Taylor Swift has two kinds of songs; the cheesy love song ("Love Story," Enchanted") to the cheesy breakup song ("Picture To Burn," "Forever & Always") and her latest song is her one of her best songs ever. After two albums that were half amazing songs and half annoying songs, Swift released her third and greatest album Sparks Fly. That album was truly amazing and it also exposed Swift to other kinds of music. She incorporated pop and rock elements into her music, they were always there but she put them to the forefront on that record.
This week Swift released the first single off of her fourth album, Red. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is far from the usual country that Swift usually releases. The song, about an ex trying to get back with her is straight up pop, sounding more like Avril Lavigne than any of her previous work. She wrote the song with pop master Max Martin.
The song is a midtempo, acoustic guitar filled song with a catchy chorus that will be sure to be the breakup anthem of the year. The lyrics are don't come off as bitter or angry, but they show her confidence. She shows her ex no malice but she just can't give him a second shot. "I'm really gonna miss you picking fights. And me, falling for it screaming that I'm right. And you, would hide away and find your piece of mind, with some Indie record that's so much cooler than mine," Swift sings in the second chorus. While Swift always makes cheesy, immature lyrics, the honesty with which she sings them is just too cute and that is what makes her so likeable. Not to mention that when you're upset at your boyfriend or girlfriend, you go to cheesy songs. Her songs are easily relateable and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is no different. This song will do big things for Swift and it's a sign that Red may just be her best record yet.
Hero of many a pathetic teenage girl and Falling In Reverse frontman has been arrested on charges of domestic battery. His girlfriend told police that he allegedly beat her. The warrant for his arrest was issued on May 1, 2012 but because of his band's run on the Vans Warped Tour, Radke wasn't arrested until August 6, the day after Warped Tour ended.
Radke was the original lead vocalist for Escape The Fate but when he got convicted for his role in the death of a fan. His band then replaced him with Craig Mabbitt who was in blessthefall at the time while he was in prison and then he started Falling In Reverse. The band sing a lame mix of pop-punk, hardcore and hard rock, yet they've managed to gain a huge amount of popularity with their debut album The Drug In Me Is You. The record is full of annoying sing songy tunes about being betrayed by his former bandmates.
While the band aren't untalented and some of their songs do have good moments, they just try to hard. They have one song, "Goodbye Graceful" that is simply amazing. It's the heaviest song on which Ronnie employs his harsh vocals during most of the song while he sings the chorus. If Falling In Reverse made more songs like this, they wouldn't suck.
The only reason people like this band is because of the hype surrounding Radke and his legal woes of the past. If he wasn't "that guy who used to be in Escape The Fate who killed somebody and wrote Falling In Reverse's album in prison," half the people who "love" him and his band wouldn't care. They're nothing special.
But this isn't meant to be a rant on how much the band aren't good, it's an opinion piece of Radke and other musicians who face hard times. While some musicians with talent ruin their careers by overdosing and dying (Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston) or being bat shit crazy (Courtney Love), many musicians can get past the embarrassment.
Chris Brown was promising young R&B singer with a good voice when he turned himself in after the beating of his girlfriend at the time Rihanna. While many viewed Brown's career as over he has had several hit singles since then and despite public feuds with P!nk and Miranda Lambert regarding his domestic battery charges Rihanna collaborated with him on the remix to her single "Birthday Cake" and his song "Turn Up The Music." While he has lost the love and respect of many fans, he still has a successful music career.
Another, older example is R&B singer R. Kelly. In 2002 a video tape of Kelly urinating on and having sex with an allegedly underage girl surfaced on the internet. The singer was charged with child pornography, soliciting a minor for child pornography and sex with a minor. Despite the fact that charges were dropped and he was found not guilty for the rest this was still a damaging thing for Kelly. Yet the next year Kelly released an album that featured one of his biggest hits ever "Ignition (Remix)." Despite not having that many more hits after Kelly continues to release albums to moderate success.
Radke can save his career if he comes across as a victim which I'm sure is the direction he'll take. Radke and his overrated band have lots of fans who probably feel terrible for their underdog and they'll probably blame his girlfriend and make her a martyr amongst terrible scene kids across the nation. But my question is, is that okay?
Marina Diamandis, more commonly known by her stage name Marina and the Diamonds, released her second album Electra Heart last month and after her stellar debut album, The Family Jewels was released a few years back. Diamandis is at her best on this album and while her debut could be a little tedious, this album only has a few songs that don't live up.
The album opens with the best song of Diamandis' career as well as one of the best songs of this year "Bubblegum Bitch." The song is an uptempo dance-rock song and it introduces the concept of the album, following the life of Electra Heart. "Dear diary, I met a boy. He made my dull heart light up with joy. Dear diary, we fell apart. Welcome to the life of Electra Heart," Marina sings at the end of the second verse. "Bubblegum Bitch" is so successful because it exemplifies what the character Electra Heart is about. The right mix of sexuality, frustration and pure sadness.
Diamandis shines on other uptempo songs like "Sex Yeah" and the singles "Radioactive," "Primadonna" and "How To Be A Heartbreaker."
In addition to the faster songs, Diamandis shines on the ballads. "Lies" features dubstep inspired piano-filled beats and lyrics about knowing a lover is done with you but would rather lie to keep you happy instead of breaking her heart with the truth. Diamandis clearly knows that her lover has moved on emotionally but she'd rather him lie to her. The song is one of the best on the album.
Another ballad that shines is "Teen Idle." The song which is about the youth of today and calls to mind some of Lana Del Rey's best moments. "I wanna stay inside all day. I want the world to go away. I want blood, guts, and chocolate cake," Diamandis sings in the pre-chorus. This song is what Diamandis does best. Her lyrics can sometimes contain a sarcastic punch that recalls Lily Allen or early Katy Perry. The only songs on the album that are not on the same level as the rest of the album are "Hypocrites," Valley of the Dolls" and "Fear and Loathing." These three ballads lack any interesting qualities. They aren't bad, they just seem to be filler. All in all Marina and the Diamonds shines on this album and she is clearly on her way to big things. Electra Heart is sure to have fans of her satisfied and new fans will be flocking to this album. There's no sophomore slump here.
The Veronicas, third album Life on Mars has been in production for around four or five years and the band cited influences ranging from electroclash queen Peaches to indie rock band The Subways yet last week when The Veronicas released their first single "Lolita" which sounds like Ke$ha and Ellie Goulding made a club anthem about seducing a lover. The song is catchy and addictive but it's hardly worth the wait since The Veronicas last pop masterpiece Hook Me Up was released in 2007. That album contained club songs with rock influences and was actually original. Their first record was a straight up pop-rock album and that was great as well. Sadly this song just doesn't hold up as well next to their other songs. One of the things that is so appealing about The Veronicas is their emotion in their songs, this song is simply void of true feeling.
The lyrics are also cheesy. "I'm your Lolita, la femme nikita. When we're together, you'll love me forever," the sisters sing over a house inspired beat. The only redeeming part of the song is the music, it gets stuck in your head. The house breakdowns seem inspired by Nicki Minaj's latest club jams.
While the song is a disappointing it's still a fun song that has fans excited for Life on Mars. Hopefully on album the group will get back to what they know best, fun dance-rock that is packed full of emotion.
There are a plethora of metalcore bands that use quirky synthesizers and good cop/bad cop vocals to make decent albums. The Word Alive released their second full length record last month and the album is a step up from their earlier material. Life Cycles is a much more cohesive album than their first record, Deceiver. That album had a more experimental side to it and while Life Cycles does tread the experimental waters, this album is much more about punching the listener in the ears. The best part of any The Word Alive song is vocalist Tyler "Telle" Smith. He sings the choruses with such emotion that it's hard to not have your heartstrings tugged on. On songs like "For Your Health" and the album closer, "Astral Plane" that Smith is truly at his best. He sings with such sadness on the latter that it's hard to listen to, yet beautiful so you can't stop. It calls to mind the balladry of The Used on their laster albums. Of course the band also know how to rock, "Wishmaster" is sure to get even the cool kids sitting in the back of the crowd into full mosh mode. "Bar Fight" is possibly the heaviest song on the record and a headbanger. The verses barely let up and then Smith's clean vocals on the chorus provide temporary shelter before the storm sets back in and Smith's brutal screams are pelting on your head, not giving you a break from the assault. The best song on the record is the first song "Dragon Spell." The piano tinkles that play throughout the track add a creepy tone to the song. "Show no mercy," Smith screams during the first verse, setting the tone for the rest of the album that Smith and co. will not be letting up for the next thirteen songs. All in all, Life Cycles is sure to gain The Word Alive new fans as well as cement their current fans at the band's side.
Periphery's debut album was kind of overrated. There were nothing but good songs and yet nothing really stood out with the exception of a few songs. That's how their new album Periphery II: This Time It's Personal plays out. While certain songs like the "Facepalm Mute" and the first single "MAKE TOTAL DESTROY" stand apart from the crowd, other songs towards the end of the record simply tend to melt together into one metal monster song. This album however is better than the first. There are more memorable songs. From the "Have a Blast" to "The Gods Must Be Crazy," the album is full of great songs.
The best two songs are the intro "Muramasa" and the true album highlight "Scarlett." The band called the later the poppiest thing the band has ever done and that's no understatement. The song is melodic and catchy, something about it is beautifully done. Front man Spencer Sotelo is part of what makes the band so great. He can go so effortlessly between clean and unclean vocals. He is like a male version of Mary Zimmer from the defunct metal band Luna Mortis. She, like Sotelo have such smooth transitions, it's like they don't even take a breath. The one thing that Sotelo and company could do to improve their sound is to just change things up on the musical arrangements and vocal arrangements. These changes could make this band all the greater than they already are.
Nelly Furtado released a video her song "The Spirit Indestructible" which serves as the second single and title track of her new album. The song is a return to the sound that made her great. With her 2006 album Loose, Furtado combined her folk-pop sound with a more urban and dance filled sound. The record was the greatest and cohesive thing she ever released. However with her greatest hits album, Furtado released several new songs that were lame.
It didn't get any better when Furtado released her first single "Big Hoops" earlier this year. "The Spirit Indestructibly" starts off slow but puts in a nice danceable thump. The song is mixed in with ballad like guitars. If this single is a sign of the direction the new album will take, Furtado is sure to reclaim her crown.
