This is a blog made by David Savage, Tyler Flynn, and Max Sagan in order for us to write reviews for music, write about any shows we go to, and basically write about anything pertaining to music that interests us. We are always looking to expand our music libraries and listen to anything that we can!
On December 9th, 2014 The Smashing Pumpkins released their 9th studio album entitled Monuments to an Elegy. This album still embodies SPs signature sound but incorporates modern alternative elements too. In classic Pumpkins style, Billy recruited some new musicians for this record. Their drummer Mike Bryne left, and they picked up Motley Crue's Tommy Lee. Their bassist Nicole Fiorentino didn't record on this one, so Billy filled in for her. In addition to these two, their long time guitarist Jeff Schroder plays rhythm . Lets dive right in!
Monuments to an Elegy is a continuation of the ongoing Teagarden by Kaleidoscope album cycle. Basically, Billy decided that his next three full length releases will be albums within Teargarden. Off first glance, Monuments looks more like a glorified EP with 9 tracks and a length of 32 minutes. I'll admit I was skeptical when I saw this. After my first listen, I had negative reaction. I said out loud three or four times "What...Are you kidding me?" This was NOTHING like the Pumpkins had ever done! But just as always, I remembered that one doesn't fall in love with their albums right away. It take three or four listens until you really begin to settle in to the sound and overall concept. So I played it again. And took notes this time on what I did and did not like about it. I found the positives out weighed the negatives.
The album begins with a quiet single handed piano notes, then explodes into a full ensemble of layered guitars and hard hitting drums. By my standards, the first song "Tiberius" is the best on the album. It sounded like it came right off their 2008 release Zeitgiest. It embodies their classic sound all around which is impressive considering only one of the original four members is still in the band. It even has a heavy instrumental guitar break that I absolutely loved.
I thought another good track was "Being Beige". This track had such an uplifting and inspiration feel to it. Pairing this with an addictively catchy chorus, makes it a hit. I wasn't surprised when I found out that they released this one as a single.
It's worth mentioning that with the edition of Tommy Lee, the drums have a regained sense of dominance. I used to think that they had such a dynamic presence in the mix. But since the departure of Jimmy Chamberlin in 2009, they lost their luster. Tommy Lee does a nice job of bringing this back with his unique and powerful style.
There were two songs that I could not get into. "Anise!" sounds forced and is over saturated with psychedelic synth lines. The chorus is weak and thin compared to others on the album. It almost sounds unfinished to me. "Anti-Hero" is one of the most generic sounding rock songs I've ever heard. It's like they took GarageBand loops for the guitar and drum tracks. The reason I like the Pumpkins is because they are not afraid to stray away from mainstream rock. But, this song was a let down because it sounded like the typical 4 chord rock you hear everyday on the radio.
Overall Monuments to an Elegy is a quick, powerful listen that will requires a couple plays to enjoy. There's no denying the new, synth-fueled sound you will hear in their newest release. The question is...are you ready to embrace it?
Lollapalooza. A time for friends to get together before school starts back up and enjoy 3 days of no worries and good music. Lolla has been my favorite summer event for the last 5 years. The closer I get to graduation, the more I think, "Maybe I won't have time for this when I'm older." Because of that, this year I unknowingly made Lolla my best one to date.
We started the weekend off in Tinley Park, and took the Metra downtown as we always do. But this time, I decided we should change it up. Instead of taking the train to and from the city everyday (and losing 6 hours due to travel) why not stay downtown? I asked my step sister who lives in Lincoln Park if we could stay with her. She was all for it. Nice. We had plans to see the up and coming band Into it. Over it. as the first act on Friday, but we didn't get there in time so we settled in at Bombay Bicycle Club.
I want to take a quick timeout to say that I walked into Lollapalooza with a different mindset this year. I alway try really hard to not be a music snob, or to be judgmental of other peoples taste in music. Sometimes it's hard for me because it is a subject I am so passionate about, I genuinely care about what others listen too. I love turning people on to new music, it is one of my favorite things to do. When someone discovers a new band because of me, I get a special feeling. Music should be perceived as an experience, and if it is a good one, I want that person to associate it with me! (I will include links to all artists and songs mentioned in case you would like to listen).
So this year, I was unfamiliar with the majority of the lineup. I made the conscience decision to just go with the flow. Normally, I would spend all of July listening to all the bands I didn't know. I thought this was the only way to enjoy a concert; if you could sing along. I learned firsthand that this is not true. We sat down far in the back to listen to Bombay Bicycle Club. I didn't know one song by them and thoroughly enjoyed it. They were a cool English indie rock band that reminded me of a more relaxed Two Door Cinema Club. After this we had an hour to kill before Iggy Azalea. This is a perfect example of how I behaved differently this year. I was pretty sick of her hit song “Fancy”. My girlfriend was dying to see her so why not try it out. We walked over to Perry's and camped out just in front of the sound tent. It was fun. No shame in saying it. Plus, I think I fell in love that day. Iggy came out in very flattering tight jump suit with her clique of about 5 dancing girls. This caught my attention. And let me tell you, this girl can rap. I was totally expecting pop songs similar to "Work" and "Fancy" but what I heard was a badass white girl rapping to some upbeat EDM infused beats being played by DJ Wizz Kidd. I was very impressed by her flow and was loving the choreographed dancing by her crew. This definitely made for an entertaining good show to watch. After this, we had plans to hop into a time machine and travel back to middle school for AFI. We ended up getting a bite to eat instead. It was about 6:30 when we headed over to the Bud Light stage to check out Lorde. We were near the back sitting down and I was enjoying her unique sound. She was sporadicly shaking her entire body on stage which was different and interesting to watch. My ears perked up for her hits like "Team" and “Royals” which sounded impressively similar to the recordings. After this we began the long trek from the Bud Light stage over to the Samsung Galaxy to get a spot for the one and only Slim Shady. I was pretty torn between the two headliners that day, Arctic Monkeys or Eminem. I saw Arctic monkeys a few years back but loved their newest release AM PM. I decided on Eminem because I believe he will be remembered as one of the best rappers to ever pick up the mic. We settled in right to the left of the immense sound tent. He opened his set with a long and unusual documentary film clip surrounding the details of his popular song “Stan”. It lasted about three minutes long and I was anxious for him to make his appearance on stage. Finally he came out, and launched into the last verse of “Bad Guy”. I remember making a mental note that the sound quality was fantastic. Very well balanced, and had deep bass pumping out of the woofers and straight into your chest. The first half of the set he was playing very old and new material. I was always the kid who loved The Eminem Show and Encore so I did not recognize most of it. About half way through the set I began second guessing my decision and turned to my girlfriend and asked “Do you want to go check out Arctic Monkeys?”Just as I said that the stage went black and out from the depths of the stage, Rihanna emerged from a platform beneath them. The crowd went absolutely nuts and I saw about 100 girls pop up on their boyfriends shoulders to get a glimpse of the stunning pop singer. For me, it was one of those eye opening moments. I realized that I was in the presence of a powerful music entity. Rihanna has a shining passion that is expressed through her presence. Her and Em seemed to have a natural chemistry and really nailed the few songs they performed. Needless to say, I am glad that we stayed. After this there was a new energy in the crowd and to me the set list stepped in up a notch. The last ten songs included some of my favorites and then ended with his most popular “Lose Yourself”. I have to mention that he was one of the most energetic performers I’ve ever seen. He was running around the stage and constantly encouraging the crowd to “Wake the F*** up!” Overall, a very great and memorable show.
I had a fantastic time at Lollapalooza this year. I would really encourage people to approach festivals with the mindset I had this year. It was a first time experience doing this for me and I am glad that I did. I would even say that doing this has helped me be more open minded in life situations as well.
Thanks for reading.
Notable Performances on Friday: Eminem
Notable Performances on Saturday: Desert Noises, Vic Mensa
Notable Performances on Sunday: Space Capone*, Cage the Elephant, Rebelution
