The Great Florence and the Machine

I could cry!  This song is amazing!  Probably the best work she has done so far.  This song is from the new Great Gatsby movie.

TNT and Dynomite

I can’t get this song out of my head! It’s to addictive. I might be a little brainwashed :p

Entertained by Phoenix

They have done it again!  Remember that band from a years back with the title of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix(also known as Phoenix)?  They had two smash hits, Liztomania and 1901?  Well guess what!  they just came back and they are awesome as ever!  I was reading the lastest edition of Nylon and saw that they made a comeback.  So it was only natural that I would go and check it out.  

What did I find?

My new favorite for the month.   Recently, a song from their new album Bankrupt! leaked on the Internet. Entertainment is only a taste of what is to come from them. Once again, Phoenix has brought their A-game with edgy guitars and retro sounding synthesizers.  They have brought the best of cotton-candy pop (that is a complement).  It’s a kick-back-have-no-worries kind of song.  It is the perfect summer song to listen while traveling, lounging, or just looking to have plain fun.  Seeing as this is only a taste of what is to come, I am extremely excited to see what the band further produces on their new album, said to be released April 23rd!

Entertainment- Phoenix

1901- Phoenix

Liztomania- Phoenix

One Track Mind One Track Heart

Oh no! by Marina and The Diamonds

Stuck on A Lightning Bolt

If you guys have seen the new Gatorade commercial (the one with one of the Williams sisters doing a split) than you probably have heard this song playing in the background.  Well out of a desperate need of a new song, I immediately looked the song, up thanks to  Google. The song was Jake Bugg’s Lightning Bolt single.  I had read/heard about this artist from a year ago and though you should share it with you all.  It is a song worth dancing to.

Set that on repeat: Little Numbers- BOY

Home

  Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz once quoted “There’s no place like home.”  After the last night I could not agree more.  After a long night of mild food poisoning I was pretty much ready to skip out of my dorm room and go home.  If you guys haven’t already guessed, tonight’s song is called Home by Gabrielle Aplin. 

This British singer-songwriter was born in the village of Sutton Benger in Wiltshire, England.  At the age of eleven Aplin was given her first guitar.  Soon she started drawing influences from Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan.  After studying music at City of Bath College, she began to attract a youtube fanbase.  Some of her most popular songs are “Home”(tonight’s song), covers from Celo Green and Katy Perry, and “The Liar and the Lighter.”

Home is by far my favorite song by Aplin.  The true brilliance of the song is the simplicity of the instruments and the descriptive yet relatable lyrics.  Her song has the rare quality of humanity in it.  She has the talent of creating honest and heartwarming lyrics, which is a rare talent.  Her use  of the right amount and tone of guitar, piano, and drums to help contrast her melodic voice is something to be recognized for.  This song is for all music lovers alike.  Her song will truly make you feel like your at home.

Photo from Prettypass.blogspot.com

 

The Perfect Remedy

   

Although nothing terrible has happened today, I still feel as though something is amiss.  Often times I find myself wondering what life is going to be after high school.  As I’m sure all of you know, high school is a time of confusion, angst, and self image.  Everyone is so consumed in trying to stat afloat that you begin to feel as though your missing something.  But, for every senior in high school there comes a daunting moment when you realize, that your confused of what you want and who you are.  But sometimes letting go of the controls is what you need to figure out just what you need.  Sometimes a helping hand (or song) can make your journey just a bit easier.

   For tonight I chose the song Atlas Hands by Benjamin Francis Leftwich.  I’ve had his song on repeat for sometime but never really quite had the inspiration to write a review.  But tonight I do.  Benjamin was born in York, England and was raised listening to musical legends such as Nina Simone and The Rolling Stones. As he grew older he become interested in artist such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Arcade Fire  as inspirations.  At the age of ten he taught himself to play the guitar and continued to play throughout his teens.  After graduating from high school he ventured out on his own solo career.  He won some awards such as R1 DJ Zane Lowe’s “Hottest Record in the World Today” for his EP Photos, in 2011.

  Tonight’s song is from Leftwich’s album Last Smoke Before the Snow Storm.  When I first listen to the song, I was really struck by the lyrics.  Leftwich’s lyrics seemed to be the special remedy that I was looking for.  my favorite lines of the song were,

Take me to the docks there is a ship without a name there,
And it is sailing to the middle of the sea,
The water there is deeper than anything you’ve ever seen,
Jump right in and swim until you’re free.

After listening to the song at least ten times I began to fall in love with the rest of the song.  The soothing guitar strings and gruff but not to gruff singing made my heart melt.  I especially enjoyed the melancholia melody mixed in with the hope filled in the lyrics. It was exactly what I needed to end the page and begin a new chapter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyue2N1XZ0M

Mayor Hawthorne Melts My Heart

Mayor Hawthorne preformed on Artist’s Den and I thought I should share it!

Lucid Tribes

Over the past days I have felt that I’m losing myself lately.  As of lately, I feel as though I am not satisfied with anything I do.  No matter what there seems to be something weighing.  This is no way to live.  So I opened my copy of this months Nylon and started looking at different bands.  After some time searching around on youtube, I found this awesome rock band, Tribes.  Maybe it’s the dreamy voice of the lead singer or the mellow guitar strings, but tonight’s band hits a cord for any free spirits out there.

The band is composed of four members, Johnny Lloyd, Jim Cratchley, Dan White and Miguel Demelo.  How the band originally came together is unknown, but they all originated from London.  They released their first EP, We Were Children, in April 2011.  Their popularity grew within the United Kingdom, earning them “the Hottest Record in the World” by BBC Radio 1.  They have released one album, two EPs, and three singles.  They are currently recording their second album in LA.

After listening to a lot of music over my break, I think Tribes’ sound is unique compared to many rock bands.  Much of their music is classified as chill and indy-rock.  This might be due to their influences of Nirvana, R.E.M., The Pixies and The Pavement.  My favorite song by them is Coming of Age.  Some of the lyrics are cliché  but sometimes it just the words you need to hear.  The guitar is smooth but somehow raw enough to make stop and listen.  That seems to be the trend, the band is sensitive but still has the rawness of any great rock band.

Coming of Age- Tribes

Alone of With Friends- Tribes