Music Notes

After being featured on VHI as a ”You Oughta Know: Artists On the Rise,” Carolina Liar’s mixture of infectious melodies and raw lyrics makes for a musical addiction unlike any other. In addition to VHI, songs such as “Beautiful World” have been featured on the television show “Gossip Girl.” The band also appeared on the CW’s 90210, while playing their breakout single “I’m Not Over” as well as their current single “Show Me What I’m Looking For.”

Lead singer, and band founder Chad Wolf hails from Charleston, South Carolina, while the majority of additional band members originate from Sweden. Described as a post-punk group, Wolf began his personal musical career after “falling under the spell of new wave through his older sister’s record collection.”

Wolf then moved to Los Angelos at the age of 22. After several musical stints, including an appearance in a Celine Dion video, he was soon discovered by Swedish record producer Max Martin. Wolf then went on to record in Stockholm backed by an all Swedish band, and soon released his debut album as the front man for Carolina Liar entitled Coming to Terms.

Fans of artists such as Mat Kearny and Snow Patrol will find themselves completely enraptured by Carolina Liar’s careful mixture of poetic lyrics and gentle tunes. “I tend to look for stories and the songwriters that have influenced me are those whose songs have these like, one liners in them,” Wolf stated when asked to describe the song writing process. “The lines in the songs where all of a sudden, you realize, that there is something completely different in there that you hadn’t realized before.”

While it has been argued that British based bands surpass American music in terms of relevance, the Ting Tings bridged the creative gap between the British and U.S. music scene. With a unique sound still gaining popularity with U.S. listeners, the Ting Tings have recently added stops in America on their tour, including a recent stop in Hartford, Connecticut.

Described as a band created for pure fun, members Katie White and Jules De Martino soon formed the Ting Tings with the help of a Mandarin term referring to

“band stand” or “the sound of innovation or an open mind.” White remembers coining the name. “I thought it was lovely,” she said. “Like the ‘ting’ you here when you get an idea.”

The Ting Tings were voted number three on BBC’s “Top Ten to Watch in 2008,” where the annual listing of up and coming British bands described the Ting Tings as, “one of the most credible and critically acclaimed groups on the indie scene.”

With the help of the latest technology and the desire for new musical ground, the Ting Tings use synthesized percussion and electronic equipment to create songs. Designers Betsy Johnson and Dolce & Gabbana have also featured the Ting Tings’s recent hit, “That’s Not My Name,” during shows produced during New York Fashion Week. Other recognizable hits include “Shut Up and Let Me Go,” “Fruit Machine,” and “Great DJ.”

Five singles from their debut album “We Started Nothing” have acquired over 22,000,000 hits on their Myspace. With occurring blips on MTV and VH1, the fame and popularity of this two person British band is undoubtedly on the rise.

English singer songwriter Lily Allen gained acclaimed success with her debut album “Alright, Still.” After her first single “Smile” reached the top of the UK Singles Charts in July of 2006, Allen’s newest album, “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” is a follow up to the star’s immensely popular string of dainty yet explicit tunes which took the U.S. music scene by storm. While her first album was an innovative mix of light catchy tunes and sassy, in-your-face lyrics, “It’s Not Me, It’s You” lacked the same fresh quality.

Known best for her blunt lyrics, Allen’s “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” once again delivers controversial statements interspersed with bubbly, carnival-like melodies. While the album finally shows diversity in the last few tracks, the initial first half of the album tends to be redundant and similar in both sound and lyrics.

The first track, “Everyone’s At It,” is typical of Allen’s original style. The poppy sound, reminiscent of older works, is counter-acted with lyrics such as, “So your daughter’s depressed, /We’ll get her straight on the Prozac./ But little do you know,/ She already takes crack.” The same blunt undertaking continues on throughout the next few tracks on the album. Allen’s “The Fear” takes on the cut throat steps to success in Hollywood, but once again, appears to give a deceivingly happy and flippant message through the same piano based, bubbly tune.

Allen’s next four tracks are not for the male faint of heart. Songs such as “Not Fair,” explicitly tell of her dissatisfaction in the bedroom. Lyrics describing the seemingly perfect man, give way to his every fault during intimacy: “There’s just one thing / that’s getting in the way/ When we go up to bed / you’re just no good/ It’s such a shame/ I look into your eyes / I want to get to know you/ And then you make this noise/ and it’s apparent it’s all over.”

The next four tracks continue to tell of Allen’s woes, both in first person, and in a story telling format. The melodies could easily be made into one, half hour long male bashing tale of snippy side comments and feminist sounding declarations. The melodies are once again similar in sound, while the repetitive, menacing lyrics are given titles such as “F*ck You” and “Never Gonna Happen.”

Just as soon as listeners may be ready to give up all hope of a positive ballad, along comes the song “Who’d of Known?” This genuinely cute tale of romantic beginnings breathes originality into “It’s Not Me, It’s You” with lyrics such as “Are you mine? /Are you mine? / Cause I stay here /All the time/ Watching tele/ Drinking wine/ Who’d of known?” The song is followed with a dreamy tune called “Chinese;” a song dedicated fully to relaxing and eating Chinese food with that special someone.

Surprisingly enough comes the next track, “Him.” This unexpected and original song questions the attributes of God, and the characteristics He would hold if human. The song is a refreshing addition to Allen’s album, while also echoing Joan Osbourne’s “What If God Was One of Us.”

While a lot was expected out of Allen’s follow up album, “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” fell short of the fresh and innovative sound captured in “All Right, Still.” While small musical gems can be found sparsely sprinkled throughout the album, Allen’s second attempt at poppy carnival tunes took an unfortunate turn into being a redundant musical therapy session.

Icelandic band Sigur Ròs take pride in their homeland heritage through their music. The bands unique mixture of soothing melodies and angelic vocals has made up four albums and one remix album. Founded in 1994, Sigur Ròs was described as a post-rock band inhabiting classical and minimalist elements.

Also original to the band is their use of “Vonlenska,” better known as “Hopelandic” in English; a group of emotive syllables lacking in grammar structure, which is used purely to fill musical space. The invention of “Vonlenska” stemmed from their first album, titled “Von,” which is translated as “hope.” After being released worldwide, “Von” stood to be an earlier, experimental album for the group, and is often cited as having an unusual sound compared to their later works.

Sigur Ròs went on to inherit worldwide standing with their second album “Àgætis Byrjun” or “a good beginning.” Although originally released in Iceland, “Àgætis Byrjun” was soon also released in the UK in August of 1999. After finding fame in America, Sigur Ròs went on to tour in North America in April and May of 2001 for their third album “Rimur,” attracting celebrities and major record labels alike. The band, in an effort to settle with the most creative freedom available, signed with MCA records also in 2001.

Their fourth album, an untitled work, was released in October of 2002. The both lyric- less and title- less album was said to be a “darker, rawer and less accessible follow up to ‘Àgætis Byrjun,’” yet it still managed to leave its mark on the U.S. music scene after reaching number 52 on the American Billboard Chart. During this landmark time in their career, Sigur Ròs had sold one million albums worldwide.

The band went on to release two more albums, “Takk…” in 2005 and “Heima and Hvarf-Heim” in 2007. Their 2008 album entitled “Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust” or ““With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly” once again sparked interest in the lack of string instruments and more of an emphasis on guitar. The last track on the album, “All Right” was their first and only song so far to be sung in English.

This Grammy winning artist is single handedly bringing back mellow soothing tunes, with her debut album “19.” After winning the Grammy for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal, Adele is attracting more attention than ever. At the age of 20, Adele’s album entered as number one on the British charts, while her single “Chasing Pavements” spent three consecutive weeks as number two on the Billboard charts.
After being dubbed the new Amy Winehouse by the British press, Adele is emerging as a reliable role model for young women, both in the U.S. and across the pond. After giving up drinking all together, Adele nonchalantly recognizes the pressure to be thin, and her decision to overcome the Hollywood norm. “I’m really mouthy about not having the Hollywood look. Everyone asks me ‘Why don’t you feel pressured to get the Hollywood look?’ and I’m like, ‘Because I don’t.’ I mean, I quite like my eyes and my lips. I don’t like my double chin or my gut, but I don’t not like them enough to do something about it.”