Formerly known as The Neptunes, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, and Shae Haley now go by the acronym, N.E.R.D.According to Pharrell, N.E.R.D, stands for No one Ever Really Dies. "The Neptunes are who we are and N*E*R*D is what we do," he explains. I don't really get it...I know what that means but it doesn't seem too profound to me...especially for a synthesized hip-hop outfit. It seems The Neptunes was more fitting, but once again, I digress.
N.E.R.D. released their third album, Seeing Sounds, on June 10, 2008. The CD received critical reviews and was attacked for the poor lyrical quality but let's be real- it's N.E.R.D not Bob Dylan.
Today's Song of the Day is Spaz. I first heard Spaz, the same way most of you heard it, on the Zune commercial. Most songs in commercials take a while to grow on me but I fell in love with this immediately. I haven't purchased the rest of the album so I can't speak on it but I haven't heard good things. So, enjoy Spaz while you await the next N.E.R.D. album.
Today's song of the day comes from Philadelphia on and off hip-hop collective, the Burn Down All Stars. These guys are truly amazing. After a lengthy appearance on the first season of FuseTVBodog Battle of the Bands, Ropeadope Digital's Burn Down All Stars went from a local to an international audience. Criticized on the show for their large size, the band maintains that it is their size that makes their music so unique. While currently working on solo projects, BDAS still performs collectively when the opportunity presents itself. Seriously, look at a picture of these guys.
John Legend’s first stop in the Tri-State region this weekend was at Sunoco’s Fourth of July celebration on the Parkway, just a few miles away from his college Alma Mater. Sunday night, Legend graced the stage of Atlantic City’s Borgata. While the repertoire was similar, the performances were very different. I guess that goes to show that you get what you pay for. Now don’t get me wrong. The free performance on the Parkway was very fun and certainly showcased Legend’s virtuosity. Joined by British songstress Estelle, Legend had the Philadelphia audience dancing in the streets. But, the acoustics and setting of the Borgata created a euphoric musical ambiance that could be topped but no other. The light show that went along with the performance was stunning itself. In between the use of his full band, Legend performed a solo piano set that left the crowd speechless.
One of the highlights for the ladies in the audience was the song “Slow Dance.” As if rumors of the stunt had circulated before to the performance, women stood on top of their chairs, hoping that the R&B legend would choose them from the audience. But each night, only one special girl was chosen to slow dance with the star, as he knelt on his knee and feigned a proposal.
By the time Legend climaxed with his gospel-esque encore, “So High,” both male and female members of the crowd were in tears. Even though I had seen him perform two days prior, seeing him again at the Borgata was like seeing him for the first time. To each performance he delivers a new level of energy, never satisfied with being just "legendary."
Even if you are a casual listener of John Legend, you can’t miss an opportunity to see him perform live. If you appreciate music and talent, you will love John Legend. I know people who would literally follow his tour around the country if they could afford it, and after this weekend, I understand why. More pictures and videos to come...
I first fell in love with this song when I saw the Coldplay/itunes commercial. Chris Martin's 'hand dancing' is absolutely contagious. I'm not a huge Coldplay fan. I like a few songs like Sparks and Yellow but that's about it. With Viva la Vida, I developed more of a liking for the band.
First check out the commercial
and here's the whole song...gives me a reason to never want to see Coldplay perform live.
John Legend tonight! I will report when I return.In the meantime, Don't forget about the XPoNential Festival taking place next weekend.
Love this song... there's not much more to say about it. But it's today's song of the day. I tried to find a sweet youtube video but no success. But with this video, you can sing along, karaoke style if you will.
I know that literally, it is no longer July 4th and that you skeptics are thinking that I've failed my goal to write a song of the day everyday. But whatever, I just got back from seeing John Legend on the Parkway for FREE!!
So, in honor of that performance, and given the state of my relationship with el boyfriend, today's song of the day is Ordinary People. While I would love to write a review of this concert, I am going to see Mr. Legend at the Borgata on Sunday so I will let you know about that later. In the meantime, enjoy today's song of the day.
Little known fact: John Legend is an alum of UPenn (yup, that's my school) and matriculated at the young age of 16!
Also, speaking of John's, I will be seeing John Mayer on Thursday. So since I've been thinking of John Legend and John Mayer, if you're a fan of either of the two you NEED to check this out. It's from last year's Grammy's and pretty old but I love it. It's Corinne Bailey Rae, John Mayer, and John Legend performing together. It's beautiful, although I wish they had sang together. But yeah, since it's July 5th now, I will give you two videos for today.
You know when you have that song stuck in your head and you hear it like first thing in the morning but you can't stop singing it? Or, how about when there's that one song that fits your mood entirely- so much that it could be your theme song of the day?
Well, that's why I am starting song of the day. Some posts will be long and some will be short, some songs will be new, and many will probably be old. I will add a comments box so that if you would like to post your song of the day, you can feel free. Have no fear, I will continue to write reviews, previews, and all that other good stuff but I just thought this would be fun. I'll try to get to it everyday, but if I don't please don't crucify me...or call the cops...they've been looking for me
So, all that to say, today's song of the day is..... A-Punk by Vampire Weekend
I know what you're thinking- "Ashley, you've already talked about Vampire Weekend and this song"- but I don't care.
This is a great song and the best part about it is the masterfully crafted song length. The first time I heard this song was on the radio, and I was pissed because I thought that once again, the radio had shorted me (no height jokes). But after I downloaded A-Punk, I learned that the entire song is only two minutes and seventeen seconds long. This is like the shortest song every, at least to be played on the radio. At first I hated the short length but I think I've figured it out: If you make a very catchy song, very short, people will listen to it 10 times in a row, literally. I cannot listen to this song just once. Every time I hear it, I play it at least 4 times. So, congratulations to you Vampire Weekend for making the sweetest, shortest, catchiest song I've ever heard
one more thing...I've been looking at all these profiles for Vampire Weekend and people keep describing them as "afro pop"...what is that? I mean I know where Africa is..and I know pop music...but what makes 4 Columbia grads "Afro Pop"? Is it because they have drums or is it the yelp/chanting? That's culturally insensitive.
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