A Legend in the Making: Jemini the Gifted One

I have always loved hip hop music. Although embarrassing now, my first full length album was Mase's Harlem World in sixth grade. As I grew older, I became more and more obsessed with it and began to think of myself as sort of an "expert." There was a time when hip hop music was in its prime and there were many new rappers who actually had talent. However, in recent times, this has all changed because hip hop music has been so commercialized that it lacks what it possessed in its past such as great lyricism and production. But, in the past year, I have began listening to some older and more underground hip hop music that still retains what the mainstream hip hop has lost. This has led me to discover a rapper who blows my mind away with his delivery, lyrics, and his beats.

The man I am talking about is Brooklyn native Jemini the Gifted One (real name: Tommy Smith). After releasing the promo-only EP Scars and Pain in 1995, Jemini has become more popular with underground hip hoppers. In 2003, Jemini parterned up with producer Danger Mouse to put out the album Ghetto Pop Life which as its title alludes to is more pop-driven than his EP. Yet, this does not take away from the genius of Jemini-he truly is the gifted one in every sense of the word.

To listen to some great hip hop by Jemini click on the following links:

Funk Soul Sensation

Scars and Pain

50 MC's in a Cipher

Story of My Life

Can't Stop Rockin (Fat Laces Mix)

All That Jazz: Thelonious Monk

During my first year at college, I became friends with a number of people who were all music industry majors. One of my closest friends at the time introduced me to a man he revered-that man was Thelonious Monk. Thelonious Monk is a jazz pianist and a composer who is known to be one of the most unique and original jazz artists of all time. Born in North Carolina, Thelonious Monk is considered to be the founder of bebop (a style of jazz music). He did not get any respect during the first few years of his career because he had an improvisational style that had its own unique sound. Nevertheless, after starting out in the 1940's, Thelonious Monk stuck to his own orginal sound and began putting out classics such as "Round Midnight"and "Epistrophy."

Later on in his life, Thelonious Monk gained more critical acclaim and worldwide recognition when he joined John Coltrane performing in a quartet. Following this feat, Thelonious Monk signed with Columbia Records and was even featured on the cover of Time. Towards the end of his life, he became mentally ill but that did not take away from all the music he gave to jazz lovers over his long career. Although Jazz music is not for everyone, I hope you give it a chance and listen to some of my favorites which include "Ruby My Dear," and "Blue Monk."

A Symphony of Sounds: The Arcade Fire

When I first was shown the song "Wake Up" by The Arcade Fire, I was instantly blown away at the diverse instruments that composed their special sound. They have the usual guitar, bass and drums but also add piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, xylophone, keyboard, French horn, accordion, hurdy gurdy, harp and the mandolin. With a shocking seven members led by the husband/wife duo Win Butler and Regine Chassagne this Montreal based band has been around since 2003 showing off their unique and untouched sound. It is almost as if an orchestra and traditional rock band have combined to make up a band with such explosive sounding music.

Their first album Funeral came out in 2004 and shows off their sound better than their second album Neon Bible which came out in 2006. Their lyrics focus on topics such as death, family, and love telling of their emotional upbringings. Some songs such as "Crown of Love" are sad and speak of heartbreak while others such as my favorite which I mentioned earlier "Wake Up" are bursting with a choir of vocals and uplifting instrumentation. If you want to listen to an amazing band with diversity you have probably never seen in a band, check out The Arcade Fire!

Philly Power Poppers: Free Energy

If you're feeling like listening to something pop orientated and upbeat, you need to check out Free Energy. Sounding like Ok Go, another alternative/power pop band, Free Energy blends pop and seventies rock together to make a sound uniquely their own. Headed by singer Paul Sprangers and guitarist Scott Wells, as well as Evan Wells, Geoff Bucknam, and Nick Shuminksy, the band makes radio friendly music that would make any teenage girl go wild. Even with their pop friendly songs, Free Energy has not completely ignored indie rock's tone and the influence of Tom Petty, Thin Lizzy, Journey, and The Cars are heard. Produced by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, the band brings joy and excitement to the usual dreary indie rock sound. In the track "Bang Pop," one can hear the guitar solo halfway through the song and see that this band is talented. With more practice in developing their own sound, the band will eventually become a Philly favorite. Nationally recognized after the release of their debut album Stuck on Nothing, the band was highly rated in Spin Magazine where they were reviewed as being "excellent." After all, you have to be a little special to be featured in Rolling Stone magazine and to have performed on Letterman. Take a listen to Free Energy!

An Old Favorite: The Pixies

The Pixies are not exactly considered indie music but still have continued to keep the same sound throughout their long and complicated history. The four piece rock band consists of members Black Francis, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal, and David Lovering who were more successful in Britain and Europe than they ever were in the United States. Starting out in 1986 in Boston, the band is said to have been greatly influenced by punk rock which is shown in Francis’s screamish (in a good way) voice. It is interesting to note that the band often focuses their topics on things such as UFO’s, surrealism, violent Biblical imagery, mental and physical instability, and even incest.

Also, one should note that the band disbanded in 1993 and then regrouped in 2004 which has changed their music slightly. Songs like “Monkey Go to Heaven” and “Caribou” shows off their haunting and melancholic sound. The Pixies have been influenced by musicians such as David Bowie, The Beatles and Iggy Pop but what is really special is that they were an influence on one of the most important and talented musicians of our time (at least in my opinion) Kurt Cobain. If this band was good enough for Kurt Cobain, I am pretty sure they are good enough for me.

An Unparalleled Sound: Beirut

Upon first hearing the band Beirut, I was easily and quickly entranced by their music. Beirut is an indie band that began as the solo project of Zach Condon in 2006. They have since released Gulag Orkestar and The Flying Club Cup as full albums as well as numerous other EP’s. The music fuses together Eastern European music, folk, and Western pop to make up a truly exotic sound. This is because Zach Condon was heavily influenced by his time in Europe especially listening to Balkan folk music which just happened to be popular with the Parisian students.
A lot of the songs have this gypsy-ish sound to it which works perfectly with Zach Condon’s deep and drawn out voice.

By sometimes using as many as 19 instruments, you can see how this band plays the intricate melodies that are seen often in Eastern European folk. One can hear similarities to French and Belgian singers Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsburg, and Yves Montand who Condon says have all been influential. Because of Zondon’s interest in European culture, he often names his albums or uses foreign tongues in his songs. When you listen to “Postcards to Italy” or “Scenic World” you can understand exactly what I am talking about.