Dad's Power: Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac. Seriously don’t know where to start with the gratitude I have towards this band. This band pretty much summed up what defines a legendary music act which cultivated society to become more musically uplifted and use music as a vehicle to express personal pain and struggles. My dad talked about this band over and over again for years, but it was only a few months ago when lead singer Stevie Nicks released a new song called Secret Love which made my ears tickle of joy and wanted to explore her discography with the band. The instant reaction I got listening to their tunes was “Kristoffer, you’re a fucking fool for proclaiming you’re a supreme music lover and your dad just schooled you a lesson in real music 101”. I mean, many of their songs from the Rumors album such as Dreams and Don’t Stop I knew melodically and could sing along to, but I had no clue on who sang them. I’m upset at myself now.


Musically what I think made Fleetwood Mac got recorded into music history books was that they had a relatable simplicity to them in terms of lyrics and song melodies. They weren’t shy in being generic and featured in the pop-rock category, but instead they managed to be on the top of the pack and had songs that reached the masses not just for pure entertainment, but also as personal anthems. They were part of this music era along with Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Queen where everyone listened to the same music and had a sense of unity. Today, music universally is divided into countless genres, but with Fleetwood Mac they belonged to every household. That doesn’t surprise me why Rumors went on to sell 40 million albums worldwide. Fleetwood Mac also gave moments for people to belt out their tunes in the car going to work, sitting on the subway or just being at home in front of the mirror. Empowerment is the key to this band’s music.

Choosing a personal favorite tune of the band would be a multiple dilemma since they all speak to me religiously, but if I had to then it would be Go Your Own Way. This song has such conviction and attitude in a cutesy way that sometimes you don’t need to tell people to fuck-off and sound gritty. Sometime you want to let-go of someone in a positive way that begs him or her in wanting you back, which then more self-worth is radiated for your soul. As for the musical side of the song, it’s just a simple pop-rock number and sometime simple is enough. Over-produced and innovative records are sometime artificially long lasting and they don’t stand the test of time with their impact because it fits only a short period of time and then becomes a fad record.

I’m really happy that Fleetwood Mac’s legacy is starting to be hyped again thanks to my favorite TV series Glee. Glee has done a whole episode based on their music catalogue, which I think is vital as an educational lesson for the new generation to understand that good music always starts with good lyrics and good melodies. We can’t let mainstream music nowadays become an epidemic by infamously hallucinate the youth in thinking that in order to become a pop star you need to whore it up.

Going Live: Haley Reinhart's 'Rolling In The Deep'

Haley Reinhart. This woman is the gem of American Idol Season 10. I fucking adore her, her voice, her clothes, her image and her “don’t mess with me bitch” Chicago attitude. Frankly, I didn’t like her at all during the start of the season because her growling singing style for me was annoying like a lion trying to get out of a cage and her big blond curly locks certainly added to her lion persona. First I felt she was contrived in the sense of being this artistic soul girl, but then the last five weeks of the competition this woman has become my favorite. There’s a special quality to her vocal projection that goes leaps and bounds beyond any other contestant on the show this year. She has an infection assortment of tone that has such pizzazz and pierces through your ear.

Commercially, Haley has to take really careful steps post-idol in order to have longevity in the music industry. She can’t be brainwashed in becoming a one trick pop star pony singing about dance floors. She has to find a way in producing real authentic soul-rock music like Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks and even Sheryl Crow, but done in a Top 40 context. It will be hard for her to survive just going real independent and adult contemporary to expect a long lasting impression. Many Idol alums has failed because they don’t become marketing savvy with their music or usually they are trapped in becoming just another ordinary pop star imitating an already existing act.

Talking about this performance, it was a self-satisfaction moment for me because I said a week earlier prior to the performance that I wanted Haley to create a moment with an Adele song. And what was the result of it? She fucking nailed it big time. Adele is possibly the hardest artist to cover right now considering the magnitude of her success and how people are very use to her voice right now. The comparisons were bound to happen, but overall I think Haley managed to pull through. Plus, this helped Haley to show her viability in becoming a contemporary recording artist. She has to stick to this Adele-Duffy-Amy Winehouse vein, but as said earlier, differentiate from them and not just become a mockery.  Musically, Haley used the growling and huskiness to capture the emotion of the song, but at times she added this soft girly romantic notes to sweetened out the song to not be too angry.

There’s also lots more memorable performances by Haley such as her duet with another contestant Casey Reinhart on a jazz rendition of Moanin’ and she also recently during Top 5 week got a standing ovation for sing House Of The Rising Sun, which I truly believed solidified her credibility and why she’s a dark horse of the competition even though I think she has a shot at only finishing fourth since America is rooting for the Country and Rock acts, but still, Hayler Reinhart…you captured my heart…(eeeew!). 

A Deeper Context: Scissor Sisters Daringly Sizzles

Scissor Sisters. This band defines rad. Their campy, over-the-top and glitzy personas are blended so greatly together that Freddie Mercury would have been satisfied. Talking about Mercury, the band’s lead singer Jake Shears shares the same spirit of him along with inspirations from David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Madonna and of course Elton John. Female lead singer Ana Matronic is also as glam. She’s the mother version of Lady Gaga, but with the bow-down-to-the- fierce bitch attitude. Matronic doesn’t sing much in the group, but her emitting Grace Jones’ nature gets her enough attention and demand on stage when she’s hyping the crowd up with her slick vulgar choice of words.

As for the music, their sound is certainly eclectic. You can hear sounds of glam electro rock from the 80’s where Andy Warhol would have probably taken them as his residence muse band at the factory. Even though their fame in America has been dismal because of the conservative issues (not New York and LA though), but the rest of the world has embraced them. Thank god. Their sound throughout the three studio albums they have released has been a hybrid of glam electro rock with some parental advisory cartoon like sensibilities. So yes, your under 15 child may not be socially qualified to be listening to them talking about rough sex and they instead should go back to their Disney Channel gods or Mr Bieber. With their first two albums Scissor Sisters and Ta-Dah, it was rather a twin-like creation. Both of them shared the same vein of sound explained earlier. However, their latest album Night Work is more cohesive and conceptually has more maturity to their sound and presentation even they are still trying to get listeners to dance and get shit-wrecked. Credits go to executive producer Stuart Price who I worship. I dream one day he works with Gaga and create a new level of music magic.

I favored their debut single Comfortably Numb because it was a time where I remembered my dad got so excited to introduce them to me and I was amazed how diversify he was. I mean, my dad’s fucking traditional with fucking traditional morals and for him to introduce a band where the lead singer sings in jockstraps and S&M leather outfits was just WTF? What The Fuck? Oh, but forgot, Jake Shears is really similar to Mick Jagger and Jagger is my dad’s musical god. This song was a full-blown electronic glam cover version of Pink Floyd’s classic that put them on the map. I still find it amazing that the band had the guts to release a cover song as their debut single. But it paid off! This song didn’t really radiate their upbeat essence. It was more moody and formal. I must agree I wasn’t too crazy about this song at first when my dad introduce me to them in the car on a Sunday afternoon going to brunch, but years later I’m musically hallucinated on them. The video itself was also sick. It had this deep neon green Matrix-esque ocean theme going on with everyone floating around in 80’s Bee Gee Saturday Night Live flamboyant outfits with sea animals swimming around them. I thought it was fucking genius, different and effectively inexpensive. It was a good stepping-stone for them to project their artistic vision.

But my favorite single from them so far has to be Fire With Fire. The Glastonbury-ready tune had hints of inspirational Elton John lyrics and vocal production set along with mild electronic beats underlying the main simple pop-rock beat. It was a different moment for Scissor’s Sister. It was a comeback for them in a more poised and well-mannered way, which disappointed some, but I was in to it. The video became my favorite of 2010. The video embodies my taste, creative vision and the life I live and want to live in the future. The streaks of sleek glam lights in New York City set during a loneliness night just gives me Goosebumps and a rush of emotion every time I watch it. It was like this epiphany moment for me where sometime we can’t really wait for acceptance from others about our identity, but instead we have to be fucking brave and live life through our own judgments and wants. Very deep stuff. I know. Next.

What they do next will be interesting. I don’t expect them to change much, but I want them to elevate themselves by maybe hiring more mainstream producers and try to produce a top 40 hit single worldwide. They had a global hit minus USA with I Don’t Feel Like Dancing, but I want them to conquer America and put it in their faces. When it happens, it’ll mark a new social change in American music history and prove why U2’s front man Bono has once declared them has "the best pop band right now".

Rewinding: Gladys Knight's 'Midnight Train To Georgia'

Gladys Knight and The Pips. (She reminds me of Kelly Rowland) Deep down, I wanted to be born during the Motown era and experience all the music fresh right off the radio. I find this musical time sentimentally inspiring. There was this knack for perfection vocals and perfection melodies where faults were hard to be found. This song possesses such natural soul, but with timeless ease that it’s really soothing. Gladys provide a voice which wasn’t too extravagant and extreme, but could still left listeners in awe. She had great pitch, great vocal dynamics, she meant every note she sang and she had a genuine touch to her personality that gave me such warmth and comfort. Lyrically, you also felt a realistic element that any age can relate to. The song left a space for listeners to interpret their own personal connection to it, which here it could be about the sacrifice for love in having to move somewhere or finding comfort in having to face rejection when following your dreams. When a song can be interpreted in many spheres that in 2011 you can still find true value in it, iconic is the only word.

The Pips were also a colorful addition. They provided a cutesy quality to the song and I love the idea of having men backing up a female singer. There’s such feminine empowerment going on for me. Gladys and The Pips had great vocal runs and adlibs when exchanging to each other during the latter part of the song where you felt The Pips gave the spotlight to Gladys’ singing, but there moves at the back were still pretty comical and legendary. I also bow down to them for making my eyes fixated on their performance the whole time when it was done on simple TV show set with no marketing or million dollar hair and make-up, which in today’s world every televised performance has to be done through pyrotechnics and explosions, which is where the core value of music is greatly lost and questions where true talent lies.

I think that sometime we associate this era too much with Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Lionel Riche and Stevie Wonder, and give them ultimate praise, which isn’t wrong because they were legendary and paid their dues, but it’s singers like Gladys and Al Green who I feel should receive a bit more recognition for contributing such great tunes for us to all cherish. This was when music meant something more profoundly and not based on going to the club and tries to get laid. This was when music left an imprint on people’s lives.  

Just Arrived: Chris Brown's 'She Ain't You'

Chris Brown. I don’t want to sound like a complete asshole, but Brown’s music post hitting/bitch slapping/head locking-Rihanna gate has been better than ever. What happened? Did the infamy turn him into a pop urban mastermind with his latest F.A.M.E album? Whatever it is please continue your violent rage anger, but maybe on a blow-up doll this time or on Ke$ha. Sorry. Anyways, I selected this song for obvious reasons because Brown sampled Human Nature by my music god Michael Jackson. What I applaud Brown for this song is that he sampled the song in a very modern respectable manner where the spirit and DNA of Human Nature was still alive. He didn’t twisted Human Nature’s melody so it fitted into a new dance anthem or rap song, which this trend has been on repeat for the past few years such as BEP’s The Time (Dirty Bits) which sampled Dirty Dancing’s Time of My Life in a whole new direction. Plus, it’s also perfect to see Human Nature’s melody be the central beat and not just a supportive part of the song. The song itself has a great R&B electronic groove which Brown is known for. It has this summer breeze side to it that I think will do well on the charts in the next few months.

The MJ tribute element of this video also collected major points from me. Brown was brave enough to show his direct homage and not try to create a whole different concept with the song. It’s rare to see an artist sample another’s melody, but also sample their artistry visuals. And I must say Brown’s MJ dance moves were pretty good. Of course he didn’t have Jackson’s grimy soul in it, but the execution was pretty flawless. However, what I hated was the boring pop art LED stage. I’ve seen this rainbow fantasy LED soundstage for literally over a hundred times on pop music video. It’s like a second rated Justin Timberlakes’ Rock Your Body. What also made it even cornier were these amateur laser light flare effects with the girl singing with lighten butterflies. Really? I just wished Brown had gone further with the tribute and maybe take it to the streets like what MJ projected with the Bad album concept even though the costume gave me a Smooth Criminal vibe.

All and all, I’m really impressed with this song and album. I feel Brown has found the right formula in finding his recognition from both the top 40 market and urban market. There’s still a lot of more years for him to regain that trust back from fans, but if he continues to walk this musical road then I’m sure he’ll be closer to gaining his ‘MJ successor’ badge even though no one can replace my musical hero.

Under the Radar Obsessions: Jamie Woon's 'Lady Luck'

Jamie Woon. Better watch out for this musical force. Trust me. Fucking trust me. The first time I listen to this song I was mesmerized in a musical chemistry session where the mixture of soul, house, R&B, ambient pop and Michael Jackson inspired sounds just positively reacted together and create a new formula to a timeless classic record. You don’t really come across a raw talent these days since the music industry projects a more manufactured image, but with Woon, he’s on a fresh league of his own. I’ve been saying this countless time on my latest post entries that I truly believe 90’s music is making a comeback. With Woon I see it in his distinct god-like voice which reminiscent many simple divine voices in the 90’s such as Lighthouse Family, Jamiroquai and even Coldplay. Oh and yes, they are all British. British music are seen on the back-burner most of the time for being really awkward and really hard to get into since there’s an arrogant sophistication attached to it, but musically speaking, they create classy music. The musicality which goes into every beat and chord progression is crafted so finely and so differently. So I’m not surprised why British people are seen to have an eclectic taste in music.

The video itself is also a masterpiece for me in a subtle manner. I’ve clearly established my metropolitan aesthetic through this blog and this video elevates it with great motion effects, light flares and traveling montages. With the editing it looks complicated, but truthfully it’s simple cinematography. The director however twisted and milked the footage to create a greater synthesis urban imagery, which is awfully inspiring. Woon’s minimal presentation of himself I feel is a positive yet negative marketing tactic. I understand that he might want to be more understated and let the music shine through (it’s certainly did), but in today’s musical arena-every artist is glamorized to the highest saturated beauty level with costumes, stage theatrics and much more, which I don’t know if Woon will be lost in the shadow of it all. However, however, however, there’s a British singing sensation called Adele (if you don’t have her new 21 album than you’re a musical tasteless fool) and she also has a low-key demeanor, but her new album (go and get it) has sold over 4 million copies in less than four months and she is plain Jane. So there’s hope for Woon.

I think Woon’s artistry overall shines through greatly with this video. There’s something enchantingly mysterious about him that I think a bit more exposure for him would start a new hype. Just push it a bit more Woon. Artist like Woon can remain a single color, but it’s the shades of that color that you need to play to create the excitement.