Sunday 30 June 2013

THE JULY MELTING POT: NEW KODALINE, KANYE, KING CHARLES AND MORE

So as we head into July, I'm pleased to say there's some real corkers being popped right now 
and for once, I've got quite a bit of new music to alert you to, so 
keep your eyes open for the goodies I've got coming your way...
And when you've seen them, whack those babies on your i-pod and get them blasting out, share
them with the world and give your neighbours a free ice lolly if they get cranky.


1) BLACK SKINHEAD BY KANYE WEST

2) OTHER VOICES  BY THE ORWELLS

3) CALL ME IN THE AFTERNOON BY HALF MOON RUN

4) DO I WANNA KNOW BY ARCTIC MONKEYS

5) GETTING EVEN BY WHITE LIES

6) SIRENS BY TOM ODELL

7) BAM BAM BY KING CHARLES

8) HOME BY GABRIELLE APLIN

9) ALL COMES DOWN BY KODALINE

10) HURRICANE BY BRIDGET MENDLER

So there's 10 key new tracks for you!
Enjoy.

NEW ALBUMS: THE BATTLE OF TWO K'S
IN A PERFECT WORLD BY KODALINE

YEEZUS BY KANYE WEST 

These two albums, one brash, one a jaw-dropping beauties, both went head to head in the charts last Sunday. A complete mix of sounds and origins, the clash was unexpected to say the least.
One is an American mega star at the top of his game, the other an Irish band who have been working their way up the ladder, enchanting everyone with their mix of soft indie-folk, gorgeously stunning tunes. 
Now on this occasion, Mr West beat newbies Kodaline to the number one spot, but for a debut to chart so highly (it charted at number three) and to go head to head with a serious chance of thwarting Kanye West of all people to the number one spot, that says an awful lot.

I pre-ordered 'In A Perfect World' and let me tell you now, that album is going down as one of my favourites alright. It's stunning, it's beautiful, it's perfect, it's original, it's all four seasons in one.
In a perfect world, we would all have this album and listen to it continously.
It really is that good.

Now I'm not going to do a whole review on the album, but I'll leave you with this:
If you liked 'High Hopes', 'All I Want' or 'Love Like This', you will adore this album.
It's just a fantastic debut and the reason for that is this is a band with genuine talent and each track is so beautifully crafted that each song stands well in its own right. 
I could try and pick a fault with this album but it would be futile.
I strongly urge you to go out and buy 'In A Perfect World' and let the magic of Kodaline captivate you just like they did me way back when (that's a pun- buy the album and you'll see why...) 

And as for 'Yeezus', judging by 'Black Skinhead', it's one absolute scorcher of an album.




Saturday 29 June 2013

ARCTIC MONKEYS EPIC GLASTO SET & TOUR 2013

Wow. Wow. Wow. What. A. Corker. Of. A. Headline.
That set was truly out of this world.
Twelve hours later and I'm still on a high, an Arctic Monkeys induced haze, because how could we,
as Arctic Monkeys fans, have asked for anything better than what they gave us last night?
Hit after hit after hit, truly phenomenal showmanship from Alex (did you like those dramatic hair combs eh?), electrifying atmosphere, Helders' intense, pulsing drumming, Nick and Jamie's scorching guitar slides and riffs.... This was a coming of age show alright.

Before the Monkeys walked on stage my heart was pounding with excitement.
The red record light on my Sky Plus box was flashing, my foot was tapping away, my mother was zonked out on the sofa. And then... they walked onstage, and the last two year wait meant nothing as feelings of excitement, love and inner celebratory screaming took over.
They were finally there. And they were ready to blow our socks off.


We've been waiting for this set since March and all day yesterday was agonising as the clock edged nearer and nearer to 10:15pm. In all honesty, I was afraid that this set had been bigged up so much that it surely couldn't live up to expectation but I am so, so glad to say I was proved wrong. 

By song number two, 'Brianstorm', I was having an eargasm on the floor.
'Don't Sit Down...' had me doing karate moves at the TV screen.
'Brick By Brick' I was pummeling my fists and shaking my head like a possessed tribal warrior.
My mother, who by now had woken up, stared at me like I was a new breed of UFO and damn she was right. The Monkeys really were possessing me. 
The music was filling me up, taking over my body, zapping through my veins.
Life really could not get any better than it did last night.


Alex was the perfect showman, working the crowd who were literally in the palm of his hand.
He requested they sing a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to his mum Penny, which they duly did, and I'm pretty sure if he asked them to pop down to ASDA and get him a roast chicken, they would have.
Even us sat watching him on the TV were entranced like little zombies, watching our leader and obeying his every command. In my last AM's article I mentioned how the Monkeys have matured and really come into their own, and this set demonstrated that perfectly.
Just watch it and you'll know exactly what I mean.

The Monkeys were having a whale of a time, the crowd was dying of epicness overload, the music had a life of it's own. Everything came together in those one and a half hours and the result was a set that will surely go down in Glasto history. I know I'll never forget it.
Oh and who could resist a strings version of 'Cornerstone' and  'Mardy Bum'?
If I was having an eargasm before, well right then I was having an ear attack because it was just perfection.
Guy Garvey certainly spun his magic into that one. 


Of course the addition of Miles Kane and his metal incased finger to perform the much adored riffs of 505, 
wrapped up the epic show in true Monkeys style and made sure every single person both at Glasto, or watching it from behind a screen, went to bed last night 100% satisfied in every way possible.
It was a magical night and of course today we have the Rolling Stones headlining and they'll be sure to crank the mightiness of Glastonbury up by more than a few notches.

Turner, on talkative form throughout the set, dedicated 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' to "the girlfriends of the men too cool to wave their hands during 'Pretty Visitors'".
Now if you're a Monkeys fan, maybe a slightly obsessed one like myself, you'll be aware of the following key dates: 5th July and 9th September. 
The first is the day UK tour tickets go on-sale and trust me, if you want to see the AM's live, you're gonna have to get in quick because those tickets are going to sell like hotcakes.
If they hadn't just done Glasto, I wouldn't be so worried, but with that platform, you will have your hardcore Monkey fans vying for tickets and your nostalgic Monkey fans who just want to see the old school hits like 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' or 'Fluorescent Adolescent' played live once again. 
You really need to get in there as fast as you can my friends.

Keep and eye out for pre-sale and if you miss that, 9am sharp be on the web, credit card in hand, ready to buy, because if Glasto is anything to go by, you really don't want to miss out on an opportunity to see the Monkeys live. As for the album 'AM', just head online to pre-order and you shouldn't have any problem with that whatsoever.


So that's all, hope you enjoyed the set as much as I did,
and lets hold our fists up to the UK's best band as of now. 

ALL HAIL THE MONKEYS OO-OOO-OOOO.

The setlist:
'Do I Wanna Know?'
'Brianstorm'
'Dancing Shoes'
'Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair'
'Teddy Picker'
'Crying Lightning'
'Brick By Brick'
'Fake Tales Of San Francisco'
'She's Thunderstorms'
'Old Yellow Bricks'
'Pretty Visitors'
'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'
'Do Me A Favour'
'R U Mine?'
'Mad Sounds'
'Fluorescent Adolescent'
'A Certain Romance'
'Cornerstone
'Mardy Bum'
'When The Sun Goes Down'
'505'
Pictures/info from: http://www.nme.com/news/arctic-monkeys/71138#A1ZoV2BZil5TrpIj.99 



Monday 17 June 2013

NEW SONGS (& MAD SOUNDS) FROM ARCTIC MONKEYS



Okay so it's time for yet another Monkeys update!
I'm sorry as it's all I seem to be writing about lately but this is rather important stuff, so it's getting pride of place. Now I'm writing today because over this weekend, the Monkeys have debuted another new song, 'Mad Sounds', at their two Scandinavian festival dates and I really urge you to take a listen to it.
Although the song only exists through fan footage at the moment, the song still shines through and it's good enough quality for you to be able to reach a valid conclusion on the song itself.

When I read that the Monkeys had debuted another song, as I conducted my daily NME stalk at college this morning, I literally jumped up and down in my seat- and I was in the library too (gasp!)
And when I saw it was called 'Mad Sounds', I was expecting some crazy ass tune like 'Brick by Brick' or something related to the brash, loud, catchy little numbers on 'Favourite Worst Nightmare'.
I was wrong. 

Contrary to what the title suggests, this new tune is ironically probably the furthest away from a mad sound you could get. I don't quite know what Mr Turner means when he says 'Mad Sounds', as fan footage makes it difficult to depict his lyrics. But he certainly doesn't mean the song itself.
'Mad Sounds' is a little but slower with links to 'Suck It And See' here and there although it's still keeping in line with the sound heard on 'Do I Wanna Know'. In all honesty, it sounds great.
I for one was very impressed and enthusiastically tapped my foot along whilst nodding my head in a very approving manner indeed.

The Monkeys have currently upgraded previous newbie 'Do I Wanna Know' to top of the bill whilst 'Mad Sounds' has been slotted between 'Suck It and See' and 'R U Mine'. The positioning of 'Mad Sounds' in the setlist seems to be deliberate as it does provide a perfect transition between the two songs.
When listening to 'Mad Songs' you can hear distinct elements from both songs, as I noted in particular some Suck It & See-esque riffs and sounds that seemed to have an 'R U Mine'-esque overlay. 
If this is the direction the AM's are choosing to head in then I can definitely agree that they've chosen a fabulous route to go down. It's just fantastic, it really is.

Their sound has evolved in the sense that it's more mature and as Alex and co. edge nearer their thirties, this was only inevitable. The relief is that like a good piece of cheese or wine, time is doing wonders for their sound, it really is. It's mellower, maturer and almost wiser, as if they are completely in control. 
It's self assured and we all know Alex is a fan of a good croon, especially as his covers tend to be of softer, richer, accoustic led records that clearly suit his versatile voice. 
But don't you worry, I'm pretty certain that album number five will have a couple of 'Brick by Brick' like bangers here and there. 
It is the Arctic Monkeys after all.

And finally as for the Arctic Monkeys timeline, I have to make a few amendments:

'Do I Wanna Know' now has an official video on You Tube and as of today can be bought
officially on iTunes! It's sounding absolutely fantastic and with the proper sound quality
you'll find you can appreciate the record a whole lot more.

So it seems that the Monkeys are taking advantage of the Glasto platform after all.
If anything, it will build up hype for the new album as Glasto is such a major festival both here in the UK and worldwide. Obviously 'Do I Wanna Know' and 'Mad Sounds' are going to be on the bill, and I would think another newbie or two will probably be added as well.
It's likely a major music magazine, probably NME, will do some sort of feature on Glasto and the Monkeys, within the next few weeks too so keep your eyes open!

From what I can tell, this album will probably be the one to propel the Monkeys to that last step of being the  best British band out there. They've practically there anyway, but I'm positive that this album will be the one to cement that status for definite. 
I ain't monkeying around.
(Bad pun, but I don't think you 'wanna know')
Ha.


Thursday 13 June 2013

GET LISTENING JUNE 2013

Sorry I haven't written in a while... in all honesty I've been lacking inspiration lately, but today I have a list of some good songs that will get you through this week very nicely indeed.
To make up for my absence I have also included paragraphs, not just sentences- I'm flexing my musical fingers and joints especially for you alright?
Now like always, it is quite a mix up of songs to say the least, but I hope you like the contrasts because after all, contrast is what makes life curiously interesting and anyway, who doesn't like to see hip hop and rock alongside each other every once in a while? 
So with the waffling done, I'll get you started on some seriously fab tunes...



1) STICKS AND STONES BY JAMIE T 
'This is one of those incredibly good yet underrated classics, simply a fantastically made song.
Although little has been released mainstream from Jamie, since 'Sticks & Stones' was released in 2009, he is still making music and hats off to Jamie because this is easily one of the best songs of the last decade.
If you didn't catch this number back in the day, I assure you that once you cross paths with it you will love it forever. Trust me. '


2) PARTY ON FIFTH AVE BY MAC MILLER
'Already big in America, Mac is only just making his transatlantic debut with his appearance on the soon to be released 'The Way' by Ariana Grande. So if you want a good taster of what he's about and the music he makes, 'Party on Fifth Ave' is a brilliant introduction to Mac's refreshing style of hip hop. Whack it on at a party and you will probably gain a new found appreciation from all your fellow party-goers.'



3) LIGHTHOUSE BY LUCY SPRAGGAN
'Although you would be in your right to snub Lucy for her tainted X Factor history and beginnings, I would advise you not to because you would be missing out on a seriously talented songstress and her witty, unique and refreshing approach to music. The writer of the perfectly true 'Beer Fear', which gives an unedited insight into the realities of getting wasted, Lucy is extremely talented in her ability to write truthful, catchy and engaging songs, and new tune 'Lighthouse' is no exception. It's a beautiful little song and definitley worth four minutes of your time (at the very least)'


4) HERE'S TO NEVER GROWING UP BY AVRIL LAVIGNE
'I really didn't want to like this but I do! I can't fight it any longer. Although Avril will probably never regain the incredibly popularity that tracks like 'Skater Boy' and 'Girlfriend' brought her, with more recent tracks such as 'What The Hell' and newbie 'Here's To Never Growing Up', she's certainly heading in the right direction and there's no denying that Miss Lavigne can make damn good pop music.
This isn't an incredible song, but it's catchy, relatable, fresh and has the ability to go down as the official ode for teenagers everywhere.'


5) EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED BY TAYLOR SWIFT FT ED SHEERAN
'This is one of my favourite  tracks off Taylor's 2012 release 'Red'. Ed and Taylor's voice meld wonderfully together and their brilliant songwriting abilities combined  makes for a truly beautiful and sweet little number that is sure to do well worldwide. Both are hugely respected and adored artists who write songs that resonate with millions of people and both have the ability to address numerous issues in honest, beautiful and unique ways. 'Everything Has Changed' is simply adorable in every sense and if that wasn't enough, the music video is easily the cutest thing I have ever seen in my whole life.'


6) THE OTHER SIDE BY JASON DERULO
'Normally, I find Jason's music to be the perfect accompaniment to a party and whilst I believe he is a great singer, I find his music to be good but mostly for a dance and a nice old sing along. 
Now I honestly do not know why, but 'The Other Side' is the one exception for me. It has somehow found it's way on to my i-pod and that never happens. But it has, and I'm not ashamed either, because this is a great comeback and it's definitely one of Jason's best tunes. I hope you can avoid the self provoked shame (because I'm not judging if you're not!) and listen, maybe dance, to this cracking party tune.'


7) TURN TO STONE BY ELO
'I know this one in particular is completely unexpected, and I'll be first to admit that although my playlists can be rather quirky and mismatched, this is pushing the boat out a bit for me. 
But before you throw your hands up in a 'quel suprise!' fashion, trust me alright? ELO are ruddy fantastic and that's musically proven because they are the masters that made the legend that is, 'Mr Blue Sky', and you just cannot argue with that. 
Aside from 'Mr Blue Sky', which I adore, 'Turn To Stone' is another of my all time favourites and you need to believe me when I say that ELO's music is literally out of this world. It's just amazing and  I thoroughly urge you to listen to them.'

8) MURDA BIZNESS BY IGGY AZALEA FT T.I
'Ay, ay, ay, can Iggy do no wrong? This girl is simply perfection. With monster tunes like 'Work' and 'Bounce', Iggy's already demonstrated that she is certainly not 'the white Nicki Minaj', no sir, this girl has her own brand of music. Althought there are comparions between Iggy and Nicki, Iggy's music certainly has a life of it's own and she's got some talent when it comes to melding beats, raps and melodies together. 
'Murda Bizness' is an example of that. Insanely catchy, it will make you feel so bad ass you might actually consider swagging around town with a fake gold tooth and luxuriously grand gold chain around your neck.'


9) TALK THROUGH THE NIGHT BY DOG IS DEAD
'I know I've mentioned Dog Is Dead and quite possibly this song before, but recently I've been listening to a lot of their music again and that my friend, is because it is magically wonderful and simply stunning.
These guys are going to be so good when they hit all the festivals this summer, because their music catalogue contains all the right records to get the crowd feeling alive, enamored, united.
 'Talk Through The Night' is just one of Dog Is Dead's fabulous creations along with others such as 'Glockenspiel Song' and 'Teenage Daughter', and you really don't want to miss out on these guys because they're just too good to miss. Go listen!'


10) FAT BOTTOMED GIRLS BY QUEEN
'Now just to mix things up even more, if that was possible, my last selection is the infamous and spectacularly good Queen tune, 'Fat Bottomed Girls'. Practically everyone knows this song, in fact, it could probably be our nations' anthem, instead of 'God Save The Queen', it's that well known.
And stumbling across this beauty the other day reminded me just how good the song is, how amazing Queen were and how great music is supposed to sound. 
This is an epic song in every sense.
 The way the drum beats instill a thumping through your veins and your body, the way Freddie's voice soars and dances as it guides the song and not to forget the hilarious yet touching lyrics. You need to remember how incredible this song really is, and when better than right now?

I hope you've enjoy the eclectic playlist I've composed for you today.
I want you to be off checking out some amazing new tunes whilst simultaneously shaking your bootie and dancing round the room to some fabulous old classics. 
Enjoy my lovelies.