Post #7: THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE PART 2 OF 2!!! (Justin Timberlake Album)

I have been waiting way too long to write this blog post.

This coming Monday, September 30th, Justin Timberlake will be releasing the second part of his March album, "The 20/20 Experience" to listeners everywhere. The pop superstar's "The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2" was announced just over a month after the original's release. The first of the two albums has been incredibly successful, spawning three singles; two of which landed in the top 5 on the Billboard chart.

But we're not here to talk about the original.

Timberlake made his album free to stream on iTunes on September 24th. So naturally we HAD to review it before its official release.

1. Gimmie What I Don't Know (I Want)

A strong introductory track, the song has a strong entrance and a fresh beat. The album already feels much darker than that of its predecessor. The song is incredibly R&B, which compliments Timberlake's voice well. Like most of his songs, this one has a distinctly different second half. The song seems repetitive in the first half, which starts get annoying, but once the song jumps into the second part, the composition of track changes only slightly, but somehow has a completely different feel. Definitely not the best song on the album, but it does have its moments and acts as a great introductory track.

2. True Blood

First of all, I think it is worth noting that Timbaland's (One of the album's lead producers) vocals have been featured in so many of Timberlake's songs, that no one deems it necessary to list him as a featured artist anymore. Just saying, because in this track the story is no different. The track is faster paced than the previous, but pretty much the same; Very repetitive, heavy R&B influence, and a darker tone to it than any of 20/20 Part 1's songs. At some points its has a semi-dancey feel to it, and this song has much more replayability than most of the other tracks. Definitely worth listening to.

3. Cabaret
This song has a very well....Cabaret feel to it. Featuring rap sensation Drake, this song has even more talent packed into it than a usual Justin Timberlake song. Easily one of my favorite songs, largely due to Drake's contributions. While Timberlake's part is great as usual, Drake's vocals seem ever better suited for the song. His verse just seems so well placed and the lyrics, while not exactly deep, do feel as though they carry some weight. The song also acts as a prelude to the next track, "TKO".

4. TKO
The second single off of the album, "TKO" is a very powerful, and dark song. The heavy beats and cynical tone of it make it almost depressing. While not terrible and perhaps one of the best songs on the album, certainly not some of Timberlake's best work, or at least not deserving of a single. The song is incredibly similar to Timberlake's first solo hit "Cry Me a River" from way back in 2002, when Timberlake was still establishing himself as more than a member of NSYNC. I'm sure this will be a song many of you love, and many of you hate. I definitely consider it worth listening to, but don't expect too much.

5.Take Back the Night
When I first listened to this song, the lead single off of the album, I had this sense of familiarity with it; as though I had already heard it before. It wasn't until a few days ago that the revelation came upon me that I had heard this song before; It had been released in 1979 as "Don't Stop Til' You Get Enough" by an artist named Michael Jackson.

Okay. Okay. All kidding aside, if this song doesn't show how much Timberlake likes to pull some things out of the "King of Pop"'s playbook, I don't know what does. The song is incredibly well done; it has a very big band feel to it, while also getting a good Pop vibe. When this song released this past July, I listened to it for about a week straight. No exaggeration  But somehow, it is still only my second favorite song on the album.

6. Murder
The second guest appearance on the album, this track calls upon Timberlake's "Legends of the Summer" tour partner, and Jay-Z to lend his skills. The Brooklyn native who was also featured in the lead single of Part 1, "Suit and Tie", doesn't quite match Drake in his contributions to "The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2". Not to say that he isn't talented on his verse or anything of that nature, it just lacks any significance. This song could have been released just the same without Jay-Z. Other than that though, the song is really good! The lyrics are great, and the vocals fit perfectly. This song is probably one of the more artistic songs off the album, regardless of the subject matter. It just seems to weave together so nicely (minus the Jay-Z verse).

7. Drink You Away
Cutting right to the chase; this song is amazing. I love this song. This song sounds like it should be on a Classic Rock station. Its incredibly weird listening to Timberlake sing a bluesy drinking song, but weird in the best way possible. This track isn't like anything else on the album, or anything in his entire repertoire for that matter. It has a very down-home feel to it, but at the same time it doesn't seem out of place for Timberlake. The guitar parts compliment Timberlake's new vocal styling in this song. This song is much less punchy than the other songs, and is a really easy and enjoyable to listen to.

8. You Got It On
This song is probably my least favorite on the album. Its not BAD, its just such a sappy and generic love song. I mean there aren't any parts of it that I DON'T like, I'm just very "meh" about the whole song. The vocals and beat are pretty on par with the rest of the album The song isn't really a song you'd want to listen to over and over again, and I'm not sure you'd even want to listen to it twice. This is one of the few songs where I am truly opposed to Timberlake making his songs so long. At nearly six minutes, I'm falling asleep by the end of it. If you get the opportunity to skip this one: Do.

9. Amnesia
This is the pinnacle of the album. It's dark, powerful, and beautifully composed/produced. The beginning of this song paints a picture of this grand scene, and quickly brings the world back to reality with a simple beat and simple vocals. It then leads its way back up to the grand chorus that is just as beautiful as it is moving. I like to picture this song as the Anti-"Mirrors"; They both have more depth than any other song on their respective albums, one is a happy love ballad, the other is a dark, cynical, and crushing tragedy. Finally, perhaps the most simple comparison; they both share the ninth track listing. I see this song going far. If this track does not get released as a single in the coming months, I will be genuinely shocked.

10. Only When I Walk Away
I have a hard time making my mind up on this track. On one hand it is very appealing to the ear, and Timbaland's producing really comes together on this one. On the other, this song sounds like it would have been better had any other person sung it. Timberlake's vocals just don't work for the hard, punchy, aggravated vocals. His vocals are distorted to a point  where they actually become annoying and distracting. This would have been a better song had it not been sung by Timberlake and rather any other human being .(Rebecca Black anyone?)

11.Not A Bad Thing
I had no idea that NSYNC had gotten back together until I heard this song. My least favorite song on the album, its obnoxiously boy band-esque. Even the choruses have such heavy harmonizing, it can hardly be considerd Timberlake alone. It seems so pre-packaged and simple, it drags the entire album down. This song should be released by some aspiring 17 year old that is trying to make his mark on the music scene, not a 32 year old, world-renowned pop sensation. While this song may have worked on "Justified" in 2002, it certainly doesn't fit on this more sophisticated album

12. Pair of Wings (Hidden Track)
Located at the end of "Not A Bad Thing" (An 11 minute song seemed suspicious,  even for this artist), the acoustic love song sends the album out on a good note. It is simple, happy, and just fun to listen to. It contrasts the complex production of the earlier tracks with an emotional guitar piece. This song seems fitting as the last song on an album which may very well be the last from Timberlake for the next few years.

OVERALL
I liked it! Despite criticizing the album heavily, all of the awkward disfigurations of each track seemed to work together for the most part. While it certainly doesn't compare to the first half of "The 20/20 Experience", it is exactly what Timberlake said it would be, 

"If you could imagine you're 16 and she's (20/20 Part 1) everything you thought, she's Marilyn Monroe and then you meet her older sister. Everything that's dark and wrong about her (20/20 Part 2) at that age is why you become infatuated with her"

The album comes out September 30th, and is currently streaming on iTunes for free!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-20-20-experience-2-of-2/id672509345

Definitely check it out for yourself! I'm curious as to what you all think of it! Be sure to leave your PURPLE opinion below!!!

Post #6: IPHONES!!!

(Sorry about the lack of posts here folks! Wanted to fit IOS 7, which released yesterday, into this post)


New iPhones! This is exciting!

Okay so its not actually ALL that exciting. Maybe like 3/4 worth of exciting. Lets dive into it.

Last week, at its yearly September address, Apple revealed not one, but TWO new iPhone models; The 5S and the 5C. One being the obvious successor to the current model, the iPhone 5, and the other being the cheaper more affordable model marketed to a less wealthy market.

THE IPHONE 5S

According to Apple Marketing Chief Phil Schiller, "(Aluminum) is the Gold standard of smartphones".
What does that make Gold?

So the year is no longer 2007. The iPhone is simply not as revolutionary as it was 6 six years ago. The smartphone market is a whole new ball game. Android smartphones are outselling iPhones globally; largely due to the incredible price difference and variety of models. Where the iPhone was the frontrunner in the smartphone race, it is now struggling to keep itself "fresh" and "new".

Enter the 5S. The iPhone 5S is the second iPhone to don the 4 inch (diagonal) retina display. Outfitted with a new 64-bit, A7 chip; the new 5S can now handle applications requiring more memory. What does this mean to you the user?

Nothing.

For the moment, this means nothing. The 5S is the only phone out there running an A7 64-bit chip. 95% of all iPhones will still be running 32-bit chips, so most developers will likely continue to write their code in 32-bit compatibility. In the future this will be huge! It will allow the iPhone to run many more memory heavy applications. But not today. Its really not doing much for you.

Another one of the new bells and whistles in the 5S is the M7 coprocessor. This chip uses information from the gyroscope, accelerator, and compass (without the use of the A7, thus saving battery)to turn the iPhone into the ultimate motion tracking device. The iPhone can now be used to track movement with much better accuracy, which can enable it to become the ultimate pedometer/health tracker. Similar activity trackers such as the Fitbit require bluetooth connections to your iPhone, which drains battery and requires another piece of technology on your person. No other product is as connected to the iPhone. While seemingly meaningless to some, for developers of health related apps, this will be a major improvement.

Finally, my favorite part of the new iPhone 5S has to be the new camera. The new camera has only minor hardware differences, but all of these combined provide for a much better picture. Auto-focus is much more improved, and a dual light flash provides better color. With two different colors of exposure coming from two different flashes, the two can combine and create a picture with a much better exposure, as opposed to the current flash which has only one light and gives night-time pictures a much more washed out look.

THE IPHONE 5C

Like stated earlier, for the first time Apple has released two new iPhone models. This one being the cheaper alternative to the 5S, and the replacement for the 5 on Apple's product line. The 5C is largely identical to the iPhone 5, with some minor differences.

The most obvious difference being the physical appearance. The iPhone 5C dons a colorful plastic shell, a divergence away from the classic black and white the iPhones are known for (however, it should noted that also the 5S comes in a new champagne color). The design breathes new life into the phone, and complements the new IOS 7 operating system, but we'll talk about that later.

I won't be impressed until I see one
in Purple, but I might be a bit biased.

There are minor camera improvements, with a slightly better pixel quality on the front facing camera. Nothing major, but still one of the few changes. The other large difference between the 5 and 5C is that the 5C only comes in sizes up to 32 GB. The 5 came in 3 sizes; 16, 32, AND 64 GB. The 64 GB model now resides solely on the 5S, limiting the cheaper iPhone to less space.

Another minor change also resides in the hardware, as both of the new iPhone models have better connectivity with mobile data. They are each able to pick up a broader range of 4G LTE bands (whatever that means).

So the 5C doesn't really compare to the 5S, but the fact that for the first time Apple isn't recycling the previous model (the 5) as the cheaper alternative to the newest phone definitely gives the 5C some commercial appeal. Overall though I think most people will be motivated to chock up the extra cash for the 5S, but only time will tell.

IOS 7

IOS (iPhone Operating System) 7 may very well be the biggest revamp to the iPhone in the phone's short 6 year history. With IOS 7, Apple has completely redesigned the iPhone. Previous updates had changed minor functionality and appearance related things, but this has created an entirely new phone. Everything you knew about the iPhone has changed. Theres a lot to cover, so lets get into it.

Appearance
Perhaps the biggest change to the IOS, Apple has abandoned its 3D design style in favor for a much simpler design palette of more standard colors and a much more white oriented design. All of the factory installed app icons have been redesigned, come of them not even recognizable. The chart below shows the IOS 6 app icon to the left of its IOS 7 counterpart.

Can someone please explain the new "Photos" app icon to me?
I'm totally missing that.

Most of the Apps' individual interfaces have also changed, following the new simplistic
design of IOS 7. For example: The music app is completely different. Unlike the rest of the IOS, which seems to have been dumbed down; the music app seems to have been made more intricate. Each listing now has the album artwork right next to it, with some exceptions. The traditionally black Now Playing screen now wears white, and has a majority of the controls below the album artwork unlike previous OSs. Not much functionality improvements here. Just change.

Another app with a notable change is the Photos app. The Photos app now categorizes your photos by date. This makes it easier for people like me, the dweeb with 3,000+ photos, to sort through my collection. I hail the improvement as I have lauded the Photo app interface for a long time. The improvement is well needed and should be praised. The design of the app follows suit with the rest of the IOS with simplistic whites and other flat colors.

Now the IOS itself is much better as well. Aside from design, functionality is much improved. Perhaps the most notable change comes in the way of a control center from the bottom of the screen. This new swipe-to-access menu allows for much easier...well...control. Now users can adjust brightness, turn on/off "Do not disturb", bluetooth, airplane mode, the flashlight, and wifi, use their music controls, set a timer, use the calculator, and access the camera all from one swipe away. A historically Android-only feature, the control bar is perhaps one of the most popular new features.

Some more new features include

• Automatic app updating
• Airdrop
• Photo filters built into the camera app
• 1:1 ratio photos (My favorite)
• Dynamic (Moving) backgrounds
• iTunes Radio (Think Pandora Radio)
• Facetime (Only) Audio

Overall I think that this new IOS along with the new iPhones will be very positively received. The new enhancements will give the iPhone a freshness it has lacked in the past few years.

But what do you think?!? Leave your Purple Opinions on the new Apple products in the comment section below! And don't forget to keep an eye out for the new season of Purple Opinions coming this Winter!

Post #5: WRECKING BALL!!!

Ok, Shorter post than any of last week's, but I really wanted to get this out there.

Yesterday, Miley Cyrus released the music video for her new single "Wrecking Ball", a sad breakup song. The new video comes off the heels of her controversial MTV Video Music Awards performance two weeks ago, which left many stunned.

This video does very little to change people's opinions of her.

Let us start with the song itself. A much slower piece than her previous song "We Can't Stop", this one has a much more "adult" feel to it. The darkness of the song is a sharp contrast from the prior, but it still lacks emotional depth. It has a very emotional message/feel to it, but its very bland. No real deep message here, just a dry sob story. That being said, the song is by no means a disaster. It has great playability and it's simple chorus is enough to sway listeners. The vocal talent is definitely there, and this is likely to be another hit for Cyrus. I personally really enjoy this song a lot and I'm sure many others will as well.

But then there's the video.

The video differs from that of "We Can't Stop" in the sense that its shock value doesn't come gradually, instead opting for the much more direct approach of Miley swinging around on a wrecking ball completely naked. While this obscure material was "okay" for an upbeat party song such as "We Can't Stop", it takes away from the dark/seriousness of this song. The over-sexed scenes of her lying seductively on a pile of rubble doesn't suit the deep lyrics of her tragic sob story. Its hard to take the song seriously when she can't even seem to take it seriously herself. The video disregards the whole idea of this sad love story, and chooses to sacrifice the prospect of a well done music video for a sex-crazed, marketable, and gossip friendly train-wreck. Aside from the content, the video is repetitive. It seems that many angles are repeated and awkward. The few good angles are repeated to death, and then everything else is just weird. There are a bunch of different shots of her licking a sledgehammer (which is just plain odd), and then the closeups of her face aren't even serving much an emotional purpose either. They only serve as a distraction, as I'm too busy focusing on the ever present saliva in her mouth (gross...).

Unfortunately, this video will likely get millions of hits and be repeated and talked about over-and-over again.

This video upsets me particularly because most times I like to be the one rooting for the unique artists. I like to see people be different and bring something new to the table (Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, etc.). I feel as though Miley Cyrus is not trying to be unique though. I feel as though she sees every opportunity as another chance to make a publicity stunt. This seemingly serious song is lost in her over-erotic and just plain weird music video. At least with other out-of-the-box types, they know how to walk the line.

For example, in Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi", she also takes the route of a crazy and over-the-top video. Lots of sparkly objects and just flat out weird stuff. However, the separating factor between this and "Wrecking Ball" is that there is a story and uniqueness to it. It is not simply running on sex-appeal alone. It uses a very over-the-top artistic approach to all the shots and they aren't all focused on a sexed up singer. The video follows a story and has some sort of "emotional" (the word being used very generously) progression. This is not to say that this video is perfect, but it is surely leagues above "Wrecking Ball"

So there are my thoughts on "Wrecking Ball"! What did you think? If you haven't seen it yet, check it out here! (Be warned: Probably not appropriate for kids!)



Be sure to leave your "Purple Opinions" on the video in the comment section below!!!

NEW VIDEOS!!!

Huzzah! After a month long hiatus, the MediaArtOwns team is back in the saddle with not one, but TWO new videos! Take a look! Enjoy!


Tory's "Summer of Starbucks"


Louis' "Wake Me Up - Summer 2013"

POST #4: YOURS TRULY (Ariana Grande Album)

Alright, Louis here for my first blog! May be a little long so I'm gona try to keep it interesting. Let's jump right into it!

So for those of you who are fans of the Top 40/Pop genre of music like me, you may know that Ariana Grande's new album, "Yours Truly," was released today, September 3, 2013. So I'm gonna go through and listen to each song, then share my opinion on them. What I liked, what I didn't like, vocals, beat, all that musical stuff. And if you aren't a fan of this type of music, maybe this little review will convince you to take a listen and try it out. I'll post a link to her album for iTunes and Amazon at the end of the post where you can buy it or listen to a sample of each song. So let's get to the review!

Song #1: Honeymoon Avenue
So we start the album with its longest song at 5:39. The song is mostly soft and slow. The beginning of the song reminds me of an orchestra you may hear in a peaceful, flower-filled meadow scene of a Disney movie. That may just be me though lol. The song is peaceful and relaxing and easy to listen to. One part that stands out to me is the bridge of the song, where all that is heard is a soft piano with Ariana singing very softly. It's just a very easy going song.

Song #2: Baby I
The second song is also the second single from the album. It's definitely a much faster song than "Honeymoon Avenue," but it's nothing too intense. This song is a little louder and does have more bass to it. As the song goes on it picks up and gets faster and louder. And please, don't get "Baby" by Justin Bieber and this mixed up. They are very different. Ariana actually has a good voice.

Song #3: Right There (feat. Big Sean)
So this song features Big Sean. He has the first main vocals in the song and a rap later on. He has an okay part in the song. I've never been a huge fan of Big Sean but he adds a little to the track. It's always nice to have some extra vocals. As for the song itself has a catchy beat and Ariana's vocals, as always, are outstanding. I like the beat and main chorus. It seems easy enough to pickup quickly and enjoy!

Song #4: Tattooed Heart
Before even listening to this song I'm a little curious as to what it's gona sound like with a name like "Tattooed Heart." I was not expecting this, but it started off very slow with "ooo's," slow snapping, and a very soft piano. Ariana is powerful hitting the high notes, but manages to keep the song soft. This is another peaceful song, but not as quiet as the others. At the bridge, it seems to pick up a little bit, but still stays along the same pace it started on.

Song #5: Lovin' It
This song takes the opposite approach of the last song; being fast paced and has a much more noticeable beat. It is most noticeable when the chorus hits as it is much faster than the verses. The song seems like it is changing its tone often by going from a fast chorus to slowing down for the verse to speeding up again, but it sounds good.

Song #6: Piano
All the talk about piano's in her other songs, and here we have a song titled "Piano." And without any doubt, the song opens to the sound of a piano, but unlike the other "piano" songs, this one is more upbeat and faster. It's catchy and features other beats and instruments other than just a piano (who would have known?).

Song #7: Daydreamin'
Another piano start. I'm not complaining though. I like it. It makes the song peaceful and nice to listen to. I feel the song has the feel it should. The song is titled "Daydreamin'" and it has that sort of "dreamy" feel a song would have with piano, a light beat, and nice vocals. Like a lot of her songs on the album, this one is easy-listening.

Song #8: The Way (feat. Mac Miller)
A song I think most of us have heard. This is the lead single from the album and had the most commercial success. What to say about this song. I think I've heard it so many times now, I'm not sure what to say about it. I just...know the song. It's upbeat. Catchy. I like it. Mac Miller has a good rap in it too. It just fits. It just sounds like it belongs in the song. I'm sure most have you have heard this so I don't need to say much. If you haven't heard it, you probably don't like mainstream radio. Give it a listen.

Song #9: You'll Never Know
Back to the new songs I don't know. This song has a different "beat"/instrumental part to it. It almost sounds electronic, but it's definitely not. It just sounds different then some of the others; and that's saying a lot cause a lot of these songs are piano (which despite the obvious differences, this one has as well) mixed with similar vocals. But this song has some other background noises that make it sound a little different. This one is easier to listen to then explain. It also "fades out" to end the song, something I'm not a fan of. Not a make-or-break for me, just not a fan of it. Not important. Next song.

Song #10: Almost Is Never Enough
I believe this is the slowest song on the album. It almost sounds like a song someone would play on the piano at a wedding. I'm not a big fan of very slow songs like this, but Ariana has such an amazing voice for it, and it sounds really good. It's a duet featuring Nathan Sykes (Member of british boy-band "The Wanted") who is just as good as Ariana. The song never really picks up too much. It stays slow throughout and mostly relies on strong vocals which both Ariana and Nathan provide, likely due to the chemistry between the real life couple. It sounds really good. Like I said, I'm not a big fan of these very slow songs, but this may be an exception. It definitely stands out from all the other loud and mainstream "pop" songs on the album.

Song #11: Popular Song
This is another song with two artist, this one actually belonging to MIKA, and featuring Ariana. This is one of my favorites on the album. Almost the entire chorus of the song samples the musical number "Popular" from the incredibly successful Broadway musical "Wicked". It's another catchy, upbeat, fun song; great beat, fun to listen to, and the vocals from MIKA only make the song better. This song is just one of those you have to get up and dance to. Not much else to say. Listen to the sample. It's a fun song.

Song #12: Better Left Unsaid
So I was gona be a jokester and just say "Better left unsaid" and leave it at that, but I actually do have something to say about the song. Like a lot of songs, it starts off slow, but unlike a lot of her songs, this one picks up and has a decent chorus. It gets "dance-y," faster, and develops a catchy beat. I know I say that about a lot of the songs, but I didn't make them. I'm just listening.

Song #13: The Way (feat. Mac Miller) [Spanglish Version]
So yeah, I wonder what this is? If you are actually curious, it's "The Way," in Spanish! Whoa! And it's not actually all in Spanish. Only some things. None of Mac Miller is Spanish, and Ariana is a mix. Parts such as: "I love the way" is still in English. But some other verses and the other half of the chorus is Spanish. I don't know. I don't speak Spanish. If you do, listen. If not, whatever.

Final Thoughts
So those are all the songs. So what's my final opinion? As you may have been able to tell by the song specific reviews, a lot of the songs are similar. A lot of songs are either slow piano songs or upbeat pop songs. The only song that really stands out to me is "Almost Is Never Enough" because of how slow it is, the vocals, and the fact that it's a duet. As for my favorite on the album, it's either "The Way" or "Popular Song." I'm a big fan of Top 40/Pop and these songs fall right into that category. So that's my review. Let me know what you think in the comments! And if you find any mistakes, just let me know. First time blogger here. Thanks!

Links to "Yours Truly"

iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/yours-truly/id685066067

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Yours-Truly-Ariana-Grande/dp/B00DPKQ60A