Done for now!

There we go, all of my articles so far are up on here... well all the good ones! Here is the beautiful song Tinashe sings with this magical instrument. Mesmerising..

Tinashe - Miss You

FINALLY! To keep everything up to date, this is my latest article for Avenue61, February 2010. This boy/man is very very good and his music is definitely different to what's around at the moment, perhaps because of the African influences. But I really hope he gets heard more this year, his tunes are so sweet and the bells make it easy and extremely pleasant to listen too. I'm going to post a video after this which everyone must watch! The instrument he uses is amazing, and the lyrics are charming and tropical.

The beginning of a new year in the music industry always leads to endless predictions of ‘next big things’ for the year ahead, some with more backing than others... such as Ellie Goulding with constant airplay and The Brits Critics’ Choice award. And here is another who should be taken just as much notice of – Tinashé a singer-songwriter from Zimbabwe who grew up in Hackney, where he said he was supposed to “become a doctor/lawyer and wire money back home via Western Union, that didn't go so well... I blame/thank MJ”.

He quickly transformed his Zimbabwe accent into one more ‘Eastenders’-esque in order to “avoid bullying over my African accent”, leading to him now being able to slip between the two, a talent which luckily hasn’t translated over onto his music. Tinashé’s genre has been described as Urban Pop but its more specialised than that, he uses sweet melodies and childlike bells to create a sound which leads the listener to visualise peace and tropical images – in other words, paradise. His sound is pop, but also acoustic and there are clear African influences on the vocals: “a-woo-a-yea-eh” on the track “Zambezi”.


Tinashé has been around in the music industry for a good while, firstly signing with Sony, and now Virgin, where his new single “Mayday” is out March 1st, ahead of his album. The single includes the song “Miss You”, an upbeat tingling tune reliant on the glorious bells and standard background beats. The melody is simple and the same the whole way through yet ever present as the backbone of the song and immediately catches the attention of the listener. A straightforward love song, with naive values about such strong emotions “losing my mind and losing my brain/really doesn’t matter it’ll be alright/but tonight just hold my hand”. He sings about desperation to see his loved one and loyalty to them, “in my head I’m going crazy in my heart I know I’ll wait for you/all I’m really trying to say/is boy I miss you” all making for a sugary yet less commercial and more unique sound, perhaps because of the African influence. To realise the extent of Tinashé’s talents the ‘Mbira’ version of “Zambezi” is a must to listen too, it is captivating while being so simple at the same time.

The twenty-five year old has already been picked up by HMV as their “Next Big Thing” alongside Ellie Goulding and Erik Hassle, where they will all be performing on February 10th at Relentless Garage in London. He also was also part of Q Magazine’s sessions, supporting fellow one-to-watch Marina and the Diamonds in January. Clearly part of the new cool crowd for 2010, get there before the mainstream does.

Example - Won't Go Quietly

I remember this name vaguely when Lily Allen first came out (unfortunately..) as he was her Ex-Boyfriend or something and was slightly bitter about some of her lyrics? Maybe.. But he has definitely made his name now, in a much more positive and musical related way than her anyway. This is a really good catchy electro pop tune, I am very partial to a dose of electro pop. Plus I think I remember him from DJing at a We Are Your Friends club night In Bournemouth - one of my favourite nights out ever, anywhere! January 2009...

Elliot John Gleave, in other words E.G, in other words Example, has rapped his way towards the mainstream with new Electro pop single “Won’t Go Quietly”. He came close with “Watch The Sun Come Up” which had radio success and reached the majority of Radio One listeners, but his new one is set to be bigger.

Example was interested in rapping due to his Hip-Hop influences from Wu-Tang Clan and Snoop Dogg’s albums, but the actual rapping didn’t happen until he was 15 where at a house party he “completely destroyed a useless w**k*r and a fight broke out so [he] sprinted home”. But his talent wasn’t all kept behind doors for long, in 1992 Example won the Royal Mail Poet of the Year, after which Garage MCing to make money whilst studying at Royal Holloway University.

Not one to settle for the post graduation downer, Example took himself off to Australia to discover himself, and where he “did lots of landscape gardening, met a loads of idiots with mullets, grew [his] hair and learnt to surf on [his] last day in the country”. After which he released a few songs on his own label “All The Chats”, in the UK, and managed to catch the attention of Zane Lowe, Pete Tong, and most noteably: Mike Skinner (The Streets) who signed him to his label “The Beats” in 2006. He released his first album “What We Made” in 2007 before the demise of the label and his experimentation with Electro Dance music.

This experimentation in late 2008 is evident on his new album “Won’t Go Quietly”, which in his blogs he describes as “Dysfunctional Electro pop” – which seems to be popular as “Watch The Sun Come Up” charted at 19. Last year was an exciting year for Example, releasing the free mix tape “The Credit Munch” in February, supporting Calvin Harris on his UK and headlining his own Wonky Pop tour with Flamboyant Bella .

New single “Won’t Go Quietly” opens with a soft echo, building up to the punchy kicking bass. Then enters the keyboards pausing to emphasise the big 80s beats, a combination which makes you immediately move to the beat. Example has clear and cheeky vocals “but I love the drama/I’m in the dark place/but I loved the karma/sutra” and the catchy “I should be thinking it over/instead I’m calling her over” - this is a tune which can’t fail to get you dancing, a sure fire chart smash. Example is set to support Tinchy Stryder on his tour early this year, but more importantly you can catch him at the aptly and correctly titled “HMV Next Big Thing” gig in Relentless Garage, London on February 13th.

Rachel Furner - Follow Me

This young lady seems like another singer songwriter who deserves success, although there are a lot of them around at the minute which could mean the public have had enough... or can't get enough... From December 2009:

Latest teen Brit singer songwriter sensation Rachel Furner has been ‘singing since she could talk’ and has had her music glorified on fellow pop star Pixie Lott’s show. Playing the piano herself as well as writing her own lyrics, her sound is reminiscent of American stars Nerina Pallot and such like, with vocals slightly colloquial similar to Kate Nash – minus the mockney.

Rachel has been writing her own songs since she was eleven years old, and playing the piano from the age of six, a talent perhaps realised from the encouragement of music in her household. She grew up living next door to a room which was used as a recording studio by her father, who would record and play music at all hours. Rachel often fell asleep to his favourite records such as Kate Bush or Stevie Wonder. This diversity of music being drummed into her young mind every night did not help inspire her in any direction, as she says on her MySpace her inspirations are “everything :)”.

Being signed to major label Mercury/Universal doesn’t seemed to have affected her music in a negative way, Follow Me is traditional to singer songwriter form with thankfully little production – just the piano and percussion. This makes for a refreshing listen, especially when comparing to other pop music currently in the charts, i.e. the transfusion of electro/dance/pop or rapping reusing segments of old songs. Rachel’s music shows that there is nothing wrong with a voice and an instrument instead of all the industry fuss placed on top with fancy synths and dance moves.

Follow Me starts slow, introducing the piano which at points even threatens to overtake the vocals, then starts to speed up midway through the chorus with catchy “do do do’s” which capture the listeners attention for sure even if they weren’t glued to the lyrics before. Rachel cleverly and interestingly writes with reference to aspects tinted with magic, “secrets”, but put in a teenage social context, “judging”: “In this secret place no more eyes watching how we behave/no more judging or running, turning to hide”. There are remnants of the girly voice wobbles where you can really hear Rachel’s vocal range, which is impressive. As sugary and heartwarming as Follow Me is, it manages to get away with slightly sinister lyrics: “follow me to the railway line” - which could be considered worryingly menacing, except that it was followed with singalong “do do do’s”, therefore making it ok.

Rachel Furner seems to have a bright future ahead of her, signed to a major label, a celebrity fan in Pixie Lott, and already having played to a sold out venue ‘YoYo’. Her new year looks likely to be a successful one.

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead

This is the article I am MOST PROUD of, as it has received over 677,000 views from all over the world! - USA, Canada, Germany and the UK! Genuinely one of my favourite bands I was more than pleased to write this article on them and for it to be, what it seems as, a massive success! Written in November 2009...

Although the American electro-rockers now have an album full of perfectly formed futuristic pop nuggets, that wasn’t the original intention. Lead vocalist Michael Angelakos wrote Passion Pit’s first four songs on EP ‘Chunk of Change’, with the sole aim to impress his [then] girlfriend for their anniversary, and got his first taste of fame when they became popular around Emerson College, where he studied. Only after being approached by [now] band mate Ian Hultquist, was the idea of forming a band a brought to the table, luckily for us.

The high pitched vocals and magical backdrop of twinkling sounds are what make Passion Pit unique, despite being compared to the more mainstream MGMT who lack the
consistency of hits. However, all of the songs on Passion Pit’s debut ‘Manners’ are not only synth-tastic (minus the laptop and portable microphone this time round) but they are also songs which each have their own sound - the album doesn’t blur into one song, yet manages to keep to the same genre without dipping into other styles of music unsure of it’s final destination and what it is trying to portray. Although the Massachusetts four piece have only been together since late 2007, it is clear they all have the same view and aim of what to get out of their songs and the result is a privilege to listen to and a sugary treat for all.

Their most popular hit has got to be first single ‘Sleepyhead’ originally released with the EP in September 2008. The complex, yet easy to catch, song encompasses a variety of sounds right from the start, yet it fits. Borrowing parts from a song "Óró Mo Bháidín" by Irish singer and harpist Mary O'Hara, with the standard background twinkles, claps are introduce then beats to transcend the song into its pop/electro/dance category. The chorus’ evoke the listener to sing along, a reaction to which they can’t help, with echoes of a children’s choir, which producer Chris Zane found through good old Google.

With their music featuring on many commercials, the bands success has come quick. They did the obligatory rounds of festivals over the summer and their live performances are only getting better, which surprises most as the lead vocals often reach difficult heights to conquer by the average fan, but maybe that’s what makes them so special. Embarking on a UK tour in early March next year, including the HMV Forum in London, Passion Pit are currently working their way through Europe. A definite one to watch for next year, be sure to catch them in March.

Mini Viva - I Wish

I didn't really enjoy this single, not really my type of thing at all, but tried to find positives in it. It's from November 2009...

Colourful, energetic pop duo Mini Viva may be a name already familiar with many of you, from their first infectious single ‘I Left My Heart In Tokyo’ (backed up by NME naming it “The Catchiest Single of 2009”). They are now back with an equally addictive pop nugget, ‘I Wish’ and a new album, eager to imposed their relentless dance-pop on the nations ears – which will no doubt stay there for at least a week after.

With a website, MySpace and music videos full of fancy clips and exciting photo shopped images, Mini Viva look as though they don’t need our help and have already made it, it’s hard to believe they have only had one single. An unlikely duo, i.e. not Girl’s Aloud or Saturdays wannabes, Mancucians Frankie and Britt have their own look and stand out from other pop acts, increasing their appeal and
making them intriguing to listen to and watch. In both of their music videos they have a variety of outfits, all which clearly young girls will be too keen to emulate, and therefore provide a refreshing change to short skirts and low tops sported by other girl bands.

In the video for ‘I Wish’ the girls can be seen injecting some of their happy bubblegum pop into boring and dull buildings along New York streets, representing what their fun music brings to monotonous life. More of a ballad than the first single, yet not a stereotypical pop ballad, ‘I Wish’ still has the obligatory dance backdrop, which echoes the current pop climate -minute – such as number one tracks by Calvin Harris, Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder, Mini Viva perhaps have noticed this and are trying to create a number one track of their own. Although the ballad/pop song combination may be slightly different from stereotypical pop, they still have the staple requirements such as the ‘Whoah’ to sing-a-long to and the break down three quarters of the way through where the song becomes slower and more dramatic, before launching itself back into the full on assault of a sugary dance whirlwind. ‘I Wish’ is a song easy to pick up, like all great pop should be, easy to dance too and sing to but also easy to let slip into the background at points.

Working with hits factory Xenomania, who have worked previously with Girls Aloud, Sugababes and Sophie Ellis Bextor, Mini Viva seem to be on the right jelly tot road to stardom and commercial success. Look out for the release of their new album at the end of this month.

Mr Hudson Interview

This was my FIRST INTERVIEW! Well obviously not ever, but first with a pop star! It was a bit daunting at first seeing as he's worked with loads of big names, but he was very friendly and easy going which was refreshing. Here it is from October 2009...

New BFF to Kanye West, Mr Hudson has definitely been a busy boy recently. Promoting his new single and album at all hours as well as jetting back and forward over the pond to our transatlantic cousins is not even beginning to take its toll on the singer/songwriter/producer/all rounder, but between all this I managed to grab him for ten minutes while he was “horizontal on a nice sofa in a posh hotel in Trafalgar”. From that first declaration it was clear to see that Mr Hudson was refreshingly normal, Kanye West and Jay Z’s superstar behaviour (and tantrums) do not appear to have rubbed off on our Birmingham breed pop star. Incredibly gracious to the media interest surrounding his new work, Mr Hudson is more than happy to talk to me, “you put so much time and work into the music that you want to explain and talk about it as much as you can”.

Although routinely the name Mr Hudson is linked to Kanye West and their number two single ‘Supernova’, Mr Hudson was originally ‘Mr Hudson and the Library’. Notably scarred by other less sensitive media outlets, Mr Hudson emphasised that he did not “ditch” the band: “ this album and the previous one [with the ‘Library’] are three years apart, in which I did a lot of touring around the UK and Europe, and half of them are still playing with me”.

This reformation obviously then lead onto the introduction of
synths into his music, with an inevitable contempory pop feel fused with futuristic R’n’B, a mix echoed by Mr Hudson’s label manager Kanye, perhaps because Mr Hudson helped produce some records on his album too, both sharing the advice around.

When questioned about the studio time, Mr Hudson said it wasn’t all him taking orders from Kanye, “He let me make the record, he was just supervising it and executive producing it. There were mostly high fives in the studios, then if ever something went wrong a couple of arm wrestles - obviously if they were physical Kanye would win, he’s superhuman! I am a weed”. Mr Hudson is notably grateful for Kanye West plucking him from “obscurity”: “It kicked the door in. It was his idea to get me on the Jay Z album [Blueprint 3, which he helped produce], he shone a light on me and demanded that people listened. He saved my life”.

Taking inspiration from Damon Albarn, David Bowie and Prince, the singer describes his new single, White Lies, as a “Good contrast to supernova, it still has the synth sounds but it’s bit darker – in a minor key. So you get to see a darker side to Mr Hudson”. The single is steadily climbing the charts and is out now, with the album out next Monday, 19th October, which is going to be “Wide screen, punchy and pop music, not throwaway. I’m really proud of every song on there, it’s the sort of pop music I want people still listening to in 20 years time”. Looking to the future, Mr Hudson is lending his magic touch and wealthy advice Adele and N Dubz.

Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed

Believe it or not I was ahead of the times (yea, I know) and this young lady is now looking like she is going to have a very good/mainstream year, with loads of coverage already and The Brits Critics' Choice Award already. I wrote this in September 2009...

The year of the ladies may well carry on into 2010 with new acts such as Ellie Goulding emerging from the background. Currently supporting fellow electro-syth sister Little Boots on tour, it does not look as though it will be long until Ellie will experience the commercial success Florence and the Machine, La Roux and Pixie Lott have recently enjoyed.

Ellie’s welsh accent is notably present in her music, adding to her kookiness and separating her from the generic female pop star, coupled with her use of synths and acoustic guitar. Keen to transcend genres, perhaps to help get herself noticed, Ellie is also not afraid to collaborate with and cover other artists. Tracks on her MySpace include a cover of Passion Pit’s ‘Sleepyhead’ with backing vocals by a suspiciously sounding Calvin Harris character and a collaboration with Frankmusik on ‘Wish I Stayed’, a track which an American musician has already covered.

Radio friendly ‘Starry eyed’ is a perfect display of what Ellie Goulding does best, her sweet romantic lyrics audible over the delicate music. It is easy to sing a long to the chorus without even realising, with the frequent repetition of the “woahs”. The music does justice to the painfully dulcet lyrics about being caught out by love: “Handlebars, never let go, let go for anyone/Take me in and throw out my heart and get a new one.” Ellie portrays a sugary innocence of the rapid hurdle into the fascination of another person, by the reference to childhood and fun “Fall headfirst like paper planes and play ground game.”

With a milder pop than some more ‘out there’ artists like La Roux, Ellie Goulding’s heartfelt pop is not to be dismissed. However, still developing her sound, this genre may change into a more controversial and less commercial sound, as she comments: “I'm into finding different ways of expressing my songs. That's why in the coming months I'm going to be working with dubstep people, electro people and folk people.” She also explains the cross genre she currently channels “I like playing with sounds and synths, mainly because I get bored easily."

Ever changing, you can catch starlet Ellie Goulding and see which faze she is in right now, whilst she supports Little Boots on tour in October. The tour starts on 21st October in Northampton at Roadmenders and finishes on the 31st at Bristol University. With Concorde II in Brighton already sold out on 22nd October, it looks like the singer songwriter may be on her way to the mainstream.

French Horn Rebellion - Up All Night

This was my second review in August 2009, a good band reliving 80s electro...

Just as light wash denim and shoulder pads are on their way back to the mainstream, so are eighties electro synths beats. A comeback pioneered last year by the ever popular ‘Time to Pretend’ from MGMT, has now been emulated by multiple other bands, including Brooklyn based brothers French Horn Rebellion.

It is inevitable that comparisons would be drawn between the two, but what most will fail to realise is that FHR were the brain boxes behind the ‘Time to Pretend EP’ and helped co produce and engineer the record. Heading towards the big time like their fellow Brooklyn hedonists, FHR were featured on MTVU’s ‘Head of the Curve’ at SXSW in Texas and more recently, have been selected
for MySpace Records’ Young Artist’s Development Program.

The band began in 2007 with younger brother Robert having given up on a future with the brass instrument, and rebelling by beginning a “garage/electro/samba” band, as described on their MySpace. With a thankfully misleading name, the music infuses the French horn with dance rock and echoey Passion Pit vocals in an upbeat catchy pop tune.

Summer single ‘Up all night’ is a perfect disco track with eighties arcade game beeps distracting you from the fairly simple lyrics: “I know what’s the deal with me/I gotta know what’s the dealing with you.” Primarily based around synthesisers, the track also incorporates percussion and guitar to transcend the electro genre into rock and dance. It’s refreshing to see a single which has the potential to be a huge success and is a sole effort from the band. Their other songs are heavier offerings which have more substance, such as ‘Beaches and Friends’ where the vocals are lower and more instruments are used in conjunction with each other.

As is typical of the electro music, the band also partakes - and are victims to - remixes. One being popular Empire of the Sun’s ‘Walking on a Dream’ as well as the legendary Jackson 5’s ‘Get It Together’, both tracks have been given a dance and bop worthy makeover. French Horn Rebellion are also fans of DJing around the US and have recently taken to the decks at the post Lollapalooaza party in Chicago, Illinois.

At the moment the band are on tour in the US with Database, FHR’s Beaches and Friends EP is currently available in America. You can check them out here when they hit the UK on their tour from 21-28 September.

The Travelling Band - Only Waiting

This was my first article for Avenue61 back in August 2009...

With the six piece’s Manchester heritage consisting of legends from New Order, to The Smiths to Oasis, you will be comforted to know that their music embodies none of the stereotypical dreariness of mundane everyday troubles. The Travelling Band’s sugary folk music is influenced by a variety of genres including rock and country, before what they describe as “filtering it through their own sunshine POP sensibility”. They are an instrument heavy band, where over half contributes to the vocals and play the guitar, with harmonicas, banjos, a pump organ and accordion also being involved. Embracing folk from the delicate acoustic riffs right down to the band’s seemingly compulsory stunted beards, it’s hard to not instantly warm to the sweet ballads and heartfelt lyrics.

Winners of the Glastonbury New Talent Competition in 2008, the band have already reached the dizzy heights of stardom by not only impressing Mr Eavis and the ever critical music bibles, but even collaborating with Rolf Harris in a comical stop smoking campaign (lasting all of a 1minute 53 second You Tube video). They also recorded their music in New York with legendary producers Eric “Roscoe” Amble and Tim Hatfield, who have previously worked on albums by Ryan Adams and Regina Spektor.

Popular single Only Waiting is a steady offering, opening with an instantly recognisable and unforgettable melody. At first listen the song fools you into thinking it is an upbeat celebration for the impatience of waiting for the right ‘one’, but the dark lyrics undermine the cheery music. With lines such as “staring out the window wishing you could die/I look at myself I see nothing that I like” the singers insecurities can almost go unnoticed by the pleasant melodies forcing their way past the negativity. Beautiful song writing with sinister tones reminiscent of city cousins Joy Division, the laid back music mixed with outreaching lyrics makes for an easy and thoroughly enjoyable listen. Other songs are not so mournful and are less produced; dropping the strings accompaniment in favour of old fashioned acoustic - for example, Waterfalls which is currently up for Steve Lamacq’s 6Music Rebel Playlist and is released August 10th.

They like their live shows to feel like a “feel-good tour-de-force” by swapping instruments and inspiring audience participation. It has been said that no one leaves their shows “unconverted”, reflected by the cult of loyal followers in their home city. If you want to challenge this or simply want to check out a charismatic and genuinely talented band, you can catch The Travelling Band at the Croissant Neuf Summer Festival in Wales August 16th and The Classic Grand in Aberdeen August 28th.

I don't actually want to hang a DJ I hope you realise..

First post! Which I will almost certainly delete in a few more posts/minutes deeming it too cringy... Took me a long long time to decide on a blog title, which hopefully many will realise is a reference to The Smith's song 'Panic' - my favourite band so had to get them in here somewhere, especially as I am aiming for this blog to showcase my music journalism as well as rambling meaningless posts such as this one.. and probably lots more moans..

For anyone interested I recently graduated from Bournemouth University with a degree in Multi-Media Journalism, three of the best years of my life and I am suffering major withdrawl! Although I do go back quite frequently - cling on much?! The course was so good (accredited by NCTJ etc - all the important Journo boards I'll have you know!) that it let me with too many options and ideas about avenues to go down now, so I am now in.. fifty minds?! about what type of journalism I want to do, but my main interest has always been music, as it is such a major part of/obsession in my life. Before Uni I was adamant I would write for NME as I was addicted and bought every issue from when I was about 15 until I was 19, when I was too broke and re-evaluated the situation and the magazine's direction..

So now I freelance for avenue61.co.uk which is slowly growing and will hopefully become bigger this year. Apart from that the only thing I can decide on right now is that I want to go travelling, so I'm working in H&M to get money for that and hope to go ASAP! - Already been put off many times now.. I would love to go to: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore, East coast of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Peru (and volunteer in a school), Bolivia and Brazil!! WOULD BE AMAZING to do all of that, but it is my aim so we shall see! Until I blog more about that I'm going to post the article's I've written for avenue61 so far...