Fender Artisan Series 2016 DOTM

Design Of The Month

Well winter NAMM (guitar convention) has been and gone with 4 days of magic in Anaheim CA going by in more like 4 seconds. Not that I went to the show or anything but I have been eagerly awaiting the new goodies and news from the guitar world over in England.There are loads of different new makes and models that are things of beauty this year but the first thing that caught my eye (shown in the video below) is the Fender Custom Shop Artisan Series. Using the top notch exotic hardwood's, teamed with beautifully complimenting golden hardware, the guys at the custom shop have used the existing style of classic Fender guitars and given them yet another new lease of life. My personal singular favourite design is the spalted maple Telecaster pictured right at the bottom, nothing too fancy but still something special that I would happily show off.

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell - The Traveling Kind YTV

26/01/16 YouTube Video

This video really showcases what two talented musicians can do. Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell teamed up in 2015 to produce The Traveling Kind album with the track below being one of the lead singles off of it. Their voices work together and compliment each other with a gentle ease that seems totally effortless. I am also greatly blown away at how well they have both grown as artists and still produce tracks of this quality and beauty, compared to other artists who have been around for decades that time hasn't treated nearly as well. Enjoy!

Spookyland - God's Eyes SCS

SoundCloud Song

New release from these Sydney boys Spookyland, God's Eyes brings the downbeat stadium ready rock music to the listeners. The lyrics emphasise how even the most perfect people make mistakes every now and then, and at the end of the day it is all just part of being human. I honestly hear an Oasis like epicness to the track and can picture the crowd at a sell out show singing the verses and choruses back to the band on a beautiful summer evening. I need to make sure I get a ticket. Enjoy!

Bleeding Rainbow - So You Know YTV

19/01/16 YouTube Video

I have recently started logging my Google Music playlists on paper to keep a more secure version of them in case anything happens to the GM platform (god forbid). And I thought what better place to start than at Jan 2013. It seemed like a good a place as any and it had enough releases per month to give me something to get stuck in with. I made my way through the year and into early 2014 when I remembered this forgotten gem of an album by Bleeding Rainbow called Interrupt. So You Know is one of the singles off of the album and it is wonderfully dark. Grungy without being incoherent, this band has made a track with a great balance of heavy instrumentation to the softer female vocal. The video is also really creative and interesting to watch. Enjoy!

Brit Awards 2016 Predictions

Well the nominees have been announced and below I will try to guess some of the catergories winners on the left and who I think should win on the right.

British Male Solo Artist: Aphex Twin, Calvin Harris, James Bay, Jamie XX, Mark Ronson

  

British Female Solo Artist: Adele, Amy Winehouse, Florence and Machine, Jess Glynne, Laura Marling

  

British Group: Blur, Coldplay, Foals, 1D, Years & Years

  

British Breakthrough Act: Catfish and Bottlemen, James Bay, Jess Glynne, Wolf Alice, Years & Years

British Single: Adele - Hello, Calvin Harris and Disciples - How Deep Is Your Love, Ed Sheeran + Rudimental - Bloodstream, Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do, James Bay - Hold Back The River, Jess Glynne - Hold My Hand, Little Mix - Black Magic, Olly Murs/Demi Lovato - Up, Phillip George - Wish You Were Mine, Years & Years - King

Mastercard British Album of Year: Adele - 25, Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams, Florence + The Machine - How Big How Blue How Beautiful, James Bay - Chaos and Calm, Jamie xx - In Colour

  

British Video of the Year: Adele - Hello, Calvin Harris and Disciples - How Deep Is Your Love, Ed Sheeran - Photograph, Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do, Jessie J - Flashlight, Little Mix - Black Magic, Naughty Boy ft Beyonce - Runnin’, 1D - Drag Me Down, Sam Smith - Writing’s On The Wall, Years & Years - King

  

International Male Solo Artist: Drake, Father John Misty, Justin Bieber, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd

  

International Female Solo Artist: Ariana Grande, Bjork, Courtney Barnett, Lana Del Rey, Meghan Trainor

  

International Group: Alabama Shakes, Eagles of Death Metal, Major Lazer, Tame Impala, U2

Tacocat - I Hate The Weekend SCS

SoundCloud Song

We are now well in to 2016 and what better way to banish those January blues than a song about hating the weekend. That's right, the latest track from Tacocat which comes off of their upcoming third album is about dislike for Saturday and Sunday. The reason being because they have to share it with all of the ghastly weekday workers who rain on Tacocats parade when the Friday clock out comes around. I like Tacocats charm, bouncyness and upliftingness that comes with this song and many of their other songs. I'm expecting great things from their new release in April. Enjoy!

Courtney Barnett - Three Packs A Day YTV

YouTube Video

Yes, yes, yes, new music from Courtney Barnett. Singing about instant noodles has never sounded so cool as it does in this 2 minute 50 second song of brilliance. It again showcases what she does best, sing catchy songs about everyday mundane life that everyone can relate to. I'm just waiting for the next track about struggling to find the perfect parking space. Another thing about this song that I love is the added harmonica solo which few songs wouldn't be improved by. Enjoy!

Cage The Elephant - Tell Me I'm Pretty DA

December Album

After an exceptionally slow December where not many stand out music was released, I am so glad for the great albums from Lizzo, Milk Lines, The Bootleg Honeys and more. But my favourite by far is Tell Me I'm Pretty by Cage The Elephant. The fourth release from the boys brings the same great southern blues rock and roll that they are known for producing. And this time with added help from the seemingly always on point Dan Auerbach. The thing that I really enjoy about the album is how they play with the speed of the songs, going from the quick and punchy, to more mellower notes then back to the fast paced songs which plays with your emotions over the course of the album but whilst keeping their distinctive, unique sound throughout. Enjoy!

The Crookes - The World Is Waiting YTV

05/01/16 YouTube Video

Ahead of their fourth album Lucky Ones, yesterday The Crookes released the video for The World Is Waiting. By the sounds of it, they have kept everything I loved about them from their previous albums: big building choruses, catchy guitar lines and a loveable charm that is embedded in the lyrics. Watch them below as they get their DIY Coldplay on and throw bright powder around in someone's back yard. Enjoy!

Happy 2016!

Happy new year to all of the readers! I hope that the new year will be even better than the last. 

Seeing as the holiday period has been pretty dead in terms of new music album releases, I have been down many a musical rabbit hole in search for interesting tunes and new bands that have passed me by and have found some great albums by a Chicagoan band called The Ponys. The track below is taken from their second album out of three as is really lo-fi, garagey pop loveliness.

In the future I am going to aim to post more content on this blog about a larger and more varied choice of subjects. I hope everybody will still enjoy everything I produce. Thank you.