Inner Voice

John Mayer – Born And Raised

On May 22^nd, John Mayer released Born And Raised, his fifth studio album. Not surprisingly, Mayer’s follow up to 2009’s Battle Studies has already received praise as Mayer’s “Best Album to Date” by many critics. Born And Raised falls into a different musical genre that is more Blue Grass and Country than the Blues and Pop Rock sound that comprised most of his previous albums. Born And Raised is Mayer’s most diverse album to date, keeping in step with the quality of 2006’s Continuum. Born And Raised is also an example of an artist rebranding himself and expanding on his already well-versed skill set to produce a more eclectic piece of work.

Taking a look back to when Mayer first came onto the scene in 2001, he was dubbed the pop sensation with the soft voice and puppy dog eyes. “Your Body Is A Wonderland”, one of the several hits off of his hugely successful debut album, Room For Squares, spawned an adoring female fan base, while other hits “No Such Thing” and “Why Georgia” continued to boost his popularity. However, Mayer was (and still is) more than just the simplified pop sensation that the public expected him to be. Heavier Things, his follow up to Room For Squares, was his first attempt to depart from this pop image. Unfortunately, the electric guitar heavy album lacked the charisma that Room For Squares provided to the public collective and, despite being a fine piece of work that was commercially viable, Heavier Things was regarded as a reserved follow up. Mayer didn’t let that deter him from taking yet another bold step forward, though, introducing a heavily Blues influenced sound into his work. Mayer’s side project, The John Mayer Trio, resulted in an album, Try, that allowed Mayer to showcase his expanded talents and, more importantly, that he had the chops to contend with some of the best guitarists out there. Mayer took this newfound sound and released the highly revered Continuum in 2006. Consisting of memorable guitar riffs and passionate lyrics, Continuum was Mayer’s ticket to receiving the recognition that he truly deserved as a singer/songwriter/guitarist that is a cut above the rest. The album set high expectations for Mayer; expectations that were not quite met with 2009’s Battle Studies. While Battle Studies still had a strong sound, it lacked the soul that Continuum embodied, challenging Mayer to, yet again, further develop his skill set and come back fresh.

After another three years away from the public spotlight, Mayer is back with Born And Raised. The result of his time away is an album that shows a mature Mayer, gracefully moving through his 30’s and taking cues from artists like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and bands like The Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead. The first track off of Born And Raised, “Queen of California”, could easily be mistaken for a Blue Grass jam band until Mayer begins singing. Other songs on the album like the title track “Born And Raised”, “Speak For Me”, and “Born And Raised (Reprise)” embody this same Blue Grass feel to them, displaying Mayer’s ability to diversify his sound while still crafting a catchy tune. However, while Mayer has traded guitar heavy riffs for a fuller, more balanced sound, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t still cross genres. The album contains a Bluesy feel in songs like the upbeat “Something Like Olivia” and the slow paced “Love Is A Verb”. Additionally, Mayer is still able to call on his “trademark” sound that lives somewhere between Pop, Acoustic, and light Blues. Such an example is the first single off the album, “Shadow Days” (see the video posted above). On the track, Mayer contemplates his youth and, now in his early 30’s, has come into a place where he is comfortable with who he is, “I’m a good man/With a good heart/Had a tough time/Got a rough start/But I finally learned to let it go/Now I’m right here and I’m right now/And I’m open/Knowing Somehow/My shadow days are over”. Mayer also revisits the chaotic days of his youth in the song “Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey”, where he recalls nights of drinking, sleeping, and repeating, “It’s just a phase/It’s not forever” Mayer assures. And so it goes throughout Born And Raised, wherethere is a presence of an older soul. Mayer’s acoustic roots are back in full swing while also introducing new elements like harmonicas, horns, and violin to provide a fuller, band-friendly sound. Mayer’s vocals seem to be the main focus here, with the accompanying music tying everything together, like a neat little package.

While most artists generally accompany a tour with a new album release, Mayer will have to refrain from promoting Born And Raised for the time being.  Currently struggling with a throat condition called granuloma, Mayer has been undergoing treatment to repair the damage to his vocal chords for some time now and, hopefully, prevent any future damage, as well. So while we all anxiously await Mayer to recover and [hopefully] begin touring again, I would suggest picking up Born And Raised. It is definitely worth a listen.

Food For Thought 

So lately I’ve been pretty bad at putting up new content on a regular basis. I started a new job back in April and it has been consuming a lot of my free time. Therefore, in lieu of a full review this week, I am posting just a few things that have caught my attention as of late. 

The Shins - Point Of Morrow

For those of you who found The Shins in the same way that I did (watching Garden State), you’ll be pleased to know this album does not deviate much from Oh, Inverted World, the debut album where the tracks “New Slang” and “Caring Is Creepy” were pulled from for Garden State’s soundtrack. While the tracks are all new and the music is catchy as ever, there is no mistake that this album is The Shins through and through. Throw this on and you’ll quickly lose yourself (and track of time) in the melodic sounds of this stellar 10-track album. Standout tracks include “Simple Song”, “It’s Only Life”, “Fall Of 82’”, and “40 Mark Strasse”. You can pick up this album at most places that sell music (i.e. Newbury Comics) or on iTunes. 

Joshua Radin - “Underwater” - Free Download

Josh Radin is releasing a new album titled Underwater on July 31. In celebration of this new release, he has made the title track “Underwater” available for Free Download on his Facebook page. Accompanied by his staple acoustic guitar and soft vocals, Radin does not disappoint with this taste of his new album. Check it out here.

Django Django - Self Titled Debut Album

If you’re looking to stay on the forefront of new music, look no further than Django Django, a psychedelic quartet hailing from Britain. The band has just released it’s self titled debut album and has already drawn the attention of much of the UK. They will likely be doing the same stateside soon enough. The first two releases, “Waveforms” and “Default” show a lot of originality and deviate from contemporary structured sound that many of us have [unfortunately] come to expect from music. Don’t be scared by these new tunes. Sometimes a little shakeup is just what your day needs. You can buy their album here.  

Childish Gambino - “We Ain’t Them” (prod. Childish Gambino & Ludwig) - Free Download

After being down for a few weeks, Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino, has relaunched his Tumblr/web page www.iamdonald.com. Along with this new page comes a new Childish Gambino song , “We Ain’t Them”. This new track seems to be another self proclaimed story of Gambino’s rise to fame. Regardless, he can add this song to his growing list of catchy one-off’s. While he seems to refrain from his usual style of clever rhymes and hashtag raps, it is still quite an enjoyable track to add to your summer playlist. Get it here.

Until next time my friends…

Hoodie Allen - The All American Tour (with Wax)

For those of us lucky enough to live in the Boston area, Wednesday, April 25 meant two things: (1) The Bruins would be playing (and [sadly] eventually losing to) the Capitals at The Garden in Game 7 of the first-round playoff series for the Stanley Cup & (2) Hoodie Allen was performing live at the Royale. While quite aware of both events, I chose to attend the Hoodie Allen concert, partly because tickets to Game 7 would have been ridiculously priced, but also because Hoodie is a great live performer and I was lucky enough to be part of a pre-show Meet & Greet. The downside to this was that Hoodie was actually not able to talk during the Meet & Greet due to a vocal issue (more on that later). Despite that, he was gracious (as always) to meet his fans, take pictures, and sign autographs. 

Getting right into the heart of it, the show was opened by a small act that I, unfortunately, did not get the name of. They did, however, bring a great energy to the crowd. Lasting for about 30 minutes, the rap group prepped the crowd for the main draws of the night, Wax and Hoodie Allen. Taking the stage with an acoustic guitar in hand, Wax quietly walked out and took a seat. This threw me for a bit of a loop because I was under the impression that Wax was strictly a rapper, so this immediate showmanship of musical talent was welcoming. Wax kicked off the night by explaining that his girlfriend recently broke up with him. However, this wasn’t him playing the sympathy card, but rather prepping us for his insanely crude, but uproariously funny song “She Used To Be Mine”. The vibe was very reminiscent of South Beach, Sublime-esque ska. After playing one more song on guitar, Wax moved into his set, putting down the guitar and picking up the microphone, performing songs like ”Rosana” and “Limousine” off his mixtape Eviction Notice. The choice for Wax as the main opener for Hoodie Allen was definitely a good one, as his enthusiasm matches Hoodie’s while maintaining a style all his own. Wax definitely has musical talent backing him up, making me think we’ll be seeing more of him in the near future.  

Once Wax finished his set, Hoodie Allen took the stage with his band. The fact that Hoodie is using a backing band rather than simply playing his beats (something Childish Gambino has also been doing on tour) is a true testament to how much he’s been making his music more original than ever. Kicking off the night with a rock-inspired “Star Spangled Banner”, the band quickly moved into Hoodie songs both old and new. Here’s a quick set list recap:

Star Spangled Banner Intro
Look At What We Started 
Tighten Up 
Song For An Actress 
No Faith in Brooklyn 
Chase is On (with an A Cappella start)
Stronger (Kanye West cover) Hoodie also played the piano intro to this
Can’t Hold Me Down 
Freestyle over Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me”
January Jones 
You’re Welcome 
Brain Stew/Freestyle (Greenday cover) in which Hoodie introduced the band
Joy & Misery
White Girl Problems 
Shark In The Water
**Drum Solo**
James Franco
Set Your Soul On Fire
Top of the World
Small Town Girl (Integrated with Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know”)
Eighteen Cool

Encore

You Are Not A Robot
No Interruption  

During the show, Hoodie revealed that he recently damaged his vocal chords and was advised by his doctor to cancel the entire All American Tour. However, Hoodie, always dedicated to his fans, has refused to do such a thing. A full explanation of what’s been going on was released by Hoodie the next day in a letter to fans posted on Facebook. While he decided to postpone a few tour dates so he can rest his voice a bit, he has been insistent that canceling the tour is not an option, continuing to show that his dedication to fans is truly unmatched. 

Despite his condition, Hoodie impressed the crowd with a high energy, great sounding performance. I doubt anyone in the crowd would have even suspected his voice was hurting if he hadn’t mentioned it. However, it’s good to hear that he decided to take a few days to rest up so he doesn’t hurt himself further. Hopefully, he will have a speedy recovery so he can continue to do what he does best, make fans happy.

Get Tickets for The All American Tour
Download All of Hoodie Allen’s previous music for FREE
Download Hoodie Allen’s new All American EP 
Download Wax’s FREE mixtape Eviction Notice
Watch a performance of Wax, including his hilariously lewd song “She Used To Be Mine”
Follow Wax and Hoodie Allen on Twitter

Hoodie Allen - No Interruption 

April is always a transitional time of the year. In New England, cold weather moves aside for its warmer counterpart, flowers start blooming, we ditch our winter jackets for t-shirts and sundresses, and, this year, Long Island native Hoodie Allen will be dropping his brand new EP All American (4.10.12) and kicking off The All American Tour (4.20.12). As a longtime Hoodie fan, it’s exciting to see how far Hoodie Allen has come over these past few years. All American will be his debut EP, meaning that it will not be available for free download, but that shouldn’t stop you from grabbing the album when it gets released via iTunes on 4.10.12. To get a feel for the new EP, you can check out the first single “No Interruption”, posted above and already available via iTunes. 

In true Hoodie style, “No Interruption” is composed of catchy beats and clever lyrics that hook the listener. However, “No Interruption” stands out from previous Hoodie Allen releases, as it is comprised of all-original instrumentation, rather than sampling. This new element adds a fresh sound to Hoodie’s already appealing style. Additionally, the music video for “No Interruption” looks like Hoodie channeling Kanye West & Jay-Z joy riding in their video for “Otis”, with the twist that he seems to be “held captive” by three very attractive women. What a rough life. In all seriousness, though, Hoodie Allen has worked hard to reach his goals and he’s finally at the point in his career where he can afford to have some fun. If “No Interruption” is simply a taste of what we’ll be getting from All American, I can’t wait for the full EP to drop later this month. In the meantime, I’ll have “No Interruption” on loop. 

Lux Lisbon – Bullingdon Club

A band that’s been growing on me recently is Lux Lisbon, a 5-piece Indie Rock band that emerged on the UK music scene in early 2011. While their presence since 2011 means they are not exactly brand new, their expressive rock sound and unique vocals that defines them is quickly making the band an instant favorite among fans and critics alike. I started listening to some of their tracks via thesixtyone.com in mid-2011 and, eventually, listened to their full album Your Heart Is A Weapon The Size Of Your Fist (released January 26, 2011) on Bandcamp. With stand out tracks like “We Don’t Believe In Love No More” and “Animals”, the band really sets the tone for the kind of lively music that they have to contribute to an always growing roster of new Indie Rock bands. However, they also have the capacity to slow things down a bit in songs like “Sunflower” and “Maginot Line”, providing a nice change of pace for listeners.

Hailing from the UK, Lux Lisbon sounds like a European version of The Killers mixed with Bloc Party (a British Indie band), which is a good thing, as I personally really like The Killers & Bloc Party. I decided to take another quick listen today to some of Lux Lisbon’s tracks on Bandcamp and, to my pleasant surprise, it seems the band has a new catchy single titled “Bullingdon Club” available for FREE download. The song’s official download date was set to be 3.26.12, however, it seems they’ve decided to make it available a few days early. Also available is the music video, which I have posted above. “Bullingdon Club” seems to pick up right where Your Heart Is A Weapon The Size Of Your Fist left off, with racing vocals and catchy guitar riffs. The new track is a welcome follow up to their previous work and makes me excited for what’s to come from this band in 2012.

For those interested in learning exactly what the Bullingdon Club is, it is a “socially exclusive student dining club at Oxford University. Membership is by invitation only, and prohibitively expensive for most, given the need to pay for the uniform, dinners and damages” (Thanks Wikipedia!). The club apparently has a reputation of being rowdy and destructive, making Lux Lisbon’s “The Bullingdon Club” feel like the perfect song to throw on at a party or even your next riot (kidding…well, sort of).

To download “Bullindon Club” for FREE go here: http://luxlisbon.com/

You can also download their debut album Your Heart Is A Weapon The Size Of Your Fist here

For those of you who get easily confused with the difference between a pound and a dollar (hey, don’t be offended, I’m in the club), the album costs [roughly] $6.50 (₤4 ) for the regular version and $12.75 (₤8) for the Deluxe version.  If those low prices aren’t enough to sway you, make sure to take note that previous sales of this album have been donated to Mind, the leading mental health charity in England and Wales. I personally find this small act of charity very encouraging and applaud the band for such generousity.

Favorite Tracks: We Don’t Believe In Love No More, Nobody Else Will Know, & Cherry Blossom Trees

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