Only a few days late, but finally April’s Project is done and dusted……a 1:130 scale model of The Cutty Sark.
To celebrate the fact, a youtube video….
Tag: youtube
The xx
As we reach the last few entries into the A-Z of New Music, coinciding with the end of term, I’m having trouble controlling the excitement. Today we have…..The xx.
Apparently The xx won the Mercury Prize in 2010, although I’m not quite sure how, considering that Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons and Villagers were also up for the prize in the same year. Having spent the last half-hour listening to The xx, quite a few of the tunes I recognise: ‘VCR’ and ‘intro’ definitely sound familiar. The xx surprised me slightly, their self-title debut album, xx, is full of atmospheric melodies, big beats and sullen vocals. Not an album to listen to when you want cheering up, but never the less it has something going for it, not exactly sure what, but something. Standout tracks for me: ‘Crytalised’, ‘Islands’ and ‘Basic Space’. It’s definitely a grower….
Overall, The xx, I’m pleased to say it gets a solid B…..
Today’s blog was brought to you by the letter X……
We Are the In Crowd
The A-Z of New Music reaches the 23rd letter of the alphabet, W, and thanks to @samayres1992……….We Are the In Crowd.
It has taken us 23 days to get some punk but we’ve made it, even if it is American pop punk rock. We Are the In Crowd are from the same mould as Paramore, All Time Low or actually any other group coming out of the States at the moment. In fact, that’s probably the problem, there is just too much of the American rocky-pop-punky stuff around at the moment.The tracks that I’ve heard off their latest album, Best Intentions, are actually quite good, it’s just that I’m not a great fan of the genre, I find at all too similar. Although, I did find this acoustic version of ‘Never Be What You Want’ which is OK……
Overall, I can take them or leave them, which is not probably what you want from a band…..
Today’s blog is brought to you by the letter W….
Veronica Falls
Despite the stack of marking that is staring at me, I’ve managed to get round to blogging, this shows the power of the A-Z of New Music. Today, thanks to @davidmarples, we have V………Veronica Falls.
There is no guessing what genre we have tonight, it’s full-on indie, no messing around with various amalgamations of sub-genres. There debut self-titled album, Veronica Falls, is crammed pack full of rhythmic indie pop tunes with catchy melodies and cheerful harmonies. Take a listen to, ‘Veronica Falls’, ‘Misery’ and ‘Beachy Head’, they probably sum-up the album. Although, you could argue we’ve heard it all before. I’m not sure if they’ve done enough to win me over. You decide, new single, ‘My Heart Beats’ was released this week….
Veronica Falls, CD borderline….
Today’s blog was brought to you by the letter V……
Urbantramper
We reach U in the A-Z of New Music, from New Zealand……Urbantramper.
Not entirely new I know, they’ve been going for a few years, and I’ve heard a few tracks in the past but never actually got round to giving them a proper listen. Well I’ve put that right today, in fact I even visited itunes and purchased the latest album, Rise and Ride Toward. Urbantramper I like. Genre? It could probably be described as folk-pop, it’s a great mix of tunes, you get ballads through to upbeat foot tappers. Favourites on the album: ‘Southern Hemisphere Blues’, ‘My Grand Plan’ and ‘A Warm Glowing Light’ to name just a few. Having listen to the album a couple of times I’ve decided I really like it. It’s simple and refreshing, well worth a listen….”eating broccoli is eating properly”….
Urbantramper, they get an A from me…
Today’s blog is brought to you by the letter U….
Two Wounded Birds
We reach T and finally have a plethora of new music to choose from, and the winner is…..Two Wounded Birds.
Two Wounded Birds are a four-piece from Margate, playing indie hop-pop and rock’n’roll, very much in the style of the Drums. There are plenty of the Shadows’ pinging guitars and some definite Beach Boys thrown in for good measure. So there we have it, Drums, Shadows and Beach Boys, quite a trio of bands. But don’t let that put you off, their sound is contemporary, a bit Vaccines-esque, only less ‘punky’, a bit Ramones like, only different. Take a listen to ‘All We Wanna Do’ and you’ll understand, call them ‘surf-rock’, or call them ‘retro’, it’s totally up to you, but take a listen, I think you might like.
Two Wounded Birds, get a solid B….
Today’s blog has been brought to you by the letter T……
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