UIL Theatre Performance

On Wednesday May 23, I went to the UIL Theatre State Championship. We watched a few of the performances, and they ranged from sad to really funny. I really liked Anderson's performance. I thought it was really funny through out the whole act, and I'm very surprised that they didn't place. They did really well, and they represented Anderson really well. We successfully got Mr. Malone and Noah, in one picture.

Love is Everything

On Wednesday, George Straight released an album called "Love is Everything". I'm not a huge fan of George, but I thought this album was alright. The first song in the album named "I Got a Car" was good. I liked the speed of the song and the story it told. The middle songs were alright. They were mostly about love, so I thought it was pretty boring. The last song named "Let the Credits Roll" was also really good. So I thought he opened and closed the album well, but I thought it lacked in the middle. Overall I would give this album a 7.5 out of 10, and I would recommend it.

Massive Attack's Mezzanine

In class we listened to Massive Attack's Mezzanine. I thought it had a lot of different aspects, but to me it was definitely mostly techno. I listened to it with my eyes closed and I liked it a lot. I thought it was good to have as a background type of music. I liked the first 4 songs more than the second 4 songs. I dont know why, but I just liked it more. My favorite of all of the songs was either the first or third song. I hadn't heard of Massive Attack prior to this class, but I will probably check out their other music now.

The Wu Tang Clan

Today we listened to the Wu-Tang Clan's first album. A question came up that was "What is the difference between Wu-Tang Clan and NWA's music?" We talked about it for a little while and the ultimate answer was that the Wu-Tang Clan had more aspects of jazz and they rapped more slowly, while NWA had more aspects of funk in their beats, rapped with an angrier sound, and rapped more quickly. The Wu-Tang Clan was more dangerous than NWA because they said some worse things, and they actually carried out the things that they talked about. One thing that I liked a lot about the Wu-Tang Clan, was that they had a lot of euphemisms. They were really good lyricists and I thought that added a lot to their music if you listened well. I also liked that there were many members of the group, so there were many interesting stories being told and many different voices, so that the listeners wouldn't be bored. I though that was very strategic from the label. Overall, I liked the Wu-Tang Clan because they never made me bored, they had good beats, and they had great lyrics.

Nirvana

In class we listened to a Nirvana album. Prior to this in class, we had watched a movie about them recording a live album for MTV. I have heard many Nirvana songs before, because they 're a pretty well known band, and my dad used to listen to them. I recognized multiple of the songs we listened to or watched the music videos of. I personally liked the album that we listened to. I liked how they could have a loud and pretty fast song, but then the next song be slow. I thought they did that really well. I thought the songs were well written, but I couldn't understand Kurt Cobain, because he sounded like he wasn't fully pronouncing his words. I also thought he sounded angry a lot, but besides that I liked the album and the music a lot.

Movie

In class, we watched a movie about LCD SoundSystem's last performance and the day following that. The movie showed the view of the lead singer's, David Murphy, last day and the day following it. At first, the band never really wanted to play an arena, they always wanted to play for parties or people having a good time. Over time, they began to become big, and then they said they wouldn't tour. Ends up, they toured. They played an interesting style of music that had a lot of electronic aspects, but had a rhythm, and also had a lot of singing. The audience in the pit was going crazy. They were jumping and dancing for all that we saw, and although they were touring, they had a party-like atmosphere that kept true to what they said they would do. I liked some of the songs that were played, and others I didn't like so much. David Murphy, to me, looks like he should be a an opera singer of some sort, not the kind of music that he played. That caught me by surprised, but none the less, I liked it. I thought they sent out a good vibe, and the documentary was interesting. I thought it was extremely unique how they just stopped making music, didn't want to be known as LCD SoundSystem, and then just started living normal lives. There are very few instances where anyone or group in anything just quit, while they were at the top, making a lot of money, just because they wanted to stop making music. I admire that a lot.

The Beastie Boys

In class we listened to The Beastie Boys. They used more developed beats and there was much more going on in the background of they're songs, than in N.W.A's songs. They, along with N.W.A., had pretty good writing. They didn't curse very often either which was cool to hear. They got an edgy topic and edgy style of music by without cursing, which was much different than music by N.W.A. Prior to listening to The Beastie Boys in class, I had only heard "Fight For Your Right" and a few other songs of theirs. I liked their music.

N.W.A.

Last class, we listened to N.W.A This was the fiercest type of rap we've listened to thus far. The ton was much angrier than the earlier style of hip hop. It was also the edgiest. The members included Ice Cube, Eazy-E, and Dr. Dre. Dre did most of the writing for the group. The writing was very well written, even though they were cursing a lot. The beats were also really good. Over all, I liked what we listened to, even though I'm not a huge fan of rap.

Early Hip Hop

In the past class we listened to Early forms of hip hop. I really enjoyed this because I did not know that much about early hip hop. The songs were much longer than today's rap, because of how big the records were. They could fit around six minutes of recording on to each one, so each song would be about that long. At that time, the music video concept was becoming pretty large, and we watched some of Run DMC's music videos. First of all, the audience was different and the clothes they wore were different. They were wearing jump suits so that they could dance or do moves in more easily, preferred to the Hair Metal clothes. I liked learning about early hip hop a lot.

Hair Metal

Today in class, we listened and watched hair metal videos. Before the class, I had already thought that this type of music was annoying, and by the end of the class I had my hands over my hears because of the noise. I personally did not like it at all. When you listen to song after song after song, it all starts to sound like loud, annoying noise. To make matters worse, all the videos were almost mere images of each other. The members of the bands also had extremely long hair, really tight clothing, sometimes had face paint, and did dance moves that males should not be able to do. The songs had meaningless lyrics and the chorus was played close to five times each song, so that people would remember the lyrics. Out of all the music we've listened to this year, this was probably my least favorite. Here is a video: 

Eli Young Band

The Eli Young Band makes country music. They were just at Rodeo Austin. They make some great songs like "Say Goodnight", "Crazy Girl", and "Even if it Breaks Your Heart". They have five albums, four of which came out in 2008. Their most popular album is "Life At Best"which came out in 2011, it has their three most popular songs. The album was their 'big break' so to say, because it's what has made them popular. Unfortunately I had already made plans to go out of town when they were at the rodeo. Here is "Even if it Breaks Your Heart"

Thriller

In the past class, we listened to "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. It sold 225 million copies within the first two years and had three #1's on the Top 200. I thought the album was pretty good, but I'm not a huge fan of the way it sounded. I didn't dislike any songs of the album. I thought "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was good, I liked the ending more than the rest of the song. I liked the sound of "The Girl is Mine", but I didn't like the lyrics, I thought they were cheasy. I like the 3 song power punch of "Thriller", "Beat It", and "Billie Jean". They are all pretty iconic songs of his, and they all have pretty good sound. I also likes "PYT" I thought it had good sound and rhythm. Overall, the album was pretty good, and it has 3 of Michael Jackson's best songs ever.

Elvis Castello

In class we listened to Elvis Castello's "My Aim is True". I personally liked it. I thought it was good, because I liked the sound much more than the type of punk sound we've been listenenkng to more recently. I thought he still got the kind of message that other bands have gotten across, even though it didn't sound like the other. I thought the lyrics were good too. He threw some punches, if someone could do that, through his lyrics. Overall, I liked the album.

Funk and Disco

In class we listened to some funk song. Mr. A made a good point, that there really is no such thing as a good funk album, because it is all released in Singles. Funk is also music primarily intended to make people dance, because it is mostly just music with a good or bad beat and sound with very few lyrics. It doesn't have any texture to it either. When I say texture, I mean that there is no deep message to any songs. These types of songs make a ton of money because it makes people want to dance and it makes people happy, and it can just be background music. I personally don't like disco/funk because it can be really annoying. Some of it can be good, but for me, the majority of it is annoying.

English Punk

Today we talked about the difference between English Punk and American Punk. American Punk wasn't very dangerous. They weren't dangerous, because they didn't do anything or sing about topics that made them dangerous. English Punk on the other hand, was dangerous. They were much more snarly and rebel like. We listened to the Sex Pistols, who I didn't like because their singer's voice was obnoxious. Then we listened to "I Fought the Law" originally by Bobby Fuller Four but covered by The Clash. The Fuller Four's version of the song was wimpy, not dangerous, and kind of pathetic. The Clash's version was dangerous and sounded much more like Punk. I liked The Clash's version much more because it was more upbeat and sounded better. Here are the two renditions of "I Fought the Law" :

Patti Smith & The Talking Heads

In class we listened to Patti Smith and The Talking Heads. We listened to Patti Smith's album "Horses" and I really didn't like it. I didn't like it because it had an annoying sound, I didn't like the lyrics, I wasn't a fan of her voice, and she made weird and annoying noises. Overall, I was not a fan of hers. Then we listened to The Talking Heads. I didn't dislike them, but I didn't like them. They were kind of that band that just didn't really matter to me. I didn't like the lead singer's voice and I didn't like the noises that they made either. I did sort of like the sound in some songs though. One thing that I have started to notice, is that the more punk the music gets, the more weird noises the singers begin to make. Overall, I wasn't a big fan of today's music.

Zac Brown Band

Recently I've been listening to the Zac Brown Band . I really like them. I think I like them as much as I do, because they harmonize well, they sound good, and they have really good lyrics. Some of my favorite songs by then are Goodbye in her eyes, Chicken Fried, and toes. They come in early April, and there is a large chance that I'm going to go see them.

Stevie Wonder

In class this week we listened to Stevie Wonder. I really liked the sound of it. The sound was nice and it was good music. The lyrics in some songs were good, while I didn't like some of the lyrics in other songs. My favorite songs of the album were: You are the sunshine of my life, You and I, Tuesday heartbreak, Superstitious, and I believe.

Tribute to The Band

In the Grammys, there was a tribute to The Band. Elton Jon, Zac Brown, Mumford and Sons, Mavis Staples, and Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes) performed "Take a Load Off Annie" by The Band. They brought a lot of different aspects to the song, and it sounded really good performed by a lot of people. They did a little segment on The Band because one of the band members died this past year.

Bobby Womack & Curtis Mayfield

In class, we listened to Bobby Womack and Curtis Mayfield. I liked the sound of both a lot. I personally liked Bobby Womack more than Curtis Mayfield because it was more upbeat and I liked the lyrics more. My favorite songs from Bobby Womack were Woman's got to get it, Thing Called Love, and Sweet Caroline. My favorite songs from Curtis Mayfield were Move on up and Pusherman. Here is Sweet Caroline by Bobby Womack: 

John Lennon & Paul McCartney's solo albums

In class we listened to John Lennon's solo album "Imagine" and Paul McCartney's solo album, thats name I do not know. I thought "Imagine" was okay. I felt it had some decent songs, but I also felt like it had some pretty bad songs. Some songs I enjoyed were Jealous Guy, Imagine, & Oh Yoko! I didn't like  I Don't Want to Be a Soldier Mama. I did not like Paul McCartney's album. I didn't like many of the songs, and I thought the album was all over the place. I did like Dear Boy. Here is Dear Boy by Paul McCartney and Oh Yoko! by John Lennon: 

Imagine Dragons

This past week I bought Imagine Dragons' album "Night Visions". I really enjoy it. Its got some great songs like Radiocative, It's Times, Demons, & Bleeding Out. I like this album because there is some good diversity in the genre of music. I don't know what genre this album would be, but I like it a lot. My favorite song of the album is "Demons". It has a nice sound to it and it has a really catchy chorus. Here it is:

Joni Mitchell

Last class we listened to Joni Mitchell's album "Blue". I personally liked the album a lot. At first I was a bit confused about her voice, but as the album went on it grew on me, and by the end I liked it a lot. I feel like she put a lot of time into the album. After class, I went home and I pulled her name up on "Spotify" and listened to part of the album again. My favorite songs of the album are "All I Want", "Little Green", "River", "A Case of You",  & "The Last Time I Saw You". The album was generally sad, and the last the three songs in particular were really sad. You couldn't tell by the sound of some songs, but if you listened to and read the lyrics you could clearly see how sad the album and songs really were. Here is Little Green: 

David Bowe to Ziggy Stardust

Today we talked about Androgyny which is where men act and dress like women. We talked about people who have tried to do the transformation. We primarily focused on "David Bowe". He originally was himself, then he treed to portray a character named "Ziggy Star Dust". We listened to original "David Bowe" music then to "Ziggy Star Dust" music and the difference was day and night. "David Bowe" music was more pop like as bluesy, while "Ziggy Star Dust" music was louder, more like rock, and trashier. I didn't like either, but there was a major difference. He dressed oddly and he just had a weird look to him.

Radio

Last week in class Mr. A asked us if we listened to the radio anymore. Most of the class answered that they only listen to it on the way to school. This past week I found myself listening to  it a lot more than I had previously thought. I realized that when I get bored of what I'm listening to on Spotify or Pandora, I'll go to whatever radio station I like on my computer and I just listen to it there. I heard a couple of songs that I really enjoy and I now have them on my Spotify playlist. I'm going to try to listen to actual radio more because it was pretty productive in my search for new music.

Zepp 4

In class we listened to "Zepp 4" by Led Zeppelin. I personally liked this album, I thought there were some pretty sweet guitar solos. I didn't like "The Battle of Evermore" I didn't like the way it sounded and I didn't like the lyrics at all. I personally haven't liked many of their lyrics in any of their songs. I really liked "Rock & Roll" I liked the sound a lot. It felt like "Stairway to Heaven" was much longer than it really is. I know it's a great song, but it's very boring, and I felt like they were trying to put people to sleep before the started to play the stringed instrument. The only part of the song that I enjoyed was the end, the end was sick. Overall I liked "Zepp 4".

RIP: A Remix Manifesto

This week in class, we watched a documentary called "RIP: A Remix Manifesto" This film was about the laws of copyright, and how people of America and all over the world misuse and abuse the law. The film started off by talking about a music domain, named Napster, that allowed anyone to get any song. Once the government found out about this, they shut it down. Next the documentary talked about an artist named "Girl Talk". He is an artist who takes bits and pieces from many different songs, slows them or speeds them up, adds a beat, and by trial and error creates music this way. The thing with this is that he takes bits and pieces from copyrighted songs, which therefore makes his music illegal. Although he has a nationwide fan base, his music is illegal. One way he can make it legal is by paying his dues, which would amount to close to, or more than $400,000 per song. There really is no solution to the problem, as long as artists like "Girl Talk" aren't making albums. The copyright agencies' policies are out of date, and if they want to prevent people from downloading music or making songs that should cost $400,000, they need to update their policies.

Neil Young and Simon &Garfunkel

This week we listened to Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush" and Simon and Garunkel. I personally did not like Neil Young. I didn't like it because I do not like Neil Young's voice. Some things I did enjoy were the lyrics, I thought there was good harmonizing, and I also thought they had one or two good songs. My favorite song on the album was "Tell Me Why". I thought the album that we listened to by Simon and Garfunkel was alright. Some things I enjoyed about the album was the diversity in the sound of the music, I thought they had pretty good vocals, and I enjoyed a few of their songs. My favorite song on the album was "The Fighter". I had heard this song by Mumford and Sons, and I enjoyed hearing it slower. Here is a comparison of the two songs:

New Music

Over the break I started to listen to country a lot more. One day over the break I switched the radio station to country and I really enjoyed it. Ever since, I've been listening to artists such as: Black Shelton,  Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Zac Brown Band, Luke Bryan, and a few others. I think I enjoy country now more than I used to because I have a different appreciation for what they do and how difficult it can be to do that. My favorite album that I've listened to so far is "Night Train" by Jason Aldean. Here are some songs I enjoy:

 

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye by Luke Bryant

Something Like That by Tim McGraw

Black Sabbath and Zeppelin 3

In the past class we listend to part of Black Sabbath's first album "Black Sabbath" and to part of Led Zeppelin's album "Zeppelin 3". I personally didn't like the Black Sabbath album. I didn't like it because they didnt have great lyrics and I feel like Ozzie didn't have that great of a voice to be singing for as long as he was. I did like "Paranoid" but I had previously listened to it. In "Zeppelin 3" there was a strong influence on acoustic guitars and other instruments of that nature. It sounded odd to me, because it had the same attitude and the singer had the same sound, but it was on acoustic instruments. The songs were decent, but it just didn't sound right to me.