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Music, Music News, New music

SZA Takes Over CTRL

by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment on SZA Takes Over CTRL

Picture yourself walking through a field of roses. You’re young and in love and the passion is overwhelming. Your fingertips graze the tall flowers as a pulsing beat echoes from the castle behind you. This is how SZA makes you feel; like you’re walking through your own kingdom. All 14 songs provide an overwhelming urge to feel serene and comfortable.

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Image via community.allhiphop.com

 

If Kehlani and Jhené Aiko had a baby, it would come out SZA. A beautiful fusion of good music and good vibes that you can’t help but listen to over and over, like a soundtrack to your life.

CTRL is honest, raw, and real. If there’s not one song on this album that you don’t relate to, then you’re not listening hard enough. SZA opened up to being more herself on this album than ever before, including snippets of wisdom from her grandmother scattered throughout. On “Garden (Say It Like Dat)” her knowledgeable elder says, “You don’t have to talk about me or treat me mean, I don’t have to treat you mean, I just stay out of your way, that’s the way you work that one.”

A lot of the tracks deal with inner issues; lack of confidence, insecurities, etc. The Missouri native sings on “Normal Girl” with a punch. “How do I be a lady? Normal girl oh, I wish I was a normal girl.” A similar theme is revisited on “Drew Barrymore”. But, for every insecurity on this album comes a stroke of confidence, or a slick rhyme showing off how confident SZA really is. “Prom” is a promise to be better, older, more yourself, while “Barrymore” is a question of being good enough. Lead single, “Love Galore” is the perfect example of “love conquers all.” The video is hot and heavy yet keeps it’s symbolic allure with a pack of monarch butterflies floating throughout (monarchs represent good luck.)

The sound? It’s a cold coke with a drop of rum to loosen you up. The R&B beats keep a swift rhythm as SZA’s vocals soar to the clouds and back. CTRL is its own animal. Compiled of lightly vintage melodies with some enigmatic verses. SZA (pronounced Sizza) admitted to Rolling Stone that she switched out her mic for a rapper’s mic (the same one that Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott use.) “It made me feel safe to explore the really conversational tone of my sound and my mind.”

 

Music, Uncategorized

5 New Albums to Look For This Year

by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment on 5 New Albums to Look For This Year

 

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Image via thisisrnb.com

Kehlani: SweetSexySavage, Jan. 27

My prediction? She will become a leader on the R&B charts, dominating every spot. Her raw honesty and sense of self made her a frontrunner in music this past year. Keeping simple R&B sounds with spicy lyrics that fit the bill (listen to “Distraction”).  SweetSexySavage, will be what you’re bumping going into 2017.

 

 

 

Big Sean: I Decided, Feb. 3

big-sean
image via hbr.co.ke

It’s been a minute since his last album, Dark Sky Paradise (2015) which was flooded with all-star cameo’s like Ariana Grande and Kanye West. The rapper has slowly been releasing singles throughout 2016 with, “Living Single,” “Bounce Back,” “Moves,” and “No More Interviews.” Big Sean told Entertainment Weekly the album is focused on rebirth, saying “Sometimes I feel like I was an old man and didn’t succeed in life and asked for a second chance, and this is my second chance.” 

 

 

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image via factmag.com

The XX: I See You, Jan 13.

Mumbled rhyme schemes and pulsating guitar riffs litter every XX track. After their hit, “On Hold,” fans became once again addicted to the distinct XX sound. “There was so much pressure from ourselves about: What do people like about us? What makes us sound like us? What do we need to hang onto?” member Oliver Sim told Pitchfork. The trio remains out of the limelight as much as possible holding onto their privacy as much as they can. I See You could be their best yet.

 

Katy Perry: ??

katy-perry
image via celebmafia.com

It is rumored that Ms. Perry is back in the studio again working on new music. We haven’t heard much from the singer since her laid back 2013 album, Prism; garnering hits like, “Birthday,” “Dark Horse,” and “This Is How We Do.” Will she continue her pop-happy radio domination in 2017? Only time will tell…

 

 

ed-sheeran
image via edsheeran2016.com

Ed Sheeran: ??

Sheeran has been MIA for quite some time, perhaps perfecting his acoustic/pop sound? The crooner shared an Instagram with fans hinting that new music would be released this Friday (1/6). An album? single? music video? We just have to wait and see. In the past, he’s mentioned his progress on his third album (reportedly titled “÷”- following the numeric theme he’s titled past albums) calling it, “The best thing I have made thus far.”

 

 

 

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GEMS Dazzle with “Blow Out the Light”

by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment on GEMS Dazzle with “Blow Out the Light”

A clever spin on the cliche saying, “We’ll leave the light on!” Well…not this time. “Blow Out the Light” focuses on the end of a relationship, hinting at some infidelity; “Don’t come home to me tonight, you’ve been holdin’ someone tight, you think you’re out there lovin’ someone right.” The soprano-like voices in GEMS provide a stark contrast to the actual harsh words being sung. “I can’t promise that I’ll ever be cool with you, but I’m tryna be kind.” The positivity is in the process of moving on.

These Washington, D.C. natives are starting a new music releasing process by putting out a new single every time there’s a full moon, hence the project title, Every Full Moon.  A cool way of introducing new music to their fans that has already garnered some much needed attention to the group. “Blow Out the Light” is different from GEMS’ usual electro-pop. This one is plucking from the R&B/alternative field, with a dash of piano and a sprinkle of electronic, that seems to suit them flawlessly. Reminiscent of groups on the rise, like Broods, Phantogram, and Oh Wonder. The boy-girl coupling makes for a refreshing duet sound that has been growing popular in the music scene.

The most captivating element in “Light” are the snaps that overlap during the chorus as lead singer Lindsay sings sweetly, “blow out the light.” You can’t help but feel like it should be on a 24-hour loop in a Zen center somewhere to help people rid their mind of toxic exes.

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The Prap Formula

by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment on The Prap Formula

“Bad Things” – Machine Gun Kelly feat. Camilla Cabello

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Image: fuse.com

We’ve heard it before and we’re hearing it again. A rapper spitting game on the verses while a popular female singer croons a hook you can never get out of your brain. “Airplanes (B.o.B feat. Hayley Williams / 2010),” “Empire State of Mind (Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys / 2009),” and more recently, “Me, Myself, and I (G-Eazy feat. Bebe Rexha / 2015).” It seems to be a foolproof formula that results in mega airplay and a lot of new fans. Ask me how much I listen to Machine Gun Kelly. None. But you bet I learned every word to “Things” before I even pulled into work on Friday. Camilla’s voice is absolute pop perfection as she enchantingly sings, “Am I out of my head? am I out of my mind?…Don’t think that I can explain it, what can I say, it’s complicated.”

While listening to Machine Gun Kelly rap, you realize he’s not that great of a rapper. He seems to be in the minor leagues of the rap genre. You almost just wait and wait for the chorus to play again so you can sing along with Camilla, as if she’s guiding you along a moonlit path while miniature twinkle lights line the dirt behind her delicate prancing baby feet. “Bad Things” proves her vocals are worthy of a solo project, MORE than worthy. Camilla is no stranger to collabing, her duet with newcomer Shawn Mendes, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” skyrocketed on the pop charts and even went gold.

The truth is, “Bad Things” is good, but in about two months, people won’t be listening to it anymore. It’s a solid song for right now, but nothing substantial. What’s B.o.B up to these days? No idea, because he never texts me back. Just kidding. Machine Gun Kelly needs to grow his fanbase and that’s exactly what this song will do for him. So, kudos to Kelly for mastering this formula for people to latch onto once again.

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