I have a love-hate relationship with 2NE1, as you all may know. There are times when I think they're fantastic, but there are also times when the autotune goes overboard and my ears start registering them as a bunch of annoying chipmunks. However there are also times when I start out hating the song, but end up adoring the heck out of it after seeing them perform it, or even just see the video for it.
2NE1 is basically a performance band in my eyes - you have to see them for the material to make sense, and obviously they don't perform their entire album when they promote. I was less than impressed with To Anyone this year, mainly because the tracks were never given the chance to make sense. However, they did perform Clap Your Hands, and did more than make sense.
I'm not one for rapping, nor am I for autotuned Sandara-fests, but like I said, Clap Your Hands makes all the sense in the world. It's your standard 2NE1 song - the rapping, the autotune, the jam-packed instrumental with YG production at it's finest, and the stick-in-your-head-like-glue hook. What sets it apart from the other two singles they promoted? Everything is bearable - everything was done in moderation, with our ears in mind. That, and it's not trying too hard to be stylish or whatever Go Away was trying to be - what you hear, and see, is basically what you get.
For 2NE1 standards, the hook is pretty laid-back actually, but it's in-your-face and repetitive enough to stick. The chorus as a whole is pretty, actually, without all the computerized sounds running all over the place. The elements flow well, and the song actually progresses, and it's resolved neatly.
Staten Island’s finest instrumental Afrobeat band went into the studio for their new album with the intention, according to their bio, of making a psychedelic, doom-rock record but admit that it came out sounding like a Budos record. That’s not a bad thing at all considering that The Budos Band are one of the best musical units around regardless of category. The creatively titled III is their third album and picks up where the first two left off, but do contain some darker grooves.
Album opener “Rite of the Ancients” is The Budos doing business as usual – upbeat, funky and tighter than hell. Excellent horn charts, powerhouse grooves and hypnotic guitar lines weave in and out of the overall sound. “Black Venom” is up next and is indeed named in tribute of Black Sabbath and Venom. It’s a darker groove than standard Afrobeat and the organ is way up front and mysterious sounding. Unfortunately, there are no musical references to any of Venom or Sabbath’s classic material but here’s hoping they cover “Angel Dust” and/or “Supernaught” soon.
For a bunch of guys from Staten Island, NY they can get downright exotic sounding on jams like “Mark Of The Unnamed” and “Raja Haje.” And I thought the most exotic thing you could get on SI are some decent rice balls. The album is paced very nicely with faster ones like “Unbroken, Unshaven” mixed up with slower ones like “Nature’s Wrath.” 11 songs in 38 minutes is just the right amount of time for a band like this. It leaves you wanting more and will have you reaching for their other two albums since no one else really sounds like The Budos Band. The only dud on the album for me is the Beatles cover “Reppirt Yad” (read it backwards). On previous albums they’ve done creative remakes of Sly’s “Sing A Simple Song” and the Temptations’ “My Girl” but this one kinda bores me. It doesn’t help that I’m not really a Beatles fan and don’t ever need to hear that song ever again but, hey, it’s the last song on the album and easy enough to skip over. It will probably help sell them a few copies, so more power to them.
The Budos are an outstanding band that should appeal to anyone with a pair of ears. Some of the guys pull double duty with the incredible Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and record for the consistently funky Daptone Records. As good as the records are, the live show is even better and a lot of fun. Let’s hope the next one is a double live album (recorded in Brooklyn at Southpaw, naturally).
Apparently, they've never been D-NA to start with, so I'm calling them The Boss from now on.
So The Boss haven't exactly swept music show wins this year, nor have they really sold a lot both in Korea and Japan (do they even have a single out there?), but I like these guys. And for more than the fact that they remind me of my beloved DBSK. I re-iterate what I said earlier this year (like in a lot of what I've been writing lately) - 비틀비틀 is generic, cheesy at certain points, and you know not a lot of money was invested in to this, but it's like that to show how much more talent The Boss have compared to your run-of-the-mill boyband from a small agency no one's heard of.
I'd say they're tied with BEAST - BEAST have the backing of a semi-major agency, but lack in terms of talent when compared to The Boss. Put these two groups together and you have just a little less than what DBSK had when they were just starting out.
Let us now take the time to worship Mika and Karam's vocals. I have an unpublished, unfinished, draft of a vocal commentary for The Boss (that I wrote last summer), and I call Mika the Junsu of The Boss, and Karam and Jaejoong. Their vocals are drop-dead gorgeous, and I think being in one of the many generations of Xing helped. The other three are strong too, but Karam and Mika carry the band vocally, and for a band as new as them to be as good as they are is a hard feat to even try reaching.
비틀비틀 is catchy verging on cheap sometimes, but the way all five of them carry it both live, with their stage presence, and recorded with the epic, amazing vocals give it another dimension. To be honest with you, if k-pop gave me the same songs it did this year, only with people who could actually sing them, I wouldn't be complaining.
The season of X Factor that Diana Vickers was on was the one I watched the most, as I've said countless times. (note: this was the same season JLS were on) And I REALLY wanted her to win, or at least get into the finals with JLS. She obviously didn't, and I was devastated to say the least, but the material she put out, years later, was enough to console me. For now.
Diana has a rather different voice - it's both rough and smooth, it's got a bit of body coupled with an airy texture, but it's an absolute pleasure to listen to. The combination makes it rather soothing, to be honest. As much as it sounds gorgeous singing ballads, (like Notice, which almost made the list) it's her uptempos that intrigue and amaze me.
It's hard to choose uptempos for her, to be honest, because you can't give her some random song you'd give Pixie or Alexandra. But Jumping Into Rivers was the perfect choice, if I may say so. And the execution was just spot-on, especially for the vocals to really stand out.
The arrangement is very simple, but the instrumentation is very sharp. All the instruments have a snap to them - from the drum line to the guitar section - and it's a contrast to Diana's very soft (not in terms of volume) voice.
And oh dear, the melody. The melody is drop-dead gorgeous - it has enough intensity at the chorus and enough smoothness at the verses to actually be rather soothing. And none of that "chill" crap - it's a midtempo verging on uptempo and it's got kick, thank you very much.
The Last Royals - Crystal Vases b/w Backseat Lovers
It’s sad, but my very profitable work as genealogist for the two royal families of New York may quickly be coming to an end. You see dear waveriders, at the moment the future of these two grand bloodlines is in serious jeopardy. Only one young man from each family is left to carry on each esteemed line. In a bold stroke of luck for this writer the two men in question, Eric James and Mason Ingram, have decided to join forces in a musical venture appropriately titled The Last Royals. I sincerely hope this title is in jest. I’m not well suited for any other profession.
Now let’s talk about this musical venture, shall we? These two debut singles taken from a recently released EP represent pop music near the summit of Mount Perfection. Seriously, these songs are extraordinary! The Last Royals describe themselves as ‘urban walking music’. If that is true, you should expect to see people in downtown cityscapes either happily skipping along or walking at a quickened pace while undulating wildly. I know that is how I would be transporting myself while under the influence of that soundtrack!
“Crystal Vases” is the first song on offer. The vocals tell a bittersweet tale of a man admiring a vase that has survived a bad break up and now functions as an ashtray. Would you think a song concerning this topic would be depressing? While that is certainly a reasonable assumption, the music played behind this sullen tale makes it strangely jovial and celebratory. The song is very well structured. It gradually builds itself up from a humble guitar/vocal start, crescendos with added instrumentation to the chorus, then brings the energy level back down in order to build once again to the finish. And then there is “Backseat Lovers”. This synthesizer driven monster will have you bouncing off the walls! I’m reminded of Cake at their funkiest. The highest compliment I can pay The Last Royals is that after listening to these songs repeatedly, I’m most upset that I can’t have the instant gratification of immediately hearing more of their music. Download these songs now!
You know, sometimes it’s really not enjoyable being a royal appointee. This is one of those times…but hey, it’s a job. After having cut ties with my previous genealogist position in New York, I moved south to Atlanta where an old friend of mine put in a good word for me with the royal family of Georgia. Upon my arrival I appeared before the court, ingratiated myself with the important parties involved, and thus became the new royal image manager. The first order of business requiring my attention was to hear applicants wishing to become the ‘Official Thunder Manufacturer’ of the royal family. Apparently the royals of Georgia were big meteorology buffs who already employed people in the positions of ‘Official’ lightning catcher, tornado chaser, hurricane designator, and cloudscape portrait maker. ‘Thunder Manufacturer’ was simply the next position that needed to be filled.
And that waveriders is how I found myself sitting behind a table in an empty gymnasium, judging the merits of hopeful ‘thunder’ applicants, bored out of my skull. You would not believe how many people took to the stage before me and simply yelled “BOOM!” as loud as they could. It was stunning and baffling at first, but eventually it became mind-numbing. That’s not to say there were no standouts, however bad they might have been. First there was a one-man-band with two bass drums on his back and cymbals in his hands. That guy was interesting. Second, there was the smug DJ who simply laid his large speakers face down and played a series of bass tracks at extreme volume. Yeah, no. Lastly there was the old, manic traditionalist who brought in a thin sheet of metal which he expertly manipulated to produce the sound of a clap and several rolls of thunder. Impressive, but not what I really wanted. Thankfully Royal Thunder (how appropriate) eventually took the stage for their audition.
The three members of the band set up their gear onstage, tuned their instruments, and proceeded to demonstrate their power. All seven songs from their EP, counting the introductory track, were played in order. It was uncanny how easily the band’s music could be compared to an actual thunderstorm. The introduction utilizes the female lead singer’s haunting voice to create the first hint of tension, as if you can just make out dark clouds forming on the horizon. You can feel something heavy is approaching. “Sleeping Witch”, the first proper song, simulates the cloud mass rapidly overtaking your postion and the rain pouring down. “Mouth of Fire” and “Low” represent the brunt of the storm. Thunder and lightning abound and the rain is being blown almost sideways from gale force winds. “Grave Dance” quiets things down for a few moments, as if you are in the eye of the monster swirling around you, but before long the full force of the storm has returned. “Hotel Bend” mimics the sound of the storm winding down, and the last song “Deacon” proves that one needs to be cautious no matter how quiet and seemingly peaceful things become. Many storms throw one last round of brute force your way before finally leaving the area for good.
Okay, now that I’ve gone on perhaps too long concerning what the music reminds me of, it’s time to acquaint you with what the band actually sounds like. As I mentioned before, there are three members in this band. Mlny Parsonz plays bass and sings, Josh Weaver strums the guitar, and Jesse Stuber beats on the drums. Together they create some haunting, groovy, doomy, muscular, beautiful tunes. Instrumentally I often think of the mighty Black Sabbath, but the vocals are another matter. It is a failing of mine that I can not come up with an adequate comparison for Ms. Parsonz’s exquisite vocals. I’m certainly reminded of someone but I can’t quite put my finger on it, and for that I apologize. What I will say is that the vocals are truly fantastic, and are definitely a highlight of the listening experience!
Obviously after listening to Royal Thunder I had found my new ‘Thunder Manufacturers’. All of the remaining applicants were dismissed, and I hurried to inform my employers of the hiring. They were going to be thrilled!
G.NA is one of the most promising debuts I've witnessed this year, if I may say so. I've had my doubts, of course, but in the end there's something about this girl that makes me very curious, and very optimistic about what the future will bring her.
It's what you would give your typical new "rising star" solo female singer-dancer-combination and it won't really get her anywhere. The way the chorus explodes is gorgeous, I actually like the rap part (done by the guy from BEAST and no one else, thank you very much) and the song flows very naturally, however majority of it was most likely recycled from other songs. But, like I said earlier this year, these days it's all in how your carry the song, and G.NA sure knows how.
There were times when I was unsure of whether she was lipsyncing or not, but for the times that I was sure, her vocals were near perfect. To top it all off, the girl knows how to perform - there's finesse to the way she moves and carries herself, both on stage and in the video. And that's important if you're selling your song.
But aside from all the technical and musical stuff, I genuinely enjoy listening to the song, regardless of it's flaws and generic-ness. At the end of the day, me liking the song is the biggest factor. And I like the song a hell of a lot!
I like 2AM - they're currently fighting SHINee for my second favorite boyband, seeing as their vocals are obviously a notch higher than SHINee's, even if both of them are fantastic in their own ways. My point is, if DBSK never existed, heaven forbid, they could very well be my favorite boyband. Because they can sing. Extremely well.
Now I don't usually like it when good vocals are autotuned, like what happened on this song, but I'll make an exception, because it's only now that I realize something. In a way, I Did Wrong was a very risky song for 2AM, but in a way they pulled it off better than anyone like them could ever have.
It's not your typical heart-wrenching, soap-worthy ballad that you'd assume a ballad-based band would sing (although their repertoire is practically swimming in them) - it's like a cool version of that. It's too slow to be a dance-worthy song, even if I believe they did a bit of "dancing" for this, but once again, it's a little too upbeat to be a ballad ballad. Out of their "comfort zone".
The song also has a rap part. Of course I have no idea if it's any good, but that was another risky move. So was putting in a hook, and a very infectious one at that. In all honesty, they pulled the entire song off extremely well, and the result was more than OK.
Which brings me to a rather important point - just because someone has a gorgeous voice most definitely does not mean that they should be given a repertoire swimming in ballads. Don't get me wrong, I love beautifully-done ballads, but I believe I said this when I reviewed Lucifer - when there are few ballads on an album, I notice them more. But that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is, it doesn't hurt for "ballad singers" to do some uptempos every now and then, because they clearly have the chops to do it - uptempos are most definitely not for talentless people.
