Why blog about music?

I may be passionate about several topics, but not every subject is proper or safe to share in a public forum. Music however is a topic, which not only am I madly ardently hella passionate about, but I believe it's a subject that brings people together. You may not share opinions on which musical genre is best, but presumably a massive fight won't break out over which is better, country or rap. Music is universally loved. We can all agree that a good beat, whatever that beat may be for you, is always an enjoyable experience, able to lift your mood and make a great day even better.

That's why I blog about music, plain and simple. I love music. I love its power to make a great day even better. I love when I hear a brilliant song and its so beautiful it gives me chills.

It's not complicated, it's just music.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Despair" (Official Video)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs take over NYC!

YYYs are the most kick-ass in-your-face artsy punk rock band of my generation.  I wouldn't necessarily call them a punk band, but like most bands of late, they don't really fit in a specific genre of music. Who likes to be labeled anyway?!

In case you've been living under a rock for the past decade, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a New York City rock trio composed of vocalist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase.

Nick's insanely sick guitar riffs, Brian's banging beats, and Karen O's wicked vocals come together to create an astoundingly mind-blowing rock band.

In an industry seriously lacking badass female rock stars, thank god for Karen O.  She is an original and the most B.A.M.F.ing female rock star of all time!  Karen O is a Rock Goddess and a force to be reckoned with.  Her onstage persona is like no other, she is ludicrosity personified.  And in case your clueless and don't know what that means...google it!  

Karen O's costumes alone are always a must-see. She's donned fantastically crazy outfits years before Lady Gaga was even a name in music. Thanks to Karen O's fearlessness and her costume designer Christian Joy, Karen O always looks phenomenal on stage.  I would venture to say that one day her costumes will be in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.

YYYs' most recent vid., released just this week, is for Despair, an amazing song off their wickedly fantastic new album Mosquito.  The best bit is Despair is the first music video ever shot atop the Empire State Building! What an incredible honor for the YYYs!  A small indie band, which sadly enough, most mainstream music lovers have never heard of, was bestowed the incredibly fucking honor of being the first and only band to shoot a video on the most iconic building in the greatest city in the world, the Empire State Building in New York City!  Dude, that is so fing cool!

The intro to the video shows Karen O singing to a crowd in a small NYC bar wearing her brilliantly yellow bedazzled pant suit.  You then see the band members travel through the city on their way to the Empire State Building.  Of course the band travels via NYC's most quintessential modes of transport: a yellow taxi, your two feet, and the subway.  Watching Nick travel through the streets of the city while staring out the window of the taxi makes me long for the city: the flashing lights of the cars driving by and the neon lights of the local shops.  They then arrive atop the building and take in the incredible view of the best city in the world.  Karen O is singing with a genuine smile on her face, quite ironic considering the song is titled Despair.  You can see the lights of the city as the sun begins to rise.  Brian looks around, taking in the view before playing with a huge smile on this face.  Nick does the same, sans the smile.  You can see the NYC wind whipping through their hair.  It looks as though both Nick and Brain are playing to all the people of NYC,  NYC is their audience.  Karen O is jumping and dancing with her arms in the air and laughing as she sings.  The band genuinely looks like they are having the best time of their lives.

The video ends with an aerial shot of the band jamming as Karen O jumps and dances along on top of the most iconic and well known building of NYC. I couldn't help but get goosebumps. YYYs have officially taken over NYC!

The Vaccines: lyrics or music?

I read an NPR article on what's most important when you first hear a song, the lyrics or the music:  http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2013/05/29/187168874/the-good-listener-whats-more-important-lyrics-or-music?sc=tw&cc=share. 

I find, with The Vaccines, I get both, brilliant music and brilliant lyrics.  The first song, No Hope, off their new album Come Of Age, has lyrics that any young person can relate to:
"I don't really care about, anybody else, when I haven't got my own life figured out...Does it ever go away?...But there's, no hope, and I hope it's just a phase. Oh, I'll grow."

This British rock quartet has a 1950's rockabilly meets 1970's punk feel, with a splash of 2000's garage band roughness. The choruses of their songs are massively fun to sing along to, which is a kick-ass-rock-band must have!  With heavy guitar, banging drums and catchy melodies you're totally drawn in.  After listening to the first two songs off Come of Age, I knew it, this is my new favorite band!  When it comes to music, I believe in true love; I hear a song, and it just clicks, "where have you been all my life." Listening to the Vaccines was love after first listen.

Their debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? is equally as exceptional.  I now know why Zane Lowe named If You Wanna, a track from their debut album, the "Hottest Record in the World in August 2010."  It's a wicked track, with great bass riffs and a chorus that you can't help but jump up and down and shout along with: "but if you wanna come back it's alright, it's alright!"

The Vaccines are currently working on their third album. I can't wait till it drops, I know it is going to be phenomenal.

I highly recommend you check them out!!!!!!

The Vaccines are currently touring with Phoenix and Mumford and Sons. Check out their site to see if they are coming to a town near you…http://www.thevaccines.co.uk/us/home/

If you want to see some pics of the band check out my pinterest http://pinterest.com/avromero/the-vaccines/

The Vaccines - No Hope

The Vaccines - No Hope In Session for Zane Lowe

Spotify: my musical search engine

I love discovering new music.  There is nothing better than hearing a track for the first time from an unknown artist and feeling butterflies in your stomach as you realize you've just discovered something great.  I get goosebumps when I hear an incredibly brilliant track for the first time.  I spend as much time as possible finding out everything I can about the artist.  I have to listen to all the tracks they've ever created.  But the problem has always been finding the music.  I use social media sites like FaceBook, YouTube, and Twitter.  I also use Pandora, as they play bands similar to those you have chosen.  But I still found myself listening to the same artists, unable to find new music, until my friends turned me onto Spotify.  I have never been happier...Spotify is bloody brilliant!

Spotify has become my musical search engine.  You can search for bands or artists you like, and if it's available, their catalog will be there for you listening enjoyment.  You can discover music that's popular in your area.  If you like a band, it has an option for you to view similar artists, which is my favorite feature.  You can create your own playlists with tracks on the site.  You can follow bands/artists and sometimes the artists create their own playlists based on their favorite tracks. It's awesome: you can listen to your favorite artists' favorite music!

Spotify offers so many brilliant features.  If you are a music lover like me, it's definitely worth checking out, you won't regret it.  Trust me when I say it'll be your go-to musical search engine.  You'll spend days discovering terrific artists. So go, www.spotify.com , have fun!