Music Review: DNCE, “Cake by the Ocean”

Music Review: DNCE, “Cake by the Ocean”

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After releasing their debut single “Cake by the Ocean” in 2015 (which reached the top 10 on US Billboard Hot 100), anticipation for another slice of Joe Jonas’ funk-pop experiment, DNCE, was mounting. With over a year of waiting, fans could finally rejoice with the release of the group’s debut, self-titled album, “DNCE” on November 18. The album features tongue-in-cheek lyrics and throwback beats that embraces old-school funk and modern pop as it’s signature sound. With breakout hits like the self-titled opening track, “DNCE,” “Body Moves,” and “Blown,” “DNCE” is the non-believers pop group, a welcome breath of change to a mostly stagnant genre.

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Spotify

 

 

 

Throwback Thursday: Fats Domino’s “Blueberry Hill”

Throwback Thursday: Fats Domino’s “Blueberry Hill”

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On this day in 1956, celebrated Rock n Roll trailblazer, Fats Domino, sat atop the R&B music charts for the 11th week in a row with his timeless rendition of, “Blueberry Hill,” making it his most commercially successful recording. The song, written by Vincent Rose, Al Lewis and Larry Stock in 1940, was previously sung by Louis Armstrong. A New Orleans native, Domino was born in the Lower Ninth Ward, and stayed there through Hurricane Katrina in 2005 due to his wife’s poor health. Many believed he had died in the massive flooding, but Domino and his wife were eventually airlifted by U.S. Coast Guard helicopters. He has rebuilt his home and resides there to this day.

Pitchfork’s “The 50 Best Albums of 2016”

Pitchfork’s “The 50 Best Albums of 2016”

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As 2016 winds down and draws to a close, it is time to look back on the events – as well as the music – that helped shape and define a tumultuous year. Popular online music journal Pitchfork has shared their ranking of ‘The 50 Best Albums of 2016,” which features the bold and welcome return of A Tribe Called Quest after an 18-year hiatus, the final album from the otherworldly David Bowie, and not one, but both, of the Knowles sisters, who, in their albums Lemonade and A Seat at the Table, have redefined the modern protest song. Take a look to see if your favorite album of 2016 made the cut.

http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9980-the-50-best-albums-of-2016/?page=1

Music Review: Vagabon, “Fear and Force”

Music Review: Vagabon, “Fear and Force”

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Performing under the name Vagabon, Cameroon-born recording artist and New York City transplant, Laetitia Tamko, has given us a preview of her debut album,“Infinite Worlds,” (out February 24th on Father/Daughter Records) with the release of “Fear and Force.” The song is a reworked version of “Vermont II” off her 2004 “Persian Garden EP.” Vagabon softens her voice and instrumentals in this updated version, relying on haunting simplicity to extract more weight from her lyrics of lost love.

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Throwback Thursday: The Chimpunks Hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 List

Throwback Thursday: The Chimpunks Hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 List

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58 years ago today, The Chipmunks skyrocketed to #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 with their Christmas-comedy classic, “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late).” The song was written and performed by Ross Bagdasarian (aka David Seville) using a tape recorder that would allow him to vary the speed of his audio, creating the high-pitched vocals we now know as “Alvin,” “Simon,” and “Theodore.” The single won Bagdasarian 2 Grammys…no word whether or not Alvin ever received his beloved hula hoop.