Category: PASSION

Seeing development and progression within an artist’s own style and production of music is certainly quite a special thing. Specifically, as an endearing fan it is always enlightening to see a band change positively for the better. Whether it is in regards to their personal issues (mental health, addiction, etc.) or other reasons, such a character development should always be praised as well as supported.

The punk rock band FIDLAR has made significant improvements over time not only within their music, but equally within their own lives. The lead singer of this band, Zac Carper, especially dealt with heavy drug and alcohol abuse throughout his life which was detailed among many of the band’s earlier songs. Often within the punk rock genre (and among plenty of other genres as a matter of fact) addiction and drug abuse are frequently touched upon and regarded as some necessary right of passage in becoming a musician. Moreover, doing drugs or heavy drinking have become extremely normalized within the alternative genres which attract the attention of rebellious teenagers, which in turn in toxic. However, the turn around for FIDLAR comes in their most recent album which depicts the true horrors of substance abuse as well as the after effects of coming clean and the struggles with staying off of drugs.

FIDLAR started in 2009 when Zac Carper and Max Keuhn (percussionist) met at a recording studio while working there, and they started to record songs together when it was empty and posted them online. Later on, Brandon Schwartzel (bass) and Elvis Kuehn (keyboard, guitar) joined the band, while also simultaneously being involved with various smaller side projects. Additionally, the name FIDLAR is actually an acronym which was created by Carper’s former roommates and stands for F*ck It Dog, Life’s A Risk.

One of FIDLAR’s most popular and catchiest songs called “Wake Bake Skate” follows the story of a manic drug fueled bout as Carper yells “Wake! Bake! Skate! I do a bunch of drugs, I’m a fiend and an addict / I’m all methed up, watching television static.” This simple song has a thrumming, moving tempo that won’t slow down for anybody, as it grinds on with the thrashing drums and Carper’s screaming. This is merely one example of FIDLAR’s prevalent drug abuse in their first album. However, in their second album Too, comparably the yin to the yang of their previous album, displays a much more sober environment, with songs that mention the more mellow flow of Carper’s current lifestyle. Featured in the song “Sober” Carper sings “I figured out as I got older/ That life just sucks when you get sober/ I figured out when I got sober/ That life just sucks when you get older.”

Go ahead, explore FIDLAR, you’ll find some good stuff…

It is always a pleasure to find people incorporating their culture within popular forms of music, and challenging the norms. Representation within the music industry is extremely important and supporting artists who embrace their culture is equally as significant. One artist in particular takes the slow, and romantic aspect of latino rock and meshes it with lo-fi beats and melodic synths. Cuco has recently become popular in the alternative genre due to his laid back production style as well as his soothing dream-like music. His rise from an unknown artist to an influential representation of the young latino community is especially valuable.

Omar Banos, known as Cuco, is a Mexican-American (Chicano) singer and producer who grew up in Hawthorne, California. He is the only child of immigrant Mexican parents from Puebla and Mexico City. His passion of music began as a young child as he experimented with trumpet, guitar, keyboard, drums, bass guitar, mellophone, and french horn before he was even fifteen. Later, Cuco attended Santa Monica City College for one year, but then dropped out to pursue music. His decision to do this was especially difficult as his parents emphasized the importance of school in getting a good job, as well as setting an example of success as a second generation latino in America. Cuco started creating music in 2015, and self-released two EP’s in 2016 and 2017, and his first studio album Para Mi was released in 2019. His fame exploded with the release of his song “Lo Que Siento” in 2017 which gained more than 56 million streams on Spotify alone.

Cuco’s style of music is exceptionally unique as it combines elements of indie pop and bossa nova with a retro-psychedelic flair. To be honest, it is extremely catchy and enjoyable to listen to at the end of a bustling night with friends. Recurrent themes in his music include romance, heartbreak, friendship, and other life issues. Cuco is awfully lighthearted and doesn’t drag too deep into dark issues, and keeps his music entertaining, while also keeping a balance with reality. His easy beats and silly, sappy ballads keep things fun, and are rejuvenating to listen to.

One song in particular, “Bossa No Sé,” describes the confusing struggle of loving and hating a person that might not be particularly good for you. But, the chase and past memories make it hard to let go of that intoxicating someone as he sings “Don’t play with me/ You broke my heart/ But I’m also so obsessed with you.” The song follows a soft trap beat with light synths, guitar strumming, and deep piano chords in the background, as well as a rap feature from Jean Carter. This mix may not seem particularly enticing, but trust me when I say that it’s the perfect concoction of soft and chill.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how something can hold so much significance in your life until you look back on it and realize, “oh yeah.” You could simply stumble across something one day and not even realize that it will impact your life, and continue to impact your life in the future. For me, I have experienced this feeling with the band Twenty One Pilots. I know, I know, I know, that this may sound a little cheesy but, to each their own. This band has been with me through the good and the bad times, and I attribute so much meaning to their work and appreciate all of their artistic endeavors, because they truly are amazing.

Now, what is Twenty One Pilots’ origin story? Starting with the name of the band, it was inspired by the play “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller. In it, a man chose to distribute faulty airplane parts during World War Two which caused 21 pilots to die, and then he ultimately committed suicide because of this decision. This deeper meaning behind the band’s name is only just the beginning of hidden meanings behind this band. 

Moving on to the people in the band, originally Tyler Joseph (the current lead singer) started the band in 2009 with his two high school friends Chris Salih and Nick Thomas. Shortly after they released their first album, these two band members left because of family business. In 2013, Joseph met Joshua Dun, the current drummer, and they instantly became best friends and to this day continue to have a great dynamic between each other. To date, Twenty One Pilots has released four albums, with Trench (2018) being the most recent one.

Although Twenty One Pilots have become a more popular name over the years, they still retain their original style and flair within every song sung and performance given. And as far as I’m aware, they still haven’t “sold out.” Common themes within their songs include mental illness, insecurities, strength, compassion, support, etc. Their albums also feature a general aesthetic or particular atmosphere surrounding them. For example, their album Blurryface, was centered around Joseph’s personal insecurities and doubts. This was further portrayed through the physical character of “Blurryface”–a faceless being donned in red that represented insecurities through black paint on Joseph’s neck and hands. The genre of music that encompasses Twenty One Pilots is alternative rock, pop rock, and alternative hip-hop. 

One of my current favorite songs from their new album is “Chlorine” which describes Joseph’s love-hate relationship with his music-making process. Although he first started making music to express himself and understand what he was feeling inside, this also turned outwards so others could attribute their own meanings to his songs as well. This intense personal connection could turn quickly toxic and is compared to “sippin’ on straight chlorine” as he uses songwriting to cope, even though his thoughts could be difficult to deal with. Furthermore, he goes on to say that “the lead is terrible in flavor/but you double as a paper maker” which means that now with his success as an artist, it is ironic that he’s making money from his self healing, yet destructive process of writing music. This is merely just one example of the genius of Tyler Joseph, and what’s inside his brain.

I encourage you to listen to some of their songs, and maybe find a meaning of your own. Remember to never stop creating.

Surf Punk. What is it??? Punks surfing? Surfs punking? Don’t know?? Let’s find out..

The Frights is a band from San Diego, that was formed in 2012 as a fun after-high school project. The original trio consisted of Mikey Carnevale, Richard Dotson, and Adam Lomnitzer and the band separated shortly after each member headed to college. They came together again in December of 2012 during winter break and decided to have one last show before they disbanded forever. Well, it just so turns out that after the concert an audience member offered to sign the band to a local record label, Postmark Records, and at this moment The Frights officially became a band. Since then, two new members joined the band, drummer Marc Finn and lead guitarist Jordan Clark. The Frights have released 3 EPs and 3 albums (with my favorite one being You Are Going To Hate This [2016]), with the most recent one released in 2018, named Hypochondriac.

So, you’re asking what genre are they? Well, surf punk, of course, mixed with elements of doo-wop and classic punk. Their sound is best described as unpolished, gnarly, and naturally fun. The lead singer, Carnevale, tends to sing with a rough, carefree voice which perfectly accompanies the brash drums and jangling bassline present in the background. This mish-mash of sound comes together ever so smoothly in absolute imperfection. Carnevale also isn’t afraid to belt out into emotive sound, and often includes vocalizations reminiscent of old school doo-wop which are placed randomly within songs.

Most of The Fright’s songs focus upon sappy love stories, childhood memories, teenage angst, mental health, among many other personal narratives. One song that is especially characteristic of this band is “All I Need,” which features bizarre ups and downs, parts that are soft and unpredictably loud, along with a much needed guitar solo. The song is simplistic in meaning, as it is about a relationship with a girl that provides comfort and loving support. To be honest, much of the lyrics are repeated throughout the song, but it’s still pretty catchy. But, the main point of this music is the lovely instrumentation!! The driving, pounding bass-line, dramatic guitar features, as well as a constant banging from the drums which pushes the song into forward motion. 

As The Frights have created more albums, their sound has become slightly more developed and cleaned up. Personally, I don’t really enjoy this modernization of their music as it takes away the raw and genuine aura behind their older songs. However, sounds change and people start to scream less, I guess. Nonetheless, their music is still a fine listen, just stick to the old stuff. 

Imagine that you’re a dirty haired teenager in the 90s and you’re hanging out with your friends, relaxing in your bedroom. The lights are dim, and your purple lava lamp bubbles and glides along your wall. You lay on the floor, sinking into the rug while twinging, slow guitar riffs reverberate around the room and soothe you to sleep. This is the flavor of Mac Demarco.

Mac DeMarco is surely an artist that is one of a kind. His music combines synthetic sounds, dreamy vocals, and soft harmonies that awaken a nostalgic feeling within the soul. On appearance level DeMarco may just look  like another bummy indie artist, but his scraggly and rather simple choice of fashion add to his endearing appeal as an artist that doesn’t care about what anyone else thinks. His overall style is a refreshing contrast to the manufactured idols of the music world that gain quick and mindless popularity nowadays.

Mac DeMarco, born as Vernor Winfield McBraire Smith IV, is from British Columbia, Canada, and is a musician, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Demarco’s style is a tangled jumble of things including lofi, indie, blue wave, folk rock, and slacker rock. Basically, this just means that he has a very prominent laid back essence in his music. Many of his songs feature soft flat drums, vibrato effects on the guitar, and low frequency bass guitar. To date he has released six albums, with Here Comes the Cowboy (2019) as the most recent. An especially interesting aspect of his music is that he records his songs on reel-to-reel tape recorders to attain a vintage and crackly kind of sound. His music is an easy listen and is open to goofy interpretations as well as quiet reflections into one’s own deeper consciousness.  

The first song that pulled me into what is the universe of Mac DeMarco is “My Kind of Woman,” which is a sappy sweet song about a romance between a head over heels boy and a girl that may not exactly reciprocate these specific feelings. DeMarco creates a genuine and glowing atmosphere by using soft synthetic chords as background noise and a gentle plucking guitar while he quietly sings under these sounds. His lyrics aren’t complicated, but the delivery and spacing of them produce goosebumps, yet are soothing enough for a baby to fall asleep to. 

On another note, DeMarco rarely takes himself seriously as his music videos include weird and lighthearted phenomena such as dressing up as a lizard cowboy, or a woman, or Michael Jackson, or Homer Simpson. This reminds us that in the end music is just music and that we’re meant to have fun with it, no matter what anybody else thinks.

This week, we’re going to slow it down a bit and talk about the artist Joji. You may be thinking, wait, is this another band? Or, cool let’s hear about it. Or just maybe about how slugs have four noses–really I’d never know. However, to answer your most plausible question, no, this isn’t another band, but rather a pretty good lo-fi singer. But, I’ve had enough of this self-squabbling, so let’s get into it. You’ll like it. I promise. 

Joji, formally known as George Miller, is a musician, singer, songwriter, and producer from Osaka, Japan. Previously, Miller had a career of being a shock-comedy Youtuber under the name Filthy Frank, and produced content such as the viral Harlem Shake video or eating and swimming in a bathtub full of ramen. However, don’t be intimidated by this outlandish appearance of Miller as Joji represents the subtle and sweet melancholic side of his soul. In December 2017, Miller took a leap to pursue a career in music, and since then has successfully released two albums under the name Joji, In Tongues (2017) and Ballads 1 (2018). Joji’s music is best described as slow, raw, soulful, and quite minimalistic in terms of production, with simple beats and melodies as background noise. The genre of his music also falls within R&B, trip hop, and lo-fi.

The best way to explain Joji is to relate his music as something that you listen to when you’re sad, and immediately connect with. The beat within his songs are easy and slightly pulsate throughout your mind, as his soft voice guides you word by word through the lines of verses. Joji doesn’t use complex structures and keeps his songs smooth and easy to understand, like flowing chocolate. Often his songs feature electronic accents, occasional percussion sounds, and a dark bass. Recurring themes are modern romance, lost love, emptiness, sadness, sacrifice, among other deeply relatable things. 

One of Joji’s memorable songs is “Slow Dancing in the Dark” which portrays someone that longs for a romantic relationship, someone to fulfill their deep emptiness, and to share a part of their life with. But, this person is heavily lost in their own path of life, whether they are too deep inside their own head, or facing other issues, and thus do not have the mental capability to sustain a functionable relationship. The lyrics are pretty simple, yet have a reservoir of deeper meaning behind them. Many of Joji’s songs have this ambiguous nature surrounding them, and promote finding your own meaning and purpose within them. The especially pleasing aspect of this song is that there is a very, very satisfying key change which occurs at the climax of the song, and possibly signifies a breaking point within this character. 

It’s safe to say that Joji is the fix for modern heartbreaks. Or, for those times that are especially clouded by that special someone, now they can be drowned out by some slow, savory, and soulful trap beats. 

Top 5 Songs:

1. Test Drive
2. No Fun
3. Yeah Right
4. Sanctuary
5. Slow Dancing in the Dark

       According to the Oxford Dictionary, passion is defined as a “strong and barely controllable emotion.” Initially, when I inspected this definition I felt intimidated, as what could possibly bring me these intense sensations? Could my liking and frequency of cooking instant mashed potatoes be deemed as a “barely controllable emotion”? Would that even be considered a healthy or palatable “passion” or more of a weekend side-hobby? I still haven’t been able to produce a suitable answer to these questions, and I don’t think I really want one. However, through my pondering I have in fact discovered a true passion of mine– music. Coming to this conclusion involved realizing my consistent desire to blast music in my earbuds while knowingly embracing the possibility of becoming hard of hearing in the future. Exploring the meanings behind each song I come across is an exciting task, as I feel a connection to the artist’s life, as well as a freedom to take a piece of a song and make it my own. To explain what I mean, I see music as something that is available for virtually anyone, and something that no one really owns physically. You choose to make what you want of it. Whether that’s just casually listening to songs on the radio on your drive home, listening to only Chopin for the entirety of your life, hating the country music genre, or analyzing the political emphasis in Pink Floyd’s album “The Dark Side of the Moon.” Music can be as flexible as you want, or as deep or lighthearted as you want it to be, and no one can really tell you that you’re wrong, and that’s why I love it. Thus, one idea for my passion blog would be writing about certain artists and exploring some of the meanings behind their songs, or commenting on their newest albums. Through this I think that I would share some exciting and important music to others, while also making the read pleasurable

      Another passion of mine is nature. I enjoy the soothing presence and peacefulness of nature when I go hiking, or even when I’m just speed walking to my morning classes. The comforting green hues and bright purples, or the presence of mischievous squirrels and other animals bring me a pleasant joy. I often stop to examine flowers or attempt to feed squirrels acorns (while also refraining from catching rabies) because these simple actions allow me to be more mindful and in tune with the environment around me. Nature is always available for me whenever I need a place to clear my head, or just need some inspiration. Therefore, my second idea for my passion blog would be writing about some local hiking spots or writing about certain species of plants. I believe that this would encourage others to go outside and explore their surroundings more, and give some energy, love, and appreciation towards their environment.

Thanks for reading, and see you soon..

Sylvia Klimachefsky