MUSIC MINUTE II

Probably the only thing I love more than music itself is writing about it. Possibly because I get to combine two things I love most; music and writing. It’s been a long time I did the latter because it turns out final year of college is not what anyone of us bargained for; it’s stupid, tedious, complicated and stupid. If there’s one thing that has kept me going when I just about gave up and help me up when I was down, you know what it is. Its exam week and I’m squeezing in this article somewhere in Balme Library while on a study break because I came across some good songs I thought I should get out there so I’m not going to rant on too much. 

MALI MUSIC – MAKE ME BETTER 

The first song I’m gonna gush about is an old one from a genre I haven’t really been a huge fan off until quite recently when I started undergoing some life changes. It’s from an old album so you probably have heard it but if you haven’t, trust me this is an awesome song. Mali Music is a gospel artiste that makes music so relatable to anyone that he could give Adele a run for her money. With a voice that would catch Luther Vandross’s attention, Mali purrs about how he’s tired of living life the same old way and how he needs a touch from God today. He questions his ability to reach out to someone else when he ain’t even got it together himself and begs for purity, self-control and immunity. I got this song from a close girl friend who has recently been a pioneer of some positive transformation in my life and she couldn’t have chosen a better song for an individual who was fighting his own inner demons and trying to understand the world beyond what he was accustomed to. It’s a slow beauty; a soothing song flowing alongside gentle guitar strings that could make the most spiritual cynic question their stand on whose hands our lives really lay in. getting the whole album would be a wonderful treat to the ears.

THE 1975 – THE CITY 

When I read in a music magazine last week about this UK-based band and their comments that “Manchester doesn’t need more music heroes”, I got curious about them because I thought that most bands that passed conceited remarks usually had unbelievable talents to back up their self-importance, the Beatles and Nine Inch Nails were an example of this and I wasn’t too wrong about that opinion. This is a really good band that knows their stuff and this is a good song that tugs the melodious heart. From an album that debuted No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart September this year, this is an easy going song that showcases excellent drum works and a generally good feel. Perhaps what makes this song even more attractive is the lead singer Matt Hearly's accent that adds a really nostalgic indie vibe to the song and when you're trying to take it easy on a sunny, overheated day, this would be the right song for you. Music has always been an important part of the FIFA franchise and this song is actually one of the soundtracks for FIFA 2014 and I totally understand why. 

JOJO ABBOT – NYONUVI (ACOUSTIC)

Have you heard someone sing so well that you wish you could slit your throat and examine its contents on a table, trying to decipher what particular form they possessed that made them hold such vocal might the good Lord had decided to elude you with. When I first heard about Jojo Abbot, it was by a friend who was raving on about her single called ‘heavy’ and I wasn’t having any of it because I was sick and tired of most of these artistes who pulled their braids up, wore some grand-ma clothes and called themselves vintage indie artistes. Well guess what, Ms. Abbot served me some pulled up braids, some grandma clothes and then some. The song heavy was so heavy on my mind and music player that for days un-end I would listen to nothing else. Much so that when I came across this song by her, I didn’t need anyone to tell me twice. I can’t describe the vibe this song brought to me so let her prove herself and her vocal prowess to you, please download this song and listen when you are alone.The ewe language has never taken a more sexy and edgy form. 

LORDE – ROYAL 

You see when we had folks like Will-I-Am and Nicki Minaj polluting our main airwaves with fast food music that didn’t aim at creating meaning and emotions but hitting Billboard spots and acquiring shallow MTV awards, most of us thought good music would no longer see the light of day and we cried ourselves to sleep each night. Lol, so I’m been dramatic but hey it was disheartening watching what the musical scene had turned into but some artistes outside of the USA took it upon themselves to prove that there was still some musical good in people and that artistes didn’t have to pussy-pop on stage for hours, wear clothes that would make the little mermaid blush, dye their hair in all the absurd colors you can think off to sell a million records, something most of these mainstream artistes couldn’t achieve despite their antics. Artistes like Adele, Sia, Gotye, Florence & the Machines, Lana Del Rey, Ed Sheeran and FUN proved that with good lyrics, excellent vocals and just overall creativity, they could lead the good people of Musicland to a lyrical stream worth their hard-earned pennies to cross. These artistes paved the way for this young girl who has been making waves internationally for some time now. Lorde’s ‘royal’ reminds me of a slower, more passionate version of Jessie J’s price tag as both songs talk about living in a fantasy world where money doesn’t mean a thing and that it took a little more than that to make them happy. The vocals are obviously not Adele-like powerful but hey, she’s only 17 and this is her debut album. A debut album that is slaying the Rihanna’s and Perry’s whose skirts are still getting shorter and heels getting higher just so they can pay their bills. I think I have a thing for accents now and between Lordes New Zealand accent and Sia’s Aussie one, I can’t decide which one I like more. Definitely download this song if you (shocker) haven’t already. 

BURNA BOY –WOMBO LOMBO (REMIX) FT DJ JAM JAM

The queen of African soul Angelique Kidjo released this timeless song years ago and when I first came across this remix, I decided on the spot that I was going to hate it. Not because I dislike Burna Boy (hell, quite the contrary) but because I have always felt like classics like these should not be tampered with and being that BB was a totally different kind of artiste from Ms. Kidjo, I had no idea what direction this was going to take. I gotta say, I like this production. Burna Boy completely changed this song and not in a bad way; this has always been a tune that exuded some sort of energy and to add just the right kind of up-tempo’ness to it gave me a really good vibe. This production did not come across as pretentious at all and did not try to outdo the original, instead BB just added that flavor of his that has always made me mark him as a winner since he first came on the musical scene. I haven’t tried it yet but I get the feeling playing this song through excellent car speakers while waiting in traffic would be quite the experience. Burna Boy hasn’t lost that likeability that most artistes lose when they go commercial and this one is worth listening to. 

MIGHTY HANDS – AT LOSS FOR A GOODBYE

This was a soundtrack I heard from a movie called Crush I saw last week and I don’t know if it was because it was appropriate for the scene it played on or because the opening part of this song had this emotional feel that pulled me in but I had to find out what song it was and download it right after. I haven’t regretted doing that either because I find myself liking this song more and more with every listen and if you like the song ‘Hall of Fame’ by the band The Script which was really popular sometime back, you gonna love this one. Download and listen.

SATELLITE STORIES – LIGHTS GO LOW 

I have five minutes more to resume learning so I’m gonna say this is a good song that would probably have been the best if it featured Teagan &  Sara. It starts in an up-tempo rhythm, that carries us to the soul of the song; the hook. the instrumentals are complimented by excellent drum works that could compete with Green Day any day. 

This hasn’t been my best article yet I know but hey, these UN Charters and Security Council aren't gonna study themselves, later.