Miley Cyrus’ new leaked song could be giving fans a glimpse into what we can expect from her Bangers follow-up… With Cyrus being so heavily portrayed as a crazy lady in the media, “Nightmare” does nothing to prove that. She goes back to her electronic/pop sounds with a fiery chorus and clap-happy verses; “I woke up in another life, where nothing’s really dangerous, and everything is black and white…” A song with simple lyrics most people can relate to. When Cyrus does decide to release this song, it will surely climb the music charts in no time. I prefer this style of electronic/pop on Miley Cyrus, it suits her well and she knows how to make it work. Bangers was an epic form of artistic expression and I’m positive her next album will live up to the hype.
Sultry crooner, The Weeknd recently released two new songs off his upcoming album Chapter |||; “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face”. Both give fans the two things they love most about The Weeknd; that sexy falsetto and a crazy good vibe. I haven’t always been a fan of The Weeknd, some of his earlier songs are a little too racy for my liking, but this new batch of music could be changing my mind. The music is less vulgar (AKA- radio ready) and more in tune with what’s poppin’ in the music scene as of lately.
“The Hills” is a moody/darker tune, touching on a sexual relationship; “I only call you when it’s half-past, five, the only time I’d ever call you mine.” Abel’s voice drags nonchalantly through the verses as the story progresses. The chorus is sinister-like with heavy bass while Abel’s voice takes front and center. His infamous muffled vocals add a haunting element to the song, especially near the end as he sweetly sings “the hills have eyes, the hills have eyes, who are you to judge?”. “The Hills” is a slow-going song, something only certain people could enjoy listening to. Late night cruises with friends is what this is meant for.
On the other hand, “Can’t Feel My Face” is a straight up pop tune. My first thoughts while listening to this song…MICHAEL JACKSON. Abel’s voice on the verses is so so insanely similar to MJ, it’s incredible. His punchy word annunciations add to the immediate dance groove of the song. The backup vocals near the end are something you would hear off a funky greatest hits album. This is pop with a twist of modern R&B, sung by a man who is capable of harnessing so many different energies just with the wavering tone of his voice. There’s no doubt, The Weeknd, is a truly unique artist who spends time creating his music, which is essentially his art.
Safe to say, this next chapter will be glorious to listen to.
Zedd’s second full-length album titled True Colors could be his most emotional yet. Almost every song features simple lyrics and of course the dance drop we’re all waiting for. Zedd pulls in help from vets like Selena Gomez and newcomers like Echosmith and Troye Sivan. That’s the cool thing about Zedd, he’s always willing to let other people shine on his music, whether they have a million fans or a couple hundred. He cares about the final product and not the popularity status. Zedd has perfected his own style as something I like to call Dalectropop. A fancy mixture of dance, electronic, and pop.
image via: concertfix.com
Songs like: “Bumble Bee” and “Addicted to a Memory” follow the harder side of dance music, while “Daisy”, “Illusion”, “I Want You To Know”, and “Straight Into the Fire” focus on storybook lyrics, impeccable vocals, and cohesive electro beats. The best thing about this album is the beauty heard in every song. True Colors is exactly what the dance world needed; to slow down a little bit and appreciate the power of dance/electronic music. It doesn’t have to all be “shake your ass and fist pump”, it can tell stories and provoke true emotions.
Zedd recently told Billboard magazine, “I’m just an album artist. There are singles artists and there are album artists. I don’t think i’m the guy to just be able to put out a song and be fully satisfied with that. Because that puts you so much more into a box.” Sounds like the words of a true artist, my friends. True Colors is meant to be consumed and heard as a whole. Every song has its own strength and weight to the album. A lot of people stereotype DJ’s thinking all they do is play on computers when really they are creating sounds and insane hooks that we normal people could never replicate. Back in December of last year, Zedd released a half hour documentary that explains his success with Clarity and gives more of a closer look into his life. Please watch:
Proof that this album is a continuous vat of emotion and beauty is heard on the final two songs titled “Daisy” and “Illusion”. The lyrics in “Daisy” set the scene for “Illusion”. “Daisy, always climbing up the same tree, finding love in all the wrong scenes, Daisy, you got me” are the words sung out of Julia Michaels mouth (also lends her vocals to “Straight Into the Fire”). This song illustrates the struggle of not knowing a good thing when its right in front of you. The innocence in Michaels’ voice helps the songs message of uncertainty and confusion with the concept of true love. Near the end of the song, piano chords start to play as the intro to the closing track “Illusion”.
This song is almost painfully gorgeous as Sydney Sierota, lead singer of Echosmith, sings, “It feels like the fairytale’s over, I really wanted these pages to begin, with once upon a time, like all those lullabies.” This is the song that makes you cry but also has the power to save you. The hook is “This love is your illusion”, which becomes a mantra you end up hearing yourself singing over and over in your head as Zedd takes over and creates an electronic symphony epically matching the vibe of the song. “Illusion” is absolute magic.
Banks is the epitome of sassiness. Her debut album Goddess let out every single emotion one could feel about love and loss. “And I Drove You Crazy” is a slow vibe-driven song about confusion and being mislead. We’ve all felt it, “What are you looking for? Wanted to be your girl, and anything you wanted, baby I tried to be.” Banks’ sultry voice builds to an electronic heavy chorus with layered backup vocals to emphasize “I drove you crazy”. You immediately picture a fight between a couple, maybe a couple shoes are being thrown, but there’s also a subtle plea filtered throughout the song. Desperation for love and what she wants it to be and feel like. Banks seems to be in her own genre, every song has layered electronics, while keeping an R&B slow beat as her voice compliments all of it in the most beautiful way.
-Abbey ❤
Are the first words out of Marcus Haney’s mouth in the documentary “No Cameras Allowed,” where viewers get a glimpse into a college guy’s dream of becoming a filmmaker/photographer all with the help of lies, fake wristbands, cameras, and lots of ambition.
Image from: bing.com
Rewind to Coachella Music Festival in 2010, where it all began. Haney (and one of his good friends) being the poor college students they are and not having hundreds of dollars to spend on a ticket, dressed in all black, jumped the fence, slept under a bus, and walked through to the general admission section the next morning with a surprising “Good morning!” from security as they walked through the gates. They did it, they were finally at Coachella.
Haney began sneaking into the photo pit for certain performances, carrying several cameras and recording devices. He even made it to the side stage of Muse’s performance. Haney realized he could compile all of these crazy pictures and videos and show his friends what Coachella is really like.
A passion quickly grew in Haney, he realized how much he loved doing this; travelling, meeting musicians and capturing the rare moments that make them normal humans just like the rest of us.
Add a couple crazy car rides, an invitation to tour with Mumford and Sons, music festivals like: Ultra, Bonnaroo, Coachella, Glastonbury, and Austin City Limits, taking pictures at the running of the bulls, an RV road trip with friends, and no college degree, and you have a compelling documentary start to finish.
I don’t want to give away Marcus’ full story, because honestly he tells it better himself. His journey to follow his dreams is so heartwarming and uplifting, that it makes you want to quit everything and become a musical vagabond yourself.
Haney truly understood how lucky he was to capture the moments he did as he mentions when touring with Mumford and Sons, saying “I got to see them as real human beings.” Not only do you get fantastic live videos of the band, but some drunken nights that you can’t help but laugh at.
One of Haney’s famous shots of the lead singer of Mumford and Sons. image from: bing.com
Through the haze of all the insane and brilliant things Marcus was doing, he alienated his friends, family, and his love interest, which all come crashing down in one moment when he says ” For me there are two things that are massively important, the people that I love and the conquest of the unknown.”
“No Cameras Allowed” lets you peak through Marcus’ struggle between his dreams and his reality and how he made the two become one. Marcus is an artist, and being an artist leaves him with no choice but thinking and being creative constantly. That’s his life; creating art. He appreciates the little things people do and blows them up to make you think, admire, and inspire.
The thing I loved most about this documentary was the fact that Marcus knew what to capture, he knew what fans were itching to see, he understood that musicians are so insanely beautiful to watch, that he filmed all of it. He didn’t just focus on the crop tops, alcohol, and stupid dancing at music festivals, he caught the musicians in their element and how music can truly move massive amounts of people in the most beautiful way. And I admire him for that.
I’ll leave you with a quote from a character that you will meet when you watch the documentary: “Life is what you make it, we only get one go, don’t waste it working, don’t get a mortgage, get an RV, get a life, get on the road.”
Music blogger 