Posts Tagged ‘Pop Rock’

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

After a hugely successful country career with The Wreckers (beautiful album in which I was obsessed) + an EP + a departure-ish track with Timbaland, Michelle Branch is back, and wearing comfortable musical shoes. New single Loud Music is an ode to the Michelle Branch we know and love — cool lyrics poured over a mellow mix. Namechecking Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones (among others), Branch fuses these rockers into a style that’s musically and lyrically all her own.

Listen below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Tennessee based cutie pie/musician Mat Kearney just recently dropped a new single entitled Hey Mama, from his forthcoming Young Love album.

From Mat himself:

“It’s been an amazing year for me personally, spiritually, and creatively. I finished my new record, “Young Love”, signed with a new record label…oh, and met and married the woman of my dreams. We exchanged vows under a canopy of southern weeping willows on a blazing June evening. It was amazing.

I wrote “Hey Mama” about that first day we met between the shoe table and the dress rack. The chorus popped into my head driving home one night. I recorded some hand claps & a big bass drum and wrote the rest dancing around my living room that night. I hope you feel some of the butterflies.”

Well, ain’t that just sweet.

Congrats, buddy!

She’s so purty!

Watch the just-released video for Hey Mama below.

[I'm definitely in love with Mat's music. That's one relationship I highly doubt will ever break!]

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Words cannot explain how much Bryce Avary’s music has affected my life. During every high and low I’ve faced over the past couple years since discovering his music, the sound of his voice has been there, creating a beautiful backdrop to the bittersweet bliss that has been my 20s.

I usually like every single record The Rocket Summer releases and play it on a loop for months on end. It’s incredibly honest and filled with a substance that makes ordinary pop seem lackluster: heart.

God bless you, Bryce! I freakin’ love your music!

Please never stop. Puhlease.

Watch a video from Bryce explaining the new free acoustic album + two of my favorite tracks from his previous discs — the stunningly heartfelt Walls + the music video for Do You Feel following.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Album of the decade? Sorry, Gaga. That feat belongs to Adele. The whole CD for .99 cents? The label might as well put the damn thing in Happy Meals. No, this isn’t happening. I just liked the headline.

This might sound harsh (not the intention), but I’m strictly going balls to the wall with my opinion on Gaga’s overexposure & unapologetic shameless promotion. Why? Because I respect her. Because I appreciate the substance beneath all the starvation for fame. Because I think the way she’s crafted herself (shock value galore) is taking away from the music.

For the record, I actually like several songs on this album, especially You and I. No, I don’t like You and I, I fucking love it. That’s saying something since I’m not a big Gaga fan. I just feel like all this cheap promotion (including Gaga on Farmville, Grindr, Words with Friends & countless others) is extremely desperate. Hello!

Strip her of the hysterics & what is she? A seemingly manufactured pop star. A product that her label clearly has no problem pushing down people’s throats. Literally. (A friend recently told me about Gaga day at Starbucks. Oy!)

However, stripped is where I like her the most. Cue You and I, a more pop rock driven ballad in the vein of Elton John, but on a caffeine high.

This, to me, is where Gaga shines.

Without the layers upon layers of synth electro beats & repetitious slang.

Unlike Adele, who sells millions of albums effortlessly by being no one but herself, Gaga has to parade around and give birth to glitter on stage to get people to talk about what? Not her music. Her stunts. It takes away from her music big time. Genius? I disagree. Perhaps a marketing genius. Sellout is the term I’d label her at the moment.

Nothing wrong with using different types of media to market an album, however the .99 cent card is basically what record labels pull to ensure the album goes to #1. It’s basically cheating. Why? Because tons of people will buy an album for a buck, even if it’s not someone they would normally support. Why? Because it’s cheap. That’s the desperate part. I wish she would’ve earned it the old fashioned way. By selling actual albums at a normal price point. I think her label was scared due to the fact that there was a backlash over Judas and this was the easy route to breaking records the first week.

Good luck, Gaga. Just know (since you’re a businesswoman and all) that there’s a huge non-sequined chunk of people out there who just can’t swallow the contrived stunts you pull (à la eggs & meat), whom you’re abandoning.

With (tough) love.

[PS: I would kill to direct/conceptualize the music video for You and I. Yes, I'm serious! If you're reading this Gaga, call me. No, seriously. Call me! Or email. Or send messenger pigeons. Rainbow smoke signals? Whatever works for you.]

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Always a BTB favorite, the boys of Parachute are back with a sophomore release, The Way It Was. Second time around is proving to be a real success for these Virginia natives, whose feel good, soul inspired music has paved a stable future for the band. They know how to make music for the masses, with a perfect blend of rockin’ guitars, sweet falsetto, and funky saxophone grooves.

You’ll find something new and fresh here.

Take a listen to Kiss Me Slowly below.

Raw talent and brilliant songwriting at its finest.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

I’ve known of this band/song for forever but realized I’ve never introduced the group to BTB-Land, so I thought I’d give a little shout out. Seabird’s an indie pop/rock Christian band, who launched from the Cincinnati music scene with their second release, Rocks Into Rivers (released in early of 2010).

When I first heard the band, I immediately fell head over heels. Besides the fact that the lead singer is hella cute, there remains something incredibly deep beneath the aesthetic. Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful is an ode to the natural cosmetics of the heart.

I love this song/video so much.

Thanks, boys.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

And they’re serving up “gritpop” — why didn’t I think of this term first?! — with a pop/rock indie flair. Leave it to a band full of Brit boys to label their music as such.

According to Guardian: “It’s probably no coincidence that Brother’s music isn’t far removed from that of Oasis, and that, if you squint at their promotional photos, you could be looking at the cast of Oasis: The Movie. They call what they do “gritpop”, which is corny but neat. It’s the rougher, rawer end of Britpop revisited.”

Who cares what they call it? Simply put, it’s good shizzle.

Watch the just-released Still Here video below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

HCR knows a thing or two about making a good music video. And in their latest effort, the boys toss a new summer jam into the feel good pool.

The Nashville pop rockers certainly have a quirky sense of humor (how could you not when the name of the band was taken from an “extreme fan” Chelle Rae?). This humor is showcased in the just-released video for Tonight Tonight — a song/video combo that’s totally prepped for summer roadtrips and rooftop parties.

In case you’re wondering, HCR’s guitarist Nash is Glee star Chord Overstreet’s brother, hence the cameo in the vid.

Check it out!

[Related Post: Big Apple Review: Hot Chelle Rae]

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

American Idol alum, David Cook, is proving he is ready to strike back on his sophomore album. His latest single release, The Last Goodbye, is a triumphant return after a long hiatus. Nothing like an up-tempo breakup song, with passionate vocals, scrupulous production, and destructive guitars. All of this combined with a memorable chorus proves David Cook can pilot the pop territory without deserting his roots. This song will fit well in the radio environment, and the singing and receptivity behind it will prevail with popularity.

Take a listen.

Welcome back, David Cook…

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

ROB BRAYL: So, tell us about Brian.

BRIAN MACKEY: I defy main-stream. I’m the kind of guy that shows up to a gig without a guitar case, and just a guitar strapped around my back, I jump on stage and do my thing. I’m not really into being hip or what’s cool at the moment, I kind of just do what I feel, and if it makes other people feel in the process, then that’s a good thing, good or bad, happy or sad, doesn’t matter. (But I would like to make them feel good.)

RB: Your video for ‘Honest Love’ was just released and it carries a pretty heartfelt message. Can you take us back to the moment you started writing this song, what was the driving force behind this record?

BM: The song, ‘Honest Love’ came out of a conversation with myself, to try to make sense of what Love really means. The waiting, the wanting, the abandonment, the moving on, the changing of the heart, the mind, and still being able to sum it all up in one word, and putting Honest in front of it, which seems like a contradiction, but a beautiful one at that. The record was supposed to be a full-length album, but I didn’t really have the money to do it. So I made it an EP, and put together the songs that I truly wanted to get out there with the limited resources I had at the time. I just needed to get the song ‘Florida’ on there, because a lot of people came up to me at shows and said they could really relate to that song. So I figured if enough people told me they could relate, I felt it was a good fit for the album.

RB: Your song, ‘Sunshower’ (off the ‘Honest Love’ EP), was chosen to be on the official ‘Songs of Love for Japan’ compilation (among great artists like Sara Bareilles and others). Can you tell us a little more about this project?

BM: Yes, this one came to me last minute, and it’s really just a super great cause for the ravaged country of Japan, which is just going through so much turmoil. It was strange because I was saying to myself, what could I do to help, I’m only one person. And then there was this opportunity to help, so I took it. It’s a 100 song compilation of not so well-known songs, but by really great artists. 100% of the proceeds go to Shelterbox, the charity committed to helping the victims and their families in Japan. Also, Ani DiFranco will be on there too, and many more.

[To learn more click here.]

RB: Any current pop culture addictions? Ones that may have influenced your music in any way?

BM: Pop-culture addictions… there are some, mostly in the film world. I love certain TV shows like ‘True Blood’, or anything where someone is ripping their neck off, all done in the name of love. I love this great UK show called ‘Doc Martin’, I discovered it on Netflix. So what I do is go to the British TV section on Netflix, dim the lights, get out my chutney and talk like Sherlock Holmes the whole night. I’m not sure how any of this influences my music, but I love all kinds of music, for example, I love piano, and classical music like Beethoven privately, but never play it on stage.

RB: Finally, where can new listeners keep up with your work? What new tricks do you have up your sleeve? Oh, and thank you for chatting with us.

BM: They can find me in all the usual places, like Facebook, Myspace (when it was popular), Reverbnation, iTunes – oh and by the way I have a Brian Mackey App releasing this week, so for all of you who have iPhones and iPads, so if you are somewhere lost and the GPS drops out, the only thing that comes in will be Brian Mackey, you’ll surely be pissed off, and want to break your phone. Also, I will be the featured artist in the launch issue of Rising Magazine, they will be featuring new photos taken by their photographer on location “behind-the-scenes”-like candid stuff, so keep a lookout for that. In May I’m shooting my next video, ‘Sunshower’, with the brilliant director Nick Cavalier, to be released in the summer, and have some new tour dates coming out for the summer/fall.

Thank you so much for the time, and letting me ramble on about stuff!

Watch the just-released video for ‘Honest Love’ below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Besides getting an image overhaul (I noticed this weeks ago on the Grammy red carpet), Anna Nalick is also embarking in a new direction musically, signing a worldwide, multi-year administration agreement with Imagem Music. Nalick’s smash, Breathe (2AM), went 3x Platinum on the Billboard Top 100.

According to Richard Stumpf, President of Imagem Music USA: “Anna has a real gift. Her writing creates vivid scenes for the listener and her emotional delivery colors them in. She wrote her entire first album, which included the massive hit ‘Breathe (2AM)’. We are thrilled that she has chosen Imagem as her publishing partner.”

After sealing the deal, Nalick commented, “After years of searching for a soul mate, I believe I’ve finally found the right partner with whom to raise my song children.”

Nalick is currently at work on her new album.

Listen to the just-released Words, featured on the upcoming album, below.

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Patrick Stump, former frontman of Fall Out Boy, has released a solo EP (out now). Stump’s got what I like to call a Michael Jackson voice, in that it’s so damn distinct, making sounds from his mouth sound like beats, hitting each note to death. Truant Wave is an interesting collection of songs, that in my opinion are mediocre, but still showcase his talent. (These cuts did not make Soul Punk, his first solo release due out this summer).

I feel Stump has an inner genius when it comes to music, and I’m very excited to hear what is in store. For now this EP will be spun around, and you can check out track Stoplight (below). This is something innovative and inimitable, showcasing Stump’s display of musicianship.

He’s out to show the world what he’s got, and sugar, he’s goin’ down swingin’.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing Joshua Radin (with opening acts Justin Nozuka & Andrew Allen), live in concert via the Best Buy Theatre in Times Square…

The general consensus is that Joshua Radin is a cutie pie, an A+ type of man dipped in whip cream and covered in rainbow sprinkles. Because honestly, let’s face facts: the guy’s sweet. Yet after seeing him perform live, I think that statement is only partially true. Missing from that statement is the fact that Radin’s substance isn’t sugar coated or sugar based at all. It’s apparent when Radin takes the stage and tells his often quirky stories of past ex-girlfriends and awkward moments in baby making, that Radin is a man whose heart has been shattered and put back together time and time again with a guitar pick and a microphone.

The man comes across absolutely genuine and real on stage and that aura of energy is one of the reasons he is so beloved. The minute he starts to strum, the audience is mesmerized and captivated by his marshmallow voice — his lyrics and emotion as comfortable as peanut butter and jelly — yet as beautiful and exotic as white sand.

Ok, I’m gonna take a moment to step away from the writer mentality and quickly say that my favorite moment of the whole damn show was when Radin — who works with the amazing organization Little Kids Rock – brought three kids on stage from a public school in the Bronx (which he had visited earlier as a part of the organization’s mission to save music programs in public schools), and had the three students play along with him as he performed Brand New Day, all three of the girls strumming along on their acoustic guitars. The audience went wild — not only for the heart that seems to bleed from this artist — but for the utterly normal, giving, non-egotistical being that he comes off as being.

Radin’s low-fi sound is one that shouldn’t be missed live.

Opening acts Justin Nozuka and Andrew Allen were also incredible. I have seen Nozuka in concert before and he always delivers and packs a punch. One exciting note on Nozuka’s behalf is that he mentioned his plan to record with India Arie. Something I definitely look forward to hearing in the future.

Canadian singer/songwriter Andrew Allen comes off as quirky on stage, wrapped in a package that is full of a marketability factor that should ultimately be used as an advantage for him as he tries to make a splash in the States.

Go.see.this.tour.

The end.

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Lady Alanis is back. Her voice is stunningly distinct, yet never seems to disappoint. It’s been quite some time since Ms. Morissette has embraced fans with new music, but today the wait is over with the newly released track Professional Torturer. The song is taken from the soundtrack Radio Free Albemuth. Although this is not a single, it’s sure to make an impact on the music scene. What a beautiful piece of music — somewhat similar to her old stuff — leaving listeners relating to her lyrics.

Listen to Professional Torturer now.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

[Sidenote: All the photographs seen above were taken via my mobile phone, so exsqueeze the grains. Kthanksbye.]

If you ask someone about Sarah McLachlan, the general consensus is that her music is depressingly beautiful. The good thing about that heavy description is that I kinda/sorta breathe beautifully depressing music (and I mean that description as a compliment). I don’t mean depressing as in something that makes you feel bad — it’s just that McLachlan’s music helps to bring you down, down to what truly matters in life: love, connections, and the emotional pulse between our lives.

Late last week, I had the pleasure of seeing Sarah McLachlan in concert at Beacon Theatre. I was pretty stoked to see her perform live, especially since for the majority of my high school career, I was stuck in an actual depressing bubble, one that Sarah’s music helped to pop.

Sarah McLachlan & Friends (Butterfly Boucher & Melissa McClellan) is a show that delivers.

A day or two after the show (during dinner with friends), I was surprised that not a single one of my friends knew the story behind McLachlan’s huge hammerdown of a smash Possession. When I told them the story, it seemed to have trumped the utterly sexy and intimate vibe that they had once imagined. The truth is, Possession was written about a person obsessed with someone to the point of violence…

Long story short: McLachlan was sued in 1994 by Uwe Vandrei (an obsessed fan from Ottawa, Ontario), who alleged that his love letters to her had been the basis of Possession. This lawsuit never made it to trial as Vandrei committed suicide before the set date.

Three years later, McLachlan told Rolling Stone that writing the track was quite the release: “And this one person wasn’t the only guy… there were a lot of letters from other people saying the same kind of thing. Writing the song ‘Possession’ was very therapeutic.”

A tragic tale — yet out of the darkness came Possession, which remains my favorite SM track, so I was happy when she performed the number during her set. (And I’m getting off subject, I just found the story underneath the song to be incredibly fascinating and thought I should share for those unaware.)

The show ran for approximately three hours, which may sound like overkill but in all honesty, it felt like half an hour. McLachlan, who sang lead & backup during the show also took rounds shifting from the guitar to the piano. And blah blah blah, basically the show was filled with all of McLachlan’s hits and each number hit the spot. (Sorry for cutting this short with the triple blah remark, but the length of this thing is already getting way out of hand.)

Butterfly Boucher’s songs were generally girl punk-esque, except one track in particular (featured on Grey’s Anatomy), which was more bittersweet and heartfelt. Melissa McClelland’s sound seemed to fit alongside McLachlan’s well, meshing with an acoustic country rock vein.

The Sarah McLachlan & Friends tour continues through March 26.

Watch my favorite performance of Possession below (the host cracks me up with that pronunciation) + the powerfully humane World On Fire vid following.