Thursday 28 July 2016

TBTA: Stereophonics 'Mr Writer'

Throwback Thursday Archive: Stereophonics 'Mr Writer'

Released in 2001, our throwback this week is the anthem that is 'Mr Writer' by Welsh band Stereophonics.

It may sound silly...but I didn't actually know the meaning behind this song until I began to research it.

It's obvious from the title now that the track is about journalism.

This is also reflected in the lyrics of the song, such as:

'You don't even know me but you'd like to stone me.'

'Mr Writer, why don't you tell it like it really is?'

Introduced with drums that almost creep into your ears, 'Mr Writer' is a fantastically catchy rock song.

I feel that the true 'groove' of the song is hidden in the guitar riffs and an almost whaling lead guitar. This is particularly evident in the chorus.

A pretty piano part is played half way through which is a nice surprise and breaks up the distorted guitar, typical rock sound.

Vocalist Kelly Jones' voice is often described as throaty or raspy and is really suited, obviously, to this style of music. I feel like this adds to the rawness of the song and allows the listener to feel the emotion behind the lyrics.

The song builds and builds, adding and then taking away different guitar parts until the very end where everything is stripped back to leave an almost buzzing drifting electric guitar.

Overall, Mr Writer is a grunge filled foot tapper of a song driven by a strong drum beat, honest vocal and interesting layered electric guitar parts.

I am very much enjoying re-listening to Stereophonics hits, 'Mr Writer' being one of my current favourites.

Until next time...

@wewantgoodmusic

Monday 25 July 2016

New Music Monday: Phoebe Ray, The Recoupes

This Monday we have two completely different artists to talk about.


PHOEBE RAY

Firstly - Phoebe Ray.

Phoebe has been supporting Matt Cardle on his UK tour recently. This is where I first heard her.

Now, it's rare that I hear a support act and feel the need to immediately buy their CD (yes - I'm into CDs) but this was the case with Phoebe.

At the Matt Cardle gig I heard some people describe her style of music as country pop and I am inclined to agree.

Some songs use arguably hip hop inspired drum beats where as some place more of an emphasis on Phoebe's beautiful vocal tone accompanied by a more acoustic choice of instruments. This helps to give the album and her live set diversification and keeps interest.

One of my favourite Phoebe Ray tracks is 'Red Lipstick'.

This is one of the more acoustic-y sounding songs that I was talking about.

It is a relatively slow song that is perfect for holding a light up and swaying (you know that really pretty, often quite breathtaking thing that happens at gigs when a kind of emotional slow song is being sung).

The song doesn't feature any drums but the backing vocals during the chorus and use of echo give the illusion of space.

I haven't personally heard a song like this by a current artist in a while.

In contrast, 'Sky Rocket' is a catchy, more electronic pop inspired track.

In the video for this song, a sample of what I'd describe as Ground Control preparing for a rocket launch is used at the beginning of the track, adding to the story line.

This leads into synth type sounds and an interesting, sketchy drum beat with a killer bass line.

Elements of the vocal in 'Sky Rocket' remind me of Pixie Lott at times, particularly on the word 'memory' in the chorus.

The verses are almost whispered, combined with the use of layering and reverb, this creates an almost floating vibe.

Overall, I really like Phoebe Ray. I think the mixture of different styles and sounds on her tracks, combined with the tone of her voice is really interesting.

Can't wait to hear more. You should definitely check her out live.


THE RECOUPES


Secondly, we have The Recoupes, a four piece rock band from Essex/London.

As such, their music is more heavy - drum and guitar influenced.

I'm going to briefly talk about their second (I believe) EP - 'Anna'.

I wanted to start by mentioning the EP artwork because I just really liked it.

The 'Anna EP' features a black and white image of the underneath of what I would call a pier, from the angle of looking through the wooden staves. Therefore, in the distance, you can see the shoreline and buildings.

The band's name is featured on the left hand top corner in a distorted font and the word 'Anna' is written in the right hand bottom corner in an almost handwritten type script.

In the middle of the artwork is the main focus - the outline of a girl's face in a wave-y drawing style. (I'm going to take a guess and say this is Anna...).

I thought this was just a really interesting, beautiful yet desolate image.

Anyway, onto the music.

As I've already mentioned, The Recoupes are very enthusiastic when it comes to loud drums, fantastic electric guitar riffs and generally great lyrical content.

'Drunk Messages' is the first track on the EP.

I listened to the EP in order so this was the first time I heard the raspy vocal of The Recoupes and I personally quite like it.

The song itself, in my interpretation, is about basically leaving drunk messages on people's phones and all the chaos, regret and drama that can come with that.

In my notes, I wrote down that I quite liked the 'breakdown' towards the end. I am referring to about two and a half minutes into the track where the vocal makes way for a reduced drum beat to showcase a cheeky bass pattern along with other catchy guitar parts. This is a nice contrast from the rest of the song.

This then builds up into an explosive instrumental section where the drum kit fully re-enters to finish off the song.

I think 'Drunk Messages' would be fantastic live, potentially at a festival, with a large crowd singing along and jumping in unison during the chorus - picture it.

Next up we have the title track - 'Anna'.

I liked the way this song started with a relatively simple guitar sound, leading into drum clicks that start the song.

Instrumentation wise nothing has really changed.

My favourite bit of the song is the end line of the chorus, 'I wish you well, Anna, Anna.'

The accompaniment drops out on the 'Anna's', only leaving the vocal and cymbal crashes. This punctuates the song really well.

'Please Don't' follows 'Anna'.

A drum beat introduces this track which is a slight contrast from the rest of the introductions on the EP. I'd argue that this gives the song a different, perhaps more relaxed vibe.

The backing vocals in this track add a new dimension to the band's sound and help to make the chorus quite catchy, in my opinion.

'Please Don't' has a relatively abrupt ending which I quite like.

The final song on the EP is 'Complications'.

This is a strong contender for my favourite track on the EP.

I feel as though you can hear Catfish and The Bottlemen influences in this track which help make it sound anthemic in nature.

In complete contrast to the instrumental introductions that precede it, 'Complications' opens with a clear vocal that is then accompanied by an electric guitar which then builds and layers up to the familiar band sound.

The track turns rather instrumental towards the end which is pretty cool. There is kind of a false ending as well which keeps things interesting!

Overall, The Recoupes have an intense yet infectious rock sound and I look forward to hearing them live one day.


Until next time...

@wewantgoodmusic

Thursday 21 July 2016

TBTA: Matt Cardle 'Amazing'

Throwback Thursday Archive: Matt Cardle 'Amazing'

I recently went to see Matt Cardle live, four years after I saw his debut UK tour.

He hasn't changed a bit.

The vocals, the jokes and the love for what he does is still highly evident in his live show.

But we're not here to talk about the gig.

Today I'm going to draw your attention back to 2012 when Matt released his debut album 'Letters' after winning TV talent show X-Factor a couple of years before.

I re-listened to the album in full before the gig and felt the same love for it as I had the first time round. One song in particular stood out this time though and that's the one I'm going to talk about today...

'Amazing'.

I've heard some describe this track as soft rock, I'm inclined to agree.

Lyrically you could say that 'Amazing' is a typical pop love song. But hey, who doesn't love a bit of pulling on the heart strings!

I love the way it starts.

'I had to look inside this fragile heart of mine to find exactly what it was you saw' is the opening lyric of the song.

Initially you hear just Matt's crisp, vulnerable vocal until a soft acoustic guitar enters on the words 'look inside'.

The song stays pretty mellow until the chorus hits. Even then, the build up is gradual and done really well in my opinion. 

A clean guitar slips in to slowly build the texture with what sound like strings or soft synths of some description. Add an electric guitar (albeit a relatively chilled out one) striking chords and this is about how built up the chorus gets instrumentation wise. This is really great as it keeps the song feeling quite personal.

It's only in the next verse that the drum kit fully enters and the guitar part takes more of an 'upfront' role. This helps to keep the song moving and interesting. 

All the while Matt's vocal remains great - the perfect mix of vulnerability and power.

The second chorus is where it all gets a little bit more intense with the addition of backing vocals, really emphasising lyrics such as 'it's kind of amazing how you found me, through all the strangers somehow.' 

This can be quite emotional if you're in the right setting. 

You know when you're in a car as a passenger, driving at night...a song comes on and you just stare out of the window imagining you're in a music video - I feel like this song is perfect for that. 

Half way through, the song strips back to shadow the beginning - just a vocal and the odd guitar chord on a soft background layer of sound. This provides really good contrast after the build up of the chorus that precedes it. 

Overall, 'Amazing' is a great song to sway to and really showcases Matt's vocals in a beautiful way.



Years later, Mr Cardle is set to release his 4th album some time soon and I am personally very excited about it.

Until next time...

@wewantgoodmusic 

Monday 18 July 2016

New Music Monday: Model Aeroplanes

Okay, I'm late to the party.

Model Aeroplanes are a four piece hailing from Dundee who create infectious guitar riffs combined with lively vocals to produce catchy tracks that should be part of everyone's music collection.

I only discovered the band a couple of days ago via a new video for one of their tracks.

I've been missing out.

Model Aeroplanes are, I would say, part of that brand of indie that mixes pop qualities with tight guitar and drum parts. They remind me of bands such as Chase Atlantic and (everyone says this) Bombay Bicycle Club, with their catchy choruses and guitar parts.

Now, because I was late in discovering the band, I am going to be talking about their 'Something Like Heaven EP' released in March, 2016.

The first song on the EP is also the title track - 'Something Like Heaven'. This song radiates summer vibes and a tropical sound. I think the chorus will be stuck in my head for a long time and I'm perfectly okay with that.

Second we have 'The Wild'.

This has more of a rocky vibe, with arguably more of a distorted guitar sound, but still keeps the catchiness (not technically a word but it'll do) and pop vibes associated with 'Something Like Heaven' in its chorus.

In my notes, I've written 'liked the way it ended' which sounds bizarre. By this, I am referring to the fact that the track ends quite abruptly, finishing perfectly on a vocal part being left to drift to silence. I didn't do that description justice - you should go have a listen to see what I mean.

Next up we have the song that introduced me to the band - 'Whatever Dress Suits You Better'.

The only way I can describe this song is a feel good, foot tapping summer jam.

I can see 'Whatever Dress Suits You Better' being great at a festival or in a live situation purely because it's a feel good anthem and, much like all other Model Aeroplanes songs I have heard, you can feel the energy of the band in the song. I can only imagine how much fun their set is to witness.

The final song on the EP is 'Toothache'.

A guitar riff hits you instantly whilst interesting drum and bass lines build up.

The first 40 seconds of the track remind me of an almost brighter. more summery version of The 1975? (Maybe just me on that one!)

The line 'it's always alright' (part of the chorus) has layers of vocals with some reverb, creating a kind of airy feel. This is really stunning the first time you hear it. Again, I'd love to hear this track at a festival in the sun with a crowd chanting the lyrics.

Overall, 'Something Like Heaven' is a brilliant summer EP - I wish I had heard of Model Aeroplanes sooner!

Until next time...

@wewantgoodmusic


Thursday 14 July 2016

TBTA: Nothing But Thieves 'Last Orders'

Throw Back Thursday Archive: Nothing But Thieves 'Last Orders'


This week's throwback is 'Last Orders' by Essex rock band Nothing But Thieves.

I'm guessing that this is a song that you may not be quite so familiar with as it is featured on the band's Graveyard Whistling EP (2014), as opposed to their debut self titled album.

'Last Orders' is personally one of my favourite Nothing But Thieves songs, perhaps because I like the fact it describes a scene of a local night out with its lyrics. I find this keeps the song flowing really well in a story like form.

I'd say that this track is much less intense than other, perhaps more well known Nothing But Thieves tracks such as 'Trip Switch' and 'Itch', but still provides the listener with all the characteristics you'd associate with the band.

Lyrics such as 'we left The Cliffs, wandered down the Broadway to The Elms (all local references) for another, a fight broke out - someone took objection to my face with a  bottle' and 'some girls are screaming and my face is streaming blood as well' help to conjure up a vivid picture in your mind of a night out that has taken an unexpected wrong turn.

The song starts out with just guitars, with the odd piano chord and kick drum thrown in, creating a very atmospheric, almost unnerving tone as a backdrop for the storytelling vocal.

Front man Conor Mason's vocal enters with an almost haunting quality (in a good way, obviously). But it is only at the beginning of the chorus that the song really builds in texture, adding different guitar parts and additions to the drum beat. This helps to drive the song forward.

A distant vocal line singing 'don't want any trouble in here' can be heard during the chorus as well, perhaps adding more drama to the story being portrayed of a fight breaking out in a bar.

The second verse helps to tell more of the story of this night out with lyrics such as 'I thought I was dreaming, there were sirens screaming'.

There's a cracking guitar solo half way through the track (did I just use the word cracking...) that keeps things interesting and, in a way, could represent the actual fight itself and the manic feelings of the people involved.

'Take your fight outside' layered with 'don't want any trouble in here' and 'we got this thing under control' are the stand out lyrics for me in this song due to their repetition. I feel as though these three lines perfectly sum up the views of the people involved, or witnessing, this fight.

The song ends with a mix of these vocal lines, representing to me, everyone speaking in the bar after the fight - all at once with no order, a chaotic scene.

The final guitar chord of the song is left to drift...the calm after the storm?

Overall, 'Last Orders' has a beat that will keep your foot tapping, arms swaying and lyrics that paint a really good (or bad as it's a fight!) picture in your mind - like lyrics should.

Until next time...

@wewantgoodmusic

Tuesday 12 July 2016

INTERVIEW: ASYLUMS


Luke and Jazz

Last Saturday I was fortunate enough to be sat on a picnic blanket with half of Asylums at Village Green Festival, here's what happened.


Luke, Jazz, Henry and Mike are four explosive DIY rockers hailing from Southend-On-Sea.

Together they make up Asylums - a band you need to hear and experience live.



For the purpose of this post 

[L] = Luke 

[J] = Jazz

( words ) = My comments.




1. How did you guys meet?

[L] : Me and Jazz were kind of music fanatics, going to see gigs in the Southend area and I used to be in a different band with Henry for a while before Asylums, we knew each other through that and I grew up with Mike, playing in different bands - he was in rival bands to me. 



2. How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it before in three words?

[J] : Bipolar. Manic. Distortion. 



3. Any good tour stories? (Keep them clean!)

[L] : All of us in the band, but particularly me and Jazz, are a bundle of nerves really. Sometimes that manifests itself in kind of like...someone hands you a can of beer and you drink it really quickly because basically you're nervous and you don't know what to say. Then sometimes at certain gigs that gets really out of hand...

Last year at Camden Rocks was one of those times.

We'd been under a lot of pressure for about six months trying to keep it all going, keep it all moving, getting in the studio, writing, touring, doing all the things that a band does and we decided to have a bit of a blow out.

Ended up in this Cuban bar drinking Strawberry Dalquiries, very masculine. Jazz disappeared for a while and I was talking to some suicidal Jo Brand look-a-like. She was telling me about how unhappy she was. I was like 'where are my friends, I don't know where I am now'.

Anyway we left, can't remember leaving the bar that much really, and we were sharing a bit of pizza and it was all going up our face and stuff and then we went and got a Subway. 

We went and ate that by a bin and some people were saying that they really enjoyed our set...we couldn't even remember we had done a gig really!

Got back to Southend and I didn't have my guitar with me, think I left it at a cab rank. Lost a £900 Jag - think that's probably the most bleak I've ever felt after a gig.

[J] : You called me at like 5 in the morning saying (insert voice of true sadness and despair) 'do you have my guitar, because I don't'.

[L] : I know intimately everyone that works at every train station now from between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness - they're like 'no we still don't have your guitar'. (Laughter).

BUT, here's the cruelty of it all (drama), it had Asylums vinyls in it so they could have easily just hit us up online and said 'I've got your guitar' but they sold it! (more laughter).

Evil.

But that's what you get for being irresponsible. 



4. Who's been your favourite band to tour with?

[J] : We toured with Ash last year and they were really fun. We ended up becoming really good friends with them, having some really good nights out with them. They're really lovely guys, they're really cool.

[L] : I really enjoyed that tour too. One of the ones that means the most to me is the first tour we did with the Vaselines. Obviously growing up I was a huge Nirvana fan, discovered the Vaselines and lots of other cool music through the band.

They asked me to play 'Molly's Lips' with them on stage and I was playing the bicycle horn. I think that was one of the best moments of my life. 

(Demonstration of what that entailed, with horn actions and sound effects that could be confused with a seal).

So I felt pretty cool. But then the footage went missing so I'll never see it again.

[J] : Might not have happened. 

(laughter)

[L] : Yeah it happened in my head, maybe it didn't happen! (One too many Strawberry Dalquiries maybe?) No it definitely did. Our photographer at Cool Thing swears to this day that he's got that footage but I haven't seen it.



5. Who would you like to tour with?

[J] : The Spice Girls. (That was unexpected). I've heard the talk of their reformation so...

[L] : I've heard there's two positions in the band going mate!

[J] : Well yeah maybe I'll just leave!

[L] : (Pointing to Jazz) Gangly Spice! Hairy Spice!

[J] : Drunk Spice! 

(Alternative Spice Girls forming right here).

[J] : I could fit into a Union Jack dress.

(That image though)



6. So this kind of leads on...What do you like to do in your spare time? (If you have any!)

[J] : Put on a Union Jack dress!

(Fair enough)

[L] : Spare time...Most of it gets consumed with earning money to pay for strange and ever more bizarre art projects and obviously rent. 

[J] : And a lot of sock puppet theatre in our spare time.

(Prepare for irrelevant, yet entertaining, tangent).

[L] : Mike told me about a guy, who's an inspiration. He was working here yesterday and he was working with a music enthusiast that had their father down. 

This is completely unrelated but I'm going to tell the story anyway.

Wherever this guy goes, I think he's Russian, he makes puppets out of whatever is around in the area. He's been out to Iraq and stuff during wars and made puppets out of debris to entertain people. 

Yesterday he was here and he found two eggs and a cup and he said (in the funniest attempt at a Russian accent I think I have ever heard)    'LOOK, A CHICKEN!'

I wanna meet this guy. I've never met him before but that's what I wanna do with my spare time. Puppets out of rubbish.



7. Who's your biggest inspiration? (In life or in music)

[L] : I would have to go and say my grandad because he was born with no money, left home at 13 and over the course of 40 years of manic activity and learning how to be a bronze restorer, managed to support my entire family - never ever take any s**t off anyone and he's the only person I know who's got any money and is not academic. But he's got more ingenuity and mental lateral thinking skills than anyone else I've ever met and he's an inspiration to me...and obviously Nelson Mandela. 
[J] : It sounds really corny but I'm actually inspired by everyone in our group, so everyone at our label and everyone in this band continues to inspire me further I find, rather than outside influences, because we're all so creative. They push me to go further than I probably would have.

[L] : You kind of have an idea and everyone soundboards it like 'yeah that's good or bad' or they have an idea and they soundboard it with you and then onward we go.

[J] : It snowballs.

[L] : Yeah and I think it's the first time for any of us with the label that we've kinda built this little family thing and it's the first time all the odd...like mixed socks, all the odd socks that don't match, they all come together and make loads of socks.

[J] : One huge SUPER-SOCK.

[L] : Yeah

(I thought that was a really good analogy for finding people you belong with)



8. Speaking of the label, how did that get started? Why did you decide to go down the DIY route?

[J] : Well, we're both like proper music lovers so have spent our whole lives as record collectors and stuff so we sort of got quite an inside out knowledge of a lot of labels and we got to a point where we were just like, well what's really stopping us from doing our own? 

You know, because then we can have creative control and we can do it with the people we want and we can choose the acts we want. 

So we thought why not and we just kept going. 

We've worked with bands like Petty Phase, they're amazing, and A.C.I.D who are pretty cool.
(Both were playing at the festival). 



9. What do you think of streaming/digital channels? 

[L] : I think it's absolutely fine. Just, for our label, it's probably not the emphasis because it's so nice to work to a physical artefact, you know, real artwork, colourful vinyl. It just feels more substantial and, obviously being record collectors ourselves, we're not really big streamers.

We like discovering music through streaming but then, ultimately because we love the art form and the creation of product design and just the blood, sweat and tears that goes into every record that every band ever makes, it's just so nice to support them by buying that. (I'd have to agree)

The profit margin on Spotify is like 0.01 pence and, you know, the profit margin on a vinyl album could be as much as £10 out of a £20 album. So that can sometimes go back to either a small label or a small band and help perpetuate more music. 



10. Advice for aspiring musicians/record label owners?

[J] : Just have fun.

Don't take it ridiculously seriously and worry about it. Just have fun with your friends, just like you would everything else.


11. Finally, what can we expect from the new album?

[L] : Bipolar manic distortion.

[J] : Spice Girl covers. 


Asylums' album 'Killer Brain Waves' can be pre-ordered now (www.asylumsband.com)
and is set to be released on 29th July.

Until next time...

@wewantgoodmusic





Monday 11 July 2016

New Music Monday: Biffy Clyro 'Ellipsis' Album

Biffy Clyro are back.

Three years after the release of double album 'Opposites', the band released their seventh (yes - seventh!) studio album 'Ellipsis' on Thursday 8th July.

The album artwork features the three band members (Simon, Ben and James) individually curled up in a line, forming an ellipsis. They re not clothed - providing a powerful, bold sense of imagery. In an interview with the band, I heard them describe this as representing a 'rebirth' of the band, almost as if they were starting again after their while away.

Now, blog posts are arguably meant to be quite short...so I'm not going to talk in depth about every song on the album - I'd really encourage you to sit down, take an hour out fo your day and listen to the album from start to finish. There are a few curve ball songs and Biffy have clearly thought about the positioning of each track in order to keep the listener interested. Therefore, I have picked out some of my favourite songs to summarise 'Ellipsis'.

I feel like I have to mention 'Wolves of Winter', the opening track.

It starts with some laughter and a distant vocal which I think introduces the album really well.

Then - crash, the drums and guitars we are familiar with burst onto the scene and throw the track into a heavy, unapologetic rock anthem.

In short, the mentality behind the song is that there are a pack of wolves and if someone comes onto their land - they'll come to get you. Ben describes this as 'the clan Biffy Clyro getting back together' due to the fact that they haven't been in the public eye as much for the past year. In an interview with Radio X, the band described this song as their believe in yourself message with a hidden prog rock template masked by hopefully a catchy pop exterior.

The second song on the album is 'Friends and Enemies'.

I found this interesting as it is a prime example of Biffy using the studio as a sort of fourth band member this time round as drum machines and other technology has been used.

Inspired by a 'Tears for Fears vibe' (Simon interviewed on Radio X), the song features more hip hop like rhythms than I believe the band have used before.

Moving on, 'Re-arrange' is slowly becoming my favourite song on the album. After the first three, much more rocky, songs that introduce the album, 'Re-arrange' slows things right down. It sounds much more like a pop record due to the repetition of  a clean guitar part and claps with hip hop inspired drum beats.

The first line of the chorus really struck a chord with me (pun slightly intended...) 'I would never break your heart, I would only re-arrange, all the other working parts would stay the same'.

I think this is a beautifully written lyric.

A similar song in terms of slowing things down is 'Medicine'.

There are no drums!!

But there is a beautiful acoustic guitar and gentle strings that make the track sound very atmospheric.

'Medicine' is about living your life addicted to someone or something and trying to live without relying on that thing to be who you are. A lyric that sums this up perfectly in my opinion is 'so swallow your problems, we belong to a new dawn'.

In complete contrast, the shortest song on the album may very well be the most intense.

I am talking about 'On a Bang'.

The only way I can describe this is in your face anger represented sonically.

It is about people who misrepresent themselves or ignore bad things in order to survive and features stacked synths and a distorted bass. The track is said to be inspired by Peaches.

It seems as though Biffy have embraced the use of other genres on this record. This is particularly true for the next two songs I am going to talk about - 'Small Wishes' and 'People'.

Biffy go country? Was my initial reaction to 'Small Wishes'.

Featuring great harmonies in the chorus, a fantastic guitar part, catchy drums and ragtime piano, I'd argue that this track isn't what typically springs to mind when you hear the words 'Biffy Clyro'. Although it is a slightly different direction it is written with the same lyrical integrity and I really like that Biffy have embraced their country side.

There's even some whistling!

'People' has a jazz feel during the introduction and is very mellow, allowing for an almost nostalgic feel. It is about how, sometimes, sad moments can bring us closer than happier moments. I believe this would sound great in a live atmosphere due to the emotion in the song.

All in all, 'Ellipsis' is a joyful album with colourful guitar tones that uses a lot of animal imagery (and of course we can't forget the amazing Scottish accent associated with Biffy!).

I really enjoyed listening to the album and hope you will to (if you haven't already!).

Until next time...

@wewantgoodmusic

Sunday 10 July 2016

VILLAGE GREEN FESTIVAL 2016 IN PICTURES

Some of these images are a bit blurry but you know how it is, in a crowd trying to keep a phone stable enough to take a decent shot just doesn't happen very easily! 

Check back on Tuesday for an interview with Village Green artists Asylums where we discuss puppets, bipolar manic distortion and bicycle horns. 



A.C.I.D






ASYLUMS











THE SCARLETTS






BILLY BRAGG






DANIEL MCDERMOTT






LONGY






RAG 'N' BONE MAN










VILLAGE GREEN FESTIVAL 2016








* No copyright infringement intended. 


Thursday 7 July 2016

TBTA - Lorde 'Tennis Court'

THROW BACK THURSDAY ARCHIVE : Lorde 'Tennis Court'

Released in 2013 and featured on the album Pure Heroine, 'Tennis Court' was one of the first singles released by New Zealand singer Lorde.

In my opinion, 'Tennis Court' was overshadowed by 'Royals' (failing to enter the UK top 40). But we all know that 'Royals' was the tune of summer 2013 so I suppose we can't complain.

Combining elements of EDM with alternative pop, 'Tennis Court' is a chill (for want of a better adjective) song with lyrics that are said to address the 'high life' and Lorde's rise to fame with words like 'it looked alright in the pictures'.

From the beginning, 'Tennis Court' has a pulsating sensation that you can't help but tap or click along to.

This explodes into the chorus where simple clicks and pulses are met with a heavy bass line and doubled vocal lines that emphasise Lorde's haunting voice, only to be dropped for the second verse.

I think Lorde is truly unique in that her songs aren't like 'typical pop' songs, if you will. They mix alternative with pop with elements of dance and a catchy pulse with choruses that can't escape your mind - worth giving the album another listen.

Until next time...

@wewantgoodmusic

Monday 4 July 2016

New Music Monday

Welcome to the first (#) New Music Monday post!

For this first post, I'm going to keep things short and focus on new (or newish) releases from artists that are dominating radio play at the moment - in the coming weeks this will change to new, perhaps unsigned bands as well.

If you have a track and would like it to be featured on the blog, please don't hesitate to contact me via Twitter @wewantgoodmusic.

Now, onto the new songs...

NEW SONG NUMBER 1

Bastille are back! With single 'Good Grief' from their upcoming album 'Wild World' that is available for pre order now. I realise that this track was released quite a few weeks ago now but thought it was notable to include anyway.

The song contains all the characteristics you would associate with Bastille. from a piano accompaniment driving the song forward to a rhythmic bass part and a hook that sticks in your head for days.

'I miss you. I miss you. I miss you more' has been spinning around in my mind ever since I first heard 'Good Grief'.

Bit of analysis:

'Watching through my fingers' is repeated at the beginning of the song, signifying that the narrator is witnessing something hard to watch , painful yet enthralling.

I've heard a couple of different theories as to what the song is about but the main consensus (seemingly backed up by the video for 'Good Grief' released last week) is that it is about a relationship that has had a bit of a messy/heartbreaking ending that the narrator is finding hard to come to terms with.

This is reflected in the lyrics that refer to being caught off guard by 'your favourite song'. Hearing your ex-loved one's favourite song conjures up sometimes unexpected feelings of sadness or perhaps regret or just remembering the person in general - grief.

Whatever the meaning behind it, 'Good Grief', in my opinion. is a great comeback for Bastille and I look forward to hearing the new album later on this year.


NEW SONG NUMBER 2

On the verge of releasing their new album (Ellipsis), Biffy Clyro have released a couple of new songs and given exclusives to stations such as Radio 1. I will be doing a full album review after its release on Thursday so won't go into too much detail.

The songs I've heard so far are 'Flammable', 'Medicine', 'Animal Style' and of course 'Wolves Of Winter'. From these, I can tell that Biffy are back with the classic style we all love as well as a few new twists.

Particularly, 'Medicine' is a more acoustic song than I believe we are used to, arguably much more atmospheric - effortlessly beautiful.

'Animal Style' on the other hand....is the complete opposite. 'Running at 100 miles an hour' it is an unapologetic rock anthem.

Personally, at the moment, 'Wolves Of Winter' is my favourite track from the upcoming Biffy album.
I can't describe why. I just love it. I feel like it would thrive in a live setting with crowds jumping up and down shouting the lyrics back to the stage.

There's a really good video on the band's YouTube channel describing the thoughts behind Wolves OF Winter (I will tweet the link). In short, the mentality behind the song is that there are a pack of wolves and if someone comes onto their land - they'll come to get you. Ben describes this as 'the clan Biffy Clyro getting back together' due to the fact that they haven't been in the public eye as much for the past year.

More on this after the full album release on Thursday.


NEW SONG NUMBER 3

Next up is a song that not many of you may have heard of...

'Float Your Boat' by Ryan Follese (of Hot Chelle Rae fame).

I, much like many others, have been waiting in anticipation, longing for HCR to release new material but instead we are getting solo material from Ryan (and Nash I believe) - which I am totally okay with.

I can only describe this as a catchy, typically summer song.

'Float Your Boat' is quite different from the other songs I've written about above in that it is more of a pop song. As such, the chorus is incredibly addictive in the sense that you can't stop humming it once you've heard it. The song also features a hefty bass line and Ryan's vocal performance just makes you want to dance (or at least tap your foot in time).

Overall, just good vibes from this song, perfect for lounging about in the sun with an ice cool drink.


Check out the music above, I hope you enjoy it.

If you have any recommendations for bands/songs for me to listen to and write about please contact me via Twitter!

Until next time....


@wewantgoodmusic