Music Musings Category

“So…what kind of music are you into?” It’s a stock question everyone uses to pry open that door of awkwardness in class or at a party. It could mean anything from “I’m bored and this silence makes me uncomfortable,” to “let’s bang in the bathroom between stats and psych.” It’s a safe conversation starter and it has the potential to make you feel instantly connected to someone if your playlists are divinely synced up (oh my gosh, you’ve heard of the Front Bottoms, too?) It also let’s you find out inRead More

For every Nickelback and Green Day that dominates the airwaves, there are countless bands that seem to be forever stuck in the underground – a kind of beer-soaked, pool hall purgatory.  Life there is an endless cycle of supporting Paramore on their latest tour and playing covers (because no one came to hear your music anyway). But just because the Average Joe off the street hasn’t heard of a band doesn’t mean they deserve obscurity.  For some reason or another, some of history’s best musical acts have flown under theRead More

Overrated bands don’t start out that way.  There’s always the trickle of promise as they emerge from the underground, a whisper from mouth to blog that there’s some fresh, talented blood on the music scene.  But like Frankenstein’s Monster, good bands can stray from their hopeful path and prey on a few villagers along the way. The list of overrated bands is exhaustive and very much subjective, but there are definitely some acts that induce earbleeding more than others.  Too bad every radio station insists that they’re the one youRead More

If you’re one of the millions of New Years’ resolvers who vowed to get fit this year, chances are you’re looking for the perfect soundtrack to help you push through the wall or run away from the Blerch.  And if you’re like us, you’re tired of the incessant Top 40 that the gym insists on blasting while you’re trying to get into the zone.  A great workout mix needs variety as well as the driving BPM to help get you up and get you psyched.     Whether you needRead More

The ball has dropped, the champagne has been poured and it’s time to cleanse ourselves of all things 2013.  With all the twerking, tweeting, vining and seflie-ing we’ll wash from our shamed public consciousness, we’ll also say goodbye to an admittedly interesting year in music.  From Kanye’s cracked-out messianic Yeezus to the zeitgeist of Random Access Memories and the latest in Lil Wayne’s steady decline, there was much to listen to and even more to avoid.  2014 has a lot to live up to.  Good thing there are quite aRead More

In 2013, these ladies ruled the pop music scene… Ariana Grande: The Nickelodeon star has had quite the year with her release of album Yours Truly.  Don’t judge me, but I’m on the verge of 24 and I LOVE this album.  The woman’s got pipes and has been compared to the original diva, Mariah Carey, on several occasions.  The album’s first single The Way featuring Mac Miller is an adorable, catchy-as-hell, feel-good song perfect for rolling down the windows and screaming along to at the top of your lungs.  Read More

We’ve all experienced that moment.  You’re listening to the radio when suddenly that song comes on.  You know, that one song that just won’t go away.  You’ve heard it at work, in the supermarket, at the laundromat, and from that homeless guy singing it outside your apartment, all before noon.  But for some reason you let it play.  “Oh, there’s probably nothing else on,” you joke to your friends, but some part of you doesn’t want to change it.  It’s the same part that DVRs every rendition of “Real Housewives”Read More

Each year, music artists throw a few top-notch lyrics our way. Barenaked Ladies gave us, “Chickity China the Chinese chicken”, L.F.O. let us know that Chinese food makes them sick, and Will.I.Am told us to, “Tell a jealous chicken [he] don’t know what the beef is”. Here are some of this year’s gems: 1. “I wanna f*ck you hard on the sink/ After that give you something to drink/ Step back can’t get spunk on the mink” –Kanye West’s “Bound 2” Good call, Kanye. Good call. 2. “And you madRead More