Welcome to the Blue Neighbourhood
January 20, 2016
Blue Neighbourhood, the debut work from Australian singer Troye Sivan, was released on December 4th, 2015 and placed 7th place on US Billboard 200 chart. There have only been a few times in my life that I’ve listened to an album where I genuinely enjoyed every song. There have also only been a few times where an entire album makes me feel so happy and nostalgic and reminiscent and melancholic and tense all at the same time.
Blue Neighbourhood is a record so beautifully crafted, filled with so many astral lyrics and instrumentals.
The voice. Sivan has a somewhat sultry voice; it is smooth and breathless, and during his more emotional and intense songs like “DKLA” or “Fools”, you can hear his emotions and thoughts. He is also a brutally honest songwriter with an old soul. Sivan is only 20, but he is wise beyond his years.
The instrumentals. Most of his songs have an electronic, rhythm and blues style to it. Sivan’s music is filled with grand flourishes and subdued hip hop beats. Surprising twists and turns include the sound effects of the trigger of a gun which contrasts with the upbeat child’s choir on “Wild.” Everything just flows so well, and it is monumental. The instrumentals capture an exciting sense of modern music now, yet I feel like the record is timeless.
The collaborations. Sivan worked with many different people on Blue Neighbourhood and achieved a diverse and well rounded personnel.
He worked with Georgia Nott of Broods on “Ease.” Zimbabwe born rapper, Tkay Maidza, had an amazing verse on “DKLA”. Sivan also worked with singer Betty Who on “Heaven,” rapper Allday on “For Him.” and songwriter/producer Alex Hope on “Blue”.
The lyrics. Each song has its own open minded story and together, the entire album is a coming-of-age story. Blue Neighbourhood offers an introspective look at the mind of Sivan to its listeners. As I mentioned before, Sivan is so honest and it’s not hard to realize that. The lyrics effortlessly change topics, from love to coming to terms with yourself. His heartbreaking words have others pinning him as the voice of a generation.
A few of my personal favorite lyrics include “The truth runs wild / Like kids on concrete,” and “The sun sets longer/ Where I am from / Where dreams go to die / While having fun / The boys fix their cars and / Girls eat it up / Loving’s so good when / Love is young.” The lyric I love most though is, “So what are you waiting for? / Cause someone could love you more,” because it is so simple but also has a lot of meaning.
Blue Neighbourhood is so expertly crafted and it’s definitely worth a listen, and it makes you think and feel something. Something beautiful and something cruel.
Sivan promoted Blue Neighbourhood by releasing a three part music video series.
“I was the youngest member in the group,” Mendoza said. “I got a special robe with patches and stars on it.”
Mendoza was required to audition to join the prestigious traveling demonstration team. She described the atmosphere as very welcoming due to her friendly instructors, but also very competitive. Eventually, Mendoza had to quit karate due to the amount of time she was spending in her demonstration team and being unable to attend practices consistently. Her mother would start to make small sacrifices to get her daughter to her classes and watch her perform.
“I would leave from work a bit early so I could get her ready and I would stay and watch the complete class,” Xiomara Varela, Mendoza’s mother, said.
After she stopped practicing martial arts, Mendoza soon turned to music to occupy her time. She began to constantly listen to music, and now she considers music a huge part of her life.
“She’s introduced me to a lot of artists and bands,” sophomore, Raquel Luna, said. “Almost all of our conversations are on songs or artists. I can’t remember a time we hung out without music.”
Mendoza attends live shows often, and has seen artists such as The Vaccines and Walk the Moon perform. She plans to go see more of her favorite artists perform live within the year.
![Marvel fan, Daisy Lopez, 11, shows full patriotism by doing a heroic pose in the back of B building with the American flag behind her while wearing Captain America apparel on May 10. “My favorite scenes from the movies are battle [or] fight scenes, I love watching characters go all out with their powers, weapons, and gadgets,” Lopez said.](https://www.thedowneylegend.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/IMG_0077_2 _72-324x475.jpg)
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