Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Beat.
Remembering David Bowie 1947–2016. Top Story - January 2018.
This week inconceivably marks two years since David Bowie’s untimely passing, but it’s still hard to believe he’s gone. This week, on what would have been his 71st birthday, I am once again exploring his extensive catalog, as I fondly reflect upon my personal journey of discovery into the bewildering artistry of Bowie.
By Eric Allen8 years ago in Beat
Insane Art—'Human Nature Bright Side/Dark Side' review
Insane Art is an interesting four-piece Siberian Groove Metal band from Novosibirsk, Russia, with a monster of a two-part album for their first ever releases. Though they were released almost a year apart, they flow together so well that I wanted to review them as one body of work. Even just by title, these two seem to follow a concept of a lighter/dark-type double album, which, in concept, I, as a listener, really enjoy! Their overall sound is a good blend of traditional groove metal (ie: Lamb of God and Pantera) mixed very well with early 2000s era metalcore like Chimaira or Unearthed, which comes off as chaotic in the best way! As a vocalist and lyricist, I would usually talk about lyrics and the like, but for these dudes I'm going to give that a pass, as there is a bit of a language barrier. I can say, vocally, the lead singer has great chops on screaming as well as his cleans (don’t worry, my metalhead friends, when I say "cleans," it is closer to a thrash metal yell for the most part, nothing whine-y or autotuned will be found on theses disks). But enough about the dudes, let's get into what they have created!
By Rip Mitchell8 years ago in Beat
The 10 R&B Albums of 2017 You Must Have in Your Library
In a year where “Bodak Yellow” and “Despacito” battled at the top of the charts, EDM’s rise in popularity is at fever pitch, and “pop” is now defined by angsty hip-hop artists such as Lil Uzi Vert. It’s easy to have missed some amazing R&B albums the past year. Some say the genre died years ago with singers going to more “popular” sounds and even rapping.
By Chauncey Balsom8 years ago in Beat
A Swift Rise to Fame: the Internet's Favorite 7-Year-Old Taylor Swift Impersonator Unveils Her Axl Rose Impression
Last week, the internet went wild for Xia Vigor, a 7-year-old little popstar who's currently competing on the Philippine TV talent show Your Face Sounds Familiar (Kids). Despite ranking low in the show's weekly challenge, Xia broke the internet with her spot-on impersonation of America's sweetheart, #TaylorSwift.
By Karina Thyra8 years ago in Beat
The Best Two Weeks of My Life: Part One
I'm sure a lot of us can say "2017 was the worst year of my life." I know for sure I can say it. It's not because of politics, and not because of all the chaos that's happened. Nine days into 2017, I lost the most important person in my life. I lost my mom.
By Katherine Ruiz8 years ago in Beat
Baby, Now We Got Bad Blood: Celebrities Are Taking Sides on Taylor Swift & Kimye Feud
There are more pressing issues in the world which need our attention right now, but now and then, the depressing aspects of life are overtaken by the interesting and highly publicized feuds between celebrities. Just like the infamous one between America's sweetheart - Taylor Swift, and the king and queen of Reality TV and internet - Kimye.
By Karina Thyra8 years ago in Beat
The Three Notebooks You Need as a Songwriter
When I started songwriting when I was nine, and for the first little while of the last 11 years, I only used on book as a songwriter. And yes, that worked fine for a while, but I'm at the point now where there are three different notebooks I use in my songwriting practice that I think are absolutely necessary.
By Robin Owens8 years ago in Beat
The 'List: Instrumentals
Hello one and all and welcome to a New 'List for 2018! So, here's the official 'list for the new year and after several solo efforts, I'm pleased to report that my collaborator and best friend Calvin "Oates" Cherry gave me his two cents on this 'list.
By Carlos Gonzalez8 years ago in Beat
New Year, New Music - Pt. II
2017 was a great year for music. When you thought the mumble rappers were going to take over, in comes the lyricists. When you thought the industry forgot all about R&B, in comes a slew of R&B releases from both oldies and newbies. Streaming sales took over the game, podcast-galore, and well, the memes were downright legendary. Let’s not forget when the rest of the world seemed to catch up with us when it was announced that Hip Hop became the dominant genre of the country. Uh, duh.
By Sadé Sanchez8 years ago in Beat
