I'm vaguely reformatting the blog again. Instead of set things for each day, I'm just going to post whatever I want every day! I will try to keep varying things as much as possible.
Also, I'm going to put a pun at the bottom of every post. Why? Because puns are awesome, that's why!
Anyways. Today's artist review is a little odd. Instead of reviewing a single artist, I'm reviewing the general feel of artists within a very specific sphere - the Ponyverse!
So, what's the Ponyverse? Well, for those of you are unaware, the current iteration of the show My Little Pony is very, very popular among people outside of the target audience of young girls. There is a large contingent of young adults, usually known as Bronies, who love the show. Reasons vary. I know I mostly like it because it has a lot of subtle humor that is obviously intended only for adults. It's also super cute and happy and all that stuff.
Anyways. The Ponyverse is the huge collection of fan-created things that relate to My Little Pony. It's largely dominated by Bronies, because they have the ability to create said things and put them on the Internet, the primary repository of Ponyverse artifacts.
Today, then, is all about the musical part of the Ponyverse.
To begin with, go here. This should give you an idea of just how much music we're looking at. There's also a wiki that can give you a good idea of just how many people there are making this stuff. Hint: it's a lot!
How to describe the musicians of the Ponyverse, then?
First, the majority of music in the Ponyverse consists of remixes. There are definitely a lot of very good original songs, but the majority - at least, the majority of what I've listened to, as I certainly haven't listened to the entire archive - are remixes of songs from the show, or pony remixes of unrelated songs.
Second, the majority of the music is quite happy and whatnot. All of the people making it like My Little Pony, after all, and even if the show is good, it's still primarily a little kids show. I'm no longer sure where I'm going with this, but the point still stands. Here's a link to distract you!
After posting the last link, I have a better idea. The song in the link is from the show. Here's a dubstep remix of the song. And here's the same dubstep remix with original video. And here's the song performed by a bunch of famous artists from the Ponyverse.
Kind of great that there are so many good to fairly good versions of the same song, huh?
So, yeah, I think I'm done. Here are some links to some other good songs from the Ponyverse: Pinkie's Brew, Dubstep Dishwasher, Lost on the Moon, and Awoken. In this span, there's some good techno, a polka-ish song, pop, and straight-up dubstep. Four songs, four genres. Score?
And done. Hope you enjoyed the post, and please give the music a shot. Even if you're not a brony, some of it is still damn good music.
Pun of the Day: After you tuna fish, it won't be flounder or swordfish!
P.S. ~ If you want updates on when I post and whatnot, follow me on Twitter at HPBEggo.
Showing posts with label Artist Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Artist Review. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Artist Review: Brad Sucks
This week's artist review is on another one-man band - Brad Sucks. Great name, eh? The man in question is, of course, called Brad. In this instance, Brad Turcotte. Brad started his career in 2003, when he released his debut album, I Don't Know What I'm Doing. Since then, he has released albums in 2008 (Out of It) and 2012(Guess Who's a Mess).
One of the most interesting aspects of Brad Sucks is that every song is released under the Copyleft license. This - more or less, anyways - means you can do whatever you want with the songs for free, so long as you credit the original artist. All of his releases have been financed by crowd funding - the best and most well-known example of which is Kickstarter.
Anyways. Copyleft and all that is very great, but is Brad Sucks a band worth listening to? In my opinion, absolutely. Falling on the border between punk, pop, and techno, you can think of Brad Sucks as a mild version of the three without the traditionally whiny singing voices of punk - not that there's anything wrong with whiny singing, as showcased by AC/DC or Guns 'N Roses.
As a demonstration, here's the usual set of links: Making Me Nervous, Dirtbag, Fixing My Brain.
Hope you enjoyed the read and the music. Let me know if you have anything to say in the comments section, and I hope you come back to read in the future.
One of the most interesting aspects of Brad Sucks is that every song is released under the Copyleft license. This - more or less, anyways - means you can do whatever you want with the songs for free, so long as you credit the original artist. All of his releases have been financed by crowd funding - the best and most well-known example of which is Kickstarter.
Anyways. Copyleft and all that is very great, but is Brad Sucks a band worth listening to? In my opinion, absolutely. Falling on the border between punk, pop, and techno, you can think of Brad Sucks as a mild version of the three without the traditionally whiny singing voices of punk - not that there's anything wrong with whiny singing, as showcased by AC/DC or Guns 'N Roses.
As a demonstration, here's the usual set of links: Making Me Nervous, Dirtbag, Fixing My Brain.
Hope you enjoyed the read and the music. Let me know if you have anything to say in the comments section, and I hope you come back to read in the future.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Artist Review: Jonathan Coulton
This week's artist review is on Jonathan Coulton.
Coulton's music falls within the very broad genre of rock; sometimes he is closer to pop, folk, or indie, but this is more or less where he is centered. Songs feature Coulton's singing, as well as Coulton on the guitar, bass, and drums. More rarely, he also plays the harmonica, banjo, accordion, mandolin, ukulele, or glockenspiel.
While this might seem like a lot of variety, Coulton's singing and background bits are often very similar from song to song. It definitely moves around some, and he often includes some interesting background bits, but most of his well-known songs sound like variations on the mellowness of the same sort of stuff.
(Mellowness is totally a word. Chrome seems to think so, at least. Did not know.)
So, why is Coulton's music good, and why am I writing a blog post about him?
Because Coulton is probably my favorite songwriter of all time. His lyrics are witty, strange, humorous, and deal with things that I can relate to or enjoy - mostly technology and fantasy topics. To put it in a way that some people might understand if they are not picking up what I am laying down, Coulton is the Tom Lehrer or Weird Al of geekdom.
(Geekdom is, apparently, not a word. Did not know. For those of you who are not aware, geekdom basically refers to everything within a certain sphere, including fantasy, science fiction, programming, and other technology stuff. Also, other things.)
Some of my favorite songs by Jonathan Coulton: Code Monkey, Re: Your Brains, Skullcrusher Mountain, The Future Soon, and I Feel Fantastic.
As per usual, I hope you enjoyed the read and the music. Comments and whatnot can be dumped below before you move on, and I hope to bother you with more text-based communiques in the future.
Coulton's music falls within the very broad genre of rock; sometimes he is closer to pop, folk, or indie, but this is more or less where he is centered. Songs feature Coulton's singing, as well as Coulton on the guitar, bass, and drums. More rarely, he also plays the harmonica, banjo, accordion, mandolin, ukulele, or glockenspiel.
While this might seem like a lot of variety, Coulton's singing and background bits are often very similar from song to song. It definitely moves around some, and he often includes some interesting background bits, but most of his well-known songs sound like variations on the mellowness of the same sort of stuff.
(Mellowness is totally a word. Chrome seems to think so, at least. Did not know.)
So, why is Coulton's music good, and why am I writing a blog post about him?
Because Coulton is probably my favorite songwriter of all time. His lyrics are witty, strange, humorous, and deal with things that I can relate to or enjoy - mostly technology and fantasy topics. To put it in a way that some people might understand if they are not picking up what I am laying down, Coulton is the Tom Lehrer or Weird Al of geekdom.
(Geekdom is, apparently, not a word. Did not know. For those of you who are not aware, geekdom basically refers to everything within a certain sphere, including fantasy, science fiction, programming, and other technology stuff. Also, other things.)
Some of my favorite songs by Jonathan Coulton: Code Monkey, Re: Your Brains, Skullcrusher Mountain, The Future Soon, and I Feel Fantastic.
As per usual, I hope you enjoyed the read and the music. Comments and whatnot can be dumped below before you move on, and I hope to bother you with more text-based communiques in the future.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Artist Review: The Bee Gees
This week's artist review is on an old and often tragically misunderstood band, the Bee Gees. Consisting primarily of a trio of brothers, Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, the band was founded in 1958, had its first major successes in the late sixties, and was only disbanded when Maurice Gibb died in 2003.
So, why are the Bee Gees so misunderstood?
Well, the answer is pretty simple - many people, maybe even most, think of them as a band that primarily performed disco. Thinking of a Bee Gees song, the first that might come to mind is Night Fever or Staying Alive, both very famous songs of the disco genre of music.
This is tragic because the Bee Gees volume of work encompasses a great deal of genres outside of disco, and they only really performed disco during its height in the late seventies. They began their success as a group similar to the Beach Boys or the Beatles, and only shifted to disco after
Anyways.
The Bee Gees are an excellent example of the use of multiple vocal bits and harmony to produce a unique sound. The three brothers are all distinct in sound, but they mix them well, and often to very different effect. For instance, Barry, the falsetto of the group, was the primary and most distinctive member during the era of disco, while the deeper voices of the other brothers were much more prominent in earlier music.
Outside of the vocals, the background music tends to be fairly simple and straightforward. Not that this is a bad thing, of course - the Beatles, among the most successful musical groups of all time, did very few songs that included technically difficult instrumental or vocal parts.
And, as per usual, some links...
Night Fever, To Love Somebody, Jive Talkin', and Give Your Best.
So, why are the Bee Gees so misunderstood?
Well, the answer is pretty simple - many people, maybe even most, think of them as a band that primarily performed disco. Thinking of a Bee Gees song, the first that might come to mind is Night Fever or Staying Alive, both very famous songs of the disco genre of music.
This is tragic because the Bee Gees volume of work encompasses a great deal of genres outside of disco, and they only really performed disco during its height in the late seventies. They began their success as a group similar to the Beach Boys or the Beatles, and only shifted to disco after
Anyways.
The Bee Gees are an excellent example of the use of multiple vocal bits and harmony to produce a unique sound. The three brothers are all distinct in sound, but they mix them well, and often to very different effect. For instance, Barry, the falsetto of the group, was the primary and most distinctive member during the era of disco, while the deeper voices of the other brothers were much more prominent in earlier music.
Outside of the vocals, the background music tends to be fairly simple and straightforward. Not that this is a bad thing, of course - the Beatles, among the most successful musical groups of all time, did very few songs that included technically difficult instrumental or vocal parts.
And, as per usual, some links...
Night Fever, To Love Somebody, Jive Talkin', and Give Your Best.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Artist Review: Homestuck
This week's artist is actually more of a webcomic than an artist. Homestuck is a long-running webcomic that can be found here. It's done entirely in MS Paint and/or Flash, and is very good. I'd suggest you read it, assuming you have time to slog through the enormous amount of content available and are either willing or able to get through the first few hundred pages, which are essentially a drawn out data structures joke.
(The plot is also super-complex and difficult to follow at points, and there is more total content to Homestuck than virtually any other webcomic in existence currently. Also, they will be making a video game out of it soon, so if you like video games, you should probably read the webcomic first!)
If you can't or don't wish to read it, that's fine. You can at least enjoy the music, which is awesome. Also, plentiful - Homestuck has released 23 albums to date, and there will be more on the way.
(I may be totally off on that number, as I know for a fact I don't have all of the albums associated with Homestuck. If anyone has a more exact number, please let me know.)
So, what sort of music is this? Well, it's all synthesized stuff. That isn't to say you won't hear some normal instruments, but they're all clips brought over from other music. There is no singing - something which is unusual for me to enjoy, as I usually despise music without a decent singer.
Beyond that, the music varies greatly from song to song. Some will be slow the whole time and be filled with nothing but keyboard and actual synth. Others will be fast-paced and seem to be performed by an actual orchestra.
It's really good. If you can't find something in all of the music to enjoy, you probably don't like music.
And, finally, a pair of links to the only two songs I could easily find on YouTube: SBuban and Descent.
Comments, suggestions, insults, and other bits of text can be dropped in the comments section below. Let me know how you liked the music in the links, eh?
(The plot is also super-complex and difficult to follow at points, and there is more total content to Homestuck than virtually any other webcomic in existence currently. Also, they will be making a video game out of it soon, so if you like video games, you should probably read the webcomic first!)
If you can't or don't wish to read it, that's fine. You can at least enjoy the music, which is awesome. Also, plentiful - Homestuck has released 23 albums to date, and there will be more on the way.
(I may be totally off on that number, as I know for a fact I don't have all of the albums associated with Homestuck. If anyone has a more exact number, please let me know.)
So, what sort of music is this? Well, it's all synthesized stuff. That isn't to say you won't hear some normal instruments, but they're all clips brought over from other music. There is no singing - something which is unusual for me to enjoy, as I usually despise music without a decent singer.
Beyond that, the music varies greatly from song to song. Some will be slow the whole time and be filled with nothing but keyboard and actual synth. Others will be fast-paced and seem to be performed by an actual orchestra.
It's really good. If you can't find something in all of the music to enjoy, you probably don't like music.
And, finally, a pair of links to the only two songs I could easily find on YouTube: SBuban and Descent.
Comments, suggestions, insults, and other bits of text can be dropped in the comments section below. Let me know how you liked the music in the links, eh?
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Artist Review: The Orion Experience
This week's artist review features The Orion Experience, a band from New York City. I personally enjoy the band immensely, and hopefully you'll see why after taking a look through the videos down near the bottom of this post.
Anyways. While they are often described as being in the pop or indie genres, it is my opinion that The Orion Experience sounds more like certain disco bands, ELO, or the Cars, albeit with two excellent singers and a more modern overall sound.
(In case no one knew, having two singers with back and forth lyrics is very nearly my favorite aspect that a band can possess. Another of my favorite bands, Tantric, features a back and forth lyrics setup in my favorite song by them, The One. No idea why, I just enjoy it a lot.)
There's not really a whole lot else to say about this band - they haven't done a whole lot, but what they've done is amazing.
For your enjoyment, some links to some music by them: Cult of Dionysus, Queen of White Lies, and There's No Love in February.
Comments, suggestion, insults, or your least favorite type of food can be dropped in the comments section on your way out.
Anyways. While they are often described as being in the pop or indie genres, it is my opinion that The Orion Experience sounds more like certain disco bands, ELO, or the Cars, albeit with two excellent singers and a more modern overall sound.
(In case no one knew, having two singers with back and forth lyrics is very nearly my favorite aspect that a band can possess. Another of my favorite bands, Tantric, features a back and forth lyrics setup in my favorite song by them, The One. No idea why, I just enjoy it a lot.)
There's not really a whole lot else to say about this band - they haven't done a whole lot, but what they've done is amazing.
For your enjoyment, some links to some music by them: Cult of Dionysus, Queen of White Lies, and There's No Love in February.
Comments, suggestion, insults, or your least favorite type of food can be dropped in the comments section on your way out.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Artist Review: Lightning Love
Artist review number two!
Lightning Love is a semi-local band to Houghton. That is, they're from Ann Arbor and have played here once for a local concert, which is good enough for me.
Lightning Love was formed in 2007, and they have currently produced three albums - November Birthday, Girls Who Look Like Me, and the Blonde Album. They loosely fall under the genres of pop and indie music. I really, really like them, and November Birthday is one of only a handful of albums that have no songs that I don't enjoy on them.
So, what does Lightning Love actually sound like? Well, the main non-vocal noise in most songs is the keyboard, played by the singer, Leah Diehl. The other two members of the band play guitar and drums, but the bits they play for the songs are usually more stifled than the keyboard parts.
Most songs have an upbeat, fast moving and fast changing background of music with depressing song lyrics about social isolation or lack of self confidence. For instance, the song Friends, one of my favorites off November Birthday, has an amazingly upbeat piano background while the lyrics are describing the singer's group of friends as people who laugh at her and leave her to fend for herself after drinking too much.
The singing itself is, in my opinion, top notch, although this is where you will find the most controversy on the band, at least from what I've seen - some people really like the singer, and some don't. Either way, the background for the songs is excellent, and very nearly worth a listen to by itself.
And now, as per last time, some YouTube links to songs by them that I like, that also happen to be on YouTube: Everyone I Know, Wait, Wait, and Good Time.
Hope you enjoy the music, and good luck hunting for the music if you want it - I haven't had terribly good luck in that arena, myself. (I'm actually still missing most of the music from the latest album. So sad.)
If you have any suggestions, insults, links to awesome music, and/or general comments, feel free to litter them below.
Lightning Love is a semi-local band to Houghton. That is, they're from Ann Arbor and have played here once for a local concert, which is good enough for me.
Lightning Love was formed in 2007, and they have currently produced three albums - November Birthday, Girls Who Look Like Me, and the Blonde Album. They loosely fall under the genres of pop and indie music. I really, really like them, and November Birthday is one of only a handful of albums that have no songs that I don't enjoy on them.
So, what does Lightning Love actually sound like? Well, the main non-vocal noise in most songs is the keyboard, played by the singer, Leah Diehl. The other two members of the band play guitar and drums, but the bits they play for the songs are usually more stifled than the keyboard parts.
Most songs have an upbeat, fast moving and fast changing background of music with depressing song lyrics about social isolation or lack of self confidence. For instance, the song Friends, one of my favorites off November Birthday, has an amazingly upbeat piano background while the lyrics are describing the singer's group of friends as people who laugh at her and leave her to fend for herself after drinking too much.
The singing itself is, in my opinion, top notch, although this is where you will find the most controversy on the band, at least from what I've seen - some people really like the singer, and some don't. Either way, the background for the songs is excellent, and very nearly worth a listen to by itself.
And now, as per last time, some YouTube links to songs by them that I like, that also happen to be on YouTube: Everyone I Know, Wait, Wait, and Good Time.
Hope you enjoy the music, and good luck hunting for the music if you want it - I haven't had terribly good luck in that arena, myself. (I'm actually still missing most of the music from the latest album. So sad.)
If you have any suggestions, insults, links to awesome music, and/or general comments, feel free to litter them below.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Artist Review: Parov Stelar
I am now back in a location where I can reliably write for this again, and I also have time to spare! As such, I'm going to start writing a new bit for the blog, which should be up every Tuesday (assuming I keep to schedule) - artist reviews!
For my very first review, I'm going to talk about Parov Stelar, why he's awesome, and why you may like or dislike him.
(I'm a moderate to extreme hipster when it comes to talking about music. I like plenty of things everyone has heard about, but here I'm probably only going to talk about things that are at least somewhat obscure. Anyways.)
Parov Stelar was one of the pioneers of a genre called electroswing. Essentially, electroswing takes tracks from old jazz and big band music and layers them on top of techno beats. It sounds awesome, and is a relatively new genre, with Parov Stelar being the first artist solely within the genre itself.
Parov Stelar released his first album in 2005, and the genre became properly defined over the next four or so years. There are other bands that exist within the genre now, the most well known probably being Caravan Palace. They are also awesome.
Coco, released in 2009, is, IMO, Parov Stelar's greatest album. Highlights include songs like Catgroove, Mojo Radio Gang, and Libella Swing. All of these have minimal talking, great jazz, and techno mostly in the background.
So, yeah, if you like jazz and you like techno, you will probably enjoy Parov Stelar. Even if you only like one or the other, I think the chances are pretty high. In fact, I've only met a handful of people who haven't enjoyed songs like Catgroove. I have even heard it described as 'old-people rave music,' and I know plenty of older folks who really enjoy his music, as well.
And now, as a bonus, a few videos of an awesome dancer dancing to awesome Parov Stelar music. (My overuse of the word awesome is now also awesome, as well!)
Links: Catgroove and Your Man.
In relate news, that guy can dance.
Hope you guys enjoyed the read, and the music. I'll be back on my regular schedule tomorrow, and I'm thinking carbonara will the be the recipe for tomorrow. We'll have to see, though.
For my very first review, I'm going to talk about Parov Stelar, why he's awesome, and why you may like or dislike him.
(I'm a moderate to extreme hipster when it comes to talking about music. I like plenty of things everyone has heard about, but here I'm probably only going to talk about things that are at least somewhat obscure. Anyways.)
Parov Stelar was one of the pioneers of a genre called electroswing. Essentially, electroswing takes tracks from old jazz and big band music and layers them on top of techno beats. It sounds awesome, and is a relatively new genre, with Parov Stelar being the first artist solely within the genre itself.
Parov Stelar released his first album in 2005, and the genre became properly defined over the next four or so years. There are other bands that exist within the genre now, the most well known probably being Caravan Palace. They are also awesome.
Coco, released in 2009, is, IMO, Parov Stelar's greatest album. Highlights include songs like Catgroove, Mojo Radio Gang, and Libella Swing. All of these have minimal talking, great jazz, and techno mostly in the background.
So, yeah, if you like jazz and you like techno, you will probably enjoy Parov Stelar. Even if you only like one or the other, I think the chances are pretty high. In fact, I've only met a handful of people who haven't enjoyed songs like Catgroove. I have even heard it described as 'old-people rave music,' and I know plenty of older folks who really enjoy his music, as well.
And now, as a bonus, a few videos of an awesome dancer dancing to awesome Parov Stelar music. (My overuse of the word awesome is now also awesome, as well!)
Links: Catgroove and Your Man.
In relate news, that guy can dance.
Hope you guys enjoyed the read, and the music. I'll be back on my regular schedule tomorrow, and I'm thinking carbonara will the be the recipe for tomorrow. We'll have to see, though.
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