North Texas Daily

Nicholas Friedman // Staff Writer

Young the Giant – “It’s About Time”

American indie rock band Young the Giant released its second studio album “Mind Over Matter” in late January to mostly positive reviews. The lead single “It’s About Time” goes to show that there can still be successful experimentation in the music industry.

Combining Nine Inch Nails-like industrial noise with beautiful vocals from lead singer Sameer Gadhia, the band’s talent can be heard from the second the song starts. Taking inspiration from bands like Kasabian and Dance Gavin Dance, Young the Giant is able to build a sound that is a culmination of multiple musical styles across different spectrums. This kind of risk and experimentation is rare in music and after listening to this song it becomes clear how Young the Giant was able to play a sold out show at South Side Ballroom in Dallas this past week.

+ Successful experimentation

+ Industrial noise and beautiful vocals

+ Risk that pays off

– Lead singer Gadhia may overshadow the rest of the band

Rating: 4.5/5

Listen if you like: Nine Inch Nails

Of Mice & Men – “You’re Not Alone”

After acquiring Jamie’s Elsewhere lead singer Aaron Pauley, metalcore band Of Mice & Men returned to the studio to record its third studio album, “Restoring Force” which released in January. The lead single “You’re Not Alone” offers up a unique take on what is generally known as “screamo” music. Pauley’s clean vocals help the band cross genres leading to a much more cohesive sound. This is seen prominently within the song’s chorus.

This song faces somewhat of an identity crisis when Pauley’s vocals clash with that of lead vocalist Austin Carlisle, in which screams overshadow clean vocals and vice versa. This along with a very weak and traditional breakdown stops the song from standing out on its own. Often, extremely well planned parts of the song fall victim to uniformity. Of Mice & Men have successfully developed a different sound, but it’ll be a while before diehard fans call this a classic.

+ Pauley’s clean vocals

+ Genre-crossing

– Weak and traditional breakdown

– Suffers from uniformity

Rating: 2/5

Listen if you like: Memphis May Fire, Bring Me The Horizon, A Day To Remember

Beyoncé – “Drunk in Love (Remix feat. Jay-Z and Kanye West)”

After dropping an unannounced visual album to universal praise this past December, Beyoncé released an official remix to her single “Drunk In Love” featuring Kanye West.  While the track stands alone as a solid radio hit, the addition of West at the beginning of this remix makes it something truly special.

Channeling the lyrical prowess of earlier releases “Late Registration” and “Graduation,” West brings his signature punch-line rap and riddles it with references to “Yeezus” songs “I’m In It” and “Bound 2.”  West’s verse revolves solely around his relationship with Kim Kardashian and the controversy surrounding, but brings it home, giving Beyoncé and Jay-Z a nice lead-in to the rest of the song. Despite many polarizing opinions on Kanye West, his ability to bring power and positivity to a track is unmatched and this track may show a true return to form for him.

+ Lyrics reminiscent of “Late Registration” and “Graduation”

+ Old Kanye samples

+ Punch lines and hilarious wordplay

– Outshines Jay-Z’s verse

Rating: 4/5

Listen if you like: Big Sean, Pusha T, Solange