MUSIC: Foster The People - Supermodel

I am a huuuuuge fan of Foster The People and it physically hurts me to think I haven't seen them live yet. Anyway, I've been looking forward to 'Supermodel' since I listened to 'Torches'. It's felt like I've been waiting absolutely ages for them to release Supermodel and I was actually worried they wouldn't release a second album. But they have (*sighs in relief*). My expectations were pretty high for them, as you can imagine as they are one of my favourite bands and they've definitely not disappointed me.

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Are You What You Want To Be I love this track so much, it's really fun and I love the intro/chorus to this song. It's cool and quirky, in my opinion and I woke up the other morning singing this. It transports me completely out of my everyday tasks, which I love. I also love that it makes me think more about myself and makes me ask 'are you what you want to be'. Another thing I love about this song is Mark Foster's tone. It's gorgeous, in my opinion, and one of the reasons they stand out for me is that Mark Foster's voice is so unique.

Ask Yourself this is a great continuation for the album. I love that it starts off sounding more acoustic to what we're used to from Foster The People and I'm a sucker for a song with hand claps and finger clicking, it just seems more personal to me. This song is my favourite off the album as it's so easy to relate to and taking a look at yourself and your own life goals. "Your confidence is fading from your youth", this hits me because thinking about being a kid you always want to be something huge, like a popstar or a doctor and as you get older you tend to lose these ambitions (or at least in my case I have). I also love the lyric, "ambition's not a crime" which I think we sometimes forget when we are busy getting on with our day-to-day life.Foster The People always have such beautiful lyrics.

Coming Of Age was the first single that they released from the album, and when I first heard it, I didn't quite know what to think of it. I didn't not like it, but I wasn't blown away either. It's grown on me though, and I now really like the song. It makes me think about how far the band has come on from their first album, which is why I also think it was a brilliant choice for their first single from their second album. I feel like we explore more of Mark Foster's vocal abilities which may not have been highlighted in Torches too.

Nevermind is a quirky song. I love the sound of this song, it's very different to anything I've heard from the band before and music in general. It's a very independent sounding song, in my opinion. Moreover, it's the song that has a bigger meaning than just your own personal life. (Does that make sense? It does in my mind)

Pseudologia Fantastica do not ask me to try and pronounce the first word, my English isn't that good. There's more growth from the band in this song. The lyrics are stronger and their entire sound is stronger and different for them, whilst they still hold on to that 'thing' that identifies them as being Foster The People. If there's one thing you can count on is that they'll do something different and this is definitely different. I love how they do electronic music as well and you can tell that a lot of work and effort is taken to create their songs, it's definitely evident in this track, as there is so much going on it but it's not too much.

The Angelic Welcome of Mr. Jones there isn't a lot to say about this track, apart from that it sounds angelic and heavenly, it makes a nice break in the album, also.

Best Friend is the party song for me. It's all about having fun and this song cheers me up. It sort of reminds me a little bit of disco music but with a modern spin which makes it cool for 2014. I also like hearing the deeper sound to Foster's voice as it's nothing that we've heard before.

A Beginners Guide to Destroying the Moon starts off sounding very similar to their first album, but then it goes into a more heavier sounding song which reminds me a little of Muse. It sounds almost like Foster is dueting with himself on this track as his falsetto is played up as well as his lower register. It amazes me how they manage to put so many different sounds into their songs and they sound polish and not too much.

Goats in Trees first off, take a minute to appreciate the track name. Have you done so? Good, now moving on. Again, this song starts off with an acoustic sound which I like to hear from them as it's not something you really expect when thinking of this band. I really like this track and it stands out as it's completely different to anything on this album and anything they've done previously. It's the biggest surprise on the album, but I like the haunting/ghostly feel to the track like I felt with Pumped up Kicks.

The Truth similarly to what I've said about other tracks the sound of Foster dueting with himself as he plays with his falsetto and lower register makes the song special. It amazes me how much he can do with his voice as I was only used to and aware of the more haunting sound to his voice. It's another pretty cool track.

The final track Fire Escape is my second favourite track. It's completely acoustic which I really wasn't expecting but from a song like this I wouldn't want the electronic sound I'm used to with this band. It's a sad sounding song and yet quite soothing and haunting again. Like is stated in the first verse, this song gives you feeling of just observing the people around you and watching the world pass you by which maybe why the delicate sound of the song works so well. There is only one word to describe this song and it's beautiful.

There's a lot of things that go off in this album and I'm still not sure how all the sounds work so well together, it's slightly mind blowing to me. But Foster The People have managed to create another album which I completely love and will know doubt be listening to constantly until their next release. Check out their music video for Coming Of Age below:

Have you listened to Supermodel yet? What do you think and what's your favourite track?
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MUSIC: American Authors - Oh, What A Life

American Authors, Oh What A Life, what can I say about this album? Well, I made a bold statement on Twitter stating it as the best album I've heard in a long time. I still agree with this statement despite loving You Me At Six - Cavalier Youth and Nina Nesbitt's - Peroxide. There is something special about this album and it's hard to describe, but when you listen to it I'm sure you will understand.

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The album is very positive and I can guarantee that you will be walking down the street, or in the car listening to the album (wherever else you listen to your music) and you will be smiling like an idiot (please, tell me its not just me that does this?) The opening track 'Believer' is one of my favourites on the entire album. The chorus lyrics, 'I'm just a believer things will get better' stick out to me. I've quite a pessimist and these lyrics make me change the way I'm thinking. As soon as I get a negative thought, I now think well, things will pick up. It's a very fun sounding song with a lot of drum beats, hand claps.

'Think About It' is the second track on the album, again it follows the same upbeat and positive message for example, 'don't over think about it', something that I definitely need to learn to live by. It's hard to put these guys in a genre in my opinion. Something about them reminds me of Imagine Dragons and sometimes they remind me a little of Mumford and Sons. They're sort of Indie/Alternative/Rock with maybe a little folk in them. On their official website, they even state: "We accept struggle and are passionate about the lives we lead. We create the music that comes naturally to us and we're not afraid of change" - which may be why  they sound so different to anything I've personally heard before.

The third track on the album is 'Best Day Of My Life' I had heard this song before listening to the album but have no idea where from, and I had know idea that it was these guys who sung this song. However, I love this song. It's another favourite of mine. It just makes me happy and feel good and I love the 'oooh-oohh' parts (listen to the song and you'll know what I mean). It's one of the ultimate pick me up songs, in my opinion.

Now, this is probably my favourite song on the album, 'Luck' it's simply everything I wish I could say and live by. It makes me want to just leave all my problems behind and chase my dream without thinking about anything else. My favourite lyric from the entire album features in this song which is, 'I am my own man, I make my own luck', mostly because I feel like this is how I live. I've worked for everything and so I relate highly to this song, especially because a lot of the time I just want to pack up my things and go and live in another city.

'Trouble' it starts slow for the first verse but the chorus is upbeat again. It's sweet and reminds me of how your first love is suppose to be. All the verses are a lot slower on this track and I think the album needed it, but it's still absolutely brilliant. Most of the songs remind me of singing around a campfire and this is definitely one of them, which is why I get the folksy vibe from them sometimes.

'Hit It' is definitely a more alternative/indie/rock sounding song. It's the song that I will be dancing around to a lot and thinking I can dance when I look like a complete idiot, but who cares? 'Home' is a more nostalgic song as you can probably imagine. It's all about trying to returning home and doing anything possible to return home to your loved ones. It's  one of the slower songs but it's still upbeat with a lot of guitars and drums (and don't forget the hand claps).

'Love' I keep saying that this one is one of my favourites but honestly, the album is that good and 'Love' really is. It just makes me smile and about and looking back at the things that you've done, its another nostalgic song. Having just left school, I relate to it. I mean, I never hated school but I was happy to leave at the time but when you leave you think back to the past and what you've been through. This song makes me think of all the fun times I've had with my friends and family which is why I love it so much.

'Heart of Stone' is one of the more rock-y songs, it's a more of a take the mick out of someone song and getting back at them. 'Ghost' this is one of the songs that sticks out to me the most. It's another optimistic song, it's a song what I'd listen to before going out because it's just fun and it also makes me want to go on a car journey. The final song on the album is 'Oh, What a Life' it starts slow but it builds into an anthem type song. It's just about accepting life for what it is, in my opinion. I'd love to see this song live.

I will go as far as saying that I will probably listening to this through the entire of spring and summer. It makes me want to go to parties, go on car journeys and want to go camping (which I've never done before) just so I can sing these songs around a campfire. I would recommend this album to anyone because it's completely different to anything I've heard before. It's just perfect to me. You can listen to the entire album on the American Authors Vevo Page. Check out their music video for 'Best Day Of My Life' below:

What do you guys think? Do you have any recommendations for me?
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MUSIC: A Great Big World Covers

So, in the past few days I've been seeing a lot of covers of A Great Big World's - Say Something popping up on YouTube from some of my favourite artists to YouTubers simply covering the song. The song is one of my favourites that I've heard this year, that's been really popular, for personal reasons, and so I thought I'd write a post of my favourite covers of the song. I must say that I prefer the version of just the band to the version with Christina Aguilera.

First up is Tiffany Alvord's cover. She's done so many covers on her YouTube channel and has such a beautiful voice which is definitely evident in this cover.

Next is another YouTuber, Chester See. He's previously covered songs with Tiffany Alvord and these two are two of my favourite singers on YouTube.

Tim Schou's cover is next. Now, I'm a huge fan of Tim Schou's who was the lead singer of a Danish band, A Friend In London and they even recorded a track featuring Carly Rae Jepson. I could talk all day about him, but I won't because you'll get bored of preaching on about him. Check out his cover below. 

Finally, the last cover is by Nina Nesbitt. She is by far my favourite British Singer at the moment and her version is probably the most original out of the ones that I've featured, production wise.



I hope you enjoyed this style of post and if you want to see anymore let me know what songs you'd like to see featured.
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MUSIC: We Are The In Crowd - Weird Kids

This post is long overdue. I've been meaning to write a review on We Are The In Crowd's - Weird Kids when it was released mid February. But to be honest, life caught up with me and working two jobs whilst trying to have a social life and run a blog became a little too much recently. Also, I did think that I had already written a post about the album, as I started it and then forgot to finish and publish (oops, my bad).

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Anyway, I still wanted to do a review because I love the band and I think, other than Paramore, a lot of female lead rock/pop/punk bands get forgotten about. So, I wanted to shine a light on We Are The In Crowd's latest album. I've been a fan ever since I heard Both Sides of the Story from their Guaranteed to Disagree EP in October 2010. I saw their music video when my brother had some rock music channel on and thought it was really cool.

Since then, my love for the band has grown and the latest album shows a development in the band. It's slightly heavier, but they've kept their light-hearted poking fun out of relationships, which I love about the band. There's plenty of attitude and if you're going through a breakup, or you're annoyed with someone in your life, listen to this album and sing along (or scream along in my case) and you will feel 100x better. So below, are a few of my favourite tracks from the album, but honestly I love pretty much every song on there.

Attention is one of my favourite songs on the album. It's all about finding yourself and doing the things that make you happy basically, or at  least that's what I got from the song. Who doesn't need a little encouragement every now and again to do what you love and be yourself? I love the way that Taylor's and Jordan's voice blend so perfectly.

The Best Thing (That Never Happened) this is the song that you need to listen to if you have fallen out with your boyfriend, or you've just split up with someone. It's full of attitude and punch, and it will remind you that there are better things in life to worry about. My favourite lyrics are 'So toxic, you ain't nothing but a prick' and 'life's too short, I can't fake it anymore'. Mostly because I wish I could say this to a lot of people at the moment. It will seriously pick you up if you're feeling down.

Long Live the Kids I don't know what it is about the song that I love so much. Maybe it's the anthem sound to it, which every good rock/punk album needs, in my opinion. Maybe it's the fact that if I was to see them live this is the song that I would want to hear the most just because it's a song that would get the crowd going. Maybe it's all the above. But the song has the perfect mix of softness to it at the start. I was sure that this was going to be the slow/heartbreak song when it began but then it builds into this big crescendo which gives it so much more edge. To me this song is perfect about the fight.

The song I relate to the most off of the album is Remember to Forget You and not because "all  my exes are from Texas". When you've just split up with someone, or you realise that the person that you've been crushing on forever will never pick you and you're in that stage of moving on. Well, I'm like that at the moment and no matter where you go or what you do that person is always on your mind. I tell myself everyday not to think about that person so this song is my favourite at the moment (slightly pathetic, I know).

So they are my favourite 4 tracks off the album, but honestly, the album is actually really good, in my opinion. Especially, if you're missing a female fronted rock/punk band, these will definitely fill that void. There is a little swearing on the album, but not too much compared to some rock albums, there's nothing too shocking. You can listen to the full album on Hopeless Records YouTube Channel. Check out the music video below for The Best Thing (That Never Happened) below.

Have  you listened to the album yet? What's your favourite track?
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MUSIC: Thomas Rhett - It Goes Like This

It's not everyday that I find a new song in which I absolutely love from the first time I hear it and have to immediately download the song on iTunes, and not stop listening to it for the rest of the day. In fact the last time that happened it was about two years ago when I heard Keith Urban's - Long Hot Summer. But that happened today with another uh-mazing country song.

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It may have been released June 2013, but in the UK we are very short of country music and so it takes people like me a lot longer to click on to country songs. But after hearing Thomas Rhett's - It Goes Like This it just made me so happy and emotional all at once that I couldn't help telling my best friend about it and sing it for the rest of the evening. I even made my family listen to it multiple times. So this post is basically to share my new found love of Thomas Rhett's - It Goes Like This. I can't wait to listen to the entire album tomorrow because if it's anything like this single I know I will absolutely love it.

Country music holds a very special place in my heart, even though I am from the UK and we hear very little of it. Check out the music video below.

What's your favourite country songs at the moment? Let me know in the comments below.
They're will be two album reviews coming up this week too, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled.
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MUSIC: Lauren Aquilina - Liars EP

I discovered Lauren Aquilina when iTunes had her single 'Sinners'as a free download in 2013, and to be honest I was amazed by the fact that an 18 year old girl could write such incredible music, that is incredibly brave. It's safe to say I then went on to download her EP's 'Fools' and 'Sinners' bother were very impressive releases, which feature songs that you really listen to opposed to just sing along to in the car.

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On Monday, Lauren released her third EP, 'Liars' and it's probably my favourite so far. The single 'Lovers or Liars' and I've literally listened to it non-stop all day. Lauren has this way, in my opinion, of writing songs that are clearly personal to herself but that are so easy to relate to and this is definitely one of those songs for me. It's beautifully written and her voice is angelic. 

'Forest Fires' like most of Lauren's songs is another sad song, but if you know what works for you why not run with it? I get shivers when I hear this song, just for how beautiful it sounds, the lyrics are perfect and I love the full production of the song, it makes me feel like I've been transported to somewhere else completely and not just sat in my living room typing this blog post. When a song can do that, you know it's a goodun'. 

'Square One' is another song that I relate to, and maybe its because she is the same age as me, so we're likely going through similar things where relationships are concerned. The song has some powerful lyrics that really stick out to me, 'I forgotten who you are, but I remember that's a good thing'. It shows sass and that she's powerful, but it's written much more eloquently than most songs in the charts these days. 

The final track on the 'Liars' EP is 'Broke. Listening to  her EP's if there's one thing that this girl knows it's heartbreak, but I love the way that she writes about her heartache. It's classy and beautiful. This song also features a lyric that is one of my favourites, 'It's not that I don't want, it's just I don't know how, to love you like I used to'. 

This EP, for me, is about moving on from that guy who has broke your heart or keeps breaking your heart, which is probably why I love it so much at the moment. For me, as much as I love pop/rock songs, you cannot beat a good slow, sad song. Mostly, because it's songs like these on Lauren Aquilina's 'Liars' EP that really make an impact on me. It's amazing to think that she is only 18 and has such a skill at songwriting and an amazing, I can see great things happening for this girl, this year. 

Have you heard any of Lauren's Aquilina's music? What's your favourite song of hers? 

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MUSIC: Traedonya - Another Lie

About a week ago an artist contacted me through Twitter about discovering my blog and wanted me to check out her music. This artist was Traedonya, however, I would like to emphasise that all opinions are expressed are completely honest and are my own.

I was sent Traedonya's 'Another Lie' to listen to and at first I was surprised about how different she sounds compared to most music at the moment. The charts are filled by catching tunes and beats, however, Another Lie is catchy but is so unique to anything else available at the moment. If there's one thing that I think that is missing in the music industry at the moment that's Motown and Jazz music, there's something about a big band performance that I love and Traedonya's style has this completely covered.

Her voice is incredible too and I was blown away by her vocals. She can easily compete with some of the biggest power house singers out there at the moment. It's her unique vocals and Jazz style that really captured my attention, and of course who doesn't love a sassy song, there is plenty of that within Another Lie.She kind of reminds me a bit of Paloma Faith meets Alicia Keyes. I'm looking forward to hearing more from Traedonya and think you'll be pleasantly surprised by her music.

Check out Another Lie from Traedonya's debut EP 'High Fructose Corn Syrup' available winter 2014.

What do you think? Be sure to follow her on Twitter. 

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MUSIC: Artist Vs. Poet - Sake Of Love

Last week I declared my love for Artist Vs. Poet and it probably comes to know surprise that I was going to dedicate an entire blog about their new album 'Sake Of Love'. This album is the sort of album that you would expect me to listen to unlike my last post.

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The first track is 'Close to You' this was released a couple of weeks before the album was released and at first I wasn't a huge fan of it, mostly because it seemed like a departure from what I was expecting from the band, but instead of moaning about it, the song quickly grew on me. It's a perfect a summer song, in my opinion, a song that I would be blasting out when driving around with friends (if only I knew how to drive). It's a great pop song, in my opinion, about declaring their love and how when everything goes wrong he wants to be with the one he loves (sweet, right?).

Next is 'Love Back' which I did a full review on (here). In short it's a good continuation, another good pop song, and the actual music is quite feel good, or at least that's how I feel. I've been singing this non-stop since hearing it. I just love it when Joe Kirkland says 'tell me now' in his manly voice, (I'm strange). You can definitely see how his vocals have improved over the last couple of years.

'Made for You' this song is about excepting that the person you're with may not be perfect for you, 'I was made for me and you were made for you'. It shows that when you truly get to know the person you're in a relationship and get tired of putting up with their problems. I really like this song, it was one of the first songs I heard from the album and loved it immediately. The album is very beat driven compared to some of their previous material, which I like.

'Sail Away' is my favourite track on the album, probably because I'm a sucker for a slow song. It starts with just Joe's vocals and an acoustic guitar. I just love the message of the song that when you're in love it just takes seeing that person to make things better. Again Joe's vocals are soothing within the track and are impressive. (I just want Joe to sing this song to me, but the fan girl I am, I would probably faint.)

Next is the title track 'Sake of Love' it's another feel good song, about falling in love and what you do for love. There's a strong beat which I really like and it fits the song really well. It sounds almost like an anthem in parts especially when it breaks down to just drums right at the end.

'You Better Run' its a really fun track about when you first meet someone and the chase. 'I was dressed as a gentleman with other plans', and 'you better run, 'cause I'm only gonna break your heart'. Its the song that reminds me of when you're friends with someone and they want more or simply when you're at a club and you meet someone. Either way, this is another favourite of mine, for the simple fact that it makes me smile and lifts my mood.

The final track on the album is 'React' it's probably the most powerful song. Another strong beat throughout which shows off Joe's vocal range. The song is the perfect song to end the album off.

I was really impressed by the album, it's very fun and uplifting. It's a departure from what I fell in love with from the band, but you can still tell that they are the same cheeky band who have simply grown up. With huge changes in the band it's no surprise that they're sound has changed a little. You can stream the full album here. 

Check out a preview of the album below.
What do you think? Have you heard of the guys before?
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MUSIC: Pharrell Williams - Girl

I don't usually listen to R&B or Dance music, I'm the sort of girl who loves indie music, artists that people have never heard of, country and rock. Basically, I've always been a snob when it's come to R&B and Dance music, apart from a few songs here and there. But in 2013 I found Pharrell Williams collaborations with Daft Punk and Robin Thicke actually really good. They may not be heavily R&B songs and are more Dance, but Pharrell Williams is typically known as a Hip Hop/R&B artist. However, when I found out that he was releasing an album, I was really looking forward to it, so here's my verdict.

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I honestly didn't really know what to expect from GIRL before listening to it, as apart from his collaborations in the last year, I didn't really know much about Pharrell Williams as an artist. All I knew was, I was either going to love or hate the album. It's fair to say that I love the album. It's not what I was expecting, it's very old school, in my opinion. Instead of hearing a lot of beats that you could create on your computer (though they do still appear) the album has more of a gentle reggae sound and is more classic. It's the type of album that I can see working really well live, similar to how Bruno Mars always performs, at least that's my expectation. 

Featuring on the album: Justin Timberlake for second track 'Brand New' which makes sense of the 70's feel of the album, I mean Suit & Tie was very similar in that way. Also, Miley Cyrus also appears on 'Come and Get it Babe' as well as Alicia Keys on 'Know Who You Are' which nobody can deny that woman can sing the crap out of a song. 

There is some serious funk in this album and Pharrell Williams' smooth voice and falsetto is very impressive on the album. My favourite tracks, obviously, 'Happy', 'Marilyn Monroe', 'Come and Get It Babe', 'Gust of Wind' and 'It Girl' - I may as well have just mentioned the whole album (aha). I love an album that will make me want to get up and dance every once in a while and this will definitely be the album I turn to for that at the moment. Every song on the album will make you want to pull out all your best moves (or the dance moves you think are cool but you look like an idiot when you catch yourself in the mirror - is that just me?). My verdict, is that the album doesn't disappoint for the success that Pharrell had in 2013. 

For the simple reason that it's one of my favourite songs at the moment, check out 'Happy' below.

Have you heard Pharrell's album? What's your favourite track? 

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