[American Idol-izer] Top 9 Perform
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Wow, American Idol. Just when I thought you couldn't be less cool, you go and prove me wrong. Proving just how out of touch you are you go and have David Hasslehoff "perform" at the open. Sure having Boy George as guest mentor for "80's Week" is damn cool, but this was just weird. It's not like the 80's are the height of nostalgia anymore. Any quick look through Buzzfeed shows you the Internet is in a 90's mindset, and for most of the kids on Idol right now, they have no idea what these songs are let along know who sang them.
But beyond the Hoff, and a surprise performance from Salt N' Pepa, tensions were high for the contestants. Now with the Save gone, two people were going home and the others were left to perform tired 80's songs. It wasn't a good place for anyone to be in. But, let's get through this together.
Let's see how the Top 9 hassled the Hoff.
[American Idol-izer] Top 10 Perform
Ah, Movie Week. It's American Idol at its corniest. While I wish the show would do away with theme weeks altogether for the sake of staying current (next week is 80's Week, so that's not happening anytime soon), sometimes we do get some startlingly great performances. This week was not one of those times. A week full of out of tune performances (I must be sounding like a broken record at this point), surprising voter turnouts, Kenny Loggins, Jennifer Lopez promoting her single for Dreamworks' Home with a laser light show dress, and two weeks in and the judges have already used their magical save.
I mean, really? Two weeks? This has happened once before with Casey Abrams back in Season 10, but that was a totally deserving choice. Here? I just can't accept it especially after seeing the hokiest, toneless performance I'd seen this season.
But first, here's everybody else.
20 Artists You Need To Know: Summer Festival Edition
Header by Bryan Allen Lamb.
With spring getting into full swing, summer seems within reach already. For music junkies, spring just means a couple more months until festival season. Whether you're planning on hitting all, one or none of the festivals listed in this week's playlist, all of the artists are definitely ones you should know.
Bonnaroo - Check out Run The Jewels
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A hip-hop duo from New York with just two albums under their belt, but mucho street cred amongst hipster rap enthusiasts and the hip-hop community. A definite must-see.
Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath
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I’ve seen Black Sabbath live, and believe me, it’s sad. Just a bunch of pissed off seniors narrowly escaping the bus ride back to Shady Pines. Do yourself a favor and check out the funky bunch known as Brownout who add groovy bass lines that even Ozzy approves of.
Warped Tour - Check out Riff Raff
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If you don’t know who Riff Raff is by now, then listen up: the walking, talking, real-life version of the “alleged” inspiration for James Franco’s Spring Breakers character is playing all Warped Tour dates. The nonsense rapper of neon-flavored Bart Simpson shaped Cheetos is just a skip-and-a-hop away from your hometown. His bogus rhymes are catchy, fun and worth the money to see up close. Also, his merch table is probably going to be full of light-up do-rags or rhinestone encrusted McDonald’s toys from the 90’s.
Candy Hearts
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If you’re already at Warped Tour, then you’re probably going to be at the Candy Hearts show, but the general public might not have the pop-punk upper hand that you do. For those that don’t know, Candy Hearts are a cutesy pop-punk trio from New York who could be described as: Paramore + Bubbalicious Cotton Candy gum + a wink + a diary. If you’re a fan of New Found Glory, State Champs, or Set It Off, then Candy Hearts are a must-have in your library.
Bunbury - Check out The Front Bottoms
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The acoustic pop-punk band have been a Warped Tour hit for some time, but they're moving up the ladder of notoriety ever since their 2013 release of Talon Of The Hawk.
Lindsey Stirling
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Don't even act like you know someone who plays the violin flawlessly, let alone be able to entertain millions in the age of technology doing so. Plus, she often themes her songs to a certain era or place, so her outfits and performance are sure to be entertaining.
Coachella - Check out FKA Twigs
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Amongst all of the gigantic, jaw-dropping artists featured at Coachella this year, one who has been kept more on the hush is FKA Twigs. FKA (Formerly Known As) Twigs started out in 2013 as a YouTube sensation and then POOF! Her sultry demeanor and daze-y hip-hop style are what make her so intriguing. Not to mention her image/feminine mystique is the IRL version of Tumblr, which is probably what Coachella is looking for.
Marina & The Diamonds
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I. Love. Marina. And. The. Diamonds. And you should too. She’s an indie-pop artist who has more soul and flavor than most of her sugary sweet counterparts. Her deep, Welsh accent pulls through the electro-Madonna-esque beat of her songs. Also, her outfits are described as “retro cartoon-ish,” so expect an exciting visual; I’d describe her sound as that too. She may be popular among the invested music critics and indie-pop enthusiasts of the scene, but she deserves to be more than just an honorable mention.
South By Southwest (SXSW) - Check out All Them Witches
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The Nashville natives of All Them Witches have the classic-rock, heavy riff act down to a T. What sets them apart from that blase "hip radio rock friendly" sound is that they have a groovier, sludge inspired Queens Of The Stone Age tang to them.
B.I.C. (Bitches Is Crazy)
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The Bronx hip-hop/rap group known as B.I.C. produce raw, Latin-influenced rhymes similar to their modern counterparts (IE: A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q, etc).
[American Idol-izer] Top 12 (and 11) Perform
Header by Michael Becker/Fox
American Idol is going through a weird scheduling flux this season (But Empire deserves all of the schedule space it gets). With two cuts in the same week, from the Top 16 to 12 and 12 to 11, the competition was a bit tougher. And once again the strict hour run time forced a bunch of contestants on stage before they were able to compose themselves and led to a bunch of wonky vocals. Thankfully, we won't be talking about those here.
We got the Top 12 on Wednesday, and contestants who made it through only had about 24 hours to celebrate as the field was narrowed down to 11 last night (during a welcome two hour block). A super weird night of new multi camera interviews, a bunch of Empire hype (and a performance of its "No Apologies" theme), red and green light up chairs, and also my boy Quentin is in trouble you guys.
Here are the Top 12 contestants:
Boys: Daniel Seavey, Rayvon Owen, Qaasim Middleton, Nick Fradiani, Clark Beckham and (Wild Card) Quentin Alexander
Girls: Sarina-Joi Crowe, Maddie Walker, Jax, Joey Cook, Tyanna Jones, and (Wild Card) Adanna Duru.
But, only 11 contestants made it to next week.
The Top 15 Glee Covers
With only a couple of episodes before the series finale, I can't help but feel nostalgic for Glee's greatest hits. I've stuck with the show through its rough patches because it's still capable of churning out an outstanding performance or two. With over 727 songs (give or take a couple) spanning its 120 episodes, it's been tough to narrow down all of these choices but I've developed a system.
For this list, I've tried to limit the amount of songs I chose per season (otherwise these choices would all be from Season 1), made my choices based on how they were used in the show (For example, as much as I loved "Cell Block Tango" it was shoehorned into a domestic abuse episode), and how the performance was laid out. So these 15 covers all had a great mix of story, visuals, and musicality.
So, here are The Top 15 Glee Covers.
Honorable Mentions: Cell Block Tango, Mr. Roboto/Counting Stars, Boogie Shoes, Heads Will Roll/Thriller, Oops I Did It Again, Bust Your Windows, I Want to Break Free, Far From Over, Push it, Take a Bow, Ride Wit Me, Bootylicious, Run Joey Run, Safety Dance, And I Am Telling You, When I Get You Alone, Cry, Don't Speak, If I Were a Boy, Defying Gravity, The Final Countdown, Anything Goes/Anything You Can Do, Don't Stand So Close to Me/Young Girl
[American Idol-izer] Top 16 Perform
The first cut is always the harshest. Some Idol seasons experiment with the Top 24 (like that season where they went from 24 to Top 13 in one round), but this season we're getting the long route possibly because of Empire's well deserved hold on Fox's schedule. With this second round whittling the Top 24 to Top 16, I get flashbacks to early cuts like Season 9's Todrick Hall or Lily Scott before we got to see how talented they really were. I was very worried for my favorites Quentin and Jax, because they're great but they're very weird.
Thankfully, the cuts weren't too surprising overall (as only eight boys and eight girls performed this week) and I'm pretty happy with the results. But I'm not happy that American Idol is already having theme weeks. While "Motown Week" led to a great performance by guest mentor Aretha Franklin, these old fashioned themes always clash with Idol's strive for relevancy. But, like in these previous weeks, all of the contestants had a few problems. The kids on Idol never quite gel with Motown.
But whatever. Praise be to our lord and savior, Aretha Franklin.
[American Idol-izer] Top 12 Boys & Girls Perform
Over the years, American Idol's contestants have skewed younger and younger. Lowering its audition age to 15 following the Bieber craze, while still keeping its age cap at 29, we've seen plenty of questionable choices make it this far. Its biggest competitor, NBC's The Voice (in its seemingly 20th season), has gotten so popular because it capitalized on that void and always produces fun to watch acts groomed through years of performing experience.
The lack of experience has never been more evident than this season. While few of the contestants stood out before now, the live shows are usually their chance to break out and get votes. But instead, all we've gotten is a bunch of kids garbling and warbling through poorly chosen songs. It's created a highly visible rift between those who ready, and those we won't want to watch later on.
[Video Playlist of the Week] Seven Tours in Support of Decade-Old Albums
Recently, more and more bands have been reuniting for the [insert number here] anniversary of their most successful, or most popular, album. In retrospect, everyone always wishes they could’ve been there to see the album played live when it came out, but let’s face it; time travel isn’t a thing, so this is your best bet. Get your credit cards ready: this is a list of upcoming tours in 2015 for bands supporting or reuniting for the 10th anniversary of your favorite record.
Cartel - Chroma [tickets]
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Without a doubt the band’s best album. The group released a statement saying how they weren’t ashamed to jump on the anniversary band wagon and that’s just the way it should be because this album deserves another tour.
Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory [tickets]
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Lead singer Justin Pierre has rocked the same haircut for more than 10 years, but more importantly, what importance would it have in the scene if no one ever heard Commit This To Memory? Luckily for you, the band is still on tour in support of their decade old, pop-punk staple with William Beckett and Brick and Mortar.
Alkaline Trio - their whole discography [tickets]
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While Crimson is turning 10 this year, it’s not stopping Alkaline Trio from playing their whole discography (eight albums) in eight different cities. Whether this means another Alkaline Trio album is in the works or singer Matt Skiba is leaving indefinitely to join slightly-defunct Blink-182 as Tom DeLonge’s replacement, these shows are must see for Hot Topic regulars from the early 2000s (AKA everyone who listens to Alkaline Trio).
H2o - their entire discography, 20th anniversary shows [tickets]
The grandfathers of PMA have decided to play their entire catalog in their hometown of Brooklyn, New York for three nights as well as the windy city of Chicago. The shows will be small, but so worth the travel to see FTTW and Nothing To Prove played in their entirety. Not to mention, not one, but two albums will be played each night.
Mae - The Everglow [tickets]
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Mae were more of an underground, soft pop-punk band from the early 2000s, but their 2005 album The Everglow was one everyone in the scene knew about.
Hawthorne Heights - The Silence In Black And White [tickets]
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No other song in 2004 resonated with such quote-worthy notoriety than Hawthorne Heights’ “Ohio Is For Lovers.” Other than the pretty bleak lyrics, it made teenagers proud to have their heart in Ohio.
Silverstein - Discovering The Waterfront [tickets]
Giving their decade old, post-hardcore sophomore record Discovering The Waterfront a last hoorah that ends in Australia this year. The band just finished their U.S. leg of the tour.
Honorable mentions:
The Wonder Years - Since being a band [albums in their entirety for three nights]
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The Wonder Years marked their survival of a whole decade filled with old pizza and sappy breakups by playing three shows in their hometown of Philadelphia.
Blink-182 - Untitled [three night show in 2013]
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In 2013, Blink-182 celebrated their last album before their first hiatus in 2003 by playing the Untitled album for three dates in Los Angeles.
Say Anything - ...Is A Real Boy, Saves The Day - Through Being Cool, Reggie & The Full Effect - Under The Tray [recently wrapped]
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Say Anything recently wrapped up their 10 year anniversary tour of their flawless record ...ls A Real Boy with Saves The Day supporting the 10-year anniversary of their iconic album Through Being Cool. Oh, and Reggie & The Full Effect opened up for the two by playing Under The Tray in it’s entirety. This tour was like celebrating Christmas three times in one night.
Relient K - Mmhmm [recently wrapped]
Relient K just got off their anniversary tour for their junior record Mmhmm.
Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
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If you were a teenager in the early 2000’s with a Myspace, you had a song from TAYF as your profile song. Props to you if you were able to live out your 8th grade dreams of seeing TBS sing “Cute Without The ‘E’” or “There’s No ‘I’ In Team.”