Uplifting power pop songs are exactly why we love Kelly Clarkson, right? So listening to the new fourth album All I Ever Wanted from the American pop sensation I am overjoyed to hear this record full of the same.
The first song is also her first single from the album; My Life Would Suck Without You. The very first guitar riff is awfully reminiscent of the intro to arguably her most famous hit Since U Been Gone. As the song continues it is clear that Clarkson is still able to write ridiculously catchy, memorable pop hits.
She is not just a one trick pony however as it includes a fair share of slower tempo songs too, ‘Save You’ being one in particular which stands out. Even these slow songs only need one listen before you’re ears are completely hooked by Clarkson’s beautiful voice.
After listening to the album once through, I was left with a sweet taste in my mouth leaving me wanting more, resulting in at least two more full listens.
Warning: this album is seriously addictive.
The CD gets its official release in the UK on 9th March 2009.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Interview with The Virgins
I caught up with up and coming band The Virgins to ask them their opinions on their current manager and how important thier roles are. This was research for a feature I am writing about artists who decide to split from their management.
Do you enjoy having a manager?
Nick: Yes, we certainly enjoy having a manager. He is amazing; he's incredibly intelligent and extremely hard-working.
In your opinion, does it feel like you have less freedom because you have a manager?
Nick: No. Having a manager takes a lot of the business work off of our shoulders so that we have the freedom to concentrate on making music.
Would you like more freedom? What would you do with it?
Nick: I'm happy with the amount of freedom we have. We get paid to do what we love and to be ourselves; what's more free than that?
Do you feel managers are a necessary for bands in this modern age?
Nick: It is certainly necessary for us. But every band is different. Lots of bands like to do it all themselves because that's the way they are as people. So, as long as you have the interest and the energy to manage yourself, I don't think you need someone else.
Do you enjoy having a manager?
Nick: Yes, we certainly enjoy having a manager. He is amazing; he's incredibly intelligent and extremely hard-working.
In your opinion, does it feel like you have less freedom because you have a manager?
Nick: No. Having a manager takes a lot of the business work off of our shoulders so that we have the freedom to concentrate on making music.
Would you like more freedom? What would you do with it?
Nick: I'm happy with the amount of freedom we have. We get paid to do what we love and to be ourselves; what's more free than that?
Do you feel managers are a necessary for bands in this modern age?
Nick: It is certainly necessary for us. But every band is different. Lots of bands like to do it all themselves because that's the way they are as people. So, as long as you have the interest and the energy to manage yourself, I don't think you need someone else.
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Band Reunions: Money VS Love
Millions of post-emo rockers could be heard jumping with glee in their old drainpipe jeans last week as the rumour of a potential reunion of their teenage heroes, Blink-182, hit the media. Having had an amazing career spanning from 1992 to 2004, it looks like it may almost be time for all those broken teen hearts to finally be fixed once and for all as Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge finally start to speak again. Certainly not willing to reform before good relationships are built first and determined, if they do reform, to make this the most mind-blowing tour anyone has ever seen. This, of course creating a ridiculous amount of excitement among all fans.
While every Blink fan is left wondering and hoping for a while longer, there are plenty of other bands who have recently reunited which they could perhaps get back into instead. It seems that band reunions is definitely the new black as countless ‘classic oldies’ from the past drag their former selves into the modern age hoping to re-capture the imaginations and hearts of the music listening audience with one last stab at fame. However are all their reasons as clean cut as they want us to see? Is every band reunion simply occurring because they genuinely miss what they used to do, or are there sometimes ulterior motives?
There is no doubt that Take That definitely made the biggest comeback of the century in 2006. Still managing to floor fan girls with just the mere mention of their name, be it new young fans or those who remember them the first time round. Both albums released during their comeback; ‘Beautiful World’ and ‘Circus’ have both smashed the charts at number one and it doesn’t look like they’re stopping anytime soon. This is a band who love what they do. You can never seem to stop them from touring for one thing. Recently however, rumours have been spiralling that Robbie now wants to join the foursome again. Funny, how only now his solo career has hit rock bottom, he makes this suggestion. We all know you’re definitely in it for the money, Robbie.
Robbie’s not the only one with money on the mind though. The 90s pop sensation the Spice Girls reformed with a tour and a ‘Greatest Hits’ album. All seemingly innocent you’d say? Well no, not when Melanie ‘Sporty Spice’ Chisholm was adamant they would never reform. Though in 2007, not giving a real explanation, she told said that ‘A girl is allowed to change her mind’ (contactmusic.com, 2007). Yes, of course they are, especially when it involves over 30 million pounds, hmm?
If I was to mention every band which has reformed over the past five years I would be here for an age. It’s just a saddening sight to see the music industry, full of hard working musicians passionate about their songs, being plagued by money grabbing nobody’s of the 90s. Please, leave it to the people who care. Saying this though, I’m still holding out for an S Club 7 reunion…
While every Blink fan is left wondering and hoping for a while longer, there are plenty of other bands who have recently reunited which they could perhaps get back into instead. It seems that band reunions is definitely the new black as countless ‘classic oldies’ from the past drag their former selves into the modern age hoping to re-capture the imaginations and hearts of the music listening audience with one last stab at fame. However are all their reasons as clean cut as they want us to see? Is every band reunion simply occurring because they genuinely miss what they used to do, or are there sometimes ulterior motives?
There is no doubt that Take That definitely made the biggest comeback of the century in 2006. Still managing to floor fan girls with just the mere mention of their name, be it new young fans or those who remember them the first time round. Both albums released during their comeback; ‘Beautiful World’ and ‘Circus’ have both smashed the charts at number one and it doesn’t look like they’re stopping anytime soon. This is a band who love what they do. You can never seem to stop them from touring for one thing. Recently however, rumours have been spiralling that Robbie now wants to join the foursome again. Funny, how only now his solo career has hit rock bottom, he makes this suggestion. We all know you’re definitely in it for the money, Robbie.
Robbie’s not the only one with money on the mind though. The 90s pop sensation the Spice Girls reformed with a tour and a ‘Greatest Hits’ album. All seemingly innocent you’d say? Well no, not when Melanie ‘Sporty Spice’ Chisholm was adamant they would never reform. Though in 2007, not giving a real explanation, she told said that ‘A girl is allowed to change her mind’ (contactmusic.com, 2007). Yes, of course they are, especially when it involves over 30 million pounds, hmm?
If I was to mention every band which has reformed over the past five years I would be here for an age. It’s just a saddening sight to see the music industry, full of hard working musicians passionate about their songs, being plagued by money grabbing nobody’s of the 90s. Please, leave it to the people who care. Saying this though, I’m still holding out for an S Club 7 reunion…
YouTube Mashups
So there I was one night, innocently searching You Tube for my favourite new release from Katy Perry when something very interesting caught my eye. Under the ‘Related Videos’ section, I found myself faced with a bunch of mysterious looking videos. The first video I clicked on was someone attempting to mix Katy Perry’s ‘Hot N Cold’ together with Bloc Party’s ‘Banquet’. A ridiculous mix of songs you say? Well I’m afraid, in a strange, mashed up way, it definitely worked. Mixing together two songs I love, it created for me a new super tune, opening up my ears to a whole new form of music; the You Tube Mash Up.
Catching my imagination, I began to hunt down more of these mash-ups and to my surprise I found some truly amazing songs in the process. The best ones certainly seemed to emerge from two songs of completely different genres. There are so many amazing mash-ups floating about on there that I could listen to them all day, and probably will. It’s so hard to choose a favourite but one which certainly impressed me was Jay Z vs. The Verve ‘Bittersweet off Your Shoulder’. The strong rap from Jay Z somehow seemed less aggressive when played with The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’, adding an extra dimension of emotion to the song, which together created a new, catchy pop song. Genius!
This juxtaposition of two clashing worlds creates something innovative and new, breaking the boundaries of music snobbery and sticks two fingers up at those who believe genres must remain separate and rigid. The idea of overlapping lyrics and beats merging together into one totally dazzling tune is truly inspiring. Who would have thought that a few simply bored people sitting at their computers could create such pieces of musical brilliance, which could potentially change the face of music dramatically in a great way. If nothing else, mash-ups are totally fun to listen to, whether they are completely amazing or completely rubbish. Being able to listen to two songs in one also saves a bit of time, right?
Catching my imagination, I began to hunt down more of these mash-ups and to my surprise I found some truly amazing songs in the process. The best ones certainly seemed to emerge from two songs of completely different genres. There are so many amazing mash-ups floating about on there that I could listen to them all day, and probably will. It’s so hard to choose a favourite but one which certainly impressed me was Jay Z vs. The Verve ‘Bittersweet off Your Shoulder’. The strong rap from Jay Z somehow seemed less aggressive when played with The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’, adding an extra dimension of emotion to the song, which together created a new, catchy pop song. Genius!
This juxtaposition of two clashing worlds creates something innovative and new, breaking the boundaries of music snobbery and sticks two fingers up at those who believe genres must remain separate and rigid. The idea of overlapping lyrics and beats merging together into one totally dazzling tune is truly inspiring. Who would have thought that a few simply bored people sitting at their computers could create such pieces of musical brilliance, which could potentially change the face of music dramatically in a great way. If nothing else, mash-ups are totally fun to listen to, whether they are completely amazing or completely rubbish. Being able to listen to two songs in one also saves a bit of time, right?
Meeting the Kaiser Chiefs Southampton Guildhall 15.10.08
As the five-piece finished their performance for the crowd of Southampton it was time to move on to their next destination, Reading, but not before stopping to meet and greet 20 or so avid fans, standing outside patiently waiting for them until 1am.
To our surprise, each band member (completely sober, I must add) made sure they greeted all their fans and fulfilled their requests; one man clutching a signed collage of the band which he had made himself. I asked Nick (Hodgeson – Drummer) if meeting their fans and constantly having their photos taken ever became tedious, to which he replied ‘not at all! It’s always great to meet the fans!’ Not much of a rock n roll answer, you say? Something which took us even more by surprise was the comment made by Ricky (Wilson – Lead vocals) that he was ‘so tired. I just want to go and sleep!’ Despite this, he still stuck around for at least half and hour chatting to fans.
It seemed strange, such a worldwide successful band playing a small venue like Southampton Guildhall. We asked Peanut (Keyboard) for a reason; ‘I really like small venues. We played here (Guildhall) three years ago on the NME tour. As soon as I walked into this place today the memories came rushing back. It felt like it was yesterday.’
The main aim of these pre-tour shows is for the band to perform their new material live for the first time. I asked Nick if he was excited about the third album’s release this coming Monday (20th Oct 08) and he simply replied ‘Yeah, it’s gonna be good.’
So perhaps a little vague at times, the Kaiser Chiefs appear to have their feet firmly on the ground. Perhaps a few of their fellow indie stars should take note. For me, they are the nicest guys in rock at the moment.
To our surprise, each band member (completely sober, I must add) made sure they greeted all their fans and fulfilled their requests; one man clutching a signed collage of the band which he had made himself. I asked Nick (Hodgeson – Drummer) if meeting their fans and constantly having their photos taken ever became tedious, to which he replied ‘not at all! It’s always great to meet the fans!’ Not much of a rock n roll answer, you say? Something which took us even more by surprise was the comment made by Ricky (Wilson – Lead vocals) that he was ‘so tired. I just want to go and sleep!’ Despite this, he still stuck around for at least half and hour chatting to fans.
It seemed strange, such a worldwide successful band playing a small venue like Southampton Guildhall. We asked Peanut (Keyboard) for a reason; ‘I really like small venues. We played here (Guildhall) three years ago on the NME tour. As soon as I walked into this place today the memories came rushing back. It felt like it was yesterday.’
The main aim of these pre-tour shows is for the band to perform their new material live for the first time. I asked Nick if he was excited about the third album’s release this coming Monday (20th Oct 08) and he simply replied ‘Yeah, it’s gonna be good.’
So perhaps a little vague at times, the Kaiser Chiefs appear to have their feet firmly on the ground. Perhaps a few of their fellow indie stars should take note. For me, they are the nicest guys in rock at the moment.
Wise Children & Luke Leighfield - Hamptons, Southampton.
Drawn into Southampton’s local indie pub by the offer of free mince pies, the anticipation of the live music wasn’t too great, being only five pounds. As soon as the first band, Wise Children, began their performance all the negative expectations were blown away. A simple set up; two men and their acoustic guitars and a cello player, unusual in bands these days. The soft guitar riffs made me sit up and take notice, along with the gentle and meaningful lyrics which rolled out of Robin Warren-Adamson’s mouth. His style is reminiscent of Damien Rice, though with his own distinct voice.
Luke Leighfield was just as impressive, standing there with just a microphone and a keyboard. Singing about love and simply everyday observations, his choruses were the catchiest, hanging in my head for hours after seeing him. An impressive night of music for five pounds.
Luke Leighfield was just as impressive, standing there with just a microphone and a keyboard. Singing about love and simply everyday observations, his choruses were the catchiest, hanging in my head for hours after seeing him. An impressive night of music for five pounds.
Wet Paint - It Rots
Do we really need another samey indie band on the music scene? It seems the answer is yes, we do, as Wet Paint prepare to tour with Bloc Party after releasing their debut album. At first, the strong guitar sound and rugged voiced front man seemed a winning combination. If only it hadn’t been done so many times before, I would have been much more impressed. After listening to the whole album, I found myself less excited as each song played, sounding more and more like a poor man’s Cribs with very droned, similar note. Every song’s guitar riffs are so alike, it’s hard to distinguish one from another after a while. I think the answer is definitely no; we don’t need to hear another band like this on the music scene. Time for some originality, please.
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