S Y F G

After seeing "The Great Gatsby" last night, I decided to do a little more research on the film and the process of building their amazing soundtrack. To my surprise, there was a nifty little video to go with it. It's a perfect example of why the soundtrack of a film is just as important as the star of the film. 

"Gatsby believed in the green light. The orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but thats no matter. Tomorrow, we will run faster. Stretch out our arms farther. And one fine morning... So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

Unfortunately I was at work when this video came out today and I only had my phone to watch it on. But trust me, as soon as I got home, I threw it up on my Apple TV and watched it on the big screen. Such a great video and it simply compliments the song so well. Big ups to Meg and her team for this one. The screams at the end of this video gave me the chills. It brought me back to when I saw her at the Troubadour screaming her lungs out and pounding the stage. If I could explain my life, it would be  this video.

Meg Myers

In case you didn't know, Paramore is my all time favorite band. Some may say it's an obsession, others would call it my lifestyle. When it comes to this band, almost everything is put on halt. If there's a show in town, I'm taking the day off using my Vacation hours. If there's a signing in town, I'm skipping a birthday dinner. When tickets become available, I'd put my bank account in the negative if necessary. So you get it right? Paramore = Life.

Ok, now that I've gotten that explanation out of the way, I want to make sure that EVERYONE knows of their new album that came out last week. The self titled album "Paramore" has officially hit #1 in Billboard's top 200. That's their first full length album hitting number 1 in Billboard ever. I couldn't agree more. This album has quickly became the BEST album they have conjured up. Since my first listen of the band in 2007, I've quickly gotten attached to the voice of Ms. Hayley Nichole Williams. What was so noticeable was the control of her voice during live shows (If you've seen them live, you'll understand). 

Whoa, I've seem to have drifted off a bit. So this album... The true fans will love it, the new fans will love it, the haters will hate it, and the numbers will talk. I know I've read around the twittersphere that people were disappointed of the change of "sound". I mean, why would you want the same sound year after year. I personally love the change. There are a few tracks that would veer off to the "pop-y" side but it's still amazing. The writing is nothing but honesty. The music itself shows how much the band comes together, gets over the hump, and presents us with notion of positive vibes. You can't help but to feel happy after listening to this album.

If all goes well, I'll get my photo pass to shoot them at their upcoming Los Angeles show at the Wiltern along side the electrifying new band, Kitten. The show is sold out but if you want to fork out a but more money, Stubhub has some tickets for ya.

Over the course of the last few weeks, I attended a few promotional signings, shows, etc. Enjoy the goods folks. So if you haven't already picked up a copy, Visit your local record store or just Download it on iTunes.

If I can describe this music video in one word, it would be, "Quality". From the Directing to the Editing, everything about this music video screams "quality". I actually like this version of the track rather then the studio version. Here ya go!

Macklemore

Also, I'd like to admit that when I first heard "Thrift shop", I wanted to pound my head into the dirt. I was not a fan of that being played on the radio over and over and over and over. BUT, after I saw their performance on the 2013 MTV Movie Awards, I automatically became a fan and listened the rest of the album. I like it, I really do. So there goes the lesson of don't judge by the radio play.

The incredible Matt Barnes shoots one of my favorite musicians, Lights. The gothic, black and white themed photo shoot just screams "impressive". He's Such an inspiration for me. See the rest of the shoot HERE.

Yes, it is Paramore Album 4 release day today, but lets not forget about some other artists. One that stood out today was also Ms. Meg Myers. I had the pleasure of hearing the screaming gal perform this incredibly amazing new track live a few months ago. Take a listen below and download!

I understand that people will come out of the theater thinking to themselves, this was a waste of 2 and 1/2 hours. I understand that people will question the length and wondering why? I understand that this film will see big numbers in it's first week, but tank on the 2nd week. 

This movie was not created for the typical blockbuster, Ryan loving, Money making genre most movie goers are used to. It was not intended to be a film where the pace would be fast and set. It's a slow movie. It starts out with a rush, veers to a monotonous pace, picks up, then subtly ends with the feeling of content.

But I will defend this film. I'll defend the 47 days it took to make this film. I'll defend the organic actors that were used to create this film. I'll defend the story of, "how you want your bloodline to survive, to be better then you". The Place Beyond The Pines deserves to be seen by every father and every son. Come to the theater with a open mind, and hopefully you'll leave with a lightened heart.

Film Rating: 7.4 of 10