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(11/07/17 12:00pm)
by Conner Tighe
Three years after his 12th album Morning Phase, Beck returns with his 13th album. Colors was released on Friday the 13th, but it turned out 13 may be a lucky number for Beck. His new album provides a nice balance between alternative and pop, and compared to many of his previous albums, this one is more upbeat. Despite the album’s release date, it has been well received so far, and in terms of quality it is definitely worth the money and the time of day.
That familiar tune...or is it?
This album stands out from Beck's previous releases because his music seems to be progressing toward pop and dance. Colors steps away from the rock feel that most of his previous albums have shared. His 2002 album Sea Change featured songs like "End of the Day", "It’s All in Your Mind" and "Little One". All of those songs were much slower and had a much more mellow feel to them compared to Colors.
It was a well-done and smart play on Beck's part to step away from what he normally does. Of course, these songs deal with mainly guitar and bass. It wouldn’t be Beck without these two instruments. The bass is incredible throughout his new music, and it makes you want to tap along to the rhythm. There is also a feel of oldies to the music. The way the guitar is strummed at times can make you reminisce about 60s music. This isn't true of every track since they sound different from each other, but the pop feel is present throughout the entire album.
The colors look different this time
In most albums, the artist will shift the mood of the music by transferring from slow to fast or vice versa. This is not the case with this album. Colors is a good example of how music has changed since the 90s. It also shows how far Beck has come since his first album, Golden Feelings. Although the album is upbeat in a way, it still provides that “dark side” of music that we all know from Beck. But even compared to his previous album Morning Phase, songs like "No Distraction" and "Dreams" from Colors feature a more upbeat vibe to them.
The overall themes
Beck touches base with several different factors of life throughout this album. For example, "No Distraction" talks about how technology has overrun society and its ways of communicating. The line “pull you to the left, pull you to the right, pulling you in all directions,” proves this. Fans that have grown up with Beck can relate to this because they have experienced the changing of communication due to technology.
There is another major theme in this album, and that is the inevitability of death. "Dear Life" talks about the “end of the road” so to speak with our lives. It’s important to get everything we can out of life. The idea of being alive and experiencing life is the overall meaning of this album. His previous albums focused on the idea of love and losing somebody we love. It's hard to understand everything Beck is trying to convey on Colors, but that's because it's one of his more complicated albums and has several different meanings.
Recommended if you like:
Radiohead
The Black Keys
Spoon
Top tracks:
“Seventh Heaven”
“Square One”
“Dreams”
Featured image from We Plug Good Music
(11/02/17 6:49pm)
by Preston Radtke
Normally a four-year gap between releases is nothing to spill ink over in the music industry. Earlier this year, notable artists like LCD Soundsystem, Feist, and Wolf Parade all put out records after longer terms of absence. But Cults’ musical silence seemed more pronounced and surprising. The band seemed to be ascending toward their climactic peak after their self-titled record and its follow-up Static. Despite the four-year detention, the hope of what Cults could and should be still remained in their loyal following. Offering was expected to be a building block, a step forward, yet another iteration added to the ever-diversifying and specializing machine that is Cults.
Instead though, Offering tends toward the most laggard, undynamic outputs of Cults. The production is mismanaged and inefficient. Overall, the album is a disappointment, a stab to the heart of loyal indie kids itching to realize the next incantation of Follin and Oblivion. Madeline Follin is actually the only bright spot on this sullen document, a fact that in itself necessitates grim thoughts of dismissal and disbandment. The overarching notion is that Follin would be best served to go at it alone, and pursue a solo career to best take advantage of her talents.
To be static would be better than this
“Go Outside”, “Abducted”, and “Always Forever” were all past standouts that found Cults dabbling in diverse, complex song structures. Their first two LP’s had a distinct personality and style while still allowing each song to form an individualized niche for itself. Offering on the other hand features a stunningly bland overlapping song base with only one song that is drastically different from the rest. Having songs that are arranged the same isn’t a bad thing by any means, but that song template that makes up the majority of the record is bland and repetitive itself.
“I Took Your Picture”, the second single off the record, is the poster child for congruity and mass production. The track begins with an oceanic, synth-driven pool of sound, followed by percussion that sounds a bit too far removed from the rest of the song. Then Madeline Follin’s sensual, reverb-soaked voice guides the song through the verses and empty choruses. This template is repeated nine more times. Again, this uniformity would have been easier to swallow if these songs were produced better, and were written with more personality and complexity.
All of the tracks on this record deal with issues of growing older; the oft-moonlighted motif of the aging millennial. None of the lyrics or instrumentation are bold enough or forward enough to form any sort of specific sentiment, resulting in ten tracks that are virtually the same.
That other track,”Right Words”, is Cults’s most bizarre and blatantly radio-friendly release. Unlike the song’s fellow offerings, “Right Words” hits the listener with a Follin-infused vocal section backed by instrumentation that would best be described as noncommittal. The piece wanders and flames out, making the 3:07 time marker seem much longer.
Separate, but unequal
Reverb has previously yielded some of the richest results for Cults. “Go Outside” was a charming, sunny output that was both mystifyingly beautiful and artful in its percussion. The mixers and producers were able to effectively identify songs that needed more reverb or less punctuated drums, resulting in some of the tightest and most unique cuts in the indie rock movement.
Offering however finds a gross misappropriation of reverb and percussive presence. “Good Religion” could very well have been one of the top cuts off of Offering. The vintage demeanor about the song is a never-before-explored region for the duo. Unfortunately, the over-reverberated tone of the song made the vintage and nostalgic sound fall to the background, hence lessening the impact and efficiency of the song. Conversely, “Recovery” needs more reverb. “Recovery” utilizes a piano and synthetic horns throughout the duration, and the little reverb that is enabled give the song a heavenly, whimsical feel. But the tragedy of “Recovery” is how good it could have been. More reverb would have juxtaposed nicely with the morose theme of the track and provided a nice backdrop for Follin’s heartfelt lyrics.
The most unfortunate reality about Offering is just how downtempo, and unready for the dance floor it is. “Walk At Night”, “Abducted” and “Were Before” were scintillating indie gems with the smoothest hint of EDM. These pairings made Cults' music more accessible and certainly more interesting. Offering gives no such escapes to the dance floor, forcing the audience to stay lodged in a foggy glass-filled cube. Truthfully speaking, the lack of rhythm and tempo make the album drag and elongate. Percussives would have provided so much more personality to the nearly textureless album.
Madeline Follin still stands tall
With all of the previously mentioned shortcomings of Offering, what cannot be overlooked is the performance of the lead singer, Madeline Follin. Her voice is a simmering mixture of velvet, innocence, and yes, mischief. Her voice soars higher than the clouds that Cults basked in with some of their more dreamy past outputs. The overall dynamics that Follin demonstrates makes one think that the band is severely holding her back. “With My Eyes Closed” is Follin’s finest work on the album, a cornucopia of high notes and vocal valleys in sporadic succession. Even the inconsistent reverb couldn’t overshadow the abilities of the Manhattan native.
Even the more discrete assignments Follin’s voice takes on are done to noteworthy effectiveness. The title track “Offering” features few moments of vocal dynamics, but Follin’s voice is able to gorgeously blend with the backing instrumentation while still remaining discernible and multi-dimensional. She's able to deliver the emotion and lyrics perfectly while still letting the synths and drums do what they do.
Top track:
“Recovery”
Recommended if you like:
Best Coast - Fade Away
Beach House - Depression Cherry
Sleigh Bells - Treats
Featured image from Consequence of Sound
(10/26/17 10:12pm)
by Nolan Leahy
Bunkerville: A Post-Apocalyptic Musical is exactly as it sounds. No, it isn’t a spinoff from Bethesda’s Fallout franchise, but it has the same type of setting.
The musical’s story follows Steve, a narcissistic journalist that leaves an underground city 200 years after a nuclear holocaust.
Carson Crow is the assistant director for the musical and a theatre student here at Ball State. In the past, he was an assistant director for performances such as Boeing-Boeing, Everything will be Different: A Brief History of Helen of Troy, and Hairspray. He also directed a smaller scale musical John and Jenn in the Cave Studio Theatre.
Crow said Bunkerville was chosen to be in the Ball State production season two years ago. Multiple workshops and script rewrites took place throughout the previous two years and that “there still might be before it opens.”
Crow said that helping create this performance is an enjoyable challenge, and that the students he works with have “been on top of it.”
He said the director –-Matt Reeder—wanted to bring out more of the comedic nature of the production. Through the development, students designed all of the technical aspects including sound, lighting, “wacky” props, costumes, and the hair and makeup.
“The lighting is so intense because you start in a bunker, and then we travel to the surface. So, contrasting the two worlds of that has been really exciting for the lighting designer,” Crow said.
The only way Crow could describe the hair and makeup was with a chuckle.
“When you see the show, you’ll understand,” Crow said. “I’m just thrilled to be working with Matt and literally everyone on that production. They’ve been great.”
Bunkerville: A Post-Apocalyptic Musical premiered over the weekend and continues on until Oct. 28. The musical times are at 7:30 p.m. from Oct. 25 to Oct. 28 in addition to a 2:30 p.m. performance on Oct. 28. Tickets can be bought here.
Image Gallery
Click the image below to see more from the show!
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Photography by Nolan Leahy
(10/24/17 9:40pm)
https://soundcloud.com/user-519363288/remixed-s2e5-old-vs-new
This week on Remixed there is a clash over old school vs. new school: Wu-Tang Clan, P!nk, AWOLNATION, and the Eminem freestyle bash on Trump!
Hosts: Tyler Wheatley, Matthew Yapp, Daley Wilhelm
Edited by: Phil Akin
Graphic by: Daley Wilhelm
(10/23/17 3:30pm)
When you watch a Halloween movie, you generally want to get scared out of your seat. There’s definitely a place for campy horror movies; that’s why Rocky Horror has gotten so popular, after all. But then there’s also a wealth of real horror movies, the stuff that gets into people’s minds and makes them fear their entire existence.
(10/21/17 6:57pm)
by Ryan Fine
When you watch a Halloween movie, you generally want to get scared out of your seat. There’s definitely a place for campy horror movies; that’s why Rocky Horror has gotten so popular, after all. But then there’s also a wealth of real horror movies, the stuff that gets into people’s minds and makes them fear their entire existence.
That’s where Halloween music is different. We all love doing the Monster Mash, the Time Warp and whatever dance you do to the “Spooky Scary Skeletons” song. But where are the genuine terrors? Where’s the merciless Halloween music that’s gonna linger in my mind when I’m done listening and make me afraid to go to sleep at night? If you’re looking for a “Thriller” that actually has the effect of a real psychological thriller, here are a few songs that prove it’s possible. I just wouldn’t recommend putting any of these on your Halloween party playlist.
Radiohead – “Climbing Up the Walls” (OK Computer, 1997)
“Climbing Up the Walls” (which takes up the first 4:45 of the above video) makes for a great entry point into horror music, which is partly because it seems like it might be a normal song the first time you hear it. The muffled drums and vocals are off-putting, but for the most part, it just seems to glide along in a laid-back, icy groove for the first three minutes. But when you hear the dissonance of the strings at the end of the song and its accompanying maniacal laughter, you might be inspired to take a closer look at the lyrics.
That’s when you realize that this song is actually pretty screwed up. “I am the key to the lock in your house / That keeps your toys in your basement,” the song’s narrator proclaims at the beginning, and it doesn’t get any less eerie than that. When the chorus finally comes around, the true meaning of the title is revealed. This antagonist isn’t rock climbing, or even climbing up the walls of your house. It’s climbing up the walls on the inside of your skull. Where the music itself may be ambiguous, the lyrics much more clearly paint a portrait of real, unadulterated paranoia.
Bent Knee – “Sunshine” (Shiny Eyed Babies, 2014)
Boston’s Bent Knee, an art-rock band that formed at Berklee in 2009, is far too ambitious to be as overlooked as they are. Possibly their most conceptual album to date, 2014’s Shiny Eyed Babies, deals with a number of heavy real-world terrors such as drugs, war and suicide. Then there’s “Sunshine”, a slow-burn that deals with the unforgiving wrath of a jealous ex-lover. The first few verses of this song stay pretty quiet. The narrator addresses her former sweetheart for a few bars, then the music sharpens to a point before tearing itself back down for more lamentation. There are several instrumental buildups, each one expanding upon the previous one, but they all turn out to be fake-outs…until they’re not.
There’s something beautifully sinister about using children’s songs for horror purposes. For the same reason dolls and clowns have such a huge effect in scary movies, Courtney Swain’s repetition of the “You Are My Sunshine” verse at the end of this song takes it to new heights of creepiness. This is especially true once the last buildup finally explodes into a dramatic film score-like climax, followed by a cold cliffhanger that leaves the song without any real resolution. “Sunshine” is not only a prime exercise in building musical tension, but also a brilliant exploration of the line between unrequited love and full-on dangerous obsession.
Nine Inch Nails – “The Downward Spiral” (The Downward Spiral, 1994)
The title track from Trent Reznor’s famous concept album The Downward Spiral is undeniably menacing. But considering that this is actually one of the more subtle songs on the album, it’s a bit surprising that it managed to pull off the scariness so effectively. Most of the track is just the sound of flies superimposed onto an acoustic guitar rendition of the melody from “Closer”, which might make you look over your shoulder to be safe, but it won’t legitimately frighten you.
That is, until you reach the 2:32 mark. At this point, the mix turns inside out and becomes extraordinarily muffled (don’t worry, your speakers are probably fine). Through the right channel, you hear the silenced screams of a man who has finally been driven to insanity. Through the left channel, you hear the voice in his head describing death through a self-inflicted gunshot wound (“So much blood from such a tiny little hole”). Nine Inch Nails have been notoriously edgy since the very beginning, but in some ways “The Downward Spiral” was entirely new territory.
Suicide – “Frankie Teardrop” (Suicide, 1977)
Speaking of downward spirals, this classic piece of horror storytelling is another prime example. “Frankie Teardrop” is a semi-true account of a man who struggles to make ends meet and decides the best solution is to kill his entire family and then himself. The song goes slightly past the 10-minute mark, but it’s actually pretty straightforward in its presentation. The instrumentation is repetitive and minimalistic enough that it’s easy to pay attention to the story instead, and the production lends a hand in making this one of the most truly terrifying songs of all time.
At certain important plot points in “Frankie Teardrop”, the vocals seem to move closer to the listener. When the narrator says Frankie is going to kill his wife and kids, it’s an up-close and personal experience that almost makes you feel like Frankie might kill you next. And then there’s the bloodcurdling shrieks. When Frankie shoots his wife and his six-month-old child, vocalist Alan Vega suddenly screams into the microphone like a banshee. These moments are unforgivingly loud and they come out of nowhere, almost like a musical jump scare. If you’ve never listened to this song, I recommend doing it while walking alone in an unlit neighborhood when everyone has already gone to sleep. You’ll probably need to do some laundry when you’re done.
Pharmakon – “No Natural Order” (Contact, 2017)
Upon hearing “No Natural Order”, the closing track from Pharmakon’s newest album Contact, it’s easy to see why her music isn’t for everyone. She is obviously going for shock value (I mean, just look at that disgusting album cover), but it’s still uniquely terrifying even with that knowledge in mind. Instrumentally, the song is full of pounding percussion and chain sounds, which is disturbing enough as it is. With the vocals on top of that it's almost too much to handle.
This is one of the only tracks on Contact with any intelligible words, though it’s hard to call them “lyrics” since they’re non-musically shrieked rather than sung. Her vocal delivery is shrill to the point of being legitimately difficult to listen to for the entire run time of the song, and the production is equally punishing. This savage, animalistic presentation sums up the message of the entire album: “We cannot transcend all of our instincts / Just animals lost in a confused dream”. People are just like any other living thing on Earth and we are tiny and insignificant compared to the universe as a whole. It’s a nihilistic point of view, but it turns out nihilism can be the strongest form of horror.
Bonus: Stalaggh – Projekt Misanthropia (2007)
It’s hard to define Stalaggh’s Projekt Misanthropia as a song, as an album, or even as music at all. This 35-minute monolith is horrifying not only in its sound, but in its ridiculous, undeniably immoral legacy. Though the members of Stalaggh have never shared their actual identities, the band claims that the vocals on this album were recorded from patients they abducted from a mental institution. Because one of the band members worked at this institution, they were supposedly able to pull seven patients to record for them. In the process, one of the band members was nearly stabbed to death by a patient with uncontrollable homicidal urges.
Considering black metal musicians' reputation for committing horrible crimes for the sake of their image, it’s actually not too unbelievable that Stalaggh would go to such lengths to make their music seem more authentic. But that really doesn’t make it any less disturbing to think about. I see no reason for anyone to ever listen to this entire album in one go, but for some reason the whole thing is on YouTube so I guess that option is available if you’re morbidly curious. God help you.
Sources: YouTube
Images: Noisey
(10/17/17 10:28pm)
The sophomore LP from Brooklyn-based indie-pop outfit Florist is an awakening for the band, a portrait of what music nerds thought the band should be and a realization of the band’s place in the indie sphere. Their debut output The Birds Outside Sang, released in 2016, is the folksy yin to If Blue Could Be Happiness’s yang. Much more stripped-back and earthy, LP 2 features many of the same lyrical constructs and thematic tropes found on LP 1. If Blue Could Be Happiness is much more complex and mature in its song arrangements however, providing a promising step forward for Florist. Unfortunately, that step forward is completely negated by the track order, making many pundits wonder if this is a traditional album or just a 10-song collection of singles.
(10/16/17 4:00pm)
by Preston Radtke
The sophomore LP from Brooklyn-based indie-pop outfit Florist is an awakening for the band, a portrait of what music nerds thought the band should be and a realization of the band’s place in the indie sphere. Their debut output The Birds Outside Sang, released in 2016, is the folksy yin to If Blue Could Be Happiness’s yang. Much more stripped-back and earthy, LP 2 features many of the same lyrical constructs and thematic tropes found on LP 1. If Blue Could Be Happiness is much more complex and mature in its song arrangements however, providing a promising step forward for Florist. Unfortunately, that step forward is completely negated by the track order, making many pundits wonder if this is a traditional album or just a 10-song collection of singles.
Themes are still heartbreaking
On their 2016 record, Florist created an album of mourning and angst. Emily Sprague, the lead singer and main songwriter for the band, crafted many tracks from the standpoint of a hospital-ridden patient pondering the limitations of her newly adopted state and the sad atrocities that one tends to linger on when they have nothing else to do. That is because Sprague was in fact one of those individuals. During the writing of The Birds Outside Sang Sprague suffered a near-death accident resulting in a broken neck and broken leg. Tracks like “I Was”, “A Hospital + Crucifix Made of Plastic”, and “Cold Lakes Quiet Dreams” found the band delving in to the deepest reaches of gloom, despair and helplessness.
Seemingly healthy and emboldened from a tangible perspective, the four-piece band went about commenting on depression, wanderlust and loss on their second record. Florist talks about depression from several different angles. The initial track “Blue Mountain Road” gives a haunting detail of the paralyzing effect and isolationistic state that depression puts upon someone. The truly unsettling and obviously effective thing about “Blue Mountain Road” is just how instrumentally upbeat it is. Vague listening would make one think that the track is about hope or starting anew. Lyrically however, Sprague drives the concept of the song home with repeated allusions to the dark and looking for a light that never comes. That juxtaposition is a beautiful and relevant manifestation of depression itself. Someone may seem fine and happy on the surface, but once you dig deeper and uncover the shades and layers of misdirection, you will sincerely realize just how brooding they actually are.
“Understanding Light” deals with depression from a more hypothetical view. The song features the protagonist dealing with their terror of having depression. Many allusions and Armageddon-esque scenarios play out in which the protagonist quakes under the possibility of getting depression and how that will impair them.
Perhaps the prettiest and most innocent track on the album, “What I Wanted to Hold”, paints Florist as a child yearning to go back to their home where they are loved and comfortable. The song alludes to the world moving too fast and being too volatile for the band. The guitar and vocal interplay are the most in-tune and synergistic. “Glowing Brightly” paints with the same brush as “What I Wanted To Hold”. This time though, the band seems to have matured, less wary and afraid of the outside world and more mature in their desire to go home. Kind of like a thirty-something who hasn’t visited their family in a few years and is completely okay with that, but they still feel some sort of obligatory duty to do so. “Glowing Brightly” is both an homage to where the band has gone and where the band is from.
The darkest song on the album, “Thank You Light”, is a chilling imagination of the protagonist’s death. Sprague casually describes the protagonist’s much anticipated and envied murder, seemingly impervious to the natural feelings associated with such an occasion. The track’s true color comes out in the realization of waste, and unfulfilled potential by the recently disceased. Sprague’s bullish delivery makes one think that the dead one almost deserves to die due to their wasted ability and empty output.
Florist runs to the woods
Combined with the lyrical content, song structure and Sprague’s voice, many people were caught-off-guard by The Birds Outside Sang’s heavy electronic and synthetic instrumental presence. Everything seemed to point to a more folk-leaning and inspired instrumental orchestration. The band has acknowledged this, that their first LP wasn’t how they expected it to be in this light. Sprague’s accident not only impacted the lyrics, but it necessitated a vacation of the acoustic guitar in most cases due to her broken arm and a sanctuary in the mixing lab.
If Blue Could Be Happiness is what everyone expected, and what many desired from Florist instrumentally. There are no electric guitars, no usage of synthesizers or keyboards, and minimal uses of percussion. The implementation of the acoustic guitar gives the songs a much gentler, more somber tenor, more effectively driving home many of the album’s more morose concepts.
In some instances however, the guitar work is almost too brooding and plodding. “Red Bird”, the final song on the record, leaves the listener hanging and looking for something to grasp. Neither Sprague’s minimalistic vocals nor the snail-like guitar section provide enough texture or volume for the song. This could work if the song's message dealt with confusion or marauding. Unfortunately, Sprague’s vocals are very generic and give little context for the song’s actual meaning. Furthermore, the instrumentals don’t fill in the gaps that Sprague creates, resulting in a severely imperfect, incomplete recording. The slightest bit of percussion or even reverb could have made this song at least a little bit more interesting.
The notable lack of percussion is one of the bigger qualms with the instrumentals on this record. Again, some of the tracks lack a bit of personality and backbone, both things that drums and cymbals would provide. Both “If Blue Could Be Happiness” and “Glowing Brightly” find the band utilizing measured percussives that give the slightest amount of rhythm and tempo, guiding the album out of the treehouse and into the coffee house. These two tracks, probably the best off the album, are much more accessible and easy to understand. On other tracks, the lack of tempo and other instrumentation make it harder for listeners to understand just what the song is about.
Maybe they should hit shuffle again
On an album full of strengths and progression, one major pitfall is the tracklist. Florist left a lot to be desired when they arranged this record. “Blue Mountain Road”, the first song off the record, is a poor, and fatally ineffective opener. The song showcases little of what’s to come later on in the album and the subject matter is immediate in its depth and weight, thrusting too much on to the listener too soon. A more proper opening track would have been “Eyes in the Sun.” The fifth cut from the record, “Eyes in the Sun” is a rare upbeat track featuring the main character’s wish to runaway with a loved one, and them imagining what their life would be like together. The track reveals intricate guitar work and effective vocals reminiscent of later songs on the record.
The penultimate piece “Instrumental 3” is truly perplexing. As the title suggests, “Instrumental 3” is a piece devoid of vocals, a sort of bridge to another section of the album. But as it turns out, that other section is simply the last track. Usually instrumentals and interludes are found in the middle of the record, primarily for blocking off conceptual series of songs from unrelated ones. The placement of “Instrumental” makes absolutely no sense. The preceding track “If Blue Could Be Happiness” is yet another track that deals with loss and decay, and the following track “Red Bird” appears to be cut out of the same mold. A better placement for “Instrumental” would have been between “Glowing Brightly” and “Thank You Light”, since both tracks which deal with opposing emotions. Moreover, both seem to bookend sections of concepts that seem to necessitate a sort of buffer zone for listeners to fully absorb content before, and prepare themselves for what’s to come.
Top tracks:
“Understanding Light”
“Eyes in the Sun”
“Glowing Brightly”
Recommended if you like:
Girlpool - Before the World Was Big
Eskimeaux - O.K.
Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
Featured image from Bandcamp
(10/16/17 6:30pm)
This week on Remixed, we tackle the music of two female powerhouses: P!nk and Demi Lovato. Which pop artist has the stronger record? How does this new stuff compare to their past? All this and more on this week’s Remixed!
(10/16/17 3:20pm)
Creating a community music festival in Fountain Square is an idea that makes a lot of sense. The Fountain Square area is home to several intimate concert venues, and the point of this festival is to join them together into a single two-day event for an incredibly tight-knit musical community experience. The festival’s formative years have been full of growth and change, and this year was no different.
(10/07/17 3:42am)
It’s 2014 again apparently, because the Remixed crew is talking about Miley Cyrus and Macklemore. Throw in an examination of EDM and we’ve got a fantastic episode of Remixed ready at your listening leisure.
(10/05/17 9:29pm)
https://soundcloud.com/user-519363288/remixed-s2e3
It's 2014 again apparently, because the Remixed crew is talking about Miley Cyrus and Macklemore. Throw in an examination of EDM and we've got a fantastic episode of Remixed ready at your listening leisure
Hosts: Tyler Wheatley, Phil Akin
Edited by: Tyler Wheatley
Graphic by: Daley Wilhelm
(10/04/17 3:04pm)
Tom Petty, a rock icon known for several hit songs like “Refugee” and “Free Fallin’”, died at 8:40 PM on October 2 after going into cardiac arrest earlier that day. After being found unconscious in his Malibu home, he was rushed to a nearby hospital and put on life support, but doctors were unable to revive him.
(10/03/17 9:36pm)
by Jeremy Rogers
When thinking about how music festivals - even smaller ones - help the communities where they are held, many people would assume that tourism would be the biggest player. People coming into a community to hear music usually go around to the area shops and restaurants, thereby helping prop up the local economy. Beyond the food trucks, local eateries, boutique shops, and artist displays, what about when music festivals do something more for the communities they are hosted in?
Enter Fountain Square Music Festival. It began as a small operation started by a few passionate residents in the Fountain Square area. The annual event aims to showcase the brilliant aesthetic of the Fountain Square area and the artists living there. While music is the festival’s driving force, it also aims to promote Fountain Square’s local businesses and energy to attendees.
"Although live music remains the driving spirit of FSMF, the visual energy emanating from the neighborhood during the festival will thrill not only fans of live music, but also to enthusiasts of modern experience, technology, and culinary arts. FSMF presents a highly-engaging, eclectic music and visual world that vividly showcases the vibrant creative culture of Fountain Square and its artists."
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Image from Fountain Square Music Festival[/caption]
But once the music stops playing and the Nucleus Stage is empty, where does the money go? One would think that a portion of the money would go toward planning next year’s festival, and that would be right. However, a portion of the money will also go to the non-profit behind the festival: Southeast Neighborhood Development Inc.
SEND is a non-profit group that officially formed in 1991 to help the southeast neighborhood of Indianapolis after the urban area was greatly impacted by the building of Interstate 65. This highway cut through the once vibrant community, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses in the process. In addition to helping renovate dilapidated and abandoned houses, leasing out residences at a reasonable cost for residents, and helping local businesses through development services, one of the most visible ways that SEND have endeavored to help their community is through the Fountain Square Music Festival.
In addition to the Fountain Square Music Festival, SEND has invested over $35 million into the near southeast neighborhoods of Indianapolis. They also frequently work on neighborhood beautification projects with other non-profit groups in the Indianapolis area such as the Hoosier Environmental Council, South Indy Quality of Life Plan, and Reconnecting to our Waterways.
Though a portion of the proceeds will be going to SEND, here is what the price of admission gives you access to as an attendee. Some Ball State students share other reasons why they are going to Fountain Square Music Festival.
Brandon Gick, a senior Telecommunications Sales & Promotions major from Lafayette, is a campus advocate and Fan Army member at Ball State. He's helped spread the word and get students excited about FSMF on and around campus. When discussing the festival he said:
“Ball State students should take interest in FSMF because this is going to be a music festival like no other. FSMF will allow students to explore Indianapolis' growing music scene and immerse themselves in an intimate experiential lighting show on the festival's main stage. It's an event filled with great art, restaurants and local music to enjoy right here in our state's capital."
Still not convinced to attend yourself? Claire Catton, a junior Psychology major from Carmel, is dating a member of one of the local bands playing the festival called Dream Chief, an electro pop duo from Indianapolis who works closely with festival organizers Absorb and MOKB Presents.
"Ball State students should be encouraged and excited to attend FSMF. Not only can they explore the heart of Indianapolis at the festival, but it will broaden their horizons to a variety of music. This festival is unique because it consists of hometown Indiana artists, national acts like Phantogram and artists who are just starting to bloom."
For a listing of bands playing at the festival, be sure to check out our article on who to look out for at the event! You can also follow Fountain Square Music Festival on Twitter and Facebook.
Sources: SEND, FSMF, Wish TV, Byte
Image(s): Fountain Square Music Festival
(10/03/17 9:26pm)
When thinking about how music festivals - even smaller ones - help the communities where they are held, many people would assume that tourism would be the biggest player. People coming into a community to hear music usually go around to the area shops and restaurants, thereby helping prop up the local economy. Beyond the food trucks, local eateries, boutique shops, and artist displays, what about when music festivals do something more for the communities they are hosted in?
(09/29/17 8:42pm)
Born from the minds of Alex Diosdado and Tabique Malévolo in 2014 with their debut album Starfighter, Night Runner’s only goal is to produce rad music. The duo is heavily influenced by ’80s style electronic beats, with their primary genre being synthwave. While their first album focused mainly on synths, Thunderbird takes that idea and builds upon their already established brilliance by trying out different things, like bringing an electric guitar into the mix. And while this newer take on their music is different, that does not mean it’s bad. If there’s one thing Thunderbird gets right, it’s diversity.
(09/28/17 7:00pm)
Fountain Square Music Festival is now in its fifth year and plenty of changes are coming to the event. Located in five tight-knit Indianapolis venues including a new outdoor main stage called THE NUCLEUS, the festival will welcome over 50 artists from all reaches of the nation on October 6 & 7.
(09/28/17 5:41pm)
by Ryan Fine
Fountain Square Music Festival is now in its fifth year and plenty of changes are coming to the event. Located in five tight-knit Indianapolis venues including a new outdoor main stage called THE NUCLEUS, the festival will welcome over 50 artists from all reaches of the nation on October 6 & 7.
Although the Midwest is home to several major music festivals including Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, nearly all of them require significant travel and financial commitments for Indiana residents. That’s why more and more Hoosiers are spreading the word that a fantastic new festival has been growing in their backyard.
The best part is that this festival is actually full of really great bands. I drove all the way to Kentucky this summer for Forecastle Festival, which was much more expensive and far away, and as it turns out, several of the bands I saw there are stopping by to play in Indy next weekend. But in addition to a number of major indie acts who are stopping by on national tours, Fountain Square will also feature a host of excellent local favorites.
With such a huge amount of music to choose from next weekend, it might be a little bit stressful to decide who to see. Here’s a quick guide to help you narrow it down.
(09/28/17 2:26pm)
The very prolific Weezer have added yet another page to their ever-widening catalog. The ditty in question, “Beach Boys”, is a cut from their upcoming record Pacific Daydream, due out at the close of next month. Unlike standouts off of The Blue Album or Pinkerton, “Beach Boys” is a cookie-cutter of a song that ascribes itself to just about every pop music trope and cliché out there.
(09/27/17 11:46pm)
by Phil Akin
Born from the minds of Alex Diosdado and Tabique Malévolo in 2014 with their debut album Starfighter, Night Runner’s only goal is to produce rad music. The duo is heavily influenced by '80s style electronic beats, with their primary genre being synthwave. While their first album focused mainly on synths, Thunderbird takes that idea and builds upon their already established brilliance by trying out different things, like bringing an electric guitar into the mix. And while this newer take on their music is different, that does not mean it’s bad. If there’s one thing Thunderbird gets right, it’s diversity.
When Night Runner announced that they were making a new album, I was incredibly excited for it. Starfighter was amazing, and this new piece couldn’t get here soon enough. And then they released a teaser clip of most of the songs, and boy, it was different. The new rock portions (along with the vocals) immediately stood out, and it was disappointing that their synthwave sound was being drowned out by this new style. But these worries were largely gone when the full album dropped.
A new, experienced Night Runner
Thunderbird’s introductory track, “Pale Rider”, is key in establishing that this is a new direction for Night Runner. The first thing you hear on the album is the sound of bugs in the background, with an acoustic guitar quickly being introduced. It gives this feeling that we’re in a different setting than any previous works. Toward the end of the track, synths take over and it plays directly into “Red Dawn”.
What makes “Red Dawn” important is that it’s a way for Alex and Tabique to retain a distinct sound that sets them apart from others, while at the same time allowing them to show a new territory they’re pushing toward. The guitar here is not overshadowing the rest of the song, instead being more of a backing instrument to the prominent synths. It’s an excellent blend of the two that sets up “Desert Eagle” quite nicely. For this track however, the guitar is the dominant instrument of the song, with everything else taking a backseat. It’s rather reminiscent of Dance with the Dead, another synthwave artist known for heavily using metal in their songs. The guitar takes over the melody for “Desert Eagle”, and it sounds like they’re just having fun with the music. “Steel Raven” has largely the same feel to it.
While these tracks are excellent in their own right, they aren’t meant to be the main draw for the album. That honor belongs to the title track, “Thunderbird”. There’s a beautiful rivalry in this track between synthwave and rock. The song opens with a synth sample, bringing in the drum loops that continue with Night Runner’s established beats. That is, until the guitar solo takes over and completely steals the show. After the solo, the song settles back into synth territory, where the cry of a (thunder)bird can be heard. The song breaks down again only to bring back the guitar, this time in syncopation with the synths. It’s a gorgeous sounding balance between two distinct styles.
A welcome change
Synthwave as a genre is largely instrumental. That doesn’t mean there can’t be vocals on a track, but usually there aren’t any. “Magnum Bullets (feat. Dan Avidan)” is Night Runner’s first attempt with a song that features lyrics. Sure, they have songs with spoken parts, like “Cold Waves” or “Nuclear Countdown”. They have also done a remix of “Life and Love” by Syntax Semantics, but this is their first outing with lyrics on an original song.
Dan Avidan, well known for his role as Not So Grump on the show Game Grumps, brings in his signature habit of recording several vocal tracks and layering them together. He’s also known for fronting two comedy bands, Ninja Sex Party and Starbomb. Though with “Magnum Bullets”, he strays away from his comedic roots to co-write a more serious song with Night Runner, with lyrics like “My heart and hands collide / The gun lays at my side / Too late to turn back / Only fate’s left to decide”. These lyrics could easily fit in with NSP, but Dan’s tone throughout the song is what sets it apart from his other vocal work. Thunderbird also released with an instrumental version of this song that adds an extra minute and a half. It’s a nice bonus that was not on the original reveal of the track listing.
Not everything is golden
Unfortunately, not everything in the album feels like it belongs. “City Lights” for example, is the only song on Thunderbird that brings a jazz sound with it, much like “Murder in Miami” from Starfighter. However, it feels more like filler while waiting for “Thunderbird” to start playing. It isn’t a bad song by any means, it just feels out of place. “Like a Father” is an excellent example of a less than stellar song. It’s incredibly slow with seemingly no payoff. It sounds like something that would be in a film score, and not something to listen to by itself.
“Contacto Mortal” has the most unique intro to a song I’ve ever heard. It comes out the gate swinging with someone yelling what sounds like a battle cry. There isn’t really much to say about this one, but it does leave quite the first impression.
Missed opportunity
It’s a minor annoyance, but if “Pale Rider” was the intro track, then you would think “Rawhide” would be the outro track. Not so. “Rawhide” is not the exact same thing as “Pale Rider”, but the two are incredibly similar. The only real difference is the sound of a car revving its engine at the end of “Rawhide”. While “Rawhide” plays directly into “Steel Raven”, it would’ve made an excellent outro track, with the sound of the car driving off into the distance. Perhaps asking the question, where is the Night Runner headed next?
Top tracks:
“Magnum Bullets (feat. Dan Avidan)”
“Thunderbird”
“Desert Eagle”
“Steel Raven”
Recommended if you like:
Dance with the Dead
Robert Parker
any 80’s style music
Featured image from Bandcamp