Hey Monday released their new EP, “Beneath It All” on August 17th. I have been reading a lot on them lately and a lot of controversy and drama has appeared in discussions about the future of the band. I’d like to state my opinion on some of the issues surrounding them.
In a recent interview with Mike Gentile, a Central Florida paper asked, “what’s going on with the [EP]?” and Mike replied;
“Well
we just figured that with the way that everything is right now in the
industry, you have to stay on top, you gotta keep putting things out.
We just felt like if we were to put out a full-length at the end of the
summer it just, it wouldn’t be as beneficial to our fans and the band
as if we were to just kind of split it up. We’ll put the EP out and
we’ll just keep writing and keep putting things out every couple of
months…If you want to stay relevant you have to do something that not
everybody is doing. Everybody’ll put out a full-length and then kids’ll
be over it two months from now. Like why do that? …We might put out a
full-length in March, but as of right now, we just felt the best
decision to do was to put out an EP.”
At first I thought that Hey Monday as a band had decided this and they were being smart about it, but then I found another interview that said the label had decided it would be a good idea. Wow, major labels doing something right! I completely agree with this and I think many other bands will continue to follow this business model. Kids nowadays download singles or albums in a matter of seconds, they listen to it, put it on their ipod and then get over it and move on to the next big thing. The band will go on tour and they might go to the show but then they (and I include myself on this) want more music. For instance, when New Found Glory released “Not Without A Fight,” I listened to it constantly for a couple of weeks then “I WANT MORE!” popped into my head. I feel like kids’ attention spans in this generation can only be measured in nano seconds. It’s hard to keep their attention for more than a 26-minute episode or 30 second commercial. The idea of continuously releasing EP’s would also be an attempt at collecting more revenue for artists. I think we will see more artists doing this.
Secondly, I’ve read a lot about Jersey, bassist, leaving the band but I don’t know why people are surprised by this. Upon reading the cd jacket of Hey Monday’s new EP, you will notice under additional musicians, it does not include any of the “band members” as recording any of their instruments. It lists Chris DeStefano for Guitar, Bass & Synths for Tracks 1-3 and 5, Butch Walker for Guitar under Track 6, Stacy Jones for drums, etc. I noticed under absolutepunk.net that someone stated the band members weren’t even allowed in the recording studio, well, I wouldn’t doubt it after reading this.
Now, I’m not trying to “hate” on Hey Monday, I just wanted to discuss this and come to my next point. Cassadee needs to go back to being a solo artist.
This band is as manufactured as any 90′s boyband was. Their demos were played for Pete Wentz so he’d be into them and blow them up as much as he has. It seems like Hey Monday quickly rised to popularity because, well, they did. They were made to do just that.
Anyway, what I am saying is that I think Cassadee would be much more successful marketed as a solo artist. I love the EP and it has sold 14,500 copies bringing it to #25 on the Billboard charts. This EP is catchy as hell. However, it’s hard for Top 40 radio stations to play bands like this. Perhaps there is a negative mindset towards pop rock bands that they are not worth listening to and belong to a different scene that doesn’t include mainstream.
Cassadee has the voice and the songwriting to be the next pop star alongside Taylor Swift. Once I heard “Hangover” off the EP, I was hooked. It’s so catchy and it’s pleasant to my ears, it just works. It’s one of those songs that everyone would say they hate but secretly love. “Mr. Pushover” is a track with a country twist that just works with her voice and this style. Columbia has the backing to make her a pop star and I think it could happen. The rest of the band are already basically “touring musicians.”
Those are my two cents. Here are my two favorite tracks:
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As I said before, this is catchy as hell and I can listen to “Hangover” quite a few times in a row. So, I’m giving away a couple copies of the record. Just leave a comment on your thoughts about anything in this post and I’ll pick two winners to win a copy of the LP on Monday.
No, that’s not Justin Timberlake – that’s Mike Posner! They do look very similar, don’t they?
You must have heard Posner’s song, “Cooler Than Me” by now or you might have seen him on Warped Tour. He’s been featured on mtv.com, playstation network, sirius radio, aol radio and 100 other outlets, all in preparation for his record that was just released on August 16th, 31 Minutes to Takeoff.
According to various sources, “Please Don’t Go” will be his new single but I honestly think “Cheated” has a lot more potential. As soon as I heard, “I should’ve cheated on you, nobody told me I was dating a whore”, I definitely LOL’d and I can see people around the world loving this song. Afterall, I can bet a good amount of people out there have had a shitty ex- and can relate to this song. The best part? He puts the chick on blast, “Caroline Stevens this song is for you…”.
“Bow Chicka Wow Wow” is a silly title, but a catchy song. “Deja Vu” slightly features Boyz II Men, but I would have loved more than background vocals from them. Posner is so blunt and honest in his song “Gone in September” – “When I met you at the party and I told you you were pretty, I was honestly just trying to score.” Lastly, one of my top favorites includes “Delta 1406″ because I feel that this song shows a genuine and honest peek into the real Mike Posner. That tends to happen when you bring up family and touchy issues:
“I know my dad only got a few years now
He’s gon’ cry when he hears this song
And things with mom have become so weird now
I gotta book hotels for my Detroit shows (oh, oh)
Maybe I flew too far
Shooting stars leave no mark”
I have had 31 Minutes to Takeoff on constant repeat in my CD changer in my car (yes, I still play CDs in my car) and I definitely recommend picking this up (or downloading it, but hopefully buying).
Check out “Cheated” and tell me what you think:
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Want to win a copy of 31 Minutes to Takeoff and a Mike Posner poster? All you have to do is tweet this, “Check out Kathy’s Mike Posner review @ http://bit.ly/mikeposnercd & win a CD+poster #kathyknows.com” and leave me a comment with your Twitter username. I’ll pick a winner by Tuesday!
This little gem is floating around Tumblr and it blew my mind. Talk about a Summer Hits medley!
Sam Tsui is currently an undergrad from Yale who started covering songs on youtube and became one of those as-seen-on-youtube stars doing covers of famous songs.
If it wasn’t for this nicely done little medley, I wouldn’t have looked twice. But he has a very nice voice and LOVE what he did with these songs. He mixes in B.O.B ft. Hayley Williams – Airplanes, Lady Gaga – Alejandro, Ke$ha – Your Love Is My Drug, Katy Perry – California Girls, and Usher – OMG.
Listen up!
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I blogged about 2AM Club when I first started this blog, but since it was so new, chances are you didn’t listen to me! You might have seen these guys on The Early Show, on tour with TV/TV or Mike Posner! (you know, “you think you’re cooler than me”). These guys are so much fun, especially live. It’s an r&b, pop, somewhat Gym Class Heroes but classier, type thing. Check out the video:
I wonder if Heidi Montag has heard this song? I can’t help but to think of her.
Brittany McDonald is a country pop singer from Orange County, California. She writes, produces, records, etc all her own stuff. She has a good team behind her that could really skyrocket her career. Her songs are catchy and fun, however, I think her voice isn’t as strong as it could be. But, since when did that stop anyone from becoming a pop star?Anyway, I have a soft spot for country pop and this song should remind people to stop trying so hard.
“At first I was love drunk, now I’m hung over.” When I first heard the new Boys Like Girls single, “Love Drunk” chorus I thought it was the cheesiest lamest chorus ever. It sounds like The Killers, “Somebody Told Me”. The first verse tricked me into thinking I was going to hear a mature version of their self-titled but it didn’t carry through.
While listening through the record I realized that most of these songs are very generic- made perfectly for Radio disney and pre-teen girls. There’s nothing mind blowing or revolutionary about this record. I have to give it up for Martin’s vocals as they sound more mature and polished than their S/T.
One of their stand out tracks has to be “Two Is Better Than One” but that might be due to my admiration for Taylor Swift. Boys Like Girls plus Taylor Swift? Can we say #1 hit? Although I am a little disappointed in the songwriting as I expected a lot more but I love the country twist Swift puts into this song. If this were to be a radio single, it’d blow up because of the names, not the song.
“Contagious” sounds like I pressed play on a different cd but it’s one of the records better tracks. It’s got a great catchy hook and the clapping breakdown/bridge always works with these power pop bands.
I’m not a fan of “Real Thing” as I feel like I was transported to the 80′s. Some bands can pull it off and make it new and their own but BLG failed on this one.
I had no urge to listen to the next tracks all the way through but when I came to, “Chemicals Collide”, I have a little hope in the record although I’m already up to 10 out of 12.
“Someone Like You” and “Go” are the other 2 ballads (I thought power pop bands were only allowed 1 per record?). “Somone like You” pulls at my little heart strings because at first glance it seems like a love song but if you listen to the words it seems to be about God. Do we get a glimpse of a deeper side to Martin Johnson?
“Go” may be the best on the record as it gives a good message, genuine and passionate feeling. Definitely best track hands down.
I really wanted to be proven wrong by BLG but it just didn’t happen. I knew they wouldn’t be able to live up to their S/T debut and I think they knew it as well – that’s why it took them over 3 years to release their sophmore slump. Sorry guys!
Who said white boys can’t dance? You haven’t been to a 2am Club show! People were going crazy for these guys when I saw them last year at the Roxy and even more at CMJ in October. I was first introduced to them last year by a Columbia intern and right away I knew they were gold. They have the music you can dance to and the hooks you can’t get out of your head and don’t want to. They signed to RCA Records recently and their new album should be out soon – I hope! My favorite song of theirs is “Flashing Room” but I feel the need to give you a different version than on their myspace. In my opinion their older version is better. They had 2 lead vocals, one singer and one ‘rapper’. One of the dudes reminds me a lot of Justin Timberlake and I remember someone comparing their sound to Gym Class Heroes. Don’t skip these guys, if RCA plays their cards right these guys will be huge!
I was on the fence about these guys for a while but after listening to their latest EP, The Last Word (iTunes link), I think they have polished up their sound a lot from the last time I heard them. Call me emo but I love their heartbreaking-you-stole-my-heart-not-i-effin-hate-you lyrics. Some bands try to write songs like this and they come off forced and cheesy but these guys know how to do it right for the song to just flow. I’m not sure why they haven’t gotten more attention but I bet they will soon.
The Song: “The Last Word”
but I love, “The Whole Story”, check out the lyrics:
“I was down on my luck, like the world was pulled from under me. So take a seat and listen up, its time i told you everything and I’ve got a lot to say. I wish you could see me now, because I’m doing it for myself. But you never believed in me so you left for someone else. And i swore I’d hate you forever, yeah I kept it all inside, then I wrote it down on paper so the world would know the whole story tonight. It’s funny how you think you know someone after all you’ve been through together, then they act like a stranger. I guess that’s how it goes but I just wanna say, that you don’t know what you’ve been missing. All I wanted was somebody to listen. I did it for myself.”
I discovered this band last summer and was immediately into them after the first lines of their song, “Get It Get It”. It’s so damn catchy. They definitely remind me of Cobra Starship so if you like them you’ll love these guys. They recently played on Warped Tour and hopefully if you were there you got a chance to check them out! I really like their song “Indie Rock Girl” as well. I think these guys are capable of surpassing a lot of these new Warped bands if they work hard enough and I’m sure they will. They’re just one of those bands that makes you want to get up and dance.
