When Coldplay first came out, I have to admit that I was skeptical, mostly because I wanted to avoid trends. Come to find out, a few years later, good music is just good music. And good music is unavoidable. I am definitely not a Coldplay skeptic any longer, regardless of the trend.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

After 30 years of musical performance, Marilyn Scott followed through with an all-time dream: to record an acoustic jazz album like the old days in New York City. After albums like Avenues of Love and Walking with Strangers, Marilyn's newest release, Everytime We Say Goodbye, is a refreshing change of pace. I'm all for experimentation. You never learn about yourself until you see what you're made of.

Her sound isn't the typical jazz lounge sound: dusky, sultry, or raspy qualities. Each note is crystal clear, perhaps too uncluttered at times. I expect a certain level of longing, melancholy, and cigarette smoke from this kind of music. The instruments deliver the familiar feels of jazz club melodies, but I wonder if Marilyn is too straightforward a person for this style of music.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

How would you describe a sound that you have never heard before? That was my dilemma when sitting down to write this review for Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker (USS for short). Their debut six-song EP, Welding the C:/, is flying off the shelves of HMV stores everywhere, and has been completely sold out on their official online store for some time.

USS is a two-piece group based out of Toronto, Ontario, with Ash Boo-Shultz on acoustic guitar, vocals and ehur, and Human Kebab, dubbed as the turntablist hype man extraordinaire.
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Popularity: 14% [?]

Music is a very important and evident aspect of film.

Musical cues in films help the audience to feel a certain way, whether it is happy or sad with sappy violins or pianos, alerts of upcoming danger with sharp and eerie notes, or signals the end of a film by playing upbeat Top 40 songs.

I just finished watching Jurassic Park, and the musical cues in this film are very evident. The main theme for the film plays throughout the film and becomes very familiar and very comforting. The composer for the film created wonderful scores; most that made me feel for the characters, but more importantly, the dinosaurs. The music within the film is definitely one of a kind and still to this day, is easily recognized, much among the ranks of the music from Jaws.
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Popularity: 14% [?]

Most of the time, I don't approve of actors becoming musicians.  It's usually ill-advised (are you reading this, Scarlett Johansson?) and feels more like an indulgence than a definite career move for the actor.  I have to say that there are some notable exceptions to the rule, and after listening to Volume One by She & Him, you can count Zooey Deschanel as one of those exceptions.

She & Him is comprised of Deschanel, who you may remember from films such as Almost Famous and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and M. Ward, who enjoys a successful solo singer-songwriter career in addition to his many collaborations with artists like Jenny Lewis, Norah Jones, and Bright Eyes.  Continue Reading

Popularity: 8% [?]

Hideaway is the follow-up to The Weepies' critically acclaimed 2006 album Say I Am You.  You know it was critically acclaimed because you could barely throw a rock without hitting a TV showing a mainstream drama featuring a track from the album.  But seriously, they were slapping The Weepies all over Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl because Say I Am You is a great CD full of melty, minimalist indie-folk tunes about falling in love and being in love.  

Hideaway is another charming release from husband and wife duo Steven Tannen and Deb Talan.  That may sound patronizing, but it's not how I mean it. Continue Reading

Popularity: 9% [?]

Finally... the best man wins!!!  Simon said that the other David would win by a knockout, but the American voters proved him wrong.  David Cook showed his versatility throughout the season by singing rock, pop, ballads, and even an opera song.  He was a great performer and often played an electric or acoustic guitar.  In my opinion, he deserved to win because he took risks by writing his own arrangements to several old songs including Lionel Richie's "Hello."  All the young girls seemed to like the other David because he was young and cute and had a good voice, but he was a
one-genre guy.  I'm glad that skill won out!

Popularity: 8% [?]

Guilty pleasures- we all have them, some more than others, and I think the biggest of them all comes in the form of music. We secretly buy or download albums from bands and artists we know our friends would frown upon, but really, they are doing it too.

I was shuffling though my music library on my computer and noticed that I have, what most people would call, embarrassing music. Spice Girls, Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff, A Flock of Seagulls, Ace of Base, and the list goes on from there. Although this is a small fraction of my musical taste, I know that I like, and listen to “better” and more “mature” music. Continue Reading

Popularity: 7% [?]

Some of my best friends are rock stars. I love being able to say that, so much in fact, I’ll say it again. Some of my best friends are rock stars. Now, I use the term "rock star" to define someone who is in a band, which has not yet had national success, but has the potential to at some point in the very near future. These are guys who travel in a van or RV from to town to town playing for anyone who will listen; they don’t have “real” jobs, and spend most of their time on the road away from their family and friends.

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Popularity: 12% [?]

You know that Freddy drove from Pennsylvania to Dallas for the Freddy Needs Gas Tour. You know that Kidd Kraddick is helping Freddy try something new: user-generated music. Well, fan-influenced, anyway. 

But you may not catch Kidd Kraddick in the Morning every time they give a Freddy update, and you're looking for something new. What's he doing now? Is he recording new music yet? Where do I go to help Freddy record his album? Where do I vote on the lyrics, album art, and chords?

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Popularity: 12% [?]

What do get when you melt Fiona Apple and Norah Jones into one person? You get the ultra smooth, bluesy jazz stylings of Rosey and her new album, Luckiest Girl. That is the best description I can offer.

Her previous album was more acoustic/rock than jazz/blues. Tracks from her debut album made it to the silver screen in Bridget Jones' Diary and Shallow Hal. Her first tour was a supporting act for Melissa Etheridge and Meredith Brooks. Ever since that initial success, Rosey's creative path has led her back home to a rich heritage of passionate jazz.

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Popularity: 9% [?]