The Stand Ins

As an avid Okkervil River listener (e.g. one of twenty in the tri-state area), the prospect of a new album looming on September 9th is a mouth-watering thought. For those of you faithful readers and denizens of "Amplified (Blog)" who have not the faintest clue of whom I am writing about, I strongly recommend that you acquaint yourselves with them. They love concept albums and capos, and front-man Will Sheff's expressive way of songwriting is wondrously unique. The band's aural qualities balance finely between a sound that is both folk-like and delicate, but also unsettling; and Okkervil's finest utilize instrumentation that complements the emotion of Sheff's voice in a way that perfectly fits the band.


"The Stand Ins" was conceived around the same time as last years critically acclaimed "The Stage Names". Sheff and co. originally wanted to release both as a double album, but felt that the complications of attempting to do so would make the process too difficult. (Fun Fact: If you place the album art of "The Stage Names" over that of "The Stand Ins", it forms a complete picture. Cool eh?)

I have prevented myself from searching for any leaks of the album online, because I do not want to spoil the surprise. I am, however, plagued with questions: How will the album be accepted by the higher powers of the arcane music world? How will the content compare with it's doppelganger, "The Stage Names", but more importantly, with the epic concept-album masterpiece that is "Black Sheep Boy"? Why the heck are Okkervil River only playing an 18 + show in New York, and how can I gain access?

Expect an in-depth review immediately following the public release of the album.

The Stand Ins comes out on September 9th 2008

Thom Yorke Thinks He Is More Important Than Barack Obama

     Car-phobic Thom Yorke and his merry pranksters (also known as Radiohead) have announced via their website plans to broadcast the final show of their 2008 North American tour live on the internet. In an odd twist of fate, this coincides with Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech at Invesco Field in Denver in front of a crowd that could reach 80,000. New York Magazine's website stipulates that the epic concert will "likely distract millions of young, progressive voters from Barack Obama's acceptance speech for the Democratic presidential nomination, scheduled for the exact same time, thereby clinching a Republican victory this November."  

    Tonight, while Barack Obama accepts his party's nomination for president, becoming the first African-American to be nominated by a major political party, Radiohead will play their unique brand of space-rock to a delicately balanced audience of bros and psuedo-hipsters. Much like the fill-in-the-blank price of their sixth studio album, In Rainbows, the choice is yours. 

   

Live Your Life- T.I. Samples Internet Sensation Dragostea Din Tei

On August 25th, a previously unreleased track from Atlanta rapper T.I.'s sixth studio album Paper Trail leaked onto the internet, spurring conversation among critics about the musical direction of the rapper's sixth take. Paper Trail features a myriad of guests, most prominently Kanye West, Lil' Wayne, Jay-Z, and Rihanna. On this track, Rihanna provides the hook, adding an excellent foil to T.I.'s strong, lucid flow. Representing a swift change from the Southern hip-hop that dominated previous albums King and T.I. vs T.I.P., the self-proclaimed King of the South trades in former producer DJ Toomp's heavy synths for a sample from the Romanian dance group O-Zone's signature track Dragostea Din Tei. This sample provides a perfect backdrop to Rihanna's soulful and captivating hook, and injects T.I.'s serious Southern rap with some pop kitsch. 

While many critics have been attacking T.I. and producer Just Blaze's choice to use Dragostea Din Tei as a sample, it actually makes Live Your Life even stronger. Rihanna adapts her vocals to the tune of Dragostea Din Tei to the extent that only Rihanna could, and she pulls it off with great gusto. Rihanna's regal vocals are only topped by her boastful lyrics, as she declares "You're gonna be a shining star/fancy clothes/fancy cars" but then further sings "life your life/instead of chasing that paper." These mixed messages in Rihanna's hook do add some confusion to her vocals as they are somewhat contradictory, however, they are still aesthetically pleasing. 

T.I. attacks the rap game in his verse, deriding what he declares to be an industry that has lost sight of what's important. T.I. finds issue with the fame, the arguing, the money and the cars of his contemporaries, which is interesting considering that he named his album Paper Trail. 

T.I. does not seem to be immune from the constant hypocrisy in the rap industry, as he too joins the group of rappers that declare the industry to be dead but still further all of the money loving, misogynistic, ostentatious features of rappers that they deplore in their songs. While Life Your Life makes little sense, it is still aesthetically pleasing, and will undoubtedly be a Top 20 hit when it is released on September 30th. 

Live Your Life- T.I. (feat. Rihanna)

Welcome to Your Amplification

Dearest reader,

We here at Amplified Music Publication, Horace Mann's premiere music publication, would like to extend our warmest welcome to you.  This is the launching of out first online venture, at hmamplified.blogspot.com.  Please check back soon for future posts on music, media, and culture.  Feel free to contact Peter (pjkneeboarder@gmail.com) or Matt (klimermanm@gmail.com) if you would like to contribute.  We hope you enjoy!

Love,

Peter and Matt