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Weekly Audio Tour

Artist: Fischerspooner
by Rhea Boyd

    Fischerspooner is a New Yorker electroclash duo who is leaving their mark on pop culture with their original music, art and fashion.
    When I first listened to Fischerspooner in 2005, I was intrigued by their interesting sound and lyrics. The first song I ever heard of Fischerspooner’s was Emerge. It was a clear example of what Fischerspooner was all about: repetitive electronic beats and lyrics laced with a unique mixture of funky vocals. The singer, Casey Spooner, has an impressive vocal range. The sound is soft and lyrical, surprisingly clear for a male lead, and never fails to reach the high keys. Although many songs and albums by electronic artists end up running together because they are so alike, Fischerspooner has a profoundly unique sound. As soon as the song begins they are easy to identify because of their electro beats, vocals and energetic pace. Read more

Heather's Audio Odyssey

A musician’s search for “real” tunes.
by Heather Brenneman

     The other day, I was listening to the radio and they played a song that I liked. I thought to myself, “Self, you have iTunes and LimeWire, just go download it.” Then I asked myself, “Self, what exactly happened to those people who used to sell CDs before the age of downloads?”

    I took a trip down memory lane, back to the ‘90s when people actually went to a store, perused the aisles, and came out with a CD. For those who don’t remember the age of the CD, it stood for compact disc and was a piece of plastic that had tracks to listen to…. the WHOLE ALBUM, not just the “one good song”.

    I walked into Best Buy a few days later. Ahh, the friendly smell of electronics. Walking past the cell phones, DVDs, and other gadgets of the modern world, I proceeded to the last aisles of the store where the CDs are. They had only the new albums and it took me forever to find anything. I guess I’m just so used to sitting at my computer and downloading whatever I wanted, that it took me a while to get back in the habit of actually ‘looking’ for a CD rather than searching a list on iTunes. I forgot that looking for something used to require actual physical movement. Read more

Kyllan Snow is TJ's Idol

TJ Music Department entertains the crowd with TJ Idol competition and choir pop show.
by Asia Dorsey

    Vocalists, pianists and even a ventriloquist entertained an enthusiastic, Spartan crowd at Thomas Jefferson the night of February 14th at the annual TJ Idol show.
     Taliah Farnsworth and Aaron Loffelmacher served as magnetic and entertaining emcees with lots of sparkle, costumes and shameless plugs for TJ’s upcoming musical, Chicago (showing March 13, 14, and 15).
    The performances included Melissa Fife singing Mary’s Song (by Amy Grant) soulfully and with elegance. Chris Wolter blew the audience away with his rendition of The Impossible Dream (from Man of La Mancha). Andrew Craig preformed Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black on the piano, rivaling Ms. Winehouse’s original version. Annette Bowser captivated the audience with her rendition of The Fugees’ style of Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly, while Khadijah Williams wooed the crowd with her classy and powerful performance of One Night Only a la Beyoncé in Dream Girls. Yasmina Bradley Belcaid rapped the first round up with her spunky and well executed performance of the song Criminal.
    But it was Aubrey Becker singing Taylor Swift’s Our Song, her younger brother Andrew Becker - the amazing Spartan ventriloquist and his little wooden partner, Riley - singing Roxy from Chicago, and finally Kyllan Snow with his original piece, Letter to Self who turned the event on it’s back, shining above the other contestants and all three advancing to the next round.
    Next came many crowd pleasing performances in the new addition of the Pop Show, performed by members of the various choirs directed by Edwina Hebert. There were such songs as All My Life by K Ci and Jojo , Waterfalls, by TLC, Kiss Me by Six Pence None the Richer, Don’t Speak, by No Doubt, and wrapping up the event with I Believe I can Fly by R. Kelly. There was also an amazing performance by the TJ Dance Team, skillfully lead by Angelica Mills. The audience went wild over their performance. Read more

Weekly Audio Tour

Artist of the week: M.I.A.
by Rhea Boyd

    M.I.A. is a stage name for Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, a British songwriter. Her music is considered to be a combination of many genres including indie, electro, hip-hop and dancehall.

    Although female rappers are not considered popular, the vocals in her song are unlike mainstream artists. This distinctive voice is aggressive and laced with a British (and a slight hint of Sri Lankan) accent which adds to the intriguing nature of her melodies.

    M.I.A. creates music consisting of deep lyrics and hard beats, which are both entirely unique and impressively original. The lyrics surround political issues and her personal views on the world. Many of the lyrics focus on war, famine, poverty, disease, poor political leaders, etc. They are powerful and she is unafraid to express herself through her songs. One of her biggest hits, Paper Planes, is based on her issues with the United States, “If you catch me at the border I got visas in my name,” she raps. The lyrics could be a message to the United States about how she should be allowed into the country (she isn’t because of her father’s alleged ties with supposed terrorist groups). The beats in her tunes are consistently catchy and interesting. Listeners are greeted with the sound of solid drums and several electronically enhanced sound effects. In Paper Planes, the chorus involves the sound of a gun being cocked and shot, which was considered risky and controversial. “It was clear to me that I wasn’t getting anywhere whether I followed the rules or not, so I thought I might as well release the song I want to release,” she told Radar magazine. Read more

Music From Juno So Good I Almost Forgot the Movie

The Juno Soundtrack is anything but a cute cover.
by Sarah Heath

    The soundtrack to the award winning film has catchy tunes, racy tunes, old tunes and new tunes. This CD completely falls into the catagory of, "Fun for the whole family."  

     The soundtrack is a pretty even mix of playtime melodies with artists like Antsy Pants whose child-like voice is quirky and comforting. The most tracks belonged to one Kimya Dawson, whose grave, sing-song voice slurs out grown-up lullabies. In Loose Lips [track 8] Kimya sings of love and war, subtly burns the President, and the chorus is a war chant, “We won’t stop until somebody calls the cops, and even then we’ll just start again and pretend that nothing ever happened.”

    The second thread in the braid is the classic rock. The CD takes major rock hits from across the timeline. Classics like: Dearest by Buddy Holly, A Well Respected Man by The Kinks, I’m Sticking With You by The Velvet Underground and All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople. The film also features underground/indie favorites: Superstar by Sonic Youth, Piazza, New York Catcher by Belle & Sebastian, Sea of Love by Cat Power, Anyone Else but You by The Moldy Peaches, and the infectious song from the opening credits, All I Want is You by Barry Louis Polisar. Read more

Are You the Next TJ Idol?

TJ Idol gets a make-over.
by Sinjin Jones

    With first round auditions today and tomorrow, second round auditions January 30th and 31st, and the finale on February 8th, TJ Idol merges with the Choir Pop-show to create a night of extraordinary singing.
     TJ Idol, which began as a talent show to showcase TJ students, has now been over-hauled. "We are getting back to the roots of American Idol," says Choir Director and show coordinator Edwina Hebert. "Rather than have it as an all-encompassing talent show, we want to focus on the singing." In this respect, those wishing to participate are asked to prepare a short, 30-second audition piece for the first round, held today and tomorrow. "We ask that everyone come prepared and that they give the judges all that they have so we can choose the finalists for the show on the eighth."
     Differing from past years, a panel of judges will be asked to choose finalists. On the faculty, teachers Jonathan Poole, Gordon Heaton, Tiffany Burkle, Aimee Witulski, Carole Fulkerson, Robin Johnson, and Eileen Adair along with Counselor Dawn Catalano will be providing their judging expertise. "In order to ensure complete impartiality, we will also have non-teacher judges," says Hebert. Those wishing to watch first round auditions need only pay $1 and show up in the choir room at lunch. Read more

Rock Atop the Mighty Pysicus

Local band combines soul, funk, and rock to capture unique sound.

by Sarah Heath

    Pysicus is more than a band: it’s a visual, physical and soulful experience. With four members, this group evokes a tingly feeling that can only be described as “Good Vibes.” Perfect for an appetite of psychedelic rock with a side order of funk and a little moshing for dessert.

    Pysicus is made up of four members: Mike Paff on drums, Sean Danderand on bass, Ryan Thrush on guitar and Coleman Anno rocking vocals. They take to the stage like total rock stars. (After about five minutes of taking in the scene I realize that, to the crowd gathered in front of the stage, they are.)
Read more

Fergalicious Goes Platinum

With the release of her brand new album, The Dutchess [sic], Fergie, (aka Stacey Ferguson), has topped the charts around the world yet again.

by Heather Brenneman

    The former Wild Orchid and more popular Black Eyed Peas singer has had three new singles and an amazing bittersweet album that’s deeply personal. Among her most popular is the tear jerking Big Girls Don’t Cry. This song has been a hit on ARC weekly Top 40 (Rock On The Net's official weekly Top 40 pop chart - updated every Thursday and referenced all over the world), with two straight weeks of being the number one song in the country. Fergie has made herself a name in the world of pop culture. She is now an icon in the lives of teenage girls worldwide. Read more

Power to the Park

Linkin Park makes a depressing but powerful statement.

by Heather Brenneman

    America has been waiting for Linkin Park’s latest album, Minutes to Midnight, for nearly three years, and while fans worldwide lined up to get their hands on it, the question is:  did they get what they paid for?
    The old band came out with a new sound, including rap, metal, and everything in between. Their fusion of hard metal and a touch of rap make this album different, but that signature Linkin Park feel still lingers. From its previous album Meteora in 2003, this band has not only gone around the world-literally-but in musical taste, as well. This album reeks of death and sorrow and made every atom of my insides freeze. Everything about this album made me die a little bit inside.  I felt as if I were at a really bad funeral where no one missed the deceased.  Although Linkin Park’s past with a rap-metal signature and out-of-the-ordinary style is usually a little extreme, this album is 0n extreme overload. Read more

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