Charlie Simpson is most notable for being a part of award-winning boy band Busted as well as being the front-man of post-hardcore band, Fightstar. However, he has also seen great success as a solo artist too, with three albums already under his belt, and a fourth on the way!
‘Blameless’ sees Simpson take on a slightly different sound to anything he’s previously released (solo or in a band). It features Simpson’s trademark raw, powerful and raspy vocal atop a piano-led backing track with a semi urban-style beat to it. It’s something new for the singer-songwriter and leaves me intrigued for what his new album will hold.
The music video was directed, produced and edited by Simpson himself, during lockdown. It sees the singer performing in a variety of settings, most of all in the forest, at different times of day and night with some wonderful lighting effects surrounding him. It’s simplistic but reflects the track’s raw feel perfectly and the editing is pretty cool too.
What are your thoughts of the singer-songwriter’s latest single? Do you have a #WildCardWednesday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via social media.
Misha B is finally back with her latest single, ‘Letter To My Sistars’, and I couldn’t be happier to see her return!
The latest song from the ex-X Factor artist has a definitive, old-school R&B / Hip Hop vibe with an understated beatbox intro, vinyl-tinted beats and clean guitar melodies throughout, topped off with some wonderfully raw and effortless vocal harmonies.
‘Letter To My Sistars’ is a strong departure from her post-X Factor days yet still remains polished and true to herself. It’s a female empowerment track about looking out for each other (Don’t mess – “If you put a finger on my sister, guaranteed your head pop, pop, pop just like blister”); an urban anthem at its best.
The video for the track is fun too – seeing Misha B performing alongside strong female characters in and around the urban environment but also has narrative segments depicting Misha as a child, with one of her “sistars”, as referenced in the track. Go check it out, below.
I’m super excited for this return and hope that maybe this will signal an upcoming debut album?! We can only hope!
What are your thoughts of Misha B’s latest release? Are you as pleased to see her back, as we are? Do you have a #WildCardWednesday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via social media.
Panic! At The Disco is an American band notable for its combination of alternative rock, synth-pop and emo lyrics, creating a very unique sound. After the huge success of the band’s debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, back in 2005, they have had a string of albums, continuously kept their sound fresh and built up a very loyal following. Now, in 2018, and with only Brendon Urie in the official line-up, the now-solo project is releasing a sixth studio album, Pray For The Wicked. Here’s what we have to say about it…
Let’s just start by saying that this album couldn’t be further from their 2005 debut but somehow still manages to have a distinctive Panic! At The Disco sound… mostly due to Brendon‘s instantly recognisable vocals!
Throughout the band’s life, they have had many incarnations, from the cabaret-infused emo-pop of their debut, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (2005), to their Beatles-inspired, Pretty. Odd (2008) and even their remarkably elaborate 2016 offering, Death Of A Bachelor. Well, Pray For The Wicked is no different…it’s another eccentric overhaul of the act and with that, brings a new and exciting sound.
It all opens with the show-stopper, ‘(Fuck A) Silver Lining’; an all-out, overly-extravagant anthem that oozes an air of success about the guy. The production is top-notch and unapologetic about its use of heavy drum fills and lavish symphony instrumentation. I particularly love the use of the one-off beep where a “fuck” should be – a great little production addition.
This is a theatrical record that doesn’t hold back in any way, shape or form!
As with any Panic! album, there is a great deal of sass behind the lyrics but this record also serves as an honest reflection on certain aspects of his life; his religious upbringing coupled with his rise to fame but rather than focusing on him living the high-life (as was the case on 2016’s Death Of A Bachelor), delves further into the journey to get there. This is a theatrical record that doesn’t hold back in any way, shape or form! It could easily be the soundtrack to a film like The Greatest Showman or feature on Broadway.
Some of key tracks to listen to on this record include, the quietly catchy, ‘Hey Look Ma, I Made It’; the pop-infused ‘High Hopes’ which you can’t help but sing at full pelt; the aptly-named ‘Dancing’s Not A Crime’ – which is a bloody good thing, as you’re unable to hear this without busting out some moves; and the beautifully heartfelt ‘Dying In LA’.
There is a real amalgamation of sounds on this album, from the superbly-integrated brass sections throughout (which add a certain class and almost seem to flaunt the budget that must have been spent making it), to the urban flourishes, such as gritty vinyl sounds, ballsy trap beats and even hip hop-tinted, high-pitched vocal samples. There’s no escaping the fact that Brendon sounds like he had a friggin’ great time making this record and at the same time, was not afraid to push some boundaries.
One thing’s for sure; fans of label-mates, Fall Out Boy‘s, newer sound, as well as die-hard Panic! fans, will undoubtedly love this record…but I have a feeling that with this new direction, he might well be picking up a whole new army of fans too! There are moments here and there that I could give or take, but on the whole, this is an outstanding, current and contemporary album that I would just LOVE to see performed live!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our review! What do you think of this band’s sixth album? Are you a fan? What would you rate it? Please leave your thoughts in a comment below or via our social media.
Enjoyed this? Check out some of our other reviews here:
Dappy is finally back with the epic new tune, ‘Oh My’ featuring Ay Em. The track has a distinct afrobeat vibe to it.
The tune is less obviously catchy than some of his previous hits, but it’s still a superb track; a real urban, summer song! Hopefully this will signal the upcoming release of his second album, tentatively titled Miracles.
The music video is based in London and sees Dappy and Ay Em performing on the streets, with some quirky animations weaving their way throughout.
Take from the soundtrack to the second season of Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, Colorado pop rock back, OneRepublic, have teamed up with American rapper, Logic, to create an incredibly fitting track.
The band’s latest single features Ryan Tedder‘s stunning and passionate vocals, on top of a thumping, almost empowering beat, accompanied by a verse about suicide, by mental health advocate, Logic. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the latest series of the mysterious teen drama.
OneRepublic have released a string of new singles now, but no album has been announced…hopefully these are all signs of one to come!
No music video has been released, as yet, but the audio video can be seen below. If one is released, we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
Having seen PAULi support Rae Morris at Concorde 2 recently (review here)…I have been utterly obsessed! This is an artist who delivers a live performance which is both exciting and captivating; he has crafted something truly unique!
‘WAITING (Getting On This Train)’ is an intense blend of London’s urban music scene, with chaotic dance elements and a certain quality to his voice that is somewhat reminiscent of something Prince would have done, in his more recent years.
PAULi is an artist that has worked hard to produce a complete package; artistic music videos, quirky single/album artwork and a unique genre-blending sound. Unfortunately, no music video exists for this track but if you ever get the chance to see him live, there’s something in the energy of this song that is just astounding!
This is most definitely an artist to watch out for; I’m predicting big things for him!
What are your thoughts of this incredibly unique artist? Have you got a #WildCardWednesday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or hit us up via our socials.
Brunswick is the moniker of a 19-year-old up-and-comer, who is making some seriously edgy, fusion music. This single, ‘Know No Better’ merges R&B and hip hop with rock and pop to create a unique blend, self-described as “Rhythm & Grunge”. It’s a great sound that is almost like crossing G-Eazy with Conor Maynard and topping it off with some Nirvana; it really is something special.
Very little is known about this artist right now, other than from his Instagram and SoundCloud pages, but a little mystery isn’t always a bad thing.
No music video has been released for the track yet, but as soon as one emerges, we’ll keep you updated.
What are your thoughts of this mysterious artist? Got your own #MellowMonday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or hit us up via our social media.
Sarsha Simone hadn’t come on to my radar until recently, when I was sent the track to check out…and I’m so pleased I did!
‘Casualty’ is a fantastic track which although has sparse production, it certainly makes an impact – with modern elements of pop and R&B weaved throughout, the song is a sonic masterpiece. Not only is the bass hard-hitting, but Sarsha’s vocals ride the musical waves with perfection – she’s definitely got a powerful voice on her too!
What are your thoughts on this sensational singer? Have you heard of her before? Got any similar song suggestions for us, for #WildCardWednesday? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment below or via our social media accounts.
We’ve had a blast and been so proud to have hit the milestone of our first birthday and coming up next month, should be more interviews and reviews (in particular, Patent Pending…again! But this time, in person; which guarantees to be a massive laugh!) as well as our usual posts to bring you music for each of our themed days.
We hope that you have enjoyed this month’s songs and you can find both the Spotify and YouTube playlists below!
As always, please keep sharing our posts and remember to share your song choices with us by commenting on our posts or talking to us on Twitter and Facebook.
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Lastly, please, please respond to our posts on Facebook or leave comments on each of our blog posts with your own tracks for each of the daily themes – we want you to share what you’re listening to because we love music as much as you, and we really enjoy finding out about new tunes. Thanks so much!
The Knocks are an electronic music duo from New York, consisting of Ben “B-Roc” Ruttner and James “JPatt” Patterson. Their name actually comes from when the pair made beats in their apartment and would get “the knocks” from their neighbours, to keep the noise down.
They’ve since gone on to record a string of singles and their debut album, 55, which features an incredible array of acts, including Alex Newell, St Lucia and Walk The Moon.
‘Collect My Love’, which features Alex Newell‘s trademark vocals, is one of the singles they released from the album and it’s got some serious funk going on – it’s reminiscent of Daft Punk‘s ‘Get Lucky’. The video for the song is pretty quirky too – it’s got that urban feel but with an air of “getting ready for a night out”; it’s just good fun!
What do you think of these guys? Has it given you that #FeelGoodFriday vibe? Please share this link on your social media sites!
Melissa Steel had her first success with debut single, ‘Kisses For Breakfast’, back in 2014 but she has just released her follow-up track, ‘You Love Me?’, featuring Wretch 32. I think what sets Melissa Steel apart from so many others, is her slightly reggae edge and refreshing take on R&B/Pop music. She has an urban quality to her sound and her vocals are uniquely captivating.
The song is produced by none other than Darkchild and the cute sample vocals are very memorable – a strong follow-up single, I must say! Well done Ms. Steel!
Aquilo are an Indie/Electro-Pop duo from Lancashire, consisting of Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher.
The pair have released 3 EPs to date, but this song (‘Good Girl’) marks their first proper single release, hinting at an album to come!
The video for the song is like an independent film and suits the song perfectly. The chorus is entrancing with its high-pitched, rapid lyrics and the electronic elements are hypnotic – I can imagine the band doing something amazing with this, when performing it live.
I am a fan of this duo and am very excited to hear what they offer us next.
And so ends this week’s #Two4Tunesday but would you have chosen a different set of songs? Please leave your choices in a comment below or on our Facebook/Twitter.
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