Monday, October 1, 2007

Evolving Musicians Pt. II

This is the continuation of my two-part feature on artists that have flourished in solo or side projects.

Cobra Starship- I know you’re reading this and thinking Cobra Starship is SO not underground anymore! Well I like them, so I’m writing about them. And if you were living “underground” [pun intended] and didn’t hear “Snakes on a Plane {Bring It}”, you’ve discovered a new artist; good for you!

Anyway, I loved Gabe Sporta in Midtown. “Sacrifice of Life” was the first song that every got me hardcore-dancing [spastically, obviously]. I hadn’t seen or heard from him in a while, then I turn on FUSE, and there he is, rockin’ out with William Beckett and Travis McCoy saying he’s “ready for it” and yelling for me to “bring it”. Bring what? I dunno. But when Gabe commands, I obey. Anyway, Cobra Starship is their name, and indie pop songs are their game. So since when does Gabe sing such happy music? Once again, another artist who expands his horizons and goes in a completely different direction, now telling the emo kids to quote: “stop being pussies”, instead of being one of them. I was obsessed with “Snakes on a Plane {Bring It}”, like everyone else on the planet, until I realized that “Send My Love to the Dance Floor, I'll See You in Hell {Hey Mr. DJ}" was my true love, of all of their songs. Their new video for the song is entertaining and innovative, much like the band and the man behind [or in front, depending on how you look at it] it.

I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business- Arthur “Ace” Enders of The Early November, an adorable and sensitive guy that knows how to rock out but also knows how to go acoustic [and apparently garden according to the pic on the left], is an amazing voice in popular emo music. Enders first started this project he says, because “I wanted to go back to the time when music was the only thing that mattered, not all of the other messy things that come with it,”. Now that the Early November “won’t be doing the music thing for a while”, according to their website, Ace is going full speed ahead with his side project. With similar songs to his work with The Early November with a more folksy yet upbeat sound, Enders addresses the greed and shallowness of society like in “The Best Happiness Money Can Buy”, where he states “It’s the one who stole your father’s pride, that might mighty dollar sign”; as well as addressing people’s desires to be one of the “beautiful people”, like in “Salvy”.