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Full Of Fire
Seven years have flown by hey? I still remember being 23, DJing every Saturday night in an indie club in Southampton and dropping ‘Heartbeats’ every single set without fail.
Then, The Knife went silent.
Until now. I’m almost 30, I haven’t listened to ‘Heartbeats’ in longer than I can remember and that indie club in Southampton seems like a lifetime ago, but with this new track, The Knife have pulled me back in. Definitely one of my most eagerly awaited albums of 2013.
Shaking The Habitual is released on April 8th.
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White Noise
Could this be the dreamiest collaboration of the year? Ok, its only January and I might be getting ahead of myself, but tracks as good as this don’t come around often do they?
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I swear it was literally days ago I was thinking about Katy B and how much the world needed her return. And here she is, with not only a seamless E.P featuring collaborations with Jessie Ware, Diplo, Zinc, Wiley and more, but a FREE E.P too.
Why she’d give away such a strong release for free, I’m unsure. But if nothing else it does an important job, it reminds the world shes still here and ‘On A Mission’ wasn’t a one off, flash in the pan success. Big things are definitely still to come.
Download the E.P for free here.
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She’s got a boyfriend anyway…
“And this is how it starts / You take your shoes off in the back of my van / My shirt looks so good / When it’s just hanging off your back”
Released on November 16th, Manchester band The 1975 are back with a follow up to their well received EP ‘ Facedown’ with a new four track which goes by the name of ‘Sex’.
If you like your alternative bands to be mixed with electronica, grungy guitars and R&B influenced vocal harmonies, then this EP is potentially your new favourite listen.
Opening track ‘Intro / Set 3’ and its follow up ‘Undo’ bring their R&B and slowjam influences to the forefront. For me, with this sound is where The 1975’s strengths lie. They blend these elements with chilled yet glitchy electronic beats which build slowly but surely into pulsating anthems.
‘Sex’ the lead single from the E.P has received its fair share of radio support with airplay from Radio 1, XFM and Kerrang recently and based on the quality of the release as a whole this is set to continue. With its upbeat sound, melodic vocals, catchy lyrics and reverb filled guitars this will take you back to the glory days of American bands such as Jimmy Eat World whilst still managing to sound fresh and on point.
With the EP’s closing track, ‘You’, we find nothing we haven’t heard from indie bands previously which could be seen as disappointing after the brilliance of the first three songs. But still, its catchy, its melodic, the lyrics are simple yet memorable and for me, even if its not the stand out track, its definitely worth more than a couple of listens.
Overall, a really strong EP which will no doubt be on rotation in my headphones for a little while yet.
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SEND ME DOWN
Just under a month ago, Haim dropped a new track, the beautifully catchy and pop infused ‘Don’t Save Me’. And now? Its time for the follow up. ‘Send Me Down’ has a darker sound to the bands previous releases, heavy on percussion and more driven in its pace whilst still staying faithful the bands trademark indie pop feel. My excitement levels for their (hopefully) soon to be released full length have just risen times a million.
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LOSING YOU
By now we should all know who Cyril Hahn is right? You remember, the guy that created one of the best remixes you ever heard? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, first up..head over to this link quickly ok?
Ok, you with me? Well, as I was saying, Cyril Hahn…He’s only done it again. So this time the remix I’m talking about isn’t of a song with legendary pop status just yet, but it is by the sister of the aforementioned bands lead vocalist. To add to that, its one of my favourite records of 2012 and again, this remix is insanely good.
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1000 Minutes Part 39
Not sure what this countdown is about? Click here!
150. Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River [4:48] (time remaining 431:09) (listen on Spotify)
A thumping Timbaland production, JT hitting a falsetto range Mariah Carey would be jealous of, a video that involved him stalking a fake Britney Spears round her house and lyrics that focus not on heartbreak but getting your own back. What more could you want from a track? Potentially one of my favourite pop songs of all time, its now a massive ten years old and still sounds as fresh as the first time I heard it.
151. Diana King – Shy Guy [4:19] (time remaining 426:50) (listen on Spotify)
Considering I was 11 years old when this track was released, I have absolutely no idea when I first heard it, yet still it feels like it should be full of memories and nostalgia. Regardless of when or how though, this track never fails to make it feel like summers coming, even if it is closer to Christmas. I also like it because it seems like most people find it impossible not to attempt the ‘Mercy, mercy, mercy’ accent when singing along and thats always kind of funny.
152. Mariah Carey – Always Be My Baby [4:18] (Time remaining 422:32) (listen on Spotify)
I go through stages of being in love with Mariah Carey. Sometimes I forget about it, but she always manages to remind me again. With this song, its a guaranteed win. Sure, its sickly sweet in places, especially coupled with the image of her swinging on a rope swing over a lake in the video, but it never fails to put me in a good mood. So much so infact that I recently tried it out as my alarm clock in the mornings and I can confirm that I woke up in a happier mood than when 95% of other songs chosen were used. That says something right?
153. Lionel Richie – My Destiny [3:41] (time remaining 418:51) (listen on Spotify)
While we’re on the subject of songs that put me in a good mood in the morning, here’s another. I’m not going to lie, this probably won’t be the only Lionel song that makes its way into my 1000 minutes. My Dad was probably his biggest superfan afterall, so many of his lyrics were likely to be responsible for my first words as a child. And when you have that kind of forced connection with an artist, its kind of hard to shake. Seriously though, this track is one of the greatest feel good songs out there and if you disagree, you’re a liar, or your heart isn’t beating.
tbc…x
Felice In Paris
This has got my feet tapping loads this morning. Wanting to go out at 11am isn’t a great indication of how your day is going to go really…
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Hannah Wants – Mixtape 1012
I can’t tell you how much I’m starting to obsess over midlands DJ and Producer Hannah Wants’ music. Rapidly climbing the ranks in the DJ / Production world recently, she’s taken over Rinse FM, shes smashed Creamfields, shes played alongside Annie Mac, Disclosure, SBTRKT and Jaguar Skills to name a few and shes been championed by Eats Everything, Foamo, Shadow Child and many more. To put it bluntly, this girl is KILLING IT.
Sink her latest mix into your eardrums below, trust me, it won’t disappoint. And keep an eye on her too, big things are going to happen soon, guaranteed.
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Totally Twitterpated 