The Truth About Music

"What's hot, what's not, and whats next in pop music"

Finally, Star Trek is Cool Again

By Harris posted May 13, 2009 at 18:19

As much of a nerd as I am for things such as Star Wars and War Games, I am certainly not a treckkie. I never watched Shatner, and I don’t know how to speak Klingon. My nerd status is pretty much all relegated to Star Wars and has never spilled over in Star Trek, until now. The summer of 2009 might always be remembered as the time I fell in love with Star Trek and it will all be because of JJ Abrams. His vision of what Star Trek was and still is today was truly amazing and it was the first real blockbuster of the summer (Wolverine was simply awful). Everything in the movie caught and held my attention and considering I had no previous Trek background it was very easy to follow. Classic fans of the show will fall in love with the appearance of the “original Spock,” [...] Continue...
Music Video of the Week: "3 AM" by Eminem

By Harris posted May 10, 2009 at 23:45

This weeks music video of the week comes from the still unreleased, most anticipated album of 2009 by Eminem titled “Rehab.” In an interesting and growing trend in music, Eminem is releasing the singles from this album way in advance of the release. “3 AM,” is the third single released and is honestly not my favorite song, or video. The best single that I’ve heard so far is “Who Made You,” which featured class Eminem from the rapping to the video shoot. This song gives the vibe of other ballad raps including “Cleaning Out My Closet,” or “Stan.” The video for “3 AM,” features two separate themes. Half of the video pictures a shirtless Slim Shady singing somewhere in the middle of the woods. The rest of the video features him in various horror scenes. Overall I don’t think the video is that effective but layered with some other solid [...] Continue...
The Songs in my Head: Hello Mexico

By Harris posted May 07, 2009 at 21:00

Stemming from Portland, Maine, Sparks the Rescue have just released their debut album “Eye To the Sun.” The album has a lot of high and low points but one of the highest points is track four, “Hello Mexico.” Although the song fits perfectly into the opening portion of this album it is a really unique song. If you are sick of hearing the same old song from alternative bands check this song out, you will be pleasantly surprised. Also, be sure to listen all the way through because towards the end there is a really awesome breakdown that is a can’t miss part of this album. Click here to hear “Hello Mexico,” by Sparks the Rescue on YouTube Continue...
Harris’ Song of the Week: This Town by O.A.R.

By Harris posted May 07, 2009 at 09:23

After finding out this week that I would be covering O.A.R.’s summer concert in Hartford I have been looking into some new music of theirs. I think I have found my favorite song and it is the second single from their latest album, “All Sides.” The song “This Town,” is a really great example of what this band has to offer and I am so excited to see it performed live because of it’s obvious live element. The chorus sings “This town, this night, this crowd, come on put them up, let me hear it loud.” Those lyrics were made to be performed live and even on the recording you get the feeling that the song is being performed for thousands. O.A.R. will be touring to support their most succesful mainstream album to date. The first single “Shattered,” has done extremely well on the charts and should help make this [...] Continue...
Alex from Cobra Starship Sings Cher and More

By Harris posted May 06, 2009 at 11:16

Interview with Alex Suarez from Cobra Starship conducted at Mohegan Sun Arena on April 29th, 2009 Harris Decker: Hi Alex, I was hoping you could summarize in a couple of sentences where the band came from and where the bands name came from? Alex Suarez: Yeah, I’ll try and simplify it all as much as I can but it’s a very complicated story. Let me see. Gabe used to play in a band called Midtown and started a side project and had a couple songs written, put together Cobra Starship through some friends and other people and that’s how Ryland and I joined the band. He had met Nate on tour and Victoria came, uh, later just through some people that we know. H: Okay so just connections basically, you guys just kind of found each other?A: Yeah. Basically. Pretty much through people. I mean, most of us are in [...] Continue...
Music Video of the Week: "The Wind Blows," by The All American Rejects

By Harris posted May 05, 2009 at 09:30

We all know that new music comes out every Tuesday but I have decided to begin a new weekly column that comes out on Monday’s. The “Music Video of the Week” will not always be the best music video in a given week but it will simply be look inside it, my likes and dislikes. I have commented on this band and their current albums in many past articles. The All American Rejects have a habit of writing amazing singles but always have lacked a killer album. Their latest mix up involves the second single off of “When The World Comes Down.” There have been mixed reports about three different songs being the second single and now that a video has been released we have a clear answer. “The Wind Blows,” is an awesome song I just don’t know if I love the idea of it being a single. The [...] Continue...
Advice For Fall Out Boy

By Harris posted May 04, 2009 at 21:31

This is an excerpt taken from the full show review posted on Buzzine.com.“If I had the opportunity to voice my opinions to Fall Out Boy in an effort to keep them strong and touring, it would be as follows: Don’t take shows for granted. Although many of us had seen you before, for others, it was the first time, and you probably could have done more in the areas of stage performance and crowd interaction. Second, drop the backing tracks, which occupied a lot of space. Many of your songs don’t necessarily need the back-tracks in order to be great. Try playing as a four-piece band again. If you do decide to keep the tracks, try employing a keyboard player in order to pull it off in a more cohesive manner.” To read the full show review and synopsis, visit Buzzine.com Continue...
Ezra From Vampire Weekend Talks Music Videos and Success

By Harris posted May 04, 2009 at 09:27

Interview with Ezra from Vampire Weekend Conducted on November 6, 2008 Interviewed by Harris Decker from The Truth About Music Harris: Does the band come up with the ideas for your creative music videos or is it a collaboration with the director? Ezra Koenig: It‘s been both for the different videos. Our first video that we made which is kind of like, you know, our cheapest, simplest one for Mansard Roof we almost made ourselves. We collaborated with a friend and we didn’t have much of an idea. We just jumped on somebody’s boat and took this old camera. But for the A Punk video that concept was almost entirely created by the directors, Hammer and Tongs. I mean I communicated with them earlier with these kind of ideas about color and atmosphere but they cam up with that. And then for the last two that we’ve done with the [...] Continue...
Harris’ Album of the Month: Keep Your Heart by The Loved Ones

By Harris posted May 03, 2009 at 10:17

With no truly great albums out in the last few weeks I decided to once again pay homage to a band that I have loved for quite a number of years. The Loved Ones are a true punk band from Philadelphia, PA who are a rare breed, mixing catchy hooks with really hard hitting punk. “Keep Your Heart,” was their debut album back in 2006 and is one of the most upfront, in your face albums in my library. When I have 60 minutes to drive 80 miles this is the album I’m blasting. Starting with track one “Suture Yourself,” the album is so fast, not letting you rest at all as you quickly move through each track. The single from this album was track three, “Jane,” a song that really shows off the bands ability to use catchy hooks within the context of punk rock. It is not until [...] Continue...
Sing It Loud Tear the Roof Off Webster Theater

By Harris posted May 02, 2009 at 11:02

Since the very beginning of Sing It Loud’s existence, I have been listening to them. They had a single of the week on iTunes which got me hooked and ever since I have wanted to see them live. One thing lead to another and it has been nearly a year of me just missing them or not being able to make it to a show. That finally changed last night at the Webster Underground. A nearly sold out show was the setting for what would be one of the most energetic performances I’ve seen in a long time. It is nice to see that a band like this knows what they need to do each and every night. Their goal is to win over each and every member of the audience as they build a strong fan base. The fans in the crowd were not disappointed. Opening with “I’ve Got [...] Continue...