Picked a couple of my favourite songs at the moment. Maverick Sabre and DJ Fresh put me in a particularly summery mood.
This video also makes me really want some rollerskates, even though I know I will never look as cool as these people.
Sunday 31 July 2011
Tuesday 26 July 2011
Monday 25 July 2011
Some New Songs
Just some new songs I've come across that I think are really rather good.
First up, Laura Marling- 'Sophia.' With the soft yet powerful vocal we've come to know and love, Marling delivers another first-class track. Perfectly calming and beautiful as always, Laura continues to make music at the top of her game. Cannot wait for her new album 'A Creature I Don't Know' (due in September).
Listen here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/zanelowe/
Also on that blog is the new Snow Patrol track, 'Called Out in the Dark.' I think Zane sums it up brilliantly on the blog, as Snow Patrol progress in a big way, but don't lose their ability to create a huge tune. Top marks.
Noel Gallagher's first solo offering is also on its way. 'The Death of You and Me' showcases what a great songwriter Noel is, as he offers a track that is as Oasis as it is unique. Complete with brass section, it is already receiving excellent feedback all round.
Last but not least, The Kooks. Three years after the release of last album 'Konk,' The Kooks are finally back with a bang. 'Is It Me' is exactly what we were looking for. Upbeat, full of energy and packed full of lyrics that reek of experience, it doesn't disappoint. Glad to have them back.
First up, Laura Marling- 'Sophia.' With the soft yet powerful vocal we've come to know and love, Marling delivers another first-class track. Perfectly calming and beautiful as always, Laura continues to make music at the top of her game. Cannot wait for her new album 'A Creature I Don't Know' (due in September).
Listen here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/zanelowe/
Also on that blog is the new Snow Patrol track, 'Called Out in the Dark.' I think Zane sums it up brilliantly on the blog, as Snow Patrol progress in a big way, but don't lose their ability to create a huge tune. Top marks.
Noel Gallagher's first solo offering is also on its way. 'The Death of You and Me' showcases what a great songwriter Noel is, as he offers a track that is as Oasis as it is unique. Complete with brass section, it is already receiving excellent feedback all round.
Last but not least, The Kooks. Three years after the release of last album 'Konk,' The Kooks are finally back with a bang. 'Is It Me' is exactly what we were looking for. Upbeat, full of energy and packed full of lyrics that reek of experience, it doesn't disappoint. Glad to have them back.
Sunday 24 July 2011
Tribute to Amy
In tribute to Amy's tragic death yesterday, I thought I'd share with you my 3 favourite songs of hers. RIP Amy
Saturday 23 July 2011
Song of the Day #3?
On a completely different note, I've been really wanting to listen to these guys all day, so as soon as I got home, I did. I know how much I overuse this word, but this song really is catchy. I defy you not to dance.
RIP Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse has today passed away aged 27. The death is being treated as "unexplained." She has had a very long battle with drink and drugs, but her voice bought pleasure to many all over the world. I think the people of Twitter have collectively summed it all up, as have various news websites, so I don't think I can add anything more. My thoughts are with her friends and family, and I just hope she is remembered for her incredible talent, rather than her struggles. As many have already said, she has joined the 27 Club.
RIP Amy Winehouse, you will be sadly missed.
RIP Amy Winehouse, you will be sadly missed.
Thursday 21 July 2011
Friendly Fires Live Lounge
Friendly Fires were in the Live Lounge today, sounding brilliant as always. Their 'mystery cover song' was genius too. You can listen and look at photos here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/sessions/2011-07-21_friendlyfires
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/sessions/2011-07-21_friendlyfires
Wednesday 20 July 2011
Mercury Music Prize
I'm a bit late on this I know, but I had to write about this year's Mercury Music Prize nominees. They are:
Adele - 21
Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi
Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys!
Everything Everything - Man Alive
Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam
Gwilym Simcock - Good Days At Schloss Elmau
James Blake - James Blake
Katy B - On A Mission
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine
Metronomy - The English Riviera
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy
Whilst there are some good picks in there- James Blake and Metronomy for example-, along with the usual bands that noone has heard of, and the obvious choice- Adele (amazing album, but maybe a too obvious choice for the winner?), it's not the impressive list that many were hoping for. I know this has now been written a gazillion times, the prize this year seems to have steered away from boosting new talent, which has always been the great thing about the prize. I thought I'd add my opinion on what I think has been overlooked:
Friendly Fires- Pala
Hurts- HappinessJamie Woon-Mirrorwriting
Noah and the Whale- Last Night on Earth
White Lies- Ritual
The Vaccines- What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?
I'd also say The Horrors- Skying, and Patrick Wolf- Lupercalia, but I'm not entirely sure they were eligible as I don't know the cut off dates for the nominees. Another name which seems to be on every blog, tweet and website is Wild Beasts. I've never really heard their music, but they seem to be the perfect nominees for the prize, and it is unusual for the Mercurys to overlook such a band.
Whether they will choose an obvious winner or not we don't know, but perhaps the outcry over some poor decisions this year will be a message to improve things next year. The winner is announced on 6th September.
Adele - 21
Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi
Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys!
Everything Everything - Man Alive
Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam
Gwilym Simcock - Good Days At Schloss Elmau
James Blake - James Blake
Katy B - On A Mission
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine
Metronomy - The English Riviera
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy
Whilst there are some good picks in there- James Blake and Metronomy for example-, along with the usual bands that noone has heard of, and the obvious choice- Adele (amazing album, but maybe a too obvious choice for the winner?), it's not the impressive list that many were hoping for. I know this has now been written a gazillion times, the prize this year seems to have steered away from boosting new talent, which has always been the great thing about the prize. I thought I'd add my opinion on what I think has been overlooked:
Friendly Fires- Pala
Hurts- HappinessJamie Woon-Mirrorwriting
Noah and the Whale- Last Night on Earth
White Lies- Ritual
The Vaccines- What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?
I'd also say The Horrors- Skying, and Patrick Wolf- Lupercalia, but I'm not entirely sure they were eligible as I don't know the cut off dates for the nominees. Another name which seems to be on every blog, tweet and website is Wild Beasts. I've never really heard their music, but they seem to be the perfect nominees for the prize, and it is unusual for the Mercurys to overlook such a band.
Whether they will choose an obvious winner or not we don't know, but perhaps the outcry over some poor decisions this year will be a message to improve things next year. The winner is announced on 6th September.
Tuesday 19 July 2011
Thursday 14 July 2011
Guilty Pleasures
We've all got them, be it food, drink, music... you get the point. In the past couple of weeks, I fear I have discovered my guilty pleasure in music.
I originally thought my guilty pleasure would stem from the clubber in me, who has emerged since I've been at University. I now own a significant amount of 'that' kind of music, which as anyone who truly knows me will know, is not exactly my usual taste in music. However, I have learnt to embrace it and love it (with some exceptions of course...)
My guilty pleasure is also not all the 90s Pop I own, because let's be honest, I am PROUD to have loved S Club 7, Busted, Steps... I could go on.
No, the most worrying development in my musical tastes has come in the past couple of weeks. Since S Club 7 split up, pop music has ceased to be my forte, excluding Take That of course. Any mention of The Saturdays for example and I run a mile. I would normally say the same for The WANTED, but the release of 'Glad You Came,' has changed my mind. In all honesty, I have become a little bit obsessed with listening to it, which has since developed into an unhealthy obsession with their other videos, mainly 'Gold Forever.' I'm starting to annoy myself with how much I listen to their latest hit, so much so that I downloaded it, just so I could stop watching the video on YouTube. It has now become my iPod's guilty pleasure.
I'm sure I will get a lot of grief for my obsession with this song, but I will constantly use the excuse of it being my guilty pleasure. What's yours?
I originally thought my guilty pleasure would stem from the clubber in me, who has emerged since I've been at University. I now own a significant amount of 'that' kind of music, which as anyone who truly knows me will know, is not exactly my usual taste in music. However, I have learnt to embrace it and love it (with some exceptions of course...)
My guilty pleasure is also not all the 90s Pop I own, because let's be honest, I am PROUD to have loved S Club 7, Busted, Steps... I could go on.
No, the most worrying development in my musical tastes has come in the past couple of weeks. Since S Club 7 split up, pop music has ceased to be my forte, excluding Take That of course. Any mention of The Saturdays for example and I run a mile. I would normally say the same for The WANTED, but the release of 'Glad You Came,' has changed my mind. In all honesty, I have become a little bit obsessed with listening to it, which has since developed into an unhealthy obsession with their other videos, mainly 'Gold Forever.' I'm starting to annoy myself with how much I listen to their latest hit, so much so that I downloaded it, just so I could stop watching the video on YouTube. It has now become my iPod's guilty pleasure.
I'm sure I will get a lot of grief for my obsession with this song, but I will constantly use the excuse of it being my guilty pleasure. What's yours?
Tuesday 5 July 2011
Glastonbury Review (sort of...)
Long time no blog! I was going to write after I came back from Glastonbury, but I spent the rest of the week packing up all my uni stuff as I have now officially finished my first year. Ridiculous how quick the time has gone! Now I'm busy packing up my actually house because I'm moving there too... so I've managed to grab a quick minute to finally write a few words about Glastonbury.
To sum up, it was AMAZING! It was my first time, and as much as I didn't particularly enjoy the rain and the mud, I got used to it and it really didn't bother me that much. Although it did pretty much double all journey times, which was a bit of an issue considering it takes at least 40-50 minutes to walk from one side of the site to the other WITHOUT mud. Netherless, I think the size of the festival is part of its beauty. The only other festival I've properly been to is Reading, and that seems so tiny and restricted in comparison.
There's so much freedom and so much variety on offer at Glasto that it's pretty impossible to get bored, something I found a problem at Reading. If there's no band on you want to see, you can take a visit to Greenfields and be healed, get a salsa lesson or go watch a show in the Theatre Field, to name but a few. I know it's been said a gazillion times, but some of the best things at Glastonbury are found by chance. On the Thursday, we were on our way to Shangri-La, and we stumbled across a World Record Attempt for the biggest Twister game at one time. We stumbled across the Salsa lesson by chance as well as a few comedy shows in the Cabaret tent. It really is better to just plan a few things you want to see, rather than plan every detail.
The stand-out act for me is a bit of an obvious choice- Beyonce. We managed to get a spot about 3/4 rows from the front, and there's not much else I can say about from...she was INCREDIBLE! I knew she would be good, but I wasn't sure how she would interact with the crowd, or how the crowd would respond. But it just seemed to work really well, and as much as people will say "she's not the type of act to headline Glasto" etc etc, I think she's exactly what the festival needed.
My other highlights included Coldplay, The Midnight Beast, who are ridiculously full of energy and very fun to watch, Laura Marling, who was wonderfully modest with a beautiful voice, perfect for a Sunday afternoon, and Mumford and Sons, who managed to keep the crowd in great spirits despite the weather pissing it down. I'm also glad I took the chance of seeing Pulp. Although I'm not a massive fan, they really entertained me, and I'd definitely recommend seeing them.
There are a few others that I really enjoyed, and some acts that I'm gutted to have missed, but with Glastonbury, it's impossible to see everything! There were also some people who I was disappointed by, such as Plan B. Yes he was really good, but it felt a bit flat, and I wasn't as excited about his performance as I expected to be. The same for Patrick Wolf, although unfortunately this was down to the fact that his microphone seemed dodgy and I couldn't really hear what he was singing. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had all been working properly.
So that's my flash review of Glastonbury. I could write a lot more, but I don't want to bore anyone! Quick tip: never ever buy a 2-man pop-up tent for 2 people if you like personal space and keeping completely dry. Despite that, Glastonbury is a festival that I'd always recommend. See you in 2013!
To sum up, it was AMAZING! It was my first time, and as much as I didn't particularly enjoy the rain and the mud, I got used to it and it really didn't bother me that much. Although it did pretty much double all journey times, which was a bit of an issue considering it takes at least 40-50 minutes to walk from one side of the site to the other WITHOUT mud. Netherless, I think the size of the festival is part of its beauty. The only other festival I've properly been to is Reading, and that seems so tiny and restricted in comparison.
There's so much freedom and so much variety on offer at Glasto that it's pretty impossible to get bored, something I found a problem at Reading. If there's no band on you want to see, you can take a visit to Greenfields and be healed, get a salsa lesson or go watch a show in the Theatre Field, to name but a few. I know it's been said a gazillion times, but some of the best things at Glastonbury are found by chance. On the Thursday, we were on our way to Shangri-La, and we stumbled across a World Record Attempt for the biggest Twister game at one time. We stumbled across the Salsa lesson by chance as well as a few comedy shows in the Cabaret tent. It really is better to just plan a few things you want to see, rather than plan every detail.
The stand-out act for me is a bit of an obvious choice- Beyonce. We managed to get a spot about 3/4 rows from the front, and there's not much else I can say about from...she was INCREDIBLE! I knew she would be good, but I wasn't sure how she would interact with the crowd, or how the crowd would respond. But it just seemed to work really well, and as much as people will say "she's not the type of act to headline Glasto" etc etc, I think she's exactly what the festival needed.
My other highlights included Coldplay, The Midnight Beast, who are ridiculously full of energy and very fun to watch, Laura Marling, who was wonderfully modest with a beautiful voice, perfect for a Sunday afternoon, and Mumford and Sons, who managed to keep the crowd in great spirits despite the weather pissing it down. I'm also glad I took the chance of seeing Pulp. Although I'm not a massive fan, they really entertained me, and I'd definitely recommend seeing them.
There are a few others that I really enjoyed, and some acts that I'm gutted to have missed, but with Glastonbury, it's impossible to see everything! There were also some people who I was disappointed by, such as Plan B. Yes he was really good, but it felt a bit flat, and I wasn't as excited about his performance as I expected to be. The same for Patrick Wolf, although unfortunately this was down to the fact that his microphone seemed dodgy and I couldn't really hear what he was singing. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had all been working properly.
So that's my flash review of Glastonbury. I could write a lot more, but I don't want to bore anyone! Quick tip: never ever buy a 2-man pop-up tent for 2 people if you like personal space and keeping completely dry. Despite that, Glastonbury is a festival that I'd always recommend. See you in 2013!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)