The Human Element

As much as I love music, I'm not an avid watcher of the Grammy's. I would rather watch the highlights of the show the day after. Other than Adele having an extremely stellar performance, one of the major points of the night was Foo Fighters' frontman Dave Grohl's acceptance speech when their single, "Walk" off their album Wasted Light won for Best Rock Performance. The acceptance speech can be read below. You can also watch it here.

Odd Soul

I can't emphasize this enough. MUTEMATH is the band that everyone MUST see before they die!

The musicianship of the band tremendous and quite frankly, mind-blowing. For those that were fortunate enough to see the band live, they will understand what I'm talking about. On top of that, there is something the way they create music. Somehow, they are light years away from many of the bands that exists today. More importantly, it's the spirit daring adventurism that they bring on stage is what makes they truly remarkable. If you ask me, MUTEMATH is the band of the future (read my entry entitled The Future of Alternative Rock and my live review of the band)

For the past year, the band is hard at work on their their studio album, Odd Soul. I received the album a few days ago and I must say, it was quite a different listening experience. From what I noticed, the album is more driven by guitars rather than keyboards and synths. Although Greg Hill left the band early in 2010, Roy Mitchell-Cardenas really stepped up to the plate in playing both bass and guitars parts for the new record. The drumming by Darren King is superb like always as he continues to find new innovative ways to play the instrument. Finally, Paul Meany, the legendary keytarist and dynamic frontman outdid himself on Odd Soul and provided quality vocals once again.

The band has already started promoting the new record by releasing two music videos. The first one is for the title track while the other one is for "Blood Pressure". Their videos are amazing and I love their use of stop motion. It really shows their just as innovative visually as well as musically.

Yellowcard on Vinyl

This is very good news for Yellowcard and vinyl record fans alike!

According to Yellowcard's official site and Absolutpunk.net, the band has announced that they will release The Underdog EP, Ocean Avenue, Lights and Sounds and Paper Walls on vinyl records! The records will be released on September 18th, but people can can place pre-orders on August 2nd.

These will be great to add to my collection. I can't wait to hear the sounds of Mackin's violin on vinyl!

On a side note, their latest album When You Are Through Thinking, Say Yes is currently out on vinyl right now. Word is that they are in limited edition colors.

Visual Representation

I've been a fan of Explosions In The Sky for a long time, but it never occurred to me that they had never made a music video.

But now, after 12 years of being a band and with 6 albums under their belt, the Texas instrumental rock band have finally made their first music video. The video is for their single, "Last Known Surroundings" off their latest creation, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care. If looked closely, the animation is very similar to the Heavy Metal film back in 1981. I looked up the director behind the video and it turns out it's not just one person. The people who made the gorgeous music video are known as PTARMAK (pronounced "tar-mack"). They are a designery company that are involved in motion graphics and animation as well as many other things. To know more about PTARMAK, visit their website. All I can say is that they did an amazing job.

It's great to see Explosion In The Sky's music showcased in a whole new medium. Now our eyes and ears can be mesmerized by their glorious music.

Father's Music

As far as music goes, my father was my biggest influence. For as long as I remember, whenever a song comes on the stereo or when a melody was played on the guitar, my father always has his hand in music. He even used to tell me stories about the bands and artists he used to listen to back when he was young. He would describe their influence in that particular time and how it influenced him. Little did he realize that these stories helped shaped my love for music. It was one of the wonderful gifts that my father has given to me.

In honor of Father's Day, I decided to look back on some of my father's favorite artists and why they were so significant to me

James Taylor

One of the fascinating things about my father was his love for folk music. James Taylor was one of his favorites. This may have contribute to my love for folk music today. There were many songs that he enjoyed, but one of the ones I remember fondly was "Fire And Rain". It still remains one of his most beloved songs to date.

Pink Floyd

My father and I both share an appreciation towards psychedelic rock music. Him listening to Pink Floyd back in the day would be equivalent to me listening to The Mars Volta of today. My dad bought a laser disc (imagine really big DVDs) copy of Pink Floyd's The Wall years ago and we used to watch it all the time. It was a memory that I still cherished today.

Jim Croce

From time he was young and living in the Philippines, my father has always been a great guitar player. He used to play cover songs from some of his favorite artists including folk pop singer by the name of Jim Croce. One of my favorite songs that he used to sing to me and sister was a song called "I Have To Say I Love You In A Song". Since then it has become one of my favorite songs from Jim Croce.

The Beatles/John Lennon

If you look at one of my father's arm, engraved in ink is the band's name as well as John Lennon's name. It was obvious that at one point of his life that he was fan of the legendary fan. More particularly, he was a fan of John Lennon. My father had many stories about their music and how it's influence still makes an impact in today's music. Their song "Let It Be" is definitely a prime example of that.

Eric Clapton

I'm not too familiar with my father ever listening to Cream, but he was definitely a fan of Eric Clapton. He was perhaps one of my father's biggest influences in playing the guitar. He used to play songs such as "Tears In Heaven", "Layla" and "Change The World". However, the song that I'm most fond of him playing was Eric Clapton's bluegrass country influenced song, "Motherless Child".

Eric Clapton - Motherless Child (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: Eric Clapton

Thanks Dad for sharing your love of music with me. But above all, I can't put into words what a great father you are. Thank you.

Rock and Soul

A few months ago, we wrote an entry about a video that Patrick Stump posted about what he was cooking up in the recording studio. The video only contains clips of him playing a variety of instruments that when played together composed of a song. His new music is much different from his previous gig with Fall Out Boy and this sparked curiosity among many people. Still at that time, it was premature to determine what Mr. Stump has up his sleeve.

Finally, in February of this year, Patrick Stump dropped his long-awaited EP Truant Wave. According to the man himself, his goal was to gradually get people especially his fans to get comfortable with the music. I had the privilege to grace my ears with his new project and to be quite frank with you, I was not surprised with his new direction he was going for.

For those that don't know, Patrick Stump is a fan of Prince. Therefore, this indicates he has a bit of soul into his music palette. Along with soul, Patrick Stump dabbles in other genres such as funk, pop and of course, rock. A a result, Truant Wave is a highly diverse canvas of groovy melodies and catchy lyricism. With only 6 tracks, this is just the tip of the iceberg of what Patrick Stump can bring to the table.

So far no date has been announced for the release of his debut Art Punk. We are anxiously waiting...

Song Recommendations: "Love, Selfish Love" and "As Long As I Know I'm Getting Paid"

Happy Birthday Prince

As you probably have known, my name is Prince. Because of that, people have made references with my name to the famous musician for many years. Therefore, I have developed an admiration for the man and his music.

In honor of his birthday, we take a look at our 5 favorite albums from the man that was once known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

Purple Rain (1984)

The soundtrack to Prince's own film debut, Purple Rain will forever be his most celebrated album and perhaps the most essential pop in every music lover's collection

1999 (1982)

One of the pioneering albums that helped shaped the "Minneapolis Sound, 1999 is Prince's most influential album in his catalog.

Musicology (2004)

On Musicology, Prince embraces his R&B side and crafted album that has the right amount of funk while still being reminiscent to the golden age of soul.

The Gold Experience (1995)

Considered as the "Purple Rain" of the 90's, The Gold Experience only proves the artist's longevity and that he can be make music in any decade.

Parade (1986)

Striving to diversifying his sound, on Parade Prince incorporated orchestral elements as well adding a European vibe to this monumental album.

To Prince we wish you nothing but the best and many more music to come!

Incubus & Minus The Bear

More than a week ago, Bamp Project announced that a big concert event will take place on August 5th at the Kaka'ako Beach Park Amphitheater. To build the anticipation, they only revealed on the opening act which was Minus The Bear. On Monday, they made it official by announcing that Incubus will be headlining the event.

Where Incubus and Minus The Bear will rock out on August 5th!

For those living on the island, this is a special treat for all of us. Tickets are on sale now at Bamp Project and although it's a few minutes away, I suggest everyone should get their tickets while they still can. No one should miss out on this.






Personal Recommendations:
Both Incubus and Minus The Bear have stellar catalogs. My personal recommendation from Incubus is their fifth album, A Crow of the Murder. Lyrically and musically, this record stands out among the rest. For Minus The Bear, I recommend their last two records, Planet of Ice and OMNI. Both of these records are highly innovative and marks a critical point in their development as a band.

A Musical Journey

According to Guy Garvey, the lead vocalist of the Elbow, he believed that an album should take people on a journey. Here in Future Phonograph, we couldn't agree with him more. Therefore, if we were to choose an album that exemplify what Guy Garvey had said, it would be none other than his band's current masterpiece, Build A Rocket Boys!

After listening to the record, it is clear that there are no words to describe how remarkable the listening experience was. Every note that was recorded into music to the words that Garvey gracefully sings out in each song, this album was crafted beautifully. There was so much character in every song that it not only adds to the listening experience, but it brings the record to life as it takes the listener on a majestic journey of sound.

Simply put: the only way to truly experience the wonder that is Build A Rocket Boys! is to go out and listen to it. It will not only change lives, but it will bring about a whole new perspective of where the music can take its listeners. A musical journey awaits and it's waiting be experience.

Something Real

In light of Dia Frampton’s performance on NBC’s The Voice, I thought it would be nice to revisit her band, Meg & Dia’s debut album, Something Real.

It was an article in Alternative Press a few years ago where I heard about Meg & Dia for the first time. I immediately logged into their Pure Volume page and immediately I was hooked on their song “Masterpiece”. My first impression was that they were a great indie pop band. It wasn’t until I picked up Something Real the following day that I realize they are much more than that.

Upon first listen, it is obvious that Meg & Dia can rock out. “Monster”, the first track off the record is a dark and sinister portrayal on violence and abuse. Not only is this song an absolute rocker, it proves that they are not afraid to tackle on more mature theme in their music. The energy of song does not stop there and it carries throughout the rest of the album. Other noteworthy rockers on the album are “Roses”, “Indiana” and “Nineteen Stars”. Still, Meg & Dia can still make your heart melt when they slow the tempo down. Along with “Masterpiece”, “Rebecca” and “Setting Up Sunday” are amazing ballads. One thing that I would like point about Meg & Dia is how versatile they are as songwriters. Majority of their lyrics are based on classic literature, which not only showcases how talented they but makes their music even more fascinating. I’m not sure which books they take reference from, but I admire and respect how much thought they put into their music. On one final note Something Real, my favorite track on the record is “Cardigan Weather”. Not only does this song have a jazz blues step into it, it is reminiscent to the Meg & Dia’s early days as a duo. It’s a nice addition to an already stellar album which shows how far they have come.

Meg & Dia’s debut record truly lives up to its name. It is music that offers something real for their listeners.