Conclusion

My Last Encore

This post will mark my last entry in my series of blogs on the different indie bands I hold very dear to me. I have been writing these blogs for about two months now and I enjoyed every minute of it. Most English teachers do not let you express yourself creatively through a topic you truly enjoy writing about. Luckily, professor Wong was extremely enthusiastic with my topic and helped push me to improve my writing to the level it is at now. The main reason I am not continuing this blog is the lack of audience that comes with a student-teacher inspired blog. If I had continuous support and an actual following of people who really enjoyed what I wrote about, I would gladly write more! 

Indie music has been a huge passion of mine for the longest time and I hope the select amount of people who read my blogs were influenced by what I said. If I got you to try listening to at least one song or group I talked about, then I will be satisfied. Music affected my life to such a high degree and I really want to push everyone to listen to what they want, whether it be indie, hip hop, death metal or polka. Through my blog I didn't want to just promote indie music, but music in general! 

The best way to express music is to play music yourself and indulge yourself with concerts. Picking up a guitar two years ago was the best thing I have ever done for myself, as it became the best hobby for me. Being able to play the songs you love and singalong with your friends is such an amazing feeling. I was able to meet my lover Sareen at a STRFKR concert almost two years back, maybe the same will happen to you! Seeing a band play live with all their energy is truly a bliss for me and probably for you as well. Concerts are the very special place to let your stress go and just enjoy yourself.

I sincerely hope those of you who read my blog enjoyed yourself and danced awkwardly to my music suggestions. Hopefully one day you will come see me playing a show and start a blog about my band. It's been great writing these and I really hope you all took something from it! Every time I wrote these blogs I would constantly have music on and would periodically break out dancing or singing. I promise that I will return to this blog if I am able to headline at the Coachella music festival. Until then! Here is a nice goodbye song for all of you to enjoy. Peace!

The Strokes Vs. Arctic Monkeys

                                                       BATTLE OF THE BANDS!
                                                                        PART 2

We are back for the final round of this exciting entry of BATTLE OF THE BANDS! For this post I will be facing off two of my favorite bands, The Strokes and the Arctic Monkeys. Both bands have gotten very popular over the years and I hold a special place in my heart for both of them, but in this battle only one band can come out on top! Read on, grab a weapon and join the battle to see who will be victorious!

                                                              Round 1 - The Band 

Starting off with The Strokes, the band was formed by lead singer, Julian Casablancas, as well as their bassist and drummer when they were only 13 years old. To help improve his studies Julian was sent studying abroad where he met future lead guitarist, Albert Hammand Jr. where they would eventually go to New York and start playing shows. The band sent demos of their music to a few record labels which ignited a war between record labels to see who could get them. In 2001 they released one of my all time favorite albums, Is This It, the album would go on to great critical acclaim and see them touring all over the world. The album is a perfect example of the best kind of garage rock to come out in the 2000's. Julian is a big sex symbol for the band and it shows through his incredibly unique vocals and clothing attire. He has somewhat of a rough voice, but it shines through with their music and sets them apart from the bands out there. Their music is great to singalong with, my roommates know this all too well from how much I sing in the shower! If a band gets me singing their music in the shower, they should be extremely flattered!

The Arctic Monkeys were one of the first indie bands I really got into! Alex Turner is a very talented musician, and the same can be said about the rest of the band. Their drummer, Matt Helder, drums away to almost a point that seems like he is destroying his drumset. The Arctic Monkeys have been around for a little while now and saw their popularity increase from each of their album releases. Their album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, is one of my favorite albums. They sound so young and new on this album, as it was their first album, but in my opinion it's their best. I personally saw them play at Coachella, 2 years ago and it was quite the experience! They were easily one of my favorite bands that I saw play at the music festival. My roommate and I like to play their song, "Mardy Bum", together whenever we feel like jamming. The Arctic Monkeys are also one of my girlfriend's favorite bands, as she was obsessed with the singer for years and years. She helped to get me into them.

                                                            ROUND 2 - LIVE SHOWS

The Strokes garage rock vibe brings about an interesting live show. As they enter you can expect many girls shrieking over Julian, shouting how much they love him. I'm not ashamed to say I am one of those people! One of my favorite things that the band does is that they play most of their older songs, something which a lot of bands frown upon. Most bands like to highlight their newer music but The Strokes seem to like playing their oldies. The only thing I think that could be improved on for them is having a little more energy. Julian, their lead singer kind of just sings, he needs to feel the vibe more! Below I will post an older video of their song "Last Night".

The Arctic Monkeys have showmanship down to a note, as they come out and rock every show. Alex Turner really knows how to put on a show and frequently interacts with the crowd, showing he cares about his fans. When I saw them at Coachella they came out and played their very fast paced song, "Brianstorm", which got everyone moshing and jumping around. The only thing I was disappointed  in by them was their lack of playing fan favorites and older songs. They like to focus on their newer music which I respect, but it is nice to hear some of their classics like "Mardy Bum" and "When the Sun Goes Down". Just like for The Strokes I will put my favorite Arctic Monkey's live performance down below.

                                            WHO IS THE WINNER OF THIS ROUND?

I really hate choosing a winner for these because it's so hard for me to choose between two bands I hold dear. Both bands would be amazing to see live and I sincerely recommend everyone to listen to their music. But alas, I told you I would choose a winner so I will! The winner of this heated battle has to be the Arctic Monkeys! Personally I believe The Strokes earliest albums are some of the best albums ever released but the Arctic Monkey's matured into one of the best bands out there. This will be my last battle of the bands for the time being, but feel free to leave some bands for me to review!

Tame Impala Vs. Toro Y Moi

                                               BATTLE OF THE BANDS!
Today is a very special post where I will be comparing two different bands, both of which I love very much. On the left corner we got the psychedelic band who are seeing new found popularity with their latest album Lonerism, Tame Impala!. On the right with his killer afro and chill wave music vibrating all around, we have Toro Y Moi!

                                                          ROUND 1 - THE BAND
Starting off with Tame Impala, Kevin Parker started the rock project with home recordings and releasing tracks on his Myspace page. This brought him attention from several recording labels and eventually lead to him being signed to Modular Recordings and releasing his first EP. In 2010 Tame Impala's first album, Innerspeaker, was released to critical acclaim and lead them to opening gigs for the pop synth band MGMT(another personal favorite of mine). Kevin Parker recruited Jay Watson and Dominic Simper and they started touring all over the world and playing at major musical festivals. There are currently 5 people total in the band encompassing a wide variety of instruments to produce their unique sound. They truly are a band that should have been around in the 60's with their psychedelic out of this world sound. 

Now for the one and only Toro Y Moi. The genius behind Toro is none other than Chaz Bundick. He became apart of what is called the "chill wave moment" a type of music that emphasizes using a synths and producing a mellow and I guess best called chill vibe. He has been producing music since 2009 and released his first album Causers of This to great acclaim. He has released two other albums since his 2010 album and plays his music with a live band when he tours. A lot of music is produced by himself and he enlists the help of his band to transform it to be able to play live. 

                                                          ROUND 2 - LIVE SHOWS
Tame Impala is a very interesting band that knows how to bring a lot energy into their live shows. One of my favorite things that they do in almost every live show is an improvised jam! How many bands would dare try anything like that in front of so many people? Not many, and that's why I love Tame Impala. Sadly I haven't seen Tame Impala live, I was so close to being able to go see their show with the Flaming Lips which would have been so amazing. They perfectly replicate their album's sounds into a blend of psychedelia that doesn't require a person to be tripping on acid to fully see and hear how amazing they are. Right below this I will post a video of one of my favorite performances of their song "Half Full Glass of Wine".

Toro Y Moi is one of my favorite bands for one simple reason, he gets me up and dancing! The vibe he brings to his live shows is insane, he gets extremely funky and is almost reminiscent of disco music. His soulful beats and echoing vocals soar all over and really get you moving. I think it is truly amazing how he is able to convert his very computerized electronic music into something a live band can play. He is a very talented artist and it shows in all of his shows. Just like for Tame Impala I will post my favorite live performance of Toro's down below. 

                                                         NOW WHO IS THE WINNER?
It is extremely hard for me to choose a winner over these two wonderful bands but I must! There are still a lot of factors to consider but I must choose this one band as the winner. Coming out on top for me is Tame Impala, they are simply one of the best bands. Toro was so close to winning as well but halfway into writing this post I started playing some Tame Impala and it just felt so right. I still got another post to write about next week so you should all recommend two bands for me to write about!

The Growlers

    Who are these smelly looking guys?
I am so excited to be talking about this band! The Growlers have been a personal favorite of mine for over 2 years now and I have been privileged enough to see them live 3 times and meet them in person. It is kind of hard to explain what type of music they are so I'll let you decide with this music video.

They like to define their sound as being beach goth, but I think it's best described as surf rock with a little bit of acid on the side. The Growlers are based in Orange County, California and have been constantly touring all over the world for the past few years. The main hombre of the group is the old man sounding sexual deviant Brooks Nielsen who has a peculiar but appealing voice. On bass is Anthony Perry nicknamed "Anstonio69" for his excessive amounts of marijuana smoking. Matt Taylor has his smooth riffs on guitar and Scott Montoya leads the beats on drums. Lastly on rhythm guitar and keyboards is Kyle Straka. The band has released three albums, my personal favorite being Are You in or Out?, which is the first album they made. The Growlers are a very unique band that will most definitely get you dancing or moshing like crazy with all the fellow fans at their shows!

    Personal experiences with The Growlers

Above is a photo of when my friends and I met Brooks(the lead singer) at their show in Bakersfield. The bassist Anthony took the picture for us and they were all so friendly and chill. My friends and I spontaneously took the four hour drive to see The Growlers one day when we really didn't have much else to do. I already had seen The Growlers at Coachella and it was nice to see them play a more intimate smaller gig. On another note, if you ever have the opportunity to go to the Coachella music festival by all means you must go, it will be the greatest three days of your life. Anyways getting back to the story, as we made it to the small bar they were playing at we were trying to find parking and I noticed two dudes chilling by an old station wagon and quickly we all recognized them as The Growlers. We were all nervous to approach them but after a bit we said what's up and chilled with them for a little while. Their show was really interesting for a multitude of reasons, from their crazy antics on stage and a fight that broke out in the crowd that resulted in my friend getting punched in the face it was a great night. To elaborate more, a short man was dancing a little too rowdy and started fighting with some guy next to him. The short man started singing wildly all around and hit my friend in the face right in front of us which was pretty funny but still unchill at the same time. Police eventually came and arrested him and we all gave him a piece of our mind while he was in the squad car! After the show we talked to the group and then had a 6 hour ride home because of road construction, still completely worth it.

    Album reviews
The Growlers album Are You in or Out? is a personal favorite of mine and I can easily listen to it all day without getting bored of it. At 18 tracks long the album will keep you busy. Their first album is extremely funky and is perfect dancing music. For all the people who read my blog posts, never be afraid to dance! Whenever I play music I love to dance around and sing, I'm not good at either but it really puts you in the best mood. The best part about dancing and singing is that they are best done with other people as well! Don't ever be too shy! Back to the album, my three favorite songs are "Old Cold River", "Acid Rain" and lastly "Something Someone Jr.". Old Cold River was the first Growlers song I listened to and gets you swaying around and singing along quite easily. Acid Rain is actually a song my friends and I cover whenever we jam, it's pretty easy to play and sounds sexy! Something Someone Jr. will have you jumping around and has a perfect beat behind it. It would take too long to talk about all of their albums so I will post my all time favorite Growlers song from their latest album "Hung at Heart". The music video alone is pretty weird(in the best kind of way) but the song simply puts me in the best mood and makes me extremely happy.

    How much do I really like this band?
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE GROWLERS! They are such a unique and feel good band that I can listen to at anytime to put me in the best mood. Besides the fact that their music is amazing, they are also extremely friendly and will happily greet their fans. One of the many goals in my life is to party with the band and my friends and I tried really hard to do that when they played at SFSU but sadly it didn't happen. I will easily give them a 10/10 and will always recommend them to anyone trying to find some new music! Hopefully you will love them as much as me! Listen to the videos I posted and let me know what you think of them!

Radiohead

Who the monkey are these old British guys?
You probably don't recognize any of the people in the picture above but you most definitely have heard of their music! Radiohead is an extremely famous band who gained worldwide recognition from their lead single Creep off their 1993 album Pablo Honey. Does that ring a bell? I'm sure if I played it right now you would be singing along and experiencing a vast amount of emotions from its angsty and somewhat depressing lyrics. Although the song propelled them into becoming a well recognized band, it also became their worst nightmare. People at their shows would be constantly heckling them to play Creep and wouldn't care for the other songs they had to play. As the years passed they released numerous albums, like my personal favorite, The Bends in 1995. The Bends shows a new-found maturity of the band, writing on a more personal level and playing music that seems more comfortable to them. I could spend all day talking about their albums and music but I'll do that later on; first you need to understand the people behind Radiohead. Thom Yorke is the frontman for the band who sings and plays guitar. He is ranked in the top singers of the world by Rolling Stone and even plays in another band with the Red Hot Chili Pepper's bassist, Flea. Jonny Greenwood, the lead guitarist, achieves almost alien like sounds with his unique playing style. Jonny's brother, Colin, is also in the band playing bass. On the drums is Philip Selway, and on rhythm guitar, Ed O'Brien. 

Why do I love them so much?
The band simply captures so much emotion and feeling into their songs that it begins to rub off on you. In today's modern music, it is fairly common to hear songs about smoking weed or performing some other ludicrous act, so it is nice to hear something that actually has meaning behind it. Most bands like to stick to the same old sound and continue writing the same type of music that got them popular. Radiohead, on the other hand, does the exact opposite. When their 1997 album Ok Computer was so greatly received and everyone awaited their next album with the same kind of sound, the band decided to completely change their style. They ditched most of their guitars and focused on more ambient sounding computer noises that still lead to a number one album. Radiohead was one of the first alternative rock bands that I had gotten into, but it wasn't so easy getting into them. To be truthfully honest, the main reason I started listening to Radiohead was to impress my now girlfriend. She was an extreme fan and I only knew a few of their songs. I skimmed through their music and thought it was some of the weirdest music I had ever heard. As time progressed they slowly but surely made their way into becoming my favorite band. From their garage rock sound in their earlier albums to their synthy electronic loops in their latest album The King of Limbs, Radiohead can get you thrashing your head to dancing along to their funky grooves. Below is an example of one of their newer tracks, "Lotus Flower," that can get anyone up and dancing.

Their live shows and a brief review of their albums!
Almost two years ago I went to my first music festival, Coachella, with 3 of my good friends and had the time of my life seeing some of the greatest bands in only one weekend. Of course the band that stole the show was Radiohead. They had a great setup of screens which displayed very trippy and stunning visuals that went with the song they were playing. The greatest part of all was the energy the whole band brought as Thom Yorke danced around the stage and even talked to some members of the audience!

Radiohead has a total of 8 studio albums that were released from 1993-2011. I'm only going to cover The Bends, Ok Computer and In Rainbows to keep this short! The Bends is a departure from Radiohead's first album and finally showed that they were a band to be reckoned with. This album has what I personally believe to be the most beautiful song ever written, "Fake Plastic Trees." From its minimal chord progression into a swift guitar solo it truly encompasses singer Thom Yorke's melodic falsetto voice. Ok Computer is considered a landmark record of the 90's and was extremely well reviewed by critics. It contains such songs as "Paranoid Android," which ultimately is the "Bohemian Rhapsody" of the 90's and "Karma Police," a more piano driven song. Ok Computer is one of the first Radiohead albums I got into and will always remain as one of my favorites! Lastly, the 2007 album In Rainbows was actually released to the public on a pay-what-you want basis, meaning fans could buy the album from a penny to hundreds of dollars. It features a more diverse selection of songs, from ambient and creepy sounding songs like "All I Need" and "Nude" to more rock based ones like "Bodysnatchers," the album does not disappoint!

How much do I really like this band?
Radiohead in my opinion is easily one of the best bands in existence. They have continuously put out music that never seems to disappoint and always leave me wanting more. They are a must-see band live and I would recommend everyone to listen to their discography. I easily give them a 10/10! Try giving them a listen and let me know what you think of them. I'll leave some videos you should all check out down below!

Live performance at Glastonbury:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYDgY3bbmTs

Paranoid Android:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVxzFwM_fb0

Sources:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/thom-yorke-20101202

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/oct/14/radiohead-o2-arena-london-review

Mac Demarco

     

   Who the monkey is Mac DeMarco?

Hello there! Step into this time machine with me and let's experience the psychedelic funk that is Mac DeMarco. Coming from the far away foreign land that is Canada, Mac DeMarco brings a very unique vibe to the indie scene of music that is sweeping all of the garage shows across the U.S. Starting from humble beginnings, Mac started producing music straight out of high school, calling himself "Makeout Videotape." He was joined by a few musicians and toured with Japandroids. After not finding much work in music, he did random work to get by, but eventually recorded an EP called "Rock and Roll Night Club." His record label liked the album enough to have him record an LP simply called II. The album was extremely well received by critics and Mac won a few awards from it. Mac DeMarco writes all of the songs himself and has musicians with him when he tours to play the others parts to the song. He is an extremely quirky man who has several comical videos on YouTube. His band has gotten a little more popular as his band toured with indie-rock super band Phoenix. 

       

      Why should I see him live?

Why shouldn't you?! His live shows are very bizarre and can range anywhere from him stripping to being somewhat of a stand up comedian to his crowd. Unlike most bands that just play the same setlist every night and don't ever change anything up, Mac Demarco knows how to have a good time and interact with his fans. He actually played at SF State on campus for free, but I was sick when he played so I wasn't able to see him. If you like chill music and slowly dancing with a partner awkwardly then this band is for you! A lot of his music is dedicated to his girlfriend Kira, making it perfect to listen to while enjoying a candlelit dinner for two. 

     Specific songs I like and my review on his albums as a whole

My favorite songs are "Ode to Viceroy," "Cooking Up Something Good," and "The Stars Keep Calling My Name." "Ode to Viceroy" is a psychedelic ballad to the brand of cigarettes he smokes everyday. I'm not entirely sure about the meaning to cooking up something, but who cares, it's a really good funky song. The Stars Keep Calling My Name is a sensual song presented to his Mac's girlfriend Kira. Its smooth guitar riffs that match the vocals and the high pitched solo at the end perfectly wrap up this song. In regards to his EP and LP that are out, I have mixed reviews. His EP "Rock and Roll Night Club" is a very mellow and slow paced mash up of songs that are just lacking something. Don't get me wrong, the album is still good, but it was blown away by his LP II. The album features a more psychedelic surfer rock vibe that perfectly gets one to get up and start dancing. Starting off strong with the poppy song, "Cooking Up Something Good" and ending with the slow, sensual and mainly acoustic song "Still Together."

     How much do I really like this band?

I give Mac DeMarco a big two thumbs up or as a better way to explain a 9/10. Definitely a must-listen band that should intrigue everyone who listens to them. Below are some videos that I believe sum up Mac DeMarco perfectly! Let me know what you think of this band after listening! 

Live-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wizAwUwdWsY

Interviewing Sky Ferreira

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGfbDIL3GQM

Sources:
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/29/mac-demarco-review

Contextualization of My Curiosity

            When the average person is asked to comment on music, the first artists that come to mind are Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Drake, and Lady Gaga. Unfortunately, not many people know the depth of musical genres past the usual aforementioned mindless Top 40 hits- underneath the layer of pop culture buzz and mainstream complacency lies a musical underground teeming with talented artists- the independent, or "indie" bands. It can be quite difficult to define what indie is, because indie can span all genres of music. Ultimately, indie boils down to the artists' "do-it-yourself" approach, by writing their own music rather than having songs written for them by corporate moneymakers. Artists who distance themselves from the mainstream sound and have autonomy in their musicianship are what I deem worthy of being called an indie band or artist.

            Music was never a big part of my life until I reached my senior year of high school. There were a few bands I liked but I never actively sought out music, unlike my friends who all had a favorite band and an extensive knowledge on a vast amount of music. Music is a huge part of many people’s lives and I was just unable to relate to that. I felt extremely left out whenever my friends would go to concerts and have the time of their lives. In my computer class I befriended Brian, who would eventually introduce me to indie music, which would drastically turn my life around. We started out hating each other, but after some time we became very close friends and started hanging out. Like most people, music was a huge part of Brian’s life and it was hard to have a conversation with him where music was not brought up. He was one of the biggest influencers of music in my life and got me listening to an assortment of different bands and genres I had no idea existed at the time. With today’s modern technology it is extremely simple to listen to a whole album for free from basically any location. Whether in Brian’s car, in school or just lying in my bed, I had a vast collection of music always in the palm of my fingertips. But I wasn’t fully able to absorb all of this until my first concert experience.

            An on-campus group at USC called KXSC Radio was having a little music festival with a few well-known bands that my friends and I took interest in. At this point I had never been to a concert so I wasn’t really sure what to expect, and to make matters more difficult, I also had my first date that same night. A girl in my history class who had taken an interest in me was also in attendance, and our friends set it up so that we would be going together. As the night went on, we talked and danced while making awkward conversation, and finally the band we all had looked forward to went on stage- a band by the name of Starfucker. They were an obscure looking group of men, some dressed in women’s clothing playing even weirder music. Most people would never have been interested them let alone want to see them live, but Starfucker's weird individuality, even expressed through their band name, set them apart from the norm. We all danced the night away and I immediately fell in love with two things that night when they played the song "Isabella of Castille"- the first being music and the sheer bliss of seeing a great band perform in front of me live, and secondly the girl I was with at the show, Sareen. She would later on become the biggest influence of indie music in my life as well as my girlfriend. Our relationship stemmed from us sending songs from different artists to one another as a means to get acquainted. As our relationship blossomed, so did my love for indie music as I began exploring the huge and almost underground scene of amazing artists that not so many people had heard of.

            In my blog, I want to relate my experience with indie music to specific bands, sort of like music reviews but on a more personal level. I could write about a new band every day and I would never run of things to say. From live shows, specific albums, the type of instruments they use and much more, I want explore all the different aspects to specific bands that interest me. As a blogger, I hope my posts will inspire you readers to be active in your choice of music rather than listening to whatever the radio throws at the public, so that you may achieve some sort of musical enlightenment as I did. Stay tuned for more updates on under-the-radar musicians that might become your new favorite artists- you never know!