The Year of Hibernation, album cover

Youth Lagoon is the creation of American songwriter and instrumentalist Trevor Powers. The works of the artist feature songs of the indie and lo-fi genres with ambient and dream pop influences. Youth Lagoon has been rising in the charts, reaching the number one spot on last.fm’s Best of 2011 New Discoveries artists, which is rare for artists of the electronic genre.

Youth Lagoon’s debut album, The Year of Hibernation was released on September 27, 2011. It features eight tracks along with two bonus tracks, totaling in about 40 minutes of quality music. The Year of Hibernation is not one of those albums with a few decent songs. Every single song on the album, including the two bonus tracks, is worth listening to. It boasts a spot on Pitchfork’s Top 50 Albums of the 2011 list, and for good reason.

The album features a uniform style in songs. Each song opens with a soft, lo-fi voice and light instrumentals, often the synth. Halfway through, the track transitions to a hearty drum beat with syncopated kicks. Together, these elements provide movement and direction. The upbeat nature of all the tracks is echoed throughout the album. While one may think that its repetitive nature may get redundant, the case is quite the contrary. Its consistency contributes to the beauty of the music.

As an electronic, lo-fi album, The Year of Hibernation displays a wide variety of instrumentation. In particular, the bonus track “Ghost to Me” covers the full range. It opens with a soft piano and an ambient voice. Later, the electronic string pluck joins in for a short interlude. After, the kick and percussion rhythms come in along with a post-rock guitar. The pit and vibe sound reverberates throughout the piece. After 2 minutes of vocal-accompanied parts, the song enters into a slow buildup of drum, piano, and other percussion lines. “Ghost of Me” ends with only a melodic line of a music box pluck.

Youth Lagoon is an artist worth listening to. With all tracks as moving as “Ghost of Me”, the album truly deserves all the positive reviews it receives.

Banner for Coachella 2012

Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival is an annual music festival featuring a slew of renowned artists among contemporaries. Music genres range from rock to indie to hip hop to electronic with over 100 artists. The event takes place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, and lasts for 2 weekends, 3 days at a time. This year, Coachella takes place on the weekends of April 13-15, and 20-22. The venue presents several performance stages as well as tents for viewers and listeners from around the country who gather to enjoy music and art.

Since the release of the Coachella 2012 line-up on Monday, January 9, fans began to plan their list of artists to look out for. The complete list of artists can be found on the official site. Many of the artists recently released albums appreciated by those with respectable taste in music. With such a promising line-up, it is definitely worth it to attend if possible. Personally, I’d recommend Explosions in the Sky, WU LYF, and Manchester Orchestra, to name a few.

Tickets for Coachella are highly sought out for, usually selling for more than $300. Pre-sale began roughly a year ago. On Friday, January 13, the last of the remaining tickets were sold, and the event is currently sold out. However, a variety of deals still exist on alternative sites, notably Craiglist and Ebay, though scalping is discouraged. There is still time to purchase tickets.

As Coachella 2012 approaches, discussions publicize the names and albums of various artists. Even if unable to attend because of expensive tickets or inconvenient dates, it’s worth it to discover good music and give it a listen. Coachella 2012 will definitely be one of the hottest events of the year, with one the best line-ups out of all the years.

Album Cover for Michael Buble's Christmas album

Every Christmas, we are given the opportunity to pay ninety-nine cents for the same trite overly maudlin songs sung by a parade of celebrities from all avenues of the music spectrum.  These songs feature tiresome refrains and verses that vary little from year to year, artist to artist. As most of these singers have done little to qualify them to take their turn with these perennial melodies, very few of the holiday albums that climb the charts starting in early November really deserve those positions. Ironically, albums that impress listeners based on ingenious melodies and unique lyrics are quickly overlooked in the futile pursuit for a new interpretation of a song that embodies anything but originality.
However, this year, I can definitely say that one artist has not only accomplished a task that so many others were unable to succeed in doing, but also set a high standard for artists in the future.
On October 21, 2011, an obnoxiously early delivery date for a holiday-themed release, Michael Bublé’s Christmas album excited listeners by pairing the buttery-smooth voice of a crooner with enduring classic riffs. Bublé opens the album with “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” The first thirty seconds of the song consists of mediocre holiday orchestration that is difficult to assign to real instruments or virtual ones, but as soon as Bublé’s voice infiltrates the track, I am lost in the silky quality of his flawless voice.
As the disc continues to spin through my old-time portable CD player, Bublé works his way through holiday staples, adding his unique flavor to each.  He even teams up with Shania Twain for “White Christmas” and the pair’s harmony is truly impressive. His voice makes for pleasant background music to get into the merry spirit while decorating my tree, baking gingerbread cookies, and listening to my sister count down the days to Christmas.
According to Nielsen SoundScan, Bublé’s soundtrack, “Christmas” is the seventh album of the year to sell more than one million copies, and the numbers continue to rise. While “Christmas” may have a lot to live up to (including the likes of both Elvis and Josh Groban’s very successful holiday-themed compilations), it definitely has the potential to become recognized as one of the greatest holiday albums.  I see this as a great addition to a family’s collection, setting the mood for holiday dinners and the joyous unwrapping of gifts.

열꽃 ("Fever's End") Image credits to: www.allkpop.com

“Try.” “Thank You for Breathing.” “Expired.” Making a comeback after a long battle against internet accusations which alleged that he had forged his degrees from Stanford University, Lee Seon-Woong, better known as Tablo, remains to be dedicated to the art of creating beautiful and personally meaningful lyrics in an age where mainstream media pushes songs toward a generic mold. The Korean native as well as Canadian citizen launched his music career by founding the famed Korean hip-hop/rap group Epik High in 2003 and has since hosted his own radio show, collaborated with other artists, and even ventured into the world of acting.

“Fever’s End”, his new album, is as deep and thoughtful as its artist, and its composition reflects on the troubles Tablo was forced to endure during that time.  He explains that its Korean title, “열꽃,” comes from the red spots which appear at the peak of a fever, and while it may be the peak, it also signals that the fever is near its end.

Indeed, his message often amounts to an inversion of Paul van Dyk’s nostalgic “Home”: “I wonder if the reason for this wandering is because there is no home, or there is nowhere to go,” he sings with a half-sigh in “Airbag.”  Elsewhere, “The Tide” is the kind of slow, melodic track that induces a sense of carefree melancholy.  In Part 2 of the album, Lee collaborates with Big Bang’s Taeyang in an emotional hip-hop-rap track.  The song, titled “Tomorrow,” was featured during Tablo’s October 30 comeback stage performance with Taeyang on SBS’s Inkigayo.

Tablo
“Fever’s End”
(YG Entertainment)
Four stars (Out of four)

"Ceremonials" album cover

Florence + the Machine, a British indie pop-rock group, have a collection of beautiful, emotional, harpy tunes, backed up by the amazing talent and lead singer know as Florence Welch. Their second album, Ceremonials, was released in October to rave reviews.

In her first album, Lungs, Welch sings of darker times, her songs often consisting of heavy drumbeating and melancholy, fragile lyrics. Lungs was a tentative step from the shadows for Welch, and an impressive one at that. Since then, her music has been featured in the Twilight movies, giving her a chance to expand on her fan base, and now, two years since Lungs\’ release, Welch takes it up a notch and shows what she is really made of.

What would that be, exactly? Amazing vocals, catchy tunes, and frenzied, resonant choruses are just the beginning. Her music is rich with instruments, the most unique being the harp. As a whole, the band works together to create lush, distinct sounds which have earned Florence + the Machine a loyal and constantly-growing fan base. Most recently, they were the featured musical artist on Saturday Night Live and performed spectacularly. Welch sang her two singles from Ceremonials, “Shake It Out” and “No Light, No Light.” As usual, she sang like a goddess, and even made a surprise appearance in a Thanksgiving-themed sketch. If there’s anything we know about Florence Welch, it’s that she’s never disappoints.

The “Party Rock Anthem” was the first released single of the album. The music video and song are based on the horror movie “28 days later”. It takes place when Redfoo and Sky Blu become comatose due to excessive partying. They are in the deserted desert and their release song, causing everyone to shuffle.

Sorry for party rocking got a very critical review. It got a score of 47/100 on metacritic with overall a bad music review. This album was good, but some of the songs in this albums are very inappropriate. An audience like us doesn\’t want to hear something that it related to sexual things but it\’s a good album to still listen.

Overall, I like the beats and the music for partying and dancing. However, it is

too appropriate for teens and kids and they could have make the song a little mature.

Greyson Chance's New Album

Released on August 2nd, 2011, Greyson Chance’s album Hold On ‘Til the Night bears all the marks of just another cheesy pop album released by a crack-voiced preteen looking for attention. However, Chance’s songs stray far from that expected theme, especially since the young star carried most of the writing load himself.

Discovered on YouTube after performing Lady Gaga’s song Paparazzi at his school talent show, Chance has had a fairly easy route to success. Much in the way of Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black, this universally-known video sharing site, known for doling out successes in the form of viral videos, or videos that catch on with the public and end up totaling millions of views, discovered Chance’s video online. From then on, his popularity and, even, notoriety grew to an unbelievable level. Unlike most YouTube hits, Chance, however, did not simply remain a “one hit wonder.”

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who often brings in people and shows interesting videos from the internet over the course of her hour-long daytime show, invited Chance the opportunity to appear and perform on national television. Of course, he could not simply pass it up. DeGeneres created a record label to record his music, and he has now appeared on her show over eight times. Over a year later, Hold On ‘Til the Night is the unexpected baby of Chance’s Internet success.

Two potential hits from the album include “Wait Outside The Lines” and “Unfriend You.” Both songs are adorned with flashy titles and cutesy choruses, but the deeper meaning in them is evident. Specifically, “Unfriend You” features lyrics that catch the attention of the album’s target audience, teenagers. As the title itself references popular social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, the song is rife with little hints about the different aspects of maintaining your profile, liking comments, and adding friends. The line “Cause I should have known, right from the start/I’m deleting you right from my heart” stays with the listener for a long time because of its applicability to real life and its melodious rhyme.

Highlights among the other eight songs on the album include “Heart Like Stone” and “Take a Look At Me Now.”

Check out Chance’s album on iTunes or Amazon!

Monolith, a heavy structure representing the overarching theme of the production.

The Fountain Valley Royal Regiment reached the midpoint of their season on Halloween weekend after taking their tour to St. George, Utah. The band struggled through tough competition against 32 other bands from different states, with their finals performance taking 8^th place. However, their slight disappointment was overshadowed by a standing ovation in response to their work on the field.

The Royal Regiment is often portrayed as a top tier organization through dramatic BBN clips and positive general consensus by the public in football game performances. Unfortunately, these are often misrepresentations.

When compared with other bands on a state level, Fountain Valley\’s performances don\’t quite reach the average skill level. The band\’s show concept is no doubt a spectacular, but as an ensemble, the group has much to improve on.

Some members of the band also describe the organization as part of the best, but sub-par among the best. Most acknowledge that the group has potential, but has yet to realize it.

“Some people just get it, and some people just don\’t. This situation doesn\’t help the group cause, which is the goal in marching band,” claims Ray Larzelere (\’12), lead bass drummer who also marched in The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps this past summer.

At the Charter Oak Tournament on 10/15, the band won 5^th overall, but 1^st in percussion, earning the caption award. The imbalance in performance quality serves as a stumbling block to the band\’s path towards excellence.

Despite their struggles, the Fountain Valley Royal Regiment remains one of the most successful organizations on campus. Their show, entitled “Monolithic”, features unconventional concepts that lull the audience. The combination of music and visual techniques delivers a mysterious, mesmerizing atmosphere.

Such a display must be appreciated live, as videos and recordings fall short in capturing the unique performance. The marching band\’s next performance will be at the upcoming football game, and the last competition of their season is at Westminster High School on November 16th.

Yet another work of Coldplay\’s melancholia magnificence was released on October 24. Mylo Xyloto, the band\’s fifth studio album, is exactly what you\’d expect from a seven-time Grammy winning group. It\’s still the same alternative rock calamity that will leave dedicated Coldplay fans satisfied, but the British quartet has been testing the waters, giving some of their new tracks a dance floor anthem vibe.

“It\’s good stuff,” says Tracey Tran (‘13). “It takes some time getting used to, but they did a good job of incorporating new sounds and old sounds.”

In terms of flow, however, the album does have its inconsistencies. The second track on the album, “Hurts Like Heaven” is incredibly lively considering its dark and pondering lyrics (“Written up in marker on a factory sign/ I struggle with the feeling that my life isn\’t mine”). Two songs later, “Us Against The World” is reminiscent  of the works in A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) and X&Y (2005). The sudden changes in tone take away from the band\’s artistic experimentation.

Despite the album\’s lack of flow, the songs themselves are amazing pieces of work. Rihanna lends her talents in “Princess of China”, the perfect blend of sincerity and charisma. Other notable tracks are “Paradise” and “Charlie Brown”.

Album Cover of Siberia by Lights

Lights, a Canadian singer/songwriter whose music is often compared to that of Owl City, released her second full-length album, Siberia, on October 4. Siberia differs from her first full-length album, The Listening, in that it has slightly grittier tunes but it develops an overall happier picture of Lights.

The Listening exuded a very vibrant aura with its perfectly-paced and sweet-sounding melodies. Siberia isn\’t so perfect but shows listeners another side of Lights, one that fans of her previous work will probably find just as brilliant. You can really tell how Lights\’ music has changed from the album artwork of the two albums: The Listening is bright purple and yellow, while Siberia is black and white with just a hint of red in the album\’s title.

For those who have not yet heard Lights\’ music, Siberia could be most commonly categorized as pop, but it has an indie feel and the lyrics are more personal and meaningful than mainstream pop songs. The title song, “Siberia,” is cheerful and hopeful and sets an energetic tone for the rest of the album. Some other notable songs include “Where the Fence is Low” and “Toes.”

As for why the album is called “Siberia”, Lights says on her website, iamlights.com, that “It\’s based on something that was said to me, that we could be happy even in a place like Siberia. It was such an inspiring thing to say, because Siberia is cold and a little daunting and represents unfamiliar territory.”

If you like pop or just want to listen to something new or different, check out Siberia by Lights.