A Sampling of the Upcoming Talking Heads Tribute Album

A while back I had heard some rumors that a Talking Heads tribute album was coming out. It was going to be musicians covering their live, and best, album, "Stop Making Sense". I was hyped for the record. Then I totally forgot about it. This happens to me from time to time. I get excited about something, then it gets delayed and then I forget.

Thanks to watching Instagram reels, a musician I had never heard of, Girl in Red, put out their version of "Girlfriend is Better". It was just a commercial, just a short snippet, but it got me excited yet again. I checked Spotify to see if the full record was out, and while it doesn't come out for a few more weeks, there are four songs from the record available to listen to right now. So I fired it up on the car ride to school this morning.

The first song I heard was Paramore's version of "Burning Down the House". Paramore has gotten more on my radar lately. I really like their newer single, "Hard Times". It isn't that emo sound they became known for. This is more like a pop/soul hit. I love it. So, I was looking forward to hearing their take on "Burning Down the House". I think it is great. They do the song justice. It has their new sound sprinkled throughout the song, but it pays homage to what  Talking Heads did with this song in the first place. It was a good track for me to start off the new record with this morning. "Burning Down the House" was followed by Teezo Touchdown's take on "Making Flippy Floppy". This song has always been hit or miss for me. Sometimes I'm super into it and want to hear it over and over. Other times, I skip it without a second thought. I also have no idea who Teezo Touchdown is or what kind of music he makes. But, this version of "Making Flippy Floppy" is rad. It is fun. It has a great groove to it. Teezon Touchdown sings his heart out, and I'm here for it. His take on the song has me interested in checking out his other music. My daughter was goofing on his name, but after a minute, she started to dance to the song a bit. That is as good a recommendation as a newish artist can get in my house. Lorde then came on with "Take Me to the River". This is a cover in the first place, one which I think Talking Heads does better than the original. Lorde really nails it. She is one hell of a singer, and hearing her belt this one out brings me back to her hit record "Melodrama". When given proper material, or writing something herself, Lorde is one of the best in the business. She takes this old song and makes it new. She makes it her own. She absolutely nails every note. The band that accompanies her is right at her level, and they nail it as well. This is my favorite track on the record so far. I have already listened to it multiple times. The final song I heard is the aforementioned "Girlfriend is Better" by Girl in Red. The few seconds I heard on Instagram last night awoke my senses. The full version is even better. If not for Lorde, this would be my favorite track. It is fun, groovy, poppy, rocks out and I want to go back and listen over and over again. I also am going to check out Girl in Red's music for sure. When a band can do such justice to one of the best songs ever written, that is a sign of a band I'm going to become a big time fan of in the near future.

I'm all in on these four songs, and cannot wait for the rest of the record to come out soon. Go check this little ep out right now, and when the full record comes out, let's all rock to it together. I'll have a review when the full album comes out. For now though, I'm excited to have these 4 tracks. I think I'll go listen to them again. You should do the same. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Listens to "Solar Power"

Ten days ago Lorde put out her long awaited third album, "Solar Power". I had heard the two singles she released early, I am a fan and like so many others I was pretty excited to listen to the record. I listened the morning it came out, listened again right after that and have gone back here and there in the last week plus to get my ears on it some more.

“Solar Power” is different from Lorde’s first two records. She exploded on the scene with "Pure Heroine" and "Melodrama" is a masterpiece. I was curious to see what direction she would go in with this album, and it is a whole new direction. And I enjoy it. I have seen some people giving it tepid reviews, but I have enjoyed every listen to this point.

The record is very stripped down. It is very acoustic. It is very sleepy in a good way. Putting the record out in late August was perfect because the album has the feeling of the end of summer. Jack Antonoff produced it and the more records I hear that he produces I am finding that I like them. I am not a huge fan of his bands. Fun is okay, Bleachers is fine, but I do not dig the music he plays. His producing for pop stars is top notch though. He has a gift and the ear to produce pop music. I also like how he has the artists kind of go bare bones with the albums he helps them make. Doing with this Lorde could have been a misstep, but both of them found a way to make it work and make it great.

Like I said, the album is slower and way stripped down from her first two. It is a nice change of pace. I love listening to the record when I am cleaning the house or going for a drive. My daughter really enjoys the record. She is growing to like slower, more folky music as she gets older. I love it. I think what I love most about the album is it lets Lorde's vocals totally shine. Her voice is the main, and most important instrument on this record. Lorde is a great singer, with a powerful voice and "Solar Power" really lets that shine. That is not to say that the first two records don't do that, but there is a ton of instruments and music backing her vocals. "Solar Power" is light piano, some drums and acoustic guitars backing Lorde's vocals. It is perfect. I also like how quick the album moves. No song is longer than five minutes, except the closer which is like two songs melded together. The middle of the album meanders for a bit, maybe two songs, but even the meandering works on the record. There is one song where she talks at the end as if she is an announcer in the airport, and I love that song. After the two slower tunes though she rips through three or four songs that are super short, but super good. Those songs are all about the lyrics and Lorde shines through singing the words she wrote. I especially love the song "Dominoes".

I do not get the backlash that this record is receiving from some, but there will always be critics for everything. All I know is I really like the record. Lorde is as reliable a musician as we have right now. When she puts out new music it will be good. It will have people talking. Fans will be delighted and she will make new fans. As I always say, I like when artists take chances, try something new, and that is what Lorde has done with "Solar Power". I really enjoy this record and I definitely recommend you give it a listen.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Listens to Lorde's "Solar Power"

For the first time in, I think four years, Lorde released a new song. I saw her on her last tour and it was amazing. Her last album, "Melodrama", is phenomenal. She is a very unique and gifted singer and songwriter. She also takes a very long time in between albums. As I said, this is her first new song in four years, and it is just one song. I have to imagine an album is coming out, hopefully sometime soon. But this song, "Solar Power", is pretty damn great.

I saw on Spotify last week that the title section, "New Music" had her new song. I listened immediately. Then I listened again. Then again. I have been listening to the song non stop, which has led me to listening to all her older stuff more and more. But this new song is different but still great. Lorde keeps evolving as an artist the older she gets. Her music is becoming more adult because she is becoming an adult. Her first album is rad, but you can tell she is a teenager. The song "Royals", which I love, speaks volumes to how young she was when she wrote and recorded it. The whole "Melodrama" album shows someone entering adulthood. And now with "Solar Power", she is kind of melding the two, and the outcome is pure magic. The song has this neat little acoustic guitar riff for the first two minutes that is permanently stuck in my head. You add on her vocals throughout, where she is kind of softly singing, almost like a whisper, and man does it work. The song sounds moody but upbeat at the same time. She has one lyric that I think is perfection. At one point she calls herself a "prettier Jesus". That is it. She sings, "I'm like a prettier Jesus", and it is so awesome, so profound, so Lorde. The first time I heard her sing it in the song I was hooked. When we get to the two minute point in the song it gets louder and heavier. It builds to this great crescendo of drums, electric guitar and Lorde singing the chorus louder than the rest of the song. I love it so much.

I have been playing the new song in my car on repeat, but especially when my five year old is with me. I want her to hear kickass music coming from a woman. I want her to know that she can do this too if she wants, and if she puts in the time. We listen to other stuff like, Karen O, Sleater-Kinney, Lizzo and Erykah Badu, but my daughter, at least lately, has been picking Lorde, and more specifically, her new song. She loves it. She hums and sings along to it. We sing and dance together when we listen to it on our stereo at home. It is such a good song, and the fact that my daughter is so into it lets me know she has good taste and understands what good music is. She is a smart little whip.

"Solar Power" has me so excited for the new, I assume, album that Lorde has coming down the pipe. She is one of the best people making music right now, and I still feel like she gets overlooked because she isn't some pop darling. She writes profound, deep music. That is what should be celebrated about her. Lorde rules. I'm ready for the full album. In the meantime, I think I'll go play "Solar Power" again. I recommend you do too.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Nothing Can Stop Lorde and Run the Jewels in an Epic Live Show

This past Friday I had the pleasure of seeing Lorde on her Melodrama tour. What made it even better was the fact that my favorite group, Run the Jewels, was the opener. The only problem, I had a terrible stomach virus all weekend, and it started that evening. But, no virus was going to keep me from going to this show. My mom was excited for it too, so again, I had no real excuse to miss it. Try as I might, I just couldn’t bring myself to miss it.

When we got to the venue, RTJ was already on stage. I could hear them crushing “Legend Has It”, and my mom and I rushed to our seats. The moment we sat down, it was like my stomach told me that I had a couple hours to enjoy this before it crushed me. My stomach ache was gone and I was immediately vibing out to RTJ. I had just seen them a year earlier in Kansas City, and while their set wasn’t much different, a bit shorter is all, they were still amazing. It was real cool to see them in a bigger venue playing to a totally different crowd. The people in attendance ranged anywhere from 12-70. So, I’m sure some people were slightly taken off guard when RTJ was rapping their songs, but soon, it seemed the entire crowd was vibing with them. They ripped through a great 45 minute set. They did all their big songs and they crushed them all. They had light conversation in between songs. They made jokes at each other’s expense. It was El-P’s birthday, so the entire crowd gave him a hearty “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”. He seemed to enjoy that. As I said, they were amazing and I hope this tour will really help them explode. They deserve it, and more and more people need to hear RTJ. They rocked.

Then, right on schedule at 9pm, Lorde took the stage. I did not know what to expect. I have never seen a true pop show with a big time pop star. I expected many costume changes and a wild stage show. While she had a costume change, it was only one and it only took about 30 seconds. As far as the on stage show, it was tame compared to my expectations. She had about 6 dancers that were doing interpretive type dancing and a screen behind her showing video. Even the 2 big projection screens on each side of the stage were strictly showing Lorde perform. It was refreshing. But the most refreshing thing, Lorde is a hell of a performer and a wonderful singer. She was dancing on stage and owned the crowd all set long. She talked in between most songs, but it never felt unnecessary or boring. It was insightful. In fact, she might be one of the most mature 21 year olds I’ve ever heard speak. Also, she would mention how she wrote some of her songs when she was only 16. That’s amazing. When I was 16 I was too busy playing baseball and trying to get cheerleaders to go on dates. Meanwhile, Lorde is writing beautiful and touching music. And the music, my goodness is she incredibly talented. She sang all the hits, and they were all spectacular. Hearing “Team” live only made me like that song more. “400 Lux” was incredible. “The Louvre” was beautiful. “Homemade Dynamite” was outstanding. Even her cover of the wonderful Frank Ocean song “Solo” sounded glorious. Every song she sang was an absolute home run. The highlight of the show for me was when she sang “Writer in the Dark”. The stage was completely stripped down and she sat on a set piece. She told a story and then absolutely crushed the performance. Dare I say, it was moving to watch her sing that song live.

Lorde is a wunderkind. She is one of a kind. There is no other pop star like her out there right now. She is unique and different in all the right ways. I’m so glad I didn’t let some virus keep me from going to this show. She is an amazing talent, and I got to see RTJ for a second time. Saint Louis was only the second stop on their nation wide tour. So, if you get the chance, I highly recommend going to this show. It is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, in a good way. It was a wonderful evening and I’m glad I was able to share it with my mom. What an excellent live show. I still get chills thinking about it over 3 days later.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is still looking for a few hours of relief before he has to run off to the bathroom. Ty needs some industrial grade bismuth-subsalicylate.

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The Best Albums of 2017

On to day 2 of my best of 2017 lists. Today we will focus on my top 5 albums of the year. My list has many different genres, but the main theme is rap/hip hop. It was a decent year for music, not as good as movies, but still pretty good. For example, Beck's new album is not on my list, Khalid's "Teenage Dream" was close, but not quite there, I love Big K.R.I.T., but his new record didn't make my list. I did not have as much trouble pairing my list down, but it still took awhile. Anyway, here we go.

At number 5 I have "Humanz" by the Gorillaz. First off, I was shocked that other publications left this record off their best of lists. "Humanz" was a long time coming, and I thought it was totally worth the wait. Damon Albarn has created something truly special with the Gorillaz. There will never be another band like this. Anyone that tries to do what he did will be called imitators. Albarn was way ahead of the curve as far as creativeness comes. With "Humanz", he took those creative juices and let them flow. It was like there was never a break from their last record. The record is so good and it flows perfectly. The guest list is second to none. You have people ranging from Vince Staples to Grace Jones to Danny Brown, and of course, De La Soul. The Gorillaz have taken on this EDM/rock/rap genre to a whole new level, and "Humanz" is a prime example of that. From start to finish this record is awesome. I love "Charger" featuring Grace Jones and their collaboration with Danny Brown, but the best song is "Moments", featuring De La Soul. That is the perfect Gorillaz song. "Humanz" is a delight.

At number 4, speaking of Vince Stales, I have his newest record, "Big Fish Theory". I was hesitant at first with this record. I was lukewarm on his early stuff, but after hearing him on "Humanz", I decided to give "Big Fish Theory" a shot. Boy am I glad I did. Staples is doing something unique as well. He blends electronic beats with politically conscious lyrics, all the while making it fun. Staples rapping is awesome on this record. He truly knocks his vocals out of the park. He seamlessly moves from party music to straight forward rap to conscious rap. With this record I feel like he has started to hit his stride. He has found his niche as a rapper. "Big Fish Theory" is fun, but also a much needed album in our current political climate. If he continues on this path, I do not see why he won't be as big as Chance the Rapper in the next year or two.

At number 3, going completely away from rap and electronic and cartoon bands, I have the return of LCD Soundsystem with their new record, "American Dream". As you all know by now I am a big, big fan of this group. I love how they blend pop, punk, funk, electronic and rock all into one. I love how they can do a slower song, then follow it up with a 3 minute punk song, then blend electronic with rock and play a 7 minute epic tune. James Murphy is one of a kind. While he may come off a bit pretentious, the dude can sing and write music. "American Dream" has all of this and so much more. From start to finish this album is a homerun. They are the modern day Talking Heads. In fact, thee first time I listened to this record, I was with my father and he asked if it was the Talking Heads. LCD Soundsystem has that same sound, just modernized. This record, another one that we all had to wait for, was totally worth it. You could tell they spent a ton of time in the studio trying to perfect the record. I believe they achieved that goal. "American Dream" also has some great songs about how rough our country is nowadays. We need more and more artists to address the current problems in our country. LCD Soundsysten does that on this record. "American Dream" is awesome and worth the wait. It is nice to have them back.

At number 2, and I had a very rough time with which one of these 2 albums I was going to put at 1, I chose Kendrick Lamar's "DAMN". "DAMN" is amazing. It is basically 1B compared to the record I will talk about next. Kendrick Lamar is the best solo rapper out there right now, and "DAMN" more than proves this. On his other records he can be more of a poet, channeling his inner Tupac, and a bit more obtuse, which I like, but on "DAMN", he makes a straight forward rap album, but with how exceptional he is, he makes it so much better than anything Drake or anyone else of that ilk, can do. This record bumps from start to finish. "DNA" has to be the song of the year. The beat and the intro to that song are amazing. He then tackles so many different themes throughout the 11 songs on the record. He calls out Fox News, Geraldo Rivera and the "president" all within 1 song. The track featuring U2, a band that I do not like at all, is awesome. If you can make me like U2, that is an accomplishment in and of itself. Even a song like "Humble", the chart topping hit from this record, is the bomb. Usually chart toppers get stale after a few listens,  but not "Humble". Kendrick Lamar continues to amaze me, and I cannot wait to hear his next record. Until then, I have "DAMN" to listen to.

And finally for my number one. There is no record better in 2017 than Lorde's "Melodrama". What a piece of art this record is. Lorde shines so bright on this album. She bounces from many different genres, sometime in the same song, so effortlessly. She is one of the best pop singers on the planet, but she can also do ballads as good as Adele, and she is light years ahead of someone like Taylor Swift when it comes to straight forward pop music. From the opener, "Green Light" to songs like "Writer in the Dark" and "Homemade Dynamite" and "Liability", she takes on many different genres. I know she is well known, but I am shocked that she isn't on the same level as some other pop stars. I don't hear her songs on the radio as much as Taylor Swift or Ed Sheerhan or anyone else who doesn't have 1/10 her talent. Lorde rules. I am so psyched that I get to see her live in March. It is also pretty dope that Run the Jewels is opening for her. "Melodrama" is a masterpiece. Lorde achieved legendary status on this record to me. If she never makes another album, I will be happy with what we got from her. I hope she makes more music, I'm sure she will, but she totally crushed it on "Melodrama". It is the best record of the year. I have no doubt about that now.

That is it for my top 5 records of the year. Come back tomorrow for my top 5 TV shows of the year.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was struggling about what to do with Taylor Swift's new record. He has never heard it, never will hear it, but thought she deserved a mention. There, we mentioned her.

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Ty Listens to Lorde's "Melodrama"

Today I purchased Lorde's new album, "Melodrama". I have to say, this was well worth the 4 year wait. This record is excellent. I am blown away that someone this young is this good a writer and singer. She seems so much older than her years on this album. Her lyrics are insightful, fun at times, smart and beautifully sung. Her band is great as well. This is a great all around record.

The first four songs of "Melodrama" sound like they come from the 80's synth movement, but not fueled by cocaine, looking at you Flock of Seagulls. Lorde and her band uses the best parts of what made that music palatable, but they make it modern age and they make it good. Songs like "Green Light" and "Homemade Dynamite" would have easily been hits in the mid to late 80's. Those songs are so synth heavy, but they are also fun as hell to listen and dance to. Lorde's lyrics and voice are phenomenal, and I love the keyboards, synthesizers and whatever else they use to make the music. "Green Light" is a tremendous single, and if I remember it correctly, this was the first single that she released to the public months before this album came out. This was the perfect song to show people that she has grown up, and that this album was going to go in a different direction than her first album, the excellent "Pure Heroine", did 4 years ago.

I love the new sound. I was on board right away, but I was also a bit confused how different it sounded. I am very glad that she chose a different approach, but I thought she would do more of the same from her first record because it was such a hit. But I'll say it again, I love when artists try something different when they make new music. That shows me growth. That shows me that these people are willing to take a chance. And, when they hit, it is amazing to hear. That is how I felt about "Melodrama" after the first 4 songs.

Then the fifth song, "Liability", played next. This song absolutely blew me away. She completely strips everything away, and it is just her voice and a piano, and the song is a thing of beauty. To me, a song like "Liability" is better than any ballad that Taylor Swift or Adele has put out in the past 6 or 7 years. I absolutely love this song so much. It is so god damn good.

Now, I was totally hooked. I needed to hear the rest of the record. She follows "Liability" up with "Hard Feelings/Loveless". This is a bizarre, yet awesome double song. The first part of the song, the "Hard Feelings" part, has an almost hip hop vibe to it. The beat is very good and the lyrics are even better. This is the one song on this record that reminds me of something that would have been on "Pure Heroine". She then shifts into a song that is even more hip hop esque on the second part of this song, "Loveless". Lorde does he style of "rapping" while mixing in singing, and for the very first time I've ever heard from her, she uses the F word a couple times in this song. I loved it. I thought it was a great surprise. I very much love this song as well. I like that she does stuff like this, turning a 5 minute plus song into 2 separate things. She is so good at switching time signatures right in the middle of a song, and that takes a lot of talent to do something like that, while still making it easy to listen to. I really like the song "Sober 2 (Melodrama)". It is sad and heartbreaking and so well performed by Lorde. She really sings her heart out and I wouldn't be surprised if this song gets massive radio play in the near future. It is a hit. Her reprise of "Liability" brought me back to that stripped down version I loved from earlier, and brought me back down to just listening to her, as opposed to what the other songs do, which is make me listen, but also dance and want to know the lyrics so I can belt it out in the car soon. "Perfect Places", the final track on the record, is a great blend of everything we got from this entire record. She sings loudly, the band is on fire, the lyrics are tremendous and it is such a glorious end to a wonderful album.

I truly do love "Melodrama". This is one of the best sophomore records I've heard from anyone that I have ever listened to. I know some people kind of slump on the second record, especially when they have an enormous surprise hit like Lorde had with "Pure Heroine", but that is not the case on "Melodrama". If anything, this record proves to me that she is only to get better and better. She is so young, but so talented, and this is such a great album.

Lorde needs to be even more known than she already is. I've already mentioned the Taylor Swift's and Adele's of the pop music world, but Lorde is better than not only them, but people that get major radio play like Bruno Mars or 21 Pilots or Ed Sheerhan, basically anyone that gets played on pop radio. Lorde is a star, and she should be the face of pop music in the 21st century. I'm a very, very big fan, and I cannot wait to see what she does next. Lorde is incredible and so is "Melodrama".

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is thinking of asking his preteen neices if he can chaperone them when Lorde comes to St. Louis. He does not want to go alone and be the weirdo old guy around a bunch young girls. Bad look.

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