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Bell and Sebastian Review

Belle and Sebastian Write about Love
by Melanie Hemminger

Being compared to legendary indie acts such as Bob Dylan and The Smiths, Belle and Sebastian have made a name for themselves in one very competitive music industry. In 1996 the indie music industry was blowing up in the UK, and one band in particular was on top. Oasis had just released their third album and it was the fastest selling album in the UK chart history. How would a band come out of the woodworks at a time where a band was dominating the UK music industry? Belle and Sebastian managed to come out of Oasis’s shadow with one song that defined the bands name and sound.
In 1996 Belle and Sebastian formed over in Glasgow. Current member, Stuart Murdoch, and past member, Stuart David, came together and decided to record some demos at Stow College. The recorded these demos with professor Alan Rankine. The college had a label itself called Electric Honey. The label usually only produced one single a year, however with the talent the boys showed they recorded the debut album, Tigermilk.
The band had become so popular it was time to recruit some new members, and so both Stuart’s did. Stevie Jackson (guitar and vocals), Isobel Campbell (cello/vocals), Chris Geddes (keys) and Richard Colburn (drums), Sarah Martin (violin/vocals) were recruited as members of Belle and Sebastian. With the new members all settled in, the band preceded to make a sophomore album known as, If Your’re Falling Sinister. Spin magazine had even labeled it was one of the 100 greatest albums with the time periods 1985 to 2005. The growing success of the band even led them to sign with Jeepster Records. The band followed their sophomore album with two EPs: Lazy Line Painter Jane and 3..6..9 Seconds of Light. The band would release albums and EPs from 1996 to present never disappointing.
Belle and Sebastian are now back at it again performing live since almost four years ago. They just dropped their eighth studio album which is titled “Belle and Sebastian Write About Love.” “I Want the World to Stop” is a timeless indie song. The melodic tones when the chorus comes together is easily stuck in your head for days to follow. Having female and male vocalist on such tracks such as “I Didn’t See It Coming” and “Write About Love” adds a unique touch to album the album, and they can undoubtably be labeled as a “feel good” song. Unlike a typical indie band, Belle and Sebastian also use many instruments in there song. They of coarse have the typical guitar, bass, and drums, but they also have violin, keys, and cello. Those fine touches add to this bands unique sound.
Belle and Sebastian are filled with such great passion, and one can tell that they put that passion in to each and every song. There newest album Belle and Sebastian Write About Love is a cd you should consider picking off the shelf next time you at the record store.

Jingle Ball 2009 Y100 Miami

by Melanie Bae

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Jingle Ball 2009 was overflowing with a unique variety of artists. The artist were ranging from Flo Rida to Colbie Callet. It was hosted by Leighton Meester and Adam Lambert. The whole show was kicked off with Leighton Meester entering singing “Good Girls Go Bad” the hit single by Cobra Starship which Leighton had appeared on. Miss. Meester then followed the intro with her single “Somebody To Love,” but was cut short do to some “technical difficulties.”

Jason Derulo, who has the hit song “Whatcha Say,” was given his chance to sing two songs from his latest self tittle album, and his performance was one worth sticking around for. Where can I begin with Flo Rida? All you could do is ” throw your hands in the air a-air.” Flo Rida also felt it was necessary to strip and give all his clothing to the audience, and his jacket also caused some bit of commotion on the floor. 3OH3! was undesirable, in a good way. They played Starstrukk, Don’t Trust Me, and Don’t Dance. The hilarity behind this was that the whole crowd sat down during Don’t Dance, must be because it has never been a single, but 3OH!3 was fantastic.

The dance party was however put to a halt when Colbie Callet began to perform. She has a beautiful voice, but the aimless wondering around the stage and the lack of enthusiasm brought down the hype and excitement the other performs had built up. Adam Lambert sang a bit of acapella in between acts, and it was breathtakingly beautiful and pure. LMFAO was my favorite of the night. They brought such excitement to the crowd and their energy was contagious.

Timberland walked on stage with a orchestra tape playing loudly, and you could tell he thought he was creating a “epic” moment. Timberland was talking through some back-up tapes his DJ was playing, but he did bring Brandi and JoJo to the stage which was a nice surprise. Jordin Sparks was one of the closing acts, and no doubt that girl had the best vocals of the night. Her voice was flawless, and the intensity she brought to her performance brought the crowd to their feet.

The closer of the night was one and only Shakira who shook her body awkwardly and sang some song as well as she could as she danced. All in all the show was fun and the performers did a great job.