Music

The guitar, piano, drums or bass. Many Stony Brook students play these instruments and almost everyone is familiar with their sounds. But what about instruments that are more unusual, like the tabla or the harmonium? You may have never heard of them, but Priyal Bhagat plays both.

With “The Adventures of Bobby Ray”, Atlanta-based rapper, Bobby Ray Simmons a.k.a. B.o.B., managed to craft a near-perfect commercial rap album. And it only took his first try.

Fifty percent of the record sounds like the current crop of bland “indie” acts that have been popping up on late night TV for the past few months. You know the kind I’m talking about. They always wear plaid, their singers are tone-deaf, and they only appeal to kids with bright-colored pants that claim to love Kanye West.

It’s normal at first, but quickly swells, pulsing and rising as the drummers try out different rhythms and adapt to what their peers are doing. Then, in an unspoken agreement, everybody stops. The Stony Brook drum circle has begun.

Wisconsin indie rockers “Pale Young Gentlemen” combine jaunty piano lines with cello legato to create an intriguing debut.

"Mix it Up" is a ten-song weekly playlist, compiled by some of the campus' most music-savvy students, keeping you on the edge of up-and-coming tunes. This week, staff writer Nick Statt will tell you what songs are echoing in his head.

There is one major difference between MGMT and its peers, and that difference shines through on the band's second album "Congratulations," which hits stores on April 13th. These guys can actually produce listenable and danceable pop music that doesn’t have to try so hard.

After performing privately in front of the judges, just like on American Idol, a select few contestants had moved onto the finals. The remaining six performers competed for trophies at I-CON's "Anime Idol." The competitors, dressed as their favorite animated character, performed a Japanese or American song of their choice.

Fang Island's self-titled debut album is composed almost entirely of that climactic moment in any song when the singer shuts up and the music gets really intense. Every track is pumped-up and the minimalist lyrics keep them from being simply wallpaper covering the music.

I hate novelties. Novelty parties, novelty clothes, you name it. I don’t care how ugly your sweater is, or how slutty of a secretary you can be, and if I hear that kid from bio class play “Jingle Bells” on his piano tie one more time, I swear, I’ll murder Santa Claus. And most of all, I can’t stand novelty songs. (However, being the cosmopolitan that I am, I can make an exception for the 1985 Chicago Bears’ “Super Bowl Shuffle.” That song is fire. Plus, how else would I be able to see such a whitey like Jim Fuller rap and dance? It’s hard to imagine that the dude was worse at something than passing.)

In the wild, a sloth bear is an excellent climber. It has a wide vocal range and a strong resonance. At Stony Brook, a Slothbear is a member of an acoustic band. It splits its time between schoolwork, live shows in Brooklyn and Open Mic Night in the Tabler Arts Center.

In celebration of Women's History Month, the Stony Brook Independent proudly brings you the most inspirational women in rock and roll. These are the women who have had the greatest impact on rock music's past, present and future.

In their debut album, Titus Andronicus may have went into hipster overload with spoken word Albert Camus and Shakespeare. But with their release of "The Monitor," these Jersey kids prove that they've grown up and moved on to more mature territory.

Haiti has been in the news a lot lately, mostly because of the earthquake and the extensive recovery effort afterward. But that is not a complete picture of Haiti. Warm up those earmuff headphones - here are five Haitian musicians who you should be on your radar.

As part of the Independent's coverage of Black History month, here is a list of black artists who helped shape the history (and future) of rock music.