PianoForte

Jamie Cullum is a master at what he does. He creates great...

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:18:55 -0400

Jamie Cullum is a master at what he does. He creates great original music, but he also manages to make covers of songs stand on their own as well. If you haven’t heard his version of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” you are missing out on a wonderful talent. This time, on his new album Momentum, which is out this week, he tackles the much beloved song from Willy Wonka, “Pure Imagination.” I’m always in awe of his piano solos and seemingly effortless vocals. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album.

I’ve written about the awesome duo, The Dodos before, but...

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:46:21 -0400

I’ve written about the awesome duo, The Dodos before, but they deserve another post. Their new single “Confidence” is a nice continuation of their distinctive sound. It starts off slow with some sweet harmonies and a simple guitar line, but the depth of the sound builds up as the drums and the electric guitar seem to compete for dominance. I’m pretty excited for their new album Carrier, which will be released this August.

I kept hearing this song on the radio. I thought it was a new...

Fri, 03 May 2013 23:08:24 -0400

I kept hearing this song on the radio. I thought it was a new Panic at the Disco song at first because the singer sounds just like Brendon Urie. It’s actually a band called The Unlikely Candidates. Though their sound is pretty generic, it’s pleasant to my ears so I keep listening to it.

On a different note, I went skydiving for the first time today…nbd…:D

The Graduate was an indie rock band from Illinois that broke up...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:52:21 -0400

The Graduate was an indie rock band from Illinois that broke up a couple years ago. I wish I had listened to their music earlier. Their second and last album Only Every Time is a great listen from start to finish. “Choke” is one of my favorites. The combination of the lyrics “I’m on the edge about to choke, about to choke…” with the dreamy guitar part leaves me with a sense of longing though I don’t know for what.

Though the band has parted ways, some of its members have formed a new band called The Sun and the Sea. They have less of a rock sound but it’s quality music all the same.

Another exam block done. Woohoo. I can’t believe...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:51:29 -0400

Another exam block done. Woohoo. I can’t believe there’s only module left for the school year. Almost done one year of medical school. WEIRD.

Since I had a rare free day today after my last exam, I decided to transcribe one of the songs I’ve been working on lately. It was originally just piano, but then I thought I would add in some violin parts here and there. A few hours well spent I think….or so I tell myself….

I haven’t heard a lot of music from the trio Pretty and...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:53:30 -0400

I haven’t heard a lot of music from the trio Pretty and Nice, but their new song “Q_Q” is so deliciously weird that I may have to give them more of my attention. The beginning guitar intro definitely made me pause. The song was so unpredictable on first listen. I would say that it’s frenetic but they seem to be pretty in control of their musical abilities. The singer has a high voice but it doesn’t come off as annoying surprisingly. Coming in at a little over 3 minutes, the song seems to be a succinct expression of this band’s quirky style.

“Car Radio” by Twenty One Pilots is one of my...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:07:07 -0400

“Car Radio” by Twenty One Pilots is one of my favorites off of their latest album Vessel. Oh to be in that wonderful crowd of people. I am in awe of the control that lead singer/rapper Tyler Joseph has on the audience. Powerful video. Powerful song.

Can’t wait to see them at the Radio 104.5 birthday show in May :D

I had to share this beautiful video of Kopecky Family Band...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:40:00 -0400

I had to share this beautiful video of Kopecky Family Band performing “Are you listening” in a cave. I love when bands play in unexpected places.

I’m really digging Fall Out Boy’s new album. It has...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:43:00 -0400

I’m really digging Fall Out Boy’s new album. It has a lot of fun upbeat moments. The song “Just One Yesterday” stood out to me just because the line “Anything you say can and will be held against you” sung so smoothly was kinda jarring at first. I also like the addition of Foxes on vocals. I would definitely recommend listening to the rest of the album. Even Elton John makes an appearance!

I’m halfway through spring break and it’s been a...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:13:23 -0400

I’m halfway through spring break and it’s been a nice reprieve from the onslaught of March exams. I’m really pleased with my recent purchase of new over the ear headphones from monoprice. Only $26 for ultimate listening pleasure. It’s like listening to everything for the first time. There’s so much depth to the sound. I feel like I’ve been missing out on so much!

Anywho, I’ve been listening to Half Moon Run’s album Dark Eyes on repeat lately. There’s something really addicting about the song “Nerve.” The rhythm of the verses, the layered vocals, and the nice bass line all come together perfectly. I really like Half Moon Run’s style. They remind me a lot of Local Natives. I think I’m slightly obsessed….

Haha….so putting my whole library on shuffle brought up...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 22:00:43 -0400

Haha….so putting my whole library on shuffle brought up some old recordings. I thought I would share this one from a 10th grade project. We had to represent a scene from Dante’s Inferno in an artistic way. I chose to write a song. I’m kinda proud of it since it’s probably the first song I wrote on piano.

I just got offered a chance to do research this summer at a...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:20:46 -0400

I just got offered a chance to do research this summer at a pretty awesome cancer institute! Though I’ll probably be stuck for 8 weeks doing cell culture, I think it’ll be a great experience for me. Getting paid doesn’t hurt either.

Walk Off the Earth, known for their cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” makes some pretty great original music themselves. I love this video for their song “Red Hands.” It’s really creative. They did all of this in one take. Now that’s dedication.

Happy first day of spring. It may be sunny out there, but...

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:43:25 -0400

Happy first day of spring. It may be sunny out there, but it’s still cold….

Jamie Cullum’s cover of “If I ruled the world” is delicate and lovely just like the flowers that will spring up this season….

Seriously, where is spring break? It can’t come soon enough.

I’ve heard a lot about Kingsfoil the past few years...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 01:15:00 -0400

I’ve heard a lot about Kingsfoil the past few years I’ve been in Philly, but I never really gave their music a chance. Frankie Muniz of Malcolm and the Middle fame recently joined the band as their drummer, which certainly piqued my interest. When I heard the song “Morning Dove,” I had to replay it a few times because it was that good. The lead singer’s voice is so smooth and the hooks are addicting. The rest of their latest album is pretty great overall. I love finding new music to listen to while I study.

If you haven’t seen this yet, you’re missing out....

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:38:59 -0400

If you haven’t seen this yet, you’re missing out. This guy is amazingly talented. Why isn’t he a big star on glee yet?

Happy Pi Day!!! Instead of going on a quest for pie today, one...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:52:00 -0400

Happy Pi Day!!!

Instead of going on a quest for pie today, one of my friends is bringing me pie. I’m pretty thrilled :)

Anywho, I really like all of the songs off of the new album Lines We Trace by Hey Marseilles. I couldn’t find a good link for their song “Heart Beats,” but “Café Lights” is another favorite. The accordion adds a nice touch. I’ve always been a fan of bands with a more orchestral set up like Beirut, Fanfarlo, and Ra Ra Riot. The song has a perfect title. It has a nice Parisian feel, which makes me long for those three days I spent in Paris last summer. Paris me manque!

skepticalavenger: what-rabbit-hole: “some historians think...

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 21:26:21 -0400

skepticalavenger:

what-rabbit-hole:

“some historians think that michelangelo was drawing god in a human brain. very few people knew what one looked like at the time; but michelangelo had dissected cadavers and would have known. it even has the hint of a brain stem. if true this would have been a great “fuck you” to the pope whom he was not friendly with but also would have meant god was in a human brain, or created by man.”

Interesting, but the world will never know. :-\

WHOA

I did not even think of this when I saw it in person last summer.

mind = blown

When I first heard “You’ve Got Something” by...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:20:00 -0500

When I first heard “You’ve Got Something” by The Jungle Giants, I was immediately reminded of Two Door Cinema Club. There’s just something about this song that has me coming back and playing it over and over again. Maybe it’s the imagery (“I’ll be taking the hearts that you’re breaking and putting them in a jar”) or the nice buildup of instrumentation toward the end. In any case, it’s a great song.

Also, I’m starting to notice that a lot of bands I like are from Australia…..

It’s March already? Where did the time go? Oh yea, I was...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 21:24:20 -0500

It’s March already? Where did the time go? Oh yea, I was studying for most of February and will continue to study all of this month….

Anywho, I don’t remember when I first heard this song, but it just became available on Spotify so it became new to me all over again.

I love this guy’s voice. The chanting voices in the beginning gives this song a very unique start. Those harmonies around 1:52 really get me.

I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a fan of Demi...

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:38:55 -0500

I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a fan of Demi Lovato. Her new single “Heart Attack” is pretty amazing. That girl can sing!