Sources of Inspiration: Font

The font used for the title of Disney's film Princess and the Frog attracted my attention while watching it earlier today. This text is very unique and attention grabbing. I really like the "magical" effect this font provides. It is grand and very fitting for the film's style/ basis. This text could be applied to my blog because it would drastically improve upon the current text's visibility and attraction. Title texts should be very powerful because they are typically the first things we see when we enter a webpage. My current title font is sufficient, but not overly impressive. To make a substantial difference, I would use a font similar to this on my blog.

September Girls

The September Girls are an Irish pop-punk band. This band draws from the historic talent Dublin has produced over the years. Interestingly enough, their name came from the Bangles' cover of "September Gurls." Their unique riff style, guitar techniques, and high energy beats combine to form a gothic style and affect their image/ sound directly. Several different genres and eras of music combine to form their distinctive sound.

As a band, the September Girls have gained strong positive reviews from critics. Their song "Heartbeats," is a good example of why they deserve this recognition. The ethereal vocals and fuzzy guitar riffs give this tune an odd, yet satisfying, sound. It tells a tragic tale of unrequited love. The September Girls have mastered the art of combining powerful lyrics with an even more powerful sound.

Sadly, their noise pop style is uncommon in today's popular culture. This band has yet to receive international publicity and support that they deserve.

Sources of Inspiration: Color

My blog focuses on international music, as such, I look at a lot of different cultures and locations. These locations are often featured in the travel magazines that are common today. I have noticed an interesting trend among these travel magazines. Many of them feature many shades of blue. Whether this is to accent a skyline, or draw attention to a body of water, blue fills the covers and pages of several travel magazines. Interestingly enough, the complimentary color for text is often yellow. The brightness and warmth of this color contrast from the blue pleasantly enough to draw attention, but not distract from the image. This color combination could easily be utilized on my blog, as well. I might not focus on travel specifically, but international music is often a subject of interest in these catalogs. The connection might be a stretch, but it certainly exists. Its purpose would transfer very well to my blog and add a comforting color scheme that readers would appreciate.

Maluma

Maluma is a singer from Columbia. His genre is Latin pop and he specializes in a reggaeton sound. As a musician, Maluma is a talented vocalist and singer. Since the ripe age of 17, Maluma's music has been aired on Columbian airwaves. Today, his music is growing in popularity on an international level.

Musically speaking, Maluma utilizes a lot of fast-paced tempos and repetitive rhythms. As a result, his music is very catchy. The tune is easy to follow and his tone is very smooth. This can be compared to a variation of an American pop artist. Maluma relies heavily on dynamics and trilling to add emphasis to important sections of his songs. A great example of this effect can be heard in "El Tiki."

Maluma is a very respectable artist who performs most of his pieces solo. These pieces all involve unique elements and utilize them in the best ways possible. As a result, Maluma's talents do not go unrecognized. He has been accredited with many awards- all of which he obtained at a young age.

For more information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maluma_(singer)

Shonen Knife

Shonen Knife is a garage-band style rock band. Their relatively unedited sound attracted a lot of attention and allowed them to spiral to fame outside of their homeland.  Most notably, this band scored an opening gig for the popular '90s grunge band Nirvana. According to Billboard, Matt Groening is even a super-fan of the group.

 This all-girl Japanese band embraces a pop-punk style. Their unique style is clearly portrayed in more than just their music. As you can see above, the music video for "It's a New Find" is very loud and exciting. In fact, this video almost reminds me of the music video for another '90s/ early 2000s rock band, Faith No More ("Epic.") Japanese influence is clearly present in their videos and songs, but comparisons like this show just how similar rock is around the world. Japanese bands and American bands have a lot more in common than you'd expect. As a result, I struggle to see why international rock bands are not as well known as American bands.

Reference: http://www.billboard.com/photos/428864/40-countries-top-musicians-a-gallery/17

Sodagreen

I have always been a fan of indie music. Sodagreen is a band from Taiwan with an especially unique indie sound. The band consists of a bass guitarist, lead guitarist, lead singer, keyboard player, and drummer. Indie music does not fall under a specific style or genre. Each artist is independent, thus the name indie (short for independent.) Sodagreen matches sharp vocals with well-balanced instrumentals. I especially love their inclusion of the keyboard. Keys can add an entirely new element to a song and Sodagreen takes advantage of that. You can especially hear that aspect of their music at the start of their song "幸福額度" (known in English as "The Limit of Happiness.")

Taiwan is commonly known for opera. Internationally, Taiwanese opera stars are very successful. In fact, Taiwanese operas are shown on national and international stages. The challenging and classic genre that is opera, however, can block other Taiwanese talents (and their respective genres,) from reaching the spotlight. Bands- like Sodagreen, are not featured internationally. A talent such as this should not go unrecognized!

If you are interested in obtaining further knowledge on indie music, then I recommend this article: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/06/how-indie-rock-changed-the-world/392057/ 

Aida Nikolaychuk

Aida Nikolaychuk was the season 3 winner of Ukraine's X-factor. Her voice is unlike any I've heard before. While auditioning, the judges actually stopped Aida to have her sing a capella. They did not believe that she was the one singing on stage. However, when the soundtrack was stopped and Aida started to sing again, it was revealed that it was, in fact, her natural voice. The power behind her vocals is absolutely stunning. Each note is polished and her use of dynamics is just right.

The song she auditioned with (video above) is called "Lullaby." By simply listening to the song, you can tell that it is an extremely challenging piece. It is demanding on the vocalist's ability to sustain notes for extended periods of time while comfortably transitioning from note to note.

My favorite song by Aida is "We're Under One Heaven." This track features heavy technical instrumentals and English lyrics! Her style in this song emphasizes vocal trance. This means that the opening notes are simple and the melody builds. Vocal trance is a steadily growing sub-genre in today's music.

I would love to see Aida rise to prominence in the international music industry. Her talents extend far beyond her time on the X-factor.

For more on vocal trance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_trance