Wondering what to listen to this summer as you're soaking up the rays on holiday or maybe you're looking for something to listen to as you're having a mega chill out session? Never fear, for cliché Music Bloggery is here!Delivering emergency services to music, we've lined up a few brilliant singles and albums for you to listen to this summer.
1. Ghost Beach
Ghost Beach are my personal summer favourites and when I recently come across them, they shortly released their début album Blonde. This New York based electronic duo might be a fairly obscure band, but they have performed with the likes of David Guetta, Imagine Dragons and Vampire Weekend. Being quintessentially beach-pop, I think the marriage of powerful vocals, the synthesiser and encouraging use of slap bass make for a perfect summer album! Check out the video for Been There Before, and tell us what you think! Quirky and original, or are they singing the same old tune?
2. Foster the People
We at Music Bloggeryare massive fans of Foster the People, so when they released their second album Supermodel, we were jumping for joy! For those of you who don't know, this band received fame with their début single Pumped Up Kicks which eventually landed them a record deal.However, upon listening to their new album, we're not sure how to feel. Of course there are a few songs that really stand out (Coming of Age, Best Friend, Goats In Trees) but the rest of it seems a bit lacklustre and disjointed compared to their first album, Torches. The tracks we think stand out are great summer tracks nonetheless as they allow you to chill and unwind. Check out the video Coming of Age on the right hand side.
3. Charli XCX
Most of you may know her from her amazing 90s dress sense and her hit single Fancy with rapper Iggy Azalea, but Charli XCX A.K.A. Charlotte Aichison is a brilliant artist in her own right. Having experimented with synthesizers from the age of 16, she has made a name for herself on the pop scene (although she's more synthpop). She's gained even more recognition for her single Boom Clap for the film The Fault in our Stars, but we don't recommend this song as it's not even her best work. We love her 2013 single, SuperLove - it's got everything a good song needs, catchy beat and a stellar sing-along hook. The only thing I would say about this song is that the lyrics are a bit generic ('You're the bullet and you're making me draw/please save me') but nonetheless, it's a addictive song. Check the song on the right and tell us what you think!
4. HAIM
Brilliantly embracing that classic 80s sound, any single from Haim's Days are Gonealbum is a perfect chill-out song. My favourite has to be My Song 5 purely because of the energy and fierce rhythm of the drums alongside the overarching tone. Oh and that bridge! The guitar riff is INTENSE! Haim are a band named after the surname of three sisters from California, USA who grew up listening to their parents' 70s record collections. Having worked together and performed around the country for years, the sisters eventually got signed and released their début album, Days are Gone. We personally recommend Forever, The Wire, Honey & I and If I Could Change Your Mind for summer listening, check it out and tell us what you think!
5. St. Vincent
My goodness, I LOVE this woman! Thanks to the handy last.fm app (follow xAnthonyKiedis if you've got it), I've broadened my musical horizons and listened to some new music. Last.fm recommended St. Vincent for me, and after buying her most recent self-titled album (released this February) I have to admit, I'm instantly hooked. Her music can only be described as a creative pop rock/synth explosion. I first fell in love while listening to Rattlesnake because the intro is so goddamn catchy and her guitar solo, is quite frankly groundbreaking. Anyway, enough praise from me, listen to her yourself!
Keep checking this page as I'll be adding more songs throughout summer!
For those of you who have been living in a cave, Lana Del Rey is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her distinctive vocal style. She found fame when her single Video Games went viral and followed this up with her 2012 album Born to Die. Now, in 2014, she has already released a short film (Tropico, which is just about the most pretentious thing I have seen) and a number one album Ultraviolence. I'm not going to mince words here, I strongly dislike Lana Del Rey. I think she's fake, overrated and just plain depressing, so here's my top 3 reasons for hate of this 'singer'.
Fakery
Let's face it, Lana is a fake. Her name, her collagen laden lips and her voice are all an act just because she couldn't make a career for herself without the use of cheap gimmicks. Listen to her stripped back, early performance when she was still Lizzy Grant and you'll see she doesn't actually need the bravado that Lana
Del Rey holds. I guess the music industry doesn't
want to see just another average performer so OBVIOUSLY that calls for selling out. Obviously.
I can't help but feel that her singing voice is completely put on. Again, in this old footage of her, the vocals seem much more natural and relaxed which makes for a pleasing sound. Songs like National Anthem and Ride sound so exaggerated and vexatious. The drawling notes of Ride sound like a drunken karaoke catastrophe. Her voice has become almost as annoying as Lights, and that's saying something.
2. The same old repeated themes
Yes Lana, you're 'depressed', we get it, can we move on now? In actuality, she gives off the impression that her music will deal with deep, philosophical ideas of life and death yet below the surface she sings about her seemingly mundane relationships. In her recent article for British newspaper The Guardian, she says: 'I
wish I was dead already' (read the article here) yet shortly after the article was published, she tweeted that the interviewer's questions were 'cold and calculated'. The moment she delves into these dark, somewhat interesting questions, she panics and wants out. Rather than addressing this in her music, she leaves it lurking behind and nothing is worse than bottling something up (trust me, I know). The only thing that comes close to this issue is Dark Paradise ('every-time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise') but even this illusion is ruined with the next line: 'no-one compares to you'. Same old love song. Depth please. Next!
3. Self-pitying
All of her songs force the listener to feel some sense of pity for this woman because she's lost the love(s) of her life and her heart is broken. Poor you, can we PLEASE move on to something else now? Nothing she actually offers is original and after the first album, it all gets a bit tedious.
Sorry, this review is about a week or two late! Anyway, my friends and I had a chance to see the Birmingham indie rockers Swim Deep on the last day of their tour in London. Getting there at half four in the afternoon, we were surprised to see we were the first in the queue! (bearing in mind the doors opened at 7pm) After waiting almost three hours to see this band (and stopping off for some KFC while we waited), the doors had finally opened right in-front of us and we ran to the front of the barriers. After being delayed for a few seconds because the venue didn't let me take in my own water (so you have to buy their overpriced water instead), I ran, and ended up right at the front!
So after waiting an hour, at 8pm the first warm-up band came on. Sundara Karma was their name, and drinking a can of Fosters in-between songs was their game. If you like bands like The Drums, you'll love this band. Having a hint of Kings of Leon in them, they rocked the stage for the first hour. The crowd was jumping, the beats were thumping (wow, that sounded really bad). Although almost no-one from the audience had a clue who they were, they performed quite well, playing songs like 'Freshbloom', one of their most popular recent releases.
After Sundara Karma played their set, we were expected to wait even more for the SECOND warm-up band to come on which frankly was a little annoying. This was the much loved Wolf Alice, a more well-known band amongst the audience. This was when some considerate geniuses in the audience decided to try and crush everyone who was standing in order to try and push to the front. Not today, matey! Anyway, after high expectations, I was kind of let down because while the acoustics were good, the lead singer's (Ellie Rowsell) vocals were weak sounding. So weak that I could barely tell what she was saying. Her voice is quite calm and sedated and it was just being overpowered by the sound of the instruments. Nevertheless, the band had a cool sound and played songs such as 'She' and 'Fluffy' which are crowd favourites to those who have heard them. When I first listened to the band's music it reminded me of The XX, so if you like that kinda sound, give this indie band a listen to!
After Wolf Alice performed, the crowd got a little restless as they started chanting 'Swim Deep, Swim Deep!', but we waited patiently at the front. Swim Deep came on and a massive roar of cheering was heard from the audience. Austin's (plays lead vocals and guitar for the band) signature guitar looking colourful in the fluorescent lighting, Cavan (bass player) and his golden locks glimmering in the shine of the disco ball above, all was right in the world. Moving on from my melodrama, they played their set, all songs from the début album 'Where the Heaven Are We' (which you should give a listen to, by the way!) and a bouncy cover of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'. Towards the end all the warm up bands came on stage and Ellie and Austin broke into 'Tassle Man', a song created by the two (photo of the performance on the right). The mood was happy, chilled and crazy at the same time. It was a great night with lots of singing and awkward dancing on my part.
To make it even better, good 'ol Fred Macpherson (lead singer of Spector) was there supporting his mates at the show, and some of us even got a cheeky selfie with the lad. All in all, it was a great night! Would definitely recommend giving this band a listen!
So I'm finally writing again as you have so smartly noticed! Quite a few albums as well as singles, have been released by a few of my favourite bands so I thought I would share them with you guys!
Okay, so first up is Swim Deep's 'Where the Heaven Are We?' released 5th August 2013. This album is rapidly becoming my top summer album simply because of the sedating tunes and Nirvana-esque appeal of the band. The Birmingham based indie band, having first formed in 2011 and releasing their first single 'King City', went on to perform with up-and-coming band from London who go by the name of Spector (we love 'em) and are now performing in festivals all across the UK. The album features sombre tones such as 'Soul Tripping', which is a perfect song to lie on a sandy beach and just click repeat. Swim Deep are great, but if you were like me a year ago and hadn't heard of them before, I would recommend listening to 'Honey', simply because it's a fun, bouncy tune to have a bit of a jive to. (I apologise for the use of the word 'jive') Their debut album is already set for a top 10 album in the Official Albums Chart. Bearing in mind, this is risky territory with the likes of Miley Cyrus and other mainstream artists. If this band reaches an influx in popularity, their old fans could drift away.
Music Bloggery Recommends: 'King City', 'Honey', 'Soul Trippin'
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Next up, it's another British band, White Lies and their third studio album, 'Big TV', releasing just today in the UK! (12th August 2013) This band is one of my favourites and has been since the release of their first single 'To Lose My Life' (if you haven't listened to it, do so now!). White Lies have always reminded me of Joy Division, as they've got that depressing, eerie mood about them. After releasing their first single from the album via SoundCloud for a free download ('Getting Even), they released short clips of various songs being played by different members of the band on YouTube in order to promote the album. We can only wait and see if this will be as successful as the last. So far it has received mixed reviews. Ben Beaumont-Thomas says 'First Time Caller' uses 'overwrought metaphors' and that 'dumb lyrics can be mitigated by robust anthems' If you're interested in the band, have a listen to the album and tell us what you think!
Music Bloggery Recommends: 'Big TV', 'First Time Caller', 'There Goes Our Love Again' (if you want to listen to their older stuff, we recommend listening to 'To Lose My Life' and 'Farewell to the Fairground')
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Next up is Panic! At
The Disco! This quirky band led by frontman Brendon Urie is back with a
fierce single called 'Miss Jackson'. I don't know if this is the same
Miss Jackson as Outcast sing about, but it's pretty good nonetheless.
When I first heard this track I was a bit confused as to what style the
band is now as they raked in the fans with their unique style but now they're becoming a little generic. If you have a look at most of the comments on their new videos (their newest release being 'This Is Gospel'), you'll see most people agree that they're sounding more like Fall Out Boy, and I'm afraid I have to agree. For me, Miss Jackson lacks the witty lyricism and fun style that I've come to love of the band.I think the fact that the other two band members left, they've become a little different. We've posted the video below, have a look and tell us what you think!
This page will be frequently updated throughout the summer to give you more updates so as much as I hate saying it, watch this space!
Now I don't usually blog about things that aren't really to do with music, but the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony had tributes to amazing things such as the National Health Service, the digital age, and music. now you've got to have music! The tribute was led by some dancers in some quite 'original' outfits and as the music played in the background and the music videos of various different artists were shown on the screen behind, it was showing the music of the different eras. For example, you had music spanning from the 60's straight to the present age. Songs such as 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'My Generation' and 'Tainted Love' were among some of the great chart-toppers. When the present age had arrived, the artist Dizzee Rascal popped up on stage and began to be clearly miming the lyrics to his hit song 'Bonkers'. Not something that really excited me, but the crowd seemed to be amused. However, the Queen did not. Have a look at the image above. While this great spectacle is going around her, she seems to be checking her nails!
The Opening Ceremony had performances from Arctic Monkeys, Dizzee Rascal, and even the frontman for the popular indie band Two Door Cinema Club, Alex Trimble. (right) who performed a good song really well! Overall, music was quite a big focus of the ceremony, as they had quite a long tribute for it and the digital age together.
The beginning of the ceremony was filled with a brief history of England, showing how the country turned from marshland to an industrial country and from there, how the war changed everything and a moment of silence was held. I found it quite interesting, however there was too many little things going on at once and not one big overall 'wow' factor that I found was at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. It forced too much history on the viewer and not enough entertainment. After this, there was a small tribute to children's literature with many characters coming to life such as Voldemort and Mary Poppins which was pleasantly surprising to see.
Overall, the whole thing was a pretty quaint spectacle, but it had something lacking, some sort of 'wow' factor, to make them stand out, rather than fireworks. We've seen fireworks a squillion times, please give up something new! Now have a look at this video of Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean at the Olympics! A great little clip.
I have two great songs from two pretty cool indie bands that have released this week. Firstly, the indie pop group 'The xx' announced that they're releasing their long awaited second studio album, 'Coexist' on 10th September 2012. They've released a new single 'Angels' in aid of this, and it has already got over a million views in four days. The band formed in 2008, and their debut album 'xx' was received with great praise.
A few days ago, The xx wrote on their Facebook page to all their fans:
"It's been a long time since we've played you
anything new. This song is called 'Angels', it is the first single from
our new album, 'Coexist'. We've been playing this song live recently, so
it feels good to share with you the version we've been working on for
so long. We hope you like it. The xx."
When listening to the song I thought that perhaps it was coming off as a little pretentious? I mean, The xx have always had this kind of simple tone, but the tone seems a little too Nirvana-like for me. The songs on the previous album had the same sort of tone, but some of the songs were slightly more upbeat. Also, the fact that the music video for the single is the sea just moving around seems a bit pointless to me and trying to make something small into a great piece of art that has this deep meaning to it. Check out the video and let us know what you think!
Secondly, the electronic indie pop band Delphic released a new track called 'Good Life', the official song of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The single is set to be released officially on July 23rd. The band released their debut album 'Acolyte' in 2010 and then went on to perform at a sold out tour. The BBC reported that Muse, Elton John, The Chemical Brothers and now Delphic are among the few who are releasing a special song for the Olympics, which could mean even more popularity for this rising band.
Sonically, I think the song is quite 'poppy' and you can tell that's it's not created for their kind of audience because the tone of the song is completely different to their original song. However, it is a catchy song, with a good hook. Make sure you have a listen below!
Two Door Cinema club have released a single for their long awaited second album 'Beacon' that's set for release September 3rd 2012. The band have made this new single 'Sleep Alone' available for free download on the band's website for a mere 24 hours, so you better hurry up and download it! Here's the link for the website if you need it: http://twodoorcinemaclub.com/. Here's to hoping you make it in time!
The single sounds to me almost like a sequel to a song on the previous album. What I mean by this is that bands usually experiment with different sounds and ideas, and it sounds like to me that they've stuck for the safe option and gone with what they know. Don't get me wrong, the song does sound good, it just sounds familiar to the songs on the previous album and could have more distinction. Make sure you have a look at the lyric video below, and we'll keep you updated on when the official music video releases, here on Music Bloggery!
Spector have released their new single and music video called 'Never Fade Away'. A quintessentially indie music video, follows the band being some sort of prisoners of war (what I think anyway), while someone films it with a bad camera. The song itself has a brilliant hook that finds itself inside your head within the first minute or so (And I only just got Celestine out of my head!). It's a simple video and a simple track that works brilliantly together and it's shows another slightly sombre side to the band, which I would love to see more. Have a watch of the video below, and tell us what you think. Their debut album 'Enjoy It While It Lasts' is releasing 13th August 2012.
The alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers released the official music video for their new single 'Brendan's Death Song'. The band, having earlier this year being entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after a second try, released this fifth single from the album. The song itself was about a close friend of the band, Brendan Mullen passing away recently, and the song is a homage to him and I think it's just discussing the general idea of death, considering the band have come so far and they're all getting older with children.
The music video sees the band leading the funeral procession with the loved ones and friends following them. It then shows the band performing in front of these people, with the words 'Death Song' written in fire in the background, which looks quite cool. This song overall is very sombre and peaceful, and at times quite profound, I believe. I'll leave you all to take a look, and comment your thoughts!
'Electra Heart' is the new 2012 release from Welsh singer-songwriter Marina and the Diamonds and by the mouth of Marina herself, Electra Heart is her response to rejection in love. Creating four 'archetypes', or characters (the Primadonna, Teen Idle and Homewrecker, to name a few), the whole thing is quite poorly constructed. She creates these characters but fails to actually achieve a effective end point. Most of the songs on the album contradict theirselves quite a few times - isn't an album meant to have a main, constant theme? For example, you've got songs such as 'Teen Idle', contemplating Marina's own youth (as stated in a previous interview) and then songs like 'Homewrecker', one of Diamandis' characters. For me, it just seems odd to be talking about little snippets of your life when you're meant to be creating a story, building characters if you will. Either write songs about your life or create a whole concept album. It's just inconsistent if you do both.
Also, I found that Diamandis has almost changed her morals completely. Her debut album, 'The Family Jewels' was about judging popular culture as well as promoting feminism (for example, on 'Girls', in which the lyrics are 'Not gonna bend over and courtesy for you.') and now she's talking about being a 'bottle blonde'. She's using the fact that she's aiming to portray the 70's type American dream as an excuse to completely change your image and sound. Honestly, I don't believe she's doing this conceptual album as a way to judge the types of love and personalities, she's just using this as an excuse to (as much as I hate using this term), 'sell out'.
I genuinely believe that the fame has caused Diamandis to change. When she released 'The Family Jewels', she looked like an ordinary, albeit beautiful person with an extraordinary voice, now she looks like she's walked straight out of a grandiose fashion show. You can't pretend music is not about the image as much as the sound, but her image almost overpowers her sound. She looked much more beautiful and natural in 'The Family Jewels' era. You can't be judging others when you look exactly like them.
Diamandis has stated that she wasn't happy creating music all by her stony lonesome, so she hired some top producers (who have worked with the likes of Katy Perry and Rihanna) to work on Electra Heart, which explains why her music sounds so 'poppy'. On her debut album, you would find that she had more simple, piano-driven melodies supported by her strong vocals. However, on Electra Heart, it seems like the music is doing all the work for her - which is why her vocals don't sound as quirky and strong as previously and the heavy beats and electronic sounds do most of the work. It seems to me these producers have perverted the sound of Marina.
However, Diamandis really comes into her own on the calmer, more acoustic sounding songs of the album. Songs such as 'Starring Role', 'The State of Dreaming', 'Hypocrates' and 'Buy The Stars' (Deluxe edition) offer a much slower-paced, simpler side to the album. If you get a chance to listen to her acoustic versions of tracks from the album on Youtube, you'll see it's stripped free of any heavy electronic beats. When listening to it, I found it's more like her than the actual album. I sure hope she releases an acoustic album, because it's definitely better than the original. You can compare the acoustic and original versions of her first single 'Primadonna' below.
Thematically, Diamandis' theme is definitely not original. There have been hundreds of artists singing about love, and Diamandis doesn't offer something new to the table. She even borrows The Beatles' 'Lonely Hearts Club' idea. I just wish she would have thought of a theme much more original and outlandish, like before.
Lyrically, Diamandis could have done much better. The lyrics on 'The Family Jewels' were much more memorable and effective. Yet, on Electra Heart, her lyrics seem to cater more to popular music. She sings 'when you're around me, I'm radioactive.'. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a billion other pop songs out there. It seems like Diamandis is catering to the pop genre and completely abandoning the quirky, indie style that she had introduced us with. Why introduce it to us if you're going to completely take it away from us? Fans expected an album much like the debut, yet they were shocked to find it's nothing of the sort.
Overall, because all of the reasons given, I am awarding Diamandis 3/5 musicos! It really disheartens me to offer her only 3 out of 5 as I am a big fan, but part of the reason I am offering her this score is because of the fact she completely changed and not in a good way. I want the old Marina. Comment your thoughts below!
Music Bloggery Recommends: 'Lies', 'Homewrecker', 'The State of Dreaming', 'Hypocrates', 'Lonely Hearts Club' (Deluxe edition only), 'Buy The Stars' (Deluxe edition only)
Wow, it's been a long time since I reviewed an album! Sorry about that, been a busy, busy, busy student! Curse you, revision! Anyhow, I manage to find at least a little bit of time for my blog, and this week, I am reviewing the 2011 EP from folk rock artist 'Jim from the Moon'. Having learnt guitar from the age of 11 and forming various bands including 'Antennae', the new EP 'I Am Going to Steal You' is a pleasant acoustic EP from this Irish inspired singer. When I initially listened to this EP, I found it was a simple mash-up between edgy vocals and peacefully pleasurable melodies. The vocals vaguely range from the style of 'Panic! At The Disco' frontman Brendan Urie to Pär Wiksten of 'The Wannadies' (Known for their most popular song 'You and Me', 'It's always you and me, always, and forever').
There's no doubt that this EP is good, however, there were some kinks that I found when listening it a few times. I found that the music was well refined, yet it sounded quite generic. The album offers nothing new or exciting to music. If you think about it, there are a billion other acoustic artists struggling to make it. You need to offer something unique and outstanding to make you stand out from the crowd - what makes your sound different?
There were good riffs, but the hooks failed to be memorable. Perhaps if the hooks were repeated more then it would stay more in the listener's mind and become more catchy. This could be achieved by just making the songs a lot longer. However, I did like how not all of the songs sound completely the same which is a problem for many a musician. For example, the track 'Thanksgiving Day' offers fast-paced melodies and vocals which makes for an interesting song. Yet, I find that the songs lack potential. They need that kick to make them something extraordinary. I would like to see a harmonious beginning with a almost demonic-like ending to a song for once - like the styles of Damien Rice (Irish-born folk rock singer). It seems like 'Jim from the Moon' tries to be an artist similar to Rice but perhaps is struggling to do so. Have a listen to the tracks from the different artists and check out the similarities below. I would definitely suggest experimenting with different themes and sounds to get a broader feel for different genres of music.
Another thing, I found the lyrics fell weak at times. You get poetic lyrics like 'My days are filled, busy finding God or busy rotting away', but the consistency is ruined when you contrast them with such blunt words like 'But I still said some dumb shit to you': It just ruins the poetic flow and seems out of place.
I did find that some songs were similar to other artists, but then again I always do! The last track on the EP entitled Esqueleton, I found that the intro was ridiculously similar to Coldplay's Sparks from their debut album, Parachutes. Check out another resemblance below!
Overall, I would give this EP a 3/5 stars! I believe that with those problems sorted, Jim from the Moon would be a great musician with a lot more success coming his way! It is a good EP, but I believe this EP has the potential to become something much bigger.
Have a listen to Jim from the Moon's music here, and then check out the similarities to the other songs below.
Hola, fans of Music Bloggery! I've created a new Youtube channel, to promote my new style of lyric video! Some of you may know already, I previously created a special lyric video for a Weezer song, 'Put Me Back Together' (You can find the video below). Now, I have decided to make this a regular thing, and create a special lyric video for all of my favourite songs! My new obsession is a song called 'If You Wanna' by British indie band, 'The Vaccines'! What I basically do is to write the lyrics to a song on paper, with my own special drawing, and put them in sync to the music. Check it out!
Recently I've had quite a few obsessions. I had decided to take a big 'ol nostalgia trip and get songs from when I first got into rock music. Music from The Wombats, Franz Ferdinand and even the first Friendly Fires album have been played constantly! However, there is one exception to this. I had always heard the band name 'Foals' thrown around quite a bit, but I had never got down to actually listening to them. So, I decided to break the trend and buy one of their albums - the 2008 release, 'Antidotes'.
I have to say, this album is one of my favourites now! Their music is the epitome of indie. It's just so catchy and the fact that it's not extremely upbeat is even better. I am now officially obsessed! Everyone should listen to two of their great singles - 'Cassius' and 'Olympic Airways'. I think 'Cassius' is just too cool for school and 'Olympic Airways' is just simply beautiful and heartfelt. I've also thrown in another single in there just for fun. Check it out and tell us what you think of Foals!
Tourist History, the début studio album from the Northern Irish indie band, Two Door Cinema Club, was released February 2010 and it was not without positive reviews. The indie band sky-rocketed to quick fame with the release of singles such as I Can Talk and Undercover Martyn.
When listening to this album, I thought that it was a vibrant, eclectic mix of fast-paced bass and guitar. Their music gives off quite a pop-punk, upbeat, techno sound. Especially when listening to the Deluxe Edition of the album. The normal edition of the album is comprised of 10 normal songs. However, the Deluxe Edition comprised of 11 remixes, more songs than on the actual album! I found this not only overwhelming, but slightly repetitive and pointless. Most bands usually feature a separate album for remixes, but I was a little surprised to find they would have all the remixes on the same album. That in mind, there's only one remix on there that I really loved. Come Back Home (Is Tropical Chilla Black Edit Remix) has a real Dubstep style to it, and it instantly makes me want to get up and dance. If you know what's good for you, check out the link below and give the remix a listen!
The songs on the album are all really fast paced and there's no doubt about it, they're all pretty catchy too! However, when listening to all of the album, I found that it started to get a little repetitive. They used the same instruments in the same style and for some songs, you couldn't really tell them apart. Although, there were a few exceptions to this. Songs like Something Good Can Work and Kids sound slightly different from the rest of the album. Something Good Can Work has a beach pop sound to it, and Kids sounds much more powerful as opposed to the rest of the album.
So, because of the reasons given, I am awarding this album a 4/5 stars! The sound of the band sounds very original and unique, however, given the fact that a lot of the songs sound the same slightly ruins the experience for me and it therefore becomes a little repetitive.
Music Bloggery Recommends:Something Good Can Work, Kids, I Can Talk, What You Know, Undercover Martyn, Come Back Home and Do You Want It All?
This week has been a great week for music. We've had the release of M.I.A.'s new music video, and now sees another one! That's right, if you hadn't guessed already, Coldplay released their video for the upcoming single 'Charlie Brown' from their 2011 release 'Mylo Xyloto'! The video features two young loves having fun and strolling the town. In the midst of all of this, Coldplay are playing in what seems to be a brightly coloured club. It's all a bit of old-fashioned fun, really. Accompanied by a peacefully beautiful song. Check it out!
M.I.A. released her first single 'Bad Girls' from her untitled new album, to be released later this year. The artist, famously known for her 2008 hit 'Paper Planes' is planning on releasing her album in 2012. The video was officially released on the 3rd February 2012 and received popular ratings by the public, quickly gaining over one million views on YouTube. The song has influences from Asian instruments and has a middle eastern sound to it. With a great repeated hook ('Chain hits my chest when I'm banging on the dashboard'), it's hard for the song not to get in your head and with just one listen of the song, you're immediately hooked.
Thought I'd add a new segment for the blog. This segment simply discusses various rock artists and their seclusion from the music industry. Hence the title - 'Where'd They Go?!'. The idea for this segment came to me while I was thinking of the New Zealand born indie musician, Ladyhawke. I was introduced to her quirky, odd style of music when I first began listening to rock music. Made famous by her hit song, 'My Delirium.' and other acclaimed songs such as 'Paris Is Burning', 'Dusk 'Till Dawn' and 'Magic', this Kiwi girl is just getting started.
Ladyhawke's been away from the music scene from quite some time. Ever since she released her debut 2008 album, she's been out of the limelight for a while. It got me to wondering where she went to, and don't you worry music fans, Ladyhawke's planning on making her comeback this year! That's right, Ladyhawke's is planning on releasing her follow-up album on the 19th of March, and us fans can't wait!
If you've been living in a cave all of your life and don't know who Ladyhawke is, you should start by listening to her self-titled, 2008 debut album. Every song on the album is a new burst of synthesiser quirkiness. Check out the video for 'My Delirium' below. A real female equivalent to MGMT, I would say.
Okay, so I'm going to be pretty busy this month because I've got tons of school work and exams coming up, so I have to at least try to revise, therefore I might not post as much as I have been recently.
So, before I go on my little break for a while, I'd like to show you a song has recently grown on me. Now, I remember hearing it when it first came out, and I did like it. However, when I heard it more and more on the radio, I fell in love with it. This song is by new British alternative soul artist, Michael Kiwanuka, and it was released this year in 2012, as his second release. It's a truly beautiful song, stripped of any falsities. It's really just an acoustic song with a simple melody and simple lyrics, but the way Kiwanuka has brought them all together is really amazing. I know it's been done before, but I don't think it's been done quite like this.
Kiwanuka is definitely an artist to look out for in 2012. I can just tell this year is the year for him - when he will rise to fame.
The penultimate day and yet another amazing great Blink-182 song. This song, 'Down' is released from the band's self titled 2003 album, which some people regard their best album (including me). I find the song quite similar to 'Feeling This'. Nevertheless, it is still a great song.
The repetitive singing of the word 'down' as the hook works really well, and doesn't fail to get into the listener's head straight away. According to guitarist Tom DeLonge, the song came from a picture he had in
his head about a girl and a boy in a car with it raining outside (hence
the repetition of the word 'down' in the chorus). The song is on the same album as 'I Miss You', but I find that it's still a great song and it's too underrated. It did feature on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, but quickly fell off, therefore the song received mixed success. The song begins with a great punk rock riff that is consistent throughout the song.
The video features the actor Terry Crews who you may recognise as playing the father in the TV sitcom 'Everybody Hates Chris' as a policeman entering a backyard party (in which the band are attending), in search of a gang member, resulting in a chase. It's another one for the books, so make sure you give it a watch!
For day two of our '7 Days of Blink-182' segment, we're featuring one of the most popular Blink-182 hits which gave them more credibility, gaining popularity for their irrelevant sense of humour and catchy songs. That's right, if you hadn't guessed already, it's the 2000 release, 'All The Small Things'! This song is a great punk-rock classic, and the video is a great parody style which highlights the band's great sense of humour. Released from the band's 2000 album release 'Enema of the State', it is the band's highest-charting song of their career to date, teaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100.
Make sure you check it out!
