ALBUM REVIEW – SIA, THIS IS ACTING

Every since Christmas, I have been listening to Fleetwood Mac and only Fleetwood Mac. So when Sia’s new album came out and I took a listen, it was almost shocking to start hearing pop music sounds again. I never really followed Sia’s career, and really only knew of her when “Chandelier” came out, followed by “Elastic Heart”. I liked some of the songs off of her 1000 Forms of Fear album (like “Fire Meet Gasoline, Big Girls Cry, Cellophane and Elastic Heart) but not enough for me to buy the album or really consider myself a fan. That all changed, however, when she released This Is Acting, a montage of rejects from Adele to Beyonce and everyone in between. The really cool thing about this album is that all the rejects were songs that Sia wrote and pitched to all of these artists. And they all rejected them! However, this crafty and interesting tracks find their home within Sia and her very distinctive voice and sound. She creates a wonderful pop album. The only track she wrote specifically for herself was “One Million Bullets”. Songs like “Alive” were co-written by Adele and were intended to be included on her album, 25, though I must say I prefer Sia singing this heart-wrencher than Adele. When I first heard the dance song “Move Your Body”, I instantly though it sounded like Shakira. Low and behold the song was actually intended for her. Songs like “Reaper”, a Kanye West production, and “Sweet Design” were meant for Rihanna. Other tracks, like “Unstoppable”, were meant for Poot, I mean Demi Lovato. Upon first glance at the tracks and their intended artists, one may be quick to note that these songs don’t sound like they would blend well on an album. Demi is a far cry from Rihanna and Rihanna from Adele. However, Sia allows herself to incorporated her very raspy, very unique vocals belted out over very equally unique sounds. While This Is Acting may not seem like the music Sia typically sings herself, she allows these songs to find a home on an album that is both creative and all around wonderful. A must-listen for anyone interested in pop music.

TOP SONGS- Bird Set Free, Move Your Body, One Million Bullets, Cheap Thrills, House on Fire, Summer Rain (a Target exclusive bonus track)

SONG OF THE WEEK- ROYAL BLOOD, TEN TONNE SKELETON

  
This song is a bit of a throwback but still a great one. For those of you who haven’t heard of Royal Blood I suggest you check them out, they are a great rock band and their debut album is laced with classic rock songs. My favorite from the album is “Ten Tonne Skeleton”. It’s got a great use of drums and nice vocals from Mike Kerr. With lyrics like “Cut loose like an animal/ Fired out like a cannon ball/But I waited too long/ Got high from a holy vein/ Crashed down in a hurricane/Love has been here and gone” the song really packs a punch. I’ve been playing this song all week, it’s a great tune that really gets you pumped up, if you like rock music that is. If you haven’t heard of Royal Blood I suggest you check them out and take a listen to “Ten Tonne Skeleton”.

SONG REVIEW(S)- DEMI LOVATO, CONFIDENT & SELENA GOMEZ, SAME OLD LOVE

   
  I decided to group these two songs together since they were released within a week of each other and both come from former Disney stars. Now previous I preferred Selena Gomez’s “Good For You” over Demi’s “Cool For The Summer”. But as both songs became more popular and hearing them more, Demi’s grew on me while Selena’s became annoying. Now they are being compared again. In my personal opinion, Demi’s new single is much better than Selena’s. First off, Selena’s single doesn’t even sound like her voice and Charli XCX is a littler too strong in her background vocals. Not to mention Selena didn’t contribute to the writing of the song. There’s no strong vocal delivering or big drop in the beat- just a pretty monotone voice and same beat over and over. Now Demi on the other hand delivers great vocals and sassiness which fits the bill for her whole confident concept. It’s interesting to compare former Disney stars and their songs, and while I’ve never really liked pop music, I’ve always preferred Demi. Comparing this two tracks I now have more confidence(no pun intended) for Demi’s album than I do for Selena’s. It’ll be interesting to see what more the albums deliver. 

SONG OF THE WEEK- THE NEIGHBOURHOOD, R.I.P. 2 MY YOUTH

The Neighbourhood announced they’re dropping their second studio album Wiped Out in October and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve loved this band before “Sweater Weather” was a hit and their first album didn’t disappoint. Not to mention their other EPs available on iTunes with great songs like “A Little Death” and “West Coast”. Just like usual with iTunes when you pre-order the album you get a song instantly, which in this case is “R.I.P. 2 My Youth” a song that is both amazing and somewhat sad. The beat is kind of the usual alternative tone The NBHD is known for, not to say it sounds exact to any of the bands other great songs, but the lyrical content has a maturity to it I feel their first album lacked. Granted their first album had some pretty deep lyrics to it but a lot of it got a little repetitive after a while. That is not the case with “R.I.P. 2 My Youth”. The band crafts some pretty creative lyrics here with lines like “Might go to hell and there ain’t no stopping/ might be a sinner and I might be a saint/ I’d like to be proud but somehow I’m ashamed/ Sweet little baby in a world full a pain”. To me that showcases a much more mature lyrical approach than really any of their previous songs. Aside from just the lyrics the song is all around a great listen and I am really happy that The NBHD seems to be sticking to its roots and not changing its sound on its new album. “R.I.P. 2 My Youth” is currently one of my favorite songs and I look forward to see what Wiped Out has to offer when it drops in October.

SONG REVIEW- MAROON 5, FEELINGS

Let me start off by saying I have never been a fan of Maroon 5(sorry to all their fans out there). But as their new single “Feelings” came onto my iTunes Radio I felt like the band had hit a new low. I feel like every new album they release is just produced to feed Adam Levine’s ever-growing ego. Maybe the band shouldn’t even be called Maroon 5, Adam Levine seems to be the only one gaining any attention from it. Can someone name the other people in the band without Googling it? I can’t. But Adam’s popularity is besides the point. If you like their music that’s fine, I’m not here to say anyone has poor music taste, people like what they like and that’s fine. But for someone like me who’s never been a fan of pop music this is just another stereotypical pop track with some catchy, meaningless lyrics that may get stuck in your head. Add Adam Levine’s extremely high-pitched vocals into the mix and you’ve got what makes every Maroon 5 song exactly the same. I mean how many times can you continue to sing about having feelings for your ex, or about how her new lover can’t please her like you can until people get tired of it? Not to mention the dimwitted, vulgar lyrics like “going so high, we f*ck the sky”. Not to offend anyone that likes Maroon 5 or their songs but for me “Feelings” is just another run-of-the-mill pop song from a band who can only seem to sing about the same things.

SONG REVIEW- DEMI LOVATO, COOL FOR THE SUMMER

  It seems that time of year where a lot of pop artists realease new singles intended to be the “song of the summer”. Selena Gomez just recently did it and now Demi Lovato follows hot on her trail. But unlike Gomez’s sexy new single there’s something missing from Demi’s. I’ve never been a fan but I admit this girl has talent. Which begs the question as to why she would make a song so cliche and with lyrics so childish. Upon first listen I instantly thought this song was about having a fling with another girl and still think that to this day. The beats for the track are great, which is why it’s sad Demi decided to use clichéd lyrics and vocal ranges for them. “Got my mind on your body and your body on my mind” is just an example of the simplicity. And yet it took about 5 people to write this song. I don’t have a doubt that this song will perform well simply because Demi is a big name artist but I wonder how many will be pleased with this 8th grade girl crush track. 

ALBUM REVIEW- SAINT MOTEL, MY TYPE EP

 This review isn’t about a recent album because I’ve been away at summer camp and haven’t had a chance to post a whole lot but I recently downloaded this EP and can’t stop listening to it. Saint Motel’s My Type is pure perfection. The songs are funky and weird and you can’t help but move to them. The song “My Type” gives off an 80’s feel with punny lyrics like “you’re just my type- you’ve got a pulse and you are breathing”. The other three songs are great as well and I encourage you to listen to the EP I can’t wait for the full length album. I’ve never heard of them until discovering this extended play but I’m definitely now a fan of this 80’s inspired rock group. Keep doing what you do Saint Motel.  

SONG REVIEW- SELENA GOMEZ FEAT A$AP ROCKY, GOOD FOR YOU

  Let me start out by saying I’m not one for pop music. I find it generic and just reusing the same beats over and over. With that said I was pleasantly surprised with Selena Gomez’s new song “Good For You”. The song has a great R&B feel to it and quite frankly her voice is pretty seductive. I’ve never been a fan of hers but I do really like this song. It doesn’t remind me of a lot of pop songs, even though the lyrical content is pretty much the same. Rapper A$AP Rocky delivers a nice verse that isn’t coated in the hardcoreness most raps are these days. All in all for a pop song it’s a pretty good listen and while I don’t like Selena’s music if she keeps producing stuff like this, I may just have to buy her next album. 

SONG OF THE WEEK- BLEACHERS, I WANNA GET BETTER

My song of the week is a bit of a throwback, this song was released a little over a year ago- but I’ve been hooked on it all week. “I Wanna Get Better’ comes from indie-pop/rock Bleachers(a.k.a. Jack Antonoff from the successful band fun.) and is on his debut album Strange Desire which is filled with tracks resembling the 80’s, however “I Wanna Get Better” is my favorite off of the album. Bleachers has a style similar to that of David Bowie and as mentioned brings about an 80’s vibe. The album even features Yoko Ono. The fast-paced song may leave listeners wanting to dance but the lyrics are much deeper than they first appear. Lines such as “I didn’t know I was broken til I wanted to change” and “I put a bullet where I should have put a helmet” makes it clear that this guy really does wanna get better. While the lyrics are satisfying enough I do find myself jamming out the sick beats of the track on my way to school or while in the shower. “I Wanna Get Better” is an infectious, catchy tune that you can’t help but like. If you have never listened to or heard of Bleachers I advise you to take a listen, he won’t disappoint.