SoundCloud Songs

This week is another double hitter. I have found it hard to limit my SoundCloud feature to just one song every two weeks, there are just too many good songs out there. So I'm considering making it a more frequent feature but for now here is two tracks for you to enjoy.

If you like them or don't, leave a comment below to let me know what you think.

First up is the track Molly-O! by artist Simone Felice. I found out about this artist through the latest Q magazine and after listening to this album I am glad I took their review further. This song has tinges of country pop, and his voice has a slight young Bruce Springsteen element to it which is no bad thing. I love the sing along chorus, the clever lyrics and his unique style. This track along with the album is pretty great.



Next up is Coves with the track Beatings. This duo are from Leamington Spa which (if you didn't know) is where I am from. There is something to be said for repping your home town and associated acts that come out of it, which I do, but this group really don't need it. The quality tunes off their debut album easily do it alone. This track is a bit of a dreamy number with electronic vibes throughout but my main loves are the strumming guitars and the cheeky harmonica that comes out of nowhere. Beaut

YouTube Video O.T.W. 01/04/14

This weeks video is the music video for Born Ruffians - Ocean's Deep.

I have been a fan of Born Ruffians for a while now and I knew from the first listen that this track was a banger. It reminds me of  mid era The Strokes in terms of the guitar riff and the simple driving drum beat. It has a very pop/indie vibe which I particularly like.

The visual content is slightly odd with weird neon bugs and fish flying around in a party like scenario but I presume they were going for the 'random bit of fun, don't take it to serious' line which I'm all behind as it's all about the killer track. Enjoy!

 I would like to know what you feel about this track if you want to leave a comment below, that would be cool.

D.O.T.F. Pono Player

My design choice for this post is the Pono Player. I know it has done the rounds on the news etc and I'm aware that the majority of music lovers would have heard at least a whisper about it by now but I just wanted to show my adoration for this product. 

My feelings for this design are less about the physical shape of the product (yes it is a triangular prism and not everything that shape reminds me of Toblerone :)) and more about what the claims are in terms of software and more specifically the quality of the sound files that it will be able to play and store etc. After a bit of research and watching a few vids featuring a wide range of great musicians endorsing this I learnt that the quality will be much greater than that of CDs and MP3s and out of good quality speakers you can hear so much more of the sound, alike what they want you to here when they are in the studios producing the records which is really exciting.

I have totally fallen for this device and have donated to the Kickstarter campaign which has so so so easily overtaken it's target it is ridiculous. So hopefully with this great injection of cash they can retail the device slightly cheaper so a wider audience can enjoy it.

If you have any opinions on this product, I would be interested to hear them if you want to leave a comment below.

YouTube Video O.T.W. 25/03/14

Calico the Band - Fools Gold

Straight off of the bat I really want to announce how beautiful Gretsch guitars sound and look. They truly are pieces of art in guitar form with a sense of style that can be copied but could never stand up to the quality that is Gretsch. Yea I know I am totally fan-boying but I don't care, it is what it is and I love Gretsch. Anyway on to the track, and these girls do no disservice to the beautiful instruments they are playing. Incredibly gentle vocals that work well with each other and harmonise, and they can pack a punch when the song calls for it. Definitely has got a country vibe that really hooks me in alike other tracks in this same vein.

Gretsch has done a few of these sessions that I have seen, and this is for sure this is in the top 3 if not number 1 session easily.

SoundCloud Song

I'm coming in with a heavy hitting pop genre post this week, and a double hitter of tracks. Yea that's right two tracks one post. You get more for your money here.

First pick is the latest single from LP, fresh off of the press as of today I believe. If you have liked her previous tracks like In To The Wild etc. it definitely has the same flavour of those tracks in terms of cheery/hooky summer time beats and she knows how to work in a whistle/hum solo into the song for even more sugary sweetness that gets embedded into your head. She is not breaking boundaries with this track but she doesn't have to in my opinion, a good track is a good track regardless.


My next choice is way more of a cheesy pop/rappish track. They have sampled Jackie Wilson's Higher and Higher which is the main reason I like this track. I have been hoping for someone to bring this track to a new audience that has possibly not heard it yet and if this is the way they hear it then so be it. Maybe they will explore further. In terms of the verse vocals I feel it has a slight Chiddy Bang style to it and B.O.B. doesn't do anything too crazy in his part but he never blows me out of the water in terms of skill. On the other hand he knows how to make a good pop single so I can see why they brought him on the track.

If you like either of these tracks or hate them, I would like to know your opinion if you want to leave a comment below that would be cool. :)

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!!!

D.O.T.F.

The pick this time is a car that I heard about when I went to the Great British Guitar Show a weekend or two ago.

The car in question is from a partnering of Fender and Volkswagen, the design rendering is below. The outside of the car has the pretty much standard look of a Beetle except from the Fender logo underneath the VW badge. On the inside is where you can really tell they have taken inspiration. The classic sunburst dashboard, swish and stylish little details and decals dotted all around and not forgetting the premium audio sound system that is installed. Just imagine driving down Sunset Strip (or in my case the ring road of Coventry) with the windows down and some great tunes filling the air.

Another dream car to add to my ever increasing list of wants.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 11/03/14

This track has got a nice summer feel to it with perfect timing with the slightest bit of good weather we have been having in jolly old England. If the weather where you live has been miserable, this track will make you want for those long summer afternoons that are soon to come.
I hear a little bit of a Kelis vibe with the vocals and the production, which I think that is mainly down to the simple happy beat and sing/rap vocals.
Anyways, I hope you like it.

)

SoundCloud Song

This is a really fresh sounding, up to date country style track. In my opinion they have taken the best part of country music guitar and paired it with a modern beat and hooky vocals. If you are not converted into this genre even a little bit after this track, then there is no hope for mankind whatsoever haha.

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.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 04/03/14

This is a video I have been waiting for for a while now. It is from the well hyped band Circa Waves with their latest release Stuck in My Teeth. As a video concept it is kept pretty simple, nothing too crazy. The camera is on constant rotation showing the members of the band singing the song whilst time passes in various contexts. A slightly amusing bit is watching their shadows mimicking their movements...as best they can haha. I am looking forward to hearing and seeing more from these boys. Great track.

D.O.T.F.

The design I like this time is a bit of a graphicy one, and a fairly American themed one.

This first map graphic shows the individual states most popular artists that aren't popular anywhere else. I think it is pretty cool to see the patterns in terms of style of music and location, and also the amount of older acts compared to the newer acts.

And now this is an updated graphic that was produced and it shows the most popular artist by state and there is a bit of a land slide on the East coast by Jay-Z easily being the most popular, Drake taking the south and a few Macklemore and Daft Punks dotted around. Also funnily noted is the little fan base Alt J have in the North East, every little bit counts, keep up the great tunes.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 25/02/14

Yes you guessed it, this week is a double hitter.

This first track is by an artist that I previously haven't heard from but after a quick Google search found out he is the lead singer of The Walkmen. As for the track in hand, it is a bouncy little number that would get you dancing if your feeling the slightest bit cheery or at the very least get you singing along by the end of the song. Its just a nice piece of folk/poppy music that will make you smile, nothing too crazy and boy does he say Alexandra a lot.

 

My next track is from Catfish and the Bottlemen. I love this track as much as I have their past releases but I like this one also because of the plain randomness of the video. It is just a seemingly thrown together mash up of clips of Ewan McGregor from movies and TV appearances. I particularly like the bit when he is wildly dancing with Craig Ferguson. Check it out!!

SoundCloud Song!

This track is a bit of a mellow/chill track compared to my normal style but I love it. They keep it simple with a basic beat and nice vocal from Lapsley. It is not the kind of track I can define in terms of genre but I don't think it needs to be confined, it is just a great track so please enjoy.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 18/02/14

These guys can do no wrong in my books. Yea I have chosen NeedToBreathe for a second week running, (which I think is a Musicopedia first), what you gonna do about it? they deserve it. Another great song with the same feels as the last track. Looking forward to their latest album to come out in April and I am going to check out their back catalogue after this post. Hopefully you enjoy it half as much as I do.

D.O.T.F.

This cool design popped up on my Flip-board feed and it looked pretty cool. It has shown me that you can listen to submerged vinyl which I didn't think was possible at all. Its always interesting seeing things like this because even though it is not a huge leap in terms of technology or anything I still think this kind of innovation is great to see. This design is from a guy called Evan Holm (http://evanholm.com/about/) and his whole set-up looks really interesting and creative. Also on the website is a video which shows him setting up the installation at the MoMA. It takes a lot of effort but the end result is worth it.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 11/02/14

This track I have chosen is a bit of a folky number with an old school feel from a group called NeedToBreathe. It does remind me slightly of Mumford and Sons but unlike most I don't see that as a bad thing. They both write good catchy fun songs.

I don't know a great deal about the band except they popped up on my SoundCloud feed and I looked into them some more. They have a few great tracks that are definitely worth a listen if you like this style.

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.

SoundCloud Song!

This is a classic case of giving a song a chance and more than 1 listen. When I first listened to this track I really didn't like it, I thought the trumpet sound was like a messed up circus parade but with thanks to BBC Radio 6 I have grown to really love this track. My opinion with the sound has done a whole 180 and now that trumpet sound stays in my head for ages. Crazy weird pop and I love it.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 04/02/14

This week I have really been trying to get through my 110+ YouTube Watch Later playlist, currently I am 104 with that number fluctuating daily. I have been recapping myself on months of old music videos and I am liking this one track. Its a legendary group covering another legendary groups track. Whenever you hear this song you cant help but sing along. Also coincidentally I am going to see Pearl Jam at Milton Keynes Bowl this summer time. Good times all round.