Blondie & the Beat – Page 3

Girl Crush: Ariana Grande

March 17, 2016by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment

Her latest single, “Dangerous Woman” makes Ryan Seacrest want to “slither.”

“Made my decision to test my limits, cause it’s my business, God as my witness, start what I finished, don’t need no hold up.” Ms. Grande’s sexy feminine voice pulls us in again with her lead single off her new album, Dangerous Woman. Fans originally thought the album would be named Moonlight, well, not anymore friends. Grande launched the official website for the album a couple weeks ago along with minimalist-style sweatshirts and shirts for sale with “dangerous woman” written on them in classy Times New Roman.

Check it out: http://www.arianagrande.com/

It seems like just yesterday we were dancing to “Love Me Harder” and “One Last Time” and now we have even more new music from the singer. Dangerous Woman is destined to be perfect. We already know of a collaboration with Lil Wayne called “Let Me Love You”, which should be interesting…Macy Gray is also set to make a feature on the album. Grande debuted her new music on SNL last weekend performing “Dangerous Woman” and her single coming tonight titled, “Be Alright” that fans have been DYING to hear ever since she teased it on her Snapchat several months ago. “Alright” seems to take on all the right Ariana cues; a little R&B, a lot of airy vocals, and a slight dance feel.

Grande recently stopped by On Air with Ryan Seacrest to talk about the new musical phase in her life saying, “The album is definitely the next step for me…it feels like a more mature evolved version…the whole body of work is a little darker and sexier and more mature.” After listening to “Dangerous Woman” and “Be Alright” I can only imagine how magically empowering the rest of the album will be.

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Disclosure’s Caracal

October 1, 2015October 1, 2015by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment

Brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence make up the electronic/dance duo Disclosure. Their sophomore album, Caracal, was released this past Friday. Featuring collaborations with some of the best voices in music today like, Lion Babe, Lorde, Miguel, The Weeknd, and the English King himself, Sam Smith. The album is an eclectic art concept from start to finish.

I have spent days listening to every single song off the album and I have fallen in love with every single one. These guys go beyond the dance genre into some serious technical skill. Each song is almost reminiscent of a 70’s groovy sound illuminated by pulsating drum and bass beats. Every chorus is magnified by poetic lyrics and impeccable vocals.

I listened to “Superego” having never heard of the singer Nao before and instantly became obsessed with it. Her voice is smooth, angelic, and harsh all at once, making the song as hypnotizing as it is. “This ain’t the me show, keep it on the low
Where’s your superego? You let your head grow, I tried to let you know,” guide this song to be powerful and sassy.

Singles like, “Omen”, “Holding On”, and “Willing & Able” all capture the soul elements that sometimes get lost in dance and electronic music. When I heard each one of these singles, I became addicted, because no one else is doing this type of music. Disclosure has this ability to evoke so much emotion in each song; something very uncommon in this genre. Vocals are always executed brilliantly and echo the production flawlessly.

Big concepts are lining this album from top to bottom. “Moving Mountains” is an easy-going chill electronic tune until you reach the 3:50 mark where the song takes a subtle turn into hip-hop while still keeping the captivating angel-like vocals. It’s so incredible you can’t help but listen to it over and over. While, “Good Intentions” led by R&B crooner Miguel (you guys know how much I adore this man…), picks up right where Miguel left off on his album Wildheart. “Intentions” mimics everything you would hear in a standard Miguel song; dope electronics, an incredible consistent beat, and sultry vocals to no end. Lyrics like, “But I’m not perfect the way you’re perfect, and though it hurts, yeah, it hurts to say goodbye, I know I let you down…” make this song the perfect “I’m sorry”. Or, you could just make a skittles pizza like Mia Thermopolis.

I couldn’t be more amazed by Caracal. It is stuffed with one of a kind musical content that more people need to appreciate.

-Abbey

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Spotlight On: Troye Sivan

September 5, 2015September 5, 2015by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment

Recently new to the music scene, but no stranger to stardom, Troye Sivan released his EP titled Wild, this past Friday and fans are LOVING every minute of it. Sivan teased them with aesthetically pleasing teasers leading up to the launch of his EP. One video in particular titled “‘BLUE NEIGHBOURHOOD’ TRILOGY TRAILER, BY TROYE SIVAN” gained the most support from fans; “I just broke the replay button”, “HOW IS THERE SO MUCH EMOTION IN 48 SECONDS”, “i’m just letting you know that this only got 1,050,866 views because they’re all me. I’ve watched this so much, they’re all me i swear”, etc… Talk about RAVE REVIEWS.

Check it out for yourself:

Wild features six heavy tracks dealing with young love, coming out, growing up, and strong feelings. Sivan stands for the young wild youth. Eclectic compositions glitter through this EP from start to finish. It’s beautiful to see electronic music having such a strong influence on the pop scene right now. Producing strong unique material is becoming quite popular and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Sivan’s voice is extremely unique. He keeps the innocence of a youngster while his vocal range and quality go far beyond his 20 years. Title track “Wild”, features child-like back-up vocals while keeping the theme of young love with a hint of rebellion; “Running on the music and night highs, but when the light’s out, It’s me and you now.”

Closing track, “DKLA” takes on a different feel. Slightly darker, more intense, using hip-hop beats and more electronics. Not to mention, a verse from hip-hop artist Tkay Maidza. Sivan’s voice is the perfect contrast to the harsh beats surrounding the sultry verses; “Wrapped my thoughts around your mind, wrapped your body on my mind.” “DKLA” deserves to be on every “chill vibes” playlist known to man.

Although Sivan stands strong on his own, he did have some stellar guests add charm to his already enchanting records. Alt group, Broods guest on the song “EASE”. Front woman Georgia Knott’s breath-y vocals blend effortlessly with Troye’s soft harmonies making this record a serious stand-out among the rest.

Sivan with Caleb and Georgia of the band Broods. image via: projectu.tv

For a newcomer, Sivan is doing all the right things and surely making a name for himself in an industry that only gets more competitive day after day. Cheers to that!

-Abbey

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Music Monday’s: X

August 18, 2015August 18, 2015by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment

Key Item: Zanerobe jean joggers

Key Materials: Heathered lightweight soft cotton

Shoe Situation: All white Nike’s

Key Accessory: MCM backpack

Chris Brown’s album, X was released last year and further showed off his musical skill into the dance world, starting with the heavy track “X”. This song builds into something crazyyyyyy good. Brown sings low, “If you’re only as good as the company you keep, then imma blame you for what they say about me.” Quiet and calm verses tell a story of a broken relationship and the release comes during the chorus as Brown yells, “I swear to God I’m moving on, I ain’t go back no more.” With a hard hip-hop beat underlined with some dance/electro sounds-Brown has himself another banger. The beauty of the verses serve as the perfect contrast to the emotional and angry chorus. “X” is what music with meaning sounds like.

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“Run Away With Me”

August 13, 2015August 13, 2015by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment

“Cause you make me feel like, I could be driving you all night, and I found your lips in the street lights, I wanna be there with you…” are the words sung by Ms. Carly Rae Jepsen on her new single “Run Away With Me” which is also the opening track to her new album EMOTION due Aug. 21. So far, I have been fairly impressed with this album. The singles are proving the 80’s style is coming back in a big way. Of course, the pop is pop and there’s not much depth but Jepsen does a good job at always keeping it lively and catchy all at the same time.

The lyrics are magical and drag the wanderlust right out of you. The music video features fun moments from what looks to be Carly in her natural habitat living life; jumping on hotel beds, trying on cool clothes, dancing with her friends in a club. “Run Away With Me” is your crush, it’s that feeling of fun love that you can’t get rid of. Bittersweet verses and a crazy catchy chorus – damn you Carly…you did it again…

Pop has never looked this good. Jepsen’s new album is bound to be our end of the summer soundtrack. I hate to say it but Carly is a guilty pleasure. She has shouty songs with youthful energy that people can’t resist. “Run Away With Me” could play on repeat for a long time in my car and I’ll still sing every word– that’s how you know you have a hit single.

Can’t wait to hear the rest of this album.

-Abbey 🙂

Tag: Blondie & the Beat

Girl Crush: Ariana Grande

Disclosure’s Caracal

Spotlight On: Troye Sivan

Music Monday’s: X

“Run Away With Me”

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