New Band Director Has High Hopes for MTHS

Changes happen every year here at Monterey Trail High School. One of the big contributors to those changes this year is our new band director, Mr. Aaron Smith. Before teaching at Monterey Trail, Mr. Smith taught at Vacaville High School, excelling and focusing on jazz music. Beginning on the percussion at a mere 5 years old, Mr. Smith had an on and off “relationship” with music. After taking a trip to Australia with some of his friends, he began to rethink taking up music as a profession. And thanks to his reconsideration about pursuing music as a career, we now have an amazing band director. As mentioned by Mr. Smith, he has hopes for a growing music program here at Monterey Trail. At the moment, there are only 43 students in the band program, but it’s not enough to make a tremendous and lasting tradition. He assumes that every year, about 60 students from the band organization from Edward Harris Middle School promote onto high school, but as the years pass by, less and less students are becoming active in the band program. Aside from the band program itself, he thinks the rest of the students here are “pretty cool” from afar. I believe that he can see potential everywhere at our school because he knows and supports the quote that “good enough is neither good nor enough”. Even with the small band program here, he’s going to keep trying to help the school grow, but he can’t do it alone. It’s up to us to fill in the empty holes. Because of this monumental instructor, we are all going to grow.

“Waking Up” to OneRepublic

OneRepublic’s new album, “Waking Up,” leads you to an uplifting world of heartfelt lyrics set to an upbeat tempo. Although their song “All the Right Moves” doesn’t quite live up to their recent tracks “Apologize” and “Stop and Stare,” the catchy chorus carries it along just as well. Upon listen to many of the albums’s tracks, you find yourself lost in the lyrics, or, at other times, you find yourself lost in the rhythm of the beat. It’s obvious that the band is a typical pop group trying to achieve what every artist on the mainstream is striving for, but what sets them aside from the rest is their use of hard-hittnig lyrics. For example, from their second single, “Secrets,” you get a chance to dive into one of many sources of inspiration for their music: “And every day I see the news / All the problems that we could solve / And when a situation rises / Just write it into an album.” OneRepublic had once reached extraordinary heights; unfortunately, they’ve managed to somehow simmer into the background of the music world. But, this won’t be a deided factor in the many albums to come. All in all, “Waking Up” has managed to glide through and become recognized as a highly anticipated album. It’s worth a listen!

“The Fame Monster”: Another Lady Gaga Sensation

After romping through 2009 with hits such as “Just Dance”, “Poker Face”, “LoveGame”, and “Paparazzi” with her debut album, The Fame, Lady Gaga returns to tackle the ending of an old decade and the beginning of a new one with her album, The Fame Monster. Taking consideration of the holidays and the economy, Gaga released two versions of her new album. One version contains the 14 original The Fame tracks along with 8 new songs at a bargain price. The other version simply includes the 8 new songs for the Gaga fans who already purchased her debut album.

The new songs include the hit single “Bad Romance”, as well as “Telephone”, and “Monster”. After reflecting upon fame and love in her last album, Gaga takes a new darker tone in this album. It is clear to any fan or nonfan that The Fame Monster is quite different from its predecessor. From “just dancing” to “bad romancing” it is clear Gaga is changing as an artist, and I think we all want to stay for the show.

Yet the charts don’t seem to notice the difference. Her first single,” Bad Romance” has consistently stayed high on the charts, just losing to Jay-Z and Alicia Key’s “Empire State of Mind” and Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” for the number-one spot atop the Billboard Hot 100 (US). Yet Bad Romance is still sporting number one on the Dance/Club Play Songs Chart as well as number two, three, three, four, and four on the European Hot 100, Radio Songs, United Kingdom Hot 100, German Hot 100, and Pop Songs respectively. Telephone, just released on the Hot 100 and Pop charts, is staying in the Top 50, and looks like it will soon become another Gaga sensation. So far, the 23 year old star will enjoy the same success in 2010 as in 2009.

To reward her for her 2009 success, Gaga “earns the coveted honors of the year’s top new artist, top Hot 100 artist, top female Hot 100 artist, top Hot Digital Songs artist, top Pop Songs artist, top Hot Dance Airplay artist, top Dance/Electronic Albums artist, and the top Dance/Electronic Album” from Billboard. On the United World Chart Gaga sports the number one single with Poker Face and a number five single with “Just Dance”. “Paparazzi”, “Bad Romance”, and “Love Game” also charted a twelve, twenty seven, and thirty seven respectively – the songs are given points according to sales and airplay.   Gaga was even named Barbara Walter’s second most interesting person in 2009; only losing to the First Lady, Michelle Obama. So no matter what her success in the new decade will be, we can always remember the Lady Gaga of the late ‘00s.

R.A. The Rugged Man: The “Illest” Underground Rapper

Lyrics of a rap song may be about everything – from life, love, night journals, sex, or even the rappers themselves.  But there isn’t anyone who raps about his own illness such as R.A. The Rugged Man.

 Though The Rugged Man isn’t as well known as Immortal Technique, Murs, or Vinnie Paz, he has his own style and his own expression in his. Due to his violent personality and certain sexual harassment lawsuits filed against him, R.A. was blackballed from the industry for some time, but he is still human, and of course humans do make mistakes.  The things we look at in him aren’t those mistakes, but what he did to overcome the barriers placed in front of him, and what he did to impress others just by using his lyrics – the lyrics of illness.

 Legally named Reginald Arbuckle Thorburn, R.A. The Rugged Man was born and raised in Suffolk County, New York on Long Island.  He started his career as a rapper at the age of 12.  Considered to be different than the rest, he was banned from performing live in most of the United States, and he was banned from recording studios and countless record labels. He did not give up hope, however; he used the underground to illuminate his name and develop a style that would macerate all the competitors by creating lyrics that all are real, related to life, and as sick as you can think about. 

 He was born into an ailing family.  His father was a veteran from the Vietnam War, who was seriously affected by the Agent Orange.  The potent chemical altered his family forever; his brother Maxx was born handicapped and blind, and died at the age of 10, while his sister Dee Ann couldn’t walk or speak.  The pains of losing and the pains of not being understood by anyone were his inspirations for his lyrics and raps – they told people about the torment that he had endured. Uncommon War: A Vietnam Story, one of the raps by R.A., went on to describe Vietnam and exactly what his father had to experience.

 Currently placed on countless lists of best underground rappers, it won’t be long until R.A. The Rugged man, the “illest” rapper, has the recognition he deserves.

Sufjan Stevens Plays to New York in “The BQE”

Sufjan Stevens – The BQE
Genre: Instrumental Rock
Release Date: October 20, 2009

 The BQE is Sufjan (pronounced soof-yan) Stevens’ album designed to explore the sounds of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in New York. It’s a nice album, but not similar to his folk music like Illinois and Michigan – if people expected that, they will be severely disappointed.  It’s more of an orchestral piece, with booming brass, fluttering woodwinds, and melodic piano pieces. 

 I have never really listened to instrumental music besides 8-bit and Aphex Twin, and certainly I have never really listened to instrumental music revolving around an orchestra, but I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to the album.  I was even more surprised when I discovered that it was not completely orchestral, and included electronic sounds in the song “Movement IV: Traffic Shock.” 

 If you enjoy any instrumental or orchestral piece, there is a high chance that you will also enjoy this album.

 78 out of 100
Favorite Track:  Movement IV: Traffic Shock

Say Anything Will Say Anything at All

Say Anything – Say Anything
Genre: Pop Punk
Release Date: Nov 3, 2009

This is Say Anything’s fourth studio album, and first self-titled album.  It’s average; a very catchy and poppy album with faults, such as the lyrical content.  Max Bemis reveals his feelings toward people in the song “Hate Everyone”, and repeats in the chorus that he does indeed “hate everyone.”  The song forces rhymes that seemingly make no since: “I hate my ex-girlfriend even though she’s feminine.”  I suppose this would appeal to many young teenagers who enjoy little temper tantrums.  It seems that Max Bemis is quite the bitter fellow, and he probably is, based on this song and “Mara and Me.”

 I can hardly relate to the lyrics at all, but I must admit the instrumentation is enjoyable and the choruses are very catchy.  The humor at times is hilarious but most often it is unneeded like Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.

 I don’t believe I would be able to listen to the album all the way through a second time.  It is just too long, clocking in at 46 minutes (which is shorter than their other albums). Not to mention, its tiresome listening Max Bemis speak his thoughts for that long of a time. Overall, I believe most Say Anything fans would enjoy the album, although it is more poppy than any of their other albums – I would recommend it to anybody that enjoys catchy pop music.

 73 out of 100
Favorite Track:  Less Cute

Weezer’s “Raditude” Lacks the Rad

Weezer – Raditude
Genre: Pop Rock
Release Date: Nov 3, 2009

 Weezer’s new album, Raditude, starts lame and cheesy and ends lame and cheesy  The thought of even brainstorming the name, Raditude, shows that Rivers Cuomo probably didn’t even try to take the album all that seriously.  And what is this: a dog with its tongue hanging out, seemingly to be in a jumping motion, in a living room plastered on the cover?  This is ludicrous.

 Album cover aside, I do not think the album is bad, but I do not believe it is good either.  I do consider it Weezer’s third best album.  Obviously Pinkerton and The Blue Album are the top two.  Anyways, the album starts with the catchy, acoustic riff ridden and verbose title carrying “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To”, and then genre jumps to straight Bowling for Soup-type of pop rock, to some hip hop/electronic thing akin to Cobra Starship,  and pops in a Bollywood verse, randomly I suppose.  It’s all somewhat catchy but it’s totally bland.  It seems as if Weezer tried to immerse themselves into the deep recesses of pop music and resurfaced with poor imitations of trendy music.

 Or perhaps, Weezer has finally perfected the joke/parody sound and this is the result.  Maybe, it is Rivers Cuomo being serious and creating music that he enjoys.  Either way, I most likely would not listen to this fully again.  Some songs really do not appeal to me, while the other songs generate nothing but indifference.  Die hard Weezer fans would enjoy this, but any other demographic might not be so partial.  To be quite honest, it could have used more features by Lil Wayne.

 Rated 68 out of 100
Favorite Track:  Love is the Answer

Taylor Swift: Fearless Again

Though it has a mediocre cover and contains many of the same songs as when it was originally released, Taylor Swift’s latest album, a re-release of her 2008 hit “Fearless,” continues to impress and capture the hearts of her fans.

Fearless: Platinum Edition contains all of the original tracks of the initial record as well as 6 all new tracks, including a piano version of Forever & Always, the original song about her ex, Joe Jonas. All of the new songs on this album go back to the sound of a classic country-driven Swift, including less of the pop sound featured in the standard edition, and regresses back to a similar sound heard in her debut album, Taylor Swift.

Starting out the re-release, Jump Then Fall talks about a magical summer romance, featuring a selection of typical country music instruments including the guitar, violins and fiddles, all composed into a catchy arrangement. Untouchable starts out slow with limited instrumentation until it smoothly goes into a more catchy rhythm that could potentially hook the listener to the song. The piano version of Forever & Always is a slower and more dignified version contrasting with the original fast-paced, angry sounding original, also found later on this disc. The slower tempo and softer instrumentation accentuates the true meaning of the lyrics, making it sound more like true feelings than a typical angry breakup song spilled out on paper.

Come In with the Rain, like most of Swift’s other songs, is very acoustic-driven and resembles the style of Colbie Caillat’s music whilst maintaining her own original sound. The song talks about the longing for a past love to come back to her. She sings, “I’ll leave my window open/’Cause I’m too tired at night to call your name./Just know I’m right here hoping/That you’ll come in with the rain.” In the song, Superstar, Swift sings  about a crush on a performer and expresses her infatuation with him (perhaps another song about a certain Jonas Brother?) by confessing her “desperate love for him.” Lastly, in The Other Side of the Door, Swift discusses a fight with an ex-boyfriend, saying that even though she is mad, she still needs him in her life. She sings “I said leave, but all I really want is you/To stand outside my window throwing pebbles/Screaming ‘I’m in love with you.’”

Out on October 27, 2009, the 2-disc package includes a DVD with music videos, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and concert footage from the Fearless Tour. With the release of this special edition version of Fearless, Swift’s growing success and fan base, and most of all, her talent, it is clear that she has no intention on taking her career anywhere except up.  It is only a matter of time before the talented 19 year-old country singer will win her first Grammy.

The Impact Of Music

To every high school student, music means so much more than what it is believed to be. Our choices in music aren’t only based on what we find pleasing or obnoxious. The music that we listen to reflects the people we are, and the way we present ourselves reflects our taste in music – both influence each other. Whether it’s writing music, listening to music, or performing music, our obsession with music connects us in every possible way.

            The music that we listen to does more than just define our taste in music. The clothes that we wear on our back the interests and hobbies that we choose to pursue, the friends that we make, and even the way we talk are influenced by our taste in music. It’s simple – we make our friends based off of common interests. In our technologically advanced world, the interests of many people include music. From there, we mold ourselves to “match” the accepted way of talking, dressing, etc., that matches that style of music.

            Our civilization has become so technologically advanced that it is only simple that our love of music connects us by way of technology. With websites and companies such as ProjectPlaylist, Limewire, and even Myspace, teenagers all over the world have easy access to music. Decades before our time, music was popular for months or years before it went out of style, and the years were defined by the popular music tastes. Now, as the internet grows and becomes even more popular every day, we find ourselves slipping in and out of fads that gain and lose fame within the day.

            Music has become so popular and so natural that we never really stop to think how it impacts us. In a world without music, would we still be the same people that we are today? The only thing for certain is that without music, our world would be an incredibly quiet one.

October In Music

We have plenty of new music coming out from different artists this time of year, from a Christmas album to a tribute album to music by the late Michael Jackson.  On October 6, we can look forward to an eighth studio album from the Backstreet Boys entitled This Is Us. Also available starting October 6 is KISS’ first album after more than ten years called Sonic Boom. A tribute album to Michael Jackson will also be available on this date. One other album available on the 6^th is The Listening by Lights. Michael Buble’s album Crazy Love will be available on the 9^th.

On the 13^th, American Idol runner-up David Archuleta will be releasing a Christmas Album entitled Christmas From The Heart. Other albums slated for an October 13 release are Slice by Five for Fighting, Sorry For Partyin’ by Bowling For Soup, and D.N.A. by Mario.

Rock band, Creed, is scheduled to release their 5^th studio album, Full Circle on October 20. The much anticipated soundtrack for upcoming movie, New Moon, will be coming out the same day. Country singer, Tim McGraw, will be releasing his new record, Southern Voice on the 20^th as well as Evolution of A Man by Brian McKnight.

Country-pop star, Taylor Swift, is scheduled to re-release her sophomore album, Fearless, on October 27, which will include the original tracklisting and 6 brand new songs. 80’s rock band, R.E.M., will be releasing their concert album,

Live At The Olympia, on the 27^th as well. Two other rock bands slated to release new albums on this day are Atreyu with Congregation of The Damned and Weezer with Raditude.