Travis Garland's Fashionably Late EP Track-by-Track Review

Travis Garland released his latest EP Fashionably Late Monday October 22nd 2012, and this is my track-by-track review of it.  Overall, Fashionably Late emulates an 80s R&B sound, which works well with Travis’s crooning falsetto that will give girls chills.  It’s a sexy EP with Travis not shy to allude to making love with a girl with his lyrics and the utilization of his talented voice.  Something unique that I noticed is that each song shows Travis as a three-dimensional and diverse artist that can do it all and doesn’t have to be categorized in just one genre of music.

"Fall in Lust"

Within seconds of hearing the song, I instantly thought of it sounding like a Michael Jackson song - not a specific one but emulated MJ's kind of sound.  The combination of the melodic beats in the background and the vocal harmony blends at the chorus contribute to the sound of an MJ tune, and I dig it.  Obviously from the title, the song is about sex and lust, and this boy doesn't love and just wants to satisfy his sexual needs.  So who wants to have that job?

"Abby Lee"

This song has more of a gospel sound to it with organic chords and the theme of religion.  In addressing the girl, Abby Lee, Travis preaches and asks God for forgiveness for having sinful thoughts about her, and she makes him believe.  His serenading invites her to have her way with him (i.e. his sinful thoughts) with temptations that "feel good."  The song also showcases proof of his vocal worth - just listen to his gospel descants at the last chorus (which remind me of live performances by Brendon Urie) and you are guaranteed to have feels for him.

"Didn't Stand a Chance"

This one was probably my favorite off the entire EP.  It's an acoustic R&B song that really shows off his crooning voice, which, in my opinion, is his selling point.  When listening to this song, I imagine a music video of him singing at a beach house porch in Hawaii at sunset, or maybe this song could be featured in a romantic comedy or something because it follows more of a traditional love song framework, which strays away from his previous two songs about sinful and lustful love.

"Feel" (feat. Three McDaniel)

The last track of the EP takes on a techno sound with the beat dropping in the background, and I'll admit that it kind of reminds me of something that Justin Bieber would produce.  Even though I'm not a fan of the Biebs, I still like Travis's song mainly because it really, really shows off his vocal range.  He uses more of his pop chest voice as opposed to his falsetto crooning that builds intensity at the chorus with a crazy melody. If you're not convinced by now that this boy is talented, this is the song to listen to.  

You can download Fashionably Late for free from his Tumblr site, or you can listen to the songs individually on his YouTube page.  Either way, it's four songs, so take some time to listen to it.  You won't regret it.

Close to Home

It's been awhile since I've made a post like this.  Band number twenty-six of Siri's "Bands to Listen to" list: Close to Home.  I heard about these Cincinnati guys from the promotion of We Came As Romans - they toured together during Scream It Like You Mean It.  I trust the taste of the We Came As Romans guys, so I decided to add Close to Home to my list.  Let's see what we got.

Two of the three songs I listened to had a different sound from their most recent song, "Backstabbers Need Not Apply," and I honestly think they will be in better shape if they stick to "Backstabbers" sound.  The sound is much heavier and they keep the rocking momentum going, and it's easy for them to rock your ears with the up-tempo bass drum.  The latest album that they have on iTunes is Momentum, which has been out since July 31st 2012, and if the sound resembles more of "Backstabbers," then it should rock.

One of the things I really like about Close to Home is the vocal work.  I enjoy the somewhat raspy clean vocals which add a rugged aspect to their sound.  In the earlier songs, the unclean vocals aren't as prevalent, so to me the music loses its heaviness and the clean vocals seem more relaxed, which isn't as engaging as I'd like.

The music overall is listening goodness, but I'm not sure if I can picture them on stage, which is a big factor to me since I love going to live shows, except for the breakdown parts because those are the easiest to envision.  Right now they have no tours or shows planned, so we shall wait until they come back around!

All Time Low - "Outlines"

All Time Low released another single from Don't Panic (due in about two weeks!) called "Outlines," which was featured in the promo video showing snippets from a few songs (see video below).  Out of the singles they've released, this one is probably the most rock, and it makes for a perfectly good jam.  I can easily rock around my room playing intense air-guitar or head bang at a live show (in a month, hey hey).

At first when I heard it, I immediately thought, "Hmm, Somewhere in Neverland is better," but after the second listen to it, it's already grown onto me and currently on repeat.  Relatively around the chorus, it has the same feel as "Time Bomb" - the music progression is somewhat similar in my ears.  I have a weird habit of comparing songs to "Time Bomb" a lot, and don't ask cause I don't know why.

I really like Jason Vera's vocal work at the refrain because he has a nice range; clean and crisp higher vocals.  My favorite part of the song is the breakdown at the bridge.  Even though it's repeated lyrics, the drums and the guitar progression sounds awesome and that's probably where I'm going to be head banging to when I see them live.

All Time Low has really been harping on this philosophy of living life and being high off of it and never letting a dull moment pass by.  Not complaining cause it's a good message to put in songs.  I seriously cannot wait for them to be in Texas cause I haven't seen them since April 2010 at Stubb's Outdoor venue.  I have no doubts that they will put on a great show as always.  November just needs to get here faster!

Get More: All Time Low, MTV Shows

Review of Radio 1's Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw

A couple of times this week, I listened in on Radio 1’s Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw on BBC Radio, and I decided to write a review for the show on Tuesday September 25^th 2012.  However, it’s only a partial review because obviously the Brits are six hours ahead of us – the show starts 6:30AM their time and 12:30AM CST – and runs til 10:30AM their time, 4:30AM CST…I’m not THAT dedicated to hear the whole show.  I have other priorities to attend to.  I relatively stayed up until 2:30AM, which is half of the entire show.

The first thing I want to point out that is a guilty pleasure for me (and probably a lot of other people) is: who doesn’t enjoy listening to British people with great radio voices talk?   You have me sold at British – I’m just saying.  The second thing I’d like to point out is the impressiveness of how far technology has progressed.  It still blows my mind that I’m able to listen to this radio show that audiences in England are listening to at the same time.  It gives me a sense of connectivity to the population overseas.

So Nick Grimshaw started this show very recently, Tuesday being his third show of the series, and impressively he was able to snag Emma Watson on the show.   I looked Grimshaw up on Google, and I became unimpressed.  Not that it’s not impressive he had Watson on the show, it’s just he’s been doing host work for awhile and he’s replacing the former host of the show, so essentially the show’s been around and probably has the credibility to have a notorious actress on it.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stick around to hear her segment.

As a host, I think Grimshaw has good radio host nature.  He’s personable and funny.  He relates to his audience by talking about everyday activities, not wanting to wake up early cause everyone can identify with that, without censoring anything – he’s not prim and proper.  Every morning he plays the “Wake Up Song” as a gimmick to “wake up” his listeners.  It’s a comedic gesture and it’s cute.  I also thought it was nice of him to go outside to the girls waiting at the studio and give them tea.  That was sweet (pun intended).

Since this is British radio, I had expected British artists to rule the airwaves, but I was pleasantly surprised.  There are British artists who play on the radio, but they also played music off of America’s Top 40 list.  I like this because coming from someone who doesn’t live in England, I am able to discover new music.  However, personally, I was not too stoked about hearing PSY’s “Gangnam Style.”  That song is just utterly ridiculous and I can’t believe it’s playing over in England.

Another segment on the show is “News Beat,” where Grimshaw’s co-host, Tina, reads off news stories periodically throughout the show.  It keeps audiences informed about current events even though this show is primarily centered around entertainment.  It’s interesting to hear about the different stories but I can picture younger audiences tuning it out and doing other activities until the regular show comes back.

The major news on Tuesday’s show was a big announcement about the world’s current phenomenon, One Direction.  For about an hour, Grimshaw dragged out the anticipation of everyone listening in, including the many girls who gathered outside the studio very early.  I felt so sorry for those girls because they had school that day, 8:00AM to be exact, and he didn’t reveal the news until ten minutes til eight.  I wasn’t there in person waiting for the news and I was already slightly annoyed.

What was the big news you ask?  Well, next weekend each member of One Direction will be co-hosting the radio show all day.  Each member will be aired at certain time slots:

(Keep in mind that these are the British times, so be a big kid and do the math.)

            8AM – 10AM – Liam Payne

            10AM – 12PM – Harry Styles

            12PM – 2PM – Zayn Malik

            2PM – 4PM – Niall Horan

            4PM – 6PM – Louis Tomlinson

In all honesty, I don’t see this as big news, and it was hyped up too much, especially the way Grimshaw handled it.  I hardly listen to the radio in the first place unless I’m cruisin’ in my car, so this doesn’t affect me.  With the way that Grimshaw talked about big news, I was expecting something related to the album or a performance or something.

            The last segment that I listened to was a phone call with Niall Horan of One Direction.  Grimshaw woke him up and chatted with him for a bit.  They talked about what it would be like if Niall had a solo career cause apparently he is the most serious of the One Direction boys.  They kept the chit-chat pretty light and funny and nothing too serious.  

            Overall, it was entertaining.  Again, I don’t listen to many radio shows, but this one managed to keep my attention.  I probably won’t listen to it again unless there’s something absolutely pertinent that I want to hear.  Give it a listen if you can stay awake that late and enjoy some nice music and nice British voices.

I'm not Surprised I Love: All Time Low - "Somewhere In Neverland"

Guys!  All Time Low was planning on dropping their newest single, "Somewhere in Neverland," from Don't Panic on Tuesday September 18th 2012, but I guess it leaked?!  No surprise here - I am absolutely in love with it.

From within the first bit of instrumental intro, I'm already hooked from the guitar progression.  One of the most profound things about this song is that it gives me the same feelings that "Time Bomb" from Dirty Work does for me, and that's an amazing feeling.  With its hypnotic drum line, "Somewhere in Neverland" makes me wanna jump up and down and dance - hell I even wanna crowd surf to this song.

Have I ever mentioned that I'm a giant sucker for giant metaphoric songs?  Well this song does a good job of capturing me because obviously Neverland is a reference to Peter Pan, yes?  The lyrics cater to Wendy to run away and wanna be lost in a better reality - Neverland.  The first verse accounts the boring and dull life activities of adulthood and the second verse express a yearning of a life to stay forever young, which alludes to Peter Pan never growing up.

I cannot get over Alex's vocals in this song, especially during the chorus.  His voice is captivating that I actually wanna take his hand and fly off to Neverland.  The melody of the chorus is simple to catch on easily, and no doubt that I'll be singing it in my head all day today instead of doing my school work.  I've already listened to this song about seven or eight times now while writing this post, and I am not sick of it one bit.

Going through the "All Time Low" tag on Tumblr...so far the reception of the Hustlers can be described in one word: perfection.  I haven't seen any negative feelings towards "Somewhere in Neverland" yet, but I don't think there should be because it's a really good song.  I can't wait to hear this song live on their fall tour - I see them on Wednesday November 7th 2012!  Go see them on tour if they're coming to a city near you!

I Can Believe I (Really) Like: Christina Aguilera's "Your Body"

Finally!  My vocal mama is back in the music scene with her first single, "Your Body," and I think I'm madly in love with it.  Maybe it's because I'm obligated to love everything Christina Aguilera, but in all honesty, it's not a biased love.  I've listened to "Your Body" about four times now, and I can't get enough of it.  I told my friend, Luis, that I can't wait to rock out to this song at karaoke.  It sounds like an awesome song to sing and dance to, and I definitely can't wait to hear it on the radio so I can jam in the car.

The one thing I listen for the most whenever I hear Christina sing is how she showcases her vocals.  With a powerful voice like hers, she has to flaunt it flawlessly, and no surprise here, she does in this song.  I can't wait to learn this song so I can jam along with her, and I can't wait to hit the clubs with this song playing because it's got a bumping beat that makes me wanna get on my feet and dance my ass off.

Apparently, the real lyrics at the chorus line "All I want to do is love your body" is really supposed to be "All I want to do is fuck your body" (got that detail from Luis).  I think that it definitely adds more sex appeal to the song than it already does, but if it's going to be a radio hit, they gotta do what they gotta do - remember Enrique Iglesias's "Tonight I'm loving you."

When I listen to the song, I can't help but think about "Not Myself Tonight," although I prefer this single better.  Christina talks about letting loose and going crazy on someone "tonight" which is prevalent in both songs with the small detail that she won't be kissing any girls in "Your Body."  Regardless of who she's loving tonight, the song is without a doubt drop dead hot and sexy.

All Time Low - "Don't Panic" Album Release Information

Mark your calendars Hustlers cause All Time Low has announced they will be releasing their next album, Don't Panic, on October 9th 2012!  See the album artwork and track listing here!

I honestly believe they released pretty decent singles so far to hype up the album that drops next month!  If you watch the trailer below, you can hear short snippets of two other songs from the album - "Outlines" and "Somewhere in Neverland" - and it further gets us stoked for the new tunes.

To me, it sounds like they're slowing down the usual music tempo they play.  The songs have good beats, but they're not as upbeat and intense as some of their old which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Crowds will still be able to have a good time jamming to the new songs.

Don't forget to go see All Time Low on their upcoming tour!  It's right around the corner and you won't wanna miss any second of it!  Get your tickets now!