After a three year hiatus Tv on The Radio has announce the name of their upcoming album. According to the bands website, the name of the bands fifth album is “Nine Types of Light”. This hiatus has spawned the solo careers of both drummer Dave Sitek (Maximum Balloon) and Kyp Malone (Rain Machine).
The Brooklyn based band has recently confirmed a show New York’s Radio City Music Hall on April 13th.
In due time listen to ‘Lover’s Day’ off 2008’s critically acclaimed “Dear Science”.
Happy New Years! Ok, this is a very late happy new years but a very necessary one nonetheless. Music fans and “Speakers Bleed, But Never With Pain” followers are always excited for new music and a new year usually brings that about. In 2011, the SBBNWP blog will be featuring more stories on underground artists and a wide array of other developments in the music industry.
Along with everyone who made it to the new year, SBBNWP has its own New Years Resolutions:
A) Post at least two stories for each week of the remaining weeks in 2011. This means by the end of the year, this blog should have at least a 100 posts to add to the mere 14 posts made in 2010.
B) Have more interviews with high-profile bands and other musical bloggers. Groups that have no desire to terrorize the top 40 on the billboard charts usually don’t have a problem with having a simple filmed interview with a fan or aspiring journalist; it’s almost like free publicity for them. SBBNWP has its eye on such acts as Passion Pit, Miguel Jontel, Blu & Exile, Flying Lotus, Janelle Monae, Lykke Li, Vampire Weekend, Ayo, Corinne Bailey Rae, Adele (whenever she gets back to the States again) and many more.
C) Get some of the stories from SBBNWP published. SPIN, Blender, and Rolling Stone are just a few examples of publications willing to run music stories from aspiring writers: freelance really is a wonderful thing.
Hopefully, I hope to introduce followers to some new music and at the same time get some more followers. All those who take the time to follow and read the blog, you all are deeply appreciated. SBBNWP also implores you to leave comments on the stories and posts in the future. Stay blessed and continue listening in 2011. I “Gotta Feeling” that this year’s going to be a good year.
About six hours ago, news started circulating about the death of legendary, blue-eyed soul singer, Teena Marie. A simple google search a few hours ago did not
show any confirmation of the singer’s death. The only news regarding her death came from WDAS radio personality, Patty Jackson. According to an unnamed source close to her, Teena Marie had died but was never confirmed. Unfortunately, at about 11 pm her publicist and manager both reported that the singer was in fact dead.
Teena Marie leaves behind the legacy of being one of the first white soul singers to be undoubtedly accepted by the black community. Being one of the first to be signed to Motown, she produced hits like “Behind The Groove” and “Fire and Desire.” The singer passed away on Christmas night at the age of 54.
After much controversy and drama surrounding his name last year (which is nothing new), Kanye West returned with the news that he was a releasing an album this year—that was way back in June 2010. Finally in November, he released it and despite his douchebaggery, awful sense of home training, and heart-breaking delusion over the past few years, Kanye West has still proved to be one of the most promising artists to grace the Billboard Charts since the beginning of the Nielsen Soundscan era.
Amazingly, even with his tendency to be personally hated by most of his peers and even those who don’t know him, he has still been able to prove that he is about the music. Kanye West is reminiscent to the work that Whitney Houston & Michael Jackson did for R&B. Over the last few years, Kanye West has been constantly comparing himself to the likes of Michael Jackson and it’s about time that he proves it. Dark Twisted Fantasy is one of the most diverse and ground-breaking crossover hip-hop albums since Nas’s “Illmatic.” It has done for hip-hop what Etta James “At Last” did for the Blues.
For once, during the 21st century, an album has been able to achieve what most albums fail to strive for nowadays: tell a cohesive and universal story. As much of a douchebag as people might feel he is, one cannot deny his musical genius. As long as he continues to do that, we’ll be glad to ”have a toast for the douchebag.”
Remember the Spice Girls and how talented they were at entertaining? Yeah, I don’t remember the former part of the question either. However, to be 100% honest, they were one of the best entertaining girl groups of all time. Of course, overly enthusiastic Top 40 fans would like to think that they could indefinitely sing as well. However, the reality is that Ginger Spice (Emma Bunton) was the only one who could even hold a tune. (Victoria Beckham was just posh and fashionable, don’t let her facade of ‘fabulosity’ fool you.)
It’s interesting, then, that such a talented five-piece group could have been inspired by a relatively less talented one. Only 2 1/2 albums (their latest effort is more of an EP and less of an LP) in, the newly established Saturdays have taken Britain by storm. With the incredibly strong vocals of members, Una Healy, Vanessa White, and Rochelle Wiseman it’s no wonder they have been able to achieve such national success in a reasonably short amount of time. According to the UK Charts Website, the group has managed to land seven out of their eight singles in the top ten while having all their albums debut in the top ten.
With such success in the relatively small UK, it’s a wonder why the Saturdays haven’t tried to break into other international markets just quite yet. Surely, with such talent and continuous success back home, they would have a better chance being successful in the States than their drama-ridden counterparts, the Sugababes. At one point or another, both groups were vocally talented (the Sugababes’ most talented vocal combination being that of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Heidi Range) but the Saturdays possess good team dynamic, the ability to inject some decent lyricism into the top 40 genre, and pop songs that appeal to all types of people.
After hearing their latest single, Missing You—off of the Headlines EP—do you think it would be wise for the Saturdays to try promoting their fourth album in the US during this upcoming Spring?
Not Again with this Jungle Nonsense!
This past weekend Rihanna decided to remind us of how UNtalented she is. During her performance on the live X-Factor final, for some reason unknown to me and the rest of mankind, she decided to strip down to nothing but an over-ornamented bra & a pair of striped high-waisted panties that will make even your grandmother look cool. To further spruce up her outfit, she added something resembling hay to her panties. Maybe, she was trying to cover up?
Regardless of whether she was trying to leave the audience in amazement or not, she only managed to do what she does best: be a studio puppet. Adding nothing especially amazing to the same show she performed at the American Music awards this past November, it was at best mediocre. To give her some credit, she actually pulled off some great, good, decent, OK live vocals this time and managed to keep up with the choreography that even a three-year old handicapable child would have been able to keep up with the first time around. It leaves you wondering: how much longer must we put up with her semi-enjoyable pop music and lack of actual talent?
Maybe one day Jay-Z will wake up and finally see the light; only Bey can do what she does. Not even she could teach Rihanna to give an energizing (or at least entertaining) performance. The reality is the girl can’t perform to save her life. It would be highly advisable that the Jigga Man let her be the decent pop artist she can be. High-energy performing is not an attempt that should be made by every one. At this point we’re giving up hope on our little RiRi. West Indies or no West Indies affiliation, it’s time for you to step your game up.
British Invasion & 21st Century Life
Music is crap. That is what most Americans have dubbed the musical crisis they have perceived on the radios. For the most part, our radio waves have been subjected to hearing Ke$ha and T-Pain use the auto-tuned recorder one too many times. Exactly when will the madness stop? Is it not bad enough that the music industry has been changed to a single-driven based economy rather than an album-driven one? The division between what is good and bad has always been rather murky. However, this division has become more important over the last few years. Music lovers want something that will put the spark back into the loving relationship they once had with melody, harmony, pitch and all the other elements that used to be indescribable. However, now people are giving names and opinions to all too unfamiliar combination of pitch, harmony, and melody: bad music. In light of this, it is rather interesting that the public opinion among music buyers and artists themselves is good music still seems to be thriving out of England. Why and how is this possible?
Adele, Corinne Bailey Rae, Amy Winehouse are just among some of the few prominent artists that seem to be invading not only the United States, but the world. This is seemingly suprising considering that yearly album sales are still at an all time low. Despite the inclusion of digital album sales in the RIAA’s overall tabulation of sales, albums have managed to sell less that five million units for three weeks out of the entire year. According to billboard.biz, this is far from the strong record sales that albums have had in previous years. The trend remains especially strong among British artists. Interestingly, relatively low album sales have been correlated with what music junkies have outlined as “good music.” Whether nostalgia defines good music or not seems to be an apparent questions for individuals such as these.
An important element of popular British music bursting out on the scene is the obvious retro-soul aspect of it all. A great example is VV Brown’s “Shark in the Water.” Hailing from Northampton, England, VV Brown seems to mix the modern syncopated rhythms of the blues and hip-hop genre with the old-classic feel of retro-soul. The track almost sounds as if it were a track that Leonard Chess might have handed over to Etta James for recording. The only difference is the modernity in timbre. Almost like a mix or R&B and Jazz, VV Brown’s voice smoothly fluctuates over the retro-styled beat. These elements are apparent among the other popular artists such as Lily Allen and James Morrison as well. What is the huge difference that influences British artists to make “good music” as opposed to the musicians who hail from the United States of America?
The answer just might be the caliber of musical education preserved in England. At the risk of embracing stereotype, the English are known to be some of the most traditional people ever. Even in the guise of capitalist evolution, they still hold on to certain commodities and ways of living from years ago. Essentially, things like arts education which seem primitive to the United States seems to have maintained their integrity in such European countries as England. One only has to look to the current arts crisis that seems to sweeping multiple public schools stateside. Evidence of this is the world renowned BRIT school located in Croydon. Almost 90% of the popular British artists that have crossed over into the pop world have graduated from the formerly mentioned institution. Even genius producers such as the Grammy Award and BRITS Award-winning producer, Mark Ronson has managed to make something out of his training without vocal abilities. According to the BRIT school’s website, the BRIT school was created under the city technology college program enstated in 1991. Since then, the school has developed into a powerhouse dedicated to education and vocational training for performing arts, media, art and design, and technologies that make performances possible. In fact, the BRIT school is in charge of the English equivalent to the Grammys: the appropriately titled BRITS. Even so, many say that arts education is still a prominent part of American society. Dion Johnson, a 21 year old senior at the University of Albany, feels that “there are a lot of art school. In New York City alone there must be hundreds.” Despite this, it would seem that neither the United States government or private businesses have been willing to dish out nearly 37.5 million dollars to any of the thousands of art schools located in the United States. With even thousands and thousands of art schools available, the quality of education within those schools would seem to fail in comparison with those located in England. Or is this the case?
As much as music junkies has aligned good music with artists like those who graduate from the BRIT school, they still seem to ignore an important difference between popular artists in England and in America. A vital difference is that there seems to be a higher percentage of artists who get a formal education in England than there are in the United States. According to the Princeton Review, a mere eleven to sixteen percent of art school graduates will have been employed in the United States. This is a stark contrast to the overwhelming sixty five to seventy percent that such schools as Nottingham University offers. According to the Independent, a popular paper circulating in England, the arts are just as important as any other school of knowledge. Generally, it would seem that the United-States is a more market-driven economy than the United Kingdom. Although a capitalist nation just like the United States, England has learned to maintain a certain respect for the humanities.
At first, this did not seem to be problematic but it would seem that the ways of the British are actually invading the American musical scene. Even without initial strong record sales that might compare with Beyoncé or Britney Spears’s record sales, it would seem that they are being dubbed the more quality form of music by the media and experts. Only two years ago, Amy Winehouse became the first non-American woman to win five grammys in one night. Each year, a new British artist seems to be nominated as a front-runner in the Best New Artist category and more talk show hosts are inviting these “soulstresses” and musicians to the stage. Leona Lewis, a graduate of the BRIT school and winner of the TV reality show—X Factor—has managed to sell more albums worldwide than both Rihanna and Christina Aguilera’s latest efforts with her debut album, Spirit. The evidence seems to be in favor of the Brits as they constantly rack up accolade after accolade for their influential music. Although such artists as Lulu, The Beatles and the Queen staged the first British musical invasion, it’s vital to note that there is an interesting revolutionary invasion going on today. As opposed to the friendly invasion staged in the 1960s, the modern invasion seems to be a threat to the quality of American music. A war is not exactly what one would call the coexistence of these two types of music in America, but British music has seemed to put American music to shame. An important question, although people seem afraid to ask is whether or not American music has died? Although individuals have never been able to concretely define the essence of American culture, it’s important to note that normalizing the popularity of British artists as “real good music” is not going to help the situation.
October 14, 2010
ALBANY—It’s a growing problem and it only seems to be getting worse. University at Albany was among the many institutions to cut an art program. On Saturday, October 9th, 2010 The Albany Times Union ran the story that was sure to upset a few hard-working, tuition-paying students. Along with the French, Russian, and Italian departments, yet another struggling theater arts and classics department joined the multiple arts programs rendered useless by their home institutions. Under the stress of the outrageous budget cuts being made throughout the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the arts have been slowly disappearing from the curriculums of several New York State programs—and this phenomenon is not unique to higher education institutions.
In an interview with Richard Kessler and Doug Israel, Leonard Lopate of WNYC recently brought light to the seriousness of the trend. Over the last three years, despite the $2.1 billion dollar increase in New York City education, “20 percent of city schools are still without an arts teacher,” Kessler and Israel said. This is apparently a trend that fails to die. History has constantly shown that in economic crisis, arts have been deemed unimportant. However, despite authoritative cuts from bureaucratic organizations, students still feel that the arts are important.
Myriam Lecorps, biology major and senior at the University of Albany, was outraged by the recent cuts made at her institution. The arts “enable open-mindedness, thinking outside the box and accepting different things,” she said. These qualities seem like skills that any aspiring professional would want to possess. However, bureaucratic organizations such as the New York City Department of Education and the State Senate feel otherwise; pre-professional programs such as business, law, medicine, and computer science have always been safe and encouraged by government. Lecorps said she feels that this preference is due to the American tendency to focus on the “biological and business aspects of things. They focus on what makes the money, and art doesn’t make the money.”
Dion Johnson, a 21-year-old Newburgh resident, was not as affected by the cut in arts programs being made at the University of Albany. Johnson feels that the arts “serve no purpose in life.” He even goes further to say that these “designs will slowly fade away with time.” Johnson’s predictions might be correct, for they reflect the sentiments of many New York State government officials. As of this month, public schools all over Buffalo suffered big cuts in their arts education budgets.
According to Eileen Buckley of WBFO, Erie County suffered a 69% cut for its school arts funding. The response among Buffalo citizens are the same. “Art is used to teach Math, Science, Social Studies, and English” Buckley says. If this is the case, what the future holds seems murky. As Lecorps points out, this slippery slope just offers an open opportunity for “other things to get cut as well.” What’s next?
October 14, 2010
ALBANY—It’s a growing problem and it only seems to be getting worse. University at Albany was among the many institutions to cut an art program. On Saturday, October 9th, 2010 Times Union ran the story that was sure to upset a few hard-working, tuition-paying students. Along with the French, Russian, and Italian departments, yet another struggling theater arts and classics department joined the multiple arts programs rendered useless by their home institutions. Under the stress of the outrageous budget cuts being made throughout the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the arts have been slowly disappearing from the curriculums of several New York State programs—and this phenomenon is not only unique to higher education institutions.
In an interview with Richard Kessler and Doug Israel, Leonard Lopate of WNYC recently brought light to the seriousness of the trend. Over the last three years, despite the $2.1 billion dollar increase in New York City education, “20 percent of city schools are still without an arts teacher.” This is apparently a trend that fails to die. History has constantly shown that in economic crisis, arts have been deemed unimportant. However, despite authoritative cuts from bureaucratic organizations, students still feel that the arts are important.
Myriam Lecorps, biology major and senior at the University of Albany, was outraged by the recent cuts made at her institution. The arts “enable open-mindedness, thinking outside the box and accepting different things,” she says. Essentially, these qualities seem like skills that any aspiring professional would want to possess. However, bureaucratic organizations such as the New York City Department of Education and the State Senate feel otherwise; pre-professional programs such as business, law, medicine, and computer science has always been safe and encouraged by government. Lecorps feels that this preference is due to the American tendency to focus on the “biological and business aspects of things. They focus on what makes the money, and art doesn’t make the money.”
Dion Johnson, 21 year old Newburgh resident, was not as affected by the cut in arts programs being made at the University of Albany. Johnson feels that the arts “serve no purpose in life.” He even goes further to say that these “designs will slowly fade away with time.” Johnson’s predictions might be correct for they sympathize with the sentiments of New York State government officials. As of this month, public schools all over Buffalo suffered big cuts in their arts education budgets.
According to Eileen Buckley of WBFO, Erie County suffered a 69% cut for its school arts funding. The response among Buffalo citizens are the same. “Art is used to teach Math, Science, Social Studies, and English” Buckley says. If this is the case, what the future holds seems murky. As Lecorps points out, this slippery slope just offers an open opportunity for “other things to get cut as well.” What’s next?
