“I was born to try. I’ve learned to love. Be understanding. And believe in life.”
Nice words. But, perhaps surprisingly, not mine. Yes, I was born. And I do try. I’m yet to understand what love is and I’m one of the most unsympathetic people you’ll ever meet. I guess I believe in life though. So it’s partly true for me.
Anyway, these are the words from Delta Goodrem’s first hit single: Born To Try. Her route to fame was one that I admired, quite simply because it involved Neighbours. And I love Neighbours. A bit too much sometimes. Delta played the character of Nina Tucker for a while before leaving to make the classic move to music.
As with all Neighbours stars who opt to go down this path, Delta was met with a bit of criticism. However her talent made them think twice and she’s shown that you can have a genuine music career off the back of the Aussie soap.
The next song on the album was to be another success. Innocent Eyes continued to show the vocal range of Delta’s voice with longgggggg notes being held out for some time.
Not Me, Not I begins with some soft opening vocals and continues in a similar vain. Similarly, Throw It Away begins in a voice that’s anything but harsh, before it gains power in the chorus. One thing I must say about this track is that it features the cliché ‘bull in a china shop’. Not the most original or imaginative, is it really?!
I enjoy the opening verse in Lost Without You. The chorus fails to offend me either. So that makes for a likeable record. I don’t love it. I like it. You see, for some reason my like of Delta’s music doesn’t extend to my love of most female Australian Singer-Songwriters. I’m not sure why. Logically, I should like her more because of the Neighbours connection. But I don’t find myself infatuated by her voice in the same way I do to the likes of Missy. To be honest, I think I probably find her songs too happy for my taste. Ever the ‘half-full cup’, I like songs with a few heavier lyrics.
Predictable, Butterfly and In My Own Time each carry a tune well. And I can’t fault the vocal performances of any of them. I am particularly fond of the latter for the use of Delta’s voice. And for it’s slightly pessimistic tone. She’s still not negative. Just not 100% positive. Which, in my books, makes for an enjoyable song.
The lyrics to My Big Mistake are quite lovely. Back in the day when this album was a regular on my CD walkman I can recollect singing aloud to it. A lot. Very out of tune.
I equally love This Is Not Me for it’s simple chorus lyrics which are dispersed between beautiful narratives in the verses.
Running Away is probably my least favourite track. The verses are pleasant, but the chorus does less to endear me. I can’t pinpoint the reasons why. I’m just not wowed by it. In contrast, Year Ago Today, is truly endearing. I love the personal tone to the verses and the slow tempo of the song.
Drawing to a close with Longer, then finally Will You Fall For Me the album remains likeable. Born To Try, Innocent Eyes and Year Ago Today are the stand out tracks for me but that’s not saying the whole album isn’t deserving of a listen. Even if only to remind you of Nina Tucker’s bursts of song in Neighbours.
A great voice. Good songs. I reckon the second album was where the songs became equally great.
Check out her tweets here.
Thursday 11 February 2010
Wednesday 10 February 2010
Nicola Roberts: The Truth About Tanning
Wow. This isn’t your average BBC3 documentary.
I was doing my normal ‘I probably should be doing something productive so why don’t I see what’s on iPlayer’ browse today and came across this programme. I’m not a huge Girls Aloud fan, nor am I a lover of fake tan, which is why it’s taken me until today to decide to watch this. But I’m glad I did.
Nicola Roberts is my new favourite member of Girls Aloud. I say “new”. I’ve never had a favourite member of Girls Aloud. Therefore she is the only one I’ve ever liked. We even have something in common. And no, before you ask, it’s not our shared outstanding vocal talents. We are both pale. Very pale.
Back when the band first took off after all that reality TV malarkey, Nicola came under pressure to tan. And tan. And tan some more. Being thrown into the limelight at such a young age was always going to come with it’s negatives and for Nicola this was clearly something that she was greatly influenced by. Whilst she says in the programme that her main weakness was products from a bottle, the documentary sees how far things have developed in the short period of time since Nicola gave up the tanning.
No longer do people pop down to Superdrug for the latest fake tan in a bottle. Nowadays the most common choice is to use a tanning machine. With harmful UV rays being shot onto your skin it amazes me that people love these machines. Nicola looks at salons across the country and uncovers the complete lack of regulations regarding their usage. Sure, there are ‘guidelines’. But no laws. And without laws, there’s no guaranteeing that a 8 year old couldn’t walk in and become a victim of skin cancer.
Skin cancer is the main worry highlighter by Nicola. Altering the pigments in your skin can result in irregularities in the amount of melanoma in your skin, which can be fatal. Following Nicola as she supports a campaign to promote the issue, you see girls of all ages with irregular moles that often need further medical attention.
As well as looking at the problem on a nationwide scale, individual cases are looked at on a personal level. Tom, a young welsh guy declares that at the age of 18 he “came out of the closet and straight onto a sunbed”. Now in his mid-twenties, the damage he’s done to his skin could be irreversible. And he hasn’t stopped at sunbeds. He also has started using a new injection that’s illegal to buy in the country and has yet to been proven to be safe. This worries Nicola and, as such, he agrees to go clean of all forms of tanning for one month.
Megan, a 20 year old dancer from Liverpool, has used sunbeds regularly since the age of 16. Nicola takes her to visit a woman who was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma in the hope she’ll see why it’s so damaging. Later she visits a dermatologist who takes photos of her skin showing her the real damage the UV is doing beyond what is visible to the human eye.
After a month of being ‘clean’ from tanning, both Tom and Megan are treated to a makeover and photoshoot in the hope that they’ll see their true natural beauty. Whilst Megan seems to genuinely be converted to a life less orange, Tom seems less convinced.
Other individual cases prove to be even more traumatic. Nicola goes to see a woman in hospital as she has cancerous cells removed and a visit to a mother whose daughter died from skin cancer proves to be extremely sad. It’s not just the individual whose life can be affected. The desire to look ‘cool’ can lead to a family struggling to cope with the heartbreak of losing a loved one.
Having seen the devastation and destruction that tanning can do, I can be certain that I’ll never go on a tanning bed, or try out a ghastly tanning injection. I’d rather my skin be ghostly over ghastly anyday.
Watch it.
I was doing my normal ‘I probably should be doing something productive so why don’t I see what’s on iPlayer’ browse today and came across this programme. I’m not a huge Girls Aloud fan, nor am I a lover of fake tan, which is why it’s taken me until today to decide to watch this. But I’m glad I did.
Nicola Roberts is my new favourite member of Girls Aloud. I say “new”. I’ve never had a favourite member of Girls Aloud. Therefore she is the only one I’ve ever liked. We even have something in common. And no, before you ask, it’s not our shared outstanding vocal talents. We are both pale. Very pale.
Back when the band first took off after all that reality TV malarkey, Nicola came under pressure to tan. And tan. And tan some more. Being thrown into the limelight at such a young age was always going to come with it’s negatives and for Nicola this was clearly something that she was greatly influenced by. Whilst she says in the programme that her main weakness was products from a bottle, the documentary sees how far things have developed in the short period of time since Nicola gave up the tanning.
No longer do people pop down to Superdrug for the latest fake tan in a bottle. Nowadays the most common choice is to use a tanning machine. With harmful UV rays being shot onto your skin it amazes me that people love these machines. Nicola looks at salons across the country and uncovers the complete lack of regulations regarding their usage. Sure, there are ‘guidelines’. But no laws. And without laws, there’s no guaranteeing that a 8 year old couldn’t walk in and become a victim of skin cancer.
Skin cancer is the main worry highlighter by Nicola. Altering the pigments in your skin can result in irregularities in the amount of melanoma in your skin, which can be fatal. Following Nicola as she supports a campaign to promote the issue, you see girls of all ages with irregular moles that often need further medical attention.
As well as looking at the problem on a nationwide scale, individual cases are looked at on a personal level. Tom, a young welsh guy declares that at the age of 18 he “came out of the closet and straight onto a sunbed”. Now in his mid-twenties, the damage he’s done to his skin could be irreversible. And he hasn’t stopped at sunbeds. He also has started using a new injection that’s illegal to buy in the country and has yet to been proven to be safe. This worries Nicola and, as such, he agrees to go clean of all forms of tanning for one month.
Megan, a 20 year old dancer from Liverpool, has used sunbeds regularly since the age of 16. Nicola takes her to visit a woman who was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma in the hope she’ll see why it’s so damaging. Later she visits a dermatologist who takes photos of her skin showing her the real damage the UV is doing beyond what is visible to the human eye.
After a month of being ‘clean’ from tanning, both Tom and Megan are treated to a makeover and photoshoot in the hope that they’ll see their true natural beauty. Whilst Megan seems to genuinely be converted to a life less orange, Tom seems less convinced.
Other individual cases prove to be even more traumatic. Nicola goes to see a woman in hospital as she has cancerous cells removed and a visit to a mother whose daughter died from skin cancer proves to be extremely sad. It’s not just the individual whose life can be affected. The desire to look ‘cool’ can lead to a family struggling to cope with the heartbreak of losing a loved one.
Having seen the devastation and destruction that tanning can do, I can be certain that I’ll never go on a tanning bed, or try out a ghastly tanning injection. I’d rather my skin be ghostly over ghastly anyday.
Watch it.
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Beth Rowley - Little Dreamer
I’ve seen Beth Rowley perform live twice. The first time was on that memorable evening when I saw Nerina Pallot at The Clapham Grand. Beth was one of the many other artists being showcased that night and one of the few who I took particular notice of. And the second time? Well that was something a little more holy. It was in a church. In Piccadilly. Perhaps you might think this to be a strange setting, but the acoustics were so perfect for her voice that it sent shivers down my spine. You could even go so far as to say it was sublime. So sublime.
So Sublime is one of the stand out tracks on Little Dreamer. It’s got a bit more of a pop music rhythm to it. Her voice really does shine through in the chorus. If I remember correctly, Beth didn’t perform this song in the church. I honestly can’t remember far enough back as to whether it made an appearance at Clapham, but I can say that I’d rather like to hear this live.
Nobody’s Fault But Mine and Sweet Hours each see Beth’s voice being used beautifully. They vary in tempos and moods but I can’t say I prefer one to the other. The versatility of her voice means that it’s suited to a variety of songs.
I’ll admit that I Shall Be Released, Only One Cloud, When The Rains Came and Oh My Life don’t stand out massively to me. Out of the four I’d pick When The Rains Came as my favourite but, particularly in the case of Oh My Life I find myself a little bit indifferent.
Angel Flying To Close To The Ground sees Beth’s voice joined by some male vocals to create a haunting song. Perhaps it’s the mention of angels, along with the sounds of what appears to be a harp, that make the song so heavenly.
This brings me to my favourite track on the album; Almost Persuaded is rather soulful. Beth’s voice is accompanied by the piano to show off it’s true abilities. In fact, there’s rarely any instruments used to distract you from Beth’s vocals. They are the main attraction. Occasionally they are supported with backing vocals that sound almost choral, but they can carry a note so well unaccompanied that they needn’t be added to.
Similarly, I love the vocals on You Never Called Me Tonight. Telling the story of waiting for a promised phone call when you really should have been doing more with your evening, Beth is able to make this mundane issue far more exciting.
Beautiful Tomorrow shows Beth’s voice in a rather different way to the rest of the album. It sounds as though it should be being played in a cowboy western film with the guitar being strummed in the background.
The final song on the album, is a cover of the classic Be My Baby. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t know it was a cover at first (shoot me now). But even before I was made aware of this, I had already decided that this was my least favourite song on the album. It just doesn’t carry the vocals in the same way as others do.
This is an album that I'd happily recommend to fans of more female singer songwriters. It sounds un-manufactured and uses minimal effects to create the maximum outcome.
So Sublime is one of the stand out tracks on Little Dreamer. It’s got a bit more of a pop music rhythm to it. Her voice really does shine through in the chorus. If I remember correctly, Beth didn’t perform this song in the church. I honestly can’t remember far enough back as to whether it made an appearance at Clapham, but I can say that I’d rather like to hear this live.
Nobody’s Fault But Mine and Sweet Hours each see Beth’s voice being used beautifully. They vary in tempos and moods but I can’t say I prefer one to the other. The versatility of her voice means that it’s suited to a variety of songs.
I’ll admit that I Shall Be Released, Only One Cloud, When The Rains Came and Oh My Life don’t stand out massively to me. Out of the four I’d pick When The Rains Came as my favourite but, particularly in the case of Oh My Life I find myself a little bit indifferent.
Angel Flying To Close To The Ground sees Beth’s voice joined by some male vocals to create a haunting song. Perhaps it’s the mention of angels, along with the sounds of what appears to be a harp, that make the song so heavenly.
This brings me to my favourite track on the album; Almost Persuaded is rather soulful. Beth’s voice is accompanied by the piano to show off it’s true abilities. In fact, there’s rarely any instruments used to distract you from Beth’s vocals. They are the main attraction. Occasionally they are supported with backing vocals that sound almost choral, but they can carry a note so well unaccompanied that they needn’t be added to.
Similarly, I love the vocals on You Never Called Me Tonight. Telling the story of waiting for a promised phone call when you really should have been doing more with your evening, Beth is able to make this mundane issue far more exciting.
Beautiful Tomorrow shows Beth’s voice in a rather different way to the rest of the album. It sounds as though it should be being played in a cowboy western film with the guitar being strummed in the background.
The final song on the album, is a cover of the classic Be My Baby. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t know it was a cover at first (shoot me now). But even before I was made aware of this, I had already decided that this was my least favourite song on the album. It just doesn’t carry the vocals in the same way as others do.
This is an album that I'd happily recommend to fans of more female singer songwriters. It sounds un-manufactured and uses minimal effects to create the maximum outcome.
Monday 8 February 2010
Joey Ryan - The California EP
As today is Joey Ryan’s birthday. I thought it was about time I reviewed some of his lovely songs. Not heard of him? Well, he sang in the old Hollyoaks adverts. You know, “I went up the mountain to drink from the fountain”. That Extra chewing gum ad, where they rolled down hills? Yes? That was his voice singing. Anyway, that’s not on the CD that I’m reviewing today.
“California, California; Know I love you California”. It appears that Joey Ryan is rather fond of this American State. The California EP is a four track release with California being the opener. If the Californian tourist board are getting a bit fed up of good ol’ Schwarzenegger promoting their fine state, then they should really look to Ryan to use this track in an advert. It makes me want to go there. A lot. He sings of individual cities (San Fran and LA) and enchants you with his vocals.
In contrast, Like A Cloak isn’t such a happy ditty. Not the most sombre on the CD, that’s up next. In fact, I guess it is a happy song when you listen to the lyrics. Lots of similes describing a love that is like no other... apparently. Very acoustic guitar – which I like. And soft vocals – which suit the song.
The stand out song though has to be Giant Clock. Written when Ryan proclaims he was a little depressed, it tells the sorry story of a boy whose father has died. It’s a beautiful story that could quite easily bring you to tears. Focusing on the smaller picture, it revolves around the question of “If I go, who will coach my son’s baseball team?”. There’s no denying that this song is full of emotion. Long breaks within the vocals allow for the guitar music to be the background music to your thoughts. Contemplating your own relationship with your father, you’re made to treasure every moment as Ryan returns to the chorus full of rhetorical questions.
Completing the album is the short track Ride Of Our Lives. Personally, I think it’s the weakest on the CD, but that’s because the competition is pretty strong. The vocals are rather quiet and hence lead to the song fading from your memory after casual listening. Ryan’s got sweet vocals. They aren’t mindblowing by any means. But they make you smile.
And any song that makes me smile is a good song in my books.
“California, California; Know I love you California”. It appears that Joey Ryan is rather fond of this American State. The California EP is a four track release with California being the opener. If the Californian tourist board are getting a bit fed up of good ol’ Schwarzenegger promoting their fine state, then they should really look to Ryan to use this track in an advert. It makes me want to go there. A lot. He sings of individual cities (San Fran and LA) and enchants you with his vocals.
In contrast, Like A Cloak isn’t such a happy ditty. Not the most sombre on the CD, that’s up next. In fact, I guess it is a happy song when you listen to the lyrics. Lots of similes describing a love that is like no other... apparently. Very acoustic guitar – which I like. And soft vocals – which suit the song.
The stand out song though has to be Giant Clock. Written when Ryan proclaims he was a little depressed, it tells the sorry story of a boy whose father has died. It’s a beautiful story that could quite easily bring you to tears. Focusing on the smaller picture, it revolves around the question of “If I go, who will coach my son’s baseball team?”. There’s no denying that this song is full of emotion. Long breaks within the vocals allow for the guitar music to be the background music to your thoughts. Contemplating your own relationship with your father, you’re made to treasure every moment as Ryan returns to the chorus full of rhetorical questions.
Completing the album is the short track Ride Of Our Lives. Personally, I think it’s the weakest on the CD, but that’s because the competition is pretty strong. The vocals are rather quiet and hence lead to the song fading from your memory after casual listening. Ryan’s got sweet vocals. They aren’t mindblowing by any means. But they make you smile.
And any song that makes me smile is a good song in my books.
Sunday 7 February 2010
Pete Murray - See The Sun
Pete Murray has written and sung three albums, been on numerous tours and had several hits in Australia. Yet over here he’s most likely to be found in a tiny venue in Soho rather than in an arena. That’s not to say he’s not popular here. He’s managed to sell out Brixton Academy before. Yet last year his three performances at The Borderline near Tottenham Court Road tube station were watched by just a small number of his fans. Fans that included me. On all three nights. At this stage you should probably have worked out that this is going to be yet another biased review. And it is. Because See The Sun is possibly the most inspiring album I own.
Opportunity is the most uplifting song I’ve ever heard. It might not have the quickest beat. It might not have a sickeningly catchy chorus. It might not even have been heard of over here. But I love it. “Your coffee’s warm but your milk is sour/life is short but you’re here to flower” is just one of the lines that’s been crafted into the verses to make you reflect on your own life and encourage you to make the most of it. It’s also the verse that Brett Wood, Pete’s guitarist, made his own at The Borderline gigs. He made it different. Not better. It was equally brilliant vocally; it just changed the song a bit and allowed for a different version to greet my ears.
The chorus sings of the chances you get to escape your boring routine, and how, if you don’t take those chances, they’ll just fade away. The principle of the song is so simple but it’s just something that you never really hear in the right way to inspire change. Ultimately, it was this one song, perhaps combined with Better Days and a bit of self confidence/motivation that caused me to change my attitude to life and become an altogether happier person.
The aforementioned Better Days carries a similar message. Once again, Pete sings to encourage you. Lyrically, the song speaks sense. We all have our bad days. So why not think about the good times and how we’ll get through the tougher times to have some more favourable memories.
Class A, Trust, This Pill and Remedy all show off Pete’s guitar playing ability. Pete doesn’t just write good songs. He also sings good songs. And, wow, he can also play good songs. Back in 2006, he performed a duet with my other favourite guitarist, John Mayer, at the ARIA’s. It was something special and I wholeheartedly recommend you take a look at here.
In George’s Helper a herd of trumpets suddenly appear and lead into some soft vocals from Pete. They become harsher and louder as the song progresses but return to fade out at the end, creating an almost cyclical structure to the song. Pete’s soft vocals can also be found in Lost Soul when he, once again, sings of optimism. I’m not sure what had been going on in his life when this album was written, but he seems to be rather reflective and wanting to encourage others to be positively reflective on their own lives.
Any song titled Smile has to make your mouth twinge to justify it being given that name. Admittedly, the sound of Pete’s voice immediately brightens my day so it’s not much of a task. Yet I believe that even you, yes you, could find yourself smiling at something that’s cheered you up previously. This album couldn’t be depressing if you wanted it to be. Contrast it to my other favourite album at the time I listened to it, Missy Higgins’ The Sound of White and it’s pretty clear to see that the latter has a rather darker mood to it.
A song written about a girl. A song written about hope. A song written about dreams. All of these topics have been amalgamated to construct Fly With You. It’s not truly heartfelt by any means. But it’s been constructed carefully enough to make a pleasant listening experience. The chorus is not as strong as the verses, but in the last choruses Pete’s voice is allowed to shine through holding notes for a while to show it off.
Security is also about a possible love. It’s got some cute lyrics that make you wish it was written about you. But it’s not. It’s yet another song about a failed relationship.
The title track, See The Sun is sung in a slightly drained voice. Pete sounds emotionally drained and that just adds to the character of the song. The chorus has some words that aren’t always totally comprehendible if you are just casually listening to it. This song, along with the entire album, deserves attention. And when you give it that attention, it becomes something beautiful. Each song has been written to evoke you. You might be wanting to cry on the inside, but Pete knows how to lift your spirits and direct you to a much brighter future.
Opportunity is the most uplifting song I’ve ever heard. It might not have the quickest beat. It might not have a sickeningly catchy chorus. It might not even have been heard of over here. But I love it. “Your coffee’s warm but your milk is sour/life is short but you’re here to flower” is just one of the lines that’s been crafted into the verses to make you reflect on your own life and encourage you to make the most of it. It’s also the verse that Brett Wood, Pete’s guitarist, made his own at The Borderline gigs. He made it different. Not better. It was equally brilliant vocally; it just changed the song a bit and allowed for a different version to greet my ears.
The chorus sings of the chances you get to escape your boring routine, and how, if you don’t take those chances, they’ll just fade away. The principle of the song is so simple but it’s just something that you never really hear in the right way to inspire change. Ultimately, it was this one song, perhaps combined with Better Days and a bit of self confidence/motivation that caused me to change my attitude to life and become an altogether happier person.
The aforementioned Better Days carries a similar message. Once again, Pete sings to encourage you. Lyrically, the song speaks sense. We all have our bad days. So why not think about the good times and how we’ll get through the tougher times to have some more favourable memories.
Class A, Trust, This Pill and Remedy all show off Pete’s guitar playing ability. Pete doesn’t just write good songs. He also sings good songs. And, wow, he can also play good songs. Back in 2006, he performed a duet with my other favourite guitarist, John Mayer, at the ARIA’s. It was something special and I wholeheartedly recommend you take a look at here.
In George’s Helper a herd of trumpets suddenly appear and lead into some soft vocals from Pete. They become harsher and louder as the song progresses but return to fade out at the end, creating an almost cyclical structure to the song. Pete’s soft vocals can also be found in Lost Soul when he, once again, sings of optimism. I’m not sure what had been going on in his life when this album was written, but he seems to be rather reflective and wanting to encourage others to be positively reflective on their own lives.
Any song titled Smile has to make your mouth twinge to justify it being given that name. Admittedly, the sound of Pete’s voice immediately brightens my day so it’s not much of a task. Yet I believe that even you, yes you, could find yourself smiling at something that’s cheered you up previously. This album couldn’t be depressing if you wanted it to be. Contrast it to my other favourite album at the time I listened to it, Missy Higgins’ The Sound of White and it’s pretty clear to see that the latter has a rather darker mood to it.
A song written about a girl. A song written about hope. A song written about dreams. All of these topics have been amalgamated to construct Fly With You. It’s not truly heartfelt by any means. But it’s been constructed carefully enough to make a pleasant listening experience. The chorus is not as strong as the verses, but in the last choruses Pete’s voice is allowed to shine through holding notes for a while to show it off.
Security is also about a possible love. It’s got some cute lyrics that make you wish it was written about you. But it’s not. It’s yet another song about a failed relationship.
The title track, See The Sun is sung in a slightly drained voice. Pete sounds emotionally drained and that just adds to the character of the song. The chorus has some words that aren’t always totally comprehendible if you are just casually listening to it. This song, along with the entire album, deserves attention. And when you give it that attention, it becomes something beautiful. Each song has been written to evoke you. You might be wanting to cry on the inside, but Pete knows how to lift your spirits and direct you to a much brighter future.
Saturday 6 February 2010
Missy Higgins - The Missy Higgins EP
DISCLAIMER: Before I begin any of my reviews of Missy I feel I need to point out that I quite genuinely adore her music. She is the reason that music became such a big part of my life. Her lyrics inspired me at times when my life lacked inspiration and I really do love every song she’s ever written. Hence, you are unlikely to get any form of a balanced or unbiased review from me. Missy’s music is one of those Marmite-esque things that you either love or hate. For me it’s 100% the former, but I’m aware that my view isn’t shared by all and you’re more than welcome to respond with moans about her “boring” voice or “depressing” lyrics. I think she’s utterly amazing. End of.
I could quite happily write an essay about every one of the ninety six songs by Missy Higgins on my iTunes. I’m not going to. But I could. Each burst of her voice enchants me. Her lyrics leave me simultaneously astounded and engrossed. The sound of the piano chords that she effortlessly plays makes me want to learn an instrument.
If you know me personally, then you’ll be more than aware of my love for Missy’s music. You should also know how disappointed I am to have never seen her play live. She’s not visited the UK since 2006, back when my super-fandom was only in it’s youth. Alas, I was on holiday for her London dates and wasn’t yet desperate enough to travel the country to see her. This is no longer the case. I would now travel anywhere in Europe to see her sing. Anywhere. With the temptation to fly to America just for one gig becoming ever more tempting. However, let’s go back to before 2006. Before I had even heard of her. Back in 2003, Missy released her first EP.
The Missy Higgins EP begins with Greed For Your Love. Bursts of Missy’s powerful voice are intertwined with verses full of metaphors screaming of heartache. It is a track, quite simply, about wanting to be loved. Clichéd? Maybe. But you need to realise that Missy was still young when she started out.
In fact, All For Believing was written when Missy was just fifteen. Winning the Triple J Unearthed radio competition in 2001, Missy then took a year out backpacking around Europe before returning to her music. The song commences with haunting vocals accompanied with some piano playing. Lyrics are sung with such honesty that make it clear why it was awarded the radio prize.
Missy’s voice is immediately prominant in Falling. It has a power that can overwhelm you without sounding forced. “Don’t say/What you’re about to say” are the opening lyrics. The use of the second person enhances the song, making you feel as though it’s being sung to you. Missy’s music is personal. You can connect with lyrics and often find yourself completely empathising with the words that float from Missy’s mouth.
The Special Two is one of the heavier songs written by Missy. She sings of childhood dreams being destroyed. Yet all hope is not lost as the chorus tells of there being someone else who will always be there to hold your hand throughout life. Not scared of being too deep in her lyrics, The Special Two poses philosophical questions. Asking “Is it better to tell and hurt, or lie to save their face?” Missy continues by saying the best thing to do is to never have done it in the first place. Which is better than any answer I could ever come up with. Could you answer it any better?!
This EP was just four songs. Four songs that would be the beginning of a music career. A music career that would change my life.
I could quite happily write an essay about every one of the ninety six songs by Missy Higgins on my iTunes. I’m not going to. But I could. Each burst of her voice enchants me. Her lyrics leave me simultaneously astounded and engrossed. The sound of the piano chords that she effortlessly plays makes me want to learn an instrument.
If you know me personally, then you’ll be more than aware of my love for Missy’s music. You should also know how disappointed I am to have never seen her play live. She’s not visited the UK since 2006, back when my super-fandom was only in it’s youth. Alas, I was on holiday for her London dates and wasn’t yet desperate enough to travel the country to see her. This is no longer the case. I would now travel anywhere in Europe to see her sing. Anywhere. With the temptation to fly to America just for one gig becoming ever more tempting. However, let’s go back to before 2006. Before I had even heard of her. Back in 2003, Missy released her first EP.
The Missy Higgins EP begins with Greed For Your Love. Bursts of Missy’s powerful voice are intertwined with verses full of metaphors screaming of heartache. It is a track, quite simply, about wanting to be loved. Clichéd? Maybe. But you need to realise that Missy was still young when she started out.
In fact, All For Believing was written when Missy was just fifteen. Winning the Triple J Unearthed radio competition in 2001, Missy then took a year out backpacking around Europe before returning to her music. The song commences with haunting vocals accompanied with some piano playing. Lyrics are sung with such honesty that make it clear why it was awarded the radio prize.
Missy’s voice is immediately prominant in Falling. It has a power that can overwhelm you without sounding forced. “Don’t say/What you’re about to say” are the opening lyrics. The use of the second person enhances the song, making you feel as though it’s being sung to you. Missy’s music is personal. You can connect with lyrics and often find yourself completely empathising with the words that float from Missy’s mouth.
The Special Two is one of the heavier songs written by Missy. She sings of childhood dreams being destroyed. Yet all hope is not lost as the chorus tells of there being someone else who will always be there to hold your hand throughout life. Not scared of being too deep in her lyrics, The Special Two poses philosophical questions. Asking “Is it better to tell and hurt, or lie to save their face?” Missy continues by saying the best thing to do is to never have done it in the first place. Which is better than any answer I could ever come up with. Could you answer it any better?!
This EP was just four songs. Four songs that would be the beginning of a music career. A music career that would change my life.
Friday 5 February 2010
Cass Lowe
It was at an Amy MacDonald concert where I first encountered the voice of Cass Lowe. After missing the first support artist to enjoy a pizza, I am so glad I didn’t miss this guy’s performance. He impressed the audience with his short set, as well as with his ridiculously underpriced CD. Thus, Cass Lowe – Demos entered my CD collection and is now an iTunes favourite. Costing £1, Lowe declared he was selling them for the price it cost to make them. Admittedly there were just four tracks on the CD. But these were four beautifully crafted pieces of music.
Chino has a haunting feel to it. Soft vocals and piano playing combine to make you shiver. The reassurance in the lyrics is touching. If this song is based on the truth; and he genuinely wants to be someone’s lover again – I really think the narrative should be enough to win the heart of whoever he desires. The repetition of “Don’t cry. Don’t move a muscle... Just say you miss me too” is effective in creating a catchy ending to the song – keeping it prominent in the audience’s minds.
Hold On To This shows two sides to Lowe’s vocals; the softness of his voice is replaced with a harsher sound when the volume creeps up. The use of the first person narrative makes the song feel that little more personal than your average heartfelt plea of a song.
I Wrote You A Song is a little more complex than the title implies. The longest song on the CD, it explores the story of a man with guilt “dripping out of his mouth”. It talks of how guilt can weigh you down, with the chorus and repetition of “I wrote you a song” at the end showing simplicity in contrast to the aforementioned character.
Cut Out My Tongue feels much more upbeat than the other tracks. A faster tempo brings a smile to your face as you consider all the times you’ve foolishly said things before later regretting them. Knowing you can’t take them back; Lowe poses a good solution in the form of cutting out your tongue. Whilst this would ultimately draw an end to the problem, I’d like to counter this advice by deeming it not entirely practical if you ever want use of your vocal cords again. And losing Cass Lowe’s vocals would really be a shame.
Those four songs make up the entirety of the CD. However I’ve additionally acquired A stab in the dark through the wonders of the internet which is similar to the first three album tracks with softer vocals. Although, like Hold On To This as the volume increases as does the power of Lowe’s voice.
I must also mention the numerous songs that Lowe has uploaded via his MySpace; Kiss Me Kate is a beautiful duet and the snippet of Welcome Home is just as lovely as the first time I heard it. In fact, despite it being uploaded months after I saw it performed live I was still able to sing along to the chorus almost perfectly as it had such a great influence on me. This Winter is also worth a mention; the vocals are placed over a simple beat for effect allowing for Lowe’s voice to shine through.
Find out more about the daily goings on of Cass on his twitter.
Chino has a haunting feel to it. Soft vocals and piano playing combine to make you shiver. The reassurance in the lyrics is touching. If this song is based on the truth; and he genuinely wants to be someone’s lover again – I really think the narrative should be enough to win the heart of whoever he desires. The repetition of “Don’t cry. Don’t move a muscle... Just say you miss me too” is effective in creating a catchy ending to the song – keeping it prominent in the audience’s minds.
Hold On To This shows two sides to Lowe’s vocals; the softness of his voice is replaced with a harsher sound when the volume creeps up. The use of the first person narrative makes the song feel that little more personal than your average heartfelt plea of a song.
I Wrote You A Song is a little more complex than the title implies. The longest song on the CD, it explores the story of a man with guilt “dripping out of his mouth”. It talks of how guilt can weigh you down, with the chorus and repetition of “I wrote you a song” at the end showing simplicity in contrast to the aforementioned character.
Cut Out My Tongue feels much more upbeat than the other tracks. A faster tempo brings a smile to your face as you consider all the times you’ve foolishly said things before later regretting them. Knowing you can’t take them back; Lowe poses a good solution in the form of cutting out your tongue. Whilst this would ultimately draw an end to the problem, I’d like to counter this advice by deeming it not entirely practical if you ever want use of your vocal cords again. And losing Cass Lowe’s vocals would really be a shame.
Those four songs make up the entirety of the CD. However I’ve additionally acquired A stab in the dark through the wonders of the internet which is similar to the first three album tracks with softer vocals. Although, like Hold On To This as the volume increases as does the power of Lowe’s voice.
I must also mention the numerous songs that Lowe has uploaded via his MySpace; Kiss Me Kate is a beautiful duet and the snippet of Welcome Home is just as lovely as the first time I heard it. In fact, despite it being uploaded months after I saw it performed live I was still able to sing along to the chorus almost perfectly as it had such a great influence on me. This Winter is also worth a mention; the vocals are placed over a simple beat for effect allowing for Lowe’s voice to shine through.
Find out more about the daily goings on of Cass on his twitter.
Thursday 4 February 2010
Giraffe.
First off, I must make the, perhaps obvious, observation that Giraffe is not a music artist. Nor is it the name of an album or a review of a live show. Unless you count sitting in Spittalfields, staring into the kitchen, as a live show. No, Giraffe is a restaurant. A very impressive restaurant. Therefore, they are truly deservent of a write up in my slightly less impressive blog...
Vibrant colours and world music; my first impression of Giraffe was, and still is, that it’s not your average restaurant. There is always an air of enthusiasm flying manically around the room as you are welcomed into the Giraffe community. Self-titled a “world” restaurant, the Giraffe menu offers a wide choice for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Options such as Wok Fired Vegetables & Udon Noodle Stir Fry are perfect for any vegetarian, whilst the BBQ Ribs will delight everyone else. For me though, there are always two features which really stand out: the chopped Aberdeen Angus beef burger along with the entire dessert menu!
I’ll admit that perhaps I’m not the most adventurous foodie, I’m far more excited by homemade comfort food than by the latest gastronomic experiments, but the burgers at Giraffe will genuinely please everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re the world fussiest eater or if you’re a self-proclaimed “food snob”, the Giraffe team will do their best to make your burger perfect for you. Medium rare with aged cheddar is my view of perfection, yet there is a great array of options for anyone to choose.
The meal culminates with perhaps the highlight of my day, no the highlight of my week, the dessert menu. If you thought choosing main courses was challenging then think of the dessert menu as the Everest to your local park mound as the main menu. A huge Rocky Road Sundae, Choc Chunk Brownie, Milky Bubble Double Chocolate Cheesecake and Banana waffle split to name but a few of the delectable desserts. The best thing to do in a situation like this is to order one of everything and share amongst a group.
There’s a poem on the wall in one of the restaurants that I can now recite fluently; it sums up the ethos of the restaurant through smiles. Describing how a smile can travel from one member of staff around the world may seem a bit over the top, but the underlying message is that you can see the happiness of the staff. Most locations have an open kitchen where you can see the chef’s effortlessly prepping and cooking dish after dish. Yet they still produce high quality, well presented plates any time of the day.
In fact, the brunch menu is another thing that Giraffe provides. It offers everything from simplistic porridge to stacks of pancakes with fruit. The menu genuinely is designed for everyone. Young children are entertained with their own menu and are normally asked directly what food they would like to order – making them feel as important as everyone else.
The Giraffe poem ends with the line “Let’s get the world infected” and they are certainly making a start at that. A new restaurant has recently opened in Bury St Edmunds with others around the country in Cambridge, Exeter and Oxford to name but a few, showing how the restaurant has evolved from the family owned chain in Central London, whilst still keeping the family atmosphere. The chain now has monthly specials - another sign of the development of the chain – and I am really anticipating just what other new delights will be in store for me. Hopefully the burger will always be there and so I’ll sit and smile whilst I apprehensively state “I’ll have mine medium rare please”.
Vibrant colours and world music; my first impression of Giraffe was, and still is, that it’s not your average restaurant. There is always an air of enthusiasm flying manically around the room as you are welcomed into the Giraffe community. Self-titled a “world” restaurant, the Giraffe menu offers a wide choice for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Options such as Wok Fired Vegetables & Udon Noodle Stir Fry are perfect for any vegetarian, whilst the BBQ Ribs will delight everyone else. For me though, there are always two features which really stand out: the chopped Aberdeen Angus beef burger along with the entire dessert menu!
I’ll admit that perhaps I’m not the most adventurous foodie, I’m far more excited by homemade comfort food than by the latest gastronomic experiments, but the burgers at Giraffe will genuinely please everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re the world fussiest eater or if you’re a self-proclaimed “food snob”, the Giraffe team will do their best to make your burger perfect for you. Medium rare with aged cheddar is my view of perfection, yet there is a great array of options for anyone to choose.
The meal culminates with perhaps the highlight of my day, no the highlight of my week, the dessert menu. If you thought choosing main courses was challenging then think of the dessert menu as the Everest to your local park mound as the main menu. A huge Rocky Road Sundae, Choc Chunk Brownie, Milky Bubble Double Chocolate Cheesecake and Banana waffle split to name but a few of the delectable desserts. The best thing to do in a situation like this is to order one of everything and share amongst a group.
There’s a poem on the wall in one of the restaurants that I can now recite fluently; it sums up the ethos of the restaurant through smiles. Describing how a smile can travel from one member of staff around the world may seem a bit over the top, but the underlying message is that you can see the happiness of the staff. Most locations have an open kitchen where you can see the chef’s effortlessly prepping and cooking dish after dish. Yet they still produce high quality, well presented plates any time of the day.
In fact, the brunch menu is another thing that Giraffe provides. It offers everything from simplistic porridge to stacks of pancakes with fruit. The menu genuinely is designed for everyone. Young children are entertained with their own menu and are normally asked directly what food they would like to order – making them feel as important as everyone else.
The Giraffe poem ends with the line “Let’s get the world infected” and they are certainly making a start at that. A new restaurant has recently opened in Bury St Edmunds with others around the country in Cambridge, Exeter and Oxford to name but a few, showing how the restaurant has evolved from the family owned chain in Central London, whilst still keeping the family atmosphere. The chain now has monthly specials - another sign of the development of the chain – and I am really anticipating just what other new delights will be in store for me. Hopefully the burger will always be there and so I’ll sit and smile whilst I apprehensively state “I’ll have mine medium rare please”.
Paloma Faith - Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?
The version of Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? that I downloaded comes with two live video performances. Her two biggest hits, New York and Stone Cold Sober can each be seen in recordings from a gig at London’s ICA. Paloma Faith’s presence in the videos is very obvious; she appears to be an intriguing character with tremendous talent. At the beginning of the New York video you see Paloma carefully moving miniature chairs across the stage. The purpose of this? Well, apparently there was not one as she quite quickly jumps off of them and burst into the first line of the song. I only had to hear the title 'Stone Cold Sober' to know that this song would speak true of my life. “You think I’m hazy/a little bit crazy/but I’m stone cold sober”. As a non-drinker who manages to act stupid at parties and who, on occasion, been asked how she felt the morning after a sober night, I know that an alcohol-free night can still lead to craziness.
Her three singles, the two aforementioned along with the title’s namesake, made Paloma a household name. However she remains notably absent from this year’s Brits nominations. I feel a little disappointed for Paloma as DYWTTOSB? is a really impressive album that is more than deserving of a nomination.
Tracks such as Romance Is Dead and Broken Doll immediately sold me to become a fan. I’ll be the first to admit, that upon seeing Paloma’s appearance on Never Mind The Buzzcocks I was a little suspect about her being ‘yet another Winehouse wannabe’. These tracks have proven me wrong. Paloma has her own sound and her own songs that need no comparisons to be made.
Romance Is Dead sings true of the sordid state of relationships in today’s world. Pre-wrote birthday cards and email communication suggest that the death of romance is actually a lot more real than you might think. With the over-commercialised Valentines Day approaching, I reckon guys should take note of these lyrics and prove that there are still some original, thoughtful men out there.
“I’m a broken doll/You’re the puppeteer” are the opening lines of Broken Doll. It’s a song that’s, perhaps, been written about wanting control in a relationship. She sings of being “scared of shadows in the night” and similar clichés about nightmares and loneliness. For someone so anti-cliché in Romance Is Dead I find it interesting to hear her take on dreams of romance in a different way.
Softer vocals are used by Paloma in Stargazer and Press Lightly showing that Paloma isn’t a one trick horse, whilst the opening of Upside Down sounds almost as though the music has been taken from an old black and white movie. And in Play On you’re greeted with a solemn violin introduction before the vocals kick in. Various instruments are used throughout the album making each song different from the previous.
Smoke & Mirrors and My Legs Are Weak are both catchy but fit in as ‘album tracks’ more so than other songs which I see as having a lot more potential.
All in all, I really like this album. I wouldn’t go so far to say I love it. But I certainly enjoy listening to it again and again. Clearly I am a fan, as I’ve now got tickets to see her in Cambridge on March 24th. Stay tuned for a review.
Her three singles, the two aforementioned along with the title’s namesake, made Paloma a household name. However she remains notably absent from this year’s Brits nominations. I feel a little disappointed for Paloma as DYWTTOSB? is a really impressive album that is more than deserving of a nomination.
Tracks such as Romance Is Dead and Broken Doll immediately sold me to become a fan. I’ll be the first to admit, that upon seeing Paloma’s appearance on Never Mind The Buzzcocks I was a little suspect about her being ‘yet another Winehouse wannabe’. These tracks have proven me wrong. Paloma has her own sound and her own songs that need no comparisons to be made.
Romance Is Dead sings true of the sordid state of relationships in today’s world. Pre-wrote birthday cards and email communication suggest that the death of romance is actually a lot more real than you might think. With the over-commercialised Valentines Day approaching, I reckon guys should take note of these lyrics and prove that there are still some original, thoughtful men out there.
“I’m a broken doll/You’re the puppeteer” are the opening lines of Broken Doll. It’s a song that’s, perhaps, been written about wanting control in a relationship. She sings of being “scared of shadows in the night” and similar clichés about nightmares and loneliness. For someone so anti-cliché in Romance Is Dead I find it interesting to hear her take on dreams of romance in a different way.
Softer vocals are used by Paloma in Stargazer and Press Lightly showing that Paloma isn’t a one trick horse, whilst the opening of Upside Down sounds almost as though the music has been taken from an old black and white movie. And in Play On you’re greeted with a solemn violin introduction before the vocals kick in. Various instruments are used throughout the album making each song different from the previous.
Smoke & Mirrors and My Legs Are Weak are both catchy but fit in as ‘album tracks’ more so than other songs which I see as having a lot more potential.
All in all, I really like this album. I wouldn’t go so far to say I love it. But I certainly enjoy listening to it again and again. Clearly I am a fan, as I’ve now got tickets to see her in Cambridge on March 24th. Stay tuned for a review.
Lenka at Barfly, Camden October 14th 2009
I know this is a little old, but up until now I've not had an outlet to share my gig experiences with anyone. This gig was something special and therefore I feel it deserves a review, even if it's a little belated....
The best gigs are intimate gigs. And when the artist you’ve paid to see cuts her finger and politely asks for a plaster from the audience - you know you’re at something special.
Born in Australia, but having moved to LA two years ago, Lenka’s Australian twang remains unmissable. She hit the chart earlier this year with the catchy The Show, but chose to open with her new release Trouble is a Friend. The Barfly in Camden was a venue perfectly suited to Lenka’s voice. Echoing around the audience of less than 200, her subtle tones managed to send shivers down several spines.
Along with her album tracks, plus a few newbies, Lenka and her band performed a cover of a song by The Zombies – A band adored by Lenka so much that she has even considered becoming a tribute act for them.
An awesome group harmony kicked off Skipalong, whilst the gig ended with We Will Not Grow Old. Written about the desire to remain a child forever, Lenka’s youthful presence on stage suggests this is a motto by which she has chosen to live her life.
After the show, Lenka and her band – a mix of Aussies and Americans – were happy to hang around posing for photos and having drinks with their fans. A great evening was had by all, with nobody left wanting their money back.
The best gigs are intimate gigs. And when the artist you’ve paid to see cuts her finger and politely asks for a plaster from the audience - you know you’re at something special.
Born in Australia, but having moved to LA two years ago, Lenka’s Australian twang remains unmissable. She hit the chart earlier this year with the catchy The Show, but chose to open with her new release Trouble is a Friend. The Barfly in Camden was a venue perfectly suited to Lenka’s voice. Echoing around the audience of less than 200, her subtle tones managed to send shivers down several spines.
Along with her album tracks, plus a few newbies, Lenka and her band performed a cover of a song by The Zombies – A band adored by Lenka so much that she has even considered becoming a tribute act for them.
An awesome group harmony kicked off Skipalong, whilst the gig ended with We Will Not Grow Old. Written about the desire to remain a child forever, Lenka’s youthful presence on stage suggests this is a motto by which she has chosen to live her life.
After the show, Lenka and her band – a mix of Aussies and Americans – were happy to hang around posing for photos and having drinks with their fans. A great evening was had by all, with nobody left wanting their money back.
Lisa Mitchell - Wonder
Lisa Mitchell was an artist whose name I’d heard a lot of before I decided to listen to her work. With an ARIA nomination under her wing, I found myself drawn to listening to Wonder after seeing her impressive performance of Coin Laundry at the awards ceremony.
Wonder opens with a short forty six second taster of Mitchell’s voice. Singing the classic Oh What a Beautiful Morning you are introduced to the rawness of her vocals. Her voice sounds cute, edgy and youthful; the latter is due to the fact that Mitchell herself is only just out of her youth.
Next you are given the opportunity to enjoy Neopolitan Dreams. With a voice that reminds me of Kimya Dawson, Mitchell uses what sounds like a glockenspiel to create a catchy beat to lay the vocals on top of. Having seen live performances of this song on YouTube, it appears that Mitchell gets caught up in her own little world as she strums her guitar and jumps, like an over excited toddler, around the stage.
“Even though you’re poison babe, I wouldn’t even hesitate” are lyrics from So Jealous which approaches the regularly sung about topic of a fledgling relationship. She sings of being “So sick” with love. Whilst some lyrics aren’t the most original, Mitchell matches them with her edgy voice and musical abilities to produce something quite special.
A favourite of mine, Coin Laundry, is Mitchell’s most well-known track. Having gained enough recognition to earn her a nomination for Best Female at 2009’s ARIA’s, the song received significant airplay in her home country of Australia and has a lovely video to accompany it. The video is, unsurprisingly, set in a laundrette with Mitchell playing a character who is invisible to others.
Clean White Love, Pirouette and Love Letter all demonstrate the versatility of Mitchell’s voice with varying tempos. Whilst Oh! Hark! impresses you with some soft vocals combined with a louder, faster chorus.
Stevie is a reasonably long track, approaching five minutes in length. However I feel it’s a great length for this song. Ok, so there is a lot of repetition of “Oh Stevie, why can’t you see you’re God to me?” but it just works. There are slower instrumentals breaking up the verses, breaking up the repetitive chorus.
The rest of the album follows suit with songs that are as you’d expect. It’s not that I’m not impressed by them, I just feel that they are very much “album tracks” that aren’t quite up to the standard of being single material
Whilst it’s not an album track, I want to mention Alice In Wonderland as a lovely song that I would recommend for you to listen to. I’ve got tickets to see Lisa Mitchell perform in Cambridge on March 4th. She’s got a lot of dates around the country, so if you’re a fan of Kimya Dawson or generally a fan of my obscure Australian recommendations then I think she’s worthy of you parting with your money to see.
Wonder opens with a short forty six second taster of Mitchell’s voice. Singing the classic Oh What a Beautiful Morning you are introduced to the rawness of her vocals. Her voice sounds cute, edgy and youthful; the latter is due to the fact that Mitchell herself is only just out of her youth.
Next you are given the opportunity to enjoy Neopolitan Dreams. With a voice that reminds me of Kimya Dawson, Mitchell uses what sounds like a glockenspiel to create a catchy beat to lay the vocals on top of. Having seen live performances of this song on YouTube, it appears that Mitchell gets caught up in her own little world as she strums her guitar and jumps, like an over excited toddler, around the stage.
“Even though you’re poison babe, I wouldn’t even hesitate” are lyrics from So Jealous which approaches the regularly sung about topic of a fledgling relationship. She sings of being “So sick” with love. Whilst some lyrics aren’t the most original, Mitchell matches them with her edgy voice and musical abilities to produce something quite special.
A favourite of mine, Coin Laundry, is Mitchell’s most well-known track. Having gained enough recognition to earn her a nomination for Best Female at 2009’s ARIA’s, the song received significant airplay in her home country of Australia and has a lovely video to accompany it. The video is, unsurprisingly, set in a laundrette with Mitchell playing a character who is invisible to others.
Clean White Love, Pirouette and Love Letter all demonstrate the versatility of Mitchell’s voice with varying tempos. Whilst Oh! Hark! impresses you with some soft vocals combined with a louder, faster chorus.
Stevie is a reasonably long track, approaching five minutes in length. However I feel it’s a great length for this song. Ok, so there is a lot of repetition of “Oh Stevie, why can’t you see you’re God to me?” but it just works. There are slower instrumentals breaking up the verses, breaking up the repetitive chorus.
The rest of the album follows suit with songs that are as you’d expect. It’s not that I’m not impressed by them, I just feel that they are very much “album tracks” that aren’t quite up to the standard of being single material
Whilst it’s not an album track, I want to mention Alice In Wonderland as a lovely song that I would recommend for you to listen to. I’ve got tickets to see Lisa Mitchell perform in Cambridge on March 4th. She’s got a lot of dates around the country, so if you’re a fan of Kimya Dawson or generally a fan of my obscure Australian recommendations then I think she’s worthy of you parting with your money to see.
Wednesday 3 February 2010
Kate Miller-Heidke - Curiouser
The alarm clock placed so casually in her frighteningly white hair immediately draws you to the album cover of Kate Miller-Heidke’s latest release Curiouser. Ever the non-conformist, her rigorous operatic vocal training shines through even in her cleverly written pop tracks.
Whilst remaining an unknown in the UK, Kate’s writing skills on Caught In The Crowd, the first single off the album, won her the International Songwriting Competition award for it’s clear anti-bullying message. As she emotes “I was young and caught in a crowd” you get the sense that she tells no lies; that each song she writes draws upon personal experiences to create her honest approach to lyrics.
Honesty features heavily in Kate’s music. I like you better when you’re not around is sung in a brutal narrative that can only be beaten by a non-album track The Facebook Song (Are you f*cking kidding me?) in which Kate reminisces about an ex-boyfriend who requests her friendship on the social network before she concludes “look just follow me twitter” before clicking ‘ignore’. Adding humour to her live performances is something that Kate has done for many years. Previously she’s sung about always falling for gay men and her dislike of Australian Idol, both of which have now been retired from performances, but her latest sarcastic attempt is proving to be popular with audiences.
The ultracatchy Can’t Shake It focuses on the far less serious subject of how she, quite simply, cannot shake it. Impossible to listen to without dancing to, Kate’s voice produces sounds that you never thought you’d here coming out of a human. If you ever find yourself struggling to find a smile from within, a quick YouTube of this video is sure to change that. The choreographed routine is reminiscent of awful 90s pop, yet it does so in a way that you can’t help but chuckle at fondly. Watching the video can only be topped by experiencing a live performance where the audience becomes stunned to silence, unsure of whether it is appropriate to laugh.
In The Last Day on Earth the more sombre tones of Kate’s voice are displayed. “It’s the last day on earth, in my dreams. It’s the end of the world and you’ve come back to me” forms the chorus that gained national radio coverage in her home country as it was used in the adverts for the death of a well-known character in Neighbours – how typically Australian. The heartache that is expressed hits you hard, almost forcing you into confronting your own life and your past regrets.
Combining fast paced songs such as Supergirl and Motorscooter (“I wanna take a ride on your motorscooter”), with the far more carefully sung The End of School demonstrates the abilities of Kate’s vocal range. Her Australian accent is ever prominent despite her relocation to London, and constant global travelling. Kate’s desire to perform has created a busy touring schedule for the 28 year old; London, Sydney and LA, intertwined with a one off show in Nepal to support MTV Exit.
Now living in London, Kate Miller-Heidke and husband Keir Nuttall will hopefully be playing a lot more gigs in the capital. If you’re just that little bit curious, then you’d be a fool not to attend.
Whilst remaining an unknown in the UK, Kate’s writing skills on Caught In The Crowd, the first single off the album, won her the International Songwriting Competition award for it’s clear anti-bullying message. As she emotes “I was young and caught in a crowd” you get the sense that she tells no lies; that each song she writes draws upon personal experiences to create her honest approach to lyrics.
Honesty features heavily in Kate’s music. I like you better when you’re not around is sung in a brutal narrative that can only be beaten by a non-album track The Facebook Song (Are you f*cking kidding me?) in which Kate reminisces about an ex-boyfriend who requests her friendship on the social network before she concludes “look just follow me twitter” before clicking ‘ignore’. Adding humour to her live performances is something that Kate has done for many years. Previously she’s sung about always falling for gay men and her dislike of Australian Idol, both of which have now been retired from performances, but her latest sarcastic attempt is proving to be popular with audiences.
The ultracatchy Can’t Shake It focuses on the far less serious subject of how she, quite simply, cannot shake it. Impossible to listen to without dancing to, Kate’s voice produces sounds that you never thought you’d here coming out of a human. If you ever find yourself struggling to find a smile from within, a quick YouTube of this video is sure to change that. The choreographed routine is reminiscent of awful 90s pop, yet it does so in a way that you can’t help but chuckle at fondly. Watching the video can only be topped by experiencing a live performance where the audience becomes stunned to silence, unsure of whether it is appropriate to laugh.
In The Last Day on Earth the more sombre tones of Kate’s voice are displayed. “It’s the last day on earth, in my dreams. It’s the end of the world and you’ve come back to me” forms the chorus that gained national radio coverage in her home country as it was used in the adverts for the death of a well-known character in Neighbours – how typically Australian. The heartache that is expressed hits you hard, almost forcing you into confronting your own life and your past regrets.
Combining fast paced songs such as Supergirl and Motorscooter (“I wanna take a ride on your motorscooter”), with the far more carefully sung The End of School demonstrates the abilities of Kate’s vocal range. Her Australian accent is ever prominent despite her relocation to London, and constant global travelling. Kate’s desire to perform has created a busy touring schedule for the 28 year old; London, Sydney and LA, intertwined with a one off show in Nepal to support MTV Exit.
Now living in London, Kate Miller-Heidke and husband Keir Nuttall will hopefully be playing a lot more gigs in the capital. If you’re just that little bit curious, then you’d be a fool not to attend.
Nerina Pallot
Do you remember that advert from a couple of years ago? A girl in a supermarket, singing about war, food flying everywhere? That girl was called Nerina Pallot. The song? Everybody’s gone to war.
Back then Nerina’s record company must have been on some sort of publicity drive as I swear I was always seeing the ad in between whatever I used to watch 4 years ago. This publicity push must have greatly influenced me as I went to HMV (it was back in the days of CD buying you see) and bought her album Fires. From then on, I was in love.
Not only did I repeatedly listen to Fires, I bought Nerina’s back catalogue. I discovered the beauty of Blood is Blood from her debut album and found ways of hearing unreleased material like the beautiful Heidi. I saw her live twice; I even met her once. Not without it’s difficulties though. Apparently I’d unwittingly bought a ticket to an over 18 gig. As a 15 year old who barely looked her age, I was a little stumped at being asked for ID. Fortunately, with a little bit of crying from my friend, we were allowed in and were treated to a stunning performance, topped off only by meeting the lovely lady at the end of the night. And subsequently missing the last train home, paying for a taxi from Tottenham Hale to Bishops Stortford.
Anyway, Nerina has a new(ish) album. The Graduate. Perhaps the title has been chosen to show the progression in Nerina’s music. Perhaps it’s far simpler than that and is to do with her recently obtaining a degree. I’ll let you decide that one yourself. When you look past the title, you will find that each song is full of equally sublime content.
The first single Real Late Starter is upbeat, contrasting to some of the singles from her last album. Whilst Fires brought us the sombre Sophia and Idaho, this album opts for some brighter tones. The humorously named When did I become such a bitch? was written, perhaps autobiographically, by Nerina after Fires release and immediately became a favourite at live performances.
My personal favourite would have to be Coming Home. It’s truly heartfelt. The story of a father/daughter relationship; she sings “I’ll make you proud one day/but I know you’ll love me anyway” and you can tell that this isn’t a song full of over exaggeration and embellishments. It’s her life she’s singing about. And she does know how to sing about it well. Whilst I’m yet to see a live performance of this song, I’ve been told it’s something that should not be missed.
In English Nerina sings of the faults of our nation. Being born and bred in Jersey, Nerina clearly loves her homeland a little more than in our country, apparently full of “hatred and bigotry”. Her voice shines in this slower song. Not that I’m saying it doesn’t in others. I’m just a sucker for the more depressing songs. God of Small Things has a similar tempo which I enjoyed. Whilst the chorus of Junebug knows how to make me smile.
The catchy I don’t want to go out has even prompted a series of live Monday night streamings of mini-gigs from Nerina’s lounge. They can be viewed, for free, at http://www.ustream.tv/nerinapallot Monday nights at 9pm GMT.
As my entirely non-biased review has shown, I’m a little bit fond of Nerina’s music. She knows how to write a quality song whilst being able to sing it equally impressively. If you’ve not heard of her, then you are definitely missing out. Check her out on twitter @ladychatterley and then be sure to download something of hers!
Back then Nerina’s record company must have been on some sort of publicity drive as I swear I was always seeing the ad in between whatever I used to watch 4 years ago. This publicity push must have greatly influenced me as I went to HMV (it was back in the days of CD buying you see) and bought her album Fires. From then on, I was in love.
Not only did I repeatedly listen to Fires, I bought Nerina’s back catalogue. I discovered the beauty of Blood is Blood from her debut album and found ways of hearing unreleased material like the beautiful Heidi. I saw her live twice; I even met her once. Not without it’s difficulties though. Apparently I’d unwittingly bought a ticket to an over 18 gig. As a 15 year old who barely looked her age, I was a little stumped at being asked for ID. Fortunately, with a little bit of crying from my friend, we were allowed in and were treated to a stunning performance, topped off only by meeting the lovely lady at the end of the night. And subsequently missing the last train home, paying for a taxi from Tottenham Hale to Bishops Stortford.
Anyway, Nerina has a new(ish) album. The Graduate. Perhaps the title has been chosen to show the progression in Nerina’s music. Perhaps it’s far simpler than that and is to do with her recently obtaining a degree. I’ll let you decide that one yourself. When you look past the title, you will find that each song is full of equally sublime content.
The first single Real Late Starter is upbeat, contrasting to some of the singles from her last album. Whilst Fires brought us the sombre Sophia and Idaho, this album opts for some brighter tones. The humorously named When did I become such a bitch? was written, perhaps autobiographically, by Nerina after Fires release and immediately became a favourite at live performances.
My personal favourite would have to be Coming Home. It’s truly heartfelt. The story of a father/daughter relationship; she sings “I’ll make you proud one day/but I know you’ll love me anyway” and you can tell that this isn’t a song full of over exaggeration and embellishments. It’s her life she’s singing about. And she does know how to sing about it well. Whilst I’m yet to see a live performance of this song, I’ve been told it’s something that should not be missed.
In English Nerina sings of the faults of our nation. Being born and bred in Jersey, Nerina clearly loves her homeland a little more than in our country, apparently full of “hatred and bigotry”. Her voice shines in this slower song. Not that I’m saying it doesn’t in others. I’m just a sucker for the more depressing songs. God of Small Things has a similar tempo which I enjoyed. Whilst the chorus of Junebug knows how to make me smile.
The catchy I don’t want to go out has even prompted a series of live Monday night streamings of mini-gigs from Nerina’s lounge. They can be viewed, for free, at http://www.ustream.tv/nerinapallot Monday nights at 9pm GMT.
As my entirely non-biased review has shown, I’m a little bit fond of Nerina’s music. She knows how to write a quality song whilst being able to sing it equally impressively. If you’ve not heard of her, then you are definitely missing out. Check her out on twitter @ladychatterley and then be sure to download something of hers!
John Mayer - Battle Studies
“Who says I can’t get stoned?” Those are the words that you become immersed into repeating after listening to Mayer’s latest single Who Says. The ‘stoner’ song which leads you to answer “I’m pretty sure the law does”, has resulted in the media questioning his desire to be controversial. His reply? That if he’d have wanted to be controversial, there’s so much more he could have said. That’s very true, but going around declaring your use of recreational drugs is hardly the most PC route you could go down.
Moving on from the drugged up first single, Battle Studies is a standard John Mayer album. Opening with the relationship reminiscent Heartbreak Warfare, it’s clear that Mayer has chosen to stick to what he knows best with this release. He knows what his audience likes and has opted not to push any boundaries musically, aside from the aforementioned. This could leave some fans left a little disappointed with the lack of a new sound, but for others, myself included, he’s struck gold with what he knows best. I’ll be the first to admit that there’s not immediately one stand out track. There’s no Belief as there was in Continuum. Nor will you hear the thought-provoking chorus of Daughters. However the songs that you are greeted with, are all pleasant enough to make this record another hit.
On it’s release day, Battle Studies was a trending topic on Twitter. Whilst this might not be something that all artists aspire to, Mayer’s fondness of the service (@johncmayer) probably resulted in him being rather happy with this fact. In fact, Half of My Heart sees Mayer join forces with his fellow tweeter Taylor Swift providing some sweet vocals. Lyrically, the song talks of the complexity of a character who appears to have many conflicting emotions that don’t sound too far away from the life story of Mayer.
Guitarist primarily, singer second. This is something that can be said of Mayer - particularly at live performances. And he does not disappoint with his riffs; particularly on his version of Robert Johnson’s Crossroads and on the closing track Friends, Lovers Or Nothing. One riff that did sound rather familiar was that of Edge Of Desire, which sounded incredibly similar to one found in Come Back To Bed from years past. I’m no expert on guitars or the sounds that they produce, but as someone who’s appreciated a lot of Mayer’s work over the years, it did seem to me that they carried a similar tune at certain stages.
Whilst he still doesn’t appear to be mentioning his on/off relationship that he shared with Jennifer Anniston last year, several tracks speak of failed loves. In fact, the over-exaggerated metaphor found in Heartbreak Warfare “Clouds of sulphur in the air/bombs are falling everywhere/it’s heartbreak warfare” suggest that he might put more feelings into his relationships than the media makes out. Although the over dramatic war references perhaps aren’t quite apt for a what is ultimately a break up song.
Do You Know Me? poses the question of whether anyone does really know Mayer beneath his portrayed persona in the tabloids. Ultimately no, we don’t. However I know enough to say that you could have probably made a slightly better album. Enough said.
Moving on from the drugged up first single, Battle Studies is a standard John Mayer album. Opening with the relationship reminiscent Heartbreak Warfare, it’s clear that Mayer has chosen to stick to what he knows best with this release. He knows what his audience likes and has opted not to push any boundaries musically, aside from the aforementioned. This could leave some fans left a little disappointed with the lack of a new sound, but for others, myself included, he’s struck gold with what he knows best. I’ll be the first to admit that there’s not immediately one stand out track. There’s no Belief as there was in Continuum. Nor will you hear the thought-provoking chorus of Daughters. However the songs that you are greeted with, are all pleasant enough to make this record another hit.
On it’s release day, Battle Studies was a trending topic on Twitter. Whilst this might not be something that all artists aspire to, Mayer’s fondness of the service (@johncmayer) probably resulted in him being rather happy with this fact. In fact, Half of My Heart sees Mayer join forces with his fellow tweeter Taylor Swift providing some sweet vocals. Lyrically, the song talks of the complexity of a character who appears to have many conflicting emotions that don’t sound too far away from the life story of Mayer.
Guitarist primarily, singer second. This is something that can be said of Mayer - particularly at live performances. And he does not disappoint with his riffs; particularly on his version of Robert Johnson’s Crossroads and on the closing track Friends, Lovers Or Nothing. One riff that did sound rather familiar was that of Edge Of Desire, which sounded incredibly similar to one found in Come Back To Bed from years past. I’m no expert on guitars or the sounds that they produce, but as someone who’s appreciated a lot of Mayer’s work over the years, it did seem to me that they carried a similar tune at certain stages.
Whilst he still doesn’t appear to be mentioning his on/off relationship that he shared with Jennifer Anniston last year, several tracks speak of failed loves. In fact, the over-exaggerated metaphor found in Heartbreak Warfare “Clouds of sulphur in the air/bombs are falling everywhere/it’s heartbreak warfare” suggest that he might put more feelings into his relationships than the media makes out. Although the over dramatic war references perhaps aren’t quite apt for a what is ultimately a break up song.
Do You Know Me? poses the question of whether anyone does really know Mayer beneath his portrayed persona in the tabloids. Ultimately no, we don’t. However I know enough to say that you could have probably made a slightly better album. Enough said.
Anthony Snape - Disappearing Day
I have MySpace to thank for my discovery of Anthony Snape. I can’t remember how I found his page - probably through a trail of Australian Singer-Songwriters pages - but I found him. And I’m so glad I did.
Twelve songs, plus the beautifully hidden Silvia make up the album. Signed to an independent label in Australia, I’m amazed he’s made it on to UK iTunes, but he has. And, alas, I have this wonderful album.
Opening with Daylight, an uplifting track with the metaphor, or possible literal meaning, of not wanting daylight to not to arise, Snape envelops you with the first of many catchy choruses. He also demonstrates his ability to hold a note, something he can do for an impressively long time.
“Every stumble helps you grow/learn the things you didn’t know”. Those lyrics speak true to many of the situation life throws at you; as such I felt a personal connection with Little Piece Of Love. Written in a way that it can create this personal sentiment to a wider audience, it implies that you are special. Whoever YOU maybe. However clichéd it might sound, it does succeed in portraying that message.
I was immediately taken by Walking. It’s only a short song – less than three minutes – but it captured me. The attitude taken in the lyrics is that of getting knocked down but getting up again, though in a far less irritating way than that awful chant-like song.
Lay Down Your Love was not a song I was desperately drawn to, perhaps to do with my belief that the chorus sounds a little more manufactured than some other album tracks.
I remember skiing down mountains with the lyrics to Call On Me flying around my head. It’s fast paced, just like my skiing. Although, I must credit it as being far less shaky than my skiing skills. I’m not too sure what the subject matter of the song is, and I like not knowing. It’s got a literal meaning, that’s for sure; if you’re looking for a quick fling Snape wants to hear from you. But I question if there’s not something a little more deep hidden behind it. Then again, listening to it now, he does sound pretty keen on finding some quick love. So maybe that’s just what he was craving at the time.
Sounding a little more heartbroken, the title track Disappearing Day, sings of waiting for someone’s love. It sounds a little unrequited, so going by the previous wants of a one night stand, if the lyrics are in any way factual, Snape may not have been having the greatest time relationship-wise. The song itself sticks to the formula of a tuneful chorus that refuses to evacuate your head for several days.
Frequency also has a catchy chorus. And whilst Solitude isn’t quite so memorable, it’s still well formed with some repetition to try and drill it into you that the narrative is trying to get some time alone. One of the slower paced tracks, Come, has a floaty feel about it. As though you could almost hear the sea in the background.
Now to the song I know the most about. When I was given a school project to make a fictional compilation CD of songs that I liked or had some connection to, I took it a little more seriously than my peers and wrote to Snape himself to inquire to the subject. Though I doubted a response, I was proven wrong when he responded with a line by line explanation of the song. Bless him. It turns out the song’s inspiration was drawn from previous relationships where girlfriends had been picky about the small, idiosyncratic things, although he later concluded that this could just be because of the differences between gender and how interpretations of things can vary. But from this inspiration, Idiosyncrasy was born. And it was my favourite song for quite some time. That is, until I fell in love with Sunday.
There was a stage in my life where I found myself allergic to Sundays. Whilst this may sound illogical, and I’ll admit I was never given an official medical diagnosis, I believe that an allergy to a day of the week can exist. Sunday lies at the end of the weekend. The weekend is found before you return to the routines of weekdays. The routines of weekdays that included school. And I wasn’t desperately fond of school, for many reasons I shan’t divulge, but it just wasn’t something I enjoyed waking up to. Anyway, Sunday sung to me about the day in a completely different light. Whilst Snape sung of how quickly Sunday comes around as a day to relax, I interpreted it in my own way. It encouraged me to ‘break from the cycle’ that he’d written about, as I grow to learn that Monday wouldn’t cause me any pain. And to this day, I still love this song. It connects with me in a way that only a handful of songs do. So if you take anything from this review – download Sunday. Or atleast take a listen on YouTube. The version on the album Acoustic Sunday is the one of the most amazing versions of any song I’ve ever heard. Listen to it, ok?!
In a slightly less dramatic way, Stronger along with the hidden track Silvia end the album well with the narrative of the lyrics in both telling stories that feel un-manufactured. And for this I love the album. You get the sense that Snape writes about what he wants. He makes it personal. For both his enjoyment, and yours.
A recently uploaded YouTube video shows Snape singing yet another beautifully crafted track, Balloons, that I’m left hoping will appear on a future release. His combination of vocal ability and emotive lyrics wowed me, making Disappearing Day a highly played album on my iTunes.
Twelve songs, plus the beautifully hidden Silvia make up the album. Signed to an independent label in Australia, I’m amazed he’s made it on to UK iTunes, but he has. And, alas, I have this wonderful album.
Opening with Daylight, an uplifting track with the metaphor, or possible literal meaning, of not wanting daylight to not to arise, Snape envelops you with the first of many catchy choruses. He also demonstrates his ability to hold a note, something he can do for an impressively long time.
“Every stumble helps you grow/learn the things you didn’t know”. Those lyrics speak true to many of the situation life throws at you; as such I felt a personal connection with Little Piece Of Love. Written in a way that it can create this personal sentiment to a wider audience, it implies that you are special. Whoever YOU maybe. However clichéd it might sound, it does succeed in portraying that message.
I was immediately taken by Walking. It’s only a short song – less than three minutes – but it captured me. The attitude taken in the lyrics is that of getting knocked down but getting up again, though in a far less irritating way than that awful chant-like song.
Lay Down Your Love was not a song I was desperately drawn to, perhaps to do with my belief that the chorus sounds a little more manufactured than some other album tracks.
I remember skiing down mountains with the lyrics to Call On Me flying around my head. It’s fast paced, just like my skiing. Although, I must credit it as being far less shaky than my skiing skills. I’m not too sure what the subject matter of the song is, and I like not knowing. It’s got a literal meaning, that’s for sure; if you’re looking for a quick fling Snape wants to hear from you. But I question if there’s not something a little more deep hidden behind it. Then again, listening to it now, he does sound pretty keen on finding some quick love. So maybe that’s just what he was craving at the time.
Sounding a little more heartbroken, the title track Disappearing Day, sings of waiting for someone’s love. It sounds a little unrequited, so going by the previous wants of a one night stand, if the lyrics are in any way factual, Snape may not have been having the greatest time relationship-wise. The song itself sticks to the formula of a tuneful chorus that refuses to evacuate your head for several days.
Frequency also has a catchy chorus. And whilst Solitude isn’t quite so memorable, it’s still well formed with some repetition to try and drill it into you that the narrative is trying to get some time alone. One of the slower paced tracks, Come, has a floaty feel about it. As though you could almost hear the sea in the background.
Now to the song I know the most about. When I was given a school project to make a fictional compilation CD of songs that I liked or had some connection to, I took it a little more seriously than my peers and wrote to Snape himself to inquire to the subject. Though I doubted a response, I was proven wrong when he responded with a line by line explanation of the song. Bless him. It turns out the song’s inspiration was drawn from previous relationships where girlfriends had been picky about the small, idiosyncratic things, although he later concluded that this could just be because of the differences between gender and how interpretations of things can vary. But from this inspiration, Idiosyncrasy was born. And it was my favourite song for quite some time. That is, until I fell in love with Sunday.
There was a stage in my life where I found myself allergic to Sundays. Whilst this may sound illogical, and I’ll admit I was never given an official medical diagnosis, I believe that an allergy to a day of the week can exist. Sunday lies at the end of the weekend. The weekend is found before you return to the routines of weekdays. The routines of weekdays that included school. And I wasn’t desperately fond of school, for many reasons I shan’t divulge, but it just wasn’t something I enjoyed waking up to. Anyway, Sunday sung to me about the day in a completely different light. Whilst Snape sung of how quickly Sunday comes around as a day to relax, I interpreted it in my own way. It encouraged me to ‘break from the cycle’ that he’d written about, as I grow to learn that Monday wouldn’t cause me any pain. And to this day, I still love this song. It connects with me in a way that only a handful of songs do. So if you take anything from this review – download Sunday. Or atleast take a listen on YouTube. The version on the album Acoustic Sunday is the one of the most amazing versions of any song I’ve ever heard. Listen to it, ok?!
In a slightly less dramatic way, Stronger along with the hidden track Silvia end the album well with the narrative of the lyrics in both telling stories that feel un-manufactured. And for this I love the album. You get the sense that Snape writes about what he wants. He makes it personal. For both his enjoyment, and yours.
A recently uploaded YouTube video shows Snape singing yet another beautifully crafted track, Balloons, that I’m left hoping will appear on a future release. His combination of vocal ability and emotive lyrics wowed me, making Disappearing Day a highly played album on my iTunes.
Ben Lee
I own three Ben Lee albums. On each of those albums (Awake Is The New Sleep, Ripe & The Rebirth Of Venus) I have favourite songs. Although I love Ben’s work, I’m not yet keen enough to write a review of each individually, so I’m going to briefly talk about some of my personal favourites.
Let’s start with the first time I heard Ben. Catch My Disease was all over Nova FM on my 2005 Australia Holiday. It was always playing. And, ‘scuse the cliché, I most certainly did catch the disease that he was spreading. No, I’m not talking some dodgy rash; I’m talking about the Ben Lee phenomenon.
Whilst he can be deemed as an irritating feminist by certain Australian Media Outlets, I struggle not to be caught up in his songs. I mean, in Ripe he uses the similes “Like bacon at a Bar-Mitzvah, like a lead balloon”. What’s not to love about that? Plus he has a track called What Would Jay-Z Do? You try and deny that as being something of an amusing title. We all should take a little time out of our everyday life situations and consider the actions that Mr Z would take were he posed with the same problems. And it’s through Lee’s song that you are lead to think about this obvious possibility.
Whilst a normal collaboration for Lee would be an onstage appearance with Missy Higgins, or letting her provide backing vocals for I Love Pop Music, in Birds and Bees, we hear Lee team up with Jessica Simpson. A perhaps odd choice, the song works in funny way that implies it might not have been made with the most serious intentions.
His newest album does seem a bit feminist-y. With Song For The Divine Mother Of The Earth being found on the album after Sex Without Love you feel a bit of a leap in both Lee’s morals and song writing skills. And proclaiming I’m A Woman Too is a bit too much for a recently married man. Face it, you’re a guy. Now move on.
Part of me wonders how much of his songs are about him. Are they biographical? Or entirely fiction? I can’t say. But I know that Lee knows how to laugh at himself. Having seen him perform Ben Lee You Suck live, along with watching the link he posted to The Chaser’s song wishing death upon him, you get the impression that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Which is good for someone who talks about the price of oil and renewable energy in a pop song.
Numb shows honesty about the music industry before slagging of your label became cool. Refusing to go numb is something that Lee has continued to do as he makes new music. Changing his style with each new album, he keeps his listeners waiting apprehensively for what will come next. And so, despite not being entirely won over by his last album, I’m still suffering from the aforementioned disease.
Let’s start with the first time I heard Ben. Catch My Disease was all over Nova FM on my 2005 Australia Holiday. It was always playing. And, ‘scuse the cliché, I most certainly did catch the disease that he was spreading. No, I’m not talking some dodgy rash; I’m talking about the Ben Lee phenomenon.
Whilst he can be deemed as an irritating feminist by certain Australian Media Outlets, I struggle not to be caught up in his songs. I mean, in Ripe he uses the similes “Like bacon at a Bar-Mitzvah, like a lead balloon”. What’s not to love about that? Plus he has a track called What Would Jay-Z Do? You try and deny that as being something of an amusing title. We all should take a little time out of our everyday life situations and consider the actions that Mr Z would take were he posed with the same problems. And it’s through Lee’s song that you are lead to think about this obvious possibility.
Whilst a normal collaboration for Lee would be an onstage appearance with Missy Higgins, or letting her provide backing vocals for I Love Pop Music, in Birds and Bees, we hear Lee team up with Jessica Simpson. A perhaps odd choice, the song works in funny way that implies it might not have been made with the most serious intentions.
His newest album does seem a bit feminist-y. With Song For The Divine Mother Of The Earth being found on the album after Sex Without Love you feel a bit of a leap in both Lee’s morals and song writing skills. And proclaiming I’m A Woman Too is a bit too much for a recently married man. Face it, you’re a guy. Now move on.
Part of me wonders how much of his songs are about him. Are they biographical? Or entirely fiction? I can’t say. But I know that Lee knows how to laugh at himself. Having seen him perform Ben Lee You Suck live, along with watching the link he posted to The Chaser’s song wishing death upon him, you get the impression that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Which is good for someone who talks about the price of oil and renewable energy in a pop song.
Numb shows honesty about the music industry before slagging of your label became cool. Refusing to go numb is something that Lee has continued to do as he makes new music. Changing his style with each new album, he keeps his listeners waiting apprehensively for what will come next. And so, despite not being entirely won over by his last album, I’m still suffering from the aforementioned disease.
Amy Studt - False Smiles
False Smiles was the first album I ever fell in love with. I was young, and perhaps my music taste was a tad less sophisticated than it has now become, but for all I knew, this was love.
Her lyrics rang true to the lives of many a tween, before the term had even been coined. This is quite possibly because Studt herself was barely out of those years when she penned the album. With the single Just A Little Girl becoming a chart success, I remember being elated to discover that she would be performing on one of my most informative television choices; X-Change. Rushing home from school and watching her performance, I thought that this was the epitome of music. Something truly amazing had just graced my ears and I knew I needed to buy the album. Thus, I discovered False Smiles.
Misfit was to be the second ‘big hit’; A song that remains just as catchy as the first time I heard it. An overly Americanised video accompanied the track with the chorus “You’re superficial I’m a misfit/ But baby that’s ok” and the song was supposed to promote equality amongst cliques, though whether it ever achieved this is less clear. Another shouty pop rock effort came with Ladder In My Tights. A personal favourite of mine, it taught me what C4 was. And she sung about duct tape. I’d never heard anyone sing about duct tape...
Studt could do more than just catchy pop rock. The album showed the versatility of her voice with the softer tones that Studt has continued to use in her later career. Beautiful Lie, Happy Now and If Only all enchanted me. Sadly, over the course of laptop changeovers, I’ve come to lose three of the other tracks. Nobody, Superior Mind and Going Out Of My Mind have all gone AWOL. I’m in no desperate state to download them once more, though I do remember Nobody being yet another of my favourite power ballads to torture my family with as I’d sing proudly to the album.
Through her lyrics, I learnt what being ‘under the thumb’ meant. Though I’m yet to experience this, I have to thank her for this insight into the world of controlling relationships.
I must also pay particular mention to possibly my favourite Amy Studt song. A non-album track, reduced to being a B side to the Sheryl Crowe cover of All I Wanna Do, You’re Like The Breeze demonstrated Studt’s vocal talent beautifully.
So, thank you Amy Studt. You opened my mind up to the world of singer songwriters, and for that I shall be ever grateful.
Her lyrics rang true to the lives of many a tween, before the term had even been coined. This is quite possibly because Studt herself was barely out of those years when she penned the album. With the single Just A Little Girl becoming a chart success, I remember being elated to discover that she would be performing on one of my most informative television choices; X-Change. Rushing home from school and watching her performance, I thought that this was the epitome of music. Something truly amazing had just graced my ears and I knew I needed to buy the album. Thus, I discovered False Smiles.
Misfit was to be the second ‘big hit’; A song that remains just as catchy as the first time I heard it. An overly Americanised video accompanied the track with the chorus “You’re superficial I’m a misfit/ But baby that’s ok” and the song was supposed to promote equality amongst cliques, though whether it ever achieved this is less clear. Another shouty pop rock effort came with Ladder In My Tights. A personal favourite of mine, it taught me what C4 was. And she sung about duct tape. I’d never heard anyone sing about duct tape...
Studt could do more than just catchy pop rock. The album showed the versatility of her voice with the softer tones that Studt has continued to use in her later career. Beautiful Lie, Happy Now and If Only all enchanted me. Sadly, over the course of laptop changeovers, I’ve come to lose three of the other tracks. Nobody, Superior Mind and Going Out Of My Mind have all gone AWOL. I’m in no desperate state to download them once more, though I do remember Nobody being yet another of my favourite power ballads to torture my family with as I’d sing proudly to the album.
Through her lyrics, I learnt what being ‘under the thumb’ meant. Though I’m yet to experience this, I have to thank her for this insight into the world of controlling relationships.
I must also pay particular mention to possibly my favourite Amy Studt song. A non-album track, reduced to being a B side to the Sheryl Crowe cover of All I Wanna Do, You’re Like The Breeze demonstrated Studt’s vocal talent beautifully.
So, thank you Amy Studt. You opened my mind up to the world of singer songwriters, and for that I shall be ever grateful.
My project.
I’ve decided to try and encourage my writing skills by reviewing my favourite albums of past and present. Starting now with my first love, Amy Studt. I’ll talk you through some of the songs I’ve grown up to. Whilst I’d love to say they’d follow a lovely chronological order, or atleast alphabetical. I can’t. That’d be far too ordered for me. So today I’m beginning a musical biography of my life.
To be continued.
To be continued.
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