tunes

Monday, December 10, 2012

Finals week is, for me, a time when all of my lackluster academic participation throughout the semester is thrust back into my face in the form of tests and papers that I know virtually nothing about but I must somehow make A's on. There are a couple of things that make this time of the year a little bit less grim. Number 1: I can eat whatever I want whenever I want because I'm hiding out in my room or the library and (hopefully) no one is going to see me anyways. Number 2: This is a great time to discover and re-discover some of my favorite music and musical artists that the previous lack of confinement to my desk has led me to forget about. The point of this post is actually the musical part, but as usual I procrastinated getting to my point, kind of like how I am procrastinating my studies at current. Enjoy the tunes!


Electronic/Jazz: Emancipator


Emancipator is the stage name of an electronic-jazz music producer from Oregon named Douglas Appling. To me his music is like, new age classical music with a hip hop twist, and its marvelous. This is perfect study or meditation music. My favorite Emancipator album is "Soon it Will be Cold Enough."


R&B: The Weeknd


Abel Tesfaye a.k.a The Weeknd might be one of the biggest influences in music right now. The recent release of his new album, Trilogy, has myself and everyone else blowing up the twittersphere with Abel's beautifully jaded lyrics about lust, shame, and over-indulgence. If you haven't heard any of his music, you absolutely need to. My words will not do him justice. To quote MTV's John Norris, "The Weeknd is the best musical talent since Michael Jackson." Whoa.


Alternative: Gorillaz


Most everyone has heard of the English musical and visual project known as Gorillaz, which consists of a virtual band of cartoon characters and their extensive fictional universe. The only permanent musical contributor is creator Damon Albarn, who plays the lead vocalist character named 2D. The other band members are taken on by different artists collaboratively.. Some featured artists have included Del the Funky Homosapien and Snoop Dogg. If I had to choose my favorite Gorillaz album, it would be "Demon Days."


Hip Hop: Kendrick Lamar


Kendrick Lamar is the hip hop artist on everybody's radar right now. His recent album, "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City," received critical acclaim and had him named "the heir to the throne of west coast rap." Personally I enjoy Kendrick's music because he has a good sound and his lyrics are very obviously recounts of his actual past and experiences. My favorite tracks on his new album are Money Trees, Poetic Justice, and Swimming Pools.


Rock: The Killers


I have been absolutely obsessed with this band since the release of their first album, "Hot Fuss" (which is still my favorite). I would best describe the Killers' sound as Indie Rock and Roll, and their lyrics are beautiful and puzzling. Favorite tracks of all time: Jenny Was A Friend of Mine, All These Things That  I've Done, When You Were Young, and Human.


Indie Pop: Lana Del Rey


Last and certainly not least, miss Lana Del Rey. She is so glamorous and so blatantly tortured that you have no choice but to love her and her music. Lana was British GQ's "Woman of the Year" this year, and critics have said that her talent and beauty makes 2013 "hers for the taking." My favorite songs are Off To The Races, Dark Paradise, and Ride




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