"Chandelier" Cover By Lia

Hey guys! Well, this is it. The end of the road. Let me just say, it's been such a fun experience. What started out as a school project ended up being one of the most fun and rewarding things I've done in a while. I'm truly sad to see this blog go. However, I am honored to be the last cover for this blog and I hope you like how I've treated Sia's "Chandelier! I've admired this song ever since I first heard it all those months ago. The way Sia's voice soars and cracks makes me feel the absolute pain that is present in the song. I hope you enjoy my last cover for JUKEBOX!

The Swan Song Playlist

Hello, JUKEBOXERS!!

We originally started this blog for a class project back in February.  We've shared songs that we love through our reviews, playlists, and covers.  It is only appropriate that our last playlist be about us saying good bye and thanking you for all your support.  We hope you enjoy our Swan Song Playlist and make sure to come back tomorrow for Lia's last cover.  Thank you JUKEBOXERS!!!

-- the JUKEBOX girls

The Playlist:

Jewel

Best For Last - Adele
Bye Bye Bye - N Sync
Nothing Lasts Forever - Maroon 5
Save The Last Dance For Me - Michael Bublé
This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) - Natalie Cole

Lia

The Last Song - All-American Rejects
Unintended - Muse
Thnks fr th Mmrs - Fall Out Boy
Good Riddance [Time Of Your Life] - Green Day
Here (In Your Arms) - Hellogoodbye

Kimberly
It's So Hard to Say Goodbye To Yesterday-Jason Mraz
Thank You-Dido
The Last Time-Taylor Swift, Gary Lightbody
I Hope You Find It-Miley Cyrus
Beautiful Goodbye-Maroon 5

“Can’t Do It Without You” the Austin & Ally theme song

Ross Lynch and Laura Marano who play Austin and Ally respectively

Hi everybody!  It’s Kimberly here for my final post for the genre “Children’s Music.”

For 35 weeks, I’ve reviewed songs that both kids and kids at heart would enjoy for our blog JUKEBOX.  The songs I’ve chosen have been from movies and television shows both new and old.  For my last post, I would like to review a song that will serve as my thank you to those who have read any of my reviews in the past 8 months.  Today, I will be reviewing “Can’t Do It Without You” from the Disney Channel show Austin & Ally.

Ross Lynch is the actor who plays Austin Moon on Austin & Ally.  Ross Lynch is the lead singer for a band called R5 which is made up of his two brothers, his sister, and their friend.  R5 is most known for their song “Loud” which is featured on their debut album “Louder.”  Next year in 2015, they will be releasing their second album with songs featured on the “Heart Made Up On You” EP.  R5 has a sound that contrasts that of Austin & Ally, but I would recommend them to you if you like pop/rock. 

Austin & Ally is about a singer and a songwriter who pair up to become successful in the music business.  When the show first started, Austin couldn’t write songs and Ally had terrible stage fright. They needed each other to “make it big.”  The theme song “Can’t Do It Without You” is basically Austin telling Ally that he couldn’t have gained a foothold in the music industry without her help.  The song is fast-paced which is suiting for a theme song.  The lyrics are fun like “When the crowd wants more we bring on the thunder/’Cause you got my back and we’re not going under.”  It’s a song that a kid would want to learn all the lines to or dance to whenever an episode comes on the television.  It’s not a perfect song that older kids would want to sing along to, but the lyrics are good at summing up Austin and Ally’s partnership.  I’m giving “Can’t Make It Without You” 3 ½ records because although it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, it does its job of creating the exciting atmosphere surrounding the beginning of a kids’ television show.

Thank you for reading my last review of “Can’t Do It Without You” from Austin & Ally!  Again, thank you for your support for the past 35 weeks.  Please come back this weekend for our last playlist and cover.  J

Below is the video of opening credits for Austin & Ally that features “Can’t Do It Without You.”

Here is the audio of one of R5’s newer songs called, “Things Are Looking Up.”

Rating: 3 1/2 RECORDS

Photo: nick e Disney shows

"Yellow Flicker Beat" by Lorde

Ella Yelich-O'Connor (aka Lorde(

Hey guys, Lia here with another song from Her Royal Highness Hipster Queen, Lorde!

I have such a soft spot for Lorde. She's done more with her life than I have and I'm so jealous but proud of her at the same time. Also, I enjoy how poetic her lyrics are, even they're not very deep. She's 17 though, so I 'll cut her some slack.

If you want to read more about her background, reference my review on one of her other songs. You might notice that my prediction back then came true because Lorde has become so much more established in the music industry. She's added tremendously to the amount of awards she's won in the past couple of months, plus she's the curator of music for a movie now!

The movie is The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and "Yellow Flicker Beat" is the first single from the soundtrack to be released. Not bad for a seventeen-year-old from New Zealand! See, friends? Dreams do come true. Anyway, I was curious about her personal life so I did a little bit of additional research (stalking) and stumbled upon her very proud boyfriend's blog! I also follow her weird self on tumblr so check out her blog too. 

ANYWAY. If I was Lorde, I would keep James, her boyfriend, on a tight leash because although he's not very distinctive looking, he seems like such a sweet sensitive guy. James is a photographer so all the photos on his blog are amazing! Plus, his posts about Ella (Lorde) are brimming with pride for his lady. And rightly so! Although, I think Ella's fame is hitting him a bit hard because he mentions in a blog post that her fame is causing him to be a "target to the tabloids." It seems like he'll stand by her even through all of that. 

In "Yellow Flicker Beat," Lorde makes a mention about the public side of being famous. "I'm a princess, cut from marble, smoother than a storm," she croons in the first verse. This signifies her (and Katniss's) neutral, somewhat cold public persona, even though her private personality is a storm of complexity and emotion. This song has so much imagery, it would take me a long time to go through all of them since they all relate to The Hunger Games books. This song is literally such a full account of what Katniss would be feeling by Mockingjay. 

Melodically, it's typical Lorde, with her synth beats and rampant vocalizations. Her cited inspirations--from artists like Grimes to Kanye West--really show how broad of a scope she musically encompasses. Her lyrics and singing are downright indie, with the somehow earthy simplicity of the buzzing repeating computer keyboard pattern. That whole chorus synth part sounds like downplayed and remastered Beastie Boys! Although, if I allow myself some criticism, she still hasn't perfected a clean sound yet. There's a lot of sound lost that just goes into the ether (I'm talking about the amount of reverb on this track). She still has a ways to go so I think that instinct to clean up her track will come with time. 

But somehow, Lorde always makes it all work. Honestly, I'm excited what kind of music she's picked for this soundtrack! So far, I'm loving the first single. 

Rating: 4 RECORDS

Information: Wikipedia, pop.genius.com, onofield.com, lordemusic.tumblr.com

Photo: usmagazine.com

"Break Free" Ariana Grande Piano Ballad by Sam Tsui

Awesome picture of Sam Tsui performing live!!

Hey, JUKEBOXERS!! It's Jewel starting off the last round of reviews for the JUKEBOX girls. As you know, my favorite cover artist is none other than Sam Tsui. So for my last review, I thought I'd finish the cycle with another Sam Tsui cover!!

Since I've posted a few reviews on works by Sam Tsui, I'll just provide a list with links to all of those if you'd like to read more about him.

• "Let It Go/Let Her Go" Frozen/Passenger Mash-Up
• "#Selfie" The Chainsmokers Piano Ballad
• "Bring Me The Night" Original Song feat. Kina Grannis

First of all, let me say I appreciate how much effort Sam puts into recreating the song into a style that suits him. However, part of me wishes he just sang it at the same tempo as the original. With that said, I'd like to say why this cover is truly great. Once again, I'd like to mention how awesome it is that he put is own spin to it instead of just making a cover like all the other covers of this song. Recreating a song like this is actually very difficult in my opinion, especially since I struggle to even play songs for which I have the notes and chords. This cover encompasses all the emotion and depth of the lyrics that the original doesn't. While the original makes the listener want to get up and dance or simply move to the beat, this cover actually expresses all the feelings connected to the lyrics. Of course, I see why the original was sung in its style and I also see how one could say the original was perfect since a song about "breaking free" is a cause for celebration.

On to the actual music!! So I really enjoy hearing songs like "Break Free" in nature (EDM) reformed into tradition, raw-sounding creations. It really attests to the artist's talent. Sam's piano playing is beautiful, but the best part of this cover is his vocals!! As a singer, I have a major appreciation of artists with great vocal ranges as well as the ability to sing the correct notes without using auto-tune. If you've heard the original, or have listened to any of Ariana Grande's other songs, you'll know she tends to sing in the high range. I think Sam's slow-downs actually highlight his voice because if he simply sang it in the original tempo, we wouldn't have enjoyed his voice and how he sings each note (especially at the climax of the song). It just makes me melt when he hits that highest note.

Anyway, his cover is amazing and I hope you like it too!!

Here's the cover:

And as a little treat, here's one of his more recent collabs with Kurt Hugo Schneider and Max Schneider... "Bang Bang" originally performed by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj:

Rating: 4.5 RECORDS

Photo: Instagram @TheSamTsui

All Good Things...

...must come to an end.

Hello, JUKEBOXERS!!

The JUKEBOX girls have decided that it is about time we concluded this journey. This week will be our last as music reviewers, playlist creators, and cover producers.

It truly has been a pleasure writing reviews, listening to music, and creating covers with you!! We have had so much fun with this blog and hope you had fun reading and listening to our posts. Unfortunately, as we grow older, our responsibilities also grow. We are halfway through our first semester of our second year in college, and must now spend more time in our studies.

THANK YOU for being our audience. We would be nothing without you.

Also, shoutout to our #1 fan, Vy!! Thanks for reading our reviews and listening to our covers and supporting us!!

-- the JUKEBOX girls

Jewel, Lia, and Kimberly