My Soundcloud

One last thing - I have an account on soundcloud on which I'm always reposting songs I like, so take a look and you'll see what I like, and what I might post about in the future.


soundcloud.com/bethharper


Remember, all it takes is a listen

Artist Spotlight On: Lewis Watson

 

Take a listen.

A voice, a guitar and some pretty amazing songs keeps me listening to this guy's music. I first came across him when I found two of my friends followed him on soundcloud, and I haven't stopped listening since.

From the comments left on his tracks and youtube, his reception has been incredible. He's got an EP which I think is out now? It's called 'Another Four Sad Songs' and it's definitely worth a buy.

I'll leave you with a few links:

Find his tracks here:

soundcloud.com/levvis

Here's his website:

lewiswatsonmusic.com/

Remember, all it takes is a listen.

Heavy Feet - Local Natives

This is a song I came across on Soundcloud:

Click Here To Listen

Let me give you an overview. There's lots of drums- imagine military snare drums, indie chord progressions and the most beautiful vocals ever.
The lead vocal has a quality close to heavenly - very hard to describe, it sounds like it should be husky yet has a softness that could lull you away on a dream cloud.
Then there's the backing vocals which seem at some point to come in line with the lead vocals, but with the slurring and slight suspension every now and then, it creates a dissonance that adds to the emotional pull within the song.

Just listen. I promise you won't be disappointed.

This song is from Local Natives' EP 'Hummingbird' which is out on the 28th of January

Remember, all it takes is a listen.

Take the Crown - Robbie Williams

I LOVE Robbie Williams. He is one of my idols - he is literally the only person within about 10 miles of Alsager that has become a famous musician. I mean there are some awesome 'locally' famous bands, but not Robbie Williams famous.

OK. FANGIRL MODE OFF.

Robbie's ninth studio album is definitely not a disappointment, although it isn't exactly suitable for young 'uns. With BBC Music giving it a title of 'Favourable' and 4/5 stars from The Guardian, the album's reception has been good, although Neil McCormick from The Observer states "The moment when Williams had his finger on the pulse of the pop nation is gone, leaving only a smart, accomplished entertainer singing to his fan base".
Going through the album, I think I may agree, but don't underestimate his fanbase. They range from children whose parents are huge fans to wise ones who've always had a thing for him.

One song I do like on the album is 'Gospel'. The background guitar riff is reminiscent of country music yet William's vocals are exactly the same as always, with the female backing singer adding extra depth and emotion.

Gospel

Another song I like is 'Candy'. This is definitely the most upbeat pop song on the album. The track samples Todd Terje's single 'Eurodans'  and was written by Williams himself alongside Take That band mate Gary Barlow and Terje Olsen.

Candy

The only songs I'm not a huge fan of are 'S**t on the radio' - It's a catchy tune but does the swearing ruin it? and 'Hey wow yeah yeah' - yet another catchy tune but I think the lyrics are a bit pointless and repetitive, But see what you think.

S**t on the radio

Hey Wow Yeah Yeah

Red - Taylor swift

As Taylor Swift's fourth studio album, you'd expect that by this time she's got her writing, recording, song selection and so on down to a T. I don't know about you but I definitely wasn't disappointed!

She's got the perfect balance between country and pop, not too Achy Breaky, not too bubblegum, no one can do it like her, and that's what makes her unique. Of course there's the usual controversy about the many boyfriends, and who each song is about, but does it really matter?

She is first and foremost a musician, that's what we should concentrate on and it's definitely worth it.

One more thing I love about this album - The variety of songs, from the upbeat and defiant 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' to the heartbreaking 'I Almost Do', it's all different, yet still all true to the heart.

The first song that caught my eye was 'Red'. Swift uses the underlying emotional connotation of different colours to explain how she's feeling about her ex-boyfriend.

Red

This album also has some collaborations with some other artists, and with neither Ed Sheeran or Gary Lightbody having even a slightly similar musical style to her, you wonder how on earth she makes it work as well as she does. Emulsifying Sheeran's famous acoustic guitar and her emotive voice, and Lightbody's Heart wrenching voice with her beautiful performance in a genre she's not used to can't have been easy. Somehow they've made it work and for me have created two beautiful songs that I enjoy listening to.

Everything Has Changed - Ft. Ed Sheeran

The Last Time - Ft. Gary Lightbody

This final song is my favorite song on the whole album. It's called 'Starlight'. She wrote it about a picture she saw of Ethel and John. F. Kennedy when they were young. You can't help but admire how this girl can not only write country songs, she writes songs with awesome pop vocals and unforgettable synth fillers, a true dance song that anyone could enjoy.

Starlight

It's up to you what you think of this album, but in my eyes, this is something for Taylor to be proud of - I will be listening to Starlight, Red, and all of the other songs on repeat for quite a while. Well done Ms. Swift.