Hello, You Beautiful Thing [Jason Mraz]

Yesterday my friends were trying to expose me to the reggae-laid-back-hippie style of Jimmy Buffet. "You've never heard this song at a barbeque?!" they remarked of "Margaritaville." 

   "No, thankfully I haven't!" I exclaimed in reply, "I get my reggae-laid-back-hippie music from Jason Mraz."

Say It, Röyksopp and Robyn

Back in 2007 I was in China and music was blasting over the sound system in this crazy-packed club. To my left there was this kid that was clearly cascading down the velvety walls of a k-hole. He was in his own personal hell, while everyone around him was having the time of their lives. I swear this song was playing over those speakers. Party on champions.

CHERUB, Year of the Caprese

Post-disco duo Cherub returns with "Year of the Caprese" an album comprised of trippy boots and pants rhythms and saccharine lyrics.

Lyrically rife with cliches but riding a middle ground between R. Kelly R&B banter and Drake mawkishness, Cherub can definitely find a home in the sound systems of the late teen crowd this summer. One only needs to look to the second track "Disco Shit" to draw similarities with Daft Punk's "Get Lucky," a song that took over the airwaves last summer. Another dangerously catchy tune is "This Song Is for You," in which a girl is wooed as a party winds down.

Moreover, "Year of the Caprese" is lighthearted fair. There isn't anything here that would pervade into summers to come, but it's something to play in the meantime; like a mid-season show that gets you through the stickiest months of the year.

Jason Mraz's "Love Someone"

On this sunny Monday morning I woke up to an email from the Jason Mraz marketing team attempting to sell me preorders, including a guitar adorned with birds. That's cool, but I just went for the free stuff (i.e. the link to the Youtube of his new jam "Love Someone" another collaboration with the LA-based indie jammers Raining Jane (see the amazing "A Beautiful Mess").

Accompanying this announcement was the news that Mraz and Jane are collaborating to make an entire LP together; titled "Yes" it will be available on July 15. The question still looms though, where is the LP code named "Album 5" from Jason Mraz? Has copious amounts of green tea binging and avocado related Chipolte commerce led to this?

Never mind, the "Love Someone" song is another beautiful another ode to intimacy from the guy that brought you "I'm Yours" and "I Won't Give Up" Grab someone you love, hold them close and play this song til you fall into a soporific stupor of feels.

Believe Me, Lil Wayne Featuring Drake

Drizzy and Wayne team up once again on "Believe Me" and junior high kids everywhere rejoice. On an instrumental eerily similar to that of "Started from the Bottom," Drake and Lil Wayne volley versus, venturing to elicit vivid vicarious visions of female drug mules and piles of cash higher than the concert coffers of One Direction.

In summary, this will sound amazing in your car with the bass turned up to ridiculous levels that mutilate the beginning of the verse. Do it and satisfy the guilty pleasure that is Drizayne.

Xscape with Michael Jackson [Xscape Music Review]

Michael Jackson (aka the King of Pop), the top earning musical act of 2013, returns to the airwaves with Xscape, a musical journey featuring previously unreleased records.

The most surprising thing about this album is how instantly endearing it is. Although many were put off by the bizarre direction his mid-life took on, Michael Jackson, at his core, was an unsurpassed performer. This definitely comes through here with this selection of songs. On "A Place With No Name," Michael hollers out between lyrics, not only do you want to follow along the narrative of the track, but also dance along.

Gorgeously remastered, catchy, and sonically pleasing, Xscape will add to two things: the King of Pop's estate and his musical legacy.

Lana Del Ray's West Coast Review

Last summer, Lana Del Ray's album Born to Die found reinvigoration on the charts through the popularity of the excellent "Summertime Sadness." Just in time for the warm weather, Lana shakes off the spring chills with "West Coast," sprinkling her sultry voice all over a temperate ska-ish track in an ode to the west coast and the stardom that lies there.

Lily Allen's Sheezus

With her new set, Lily Allen is at her best when she is touting social commentary through snide and slick lyrics. Once again, we find the Smile singer making fun of the blatant materialism and commercialism of the recording industry in the title track Sheezus and on Insincerely Yours.

-Ken

Paolo Nutini Wins Hearts with Caustic Love

Words by Ken Francis

Video via Youtube

Following his successful 2009 release "Sunny Side Up" Scottish crooner Paolo Nutini returns triumphantly with "Caustic Love," an album concerned mostly with matters of the heart, but still takes time to reflect on the perpetual turmoil of the world at large.

"Caustic Love" begins with the most radio-friendly track here, the funk-heavy, aptly-titled "Scream (Funk My Life Up)." This track sets up the first half of a familiar Nutini dichotomy, one of sad and happy tracks coexisting on the same record but never clashing. This contrast showcases Nutini's delivery strengths, as he is able to sing of the girl that "makes you wanna scream hallelujah" and follow it up with the girl that you beg to "let you down easy."

The rest of the album plays on this theme; in love one minute, shattered the next (Paolo is in his 20s no?). Themes aside, the performances are pure gold, with Janelle Monae making a welcomed feature on Fashion.

For more on Paolo Nutini, view the spectacular "Iron Sky" video below

and visit http://www.paolonutini.com/splash/ironsky

Coldplay Returns with music "Magic"

Words by Ken Francis
Video via Youtube

Coldplay is back, and this time the guys from across the pond are packing a softly-sung-melodious pop song, titled Magic. 

Magic is best described as a minimalist pop song. Sparse, simple and repetitive vocals make up the  formula here. Surrounding Chris Martin's sonically-pleasing vocals are synths, an electric guitar played from "over the phone" and a persistent baseline, but not much else.

These guys have been pulling #1s out of their hat for a long time though, so fear not, it's a great trick track. It's easy to listen to and is Coldplay sweet; harmless, and welcome.

View the video for Magic below and look out for Coldplay's new album, "Ghost Stories," in stores May 19.

Underworld: Awakening

"Don't try to fight it, it'll only makes it worst. Trust Me." This line is repeated two times during Underworld: Awakening and it pretty much sums up what a viewer of this action packed flick should do: just sit back, enjoy and don't think too much.

Underworld, in it's first iteration (which was released almost a decade ago), began a promising cool new saga for vampire movie lovers. It took lean, leather-clad (and sometimes deathly pale) heroes (that reminded everyone of Neo from the matrix), put them in a blue-black tinged setting and gave them the role of vampires. While the werewolves, known in this story as Lycans, stalk the streets in human form and "hulk out" into giant dog-like beasts. The premise was great.

The series has had its ups and down, the second one was blah the third was great. To watch any of the films though, the back-story isn't really relevant, it's kind of like the relevance of a story in a first person shooter. What you're really here for is some action, and this movie has a lot of it. 

Beheadings abound, disembowelment is a common affair. Underworld: Awakening delivers in that respect. If you desire mawkish romance from your vampire flicks check out Twilight, if you want a good story watch a better movie. For people being tossed around and looking matrixycool watch this.

3 fangs out of 5

Check out my New Post on Clever Blog Title

Charli Batimore, Armed and Dangerous

Remember that Sucker Punch movie that was terrible but you watched it anyway. Well you watched it because of two reasons, chicks with guns; BIG guns, and boobs; big ones. Charli Baltimore apparently just made the soundtrack for the entire movie, umm a couple years late. Not officially, I'm just jking, but still. She is talking about her sex (boobs), and it being like a machine gun (fully automatic, that is!). Get it? No maybe I'm just tripping, I just had taco bell.

Nate Dogg (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011)

Grammy award nominee Nate Dogg died this week from complications of a stroke. Nate Dogg (Nathaniel Hale) suffered two strokes in the last few years beginning in 2008, which left him partially paralyzed.

Suffering his first stroke in his late thirties, it was surprising to me that someone under 60 would be susceptible to having strokes at all.

After following my first instinct to Google everything, I stumbled upon this website on which the first of many statistics on strokes was "stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States." This fact was a shock to me as I thought of strokes to be something that only the very old were afflicted with.



Words and Illustration by Ken Francis

Does Lupe Fiasco's Lasers Misfire?

Fans have waited with bated breath for a little over three years for the release of new Lupe Fiasco album.


The Chicago native was ready to release his new project for a long time, but his album was repeatedly put on the shelf by his record label. 


A number of album title changes and a and a public demonstration later Lupe emerges with Lasers, an album that is not as good a package as Lupe Fiasco's the Cool, but still has it's high points and winning moments.


Thankfully the bulk of the album still has compelling material that Lupe is known for. Stylistically, he has the ability to blend witty societal and political critical rhymes alongside catchy hooks and hypnotizing beats. In that regard Lupe hasn't missed a beat. Just look to the second single "Words I Never Said" in which Lupe starts off "I think your war on terror is a bunch of bullshit/just a poor excuse to use up all your bullets." In the same lane are the great "Beautiful Lasers" and "All Black Everything," the latter an imagining of a world where the African slave trade never existed.


A nice standout is the whimsical "When I Get There" that is rife with sound effects, imagery and is reminiscent of "Superstar," the first single from The Cool.


A couple forgettable tracks on are on here which is why the album feels a bit flat in comparison to Lupe's last effort. There wasn't a dull moment on The Cool, even if High Definition feat. Snoop Dogg seemed out of place on that album. The Cool was rolled up into a package and its tracks delivered in a way that was unforgettable. After the last song faded, it left you with a clear message about the fallacy of a life built on flash, ignorance, pomp and a lack of tangible values and substance.


Lasers, while holding on to some of the message from The Cool album seems to be lacking a clear target. 


If fans were expecting another solid concept album, this isn't it. Lasers instead feels mostly like a cry of frustration from an artist locked in mortal combat with the world, and his record label.




Words and Illustration by Ken Francis

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Excess Baggage-----> Commentary on Episode 7 "The Suitcase" of This Season of Mad Men! on Reviewfix.com