2014 Round Up: Favourite Albums

Lights

Little Machines

Favourites: Muscle Memory, How We Do It, Running With The Boys

Earning one of the top spots in my list is the beautiful synth-pop Little Machines. From start to finish it took me on a journey of the last year of my life in particular, sound tracking my trip around Europe for me to relive over and over when I got home. Lights' vocals are sweet and stunning as ever and the musical arrangements draw the very best from her previous albums whilst introducing new elements even on the equally as sublime bonus tracks. My original ramble described Little Machines as breathtaking and a masterpiece and honestly, I still stand by that. 

PVRIS

White Noise

Favourites: Holy, Ghosts, Let Them In

This album is what dreams are made of I swear to whatever higher entity there is up there. If I could write an album this would probably be it. If I could sing I would pick Lynn Gunn's voice. If I could pick someone to work on my album with it would be Blake Harnage. Honestly this has got to be the most impressive debut i've ever heard. PVRIS have found their sound and holy hell is it good. Everything about this album is so incredible I don't really have the right words for it, the only disappoint is that it ends. If you do just one more thing this year please, please, please make it listening to White Noise. 

We Are The In Crowd

Weird Kids

Favourites: Manners, Come Back Home, Reflections

After Best Intentions and seeing them live several times I was wondering whether the five piece would head into a more pop direction or if their second full length would be more punk and Weird Kids kind of does both. I don't think it's necessarily the music with We Are The In Crowd I think it is a lot to do with them. They've made an album which has honed in on their own unique sound that straddles both sides of the fence jumping back and forth for different songs and depending on the crowd. They sound better than ever and their future gets brighter looking every single day.

La Dispute

Rooms Of The House

Favourites: Woman (In Mirror), Stay Happy There, For Mayor In Splitsville
I can't think of any other band that sounds like La Dispute they're in their own league where they continue to make albums unaffected by what the rest of the music world is doing. Rooms Of The House continues to hit hard and beautifully and is verging into Deja Entendu worship worthy territory. 

The Pretty Reckless

Going To Hell

Favourites: Absolution, House On A Hill, Blame Me

Long awaited second offering from The Pretty Reckless exceeded my expectations. Light Me Up was brilliant but made a lot of people stick their noses in the air and I wasn't expecting Going To Hell to be able to change that but I think it did. Yes, in places there was crass immaturity but overall this album has something more to say than 'hey i'm high and underage but please have sex with me.' A couple of the songs are pretty hard hitting, musically they've changed it up a bit dabbling with different sounds and Taylor's vocals shine as ever. 

Moose Blood
I'll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time
Favourites: Cherry, Bukowski, Boston
ENGLAND HAVE THEIR VERY OWN BRAND NEW CIRCA YFW. There isn't much more to say about this really other than the album artwork is one of my favourite people shot by another one of my favourite people so there's that.

Transit

Joyride

Favourites: The Only One, Follow Me, Ignition & Friction
Transit have done it again. Joyride is yet another exceptional album that I will spin all summer long. I feel bad for people that don't understand their sound and the direction they're going in and can't see past their own ideas for the band because their sound is such a uniquely charming one.

You Me At Six

Cavalier Youth

Favourites: Forgive And Forget, Cold Night, Wild Ones

It took a long time for this album to grow on me. When I first heard it I thought all the songs sounded the same and they lacked any real feeling. Generic music with a generic emotion. Eventually though after listening to it so many times something about the way my brain perceived it changed. It's not Sinners Never Sleep and they were never going to write Sinners Never Sleep Part II because somewhere during that album cycle and the potential break up they grew up. And that's what Cavalier Youth is - a nostalgic, half terrified half hopeful collection of songs for darker summer days.

Taking Back Sunday

Happiness Is
Favourites: Better Homes And Gardens, All The Way, Nothing At All
I have a lot of time for Taking Back Sunday. For me, despite their line-up being anything but, their music has always been consistently fantastic and whatever stage I am at in my life it is always relevant and there for me to go back to. They are a safe place. Happiness Is hits all the emotions with its' sound progressing forward but somehow being more reminiscent of earlier Taking Back Sunday albums.  

Taylor Swift

1989

Favourites: Out Of The Woods, Bad Blood, New Romantics
Ah, Taylor Swift who knew that 2014 would be the year the world watched you learn and grow and turn into a kick butt fairy princess feminist icon? And as for 1989, whilst a lot of the older die hard fans are gutted by the disappearance of the country sound, as a sucker for synths I am completely in love with the synth pop direction. There's straight up love songs, songs blasting the shitty media and songs for shitty friends that all come with excellent vocals and synth goodness. Scattered throughout is a fairy tale theme and on the bonus track 'Wonderland' tips over and, obviously, plays a lot on Alice In Wonderland which made me positively giddy with joy.

Honourable Mentions:

Neck Deep / Wishful Thinking

Real Friends / Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing

Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties / We Don't Have Each Other

Charli XCX / Sucker

Tigers Jaw / Charmer

Modern Baseball / You're Gonna Miss It All

Yellowcard / Lift A Sail

New Found Glory / Resurrection

Natives / Indoor War

Bayside / Cult

Top Tunes: September

Lights - Lucky Ones

"Cause after all this time still don't know where we're going but look how far we've come and as long as you're just as lost as I am"

Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat

"I dream all year but they're not the sweet kind and the shivers move down my shoulder blades in double time"

We Are The In Crowd - Manners

"What do you see when you close your eyes? Do you sleep? I know you do and I'm not surprised while your ego keeps you warm"

You Me At Six - Forgive and Forget

"See, all of your demons became my demons, on your front line I fought. But we're oceans away, our glory days went up, went up in flames"

New Found Glory - Selfless

"Anxiety is a crippler, nothing meaner than loaded eyes followed by a smirk and a whisper"

YOUTUBE PLAYLIST

Album Review: Lights - Little Machines

Oh Lights, where do I begin with your latest masterpiece? When the first single 'Up We Go' was released it was just before my trip around Europe which i'd spent the entire year slaving away at work for. The lyrics struck me and I wondered whether you'd picked up the art of mind-reading and chosen to devour mine. I held a dance party in my mind to the delicious tune and screamed along as loud as my inner voice could possibly manage... I probably looked like i'd lost my marbles.
Fast forward to a tiny hostel room tucked away in a corner of Ljubljana where I was almost at the end of my trip. It was an incredible journey I went on but not the easiest. On a tough day I holed up under the sheets and discovered you'd put out 'Portal.' The simple yet stunning tune circled my mind and made my excitement for the full album tenfold. Again, it was like you'd strung together a series of beautiful words and made sense of this mess in my mind. Just a couple of weeks later I was home and listening to the two very different but equally fantastic songs on repeat when I stumbled across a live version of 'Running With The Boys.' The audio wasn't great but I could hear the general sound of the song well enough to know it was another perfect example of your synthy brilliance. I felt sick with nostalgia for all the summers past that disappeared as fast as the leaves fell off the trees, 'we were half this heavy and twice this loud,' lodged itself in my brain.

When Little Machines streamed all the way through I don't think I moved for days, only to hit the play button over and over when the album came to end. 'Same Sea' made me want to straight up dance with the funky vocal pattern and infectious chorus all 'ooohs' and stomping drums. Picturing myself driving in my beat up little car, windows down as 'Speeding' crooned through my speakers all laid back, carefree vibes. I was already 100% sure this was going to be one of my favourite albums this year, perhaps even ever, when 'Muscle Memory' got its turn to dazzle me. The groove on that song is unbe-bloody-lievable! My brain yelled 'I quit!' and my heart burst with pride and excitement for you. Your vocals are utter perfection even the harmonies have a special place in my heart. And don't even get me started on the lyrics... 'I grew used to being back here.' You've definitely been reading my mind.

The heaviness of the music matches the somber subject of 'Oil and Water' where your contrasting delicate to strong vocals risk outshining the sun. I don't know whether it was on purpose either but I love how there is contrast in your vocals like oil and water and, I'm guessing, the people the song is about. One minute we're speeding then we 'Slow Down' but by no means does my eagerness to blast this album at full volume all day, every day. The moody, steady pace initially reminded me of Siberia but then the lively chorus hit and I was thinking how tired my feet are going to get dancing away to this album. The bleeping synths and layered 'ooohs' on the bridge, whilst simple, emphasises the spirited chorus and makes it hit that bit harder on the final round. Twinkling, spiky synths and a thumping beat introduce 'Meteorites' that will no doubt be winding its way around everyone's heads long after listening with its groove almost as epic as on 'Muscle Memory.' 

Your vocals lead 'How We Do It' with such charm I found myself grinning at my computer screen and wishing I had this song to blast on the endless train journey's through Europe when we had 'nowhere to be.' In a lot of places Little Machines felt like the perfect soundtrack to my brief adventure - from the moment I decided to go right until now where I'm at home suffocating under my wanderlust - but 'How We Do It' tracks the time I was actually abroad. 'Don't Go Home Without Me' is effortlessly gorgeous, the emotion in your vocals could have hardened men choking on their tears.

The bonus tracks are just as bewitching as the main album starting with the fragility of 'Child' and the darker, restrained sound of 'Lucky Ones' both sharing lyrics that are once more so on point it's spooky. For a moment, when I first heard 'From All Sides,' I thought I was in a western film with the twanging guitars that soon led into a song unlike any other on this album. The synths beep, bop and jump; the vocals soar and it ends with all the electronics cutting off into acoustic loveliness that I didn't want to end.

From start to finish Little Machines is breathtaking. Technically, it's a fantastic electro-pop effort that should make it's mark in the world of synths and capture the attention of a whole new wave of fans drawn in by the undeniable spark of it. Personally this album - which fittingly was officially released on my birthday - has carved out a special place in my own 'petrified heart' that's rebelling against leaving my teen years behind and trying to find a way to be okay with being stuck back in a valley and not running free. With every listen it gets a little easier so Lights, thank you.

Top Tunes: August

Lights - Up We Go

"Here in a familiar place we got our heads down and we pretend its cause the night is dark and running out of space for us to run around but its a dead end and money's tight"

Paramore - The Only Exception @ Reading

Jimmy Eat World - The Middle @ Reading

A Day To Remember - End Of Me @ Reading

Tonight Alive - Lonely Girl @ Reading

YOUTUBE PLAYLIST

They Did A Song With Who? (Part Two)

Anavae, Arthur Walwin & Charlie Bass (Violet) - Closer

"You let one single string raise your head in the morning, give you an excuse and reason to be"

An absolute stormer of a song this track is a true showcase of british talent that we should be proud of. The harmonies between the three are so matched and with the music escalating into full on epic it's hard to believe these guys aren't an actual band that have been together forever.

Zedd featuring Hayley Williams - Stay The Night

"Hold your tongue and hear me out, I know that we were made to break so what? I don't mind"

With Miss Williams being one of my favourite vocalists and Zedd's song being ridiculously catchy it didn't take long for me to love this song.

Tonight Alive featuring Benji Madden - Breakdown

"You give me your reasons but i've heard them all before"

When they released their first album What Are You So Scared Of? the Aussie quintet spent a lot of time on the road capturing new fans with their charged blend of pop-punk. After spending some time off they got the opportunity to record a song with Benji.

Fall Out Boy featuring Elton John - Save Rock And Roll

"How'd it get to be only me? Like i'm the last damn kid still kicking that still believes"

The kind-of surprise announcement of Save Rock And Roll came with a lot of cool collabs with other artists but by far the most shocking was that of Elton John. The track in question shares it's name with the album and also happened to crush the Fall Out Boy fandom.

Lights featuring Coeur De Pirate - Peace Sign (Acoustic)

"We beckon so we can make amends and with the same flip of the hand we curse our friends"

When Lights announced the release of Siberia Acoustic it was a dream come true. There was always something about her music that just seemed perfect to be turned into an entire acoustic album and just like Jesse Lacey said i'm a sucker for anything acoustic. The acoustic version of Peace Sign is gorgeous with the reworking of the french giving the song a whole new sound that extends further than the acoustic. 

I Divide featuring Becca Need-Menear - 27 Down

"You can't wait to say it's not your fault somehow, you don't seem to understand the reason why things have to change"

Another example of up and coming british rock music to sink your teeth into and brag about when they become internationally stars.

PART ONE HERE

Top Tunes: April

Natives - Stand For Something

"And I can't carry on like this, even if my heart insists, I can't carry on like this"

Young Classics - Lungs
"It's like i'm walking with strangers, don't even know you anymore"

Inherit The Stars - Caught In The Crossfire
"We're not, we're not ever backing down, we won't ever let you rule this town"

Lights feat Owl City - Cactus In The Valley (Acoustic)
"So the storm finally found me and left me in the dark, in the cloud around me I don't know where you are"

Alkaline Trio - Until Death Do Us Part
"Did I lose everything that I love? I suppose that I did, when push came to shove"

YouTube Playlist

Top 5 Tunes This Week

Anavae - Ghosts In The Machine

Admittedly this isn't the song but it'll tell you about it. Head over to their bandcamp to get the song.

Tonight Alive - Starlight

Aussie brilliance. 

Lights - Banner

Beautiful person, beautiful song, beautiful video. 

Super Prime - Song For Gabbi

The pop-punk trio strip back on this acoustic number. 

Panic! At The Disco - Turn Off The Lights

A bonus track from Vices & Virtues. 

Why Am I Not One Of You?

I've always been someone who thought they preferred male vocalists to females until I blasting one of mix tapes in the car. And that's when I realised - there were an awful lot of female singers on there. So inspired by my reverie that I do in fact adore an awful lot of female vocalists i've made a list of some of my favourites for you to check out- if you haven't already that is.

Here's an obvious choice for you - Hayley Williams of Paramore. I can safely say that I don't know anyone who dislikes her singing. Even my mum who is an avid 'Hayley Hater' can't deny that she has an amazing voice and it's one that stays just as amazing live. With 3 full length studio albums, a couple of EP's, live albums and a bunch of covers and demo's under the 8 years old belt of Paramore I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next.

If you're not already in love with Sierra Kusterbeck of VersaEmerge then you're missing out big time. Her vocals are sugar and spice and have me questioning on an hourly basis why i'm not her. Like really? How does one person get to look and sound gorgeous and be insanely awesome too? It's simply not fair. But i'll learn to cope with it so long as I don't have to wait too much longer for her and band mate Blake's new album Another Atmosphere said to be released early next year.

Juliet Simms from Automatic Loveletter finally found the fame she deserves after coming second place in the last season of The Voice. Before that however she played all the shows she could and sung her heart out at every opportunity for years and years constantly being messed around by various record labels along the way. She has a beautiful raw voice that i'm excited to hear more from.

I post about Becca Need-Menear's band Anavae so often that if you still haven't fallen for them then I suggest you hurry up about it. She's a lovely person with a lovely voice and a band that is going to go far. But just in case you're like me and that's not enough for you she has endless covers, collabs and her previous band End Of The Spectrum to keep your ears happy.

Tay Jardine has a voice that grows on you and one that gets better and better every time I see We Are The In Crowd live. Pixie-sized Tay has a voice unlike anyone else's that can adopt pretty tones in one instance and then gruff punk harmonies the next.

Lights has a lush studio voice that gets 100 times better live and a 1000 times more stunning acoustically.

Cassadee Pope is soon to appear on The Voice after going solo since Hey Monday took an indefinite hiatus (cries self to sleep). Sugary sweet vocals that can reach an unexpected high note on occasion.

What I like best about Taylor Momsen from The Pretty Reckless is how she just does not give a single fuck. Oh, and she has a pretty voice.

I don't think she needs any introductions but just in case any of you had a seriously deprived childhood Gwen Stefani and No Doubt started my love for female singers.