A Chromatic Turn

Tessellate- Ellie Goulding (Alt-J Cover) produced by Xaphoon Jones

One of my all-time favorite female vocalists covering one of the greatest indie-rock tracks released last year? 

I'm in.

HOT DANG. 

In a day and age overflowing with house DJs that make a performance out of a Macbook Pro and some strobe lights, Major Lazer, named after a fictional Jamaican commando, reaches outside of that comfort zone and gives us something we can really party to. 

I was lucky enough to catch their set at Icelandic's Winter on the Rocks at Red Rocks Amphitheater (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis headlining), and was completely captivated by the sheer amount of energy they put into their shows. There was plenty of twerking, daggering, shirt-taking-off-and-swirling-in-the-air... basically what a day in my life consists of. 

I kid, I kid.

To the joy of dancehall fans everywhere, Major Lazer recently released their second full length album, Free the Universe, after 2009's Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do. Right off the bat, the first thing I really notice about the new album is that they have stepped back a bit from the reggae influenced Jamaican beats and have made space to integrate in more Western influences. Normally, I would be annoyed with this since I liked that the reggaeton dancehall vibe was their thing but music influence must change with time, I suppose.

The first track on the album, "You're No Good", is one of my favorites, featuring Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Danielle Haim, and Yasmin. Rather than the usual verse that goes into the hyperactive synthy dance beat that lasts for the rest of the song, this track has some real dimension with actual lyrics and structure (rare for a dance track). 

"Jet Blue Jet" featuring Leftside, GTA, Razz, and Biggy brings us back to Major Lazer's roots- it's essentially Pon de Floor's cousin. "Get Free" and "Jessica" (which features the unexpected vocals of Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend) bring the album back down to earth, giving us a chance to chill out a bit. I love the accuracy of Patrick Bowman's description of the track as being "sticky", like an overheated boombox. 

"Jah No Partial" will easily be a fan favorite with crazy island-dub drops from our friends over with Flux Pavilion. They performed this track at Red Rocks and right at the drop they had everyone in the 10,000 person audience throw something into the air- easily my favorite live music moment of the last few years. 

I saw Spring Breakers last weekend for the same reason that most other people saw it: curiosity. When I first saw the trailer I was disgusted, irritated, and disappointed for seeing a cast of exploited and oversexualized girls. 

But I was still curious and had to shamefully ask my friend if she wanted to see it with me. 

I'm not here to review the movie itself, but I will say that the one thing that would bring me back to watch it again is the soundtrack. It's not amazing in terms of singles or tracks that I would actually purchase, but when it is laid over the violently impulsive film you get the full experience that is Harmony Korine's depiction of corrupted innocence. 

Skrillex is the main man of the soundtrack, with "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" opening the movie over perverted shots of boobs covered in beer and inner thighs of college aged girls on the beach. 

The movie is sort of like one giant Skrillex show: fueled mostly by violent drops, adrenaline rushes, and hallucinogens without a very substantial storyline which doesn't even matter, because I found the point of the film to be a metaphor or a satire on youth culture rather than a real "story" with relatable characters. 

My favorite use of music in the film was Britney Spears' "Everytime" which was used in a half humorous- half sickeningly dark scene. James Franco's character, Alien, a gold-toothed drug dealer/rapper, begins the scene by playing the piano and singing slightly off key. Britney's version soon takes over (thankfully) and a montage starts of violent muggings made by Alien and the three girls, who are disguised with matching pink ski masks. Britney Spears, being the image of corrupted innocence, was a perfect choice for the scene and had the depressingly haunting quality needed for the audience to experience some emotion besides shock or adrenaline. 

This soundtrack could be the death of me. 

The Great Gatsby (May, 2013) director, Baz Luhrmann has reinvented the classic story and seems to have masterfully modernized it to appeal to current audiences particularly through the music direction the movie is taking. It's not the first time that he has taken an older story and charges it with youthful appeal by using what is current and cool in the music industry (Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet, etc). 

The Great Gatsby could be his best music-film fest yet, featuring some big names like Beyonce, Jay-Z, Florence and the Machine, Lana del Rey, and Gotye along with some alternative darlings like The XX and Jack White. 

The new trailer, which I am actually obsessed with (DAT TRAILER), features Beyonce and Andre 3000's smooth remake of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black", the glamorously tragic"Young and Beautiful" from Lana del Rey, and the grand finale: "Over the Love" by Florence and the Machine, which will probably be my favorite track of the year. It's got Flo's trademark power belting with an over-the-top and infectious dramatization to it that goes straight to the core. 

From what I've heard of the soundtrack so far, it seems to capture the surreality and restless glamour of the classic story that we all read in the 9th grade.

Beautiful song, beautiful video. 

Suit and Commercial (Justin Timberlake x Daft Punk)-The Hood Internet.

By the time Justin Timberlake (overdramatically) announced that he was writing a new album, I had nearly forgotten about him and his luscious ramen hair that I was enamored with as a kid of the 90's. 

I don't know when exactly it happened, but it seems as though Justin Timberlake has been unofficially elected as King Justin the First who reigns over the entirety of the universe. Whether we are bumping his new album on Spotify, tuning in to watch him on SNL along with the record number of other people also tuned in, or watching him on Jimmy Fallon who should just let him permanently co-host already, we have fallen back in love with JT-hard. 

Despite relatively mixed reviews, The 20/20 Experience gives us a significantly more complex range of sounds while sticking to the usual Timberlake groove that became his signature with past pop hits like "SexyBack" and "Rock Your Body".  

The first track on 20/20, "Pusher Love Girl" (a bit of a been-there-done-that drug/love reference), is a dramatic intro to the album that has an orchestral old Hollywood vibe to it as if listeners are sitting down to the beginning of a film. The smooth groove quickly drops, setting the pace for the rest of the album. Aside from an obnoxiously sluggish intro, single "Suit and Tie" is an all around jam and is especially perfect for the step & snap dancers like myself. "Don't Hold the Wall" is our first reminder that Timbaland was definitely present in the production of this album- it's the fraternal twin to the Bollywood-esque "Bombay" featuring Amar and Jim Beanz. "Strawberry Bubblegum" sounds like the title of a song that should have been released by a girl-pop group from the 90's like B*Witched or S Club 7. JT's version is a smooth, sexual-innuendo filled groove that unfortunately starts to feel a little boring and elevator-music-y after about 6 minutes in. 

"Tunnel Vision" is another Timbaland banger, complete with the rhythmic incoherent mumblings of the producer himself in the backing track. "Spaceship Coupe" is forgettable in a filler-track kind of way. "That Girl" is the shortest track on the album at just under 5 minutes and is a super funky R&B jam that is simple but sweet. "Let the Groove Get In" is one the more fun tracks on the album with a complex blend of African tribal djembe beats and Bollywood influenced strings. 

"Mirrors" and "Blue Ocean Floor" shifts the album away from its upbeat party funk into a more somber tone. The former is an ultra catchy emotive tune that maintains some of album's groove with a serious twist and the latter is a slightly tripper hybrid of noises and lightweight vocals. It's a nice finish to the album, somewhat lulling listeners off into a calm abyss; a contrast from the larger-than-life intro track.