About to Pop - Albums

With the holidays right around the corner, it's quite obvious as to why many popular artists are releasing their newest albums this month.  In this addition of "About to Pop," I'll be looking at a few new albums and giving a brief  summary/review of it.  Let's get into it!

Country: Taylor Swift's Red.

A very popular country artist, Taylor Swift is known as America's "Sweetheart."  In her latest album, Swift switches things up a bit, delving into pop music as well, which is evident in her track We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.  The catchy tune talks about her former flame (which pretty much all of her songs talk about).  In the track above, Swift stays true to her country roots, but adds in some pop/rock for good measure.  Besides her current radio hit, I found State of Grace to be a fun, "poptry" (Pop + Country) tune.  As a side note, many analysts believe this will be the best selling album of 2012, usurping British sensation One Direction.

Hip-Hop/Rap: Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded - The Re-Up

Besides having one of the longest album titles this year, Nicki's newest album is really a deluxe version of her sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.  The album includes five seven new tracks in addition to all of the tracks from Roman Reloaded (A total of 26).  While I thought Nicki's second album was rather lackluster with some decent rap songs and some decent pop songs (I like about 8 out of 19), the seven new tracks return Nicki to her grimy roots.  Her current "flow" on the song above is very reminiscent of her earlier feature on Kanye West's Monster - a video I shared a few weeks ago.  While Nicki was being criticized for adhering to the pop/commercial norm, with the track above, I can confidently say the queen is back!

Rock (More like Pop): One Direction's Take Me Home

A year after there record-breaking album Up All Night was first released in the U.K. (March in the U.S.), Simon's X Factor U.K. proteges are back, exhibiting a little more mature tone/vibe.  While their first single Live While We're Young is very similar to their very first single What Makes You Beautiful (what's up with these long song titles 1D & TSwizzle?!), I feel like the song above shows a different side of the bubblegum pop boy band.  Written by U.K. sensation Ed Sheeran (the genius behind Lego House), it's a no-brainer that Little Things is a smash.  While I will admit that I DO NOT any One Direction album, I do find a few of their songs really catchy (like the one above ;D)

As a bonus, enjoy listening to Ed Sheeran's Lego House...

X Factor!

     Being completely honest, I don't watch too much television, particularly the singing/dancing reality shows like American Idol, SYTYCD, Dancing W/ The Stars, The Voice, etc.  However, I will admit that I am an X Factor fan.  I feel like the show is something different, and the dynamic of it all is incredible.  I think the whole mentoring format is great, and the contestants this season are amazing.
     As of this writing, out of the thousands of people who auditioned, only 12 remain!  Of the 12, I have my favorite contestant, or seven.  There's the rihanna lookalike Paige Thomas, who is actually a really great performer.  The "Overs" category has Tate Stevens - the man with an amazing country singing voice - and Vino Alan - the soulful rocker.  Simon Cowell's three groups are all amazing.  Mostly likely to become the next 1D, Emblem3 is an entertaining group.  I find Lyric145 to be inventive and interesting - putting hip-hop into Mary Poppins' "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" was very creative, then there's Fifth Harmony.  Auditioning as soloist, these five girls were put together on the show, but you wouldn't be able to tell from their performances.  Finally, there's Carly Rose Sonenclar - the 13 year old with a big voice.  Will.I.Am and Britney Spears think she might be possessed?!  Her voice is incredible.  I know the real competition just started, but I think we have a winner here.  This week she smashed Bruno Mars' "It Will Rain," but I still think her original audition was the best.  Tell me, which performance do you like better?

About to POP!

Okay, I'll admit I'm absolutely stealing this idea from an article I read on Flipboard.  I guess with the whole Tsunami scare on Monday, Halloween on Wednesday, and the arrival of my new iPad later today (Hurry UPS!), I currently have a dearth of blog ideas.  The whole "About to POP" thing basically looks at a few recently released songs/artists and leaves it up to the public to vote on which one will become the next #1 hit.  But forget the voting, I'd rather everyone vote on the 6th! - I'm not going to say who, just vote.  It's your choice!  Anyways, today I'm sharing a few songs - suggested by friends - that I find to be interesting.  While some may not be everyone's cup of tea, I tried to throw a bit of everything in (Pop, Hip-hop, alternative/rock).

1. Two Hearts by Paper Route
Admittedly I'm not much of an alternative fan, but I found this song to edgy and likable (if you're in to this sort of thing.)

2. Can Anybody Hear Me by Nicki Minaj
Okay, so it's a little old.  But this particular song - off of Nicki's earlier mixtapes - really shows the rap queen's prowess, with its slick lyrics and hip beat.

3. Oath by Cher Lloyd Featuring Becky G.

When someone from my math class played this song for me, I immediately thought it was a little annoying and a bit girly for my tastes.  But her constant playback caused this addictive bubblegum hit to be stuck in my head for the past few hours.  At least it's relatable!  Everyone has a best friend...

4. Live While We're Young by One Direction

Apparently these guys are some huge international pop group from the U.K.  Cher Lloyd's fellow constants on the X Factor U.K., it's a no-brainer that these boys are able to churn out some pop hits too!  With their second album dropping soon,  I thought their debut single from the album was catchy and fun.  I have to give credit to Simon Cowell, the guy knows pop perfection.

The Illustrious Fruit

It's safe to say we've all seen those ubiquitous white earbuds practically everywhere we go.  Either that or someone is rocking some fruit labeled "i" device.  If you guessed Apple Inc. great! If not...uh...

Anyways, because today (technically according to PST, I'm typing this at 9 P.M. HAST) is October 26, I thought it'd be a good idea to talk Apple.  A truly great American company - that changed the way we (or, at least, for me) listen to music.  What day is it today you ask?  The official pre-order day for Apple's holiday line-up! New iMacs, iPads, and even a miniature iPad!

The iPad Mini is the company's first "new" device to be released under the helm of Apple CEO, Tim Cook.  Steve Jobs - an inspiring individual - has invented many great things - pretty much everything Apple up until late last year.  I think it's interesting to see the direction that Apple is going in without out their leader/co-founder (Steve Wozniak is the other founder).  While the iPad Mini may get criticized for its less-than retina display and "slower" processor," I wouldn't be surprised if that 11/2 ship date slips to a few weeks.  Apple isn't a spec company.  When it comes to Apple's iOS devices, you probably won't get the fastest quad-core cpu, largest HD display, or expandable memory slot.  What you do get, however, is Apple's brilliant, well-crafted, engineering-marvels.  While I will admit that I'm no longer an iPhone user, I still use my iPad quite frequently at home.  Compared to my Motorola Xoom, an android tablet, the difference is night and day.  Sure the Xoom is more customizable, but nothing can beat Apple's design language and incredible app ecosystem.

Getting back on track (I'm a bit of a tech-geek, I know), how does Apple relate to music?  Simple, iTunes, iPods, iPhones, & iPads have changed many aspects of listening to music.  iPhones & iPods are ubiquitous!  Everyone has/had one at point or another.  Then there's the iPad, who doesn't know what that is.  While some may argue its a niche market, I think, in time, tablet PCs (iPad, Android, Windows 8) are going to change the way we use computers.  Need proof?  Look at Microsoft's big redesign in Windows 8, everything is designed to be touch optimized.  Finally, iTunes.  I've been using iTunes for about 7 years.  (While I had to begrudgingly had to switch to a PC for software reasons) iTunes is always one of the first things I install.  It really is a great, simple media player.  Don't forget Apple's massive catalog of content either.  Really, the music industry would be a different, Zune (anyone remember these?) infested place.  As for me, I'll keep my Android smartphone but use iOS as my tablet platform.  I've even grown to love PCs and Windows as much as Mac and OSX - crazy talk right?

Now bask in the wisdom of the Great One:

"Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while."
-- Steve Jobs

K-Pop: A Phenomenon or A Niche?

Just recently (as in a few hours ago) I stumbled upon this really interesting article on K-Pop on one of my favorite sites, The Verge.  It basically talked about a recent K-Pop convention in California.  From the article, which you can find below, I learned a lot of interesting things about the genre.  Apparently, its really popular among teenage girls (no surprise there really), but the process on how these "bands" - a term I use loosely here - are pre-fabricated based on looks, rather than actual talent.  While I have to agree that K-Pop might never reach mainstream popularity like PSY's "Gangnam Style," I think its interesting westerns are able to find interest in K-Pop, especially since many of the songs are in Korean. There's even a worldwide fan organization, K-Pop United, and "Fan Chants" that are a vital part of the K-Pop marketing.

That's where my question arose: is K-Pop some pop culture phenom or just a niche market targeted at a certain demographic?  I believe its somewhere in the middle.  It's really a case of love it or hate it.  I remember a few weeks ago, one of my co-workers, who is a male, began to show me and a few others some of his favorite K-Pop songs on YouTube.  I don't really care for it, I barely even like "Gangnam Style."  I remember last semester a few of my friends (a group of males & females) began to talk about their favorite K-Pop group.  This included, SHINee, G-Dragon, Girls Generation, Super Junior, and 2ne1.  This even led to a heated discussion about which songs were best.  I threw fuel into the fire, stating "I don't really like K-Pop."  They all looked at me in shock, as if knowing who any of these groups and songs were normal.  They even tried to "convert me."  Playing all this terrible, rather boring tunes, thankfully it didn't work.  In the end, K-Pop will probably continue to gain traction, but I know I'll never be a fan.  I rather stick to American music and more recently, British Pop (B-Pop anyone?).

I highly suggest everyone read this interesting article as well: http://tinyurl.com/96s3dga

Songwriting 101

The focus for this week is songwriting.  Little fact about me, I love writing - doing academic papers, writing about my day, creative writing, etc.  More recently, I've found myself becoming more and more interested in songwriting.  It's not the easiest thing in the world, but practice does make perfect.  Listed below are a few tips that I use to help me write.  (As a side-note, I'm no Taylor Swift or Dr. Luke, but writing is fun and to be able to tie it in with music makes it even better!)

1. Listen to different types of music.
2. Map out the structure of your song (intro, verse, bridge, chorus)
3. Write about something meaningful and full of emotion. - Just write like a journal
4. Figure out your message and set a mood/theme
5. You want your words to say something meaningful.  You also want your words to sing!
     - This is one of the harder steps for me because I tend to be more descriptive when writing and the words I write usually don't translate well into singing.  The words need to be smooth.
     - You can rhyme if you like, similar to a poem, but I don't think it's necessary.  You want something catchy and original!
6. Try to find a hook! Also make sure to create a balance between repetition and variety.
7. Get feedback to help you smooth out the rough edges.
8. Don't stop! Remember practice makes perfect.

One thing I noticed about songwriting and pretty much writing in general is to always be ready.  Ideas come at some of the most oddest of places and times.  (Studies have shown we're more creative at night!)   Thankfully I always have my smartphone on me, as well as, the Evernote app to help me manage these crazy ideas.
While I'm not sure if I'll ever post a song written by me, we can all rejoice in the music.

(Since it is Halloween in a few weeks.  The raps in this particular song are really catchy too!)

The CD's 30th Birthday!

While I may be a few days off, the compact disc, commonly known as a CD, changed the way people listened to music.  Released by Sony in Japan on October 1,1982, the world's first CD player, the Sony CDP-101, was anything but cheap.  At a price of $1000, the CDP-101 makes Apple's highest level iPad ($830) look like a bargain.  It was released six months later in the United States, and, because of limited supply, every one sold for full price!  Before its release, the music market used vinyl albums/singles and cassettes. (What's a vinyl?)  The mass market took to CDs with open arms, while audio junkies had more mixed opinions.  Some loved the clarity, while others thought it was cold and hard.  The CD, an evolution of the laser disc, was created by the combined effort of Phillips and Sony - two companies who created prototype CD players earlier in the 1970's.

Despite its age, the CD will probably live to see another day.  With how fast technology advances today, I'm surprised no one bothered to come up with the CD's evolution, though one could argue that's what digital music (mp3, aac, etc.) is for.  Just this year, for the first time in history, digital music sales have surpassed physical sales.  Only time will tell what will happen to the CD, but with growing popularity in digital music downloads and streaming services like Spotify, the CD will eventually go the way of the dinosaurs and join their VHS, cassette, and Vinyl album (Seriously, what are these things?!) brethren in the sky.  But for now, CDs aren't going anywhere.

*Fun Fact: The first full album to be released on a CD is Billy Joel's 52nd Street.