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Alabama Shakes rattles and rolls with “Girls and Boys”
Tapped by MTV as the best thing since pregnant sixteen year olds, Alabama Shakes has made quite an impression on the music industry since their self-titled EP dropped in 2011. Indeed, Jack White, former White Stripes frontman, record producer and diehard ICP fan, has corralled the quartet into producing a number of singles under his Third Man Records label. The band has also performed live on Conan – playing “Hold On”, and my personal favourite track off their album, “I Ain’t the Same”, very convincingly - as well as a birthday special on David Letterman earlier this month. In their first album Girls and Boys, Alabama Shakes does justice to the acclaim showered on them by the music industry mavens who have put their names behind the band.
Ben Kweller @ Union Transfer (3/21)
Ben Kweller performed at Union Transfer promoting his new album, Go Fly A Kite, on March 21st. While Kweller may have been attempting to promote his new work, those gathered that night seemed much more enthusiastic about his old hits. The crowd was certainly nostalgic, as cheers rang out at the start of old favorites, such as “Wasted and Ready” or “On My Way.” Mouths moved along with the lyrics, bodies swayed to Kweller’s pulsing guitar and melodious piano. Concert-goers seemed at more of a loss with the new material, songs like “Jealous Girl” or “Full Circle,” which did not seem to have the same vibrancy one would expect from Kweller. The choice of lyrics seemed lackluster, and the instrumentation verged on campy. However, this managed to be only a small bump in an altogether seamless and entertaining experience.
- Jillian Blackwell, With A Little Help From My Friends (Thursdays from 8-10pm @ WQHS.org)
LP: “Into the Wild”
I recently heard a song that had me completely stunned instantly, and I have since not been able to stop listening to it. I speak of LP’s “Into the Wild”. Maybe none of you have heard this song, or maybe all of you have and I am way behind the curve; I can’t really tell with this artist. The song was featured on Citibank’s commercial ad campaign, which is how it and its artist have gotten recognition. But whether or not you have heard this song, if you have not seen her sing it live, watch this video immediately.
Female Rappers – Has rap gone sexy?
Who would have thought that some of the top pop artists are females! No longer is the rap game strictly for the fellas. Years ago there were a small selection of females such as the ladies from TLC, MC Lyte, the amazing Queen Latifah, and Salt-n-Pepa, but overall the rap game remained dominated by the guys.
The Shins: Port of Morrow
It’s been 5 long years since the Shins have released an album, but with Port of Morrow, the indie-rock staple returns to the spotlight like no time has passed at all. Supported by front man James Mercer’s trademark vocals, the Shins’ fourth studio album delivers a powerful earful of soothing, harmonious tracks. You won’t find much growth or evolution in Port of Morrow, but who said that’s a bad thing? Despite the hiatus and the absence of two original band members, James Mercer still captures the same quirky, youthful energy found on Oh, Inverted World. From the powerful percussion of “The Rifle’s Spiral” to the velvety-smooth vocal driven “September”, each track is reminiscent of the whimsical whistling in “New Slang” that we all fell in love with.
TheeSatisfaction - awE naturalE
Jon Iwry takes Initiative
Jon Iwry (J-Boy to his fans) is a hip-hop artist from right outside Washington, D.C. A sophomore in the College, this four-time winner of Penn’s Got Talent will be performing original music and freestyle rapping at this year’s Spring Fling in the Quad. He also has a radio show called “Check the Rhyme” that airs every Tuesday at 6. And Jon is starting an on-campus group called the Penn Hip-Hop Initiative, which he discusses below.
Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society
Radio Music Society is the latest album released by jazz singer, bass player Esperanza Spalding, who was released to many of us during the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011 where she won Best New Artist, which was the very first time in history this award was given to a jazz artist. Yet, Esperanza came on the music scene years prior. Esperanza Spalding was introduced as a solo artist in 2006 on a Spanish label where she featured her many sides of her musical personality. In 2008, she made her international debut as a new jazz artist when she recorded with Heads Up, a division of Concord Music Group, topping Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz charts.
34th Street: We want no part of “Part of Me”
Katy Perry’s latest video is neither feminist nor patriotic
I’ll open with a disclaimer: until now, I had no beef with Katy Perry. I think she has a good voice buried under all the cloying production value (I’ll admit to kind of liking “E.T.”), and at the end of the day, whether or not she shoots whipped cream out of her bra is entirely irrelevant to my existence. But since she debuted the breakup- and military-themed video for “Part of Me” in the past couple weeks, I have genuinely felt disturbed.
On the Road to Ruin (II)
Don’t miss out on Road to Ruin II presented by Evil Weevil Records, Chikara, and Dead Industry April 20-22! For a full list of bands and venues, check out their website here.
Stay tuned for coverage of their Saturday lineup as well as an interview!
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