• Sunlighter
  • Posts
  • #23 - Stop and smell the roses 🌞

#23 - Stop and smell the roses 🌞

Your weekly music round-up: ELEVATION album review, The Band CAMINO, Rick Rubin, Discover Weekly algorithm, Lovers & Friends, and Gov Ball.

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! You won't have to tryhard to enjoy this week's edition.

Here's what we have queued up this week:

  1. 🌶️ Review of ELEVATION by Black Eyed Peas.

  2. 🎹 Song recs based on what we're listening to.

  3. 💿 Industry rumors and upcoming album drops.

  4. 🎙️ The Band CAMINO is our artist of the week.

  5. 📈 Data but make it a Discover Weekly algorithm.

  6. 🎡 Lovers & Friends, Governors Ball, and tour announcements.

The UV Index - ELEVATION by Black Eyed Peas

Donya: Maybe this is old news, but the biggest shocker listening to this album was finding out Fergie is no longer a member of the Black Eyed Peas. If you already knew that, this album is no surprise at all because it’s SO much fun to listen to. Considered one of the best-selling groups of all time, the Black Eyed Peas ushered the world into defining a generation of music in the electronic pop/rap realm with their mega hits in the early 2000s. For me, it’s a bit lower score because no album has topped THE E.N.D. (THE ENERGY NEVER DIES) from 2009. Following the success of their 2020 album, it’s similarly filled with features, particularly from Latin artists (Anitta, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna), which brings a rich, addictive flavor of reggaeton to their repertoire.

Chris: Wow, it’s studio album nueve for the Black Eyed Peas. Picking up where they left off from TRANSLATION (including the theme of their album artwork), Black Eyed Peas is 100% committed to their all-caps reggaeton rebrand, which to me, feels a bit forced. Unfortunately, none of these songs on ELEVATION top the Black Eyed Peas party favorites from 2009-2010. How could they? That’s the core of the issue - it’s hard to continue to make hits when the bar is set so high, especially once you’ve lost one of the most important members of your group (Fergie). “DON’T YOU WORRY” is a catchy single with Shakira (which compensates for no intrinsic female voice), but if you listen hard, it’s just a rhythmic remake of “I Gotta Feeling.” “DOUBLE D’Z” is an uninspiring (and slightly humorous) new-age rendition of “My Humps.” I could go on, but I’ll give Black Eyed Peas this, the album is cohesive, especially its production.

The Sunlighter Playlist 🔀

Songs we’re currently listening to 🎹

Artist of the Week: The Band CAMINO🎙️

Photo by: Elektra Records

Last April, fans packed like sardines to see an electric performance as The Band CAMINO promoted their first and self-titled album across North America. Somehow, we moseyed our way to the front of the pit in Los Angeles, and it was a full-on dance party for the ages.

We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again: some of the best musicians in the world come from Tennessee, and The Band CAMINO is no exception.

“I Miss the Innocent Kid from Memphis”

In 2015, the band formed as a group of four at the University of Memphis. Together, they played shows at the Otherlands Coffee Bar and Hi Tone (where performing was like a rite of passage for the music community) while they prepared and recorded their first two EPs–My Thoughts On You and Heaven. Through the years, they’ve shared how much the gospel, blues, and grungy dive bars of Memphis have influenced them, and by their third EP, tryhard, the band had signed with Elektra Records, moved to Nashville, and introduced a new drummer to the group. Creating tryhard was their first experience working with collaborators outside of the band, including producer Jordan Schmidt, who was integral in shaping the direction of the electric pop and alternative vulnerability they’ve fully embraced.

Debut Album & The Tour Camino

When the band decided to part ways with their bassist due to personal reasons, they became a group of 3. Shortly after, the band began recording their self-titled debut album on a ranch in Texas. Alongside tryhard collaborators Jordan Schmidt, Seth Ennis, Andrew Goldstein, and Jordan Reynolds, the band produced a no-skip album that’s a blast to listen to from start to finish. Jeffery Jordan and Spencer Stewart lead with piercingly clear vocals and hypnotizing guitar riffs, while Garrison Burgess drives the sound through explosive percussion. The inaugural album is a perfect mix of gratitude anthems, lovesick bops, and true-to-the-core ballads.

Since signing with Elektra, the band has hit the festival circuit with shows at Lollapalooza, Hangout Fest, Austin City Limits, Forecastle, Riptide, and SummerFest, amidst also touring in support of their tryhard EP and opening for Ben Rector (2018) and Dan + Shay (2020-2021). The Tour CAMINO spanned 26 dates and contributed to nearly 70 live shows throughout 2022, including one of their bucket list venues, The Orpheum, in Memphis, Tennessee. They’re reported to be working on the finishing touches of their sophomore album, which we expect to hear later this year. We can’t think of a better addition to their Bonnaroo setlist or the future tour they’re in the process of manifesting.

More on the band as individuals and their time on tour here:

Industry Updates 💿

We’re channeling our Rick Rubin this week. We have no technical ability, and we don’t know anything about music, but we do know what’s happening in the music industry.

🙉 Rumors abound this week, and we have questions. Word on the street is Frank Ocean has a new album coming out? BBC Introducing, which kickstarted Ed Sheeran and Little Simz’ careers, might be getting scrapped? Did someone say that the Spice Girls might be reuniting for a performance at Glastonbury? Wait… there’s a possibility for an Oasis reunion too? A$AP Rocky dropped “Same Problems?Young Thug’s co-defendant had the audacity to hand Slime a percocet in the courtroom? This is all too much.

🎯 Here are the quick hits on music tech: On February 21st, Amazon Music Unlimited is getting a price hike of $1 in the US and £1 in the UK, Smores is helping users discover music faster via a TikTok like feed, Spotify plans to expand their catalog of Arabic music by partnering with Rotana, a Lionsgate biopic of Michael Jackson is in the works, and YouTube and Goldenvoice have renewed their partnership so those that don’t make it to the desert can stream Coachella at home.

🎵 There are a lot of albums coming out in the next few months so listen up. Lil Yachty’s Let’s Start Here” is dropping later this month. Boygenius, a supergroup made up of members Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus will be dropping their debut album. The National, Arlo Parks, and Yaeji have all announced new albums and corresponding tours. Kesha is dropping new music. Last but not least, Dolly Parton is releasing a new album with features from some music industry GOATs (Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, Steven Tyler, John Fogerty, and Steve Perry).

🎩 To wrap things up, we give a quick hat tip to Snoop Dogg for being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and we express our condolences to the friends and family of David Crosby.

Data 📈

🔍 Spotify Discover Weekly: Music curation has been around long before we started burning CDs as kids. For Spotify, it’s one of their most compelling value-adds within their platform – providing users with 30 personalized songs every week as part of their Discover Weekly playlist. How exactly does Spotify data-mine each user’s listening habits to generate such an accurate recommendation algorithm? They use a combination of three different algorithmic models we’ve summarized below:

👍 Collaborative Filtering: the collection and analysis of user behavior on the platform as a way to predict user preferences

🧑‍💻 Content-Based Filtering: the analysis and association of text descriptions of a song or artist to infer a user’s preference on a similar song or artist

🔊 Audio Models: the extraction of raw audio features (such as the key, mode, tempo, loudness, and time signature) from songs to generate a sonic profile that allows for the comparison of similar sonic profiles of other artists or songs

Festivals & Tour Announcements 🎡

It’s another busy week with a flurry of festival and tour announcements. What’s new?

👫 Lovers & Friends: Usher knows how to throw a party. This is the ultimate 2000s hip-hop and R&B throwback festival, and admittedly, we know every single artist on this lineup. Book your flights to Vegas for what’s one of the most thorough (and surprising) festival lineups of 2023.

🪩 Governors Ball 2023: SOFI TUKKER manifested their way to a “Summer in New York” appearance at Governors Ball this year, didn’t they? The headliners are almost the same as Bonnaroo (sub Lizzo for Foo Fighters), and the lineup has generally followed the same yearly playbook: a strong balance of genres that leans more towards pop and hip-hop. The one genre that’s more prevalent this year is dancehall/afrobeats (Davido, Koffee, Tems) 👀, which we mentioned would continue into this year from our first edition of 2023.

⚡ Lightning in a Bottle 2023: Do Lab, the well-known events promoter that designs one of the most innovative and experiential stages at Coachella, announced the 20th anniversary lineup of Lightning in a Bottle. This year, it’s headlined by REZZ, SOFI TUKKER, and ZHU.

😇 Just Like Heaven Festival: Goldenvoice, the organizers of Coachella and Ain’t No Picnic is bringing back Just Like Heaven Fest for its three-peat. This time, they’re bringing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Empire of the Sun, and MGMT (who will be performing all of Oracular Spectacular - that’s a bucket list performance).

🌎 Tomorrowland 2023 Stage Hosts: Last week, Tomorrowland revealed that the full lineup would be announced next Saturday, January 28th. In the meantime, they’ve announced the stage hosts here.

🏖️ Beach Road Weekend: Beach Road Weekend is returning to Martha’s Vineyard for its third year in late August with an impressive set of headliners: Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, and Leon Bridges.

🏕️ Echoland Music Fest Year 1: For the inaugural year of Echoland Festival, C3 is taking over the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL (where Suwannee Hulaween occurs) with a confusing lineup that’s mainly centered around… good vibes? Can someone tell us why 100 gecs is playing at a festival built around jam bands and Americana-indie music?

Tour Announcements 🤘

  • Madonna confirms The Celebration Tour celebrating four decades of music.

  • Lee Brice announces his Beer Drinking Opportunity Tour which kicks off this February in San Antonio.

  • Clutch are promoting their 13th studio album on the No Stars Above Tour this spring.

  • Wilco are touring 17 shows between March and April this year.

  • ILLENIUM announces their fifth studio album and the ILLENIUM Live world tour. Tickets on sale this Tuesday, January 24.

  • Seal celebrates a 30th anniversary tour, which spans 25 dates this spring.

  • Pantera announces a tour with Lamb of God later this year.

  • Zach Bryan continues to fight the good fight against Ticketmaster with his Burn Burn Burn North America Tour.

  • “Kick off your Sunday shoes” and catch Kenny Loggins on his 8-stop This Is It - His Final Tour 2023 later this year.

  • Pedro the Lion announces a tour kicking off this April in Omaha, NE.

Wrap Up 👏

We're closing the newsletter this week with every diehard fan’s favorite and the first song The Band CAMINO ever wrote in Nashville.

Lyrical Genius ✍️

I hesitate to say the ocean

Could hold a candle to your eyes

You shut the door and cut me open

And now I’m wishing I was colorblind

The Band CAMINO

How do you like our newsletter this week?

We're all ears, click the number of 🔆 you think we deserve and feel free to drop a comment.

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Sharing is Caring

If you know any music fans or friends who would appreciate something like this, forward them this email and they can use the button below to subscribe.

Check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Chris and Donya

Sunlighter Header

Reply

or to participate.