This is dated quite far back, last year perhaps? But it's still a nice little album review I wrote on one of my favourite bands...
Maximo Park - Quicken the heart
Word on the indie playground is beaming with anticipation for Maximo Parks new album. After them having so much success with previous albums 'A Certain Trigger' and 'Our Earthly Pleasures', Maximo fans were nervous about the quality of this new album compared to the other two. For those who haven't quite heard of this band but still pop along the music scene, you would definitely recognise songs such as Apply Some Pressure and Our Velocity.
But as a call to all the Earth- I can proudly shout about this being one of the best albums of 2009.
Quicken the Heart is the name, and it certainly lives up to the title- with enchanting keyboard melodies and haunting guitar chord changes. The twelve track album starts with Wraithlike which already has captured many fan's hearts with its fast pace. Other songs that you must hear ASAP include A cloud of mystery; In another world; Roller disco dreams; Questing not coasting.
A cloud of mystery contains such a catching chorus that it could easily be a festival favourite this summer.
All of these songs have wonderful lyrics, and the writer/singer of them (Paul Smith) is truly a poet. He has took everyday sayings- for example "a bee in my bonnet" and "wipe that smile off your face" and embedded them within a catchy and heartfelt tune. Also some of these lyrics are so clever- it's easy to realise these lads from Newcastle are genius. "I don't know much about bravery but I'll raise you up with my bad jokes and loose promises"; "There's nothing worse then taking a chance on an outdated dance"; "Under fireworks in Brixton, two carousel hearts spinning" happen to be just some of my favourite lines off the album. But there are so many others on there which could quicken your heart. Sit down, close your eyes, relax and listen.
Congratulations to Maximo Park for coming back into the music world with what I can only begin to describe as a masterpiece. 'Mon the park'
Beth x
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
dododododo (radar noise)
NME is the best magazine ever. In my opinion anyway.
But only now have I checked out their blogs on nme.com?!
There are movie reviews by James McMahon, behind the scenes in Head Office and even advice on websites to visit if you feel the need to waste time. But who I loved most was Jaimie Hodgson. A gentleman in charge of the radar section- who posts blogs on a regular basis to enlighten us on new music. The weird; the wonderful; the wannabees.
"Erm, you haven't heard of Swedish Techno-Rap 'megastars' Maskinen... Jesus H Christ, what the f*** have you been doing with your life?!? It's ok, we won't tell anyone."
I'm a sucker for new bands. And even you can't deny the joy of finding some gem among the awful and revelling in their newness (is newness a word; who knows?) But especially when none of your friends have even heard of them and you can brag on how YOU discovered them. YOU have found the Holy Grail. YOU have the right to be smug.
Imagine that's your job...Every blog is a new discovery with this guy.
Cheers for reading me dears, Beth x
But only now have I checked out their blogs on nme.com?!
There are movie reviews by James McMahon, behind the scenes in Head Office and even advice on websites to visit if you feel the need to waste time. But who I loved most was Jaimie Hodgson. A gentleman in charge of the radar section- who posts blogs on a regular basis to enlighten us on new music. The weird; the wonderful; the wannabees.
"Erm, you haven't heard of Swedish Techno-Rap 'megastars' Maskinen... Jesus H Christ, what the f*** have you been doing with your life?!? It's ok, we won't tell anyone."
I'm a sucker for new bands. And even you can't deny the joy of finding some gem among the awful and revelling in their newness (is newness a word; who knows?) But especially when none of your friends have even heard of them and you can brag on how YOU discovered them. YOU have found the Holy Grail. YOU have the right to be smug.
Imagine that's your job...Every blog is a new discovery with this guy.
Cheers for reading me dears, Beth x
Is Spotify killing music?
An article from a few weeks back in NME caught my eye, and got me wondering. Is Spotify killing music? We don't really think of that as our favourite band bring out a new album; while we see our bank balance as £0.00; therefore we go on Spotify to listen to it- for free. You're probably the same as me- we all of a sudden get into a trap of listening to all those albums that are out that week, pledging to buy them later on- but we never do.
If you don't know what Spotify is then you must be living on a different planet! Spotify is heaven for music lovers! With every album; EP; single in its database including my mums bad glam rock taste from her youth. Try it out if you can... type in yours/your mums/your dads favourite band and at least one result will be listed and then you can listen to it right there and then for the price of zil. All that is very convenient considering the amount of music there is out there at the moment, and you can't buy every single track you like if you're a skint student like me. But those people who make the music that we dance; cry; smile to... what are they getting out of it?
Well, UK indie band Friendly Fires currently get half a penny for their tracks played on Spotify with their manager Phil Morals saying "No-one's making a f***ing penny." All the while the record companies get an 18% share in Spotify as a whole (which is a very profitable business) suggesting music won't die out- our lives won't become a soundless hole just yet- because the big bosses are still making money from it all. It's just in all of this the people who matter are being forgotten- the creators of our favourite songs.
Concerns for new music artists were already big considering illegal downloading. The majority of money they make comes from touring which is also under threat because of the recession. It's all one big catch 22.
But then again times need to change and Spotify is seen as the future of accessible music to all. It's a hard issue with good and bad sides.What do you think? Is it the future or end of music as we know it?
Beth x
If you don't know what Spotify is then you must be living on a different planet! Spotify is heaven for music lovers! With every album; EP; single in its database including my mums bad glam rock taste from her youth. Try it out if you can... type in yours/your mums/your dads favourite band and at least one result will be listed and then you can listen to it right there and then for the price of zil. All that is very convenient considering the amount of music there is out there at the moment, and you can't buy every single track you like if you're a skint student like me. But those people who make the music that we dance; cry; smile to... what are they getting out of it?
Well, UK indie band Friendly Fires currently get half a penny for their tracks played on Spotify with their manager Phil Morals saying "No-one's making a f***ing penny." All the while the record companies get an 18% share in Spotify as a whole (which is a very profitable business) suggesting music won't die out- our lives won't become a soundless hole just yet- because the big bosses are still making money from it all. It's just in all of this the people who matter are being forgotten- the creators of our favourite songs.
Concerns for new music artists were already big considering illegal downloading. The majority of money they make comes from touring which is also under threat because of the recession. It's all one big catch 22.
But then again times need to change and Spotify is seen as the future of accessible music to all. It's a hard issue with good and bad sides.What do you think? Is it the future or end of music as we know it?
Beth x
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