D.O.T.F. Face Paint Album

Natalie Sharp Artist

This news piece may be a bit old now but I am only just getting around to talking about it. I have seen a few pieces from the artist Natalie Sharp and this face painted piece below is one of my favourites. It is the classic Joy Division album artwork expertly painted on a models face. The expressionless eyes being open add to the creepiness of the piece as a whole. Great piece of design and be sure to check out more of her other face painted album covers.

YouTube Video O.T.W. 03/06/14

Jurassic 5 - The Way We Do It

This weeks post comes from Cornwall seeing as I am currently enjoying the great English sunshine on holiday. The track I have chosen for the track of the week has sampled a great song by The White Stripes (Doorbell) and the group that have rapped over it all have their own distinctive vocal styles and sounds to their voices which makes for a killer track. The lyrics and the sample really work great together. Enjoy.

SoundCloud Song

Darlia - Dear Diary

This track is from a fairly new band to me and I am a fan of what they have released so far but this is easily my favourite track of theirs, followed in second place by Candyman. This song has got me really excited to listen to the rest of their début album which hopefully comes out soon. The track has got great lyrics that are sung with just the right amount of passion behind it, really relate-able and right up my street in terms of pumped up rock song. 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!

D.O.T.F. Marshall Major Pitch Black

Design Of The Fortnight

The piece of design I am really into this fortnight is the Marshall Major on-ear headphones. I have been using them now for just under a month and the quality of sound is so much better than the small in ear headphones I used beforehand. When the sound is produced it literally surrounds my ears so that any other sound that is around is totally blocked out. If you are into that kind of sound effect then these are definitely for you. You can really hear the layers of sound that have been created in the song. The price is also really good for what you get compared to the more high end over ear headphones on the market.

YouTube Video O.T.W. 20/0514

Super Furry Animals - Something 4 The Weekend

Thanks to NMEs recent article of artists recommending albums that were influential to them. Without that I would have never heard of this track off of the Super Furry Animals 1996 album Fuzzy Logic. The verses of this song are total classic rock from that 90's era but the choruses totally remind me of mid era Beatles which is the major hook that got this track in to my head. This will easily get you through the mid week blues, ready for the weekend.

SoundCloud Song

Bang Bang Bang - Shake Shake Shimmy

This track sounds like The Pipettes younger sisters have formed a band of their own, with similar vocals and a slightly more modern beat this songs hook will be stuck in your head for a good while. This is yet another track that re-enforces my notion that female vocals go perfectly with the pop/indie/rock genre and hopefully Bang Bang Bang keep up the good tunes. Enjoy.

YouTube Video O.T.W. 13/05/14

Ash - Shining Light

This is a bit of a look back to the past with this turn of the millennium track. I was only a little kid when it was released but going back and revisiting the work that Ash has produced has been a delight. Free All Angels, (the album this track is from) has more great tracks on if you are a fan of this one. A great straight up rock song with a great musical sound.

If you heard this track and like it or not, let me know in the comment section below.

D.O.T.F. Taylor T5Z Custom

Taylor T5Z Custom

So the other day the latest issue of Guitarist arrived on my doorstep and after barely flicking through the first few pages I came across this little beauty of a guitar. It is an electric/acoustic hybrid that is retailing for just under 3 grand which is still way over my budget. The points of this design that I especially love are the cut away sound holes that are dynamic in shape and reminiscent of flames (well at least in my mind), the detailing at the end of the fret board, the positioning of the control knobs and all of the design is harnessed in a classic Gibson body shape. Enjoy!

YouTube Video O.T.W. 06/05/14

Damon Albarn - Mr Tembo

I thought Damon Albarns début was going to be in a particular vein after listening to the single Everyday Robots but I couldn't be more wrong. This track sounds like a native folk song brought to the present day. Easily my favourite track from the album and I am really glad I tuned into Jools Holland to see this song performed live. The backing singers also deserve massive props as their vocals are sweet to listen to. I also like the basic instrument sound that is going on in the background.

If you like it or not, let me know in the comments below. Thanks.

SoundCloud Songs

Made Violent - You Had It Easy & Talk About It

Two great tracks from the band Made Violent. Both of these tracks really remind me of The Strokes in terms of the vocals and the guitar riffs. It has that NYC indie rock sound that these two bands obviously share and it is a style of music that I absolutely adore. I hope that the album they end up producing after these singles will have more crackers like these on there, and it should make for a great listen.

Let me know what you think of these tracks below in the comment section, thanks.

YouTube Video O.T.W. 29/04/14

Wonder Villains - TV

This track is really indie-pop at it's sweetest. I heard about Wonder Villains through the Intro w/ LA SoundCloud pod-cast. They play a lot of great tracks that are new and upcoming and is worth checking out. This track has a very mid 00's feel with big drums and loud coloured clothing a la the nu-wave resurgence of the era.  It also reminds me of a few one hitters and the early tracks of Hot Chip. Anyways take a listen and see what you think. If you like it or think it is absolutely terrible let me know in the comment section below.

D.O.T.F. Gretsch Guitars

Design Of The Fortnight Gretsch Custom Shop

I have chosen not just one design this fortnight but the whole collection that the Gretsch Custom Shop have produced in the 10 years it has been around. I have always been a big fan of the Gretsch guitar design and this video below really gives an incite into what it takes to produce musical instruments of such great quality, and each with a uniqueness all of its own.

I am currently in the process of learning about the making of guitars myself so this really is learning from the masters. If the guitars that I produce are half as close to this level of quality and finesse then I will be extremely happy.

Take a look and tell me what you think.

YouTube Video O.T.W. 22/04/14

White Denim on KEXP

The main reason I have chosen this video is because I am going to see White Denim live in Birmingham pretty soon and this has really got me pumped up for their show. In this video they perform about 4 tracks for the Seattle radio station KEXP and they have a little chat with the host, and this is one of the least awkward conversations that I have heard on these live videos they release. Some of the other hosts are slightly out there with the topics to talk about. Anyway, back to the music. The guitar playing I found very impressive, the guitarist was pulling off some very nice riffs which showed real skill. The front man's singing is very recognisable and his sound is really pleasant to listen to. As a whole I think they are a great band both live and on record so if you have time you should check them out.

If you like this video or not, let me know in the comment section below. Thanks.

SoundCloud Song

Jukebox The Ghost - Great Unknown

This is this weeks SoundCloud Song. Jukebox the Ghost are a band from the US who have been around for about 8 years and have released roughly 3 albums of their own work. This is the first track I have heard of them, with the Yep Roc Music Group reposting a couple of their unmastered tracks on their SoundCloud page. This track in particular is very much in the pop genre of things and it sounds like it could very easily slot in to the BBC Radio 2 playlist. Its got a catchy chorus and it is easily sing along-able. It sort of has a feeling of recent Killers tracks in terms of big pop anthems that just happen to include guitars.

I like it and am now going to check out more of their stuff on Spotify. If you like it or don't, let me know in the comment section below. I would be interested in what you think. Thanks.

YouTube Video O.T.W. 15/04/14

Brody Dalle - Blood In Gutters

I have chosen this track from artist Brody Dalle for this weeks video because I have been waiting to catch this Brody Dalle bug that a lot of her fans have and this is the first track of hers that I have been into in a positive way. I first heard about her through articles in magazines and the connection with Josh Homme. I have listened to some of her past music, solo work and The Distillers etc but I was not really keen on any of those tracks. When this song popped up I was not expecting very much but I was pleasantly surprised to find a track I really like. A nice relaxed rock tune with some beautiful vocals. Hopefully the rest of her new album will have some more great tracks. Definitely a great rock sock to chill to.

If you like this track or not, let me know below. I would be interested to know what you think.

D.O.T.F. Album Covers

Design of the Fortnight

This came up on my Facebook feed and looked pretty cool so I checked it out. Basically, a guy who goes by Harvezt on Flickr has posted a load of different album covers with an image of what he imagines the back side of these covers would look like. One of my personal favourites is the Bruce Springsteen cover which I think has been cleverly done. There is also some cool Beatles and Strokes versions on his website, link is below.

Which one/ones are your favourites? Let me know below.

                        https://www.flickr.com/photos/93699963@N04/sets/72157632894352624/

YouTube Video O.T.W. 8/04/14

A bit of a different one this week. It is an interview with the band Soundgarden at the Guitar Center. The Guitar Center occasionally host a guest spot by artists who play some guitars and have a chat. It was really interesting watching this video, learning more about Soundgarden and how the band members got into music/playing musical instruments. It also really is a joy to see all of those beautiful guitars in the background. It really is a guitarists dream. If you have a spare 11 mins check it out.

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.