Lana Del Ray - the face of what's to come?

When I first heard Lana Del Ray's hit tracks, 'Video Games' and 'Born to Die', I fell in love. In love with her lyrics, voice, meloncholy tone, image, oh all of it. So when her album 'Born to Die' was released yesterday, I immedeatly downloaded it.
Many of her songs, I have to admit, have a very similar sound. There is no variety, and therefore, some tracks seem to blend, without a real stand out track. Thats not to say that each track, when taken individually good.  Lana does something different with music. And the thing she does which is different, ironically, is that despite seeming edgy and different from other female artists, shes quite traditional. While some sounds in her music are modern, many ring of an older era. In 'Million Dollar Man' parts of the song could have been taken from a singer in the 30's or 40's, while other songs such as 'Off to the Races' seem to have a slight ring of Kate Bush.
Lana's lyrics are very meloncholy, and seem to ring of love. Sometimes I'm unsure of what Lana is doing. She doesn't seem very full of 'girl power' when she sings lyrics like 'This is what makes us girls, we don't stick together because we put love first'. Is she part of the sisterhood at all? or maybe, is she simply speaking a secret truth. I think there is a lot more to Lana. Her music wouldn't put me in the party mood, it is laid back, it is deep, and yet also refreshing. While it can seem repetitive, I never the less enjoy what she's bringing to the music scene.

Top Tracks from 'Born to Die'

1. Video Games
2. Born to Die
3. Blue Jeans
4. Summertime Sadness
5. Dark Paridise

A Flash Flood of Colour

Enter Shikari are back, and it would appear, are back with a vengance.
I'll admit, I'm a pretty big Shikari fan. Most people i've met however, say they prefer their newer stuff to their older stuff. I have to say I never agreed. I love their first two albums; Take to the Skies and Common Dreads, but as much as I love the fact they incorporate dubstep and electro into their music, I wasn't a big fan of Tribalism, when they really took the dubstep direction. I felt their first two albums were much more what you expect from Shikari. So, with this new album, I felt that it would maybe continue to go further from their routes and take that dubbier direction. How wrong was I?
This album really has a classic Enter Shikari sound, a sound of them going back to their routes, yet at the same time continues to be progressive. This album marks a step up for the post-hardcore band. This album is so much clearer, mixing screamo, metal, electro, dubstep, trance, basically doing what Shikari do best. And they do it amazingly well. Beyond all of that, they stress their message. This is a band who aren't just 'in ir for the music'. They have a strong political message which they stress through their lyrics, and is carried with their energy. This album makes an incredibly powerful statement.

Top 5 Tracks

1. ...meltdown
2. pack of thieves
3. Gandhi mate, Gahndi
4. Hello Tyrannosaurus, meet Tyrannicide
5. Search Party

Skrillex's new EP

So I haven't posted a blog post in a while, but it is a new year, filled with lots of new music and new tours, as well as a new years resolution to make the most of this blog a lot more. I'm going to aim to write a new post at least once a week.
Talking of tours, i'm very excited about going to see Skrillex in Bristol in February, so I wanted to write about his latest EP 'Bangerang'. It's an ok record, but i'm going to be completely honest, I was a little disappointed on the first listen. After the success of 'Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites' I was expecting something more adventurous. Bangerang is still good, still breaking the rules as you expect from Skrillex, and still with lots of dirty beats. BUT I do think after the first EP, Sonny Moore has let himself down slightly. No screams through any of the songs of 'oh my god' or 'call 911 now' before bringing out the big guns... the beats are good but are built up to, rather than just coming out of the blue and taking the wind out of your sails, like with the first EP. Its almost as if Skrillex has been asked to err, tone down.
Having said all that, i'm not dissing the record. While it may not be quite as controversial as the first EP, it still is classic skrillex. It still makes extremely good listening to for all dubstep fans. I especially like 'Breakn' A Sweat'  and 'Kyoto'. 'Summit', which features Ellie Goulding, is a lot more toned down to Skrillex's usual material, but in this way it is quite refreshing, and worth a listen.
So, give this new EP a listen, it really is worth it, but when I go to see him live in February, i'll still be looking forward to listening to 'Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites' and 'First of the Year' much more.

General Fiasco

unfortunately, not many people have seemed to of heard of General Fiasco... I hadn't until last september, when I heard their latest hit (which has only just came out) on the Radio, but they've been around since around 2008, when they released 'rebel get by'.
I decided to check them out, and they are the sort of band you can't help but like. their songs are catchy, and get you dancing even when the lyrics are actually, quite sad. Their first album buildings is a mix of upbeat songs with slightly prolific meanings. The song 'ever so shy' and 'i'm not made of eyes' are really worth listening to. I thought if they're this good, surely their new album will be good too? They released they're latest EP 'waves' on the 13th November this year, and it definitely doesn't disappoint.
My favourite track on the EP is 'the age you start losing friends'. It's so upbeat and i can't help but smile when i listen to it, even though it tells of that age when friends drift away, maybe to start families or careers, forgetting about older lives. Their track 'Waves' is similarly brilliant. This song makes me just want to dance around my living room, even though it's about a lost love, a break up. That's the thing about General Fiasco, the reason their so good is because they're music just has that little bit of irony to make them interesting, to make them have a little bit more to them than your average indie band, to make you want to listen more. They've captured the whole essence of what a person wants to listen to when they put their ipod on. They're songs are so upbeat you can't help but listen, yet at the same time their lyrics aren't faking everything, they are staying true to life. They capture the bittersweet essence of what life and music is really about.
The other two songs on the new EP, 'German Roads' and "I want to eat her' are also great tunes, even though they don't stand out for me as much as 'waves' or 'the age you start losing friends'. Overall the EP gives a good sign of things to come from General Fiasco, especially when you look at their first album. I think they are an underrated band, with a lot to offer. I can see them becoming big and attracting an audience, hopefully playing more live shows and festivals soon. I hope they do because their music deserves the recognition.

Florence + The Machine: Ceremonials.

I'm a massive fan of Florence, I have been ever since I heard her 'dog days are over' on a saturday morning on e4, just before she brought out her first album, Lungs. I think I love her so much because she's successful, she's chart-topping, and yet, she's stayed true to who she really is as an artist. Florence is one of the few successful female artists who hasn't sold out, even though there are more and more artists who are achieving success without selling out. I loved florences first album, especially the tracks 'Rabbit Heart (raist it up), Hurricane Drunk, Howl, and ofcourse her amazing cover of You've Got The love, so I was really excited about her bringing out her second album. I wondered what it could have in store, and it hasn't dissapointed.

Like her first album, there is an air of mystery. Songs like 'Shake it out' remind me of the unknown, of magic, mystery, halloween and paganism, all in a good way ofcourse. FLorence brings something different in her lyrics and vocals to a 'samey' music industry. 'Shake it out' is the first song to be released on the album and is already becoming a major hit, but I also love 'Only If For a Night' which is her opening track. So many artists seem to open their abums with boring mundane tracks or intros, but Florence just jumps right into it. You listen to her first song and already, you're in love with the album. I can't find one song on the album I dislike. Some songs like 'What The Water Gave Me' and 'Seven Devils' are slightly slower paced than other songs. The album seems to mix poignant feelings of love with feelings of freedom, rebellion, and sacrifice. Her album isn't strikingly different from her first, but I see this as a good thing. Florence is still the same, yet stronger.

Top 5 Tracks:

1. Shake it out

2. Only if for a night

3.Breaking down

4. Lover to lover

5.Never let me go

my first music blog.

Hello readers!
My name is Beth Gregory, I'm studying Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, and I'm a budding writer.
I've set up this blog because I feel passionately about music, and music journalism is definitely a future career route i'd like to take. I know there are a million different music blogs out there, but I wanted the ability to put my perspective across, and hopefully offer something a little different.
I think this blog can appeal to anyone who is into music. My music taste is really quite eclectic. I'm a rocker at heart and love my punk, my metal and my classic rock, but really i'm into any kind of music; indie, folk, hip-hop, dubstup, electro, acoustic... anything which doesn't consist of crap 'singers' which has been churned out by media monopolies. You wont read anything about The Saturdays or JLS here. Basically I just like music that's GOOD. I like things which have a bit of an edge in their sound.
I'm going to use this blog just to write about everything to do with music: gigs i've been to, new bands i've heard, reviews of new albums, or simply talking about a song or a lyric which has really struck me.
I'm open to opinions, so please comment on any blogs I post! My next blog I think will be a review of the amazing Florence + The Machines new album, so please read :)