Vampire Weekend Review – Contra

The modern day rock star job description states that, one must look, sound and act like ridiculous, pretentious caricatures of themselves, at all times. Some have a deep, rudimentary understanding of this way of life, and succumb to tabloid wishes by refusing to drive unless thoroughly intoxicated, and living by the maxim of, “this aint a party until I get kicked out of the club for either engaging in a vicious brawl, or being in possession of class A narcotics.” Others, like many self-proclaimed rappers, were born ludicrous and so arrogant, that they had to become famous and widely revered, to avoid imploding in a blaze of impotent self-hatred.

Enter Vampire Weekend: a New York quartet who completely contradict the aforementioned rock star ideals of addiction, self-absorption and lunacy. Instead of fast cars and cocaine, the members of Vampire Weekend commute on bicycles and indulge in gourmet French cuisine. Instead of diamond-encrusted jewellery that probably cost more than the average consumer’s yearly income, Vampire Weekend prefers loafers and pastel sweaters. And instead of songs about drugs and promiscuous sex, Vampire Weekend sings about punctuation, classical architecture, higher education and post-modern society. But their debut record has reached gold status, their photo has adorned numerous international music magazines, and the band has performed at some of the most prestigious locations in the world. So without a doubt the boys of Vampire Weekend are as much rock stars as any cocaine snorting, fast-car driving, attention seeking deadbeat.

Ask any band and they will tell you that their second album is always steeped in scepticism and incredulity. It seems to be an unspeakable curse that the second record should often be a disappointment and merely a hurdle to get to album number three and beyond. A few daring artists have attempted to leap from debut to third album, but unfortunately they realised a second album is inevitable, and avoiding it is about as easy as unbending a corkscrew via telekinesis. Though The John Butler Trio ingeniously found a way of avoiding the second album debacle, by entitling their sophomore release Three – the album went platinum. Read the rest of this entry »

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Classic Jazz Radio – Essential Qualities Of A Successful Jazz Musician

The number one enemy of a creative jazz musician is conformity!

Every successful jazz artist is a problem solving, experimentalist; they possess an enquiring mind that is never content just to take other people’s ideas, these musicians have always worked things out for themselves — that’s the only way to really be noticed!

And that is exactly why they are successful, they are being themselves.

If you are only doing the same as everybody else is doing, why should anybody take notice of you? Read the rest of this entry »

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Mukand Lal Public School – The Best Education Place for a Child

Mukand Lal Public School is situated at Sarojini Colony in Yamuna Nagar, Haryana. It was founded by the Seth family in January 1998 in memory of Mr. Seth Mukand Lal, to perpetuate and kindle the Mukandian philosophy of love and service in its students. Seth Mukand Lal, a strict follower of Mahatma Gandhi, practised the Gandhian philosophy all through his life. At Mukand Lal Public School the objective is to build students who will be life long learners, who observe their surroundings, investigate through exploration, question what they observe, reason and finally come to a conclusion rationally.

These faculties are built through story telling, visual impact, the creative use of CDs, flash cards, Video films, IT and field visits. Project based work and group discussions make classrooms the hub of activities. A hands on approach to math, science and social studies is coupled with an equal emphasis on languages for a balanced approach to learning. A day in school begins with a prayer where the National Anthem is an integral part of the morning assembly followed by the thought for the day, news headlines, interesting facts, and the recitation of poems after which the normal classes begin.

The School enrolls students from Pre-Nursery to the 10 + 2 stage. The curriculum is designed to develop the rational and analytical faculties of these young children. The school offers Art, Music, Dance, Sports and various co – curricular activities, of which Physical Education and Games are an integral part. The school believes that learning should be stress- free and full of pleasure. Various clubs have been formed with a view to facilitate the students. There are a host of weekly inter-house activities which has led to an increase in student participation. Read the rest of this entry »

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