A pleasing piano melody, an electrifying guitar solo, a thunderous drum beat, a heavy bassline: all musical ingredients in common in making an excellent song. Whether or not a song contains any of these elements does not make or break it, but when used correctly any of these ingredients can elevate a song to new... Continue Reading →

"I think Rubber Soul was the first of the albums that presented a new Beatles to the world. Up to this point, we had been making albums that were rather like a collection of their singles and now we really were beginning to think about albums as a bit of art in their own right. We were... Continue Reading →

You know, normally I try to keep things within fairly comfortable limits here at the Musical Training Plan, but this month's theme has pretty much just given us simple poppy albums so far. So, today, I just said screw it and decided to revisit the 2014 debut album by Japanese kawaii-metal girl group, Babymetal. And... Continue Reading →

It was high time that we got some cheesy 80's sounds out of my cheesiest theme to date. The Bangles, for those of you who may not know, are an American all girl pop-rock band formed in 1981. The band enjoyed a career peak of about 5 years in the mid-late 80's where they gifted... Continue Reading →

What a transition, huh? Yesterday's album, titled Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, a Motown classic, makes way for an earlier Motown classic actually featuring the talents of one Diana Ross. Though many of today's youth may not be familiar with this once premier act of Motown, the Supremes, comprised of Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson,... Continue Reading →

While the "Diana Ross Presents" title was really just Motown marketing, and who actually discovered this band of brothers from Gary Indiana is still debated, it's hard to argue that it was the first domino in a series of events that would change music as we know it. Today's album, the debut of the Jackson... Continue Reading →

Sometime in 1994, the Herbert brothers and financier Chic Murphy, under the name Heart Management, put out a call via Stage Magazine calling for "street smart, extroverted, ambitious" girls who are also "able to sing and dance". This recipe, which with the addition of sugar, spice, and everything nice, was the perfect combination of ingredients... Continue Reading →

Look, okay, this hurts me too but I am keeping an open mind. One Direction is a boy band that fits every boyband stereotype to a T with absolutely no shame at all. An Irish-English group formed out of X-Factor UK contestants who couldn't make it on the show alone, One Direction captured the hearts,... Continue Reading →

Oh no, the Musical Training Plan has come to this, has it? Boy bands and girl groups? You mean those super over produced, soulless, pandering groups that feel almost grown in a lab to perform to specific group of people? Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about and there isn't a thing you can do... Continue Reading →

Donald Glover, or going by his stage name he got on a Wu-Tang Clan name generator, Childish Gambino, is more than just an actor or musician. The man is a pure entertainer, pure and simple. Not only has he enjoyed a successful career in music, he's also an accomplished actor both on the small screen... Continue Reading →