Recap: Boston Calling Delivers First Class Music Festival Experience for 7th Installment

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Sia closes out the first day of Boston Calling Music Festival on May 27th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

With its assortment of female powerhouse vocalists, EDM duos, and synthy alt-rock groups, Boston Calling was business as usual this year.  Check out some of the highlights from the weekend below.

Friday, May 27:

Sia:

One of the most anticipated acts of the festival, Sia did not disappoint.    Besides a change in cast, the set was not much different than her explosive Coachella performance: blank white stage, Sia off to one side, and stunning dancing throughout.  The crowd ate Sia's polished performance right up.

Sufjan Stevens:

Before Sia, we were treated to the neon-splashed, balloon-covered spectacle that was Sufjan Stevens.  With intricate bird wings and waving inflatable people, this quirky performer's visuals stole the show.  Stevens told the crowd that, after singing songs about death on tour for the past year, he was ready to have some fun.  With the crowd on board, his performance was nothing but fun.

Saturday, May 28:

Robyn:

As the last act of the night, Robyn turned Boston Calling into a night club.  Instead of performing song-by-song, the swedish turned her discography into a single 90-minute dance remix.  Oh, and she didn't stop dancing the entire time.

Odesza:

Odesza performs on the second day of Boston Calling Music Festival on May 28th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

Odesza was one of the few true EDM performances we've seen thus far at Boston Calling.  The duo performed with a full band, including a full horn section, in front of a giant LED screen.  The crowd was treated to a series of colorful visuals reminiscent of the group's album covers.  One of the bigger names in the festival circuit this year, Odesza was a blast.

Miike Snow:

In contrast to previous tours, Miike Snow's festival performance was a more intimate take.  There was a lot of love in the crowd for their three new singles ("I Feel the Weight", "Heart is Full", and especially "Genghis Khan").  Though it was clear that their classic "Animal" was the crowd favorite.

Sunday, May 29:

Disclosure:

Disclosure closes out the third day of Boston Calling Music Festival on May 29th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

The star EDM duo had a fantastic performance to close out the weekend.  The stage became a wall of LED screens showing crude outlines of star vocalists faces in the style of their album covers.  Disclosure brought some of the biggest cheers of the whole weekend, especially with their hits "Magnets" and "Latch".  The group also was the only group with an encore, bringing out special guest Brendan Reilly.

Haim:

The Haim sisters brought mounds of energy to the red stage.  The stage was a dazzling array of old-school theater-style lights and giant mirror screens.  With sing-alongs and banter between songs, Haim engaged the crowd more than any other performer this weekend (for instance, the sisters explained how "My Song 5" came about after the three sisters "were cheated on someone in the same damn week").  The trio even brought an earlier band, Christine and the Queens, back on stage to keep the party going.

Janelle Monáe:

Monáe's act was polished perfection.  Dressed in black and white and arriving Hannibal Lecter-style to the stage, Monáe was a fiery performer.  The superstar devoted her show to powerful messages of feminism and racial equality.  Highlights include a touching Prince tribute, a spot-on cover of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back", and her mega-hit "Yoga".

Conclusion:

Boston Calling organizers proved once again (for the 7th time) that they know how to throw a seamless, trouble free music festival in the heart of a bustling city. With a diverse line up with acts  in almost every genre, there was something for everyone. Combine the great artist lineup with a hefty selection of local food and beer options, it would be hard not to have a good time. It will be interesting to see how well Boston Calling scales to an even bigger music festival, as the event's organizers recently announced an expansion for 2017. If this 7th installment of the music series is any indication, though, expect it to be another unforgettable weekend. 

Boston Calling Announces Expansion of 2017 Acclaimed Music Festival

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Future home of Boston Calling Music Festival in 2017.

Boston Calling Music Festival organizers announced Friday that this year's festival will be the last one to take place on City Hall Plaza. Instead, the 2017 festival will move to Allston, MA onto Harvard University's Athletic Fields, allowing for more stages, more artists, and more fans. Most notably, Boston Calling will be teaming up with Academy-Award winning actress Natalie Portman to create a film festival during the weekend. 

Tickets for the 2017 Festival go onsale soon. Boston Calling Music Festival will next take place in 2017 over Memorial Day weekend. 

Album Review: Ariana Grande is Strictly Pop on "Dangerous Woman"

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(Republic Records)

Almost two years since the release of her sophomore album, My Everything, pop singer Ariana Grande is back with her new project Dangerous Woman.

When you compare Dangerous Woman to Ariana Grande’s debut album Yours Truly, it’s next to impossible not to realize how much the 22-year-old pop sensation has grown in just three years. Besides the fact that she is now an adult, it is very apparent that she is no longer the teenage Nickelodeon-actor-turned-singer. Dangerous Woman is a full-fledged attempt from Grande to strip away the G-rated perceptions that surround her.

While Dangerous Woman does lack the ballads that made Yours Truly and My Everything so notable, Ariana Grande’s new direction proves to be successful. She leads the album off with “Moonlight,” which is reminiscent of her old sound, a slow, sweet and sensual song dedicated to her new love. The tone of “Moonlight” is echoed later on in the album with the cute song “Sometimes,” where Grande admits that her current relationship is one that she wants to last. But the slow and sweet vibes on Dangerous Woman are rare, as the album immediately changes tone with Grande’s hit single named after the album; “Dangerous Woman,” a song that encompasses exactly where Grande is now. She’s more mature, more edgy, and more dangerous. She continues this theme on “Into You,” which is essentially an open letter to her lover, inviting him to come over and touch her body. “Side to Side” is a boastful track that features a verse from Nicki Minaj. With some extremely creative punchlines ("Curry with the shot...call me Stephanie"), Nicki raps about how she is the queen of rap, and no one is about to take that from her. She also co-signs Ariana Grande, letting the audience know that she is running pop music.

Nicki isn’t the only rapper who Grande recruited to help her out. On “Let Me Love You,” one of the sexier songs on Dangerous Woman, Lil Wayne provides his own verse. He reminds the listener that they should say “goodbye to the good girl,” (again referring to Grande’s transformation) and even explicitly describes a promiscuous encounter that he either has had or wishes to have with Ariana Grande herself.

Dangerous Woman continues the trend of sexy duets with big name rappers on “Everyday,” an upbeat song featuring Future, where the two highlight their sexual experiences, including how often the do it (everyday), with their respectful partners. “I Don’t Care” continues the theme of the album, and is basically Grande’s wave goodbye to her Nickelodeon days. It serves as the perfect segway to “Bad Decisions,” where she highlights the love she has for her partner in much more detail than she has on her previous projects. The album culminates with “Thinking Bout You,” where Grande tones it back down to complement the title track. In the sweet ballad, she remembers her previous lover. It serves as the perfect closer for the album. 

Despite missing out on some of the more big and catchy ballads that Ariana Grande had become known for, Dangerous Woman proves to be just as, if not more, successful as her previous projects. There are no inherently “bad” tracks on the album, and each one provides us with a deeper glimpse into Grande’s life, proving just how much more comfortable she is and how much she is willing to expose with her fans. 

Billboard Announces Line-Up for 2nd Annual Hot 100 Festival

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Justin Bieber performing at the 2015 Billboard Hot 100 Fest in New York (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up). 

Billboard announced the lineup for their second annual "Hot 100 Festival" Wednesday morning. On August 20th and 21st at Long Island's Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, headliners Ariana Grande, Calvin Harris, J. Cole, Martin Garrix, and Fetty Wap will take the main stage by storm. Other confirmed performers include the likes of Rae Sremmurd, Desiigner, Wale and almost 40 other performers. More performers are to be announced soon. Tickets for the "Hot 100 Festival" go on sale this Saturday, May 21 at 10:00 am EDT at Live Nation. Last year, more than 40,000 fans attended the show, so it’s guaranteed to be a huge success again this year.

See the full line-up below.

The #hot100fest lineup revealed 🔥💯 (pre-sale link in bio) | Regram: @hot100fest

A photo posted by Billboard (@billboard) on

First Look: Kygo Delivers Summer Vibes with Debut Album "Cloud Nine"

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(RCA Records)

In case you may have run out of fresh new vibes to serve as the soundtrack to your summer, look no further than Kygo’s debut album Cloud Nine. Over the past few years, Kygo’s music has become the face of vacation montage videos, pool parties, and chill car rides on a sunny day. Now, thanks to Cloud Nine, you will have fresh new material guaranteed to satisfy your thirst for new jams.

As a whole collective, Cloud Nine does a fantastic job at carrying a consistent sound without sounding repetitive. Even for the everyday music listener who might not be the biggest fan of house or electronic dance music, Kygo has created piece of music that even the most stubborn listener could tolerate.

One of the most unique aspects of Cloud Nine is how, despite lacking in big-name features, it is still a very big album. Besides John Legend, Kygo recruited many smaller artists whom the average music listener may not know. But small names do not mean small sound. In fact, the majority of the lesser-known contributors on Cloud Nine out-do Legend’s birthday ballad, proving how important talent is when trying to make a hit.

Cloud Nine is an extremely solid start to Kygo’s budding career. It’s clear that he has an ear for what sounds good, and knows how to appeal to all different types of listeners. With 15 tracks to its name, Cloud Nine is full of material to start the summer off right.

Kygo's debut album Cloud Nine is available for purchase now on iTunes.