Wednesday, 9 July 2014

12 Albums of 2014. Pt. 1 (09/07/14)

I thought this week I'd do something a little different, and seeing as it's been a good couple of months for music releases, I'd share 12 albums I've been loving so far this year! (Download links for all albums can be found at the end of this blog!) 

Mind Over Matter - Young The Giant

Release Date: 21st January 2014
Genre: Alternative Rock
Tracks: 13
Chart Performance: #7 (US Billboard 200)
Singles: It's About Time/Crystallised/Mind Over Matter

This is a great album, with great variety, some would argue that it's because they still haven't found 'their sound', but I personally feel it links well to their previous album 'Young The Giant' and shows they can give a variety of sounds. From upbeat, rockier tracks to slower chilled tracks, with solid musicality shown throughout. My favourite three tracks have to be 'Anagram', 'Mind Over Matter' and 'Camera'. Purely because I like the mix of guitars, drums, synth, all songs are crafted well with lyrics and their vocals are on point throughout too. 


Renegade - Toseland

Release Date: 23rd March 2014
Genre: 'Soft' Rock
Tracks: 11
Singles: Renegade/Crash Landing

'Renegade' is a rockier album with a beautiful ballad in the mix too. The phrase 'soft rock' is used lightly as it's rock, but it's not too heavy. If you're a fan of Guns 'n' Roses or Bon Jovi, you'll definitely be a fan of this album. This album is definitely one to rock out to with your air guitars and drums! I'm a big fan of 'Life Is Beautiful', 'Just No Way' and 'Burning The System', they're a good mix of what's on the album, 'Just No Way' being the ballad, and the other two being heavier tracks with insane guitar and vocals. 


Caustic Love - Paolo Nutini

Release Date: 14th April 2014
Genre: Soul/Jazz/Funk
Tracks: 13
Chart Performance: #1 (UK Albums Chart)
Singles: Scream (Funk My Life Up)/Let Me Down Easy

This album was a hit in the UK, reaching #1 in the UK Albums Chart, it's the perfect chill out BBQ kind of album. There's more of a jazzy funk vibe to this album compared to his earlier album 'Sunny Side Up', which had more of a folk feel to it. 'Scream (Funk My Life Up)' stands out to me as a great track, not just because it did well in the singles charts, but it's a genuinely great track with everything to make a great song. 'Iron Sky' also stands out as a more ballady track, with soul vibes running through it, which gives a nice alternative to the jazz funk filled album. 'Fashion' is another of my favourites, featuring vocals from Janelle Monáe, it's one to get stuck in your head, and Janelle offers a nice twist of vocals to the track. 


Sheezus - Lily Allen

Release Date: 5th May 2014
Genre: Pop
Tracks: 14 | 17 (Deluxe)
Chart Performance: #1 (UK Albums Chart)| #2 (US Billboard 200)
Singles: Hard Out Here/Air Balloon/Our Time/URL Badman

Lily Allen returned to the music industry, after a five year break, with these classic Allen album. It's got a great mix of tracks, all with honest and 'out-there' lyrics, which is what we always loved about her right? As well as the well crafted instrumentals of the tracks, there are echoes of previous tracks, with drum beats etc. but I like the way she hasn't moved away from her sound, which other artists have been known to do after time out. My favourites from this album were hard to pick actually, I really enjoy all the tracks on this one, but 'Air Balloon', 'Take My Place' and 'URL Badman' just about beat the rest. 


Elements - Kina Grannis

Release Date: 6th May 2014
Genre: Acoustic Folk/Pop
Tracks: 12 | 14 (Deluxe)
Chart Performance: #2 (iTunes Singer/Songwriter Albums Chart)
Singles: The Fire/Dear River

One of the most chilled albums of the year so far for me! Kina's stunning vocals are showcased effortlessly in this album, with every single track being put together incredibly well. Before seeing her live in London, I listened to her a lot, after seeing her live I listen to her even more, and am pretty blown away with her live vocals being just as good recorded, if not a little more impressive live. This album is definitely a relaxed album with some incredibly emotional tracks in there, but at the same time very uplifting ones too! Favourites include 'Dear River', 'Forever Blue' and 'My Own', which also features vocals from Kina's sisters, which adds to the story of the song. 


Ghost Stories - Coldplay

Release Date: 19th May 2014
Genre: Dream Electronica/Alternative Rock
Tracks: 9
Chart Performance: # (UK Singles Chart)| #1 (US Billboard 200)
Singles: Magic/Midnight/A Sky Full Of Stars

This album was always going to be a stand out collection of songs amongst releases of 2014. With tracks like 'Always In My Head', echoing previous album Mylo Xyloto, to 'Midnight', which is very Bon Iver-esque, to the gentle lullaby of 'O'. All three of those tracks are my favourites by the way... Chris Martin's easy-listening vocals glisten over the top of these again, well-crafted instrumentals in the track. I can't get enough of this album, it's definitely one for winding-down in the evening! 


In The Lonely Hour - Sam Smith

Release Date: 26th May 2014
Genre: Soul/R&B
Tracks: 10 | 14 (Deluxe)
Chart Performance: #1 (UK Albums Chart)| #2 (US Billboard 200)
Singles: Lay Me Down/Money On My Mind/Stay With Me

Another chilled album full of smooth and mesmerising vocals and simple instrumentals, which makes those insane vocals stand out even more. Sam Smith has been described as the artist of 2014, and I think they're onto something, he's broken through, gained awards and #1 singles. 'Good Thing', 'I'm Not The Only One' and 'Make It To Me' are my favourites from this album. My friend described this one as a good 'background music' album, but I think this deserves to be listened to with full attention easily! 


New Eyes - Clean Bandit

Release Date: 2nd June 2014
Genre: House/Baroque Pop
Tracks: 13 | 18 (Deluxe)
Chart Performance: #3 (UK Albums Chart)
Singles: A&E/Mozart's House/Dust Clears/Rather Be/Extraordinary

I have been waiting a long time for an album from these guys, and they haven't disappointed. This album is full of collaborations with a variety of artists, most of which are upcoming, which makes this album even fresher. They have tapped into something very unique to the music scene at the minute, being populated by pop, indie rock and rap, these guys aren't afraid to be different and their music has gone down incredibly well. Violin and a good drum beat will always win over my heart. Stand out tracks for me include 'Come Over ft. Stylo G', 'Up Again ft. Rae Morris' and 'Nightingale (Gorgon City Remix).


Whispers - Passenger

Release Date: 9th June 2014
Genre: Indie Rock/Folk
Tracks: 11 | 18 (Deluxe)
Chart Performance: #5 (UK Albums Chart)| #12 (US Billboard 200)
Singles: Scare Away The Dark/Heart's On Fire

A great follow up from 'All The Little Lights', a built up acoustic album, Passenger manages to create stories through his music so well. I'm a big fan of 'Golden Leaves', possibly because it was the first track I heard from this album a good year or so ago on his Youtube. 'Thunder' is a clever track, it's incredibly upbeat and cheery track, however if you listen to the lyrics, my interpretation is that all the imagery he uses, are pretty negative, it's a great track still! 'Scare Away The Dark', I think the video for this one helped sway my decision for this to be in my top three tracks, but the song itself is also great, well written again and a comment on the modern technological society we live in. 


Salt & It's Gentle Corollary - Little Comets

Release Date: 16th June 2014
Genre: Indie Rock
Tracks: 7

I admire Little Comets, they create a unique sound with their music, and something I class as 'Little Comets guitar riffs'. Another thing I admire them for is their penmanship, their lyrics are so detailed and poetic, yet their more recent material is pretty impossible to pick up on lyrics, making you really concentrate on their music and taking your own interpretation from. Three songs have been on repeat in my car, mainly for the guitar, vocals and dark drum beats, 'Salt', 'Little Italy' and 'The Blur, The Line & The Thickest Of Onions'. You can take what you wish from the latter mentioned track, but I think it was a much needed song that should be heard by more people, definitely check out the lyrics and explanation to that one! (read that here)


x - Ed Sheeran

Release Date: 23rd June 2014
Genre: Acoustic Rap/Pop
Tracks: 12 | 16 (Deluxe)
Chart Performance: #1 (UK Albums Chart)| #1 (US Billboard 200)
Singles: Sing/Don't

A much anticipated album, another hit for album releases of 2014. Ed returns with a perfectly pieced together album, a great mix of acoustic heartwarming tracks, with well crafted lyrics, something I've always loved Ed for. My stand-out favourite track from this album is 'Afire Love', it's definitely a touching track, with a kind of uplifting finish. 'Don't' and 'Take It Back' are my two other favourites from the album, 'Don't' shows his loop pedal side, whilst 'Take It Back' highlights he can rap pretty well! 


The Morning - Lewis Watson

Release Date: 7th July 2014
Genre: Acoustic
Tracks: 12/13 
Chart Performance: #8 (iTunes Singer/Songwriter Albums Chart)
Singles: Stay/Holding On

After seeing Lewis perform the track listing live in a church, I knew this album was something to look forward to. It's being shown a lot of love in the music industry at the minute, especially with fellow singer/songwriters and the DJs on Radio 1. I love all the tracks on the album, there isn't one that you skip after 20 seconds of listening to. Favourites include 'Holding On', mainly because the live performance stood out to me and has stayed with me since. 'Halo' is one of those sad but encouraging, uplifting tracks, and I've loved it since I heard it for the first time. 'Sink or Swim' was always one of my favourite tracks from his previous EPs, and it just fits right in to this album. 


iTunes Download Links:

Mind Over Matter - Young The Giant: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mind-over-matter/
Salt & It's Gentle Corollary - Little Comets: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/salt-and-its-gentle-corollary/
*The Morning - Lewis Watson (all songs inc. all EPs): https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-morning-all-of-the-songs/

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Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Feature: The Walking Method (01/07/14)


The Walking Method are an indie rock trio from the outskirts of London. Made up of William Dorey (singer & guitarist), Jacob Henry (drummer) and Matt March (bass guitarist). They haven't played much live yet, but that isn't stopping them from releasing good music and growing their fan base, with social media playing a key part in that. They are organising more gigs for later in the year and an EP release too. These guys are building a name for themselves, and they've even had a fan kicked out of their local Walmart on the other side of the world because they were spreading the name of the band! Crazy! 

 General Questions:

 1. How old were you when you started getting involved in music and how?
We all got into music at different times really; Will was ages seven and was strongly influenced by his Dad, whilst I (Jacob) was about 10 when my Dad and Grandma got me into it. Meanwhile, Matt was about 13 when our secondary school music teacher Mr Wells helped him become involved. 

 2. What is the most inspiring gig/concert/festival you've been to?
Again, we've all been inspired by different concerts and  festivals we've attended. The best one I've ever been to has to be Arctic Monkeys at Finsbury Park in London a couple of months ago, whilst Will loved Reading 2012 and Matt was inspired by Fall Out Boy this year at Wembley Arena. 

 3. What have you been listening to lately?
Lately, we've been listening to a range of music that includes Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, The 1975, Fall Out Boy, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Royal Blood & Enter Shikari. 

 3 Questions for The Walking Method:

 1. How did 'The Walking Method', the band and the name come about?
We all came together as a band after attending the same secondary school; Hall Mead and we performed for the first time at a school concert. Our name came about quite randomly actually; we were stood in a group with our mates at college preview where we were discussing what we should name the band. Then someone suggested the idea that we should get a book, open it and whilst blindfolded, randomly point to three words on the page; those three words would form the band name. The three words that were chosen were 'The', 'Walking' and 'Method', so there you have it! 

 2. When writing a song, is it a collective effort or are there specific roles within the group?
Our songs are usually written all by our lead singer Will, who is the creative spark and almost everything flows through him. 

 3. If you were to make a music video for 'Ghosts', what would the story be and where would you set it?
We're yet to consider a music video for 'Ghosts', although we'd like to in the future. The song is about a man adoring a woman but she doesn't know he exists. If we were to make a music video, it'd probably be filmed somewhere quite general and in public. 

 Random Q:

 Favourite film and why?
We've all got different favourite films. My favourite has to be 'Hot Fuzz' because it's hilarious and Edgar Wright is simply a genius. Will's favourite is 'Submarine', because Alex Turner wrote the soundtrack and Matt's favourite is 'Batman: The Dark Knight' because it is very action-packed and reminds him of the characters he used to love during his childhood. 

 'Ghosts' Review:

 'Ghosts' is the second single from The Walking Method, I really like the chilled skater rock vibe of this track. The guitar and drums really hit into the indie genre, these guys fit with other upcoming band Renegade, and vocals remind me of early band OPM. You can definitely hear their influences of the likes of The Strokes and similar bands. The only negative is it seems a little messy at times, BUT these guys haven't been together for long at all and if this is one of their first songs, I'm looking forward to watching them grow and hearing more music from them! 

The Walking Method's Links:

Twitter/Instagram: @TheWalkingMethod

They've also got a gig on Friday 3rd October 2014 at The New Windmill Hall in Upminster, London, in aid of Oxfam, tickets are available at: http://www.seetickets.com/event/the-walking-method/the-new-windmill-hall/798619

Check It Out!

Chart: Problem - Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea

'Problem' has been released as the lead single from Ariana Grande's second album 'My Everything'. It features Australian artist/rapper Iggy Azalea, this feel good pop track has received lots of positive critique and is a real tune for summer. The track has peaked at number 2 in the Billboard Hot 100 and is currently at number 1 in the UK Big Top 40 Chart. 


Live Performance: Jolene - Dolly Parton

There is no doubt that Dolly Parton was a massive highlight of Glastonbury 2014, and definitely competes for Queen of the festival this year. Amongst other classic tracks, Dolly performed Jolene, which is known as one of the best songs of all time. She can definitely still sing as well, which is refreshing amongst the older music generation! 


Cover: How Will I Know - Sam Smith

This heavenly cover has been a hit on the internet in the past couple of weeks, being shared and spread across the world via social media and the likes. Sam Smith manages to make every song his own, and he his a favourite artist amongst this blog. Definitely one of my artists of 2014. Enjoy! 


Classic: Hey Ya - Outkast

This is a school disco classic. A real feel good track that made polaroids popular. A great mix of funk, rock and pop, this track was a hit, the track was written and produced by Andre 3000. It peaked at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart and number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100, and still remains to be a favourite amongst pretty much everyone! The video is also pretty great too!


GIVEAWAY RESULTS!

Emma Slater, Emily Howell and Fredi Moore, you have all won two items each from the giveaway, please inbox me on FB for more information and a massive thank you to everyone who took part! 

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Friday, 27 June 2014

A Year Of Music In Time Blog... (GIVEAWAY)

So...

Wednesday saw Music In Time Blog's first birthday, it was a year since the first feature (proper blog) went live. In this year, Music In Time has gained over 6,600 views, 150 likes on Facebook and over 120 followers on twitter.

I've decided to run a giveaway competition, which includes:

Signed 'Heal' EP - Joe Lewis-Brown
Signed 'Some Songs With Some Friends' EP & poster - Lewis Watson
Signed 'Solace' EP - April Keen
First item of Music In Time Merch - a notebook
Meadowlark Wristband
The Storm Wristband - Harry Seaton
All you have to do, is go to our Facebook page and LIKE & SHARE the status with a photo of all these items. If you're not on Facebook then RT & FAVOURITE the tweet with the photo! (Links below)

These giveaway items will be split into two or three bundles (dependant on how many people take part...)

Thank you very much and get sharing (especially if you have friends/family that would be interested in this giveaway/the blog!)


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Tuesday, 24 June 2014

What I'm Listening To... (24/06/14)

The past couple of months have included exams, (kinda) finishing sixth form, a fair amount of live music and lots of amazing times with friends. I can't really describe what I've been listening to recently by genre, it's sort of been 'sunset and driving' music, so without further a do...

All Of The Stars - Ed Sheeran

I think I've got an unhealthy obsession with this song, the soundtrack it's for and the album it's on. Ed Sheeran is back with another amazing album 'x', I bought it yesterday and haven't stopped listening to it since. However, this specific song really stands out and I've been listening to it since it was released on Youtube for The Fault In Our Stars soundtrack. The video mirrors the beautiful lyrics etc. that the song offers with Ed's vocals.
Moth's Wings - Passion Pit

I've listened to 'Moth's Wings' and Passion Pit in general for a few years now, but came across it again a few weeks ago on Spotify. The track's from Passion Pit's first full-length studio album 'Manners', which is a great album! It's been used on many TV shows, such as Gossip Girl, Big Love and So You Think You Can Dance, as well as appearing in the FIFA 10 game and the film, Life As We Know It. 
Liar - Kimberly Anne

My artist of 2014, I still need to see her live, but Kimberly Anne is one of my favourite artists at the minute. I've loved all of her songs, but I'm really loving her latest single 'Liar' from her upcoming Ep 'Liar'. The drums, guitar, vocals and lyrics come together so well and I can't wait to hear the rest of the EP. 
View - Pylo

I came across these guys at the Isle of Wight Festival the other weekend on the Big Top Stage and I may have fallen in love with their sound, they're nice guys as well! Both this song and it's video are great, the song reminds me of a mix of Bon Iver musically and Kings of Leon vocally. The video has insane cinematography and lovely settings and views... (funny that!)
The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy

I have listened to these guys from their debut album 'From Under The Cork Tree', I've always enjoyed listening to them, and in the last year, I haven't listened to enough pop punk/rock, which has always been one of my favourite genres of music. Seeing these guys at Isle of Wight re-kindled my love for their music, I'm loving this song from their recent album! 
Less Than Friends - Robbie Boyd

I got to meet this lovely fellow at Isle of Wight, I've had his album on repeat since, it's a great pop folk feel good album, and has some great summery tracks. This song has a catchy vibe about it and I've had it stuck in my head for the past week! 
Wide Awake - Josh Record

Another artist of 2014 for me, this year Josh is due to release his debut album, and I can't wait, I've been following him for a couple of years. It's been really great watching him gain a bigger audience over this past year and get radio plays on BBC Radio 1 etc. He has harmonious vocals and all his songs build into dreamy pop tracks. 
America - Razorlight

This song is on a playlist at work that seems to get played a lot (and I'm not complaining!) It gets us all singing along, it's a true classic from 2006 and I can't get it out of my head! 



Up Again - Clean Bandit ft. Rae Morris

Clean Bandit's 'New Eyes' album has been on repeat in my car the past couple of weeks and this is my favourite song, I like both Clean Bandit and Rae Morris and again, have listened to them for a couple of years. Definitely an album for Summer 2014! 
Helios - Emily & The Woods

I've loved Emily & The Woods for years, however, they hadn't released anything in the past year, until a few months back, this EP seemed to slip under my radar and I only discovered it earlier today, I love it! Great video, great sound and such a chilled vibe. 


Thanks for reading! 

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Friday, 20 June 2014

Conflicts: Save Live Music Venues. (20/06/14)

Today's blog post is different to previous uploads, but it's probably one of the most important ones I've written for this blog. It covers things that are threatening music as we know it, whether that be live music/music videos or upcoming artists and bands, as well as independent labels in the industry. 

 So, to start us off... Two independent live music venues facing the possibility of closure, due to new neighbours complaining. The Boileroom, Guildford and The Blind Tiger Club, Brighton. 
Firstly, I find it incredibly frustrating that people will move directly opposite, above or next door to live music venues and complain about noise etc. when surely they'd think that was a possible problem?! 
The Boileroom, Guildford
For me, The Boileroom is my local gig venue and I go there at least every few months, I find it a well-kept and managed venue and one that offers a safe and enjoyable atmosphere to all ages, as well as a large variety in genre. Boileroom is a family run venue, which opened in 2006, it's a venue that provides a much needed creative space for the local community, they encourage, support and nurture local bands and upcoming talent. Since 2013, over 25,000 music fans have walked through their doors, many organisations and schools have hired the venue. They've also hosted charity fundraising events for the likes of Macmillan Cancer Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust, Oxjam and so many more. On top of all this, they hold free events monthly and encourage under 18s to go there and create a safe environment for us.
Owner, Dominique Frazer was awarded the Trude Adler award in 2010, for their community approach to running a live music venue with sensitivity, insight and consideration for the local community, which they continue to do. In 2012, Dominique was also nominated for the Community Spirit Individual, under Local Heroes Community Spirit Awards, voted for by local radio listeners. Clearly appreciated by the local community, not just friends and I! 
The Blind Tiger, Brighton
The Blind Tiger Club in Brighton was founded in 2011 and is another independent live music venue under threat. They were involved in the Great Escape Festival 2013, using their venue for gigs included in the line up. Now, receiving backing from Brighton's MP, Caroline Lucas, has been a big movement for this venue, however they still need support against the people who moved in above, whom are now complaining about noise, surely it doesn't take much to do a bit of research about where you're moving to? 

 It would be a massive shame to lose these music venues, especially as they work as hard they can to restrict unnecessary noise etc. 
Venues for live music are becoming more restricted for choice, closing independent venues like The Boileroom and The Blind Tiger Club, leaves a big gap between open mic nights at pubs to venues holding 750 people. This makes it increasingly difficult for upcoming artists and bands to perform live and gain an audience in a traditional way. 

 The Boileroom specifically, have supported many of my friends as well as loads of artists/bands I follow. It's my local place for gigs and reviews, monthly dose of live music and one I don't want to have to take off my list! I'm sure regulars of The Blind Tiger Club feel the same way! 

 If you would like to support these venues, and others like these, please sign and share the two petitions linked below, it will only take a few seconds of your time, and could gain you millions of seconds listening to live music in a venue you enjoy! 

 The Boileroom, Guildford: http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/guildford-borough-council-save-the-boileroom-from-closure

 The Blind Tiger Club, Brighton: http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/brighton-and-hove-city-council-repeal-the-noise-abatement-notice-served-to-the-blind-tiger-club

 Thank you for reading! Please sign and share! 
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Wednesday, 18 June 2014

Review: Isle of Wight Festival (15/06/14)

I ventured to the Isle of Wight on Sunday for the Isle of Wight Festival 2014, I was looking forward to the line up in general, smaller stages and main stage (was a little gutted I missed Biffy and Chilli Peppers on Friday & Saturday though!)

Whilst walking to the Big Top Stage, I passed the Strongbow Garden during Corona's set, I only heard their cover of 'Summertime Sadness', but I heard was great and I noted their name down to Youtube later, definitely wasn't disappointed!

Pylo (Big Top Stage)
I got to the Big Top Stage and Pylo were on, I hadn't heard any of their stuff before but their sound reminds me of Kings of Leon. They showed a mix of softer rock ballads, as well as faster, rockier tracks that were ones to dance to! Some of the guitar layers reminded me of Little Comets, with vocals on point throughout their set.


I headed backstage of the Hard Rock Rising Stage and chilled and played table football with Amber Run playing the Big Top in the background - wasn't complaining! I love their sound anyway and was loving chilling listening to them! They manage to have a chilled but heavy vibe and the crowd (as well as me) were thoroughly enjoying it!


We went on a walk to Main Stage, whilst heading that way, we heard a bit of Olivia Sebastianelli, I'd never heard her before but really enjoyed what I heard. (The song linked below reminds me of '21 Guns' by Green Day, love it!)


Ella Eyre (Main Stage)
Got to Main Stage just in time for Ella Eyre to start her set, I admire her vocals and love her music, so to see her live and in a festival too, just added to the atmosphere. I only stayed for a few tracks because of supporting a different artist, who's stage time clashed, but what I heard from Ella, I really enjoyed! She started with a nice catchy track, which seemed to get everyone in the right spirit. She then performed 'Deeper' and 'If I Go', which were also brilliant tracks, I found it a shame that more people didn't know of the tracks/know the words to be able to join in and add to the overall atmosphere!


Robbie Boyd (Hard Rock Rising Stage)
Headed back to the Hard Rock Rising Stage to see Robbie Boyd, he was great live! A folk-pop artist with a backing band and a set of great songs, what more could a rising stage at a festival need? He has just released his debut album 'So Called Man', and he sang a few songs off of it, a personal favourite was 'Orion's Belt', had a rockier tone to it. 'Under My Skin' from the 'Under My Skin EP', was also performed very well, solo, just Robbie and his guitar. His album is definitely worth a listen, he had a well-sized crowd watching him at the festival, and no doubt Robbie's one people will be watching as well as listening to in the future!


Passenger (Main Stage)
After Robbie's chilled, festival style set, I headed back to the main stage to hear some more chilled folk and acoustic sounds, this time thanks to Passenger... I turned up as he started 'I Hate', which is a song I love anyway and to hear it live and adapted to the Isle of Wight Festival made it even better! To hear the crowd cheering along to what they agreed with, made his performance brilliant and one to tell people about! He then went on to cover a snippet of 'Wake Me Up' and merged with guitar into 'Let Her Go', (the amazing song, that radio overplayed and killed), but hearing it live and performed with a twist, really freshened the track for me. After, Passenger played '27', he showed raw emotion in this track, raw emotion and frustration was shown and this highlighted his penmanship of the lyrics in this song. 'Whispers', the title track from his fifth studio album followed, it's a mellow and chilled track, parts were sung acapella, another filled with frustration. Then 'Scare Away The Dark', a truly beautiful song about technology taking over, another well written track from him.


Fall Out Boy (Main Stage)
Fall Out Boy were on the Main Stage next and these guys had been on my list of artists/bands to see live for a very long time, so for it to finally happen, I couldn't really believe it! They performed loads of tracks, mainly from their most recent album 'Save Rock and Roll'. 'The Phoenix', 'Alone Together', 'Death Valley' 'Young Volcanoes', 'Just One Yesterday' and others were performed from their recent album and went down really well. They also performed the classics, 'This Ain't a Scene, It's An Arms Race', 'Sugar We're Going Down', 'Dance, Dance', 'I Don't Care'. They also chucked in a unique cover of 'Beat It', originally by Michael Jackson, they put a pop-punk/rock twist on it. They finished their set with their biggest known songs, 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' and 'My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)', which went down incredibly well with the crowd.


Kings of Leon (Main Stage)
Headlining the Main Stage on Sunday was Kings of Leon, they performed a mix of tracks from their past three albums, Only By The Night, Come Around Sundown and their most recent album Mechanical Bull. They played 'Temple', 'Use Somebody', 'Wait For Me', 'Radioactive', all my favourites and finished with the almighty overplayed on my local radio, 'Sex On Fire', but it sounded insane live with every one in the crowd singing along. All of their tracks were performed really well, everyone joined in and sang along. They were definitely the right choice to close the evening with, the guitar was effortless and yet sounded brilliant and made the songs grow even better.


We headed towards the camping section and a firework display with 'All You Need Is Love' playing in the background. We also went via the Big Top Stage to catch five minutes of Travis, which was a pretty good set (what I heard of it anyway!)

 Overall, a great day and a brilliant line up! Definitely a well set out festival, with a variety of genres in music and food/merch available, all the staff and security were friendly and helpful, which is always a nice addition to any event!
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Saturday, 14 June 2014

Review: Kina Grannis & Imaginary Future (11/06/14)


Yesterday, Wednesday 11th June, I headed to London for a much anticipated gig... After many years of waiting and watching on Youtube and then being able to listen to their albums on my iPod (on repeat), I finally got to see Kina Grannis and the previously featured Imaginary Future. It was at The Tabernacle, Notting Hill area of London and I was pleasantly surprised by the venue. It was nicely put away, and was rather small which added to the intimacy of the gig, housing over 500 people for the sold out gig.

 As we went into the main theatre, Jesse (AKA Imaginary Future) was on the merch table, which was a lovely addition to the evening as it meant you could have a quick chat/sign/photo as you went in and adds to how down to earth these guys are. My friend and I found a nice spot to the side of the stage but at the front, so we had a decent view!

Imaginary Future kicked the evening off as Kina's support act, which I'm pretty sure everyone in the audience was happy about! He definitely had a warm (and loud) welcome to the stage!

 Jesse opened with 'Fire Escape', my all-time favourite track of his, and I instantly knew his set wasn't going to disappoint! This track is usually an overall chilled vibe with spine-chilling vocals, but performed live just adds to the intense but relaxed tone of the track.

Next, he performed 'Nothing Alone', which he performed with a rockier feel, really getting into the song with his electric guitar. An upbeat track which forces you to tap and nod your head to. (As a side note - this track has a very interesting music video, with an unlikely story told throughout...)

 After that bouncy track, Jesse slowed it back down with a cover of 'Team', originally by Lorde. Imaginary Future, Kina and Emi Grannis (one of Kina's sisters) did a group cover and uploaded it to Youtube. However, Jesse showed just how blissful his vocals are, incredibly easy to listen to and pleasing to the ears.

'Love Is The Beginning' followed and was the happier song of his set, a track about the beginning of a relationship. This song got the audience clapping and joining in, which was really wonderful and added to the 'togetherness' tone of the track.

 Next came 'Chasing Ghosts', an incredibly emotionally intense track with a melancholy tone to the guitar too. With heavenly vocals that compliment the emotionally crafted lyrics, adding to the atmosphere of the track.

Jesse finished with 'I Knew This Would Be Love', another chilled and emotionally filled track. Personally, I felt this was a great choice of song to finish on, it summed up his set so well, an emotional, chilled one, with hope in the lyrics too.

With only a small space of time to swap over, Kina came to the stage with Imaginary Future as her backing. Starting promptly with the single from her album 'Elements', 'Dear River', a great track to start with... Catchy, upbeat and definitely one to sing-a-long to!

After a quick hello, Kina moved onto 'The Fire', another great track to sing-a-long to! The guitar really adds to the vocals of this song. Some of the vocals hit heavenly notes, and really showcased Kina's vocal range.

 Kina and Jesse were joined on stage by Meadowlark's Kate McGill, which was a huge bonus to the evening! 'Oh Father' came next, almost 'moody' guitar in this track adds to the lyrics, 'a darkness so immense' and 'no victory to show'. Harmonies were on point in this, all of their voices complimented each other so well!

 'Winter', a song originally started about withering flowers came after. Again great harmonies and vocals adding to the chilled and almost magical feel of this track. It really did sound delicate, just like the subject of the song I guess, but the vocals grow throughout to the chorus.

Next, 'Throw It Away', a faster, rockier track compared to the previous two. Starting intense and dark, it builds to a definite tap-along song, the electric guitar really went well with this track, helping that intense feel of the song.

 'My Own' followed, written about family and usually performed with Kina's two sisters, Emi and Misa. The warm vocals and harmonies adds to the togetherness of the song. A slow song but definitely one to put a smile on your face (mainly because Kina and Kate's voices together would make anyone melt, then add in the lyrics and soft guitar...)


 After came 'Valentine', a positive bouncy track, one that was sung a long to, very loudly! I really enjoyed the acoustic vibe of this song, it also fits the surprisingly sunny weather we've been having in England the past few days!

Back to an emotionally filled track, with deep, honest lyrics 'Forever Blue'. One of my favourite songs from the album, I feel I relate to this song a fair amount and have listened to it a lot recently! One thing I liked about the performance was that Kina didn't cut out the emotion behind the song, she let it add to the atmosphere.

 A little break filled with random (and weird) sounds from the crowd, and a group photo. Then it was onto 'In Your Arms'. This was a happier and loud sing-a-long song, the music video for the track used 228,000 jelly beans over 22 months, and is pretty impressive! Another good summery song as well!

'Little Worrier' followed, writing the song was sparked by a mouse's footsteps that Kina thought was a murderer in the woods... understandable when you're on your own and left with your imagination!) Again, a slower track with guitar that compliments their vocals incredibly well. The lyrics stand out in this track and added to the performance, which seemed pretty intense again.

 Next was 'My Dear', with a slow start that built into a foot-tapping track. The crowd joined in clapping and managed to just about keep in time. It was a great one to 'finish' on, all the layers of the song seemed to sum up the 'Elements' album and Kina's set, with slow, subtle, emotional sections and then happier, upbeat parts too!

 The encore was two tracks 'Message From Your Heart' and 'The One You Say Goodnight To'. 'Message From Your Heart', was the first track that Kina uploaded to YouTube. She performed it unplugged and solo with a guitar, it was great to hear her raw and acoustic. She did a call and response kind of section which went down really well with the crowd.

Finishing on 'The One You Say Goodnight To' made it a happy ending. Another cheery and upbeat track and one I hadn't heard before, but it's a new favourite!

 Kina and Jesse stuck around for a meet and greet after the gig, thank you very much for a lovely evening, and allowing my ears the pleasure of hearing your voices, definitely want to see them both again!

 Kina's Links:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/kinagrannis
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kinagrannis (@kinagrannis)
Website: http://kinagrannis.com

 Imaginary Future's Links:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/imaginaryfuture
Twitter: https://twitter.com/imaginarytweets (@imaginary tweets)
Website: http://www.imaginaryfuture.com

 Imaginary Future's Feature: http://musicintimeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/feature-imaginary-future
Meadowlark's Spotlight: http://musicintimeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/spotlight-meadowlark
Thanks for reading!  

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Enquiries: musicintimeblog@gmail.com
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