Tag Archives | You should be celebrating

You Should Be Celebrating

1990s nostalgia is everywhere these days. All college kids today (plus the past 10 years of graduates) are members of Generation Y and are reminiscing about the arts and entertainment of their respective childhoods. Perhaps the most notable musical trend of the ‘90s was the emergence of alternative rock as a mainstream force. The genre [...]

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You should be celebrating

There may be no feat as improbable in the music industry as making a supergroup equal the sum of its parts. A band that forms with members who are superstars in their own rights is unwillingly raised to high expectations and bound to disappoint somehow. That being said, there are a few bands such as [...]

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You Should Be Celebrating

To many great artists, the reward of success comes with the heavy burden of fame. Every new fan, new record sold and new piece of media exposure adds to the pressure and scrutiny. If an artist gets popular enough, it seems as though they never get a moment to themselves. Some may think it would [...]

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You should be celebrating

A common theme throughout popular music history is that artists borrow from other artists. Plagiarism and overt stylistic trends in a slew of bands (see: British Invasion) aside, the influence of other musicians may be an inescapable reality of making music. There are many people who despise that most music is no longer original, but [...]

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You Should Be Celebrating

If you’ve been reading my column this year, you may know that I tend to jump between genres. One week I’m talking about The Doors, and the next week I make a huge left turn to Aphex Twin. In my defense, I enjoy covering and listening to popular music of all kinds, but as a [...]

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You should be celebrating

When it comes to a genre’s move from the underground to the mainstream, there are always growing pains. The original instrumentation and overall feel can rapidly change so that the best qualities of the genre become lost or muddled (see dubstep as a current example). Some fans who adored the genre at first lament that [...]

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You should be celebrating

When music and politics collide, their relationship tends to be fiercely antagonistic. Artists who have a strong political viewpoint will be critical of the government — whether or not they have the legal freedom to do so — if they disagree with its actions or leanings. Wars (especially the Vietnam War), racial injustice (the charged [...]

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You Should Be Celebrating

In the career of any musician, talent usually comes before artistic credibility. This trend is especially true for artists who sign to a major label and are marketed to be pop stars. Think Justin Bieber, who was discovered through a series of YouTube videos and is now a teen pop superstar but is not someone [...]

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You Should Be Celebrating

The genre U.K. garage (rhymes with carriage when using the British pronunciation) came about through the introduction of Chicago house music in London in the early 1990s. Soon it became house’s restless younger cousin, with faster tempos and skipping rhythms. The genre has since been warped and succeeded by offshoots such as Grime, 2-step and [...]

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You should be celebrating

There are few bands that manage to define a music genre, but when they do, they pave the road for bands to come. Alternative rock band Radiohead paved the way for countless alternative rock bands and created a musical niche of its own because of its unique, cutting-edge sound. Now I won’t get too far [...]

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You Should Be Celebrating

It’s been said that musical influence occurs in cycles of 20-25 years, creating a direct line between past and present. Consider the prevalence of synthesizers originally heard in the ’80s that dominate popular music today, not to mention the frequently made connection between Madonna and Lady Gaga, whose careers emerged roughly 25 years apart. Rock [...]

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You should be celebrating

When it comes to Beatles history, nothing has been left unsaid. They are quite possibly the most beloved musicians the world has ever known. From books to video games, they have been documented religiously, and their music has been treated as a priceless gem. Simply put, The Beatles are an institution. So before I continue [...]

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