MeWithoutYou, "Ten Stories"

Wow, am I late to the party. MeWithoutYou's debut record was released 13 years ago, but I have only become engrossed in their catalog over the past week. But, as the saying goes, it's better late than never. These guys are immensley talented. MeWithoutYou first emerged in the Christian hardcore scene, and become known for their dark, heavy instrumentals that backed lead vocalist Aaron Weiss's distinctive, frantic shout/screaming vocal delivery matched with lyrics that were very introspective and 'wordy'. But over the years, MeWithoutYou's sound evolved into something more reminiscent of indie folk (Neutral Milk Hotel, The Mountain Goats), with hardly a trace of the hardcore and emo that helped them amass their devoted fan-base. Perhaps the alienating of their original fans made MeWithoutYou feel guilty, because the band decided to incorporate their hardcore roots into their music again on their latest album, 2012's Ten Stories. This is a truly compelling album that mixes loud, distorted guitars and traditional folk music that could almost pass for a children's album if not for the occasional screaming and dark lyrics of Aaron Weiss. Lyrically, Ten Stories is a concept record about a circus train crash in 1878. Each song tells a story about a circus animal's experience in the circus and in the aftermath of the disaster. Mostly told in first person, the songs are extremely detailed and authentic. Even though Weiss is talking through characters, his words somehow don't sound any less personal than they did in the band's early days when he wrote songs about battling his own personal demons. The chorus of the indie-pop influenced track "Cardiff Giant" may be a conversation between a peacock and a tiger, but when Weiss belts out "I often wonder if I've already died", the intensity of his delivery along with the powerful words makes you contemplate if perhaps this is a personal record doubling as a story about talking animals. Another highlight on the album is "Nine Stories", which starts out as a dark, subdued folk song, but suddenly transitions completely into a stomping rocker. This experimentation with song structure is also a welcome addition to MeWithoutYou's sound. This is a band that is always looking for ways to do things differently, and it shows on this record more than ever. MeWithoutYou have recently announced that they will be releasing a new LP this year, and after hearing the blending of different genres and compelling storytelling on Ten Stories, I can't wait for it.



Click here to listen to "Cardiff Giant"

Kendrick Lamar, "The Blacker the Berry"

It's a popular belief amongst hip-hop fans that after the 90's, the quality of hip-hop music has gone downhill. Within the past ten years or so, glorification of gang culture, misogyny, drugs and alcohol has been extremely present in mainstream hip-hop music. Artists such as Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Common, and Nas were among heavyweights from the late 80's to the mid 90's. These rappers focused on positive messages of empowerment (especially for the black community) as well as sharp critiques of American ideology. Of course, this music still existed after the mid 90's, despite not being part of the mainstream rap scene. But in 2012, Kendrick Lamar's major label debut good kid m.A.A.d. city took the music world by storm. The album is a concept record that takes place over the period of one day in the life of a 16-year old Kendrick Lamar. It vividly describes the peer pressure that many inner-city kids feel growing up around gang culture. The descriptive, emotional lyrics combined with the soulful beats and irresistible hooks have propelled "intelligent" hip-hop to be "cool" again to a certain extent. Anyone who follows hip-hop music has certainly heard of Kendrick Lamar and his impressive breakthrough album. Now, in 2015, the pressure is on Kendrick to deliver a new album as great as good kid m.A.A.d. city. Kendrick could choose to rely heavily on his catchy hooks and become a bona fide pop-star, or he could focus on his ability to skillfully rap about social issues and become something greater. On his newly released single "The Blacker the Berry", Kendrick makes as blatant social statement that proves that he is much more than a pop-star. He is a very intelligent rapper who truly cares about the message of his music. On this song, Kendrick raps aggressively over an urgent guitar-sampling beat courtesy of Boi-1da. He begins each verse by saying "I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015", but goes onto rap about how proud he is to be part of black culture. He takes many racial stereotypes but showcases them in a positive way. One subtle hypocrisy that he may be alluding to is the dissonance between his celebratory lyrics and angry vocal delivery. It is confusing at first, but in the second verse, he goes on to eloquently attack racists who look down upon his culture. His observations show that many times, it is the white-dominated American society whose judgments may keep the perpetuation of gang violence alive ("I'm irrelevant to society / at least that's what you're telling me / penitentiary would only hire me", "church me with your fake prophosizing / that I'mma be just another slave in my head.")  And on the third verse, Kendrick initially switches back to celebrating his black heritage. But at the song's end, he finally reveals why he considers himself to be a hypocrite. He violently spits "Why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street / When gang-bangin' made me kill a n---- blacker than me? Hypocrite!" Naturally, some people have been offended by these lines. Many people have misconstrued these shocking lyrics as Lamar taking the side of the predominantly white groups of Americans who have denied police brutality against minorities. But Lamar has actually been strongly advocating against brutality, and has been vocal about his support for Mike Brown, Eric Garner, and all other victims of police brutality. The overall message is that all forms of violence should not be tolerated. He makes it very clear in the second verse that the way many whites judge and treat black Americans is NOT morally correct in any circumstance. That being said, he feels that if predominantly black inner-city gangs did not kill each other, then certain white officers might not judge every other black American in such a way. Despite it's aggressive nature, I believe this song is essentially a call for peace on all parts of the spectrum. And whether or not you agree with the song's message, it's undeniable that this is the most blatantly political and thought-provoking song that mainstream hip-hop has seen in quite some time. It is also worth noting that the song does not feature a traditional, sing-along chorus like many of Kendrick's previous hits. Instead, the chorus features reggae singer Assassin rapidly firing lyrics such as "they treat me as a slave, 'cause me black / we feel a whole heap of pain 'cause we black". Both sonically and lyrically, this chorus does not sound remotely like a song you would hear on the radio on your way to work. While his previous hits were socially conscious to a degree, this song makes much more of a poignant statement, and sounds much less like a typical pop song. I truly hope that Kendrick's newfound superstar status will cause the mainstream audience to embrace music with a message. I desperately do not want his lyrical boldness and sonic experimentation to cause the mainstream hip-hop audience to turn a blind eye to his new music, because this is the type of hip-hop the world needs to hear again.





Click here to listen to "The Blacker the Berry"

Beck, "Morning Phase"

Whether or not you care about the Grammy Awards, chances are you heard about the big 'album of the year' upset. Beyoncé's self-titled video album, which shook the world when it was released unexpectedly on iTunes with no prior announcement in December 2013, was the clear front-runner for the prestigious award. But instead of Beyoncé accepting the honor, the award went to Beck's much less popular Morning Phase album. Beck broke into the mainstream in the early 90's with his quirky folk-rap hit "Loser". Since them, he's had a series of critically acclaimed albums that have covered many genres of music including funk, hip-hop, hard rock, electronica, and on 2014's Morning Phase he showcased yet another new sound. The result is a somber mix of gentle acoustic folk, shimmering indie rock guitars, orchestral flourishes and even a hint of country twang, which shows how much Beck has matured both musically and lyrically since "Loser". But, Beck has not had a mainstream hit since "Loser" in the early 90's, and therefore he has not been in the public eye. Only avid music fans have been aware of Beck's more recent material including Morning Phase, while anyone aware of pop culture surely knows something about Beyoncé's album. Understandably, many people felt that Beyoncé was robbed of an award that she deserved for challenging conventions in the music industry and creating a wildly popular album. One of these people was none other than Kanye West. After almost interrupting Beck's acceptance like he did six years ago to Taylor Swift, Kanye told reporters after the show that "Beck should have given his award to Beyoncé", and that "Beck needs to respect artistry". He also claimed that "if the Grammy's want real artist to come back, they'll need to stop playing with us." I'll admit that I am a big Kanye fan, but I can't support anything he said about Beck. You can argue that Beyoncé's album was a more significant event and therefore deserved the award, but to suggest that Beck is not as much of an artist as Beyoncé is utterly ridiculous. In fact, every song on Morning Phase was written and produced entirely by Beck himself. Beck played many instruments himself and only had friends help out when needed, and recorded the album in his own home. If this is not pure, original artistry, than I don't know what else is. Beyoncé's record did showcase some experimentation, interesting production, unconventional song structures, and lyrical risks. But it's credits also boast the names of many of the industry's hottest songwriters and producers. I'm by no means saying that Beyoncé is not a 'real' artist and did not deserve the award, but I believe that the home-made nature of Beck's album shows that the Grammy's are respecting artistry.

Click here to watch Beck and Coldplay's Chris Martin perform "Heart Is a Drum" at the Grammy's
Click here to read the Washington Post's report on Kanye West's comments made after the show