I think John Mayer is back on his game. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy Continuum for the most part (in particular, “The Heart of Life” and “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room”), but the album seemed rushed. It seemed as if he was less inspired and more pushed by a label or something.
But Battle Studies comes three years after Continuum, giving Mayer plenty of time to get his groove back. I just think he has a problem with picking first singles. “Waiting on the World to Change,” for example, was the most different and unappealing song of Continuum. I feel the same way about “Who Says” on Battle Studies. I just don’t like it, so I was afraid I wouldn’t like the rest of the album. I actually like it a lot. It’s one of those albums I’m actually excited to buy.
And, what could be better than a song with both John Mayer and Taylor Swift? Okay, sure, I can think of a lot of amazing duos I’d like to see…but this one really works. “Half of My Heart” is my favorite song on Battle Studies, I think. Overall I approve of the album. Welcome back, John.
Pick up Battle Studies today!
Norah Jones – The Fall
Well Norah Jones seemed to Fall off the face of the earth for awhile. (Get it?! It’s punny.) People have told me I look like her. I don’t see the resemblance at all. I don’t know why this would be relevant, either; you don’t know what I look like. Anyway, she hasn’t had an album since her double-platinum super-hit Not Too Late in 2007. I guess that’s not too long of a gap in-between records, but it always seems longer, you know?
The Fall has a little less of her jazzy-folk-type sound and a little more rock and blues. Her voice still sounds great, though. I wonder if she stepped out of her element on purpose as an experiment. I mean, why not? She has tackled the more indie genres successfully, why not try something new? I think “Even Though” is a great example of how she is able to step between genre lines and come out clean.
If you order the deluxe version of The Fall on iTunes you’ll get six bonus songs that are live recordings from a performance at The Living Room in New York City. Honestly, her voice sounds flawless; the songs could be studio recordings and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. I love when artists are able to sing well and comfortably live. Michael Bublé has that talent, also. He always sounds perfect live. But, I digress.
Hey Mobilers, next up is New York-based group The Radiant, and they certainly have a radiance to their sound. Together since 2006 and with two albums under their belt, the group has toured nationwide and internationally. We sat down with keyboardist Mark Mangold and got him to let us in on the band’s themes, influences and love of creating “tapestries” of music.
Check it out and give them a listen.
1. How did the four of you begin playing music together?
We are all living in New York, although we all come from other places (Christian from Orlando, Jonny Cragg from Manchester, Mark from Florida). It started out as Christian and Mark. Jonny and Jordan joined a bit later.
2. Do you think big cities such as New York allow bands to mature faster?
We actually like getting out of New York. It’s a place where music and bands end up, on a tour through, but not sure it’s the best way to hang and mature. So many musicians need to be doing other things here to pay rent — it probably even takes longer and may involve more sacrifices than if we were from a small town somewhere. But we made it work.
3. Any particular venues around New York City you like to play more than others? What do you like about them?
The thing about New York is that few places have a dedicated audience. Here, the band brings their following and the place clears out by the time the next band goes on. A bit difficult. We love playing at Arlene’s Grocery though; a cool place, nice sound. When we played over in Europe there is a music scene and people are at the clubs no matter what, so you can spread your sound and make new friends.
4. Do you ever get silly questions like, “where is the guitarist?”
Well Christian plays guitar on the songs that need it, but no, not really. That’s like asking Keane where’s the bass player, or asking The Verve where’s the Orchestra when they start into Bittersweet Symphony. Happily people seem very tolerant of all that stuff, seem to be used to it and just want to be entertained. Also, a lot of the “guitar” sounds we used are actually keyboards processed in one way or another or put through an amp to sound like guitars. The technical side of this band is a lot of fun.
5. Who are some of your biggest musical influences.
Everyone, from Zep and Purple to all the stuff out there now, anything good and interesting really. Jimmy Smith on Hammond Organ is a hero of mine, Love The Bravery and of course Muse, Verse…everyone who sounds like us.
6. It’s been cool to make fun of all things 80s for a decade or so, but a lot that stuff seems to be coming back around. As a keyboard driven band, do you draw any musical inspiration from 80s acts?
Sure, it’s all gotten in the genres somehow. From the metal stuff to the “Romantics” like Depeche Mode, etc. In some of the new software they actually name the sounds after a song it was used on.
7. Christian’s voice really has that soaring quality. When did you first realize you had something there?
The very first time I ever heard him sing I was totally blown away. Plus he plays every instrument — originally a drummer, a great guitarist, plays keys…and sings his ass off. He is a very deserving human being.
8. What it the songwriting process like? Do you guys usually collaborate?
Songwriting is always happening, no matter what else is going on. When we collaborate we try to stick to our first impressions often, as they always seem to turn out to be cool and without “judgment” or overthinking. Christian likes long notes, so often if I do something, we’ll cut out half the lyrics and extra syllables. And we’re always trying to create tapestries. Many of our songs and chord progressions and “overdubs” should NOT actually work “on paper”, but they sound good and we don’t question. It’s not coming from a mathematical place, it’s very organic and instinctual. Wherever the fingers go on the keyboard usually works, and is a constant source of surprise.
We are pretty much workaholics and LOVE making music. It defines all of our lives, for sure.
9. Are there any particular themes that come up in your writing?
Love and continued existence; for example recovery, suicide, apology, and unconditional love.
10. Where should people go for info about where to see you live?
After a lot of anticipation (even though the last movie came out barely a year ago), the second installment of the Twilight saga—based on the books by Stephanie Meyer—hits the theaters this Friday, November 20. To nobody’s surprise, the movie is already breaking records.
First of all, the movie premiered in Los Angeles on Monday—but, fans were already lined up for the chance to get a peek at the stars by Friday night. That’s insane. Who does that? These people literally camped out on the streets of Westwood just to see some ambiguous limos pull up to the theater on Monday night. I mean, I’ve waited a couple of hours before, but days?! No way.
The movie stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattison, and Taylor Lautner. It’s about teen vampires and werewolves, and one clumsy girl. I won’t give anything else away, I promise.
According to Variety, Twilight: New Moon will make record-breaking openings. It has already sold out over 2000 showings, and is expected to pass the $80 million mark in the first weekend. I will inevitably keep you posted on how well this vampire movie does in the box office. Look for a post on Monday about its performance this weekend!
Why do I love the fall so much? The answer may seem incredibly obvious. But, then again, so is the question. What is there not to love about fall? I realize that I do not live in a state where there are four traditional-weathered seasons, but I would imagine that the fall is perfect everywhere.
In the winter, there is a ton of snow and ice, and people’s cars freeze, and there’s dirt and mud everywhere, no leaves, etc. etc. Fine. In the spring it’s humid and rains a lot. Okay. In the summer the weather is miserable and ugly people walk around without a lot of clothes on. Understandably annoying. But fall? The weather is crisp and cool, the fashion is great, the holiday music starts to play, Black Friday produces massive sales, the colors of the leaves change…and, of course, the food that’s in season is incredible.
Fall flavors are my favorite. As I sit here drinking apple cider, day-dreaming of pumpkin and/or apple pie, turkey, soup, anything with cinnamon in it, butternut squash, potatoes, etc. etc. I could go on forever. Fall is all about the comfort food—hello? Why else would everyone gain about 15 pounds every winter? We’re like bears; we like to gain some weight and slip into hibernation. It’s nature.
Fall is also the most common time for family reunions—whether it is for Thanksgiving or other winter holidays—and it’s nice to bundle up with people who make you smile. There isn’t anything quite like fighting over the spot in front of the fireplace (although it’s been a little less competitive ever since someone in my family burned a hole in his vest…true story).
So if you’re feeling blue about the cold weather and rainy days, just think about everything that’s great about fall! Wrap yourself up in a comfortable—yet chic—coat, sweater, and boots (and maybe a hat if you can get away with it—I can’t), take a walk around the block and look forward to getting home to make a nice cup of hot chocolate.
From November 14 (Saturday) to November 20 (Friday), Wal-Mart will be giving away $100 gift cards to anyone who buys a BlackBerry phone from a Wal-Mart store.
When you buy your BlackBerry and sign a two-year contract with Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint, you’ll get a gift card to spend on any purchase after the phone. According to Greg Hall, Wal-Mart’s vice president of Media Services, “We know customers are very focused on value, and we have promised each week to deliver new savings to help them stretch their dollars this holiday season.”
With the holiday season coming up, Wal-Mart’s strategy isn’t just to get people to buy phones from their stores. They want people to have a little bit of extra spending money for their wallets this season.
For a list of the devices that go along with this offer, follow the jump!
Wal-Mart will give a $100 gift card to any buyer of the following BlackBerry phones:
Bon Jovi’s album, The Circle, was originally released on October 30. However, this week a Deluxe Edition—which includes the documentary When We Were Beautiful—came out. I’m not going to lie, I’m not usually a huge Bon Jovi fan. Of course, I like the classics like “Wanted Dead or Alive” and “Livin’ on a Prayer.” But overall, not so much.
I have to say, though, that “We Weren’t Born to Follow,” the first single off the album, has totally grown on me. Here’s why: the song plays during nearly every single commercial of NFL football games (and maybe even college games, I can’t really remember). When you hear a song that much, you begin to form a kind of bond with it to a point when you find yourself really enjoying the song (even if you didn’t care for it to begin with).
Maybe that can be said about any song/band. Well actually that’s not true. You couldn’t pay me to enjoy a Creed song. But, I digress.
I came into listening to The Circle with an open mind and found myself liking it as it progressed. The album is well-balanced between fast-paced rock songs and ballads. Bon Jovi hasn’t lost its touch, it seems. Smart move to put their stuff during sporting events, though. Can’t go wrong doing that. Right, Faith Hill?
Check out The Circle/When We Were Beautiful! I really do think it’s an enjoyable experience.
Tori Amos – Midwinter Graces
Midwinter Graces is Tori Amos’s second album in 2009 alone, and is her eleventh studio record overall. It is her first seasonal album and contains songs dedicated to winter and Christmas. It seems like a lot of artists are releasing holiday music these days (even Bob Dylan).
In the album, there are six traditional Christmas songs, five new songs written by Amos herself, and one song by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. Listening to the album, I was surprised by Amos’s original songs. Usually when I listen to holiday albums I get annoyed by their cheesiness and rushed feeling to them; on this album, however, the songs are actually well-written. They seem to have the potential to be successful in the future, instead of just trendy for one year. I especially like “A Silent Night With You.” It makes me wish I lived where it snows in the winter…
If you get the Deluxe Edition of Midwinter Graces, you get three additional songs, including two new songs for 2009 and one traditional one (“Good King Wenceslas”). Check out the album today, just in time for the start of the holiday season!
Coming up next, we’ll meet North Carolina based Acoustic Folk artist David Wilcox. David may be a man of few words, but put him behind his guitar and he will let you know what he really thinks. Over the past fifteen years, David has perfected the art of writing meaningful songs and is fiercely dedicated to his craft and musical honesty. We caught up with David and asked him about life on and off the road, as well as how people are responding to songs with a real message.
1. What is it about your work that makes terms like musical medicine come up a lot?
Musical medicine is just a fun name that I give for the experience of songs guiding my heart to clarity. It’s also a term to describe succinctly some people’s reaction to my music.
2. How old were you when you became interested in playing music?
18
3. North Carolina has a rich musical heritage. How do you stay rooted in Carolina with all the traveling you have to do?
I don’t as well as I wish I could, but I love my family and I love the musical community in Asheville and I love the views. I love to get out in nature, away from the city. It’s a pretty quick bike ride up the Parkway to some places that still inspire me.
4. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
It’s hard to narrow it down to individuals, but some of the folks that have been inspiring over the years are:
