It always surprises me when people tell me that they've never heard of The Black Keys. My automatic response is to say "Oh, you have, you just don't know it."
They are one of my all time favourite bands and they have featured in my life since their 5th studio album, Attack & Release. But when Brothers was released, that was it. I absolutely loved them.
This year marked the first time that I ever saw them live. And also the second time, cause once just isn't enough. I saw them at the Alexandra Palace in London in February, a much more chill event compared to seeing them a few weeks ago at the NIA in Birmingham. It was so manic and such an amazing night. Every single person there was SO into it, to the point where it got near the end of the gig and we were all just so exhausted from throwing ourselves around. But that's the best feeling, to get home and be so dog bone tired, and deaf, but so relieved that you went. A night I will never forget!
For those that haven't seen them live though, I recommend downloading their Tour Rehearsal Tapes from Amazon for £2.99. You can't beat that price and the tracks are soooooo good. I can't recommend it enough!!
Now for those that have never heard them, you have. Trust me.
Their songs feature a lot in adverts, for them this is their equivalent to radio exposure, since they didn't get that much air play before now. Obviously, now they do. El Camino, their 7th studio album that was released this year, is the most commercial release they've done and has been EVERYWHERE. TV shows, adverts, radio, I even hear a couple of their tracks on the Sunday morning football programme my dad watches. It's insane but this last album has some of the most catchiest songs ever! Whether the band intended it to be that way or not, I'm not sure.
I'm so obsessed with this band that I basically centred my whole dissertation on them. This is more for those in the UK, but here's an example of where you've heard their music.
Also there have been several movie trailers that have their tracks featured. And then there's the collaboration with RZA called Baddest Man Alive which is being used for the release of The Man With The Iron Fists movie. I'm not gonna waste my time putting all these videos up here though, so I'm just gonna give you a few of my favourites cause if there's one thing I think you should do in 2013, it's to discover The Black Keys. Gold On The Ceiling Howlin' For You Tighten Up
They really have some of the best videos! These ones above are the ones that I think everyone should absolutely love. Some other ones that are my favourites arePsychotic Girl, Strange Times, Everlasting Light, which is AMAZING live so I'll find a decent video of it and post it next year ;) Enjoy The Black Keys and go see them live if you ever get the chance. This is my last post of 2012. Hopefully I'll find time to blog a bit more next year. Have a wonderful New Years and I hope that 2013 brings you everything you want and desire!!! Laterz ~HL
If you've read any of my other posts, you may have come across a certain band called Imagine Dragons...Then again if you watch TV or have caught a few trailers that have come out recently then you'll already know them. Trust me. And they're gonna be big. They're currently touring around Europe, in fact they just played London's Dingwalls in Camden. I first heard one of their tracks on The Words trailer released earlier this year but very recently their music has been featured on The Perks of Being a Wallflower trailer and TV Spots (in England anyway) and just today when the trailer for The Host was released, their next single Radioactive is featured prominently. By the way, while I have you here. If you haven't seen The Perks of Being a Wallflower... seriously, go see it, download it, get the DVD, rent it...I don't care, you just have to do it. It's such an amazing film. This is coming from someone who was expecting to hate it. I'm not a big Emma Watson fan, at all, and word about Ezra Miller is that he's a bit of a douche which tends to affect the way I watch his films, but I'm telling you, this is pretty much one of my favourite movie's this year. Logan Lerman is Charlie. Also, read the book. Anyway, back to Imagine Dragons. New favourite band. I just got their album last week and I've already worn it out. The first song I heard was Demons. Enjoy below.
The song featured on The Perks trailer is It's Time, one of the best tracks on the album. Enjoy.
And the most recent track of their's to be released is Radioactive, the first song on their album, Night Visions, and also my favourite track on the album.
Another one of my favourite tracks from this album is just the catchiest song ever, I can't get it out of my head and the lyrics are such a stand out. In fact, the lyrics all over this album are superb and hit home in more ways than one. On Top of The World
"And I know it's hard when you're falling down
And it's a long way up when you hit the ground
Get up now,
Get up,
Get up now." Seriously, this whole album is just soooooo good. I can't get over it! Another track to go listen to when you have time is Bleeding Out. (UPDATE: I've been to see them live. Check out what I thought here.) Now, just to move on from gushing about this band, I'm gonna post a song which I'm pretty sure everyone has heard by now cause it's officially on 3 current adverts on television and is featured on the Silver Linings Playbook trailer and TV spots, so I keep hearing it and it is also the most catchiest song EVER. The Lumineers - Hey Ho
Tweet Everyone has to hear this song at some point. I love it. I love The Chemical Brothers, so it's all good to me. This was featured in the Hanna soundtrack...I don't think I ever got through that movie but the music was pretty good. Secondly, can I just say... SHIT SHIT SHIT. I have a bunch of songs that I tagged on Shazam and have NO IDEA where I heard them. I was reminded of The Chemical Brothers track when I went to the cinema as they play soundtracks before the trailers come on, so I presume some of the tracks I have are from then. This next one is called They Move on Tracks of Never Ending Light by This Will Destroy You. Such a beautiful song. But I have no idea where I heard it from. Whoops! Next up, preeeeetty sure this one was on the end of an episode of Weeds... maybe. It's called Your Rocky Spine by Great Lake Swimmers. This song also has an essence of Sufjan Stevens in it, which ironically is the next song I'm gonna put up for you. LOVE Sufjan Stevens. I've still yet to buy their albums, I just have a bunch of their songs on iTunes. Totally need to get with it. Such a great band, I could truly listen to them all day. This is Holland. Some other GREAT Sufjan Stevens songs that have been featured many times on TV are To Be Alone With You, Casimir Pulaski Day, and personal favourites To The Widows in Paradise and Seven Swans. That's all I'm going to give you today because my laptop is overheating and is probably about to crash. Sorry I've been away for well over like 6 weeks now. I have lots of songs lined up to give you so I'll get working on the next post and get it out tomorrow or Friday! Laters! ~HL
Thanks for coming back. I appreciate it when people take a look, and perhaps a listen, to some of the music I've posted. I really hope someone out there has maybe found a song that they now love after discovering it here!
Anyway, back to it.
Found this song playing on the Film4 advert showcasing the upcoming films over the next season. (There are some goooooood films coming up.) Loved the track and managed to get a little bit of it into my phone to see what it was. It's an artist I've never heard of but I'll definitely be checking him out now! Caribou - 'Hello Hammerheads' Next up is a song I think all us Brit's will have probably heard by now but I do think it's a great song. It's Of Monsters and Men and I first heard them when I saw their performance on TV that they did at Reading this past weekend. I was actually about to fast forward but stopped to take a listen and loved it and since then, pretty much every time I've been in the car it's been on the radio, right before I usually stick my CD in. And a LOT of people have been plugging it on twitter so I might as well jump in.
Plus, I don't know if any one across the pond have caught these guys yet, but here they are with 'Little Talks'.
Yeah, sorry I couldn't find a video that Sony haven't restricted, so click the link and you'll be taken to youtube in another tab :) Right, next we need to talk about Weeds. Amazing show, you're watching it, yes?! I LOVE it. Seriously, I don't know what I'm going to do without it when it ends. I also love the tracks they play during the end credits of every episode. They're so amazingly awesome. Entourage was always the same, GREAT end credit songs. I'll have to go back through the series and give you some. I am going to do a full blog post about Weeds and it's music, so prepare yourself but just to give you a taste, I'll give you this gem from the music producer Rjd2 from his album Deadringer. Rjd2 - 'Ghostwriter'
This is a full on sync song, no doubt, so perfect for TV/Film. There is so many I could give you right now just from this programme but like I said, I'll do a separate blog post with my favourites. This was going to be all the songs I was going to give you but Andrew McMahon (from Jack's Mannequin) has just bought my attention to this sweet new track from Metric via a tweet, so I shall pass on the goodness.
TweetHola Amigos!!! Greetings. I'd like to thank Daytrotter for the (most likely) unintentional promotion of my last blog post by re-tweeting me, but then again I did essentially promote them. Daytrotter still rules by the way, but you haven't been nagging them, have you??! Because the Marcus Foster session STILL ISN'T UP! It makes me sad. You have no idea just how amazing it was... And we'll never frikking know unless they PUT IT UP! Anyway, back at the ranch. I bought Fright Night on DVD. 'Cause it was £3. Can you say bargain? I watched it at the cinema when it came out last year and was surprised that I actually liked it. It's quite funny and very cheesy... It's not a great movie though. It's a popcorn movie, lets face it. BUT the BEST thing about this movie, besides Colin Farrell, is it's soundtrack. That's why we're here, right? The song in the credits is by and far the BEST song out of the lot and is so amazing that I completely wore it out last year when I first heard it and now I can barely listen to it. Up until last month, this song was still on my mix CD for my car, that's how awesome it is. Ten months of plays. Seriously, I never been that faithful. And screw Jay Z, who came up with the lyrics and whatnot, this is the ultimate version. By country/blues singer, Hugo, here is '99 Problems'.
Next up is a song that's played in the beginning of the movie, just after the opening sequence. I absolutely love this song and this guys voice is niiice. Very Bob Dylan, and who the f*ck doesn't love Bob Dylan. Alexander - Bad Bad Love
Next up and last of today because I've got more songs I want to introduce you to another time, is The Blue Van with 'I'm a Man'. Yeah I pretty much just love the guitar in this but listen out for the saxophone solo!
I won't put any more up but I am going to give you some links for some of the other tracks which are frikking awesome. Check them out. Young The Giant - Cough Syrup Lupe Fiasco - Letting Go Kid Cudi - No One Believes Me Seriously there's more I could put here but I can't find them on Youtube so here is the track listing from the soundtrack. I'm out. Enjoy the songs! ~HL
TweetI forgot to introduce you to Daytrotter, didn't I? I suck. You see, too much has been going on and I've not been inspired musically wise lately, so the blog has been ditched...for like a month. But I'm back you see, and I'm Smokinnnnnnnn' OK so I've been watching clips from The Mask, sue me. I love Jim Carrey. (When are they gonna bring that movie out on DVD????!!!! Makes. No. Sense.) Anyhoo... Daytrotter is your new best friend. It will introduce to bands you've never heard of, give you the bands that you love, and will even make you love the bands you loath. It's that good. Daytrotter basically invite bands and artists to come into their studio and play live sessions. These sessions are recorded and then are offered to members (or if you join now, I think you'll get a free trial, which is what I did and basically downloaded as much as possible before my trial ended.) These sessions are amazing. Not only do these bands come in and sing and play live as though you were hearing them at a concert, they play oldies :) You know, those songs that you haven't heard in agggeeeesssss... maybe they don't play them live any more, or perhaps they can't simply do them on stage at a gig but only in a studio. It's simple cool. One of the artists that came in and recorded was Ingrid Michaelson. Now I wasn't a huge fan before, and I'm still not really but her live rendition of 'Die Alone' is too good to pass up. So here it is.
Next up is Grizzly Bear. I LOVE Grizzly Bear. I don't even know how I came about them or heard of them but I did and I'm so happy I did. Their song 'Shift', on their album 'Horn Of Plenty' actually freaked me out to be honest. I loved the lyrics but the sound on it just scared me. (You can lol it's all right.) Then I heard a different version on this video somebody made (before Blue Valentine came out. I only just realised it was in that movie after searching youtube) and it was so beautiful and just SO much better, I thought. Then came along Daytrotter's. Yes, Grizzly Bear did a session and played this alternative version. So beautiful.
Oh my GOD. It's just so amazing every time I listen to it. I could give you more (yes, more Laura Marling) but I need you to go and discover it and have fun, it's just so good. Also, while we're at it Marcus Foster did a live session back in June and Daytrotter still haven't put it up on their website. So what I want you to do is go bug the shit out of them, ask them where the hell it is and why on earth it's not up yet??!! Seriously, it was so amazing. I listened to this session live, YES you can tune in and listen to it being recorded live, listen as they fuck up and have to start again and again. It's so beautiful! Dooooo it. Do it now! But yeah as I was saying, Marcus Foster did 3 (I think) amazing songs which blew me away and I NEED it. So go bug them. If you click on the links above, it will take you to their twitter pages! That's all I'm giving you tonight folks. It's 3am. I'm tired and cranky. I'll do another post in the next couple of days (or tomorrow maybe). I'll go find some music and get back to you! Laters, ~HL
Right now I have a beautiful email sitting in my inbox about a temporary job that would give me amazing experience and invaluable training but I have noooo way to get to and from this place if I did indeed get it. It's pretty much out of the way of public transport and I'm pretty much car-less. If I could only find £2000 somewhere so that I could sort that out, including insurance, tax and you know...petrol.
Anyway, I'm ignoring the email for now. Procrastinating by making mix CD's. Do people still make mix CD's?!
But I digress, this is a blog about music.... Lets go through some Laura Marling. The concert was balls-to-the-walls fantastic. I'm pretty sure everyone in that room that night could feel how significant and important it was, for Laura especially. This was Miss Marling's first night at the Royal Albert Hall and it was spectacular. She made mention of the fact that her parents were in the audience and that was the signifier for me for how much this night meant. It was also her last concert for a while, I know she's doing Latitude this weekend (I'm not sure if maybe she's doing any other festivals) but I think this was her last official concert until the new album... Which I feel is very much under way and most likely already written.
One of the new songs she played I absolutely loved... I thought for sure it was a cover, it was like I'd heard it before, but no, it was just so beautiful, so I found a video of her performing it. Enjoy. Laura Marling - Once
(EDIT: The live video disappeared so I've replaced it with this one.) This was the best video I could find. She performed for the BBC at the Southbank Centre but I think this is a better performance. But seriously, no Youtube video will do this song justice. It was so beautiful live, in that massive building, it brought tears to my eyes.
It's clear she probably has written all of the songs for her next album because they're all over Youtube from her live performances this past year or so. I can't wait.
Next up is one of my all time favourite songs. Blackberry Stone. I managed to find a video from the night at the Royal Albert Hall that some lovely person kindly uploaded for us all to enjoy.
Too beautiful... You absolutely, truly appreciate her music so much more in that massive hall. Several thousand people completely stunned into silence.
One more from the Royal Albert Hall. Enjoy. Laura Marling - What He Wrote
So I'm now just going to share another couple of my favourites, ones that I couldn't find from the night so these are just the recordings. So good.
This one I did actually record myself on the night, but I was in the nose bleed seats or cheap seats,if you will, front row though so I had a nice, none obscured view but with my dodgy camera that takes pathetic pictures and video... well it's just not good enough to show. Seriously, my phone took better pictures -_- Laura Marling - Night After Night
I have a feeling not that many people like this next song. It's just a hunch because I couldn't find many video's on Youtube... weird, because I do really love this song. Laura Marling - Alpha Shallows
Now this next one is my ALL time favourite of hers, I think... (so far, anyway.) Laura Marling - Hope In The Air
] "Pick up your rope, Lord. Sling it to me, if we are to battle I must not be weak!" Too good.
Anyway, that's me done I think on the LM front. This weekend I will introduce you to Daytrotters!! Have a good week. I feel better now after listening to these, I was definitely on a downer. Right, I'm off to go listen to some more Marling and as I parting gift, this is the other new song she performed at RAH. I'm unsure of the name but sounds goooood. Enjoy.
~HL
PS. Sorry about you having to go listen to some of the songs on Youtube. These record labels and their laws, eh?!
