We don’t get too political here at OurStage HQ, but I think we can all be glad that Election 2016 is about over. To celebrate, we combed our catalog for politically inspired songs that you might enjoy. Some of these are funny, some are angry, some have a thoughtful message, and some are…unclassifiable. But they’re all worth checking out.
Click here for the playlist. Below is a tracklisting and user’s guide.
Don’t forget to vote!
- Mr. President by Jimmy B. (hip-hop)
- Scandal by Adam Ezra Group (roots / rock)
- Your President by Joe Bagale (r&b)
- Why by openhiphop (hip-hop)
- One Love America by Sam C (hip-hop)
- Campaign Trail by The Filthy Addiction (indie rock)
- America by mallory (rock)
- Mr. President (feat. Y-Love) by AWKWORD (hip-hop)
- FBI by p*dubb and the special agents (punk)
- The President’s Men by D’Mangelo (hip-hop)
- Declaration of Independence by Clash of Civilizations (alt. hip-hop)
- New Constitution by Benny Moore (retro/indie rock)
- Commander In Chief by Pills Clinton (hip-hop)
- Our Devolution IS Televised by HUMANWINE (indie/roots)
- We Vote For Peace by STOP (classic rock)
More like this:
Post-Election Songs: From Hopeful To Head-Scratching
Musicians And Their Controversial Politicking
Soundcheck: Hip-Hop Gets Political
Since their mid-’90s flirtation with alt-rock radio ascendency, The Figgs have been a perpetually-evolving artistic entity. From their roots as purveyors of guitar pop, the band moved into riff rock while simultaneously mastering songcraft, and ended up as true studio artists, creating collections of short, unassuming songs that still somehow feel deep and epic. Their last few records have been shockingly consistent as they perfected a completely unique sonic signature. Now in their fourth decade as a band, The Figgs have released Other Planes of Here, an eight song LP that provides the perfect balance of melody, groove, natural lyricism, and pure charm. Living up to its title, the album slips in and out of time, touching familiar, classic sounds and forms, still rocking hard, but just as often bouncing into the stratosphere to suddenly achieve pop nirvana. Never has musical complexity been so enjoyable and easy to absorb. Turn off your mind, relax, and float into other planes with The Figgs.
More like this:
The Figgs: Artists Of The Week
The Figgs On WTF Podcast With Marc Maron
Stream Our January Radio Show Now
You know MTV’s Tr3s network. The well-known cable powerhouse is a staple in the Latin American entertainment world, capable of pushing emerging artists into the national spotlight.
If you think that kind of invaluable national exposure might help your career, we have good news for you.
Tr3s and OurStage have teamed up once again in the search for what we call El Headliner. It’s simple “ we put your tracks to the fans, who tell us what they like the most. Then Tr3s and special guest judge Karlos Rosé will personally sort through each of the top tracks to find the one artist worthy of spotlight artist features on Tr3s’ show Top 20, as well as Tr3s.com’s Music My Gûey,Descubre & Download, and Blogamole.
Submit your best track by June 22, 2013 for a chance to win.
Good luck!
Participants must be eighteen (18) years of age or older at time of entry and must reside within the 50 United States or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Only submission materials that are determined, at the sole discretion of the Sponsors, to be classified as Latin, as defined on the OurStage FAQ’s will be deemed valid entries.
Click here to view the competition FAQ’s.
Click here to view the official rules.
Bands crafting original pop music with actual instrumentation is a rare treat in this ever-crowded digital age. The ease of digital production has completed done away with the need for musical talent in many cases, but still some are fighting to bring back what some have called “real pop.” One of those groups, Florida’s Before You Exit, have just released a new EP that makes a great argument for why authentic pop music still matters in 2013.
Fronted by three young men, one of whom isn’t even legally allowed to drive yet, Before You Exit have quickly amassed a following on social networks exceeding 100,000 fans. Their new EP, I Like That, offers reasoning for this breakout success with infectious hooks, angelic harmonies, and song structures copy/pasted from music’s biggest names. “End Of The World,” for instance, opens the album with a series of “Na Na Na” gang vocals that will assuredly pull in any casual genre fan, then sinks the proverbial hook in with a chorus you’ll have memorized on a first listen. It’s music that requires almost zero effort to enjoy, and that is exactly what makes it so great. No deep metaphors about life or EDM inspired one-liners that repeat until you go crazy here, just a couple of hooks and talk about girls that is as old as music itself.
When it comes to bands like Before You Exit, one chance may be all they get. Pop fans are fickle creatures, and if you don’t come out swinging on your debut there is very little chance any future release gains traction on a national level. Lucky for these guys, they have a killer buried amongst I Like That, and it’ll be the upset of 2013 if it doesn’t find its way onto the charts. That song, the title track “I Like That,” is one part boy band and two parts pop rock, with just a dash of studio magic added for that high-gloss sound. It’s the kind of song you cannot help telling your friends a because it becomes instantly engrained in your mind and plays on repeat for hours at a time. Even now, writing this in a room void of music, I can hear their youthful voices telling girls everywhere that their beauty stems from the fact they’re unable to see how great they truly are, and for me there is no truer sign that someone has struck music gold than when that occurs. All the big songs get stuck in your head whether you want them to or not, and “I Like That” is likely to consume your mind for weeks at a time.
In a time where the rise of boy bands has seemingly hit its third stride in as many decades, Before You Exit are hitting the road with a sound that proves there is more a group like this can do with pop music than dance in unison. These guys are the real deal, if you will, and in the months ahead that fact alone will help propel them further and further into the national spotlight. If you love pop music there is no reason in my mind to think you wouldn’t love this release, so hop on the bandwagon before it gets away from you and fall in love with Before You Exit today!
Review written by: James Shotwell