Kyle Craft KEXP ILIYLI

WOMPS - Live A Little Less YTV

This week has given me an influx of great new music albums. One of the highlights being the WOMPS LP with the great single Live A Little Less on it. The Scottish two piece has created a perfect piece of garage rock that seems to defy the rules of time by being just under 4 minutes long but in my head it is all over in about a minute. Very fast paced and noisy with the classic combination of drums and guitar, bare bones just how I like it. Enjoy!

Brandi Carlile - The Firewatcher's Daughter MA

March Album

This month has had so many great country/folk music album releases, it made it really hard for me not to pick one as my album on the month. Other great albums came from Noel Gallagher, The Shires, Tobias Jesso Jr., Courtney Barnett, The Staves, Circa Waves and Laura Marling just to name a small portion out of all the brilliant releases.

I chose Brandi Carliles The Firewatchers Daughter because of the emotional ride the album as a whole took me through. She has moments when she is singing a proper uptempo, happy foot stompers of a track and on the turn of a dime she is singing about heartbreak and the transition is the magical thing. Brandi makes it so smooth and effortless, the songs just flow naturally and makes for such an exciting listen. With its ups and downs throughout, it really makes for a classic storytelling album. One of the singles from the album (below) shows how much you don't need a fancy production in a music video, just a good amount of passion and a cracking voice. My stand out track from the album has to be Blood Muscle Skin & Bone. It has a slight different musical direction compared to the rest of the tracks without sounding out of place in the middle of the album and is a nice twist up at the mid point, and having the same Brandi Carlile vocals really makes it a proper ear worm that will make you listen to it on repeat.

Slutface - Angst YTV

03/02/15 YouTube Video

Now this is a tuune! Fresh out of Norway come the shy and retiringly named Slutface with this pop rock hit that gets you in the mood for the summer. Danceable and fun, this track will make you happy no matter what your feeling but this song is more than the catchy beat. It has a strong lyrical message that I and I am sure many of you would understand. The lead singer sings about ideals that men put on women and they strive to have the 'perfect' woman when all she wants is a lot more realistic. I hope you enjoy this track as much as me!

Twin Peaks - Wild Onion SA

September Album

This month has been mostly a two horse race between two great albums. One being the Catfish And The BottleMen début and the other being Wild Onion by Twin Peaks, and of course Twin Peaks has won out. Other notable albums from the month have been produced from The Kooks, Counting Crows, King Tuff and Broncho to name but a few. I chose Twin Peaks because over the length of their album which is jammed with 16 tracks, it never gets tiresome and always stays fresh and keeps you interested. I also like that they have produced a longer album seeing as other bands in their genre like to make more shorter and perhaps snappier albums which ~Twin peaks almost rebelled against. One stand out track is Making Breakfast (below) which is as catchy as any of their singles and just as brilliant.

Mighty Oaks - Seven Days YTV

26/08/14 YouTube Video

This is an acoustic track from German band Mighty Oaks. It is a special session with Rolling Stone featuring the 3 members and 3 beautiful instruments. Alongside the great instrumental technique shown by the band members, the other this that I rate highly from this song is the vocal harmonies that they pull off. Their voices seem to compliment each others extremely well and really add strength to the choruses and specific lines. I'm looking forward to a full LP from these boys. Enjoy!

Honeyblood - Honeyblood JA

July Album

The album I have enjoyed listening to this month has been the self titled début from Honeyblood. It has quite an overall lo fi quality with certain tracks having amped up guitars for a change of pace. It has a hint of some riot grrrl bands but less in your face and more soft and soothing vocals. I really enjoy Killer Bangs in the vocal department because it is slightly more upbeat and bouncy, also Super Rat is another favourite because the power and emotion they put into the lyrics seems really meaningful and passionate. There does seem to be a lot of two piece rock groups popping up at the moment but this is one of my personal favourites.  Enjoy one of their singles Bud below!

Stone Age Brain - Jen Cloher Ft. Courtney Barnett SCS

SoundCloud Song

This is a great live performance of a track Jen Cloher originally did with a man called Tim Rogers. In this version he has been replaced by the ever increasingly popular Courtney Barnett. There are several reasons why I prefer this track over the original: I really think the acoustic guitar sound compliments the vocals and makes the lyrics easier to hear rather than the electric guitar which slightly overpowers them. Also I prefer the girl/girl vocals as opposed to the boy/girl vocals of the original mainly because I think Tims voice is a bit too harsh on the ears for a track that sounds like it should be more mellow. But who knows, maybe I have just fell in love with Courtneys voice too much to prefer another instead. Enjoy!

 

The National Bowl DOTM

Design Of The Month

The design I have chosen is The National Bowl in Milton Keynes. I recently went there to see Pearl Jam perform with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and OFF! as support acts. This was my first visit to the venue and it was a bit of a nightmare getting there with the parking prices being extortionate for a venue of that size that should have at least some on site parking. But once I actually got in to the venue it was a different story. The set up is very much like a main stage at a festival and the crowd was equal in size if not larger. I spent the majority of the show pretty close to the front and the atmosphere was as you can assume, very electric and exciting. Later on in the show I made my way to the outer edge of the field and up onto the sloped verges and I have to say the sound did not lose any quality over the distance. The way the whole place has been designed makes the sound travel so well and still keep its level of quality. The engineers who created this venue really deserves some high praise to make any gig great whether you are in the mosh pit right at the front or enjoying dinner with your children on the outskirts. (Below is a sky view and a couple of snaps of
Pearl Jam) Absolutely amazing!

Birds Eye

Up Close

Afar

Kodaline - All I Want (Glasto 2014) YTV

01/07/14 YouTube Video

Seeing as it was Glastonbury festival this weekend just gone and I was not able to get a ticket, I have been watching live tv coverage literally non stop trying to catch up on all the footage. There were many great performances that stood out to me such as Jack White (who did a nice mixture of old and new songs), Kaiser Chiefs, Haim, Dolly Parton, (slightly surprisingly) Kasabian, The Black Keys and of course Kodaline who kept the crowd singing along despite the bad weather. The video below is one of Kodalines stand out tracks from their set and it took me back to when I saw them at Reading festival and how much of a good live band they are. Enjoy!

YouTube Video O.T.W. 27/05/14

DeathCrush - Fun

This weeks track really reminds me of good punk tracks from before I was alive that I have had the privilege to appreciate, but coming out in this present age and time make this song a pretty cool thing, as is the band themselves. DeathCrush who hail from Norway and are currently supporting White Denim on their UK tour who coincidently I have just seen live on Monday at The Glee Club in Birmingham. As you can see I got a great position right at the front and it was brilliant to see these amazing guitarists rip it up honestly better than most musicians I have seen before. Enjoy the track!

YouTube Video Of The Week! 18/03/14

This choice was slightly out of the blue. I was going through my YouTube playlist as I do daily as you know and my ears perked up a bit when this video started playing. KEXP post a load of great sounding artists live performances on their channel which I generally watch but this one sounded a little bit more to my liking than the average vid. They are a band called Tangerine who I was totally new to but they have a sweet like drifty beach pop rock sound which by the end of their few song set I was totally on-board. Check it out!!!

Temples & Childhood Live

Last night I went to a Temples gig at my favourite venue (The Library at The Institute just in case you didn't know). It was a great gig and I got there at just the right time to get a great spot on the balcony, beautiful job. The guitar playing from the lead singer in Temples was amazing and the guitars he played were some of the most stylish designs that I have seen and I loved them. I was also pleased to see Childhood supporting them who I haven't seen since Reading festival, and they were brilliant. Also supporting was Dark Bells, who were an unknown to me but I am now a bit of a fan. The gig as a whole was one of the best ones I have been to recently. Brilliant line up and brilliant sound, enough said.

Last Saturday Night Resolution

This is a bit of a random post. Basically I wanted to talk about a thing that I have been thinking about recently. It has to do with seeing live music and as of last Saturday when I went to go see Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish and Zebrahead in Birmingham I have decided to cool it a bit with seeing live music once the shows that I have already purchased passes. There are several reasons why I am not going to go to shows as often, some of them personal but the main factor is the money. On average I spend about £30+ easily per show and I have thought that money would be better spent going towards something more long lasting and long term. I am not saying that I am going to stop going to gigs, in fact I hope to keep some sort of regularity but for sure the amount will decrease at least until I start earning beau coup bucks. My reason for posting this is to make it more of a steadfast rule that I will be less eager to break because it is in the world wide web. Lets see how much I can save.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 12/11/13

Well late last week I found out that Tribes are splitting up. I have really enjoyed the bands two albums and will miss the music they produce. So in a tribute my video of the week is How The Other Half Live from the bands second album. Great song with a catchy guitar hook and killer lyrics.

 

All Settled In + Paramore

I have been busy recently moving in to my university place and in some ways it has been easy but there has been a few annoying points but now that I have been here for a few days I have got into the swing of things and all is comfortable. I have also been to a gig last night as you can probably tell by the title. Yes that's right I went to see Paramore at the LG Arena in Birmingham. This is the second time having seen them, the first being in 2008. This show was really brilliant and they put on a great performance but in my opinion I preferred watching them in the smaller venue, The Carling Academy I think it was. I just like that closeness you get with the band that you tend to lose in the larger arenas.

I'm glad the band mostly played songs from the new album and only a few of the big hits from previous albums because I have listened to the latest CD a lot more than the older ones. One of my favourite tracks I heard was Last Hope, it really was a great sing along moment for most of the crowd and myself. I also enjoyed seeing Hayley picking a fan from the crowd to help sing Misery Business. For me this kind of audience interaction really shows the band as more human in a way.

Supporting Paramore were Charlie XCX and Eliza The Bear. I didn't particularly enjoy Charlie except for her big hit I Love It. I just think that kind of music is not for me and I don't think I would choose to listen to her further. As for Eliza The Bear, I had listened to a couple of their tracks beforehand and quite liked it. It was slightly generic indie rock to me but I still thought it was good and maybe worth a second listen.

Overall it was a great night and I would happily see them again especially if they keep producing music like they are.

Reading Festival 2013!

So this last weekend I went to Reading Festival for the first time and it was my first festival of that large scale and also the first one where I camped over on site. I had a brilliant time and I do think it was worth the money that I spent on it. Next time I go to a festival though I will definitely know things that I would do differently like tent location, and what kind of food to bring is very important to me. I would also plan my sleeping schedule better, i.e. not waking up so early and in doing so, staying up later and enjoying more of the camp fires and general fun. I was also really nervous about leaving my tent unattended after hearing all the bad stories on the on line forums about people slashing tents and robbing the contents but after the first night and day I calmed down a bit but still carried the essentials with my in my backpack at all times. Next year I would like to go to a different probably smaller festival just because I want to experience all the different styles and venues before saying which one I like the most. I figured I should tell you what I got up to so here goes.

On the Friday bands that I saw the whole set of were:

Findlay - I was really looking forward to seeing these guys after watching a couple of their videos on YouTube and really digged their female fronted sound.

Kodaline - I heard a lot of hype around this band and everyone seemed to be saying great things but I didn't really know what to expect but I liked what I ended up hearing and really want to hear more of their stuff.

Night Engine - I saw this band whilst waiting for another act, they were all right but nothing too special in my eyes.

Half Moon Run - I liked these guys before going and they put on a good performance. I would see them live again for sure.

Parquet Courts - I have these guys début album and their songs really worked live. They got everybody jumping and having a good time. Again I would like to see these guys at a gig of their own.

Kate Nash - She really brought her energy with her for her set. Her songs are super catchy and really worked the crowd great and even got amongst it. 

The Strypes - The set they did, for me was really one of the best of the day. They all are a bunch of show men and I'm a real fan of that kind of music. Can't wait for their CD to come out.

Frank Turner - He was a perfect act for the afternoon sun. I sang along to practically every song. Great voice and personality despite back problems.

Bring Me The Horizon - I didn't plan on seeing these guys and really wish I didn't. It really wasn't my kind of music, way too much screaming and telling people to kill themselves for me.

Green Day - My other favourite for the day (perhaps obviously) they played loads of great songs and even though I was fairly far back I felt like I was part of the front crowd and felt a real connection with the band.

partial sets from:

Temples - Only heard a few songs from these boys, from what I heard they were all right. Considering giving them another listen soon.

MMX - So-so band, I wasn't terribly impressed by them and I don't think I will listen to them again.

On Saturday I saw the full set of:

Eminem - Initially I wasn't planning on seeing Eminem but after chatting with people around my camp site I figured I probably wont really see him again and he is a bit of a legend compared to the other head liners that were on on Saturday. He turned out to be pretty good and I was glad I saw him in the end.

Johnny Marr - I didn't really know what to expect from this guy but again I was surprised and I really enjoyed listening to his music. He is a real talent.

Darwin Deez - He really was a bit of fun. I liked his synchronised dancing with his band mates at intervals between the songs and he really got the crowd dancing with Radar Detector.

Foals - I was a bit disappointed with Foals tbh. I was expecting a really pumped up show but to me it all sounded a bit boring and just all on one sort of flat level. Maybe it was my location in the crowd or something but I didn't really enjoy these guys anywhere near the amount I thought I would.

Palma Violets - I really loved these guys. Great energy and great songs that kept me singing along throughout the set.

Theme Park - I was expecting a pretty standard indie band but I got a way more dancy discoy kind of music which was a surprise but I did end up loving it.

Lucy Rose - This was the second time I have seen her at a festival and she put on a good show again.

Swim Deep - I did like the music they played but they didn't really do anything standout for me.

Childhood - They were pleasant enough but I was not overly fussed with their music.

Drenge - I heard a lot of good things about this 2 piece but the music turned out to be not for me. It was a bit too heavy and like grungy for my liking.

I caught a bit of Tim Burgess who I liked despite not hearing any of his stuff before the show. He was more poppy than I was expecting him to be.

Finally on the Sunday I saw 

Fall Out Boy - These guys were really my headliners of the main stage. Every song they did killed it and for me they can do no wrong.

Editors - I had sort of forgotten how good the Editors songs were until this set. They really made me get back into them and rekindle my love for them.

We Are The In Crowd - I had seen them once before in Birmingham and their kind of Pop Punk really is my style and I enjoyed their set.

Haim - I was looking forward to seeing these girls, they didn't disappoint and it has made me crave their début CD even more.

Tribes - I had their latest album and loved it. They had a great set and I would want to see them live again after that performance.

Dinosaur Pile Up - These guys were the first act of the day that I saw. Good rock music and I also got a free pin badge so I cant complain.

and a bit of

Azelia Banks - Not really my jam but I did sing along with 212 but that's about the best I could say.

Villagers - From what I saw they were pretty good guitarists and singers but I'm not sure how much I'm going to listen to them again.

The Jim Jones Revue - I wanted to watch the whole set but due to unforeseen circumstances I had to leave for the middle section. From what I heard of them, great classic old rock and roll music. Need to get one or more of their Cd's.

Pure Love - A bit too harsh for my delicate ears but the odd song wasn't too bad :)

I had a great time with the ups and downs and below is a selection of pictures from over the weekend.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 09/07/13

I have only just came across this video last night. Its a set of 3 songs performed by Skinny Lister. All songs were for the NPR Tiny Desk Concert and NPR have produced yet again another good video. I first got into these Tiny Desk Concerts when Tallest Man In The World performed. The sound quality just seems to be at least a little bit better than other live performances I have seen on YouTube. This bands set particularly attracted me because they are another band that sing with such passion and energy it really gets you excited for their music and it really gets you up and into a good mood. Again they are also a group of talented musicians as well as singers. Check it out!

KT Tunstall & New Designers 2013

So I have just got back from the New Designers exhibit in London. There was so much cool stuff. Lots of amazing, well crafted furniture and one of the products that really caught my eye was these wooden clips (pictured below) that you can clip onto any inanimate object and when you hit the said object, it gets relayed back through the cord to the unit then to the computer which then produces the corresponding drum sound back through the speakers. I don't quite understand the technology but just the fact you can use any kind of object as drums I thought it was pretty incredible. I saw lots more stuff, a selection of which is below also.

I have also been meaning to post photos of the KT Tunstall gig I went to, like a week Thursday ago. Better late than never. Such an enjoyable gig that I have purchased my ticket to see her at the Symphony Hall later on in the year. Lets hope she puts on the same quality gig she does in a small venue into quite a large venue.

 

The Wild Boar Acoustic Night!

Last night I went to an acoustic event at The Wild Boar pub in Warwick. I haven't been to one of these before yesterday in what feels like years and I was pleased by the quality of the performers who played. The majority of singers seemed to be females but all the singers had different singing and playing styles which kept things interesting. The singer I liked the most was one of the featured artists of the night, a lady who went by Miss Ellie (https://www.facebook.com/MissEllieMusic). She played a range of her own material and covers. Over the night I can definitely say I preferred listening to songs the singers had written themselves. It just seemed that there was an extra something that was brought out in the playing of the song. Recently I can say I have had enough of listening to people doing covers of pop/top 40 songs on an acoustic guitar and thinking it is totally out there and different, I have heard enough of them and sometimes I just want to listen to a song that was made for acoustic guitar. Overall, it was a good night and next time I would like to stay later and see all of the acts. Great little venue, staff and location were brilliant.