| Radio station XM 22 (played non-stop at work) refers to this decade as 2K as its slogan is "we play the music of the 80's, 90's, 2K and today". This decade has a mix of different sounds so its hard to say what the signature is that separates it from the 90's. If anything, it continues the musical trends of the 90's. And the lyrics are taken a level up as they are more artistic, more beautiful and are much stronger. The early sounds of the decade are the last we hear of the 90's trends of bubblegum pop and boyband music. That is soon followed by two crappy years of rap & hip-hop with the likes of 50 Cent, Eminen, Black-Eyed Peas, so on and so forth (names that I don't include because I don't see any reason to commit them to memory). Justin Timberlake was a major force in music as well, but I dont think he made as much of an impact as I thought he did. I bought most of my musc in this decade, but I can't exactly say that it resembles the trends of the decade. Michelle Branch, Ryan Cabrera and Ashlee Simpson had songs on the radio but they weren't trendsetters in any way and didnt become huge forces to contend with. Time went by and I started to find hope in mainstream radio in the summer of 2006, which played the likes of Rob Thomas ("Ever the Same") and The Fray ("Cable Car").
A couple of years before that, I checked out VH1's top 20 video countdown a couple of times on Saturdays just to see what the biggest video artists currently were. Britney Spears was still very huge at the time as her single "Everytime" from her 4th album IN THE ZONE made it to the countdown. I checked just now that it was a hit in 2004. During our morning annoucements at school, they showed us a short slideshow about not mixing drinking with prom as it causes many accidents statisically. During which, they played this song.
I remember simply because I burned a CD with my favorite songs from that year and that was the last one on it (which I can't hear anymore because it got warped too much). Just for the sake of argument, I'll post the playlist on that CD. - Never be the Same again (Fa fa fa)- Guster (my Physics' teacher's favorite group that he played a lot, this song was the first one I heard my junior year of high school)
- 11 out of 10- Play (they were in affiliation with Dream Street so they were one of my more recent purchases... actually for my birthday, the year before and also the day before I saw Jesse McCartney at Point Pleasant)
- Worthless-Greg Raposo (an ex-member of the recently broken up Dream Street from his only mainstream solo album... he didnt write the song, but Jess Cates, who did, has written a lot of my favorite tracks of the time)
- I will carry you- Clay Aiken (also written by Jess Cates... his album was huge for me at the time, I still believe he was the rightful winner of American Idol Season 2)
- In the way- Clay Aiken (both songs reminded me of one of the seniors at school that I was majorly crushing on, a brilliant actor and singer with a velvet tenor voice... ironically, I didnt know at the time that he and Clay Aiken shared the same sexual orientation. I knew about his, but not about Clay's until years later)
- Stairway to Heaven- Led Zepplin (several tracks I included are from my personal collection because I listened to them on the bus ride to school... this one, my dad played for me when I was 14 and I didnt quite get it... then I heard the actor sing it while someone at school played it on acoustic guitar at our drama class... he sang it so beautifully, but now when i listen to it, i rarely think about him singing it anymore)
- "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (short version)"- Vanessa Mae (my dad has a huge thing for her in that he loves the way she plays and also performs. An extremely gifted Singaporian vilonist that he couldn't help hearing about during his travels to the Far East. I included it more/less for filler to help move to the things to come)
- Run to me- Clay Aiken (another brilliant vocal performance and one of my favorite tracks on the album)
- I survived you- Clay Aiken (another Jess Cates work, this hit home as much as the first Clay Aiken track I included because they remind me of the actor. This one very strong because it reminds me of the last days of our performing "My Fair Lady", he was Mr. Higgins and I was just in the company... to me, it says "I will survive losing you from our school when you graduate"... I still don't know if he ever made it to Broadway, we weren't particularly close but he knew that I was his #1 fan in high school. I did create a website for him that's now gathering dust)
- More to Life- Stacie Orrico (I heard her perform it at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade fall of 2003 and thought that I should get her album on it alone. I ended up selling it back to FYE a couple years later. It's her best song on the album, heard it on the radio a couple times and it hit home for me)
- Alla Luce del Sole- Josh Groban (my dad had a thing for Vanessa Mae, my mom had a thing for Josh Groban, both are still true but not as strongly... she first saw him perform on Ally McBeal and she falls to pieces when she hears him sing. He has a beautiful tenor voice with a great range and maybe I have a thing for a great voice that can do different languages. This song is all in Italian and there's just something so powerful about it. It fits well on here with the two Vanessa Mae tracks for sure)
- The Second Star to the Right- Jesse McCartney (this is from Disney Mania 2 where associated artists of Disney cover songs from Disney movies, this one was my particular favorite and of course I had a huge thing for Jesse back then, still do. Occasional soundtrack hits were all I had to keep me going after the break-up of Dream Street until he started releasing albums. I have plenty of artists now but back then, the few I had weren't enough to fill that void)
- All I Ask of You- Sarah Brightman & whoever played Raul in the original cast of "Phantom of the Opera" (I included this simply because the actor's best friend sang this at our March concert choir concert before we performed the song "Masquerade" to start the concert... oh, I miss those days of high school)
- Perfect (acoustic version)- Simple Plan (This was from the soundtrack of "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen"... this song was huge for me in a couple ways. It hit home for me and got through a difficult time. A mild depression when I was denied a trip to AC to see Jesse in concert... it only lasted half a day... and its message reminds me of a situation I have at home, being denied my dream of becoming a writer on the basis that it doesnt' pay well. I'm still writing, as you can see, but getting published is a pain in the butt. But I admit I have nothing good enough at this point that's ready to go)
- Contradanza (full version)- Vanessa Mae (my dad played this in the car on my way to school on the day I had to give my Graduation project... or maybe on the way home, I forget exactly. At my school, you have to complete a graduation project where you put together something and show what you've accomplished. It takes the process of 1.5 school years to do. The main requirement is that you need to gain new knowledge in an area of your choice. I put together a portfolio of poetry and did a PowerPoint on what I learned on putting my stuff together and also on the aspect of publishing... one of which went complete bust, the company I sent one of my works to rejected me a week after sending my manuscript and I found out later that they had been charged with fraud a couple times. The presentation was awful because I hadn't rehearsed enough and I HATE oral presenations, Im not good with public speaking. But on my work ethic, new knowledge and completeness, I passed in four of the five areas... as for the song itself, it is just beautiful. Exciting for the majority, but the flute solo at the end just puts the cherry on top, that's why I wanted the full version because the short from the greatest hits doesn't include it)
- (4, 3, 2, 1) Barrel of a Gun- Guster (the favorite song from Guster of my 12-student Physics class. It was played several times)
- To Where you Are- Josh Groban (my favorite of his in English)
- The Prayer- Josh Groban & Charlotte Church (I used to be able to sing Charlotte's part well, especially the very end but with lack of practice, I'm terrible at it. Two girls performed this song at our May concert choir concert and did it really well, so I had to put it as a reminder)
- Everytime- Britney Spears (I bought her album for this song alone, though there are 7 others that I like from it... its definitely one of my favorites)
I call this CD my "11th grade soundtrack" simply because I heard them through that year and they remind me of different moments. Whenever I play through the third world in Jak & Daxter, I play the CD and it takes me through it and also helps me get through it with minimal damage. Okay, so I look back at it and see that none of these songs were huge on mainstream radio or huge on the video circuit just to go from my train of thought that began with the Britney Spears song... but it's funny to see that several of the artists on that countdown have became big musical forces on today's radio. Avril Lavigne's "Happy Ending" was another of my favorites and it made #1 a couple of times. Never did get that album even though there were a couple songs on it that I like a lot. I just found a link for hit singles of 2004.
http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-singles-2004.htm
And it includes several songs that made that 2-hour video countdown. I'm going to list a few songs that I either liked from back then or just songs I remember on the countdown, most of them are artists that are still huge today - Here without You- 3 doors down (not one of the videos, but one of my favorite songs of the time)
- Let's get it started- Black-eyed peas (took #2 a couple times on the video, began my immense dislike for them because the song's just terrible in my opinion... their only good song is "I gotta feeling" and even that is starting to get old)
- I remember some of the Kelly Clarkson songs they listed, but not so much the videos being on the countdown
- The Reason- Hoobastank (GREAT video that made the top 5 a lot, great song, but the group has probably faded away)
- Leave (get out)- Jojo (I remember this song being that summer's breakup song, but I can't even remember how it went. She probably isnt around anymore, but I know she was a hit on Radio Disney, something I had to resort to while retreating from mainstream garbage
- Hey Ya- Outkast (remember the video, but HATE the song, still do... don't know if they're still around, probably are)
- Nickelback, Finger Eleven, Nine Inch Nails and Seether made the list with different songs, but I can't remember any of them for the life of me... I had no idea that two of the four would still be huge today. Didnt even know that Nickelback was going to make it into my album collection
I was never one for rock bands, but Nickelback changed my mind. Even Linkin Park, which made the video list with "Breaking the Habit" has their moments... their songs, "Numb," "In the End" and their most recent hit "Across this new Divide" just have grown on me for one reason or another. I guess they bring out that teen angst in me that I still have from time to time.
Another few videos and songs that were huge and didnt make the list included "Ocean Avenue" by Yellowcard and "Reason to Live" by Switchfoot. I considered both of those groups but neither got anywhere. Ironically Yellowcard performed at my college a couple years later, which I boycotted because I heard The Click Five would perform and later found that they weren't. Their website was terrible for posting a show that wasn't confirmed and that was before Eric Dill left and the group became difficult to listen to. There was one video that I had seen a couple times and loved it right away. The best thing I had seen in music in a very long time. I remember one day where the guy who hosted the countdown was talking about the video that made #1 one and I was jumping for joy when THIS was the video that made #1.
"She will be Loved" by Maroon 5 Perhaps the most ironic thing that I will mention here is the fact that I loved this song a lot, but it took me five years to get a Maroon 5 album. I may have been fighting it for one reason or another. There was a special on Fox where a couple of artists performed. Maroon 5 was one of them and there were a couple of blips on the screen stating fun facts of the different artists. According to this, Adam Levine, the lead singer/guitarist was so shy that in earlier performances, he performed with his back to the audience. Clearly, it was something that he got over because he's made several appearance since then with his head towards the audience.
Jokingly, I call them "Moron 5" because that was how my mind saw the word "maroon"... even funnier, I recently found out that Maroon is another word for "idiot," so in a way, I wasn't too far off. And they are the most talented, lovable morons I know. Last Christmas, I asked for both "Songs about Jane" and "It won't be soon before long" so I could finally accept them into my collection. Perhaps the reason I resisted the group because they played "Songs about Jane" on a loop at the Jesse McCartney Six Flags concert (June 23, 2005), during which he was not only late to his own concert, but the opening act sounded much better than him. That concert that I came away disappointed with the artist I came to see, but even more irony, I got not only one but two new artists from that experience. I'm still with Jesse 100%, but Maroon 5 is slowly taking priority over him. Before I go on a huge tangent on Maroon 5, the sound of later 2K is hugely instrumental, band-music from them as well as Nickelback, Daughtry, and 3 doors down (to name a few) as well as some techno songs courtesy of Lady Gaga and some strong female artists like Pink, Katy Perry, and Kelly Clarkson. Rob Thomas and John Mayer are arguably two of the biggest forces on the male artist front. I'm on the side of Rob Thomas and most likely will get an album of his very soon. The two albums by my new favorite band have some similarities where the second continues musical trends set by the first. But the biggest difference lays in one being a straight-lined vibe and the second being very eclectic and various. The theme of "Songs about Jane" is just as the title suggests. The complicated relationship between Adam Levine and his girlfriend. The group doesn't usually bring huge guitar solos, but they are very guitar-oriented in that their melodies are often played through guitar.
Adam Levine as the lead vocalist of the group is the biggest puzzle piece in the list of reasons why the group is unique and has merit in today's music scene. His voice is very unorthodox in that it isn't particularly brilliant, but does an amazing job in many different settings. I've said that even though Jesse doesn't have a standout voice, the things he does with it make him a good artist. A great singer has to be able to do a great number of things with their voice, meaning it has range and can carry so many emotions with it. Some could say that Adam Levine has a very nasal-sounding voice, but there's a certain charm to it that I can't quite explain.
Another strong thing about the group that sets them apart is the delivery of their lyrics. Often, they are rushed in almost a rapping fashion, but they have a rhythm that makes you work to sing along with them. Also when they're in that way, the lyrics are easy to say and remember. Several songs from their first album have that characteristic. It doesn't work too well for "Harder to Breathe" because I still don't know the verses. But in the case of "Shiver," "Tangled," "Through with You," and "The Sweetest Goodbye," they work with simple lyrics easy to understand as they are if they were simply spoken. The guitar is funk oriented in "Shiver" and rock oriented in "Harder to Breathe," "Through with you" and "Not Coming Home."
The feel of the album overall is very contemporary and at times, it reminds me of an urban band that would perform at a club every night. What I think I'm trying to say is that the tone of their music here reminds me of John Mayer's work. I tend to find his stuff a little too monotone (a kinder way of saying boring, something I don't buy into), but it works well for Maroon 5.
Storylines make the songs very relatable and easy to love. That's what I like about "She will be loved' (aside from a beautiful vocal) and "Must get out." The vocals just skim across through air in these performances.
"Through with you" is another of my favorites on the album because there's something different about it. It doesn't quite fit the mold of the other songs, as if it was the last song written for the album and has some similarities to the songs heard on the next album. The only fault is its all-too short length. Just did another Wikipedia search. Apparently Adam Levine honed his vocal style and falsetto with the help of the lead vocalist of the group Five for Fighting. Now that I think about it, there are a lot of similarities between their voices. I've tried to write a complete review of "It wont' be soon before long" for a while but I quickly lose interest as soon as I begin. I guess that's something I can only do with Prince's albums. I'll try to do my best to write a condensed review to finish this entry. It's nice to be blogging again, but the rest of my life outside of work needs attention sometime today. My story White Tiger in particular. The album is said to derive influences from 80's artists, Prince being one of them. Its easier to notice other influences in the earlier tracks, but with time, the essence of the group takes on many different forms, all of which fit the tone they've set for their work. "Never see your face again" starts with a rhythm guitar solo and the synthesizers get the go ahead to lead the song's melody. The bridge includes a higher vocal range for Adam Levine with his group backing him by repeating the last word of each line much the way you hear the back-up singers in a 70's/80's group. Each chorus ends with a sweeping synthesizer that brings the vibe of disco with it. Overall the song is about a summer lover that the character portrayed wouldn't mind not seeing again because he got what he wanted from her despite the fact he didnt think they would get that far.
The first time I listened to the album, I got to track 13, surprisinly knowing the lyrics to it. Then I realized (maybe after reading the album notes) that it was the same song as the first, but it was a duet with Rihanna. She's become a big artist in the R&B genre, but not quite as big as Beyonce. Her songs have gotten better with time and the music in this version of the song has the signature vibe featured in her work. Whether I like this version or the original better is up to debate. "Makes me Wonder" is a song I actually found online and burned to a CD that includes old and recent songs I'd tracked down, includes Coldplay's "Clocks" Enrique Igeliases' "Do You know? (The Ping Pong song), The Fray's "Cable Car" and Rob Thomas's "Ever the Same."
I've heard this song a couple of times and like "She will be Loved," I've heard it performed live. And both versions sound great.
Now that I've heard it so many times, I'm starting to get sick of it.
It continues the trend of the first song with the synthesizers, but here it sounds more like 80's rock than 70's. As the song goes from verse to chorus, Adam steps up his vocal range little by little until he gets to his higher falsetto. The question this song is trying to answer is why is the couple still together if they can't remember how they got there in the first place. "Little of Your Time" has a guitar solo brings with it a "surfer" vibe. The lyrics have a speedy delivery, something that goes back to what they did on some tracks on their previous album. It also makes it one of the shorter tracks at a little over two minutes in length. And the lyrics overall are self-explanatory. "Wake-up Call" starts with an 80's synthesizer solo, but it slows down to a relaxed beat with a dominant rhythm guitar that carries the band's signature sound. Something I can't quite put my finger on or explain. The story goes that the character's girlfriend doesn't see their relationship giving her anything she wants so the guy finds another guy in his bed and shoots him. "Won't go home without you" is one of my favorites, just as "She will be loved" was. The rhythm of the guitar and the sound of it through the verses sounds very much like the verses in The Police's "Every Step you Take," but with time, the sound differentiates and develops its own sound. Although the final bridge has some similarity to the bridge in the song by The Police.
[Just found out on Wikipedia that the similarity isn't concidental, it was actually based on that song]
The song is a little sad in the melocholy vocal delivery, but its one of Adam Levine's best vocals. The sallow vibe continues into "Nothing Lasts Forever," which reminds me of the relaxed vibe in The Cranberry's "Linger". The lyrics in the verses are delivered at a fast pace on a simple repeating scale. All of the lyrics are sung on the same scale with no drastic changes except the chorus being recited in a different fashion at the end of the song. "Can't Stop" is overally simple in its message, but its music is a little too close in places to "A little of your time," making it hard for me to differentiate the two most of the time. It's not one of the strongest songs on the album. "Goodnight Goodnight" immediately jumped into my favorite songs of the album based on the opening guitar solo, which begins in the same way as 3 Doors Down's "Kryptonite". (Oddly enough, I was never crazy about that song, but after hearing this particular song, I'm finding a little more that I can get out of it). The music is very subdued and in the background a lot of the time, making the vocals the main instrument of the song. The lyrics sung fast in the verses, but not to the point of a lot of the previous songs I'd mentioned. The lead-into and the chorus itself feature more beautiful vocals and are the biggest bright spot of the song. A gem from start to finish. "Not Falling Apart" is another of the album's strongest tracks. It starts with very subdued vocals that may be by Adam Levine or another member of the band. The low range of them don't bare similarity to Adam Levine at all, but they could still be him and I'm just not used to him singing so low. The first verse and half of the second verse are sung in this fashion while the reason is in one range. The verses themselves are slow and sleep at times, but the chorus explodes with a very quick pace that is part of the reason I like the song as much as I do. The lyrics are simple and easy to hear/recall. "Kiwi" is probably the only song that I don't like on this album. I can't even pinpoint why that is. Might be the lyrics that are very suggestive (but then again, there are some lyrics heard early on that hint even more at being explicit). The bridge has some of the same sounds as the guitar heard through "Little of your Time." The next two songs are very relaxed, piano bar oriented. "Better that we break" is the simpler of the two in its delivery and construction. "Back at your door" is my favorite of the two on vocal deliver alone where Adam's voice does a couple of tracks when it sings the chorus. After the duet between the group and Rihanna, we get to the bonus tracks, which I am very glad to own because its more brilliant music that I would have otherwise missed. "Infatuation" at times reminds me of some of Prince's 90's songs with the R&B vibe.The short guitar solo sounds like one I'd heard in "Saviour" from his EMANCIPATION album. Its the weakest of the bonus tracks, but it has its moments that make it worth listening from time to time. "Miss You Love You" has a verse with simply lyrics easy to understand, learn and remember. The story goes that the man in the relationship wants it to end and the girl doesn't want to give up on him, as sung in the lyrics "its a shame you can't stay away from me this time." "Until you're over me" features what sound like Linn-drums or at least programmed drums that aren't the real ones that have been featured on the majority of the album's tracks. They drew me in earlier on and the chorus is very upbeat, reminding me of a day of summer sunshine. Needless to say, walking on sunshine with a lot of the bright moments that it has. "Story (of a broken heart)" starts with a standout guitar solo and is delivered with Adam's voice on a very level plain. It doesn't change much from start to finish, except at the end of the bridge where it goes up an octave or two. It has the singer talking to a girl who'd recently had her heart broken, trying to comfort her and at the same time, trying to tell the ex-boyfriend that she did everything for him. Although there is reason to believe that the singer IS the ex-boyfriend. "Losing my mind" starts with a couple notes on a piano and with the drums that go back to the John Mayer/contemporary/piano bar vibe from their previous album. It is nothing short of irony because the singer says that he has the freedom he deserved after losing his girlfriend but finds himself staking out in front of her house. He got alone as he wanted with his girl being someone he hardly knew, but confesses that he might be losing his mind by wanting her back. Everything in this song is the signature sound of the band, which makes it another favorite. Now I think I'm good for a while as far as blogging goes. Hopefully that'll make up for my lengthy abscene. |
