tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33295552057934528272024-03-19T09:16:34.505+00:00What If I Had A Music Blog<center><a href="http://www.twitter.com/wiihamb">TWITTER</a> / <a href="http://www.whatifihadamusicblog.tumblr.com">TUMBLR</a> / <a href="http://www.instagram.com/wiihamb">INSTAGRAM</a> / <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/whatifihadamusicblog">SPOTIFY</a><br>
natalie@whatifihadamusicblog.co.uk
</center>WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.comBlogger392125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-66854861416853356232019-05-08T13:56:00.001+01:002019-05-08T13:56:42.470+01:00The Great Escape 2019 Quick Clashless Guide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Now I've started this I really hope I finish before Wednesday. We all know I hate writing but too much time has been put into going through this year's line-up for it to go to waste. And so, here is your quick but still relatively clashless guide to The Great Escape 2019. You'll note that whilst Friday is the fuller more typical guide, Thursday and Saturday are kinda just highlights that don't clash.<br />
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It is going to rain, you will need a cagoule, and it's going to be chilly, you'll probably need a jumper or a hoodie under that cagoule. Don't say you were not warned. <br />
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<u><b>Thursday</b></u><br />
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12:30 - Haviah Mighty - Marine Room<br />
14:00 - Bad Child - Green Door Store<br />
15:30 - Jack Vallier - Three Wise Cats<br />
19:15 - Kiana Lede - Shooshh<br />
20:15 - L Devine - Deep End<br />
21:30 - Sam Tompkins - Patterns Downstairs<br />
22:15 - BAILEN - Jubilee Square<br />
23:15 - blackwave - Green Door Store<br />
00:30 - AJ Tracey - Komedia<br />
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Emily Burns is also knockin about at 20:30 Downstairs in Patterns and actuall if you for some reason still haven't seen her yet, I'd maybe suggest you do that instead of the above.<br />
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<u><b>Friday</b></u><br />
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13:00 - Emiko - Patterns Downstairs<br />
13:45 - Squid - Hideout<br />
14:30 - OTEO - Patterns Upstairs<br />
15:40 - Gigi Lo - Patterns Downstairs<br />
17:30 - Valeras - Ditto Stage<br />
19:15 - Kian - One Church<br />
20:15 - Winston Surfshirt - Green Door Store<br />
21:15 - Still Woozy - The Arch<br />
22:15 - Friendly Fires - Deep End / Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes - Old Market<br />
23:15 - Balcony - Komedia Studio Bar<br />
00:15 - Briet - Latest Music Bar<br />
01:00 - Marged - Patterns Upstairs<br />
02:00 - Jarreau Vandal (DJ set) - Komedia<br />
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Honestly, please fucking see Valeras. The five of them have a combined age of about seven and they're so sick. If both Friendly Fires and Frank Carter are too much of a trek for you, Children of Zeus play at The Arch also at 22:15.<br />
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<u><b>Saturday</b></u><br />
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12:30 - Cassyette - Horatios<br />
13:00 - Shaded - Volks<br />
14:00 - Superlove - Volks<br />
15:20 - Dirty Radio - Green Door Store<br />
19:30 - Olivia Nelson - The Arch<br />
21:15 - Injury Reserve - Patterns DownstairsWhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com145tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-53022690074739588422018-12-30T09:44:00.001+00:002018-12-30T09:44:09.730+00:00Album Of The Year 2018: Ryan Beatty - Boy In Jeans<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Hello, bet you weren't expecting to see me again. It's been a tough one this year for The Blog but in its absence <a href="http://www.thedanalysis.com/" target="_blank">The Podcast</a> that I do has been doing amazing (sweetie) since the start of the 2018/19 Premier League season so that's all quite exciting really. As early as March I was worried about the fact I wasn't enjoying any albums, or EPs for that matter, the whole way through. <b>Kali Uchis</b>' <i>Isolation</i> released at the start of April was my first taste of an album I could even attempt to invest in. Then along came the curious case of ~all those Brockhampton albums~; and then along came the actual <b>Brockhampton</b> album and it was nothing but poorly produced disappointment. A quick shout out to <b>Blood Orange</b>'s <i>Negro Swan</i>, <b>Cosmo's Midnight</b>'s <i>What Comes Next</i> and <b>Don Broco</b>'s <i>Technology</i>. As unenthused as I was by LPs this year, those three did alright.</div>
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If I had to pull together a top three I'm not sure I could choose which way round they'd sit but <b>Boston Manor'</b>s second record <i>Welcome To The Neighbourhood </i>and <b>Buddy</b>'s debut full-length <i>Harlan & Alondra</i> would be the two fighting it out. I've never been a fan of Boston Manor prior to now, just another pop punk band, weren't they? But they've done what Decade did between their debut and follow up, and just grown the fuck up. <i>Welcome To The Neighbourhood </i>was recorded (if not also written) in America and was produced by Mike Sapone (of Brand New production fame). It's polished, this album, in a way that you would never have expected a Boston Manor album to be. I was late to this Buddy album by a good three months or so but I'm so glad I gave it some time because it's an effortless blend of hip hop, R&B and funk. I'm so excited for the artist that Buddy is about to become.</div>
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But, my actual album of the year? A record that has seen me through every waking minute of the second half of 2018? That's <b>Ryan Beatty</b>'s <i>God In Jeans</i>. And you're out here like "... Ryan who?". And I'm out here like Bleach Blonde Gay Icon Ryan Beatty. He actually started life as a YouTuber a whole bunch of years ago, did some music for a bit and then disappeared. The first I heard of him were his collaborations with Brockhampton last year on <i>Saturation II </i>and <i>III</i>. And then in May, Beatty released the first track from his debut album, 'Bruise'. Let's put it this way, it's sure as hell not a conventional lead single, is it? On the surface it's just quite a good RnB/pop crossover song. In fact, the whole album is this, at surface level, a great pop record but underneath it gets dark pretty quickly.</div>
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The whole record is produced by Calvin Valentine (alongside a couple of other co-producers) and it's so refreshing in 2018 to have a pop album that does see the same themes and ideas throughout an entire body of work. The album opener 'Haircut' is pure and simple (gonna be there), it's blissful, the "it starts right now" hook is effortless, it's perfect. All albums should start like this. But as I say, <i>Boy In Jeans</i> takes these quick dark turns mid up-tempo song, like on <i>Euro </i>when suddenly Beatty's all "I'm not suicidal, I'm too afraid to die. Wanna feel something other than sadness sometimes." And I feel that. It's a similar story on 'Camo' too, with the essence of the hook being "camo print depression, I keep my feelings hidden." What we need in 2019 is more albums really blatantly dealing with issues that we're all going through but in an entirely casual way.</div>
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I've definitely used <i>Boy In Jeans</i> as a way to live vicariously through someone who (in my eyes at least) has something as (also, in my eyes at least) complex as their sexuality figured out. Maybe this is TMI for an annual post on a blog whose readership is now limited to those whose eyes I pry open to look at it, but I'm just being honest. I have two standout favourites on <i>Boy In Jeans.</i> The first one is 'Cupid'. It is the polar opposite of a song that anyone who knows me would expect me to like. It's the slowest and most stripped back track on the record but it perfectly encapsulates every feeling one has when liking someone who, for whatever reason, they can't be with. The nicest thing about 'Cupid' is that it's not bitter or angry, it's hopeful yet realistic. 'Party's Over' is a continuation of this too. These songs are so pretty, they're stunning, but they're straight up about not being able to have what (or who) you want.</div>
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I think, objectively, by far the best moment on <i>Boy In Jeans</i> is 'Powerslide'. It's buried in the final third of the album which in terms of cohesiveness makes a lot of sense, but it is a bit of a shame. Anyway, this is The Stand Out pop song on the record and any doubt that Ryan Beatty can't be one of the greatest pop songwriters of the next ten years or so is literally decimated. It's perfect. It's an overtly gay love song with an absolutely huge chorus. If someone asked me to point them in the direction of a song that I heard this year that encapsulates summer - it would be this without question. I almost can't properly articulate how great this track is, and I feel like if I keep trying to do so I'm doing it less and less justice with every word.</div>
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At this point in the year, by far the most... I don't know, wholesome thing is seeing this album in other people's AOTY lists. Knowing that there are others who connected with this record maybe not in exactly the same way, but at least in a similar way as I did is a really cool thing. And honestly if you've reached the end of this and you still haven't heard <i>Boy In Jeans</i>, what are you waiting for?</div>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="388" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_93VLYbOFiE" width="690"></iframe>WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com84tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-73621509931909585122018-05-23T18:00:00.000+01:002018-05-23T18:00:12.699+01:00R&Been Away<div style="text-align: justify;">
Wow. So whilst I've been tied up doing an FPL podcast, R&B has had a pretty exciting revival. Not that it ever really went away or stopped being good or whatever, but some true classics have surfaced over the last three months and I would just like to do is run you through them.</div>
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Very shortly after I gave up on even just weekly posts here, <b>Brent Faiyaz</b> went and dropped two hits, one, a solo effort, and the other as a member of <b>Sonder</b>. I'll freely admit at this point that I had absolutely no idea Faiyaz was involved in a project other than just him being him, nor was I actually aware of Sonder's existence. So, February was a nice surprise. The solo track 'Make Luv' has a bit more attitude about it than I remember the tracks on Faiyaz's last full-length <i>Sonder Son </i>having. I quite like scorned Brent. I guess the "thought I wasn't much but now you wanna make love to me" line relates to what we heard on the chorus of Goldlink's 'Crew', "I was down and out like last week, tell me where have you been". The Sonder track, 'One Night Only' flips the coin (is that the phrase??) on the situation with a softer vibe and vocal with a pretty outrageously catchy bass and guitar lines.<br />
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Was I genuinely unaware that both <b>CVIRO</b> and <b>GXNXVS</b> are Australian before sitting down to write this?** Like... it's actually quite obvious but took me by absolute surprise. It's no secret, however that a couple of years ago these two released one of my favourite songs I've ever posted, <a href="http://whatifihadamusicblog.tumblr.com/post/126517820205" target="_blank">'Sober'</a>, so I'm sure you can only imagine how gassed I was to see they are back and imminently releasing their debut EP together. (I have no idea when that's actually happening because God forbid anybody send me a press release I actually want to receive.) The two new tracks we've heard from this singer/producer duo so far are 'Lady', which is good, and 'Twisted', which is great - a hit. CVIRO's vocal is a perfect 90's throwback from start to finish, and GXNXVS's production is crisp as hell. I am hyped, you should be too.</div>
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<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="280" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/435474594&color=%23bcd6e4&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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God. The amount I love white men doing R&B is nigh on embarrassing. Some other songs I reckon you should be 100% aware of. LA based Danish artist <b>Galimatias</b> released a track called 'South' the other week which is such a shameless attempt at being sexy but it works thus I am not mad. Canadian duo <b>Always Never</b> have put out the weirdly titled 'Morgan Freeman'. The vocal sounds scarily close to those of Chase Atlantic but I feel like this pair have far more integrity than those kids from Australia who probably really just wanted to be a rock band. Finally, <b>Ama Lou</b> (woah, at last, a female) released a three track... EP(?) titled <i>DDD</i>; the stand out on which is opener 'Tied Up'. This track is strangely minimalist, one of those where you don't really realise how little is going on underneath Ama Lou's voice unless you pay some real attention.</div>
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All of these songs are available to listen to right now (non)exclusively on Keep It 2018.</div>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/6HgHnO3P9rfjcoJZbaCuZ9" width="690"></iframe><br />
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** In my first ever post about both CVIRO and GXNXVS I noted that they were Australian. So, it's transpired I'm just thick.WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-4436374048360643852018-05-16T18:45:00.000+01:002018-05-16T18:51:58.580+01:00The Great Escape 2018 Clashless Guide - Part Three: Saturday<div style="text-align: justify;">
The guide to Thursday is <a href="http://bit.ly/TGE18Thu" target="_blank">here</a> and the guide to Friday is <a href="http://bit.ly/TGE18Fri" target="_blank">here</a>, just in case you missed them!</div>
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Can you believe it's almost over already? Mad isn't it, considering none of us are actually there yet. Friday always seems to be a bit more thin on the ground than the previous two days so that's my excuse for the more concise nature of this post. Without further ado, here's everybody I suggest you should see on the final day of this year's Great Escape Festival.</div>
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<b>Weather Report:</b> Highs of 17 degrees Celcius, sunny intervals and breezy... no rain!</div>
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I have been narrowly missing out on seeing <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/31Mb5pV1JWPMtKAEUIjFE8?si=_H_eB45ERn6omiu_MyL3Uw" target="_blank">Teischa</a></b></span> live for about the last eighteen months but I (alongside you, dear reader) am putting that to rights this weekend. I first posted about Teischa Jones when she was going by her full name three whole years ago. The 21 year old does simple pop with a soulful vocal and we're all going to watch her do this live at <span style="color: blueviolet;">midday on the Dr Marten's Stage</span>. Yes, I did just say midday. Fight me. If your weary bones couldn't stay awake long enough for <b>Ecca Vandal</b> on Thursday night, she's up on the Dr Marten's Stage straight after Teischa at 12:40. Next we're up to <span style="color: blueviolet;">The Hope and Ruin</span> for off-the-wall French electro-pop two piece <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5TztG8UlidyWr5gcdHho1l?si=eIizOQ3QSZCfvXwQVpYpsQ" target="_blank">SuperParka</a></b> at 13:30</span>. Lead single 'Girl', from their debut "mixtape", sounds a bit like Superorganism with poppier roots and literally a quarter of the members.</div>
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It's down to the <span style="color: blueviolet;">Queen's Hotel at 14:30</span> next for London based <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/37gTAIe8kJ5xGtkJLsfFgP?si=LJsdYC8-QFmBXu79zFsD7g" target="_blank">Crooked Teeth</a></b></span>, who are billed as a "synth propelled noise pop band", which I'd say does them a fair amount of disservice. They're a rock band, with pop tendencies, and an American twang. It's back up to <span style="color: blueviolet;">The Hope (and Ruin)</span> afterwards for Holly Hardy, professionally known as <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/1kA71XyHMnhLxrI2WqBipl?si=cRf3iVf3QCeijPeIbXDbmA" target="_blank">CuckooLander</a></b></span>. CuckooLander's three EPs so far all show quite different sides to the music that she makes, the latest of which is more... ethereal than it's predecessors. You can catch this particular spectacle at <span style="color: blueviolet;">15:30</span>. If you missed<b> The Faim</b> on Thursday afternoon (which I actually quite feasibly may do now) you can catch them again at 17:00 at Volks.</div>
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Okay Saturday evening, letsbeavinu. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7uwY65fDg3FVJ8MkJ5QuZK?si=Bcr102b_S8unJaF6_IqyRw" target="_blank">Easy Life</a></b></span> sound like an updated version of Jamie T's debut album but if it were made in the Midlands and featured a saxophone. The five piece play <span style="color: blueviolet;">The Haunt at 18:30</span>. A short walk along to <span style="color: blueviolet;">Patterns (Upstairs) for 19:15</span> and you'll find yourself stumbling in on <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5uFYTjy2eo09SfM5Z6m6kS?si=rBs4JdhjQTiud-kkozFVFw" target="_blank">Valeras</a></b></span>. As far as young British rock bands go, Valeras have to be one of the coolest you've never heard of. Not only are they all under 20 years old (maybe? sometimes birthdays happen) but they put quite a fun little twist on the indie/pop/rock thing which is a refreshing in this quite frankly over-saturated genre. From Patterns, cross the road and head down the pier to <span style="color: blueviolet;">Horatios for <b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/78CgVNlDQMvOVDIrRL84tJ?si=pwbUxNAqTZ2s6tzV_M4YWg" target="_blank">ALASKALASKA</a> </b>at 20:15</span>. The London based six-piece are described as off-kilter jazz/funk/R&B which has taken me right by surprise (alongside their latest single 'Meateater') because I 100% assumed that they were "just another indie band". (<b>Day Fly</b> also play again at The Walrus at 20:15 and it would be wrong of me not to note that.)</div>
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If Day Fly are the act I am the most excited to see at TGE then <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/62hBIrrKtkCUEBuV1HSKr5?si=3Wf2vlzoTOemz_4VUkjhCQ" target="_blank">Tom Tripp</a></b></span> comes in at a very close second. I know I shunned <span style="color: blueviolet;">The Old Market</span> yesterday but for Tom Tripp I am willing to go the literal distance to see his set from <span style="color: blueviolet;">21:15</span>. The tracks on Tripp's debut EP <i>RED</i>, are a prime example of how to do slick R&B with perfectly fitting vocals. Man I am hyped. If you aren't willing to walk all that way west, I beg you go and watch <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vApur54D4XetXX1xnIAKv?si=hNIBdFADQf2R8BwaIYys7Q" target="_blank">Nervus</a></b></span> instead who play at <span style="color: blueviolet;">21:30 at Sticky Mike's</span> (a venue otherwise omitted from this entire guide). A very cool rock band who have threatened to just press play on some pan pipes if you get on stage with them. Worth it, I'd say. My final pick for you all of the weekend are <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ZitSwtBSGqj00w11GvMU3?si=Ij4TjRkeQ9qBrcFAoGg80w" target="_blank">Now, Now</a></b></span>. An undoubtedly cool American duo on the verge of the release of their third album, I'm not sure why you'd want to end the structured part of the festival anywhere other than <span style="color: blueviolet;">The Arch at 22:00</span>.</div>
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<u>A quick round up of everything we planned today:</u></div>
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12:00 - <b>Teischa</b> - Dr Martens Stage</div>
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(12:40 - <b>Ecca Vandal</b> - Dr Martens Stage)</div>
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13:30 - <b>Superparka</b> - The Hope and Ruin</div>
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14:30 - <b>Crooked Teeth</b> - Queen's Hotel</div>
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15:30 - <b>Cuckoolander</b> - The Hope and Ruin</div>
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(17:00 - <b>The Faim </b>- Volks)</div>
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18:30 - <b>Easy Life</b> - The Haunt</div>
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19:15 - <b>Valeras</b> - Patterns (Upstairs)</div>
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20:15 - <b>ALASKALASKA</b> - Horatios</div>
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21:15 - <b>Tom Tripp</b> - The Old Market / 21:30 - Nervus - Sticky Mike's</div>
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22:00 - <b>Now, Now</b> - The Arch</div>
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Thanks so much for reading, I'll see you there, hit me up on Twitter @WIIHAMB if you fancy a beer or three xoxo</div>
WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-90116555666341962032018-05-15T18:45:00.000+01:002018-05-15T18:48:04.545+01:00The Great Escape 2018 Clashless Guide - Part Two: Friday<div style="text-align: justify;">
Part One, the guide to Thursday at The Great Escape 2018 is just <a href="http://bit.ly/TGE18Thu" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Day two, let's go, we busy out here. This is far shorter (it seems) in terms of word count to yesterday's guide, I'm not too sure why that is, but I can confirm the content is still great. (There's actually just less chat about getting from A to B, which is fine because you all know how to walk, congrats!)</div>
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<b>Weather Report:</b> Highs of 15 degrees Celcius, sunny intervals and breezy... no rain!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTY3XWcSdBO_sNf7l5FPJaKSK6rVCJI1WkLxeUETxY9MM1oZ9CJ9rgeGxWNfEBTpbBQdhyQty2nYJoWhYBpvCfAd30ERWga7rhHb8Ttd8hob6zPdivwIr-9UdnhO6w1TT-kXnySyF0qkD/s1600/TGE+Day+Fly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTY3XWcSdBO_sNf7l5FPJaKSK6rVCJI1WkLxeUETxY9MM1oZ9CJ9rgeGxWNfEBTpbBQdhyQty2nYJoWhYBpvCfAd30ERWga7rhHb8Ttd8hob6zPdivwIr-9UdnhO6w1TT-kXnySyF0qkD/s200/TGE+Day+Fly.jpg" width="200" /></a>It's an early start and for that I will not apologise. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2CICny47Mu3LqSCe1eu4g0?si=lBo9JBiXSYuIAWulohtZLA" target="_blank">Day Fly</a></b></span> are a duo, one of whom is based in The Netherlands, the other in the UK. They are (as of right now) the act I am most excited to see at The Great Escape please do not get it twisted. Think R&B, in a similar vein to Klyne, I guess, but with a bit more edge. If anybody is familiar with CVIRO & GXNXVS, that's where I'd place Day Fly. They're on at <span style="color: blueviolet;">12:15 in Komedia's Studio Bar</span>, don't be late. [<i>Update 12/05/2018: I took a break from this whole TGE thing to listen to Tyler's Cherry Bomb, you could find me doing this at this point on Friday as well, will keep you updated.] </i><span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/1O5IeYqvtwnWzlNq3Ux3jd?si=dIqdHVT5TOaeKPncH6MqaQ" target="_blank">Aeris Roves</a></b> is on at The Walrus at 15:00</span>. The south London based singer has only released two singles thus far (the second of which came out last Friday) but with both boasting production from Two Inch Punch, Aeris' take on pop and RnB makes him one to watch. Taking a punt on the next stop on this guide with <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5KNNVgR6LBIABRIomyCwKJ?si=_tlCxGFuQ_m2Td20jbA3XA" target="_blank">Dermot Kennedy</a></b> at 16:00 down at the Beach Club</span>. Kennedy does pop leaning guitar singer/songwriter stuff, but he does it quite well. I'll be gassed for this if his live set up isn't just him and a guitar, but even if it is he's still got a pretty hefty vocal.</div>
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Friday evening is always chaos at TGE so I've tried to pick out artists who are definitely worth watching. The first on my list is Australian alt-synth-pop human (yeah I just made that up) <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/3d7MqowTZa2bC5iy1JXLLt?si=mK0faO-sRfazCg8JlduHEQ" target="_blank">Hatchie</a></b></span> who plays her third and final TGE set at <span style="color: blueviolet;">18:00 at The Arch</span>. Next up eighteen year old German/Canadian but currently residing in The Netherlands <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vBrKGOjN10BMwB0cJADj4?si=dv6qolL-S8-uvPbZvo3i_A" target="_blank">Bulow</a></b></span> is a must see, playing <span style="color: blueviolet;">Wagner Hall at 19:00</span>. Her <i>Damaged Vol. 1</i> EP released at the end of last year contains a trio of pop hits that if released by an artist with a higher profile could have taken the world by storm. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2mHjhKyKCLh6MZELuCe1Es?si=LEkj9GroTsWHJUMqdv01Jg" target="_blank">Stella Donnelly</a></b></span> plays her second of three TGE sets at <span style="color: blueviolet;">19:45 inside the Unitarian Church</span>. There couldn't be a more fitting venue for the Australian singer/songwriter's heartfelt and angsty tone as she belts out the likes of 'Mechanical Bull' from her debut EP. Then for a complete change of pace it's <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2vik8lyw8WiALKMJK7C3hn?si=K19Mn7mfSXKwJLvQ8J7TMw" target="_blank">Ebenezer</a></b> downstairs in Patterns at 20:30</span>. Ebenezer blends hip hop, R&B and trap, emulating many of his American counterparts but using his North London roots to give his tracks a UK spin. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2zd9YxlsQvA5mkZ1NarYVQ?si=6QxY3usaQYmLBBH_EywgOw" target="_blank"><span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Miriam Byrant</b></span>'</a>s bio on the TGE website boasts that she is "one of the biggest artists on the Swedish music scene" and I guess that means we should all probably squeeze into <span style="color: blueviolet;">One Church at 21:30</span> to see her in action. Her latest single 'Black Car' definitely took Spotify playlists by storm and it doesn't take more than one listen to hear why the pop sphere is so excited by Bryant.</div>
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I've never seen <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/1KP6TWI40m7p3QBTU6u2xo?si=WcAhWstdTjO1einu9wcX7A" target="_blank">BØRNS</a></b></span> before and am thus fully commiting myself to his hour long set at <span style="color: blueviolet;">Coalition from 22:45</span>. I'd definitely recommend arriving early if you're also planning on seeing him, but I do also have some alternatives if you prefer your acts to be less well established. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2NArEZZRL1k5UK5p1PBife?si=OtxTJOIhQWCi051r0PWPfQ" target="_blank">Wild Front</a></b></span> play straight up indie pop at <span style="color: blueviolet;">Latest Music Bar at 22:15</span> and then you can stroll down to the end of the pier for <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hSgRl2U8kSaJLE2Di325f?si=LbI-TcMsSpSNaAOC_sv06w" target="_blank">Bad Sounds</a></b> at Horatios at 23:15</span>, who I'll now miss for a second year in a row. I think I'm contractually obliged to include one Domino band in this guide so this year's pick is <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5eUda4BaWhUQWWJiP1ml5v?si=n4ZD9DVDSF2ZG2Zdza77vg" target="_blank">Sorry</a></b>, 00:30 at The Haunt</span>. (<b>Superorganism</b> and <b>Tirzah</b> both also play on Friday but the former is at The Old Market *eye-roll* and I've no doubt there will be an abundance of time to see the latter in the coming months.) There's absolutely no excuse to head home early on this particular night as <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Q9c6ETFOkDDTy53U7DIgr?si=qUo5J3vET9a_64mjtQkvMA" target="_blank">Maximillian</a></b> plays at The Walrus at 01:15</span>. Yes, of course, every Nordic artist is great at pop music but in this current new wave Maximillian is one of the best.</div>
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<u>A quick round-up of what we've planned for Friday:</u></div>
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12:15 - <b>Day Fly</b> - Komedia Studio Bar</div>
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15:00 - <b>Aeris Roves</b> - The Walrus</div>
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16:00 - <b>Dermot Kennedy</b> - Beach Club</div>
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18:00 - <b>Hatchie</b> - The Arch</div>
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19:00 - <b>Bulow</b> - Wagner Hall</div>
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19:45 - <b>Stella Donnelly</b> - Unitarian Church</div>
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20:30 - <b>Ebenezer</b> - Patterns (Downstairs)</div>
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22:15 - <b>Wild Front</b> - Latest Music Bar</div>
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22:45 - <b>BORNS</b> - Coalition</div>
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23:15 - <b>Bad Sounds</b> - Horatio's</div>
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00:30 - <b>Sorry</b> - The Haunt</div>
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01:15 - <b>Maximillian</b> - The Walrus</div>
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The third and final guide will be here tomorrow, please ensure that you return for it.</div>
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WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-40251053627039204452018-05-14T18:30:00.000+01:002018-05-15T09:29:04.730+01:00The Great Escape 2018 Clashless Guide - Part One: Thursday<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Wow hello, hi. Yep, surprise, I'm still alive! Alive and back to bring everybody's favourite piece of annual WIIHAMB content: The Clashless Guide to The Great Escape. If you're new here, it's pretty self-explanatory but I'll run you through all three days of the UK's best festival for new music with who to see when and how to avoid being left outside in the inevitable cold. This has by far been the trickiest guide to put together of the three or so years of clashless guides, <b>but</b> at time of writing I am so much more ahead of schedule than I usually am, so you win some, you lose some.</div>
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<i>Update 10/05/2018: A big fat reminder to both myself and all of you that I hate writing, kill me.</i></div>
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As ever there are a bunch of new venues this year and I have absolutely no idea what the capacity or bar stock is like for any of them. There are three TGE stages on the actual beach which sounds like a logistical pebbly nightmare to me, Bau Wow looks like an attempt at a less sleazy Shoosh, and The Walrus refers to itself as labyrinthine, something that none of us need. There are my hot takes.</div>
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<b>Weather Report:</b> Highs of 14 degrees Celsius, sunny intervals and breezy... no rain...!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdG6iXeMyETCRjwppUr9NMUBtxNvSEz2g1qgdR8H6EJFopKCFhSmKGfX6_vWfirzr-WNysdirEwQJDjqvAeaxBbHPFLACX6sIRiv6532GsPXtw4TthAekgNKK4CTUcf_34lg6venWh9u0_/s1600/TGE+The+Faim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="640" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdG6iXeMyETCRjwppUr9NMUBtxNvSEz2g1qgdR8H6EJFopKCFhSmKGfX6_vWfirzr-WNysdirEwQJDjqvAeaxBbHPFLACX6sIRiv6532GsPXtw4TthAekgNKK4CTUcf_34lg6venWh9u0_/s200/TGE+The+Faim.jpg" width="200" /></a>Where this guide starts for you is obviously very dependent on your ETA into Brighton but I'd encourage you to make it sooner rather than later. I think <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2hPtxFv2Ftb7xGRdU76bOd?si=_94zUqgITCyve2GJXOb1rA" target="_blank">Sonny</a></b></span> was the first act we saw at TGE last year so how fitting that hopefully he'll be our first in 2018 too. Sonny will be taking to the stage in the <span style="color: blueviolet;">Marine Room (at Harbour Hotel) at 12:30</span> to ease you into the weekend. Next up are wildcard pick Glaswegian duo <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/3oX23qsyfFiuzyXDBbmhXO?si=dZF6mpj4SOi_MFQUQRWT6Q" target="_blank">LOVE SICK</a></b></span>. Their debut single 'Bullet' shows a fair amount of electro-pop potential and if any of the pair's unreleased material is close in quality they'll be worth checking out at <span style="color: blueviolet;">14:00 at The Walrus</span>. I rarely bother with "rock" bands at TGE (for absolutely no reason whatsoever) but <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VsU92soWFLtVsSP65rkrN?si=meDGbBKSQYmNWox0wbA3UA" target="_blank">The Faim</a></b></span> will be an exception to this unwritten rule. The Australian four piece channel the likes of Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco, and genuinely have a shout at being the scene's next big thing. Catch them at <span style="color: blueviolet;">Komedia at 14:50.</span></div>
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Continuing our journey north through Brighton, aptly named Canadian quartet <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ws5XBA70XgeBpnLZhQBoy?si=DQcANJxCQCSAD0cJwx0Nfg" target="_blank">The Beaches</a></b> play Green Door Store at 15:45</span>. With punk-esque garage pop being such a popular genre at the moment and so much to choose from, The Beaches could easily be one of the weekend's overlooked band's but I'd encourage you not to miss out. It'll need to be a brisk walk as soon as The Beaches are through down to... well... The <span style="color: blueviolet;">Beach Club</span>, one of TGE's new festival stages for opener <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2u6jNcpusijFS6ZzuWRwMv?si=5kIp9SdvT_O_lxle3c2w7A" target="_blank">Moss Kena</a></b> at 16:30</span>. Moss Kena delivers weird (I guess they call it "alternative") R&B at it's finest and although he's unlikely to be the last artist of this ilk you'll see over the weekend he is likely to be one of the best. Depending on how much you need a break <i>from it all</i> I have one final afternoon recommendation in the form of <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/4SdIXLzfabqU61iK7SnKAU?si=CsFSlnX-RzG_M52944rP3g" target="_blank">G Flip</a></b></span>, "multi-instrumentalist" Australian Georgia Flipo, at <span style="color: blueviolet;">17:30 also on the Beach Club stage</span>.</div>
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If you stayed down on The Beach for G Flip, hang around a little longer for <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Jx3W1wDYqtavhoppI2HUl?si=etPUl-GGQBiPeXeNjXfqAA" target="_blank">Tyne</a></b></span> over in the <span style="color: blueviolet;">Beach House at 18:00</span>. Quite similar in style to G Flip but with a string of singles under her belt and recently supported PVRIS across their latest European tour. Otherwise head down to <span style="color: blueviolet;">The Arch for 18:15</span> to catch <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Nu9BiGXLIAbTs0mrbsmRW?si=yZzw6HxfTRedPstGvoknIQ" target="_blank">Veronica Fusaro</a></b></span>. I have been infatuated with Fusaro since first hearing her new <i>Ice Cold</i> EP a few weeks ago. A must see. At this point I should mention that I will be ignoring the existence of <b>Pale Waves</b>; they're too big for this guide and to be honest, if you're UK based and haven't seen them yet you just don't really care that much, do you? And so up to the <span style="color: blueviolet;">Prince Albert</span> we go where at <span style="color: blueviolet;">19:30</span> you'll find <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/1yQxtOqAvQ6sDn20lnnqPu?si=jSrLe1-LQ56nSHX7KtdOfQ" target="_blank">Swimming Girls</a></b></span>. Only one of the four piece is actually a girl but that's okay although I've no knowledge on their capabilites in water. The band were forced together (not unlike Little Mix) at uni (quite unlike Little Mix) but you'd never tell because as far as indie pop goes the likes of Pale Waves should feel rivalled.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJE7EYn3pD1HmrpDhcQfoxLCjzk6OLDAl-7hTCXhS1Jbg_qo-0_bRGPB82Gmz5fLIGK15X_EfhKiOIyOakWoqgAeyPAaALulwqhucYt6RmvPSSM3v4X3-QmNgstO95Z-8p3rtagSIhgZ_N/s1600/TGE+Rina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJE7EYn3pD1HmrpDhcQfoxLCjzk6OLDAl-7hTCXhS1Jbg_qo-0_bRGPB82Gmz5fLIGK15X_EfhKiOIyOakWoqgAeyPAaALulwqhucYt6RmvPSSM3v4X3-QmNgstO95Z-8p3rtagSIhgZ_N/s200/TGE+Rina.jpg" width="200" /></a>I'm fairly sure I at least tried to squeeze <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/40IuUXbYWhw6UcfU7hHmpM?si=iN4Y4cgRRFGjoAagyLVqmA" target="_blank">Raheem Bakare</a></b></span> into my guide for last year but I definitely did not get around to seeing him - the same mistake will not be made in 2018. It's back down to <span style="color: blueviolet;">Komedia's Studio Bar for 20:15</span> is essential for Bakare is the UK's answer to Gallant - yes, I went there. The first recommendation I have this weekend where there is the genuine possibility of not getting in is <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2KEqzdPS7M5YwGmiuPTdr5?si=ZEg7qxRvS1CnPtnRqFbZgg" target="_blank">Rina Sawayama</a></b></span>. Although she does play again on the Friday night, that's at Wagner Hall and capacity will be even more stupid than <span style="color: blueviolet;">Coalition</span>, so this is the one to go for. The Asian pop sensation isn't on until <span style="color: blueviolet;">21:15</span> so that's a whole half hour post-Raheem to secure a place at the front before we are slain by pop-royalty-to-be.</div>
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Entering Thursday night's home stretch, if you want to catch <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6c0mTNAxJxlp9HpKTUZwA8?si=Qc0agaHnQReOJD8zcnL38A" target="_blank">Alma</a></b></span> at 23:00 you'll need to get to <span style="color: blueviolet;">Wagner Hall</span> long before then to get the chance to make it inside. I'm dedicating myself to the beers (read: gluten free beer, or any other non-carbonated alcoholic drink... maybe I'm dedicating myself to shots?) this TGE and I wholeheartedly believe that at this time of night Alma will be perfect. Chasing highs, good vibes, etc etc. However if you're looking for something a little more mellow I'd like to suggest <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/21SqAOtuXFpwygK1GNxjTm?si=yKnFmtSxQVOb9Jkb_HYx0w" target="_blank">Auður</a></b></span>, who plays <span style="color: blueviolet;">The Walrus at 23:15</span>. Sure, it's more alt-R&B, but this time from Iceland, which is quite exciting because I just assumed everything from Iceland sounded like Bjork or Sigur Ros - it's not the case. Hop over to Bau Wow in time for <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7MbSdIkdgkwmVxObpCg87e?si=R9PjyfVaRqekVoY1UZdZPw" target="_blank">Eves Karydas</a></b> at 00:15</span>. She's originally from Cairns in Australia which has me gassed. I can't work out who else her brand of pop reminds me of but it's not the kind of thing I'll recommend anywhere else in this guide. Our final stop on Thursday night, if you're up for it, is <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/0NhKCHTPG7Sz62S3zxV1Cf?si=MH-TGo5BSfmPgArTRzOzFA" target="_blank">Ecca Vandal</a></b> up at Green Door Store at 01:15</span>. I predict it being a loud and audacious affair but I would also like to put in a request for a circle pit and maybe some stage-diving.</div>
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<u>A quick round-up of what we've planned so far:</u></div>
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12:30 - <b>Sonny </b>- Marine Room</div>
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14:00 - <b>LOVE SICK</b> - The Walrus</div>
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14:50 - <b>The Faim</b> - Komedia</div>
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15:45 - <b>The Beaches</b> - Green Door Store</div>
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16:30 - <b>Moss Kena</b> - Beach Club</div>
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17:30 - <b>G Flip</b> - Beach Club</div>
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18:00 - <b>Tyne </b>- Beach House / 18:15 - <b>Veronica Fusaro</b> - The Arch</div>
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19:30 - <b>Swimming Girls</b> - Prince Albert</div>
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20:15 - <b>Raheem Bakare</b> - Komedia</div>
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21:15 - <b>Rina Sawayama</b> - Coalition</div>
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23:00 - <b>Alma</b> - Wagner Hall / 23:15 - <b>Auður </b>- The Walrus</div>
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00:15 - <b>Eves Karydas</b> - Bau Wow</div>
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01:15 - <b>Ecca Vandal</b> - Green Door Store</div>
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Please, I beg, join me again same time (probably, hopefully) this time tomorrow for a run down of Friday's TGE must sees.<br />
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WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-6703520759771724262018-02-08T19:01:00.000+00:002018-02-09T13:13:00.848+00:00Last Week's Releases Today: Sing To Me, Child<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">It's Tuesday evening and I am very behind on this so let's just all hope for the best, shall we?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">"All the pop singles out this week are great", y'all said, "it's a lovely time". Well, if that's the case how come it has taken me an entire extra day to post this? Huh? Hmm thought so.</span></span></div>
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The real shock this week is that my favourite song has come from young duo <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Let's Eat Grandma</b></span> who I quite frankly could not stand throughout their debut album cycle. <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Hot Pink'</span>, although as quirky as what they were doing before, is far more cohesive than any of it's LEG (what an acronym) predecessors. It's taken a week for me to work it out, but instrumentally the verses on this track sound like something straight out of Oceaan's catalogue and I am <b>pining</b> for Oceaan so that's where I'm at here. I would fucking love if everything this pair do in between ALevels and GCSEs etc sounds like this from now on. Holy shit okay I've just seen that SOPHIE co-wrote and produced this and I'm not sure if that makes my feelings towards 'Hot Pink' more or less mad because I'm <i>actually</i> not that into SOPHIE but there we damn well go.</div>
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My second favourite song this week is another pretty rando choice in the form of <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Trinidad Cardon</b>'s 'Dinero'</span>. A hit. A banger. Sing to me, child. This kid has the prettiest damn face I've ever seen. 'Dinero' is good for many reasons, but mostly because it takes this latin/reggaeton craze, tones it down to sound younger and fresher and then gives it all a Caribbean twist. That is the shittiest sentence I've written this year but it's all true. Also this is a damn sight better than his breakout 'Jennifer'.</div>
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Where dance and electronic things are concerned: <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>3LAU</b></span> continues to truly do the most on <span style="color: blueviolet;">'On My Own'</span> with the enlisted vocal of Nevve. There are two notes in this track that sound lifted from an 00's song and I can't work out what it is, so answers on a postcard please. I think <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Just Kiddin</b></span> are good and all they need is to catch a bit of a break; <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Indiana'</span> could very feasibly do that for them. No idea who does the ol' vox on this but I would quite like to know if anybody is willing to share that information with me. Me ol' mate <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Scott Quinn</b></span> has joined <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Set Mo</b></span> (... nope, me neither) for a foray into dance music on a song titled <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Nightmares'</span> and you know what lads, it bloody works, it does.</div>
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<span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>JMSN</b></span> is back again. Does this man ever rest? His new single is called <span style="color: blueviolet;">'So Badly'</span>, you don't need me to tell you that it's good. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Sam Wills</b></span>, a man who I frequently get confused with other men who have average stage names, has a new single called <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Kool Aid'</span>. It's very "okay and inoffensive" until the chorus where it gets good. In fact, it's just that "kool aid in the water" line. Excellent content. At least... I think that's what he's saying? <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Josie Dunne</b></span> is brand new (I assume) and this is her debut single (I assume) <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Old School'</span>, it's very nice, it's very L Devine, but there is strong potential here for her as a musical artist. I'm possibly embarrassed that I like <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Doja Cat</b>'s 'Roll With Us'</span>. I sure as hell might get fed up with it very soon but for now I like it. I'm definitely embarrassed that I like <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>The Mowgli</b>'s 'Real Good Life'</span>, but what can we do? </div>
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February has finally brought us some albums worth talking about. All of the singles on <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Don Broco</b>'s <i>Technology</i></span> are great, but the rest of the album doesn't quite live up to the hits on their previous two full lengths. South Korea is shaking in the wake of a new album from EXO and a repackaged album situation from Red Velvet. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>EXO</b>'s <i>COUNTDOWN</i></span> is packed with wall to wall bangers and I would highly recommend; the <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Red Velvet</b></span> thing was far less "for me" but opener 'Bad Boys' is pretty fun. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Julie Bergan</b></span>'s debut album <span style="color: blueviolet;"><i>Turn On The Lights</i></span> is totally fine, undoubtedly there are hits throughout, but the whole drop for chorus thing gets a bit tiresome after a while. You can check the songs I deemed to be the best from these albums (and more) on the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/5e9wBOcDQsA5qOlbcZo9MN?si=pek_VzrhTp6dw6zGoEsXag" target="_blank">WIIHAMB Q1 playlist</a> which I finally decided was worthy of making public this week.</div>
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All the songs I've mentioned can be found in my Keep It 2018 playlist <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/6HgHnO3P9rfjcoJZbaCuZ9?si=v2AjFDv1RKC1BtNXjJl-fg" target="_blank">here</a> and below.
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Wow so literally nobody is reading these. Anyway, humans released some songs I actually liked this week which was good of them to do. Let's get into it.</div>
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Last year when <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Harrison Brome</b></span> released 'Body High' I commended his ability to sing the word "pussy" in the first verse and not make me recoil in horror. I thought this might be a one off but this man could possibly be the only man on the planet who doesn't repulse me by singing about sex. I implore you to also not be offended in the slightest by his new single <span style="color: blueviolet;">'9 to 5'</span>. Another track that I definitely had the potential to hate is <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Johnny Balik</b>'s 'Honey'</span>. I don't know what kept me from skipping over this in the first minute but somehow this faux folk pop song goes in a subtle direction away from the Anthony and the Johnson's norm I was expecting. Mad impressed with everything that happens on 'Honey'.</div>
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<span style="color: blueviolet;">'Fake Nice'</span>, the new single from <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>The Aces</b></span>, is quite good. The Aces actually sound quite like Friends but a bit more indie and a bit less synth. I should have got myself more hype over what they were doing last year, but I'm here for it now. Let's chat about a couple more bands/groups since we're here. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Teenage Wrist</b></span> who I have literally never heard of before put out a track called 'Dweeb' and I am now fully hype. It's extremely rare that I care for rock music at this point in my life so I'm quite pleased to have stumbled upon something I like the sound of so much. They have an album on the way soon, I think, maybe I read that somewhere? I want to say March but I'm not sure. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>The Age Of L.U.N.A.</b></span> are back again, which I really admire. Their new single is called <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Maybe Yeah'</span> and it's such a chill R&B meets hip hop masterclass; I am a fan.</div>
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I'm sure we're all very grateful that the new <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Justin Timberlake</b></span> album is now imminent so the confusion about the <i>Man Of The Woods</i> era can finally be put to bed after the release of last week's third and final pre-album single <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Say Something'</span> with country man Chris Stapleton. It's actually fine but what the hell is going on? In other instant grat news there is another track from Jonny Craig's <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Slaves</b></span> (US) titled <span style="color: blueviolet;">'I Know a Lot of Artists'</span>. It's a bit better than the previous song we were drip fed and I'll be honest I am looking forward to the release of their forthcoming album in a fortnight's time.</div>
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The final four... all collaborations weirdly. This <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Zedd</b></span> single featuring Grey and Maren Morris, <span style="color: blueviolet;">'The Middle'</span>, is good but it does maybe sound a bit too similar to 'Stay' and if you told me that the vocals were actually Alessia Cara again I probably wouldn't bat an eyelid. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Tom Misch and Loyle Carner</b></span> are back together again on <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Water Baby'</span>. I generally just don't really get on with Loyle Carner's vocal but I'm a fan of this track. Tom Misch is good and is actually at a fairly unbelievable level of popularity generally. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Shallou and Riah</b></span> (nope, me neither) have done a nice little collab on a track called <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Lies'</span>. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Joel Baker</b></span> has unleashed the full studio version of <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Worry About Me'</span> which is good apart from the Sneakbo verse which I really hate. Baker continues to be one of the best songwriter storytellers of our generation, however, and for that I am pleased.</div>
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Wow look we made it through January and albums were trash literally the whole time. Over 'em to be honest.</div>
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All the songs I've mentioned can be found in my Keep It 2018 playlist <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/6HgHnO3P9rfjcoJZbaCuZ9?si=v2AjFDv1RKC1BtNXjJl-fg" target="_blank">here</a> and below.</div>
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I trawled through no less than 173 songs on my compiled NMF playlist this week and the lack of quality was absolutely unbelievable. Somehow I have had the will power to find the roses between the thorns but they are few and far between.</div>
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I've been having a really tough time over the past fortnight with this new <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Justin Timberlake</b></span> era. It's extremely confused, and whilst I've never been a proper fan this cycle surely doesn't sound as though it's about to turn me into one. I thought Pharrell might breathe some sense into <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Supplies'</span> but in fact he does the absolute opposite, his cameo in the music video further reinforcing that. I straight up just don't like whatever that first single was called... 'Filthy', that's one of those words that makes my skin crawl, but I could be persuaded into liking 'Supplies'. The star of this four minute shy mess is <b>that bridge</b>. Who put that there? Where did it come from? Why is it <i>here</i>? Can I call somebody to remove it from 'Supplies' and use it as the basis for a new song that would be undeniably actually good?</div>
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I'm still not actually sure I like any of the songs that are about to appear before you but lets, for the sake of this post, pretend I do. We'll start with the songs I think I might like the most. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Betty Who</b></span> is back and I was not expecting her around again so soon after an album last year. <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Ignore Me'</span> is just the right side of "sad but upbeat enough" and I am a fan. Possibly this years first recommendation from Bastien that I have liked is <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Lolo Zouaï</b>'s 'Blue'</span>. I read somewhere that Zouaï is French-Algerian... so naturally she does some singing en Francais on 'Blue'. It's quite a weird track over all, there's a lot that goes on, the structure and pacing moves about constantly but in an interesting rather than jarring way.</div>
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My own personal Spotify Release Radar threw up two rando as hell remixes (well, it threw up more than two but let's focus on what's good) that I am quite pleased with ~the algorithms~ for. The first, <span style="color: blueviolet;">Chromeo's remix of <b>Maroon 5</b>'s 'Wait'</span>. And I know what y'all thinkin', "wait, was this even a single? Wasn't that whole album campaign a mess? Why are you telling me about this?" Well, I don't know, yes it was, and because it's groove you didn't realise you needed. I was late to the Chromeo party, 'Jealous' was the first song of theirs that I eventually liked. Don't get mad, I'm here now. The second is far more niche and comes in the form of <span style="color: blueviolet;">Champion's remix of <b>Modestep</b>'s 'Higher'</span>. "Modestep? Is this 2012???" No, it's not. I'm still a big fan of Josh Friend's vocal and Champion's take on this track strips away the dubstep and replaces it all with a more pleasant drum 'n' bass sound.</div>
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Wow this post is still going. Okay. Other good things: <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>LIZ</b></span> has released a double A side single (hello, the 90s called) both singles on which are good but I think I prefer <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Queen Of Me'</span>, although it sounds a lot like Aanysa's 'Burn Break Crash'. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Nightmares On Wax</b></span>, who appears to be a man, has released a song with Sadie Walker, who appears to be a woman, by the name of <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Deep Shadows'</span>. I have been enjoying it. Other songs that I'm unsure I actually like but they've made it this far: <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Hello August</b>'s 'Wrong Chick'</span> and <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>The Wombats'</b> 'Cheetah Tongue'</span>. I quite like The Wombats a lot and I'd group them alongside The Subways in a Bands That Nobody Cares For Anymore But That Are Still Good category.</div>
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Oh, albums and EPs, God, okay. I didn't really like any of them. I'm holding on to three tracks from the latest <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Fall Out Boy</b></span> album. What they did on <i>Save Rock and Roll</i> was exciting but nothing has been anywhere near as good since then. And I liked the first half of <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Wafia</b>'s <i>VIII</i> EP</span>. Let's hope this paragraph starts to get more interesting as the weeks go on. The slowly expanding Q1 Library is <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/5e9wBOcDQsA5qOlbcZo9MN?si=SlYX0IfpQ_aPkYhmXZc4Xw" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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All the songs I've mentioned can be found in my Keep It 2018 playlist <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/6HgHnO3P9rfjcoJZbaCuZ9?si=v2AjFDv1RKC1BtNXjJl-fg" target="_blank">here</a> and below.</div>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/6HgHnO3P9rfjcoJZbaCuZ9" width="690"></iframe>WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-2836456590862156912018-01-17T19:11:00.000+00:002018-01-17T19:11:57.241+00:00Last Week's Releases Today: Daezed<div style="text-align: justify;">
Two weeks in a row. Are we ok hun? Probably not. Had something else to say but can't remember what so I guess we're good to go. (Spittin' bars like it's '04 or something.)<br />
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This week I am the most gassed about the grand return of Dae Zhen. Drew Lawrence a.k.a. Dae Zhen released what I reckoned was one of my favourite albums of 2014 - <i>Women & Wordplay</i>, which is still actually available for free <a href="https://daezhen.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. That collection of tracks was good four years ago, sure, but I'm not certain they stand up as well in 2018. All of this is by the by because <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Dae Zhen</b></span> has stepped it the fuck up with <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Hotline'</span>, his first single in what feels like forever. 'Hotline Bling' is cancelled, Drake is over, the telephone will never be the same again. Dae Zhen is good as a rapper, but I think he's possibly better as a singer - and this vocal is <b>so smooth</b>. I would be most grateful if somebody could give me the number for this hotline. Thanks.</div>
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In other news, #20GAYTEEN is off to an absolutely flying start with the return of both Australian pop prince Troye Sivan and lesbian princess Hayley Kiyoko. <span style="color: blueviolet;">'My My My!'</span> is absolutely everything I could want in a pop song at this juncture in my life. Maybe I'm uncomfortable about how much I now reckon I fancy <b style="color: blueviolet;">Troye Sivan</b>, but also maybe I'm just excited about the homoverload that a potential Troye x Brockhampton collaboration could be. Who can tell? As a song I don't think I like <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Hayley Kiyoko</b>'s 'Curious'</span> <i>that</i> much but the video, as are all her videos, is quite exceptional. There's a full on dance routine and everything. Oh my, (my) my outlook on the next twelve months has been vastly improved.</div>
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Speaking of grand returns, our ol' mate <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Emily Burns</b></span> is back (again) with another great song (again) called <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Bitch'</span>, which is quite a statement really, isn't it? Like, it's not 'Homewrecker' but it is very good and I hope we don't have another year for the follow up. My final favourite this week is a <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Kali Uchis, Tyler The Creator and Bootsy Collins</b></span> collab titled <span style="color: blueviolet;">'After The Storm'</span> that surely must have been written around the same time as 'See You Again' for Tyler's <i>Flower Boy</i>. The vibe is similar and there are cross-references in the lyrics, although I guess one could argue the tracks are a little too similar.</div>
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Songs I like that I might get fed up of soon but I can't really tell right now are as follows. My mild interest in country as a genre continues with <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Missy Lancaster</b>'s 'Heatwave'</span>. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>The Hunna</b></span> called have a new single <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Flickin' Your Hair'</span>. I know, I know, but I'm not finding it obtuse or offensive right at this moment however learning in this moment that it's "flickin'" and not "flicking" has made me a bit uneasy. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Atella</b>'s 'Alive'</span> is growing on me with every listen. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Folly Rae</b></span>, who I constantly forget I like, has teamed up with a man named "<span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>anton.</b></span>" for <span style="color: blueviolet;">'i need you here (cortado)'</span> which was co-written by new WIIHAMB fave LDevine. This looks like a Oliver Heldens thing where the instrumental existed in a public space and a man at a record label was like "GET A WOMAN TO SING OVER THIS". I am not mad about this at all, just an observation. And finally <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Alexanderson</b></span> (who I quite like and didn't realise for even one second before last week that he fronts XY&O) has teamed up with <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b> ADAL</b> </span>for a song by the name of <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Synthesize'</span> that is more than alright.</div>
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Last but not least let's very quickly gloss over albums and EPs released this week. They were pretty much all trash. The <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Skott</b></span> EP, <span style="color: blueviolet;"><i>Stay Off My Mind</i></span>, took me five days to process because I was so surprised that the songs were almost upbeat but then I discovered that really I only liked 'In The Mood' and the rest were actually not that good. The <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>BØRNS </b></span>album, <span style="color: blueviolet;"><i>Blue Madonna</i></span>, was a genuine shock to the system. It was good. It is good. Obviously I'm only holding on to four of the songs from it but overall I was impressed. I have started my <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/5e9wBOcDQsA5qOlbcZo9MN?si=wsSrsQ2qQdWzNDIre7Y5pQ" target="_blank">first library playlist for 2018</a> but currently it is just those four BØRNS songs.</div>
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All the other songs I've mentioned can be found in my Keep It 2018 playlist <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/6HgHnO3P9rfjcoJZbaCuZ9?si=v2AjFDv1RKC1BtNXjJl-fg" target="_blank">here</a> and below.</div>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/6HgHnO3P9rfjcoJZbaCuZ9" width="690"></iframe>WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-18749076605822758372018-01-10T17:30:00.000+00:002018-01-10T17:30:20.781+00:00Last Week's Releases Today: I Like Country Now<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">It's 00:19 on 7th January and fuck me if this goes live at any point over the next five days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Update: This morning, 9th January, I woke up after recording the first episode of The Podcast last night like, fuck I haven't got time for all these things.</span></div>
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I'm genuinely embracing the New Year, new me for 2018. I have absolutely no idea why. I don't expect these posts to last very long because of my commitment to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-danalysis-fantasy-premier-league/id1268445977?mt=2" target="_blank">The Podcast</a>, but you never know, do you?</div>
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However, I've cleared out my inbox, for real, and I've currently got a bit of time on my hands to listen to things multiple times in the space of one weekend to decide whether I actually like them or not. Everybody does these new music posts now, and the majority of humans write far better and with far more character than I do, so I won't bother discussing individual songs at length. I guess right now this is more a here are songs that are good that everybody else seems to have missed.</div>
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Also, playlists have changed a bit for 2018 because last year my Spotify profile turned into a hot mess and it was very confusing to navigate even for myself let alone for anybody else. So there is just this one playlist for singles throughout the entire year. No doubt I will take things out, move things about etc, and I'm thinking a quarterly (rather than monthly) library for albums/EPs. I'll deal with that when someone bothers releasing an album worth caring about. Afterthought: might actually put a note in about live shows in these. I go to a fair amount and never really talk about them. We'll think about it.</div>
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Let's go, let's go, let's go.</div>
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Video of the week (who the fuck do I think I am) is <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Don Broco</b>'s 'Come Out To LA'</span>. Thank God it looks like somebody is finally pumping money into this band, good on you SharpTone Records. This is approximately the trillionth single to be take from Don Broco's forthcoming third album. I've wanted drummer Matt Donnelly to do lead vocals for a very long time but, as pointed out by Dan (from The aforementioned Podcast), on 'Come Out To LA' Donnelly almost mimics frontman Rob Damiani's vocals rather than using his own style. This is by no means the best song we've heard from <i>Technology</i> so far, but the final third of this track is excellent and for that I am pleased.</div>
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Oh, I mentioned I like country now, instant grat track <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Contact High'</span> from "minnesota girl" <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Caitlyn Smith'</b>s</span> new album <i>Starfire</i> is very good. It's a pop song really, it's actually very much in the vein of music that Taylor Swift probably should be making but isn't. If I remember I'll listen to this album in a fortnight's time and I'm sure you can't wait to hear my thoughts on it.</div>
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I've heard the odd track from Bay Area based <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Ieuan</b></span> before but <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Honey Lavender'</span> is the first one that I've instantly enjoyed. A good pop song. The artwork is also terribly aesthetically pleasing and compliments WIIHAMB's current colour scheme very nicely. The other very good "pop song" from last week is <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Lilly Ahlberg</b>'s 'Bad Boys'</span> - an infectious little bop. This is only Ahlberg's second single (from what I can see on Spotify) and is quite the departure from piano ballad debut 'Love Is Like'.</div>
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<span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Mila J</b></span> (who I've never actually listened to before?) put out an honestly fairly bog standard EP of R&B songs but <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Coldest Shoulder In The West'</span> is a true gem amongst the other tracks. The majority of the song is just vocal and a surprisingly pop feeling guitar line. This is definitely a song that I would normally brand something I'd hate but it's really good.</div>
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Finally, <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Farida</b>'s 'You'</span> is very good. I have no idea what's going on at any point throughout <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Oskar Linnros'</b> 'Wifi (Remix)'</span>, mostly because it's all in Swedish, but I'm enjoying it with every play regardless. <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Kendrick Lamar</b></span>'s collaboration with SZA on Black Panther soundtrack cut <span style="color: blueviolet;">'All The Stars'</span> was the only major label release I really liked. And my unhealthy relationship with Jonny Craig continues as I pretend new single <span style="color: blueviolet;">'Patience Is The Virtue'</span> from his latest project, <span style="color: blueviolet;"><b>Slaves</b></span>, is far better than it is.</div>
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You can currently find all of these songs on my new <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/6HgHnO3P9rfjcoJZbaCuZ9" target="_blank">2018 playlist</a> - yay! Linked back there, embedded just down here. Follow it if you feel that way inclined.</div>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/6HgHnO3P9rfjcoJZbaCuZ9" width="690"></iframe>WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-87470703595350186052018-01-04T19:05:00.002+00:002018-01-04T22:09:33.068+00:00Tips For 2018 - The Venn Diagram Strikes Back<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello, and welcome to the third annual Tip List Venn Diagram. This year I welcome back four returning tip lists to the image itself - as always the BBC Sound Of long list and MTV Brand New's picks, but fitting tightly back in to the frame are the BRITS Critic's Choice Award nominees and the mammoth Vevo DSCVR list.<br />
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This year's esscentral picks (geddit? essential and central... never mind) are Sigrid, Pale Waves and Yxng Bane who appear on all three lists. This time last year Sigrid did not exist. Okay, well, she did, but not to any of us. Then <b>boom</b> one Friday in February she was everywhere. Island Records hyping and plastering a then 20 year old across every digital store and streaming service making her impossible to ignore. With all that in mind it's a bit silly that Sigrid is "one to watch" for 2018 because we're all already looking. Dirty Hit signing Pale Waves have made a stamp during 2017 as almost the female-fronted answer to label mates The 1975, whilst East London rapper Yxng Bane's UK top ten single 'Bestie' sees him claim a spot amongst the most tipped for the year ahead.</div>
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The BRITs Critic's Choice nominees are never usually ones to highlight over the other artists featured in the Venn but on this year's diagram they are definitely a source of interest. First and foremost, these illusive critics have chosen not one, not two, but three women who all happen to be women of colour. This follows last years all-white cast of nominees Rag'n'Bone Man, Dua Lipa and Anne-Marie, and 2018 is the first year to see no men nominated at all since the award format's inception back in 2009. So that's all well and good, but now we get to the interesting bit. As you can see, Mabel is the only one of the three appears on another list this year but you'd be fooled to think this is an oversight on everybody else's part. Mabel featured on both the BBC Sound and Blog Sound (R.I.P.) polls of 2016, Stefflon Don appeared on the BBC Sound poll and MTV Brand New's list for 2017, and whilst Jorja Smith was also picked for last year's BBC Sound poll she was also tipped by Apple Music for 2017. All three artists are definitely still "new" in the grand scheme of things and the trio will undoubtedly have impeccable success throughout 2018, but it's hard to deny that the BRITs aren't really opening anyone up to anything they haven't heard over the last six months.</div>
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Of the 32 unique artists in the diagram above an overwhelming percentage are solo acts. 85%, in fact. There are only five acts that feature more than one member on this diagram which is pretty insane. It also highlights our next big problem; where are the bands? I hate to go all Louis Tomlinson on you but the unfortunate dismissal of rock and indie persists for yet another year and is actually ignored in its entirety in the outlook for 2018. This isn't a massive surprise where MTV and the BRITs are concerned, but it's undoubtedly a problem for the BBC and it's a shame looking at Vevo who have been sure to include a rock band for each of their past years. But overall, 2018's Vevo Dscvr list seems to miss the mark a little, which, as someone who looks forward to their list every year, is quite disappointing.</div>
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On we trot to issue number three. There is an abundance of black representation across the board on these lists, and most notably courtesy of Vevo with seven of their 20 artists being of black origin. This is clearly not the problem. Last year, on <a href="https://bottlepop.podbean.com/e/episode-8-leo-kalyan/" target="_blank">this episode</a> of Tom Aspaul's Bottle Pop podcast (sorry, it doesn't appear to be on Apple Podcasts right now) Leo Kalyan explains that it's all well and good that there is all of this black representation but what about everybody from every other ethnic background on the planet? Without delving deep into the family history of everybody on this list Yaeji (Korean-American) and Superorganism vocalist Orono Noguchi (Japanese-American) are the only other obvious people of colour. As things go, I guess this is far more inclusive than one may expect but the genres spanned by the black artists on these lists aren't particularly vast by any stretch of the imagination. At this point I would actually like to highlight Vevo's inclusion of Colombian reggaeton singer/songwriter Feid which is quite the curveball but does make sense given reggaeton's surge in popularity over 2017.</div>
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Let's end on a high; who am I pleased to see on here? Both Alma and Billie Eilish are artists I feel very strongly about and it's no doubt that they will both have whirlwind 2018s - I'm hope for a debut album from them respectively too. I'm quite the fan of Au/Ra but I'm concerned this tip from Vevo has come just a little too early. The teenager has a huge amount of potential but I don't think her songwriting capability is mature enough yet to rub shoulders with some of her tip list peers. This was the first time I'd listened to London based eighteen year old Col3trane and of the artists I hadn't heard much (if anything) from before, he was the one I thought could be the most exciting. The one other act I was very pleasantly surprised to see upon MTV Brand New's list is Bad Sounds. The duo put out two really promising EPs last year and their peculiar electro-indie-pop brings something a little fresher to the table and doesn't seem to take itself too seriously.</div>
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<b>But</b> I can not let one glaring omission from this diagram slide. Where are Brockhampton? The California based boyband are my one and only tip for TWENTYGAYTEEN, and putting my stan level to one side, I can't really understand why UK (and global, to be honest) publications don't seem to be paying them any attention. Off their own backs in 2017 the collective released three entire albums, each one building and improving on its predecessor, they're playing sold out shows across America and they're working on a feature length film. If this isn't boybands, pop music, hip hop, and gay representation in music flipped on it's head then I don't know what is.</div>
WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-22200021567726260982017-12-30T17:00:00.000+00:002017-12-30T17:04:27.258+00:00Album Of The Year 2017: 1. Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Not only has Tyler, The Creator taken WIIHAMB's Album of the Year slot for 2017, the rapper is also my artist of the year. Upon the release of <i>Cherry Bomb</i> two years ago I was prepared to stan, ready to hear my new favourite record. I came away in love with 'Fucking Perfect' and a big fan of 'Deathcamp' but that was all. With that in mind, an album that took the ideas behind those two tracks and built upon them was literally all I could have asked for. And that's what we got on <u>GRAMMY nominated</u> <i>Flower Boy.</i></div>
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There's a lot of speculation currently that Tyler's next record will be a "pop album" but it's baffling that anybody would think <i>Flower Boy</i> isn't already a pop album. In much the same way as I discussed about Brockhampton yesterday, Tyler has developed the ability to direct his album to the point where is hits the mark across pop, R&B and hip hop with seemingly little to no effort. On track two of <i>Flower Boy</i>, 'Where This Flower Blooms', Tyler not only talks about his growth and blossoming personally but also within his music and musical style. Where on <i>Cherry Bomb</i> so many of the tracks (Find Your Wings, Blow My Load) feel like overworked interludes, every track on <i>Flower Boy</i> feels like a song, even including album closing instrumental 'Enjoy Right Now, Today'.</div>
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An unavoidably clear observation of both <i>Cherry Bomb</i> and <i>Flower Boy</i> is the plethora of featured artists. On the former, these guests were littered throughout and made tracks feel oversaturated and unnecessarily complex. In contrast, every feature on <i>Flower Boy</i> fits each song perfectly, adding dynamics to the tracks yet never overshadowing Tyler himself. On 'Who Dat Boy', Tyler and A$AP Rocky take it in perfect turns on the verses, making for a seamless collaboration. Personally, Kali Uchis' vocals on 'See You Again' make for the best guest performance on the record. Her voice juxtaposing againt Tyler's sung vocals gives us a really raw sounding love song. Syd is an interesting vocal omission from <i>Flower Boy </i>considering her presence on <i>Cherry Bomb</i>; instead the only former Odd Future member we hear from is Frank Ocean (on '911/Mr. Lonely' and 'When this Flower Blooms'. Due to my sheer hatred of Lil Wayne, 'Droppin' Seeds' is the only track I don't like on this alum but as it clocks in at a mere 60 seconds I've found just pretending it doesn't exist is a great solution.</div>
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I guess what took me by surprise the most about <i>Flower Boy</i> was that I wasn't expecting Tyler, The Creator rapping and singing so openly about normal things that would affect a 26 year old. The state of sheer infatuation with another human being on 'See You Again', the apathy throughout 'Boredom' especially the line "my friends suck, fuck em, I'm over em", and the continued lack of companionship on '911/Mr Lonely'. I think all of these things are really important for young people listening to this album to hear. And I assume lyrically this wasn't just what I wasn't expecting, but not what anybody was really expecting. Hearing <i>Flower Boy </i>and associating that with the fact the maker of this album is fucking banned from the UK is absolutely baffling. It's important to note, though, that Tyler hasn't lost his more eccentric and erratic streak because we still hear that on both 'Who Dat Boy' and 'I Ain't Got Time!'. The contrast of those songs to the self-referential 'November' and 'Glitter' makes for a truly stunning record.</div>
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The growth of Tyler and his work throughout his string of studio albums is so clear and impressive. In terms of composition, lyrics and maturity it's genuinely surprising as to why mainstream media don't seem to show him a huge tonne of support. Even so, Tyler proved that he didn't really need it by reaching number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart and top ten in the UK. The final best thing about this album is that just when you think you're fed up of hearing the songs from it, Tyler goes and switches everything up and every note sounds new again. Most notably his <a href="https://www.npr.org/event/music/569203961/tyler-the-creator-tiny-desk-concert" target="_blank">NPR Tiny Desk Concert</a> is beautiful, fun and so enticing from start to finish - a must watch before 2017 is out, and a must repeat as often as you need to, just like <i>Flower Boy </i>itself.</div>
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WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-28644936126238324182017-12-29T17:45:00.000+00:002017-12-29T17:45:17.066+00:00Album Of The Year 2017: 2. Brockhampton - Saturation II<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>As I'm sure many of you know, Saturation is a trilogy, three albums released throughout 2017. In this post I'm taking an isolated look at the second album. I'll probably do a bit about why I prefer it over the other two at the end.</i><br />
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There is so much to talk about I do not even know where to start. Lord help me. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIrHJQn4-NE" target="_blank">This</a> Pigeons & Planes video really got me interested and mostly intrigued about what a group with this many active members could possibly be doing. This was quite shortly after the release of <i>Saturation II</i> and so I dived right in. I don't think that's something I would wholly recommend. There was a lot of the album that went straight over my head on first listen but enough that stood out (mostly courtesy of Bearface) to make me want to try it again. And so I did again, and again, and again.</div>
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I still don't know where to start so I'll jump straight in with those Bearface tracks that initially sucked me in, 'JESUS' right slap bang in the middle of the record featuring just Kevin Abstract and the aforementioned Irish singer, and the unforgettable album closer 'SUMMER' which see the vocalist go it alone. For anyone listening to Brockhampton for the first time these are by far the group's most accessible tracks (on <i>Saturation II </i>at least). They're both love songs verging on ballads with an undoubted root in pop. I guess they're the kind of songs that you'd want someone to write about you. They're also the kind of songs that shouldn't really work in the context of the rest of the album but they both fit seamlessly and I think that deserves a hell of a lot of praise.</div>
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"So what's the rest of the damn album like if it's not like this?" Well, it's fast paced, it's erratic, it's hectic, and it's complex. <i>Saturation II'</i>s opener 'GUMMY' storms out the traps with all of Brockhampton's rappers offering a verse alongside a glimpse of the earwormingly catchy hooks that seem to just pour out of the group throughout the album. Structure-wise, the following track 'QUEER' is similar but it's these incredible choruses that set all of the songs on the album apart. In a world where so many rappers have to dial-a-chorus from "upcoming female vocalist" it's refreshing to see a collective that can literally do everything themselves - and we hear this again on 'JELLO'.</div>
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A truly unsung hero of this group and this album is Joba. He adds these really subtle yet affective vocals on the outros of both 'JELLO' and 'GUMMY'. I guess you probably wouldn't notice if these outros didn't exist, but the fact they do really make these songs feel complete. During one part of the Saturation Documentary, Joba quite defiantly says that he's not a rapper but his verses on both 'SWAMP', 'TOKYO' and definitely on 'SWEET' nigh on prove that to be false. 'SWEET', actually, I think is a super important moment on this album. This is the pop song where any doubters could no longer possibly claim that Brockhampton aren't a boyband. The chorus is catchy as fuck, and each member sounds unique and brings something that's truly their own to the table. Alongside Bearface, on <i>Saturation II, </i>Merlyn Wood maybe delivers my other favourite verses and his section on 'SWEET' is possibly my overall <i>Saturation</i> highlight.</div>
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Brockhampton definitely helped me come to the conclusion this year that I prefer hip hop generally when it's not taking itself too seriously, which I think is totally fine, that's just when I enjoy it most. So naturally, tracks like fan favourite 'JUNKY' and 'FIGHT' aren't my favourites on the album but both of them are undoubtedly worth highlighting. These songs deal with important predjudices and social issues, Kevin Abstract discussing homophombia and Matt Champion rapping about rape culture on 'JUNKY', whilst Ameer Vann talks racism and racial prejudice in a really comprehensive manner on 'FIGHT'.</div>
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"So why <i>II</i> over <i>I </i>or <i>III</i>?" <i>Saturation II </i>was the first album I listened to and more often than not the first tracks I hear from any artists I end up becoming a long term fan of tend to be my favourites. When I did go back to <i>Saturation</i> I found the songs overall quite hard to connect with; the album just didn't make as much sense to me as <i>II </i>does. I'm slowly learning to like it now, with the exception of 'GOLD' and 'FACE' which I liked pretty much instantly. Justifying my choice of <i>II </i>over <i>III </i>is a little trickier and I guess it's probably just a time-span thing. I love a lot of the songs on <i>III</i> most notably 'BOOGIE', 'BLEACH' and 'RENTAL', but I think overall maybe Brockhampton's third effort this year doesn't hit the seamless mark quite like their second album does.</div>
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There's so much in terms of design and aesthetics that I haven't even touched on including Roberto's skits throughout the album, the track titles throughout the trilogy and the artwork. Everything mentioned in this post only begins to highlight that Brockhampton is so much more than a boyband. It's a movement.</div>
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WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-88598039957850184382017-12-28T17:45:00.000+00:002017-12-29T15:13:51.363+00:00Album Of The Year 2017: 3. Airling - Hard To Sleep, Easy To Dream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can not for the life of me work out exactly how Airling fell into my life this year, but my God am I glad she did. Prior to 2017 the only time I'd posted about Airling was with her feature on the Japanese Wallpaper track <a href="http://whatifihadamusicblog.tumblr.com/post/117531581452" target="_blank">'Forces'</a>, but I skipped over her first EP <i>Love Gracefully</i> and single 'Stallin' to land at her debut album, <i>Hard To Sleep, Easy To Dream</i>. I think that anybody who knows me would be surprised to hear how much I love this record especially with my near hatred for ballads and general downtemponess.</div>
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Airling, whose real life name is Hannah Shepherd, comes from Brisbane in good ol' Australia. This is why the man speaking relaxation prose throughout the album has an Australian accent. I actually hate these bits. I'm not a fan of interludes and skits or whatever generally, and I totally appreciate that what happens on these snippets is quite an original thing to slot into a pop album but it's not for me. And that's the beauty of the digital age, I can just delete them and pretend they don't exist - glory!</div>
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That aside, I think the songs on this album are absolutely incredible from start to finish. They're a beautiful, stunning amalgamation of pop and R&B. There are (what I've read as) recurring themes of lust and wanting to be wanted and wanting to be the best for someone else. Seeing as nobody I know actually reads this I'll tell you about the time during which this album came to me. There was a boy who I got pretty attached to. But this boy fucked 👏 me 👏 up 👏. Never have you ever had so many mixed signals from someone who actually, it transpired, didn't even give a shit about me as a friend. He's dead to me now. But this album got me at multiple points. I think the ability for one person to hear another person's experiences through their music and interpret it to fit what they're going through is completely nuts, but I guess it just happens sometimes.</div>
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There are so many highlights on this record that the entire album <b>is</b> a highlight. My personal favourite tracks, at least lyrically, are probably 'Move Me', 'Far Away' and 'Bloodshot Blue'. The use of Tom Iansek as a guest vocalist throughout <i>Hard To Sleep, Easy To Dream </i>is honestly some kind of genius - subtle yet so effective. Similarly Fractures' Mark Zito's vocals on 'Vessel' makes for an absolutely dreamy collaboration. This record is genuinely a delight from end to end and I haven't much more to say on it than that.</div>
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WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-27046240816937056872017-12-20T19:48:00.000+00:002017-12-20T19:48:03.014+00:00Song Of The Year 2017: The Top ThreeHi, long story short, I essentially had a breakdown and I've remembered I absolutely loathe writing, which has why it's taken me <b>so long</b> to finish this saga but here we are, please, read on.<br />
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<span style="color: #3300cc;">3. Dua Lipa - New Rules</span></h3>
I remember vividly listening through to Dua Lipa's many-a-time delayed debut self-titled album, finally getting past all of the singles that had been released before the summer and reaching track ten. I had so many questions but the most prominent ones were "why is this buried in the thick of this album?" and "why on earth hasn't this been a single already?" It's honestly an instant hit. As discussed at number seven of this countdown, counting in songs is very fun because it's something everybody knows how to do. And here lies the ingenious of Dua and the 'New Rules'. The other incredible aspect of this song is that it is right up there with the greatest Anti Fuck Boy Anthems of all time, and it truly is a message that everybody on the planet of dating age really needs to hear. The writing team for 'New Rules' features the insanely talented pop hero Emily Warren alongside Caroline Alin and Ian Kirkpatrick. Finally, 'New Rules' served us up one of the greatest music videos of 2017 with its rainbow of pastels and slick choreography.<br />
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<span style="color: #3300cc;">2. CNCO and Little Mix - Reggaetón Lento (Remix)</span></h3>
Honestly, the fucking state of CNCO's 'Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos)' pre-remix. Vocally it's absolutely fine but in terms of instrumentation it leaves a hell of a lot to be desired. Thank God for who ever at Syco picked this out and gave it the treatment it was in dire need of. The Little Mix remix is, as remixes usually are, far more club ready than the original but also contains a hell load more chart and mainstream appeal; not to mention everything production-wise just sounds <b>so much</b> cleaner. The most impressive aspect of 'Reggaetón Lento (Remix)' comes thanks to whomstever handpicked which lyrical/vocal aspects of the original song to keep to the extent where anyone could be fooled into thinking this <i>was</i> the original track. Vocally all four of Little Mix are absolutely perfect for this song and I don't have another word to say on that matter. The video... I can't decide if Little Mix and CNCO filmed at different times (on different locations?) but even if that's not true I'm not a fan of videos that look like it could be the case.<br />
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<span style="color: #3300cc;">1. French Montana feat Swae Lee - Unforgettable</span></h3>
Yes, so my song of the year. My favourite three minutes released in 2017 comes from a man who I think is one of the lamest rappers to break into pop music of recent. To be fair to Mr Montana, 'Unforgettable' definitely features his most bearable verses of the year, and even his random ad libs are alright. What really got me about 'Unforgettable' is that the instrumentation gets the faux-dancehall/dancehall pandering just right, and it doesn't try too hard, which is interesting considering that the beat was originally put forward for Drake's <i>Views</i>. Swae Lee, one half of Rae Sremmurd is who this song went to first (post-<i>Views</i> contention obviously) and I honestly can't fathom why this wasn't kept for the duo because at no point does it not sound like Swae's song. I guess that we can just be grateful that so much of his vocal has remained on the final version because he's honestly perfect for it. Genius have a 'The Making Of' series on YouTube and the video for '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw6epJTnlMs" target="_blank">Unforgettable</a>' truly got me invested in production - and fuck, how nerdy are producers!<br />
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<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="388" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CTFtOOh47oo" width="690"></iframe>WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-36181636305424017122017-12-14T18:30:00.000+00:002017-12-14T18:30:06.169+00:00Song Of The Year 2017: 4. Kelela - LMK<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="388" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ePi5BLJogyA" width="690"></iframe><br />
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Seeing Kelela live last week was actually what spurred me to write a songs of the year list alongside my albums for 2017. And obviously it was the point halfway through her set when she dropped 'LMK' that I thought "this is so damn great and not enough people are recognising that fact".</div>
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'LMK' was the first single taken from Kelela's latest album <i>Take Me Apart, </i>and I have absolutely no doubt that for everybody involved in the process it was a no-brainer to put this track out first. The up-tempo-ness of 'LMK' isn't the most typical sound one might associate with Kelela but she's done it so well, this genuinely should have been a worldwide smash and it's mind-blowing that it wasn't. I don't personally relate to the lyrical themes throughout 'LMK' but I can definitely appreciate them and Kelela's delivery of them.</div>
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My favourite thing about this song is how true it stays to classic 90s R&B; there's so much homage paid to early Destiny's Child, Aaliyah, Brandy etc on 'LMK' and the authenticity of that shines through. And this isn't true of just the track itself, the Andrew Thomas Huang directed video takes me back to watching MTV when I was eight years old and being mesmerised by these colourful sassy clips with nightclub backdrops.</div>
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<br />WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-32455510384135610382017-12-13T17:30:00.000+00:002017-12-13T17:30:38.500+00:00Song Of The Year 2017: 5. Goldlink feat Brent Faiyaz, Shy Glizzy - Crew<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="388" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nhNqbe6QENY" width="690"></iframe><br />
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This is the first song on this list that I've actually written about before. Luckily for me that was at least nine months ago and I remember very little of what I wrote so I can plead ignorance when I re-hash everything I said before in this here end of year post. A disclaimer that this single was first released at the end of 2016 but I hadn't heard it and it didn't receive a video until March, and 'Crew' also featured on Goldlink's second album <i>At What Cost</i> which was also released in 2017. Thus, I rest my case on including this particular track in this rundown.<br />
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I've been a fan of Goldlink since I heard 'Sober Thoughts' a couple of years ago but it's upbeat tracks like that and 'Dance On Me' that I've tended to favour. I guess in terms of vibe 'Crew' is quite a stark contrast. I think the reason I like it as much as I do, you know, to include it in my songs of the year, is predominantly down to Brent Faiyaz.His chorus has gotta be up there with the catchiest of the year. The interesting thing is that Faiyaz doesn't really sound anything like he does on 'Crew' on his own material, which I guess is cool, that ability to adapt.<br />
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Something that I'm sure I'll write a lot more about when it comes to my albums of the year is how I've come to terms with exactly the kind of rap/hip hop that I actually like. Shy Glizzy's verse, which when I first heard it I thought was ridiculous, is now probably my favourite part of this track.
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WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-79763878015514501462017-12-13T12:30:00.000+00:002017-12-13T12:30:28.557+00:00Song Of The Year 2017: 6. Tove Lo - Disco Tits<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="388" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8RQDPwODja4" width="690"></iframe><br />
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Everything on the lead up to the release of this single made me think it was going to be absolutely atrocious. I'm not sure where my lack of faith or confidence came from but it was strong and unsettling. I guess the thought of anybody I like a lot releasing two full length albums in as many years have the potential to make me nervous. It shouldn't have done. From the very minute I pressed play I was convinced, won over, a believer in Tove Lo once again, and ashamed that for those few days I'd felt uncertain.</div>
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I admire Tove Lo's audacity to sing about things that popstars don't generally sing about. You know, being wet, your nipples being hard, and also pretty much every line on 'bitches' which features alongside 'Disco Tits' on the Swede's latest album <i>BLUE LIPS. </i>I think it's fun to hear words and phrases like this in a colloquial but not derogatory way, and it's important that a woman should be able to sing about this kind of stuff without being shunned for it. Sure, the tracks on this album then became less commercial radio friendly but it's 2017 and who really gives a fuck?</div>
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Two super mad things about 'Disco Tits'. Firstly, this song only has one verse. Yep, just the one. But it almost doesn't even notice. This song has the ability to pretty simply flip between verse and chorus numerous times without making itself feel repetitive which is honestly a feat in itself. The second thing is how absolutely nuts the video is; let's not gloss over that.<i> </i>The clip is directed by Tim Erem who has worked wonders on all the video footage for Tove Lo's <i>Lady Wood</i> campaign, but has also directed none other than Major Lazer's 'Lean On' <b>and</b> Rihanna's 'Work'.</div>
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WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-68981759175071643272017-12-12T17:30:00.000+00:002017-12-12T18:21:34.162+00:00Song Of The Year 2017: 7. Ingrid - 1234<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="388" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B1sPHGmz1JA" width="690"></iframe><br />
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Here's a nice niche one for you. The only explanation for how I found this track is that it must have been on Sweden's NMF playlist at the time and to be quite honest, thank God it was. '1234' has received next to no promo otherwise which is pretty poor form from Ingrid and her team given how great this single is.</div>
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'1234' was penned by four (as far as I can tell) relatively unknown Swedish writers including Swedish Disney star, Linnéa källström. And it encapsulates everything one could want from an extremely fun Nordic pop song. Where Swedish pop females are concerned, bar Tove Styrke and Tove Lo (stay tuned), they haven't had the greatest year which begs the question why an artist like Ingrid wasn't pushed a little further. It actually sounds like a poppier/more bubblegum amalgamation of some of Tove Styrke's tracks.</div>
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'1234' came out just after Samantha Urbani's song of the same title finally made its way to digital stores/streaming services and it was at that point I thought, surely it can't get better than this. Ingrid proved me wrong.The chorus absolutely slams. Has anything ever been more sing-along-able than counting? No. It literally hasn't. Everybody can count and almost everybody can also count in English. Other than that I'm not honestly sure what the lyrics are all about... getting someone who fancies you to dance? Regardless, I'd quite like for this to be played at my funeral. Thank you very much.<br />
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WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-11168480878167744812017-12-12T12:30:00.000+00:002017-12-12T12:30:05.498+00:00Song Of The Year 2017: 8. James Vickery - Alone<iframe frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/339151694&color=%23bcd6e4&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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Well, would you look at that. If it isn't great guy James Vickery with the second track from his debut EP <i>Complexion</i>. James sent me 'Alone' before its release and since I haven't spoken about it I thought I would share my reaction to said song. It was as follows: "Very INTO IT, the intro/outro is my fave bit. This hook is very good. Not even a chorus is it, just like one line over and over, it works. Songs without choruses really fucking me up this year." The other song I really liked that doesn't <i>really</i> have a chorus is Jakil's 'Every Time We Talk' which was genuinely pipped to the post by the tracks that did make this list.</div>
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'Alone' is produced by my favourite producer and in my opinion the UK's best producer (and also very long time WIIHAMB favourite), Maths Time Joy. This track is tight. It's that whole "whitespace" thing, when you're designing something. Less is more. And that really plays out well for 'Alone'. The first minute or so of this track is so minimalistic and it works effortlessly. In fact, let's discuss exactly what happens at 02:02 of 'Alone'. This is by far the greatest moment of this song and honestly it was exactly what I wanted from James Vickery post-'Epiphany' and 'Lately'. Everything drops out and then <b>that vocal</b>, the vocal we were all waiting for, slams back in. Glorious.</div>
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Another important, but niche, thing to note is that none of the tracks that Vickery has put out over the last year are longer than three minutes and twenty seconds which is truly the most optimal. People who don't take durations seriously aren't the types of people you should take seriously about music and that's the bottom line of this situation.</div>
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James has just announced his second London headline show. Tickets on Dice here. Come have a beer.</div>
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WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-75420359717003479262017-12-11T17:30:00.000+00:002017-12-11T20:04:32.427+00:00Song Of The Year 2017: 9. George FitzGerald - Burns<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="388" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XF8yMCsdp4o" width="690"></iframe>
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I started working at Domino Records sister company Double Six Rights this year. If you didn't know that, you know now. The Double Six roster is expansive, but the in-house Domino roster is pretty eclectic too. I'd say I've probably been fairly dismissive of Domino releases this year but I've started making more of an effort to listen to everything we put out. It's actually probably this song, that I have round the office been referring to as "the greatest song of all time", that spurred that.</div>
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I'll tell you exactly why I fell in love with 'Burns' so quickly. It's simple. It's that sample. Chopped and sampled vocals are by far my favourite thing in electronic music and to pull it off in such a clean manner is something I really admire. The vocal sample here is taken from a track by label mates Little Cub. Ten years or so ago I first heard Burial's 'Archangel'; I'd never heard (or realised I'd heard) sampling like it before and it genuinely changed my life. My outlook on music as a whole was completely flipped on its head and anything that calls back to that moment gets a yes from me.</div>
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What really sets 'Burns' apart, though, is FitzGerald's ability to build such an intense atmosphere in the space of four minutes starting out with a really short and basic sample. The escalation is so gradual and effortless that it's easy to not even notice the other elements bubbling under the surface until you're completely encapsulated in the midst of it all as the percussion kick in. I'm not one for sentimentality or sitting in dark rooms with nothing but my thoughts, but if I was, I'd be using 'Burns' to soundtrack just that. This is a masterpiece and a masterclass in how to do electronic music right.<br />
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WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-18300813399262462082017-12-11T12:30:00.000+00:002017-12-11T20:04:32.423+00:00Song Of The Year 2017: 10. William Singe - Rush<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="388" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vxPcTpXGOug" width="690"></iframe><br />
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The only YouTuber I stan. Unbelievably William Singe as a solo artist has flown under the radar again in 2017. I don't understand. Anyone not familiar with the YouTuber's work will have heard him as the featured vocalist on very short man Jonas Blue's 'Mama'. This was not a good song, but sure, it wasn't bad publicity for Singe. Aside from this, his primary game is really impressive YouTube covers and mash-ups, but back in February Singe released his debut "original" single 'Rush'.</div>
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Yep, you got me, 'Rush' isn't entirely original, but it features one of the best interpolations/samples that we've heard all year - and definitely a damn sight better than 'Look What You Made Me Do'. 'Rush' samples Jennifer Paige's 1998 bop and a half 'Crush'. It's in no way subtle but it works seemlessly. In fact, for someone who essentially puts their own spin on current chart hits and R&B classics as a day job, 'Rush' is a no-brainer in terms of being a Singe's first single.</div>
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The thing that truly cements 'Rush' in WIIHAMB's top ten singles this year is William Singe's vocal performance. It's a falsetto dreams are made of. And something really important is that Singe doesn't over-sing at all. I think that's super easy to do if you have a voice as good as his but there's no point during this song where Singe overdoes it and I think that deserves credit. The only thing that let Singe down in 2017 was that 'Rush' wasn't followed up by an EP or even another original single. Can't have it all, I guess.</div>
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'Rush' is a classic case of white girl pandering R&B but bite me, I love it.</div>
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WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-63166325141659975112017-11-17T14:35:00.002+00:002017-11-17T19:03:04.200+00:00Last Week's Releases Today: Wus Dis?<div style="text-align: justify;">
Long time no see. I've missed this. And us. And you.</div>
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A rare occasion where I've actually made it the whole way through my mega NMF playlist and managed to pick out some gems hiding amongst that awful Eminem and Beyonce collab and premature Christmas songs.</div>
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<span style="color: #3300cc;">bülow - Not A Love Song</span></h3>
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Oh yeah, it's one of those not love songs but actually it is. Gotcha. I've sussed it. Detective achievement unlocked. bülow is 17 years old and from The Netherlands. <i>Damaged Vol. 1</i>, the three track EP from which 'Not A Love Song' is taken is her first release of all time which is quite baffling actually because the tracks on it are impeccable. 'Not A Love Song' is the standout, however. It's fresh, it's honest and it's polished. bülow is a star in the making.</div>
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<span style="color: #3300cc;">Dance à la Plage - Wanna Move Like You</span></h3>
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Dance à la Plage have been a band for aaages, right? In some ways it doesn't even show. Maybe this happy guitar strumming indie-pop isn't the most popular genre right now, but if everyone was writing songs as catchy as 'Wanna Move Like You' it surely would be. This track is simple, for sure, but it does the job so well adding anything else to the pot would surely ruin it. I've no idea what this band are up to at the moment but I can only hope there's more of this.</div>
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<span style="color: #3300cc;">Ernest K. - Trouble Wth Us</span></h3>
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Being a rapper and also singing well is something that I think a lot of people who try to do that fail at. Ernest K. is not one of those people. 'Trouble With Us' is the opening track from the Nashville based artist's debut self-titled EP. It's important to note that this track isn't by any stretch groundbreaking but it surely must be a sign of good things to come. Take that and combine it with the fact that all three songs on this release sound completely different, and it's fair to say Ernest K. might be one to keep an eye on.</div>
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<span style="color: #3300cc;">Kim Petras - Slow It Down</span></h3>
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Kim Petras' vocals sound like a mixture between Tove Lo's and Charli XCX's. Before the Google search I literally just performed I had no idea who she was but I'm a big fan of disassociating music with the people performing/writing it. There's a lot of Dr Luke affiliation here but if there is the capacity to ignore all of that, 'Slow It Down' is a bop.</div>
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<span style="color: #3300cc;">Petit Biscuit feat Lido - Problems</span></h3>
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Petit Biscuit is a genuinely terrible stage name but I have the capacity to look past that if you're creating songs that sound like this. The French producer has teamed up with Norwegian artist Lido on 'Problems', taken from Petit Biscuit's recently released debut album. I don't have any idea what the lyrics in this song are about, especially during the pre-chorus - something about hi-hats and pineapples? It doesn't matter at all though, really, because the track sounds so nice and Lido's vocals work so effortlessly.</div>
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="388" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/354224399&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>WhatIfIHadAMusicBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12293989299822837681noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329555205793452827.post-38090954419838100382017-07-17T18:15:00.000+01:002017-07-17T18:15:09.595+01:00Lune - L$D<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MrzulnFVRfZS-wk3-Pvd5EWuUS2rFzQfZipNKjUJ-GDmNJD43FkXL1Vyr1G_JHU6nPoN9e58XNMGDYekpQzpbgm9UA3oEvdzWOSgMsD6rLaaCPF7sJancaHioNJQOGxMAVPoCx_-CQHF/s1600/Lune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="340" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MrzulnFVRfZS-wk3-Pvd5EWuUS2rFzQfZipNKjUJ-GDmNJD43FkXL1Vyr1G_JHU6nPoN9e58XNMGDYekpQzpbgm9UA3oEvdzWOSgMsD6rLaaCPF7sJancaHioNJQOGxMAVPoCx_-CQHF/s200/Lune.jpg" width="200" /></a>Hi friends, I've been quiet lately, which is totally fine because I'm not overwhelmed by the notion of writing and blogging at the moment but I think it's important to sing something's praises when you think that something is really good. That's how I feel about Lune's cover of A$AP Rocky's 'L$D'. I'm a tremendous fan of covers as it is, you can view my Undeniably The Best Covers Ever playlist <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/whatifihadamusicblog/playlist/48AXNnC4MtCZDzstBx4rmQ" target="_blank">here</a>, but there are some things in particular about covers that I like the most and Lune pretty much ticks those boxes.</div>
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I don't know anything about Lune, I can't even decide if the Twitter account I think is her is actually her or not. But things I do know are that her real name is Linnéa Martinsson and she's Swedish. Shock! Something good is from Sweden. Anyway, this cover, right, is of a pretty bland track as far as A$AP Rocky's catalogue goes, like, I guess it's nice for hip hop artists to do something different but the original version of 'L$D' is pretty beige. And that's what makes Lune's version so mesmerising. She's taken a song that is pretty inconsequential in its original form and actually made it into a love song without really changing much about it. I'm also very against the altering of song lyric pronouns for the purpose of a cover and I absolutely adore how genuine Lune sounds when she's singing about this girl. Obviously I have no knowledge of her sexual preferences but as someone (classic me) who fell briefly in love with a girl I met for three days last weekend, I'm finding 'L$D' painfully relatable.</div>
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