One after another, amazing artists played at main stage, ensuring that no one would give up their seats along the pavilion – that is, until it started pouring. Though I have never previously listened to music by Solange, Beyonce’s little sister, she certainly impressed me with her vocal skills. At the same time, I kept comparing her to Beyonce, which may not have been fair on my part. Regardless, and to be quite frank, I was there for the acts that followed her: Gary Clark Jr., Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kendrick Lamar, Passion Pit, and Phoenix.

Having seen Gary Clark Jr. previously, I had high expectations for his set and sadly, I was a bit disappointed – but not because of him. Listening to him on the main stage was part of the problem. Seeing Gary Clark Jr. should be a more ‘intimate’ experience in my opinion. While it is great for him that he has made it this far, I very much preferred listening to his music in the tiny venue in Houston, TX. Though this may also be due to the fact that everyone in Houston had come to listen to Clark, while most at Sweetlife were probably there for later acts. From his side, however, Clark did a great job putting on a showcase performance.

Following Clark were the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, whom I was not extensively familiar with but had heard every now and then. From the get go, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs made sure the crowd participated in the experience with them. Karen O performed spectacularly and showcased her screams during various songs.

Kendrick Lamar followed the amazing performance by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and admittedly left me disappointed. Now, before a Kendrick Lamar or rap concert aficionado jumps on my throat, I want to preface by saying I have never seen a rap concert before – which is probably why I was caught off guard by how different Kendrick Lamar sounded from his tracks. I understand the need for auto tune in certain circumstances, but the extent to which this happens with rap artists is something I guess I ignored. Even with the difference in sound, however, Kendrick Lamar impressed me with his insane ability to freestyle toward the end of the set.

The clear favorites of the night though, were both Passion Pit and Phoenix, judging from the crowd’s responses to both. Passion Pit and Phoenix are both bands that I have listened to for years (in fact I’m listening to Phoenix as I write this). Needless to say, they were both amazing live. I have been to many concerts and rarely have I seen bands manage to get everyone involved with the sets as both Passion Pit and Phoenix were able to do. And I don’t I have ever danced or sang so much in my life, even with the mud and rain. Passion Pit and Phoenix put on some of the best performances I have ever seen from bands and I do not think I have anything negative to say about either of their sets. But again, I am extremely biased given how long I have listened to each band’s music.

As a whole, the Sweetlife Festival was definitely one of the best concert/festival experiences I have had. So for those of you who were on the fence about attending this year’s Sweetlife Festival and ended up not going, I definitely suggest you attend next year (provided of course the line-up is as good). With the exception of the RIDICULOUS number of high schoolers there, the festival was great.

-Umar Khan

All photos courtesy of the Sweetlife Festival.

Hotel California is far from high brow hip-hop. Tyga knows his schitck and he sticks to it for the most part; That is the holy pop-rap trinity of money, drugs and women. In terms of lyrical skill, Tyga is most similar to rappers like Big Sean, CyHi da Prynce or Wiz Khalifa. He has a just-okay flow that can be impressive in flashes, like the smooth first verse of “Enemies”. Tyga also has a couple nice punchlines, or witty turns of a phrase, but he is far from the best at this out in the industry. He also takes the time to reference a number of other famous west coast rappers like Dr. Dre or Ice Cube with borrowed lines. This never really comes off as plagiarism, but rather as a poorly thought out allusion to the past legends of the west coast. I guess at least Tyga recognizes the history that has come before him, but the references don’t really work as intended, as I’m sure the vast majority of Tyga’s listeners won’t catch these homages. The most egregious example of this is Tyga’s re-imagining of legendary 2Pac diss track “Hit ‘Em Up” as a snare and piano driven track more reminiscent of 2 Chainz’s “I’m Different.” The cliché complaints about rap music also abound. Misogyny. Objectification. Glorification of drugs. Materialism. You know the drill. So if that stuff will prevent you from enjoying the album, don’t listen to Hotel California.

In all, what makes Hotel California sort of work, despite all the flaws and sometimes absurd lyrical content, is Tyga’s penchant for hooks that are way too catchy for their own good, and solid beat choice. While repetitive, the combination of the crazy bass driven MDMA inspired “Molly” will tear through the clubs and house parties this summer. Wiz Khalifa shows up on time to rap a typical Wiz verse, but the star of the show is clearly the Dez Dynamic instrumental. More radio ready pop moments abound with the acoustic guitar led “Diss Song”, the wavy chilled out vibes of “Palm Trees” and slow jam “For the Road”. There is no doubt that a number of these tracks could be radio hits, especially with big name guests like Chris Brown, 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne. The Game makes an appearance for g-funk ode to L,A titled “It Neva Rains”. A number of the other tracks just fall into very stereotypical “Rack City” styled strip club anthems. However, they are not nearly as ridiculous or catchy as “Rack City” itself. I’m still undecided whether that is a good or bad thing.

There are two tracks that stand out head and shoulders above the rest of the songs on Hotel California. First is the surprisingly vulnerable “Dad’s Letter,” where Tyga talks to his absent father. This is by no means a novel topic in rap music, but it is well executed and surprisingly heartfelt from an artist that is rarely tactful. It is also an upbeat take on this issue, with a very addictive hook to bring even casual listeners in to hear the more deep verses. It is by no means the best ode to a lost parent in hip-hop, and probably isn’t even the best this year – Tyler the Creator’s “Answer” comes to mind – but it is a good song. The crowning achievement of the album however, is “Drive Fast, Live Young”. Built over a perfect balance of drum machine bass, piano riffs and scorching electric guitar lines, Tyga raps about his favorite topics: fast cars and fast women. Again, a very catchy hook in addition to the beautiful beat sets this one apart. While the topics may be nothing special, the whole is more than the sum of the parts, as it perfectly evokes warm summer nights driving around with the windows rolled down.

Hotel California is also a bit more than the sum of its parts. Despite an incredible array of flaws, I found myself enjoying Hotel California for exactly what it is: an over the top, well produced, hook drive hip-hop record. It is the equivalent of a slapstick comedy, or Michael Bay movie. It isn’t terribly intelligent, you make fun of it half the time, but despite all this it still entertains.

Rating: 6/10

-Ben Perotin is the host of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Radio Show, a journey through hip hop’s past, present and (sometimes) future from 4:00 – 5:00 PM EST Saturdays.

It took me a long time to appreciate the Flaming Lips; I simply didn’t get it at first. The songs were strange, suited for science fiction addicts and space opera fans – I tended to fall more on the classic rock side of the spectrum. But there is an inexplicable magic in the music, a pulsing sense of calm and craze, an odd juxtaposition of aggression and ease. Listening to the Flaming Lips is like entering a futuristic paradise, by way of songs like “Do you realize??” and “She Doesn’t Use Jelly”.

We now turn out attention to The Terror, the most recent Flaming Lips compilation. Like all of Wayne Coyne’s creations, the lyrics of each song are pure and beautiful, written by an undoubtedly lyrical mastermind. Yet, unlike many of the Flaming Lips’ previous albums, The Terror lacks joy. I would go so far as to call it bleak; there are very few harmonious moments throughout the LP. The songs “Try to Explain”  and “You are Alone” (what I have deemed to be the best tracks) are grim and slow; they are undoubtedly ripe with emotion, but the emotion is heavy and contemplative. “Try to Explain” is the epitome of “broken-heart music,” a song meant for mourning the loss of a good moment. The song’s lyric “try to explain why you’ve change, I don’t understand” sums up the entire album pretty well. The subsequent songs, like “Turning Violent” -  a combination of repetitious droning and vibrating guitar riffs – have a similar feel.

My thoughts on the album can be summed up in the way Coyne describes it: “We want, or wanted, to believe that without love we would disappear, that love, somehow, would save us that, yeah, if we have love, give love and know love, we are truly alive and if there is no love, there would be no life. The Terror is, we know now, that even without love, life goes on… we just go on… there is no mercy killing.”

In essence, the album is grim. Powerful and raw and beautiful. But GRIM.

Vocals: 6/10, Lyrics: 9/10, Overall Album: 6/10

Allie Heymann, 50 Shades of USA, Mondays 8-9 AM

- Jackson Sinnenberg, host of Sinn 6:66, a classic rock show that airs Fridays 4-5pm

While the verity of such claims has yet to be proven, the overwhelming quality of the EP stands alone; regardless of Tuxedo’s identity, download all three slaps here, and have this sexy, “nu-disco” work of genius speak for itself.

-Katrina Zheleznyak, cohost of The Omnichord’s Dilemma, Sunday mornings from 8 to 9am

-Samantha L, proud Virginian and host of Historical Hipsters, Thursdays 10-11 am

One thing that cannot Wiz or Curren$y cannot be impeached for is their impeccable taste in beats; and Live in Concert is no exception. They revel over laid back tracks that evoke the feeling of a warm summer’s day at the beach, or driving with the windows rolled down and the top pealed back. This time around, beats like “Cabana” show off a bit of an island influenced flair. It is not full on reggae-or even close-but certainly the instrumentals shows a dash of Caribbean stylings, which works perfectly for the two. Lyrically, you know what to expect from Wiz and Curren$y. They are gonna talk about weed, girls, weed, alcohol, cars, weed, friends and weed. All of this is completely expected from these guys; it is what they have built their name rapping about. It is all pretty superficial, but there is a reason that these two have become the most prominent of the modern “weed rap” subgenre. They have a certain charm and charisma on the mic that they are able to tap into to set the scene and evoke these feelings of hanging out with friends on a sunday afternoon-chasing girls and sipping drinks-better than really anyone else.

The two also compliment each other quite well. Curren$y typically has the better verses, while Wiz has the better hook writing, and this shows yet again on Live in Concert. The tracks all nicely fit together and the EP doesn’t overstay its welcome, clocking in at a smooth twenty four minutes. When the main complaint about the EP is repetitive content, it is nice that they don’t stretch things out excessively. Curren$y and Khalifa also know that one of their strengths is beat choice, and they let the instrumentals shine, often with lengthy outros that work well to balance out their verses. They don’t go for any big “Black and Yellow” or “Roll Up” esque poppy, radio friendly hooks: Live in Concert is clearly meant to be a self-contained EP that needs to be listened to as a whole to get the most out of it.

Live in Concert isn’t high-minded(no pun intended), it isn’t deep, but it isn’t trying to be. In short, Live in Concert has one goal and one goal only: make a good chilled-out hip hop tape to listen to on a lazy summer’s afternoon. And it is extremely successful at that.

8/10

-Ben Perotin is the host of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Radio Show, a journey through hip hop’s past, present and (sometimes) future from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST Saturdays.

The Italian three-piece works into their debut album, Yoünusual, influences of electronica, rock riffs, and orchestra. Their unique sound permits every track to tell a melodic story, complete with an introduction, rising action, epic climax, falling action, and resolution. There is certainly an undeniable vibe of European-ness permeating throughout the entirety of the album.

On tracks such as “Final Day” and “Whole World,” the European rock sound is drawn out in Giacomo Dall’Acqua’s vocals, paired with melodically drawn out riffs. At first listen, these tracks first brought to mind similarities to the music of Finnish rock band, H.I.M. Some of the more orchestral and cello heavy songs parallel another Finnish band, Apocalyptica, the four-piece cello metal group. The gravity of “Hey You’s” atmospheric melody builds into a cello intense rock finish, while “Silent Hero’s” rock foundation is struck with spurts of quick and sparing synth notes.

“Mimi Lala” completely enters a new realm of gothic techno rock in its spooky electronica that ebbs into slower paced riffs and back into bouts of fast tempo electronic. Encompassing most, if not all of these quirks, which together give Yoünusual their “je ne sais pas” sound, “Senso” is the one track that should definitely be heard. It integrates the various styles and elements of Yoünusual into a single, three minute forty-two second song that takes you on a journey, a journey through what may sound like a video game, formal parade procession, and more random trippiness.

Yoünusual deserves a listen, even if you don’t have the energy to keep up with the whole album. Taken in small doses, the music is pretty darn cool.

-Michelle Zhou, host of The Thieves of Indie-Uh, Mondays 3-4pm

Dormarion is  comfortable swinging equally between guitar-driven jams punctuated with whined electronic verses and quiet percussion-based ballads. Telekinesis mixes sounds and instruments to achieve a truly eclectic mix that varies from song to song on this album. In one of my favorite tracks, Island #4, Michael Lerner’s sweet high voice contrasts delightfully with his unforgiving electric guitar, and the drums relieve the tension halfway through the song. With their comfortable swing, Telekinesis artfully transition to a more synthesized sound with the soothing Ghosts and Creatures. Dormarion manages to balance it all and convinces the listener that yes this is one album and yes this really is all one band.

-Samantha L. Host of Historical Hipsters, Thursdays 10-11 am

So what does a tour of underground rock look like? In the Violets’ case, this tour involves incorporating sounds and themes from garage rock, some early alternative and art rock, British punk, and the Britpop movement. The band is able to create a sound that is -in a nutshell- a more psychedelic and organ driven version of Oasis, fronted by Joe Strummer. Bassist, and vocalist, Alex Jesson does a remarkable job channeling the Clash frontman, making his voice one of the standout features of the record.

This is not to say that Jesson’s voice is the only thing that makes the group—or the album—noteworthy. Palma Violets are a very good band with great players and great understanding of dynamics. A prime example of this talent comes is on the disc’s middle track, “Last of the Summer Wine.” The band shows their skill in dynamic control with a slow, organ-driven instrumental buildup before the guitar bursts in. The burst, however, is within appropriate volume level for the song and does not allow the guitar to overwhelm the other instruments. The music in the track proceeds to switch between more quiet, bass-driven sections in the verses with mid-range, guitar-driven sections for the chorus. “Summer Wine” is just a prime example, but the entire record demonstrates a strong sense of dynamic and instrumental cohesion. The volume level of each instrument—and of the vocals—remains at a level such that neither overpowers the other. This great sense of balance leads to musically pleasing songs, making the LP quite approachable.

As a note, one of the strongest elements with the instrumentation is the organ, which provides a much wider variety of sounds and breaks up the occasional monotony of standard vocals-guitar-bass-drums rock and roll. The guitar tone, too, is very important to the pleasing and unique sound of the band. The guitar is just distorted enough to give it sonic weight, but the echoing reverb effect gives it the key garage and psychedelic sound. The right blend of distortion and reverb allows the guitar a pleasant and universally accessible tone—distortion for the punks and reverb for the easy listeners.

One of the band’s occasional weaknesses is their lyrics. As the songs are very garage-inspired, I give a lot of leeway for more immature or nonsensical writing. The Violets also make this sort of songwriting work well for them, as with lead track and single “Best of Friends.” While capturing some of the best qualities of the band’s instrumentation, the lyrics hold a sort of classic immaturity and spirit of youth that exists within garage. The chorus is quite simple, repeating, “I wanna be your friend / I wanna be your best friend / I don’t want you to be my girl.” It is actually quite refreshing to hear a song about wanting to be friends in rock and roll—and in modern pop music—so I salute them for this. On “Best of Friends,” and other songs on the disc, especially closing track “14,” the band captures the adolescent spirit of rock and roll quite well. On the other hand, there are songs like “Rattlesnake Highway” and “Chicken Dippers” that just make no sense and are a bit too “out there.” Case and point, one of the lines to “Chicken Dippers” is, “Your hair is stone red gage / And you make me feel like I’m the only one.” I admit that I could be missing something, but I have no idea what that would be.

Overall, 180 is a great first album by Palma Violets. While the album stalls a bit between the second and sixth tracks, the rest of the album is rather solid and displays the band’s ability as musicians and songwriters. The album even ends in Oasis fashion with the eight-minute epic “14” (perhaps channeling a bit of “Champagne Supernova”). Hopefully 180 will force many rock bands of today, and of the future, to do a 180 and recall the glory of rock and roll’s rich history.

Key Tracks: “Best of Friends,” “Last of the Summer Wine,” “We Found Love,” and “14”

Rating: 8/10

- Jackson Sinnenberg, host of Sinn 6:66, a classic rock show that airs Fridays 4-5pm