Looking back over the semester it was great being able to communicate about music with my peers and to go through my music to find songs worth writing about. It was a great experience because I got a lot of good feedback reassuring my music taste, and I also got the chance to hear a lot of music from my peers that i had never heard before like Yo Yo Ma. My only cringe worthy post may have been over hyping Antidote by Travis Scott a little too much but I appreciated the chance to be able to write about what I thought was going on in the world right now and writing about the genre of Hip Hop was a very rewarding experience. I definitely want to continue writing about music and honing my skills of analyzing music. It was a great semester and if anyone wants to continue reading about music please feel free to log onto my friend’s site cypherleague.com the editorial portion of our Hip Hop media company based out of Brooklyn new york I promise you won’t be disappointed. I hope everyone had a great semester and good luck on your finals y’all!
All posts by willsgaines
Resume and Music
freeresumeexamples_freesampleresume_chronological_developer
I feel that this resume is well written and is straight to the point, I would hire Jane Smith for the job. I feel that her summary led into her job qualifications perfectly, and that she is clearly qualified for the job she is applying for (in a tech company as a software developer). She shows her experience, her skills, and she keeps it short and sweet. My critiques of her resume are that I think that her job experience goes from best to worst, and present to the past and maybe that is how you are supposed to write your experiences but I don’t think that is the right way to do it because if you are scrolling down you see her earliest experience last and I feel like you’ll be left with that as your impression, then again thats just my opinion. I also think that there is a little bit too little in her summary she could have bulked it up a tiny bit and there isn’t anything aesthetically appealing about her resume, it is straightforward but very unappealing to read, I feel like if you get bored by 1 page of writing there is something wrong on the other hand it is one of the strengths because she didn’t write too much. That being said it wasn’t the worst resume I ever read, it certainly wasn’t the best. I don’t think it shows anything about how we value writing other then we don’t like to read too much and in that sense she did a great job because she kept it to the point.
When I listen to music when I work I prefer listening to songs that I have already heard so as not to distract myself from the task at hand but also nothing too crazy, so I mostly stick to jazz or funk, generally just softer music. My favorite artist to listen to when I work is Thundercat, I love what he is doing and he is a master of the bass he can make the thing sing. The best song to work to by him is Them Changes since it is very calm and the lyrics arent anything too crazy so even if you sing along while you work your mind stays on task. If you haven’t heard of Thundercat I recommend you look him up you won’t be disappointed and listen to Them Changes you won’t regret it.
Concerned Student 1950
The recent terrorist attacks in Paris along with the threats against DC have shocked and appalled the western world over. Being raised in Paris as a child, and DC as a teenager, both the attack and the threats against my home have me and my closest friends and family very on edge. My mother was near the attacks in Paris and most of my friends and family are currently in DC so to say that i’ve had trouble sleeping is an understatement to say the least.
It has been a tough few days for the western world but I thought I would remind people that we have terrorists of our own right here at home. It is extremely disappointing to me that in 2015 we still have such awful people living right here in the United States. Whether it be the racist students that threaten the lives of the African-American student population at Mizzou, or the islamaphobes who threaten the lives of muslims daily, the homophobes who threaten and kill our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, or the misogynist pigs who hurt our women, it is very difficult to be proud of America. The governors refusing to accept refugees into their states when they know full well they can’t legally refuse them shows a deep lack of empathy in this country when it comes to “others”. I don’t understand where all this hate comes from, I really don’t. I don’t really have too much more to say other then, if you, my fellow classmates, witness any form of intolerance, ignorance, sexism, racism, homophobia, or any other form of Bigotry (which we all know happens on a daily basis at CU Boulder don’t be afraid to admit it) I beg that you stand for what is right and say something.
Like the Dali Lama said when asked about the atrocities that took place over the weekend, “We cannot solve this problem only through prayers. I am a Buddhist and I believe in praying. But humans have created this problem, and now we are asking God to solve it. It is illogical. God would say, solve it yourself because you created it in the first place.” instead of praying for change please be the change you’d like to see in the world.
Run the Jewels TV on the Radio
Hey y’all,
got caught up last week and totally forgot to post this to the site, might not even count for credit but I still want to get it up because I want you guys to watch this video and hopefully become fans of both Run the Jewels and TV on the Radio two incredible groups.
Performing on the Late show with Colbert, Run the Jewels is rising to fame quicker then you can say Run the Jewels. They’ve accumulated a large audience and therefore were chosen to be one of the first live performances on the show and being that I work with Mass Appeal this has been a great rise for all of us. I’ve always been a fan of the band TV on the Radio (check out their song Wolf like Me) and to see them being the back up band for Run the Jewels was almost too good to be true. The song they chose Angel Duster is a great song, and the live performance was simple but sweet. I think what the video does best is that it is a clear image and clear bass (which is not common for a video of a live performance) and allows people to become fans who would not normally listen to the group. It was a dream come true for me to see these two titan groups team up for a performance so I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.
Peace!
Lost at Birth – Pineapple Express
The song I chose for this week’s blog post is Lost at Birth by Public Enemy in the movie Pineapple Express and it begins at around 2:25 into the excerpt. The clip is of Daniel Mcbride and Seth Rogen gearing up to go save their friend played by Dave Franco who was kidnapped by weed dealers. After Seth Rogen gives a passionate speech to the character Red about moral values and redemption they team up after a movie of being enemies and load up for war and that is when “Lost at Birth” by Public Enemy begins to play in the background.
I thought the combination of this specific song with this movie and more importantly with this scene was priceless and genius because the song has to do with being lost at birth, being a savage, and a killer and these two are clearly none of those things. It’s funny and very clever that the director of Pineapple Express would use this song during a scene where they are loading up for war and practicing getting ready to shoot someone in a clearly comedic way because having such an aggressive song playing in the background I think is genius, definitely adding a lot to the theme of the scene and to the overall effect of the movie, which is that these guys are clearly in way over their heads. In this regard It also adds to the effect of Red leaving Seth Rogen’s side at the end of the clip because the music fades out, along with his adrenaline and he realizes it might not be such a great idea for them to try and ambush a bunch of gangsters. If you haven’t seen this movie I definitely encourage you to put some time to the side and watch it, it is for sure one of the funnier movies of the past decade and if you are unfamiliar with Public Enemy and consider yourself a Hip Hop head i definitely suggest you look them up, they are some of the kings of conscious rap and one the many pioneers of the craft, big ups to the creators of Pineapple Express for recognizing their talent and inserting them into one of the funniest scenes in any movie.
Armme – I.O.D
The music video I chose this week was a video by one of the artists signed to my friends’ label Dojo Records named I.O.D (putting the I in god) and I felt it went well with the fact that halloween is coming up soon. I really liked how this music video was made. The video begins with a black cowboy, a visual representation of the artist before he steps onto the stage to let you know that he is going to change the status quo that we all know.
The intention was to make him seem like he was a zombie coming out of the water into the city of New York. This has been an intention of his from the beginning (I couldn’t tell you why, but it seems to be working for him) releasing a song called Ebola on halloween, and this song following suite it seems like he really has a thing for the creepier videos.
The way that we made it look like he was a zombie was by getting him a little bit drunk to get a sway in his step, putting on the high beams from my friend’s car, backing it up slowly while the cameraman perched out of the sun-roof while he menacingly walked towards us as we move away. We then put the video in black and white giving it a good eerie zombie like film-noir feel. To add to this feel, we threw up a bunch of images into the video like the masonic pyramid, money, random little images to give it more of an edgy feel but it was really just a bunch of friends working on a project to help promote our artist. I felt like the effect of the video was really good but it could have been infinitely better had we had appropriate equipment, money, and a little bit more time to plan our release. Because of this the video seems like its a little hasty and sloppily made but that is because it is and I honestly like it better because it shows the grassroots and hands on feel that we have as a company and that we really do all the work ourselves.
Hope you all enjoy!
Missing Blog Posts Post 6/7 Badu / 2pac
Hey All. I was recently in the E.R for some complications with my heart. it was wack, but i got out now, i’m getting better, and here are the blog posts that I missed while I was gone, Hope everyone has been good though, stay healthy and safe!
Blog post #6 : Erykah Badu On & On
The song that I chose for the blog post 6 is On & On by Erykah Badu. I feel that she is the queen of Neo-Soul and therefore deserved the high praise. You can hear the heavy influence from gospel, Soul, jazz, and funk music, and R&B in Erykah Badu’s music and in all of Neo-Soul but for me there isn’t any other artist that does it quite like she does. The song is relaxing and reminiscent but the lyrics are complex and extremely insightful. I feel the lyrics from the song and of Neo Soul as a whole are socially and emotionally relevant to a lot of people and goes a little deeper then just music when you listen to it. When your at your lowest and things just don’t seem to be going to look up Neo Soul and the songs of Erykah Badu can be in some way an escape from the pressure of reality and therefore I felt it deserved her music to represent the genre. I always had a special place in my heart for Soul and Neo-Soul because he can hear something that atleast personally I don’t ever hear in much music, which is pain, and joy in the sounds and the lyrics. There isn’t much flash and flare just raw emotion and amazing instrumentation.
Blog post #7: Hail Mary
For my blog post 7 I got to give it up to Joseph with Hail Mary by 2pac. 2pac is one of the greats, the legends, and the myths of Hip Hop. Without his body of work people would have slept on conscious rap for generations to come but because of his affiliation with the Thug Life mentality he was forever solidified as the artist to do both the best. He wanted the world to be a better place and while some of his music is raw and sometimes misogynistic he was being honest and that is something that is deeply missed in a lot of artists and people these days. He opened up the dialogue of gangsters being poets, and gave rise to a generation of young Emcees. Most importantly he showed the world rappers are people to be feared but are emotional artists who are more often then not born into turbulent environments and that because of this their music sometimes is a little bit more real and uncut then a lot of other genres. It’s unfortunate his career was cut short but we all know it would have been revolutionary. In terms of if I agree or disagree with him I completely agree with everything he had to say and that is why I picked his post.
Blog Post #8 No Mo Deadmau5
Cassandra i’m sorry it had to be like this.
@casstasticb‘s song Ghosts and Stuff is the sonic representation of everything wrong with EDM and is why I had to agree to disagree with it for my blog post 8. first of all, gotta say it, what a terrible name. Deadmau5? anyways moving forward being that he is a semi-decent Dj and that he has made a plethora of mediocre pop hits I have got to disagree with you Cassandra he doesn’t do an “incredible job building you throughout his music” he gets you to the drop and then its awful. Sorry.
I hated the way Deadmau5 incorporated Rob Swire’s vocals into the song. Dude can’t sing. The lack of bass and layered vocals at 1:57 had me hoping the song would end soon but I was in for another whole 1:30, the lyrics were disappointing to say the least:
It’s been so long, I’ve been out of my body with you
I feel alone, feel at home, feel like nothing is true
She took me to a place where my senses gave-way
Turn it ’round, shut it down, what the people say
Climbing up, killing time, gonna give you some,
Take my hand and let it come, let it come, let it…
Take it back when she knows that you’re doing it right
‘Cause everybody else knows what they’re taking tonight
But I just wanna play it right,
We are gonna get there tonight
It’s been so far, I’ve been walking the line on my own
Lift me up to the stars, we are coming home
I only had a taste but we’re out of time
We have sold in the cold, physical design
Set me free, set me out on the run
Lift me up to the sun, to the sun, to the…
We are burning down, we are burning down
It’s the way that you fake it, I know it’s too late
But I just want to play it right,
We are gonna get there tonight
I just want to take you down,
We are gonna bring you ’round
Weak.
He also isn’t composing music in the “classical sense” because he isn’t composing music at all. He is throwing random sounds together that make you “feel” good so that you’ll pay absurd amounts of money to see him live, otherwise known as the EDM genre as a whole. he also isn’t working hard to create beats that nobody has heard yet he is going through Daft Punk tracks and seeing how he can mimic them and other actual artists as closely as possible and not have people notice. and yes, you made one crushingly clear comment that all EDM songs do sound the same, but no Deadmau5 is not the exception to that rule, He is the rule. Whether they are solo songs or collaborations, Deadmau5 always come up with trash.
(Just so you know though Cassandra I work with him and Ultra Records I just couldn’t resist since you chose mine)
Blog post #4 Antidote
My guilty pleasure song that I chose is Antidote by Travis Scott, honestly the reason I chose it is because there isn’t many songs out right now that I can listen to a million times in a row. I heard the song when I began working in New York this summer, one of the most hectic times of my life, the stress of moving to a big city was a real thing and I was thrown into the deep water of the Music Industry pool and when I thought I was going to be overwhelmed by the amount of work on my plate, Travis Scott dropped Antidote and everything changed.
The song’s premise is essentially Night Shows, and how when you’re at a show nothing else really matters expect the moment. I really like this song because living in New York, working on multiple projects, working with artists and labels, and having to deal with the snakes of the music business, songs like Antidote give me a release from the stresses of city life. Travis Scott’s eerie vocals paired with the nasty production makes for an almost drug like track where you really feel like you are at “The Night Show”. I also really appreciate this song because of how Travis Scott shows off his vocals and production, that he isn’t only a rapper but also an impeccable producer and singer. There’s just something about the song that I don’t really get from most music these days where I feel like anything is possible and that everything will go according to plan while it’s playing, and the second it ends I just want to play it over again to get that feeling back, it’s almost addicting. I challenge anyone to sit and listen to the song and tell me they can’t vibe to it.
Blog Post #3
A song I really can’t stand is Papa Americano, I heard this song when I was travelling in Europe and it was obnoxious and loud and I don’t know if its the over used trumpets in the song or maybe because it was overplayed all summer long in 2012 but there is something about the song I just can’t stand. The progression is the same throughout, there isn’t a whole lot of originality to the song, and I just didn’t really like it. Not only was the song pretty corny, I heard it played like a million times and this definitely did not help my opinion of it, I hear the same song 100 times and it starts to wear me down even if I like it and to hear a song I didn’t like more then anything else in one summer was troubling to say the least. It’s unfortunate too because the first time I heard it I thought it was pretty catchy but the more I heard it the more I wanted to find the people who made it and slap them for cursing me to listening to their song a trillion times, and hearing everyone in the club saying the one lyric “Papa Americano” like a cult, its weird, its corny, and I do not give a cosign for this song. If you like it i’m sorry for trashing your track but honestly, I think its awful.
Writing on Music, Fall 2015 