Tuesday, 24 March 2015

What I'm Listening To... (24/03/15)

As usual, I've been listening to a big mix of music, the better weather has brought about those 'summer tunes' being played in my car as well as chilled evening tracks for sunsets. I've been revisiting songs that I used to listen to a lot a few years ago, so there's a few of those in here too. There's a pretty big huge variety of genres in this selection of songs, and I think it's one of my favourites mixes, so without further ado, here's 10 songs I've been listening to lately!

 1. End Credits - Chase and Status ft. Plan B
I think this track has got be in the list of my all time favourite songs and my car has shared many loud singalong moments in the past couple of weeks. 'No More Idols' is up there with my favourite albums and has so many great songs on it, 'Blind Faith ft. Devlin' and 'Fire In Your Eyes ft. Maverick Sabre' are obvious ones to mention as well as 'Time ft. Delilah'. (warning: a few swear words in the music video and violence).

2. Colour - Bright City
Bright City are a collective of song-writers, musicians and producers based at St. Peter's in Brighton. They've just released a self-titled debut album and I've had it on repeat since it came out, it's a great mix of genres to create one overall creative burst of music about faith and hope. Even if you're not religious, I'm pretty sure, the music will keep you hooked. My favourites are 'Colour', 'Broken' and 'I Will Rest'. 


3. Holes In The Sky - M83 & HAIM
I dislike the Divergent series, however, the soundtrack seems to be pretty good. I've always been a follower of M83's music, from his hit 'Midnight City', or 'We Own The Sky' to more emotionally charged tracks like 'Wait'. This song in particular is incredibly cinematic, the M83 trademark soundscape with HAIM added in just makes it ridiculously good. 

4. The Funeral - Nina Nesbitt
I really like the original of this song by Band of Horses (and it's got an atmosphere to it live too), but pre-2013, acoustic Nina Nesbitt, puts a really nice haunting spin on that track and this is another one I've had on repeat recently, ahhh the piano, vocals and drum beat. I've also been playing 'Jessica' a fair bit, which is part of my chill playlist. 

5. This Town - The Skints ft. Tippa Irie & Horseman
As soon as the sun comes out, it's time to get the reggae and ska music out, even if it's still cold - we are in England after all! The Skints are a go-to, I loved their previous album 'Past & Parcel' and they've lived up to high expectations with their latest album, 'FM', I've had it on repeat since it's release. 

6. Just Once - Shura
I'm a huge fan of Shura, I really love all of the tracks she's released and her sound is pretty unique, which is always a plus! I've had 'Touch' and 'Just Once' on repeat and stuck in my head for the majority of the past month (and every now and then before that too). There's a really chilled vibe to it, like perfect for driving with a beaut sunset out the window, it's got that Bon Iver vibe crossed over with HAIM or Jagaara. (Her new track '2Shy' is also incredibly good). 

7. In Too Deep - Sum 41
I'm throwing it back again here to my childhood. I was (and still am) really into pop/punk music. Blink-182, Sum 41, Busted, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Simple Plan, Avril Lavigne, you get the idea! I've been listening to their 'All Killer, No Filler' album with all the classics, as well as 'Pieces' and 'With Me'. 


8. As Life Found You - Tim Neuhaus
Unfortunately, I don't know a lot about this artist, I know that he's a German singer/songwriter and that he makes really good music, but I'm yet to translate anything else. This song features on all my chill and sleep playlists and was introduced to me by a friend a couple of years ago. I revisited this song recently and fell back in love with it, so that's why it's here. 


9. The Vendetta - Myth City
Myth City have created a genre of their own, it's alternative with influences of rock, rap, scream etc. etc. Their self-titled debut EP is really great and it's another one that I've had on repeat since its release. I think my favourites are 'Essay', 'Ingredients of Fatiuge' and 'The Vendetta'. 


10. Bite Down - Bastille VS. HAIM
I think people have missed out on this mixtape, Bastille have gone down in people's ratings purely because overplay on radio has forced their songs to become irritating. However, this album, is just as good as any of their previous releases. The third installation of 'Other People's Heartache' mix tapes lives up to expectations of the others, with a good mix of artists featured on it and brilliant songs. This song in particular has been shouted along to many times in the past few weeks. 


11. Checking It Out - Lil' Chris
I also feel it's fitting to finish this list off with a song from Lil' Chris, who was found dead today. He was only 24 and he had such a great talent for what he did, plus he was another one of those people I loved watching on TV when I was younger, just because he seemed to have such a lovely personality as well as a brilliant talent. So here's 'Checking It Out', which was a top ten hit, nearly 10 years ago. 


What have you been listening to lately?

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Friday, 20 March 2015

Spotlight: James Bay (20/03/15)


James Bay is a 24 year old singer/songwriter and guitarist from Hitchin, UK. He's already gained a great reputation through stints at Communion's monthly night at Notting Hill Arts Club in London and a successful run of support slots with Tom Odell, John Newman and Kodaline. This year, he received Brit Award's 'Critics Choice' Award and came second in BBC's Sound of 2015, with his debut studio album 'Chaos and the Calm' being released on Monday 23rd March (2015), James has got a big and exciting year ahead of him! 

'Chaos and the Calm' Review:

I think since the release date was announced, I’ve been looking forward to what James Bay’s debut album had to offer. I am far from disappointed. He manages to create an eclectic sound across the album, with hints of folk, rock, country and pop, he makes his own unique sound seem effortless.

‘Chaos and the Calm’ opens with ‘Craving’ and goes straight in, to a strong and upbeat tone, which continues throughout the song. Add in the story-like lyrics, that pick up on simple things in life, there’s a great driving song for the Summer.
Next on the album is James’ Top 10 single, ‘Hold Back The River’, it has peaked at #8 in the UK Singles Chart and understandably so. The intro to the song is stunning, and the track grows and builds gradually, with a catchy chorus, perfect for singing along to and finishing as it started with stunning guitar.

Hold Back The River - James Bay (link)

‘Let It Go’, is another song on the album that highlights Bay’s beautifully melodic guitar playing, a stripped back track, focusing solely on James’ vocals, honest lyrics and guitar, underlined with a steady beat.
After that comes another catchy and upbeat track, ‘If You Ever Want To Be In Love’, the piano that opens the song and is played throughout the track is reminiscent of Tom Odell, but James’ vocals, as well as the beat and guitar allow for it to step away from that comparison and into a unique, almost country based song, I can imagine this one being great live with the audience singing along.
‘Best Fake Smile’ is a rockier and toe-tapping track, the guitar solo in the middle section stands out to me, this is definitely one more song with a summer vibe to it and one that James’ definitely puts his all into and yet again I’m sure would be great to witness live, with claps included, the atmosphere would be brilliant.

When We Were On Fire - James Bay (link)

‘When We Were On Fire’ starts with a funky tone to it and grows into a song with elements of rock and country music in it. The piano section with gospel-like vocals and harmonies are highlighted in this track then cutting out to just James and his guitar again, and building back into the catchy full-produced track.
Some of the tracks on the album, such as ‘Move Together’ and ‘Scars’ go back to James’ roots of acoustic music and early open mic nights, they also allow the listener to pick up on James’ smooth vocals, honest lyrics and storytelling ways through his music. They build at times to present a powerful but still subtle tone to the tracks, which I love.

Scars (live for VEVO) - James Bay (link)

The ending of ‘Scars’ leads well into the notable track ‘Collide’, the guitars and drums battle together to create one of my favourite upbeat songs on the album, with a catchy bass hook, it’s a track you can turn up loud, dance along to, clap along to and just throw yourself into the song.
‘Get Out While You Can’ is another memorable track, that could get stuck in your head, almost too easily - never a bad thing!) I feel like this song could have appeared on Kings of Leon’s ‘Only By The Night’ album, which is possibly the result of production from Jacquire King – again, not a bad thing and it still stands out as an original sound with his vocals standing out in this song.

Need The Sun To Break - James Bay (link)

Another mellow track from the album is ‘Need The Sun To Break’, the lyrics stand out to me in this one, highlighted by the layered vocals, there is a very honest tone to them.
The album comes to a close with ‘Incomplete’, a final subtle but powerful track, slowly growing with strong vocals highlighting Bay’s range and even though he’s completing the album, the song seems to have an incomplete feel to it, with the lyrics and atmospheric feel to it. I had goose bumps listening to this song and can only imagine how amazing this would be live (until I go to see him on tour!) with choral harmonies at times and finishing when it almost feels like it shouldn’t yet be done, leaving a cliffhanger ready for a second album.

‘Chaos and the Calm’ is a strong debut, there isn’t one weak song out of all 12 tracks and I commend his songwriting ability highly. No two songs are the same, each has it’s own right to stand out. You can hear the outpour of feelings, thoughts and fears of an artist in transition, mixing the honest lyrics, with eclectic influence of genres and the musicality of James, this makes the perfect album to listen to from beginning to end.

James Bay's Links:
Chaos and the Calm (deluxe iTunes): https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/chaos-and-the-calm/id948749743
Limited Edition Bundles: http://shop.virginemi.com/jamesbay/
Website: http://www.jamesbaymusic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamesbaymusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamesBayMusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JamesBayVEVO
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jamesbaymusic
Tickets (see James live on tour): http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/artist/james-bay-tickets/920396

Thanks for reading! 

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Monday, 16 March 2015

Feature: April Towers (17/03/15)


Alex Noble (vocals, guitars and keyboards) and Charlie Burley (production, samples, guitars and keyboards) formed April Towers in August 2013. However, they've already carved out a presence on the nation's airwaves, receiving support from BBC Introducing's Dean Jackson, as well as plays on Radio One from Huw Stephens and Fearne Cotton. They've even had a beer named after them, the Nottingham duo teamed up with Castle Rock Brewery to create the limited edition 'No Corruption Ale'. Armed with a new single, limited edition beer and a spot on The Great Escape and Dot to Dot Festival line ups, April Towers are set for a pretty huge 2015. I caught up with Alex for a few questions. 

 General Questions:

 1. How old were you when you started getting involved in music and how?
Charlie and I started making music together around about the age of 16, when we were at school together. Arctic Monkeys had just broken into the mainstream and it seemed like all of my mates were buying guitars and essentially trying to be them, so we thought we would have a go at it too!

 2. What is the most inspiring gig/concert/festival you've been to?
For me, the most inspiring gig I've ever seen was either Arcade Fire's headline performance at Leeds Festival in 2010, or LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip, who did a co-headline tour in the same year at Manchester Apollo. Both shows really opened up my eyes to how important these bands were, and each was fundamental in how the April Towers project eventually came about. 

 3. Who have you been listening to lately?
For the last year or so I have been absolutely obsessed with the latest Cut Copy record 'Free Your Mind' - it's just a great pop album, perfectly orchestrated and measured. We are both loving the new Aphex Twin material as well as the latest Hot Chip track Huarache Lights and an act called Disciples who are getting a lot of love everywhere at the moment. 

 3 Questions for April Towers:

 1. Where did the name 'April Towers' come from?
It's a random one - someone I used to work with was trying to say April Showers bring May Flowers and just got the expression completely wrong and blurted out April Towers - for some reason that expression just always stuck with me and seemed like a logical band name when we came to decide what to be called. 

 2. What inspires your lyrics and who influences your sound?
Lyrically, I have never been one to focus on what seems to the stereotypical approach - be it about love or girls or heartbreak or whatever - sure, there are elements of that in some of our songs, but I like it to hone in on what I am going through at that particular time - most of our records are about growing up and the transition from 'young' life to trying to make something of yourself in the real world - I think our first album will really pay attention to that theme, as it is something that everybody goes through, no matter where you come from. 
3. What process did you go through writing and producing ‘No Corruption’ and was it different to previous releases?
'No Corruption' was a track I initially wrote in my bedroom at university in the Spring of 2014. The structure came pretty much straight away and we both had a distinct vision of where we wanted it to go - after a lot of work in the studio with Ade Fenton (and around 15 versions of the mix), we agreed on a final mix which we thought really brought the best out of the record. In terms of it being different to other releases - it was in the sense that it was the second single and we had already established ourselves in our hometown and more nationally do there was already an audience there. Also, we launched our own beer, No Corruption Ale with a local brewery (Castle Rock) in Nottingham to promote the release, which as worked really well and generated a lot of interest. No Corruption also be coming out on 12" alongside our first single Arcadia later this month, which will be a very proud moment for us being our first physical release. 

Random Q:

Dream place to perform and why?
There are so many options for this - obviously we aspire to play the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury (like any band) as well as some of the biggest venues in the world. On a sentimental level though, being able to headline Rock City in our home town of Nottingham would be a big personal milestone, so at this moment in time I'd have to say the dream would be to perform there.  

'No Corruption' Review:

This is the first track I'd heard of April Towers and since I first heard it, it's been on repeat and I'm looking forward to their future releases already. The song is lyrically very different to usual pop influences, but still very relevant, which is always a plus. But the structure of the track is what makes it for me, the synths, beat, guitars and vocals all accompany each other well and blend it neatly. When I listen to the track, it reminds me of 80s music, slightly more reminiscent of bands such as Depeche Mode and New Order. The music video also goes well with the track and it's a song that gets stuck in my head, so I'd say it's a pretty good one!

No Corruption - April Towers (link)

April Towers' Links:
No Corruption (iTunes download): https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/no-corruption-single/id957371268
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apriltowersofficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/april_towers
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7RyHyJNaztzSxLnV4Rc2w
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/april_towers
Website: http://www.apriltowers.com

Check It Out!

Chart: Believe - Mumford & Sons

British folk rock band Mumford & Sons are back with their latest track 'Believe'. It was released on 9th March (2015) and serves as the lead single from their third album 'Wilder Mind', due to be released on 4th May. This single also shows a turning point for the bands sound, moving from acoustic instrumentation (banjos etc.) to a more electric theme throughout. Either way, it's still brilliant and making it's way up the UK Singles Chart. 

Believe - Mumford & Sons (link)

Live Performance: Giant Peach - Wolf Alice

'Giant Peach' is the lead single from Wolf Alice's debut album 'My Love Is Cool', set for release on 22nd June (2015). The four-piece alternative rock band, consists of Ellie Rowsell, Joel Amey, Joff Odie and Theo Ellis and are soon heading out on a UK tour, as well as a string of US dates and festival appearances (definitely recommend going to see them!) dates and tickets can be found here.

Giant Peach - Wolf Alice (link)

Cover: FourFiveSeconds - James Bay

FourFiveSeconds is starting to become one of those songs that is covered and played a lot, but there's a few covers of this song that really stand out. James Bay's being one of them. The British singer/songwriter headed into the Live Lounge the other day and recorded this cover, it's brilliant and manages to stick to the original as well as having a unique James Bay stylesque twist on it. 

FourFiveSeconds - James Bay (link)

Soundcloud: Wasting Time - Young Romance

Young Romance are a London based noise pop duo, Claire (vocals and drums) and Paolo (guitar) formed in 2013. 2014 saw the band self release their critically acclaimed debut 7" 'Pale' and being a part of Dot to Dot Festival, as well as a run of UK shows supporting The Heartbreaks. 'Wasting Time' is the first offering from their four track EP 'Wild' which is out now and available here.

Wasting Time - Young Romance (link)

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Tuesday, 10 March 2015

Spotlight: The Rebel Light (10/03/15)


The Rebel Light are an indie pop trio from Los Angeles, comprised of two brothers and their cousin. Their new single 'Strangers' has already started turning heads on both sides of the Atlantic. Self-produced by the talented trio, with vocals being recorded in their bathroom and the drums in their woodshed, this single is perfect for shaking off the winter blues. If you're a listener of The Shins and Temples, you're bound to love this sun drenched sound of 60s California pop.

 'Strangers' Review:

 Well, first of all I can understand why The Rebel Light are doing well over in the US and hope their success transfers over here too. They resemble The Shins and Temples, but I hear them as a modern day Kinks. The lyrics of the song and accompanying music video go hand in hand and tell a story well, which is always appreciated in a song. As well as this the synths, guitars and beat intertwine and create an upbeat indie pop/rock vibe perfect for welcoming Spring and Summer. I'm also struggling to get the catchy choruses out of my head, which is always a good sign of a brilliant song!! Can't wait to hear more from these guys, definitely ones to keep your eyes and ears on!




 Rebel Light's Links:
'Strangers' (Bandcamp): http://therebellight.bandcamp.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/therebellight
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theRebelLight (@TheRebelLight)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/therebellightband
Website: http://therebellight.com

 Check It Out!

 Chart: King - Years & Years

 The British-Australian electropop trio, consists of keyboardist Olly Alexander, bassist Mikey Goldsworthy and synth-player Emre Turkmen. The last couple of months have seen Years & Years grow and gain an audience via support and plays on Radio 1, winning BBC Sound of 2015 and being nominated for Brit's Critics Choice Award 2015. Their latest single 'King' went to #1 within a week, 2015 has a pretty good start for the band and they're not finished there! 

Live Performance: Bloodstream - Ed Sheeran

'Bloodstream' comes from Ed's second studio album 'x' and was written by Sheeran, Rudimental and Snow Patrol members, Johnny McDaid and Gary Lightbody. Rudimental have also done a remixed version of the track (which did better than the original in the charts, however, nothing ever beats Ed and his loop pedals live, so here he is doing his thing at the Brits at the end of last month, the same night he picked up Best Male Solo Artist and Best Album of the Year. 


Cover: Take Me To Church - GUN

Glaswegian five-piece rock band GUN have recently covered Hozier's hit single 'Take Me To Church' and even though this song might be being covered and played to death, this one stands out from others by far. They released it alongside the announcement of a series of special fan events to support their forthcoming album 'Frantic'. (Those dates can be found here.)


YouTube: Fool For You - Jake Isaac

Previously featured Jake Isaac is back with his new EP 'Where We Belong', which has been released on Elton John's 'Rocket Records'. He's also just announced a headline show at London's Barfly on April 21st and I can assure it will be a good show. 'Fool For You' is one of four great tracks on the EP and is a well layered and put together track, accompanied by a just as great video. You can download the EP here.


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