Led Zeppelin

I’ll be honest and say that I’ve never listened to a single minute of Led Zeppelin before this morning. They symbolize a new generation of rock and roll and act as the epitome of an entire side of rock and roll that was unleashed. After diving into some early Led Zeppelin albums, I can now definitely see why they could be argued to be one of the most influential bands of rock and roll. While they have their strengths and weaknesses like every artist/band, they seem to revolutionize music at the time. With Led Zeppelin, we most notably see the rise of heavy metal and harder forms of rock and roll that sprung later on in history. While heavy metal takes hard rock too far for my liking, Led Zeppelin’s early stage of this hard rock is very appealing.

Led Zeppelin seemed to be a pretty versatile band as well. I have been having a difficult time categorizing them under any one particular genre of music. They mix together sounds from blues and hard rock together to create an amazing blend. I don’t always like the swing-like sounds of blues, but Led Zeppelin works with the music in a way that seems to highlight only the best of each genre they fuse. Additionally, I noticed that individual songs could be almost polar opposites from one another. Two of my favorite songs on their first album were completely different from one another. The first song showed a wild and crazed atmosphere while the latter had a softer blues dominated sound. I thought that both were talent-filled songs on their own, but the fact that they were adjacent on an album made me feel like I was going on a little musical journey.

Led Zeppelin is a group of very talented musicians: there is definitely no arguing this statement. They had a total of four band members; one guitarist, one bassist, one drummer, and one vocalist. These four guys usually each only played a single instrument yet they filled up so much space with their music. I was truly impressed in the raw talent of Page and Jones because they made their instruments make such a dynamic sound. In order to make anything equivalent today in modern music, I think that they would have to heavily edit it in the studios and computer-generate countermelodies. The fact that they could just go on stage and play such insane chords and melodies is wild to contemplate. Overall, it’s simply hard for me to articulate my appreciation of their instrumental capacity because it is so astounding.

Despite being some of the best musicians around, they lack some of the sustenance found in other bands because their lyrics are slacking in a lot of their songs. They were no Bob Dylan! They had basic lyrics that focused a lot on simply rhyming instead of making a fluid story. I didn’t really hyper-focus on this issue, however, because it is negligible in the entire listening experience. I doubt that any people listen to Led Zeppelin because they want to be inspired by their powerful message. No! People listen to Led Zeppelin because their songs have wild and insane instrumentals. This band was saved by the fact that they were so good at playing their respective instruments. It distracts me from the lack of lyrical depth and makes me satisfied with the insane melodies.

I enjoyed Led Zeppelin’s first album more than their second so I figured I would draw from some songs there to post. Referencing above when I talked about two polar opposite songs, I’ll post them below. The first song is called “Dazed and Confused” and I feel that the title is very representative of the overall aura the song emits. Throughout the song, they are able to keep a chaotic and wild sound present, while also maintaining a full musical arc and organization. There is just overall strength and power oozing out of this song. If rebellion had a theme song, I think it would be this one. Led Zeppelin simply take the art of “in your face” hard rock to another level. It is constantly insane and wild. It’s pretty great.

The very next song on the album is called “Your Time is Gonna Come”. They start off with classical music with organs aiding a slow introduction. They then gradually develop into a bluesy vibe and a great contrasting swing beat and rhythm. This song is so much different than the previous song that I probably wouldn’t even realize that I was listening to the same band if they were played separately! This song is definitely filled with talent, though. While still throwing in their amazing guitar skills, they control their unleashed passion and anger from “Dazed and Confused” and package it up nicely in a blues/softer rock tune. We can really see the vocals take a commanding presence as well in this song. Check it out:

The Lumineers

I was bored earlier so I decided (as a music fan) to see what was new on the Billboard Top 100 List. I skipped by all of the talentless artists (ie Kesha, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj…) and a gem caught my eye. I noticed that slotted at number 11 at the top of the charts was a song done by a band named The Lumineers. At times, I feel out of the loop with certain artists and bands so I decided I would go exploring.

Apparently, The Lumineers have been around for a few years now but they only really began to become well known and successful in the past year. I think I’ll wait until vacation, when I have more time, to listen to their latest album (unimaginatively named “The Lumineers”) in its entirety, but they have several hits from this album that sum up their music pretty well.

At the heart, there is nothing fresh or new about The Lumineers. I would bet that any semi-talented group of artists with a good sound could pull of a Lumineers song. I’m not saying that their music is bad, just simplistic. I think that in a way, this is how The Lumineers are making an impact in the music world today and why they have recently sparked in popularity. While other groups and artists are trying desperately to come out with the latest and greatest techno-sound or the most fresh and unique style, they are simply returning to the basics of music. When I listen to their music, I feel that nothing is kept secret from me, as the listener. They use basic instruments to put together an amazing rustic sound which deeply contrasts the noise and clutter enveloping the rest of the music world. The Lumineers have veered far away from the technology wave that is taking over modern music. I hear no auto-tune or any computer generated sounds.

There is nothing “special” about The Lumineers sound except for the fact that they are simplistic. This form of simplicity starkly contrasts the type of simplicity I outlined in my earlier blog “Plague of Simplicity” because here I am referring to the rustic instrumentals rather than the lyrical poem being created. Speaking to that point; The Lumineers sing lyrics that come straight from the heart and soul. This ability is rarely heard in music and I greatly appreciated it. The links I’ll post later on in this blog will be the lyric videos so you can see just how amazing their lyrics are! While they aren’t discussing secular problems like Bob Dylan, they write about heartfelt emotions such as love in a poetic manner. The delivery of the lyrics also make me feel that the band means what they say. And I think that’s one of the most appreciated things an artist can do.

The fact that their hit single “Ho Hey” spiked to the top of the charts is also very intriguing. As I continue to analyze music, I keep seeing this folk/alternative rock music sneaking into the frequent playlists of the world. I think we are seeing the pendulum of musical tastes starting to swing away from the clutter of noise and back to the basics as seen in the 60s. Who knows, maybe I’m wrong, but I think people are finding this genre refreshing because they can connect with it and it feels more “down to earth”. I definitely feel this way as a listener and The Lumineers are among the bands (such as Mumford and Sons or Imagine Dragons) that I think are taking music down a less traveled path. By paving a pathway for alternative music and creating lyrical poems, The Lumineers fit right into a growing part of my heart for this genre of music.

Okay, now for some samplers! Before their hit single “Ho Hey” came out, The Lumineers were virtually unknown. This single made their popularity sky-rocket. If you hit the play button below, you’ll quickly learn why. Their music seems so fluid and connected while spicing it up with cleverly placed accents and vocal ticks. The building vocals add to the “down to earth” vibe. If you haven’t already heard this song, you need to:

Another one of their top hits off of their latest album is “Stubborn Love”. While this is another love song, they deliver it perfectly. The introduction is a little too folk-like for my tastes but it picks up pretty well as the song progresses. Once again, there’s nothing much to this song, but everything just meshes together and works well. The lead vocals are also a major part of all of their songs, including “Stubborn Love”. While the lyrics are very powerful and emotionally-charged, they are delivered with a softer tone. Overall, this is a great song as well. Do yourself a favor and read the lyrics as the song plays:

Woodstock!

I find it interesting that the creators of Woodstock were able to put together such a huge event in such a small town. When we look back at this event as modern day listeners, it may not seem as large, as we have massive music festivals all the time such as ACL or South by Southwest. At the time, however, this was amazing and revolutionary. They were able to centralize a multitude of amazingly talented bands in one place in order to expose many artists to the average listener. They were able to build stages and whatnot in the middle of a dairy farm just outside of the town of Woodstock. These people were very motivated and it cost millions of dollars, but it was definitely worth their while. Today, we are left with one of the most revolutionary, innovative and well known music festivals of all time.

It took a couple of months to set up the entire festival. There were mixed feelings about the festival. Some people believed that it had economic benefits because of the huge influx of fans that were brought into the area. Others worried that the town did not have the infrastructure to support so many people’s needs, including food and transportation. Others still were annoyed that they were disrupting the peace of this quiet area. As I was watching the Woodstock documentary, I noticed so many hippies just aimlessly walking around without purpose. The creators of Woodstock actually way underestimated the number of attendees by about 300,000 people! They also probably way underestimated its legacy. I think Woodstock is so impressive because it united people under one cause to enjoy music. This music had become more evolved in society and represented the current events of the time. Because of this capability of music, it attracted so many people to the festival who wanted to find themselves.

I’m not sure if an event this large could or would ever be pulled off again. The magnitude of this music festival was so large because of the time period in which it took place. Because music and society is forever evolving, I don’t personally believe that people would have the insanity to replicate such an expansive and large event. It’s also crazy to think that they had no cell phones or any other types of communication to the outside world. As I continued to watch this documentary, I found that the people organizing the event really had a lack of control over the situation. They didn’t have much security and no backup plan for the rain. Everyone just went with the flow and I think this is another reason why the festival was so successful. No matter what happened, people were willing to bear through it together, in order to experience such a revolutionary music event.

These people had this attitude because, simply, they were HIPPIES! They were still making the stage literally moments before the first act went on. The noise of the crowd when the concert began was INSANE! It was super loud and I can only imagine the decibel level if I was actually there. If there was a modern day version of Woodstock, I don’t think I would go. Even though it would be insane to be there live, I think the general attitude of today would not highly value this epic live performance. I don’t know if I would want to drown in the mass of humanity in order to just listen to music. In retrospect, though, I believe being able to participate in one of the most influential events in the history of rock and roll would be amazing. I think if they replicated it today, though, there wouldn’t be nearly the numbers they had in 1969.

When they interviewed the hippies I learned about the mentality and lifestyle of the people in attendance. This is another point that makes me believe that such a large event wouldn’t occur again anytime soon. People crowded around, not just for the music, but for answers about society and life itself. The hippies were very content with simply being human and not desiring anything more. Woodstock was a way for a lot of people to come together and share in an enjoyable experience where they could explore and search for answers about themselves. They didn’t have any violence or conflict. People were able to peacefully listen with one another in a general environment of love. In this way, Woodstock went beyond music. It provided a place where society could be reevaluated in a fun and exciting manner.

Just to give you some basis for this festival, I’m going to post some short video clips from the documentary so that you can see the pure energy of the festival.

Richie Havens played a guitar solo that was so full of energy that it just oozed out of him. His soulful voice added to the overall energetic, enthusiastic vibe of Woodstock in general. Haven also is very into the music that he’s performing. Sometimes in modern day, I feel that modern artists simply go through the motions to make money. There were no significant financial gain for these artists and they did it simply for the love of their music and their society. This passion for their art is what makes this music festival seem so different from anything else in history because it was just a group of people united by love and the arts. I can really respect this. Check out this guy:

Another performance that stuck with me was Canned Heat. I genuinely liked their sound. They were very rebellious, which I think perfectly matched the tone of this time period. Check it:

I know I’ve been talking a lot about this festival, but Woodstock could arguably be the most influential and revolutionary event in all of music history!

Snow Patrol

I literally just discovered this band today. I had never heard of this British alternative rock group until someone mentioned they had gone to one of their concerts recently. I figured I would check it out for my blog and here I am.

Anyway, I have mixed feelings about Snow Patrol. While they have been around for several years, I focused my analysis on their most current album “Fallen Empires” because artists and bands develop so much in a single career (I mean just look at the Beatles!). I am rather tired, so I didn’t have time to listen to the album in its entirety but I picked out some of their top-chart songs to look at.

Overall, I think Snow Patrol is a pretty polished band. The vocals in all of their songs sound soft and tender. This works well for them because in the happier pop-like songs it adds a level of innocence and energy. When they sing their sadder tunes, the soft vocals enforce the melancholy mood and makes me connect with the song. In this aspect, they are very endowed artists. They have really developed their skill set to an internationally recognized and cherished stage. Through listening to a few of their newer songs, I noticed that the vocals are not the only great aspect about this band. They also have consistent talent-filled countermelodies. If this is accomplished through a guitar/bass background or a slow piano sound, it ultimately adds depth to their songs.

Another thing that this band does very well, and something that I haven’t seen a lot in current music, is their versatility. Unfortunately, I think this extreme versatility creeps on the verge of inconsistency. While a lot of things remain consistent, their songs sound very different from one another. At times, I can hear vocal similarities with certain vocal ticks but for a majority of the songs, it could be a completely different band performing.

While this band sounds a lot like a polished version of Coldplay, certain qualities about their music doesn’t appeal to me. Although I enjoy a complete “story” for a song, Snow Patrol seems to overdo this a bit. They have a little too much introduction for my taste. It takes about a minute and a half in each song for them to actually reach a point where other instruments (besides the original basic sounds in the background) are added and meshed into the song. From that point, their songs generally are good, but it is painstakingly laborious to reach that point. I had to summon up all my will just to prevent myself from fast forwarding to the main chorus.

Now, I’m not saying this band is bad. They have a tenderness and lyrical depth that appeals to me. I think this entire “alternative rock” genre is a new thing that I have discovered that fuses together some solid sounds. While I don’t believe Snow Patrol is as good as other bands/artists I’ve analyzed (like Imagine Dragons or Alex Clare) they definitely are a talented group.

I’ll just quickly post some songs about them below so that you can check them out yourself. The first song I’ll post is “Called Out In The Dark”. It starts with a pretty catchy electric bass sound and basic snare beat. You can see what I was talking about in that it has a slow start, though. After a minute and twenty seconds, it begins to pick up. Vocal fluctuations along with guitar and synthesized countermelodies in the background pick up the pace of this song nicely. Check it out. It’s actually pretty awesome:

The next song is “New York”. This song has a very forlorn and melancholy sound. The music video makes this about ten times worse. The simple soft vocals at the beginning with charged and deliberate piano introduces a very emotionally powerful song. Be moved, go check this song out:

“In The End” is another one of their recent hits. False-setto mixed with vocal ticks adds variety in this song in the company of a fast-paced driving beat and bass. It is kind of contradicting because the vocals are smooth and almost crooning, while the countermelody alone is almost hard rock. Check it out:

As I continue to listen to this band, I keep discovering new things that are great! While I have some nitpicky things against their sound, Snow Patrol definitely has a multitude of strengths.