April Uprising - John Butler Trio's Album and Performance - Case Study Example

Student’s Name Instructor’s Name Subject Details Due Date ALBUM & PERFORMANCE REVIEW April Uprising The John Butler Trio The moving and innovative talent of The John Butler Trio's in music is best displayed by this album, right from the first to the last of every track therein. Uniquely though, the album is arranged in a manner that expression and emotion stream to the end. To recommend for it in one's music library is the least thing one would ever mention regarding this exceptional album of talent and skill. The April Uprising is unique, exclusive and matchless, the quality that has made it a highly demanded album that is constantly played in iTunes. As history tells, the album is named after John's adventure to Bulgaria. A close connection is also made between John's visit to his ancestors in Bulgaria and the episode, "Who Do You Think You Are" on television. This visit has been pronounced as a prominent factor that contributed to the nature and content of the April Uprising album. The masterpiece, as it is presented in the view of its name and the story at the back, creates a sense of vision and inspiration as could be beheld by Trio. The early 2000s was not period for Australia to export great music but one wonders how it managed to shrug off in the epoch of electronic euro-trash. Evidently, The John Butler Trio takes a seat in the spotlight and steps into the void. Of recent, a live performance in Australia, Red Rocks, was extremely impressive as it was characterized by outstanding accuracy, musicality and amazing live presence. As they sound in the studio, the band on the stage is tight. The techniques that John Butler is fond of using are captivating. At the mention of his name, the construction of an 11 string from a 12 string octave G invades the mind. Don't forget to mention his steel lap guitar too. This album is a heavy display of The John Butler's acoustic skills. Precisely, the tones and back melodies can only be heard with keen listening as for instance in the listening of his "Ocean" in this album. Byron Luiters and Nicky Bombay are the two talents musician that have helped The John Butler to achieve the current status. Though John gets himself out of some scenes in this album, the makeup of the band unveils the rhythmic role he plays. Apart from supplying the music to the singer, they also supply the musical accompaniment, making it a masterpiece. Butler shines from the texture that bassist, Byron Luiters, and dramatist Nicky Bombay adds thus making him an acoustically-driven guitarist of all time. They have it right, and they do it right since it is a matter of balance. The song, "I'd Do Anything" is a catchy one, and "Don't Wanna See Your Face" is one of the frequently played. It is an incredibly long album with over six tracks, and if you aren't sure of following, you will easily lose track. The first song starts seriously and mysteriously, evolving slowly and vividly. An enjoyable chorus follows after a boring sound of a blunt guitar. The revolutionary feelings are created by the jingle of the chorus that is evidently catchy. In the beginning, John Butler uses stunning vocals, and the voice comes out with force progressively. "One Way Road" gives a perception of John's view about politics. The song is built upon flourishes and licks, backed with juicy funk bass. C'mon is entertaining. It won't let it go once its sharp talons start sinking into the mind. "Fool for you" is pulled off with clever instrumentation. Violin melody is beautifully distracted thus creating textural interest. With "A star is born" Butler's vocals are beautiful and alluring. Cymbal ambiance fills it with texture, a super-rich combination. The booklet of the album presents lyrics and information describing guitars for each track. Its digital version on iTunes makes it even more impressive. ALBUM REVIEW THE CENTER SAMI YUSUF Though centered on spirituality, Yusuf embraces a more secular approach as a singer-songwriter. The Islamic pop musician hit out "The Centre" with a great and unique critique style that is more current and of western composition. Evidently, the tracks on the album, ‘The Centre' is a collection of traditional music and pop sensibilities. It is such a fantastic experience to listen to the album, as the trucks tend to be infectious of one another. The infectious nature of the trucks has an enticing sound, well balanced and contains meaningful lyrics with a positive vibe. The song "Pearl," starts with a sincere, emotional and deep allurement and represents an irreplaceable tone which seems seamless. For the first time, one gets the distinctively modern and traditional music styles interwoven, making it an exceptionally tidy composition. The actuality in interweaving Middle Eastern and traditional music at its natural level is out rightly expressed. The vocals and the general composition is harmoniously represented. Yusuf's voice from the first song can only be described as half Middle Eastern and half western. This is difficult to achieve at a certain level as the mix of these styles and vocals is relatively corny, a challenge which Yusuf overcomes easily. The song that follows, "Fire," contain potent and meaningful lyrics that are simply written but highly effective. In more precise terms, the song is a representation of a great atmosphere in a great musical world. More often, a listener would want to join in the singing. This is contributed to by the general feelings of togetherness and friendship that the song imperatively expresses. The instruments match with the sound he produces, making the entire song one of its kind. "Go" is a representation of Yusuf's vocals in more alluring, accurate and perfect vocals. In this song, everything, including the music and the vocals, seems to be at its right place. In its sound, the song is closely entirely western with Persian-like notes from the backing instruments and Yusuf's vocals. The song is composed with a structure that gives it a great taste and a beautiful melody of aesthetic ease. This is quite impressive, especially because of the presence of the lilting chorus that comes first. "Khorason" creates a point of difference as its starting point is placed upon the singer's meditative invocation and eastern sound and instruments. This is the particular song in which Yusuf's emotions pour out uncontrollably thus making a demarcation between the first and the second part of the album. "Prism" is presented as a distinctively Middle Eastern song, in which the beginning is set to be a foot-tapping beat. Yusuf's vocals are rather more traditional than during the first two songs. The song starts with memories of his childhood era in Azerbaijan. Though traditional as it may seem, the song ends with a chorus that sinks it to western in all facets. The song, "Circle," is a chorus of vocals and an emotive guitar. Yusuf only reveals the sharp emotions with the lyrics by bringing things down. The song is stark in its simplicity, and the background impresses with the touches of Middle Eastern drums. "You" is introduced with a melancholic and darker approach which possibly makes it the best song in this album. Middle Eastern instruments, western-style chorus, and electronic bass are interwoven to produce a quality melody. The melody is ballad-like and highly touching. The song is distinctively religious as it opens more on theism. The "Centre" song with which the album is named is a collective hit of a synthesizer that opens with a Middle Eastern drum and western-style vocals. Evidently, the central focus must have been on the lyrics. After the first turn of the chorus, a pleasant mix of a Middle Eastern chorus and a guitar sound unites the lyrics. Yusuf sings "Lament' in a sincere emotion, in the Arabic language. It is a touch of instrumentation and voice in western influence. The lyrics are not only poetic but also rhythmical. Performance Review Elliot "Example" Gleave On Wednesday, June 27th, 2017, 9 pm, it was a pleasure listening to Elliot at Freeborn Hall. The performance opened quietly. Beats followed in a successful sequence from instruments plucked in unison making the mood dramatic. Any light-hearted tone was set to pieces by the beats that hit the ears with lyrical strings. The flow of the dance was somewhere between free and bound, rapping and dancing with the beats. The stage was set with all colors for the Fulham singer/MC Elliot, off-stage. It was not an ordinary piece of music, but rather a collective, systematic matching of rapping and singing. The theater was packed to capacity with the audience generating glamor on their faces with the disco lights illuminating shiny flashes. Elliot's "Example" Gleave, was depicted as a broadsheet reader but the musician himself is a bit of a skinny bouncing idiocy, though pure and intact. In his default mode, up and down he was moving, calling one or two times for the audience accompaniment. The audience, eyes fixed on the stage would swallow the artistic impact with applause and delight. He orders the audience to join in in mid-bounce, whether rapping or singing. He looks at his watch randomly and makes slow, calculated movements with fun. Lights come in and out. The audience is moved with his angular movements, rather rhythm. Though, not tonight. This is not just right, what happens next is Dolly Parton's wig deprival. A misapprehension of despair? Too little hops, Elliot is restricted by a damaged Achilles tendon but he soldiers on, singing, rapping. The audience cheers, but with the way he manages to create an impressive type of choreography is quite alluring. Undeterred, he rouses the audience by barking his hit singles, half-dozen so or more, and by turning up the base when he can't bounce up and down the stage. Not quite serviced by Mike Skinner or Calvin Harris, his hits can reach the laddish parts. One cannot effectively describe this moment: It would be a half football match or a half Ibiza club, or both. As he candidly suggests, his line, "getting the person next to you in a headlock" is one thing that is encouraged by arms-aloft singing and the choruses. These moves make the beats ravey and the chorus marvelous. Beats. Beats. Kasabian and Liam Gallagher are kept in business. These certified lads experience a lack of charisma which is smartly fostered by a suspicion Gleave. The hits are tumbling out moment to moment, but he doesn't mesmerize, he works hard. At the level of communication, the timbre's homogeneity was quite satisfying, which the audience found to be familiar and intimate. The beats connected from one chord to the next, which fueled the audience's anticipation. A serenade theme was made by the beats with a more dramatic sound, as he enveloped them in the background. As he underscored the principle theme, beats and the singing would converge at a point, making them energetic and lively. Overall, the beats and the rapping were the most dramatic players effectively and musically enhanced by the clanging of cymbals in the overture. Such kind of musical unity is so rare to find. Blurting out rhymes midway, he makes "We will Be Coming Back," the No. two Single-hit for the current summer and "Changed the Way you kiss me" addictive and hooked. Surprisingly, his forthcoming album will have a new song that sounds exactly like the old ones, that has him spitting down the incongruous trap. The transformative something is missing, likable as the show is: "Me Tarzan, She Jane." Uniquely and adequately pronounced as a star quality. Read More