Tag: music
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Spooky Playlist
With Halloween right around the corner, it makes sense that every store around the block has their decorations on display. When it comes to your music library, it should be with the times. We’ve handpicked some great songs to combine into a playlist all in the theme of Halloween, with spooky things in every song title. Hopefully the only thing that goes “bump” in the night will be some jams.
- “Calling All Skeletons” – Alkaline Trio
- “Halloween All Year” – The Orwells
- “Skeleton Jar” – Youth Group
- “Holy Fucking Ghost” – Owls
- “Walking With a Ghost” – Tegan and Sara
- “Spooky Ghosts” – SNCKPCK
- “Halloween Parade” – Lou Reed
- “Halloween Blues” – The Fratellis
- “There’s Too Much Talk About Ghosts” – Park Jefferson
- “Weighty Ghost” – Wintersleep
City and Colour: ‘If I Should Go Before You’
If I Should Go Before You is the fifth studio album by City and Colour, and it’s definitely a ride. The main themes of the album revolve around self-rediscovery, unrequited love and being lost within oneself. It’s very easy to see that Dallas Green has lost himself, both lyrically and musically. If I Should Go Before You brings a lot of different elements together in a way that is confusing and accumulates into a heaping pile of questions. From the use of heavily synthesized western jangle-pop for the majority of the album to the constant repetition of lyrics, there’s a lot going on.
The album starts off with “Woman”, which was released as a single in July. The characteristic high and light voice of Dallas Green is very audible, but the real stars of the song are the backing layered guitar pieces. The whole drowning and weaving into a dreamy rock sound can work for some artists, but when you have a voice as smooth as Green’s the overall sound comes out as very disjointed. Having that for a complete 9 minutes and as the opening song brings no real excitement, especially since the lyrics are few and far inbetween once you get rid of the ones that are repeated.
“Northern Blues”, or ‘that drum beat and synthpop combo familiar from 80s cop drama car chase scenes’, really sets the bar high for imitation sounds. It seems like the heavily produced albums are a popular trend right now, but for City and Colour the connection just seems forced. Lyrically, Dallas Green is still pushing through. From repeating “I can hear the devil whisper, pay no heed to what he said”, it’s obvious that Green is fighting some inner demons on this album.
Complete with little synthesized keyboard riffs and a bizarre rock-band guitar progression in the middle of the song, “Mizzy C” is easily one of the most confusing songs on the album. About depression and routine of self, the track goes over touchy subject matter, but the accompanying melodies do the lyrics no justice.
Then, out of nowhere, comes “If I Should Go Before You”. The track that shares the same name as the entire album should be an accumulation of everything the album represents, and this track is quite the opposite. There is a lot of drawing from other pieces on this song, especially for the lyrical content. The song reminds too much of the poems “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas and “If I Should Go” by Joyce Grenfell. The lyric “dying in the light of day” is too close to “rage against the dying light”, and “if I should go before you” is almost identical to Thomas’s “if I should go before the rest of you”. Another complaint would be the slow electric blues sound, because it doesn’t seem to work well with a minor key-then major key in the chorus. It could just be personal preference, but the surrounding music doesn’t connect with the sadness and overall meaning of the song. It seems very uncharacteristic of Green’s work, and that is off-putting.
Tracks five and six, “Killing Time” and “Wasted Love” respectively, continue moving at the same pace as the first leg of the album. Green sings “lately I’ve been thinking about just who I’m supposed to be” in “Killing Time”, and that is evident in the progression of If I Should Go Before You. For right now, Green continues to draw inspiration too close to that of others. “Wasted Love” sounds eerily similar to “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell, and starting off the song with the phrase “careless love” doesn’t help make a distinction between the two.
The hidden gems of If I Should Go Before You are the last three tracks. “Map of the World” has the right idea, bringing together the mix of western flair and indie pop until it meets right down the middle. The track offers more acoustic instruments that compliment Dallas Green’s voice better than the heavy electric ones do, and it showcases his smooth folksy Morrissey-esque voice a bit more.
“Friends” follows the suit set by “Map of the World” and shows what could have gone right with the album if he had followed that same pattern. The combination of a little steel guitar with overarching acoustic guitars makes a much better impact than all of the synthetic sounds. This continues and ultimately finishes in the final track “Blood”. Why couldn’t the whole album be like these songs? Maybe as a comment on the self-discovery found in so many of the songs prior, “Blood” sounds like Green’s true voice and not what he was trying to be earlier in the album. The addition of the female vocals harmonizing with Green’s for the last set of lyrics “I think we finally found a home in this place” and “I know there’s beauty buried beneath” complete a full circle of resolve within the confusion.
Overall, City and Colour brings an interesting commentary on their typical folksy sound mixed with the current popular trends in music. They show that it doesn’t work for everybody, and that is okay. If I Should Go Before You has redeeming parts, and will leave newcomers content but possibly push away more traditional listeners because of the difference in technique and style. It’s not a bad album by any means, but it’s also not the best.
Petal: “Heaven”
Hailing from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Petal is a band featuring Kiley Lotz, occasionally members of Tigers Jaw like Brianna Collins, and a few rotating others. Sounding like a simpler Tigers Jaw and a less low-fi Fog Lake, Petal released an EP called Scout in 2012 that was met with high praise. Since then, there have been a few singles released in anticipation of a debut LP with Run for Cover Records called Shame to be released Oct. 23, 2015.
Most recently, Petal released a music video for the song “Heaven” off of the up-coming Shame. With complimentary vocals stretching across a high range, “Heaven” reaches for the skies and also the heart. The video, shot in New York City in a total of three days, highlights the interactions people have with one another in their daily lives, and emphasizes the special moments that we may all take for granted. According to Petal’s blog, “I wanted this video to touch on some deeper meaning, that everyone has intrinsic value and is worthy of love.”
Check out the music video here, thanks to The A.V. Club.
Modern Baseball: “The Thrash Particle”
The indie punk, emo punk, or whatever you want to call it band Modern Baseball has released a new single called “The Thrash Particle”. It is unknown whether or not this will be featured on an upcoming album, split, or if it’s just a new stand-alone track. The only thing we know is that Modern Baseball has been working on a more mature sound, and “The Thrash Particle” shows some deep jealousy wounds. Brendan Lukens, lead singer and guitarist, softly speaks about a broken-heart past and how that made him decide to change and be more careful in the future. This Modern Baseball is going the distance with new resolve.
Check out “The Thrash Particle” below, which premiered first on The Fader.
Alex G: ‘Beach Music’
Alex Giannascoli, more commonly known as Alex G, is a lo-fi bedroom pop artist from Pennsylvania. Although he has tons of albums currently on Bandcamp, Beach Music will be the first released under the record label Domino Recording Company. Beach Music features the same good old Alex G with smooth and fuzzy vocals, but this time introducing a variety of rhythms to the mix. With melodies ranging from ‘80s crime drama theme songs’ to ‘blues-influenced western steel guitar,’ Beach Music gives a dreamy and effervescent performance.
Beach Music is a mashup of everything: genres, melodies, vocals, rhythms, you name it. Every song contains at least two different types of each, which normally should not go together so well. Alex G manages to bring together harmonies with styles of music in a way that flows from song to song in a continuous motion, with each element building on the other throughout the album.
The only thing that remains consistent throughout the album are the lyrics. Alex G is known for relating his songs to the inevitability of growing up and the hardships accompanied with difficult topics like psychological disorders and illness, broken romances, and discovering the true nature of oneself.
It’s easy to see that at play during the introduction to the album, nicely titled “Intro.” Sounding like garage noise, the track is short and leads into the slower and more “head bob along” track “Bug.” On Bandcamp, the only songs from the album available for preview are “Bug,” “Kicker” and “Salt,” complete with lyrics for each.
According to the comment section, fans are already falling head over heels for “Bug,” which is understandable (it’s one of my favorites from the album). “Kicker” however, is not high up on the list mainly because of the lyrics. Something about saying “white bird” over and over with the same vocal melody just drags the song on for longer than is needed. Aside from that slight blunder, there’s a lot of bird imagery in Beach Music, matching the lyrics with the drifting organ and guitars.
Track 5 brings something new to the table. “Salt” dives in with machine-orchestrated power drums like you’d find in classic hair metal but then pairs it with diluted electric guitar riffs that sound oddly close to the Twin Peaks theme song. It doesn’t seem like it would go together, but Alex G can pull anything off. Should he add a quick organ chord progression in the middle of the song with no backing sound? Of course. Backing choirs of muttled children and adult vocals? Why not. A slightly remixed beat that only shows itself for a few seconds then disappears for the rest of the song? You bet. “Salt” is a break-out for the album, because it ties in so many different approaches to self-made music and instead of falling flat it adds dimension.
I’m going to skip “Look Out” and head straight to “Brite Boy,” which is another that shows exactly how flexible Alex G is with his music. The track starts off with a kid’s vocals: “Brite Boy I can help you if you let me take your hand” only to have G take the reigns with “bring you right to promised land” and then switch back off. Having a deeper and older voice in a lyrical call-and-response with a pre-pubescent voice makes this song a lighthearted listen. Although the melody and lyrics are relatively simple for this song, the easy-going and poppy guitar makes it a nice break from slower tempos.
Immediately following that uplifting track is “In Love,” a dreary ballad complete with trumpet, old-style piano, and fuzzy interference in the background. Luckily, the fuzz sounds almost exactly like rain, which paired with the bluesy nature of this track works magically well. G takes on a scratchy and strange voice that sounds similar to someone you’d find in Dr. Dog, which fits perfectly seeing as a lyric in the song is actually “scratching in love.”
“Walk” (track 9 just for organization’s sake) is an instrumental that is very welcomed. It breaks up the album between two songs that are both relatively slow and monotonous, then quickly builds up sound into a bright and poppy intermission between halves of the album. The final track “Snot” follows the same pattern, ending the album on an instrumental mesh.
Most artists chose to have their most influential track listed last on the album to make it stand out more, but Alex G uses an instrumental. More than just an interesting stylistic choice, it offers nice closure to a pretty all over the place album. The absence of lyrics gives time for things to come together, and if you listen to the album on repeat then it flows right back to the beginning like a continuous loop.
In between track 9 and 13 are a mix of interesting songs, but the one that (in my opinion) stands out the most is “Ready.” It uses guitar and bass with a Western-influenced flair that may just be interpreted that way because of the blurring technique used on the album, but for 4:22 minutes, it’s still very fresh.
Alex G is pretty much the next posterchild for abstract lyrics, and Beach Music shows an evolution that calls for multiple listens to get all of the meanings. It took the second or third listen to notice that the particularly upbeat songs owe their catchiness to their simple and effective rhyme scheme. It’s an extra tid-bit that’s pretty interesting.
It may be something about lo-fi music as a genre, but that specific piano sound is found in almost every single lo-fi song I’ve ever listened to. That makes it difficult for most lo-fi artists to stand apart from the others. However, Alex G took that same muffled and drowned-out old school piano and matched it with so many other instruments that there’s no way Beach Music isn’t one of his greatest releases yet. Pair all of that instrumental praise with his growing armory of lyrics, and you’ve got something great.
Beach Music will be released on Oct. 9, 2015.
The Pope Rockstar Playlist
As the rocking world has heard, Pope Francis is set to release an 11-track album to help preach his message of faith and righteousness with the masses. The pop-rock album will be called “Wake Up!” and is slated to come out on Nov. 27, 2015. The Pope released a single from the album entitled “Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward!” which features his Holiness himself delivering inspirational speeches over beats and background instrumentation.
In honor of the Pope’s budding career as a musician, here are some songs featuring religious figures in the title or the song itself.
- “Hood Pope” – A$AP Ferg
There’s nothing like a bold start to a playlist, and that’s exactly what you get with A$AP Ferg’s “Hood Pope”. The Pope doesn’t seem like a hardened person at all, making this both humorous and serious (because of the lyrical content, it’s not to be taken lightly obviously).
- “Bishop’s Robes” – Radiohead
This particularly dark song by Radiohead is not a light point of the playlist by any means, but it serves as a nose dive into a different territory of rhythm. The bluesy style of “Bishop’s Robes” that sounds similar to something Muse would produce is strangely soothing.
- “Oh My God” – Ida Maria
This song is featured on a lot of soundtracks, but not enough as a single itself. From the gentle crooning of “So you think you’re in control” to the combinations of both singers chanting “Oh my God”, Ida Maria brings a fresh indie element to the playlist.
4. “Jesus Christ” – Brand New
Probably one of the most fitting songs for this playlist, Brand New questions life after death in the reflective “Jesus Christ”. This track questions morality and personal beliefs in a way that both asks for forgiveness and condemns the need for it.
- “Angels and Demons” – Front Porch Step
Front Porch Step brings romantic emotions in juxtaposition with the stereotypical forces of good and evil in “Angels and Demons”. A man and his loved one are at odds and it is comparing his lost heart as being (surprise) sold to the Devil.
- “Superstar” – Jesus Christ Superstar
No religious playlist is complete without a track from the hit musical Jesus Christ Superstar. This is that track.
- “The Pope Smokes Dope” – David Peel and The Lower East Side
There’s no good way to follow up a track as great as “Superstar”, but “The Pope Smokes Dope” is very close. Pope Francis is regarded as the “hippest” Pope in a long time, which probably inspired songs like this. Don’t fret, The Pope does not actually smoke dope.
- “An Audience With the Pope” – Elbow
Elbow is a sleeper hit. Their musical artistry is shown in the cool cascade of random instruments for the intro, followed by the lyrics which are in the style of low-fi indie pop.
- “The Prophet” – Slightly Stoopid
There is no explanation for Slightly Stoopid. They just appear, and whatever they create magically fits into the world perfectly. “The Prophet” is an example of that.
- “Jesus Christ Was An Only Child” – Modest Mouse
The earlier Modest Mouse albums feature low production sounds and are notoriously more indie and acoustic influenced than later albums. The interesting thing about this song is that even though the instruments are friendly and inviting, the lyrics are actually very dark subject content.
The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die: ‘Harmlessness’
Noted as one of the frontrunners for the emo revival of the 2010s, The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die is a nine piece indie punk band from Connecticut. Their music can be described by their use of confessional lyrics and a large range of instruments that make a “full” band sound. Although their discography includes a lot of EPs with great content on each, the full length albums tell entire stories through the progression of tracks and are highly regarded as an accumulation of the best of TWIABP. Harmlessness is the second studio album to be released by The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die and will be available on Sept. 25, 2015 for purchase. A streaming version of the album is currently available for free on Bandcamp, or you can purchase it digitally for $7.
Harmlessness brings a new chapter for the band by creating a flow of motion from start to finish. The tracks blend into each other so well that the album doesn’t feel like it’s made up of individual songs, it’s more of an elongated soundtrack. The switching of male and female vocals brings depth to the album, and layers of harmonies make the feeling more visceral. An ode to realizing, forgiving and carrying on, Harmlessness is warm-sounding with heavy impact.
Because the themes mentioned in Harmlessness are similar to “Whenever, If Ever”, it’s easy to draw comparisons between the two full-lengths. However, Harmlessness exceeds all expectations. The album draws on floaty riffs that fade into the background and pull forward at just the right times, allowing space for the sweet twangs of the synthesizer to shine through. Every different instrument is used at full potential, with the right sounds pronouncing at the right times to give an unparalleled listening experience.
The album starts with “You Can’t Live There Forever,” a kick-off to ignorance of people in the world around us. With lyrics littered with rhetorical questions, the track ends with the important phrase “we think that the world is alright, and that’s a lie.” It’s interesting to note that the name of the band, The World Is a Beautiful Place, is taken very seriously throughout the lyrics of “Whenever, If Ever” but is torn apart on the first track of Harmlessness. This could be a progression of TWIABP as a band, or possibly a further stab at self-realization through breaking ignorance. Either way, it is a powerful start.
The third track “January 10th, 2014” was released early as a single and is easily one of my favorites from the album. The song draws from the story of Diana the Hunter of Bus Drivers, a woman that killed at least two bus drivers in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico during 2013. The news of the killer spread rapidly through the city, plaguing its citizens with fear of the unknown for months. The track encourages everyone to draw on bravery and hope for something better despite atrocious things that have happened in the past, citing the killer as an example of past horrors. “We are brave and strong, but don’t you quiver.”
Another special mention should be made for the final two tracks on Harmlessness. “I Can Be Afraid of Anything” and “Mount Hum” are the finale of a brilliant climb. They summarize the full album through a post-rock build up to the chanted phrases of high impact. “I Can Be Afraid of Anything” revels in the phrase “I really did dig my own hole, but I’m climbing out,” with the entire band breaking into whimsical harmonies at the height of the song. “Mount Hum” does the same, but in the classic TWIABP style of layered lyrics. Much like the infamous “Getting Sodas” from “Whenever, If Ever,” “Mount Hum” finished off an impressive album with a message that remains even after the track ends:
“Come off and fall, so that I can pick you up. Our homes are not the kind of places you own. We were ghosts even then, errant sunlight on our skin. Sunlight, sunlight. And we drove out to the bluffs, raced each other through the dust. We’re all going to die.”
Each song on Harmlessness manages to carry some sort of weight, and it is impossible to list all of the reasons and meanings. Some important positive mentions are on “Mental Health” and “Rage Against the Dying of the Light,” where the lead singer chants “you are normal and healthy to forgive yourself” and “I am alive, I deserve to be.” Overall, the album exposes the dark points we all experience throughout our lifetimes with questions that we have all thought about at one point or another (like the emotional line “Whose side am I on?” from track four’s “The Word Lisa”). Despite the hardships we all have to pick ourselves up and keep moving until we reach a beautiful place.
Easily one of the best new albums to come from 2015, Harmlessness should be at the top of everyone’s “need to listen to” list.
Tracks to listen to: “January 10th, 2014,” “Rage Against the Dying of the Light,” “I Can Be Afraid of Anything,” “Mount Hum.”
The Front Bottoms: ‘Back on Top’
The third album release from indie punk band The Front Bottoms brings in new instruments to accompany the quirky and angsty goodness that is Brian Sella.
Back on Top brings a mature sound to a band that was made famous for being quirky. The album uses a different production and sound value, which can be seen in the clearness of each instrument and the synthesized twang placed on every lyric. Elements from the past two albums are still present in Back on Top such as the style of anecdotes as lyrics and if you listen closely, you can hear backup female vocals that were introduced on a few songs such as the self-titled album’s “Flashlight.” For dedicated fans, it’s little connections like that between albums that make listening to the discography more of story-telling experience. If the first two albums were sarcastic introductions to the hardships of being an adult, Back on Top is the perfect addition to a trilogy making light of all the crap we go through.
The album kicks off with “Motorcycle” and “Summer Shandy,” both lighthearted tunes that bump along without any snags. Although they’re catchy songs, nothing about them stood out too terribly much.
“Cough It Out” and “HELP,” tracks three and four off of the album, were released earlier as singles and already gained prominence through streaming services like Spotify and Youtube. The songs were originally met with criticism for such a different sound with the main complaint being that it was more electronic than the indie acoustic sound that made The Front Bottoms famous. The straight-forward confessional lyrics that made the band popular can still be found in places like when Sella repeats, “I am delusional with love,” or “I don’t know what I’m going to do about anything.”
“Laugh Till I Cry” shows off Sella’s impressive vocal range, putting lots of emphasis on his accent that set The Front Bottoms apart from others. The use of sound effects like a motorcycle when the lyrics scream “motorcycle” makes this track one of my favorites off of the album.
“Historic Cemetary” for someone that sings about “getting high” so much, Sella has openly admitted to not being a fan of smoking. The irony of that only adds to the humor found in dark places of the album. Sella touches on difficult topics, particularly on how to deal with emotional hardships through relationships, personal importance, and our place in the universe. This track brings in a singer other than Sella that spits dark spoken word about drug abuse over a bright and poppy synthesizer. Nothing could epitomize The Front Bottoms better than that.
“The Plan (Fuck Jobs)” is another personal favorite, because it starts off with a quieter acoustic guitar that lets Sella show off his lyrics and voice. Kicking off with personal faults like hypocrisy through lyrics like “when my mind is uncertain, my body decides,” “The Plan (Fuck Jobs)” accomplishes what the rest of the album is hinting at. It balances the Front Bottoms sound that everyone is used to with its new elements in a way that welcomes the listener to something new.
“Ginger” and “West Virginia” are more of those catchy filler album songs that give the listener something to jam with their friends on a road trip or something to blast at a party. “West Virginia” manages to show the goofy side of Sella that has been missing a little on this album. He even slips in “ride or die” to describe some friends in West Virginia, whom he also gives a personal shout out.
The ninth track, “2YL,” is another favorite. It’s a shout-out to the tingly feelings you get from romance with cute little stories that could rival the perfect dates we’ve dreamt about. A instrumental break with a large trumpet section is refreshing and a great addition to the lightness of this song after which Sella professes his affection, saying “I can be the rainbow in your sky” and his willingness to be there for someone else.
The hardest part of closing an album is picking the perfect track to finish the list. “Plastic Flowers” is a great end to a blossoming album. The highlight is the mid-song monologue that Sella speaks, encouraging everyone to chant along to the chorus of “I believe that someone’s got a plan for me even if I don’t know it yet.” “Plastic Flowers” tags a bigger sound with more background vocals, leading up to a the conclusion of their discography so far: even though things are hard now, it will work out in the end. Another added bonus is that if you’re listening to the album on repeat, the end of “Plastic Flowers” flows perfectly into the beginning of “Motorcycle,” bringing everything full circle for round two, three, and four.
Overall, Back on Top brings a new sound that evenly splits the album into songs that sound vaguely like “old Front Bottoms” and songs that scream “new Front Bottoms.” Characterized with chanted choruses and those certain lyrics that stay hooked in your mind long after the song is finished, Back on Top is a light-sounding but hard-hitting addition to the musical arsenal of The Front Bottoms.
Tracks to check out: “Cough It Out,” “2YL,” “Plastic Flowers,” “Laugh Till I Cry.”
Street Style Profile: Tucker Alford
This weeks Street Style Profile features UGA art student and musician Tucker Alford. Were always impressed by his unique ability to blend patterns and his interest in supporting sustainable clothing companies- like his shoes- made by Nisolo- a micro enterprise that provides consistent livelihood for workers in developing countries. Tucker is an-all around good soul with an interesting personality- so we were thrilled to hear about some of his inspirations and his favorite music. Don’t forget to scroll down for Tucker’s specially curated playlist.
Who or what inspires your personal style?
I don’t know if a certain person really influences my style, but I do like a lot of what I’ve seen musicians wear, and characters in Wes Anderson films. I always just try to wear what makes me happy. I really like hats, so I guess I have Beck Hansen to thank for that.
What are you currently listening to?
I’ve been listening to a lot of things lately, but the things that I’ve been listening to most are Beck’s new album Morning Phase, Atlas Sound, Neutral Milk Hotel (always), Mac Demarco, Gauntlet Hair and Vampire Weekend to name a few. I’m also listening to a lot of Paul Simon’s stuff from the 80’s.
Are there any upcoming shows your looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to seeing Mac Demarco in Atlanta in a few weeks as well as Vampire Weekend in May. It’ll be my third time seeing Vampy Weeks, and I’m real jazzed about it, seeing as they are my favorite band. I’m also looking forward to Lollapalooza in early August in Chicago.
You are an art student- can you tell us a bit about your art work or what interests you within your discipline- what you aspire to do in the future?
I’d really consider myself a musician. I play my own stuff, and I play at churches and such, but as far as art comes, I’m pretty new to it. I really enjoy sculpting things and stuff like that, but I don’t have a certain plan for where art will take me in the future. I see myself playing music though.
Most importantly-boxers or briefs?
Ok, just kidding…
Any words of wisdom/favorite advice/quotes you want to end with?
Words of wisdom. I don’t do this often, but here it goes. Don’t take yourself too seriously (it’s fun to not care), but treat the life you’ve been given and the people in it very seriously.
RAW Natural Born Artist: PIXELS at Terminal West: Music
I’m not sure if everyone at Terminal West Wednesday night was prepared for the amalgamation of creativity that was to take place inside the brick walls of the former steel foundry, but I know I certainly wasn’t. Courtesy of RAW Natural Born Artists, an international organization that connects artists of all kinds, the Pixels showcase featured three talented, up and coming musical acts as well as fashion, art, photography, and performance art from the Atlanta area.
Four Flats, a trio comprised of David Blackmon and Brad Garner on guitar and Courtney Rogers on lead vocals was first to take the stage. Their set consisted mostly of covers with a southern influence such as Otis Redding’s Sitting on the Dock of a Bay, Dolly Parton’s Jolene, and Whipping Post by The Allman Brothers, a band in which Rogers said has had a huge influence on their direction as a band. Despite the fact that Four Flats has no original compositions yet, they show real promise as a band.
The second act of the night, and undoubtedly the crowd favorite, was Bonnie Bordeaux. Bordeaux and her powerhouse of a band, who have only been collaborating for a few months, used their contagious stage presence to transport the audience to the 1940’s. They performed mostly original songs, which were innovative and unique. Never a boring moment, the set combined Pop, Jazz, and R&B. Bordeaux also performed an ambitious cover of Settle Down by Kimbra, which she pulled off stunningly. Between Bordeaux’s musical range and ability to put on a great show, this group has grand potential to be the next big thing to come out of Atlanta. Bonnie Bordeaux will also appear at SCAD Atlanta on February 28th.
The last musical act of the night was Athens-based rock band American Mannequins, who have become a steady presence in the greater Atlanta music scene this past year. Lead vocalist Curtis Vorda, effortlessly hit high notes belting out melodies that ranged from uplifting to haunting. Although their involved prog-rock arrangements and somewhat awkward stage presence didn’t strike a chord with all audience members, their solid musicianship was more than redeeming.
The Pixels showcase put on by RAW Natural Born Artists featured musicians with raw natural born talent and an eclectic variety of music that the audience appreciated. Check out these great new artists and upcoming RAW events here.