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To the Moon and Back with Topher Mohr

3 Sep

topher mohr

It should come to no surprise that musician Topher Mohr grew up in Michigan. His eclectic music, which aptly pieces together elements from several genres suggests inspiration, and what better motivation than the elaborate music history of Detroit? While Mohr is impossible to pigeonhole, his music did spark a thought. If Michael Fitzpatrick (of Fitz and the Tantrums) is today’s modernizer of old-school Motown hits than Topher Mohr is reviving the old art of tender crooning. It seems like a lofty proclamation until I introduce you to:

His gentle voice is soothing but subtly strong and passionate. His vocal is saturated with emotion, and the soaked feeling is easily identifiable in his airy guitar plucking. While Mohr does not have the dark, coffee-roasted voice of the traditional old-school, five-pack-a-day crooner, he does, however, revive the old sound and modernize it. It’s exciting to listen to him make an old standard like “Fly Me to the Moon” ring with a contemporary flair.

Beyond his black-and-white performance of “Fly Me to the Moon,” Mohr released his new LP Phlotilla earlier this year. Prior to the LP release, he toured the world with his friend Mayer Hawthorne, another artist who features an eccentric style of music creation. Mohr’s album focuses on vintage pop, and “Ruthless” stays true to the genre.

The rhythm is similar to Fitz’ Motown-inspired hits, but Mohr combines the rhythm with a Maroon 5 meets the 1980s melody. This combined with Mohr’s versatile vocal creates an intriguing hit that even has room for a clean guitar solo! It’s a moving piece and one of the strongest on the new album.

Find out more about Mohr (yes, I went there) at his Website. You can also check out his Facebook and Twitter.

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Worst Music of the Week – “Roar” by Katy Perry

1 Sep
Turn it of. Turn it off!

Turn it of. Turn it off!

The content on this website focuses almost entirely on melodious music. We are melody freaks at the Music Court. It makes sense, doesn’t it? We are a music blog? Why would you all want to read about terrible tunes? Well…for all of those who are self-deprecating or interested in a few cheap laughs, welcome to the brand new Music Court category – Worst Music of the Week. And what’s the best way to introduce this category? With Katy Perry’s new single, of course!

Yes, this gem is #2 on the charts right now, and it is barking on the door of Billboard Top Hit. Why? Well, an obsessively devoted fan base can do that for you. But, still, popularity is by no means a metric of a “good song.” While my judgments are inherently subjective, I can safely say that “Roar” is a cruddy song. I will look beyond the claims that “Roar” is particularly similar to “Brave” by Sara Bareilles because, let’s be honest, most songs today sound alike.

Here is my issue with the song. It immediately gives off the feel of a cheesy reproduction of a OneRepublic song. Not to mention, at around 0:30, Perry’s vocal sounds conspicuously like “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers. The constant percussion and keyboard stroke is just so conventional and easy. Look, I understand it makes money, but, come on, put a little bit of effort into the verse. The culmination of electronic instruments at the chorus is simply lazy and overdone. If not for Perry’s changing vocal inflection when she sings roar in the chorus,  the chorus sounds like, I don’t know, just about most other Katy Perry songs. Do songwriters think the mainstream public will just eat up everything it vomits out like a confused dog? Well…yeah, because it does. It’s not difficult to pass a successful song through the Billboard charts today. Catchy, consistent beat. Choral climax. A ridiculous repetitive bridge with rising moans, and a final diapason of choral repetition – numerous overlaid tracks of the singer repeating the chorus. It’s pop music 101. Does that mean it’s bad? Not necessarily. It’s just that this particular Katy Perry single is such reproduced garbage that it needs to be knocked down a peg. The single is catchy and simple, though, and it comes to no surprise that when packaged with Perry it is a huge hit and the new flavor of the week among the tween population.

And the lyrics…

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter,
dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and
You’re gonna hear me ROAR

I will say that they are at least positive and motivational. Gosh, though, the lyric is impressively corny. Like scribbled down while watching a 80’s Rocky sequel corny. Heck, it could be worse. It could be Miley Cyrus twerking.

 

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N8 ST9 Has Come Full Circle

28 Aug

N8 ST9

N8 ST9 (Nate Stein) has been on my radar for some time. The post-electronic artist mixes skilled instrumentation with dreamy electronica to create a delicate sound that, while heavy on the electronic percussion, is harmonious. Now, on the heels of his new album Full Circle, I believe it is a good time to introduce him to the readers of this blog. This aforementioned mixture is musically intriguing.

Perhaps most engaging about the new album is its vibe. Electronica and instrumentals sometimes conflict when haphazardly paired together, but N8 ST9 combines the two elements competently, thus creating a cool, euphonic atmosphere that surrounds the listener. The album is split between pure electronic instrumentals (like the two reviewed below) and pop-fueled tracks like “Light Up Myself,” which ST9 wrote for a close friend who is a recovering alcoholic.

Aside from the imprecation outburst to begin the song, “Light Up Myself” is a diverse song that has three distinct parts. The song begins with an ethereal guitar riff that transitions into a Paul Simon-esque verse with creative percussion, which continues even when the song shifts to a modern Indie rhythm. In only two minutes the song effortlessly shifts back and forth from different musical elements and inspirations. This is just accentuated towards the end of the song with the airy piano bridge fit with melodious vocalization. ST9 takes listeners through a musical parade, successfully evoking the ups and downs of his friend’s life.

The above two tracks are the diverse instrumentals I mentioned. “Intention for Bliss,” the opening track on the album, features the fluffy keys reminiscent of an Owl City song. “Watching” features more driving electronica (something I don’t usually go for). In this case, though, I am lured by the 80s beats that blend well with the melody ST9 successfully introduces to the listener.

It’s an impressive release for the young artist, and I am looking forward to listening to more of his music.

Check out the rest of the album and follow ST9 on his Facebook and Twitter

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Suzanne in Montreal – Safe Voyage

18 Aug

Montreal

In the 19th century the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel in Montreal’s Old Port became a mecca for sailors who would make offerings for “good help” for sea voyages. It still functions as an active cathedral in Old Montreal and come this upcoming weekend I hope to make my own pilgrimage to it. My girlfriend and I will be traveling to Montreal and Quebec City for a calm end-of-summer sojourn. Before I leave, though, I must highlight my favorite song related to Montreal – “Suzanne” by Leonard Cohen.

Cohen, a Montreal native, has accomplished a rare feat in his career – awards in both songwriting and literature. The daedal wordsmith has been crafting poetry and music since the late 1950s. He is the Da Vinci of Folk music – a renaissance man who rivals Bob Dylan and Paul Simon in talent and inventiveness.

“Suzanne,” a poem/song inspired by a friendship with Suzanne Verdal, is one of my favorite Cohen songs. It’s subdued potency echoes with Cohen’s soft acoustic guitar. The lyric rises with strings and angelic harmony. Clearly, as a Cohen song, the lyric is the absolute strength. The song memorializes Cohen and Verdal’s peregrinations to Old Montreal, past the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel. Despite its documentation of a platonic relationship, the song possesses a sweet intimacy – something warm that captures the listener. The song concludes with this passage:

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she’s touched your perfect body with her mind.

I bolded the particular section that always gets me. The imagery portrayed by the opening line of the bolded section is perhaps the strongest in the song, a line that balances personification and metaphor. One almost feels that Cohen, like the heroes and children, will lean out for love forever. The song ends with the motif of travel represented in the repeated closing verse segments, and, as the verse before this suggests, Suzanne maintains a Jesus-like power of trust and perfection – platonic or not, this song rings with passion and love.

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Looking Forward to End-of-Summer Albums

12 Aug

End of Summer

Doesn’t it seem that summer passes by quicker than any other season? For those (like me) who live in a state that experiences distinct climates, it is easy to become ensconced in the warm weather just to have it ripped away from you quickly. I should stop complaining. Summer still has more than a month to bathe us in beach weather. As we continue to enjoy the fading rays of summer, let’s take a glimpse at some end-of-summer albums music lovers should be looking forward to.

August 20

John Mayer – Paradise Valley 

The crooning bluesman is fully recovered from his vocal surgery and has hit the ground running after the delayed (2012) release of his fifth studio album Born and Raised. Paradise Valley abides by a similar formula as his last release: mixture of folk and country rock. The first single is evident of that.

Mayer’s airy croon does not disappoint and the song carries a relaxed rhythm. It’s a pleasant listen – and the embedded video is hilariously odd.

August 27

Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action

Franz Ferdinand

It has been almost a decade since “Take Me Out” hit #3 on the UK charts. Wow. The 2004 self-titled album sold more than three million copies and engendered worldwide popularity for the Scottish band. The band has always been able to stay relevant with its tunes, but the music has not been frequent. After a quick follow-up in 2005 it took the band four years to release its third LP and another four years to release the most recent album. The early reviews are proclaiming that it is well worth the wait.

September 17

Five For Fighting – Bookmarks 

Bookmarks

John Ondrasik – a.k.a. Five For Fighting – has penned some pretty substantial hits on his piano including: “Superman,” “100 Years,” and “The Riddle.” Slice, his last album, was released four years ago, and it is about time for the lifelong L.A. Kings fan to release a new album (I wonder if Bookmarks will celebrate the Kings 2012 Stanley Cup victory). One thing I can presume is that the new album will feature Ondrasik’s original, infectious piano pop that continues to impress.

MGMT – MGMT

MGMT

It is not usual for a band to have a self-titled third album, but, well, MGMT is not usual. This eccentric psychedelic rock band is on the cusp of the much awaited release of its unique third album, and fans of the band are in for a wacky treat. The band did tell Rolling Stone that they “are not trying to make music that everyone understands the first time they hear it.” It is refreshing to see two musicians carrying on the rich tradition of good psychedelic rock, and I have always been keen to the band. Just recently the band released its second single from the album, “Your Life is a Lie,” and…it’s…uhh…this:

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