NOW + 4EVA. ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI.

Architecture in Helsinki are back with their new album NOW + 4EVA and its better than EVA. They have easily been my favourite band since hearing 'Hold Music' and 'Heart it Races' back in '07 when I started to educate myself about good music. Since then, I have watched them evolve and perfect their sound. I even studied their music, and analysed their song 'The Owls Go' for my Year 12 Viva voce exam. 

Architecture in Helsinki are best at taking listeners into another world filled with rainbows and smiles, and their music just makes you so F#!*ing happy. I even bet that if you have never heard an Architecture song in your life, after one song, you will be bopping along and tapping your feet to the beat with a smile on your face.

NOW + 4EVA builds on the sound that Architecture played with in their last album 'Moment Bends', and polishes it with pop perfection. It definitely gives a nod to the 80's with its many synths, but it definitely feels RAD and not daggy. Architecture's lead singers Cam Bird and Kellie Sutherland share the vocals as usual, and it certainly keeps you guessing listening to the new songs.

The album is out on March 28 here in Australia and also in New Zealand. However, Oz and NZ people can go over to iTunes right now and stream the album in full. It is nothing short of amazing.

LISTEN HERE: https://itunes.apple.com/au/station/idra.844191519 

TRACKLIST:

1. In the Future

2. When You Walk In the Room

3. I Might Survive

4. Dream a Little Crazy

5. Boom (4EVA)

6. U Tell Me

7. Echo

8. Born To Convince You

9. 2 Time

10. April

11. Before Tomorrow

If you're from Melbourne, Architecture in Helsinki are also launching a concept store to coincide with the release of the new album. The store will be 'part gallery, part listening space, and part retail emporium' and located at Melbourne Central. The launch party will be held on Thursday March 27 from 6-8pm. The store will be open from March 28 up until April 6, so make sure if you are in Melbourne to check it out. It is a very interesting concept, and I can't wait to see the space.

Check out their new video for 'Dream a Little Crazy' below:

You can also find out more about Architecture in Helsinki here:
http://www.architectureinhelsinki.com/

https://soundcloud.com/aih

https://www.facebook.com/architectureinhelsinki

https://twitter.com/aihmusic

#FALLENFORARCHITECTURE

For BDK.

Sweden has a knack for churning out amazing artists; Robyn, The Knife, Lykke Li, plus a number of successful Dj's like Avicii, Alesso, Rebecca & Fiona and the powerhouse that was Swedish House Mafia, made up of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso.

'For BDK' is the next Swedish act that is destined to break out on the world stage. The duo from Stockholm made up of Adele Kosman and Marcus Borrman formed in 2012 when they "met in a silly club with really poor music."

They describe their sound as 'drugbeat', and listening to their music definitely gives you the impression that it was born in the dark nightclubs of Stockholm.

Their new song 'What I Must Find' is combination of their older, heavy, drum and bass beats, with a new pop sensibility. You can easily sing along to the chorus, even when the lyrics come across as dark and complex. The video for 'What I Must Find' is visually stunning, so enjoy as the cold Swedish landscapes wash over you.

Check out 'What I Must Find' below:

)

If you are in Australia, you can purchase What I Must Find here:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/what-i-must-find-single/id816496007

You can find out more about For BDK here:
https://www.facebook.com/ForBdk
https://twitter.com/ForBDK
http://www.youtube.com/user/ForBDK

And you can listen to more For BDK songs on Soundcloud or Spotify:
https://soundcloud.com/for-bdk
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ORnIh0wbtnq5pQ5qMabp3

#FallingforForBDK

FKA Twigs.

Meet my new found love, FKA Twigs - or 'Formerly Known As' Twigs.

I came across this little gem thanks to a link from The xx on Facebook, and I have listened/watched this video on repeat for the past two days.

The video has had over 130,000 at last count and it will only continue to gain more hits due to the incredible production of the song and with the clearly obvious WEIRD factor.

Researching this young artist a bit more, I uncovered an EP that she released as just 'Twigs' back in December. Each of the 4 songs on the EP have an accompanying video which can be found on FKA Twigs YouTube account. Its worth checking it out!

The video in question that I was referring to earlier is for a new song called 'Water Me'.

It is the first offering from the Londoner after she signed to Young Turks, which also have The xx, SBTRKT and Sampha on their books.

'Water Me' is a haunting, low-fi electronic track that you can easily get lost in. Combined with the visually stunning video, the eyes of FKA Twigs draws you in, and the vulnerability in her voice is amplified by the visuals.

Check out 'Water Me' below:



EP 2 from FKA Twigs features four new songs, including 'Water Me' and is out on September 9.

You can find out more about FKA Twigs here:
http://wwwater.me/
http://twigsep1.com/
http://theyoungturks.co.uk/
http://twigstwigs.tumblr.com/
http://instagram.com/FKAtwigs
https://twitter.com/FKAtwigs

#FallingForFKATwigs

xo

Lorde.

Sixteen year old New Zealander, Lorde, has put the blogging community in a spin with her amazing voice and pop sensibility at such a young age.

Lorde is the pseudonym for Ella Yelich-O'Connor, and in a matter of months since the release of her debut EP, it was downloaded for free on her website 60,000 times before it was put on iTunes.

On Sunday her song 'Royals' debuted at number 1 on the RIANZ charts in New Zealand and her EP 'The Love Club' at number 2 respectively.

Lorde writes all of her own lyrics; I am cringing at myself writing this but it seems that in the age we live in, everyone always questions the authenticity of artists.

Authenticity verified; Lorde is the real deal. She was scouted by Universal at the tender age of 12, after seeing a video of her performance at her school talent show.

Lorde's music has been praised by the likes of Canadian  electronic musician, Grimes, who has blogger cred herself, and had a killer year in 2012.

She even attracted the attention of celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton. Like fellow Kiwi, Kimbra, he has praised Lorde's brand of pop, comparing her to the likes of Lily Allen and Marina and the Diamonds.

Easily the best two songs on the EP are 'Royals' and 'The Love Club' with their catchy melodies and hooks.

Lorde explained the meaning behind the lyrics of 'The Love Club' in an impromtu interview with New Zealand radio station, George FM. "It's basically about that group of friends that you meet and kind of fall into, and while your with them you can't imagine anything else."

"But you kind of get outside of it and realise that you have family and the friends you had when you were a kid, and maybe thats the best way to go."

"Its ultimately about those friends you have so much fun with, its kind of scary."

Keep an eye out for Lorde here in Australia; 'Royal's has just been added to Triple J's Hitlist, so expect to hear a lot more from this talented young lass.

Check out 'Royals' and 'The Love Club' below:





You can find out more about Lorde here:
http://lorde.co.nz/
https://soundcloud.com/lordemusic
https://www.facebook.com/lordemusic
https://twitter.com/lordemusic
http://lordemusic.tumblr.com/

#FallingForLorde

xo

Attracting Flies.

AlunaGeorge came to my attention last year when their song, 'You Know You Like It' featured in an episode of teen drama, Skins.
The combination of George Reid's dark beats and Aluna Francis' cutesy vocals produced a contrasting sound that left me begging for more.

Their first single peaked at number 50 on the UK charts and that is what got the ball rolling for the duo from London.

At the end of 2012, they were nominated for BBC's Sound of 2013, and placed second behind sisterly trio, Haim.

In 2013, AlunaGeorge have found more success, featuring on the Disclosure's single 'White Noise' which peaked at number two on the UK charts.

Their new single, 'Attracting Flies', is set to be released on March 10th in the UK. George's quirky production and Aluna's somewhat soulful vocals create a catchy alt-pop song that is set to do well in the charts.

With their debut album 'Body Music' set for release on July 1st, expect great things from AlunaGeorge for the rest of 2013.

Check out 'Attracting Flies' below:



Also, check out the video for Disclosure's song featuring AlunaGeorge, 'White Noise'.



Find out more about AlunaGeorge here:
www.alunageorge.com
www.soundcloud.com/alunageorge
www.facebook.com/alunageorge
www.twitter.com/alunageorge

#FallingForAlunaGeorge

xo

In Our Heads.

Keeping with the tradition of releasing albums every two years, the boys from Hot Chip return with another quirky, yet deeply profound fifth album.

The band are well known for their catchy melodies, and electronic prowess, and 'In Our Heads' shows the bands progression into even more groundbreaking material, not only lyrically, but sonically. 

Listening to In Our Heads, you can tell that the side projects of various Hot Chip members has liberated them creatively, with influences from Joe Goddard's 'The 2 Bears', especially on the track 'These Chains'. It is what you would come to expect from a Hot Chip album, but with that something extra.

The beats are faced paced, but the overall speed varies throughout the album. One notable change in pace comes from the song 'Look At Where We Are', in which Alexis Turner's recognisable falsetto, sings about an obvious relationship, and reflecting on how far they have come. 'Look at where we are, remember where we started out..' could also not just be about love, but about how far the band has come, in terms of musical substance.

I caught myself having a little groove to the track 'Don't Deny Your Heart', where the infectious electronic beats and bongo drums would be able to get anyone's hips swinging. The numerous layers of sound just go to show how complicated Hot Chip's music is; the key change for the chorus works well, and transforms the song completely. Who doesn't love a good key change though?

'Flutes' slowly unravels during the course of it's seven minutes, kind of like a knitted scarf whose threads are coming undone. The progression of adding layer after layer culminates in a climax, and by then the back burners are on, and it simmers through the rest of the song. It's definitely a clear favourite from the album, and I can only imagine what aural pleasures will be experienced from hearing it live. And it mightn't be too long until we see the boys from Hot Chip in Australia again; they have expressed interest in coming back here to tour in late 2012-early 2013.

In Our Heads is definitely a combination of everything that Hot Chip have learnt since their formation in 2000, and it never fails to make you dance. The infectious pop melodies are ever present, and kudos must be given to their fearlessness in creating an album that again pushes boundaries for Hot Chip.

Check out the dizzy video of 'Flutes' below:



Also check out the very danceable 'Don't Deny Your Heart' below:



You can purchase Hot Chip's new album In Our Heads here:
http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/in-our-heads/id516116769

Find out more about Hot Chip here:
http://hotchip.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/hotchip 
https://twitter.com/hot_chip  
http://soundcloud.com/hot_chip

I've also just started doing reviews for Radar Radio's website!
Check it out here: http://www.radarmusic.com.au/artists/reviews/

Young Rapunzel.

Azealia Banks has been making waves in the past 6 months.

Since the release of her debut single, '212 Feat. Lazy Jay', late in 2011, the song has become a hit in clubs with its techno beats and explicit lyrics.

Come 2012, and the song has reached the top 20 in the UK, she is the fashion world's new pin up girl, and has already performed at Coachella, one of, if not the biggest music festivals in the world.

She placed third in the BBC Sound of 2012, which showcases the "most promising new music for the year ahead". Previous winners of the coveted award include Adele, Jessie J and Ellie Goulding.

Azealia's vocals also featured on the Scissor Sisters new single, 'Shady Love', under the moniker 'Krystal Pepsy'.

Having graduated from the same high school as Nicki Minaj, of course there were going to be comparisons. But the 20 year old hailing from the streets of Harlem commented that “I don’t think Nicki necessarily opened the door for anyone else but herself.”

For me, I am captivated by Azealia's apparent ease of transitioning from rapping to singing with still that same, rude bitch attitude.

Other female MC's have already witnessed Azealia's attitude, having publicly dissed Australian born Iggy Azalea, and Kreayshawn via twitter. However, her raw talent proves that she can back this up and hold her own in the competitive rap world.

She confirmed that her new album will be named 'Broke With Expensive Taste', and is expected towards the latter end of 2012.

Her song 'Bambi' featured in the Mugler Men's Fall/Winter 2012 show at Paris Fashion Week, and it's a banger. The song starts with Azealia speaking "Like, you know? [giggles]", followed by a heavy electro beat. In the verse Azealia's lyrics are spoken and she asks quite sultrily 'So, where are you from?' These spoken lyrics combined with the electro beat build the song to the climax, where Azealia then comes in with some heavy rapping and that is coupled with another heavy beat. The song is definitely one I want to hear playing in a club on a night out!

Azealia is performing at the sold out Splendour in the Grass festival in Byron Bay on the 29th of July.

Check out 'Bambi' below:



Also, check out BBC's interview of Azealia Banks for the BBC Sound of 2012.
What a cool bitch.



Unfortunately, you can not buy 212 from the Australian iTunes anymore.
You can however purchase the music video here:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/music-video/212-feat.-lazy-jay/id518344600

And you can find out more about Azealia Banks here:
http://azealiabanks.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/AzealiaBanks
http://www.facebook.com/azealiabanksmusic

#FallingForAzealiaBanks

xo