Franz Ferdinand

So I don't know the entire history of Franz Ferdinand, but I always think of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austria-Hungarian Empire and how people claim that his assassination was the cause of World War I, which is false. (we just did our WWI unit in history so I decided to throw this in here...) I'm sure you know but it was cause by a tangle of alliances and militarism and all that. Anyway, the song "Take Me Out" is special to me in a way. When I was a kid my dad would always drive my sister and I out to eat, playing Spoon or Jack Johnson or Beck. Basically I grew up with some really great bands under my belt. "Take Me Out" was one that my dad and I both love and would play in the car continuously. I always remember our head-banging self-proclaimed jam sessions on the way to soccer practice. For the past two years my dad has been commuting to College Station where he works for Texas A&M, so needless to say our 'jam sessions' are cut short. I like to turn this song on and remember my childhood, in both a cheesy and legitimately sentimental sort of way. It's a great song regardless of any personal affiliation-- my favorite part is at 0:54 when the beat slows to a steady base drum rhythm. It's such a dynamic song with the change of tempo and iconic guitar that makes me want to learn how to play. I can't wait to see them at ACL; I'll have to embarrass my dad in front of his friends and make him watch them with me.

Also I was just listening to this song in the background while writing this and didn't really watch the music video. But from what I did see...it looks kinda weird. You be the judge.

Tyler the Creator

Today in class we were talking about how the hip-hop/rap genre has evolved from songs that were relatively innocent when it comes to topic-- like you said in class, they rapped about Adidas shoes. Run DMC discarded the flashy/glam look of previous hip-hop artists connected to the disco era and moved towards a fusion of rock and hip-hop. Fast forward 28 years and you will find Tyler the Creator's first album, Bastard. Today's rap is overrun with repetitive, monotonous choruses that, no matter how hard you try, get stuck in your head all day. Trust me,  I've been a victim of shallow and stupid rap music finding home in my mind, and needless to say I wanted to bash my head against the wall. Repeatedly. "Don't Drop That Thun Thun Thun" should be erased from the planet immediately.

Regardless of the consistently overplayed mainstream music on the radio, the music industry decided to incorporate a new kind of rap. Tyler the Creator is different from any rap I've heard before. Most of my hip-hop knowledge was composed 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, etc., who all have a relatively similar sound. Tyler stood out to me, which is what drew me to him the most. The content isn't revolutionary or inspirational, but the songs keep me interested and sometimes even laughing (the song "Tamale" cracked me up the first time I listened to it). Tyler's music is almost a conversation and his use of stereotypical hip-hop/rap subjects with a twist is something I really enjoy. His songs are funny, catchy, interesting, and just sound pretty awesome to me. Plus Tyler has such an iconic and distinctive voice, giving the songs an interesting-yet-badass edge. I was fortunate enough to go to Jambalaya at Austin Music Hall earlier in the year and waited EIGHT HOURS to see him (along with Taco and Earl Sweatshirt) live. They were so good and Tyler was hilarious.

Tyler alone is a hilarious guy who does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Tyler and some other members of Odd Future have their own show called "Loiter Squad." I've only seen one or two episodes but basically they do really random/funny things on camera. You should check it out. And the clothing line for Odd Future is really cool; it's just so impressive how they have a whole enterprise centered around their group in what I believe is a short period of time (I could be wrong; Wikipedia did not really give me all the answers. Shocker...). I really want one of their sweatshirts. Anyway what I'm trying to say is that Tyler has a distinct sound which I love, funny/different songs which I love, a hilarious and carefree personality which I love, and some cool merchandise which I also love. He's a very cool guy.  I'd love to meet him someday.

Here is some video I took at Jambalaya:

"Nightmare"

"We Got Bitches" (P.S. look how close Taco came to mE AT THE END HE IS SO CLOSE)

P.P.S. G-Eazy was there too and he was awesome okay bye

Subtle....

Today we were talking about subtle humor and I immediately thought of John Krasinski form "The Office." He is one of the funniest people, in my opinion. The way that he could just look at the camera during an episode and explain what everyone was feeling with a raised eyebrow is pretty incredible. His constant banter with Dwight or Michael made the show bearable and kept me laughing throughout the entire 30 minutes. I don't know if you watch it, or if you just think its dumb or juvenile. But you have to give the guy credit.

Also I just love him. So. There's that.

The 1975

So Katherine Kykta showed me a song called "Chocolate" by the 1975 at the beginning of summer. It was pretty good. Catchy, kind of annoying, but I liked it. The lead singer's British accent leaked through which gave it a super cool edge that I enjoyed. About a month ago I decided to look up their new album right when it came out, and I fell in love. They were all SO GOOD. SO SO GOOD.  They have an indie edge but a soft rock/british sound that makes me want to drink coffee. I listen to them all the time now, and annoy Kendall during carpool with the amount of times I play the song "Sex" (one of my favorites). I'm not sure about your stance on the more indie (am I even using this word correctly?)/British bands, but give it a listen. I really love these next few songs.

They're doing a show in Milwaukee for $18, does anyone want to fly me up there?

Also, I was planning on showing you a couple songs but I may very well end up putting them all up. Oops.

"Sex"

"Chocolate"

"Girls"

"Menswear" -- this one has a really cool intro that I love to listen to while doing homework. 

"Pressure" -- this one is so good its been stuck in my head for D A Y S

Even if you don't like them, lie to me and tell me you do. 

The Beatles

I have been familiar with The Beatles for a while as it turns out. I really liked them in middle school, when I followed all the trends and decided that I would give The Beatles a shot. I ended up really liking a few of their songs like Eleanor Rigby, Penny Lane, Love Me Do, Yellow Submarine, but never really got into their music as a whole. I know more of their music than I remember, which is really cool. I would love to listen to the White Album, it sounds worthwhile and I miss listening to their classic hits. The way four people were able to influence the world of music is so cool and I only wish I could have lived during the 1960's and experienced "Beatlemania" firsthand. They seem timeless to me, and I will definitely set some time aside to listen to their albums. Also, I think I'm going to ask for that Beatles book you emailed me about for my birthday (on Sunday), it would be a great book for me to read in what little spare time I have. There's so much history and detail when it comes to the band that I can't help but want to know it all.

Wolf Gang

So in the car today Kendall and I were using the "Discover" section of Spotify and I found a band called Wolf Gang. I got so excited because I had gone to the Coldplay concert July 2011 and saw them as the opening act. I loved their sound, but when I came home and looked them up online I couldn't find them ANYWHERE (I must have been either really tired or extremely incompetent at the time because that actually makes zero sense). I was very upset to say the least. Anyway, I re-discovered this band and cried tears of joy as I listened to them again. They have a super cool indie-rock sound, a hint of electronic with the guitar and drums of rock, that reminds me of Walk The Moon, Grouplove, Lorde, etc. Maybe even MGMT. Nevertheless, I cannot wait to listen to their album, its gonna be so gooooooooood.

One of the songs that I really like (so far) is called Back To Back:

Fun Fact: After the Coldplay concert I was waiting across the street for my dad to pick me up (I was a sophomore so yes, I relied on parental transportation) and actually SAW Wolf Gang at the hotel right next to me. There were a couple fans that went up and got pictures but I got too scared and wimped out. I super regret it, in case you couldn't tell. 

VMA's

The Video Music Awards were, in a word, scarring. It was so weird watching Miley Cyrus act like a perverted 14-year-old boy on stage... all in all I was uncomfortable. I remember that I was watching with my friend Cecily and we just sat on the couch staring wide-eyed at the TV. You would think that after all of the social media and celebrity gossip we're exposed to that I would be used to this sort of stunt-pulling by now. But no, I was still extremely shocked and felt super violated. Honestly. It was gross. She has changed so much since Hannah Montana aka my childhood TV show. I think the reason she is so famous and publicized and really the only reason she was on the VMAs was because, like we said in class, America loves to see our celebrities fall. We need to have a constant form of entertainment, a person who is willing to keep American on the edge of their seats, wondering what in the world they will do next. Miley Cyrus is definitely falling, I think we can all come to an agreement on that one. At first I was like yeah, she's different. That's cool, you go Miley (even though I think I was more emotionally attached to her hair after she cut it than she was). When the weird twerking thing started, I was creeped out but still okay with it (mostly). Then came the strange outfits and the weird hair and the gross faces and I was done... sorry Miley. I really tried. But nonetheless I find myself interested in her failures, her falls from grace, her constant and frequent embarrassing moments. The music video that first put me off was her "We Can't Stop" video. I don't like the song, but heard the music video was so weird that I couldn't resist. I'm not sure if you have seen it, but if you want to ruin Hannah Montana for yourself forever, take a look:

The Mowgli's

One band that I have been listening to a lot recently is The Mowgli's. They are a Southern California group made up of 8 members. I classify this band as a really cool Indie-Alternative-Rock sound with a vocal chorus that gives them a unique edge. It's crazy to think that a band can be made up of 8 singers, it seems so big to me. But The Mowgli's really make it work. They look like a group of awkward college kids you would find hanging around outside a coffee shop.

They have a really interesting variety of songs, and they're coming to ACL which makes me 10000 times more excited to go! One of my favorites is called San Francisco. It's a short song but is incredibly catchy, and the music video fits really nicely. I like the animations and everything because it ties into the whole "love" theme that they're going for. It's also cool because I feel like this is a band I would see playing downtown-- they have a very Austin vibe to me. I like it.

My friend who lives in Chicago sent me a video Wednesday night of the Mowgli's playing in Millennium Park. Apparently they had an impromptu set in the park and almost got arrested, screaming "What about our rights?!" to the police. Afterwards, the whole band stayed to meet everyone. It seems so incredible that a band would go through all of that and still wants to meet the fans. That's something I really admire, along with their awesome music. Here's another great song called Slowly, Slowly

"The Great Divide" is another good one, with a lot of emphasis on the chorus of voices. Pretty neat music video too.