Happy Halloween everyone!!If you're a longtime reader, you know what I'm going to post today. It's tradition, after all. And it's the best Halloween video EVER.I can't even count the number of ways this is ep...
Monday, 31 October 2011
Friday, 28 October 2011
No music post today, but I've got something very cool for you to check out! In honor of Halloween, a bunch of great YA authors (including yours truly) have written a choose your own adventure type story that's being featured across a number of blogs these next few days.I was in charge of starting the story, and you can read the beginning here. Then choose where to go next and see if you live or die. Plus, there are tons of prizes available throughout...
Thursday, 27 October 2011
"I'll make you beg for more"When I hear studio tracks from folks like Cher Lloyd and One Direction (not so much Matt Cardle), it makes me realize that, while still super entertaining, this year's UK X-Factor doesn't have a hope of becoming as relevant as last year's. Especially if the public keeps voting for snooze-fest, anti-charisma performers like Craig and Sophie over contestants like Kitty and Misha. At the very least, let's hope that this year's...
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
One Direction - Got To Be YouNot as strong as their last single, but this is pretty much everything you'd hope a boy band ballad would be. Bonus points for the interesting choice of harmonies in the chorus. It's a very winter-sounding track. A-Olly Murs - Dance With Me TonightHis last single was the single best thing he's done. This isn't, but it's still better than the tracks they chose to release off his debut. It's certainly catchy, but I feel it has a very limited shelf life. B-Professor Green - Read All About ItHis voice is like nails on a...
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
"Step one: drink, Step two: make mistakes"Surprisingly, I've been listening to Patrick Stump's new album this past week. I say "surprisingly" because I really did not care for Fall Out Boy and Stump's emo-styled vocals were a huge part of that. But now he's reinvented himself as a new wave soul singer and proven that the whole screechy emo thing really was an act. The new album is very hit and miss, but the best tracks are really stunning. I love...
Friday, 21 October 2011
"It's funny how this old dead piece of land makes us feel so alive"Another Friday, another Halloween song. Today it's a b-side from Foxy Shazam's most recent album, a deliriously fun track with a great title. But it's definitely more than the title. Foxy have managed to combine elements of Meat Loaf, Rocky Horror Picture Show and power pop in one tight, uber-catchy pop song. And it didn't even make the album! While the lyrics are not necessarily...
Thursday, 20 October 2011
"I'll never forget how you made me feel"Soon, folks. Soon we will be presented with The Sound Of Arrows' first album. I'm dying to hear it, but this next single will have to tide me over for a couple more weeks. Wonders follows their previous releases in sound and style. If I were to compare it to one of the past three singles, I'd say it's the most like Nova. And, of all we've heard, it's also the first that didn't hit me instantly. It's more of...
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Sometimes something that should be horrible turns out to be quite entrancing. There's a trend on youtube (I'm sure it's been going on for years) of speeding pop songs up. With a bit of a pitch change, you can make any song sound like Scooter. Remember Scooter? Sheesh. I was never a fan, but some of these tracks--particularly ballads and midtempos--sound quite striking when sped up to Scooter-esque levels. Here are two that I've become very... captivated by over the past week. The Take That song in particular sounds amazing as a sped up rave. It's...
Monday, 17 October 2011
"Ain't it sexy?"I'm SO excited! Not only do Foxy Shazam have a new single out (for free!), but they'll be releasing a new album in January! I like I Like It a lot, and may even grow to love it, but I do have my (very slight) qualms. The sound is perched between their old stuff (which isn't to my taste) and their most recent release (which was my #1 album of last year). So, my excitement is tempered just a little by a worry that they've moved away...
Friday, 14 October 2011
"Lips like a vampire"When I first started this blog, I'd spend the entire month of October sharing Halloween songs. I want to revisit that a little this year and post a few here and there for the next few weeks. Short Stack's 2010 album, Welcome To Bat Country, is a great listen all the way through for Halloween, and this is one of the many highlights. It's an enormous song with one hell of a punchy chorus. Plus, the middle eight with its stabbing...
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Hedley - InvincibleCanada's best modern rock band releases one of their most forgettable singles. They've released tracks like this before but they've all had better hooks. Too bad, as I've always loved them. C+Marina & The Diamonds - RadioactiveThis single has grown on me, but I'm missing the quirkiness of her debut. This seems so much more mainstream. Her instantly recognizable vocals are what end up setting this apart. B+Nicole Scherzinger - WetI'm surprised at how many singles this album has actually produced. This is one of the better...
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
"Let go of all fear"I can't even tell you how excited I am for the new Sound of Arrows album. I pretty much can't wait another moment to hear it (ie: if their label is out there, send me a promo copy and you're guaranteed a review!). Shameless begging aside, I consider it my duty to let the world know how unbelievably, jaw-droppingly awesome this band is. I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but seriously... these guys deserve so much more attention...
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Real SteelReal Steel is the kind of movie you can predict at nearly every turn, yet it really doesn’t matter. Though it’s not quite my favorite film of the year, it made me feel more ecstatic at its end than any other movie of 2011. To borrow a cliché, it’s the “feel good movie of the year.” I feel so dirty typing those lame words, but it’s true.Yes, if you’ve seen a boxing movie or a family drama, you’ve pretty much experienced this story already,...
Monday, 10 October 2011
"Meet me on the dancefloor"I can't believe I didn't know about this song before this weekend. Short Stack reinvented themselves last year and released one of my absolute favorite albums of 2010. Now they've released a new single as a stopgap between albums, and it's more of the same (ie: excellent). They're continuing in their modern-day billy Idol sound, though this time it's even poppier with a definite dance funk edge. Shaun's voice remains one...
Thursday, 6 October 2011
"How did you know?"I had considered posting this song when the album first came out because I loved it except for one part: those godawful noises in between the singing. I know, I know. It's dubstep. It's supposed to be like that. But until I saw the video (which gives it all great context), I found the electronic noodling very irritating. It's definitely grown on me and now I actually kind of like it, but I was also very happy to run across this...
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
"You hit me like a subway train"Two singles in and this album campaign is finally starting to make sense to me. Talk Talk Talk was fine, if underwhelming, and I don't really care for Black Out The Sun. But this song? This is the Darren Hayes I love. This is an example of his gift for melody, his ambition in songwriting, and his unmistakable voice. It really should have been the lead single, and should be released worldwide instead of being relegated...
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
It's been a few months since my last album review, and I'm bringing it back with a release that's really grabbed me. You might be thinking "an Aqua album really grabbed you?", but in addition to loving their debut back in the 90's, I've always taken these guys more seriously than most. Europop is a genre just like any other, and Aqua know how to use it to its best effect. I'm happy to say that, after more than a decade away, this new album is very,...
Monday, 3 October 2011
"You conceal it, but I feel it"The Sound Of Arrows are FINALLY releasing their debut album about a month from now. It has strong potential to be the album of the year. All of their singles up to this point have been jaw-to-the-floor amazing. To celebrate this news, I'm not going to post a SoA track, but instead I want to feature a track they produced. Queen of Hearts is a British electro-pop singer. She's got a handful of tracks produced by well-known...
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