The Sounds

The Sounds are a Swedish indie rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1999, the group's musical style has been compared to new wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons.

Their debut album, Living in America, was released in 2002, with the follow-up Dying to Say This to You on March 21, 2006. Their third album, Crossing the Rubicon, was released on June 2, 2009, and their fourth, Something to Die For, was released on March 29, 2011. Their latest album, Weekend, was released on October 29, 2013.

History

Formation

The Sounds were formed in 1998 by classmates Félix Rodríguez, Maja Ivarsson, Johan Bengtsson and Fredrik Blond in Helsingborg, Sweden. The group met Jesper Anderberg, the youngest member, by chance at the Hultsfred Festival, and he was enlisted to play keyboards and guitar. The band's name was decided months later during a trip to London. Before becoming the lead singer of the band, Ivarsson had previously played electric guitar in other local bands.

Music

Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound and silence. The common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics (loudness and softness), and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture (which are sometimes termed the "color" of a musical sound). Different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and with vocal techniques ranging from singing to rapping, and there are solely instrumental pieces, solely vocal pieces and pieces that combine singing and instruments. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses"). In its most general form, the activities describing music as an art form include the production of works of music (songs, tunes, symphonies, and so on), the criticism of music, the study of the history of music, and the aesthetic examination of music. Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as "the harmony of the spheres" and "it is music to my ears" point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, "There is no noise, only sound."

Adriano Celentano

Adriano Celentano (Italian pronunciation: [adriˈaːno tʃelenˈtaːno]; born 6 January 1938) is an Italian singer, composer, producer, comedian, actor, film director and TV host.

He is dubbed as the Molleggiato because of his dancing. Throughout his career Celentano has sold over 150 million albums, also abroad, making him one of the Italian musical artists with the most sales.

Very often also the author of the music and songs (sometimes co-author of music and lyrics, even though, according to his wife Claudia Mori accredited to others), due to his career and his great successes, not only in Italy but also in the rest of the world, he is considered one of the pillars of Italian music. His character has meant that Celentano has built a persona who became a symbol and an icon for many Italians after World War II.

He is recognized for having realized that something in the music business (and costume) was changing, and then to have introduced in Italy, influenced by the new stars of rock and roll from the United States, a new type of music, unbridled and with great appeal especially to young people of that time.

Toto Cutugno

Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno (Italian pronunciation: [ˈtɔto kuˈtuɲɲo]; born 7 July 1943) is an Italian pop singer-songwriter and musician. Cutugno may be best known for his worldwide hit song, "L'Italiano", which was on his hit CD, I Grandi Successi.

Biography

Toto Cutugno was born in Fosdinovo, Tuscany, to a Sicilian father and a Tuscan mother. Shortly after his birth the family moved to La Spezia (Liguria).

He began his musical career as a drummer, but later formed a band that performed his own songs. He also had cowritten for popular French-American singer Joe Dassin, contributing some of his most famous songs, including "L'été indien" ("Africa"), "Et si tu n'existais pas" and "Le Jardin du Luxembourg" (written with Vito Pallavicini). He also co-wrote Dalida's "Laissez moi danser" ("Voglio l'anima"), which became a Platinum record shortly after its release.

In 1976, Cutugno participated for the first time in the Sanremo Music Festival coming up with third place with his band Albatros with the song, Volo 504. He then won in 1980 with the song "Solo noi", and subsequently finished second in six editions: in 1984 with the song "Serenata" ("Serenade"), in 1987 with "Figli" ("Sons" or "Children"), in 1988 with "Emozioni" ("Emotions"), in 1989 with the song "Le mamme" ("The Mamas"), in 1990 with Ray Charles with the song "Gli amori" ("Loves", but entitled "Good Love Gone Bad" in Charles' version) and in 2005 with Annalisa Minetti with the song "Come noi nessuno al mondo" ("No One Else in the World Like Us"). Toto Cutugno participated in the festival a total of 13 times.

Renato Carosone

Renato Carosone [reˈnaːto karoˈzoːne] (3 January 1920 – 20 May 2001), born Renato Carusone, was among the greatest figures of Italian music scene in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a modern performer of the so-called canzone napoletana, Naples' song tradition.

Biography

Beginnings

Carosone, first of three siblings, was born in Naples. He studied piano at the Naples Conservatory and obtained his diploma in 1937, when he was just 17. Soon after he signed a contract as a band leader for a tour of Africa, which resulted in him working in Addis Ababa as a pianist. Here he would become a prominent figure of the music scene, performing with his band on several occasions. He returned to Italy only in 1946, after the end of World War II.

Despite his success abroad, Carosone was a stranger to Italian audiences. He had to start his career afresh, playing the piano for small dance-hall bands. These new performances were strongly influenced by the new rhythms and music styles he had encountered during his ten years' absence from the Italian music scene.