musicwithyasmin-blog

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                              Broccoli City Music Festival Review

Broccoli fest is a music festival that happens once a year in DC. It is a relatively new festival that has been going on a few years. The festival takes place in South East DC, and was created to help build the community. Black teens and young adults are the target audience for the festival, however all people are welcomed. I got a free ticket  to Broccoli fest because I signed up to photograph the festival. I was upset to figure out that I was the ticket meant I was to photograph the people who attended the festival and not the actual music performances, how I was glad I got a free ticket. I got dropped off at the festival and it was my first time that I was going to an even like this alone. It was rainy, slightly humid and the camera bag I was carrying became very after a while, which was walking round around uncomfortable. I took a few pictures and went to go see AlunaGeorge perform. Since it was raining the ground was muddy so standing in the General Admission area  was hard because the ground was soft and my shoes become really muddy. I left AlunaGeorge and took some more pictures and met some really cool people. Eventually NAO was going to performing on the opposite side of the venue so I decided to go see her. Nao ended up coming on 30 minutes late because of technical difficulties. I stayed and saw her perform about 4 songs then I decided to so to see Solange on the other end of the venue. Solange came on and hour late (which was extremely frustrating), but came on and performed her most well-known songs first. I was exhausted and decided after I heard her perform Cranes in the Sky, (my favorite song by her) I would leave. After I heard Cranes in the Sky, I left to go charge my phone and call my brother to pick me up. The outlets were on the other side of the venue so I had to walk all the way back and find an outlet. I eventually found one, and from where I was standing I was able to hear Lil Yachty’s performance. It sounded good from where I was, and the light show was nice, but honestly I just wanted to leave. I eventually got picked up and left. After the experience I learned that I won’t go to a music festival alone because it wasn’t not fun being by myself the whole time. Also the performances were good, but because it was such a big festival I was in the back the most of the time. Overall my experience was a 6/10 I do plan on going next year; I just will not photograph it, and hopefully I will go with friends

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                                           Lany Concert Review

Lany is a band I discovered around March of 2015. They make pop music, very similar to the 1975. However what I like about their music is that it is evident a lot of their production comes from a synthesizer, which gives an 80s feel. Along with the production they have live instruments, the lead singer, Paul Jason-Klien, is a good vocalist and writes most of the music. The song lyrics do not really do anything for me because they are mostly about love and breakups, and they are not poetic so to speak, but I still like their music.  I went to see them in Baltimore on May, 14th 2017 with my friend who is also a fan. We waited in line for about a hour. When we arrived in the venue were were able to be get in the third row. Eventually when they got on stage at 9 o'clock, I was not feeling well. I was wearing a sweater, the venue was really hot and on top of that I did not have any money for water. I made it through three fourths of the show, but I got really nervous that I was going to pass out. I then decided to go sit in the back of the venue where it was cooler and I could catch my breath. The concert eventually ended, and I was kind of upset that I could not enjoy it,  but it was still a good show. The band really interacts with the crowd and it is evident that they care about their fans. I would give the actual show an 8/10 because I felt like it was really short, but my experience was a 5/10. They go on tour frequently so I hope I can see them again some time soon!

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                                   FKA Twigs Concert Review

Fka Twigs is an artist I discovered in 2015 because of a friend suggested that i listen to her. Fka Twigs’ music is extremely unconventional, and it takes some time to get used to it. I knew about a handful of songs when my friend asked if I would go to see her in concert with him. I was reluctant a first, but I really like going to concerts so I decided to come along. arrived at the venue and went to our seats (First was my second time not going to a general admission show) We bought seats towards the middle of the venue but two minutes before the show was about to start, my friend and I noticed the guy next to us was leaving. I asked where he was going and he said, “Oh, I moving down, there are open seats in the front and it typically becomes like a dance party at her shows, you guys should come on down!”. I was so excited because I LOVE being in the front at concerts. My friend and I followed the guy to the front row, along with us many people began moving down and it became really crowded. Two security guards came to the front area and began screaming at people to move out of the way. The one closer to me screamed, I DON’T CARE WHERE YOU GO JUST GET OUT OF THE AISLE IT’S A SAFETY HAZARD!” So my friend and I slid into the closer row to us and deiced to stand there for the recent of the show. The most interested part of the show was the demographic of people there. Everyone was much older than us and was dressed very weirdly. There were guys in heel boots and skirts, girls with hair died green and blue, and a lot of people were wearing nose piercing with large hoops. When FKA twigs got on stage she sang my favorite song, Good to Love first. After that she sang a lot of songs I did not know. In total i think I knew about five out of the sixteen songs she performed. However she is amazing live; she sounded just like she did on her album. I found it amazing how she was to dance and sing without going out of breath. In general it was a good concert, I would give her performance a 10/10 and my experience an 8/10. I think she is a good vocalist and performer, but her music isn't really my cup of tea, for that reason I don’t think I would see her again live. 

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                        Jazmine Sullivan Concert Review

One of my friends first introduced to Jazmine Sullivan in the winter of 2014. I did not actively listening to her until two years later in the winter of 2016, because I friend figured out that she was having a concert on February 14th and wanted someone to go with. I love going to concerts so I decided to listen to her music and I was immediately impressed. Her older music was very catchy, and had the perfect production for R&B. Vocally speaking, I think she is one of the most talented singers out right now. However she is incredibly underrated. Her most recent album Relativity show was released in 2015 and has more of an old school retro sound. Many people have compared it to the works of Amy Winehouse (Amy Whinehouse’s sound was influenced by Black people but that’s a matter I’ll discuss at a later time). I enjoyed every song on the album and was excited to see perform live. The concert was on a school so my firend and I made it to the metro station around 5 and were able to make it to the venue around 7.15. Surprisingly the line was not too long, despite the fact that the doors opened at 8.00. When we arrived the opening act was a DJ, they performed for about an hour and right before Jazmine came on a guy in the balcony seats above us proposed to his girlfriend! (Keep in mind it was Valentines day) The audience consisted old early 20s/ middle aged black people, so my friend and I were definitely the youngest people in the audience. Jazmine finally came on at 9:30. Half of her performance was her were old songs and the rest were off the new album. I didnt know many songs but I was still able to have a good time because she gave a high energy performance. Overall it was a good concert, I would give it a 9/10 and if you like R&B/ Soul music I would highly recommend listening to her or seeing her live in concert.

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                                     Arctic Monkey AM Album Review 

The Arctic Monkeys is a band I discovered the summer of 2013, however I did not start actively listening to them until the fall of 2014. The first ever song I heard by them was the first single off of their most recent album AM, called Do I Want to Know. I immediately liked the song and played it on repeat for two weeks straight. What’s interesting about the Arctic Monkeys is that their music actually has good lyrics. AM is a more of a mainstream album so the sound appeals to more people, which helped increase their popularity, but even when they where doing garage rock and indie rock in their previous albums they always had lyrics with meaning. What is nice about AM,is that the album is concise and fits together perfectly, not one song is out of place. There is only one song I do not not on the twelve-tracked album and it is Mad Sounds, I personally think it’s too slow and it does not match with the lead singers voice. Fireside is the eighth song on the album and it is my favorite song of all time. I love the way all the instruments blend to together and mix perfectly well with the leads singers baritone voice, and on top of that the lyrics mean so much to me. It is about a guy who is reminiscence on his past and is overwhelmed with nostalgia. When I first heard this song I was able to relate to it greatly. Also the second song on the album, One for the Road, has a guitar solo toward the end of the song it addicting to listen to, whenever I listen to it I always have to replay it over and over again. This is one of my favorite albums and the main reason why I like rock music for that reason I would give this album a 10/10. This album had a big influence on “teen culture”, grunge style became popular again and it became socially acceptable to be alternative. This album had a really big influence for other musicians too, many young British bands nowadays says The Arctic Monkeys helped them find their sound. I think everyone, no matter age or what music they listen will find a song of this album they that will love, and I think that is pretty rare. This is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I cant wait to see what music The Arctic Monkeys will make in the future. 

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                                 Kali Uchis Por Vida Album Review

I first heard of Kali Uchis in March of 2015 through SoundCloud. The first song I ever heard by her was Speed. The song had a really nice production and was a song that you can play over and over again and not get sick of. The album contains  songs that sound more retro like Rush and Know What I Want and then sweeter slower songs like Melting and Lottery. It’s a relatively short album consisting of 9 songs but with each song you can hear all the time and effort put into it. There was only one song off of the album and didn't like and it was Sycamore Tree. It was a little too slow and the layers of voices was not appealing to me. I would give her album an 8/10, because of the nice production, however I don’t think it appeals to everyone. She’s a young artist and her songs appeal more to older teens, I don’t think a middle aged person would like this music. However, over the past two years she has grew a lot as an artist and now fame is catching up to her. She has featured in two Grammy nominated songs and has been nominated for a Latin Grammy this year also. She released two singles for far but still has not set a release date for a new album. I bought a ticket to see her in October, but unfortunately, I had to much homework to do and couldn't attend the concert. However in January I’m planning on seeing her when she opens for for Lana Del Rey, and I cant wait to finally see her live!

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                Lana Del Rey Ultraviolence Album/ Concert Review

Lana Del Rey is an artist I discovered in 2011 and I have been listening to her ever since. I think was is so captivating about Lana Del Rey is that she was creating a type of music that was so different from everything that was being released at the time. She sang about her family troubles, addiction and depression so poetically. Beyond her music her personality is interesting too. She expresses her love for older times, love and poetry in a way that can only make you love her. Ultraviolence was released in 2014 and it is my favorite album by her. What attracted to me Ultraviolence is that is sounded a little different then her old music but it still elements of her old sound. It was a big step up from her previous album Honeymoon. The problem I had with Honeymoon is that every song sounded the same and it showed no growth from her previous work. However Ultrviolence was different. I loved the varying speeds of the debut single for the album, West Coast. I also loved Shades of Cool, Florida Kilos, and Sad Girl. My favorite song off of the album was definitely Brooklyn Baby. I loved the lyrics of the song, the chorus and the bridge. I listened to the song about 15 times the first day I heard it. A year after the album was released she went on tour. As a surprise birthday gift my friend bought me a ticket to go see her. On June 11th 2014, (my 16th birthday) I was fortunate enough to see one of my favorite artists perform one of my favorite albums live. She performed mostly her famous songs, (Off to the Races, Video Games, Gods and Monsters) then she performed Brooklyn Baby, and I’m pretty sure my soul left my body for her entire performance. I typically like to be close when I attend concerts, but during this show I was completely content that I was towards the back. Overall her album is an 8/10 and the concert was an 11/10. I don’t think everyone would like her album because of the content she sings about, but I do think everyone would enjoy seeing her in concert and I cant wait to see her again in January. 

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                      Portugal the Man Woodstock Album Review 

Portugal the Man is a band my friend introduced me to during my Sophomore year of high school. The first song I ever heard by them was AKA M80 the Wolf. At first I did not like their music because I found their lyrics to be weird and the lead singer’s voice to be too high pitched for my liking. However, I realized I was listening to their old music (at the time they had about 9 albums out). So I decided to listen to their most recent album at the time called Evil Friends. I immediately liked the songs on the album. The array of instruments as well as catchy choruses on the songs such as Purple Yellow Red and Blue, Modern Jesus and Atomic Man, instantly become my favorites. About two and a half years passed by and I tried to see them in concert, but I ended up missing them each time they came to DC.  Eventually in April of 2017 they released a new song called Feel it Still.The song was immediately addicting to listen to. It was ideal for car rides and working out. Since this was the debut single I was excited to hear the rest of the album. Three months later the rest of the album was released. When I found the time I listened to the whole thing from start to finish. What I found interesting is that there were two extremes with this album; I either loved a song or hated it. The first song Number One was incredibly slow and boring. I did not like the next song, Easy Tiger either. The instruments seemed too loud compared to the lead singer’s voice.  The next song Live in the Moment was one of my favorites, the chorus was super catchy and the guitar and drums worked together perfectly. So far out of the 10 songs on the album I liked 6 of the songs. For that reason I will give this album a 7/10 because even though I liked only 6 of the songs, the album was very concise and had the same sound from start to finish and gave me the fresh new sound I was looking for. I would definitely recommend this album to people who like Alternative and Rock Music.

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                                       SYD Concert Review

I saw Syd on October 13th a few days after Glass Animals. I discovered Syd in summer of 2016 while I was listening to her band The Internet. The Internet is a 5 piece R&B/ Alternative band that originated in Los Angeles,California. The band become known quickly because Syd is the older sister of the DJ, Taco Bennet, who is apart of Tyler the Creator’s friend group. Syd herself is a producer and has produced music for many artists before she started her own musical career. After The Internet released their fourth studio album, each individual member deiced to do their own solo album. Syd released her album called FIN. I liked the simple production of the albums and the catchy hooks and choruses it compromised of. The only issue I faced is that sometimes I didn't actually know what she was singing (which ended up being a minor problem at her concert). Her show was at Baltimore Soundstage, after a grueling two and a half hour drive because of the traffic, I made it to the venue with my friend. It was really excited because we were among the first ten people in line! After waiting for thirty minutes Syd walked out with security to get into a car. While she was walking she saw us waiting in line and said “I’ll see you guys later!”, and I lost it. I could not believe that she saw me and actually acknowledged my presence. It was unbelievable, The doors to the venue opened at seven and since I was in the front of the line I saw able to be front row. Two opening acts performed and then Syd eventually came on at 9:30. She came running on stage with flashing strobe lights while singing Nothing to Something. The whole crowed was hyped up and screaming. Then she asked for everyone to put away their phone and not record her performing the next song. It was a slower song and the lights in the venue dimmed down. Then she performed a song called Got Her Own, which is my favorite off the album. After that song she began to perform some of the others off of the album that I did not know the words to because I could never understand her. Then exactly what I feared happened. She made eye contact with me and pointed at me WHEN I DIDN'T KNOW THE WORDS! I FELT LIKE A FRAUD! Anyway, the show went on and she she sang other songs I did not know the words to and ended off with The Internet’s most famous song Girl. Overall it was a good experience, the only thing I regret it that i did not google the song lyrics before attending the show. 

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                               Glass Animals Concert Review 

Glass Animals is a band I discovered during the summer of 2015. They are an alternative indie rock band from Great Britain that has toured the US multiple times. When I first discovered the band, I found their music to be a little to slow for me, however after listening to their debut album ZABA multiple times I grew to love it more and more each day.  After being a fan for little over a year, I went and saw them in September of 2016 at Echostage. I arrived early to the concert and was able to be front row! The show was amazing, but the only issue I faced was that I was not familiar with their new songs and couldn't sing along like everyone else. Weeks later, I decided to give their new album a chance (I'm skeptical to listen to my favorite artists' new music after they become popular because it typically isn't good anymore). After listening to their new album I was impressed. The album differed from ZABA, in that it had more produced beats as opposed to live instruments, and it wasn't as slow paced. I grew to love some of the songs even more on this new album, How to Be a Human Being, than ZABA. Months past by and while scrolling through my timeline on twitter I saw that Glass Animals tweeted that they were going on tour again! I was ecstatic. I've been listening to their music nonstop since the last concert, and I knew that this one would be better. A week after I saw the news on twitter I bought ticket to see Glass Animals in October. Four months pass by and the day I've been waiting for finally arrived. My friend and I left for the metro around 4:15 and made it to the doors of the 9:30 club at 5:20. The queue is a little longer than last time, but I knew I was going to be in the front again. After waiting in line for a little over an hour and a half the doors of the venue open and we were allowed in. This time we were second row, but I was still happy. The set design looked a lot better this time and I was excited for my favorite band to perform. The opener came on, and after waiting for over an hour my legs and back starting to hurt. The pain became so unbearable I had to leave where I was standing to go sit down. By the bar there was a vacancy where no one was standing so I decided to sit there and wait until they came on. I was super upset that I was no longer in the front, but my physical being mattered the most. Eventually at 9:30 they came on. They was an array of colorful lights and they began singing the first song off of their most recent album. Then the disco (shaped like a pineapple) began to shine and light up the dark venue. I sang along to every song, but I still couldn't help but be upset that I was no longer in the front.  Then, when the very last song was about to play the lead singer said, "Is it alright if I go through the crowd?" and everyone started screaming. I was confused at what he meant by "go through the crowd", but before I could even finish my thought the lead singer walked right past me and got on top on the bar table. He began to sing Gooey one of my favorite songs off of ZABA. I could not believe my eyes. He was right in front of me. I felt as if I was dreaming. Hearing one of my favorite songs so close to me made up for being in the back for the whole show. After the concert ended I kept on replying that moment over and over again in my mind (and re-watching the snaps I posted of it on my story). That moment where the lead singer was right next to me made everything worth it. It was an amazing show and I hope to see Glass Animals for a third time when they go on tour again.