It's that time again - time for a review of my favourite tracks this month! Today's blog post will, as always, showcase a real mixture of different tracks from different genres, so no matter what you're into, you should discover something that you like! Keep reading for short, snappy reviews of an acoustic remix, a French song from a French musical, a little-known (at least in the UK) cover of a famous hit, a piece of electronic-rock awesomeness and a YouTuber's musical video response to a vlog by another famous YouTuber (Basically, YouTube-ception!) ...Erm, yeah. I told you that there was going to be a real mixture of music!
#1 - 'Everlong (Acoustic)' by Foo Fighters
If you're looking for a song to relax to, then look no further! This acoustic rearrangement of the high-octane, loud and heavy hit 'Everlong' couldn't be further in tone from the original. With calm vocals, softly strummed chords and a quiet, consistent bassline, this track is more relaxing than a holiday in The Bahamas. Probably. In fact, I prefer this version to the original - the tender, serene sound of it fits the romantic lyrics a lot better than the all-guns-blazing single, and it sounds a lot different to anything else that Foo Fighters have produced, showcasing a rarely seen aspect of the band's sound.
#2 - 'Pour la Peine' - 1789 Les Amants de la Bastille
As someone who's more than a bit obsessed with the French Revolution, I could barely contain my excitement when I discovered that a new musical has been taking France by storm, based on that very subject! I've spent the last couple of weeks listening to the soundtrack from this musical nonstop, and I can definitely understand the hype that surrounds it across the Channel in France! 'Pour la Peine' is a fantastic example of what makes this musical so great - with a beautiful instrumental arrangement combining old and new sounds, perfect vocal harmonies and uplifting lyrics like "In the name of our free thinkers...We must be able / To change history", the track portrays the emotions and beliefs of 1789's revolutionaries perfectly, and it's a fantastic (and catchy) song that you can listen to again and again! (And feel free to use this blog to do so, as the song is embedded below!)
#3 - 'Video Games' - Louis Delort
A good cover is one that takes a song, and combines the feel of the original version with the individual sound of the cover artist. A great cover is one that makes you like a song that you never liked before. Louis Delort's cover of 'Video Games' does both of these things. I've never been a fan of Lana Del Ray's music, but when I heard Delort's cover of her hit single 'Video Games' I instantly fell in love with it! Delort's singing style is absolutely unique (and it's unsurprising that he managed to become a finalist on France's TV singing show 'The Voice: la plus belle voix') - there is a beautiful tone to his voice, and he sings every word, especially on this cover, as if he completely means it. His laid-back but emotional style captivates audiences and sounds completely unique. His cover of 'Video Games' shows his potential, and I have no doubt that the UK will be hearing from Louis Delort soon!
#4 - 'Professional Griefers' - Deadmau5 ft. Gerard Way
Everybody knows that moment when you hear a song on the radio, and you just HAVE to find out its name and listen to it again. And again. Well, that is exactly what happened when I first heard this phenomenal track from Deadmau5 on Radio 1 on Christmas Day. The song presents a blend of the high-octane party vibes found on the latest studio album of Gerard Way's famous rock band My Chemical Romance, with the cutting-edge electronic sounds pioneered by Deadmau5. The result? 4 minutes of electro-rock heaven.
#5 - 'Do It Anyway' - Liam Dryden
And on the topic of YouTube, I'm sure that many of you will remember the video posted by YouTube superstar charlieissocoollike a month ago, in which he told his audience of over 1,700,000 subscribers how much pressure he feels to create good content. This video, with the simple and honest title 'I'm Scared', has received literally hundreds of supportive video responses from other YouTubers. One of these responses was from littleradge (a.k.a. Liam Dryden), and was his cover of 'Do It Anyway' by Ben Folds Five. I love this song for two reasons. Firstly, it is musically amazing. Completely a cappella, Dryden's arrangement consists of up to nine videos of himself singing different parts of the song, layered on top of each other. The immense amount of meticulous planning, recording and editing that must have taken place to create this song is just mind-boggling. And the message of the song is even more inspiring. The lyrics appear to be based on the poem, also called 'Do It Anyway', by nun legend Mother Theresa, and they tell the listener to express themselves freely despite what others may think of them. My favourite lyric, and one which I think sums up the message of the song, is "You might put your love and trust on the line / It's risky, people love to tear that down but let 'em try / Do it anyway / Risk it anyway". And if you have any doubts at all about the awesomeness of this song, you can listen to it anyway, right here... (See what I did there?)
What tracks are 'Hot Right Now' in your world? Leave a comment below with your current top 5 and I may review some of them on this blog in the future!
PsyD
P.S. Huge thanks to everybody who has read this blog in 2012, and especially to the bands that have posted links to my reviews on Twitter, Facebook and other websites. It's great to see that people are enjoying reading my posts as much as I am writing them! I'll be back in 2013 with more reviews and articles on everything musical. Until then, have an awesome New Year, and thanks again for all of your support!
All the latest and greatest in the exciting, ever-changing world of music!
Friday, 28 December 2012
Friday, 21 December 2012
Canterbury: Heavy in the Day
As promised (a long, long time ago) here is my review of Canterbury's awesome album 'Heavy in the Day'!
Upon listening to Canterbury's debut album 'Heavy in the Day' for the first time back in September, my main thought was 'Why isn't this band massive yet?'. Months have passed since then, and I've been lucky enough to see the band live this month at The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent. The question still remains. So many bands create debut albums that sound too much like their influences and fail to create something new - But not Canterbury. Their music is like nothing that I've ever heard before - they have an individual, signature sound, and they put across this unique sound and energy on a live stage as well as they do on their fantastic album 'Heavy in the Day'. If you buy any album before this year ends, this is the one to get. You will not regret it, I promise!
Highlight of the album:
Pretty much every track on this album is outstanding, in my opinion, and most of the songs on 'Heavy in the Day' could easily be released as successful singles. My personal highlight is 'Calm Down', as this is the first Canterbury song that I heard - the song that made me think 'Wow, this band have got something special going on, I need to listen to some more of their songs'. It has killer riffs, a chorus that you can't help but sing along too, awesome vocal harmonies and it basically makes you want to get up and dance! 'Ready Yet?' is another similarly ace track - a three-minute-long rock song with swagger, anthemic choruses and a real display of that fresh sound that sets Canterbury apart from many other bands. But 'Heavy in the Day' is not just an upbeat, fast paced and anthemic rock album - Canterbury show completely different sides to their sound in tracks like the mysterious-sounding 'Garden Grows' and the slow-paced, romantic piece 'Gloria'. The album's title track 'Heavy In The Day' is also a musical masterpiece, and is perhaps one of the best-composed pieces on the entire album.
Lowlight of the album:
I love this album so much that I can't think of a particularly weak track! There aren't really any filler tracks on 'Heavy in the Day' - every song has great moments and each one adds something different to the album. My least favourite track is probably 'She's a Flame', just because I don't think that it showcases Canterbury's musical style and songwriting skills as well as the other songs on the album, as it's a little bit slow and repetitive compared to other tracks. Nonetheless, it's by no means a bad song!
For fans of:
Canterbury's sound is unique, and there's not one single band that I can really compare them to. 'Heavy in the Day' has moments reminiscent of Coldplay, ELO, and even The Beatles, but I cannot pin down a single band that Canterbury seem to be emulating in any way - they just sound like Canterbury!
Overall rating:
Rated A for AWESOME!
...And do you know what makes this album even better than the amazing calibre of music on it? The fact that Canterbury aren't even signed to a major label. Their music is their own. There are no music executives from 'the industry' in suits and ties telling them how to act or how to sound. Yet the album sounds completely professional - the production is second-to-none, the sound quality is crystal clear and basically, every track sounds bloody awesome. I know I've already said this but I'll say it again - Listen to this band. Remember the name of this band. You'll be hearing a lot more from them in the future.
(Also, on a side note, the band is actually made up of some pretty awesome blokes too, who seem to actually care about their fans! After their performance at The Sugarmill this month, Luke Prebble went out into the crowd as soon as the show had ended to meet fans, sign tickets and have photos taken. In fact, here's a pic of me and my friend @LaurenAshton94 meeting him after the gig...)
Thanks for reading my review! As I have some time off college now for Christmas, hopefully I'll get chance to post a few more articles over the coming weeks. Stay tuned to Superunknown!
PsyD
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| 'Heavy in the Day' album artwork, © Canterbury |
Highlight of the album:
Pretty much every track on this album is outstanding, in my opinion, and most of the songs on 'Heavy in the Day' could easily be released as successful singles. My personal highlight is 'Calm Down', as this is the first Canterbury song that I heard - the song that made me think 'Wow, this band have got something special going on, I need to listen to some more of their songs'. It has killer riffs, a chorus that you can't help but sing along too, awesome vocal harmonies and it basically makes you want to get up and dance! 'Ready Yet?' is another similarly ace track - a three-minute-long rock song with swagger, anthemic choruses and a real display of that fresh sound that sets Canterbury apart from many other bands. But 'Heavy in the Day' is not just an upbeat, fast paced and anthemic rock album - Canterbury show completely different sides to their sound in tracks like the mysterious-sounding 'Garden Grows' and the slow-paced, romantic piece 'Gloria'. The album's title track 'Heavy In The Day' is also a musical masterpiece, and is perhaps one of the best-composed pieces on the entire album.
Lowlight of the album:
I love this album so much that I can't think of a particularly weak track! There aren't really any filler tracks on 'Heavy in the Day' - every song has great moments and each one adds something different to the album. My least favourite track is probably 'She's a Flame', just because I don't think that it showcases Canterbury's musical style and songwriting skills as well as the other songs on the album, as it's a little bit slow and repetitive compared to other tracks. Nonetheless, it's by no means a bad song!
For fans of:
Canterbury's sound is unique, and there's not one single band that I can really compare them to. 'Heavy in the Day' has moments reminiscent of Coldplay, ELO, and even The Beatles, but I cannot pin down a single band that Canterbury seem to be emulating in any way - they just sound like Canterbury!
Overall rating:
Rated A for AWESOME!
...And do you know what makes this album even better than the amazing calibre of music on it? The fact that Canterbury aren't even signed to a major label. Their music is their own. There are no music executives from 'the industry' in suits and ties telling them how to act or how to sound. Yet the album sounds completely professional - the production is second-to-none, the sound quality is crystal clear and basically, every track sounds bloody awesome. I know I've already said this but I'll say it again - Listen to this band. Remember the name of this band. You'll be hearing a lot more from them in the future.
(Also, on a side note, the band is actually made up of some pretty awesome blokes too, who seem to actually care about their fans! After their performance at The Sugarmill this month, Luke Prebble went out into the crowd as soon as the show had ended to meet fans, sign tickets and have photos taken. In fact, here's a pic of me and my friend @LaurenAshton94 meeting him after the gig...)
PsyD
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