
Because I am out of college for the summer and I have nothing better to do, I searched Cobra Starship in the tags on WordPress to see what other people were saying. I found something interesting, which lead me to something more shocking and mildly upsetting.
I am still not sure what to make of this so if anyone reads this and would like to talk it out with me comment on this and we can have chats.
One of the posts I happened upon had the title, “Did Cobra Starship Rip Off A Calvin Harris Track?” So I read it. In short (or long, however this comes out), Calvin Harris is claiming that the beat used most notably on the hook to “You Make Me Feel…” is actually a modified version of a beat he created for his song “I’m Not Alone.” Shortly after Cobra’s lyric video for “You Make Me Feel…” hit the airwaves, Harris tweeted, “And another one…” with a link to the video. This is not the first time Harris has claimed someone stole his beats. A few months ago Harris accused Chris Brown of using beats from the same song in his track “Yeah 3x.” (After listening to 2.5 seconds of this song, the beats do sound similar).
Shortly after the first tweet including the link to Corbra’s video, Harris tweeted again, saying, “I sort of wish i had just made a load of beats that sounded like I’m Not Alone myself, i’d be living in a gold plated castle right now.” He later followed these up with a tweet saying, “Please know i’m never 100% serious about this stuff…! It’s funny to me. I love music! I’m VERY happy so many people like that track!”
After reading the article, I immediately went to YouTube to listen to “I’m Not Alone.” Through the first 40 seconds I wasn’t sure how this song could ever sound like anything in “You Make Me Feel…”, but once the beat picked up it was obvious that there are some similarities. But, in the end I was willing to deal with that. Harris didn’t seem that upset, he was taking it in stride so why shouldn’t I do the same.
At this point I was ready to bury the hatchet and move on. I was interested in seeing what kind of music Harris makes so I looked at a few more videos. He does some really cool things. In one video he shows how to use a contraption he made, called the Humanthesizer. It’s really interesting. I suggest looking it up not only to witness what I am about to tell you, but to see this awesome creation in use. Near the end of the video there is a cut to a screen advertising more videos about the machine. The digital clock face font used on the titles of the videos is the same digital clock face font used in most of the lyric video for “You Make Me Feel…” I wikipediaed a song by Harris called “Acceptable In The 80s“, from 2007, same font used on the cover for that single. Cobra used the digital clock face font on the cover for this single, too.
This is where I am a little… upset…maybe that’s the word. I really don’t know. I am a die hard Cobra fan. I have been for a really, really long time. I talk about them constantly, I have met them and they are pretty much the inspiration behind why I write about music at all. So seeing them do this is kind of a slap in the face. I would like to say it’s all just a coincidence, but I don’t think so.
I really would like to know what anyone else thinks about this situation so maybe I can come to terms with what is happening to my favorite band. Maybe it can still be worked out.
New Cobra Starship is out. Well at least two songs are out now. “Don’t Blame the World, It’s the DJ’s Fault” was leaked a couple weeks ago and “You Make Me Feel…” was released as the first single from their new album.
I have high expectations of Cobra because every album they have released has been a new take on their sound. Their debut album, While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets, was powered by the popularity of “Bring It” but was able to stand on its own. Their next release, Viva la Cobra!, was an upgrade in sound and lyrics. The songs are fun, dancy and everything Cobra Stands for. Hot Mess, their most recent release was everything I had hoped for and more. They took a more serious route but still kept the sound that made them.
When “Don’t Blame the World..” was leaked Cobra took it in stride and released the song via their record label’s Youtube. The video was accompanied by a challenge, watch the video and come up with what you think the title of the new album is. Whoever got it first would receive a call from them or something like that. Although the context is over, go watch the video here and see if you can come up with it. (The answer will be later in this post).
The song is catchy and fun but not really anything new. The song writing in “Don’t Blame the World…” is simple and repetitive. The song would have more power if there were more lyrics and it felt like they put thought into writing the song. It is a good listen if your in the mood for a beat.
Snippets of “You Make Me Feel…” circulated the web Sunday. Most were only 30 seconds and weren’t really meaty parts of the song. The song was officially released today on all major digital download sites and I snatched it up right away. It’s not what I expected from them but as the weeks have gone on it has burrowed a special place in my heart and I could even be caught dancing on my bed to it. Here is a link to the lyric video released by their record label, Fueled By Ramen.
I’m not sure what else to say. I hope the album, titled Nightshades, comes out and has better quality song writing on it than the samples we have been given. I am still hold out hope and even if it’s a bust, I will still count them as my first true musical love.
I have a feeling I’m going to be putting out a new post every day until the 12th because I think I see a pattern going on. If I am not mistaken, Christofer Drew is going to stream a new single off The Modern Racket on Alternative Press’s website everyday until it’s release on April 12.
The second track is titled, “Mr. Funny Man.” It’s all together simple. Just Drew and his guitar. There is nothing special about the song, which in a sea of auto-tunes and synthesizers is what makes Drew’s new music so refreshing.
What makes this song so perfect it that it seems obvious that Drew has left behind most of his anger so often felt through his earlier songs. He manages sharp lyrics with little to no effort. Unlike the songs heard on Harmony and What is Love? where Drew was using his voice and more complex sounds to get his point across, I for see Drew is going to let his writing do most of the talking on his upcoming EP.
Today is yet another installment of “Christofer Drew amazes me.”
Social networking has led to a lot of undone homework on my part, but it also constantly updates me on new music. Facebook is the latest to do so.
I am tra-la-laing at work and my Facebook auto-updates my news feed to read: Never Shout Never- “Check out the first song from The Modern Racket EP called “Livin’ The Dream.” Dont forget to donate to Charity:Water via themodernracket.com to get the EP on 4/12.” I listened and I am in love still. You can check out the song here.
The song is simple and free. It reminds me a lot of Harmony with very little computer aided music. Just Drew and his guitar. I cannot wait for the new EP.
The Modern Racket will be released on April 12 on the album’s website here.You get the album when you make a donation to Charity:Water through the website. You can also wait until April 19 and buy it from and digital media outlet like iTunes.
I am must say I understand Drew’s move away from the Never shout Never title. It can be hard to make new and evolving music when your 14-year-old fan girls want carbon copies of songs like “Trouble” and “Happy.” I have read interviews with Drew where he says he is growing as a person and as an artist. He doesn’t want to let anyone down but he doesn’t want to be stuck doing the same thing forever. And most fans don’t take the time to think that Drew was 16 or 17 when he wrote his old songs. He was an immature artist and needs time to progress. I think he is doing just that and his hard-core fans, that like Drew for his music and talent, will stick around through what ever he decides to do.
Dear Adam Young,
I have been a fan since my best friend started playing your little known singles three years ago. I immediately appreciated the lyrics that you seemed to pull from the sky and the poppy, happy beats you laid them on.
With all that out there, I fear you are letting the fan girls run your music. You used to make music in your parents’ basement and never really cared if anyone heard it. And that is what made you special. You didn’t play any instruments or do any special dances but you made music with feeling and I felt it.
My favorite song has always been “The Saltwater Room.” It’s beautiful lyrically. The harmony found between your voice and the music creates something comfortable like being on a swing in that time between summer and autumn. It’s perfect. Listening to it fills me up with happiness.
However you took that beautiful song and remade it for Ocean Eyes, and it’s not the same. It’s something different and uncomfortable. Your voice is different and the lyrics are different. It’s like being in a familiar place, having all the lights turned out and trying to navigate, but finding out all the furniture has been moved. It makes me unhappy.
This is just the beginning of what I have witnessed as a down turn in your musical style. Your songs don’t make sense at all anymore. In the beginning, I had to really struggle to find the meaning behind your songs. And even if I didn’t get what it meant to you, I had an idea of what it mean to me. Now I have no idea what to feel.
It started with fireflies. I get the point behind that one, but something just seemed off. Like maybe you were making too much sense with it and I found it uncomfortable. After that, all of Ocean Eyes is just nonsense. Take the first track off Ocean Eyes, “Cave In.” The opening line says, “Please take a long hard look through your text book, ‘cuz I’m history. When I strap my helmet on, I’ll be long gone, ‘cus I’ve been dying to leave.” What do these two lines have to do with each other?? Maybe I am missing it. The song goes on to more quizzical lines like, “I’ve had just about enough of quote diamonds in the rough because my back bone is paper thin.” I just don’t understand. The music behind it is still the same Owl City I grew to love but the lyrics, and your voice, are different.
I already wrote about the winter single you put out, so I will not dwell on that any longer. But you did just put out a new single and I feel the same about that one. It’s like you let the stardom take your imagination and creativity.
I like seeing your face, cuz it’s cute, but maybe you need to go back to being that shy guy that never had pictures taken head on and doesn’t like to touch fans. I think the camera and fan girls are stealing your super powers.
Sincerely,
Bee
So I love StubleUpon just as much as the next college student with too much homework does, but I have come to value it quite a bit more in the last couple days.
I was tra-la-laing around the internet, mindlessly pressing the ‘stumble’ button when a page popped up titled Titus Jones- downloads. At first it didn’t look all too interesting, but there was music on it so I had to give it a try. I clicked on the first track titled “CULTURE SHOCK: introduction”. It claimed to mash 3oh!3, Nicki Minaj, Christina Aguilera, Tom Ashbrook, and Sue Teller. I had no idea who the last two people were but the track blew me away. It is an insane mix of audio clips over a potent 3oh!3 beat. It ends with “Shock me, shock me, shock me with that deviant behavior.” It was just so right.
I immediately downloaded all of the songs available and begun my listening adventure. And it sure is an adventure. There are over 30 mash ups on the site and they include a range from Bon Jovi to Aqua to Dolly Parton. And the names are the best part. They include “Somebody Kiss My Smooth Romance” which mashes The Killers and Lady GaGa with Michael Jackson and Katy Perry, and “I Wanna Bulletproof Dancer,” which is composed of audio from La Roux, Robyn, Whitney Houston and Taylor Swift.
My favorite has to be “Oops, I Shot Jolene’s Mom”, which is a mix of a Taio Cruz beat, with audio clips from Bon Jovi, Britney Spears, Dolly Parton, and Fountains of Wayne. I love the name, I love the beat, I love how it all fits together. It’s all so good. I cannot put its awesome into words you have to listen for yourself.
I am not fond of the auto-tuning of Nirvana in “Smells Like Ke$ha’s G6.” I understand it was necessary to mash the songs together but I think I am just too much of a Nirvana fan to appreciate that part. However, I do really like the other track that mashes “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with Britney Spears, Madona feat. Justin Timberlake with a little Usher thrown in the mix.
I encourage all of you to take a listen and look up Titus Jones on Facebook and Twitter for your own good. Also check out some of the videos that have been made to go with the songs on the downloads page of the main website.
I love Panic! at the Disco an enormous amount and haven’t been this excited for a new album since Cobra Starship released Hot Mess (for those of you keeping track, it’s been about a year and a half).
First, just hearing there’s a new P!ATD album coming out is enough to get me screaming inside. Secondly, Panic’s record label, Fueled By Ramen, posted a lyric video for the new song “The Ballad of Mona Lisa.”
The song is reminiscent of the days of their debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. Although you can hear the difference, it is very clear Ryan Ross is gone and he took The Beatles influence with him, which many fans of AFYCSO will be happy to hear. The lyrics are surprisingly well crafted considering most of Panic’s songs were penned by Ross. The song includes sharp lines like, “A lonely speaker in a conversation, her words are swimming through his ears again” and “If she had the proper words to say, she would tell him. But she’d have nothing left to sell him.”
Along with the lyric video that has been posted, Fueled By Ramen has posted a 30 second trailer for the music video. It doesn’t feature any words just the instrumentals and the whole thing is punctuated by a few seconds of a black-eyed Brendon Urie. His face is creepy and I like it.
Since day one I have been all over this song. The music and the lyrics are exactly what I wanted from them. Each previous album holds a special place in my heart. AFYCSO is the album that originally made me fall in love with P!ATD. And, when Pretty. Odd. came out, I welcomed the new sound as a point of maturing.
This release marks the first fans have heard from P!ATD since they released “New Perspective”, a single for the movie Jennifer’s Body, in 2009. I think fans that were hurt by the change seen in Pretty. Odd. will be happy to know that is seems like Panic! didn’t skip a beat between AFYCSO and their next album, Vices and Virtues.
Which leads me to some more news. A fellow Panic! enthusiast who goes by the Youtube name PrettyMuchIt, got the opportunity to go to the Panic! show in New York a few days ago. He was kind enough to post two videos on his blog of them performing new songs.
One is a full version of “Nearly Witches” which was originally released as a demo on a Clinton Sparks produced mixtape called “CitizensFOB Mixtape: Welcome to the New Administration.” Credit was given to a band, no one had heard of, by the name of The Paul Revere Jumpsuit Apparatus. Everyone new it was at least Brendon Urie’s voice. It’s kind of hard to cover up something that gorgeous. From what I can understand of the lyrics, not many have been kept the same from the demo. The song is still wonderful lyrically and musically.
The second song is a brand new one called “Let’s Kill Tonight.” The song is full of energy and watching them perform again is really something. Brendon and Spencer look really happy to be back doing what they love and doing it they way they want to again.
They are both videos from a live show, so it is really hard to make out any words exactly, but I assure you I will be updating with more reviews and more news when I get it.
Their new album releases March 29. It is available for preorder on iTunes and in several bundles from the band’s website. However the ‘fantastical’ bundle sold out in less than 15 minutes and cost $99.
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