Here’s some of our IndieBeat Family sharing their favorite 3 albums of 2014.
(From top-left to bottom-right // links lead to ALT RISING ACT INTERVIEW)
This past October, IndieBeat celebrated our first anniversary of sharing alternative culture and introducing you to your next favorite artists. In the past year we have interviewed notable indie artists in an article entitled Alternative Rising Acts. We have formed many great friendships with the groups featured and to celebrate, they were awesome enough to participate in the 12 Days of Albums. We’re so thankful to our artists’ continued support of this blog and we just wanted to honor them once more.
Here’s some of our IndieBeat Family sharing their favorite 3 albums of 2014. (From top-left to bottom-right // links lead to ALT RISING ACT INTERVIEW)
0 Comments
The following list of album reviews was originally posted as a series during our 12 Days of Albums.
Everyone’s been excited this week for the future of Apple and their release of the new iPhone, but I have been more bummed about the end of an era; with no announcement the iPod Classic has been discontinued. That’s right, the device that revolutionized how we listened, downloaded and consumed music is no longer in production. It was probably our last connection to the truly personal listening experiences of day’s past. You could load your entire library on there—from rare tracks that only you know of, to your guilty pleasures that might embarrass you if others knew—all conveniently in one place. It made documenting experiences with music easier, as playlist making was a favorite pastime for many; it was our generation’s version of the mixtape.
In today’s world of streaming, personal connection to owning music and eclectic collection personality are sort of obsolete thoughts. It’s rare that you own your music nowadays, since its either rented or licensed to you. The iPod allowed you to feel that a computer file was uniquely yours to keep with you forever, whether it be a demo of an unknown indie act or Timberlake’s Cry Me a River. Something that everyone could own seemed to be only yoursand made you proud of it. What sucks the most is that the iPod allowed you to shuffle every song that you loved and give you a unique experience everytime. Try to put all your songs together on Spotify or Beats Music and shuffle and tell me you dont miss the simplicity of an independent device that allowed you to carry memories, feelings, and every damn emotion in one place, anywhere you go. In a completely modern social world, it was nice to have a personal safe space where you can lose yourself and find yourself among all your favorite songs. That unique connection just got less accessible. Sadly, it’s been cast away because its little use with social media and multimedia entertainment. Now all you’re left with is a limited music collection on your app filled touchscreen, where music comes secondary to notification sounds and the sound of Flappy Bird crashing. The iPod was more important to our listening culture than some people realize. Although I took a seminar course last year on the Kennedy family and take this day very seriously, today we also remember another Kennedy whose great personality we lost on August 8, 1997…from MTV that is. It was the start of MTV becoming less music related and more focused on reality shows (and sadly sort a joke). Of course, the original idea to honor this Kennedy came from Maxim, who released an article today in remembrance of Kennedy’s own Camelot at MTV. Check out that article here. Just to make it clear, this Kennedy is still alive and vividly kicking!
I admit, I was just turning 3 at the time, but Lisa Kennedy Montgomery means a lot to me. She left MTV that day, but she went on to host one of my favorite game shows Friend Or Foe.I also saw her on VH1’s Best Week Ever, the Who Wants To Be The Governor of California debate, caught up on Alternative Nation and her MTV days, read her great bookThe Kennedy Chronicles, and now follow her amazing antics on Reason and ALT 98.7 Radio. Yes, I am a super fan. We love Kennedy here, and just felt the need to make it clear in response to this hilarious article. But seriously, we’ve spent 50 years in remembrance of the President’s unfortunate death and continue to honor his legacy. You’ll be hearing that coverage all day, so for a few minutes why not cheer up a little, enjoy an alternative headline, and celebrate an amazing music-media personality—and hope for 50 more years of her humor and legacy. Follow Kennedy on twitter: @KennedyNation This week’s mix starts with a classic. It’s a cold day and Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams is the perfect song for the occasion: Who are those hilarious shadows dancing in this very indie video, you may ask? It’s the amazing The Royal Concept, who have seemingly emerged overnight to become quite the sensation. Do you remember the exact moment when you heard a hit for the very first time? I wish I could remember the first time I heard of Rooney or Phantom Planet or even No Doubt, and experience that great feeling of discovery again. Fortunately, I do remember the first time I heard of NONONO. Good music happens to come to me on my birthday. 3 years ago I saw an intimate set from the The Steelwells. Last year I saw Walk The Moon for the very first time. This year while I was making my way to LA, I heard Pumpin Blood for the very first time.
All you have to do is hear it once, and you’ll be whistling it for the next month. Those raspy, whispering vocals are just so spectacular too. The sound is just so irresistible, it just makes you want more. Luckily, there is more that’s just as infectious. What does the most talked about Kiwi artist and the most eccentric female multi-genre rapper have in common? You wouldn’t think there were many similarities between the two, but this recent mashup has got me thinking. “Royal Planes” has been circulating for weeks now, but it has gotten a lot of media buzz this week. It’s a perfect combination really: combining the lyrics and vocals of Lorde’s Royals with the beats and catchy backgrounds of Paper Planes. It gives new life to both songs, because let’s face it: Paper Planes mashups are plentiful and have become expected, and the radio is killing my vibe on Royals because of the excessive overplay. |
@IndieBeatMusicIndie + Alternative Music Media. Your Online Music Venue: Introducing You To Your Next Favorite Artist. Curated by Josh Pineda
Archives
July 2016
Categories
All
|