QUICK REVIEW: AFI – The Missing Man

Howdy ladies and gents, it seems like I’m always coming back to this blog every once in a while, and that’s obviously no good for people who which to get consistent material from me and for that I apologize. However, I’m back to talk about some music and today I’ll be discussing AFI’s EP from 2018; The Missing Man.

After I heard “Get Dark” and reviewed it, I was hyped to hear more AFI and I bought the EP and listened to it a few times. I even had a review I was drafted in mid-December of 2018. However, I just never got around to writing it up due to my work shifts during Christmas and after personal activities that kept me busy. But I have always wanted to share my thoughts on this EP and now that I’m listening to music a lot more I have thoughts that I want to share so here we are.

Now The Missing Man feels like a continuation of the sound AFI has been delivering since Burials and AFI (The Blood Album) with a balance of songs that rock hard, some more moody material and more melodic material. How much you enjoy this EP will depend on what era/sound you like from AFI. Anyone hoping for the crazier sounds of the past will be disappointed, this is definitely more in line with their recent work and feels like a combination of their last two albums sound. I personally love Burials safe for a couple of songs, while AFI (The Blood Album) only had a handful of songs I liked (I will discuss that album in the future). With only 5 tracks this EP is over by pretty swiftly but there’s something special about this sound that’ll make you want to go back for more.

The EP opens with “Trash Bat” and it’s great. Its loud, upbeat, in your face and has the exact kind of sound I like from this band. I love the chorus with the sound of the guitars alongside Davey Havok and the backing vocals. It’s over pretty quickly but has such an addictive sound that makes you want to hit the repeat button. “Break Angels” feels like it could have been on Burials, and I like it but mainly for the chorus. “Back Into The Sun” is a slower-paced song which at first I wasn’t sure about, but after a while, it really grew on me because of the chorus and heavy guitars. Next up is “Get Dark“, simply put I love this song. It’s super fun, loud, catchy, swift in pace and has a catchy as hell chorus. This was the oomph that their last album was missing. And finally, there’s the title track “The Missing Man” and it’s my least my favourite song on the EP. It starts out well and I do like the overall moody tone and there’s a bit in the middle that sounds good, but overall it doesn’t grab me. It lacks something distinctive as the final track.

Best Songs:

1. Get Dark
2. Trash Bat
3. Back Into The Sun

So to conclude The Missing Man is solid EP from AFI, it’s familiar yet different and if you’re open to hearing new sounds from the band then I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s a short yet fun experience and it definitely resonates with me more than their last album. So have you heard this EP and if so what did you think of it? Drop your thoughts in the comment section below and I’ll see you next time, laters! 😀

 

The Good Sounds of SG Lewis

Howdy ladies and gents, its been a while since I’ve posted on this blog that wasn’t film-related. But since I’ve been on lockdown for just over a month and won’t be flying back home any time soon, I’ve had a lot of time to think and I’ve wanted to start writing about music again. So I wanted to start by talking about one of my favourite artists I’ve found in the last few years; SG Lewis.

My Discovery & Journey

So I discovered SG Lewis while I worked at the airport in my home town 4 years ago. His song “All Night” was on the radio and it caught me ear, so I put some of the lyrics on my phone and then found the song online. I became obsessed with the song for months. Then later that year I bought his EP Yours and found new songs to jam to and in 2017 I found Shivers which was also a nice listening experience. In 2018 I heard Dusk and that was my favourite EP so far with its gorgeous sounds and I was in love especially with the song “Aura“. And in 2019 I heard both Dark and Dawn and they were awesome as they had that familiar gorgeous sound but had progressed in new and exciting ways. And on top of that, I got to see him live TWICE! Once at ONBlackheath music festival in London and then around 4 months later at Fortune Sound Club in Vancouver. Both experiences were such awesome sessions, but the Vancouver show as extra special as I got to meet him in person which was just amazing!

Why His Music Is So Good

So I’ve given you a condensed version of how I found Lewis’ music and my listening experience so far. But now its time to tell you I believe his music is so good. Now, as I’ve stated on previous music-related blog posts I am no music aficionado, though I try to do my best to communicate my points through sound and feeling. So SG Lewis’ music in the broadest of terms is essentially electronic, but because of the variety in his music, you can get vibes of R&B, disco, house and the 80’s feeling with the use of synth. Lewis’ music has an immediate effect on your ears because it’s so infectious. Once you hear that beat or specific melody it has a way of getting into your head and then you just want to hit the repeat button. Also, the songs never outstay their welcome, they’re always just long enough to leave you wanting more. And one of the key things that make his music so accessible for me is how he has a song for any situation. Whether you’re chilling and vibing to the sounds of “No Less“, “Golden” or “Rest” or you want to dance to the sounds of “Aura“, “Hurting” or “Coming Up“, there is always a song to suit your mood. And then there’s hearing his songs live which adds a new dimension to the songs because of the live vocals, improvisation, extra bass from the speakers and joy you feel from being able to dance with likeminded individuals. There’s nothing quite like it.

Recommendations

So it comes to recommendations and this is where it gets tricky as I would say just listen to everything in chronological order as you’ll enjoy the ride and see Lewis’ progression as an artist. But if I had to narrow it down I would say it would be down to the following EPs: Yours, Shivers and Dusk. Each of those has my favourite listening experience from start to finish with Dusk being the best in my opinion. It’s just something special, you just vibe with it on another level, its instantly replayable, and again it has to be stated how good “Aura” is, it is a perfect jam for dancing.

Now from the EPs to specific tracks and while it’s hard to narrow it down, the following 10 songs are my favourites that I believe are essential and you should listen to right now. Check them out below:

1. Aura
2. Dreaming
3. Lighter
4. All Night
5. Holding Back
6. Yours
7. Hurting
8. Meant to Be
9. No Less
10. Coming Up

And that’s it, I hope my words and examples have spurred you on to check out some of SG Lewis’ music as he really is one of the best artists out there that deserve more love. If you’re a new or an established fan of Lewis, let me know what which song are your favourites in the comment section below. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you in the next post, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: SG Lewis – Chemicals

Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, it has been a while since my last post, I’ve been dealing with a severe case of creative block in recent times. But today I just had to remerge to share my thoughts on the latest song from SG Lewis; “Chemicals“.

Now I love SG Lewis, I’ve been following his music since I heard his single “All Night” back in April 2016, and since then I’ve listened to everything he’s released and had the pleasure of seeing him live twice. Needless to say, I am a massive fan and I’m always looking forward to when he drops some new music. So imagine my surprise a week ago when he said on social media he’d drop new music today. I got hyped as hell. Anyways enough of that, let’s talk about “Chemicals“.

Here’s the song:

Ah, “Chemicals” man that’s some good stuff! I knew in the opening seconds of the sound that I was down for it. It’s upbeat and groovy straight from the start and while it’s different from the material he’s realised before, he still has that undeniably fun and wonderful sound that makes Lewis’ music so good.

So “Chemicals” feels a little swifter, upbeat and groovier than what Lewis’ previous material and that’s not a bad thing, quite the opposite. I’ve found that Lewis’ music has always had a great balance between being something you can relax and dance to, but this song is definitely more for dancing to. It starts like the Kool-Aid Man busting through a wall saying “Oh yeah! Time to dance!” And I love it. Two of my all-time favourite songs from Lewis has been “Aura” and “Hurting”, both have a gorgeous sound that’s made for dancing especially the former. And this song follows suit with a sound that needs to be heard in the club or performed live. I love the vocals, catchy chorus and certain elements of the instrumental remind me vibes to Justice and Daft Punk, but mixed in with that awesome and sound that Lewis has crafted over the years.

All I can say is that this song could not have come at a better time, this lockdown situation due to the virus has got a lot of people feeling a little low, frustrated or lost. And so when music like this comes along, the kind that is so fun and energetic, it really helps elevate your mood and keep that fire of positivity alive. I know I’ll be jamming to this for a while to come and can’t wait to hear what Lewis has coming up in the future.

So to conclude I think “Chemicals” is another awesome song from SG Lewis, its got such a lively and groovy vibe that makes me smile and want to dance and I can’t recommend it enough! So have you heard this new song and if so what did you think of it? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below and I’ll see you with more content soon, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: AFI – Get Dark

Howdy ladies and gents, it has been almost a month since the last time I posted something on here, terrible I know, but today I’m back to share my thoughts on the latest song released from AFI; “Get Dark“.

Now for those not aware, AFI is one of my all-time favourite bands, since 2008 their sound has filled my life with endless hours of joy, but also has helped me get through some of the tougher periods of my life in the past. And even though I had played to review the AFI (The Blood Album) last year, I just lost a lot of my writing passion in 2017 so I never got around to it. But after hearing this new song I knew I had to get on my blog and talk about it.

Here’s the song:

So yeah “Get Dark” just dropped online out of nowhere almost a week ago, I saw it in my YouTube subscription page and clicked immediately while half awake in bed. Upon my first listen I thought it was good, had a fast and upbeat tempo which I really liked and catchy/memorable chorus, but it didn’t blow me away. However, I listened to it again a few days ago and recently the song’s just got stuck in my and I’ve found myself singing the chorus while at work or walking around the house. Fastfoward to today and I’ve listened to the song 5 times since release (which is a lot for me when it comes to new music). I think its safe to say that I’m a fan of this song.

Similar to “I Hope You Suffer” back in 2013, I think this track is one that grows on you (though “I Hope You Suffer” grabbed me a lot quicker). “Get Dark” feels like a continuation of some of the sounds that AFI did with Burials and The Blood Album, this song’s intense, swift and catchy, it hooks you and since it comes and goes so quickly it leaves you wanting more. I really like the drum beat, the chorus and that guitar solo towards the latter half of the song. This song is just delicious and addictive. And when I found out this was going to be one of more tracks coming from the band I was ecstatic. I might pre-order The Missing Man EP just so I can half that music ready to download on the day of release haha.

So to conclude I think “Get Dark” is another great song from AFI, like their recent albums it’s different yet familiar and if you like this band this song should be right up your street. So have you check out this song and if so what did you think of it? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below and I’ll see you with more content soon, laters! 😀

 

PODCAST: Best of Film Focus

Good day to you ladies and gents, today I just wanted to talk about my podcast, Film Focus and share with you some of the best episodes I have produced since I started back in 2016. And while I did highlight some of my favourite episodes in my first-anniversary post, I believe I have produced some better work since then and highlight my better work.

So without further ado here is a selection of some of my favourite/best episodes that I’ve done so far from the earliest to the latest:

Triple Review: Split, XXX: Return of Xander Cage & T2 Trainspotting

Even though I highlighted this episode before, it is still one my favourite and most unique episodes. Before this point, I had never thought of doing three mini reviews in one episode, the thought was a little mad to me and I thought it could be a mistake because I wasn’t giving each film a dedicated episode. However, it worked out in my favour because I was able to say enough about each film without going on too long, and it has gone on to be my second most played episode on Soundcloud which is awesome.

The Fate of the Furious Review

Even though I don’t talk about it too much, I did enjoy the last Fast and Furious film, it was fun, not my favourite of the franchise but still worth watching. And while I liked making this episode, for some reason, towards the latter half of the year it just picked up steam and became the most played episode on Soundcloud, its closing in on 500 plays which is insane to me, but hey I am not complaining in the slightest. 😛

Spider-Man: Homecoming Review

I make it no secret that Spider-Man: Homecoming was one of my favourite films of last year and while it wasn’t the best film, it just gave me a great sense of fun, youthful energy and difference from the Sony Spidey films of the past. And I think you can tell in this episode that I really enjoyed my time watching the film and it was a fun one to record.

Theme Songs in Superhero Films

This is the first episode where I truly got to talk about my love for the music that comes with superhero films and why I believe they are important aspects of these films. I enjoyed creating this episode a lot and putting it out there into the world.

2017 Summer Movie Recap

This is one of the most notable episodes of the podcast as it featured my first guest in the form of Drew from Drew’s Movie Reviews, and he was a lovely gentlemen who helped me go through most of the major films from of last summer from films we both saw and some that we saw individually. It is one of the longer episodes but it was hella fun.

Film Scores and Composers

Besides a few other episodes, this was the passion project that I really wanted to make an episode about since I started the podcast. Music in film is SO important to me and while I’m not well-versed in the proper descriptive terms to analyse film scores and composers, I am very passionate and I can tell you how film scores makes me feel and how I believe it enhances a film or works being the confines of the films they belong to.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review

And so Drew thankfully returned to join me for my review of the latest Star Wars films and that was certainly an interesting episode for sure. We both had different opinions about the film, there were elements we agreed on, but there were also a few times where we were on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to how certain elements of the story, characterisation and evolution of the overall SW canon.

2017 Superhero Film Discussion

And finally, we have the episode where I had my second guest on the podcast, Eddie from Jaccendo to help me talk about the superhero films of 2017. With such a variety of films adapted from comic books last year there was a good deal of stuff to talk about, both good and bad, and what I enjoyed about recording this episode was having another person to bounce off of and offer a different opinion from my own. It is my longest episode but it was just a very casual, fun and nerdy conversation of the best kind. 🙂

Well, that is everything that I wanted to share, if you haven’t checked out my podcast yet I would appreciate if you subscribed on Soundcloud or iTunes and if you could sort me some comments or reviews that would be awesome! 🙂 Anyway until next time, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: Justin Timberlake – Filthy

Well hello ladies and gents, time for a type of blog post I haven’t done for AGES, I’m doing a music review and specifically it’ll be a short review for Justin Timberlake’s recently released single; “Filthy“. I remember how excited I got when I found out that JT was releasing the first single from his upcoming album, I had no clue he was working on new stuff! I waited impatiently for the new music video, then watched it and went to listen to the song a few more times over the next few days. 🙂 Now I know the song’s been out for at least two weeks and I was meant to review it within the first few days, unfortunately, time got away from me, but now after listening to the song 8 times I think I’m ready to share my thoughts. 😛

Anyway check out the music video below:

I remember the first time I heard the song my immediate thoughts probably sounded like this: “It’s different, but I like it.” Much like JT’s previous first singles, this song is one that grows on you. I remember when “SexyBack” came out and I initially hated it, but eventually did a 180 and ended up loving it. And “Suit & Tie” in 2013 I liked and thought it was good, but then I fell in love with it. With “Filthy” it has a sound that is new and contemporary but also feels familiar. Upon my first listen I felt like.

I love the way the song starts up in a very triumphant and bombastic way and then drops into a funky beat with an R&B kind of sound mixed in with electronic elements. Lyrically this fits in with “SexyBack” being very sexual and sensual, but also fun and catchy. And while there’s repetition with some of the lyrics like “If you know what’s good” or “Haters gonna say it’s fake, so real”, I think it works in the context of the song, possibly enticing you to sing along. After my third or fourth listen I was obsessed with the song and was singing along with the intro and the line “Your friends, my friends and they ain’t leaving till six in the morning” was my favourite part. And in the last quarter of the sound when it proper switches up and goes hard with that electronic sound for a bit was surprising on my first listen, but it is delicious and really cool.

I guess my only nitpicks with the song would be two things: 1) The breathing in the background, while sexy breathing can fun in certain songs, in this song it is a little distracting. And 2) The song doesn’t feel like one that you can dance to, but maybe that will change when I hear it in the club. As for the music video, it is suitably odd yet captivating with JT as this Steve Jobs-like man presenting his robotic creation that can do all of these fancy dance moves.

In conclusion, Justin Timberlake’s “Filthy” is fun and sexy kind of jam, while it doesn’t have the instant replay and dance factor that’s come with his previous work, I think it is a fresh and addictive kind of sound that if you’re willing to accept, it will consume you in the best way. I know some have dismissed it already and that’s fine, people like what they like, but I for one will be jamming to this eagerly anticipating Man of the Woods when it drops next month! 😀

So what do you think of JT’s new sound? Are you feeling it or did you hope for something better? Whatever your thoughts drop them in the comments section below and I’ll see you in the next review, laters! 😀

 

The Importance of Film Scores & Composers

Good day to you ladies and gents, today I would like to share with you a topic of conversation I’ve wanted to cover on this blog for a number of years in the form of film scores and composers. Now if you’ve followed this blog for a while you’ll be well aware of my love for films scores and when there is great music in the I always try to bring attention to it in my reviews, and so recently I made an episode about this topic on my podcast and wanted to share it with you. 😀

So what does this episode contain? Well here’s a little breakdown:

• What Makes a Good Film Score & Why It Is Important
• My Mountain Rushmore of Composers
• Some of My Other Favourite Composers

There’s a lot more to the episode beyond those bullet points as I get descriptive with certain soundtracks, themes and composers as well. Covering films from Back to the Future to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and talking about composers like Danny Elfman, James Horner and Howard Shore, I do as much as I can to cover as many aspects of films scores and composers as possible without making the episode go on forever. Anyway check out the episode below:

I hope you enjoy the episode, this is a particular topic I’ve wanted to do on this blog for around 3 years. It was originally drafted as a blog post around 2 years ago and I added to it now and then until this year when I realised I wanted to change it into a podcast episode so I could properly communicate my feelings about the subject. It really is a passion project and while it didn’t turn out as perfectly as I had hoped, I feel like it is a good representation of my original vision.

So that’s me done. What do you think? Do you think that film scores are important to film or are you not fussed about it? And if you do like film scores and if so what are some of your favourite composers and soundtracks? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you for reading and I’ll see ya in the next post, laters! 😀

 

REVIEW: Michael Giacchino at 50

Good day to you ladies and gents, how’s it going? Last night I had one of my favourite experiences of 2017 in the form a concert held at the Royal Albert Hall entitled Michael Giacchino at 50.

Image from royalalberthall.com

So what is this event about? Well, essentially it was a concert where you had an orchestra play several pieces of music from the numerous films, TV shows and video games that Giacchino’s score over the years. If you’ve checked out this blog for any amount of time you’ll know I have not only massive love for good film scores, but for Michael Giacchino in particular, so when I heard about this even back in February, I bought my ticket as quickly as possible. And so finally, the time had come yesterday, alas the London Underground was closed by the time I arrived at St Pancras just after 6pm, so I had to use Google Maps to run down to Royal Albert Hall, luckily after taking a few wrong turns and running through a dark park with no lights, I got to the venue with around 30 minutes to spare.

And I’ll say it right now, the concert was frigging awesome! We were introduced to a gentleman with a sousaphone (whose name I cannot recall, unfortunately) who played the birthday song and got the crowd involved. From there we were introduced to Adam Savage, the host for the event and he was wonderfully funny and charismatic, and in between the music, he’d appear in interesting costumes and introduce the special guests too. And speaking of the guests, we got to see several of the directors Giacchino’s worked as well as some actors featured in the films he’s worked on come onstage and share some kind words about Giacchino and his work. There were appearances from Colin Trevorrow, Andrew Stanton, Gareth Edwards, Matt Reeves, Carlton Cuse, Pete Docter, JJ Abrams, Benedict Wong, Raffey Cassidy, and Gonzo too. 😀

So what about the music? Well, it was all delicious! The concert started off perfectly with The Incredibles, taking all of the key themes from film and blending them together to show off the bombastic, sassy, playful and badass music, clearly, the people behind this show knew what the deal was by opening with that Pixar classic. Next up was some music from Medal of Honour, I was never into shooting games but I really felt like I may have missed out on something special as the music had some gorgeous sounds which felt like a mix of Lost and Jurassic Park. Though I don’t recall much from Jupiter Ascending, the music was and still is really intense and wonderful. Jurassic World had some lovely pieces which I had honestly forgotten about, the compositions Giacchino made for that film were so heartfelt and made me almost shed tears. The Marvel suite featured music from the Marvel Studios logo sequence which was great, the awesome sounds of Doctor Strange (mainly “Strange Days Ahead”) and the upbeat and heroic sounds of Spider-Man: Homecoming. The music for Rogue One had a selection of the best material from the middle and final parts of the film which was really special and powerful. And then there was Lost, so glad I watched the first season recently as the piece they used from the end of the first season and it was frigging perfect and made me well up because it was hella beautiful. And so that ended the first half.

In the second half we had some of the key music from Up which was beautifully handled by the orchestra and the string quartet Bond, then there were the humourous sounds of One Man Band and the final piece of Pixar piece was from Ratatouille. From here my memory gets a little hazy so excuse any mistakes I make if you attended and have the programme. There was also a haunting piece from Cloverfield I think before going on to do the sounds from War for the Planet of the Apes which was really dramatic and cool. Next up was the really beautiful sounds of John Carter, I’d honestly had forgotten about that film and hearing that music really brought back some memories of certain scenes I remembered from 2012. Oh, and the sounds from Tomorrowland was quite nice having a hopeful and majestic sound. And then we had the Star Trek suite which had the sounds of the 2009 film, Into Darkness and Beyond which was easily a highlight for me as it is some of my favourite material in any film ever. Then we had Gonzo come along and had some fun with the audience and then did a bit of a duet with Giacchino on “I’m Going To Go Back There Someday” from The Muppets Movie. And the final music was from Super 8 played with some archive footage of Giacchino’s childhood films he made with his friends which were perfect. But it wasn’t over, after a standing ovation we had our first encore was in the form of Speed Racer,  and then the next encore was a preview of Coco which was so playful and catchy and the final encore was from Alias.

Musical highlights:

• The Incredibles
• Jurassic World
• The Marvel Suite
• Lost
• John Carter
• Star Trek Suite
• Coco

Overall Michael Giacchino at 50 was a fabulous session and I was glad I was able to attend, there was a lot of laughs and comedy, and insightful and heartfelt moments from Giacchino, his home movies and the kind words from his friends/work colleagues, and of course the work put in from conductor Ludwig Wicki, the Cinematic Sinfonia and the English Chamber Choir was nothing short of amazing as they brought Giacchino’s music to life in such a special way.

 

LATE REVIEW: Boardmasters Festival 2017

Howdy ladies and gents, today I am going to talk to you about the Boardmasters Festival that went down in Newquay over the past weekend. I was actually meant to write about this on Monday, but because the weekend was so long and I had to work soon after I just put it off. But I had to at least do some kind of review for it on the blog so here I am. 🙂

So yeah after the longest 9-10 hour journey ever via coach to get down to Newquay I got into the festival on Saturday morning with my friend and it was a lovely area. Even before the various stages were housed by the different artists, there was a lot to see, do and buy. With several stands for buying food, merchandise, and loads of other stuff, and then there were the different sound stages just blaring out music, benched areas for sitting and of course numerous toilet areas too. I just appreciated how well everything was placed in just the right area and there was a nice variety in the food you could eat, the places to chill, the places to go to the loo and a good distance between stages with the various musicians so the sound did overlap/overshadow each other.

When it comes to the musical acts I’m not gonna I only knew about 3 or 4 acts, everyone else was new to me. And do a degree I feel bad because about 90% of them were really good to bloody incredible. But at the same time, I liked coming into this thing completely blank as I had no expectations so to be blown away and discover all this music I didn’t know I would love was a magical feeling.

Firstly there was Kioko which my friend and I found while randomly walking around and their sound caught our immediately with their song “Deadly Roots”, and from there the rest of their set was just a delightfully cool and addictive. Next major act of interest was Will Heard, I have never heard of this guy, but he had such a lovely voice and a nice sense of humour, he also had a wonderful band and backing vocalists, and together they delivered an incredible session which was great for chilling and jamming. Heard and his people really brought the main stage alive. There was a nice variety of Heard’s music and it got a lot of people dancing, me included and it was so much fun. The next musician to catch me by surprise was Laura Mvula, she had such a beautiful voice and an incredibly engaging presence through her music and charisma, her music really touched the soul and like my friend said, it sounds like her music belongs on film soundtrack like maybe the upcoming live action Lion King film that Disney is doing, she’s that good. 🙂

Next highlight of the day for me was Lethal Bizzle, now I knew Bizzle would do well, but I had no clue it would be nearly as fun as it turned out. Besides one other act, Bizzle had drawn in the most people to the main stage area and I was in the middle of that when it all kicked off. Bizzle stepped on stage and asked the crowd to start up some mosh pits and what followed was a chaotic mess of energy, excitement and a loss of items from the crowd. I had the best time ever, but trying to avoid, the moshing, getting hit in the face and being shoved around left, right and centre was crazy. Bizzle had a great selection of all of his most popular material and some new material too and everyone had a great time, whether it was “Dude”, “Rari WorkOut”, “The Drop” or “Pow 2011” it was damn good, but of course “Fester Skank” was the highlight, that was just incredible, oh and can I just say I’ve never seen people so willing to throw shoes, shirts and hoodies out up in the air until that concert haha. And after that was The Vaccines, a band I’ve heard but never really listened to and their material was pretty good and a lot of the crowd going for sure.

And finally to close off the day on the main stage Jamiroquai came and bloody killed it. I saw them once before in Guilford at the Magic Summer Live Festival 3 years ago, so I knew how good they’d be live, but considering the awesome material that the band have crafted with Automaton I knew they’d have some awesome new live material and they did not disappoint. They started out with the opening track from their latest album, Shake It On which was a lovely way to get everybody jamming, but when they went straight into “Little L” I lost my mind. 😛 We also had the gorgeous sounds of “Automaton”, “Dr Buzz”, “Cloud 9” and some of the classic jams like “Cosmic Girl”, “Canned Heat”, “Love Foolosophy” and sexy new arrangement of “Emergency on Planet Earth”, to some unexpected jams like “The Kids” and “Supersonic”, the latter of which is one of my absolute favourite songs to chill to, and the fact they used it to finish out the concert was the icing on the cake for me.

So to conclude the Saturday session I had at the Boardmasters Festival was hella fun and it was totally worth the trip with a great selection of artists, a great venue and a good sense of organisation too. I would totally recommend it if you’ve never been. 🙂

 

RIP Chester Bennington & Top 8 Linkin Park Songs

Good day to you ladies, alas I am back in the blogging world to discuss some sad news from yesterday, the passing of Chester Bennington former lead singer of Linkin Park. I was hoping I would have to make another post like this for a while, but alas it seems like depression has gotten the best of another talented individual and man does it suck. Now I’m not gonna act like I was the biggest fan of Linkin Park, however, to say they didn’t have a huge impact on my music taste and life, in general, would be a big lie. Along with songs like “Nothing” by A and “Blurry” by Puddle of Mudd, “In the End” was part of my journey into the world of rock and metal, and their music helped me through a lot of the internal drama going on in my mind especially during my teenage years, but on top of that their music was incredible and a big part of that was Chester’s vocals which were so distinctive, intense and gorgeous and to know that he will sing no more hurts me the more I think about it.

So I thought I’d just share my favourite Linkin Park songs based not only on personal preference but also where I Chester’s vocals stood out the most, so in no particular order:

Easier to Run

For a good few years, this was my favourite LP song, it had a sense of drama and emotion that I latched on to pretty easily and the lyrics felt like they related directly to my life during some of those dark days, so this song was always comforting. It is the chorus that gets me every time, Chester’s vocals are gorgeous and you feel the passion especially towards the end with the instrumental side of things building up. Still awesome.

One Step Closer

What can I say? I love the classics, I’ve always loved shouting “Shut up, shut up, shut up, Shut up when I’m talking to you!” especially when you hear it at a night club where rock/metal music is the focus. Everything about this song just screams of pure energy and power and Chester’s vocals play a big part of that for me.

Crawling

I’ve always been attracted to this song because of the lyrical content and again how it felt like it spoke to me in my younger years, and the way Chester sang that chorus is what hooks me every time.

Bleed it Out

Ah man, this is one of the songs I played endlessly during my college years and since then it has been the one LP song I can put on repeat and never get tired of. It is on the shorter side and yet has the right about of style and drama in the music and vocals to stand out as one of my favourites from Minutes to Midnight. My favourite lines: “I’ve opened up these scars, I’ll make you face this, I’ve pulled myself so far, I’ll make you face this now!”

Pts.Of.Athrty

The original “Points of Authority” is still a great song, but the remix is the sound I fell in love with especially during the early 2000’s when it was used during a TV advert/music video for either Toonami on Cartoon Network or the channel CNX in the UK. The way the song has the rock elements but also these extra beats and variations on the original composition is wonderful. And once again Chester’s vocals along with Mike’s raps carry you through the song in a swift, badass and beastly way.

Forgotten

The sad thing is I never experience Hybrid Theory properly until I went to university which was 6 years ago so there are so many great songs I never heard until that point, and this song falls into that category. Well, actually I’ve never been sure if I have heard this song before 2011, but regardless this is easily one of the best songs on the album. Musically it is perfectly crafted with most of subtly and intensity, and Mike and Chester kill it with the rapping and singing, Chester’s vocal is so smooth, delicious and badass, frigging love it!

With You

At this point in time, this is my favourite LP song. There’s an intensity that you appreciate about this song from the first 20-30 seconds and the lyrics paint an emotional picture and good gravy the way Mike and Chester work together on this song is something special, its pure emotion and I adore everything about this song. The whole composition is aggressive and in your face and Chester’s vocals are fantastic.

The Little Things Give You Away

I remember the first time I heard this and good gravy I almost cried. The way the song starts up, with the soft guitar and vocals and then builds to that incredible ending with full on drama with all the instruments and Chester’s vocals washing over the track all the way until the end. Pretty much perfection. This was one of the first songs that I noticed as one of those key songs that finish off an album in a spectacular manner, and now that Chester’s no longer with us it makes the song more powerful than ever.

So yeah there’s my list, I could have done so much more with songs like “Numb“, “The Catalyst“, “Somewhere I Belong” and “Nobody’s Listening” to name a few, but I didn’t want to make this any longer than it needed to be. In the end, I just want to say that Chester, I appreciate everything that you and your band gave me and I’m going to miss you. RIP.