// The Civil Wars - I've Got This Friend //
The Civil Wars are an indie folk duo comprising of Joy Williams and John Paul White. Best known to date for having their heart-wrenching ballad "Poison and Wine" featured on Grey's Anatomy, the pair recently released their first full-length studio album. Barton Hollow features many soaring harmonies that Williams and White have seemed to perfected in the relatively short period of time they've been performing together. "I've Got This Friend" is a folky number about that friend who just can't seem to find love. The tone of the song meanders between playful and melancholic, while both singers let loose vocally. Great stuff.
// One Republic - Secrets (Oblivion RMX) //
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I've got to admit, the release of One Republic's Waking Up two years ago totally flew under my radar. I've got a ton of respect for frontman Ryan Tedder, but One Republic's stuff has always seemed a bit one dimensional to me. Enter: Oblivion. Quite a few blogs have been showing much love to Oblivion's dubstep reinterpretation of One Republic's "Secrets." As we've seen lately, dub is slowly but surely creeping its way into mainstream pop. The glitchy robotic beeps and buzzes hit hard and enliven the polished (but relatively pedestrian) strings and percussion of the original. Check this out if you're curious about dub, but can't stomach whole tracks of it (yet).
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To the average casual music listener, the name Big Sean probably isn't considered a household name. Still a relative unknown compared to his famed GOOD Music stablemates, the Detroit native comes full-value on his latest single, "My Last." Assisted by a classy No ID production and catchy Chris Brown hook, the slick emcee raises his glass to life in the bigs. It's a feel-good track with a few whip-smart lines that'll crack a few smirks: "Since I signed the con’, I’m Louie Vuitton shine/ Up in Benny Han Han eating all the Wonton / Rose rose over a little Chandon / Put her hands down my pants, now she rocking Sean John." Look out for Finally Famous, due out early May.
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With LASERS, it's clear that Lupe Fiasco had to go for a more radio-friendly aesthetic. With Atlantic breathing down his neck, it's not surprising that album sales became the focus. Thankfully, Fiasco's lyrical pedigree is still front and centre for the majority of the album. On "All Black Everything", the Chicago emcee reimagines Black History had the cards been dealt differently. Set to a glamourous sample of the jazz standard "I'll Be Seeing You", the track soars as Lupe ultimately rallies for a brighter future. The other side of the coin, then, is a criticism of modern day Black culture. Take from what you will, but it's at least an intriguing conversation starter. What if...?
Download
I've got to admit, the release of One Republic's Waking Up two years ago totally flew under my radar. I've got a ton of respect for frontman Ryan Tedder, but One Republic's stuff has always seemed a bit one dimensional to me. Enter: Oblivion. Quite a few blogs have been showing much love to Oblivion's dubstep reinterpretation of One Republic's "Secrets." As we've seen lately, dub is slowly but surely creeping its way into mainstream pop. The glitchy robotic beeps and buzzes hit hard and enliven the polished (but relatively pedestrian) strings and percussion of the original. Check this out if you're curious about dub, but can't stomach whole tracks of it (yet).
// Big Sean f. Chris Brown - My Last //
Download
To the average casual music listener, the name Big Sean probably isn't considered a household name. Still a relative unknown compared to his famed GOOD Music stablemates, the Detroit native comes full-value on his latest single, "My Last." Assisted by a classy No ID production and catchy Chris Brown hook, the slick emcee raises his glass to life in the bigs. It's a feel-good track with a few whip-smart lines that'll crack a few smirks: "Since I signed the con’, I’m Louie Vuitton shine/ Up in Benny Han Han eating all the Wonton / Rose rose over a little Chandon / Put her hands down my pants, now she rocking Sean John." Look out for Finally Famous, due out early May.
// Lupe Fiasco - All Black Everything //
Download
With LASERS, it's clear that Lupe Fiasco had to go for a more radio-friendly aesthetic. With Atlantic breathing down his neck, it's not surprising that album sales became the focus. Thankfully, Fiasco's lyrical pedigree is still front and centre for the majority of the album. On "All Black Everything", the Chicago emcee reimagines Black History had the cards been dealt differently. Set to a glamourous sample of the jazz standard "I'll Be Seeing You", the track soars as Lupe ultimately rallies for a brighter future. The other side of the coin, then, is a criticism of modern day Black culture. Take from what you will, but it's at least an intriguing conversation starter. What if...?
Dude you know how I'm not really a lyrics person? I've been listening to that "I've Got This Friend" song this whole time and I never knew what it was about until I read your blurb on it. It's pretty much about me!! haha
ReplyDeleteI'm liking that Secrets (Oblivion Remix) man thanks. Btw, I've been getting pretty into dubstep lately and my two faves (which I think are pretty big in dubstepland) are by Skrillex, who's freaking amazing. I uploaded them to DB too but not sure if you'll dig them (yet) cuz they're pretty hard/dirty/grimy/filthy/whatever you wanna call it but OOOOH SOOOO GOOOOOODDDD!!!!