Tag Archives: Music

Top Albums of 2014 – #2: Turn Blue by The Black Keys

24 Dec

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To be honest I was not sure where to start with this post on the #2 album of 2014: The Black Keys’ epic LP Turn Blue, an album eagerly awaited by a substantial fan base since the uber-successful release of the band’s 2011 album El Camino. My loss of words is directly caused by the plethora of topics I can discuss concerning this album. There is the continued partnership with producer Danger Mouse (who always finds his way onto the Music Court’s end-of-the-year charts with multiple bands), the Mike Tyson aided release announcement in March of this year, the Ghoulardi-inspired album title and the blue and pink Twilight Zone-esque spiral album cover, and, of course, the powerful 11 tracks that features sounds that range from psychedelic, low-key Broken Bells inspired keys to the upbeat blues rock that the Black Keys became famous for.

I’ll stick with the music.

The Black Keys, the baby of two childhood friends Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, has produced excellent scratchy garage rock since the band’s inception in 2001, and since then the band has continued to evolve as an inventive propagator of engaging, catchy rock music, and this has helped the duo develop a loyal fan base. Turn Blue, the band’s 8th studio album, involved some tenseness (as expected in the creation of any album) and a lot of new exploration for the band, which helped produce some fascinating tunes that take the Black Keys out of its comfort zone.

“Weight of Love” is a perfect indication of this. The inception of the song draws out two chords, distorted guitar, and distended percussion.  The first two minutes plays like pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd mixed with Burton’s spaghetti-western inspired Rome. The song then transforms to a sprawling rock piece with echoed harmonies and wall-of-sound keys. There are so many elements magically combined into this piece and this combination is done incredibly well. It is masterful. The fear was that it would be too self-indulgent, but, instead, the song actually blends 50 years of rock music elements and takes on past and present with ferocity and listenability. Excellent piece.

“Gotta Get Away” is refreshing. It’s a jaunty on traditional Black Keys garage rock. It is an infectious song with drawn-out keys and jocular instrumentation. It’s just a joy to listen to, so do so, and have a wonderful holiday!

Listen to more – Black Keys Website

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Top Albums of 2014 – #4: Strange Desire by Bleachers

21 Dec

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Back in November I lauded Bleachers as the purveyors of ridiculously catchy music that refused to leave the musical amalgamation that is my mind. My opinion of the band has not really changed; although, I must say that Jack Antonoff’s project has moved in my mind from just plain catchy to musically skilled and complex; Antonoff melds a theatrical pop sound fit with expeditious percussion and dulcet instrumentation with the essential quality of catchiness, which the songs most certainly have.

Bleachers released its debut LP Strange Desire in July of this year and several singles have been cherry picked from the album, each cherry perfectly ripe and delicious. Singles like “I Wanna Get Better” and “Rollercoaster” have hit the charts with a mini fervor, similar to Antonoff’s last uber-successful project (Fun). I think the songs have also just scratched the surface of popularity; in fact, I see a remarkably successful 2015 for Antonoff and his fellow bandmates.

Strange Desire is an 11-track affair with tracks featuring Grimes and Yoko Ono – yes, Yoko Ono. The first four tracks are all super hits in my mind; seriously, the tracks are each monumental jaunty pop pieces that get feet tapping and heads nodding. The ethereal, heavenly keys and 80s-esque harmony of “Wild Heart” is followed by the key-driven, percussion-soaked harmony-laden swooning “Rollercoaster,” which is the perfect hit-the-road-and-drive-anywhere song. This is followed by an Arcade Fire-like “Shadow,” which moves with a creative rhythm section and ends with a twangy guitar riff that leads into this:

“I Wanna Get Better,” which is one of the best songs of the year, is a melodic agglutination of anthem vocals, sprawling harmonies, infectious keys, and rock-out percussion. The song just kicks some much butt, and it is tempting to just listen to it on repeat. Plus, I must say it fits the New Years theme quite well because doesn’t everyone want to get better.

Check out more from Bleachers on its website, Facebook, or Twitter.

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Top Albums of 2014 – #8: “This is All Yours” by alt-J

17 Dec

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English Indie band alt-J (actually a Latin delta – alt-J on a keyboard gives you a delta) is actually very much like the symbol that gives the band its name. alt-J, like a delta, is perfectly harmonious and synchronized, a equal splash of 3 lines all meeting together to form a perfect triangle. alt-J, similarly, is an array of colorful sounds, a palette of droning Indie pop/rock that sticks to you like a hot summer day and, like that day, blazes a warm sun on you and invites you to get soaked by the tunes.

This is All Yours, the band’s second studio album, is a 13-track testament to how to create a successful album. The album swoons to a mystical rhythm that creates a wonderful array of music – like the colors on the album – that is just delightful. It has met with tremendous success since its release in September of this year. Perhaps the best track on the album is the one that has received the most play of late, “Left Hand Free.”

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The song’s initial riff is gruff like gravel and the vocals match it – it’s almost like a calculated move by an older drunk individual who is able to control his alcohol; I mean that as a dear compliment. There is also something quite malicious and mischievous about the music; I feel like something bad is happening, but I don’t know what it is. It’s strange. It doesn’t sound like anything around today, and because of this unidentifiable swagger – fit with synth horns and 60s keyboard – the song and album finds a way onto the Music Court track.

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Top 10 Songs of 2014 – #5: “High” by Young Rising Sons

7 Dec

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Back on July 19 I wrote about Young Rising Sons in advance of its debut EP which dropped a few days after (July 22) and met with success. The Red Bank, New Jersey natives had a breakthrough 2014, and “High,” the band’s first single, is the crowning achievement for a year that featured several television appearances and an ongoing U.S. tour with The 1975.

When I wrote about the band back in July, I had this to say about “High,”the #5 song on our top 10 countdown:

“High,” which you may have heard before (it’s been making its rounds), begins with a sweet whistle followed by lead vocalist Andy Tongren’s effortless vocal. What makes this song? Did you get to the Mika-like chorus yet? Tongren’s falsetto is sweet and uplifting. The whistle is a bit Noah and the Whale-esque. The song is just a testament to the band’s efficacy. I can’t stop listening to it.

While that does sum it up, I will add a bit more laudatory comments to the band’s praise repertoire. Look, the song is clearly catchy. It’s actually more than catchy; it’s downright impossible to get out of your head. Seriously. It has been stuck in my head since July. But, aside from this inherent catchiness, it is also a masterful piece of pop. Young Rising Sons combines all necessary components for an effective pop tune. First, it is short, a sub-3 minute ditty that says what it has to say and then ends so the listener can immediately press repeat. Secondly, it features an upbeat, sing-a-long vocal that quite literally makes the listener sing (or hum). Most importantly, though, the song has an infectious hook. And, come on, it features a great whistle as well. It’s just a perfectly constructed song and well deserving of #5 on our countdown.

Check out the band’s website, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Top Songs of 2014 – #7: “Stolen Dance” by Milky Chance

6 Dec

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We are bending the rules for the next hit. Milky Chance, the eccentric German folk/rock duo, hit it big with its hit “Stole Dance” (our only band/song rhyming couple on the list) in 2013. And when I say big, I mean really big. Seemingly countless charts (usually in the top 10) and 500,000 sales in the United States. While I first heard of this song back in 2013 because if its tremendous popularity around the globe, it didn’t truly take off on U.S. radio stations until 2014, and much of the country first heard of the hit in 2013. That said, “Stolen Dance” is finding its way onto the 2014 chart at #7.

After three years of work on this song, Clemens Rehbein and Philipp Dausch released it in 2013 and it almost immediately found tremendous success; it has eclipsed 90 million YouTube views as I write this. The reason for the success is simple; the song is excellent.

The song, which tells the story of intense loneliness, features music that matches the melancholy lyric. Clemens Rehbein’s voice is drenched in a lagubrious tone that matches the lightly plucked guitar and persistent electronic percussion. The chorus is a bit livelier, but the song is majestic because of its ostensible monotone. In all reality though, Rehbein and Dausch create a song that creates the impression of bedragglement. Yes, that is a partial neologism. Initially the listener thinks the song is eclectic, weird, and tries to run through it to avoid getting poured on, but around a minute into the piece the listener acquiesces and just allows the song to pour over them like an immense rainstorm. In that there is some serious beauty. Well done sirs!

Find out more about the band on its Facebook, Twitter, and Webesite

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