Music Recommendation // Dog Is Dead

Bored of listening to the same old bands and songs?
Well, it's that time again!

I'm here to provide you with something new to please your ears.

I'd previously heard Dog Is Dead whilst surfing through the music channels one evening as I lay on the couch with the boredom washing over me and they were brought back to my attention today as I tuned into Fearne Cotton's Radio 1 show today.

They're a five-piece band from Nottingham, England and describe their music as 'indie pop'.
If you want a better idea of what they sound like before deciding to listen to them, then think of Noah and The Whale, with a slightly more indie twist at times.. and there, you have Dog Is Dead.
Like the sound of that? Well you should.

I currently have their selection of songs from Spotify playing as I write this post and they almost sound familiar because they are so Noah and The Whale-esque.
Their music has also appeared in Skins so you may recognise them from that.

At the moment they have three EPs available: 'Dog Is Dead', 'Your Childhood' and 'Confessions' but have yet to release their debut album.
These EPs still provide us with enough material to get a feel for the band and to get us more excited about the awaited album.

As I stated, their music is also available on Spotify if you want to have a listen before purchasing anything.

If you're currently feeling stressed then I think this will be the perfect band to chill out to, especially if the sun is shining.
Dog Is Dead are an essential to have on your Summer 2012 playlist.

DZ Deathrays // Bloodstreams

I seem to have abandoned my blog for the past few months, I guess I've kind of been out of the loop for a while but here is my attempt to get back into the game.

Back in February, I attended a Pulled Apart By Horses gig... not my usual musical venture, I must admit, however it was probably some of the most fun I've had at a gig.
So that got me thinking, why not make a more permanent move into this genre of music.

And that thought brought me to the following band.

DZ Deathrays are a two piece 'thrash pop' band from originating from Brisbane, Australia.
I first heard this band whilst having a casual listen to BBC Radio 1, when Huw Stephens put the track on and I instantly thought of Pulled Apart By Horses.
Although, in my opinion, the vocals aren't as brash as PABH which makes it a fairly easier listen for me.
So for those of you that aren't so keen on the 'hardcore screamo' type of music, this could be the band for you and could also be a great way to ease yourself into this genre of music.

Their debut album 'Bloodstreams' was released only yesterday (7th May 2012) and is currently available to listen to for free on Spotify.
I definitely recommend you give them a listen.



I know it's around the time of exams for many people, so why not take out your books, blast a bit of this out and let them take you through your revision.
If you don't enjoy it, I will eat my metaphorical hat.

NME Godlike Genius 2012 // Noel Gallagher

Last Monday, NME announced that they would be awarding this years Godlike Genius award to Noel Gallagher.

For almost two decades the Gallagher brothers have always been seen as a pair and it's only in the past few years that they have been viewed as seperate beings.
So what is it that makes Noel the 'godlike genius' of the pair, and so deserving of this prize over his younger sibling?
Let's delve into this complex relationship and see what we find.

The most obvious place to start would be Oasis.

As a band they notched up 22 top ten hits, along with holding the Guinness World Record for being the most successful act in the UK for an entire decade.
That, in itself, would be enough for anyone to get such a prestigous award... but it still doesn't make it any clearer as to why just one of the brothers are receiving it.

The vocals were shared between the brothers on their records however Noel was also the lead guitarist of the band whereas Liam would supply some tambourine every now and again.
Now, I don't know about you but I know which one I would be more impressed by.
As well as that, all of their hit songs (and then some) came from Noel's mind so it would seem that a lot of their success was dependant on the older of the two Gallaghers.

Perhaps talent isn't the only thing we can judge this on though.
Liam Gallagher is somewhat infamous for having a fiery personality.
A moment I'm sure we all remember would be the incident of the BRIT Awards 2010.
Let's refresh our memories...



However, Noel isn't exactly a saint either.
He's also known for being rather controversial with the words he chooses to speak in public.
One of the most controversial incidents being when he stated that he hoped members of the rival band Blur would 'catch AIDS and die'.
As well as having a rivalry with other bands, there was serious sibling rivalry between the two Gallaghers which wasn't exactly hidden from the public and in August 2009, it became too much for Noel as a fight broke out between the two backstage at a gig in Paris and led to his departure from the band.

Now, the two brothers are working on music seperately: Oasis still exists, without Noel, under the name of Beady Eye and Noel has put together his own band, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.
Perhaps their seperate projects will only add fuel to the fire, as competitiveness is inevitable between siblings. So which band will come out on top?

Beady Eye released their album Different Gear, Still Speeding in February 2011, reaching #3 in the UK chart.
However their singles such as The Roller and The Beat Goes On didn't do as well as the album, reaching just #31 and #64.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' self-titled album was released in October 2011 and managed to reach that #1 spot and still exists in the top ten today.
And their single The Death of You and Me topped at #15 in the UK charts.



I think we can see now why Noel is receiving the Godlike Genius award this year, following the likes of Dave Grohl (last year's winner).
He deserves to be commended for the music he has brought the world and will hopefully continue to do in the future and for being one of the most talented musicians to come from the UK.

On finding out about winning the award, he told NME:
"I would like to thank NME for bestowing upon me such a great accolade. I have dreamt of this moment since I was 43 years old. I accept that I am now a genius, just like God."

Music Recommendation // Grouplove

You know you watch too much tv when you can tell what advert is on tv without even having to look at the screen.But every now and again a new one appears and I have to add it to my memory bank.The brand new iPod touch commercial is an example of this.
The song used for this advert is what made it stand out for me...
As soon as I heard it, I fired up my laptop and went straight to google...I needed to know what this song was.
"Tongue-Tied" by GROUPLOVE.



I recognised the band name...and soon realised I had become a fan of them a few months earlier and yet they had completely escaped my mind.
Their song 'Colours' had been the first one to catch my attention.
A song I had posted onto my Facebook profile (as I only tend to use Facebook to promote bands I find and fall in love with) and had received no feedback from my unappreciative 'friends'.

So now here's my second attempt to convince people that this band is worth checking out.


Their debut album, released in 2011, is titled 'Never Trust A Happy Song'.
It leaves a lot to be desired... and yet creates some mystery, perhaps enticing a person to take a listen.
To me, the title is somewhat ironic as the majority of songs on the album have a cheery sound to them.
I realise it's only January, but like any Brit I'm looking forward to the Summer already and this album would be the perfect soundtrack to anyone's Summer 2012.

'Naked Kids' starts off with the lyrics:
Cruising on the highway with my friends, top down
And we're all on our way to the beach.
If that doesn't scream Summer then I don't know what does.

So take some time out, put this album on and let it blow away your Winter blues.

Music Recommendation // Edelweiss

Are you a fan of Foals and Two Door Cinema Club?

Have you ever been listening to either and thought, "Wouldn't it be great if I could take the vocals of Foals and the rhythm of Two Door Cinema Club and create a brand new ultimate band?"

Well, fear not, my music fanatic!
Your prayers have been answered.

Edelweiss, a new band from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania have emerged to meet all your indie music needs!
I came across the band, consisting of Thomas Vitale (vocals/bass), Niko Porlier (vocals/guitar), Tony Young (guitar) and Coby Porlier (drums), on a regular new music search and was instantly stopped in my tracks.
As a fan of Foals and Two Door Cinema Club, I immediately linked them together and fell in love.

At first, I was puzzled by the name, obviously creating some German connotations.
Do not be tricked by the hard exterior of the band's name because under that shell, there's plenty of soft marshmallow indie goodness. Almost like a good old Tunnock's Tea Cake.

Surely, that image should be enough for you to go ahead and give them a listen.
Don't be deprived of discovering this musical magic.
Two downloads are available on their Purevolume website ('(NO)' and 'Fiasco') so go forth and download them and let them make their way up to your top 25 played songs on your iTunes!

You can thank me later.

Cher Lloyd // Swagger Jagger

The questions on everybody's lips recently: what exactly is 'swagger jagger'?

Well, whatever it is, we need to get some of our own.

It makes me slowly lose faith in humanity when songs such as Cher Lloyd's dreaded debut single can be classed as an 'anthem' and is even able to place in the top 40.
I never thought there could be something worse than that infamous phenomenon 'Friday' but this provides some serious competition.

Watch your back, Rebecca.

But as awful as they are, they seem to have the ability to get trapped in our minds and they become famous for all the wrong reasons.
I found myself, unconsciously, humming along to Cher Lloyd today whilst watching the highlights of T4 on The Beach, much like an annoying bug that has managed to crawl into my ear and burrow itself into my brain, casually setting up camp.

But after a minute or so, I snapped out of my swagger jagger daze and came to my senses.

I think Cher Lloyd's 'swagger jagger' is quite safe for now.
I, myself, have no interest in taking it from her.

Kingdom Hearts // Birth By Sleep

Although it has now been seven months since the release of the latest game in the Kingdom Hearts saga, I have only just completed it today.

Receiving the game on Christmas day, I was filled with ideas of what this game would behold.
I had waited for it for over two years, it had to be amazing!

The idea of playing three separate characters, each with their own tale to tell - but yet somehow they are all intertwined - didn't exactly seem like the easiest concept for me to grasp although I went with it.

I had no idea which order to play them in so I decided to take the safest route and go with the order they had already been placed in on the screen (no point defying what had already been given to me!). This lead me to become Terra at first, followed by Ventus and then ending the game as the only girl character, and apparent leader of the pack, - Aqua.

This entire game, for me, was a bit confusing.
I went into it thinking that the entire Kingdom Hearts concept would be explained to us.
Sadly, it was not.
Perhaps it was falsely advertised as doing so or I had just gotten the wrong end of the stick (the latter seems much more likely).

I felt strangely unsatisfied by the ending of each character's story and it always felt slightly unfinished and not fully explained in the slightest.

And by the end of the whole game I found myself saying, "Is that it?".

However, I was sure that that would not be 'it' and ventured to Youtube to discover a few 'secret movies' from the end of the game.
I find it rather unjust that you can only see these movies if you are playing the game at a certain level and complete it 100%. For people like myself, who may not be avid gamers, we will never get to experience these videos and will never get the full experience from the game.
Perhaps this is something Square Enix should consider on their next conquest?

Although, once I had found these 'secret movies' and watched them through, I did feel a sense of understanding.
It's just a shame that I had to take that route to get that satisfaction. It's almost as if I could have cut out the middle man and just watched the movies on youtube oppose to purchasing the game and wasting four months of my life playing it.

One thing I did like from the 'secret movie' was at the very end, we found Sora, Riku and Kairi back at Destiny Islands - a similar image to that of the ending of Kingdom Hearts II - and Sora has King Mickey's mysterious letter in his hand telling both Riku and Kairi that there are still people out there who need his help. Kairi then utters the words "Hurry back." whilst handing over her lucky charm - as seen in Kingdom Hearts I.
This is an exciting moment for any Kingdom Hearts fan as it hints at a third game featuring Sora, Kairi, Riku and the gang.

Perhaps my view of Birth By Sleep is slightly unfair, as I feel I may be a bit prejudiced towards it.
I have gotten so used to playing as Sora and having that usual gang around me, helping me fight the Heartless and stop Kingdom Hearts from forming and then to have it all taken away from you and being forced to play as brand new characters, fighting new creatures named 'The Unversed', all just seems slightly foreign and strange.

Maybe for me, it's a game I would need to play more than once to fully understand it.

Nevertheless, if you are an avid Kingdom Hearts fanatic, definitely give it a go and form your own opinions on it.