Tag: music

Music Monday – Volume Eighty Nine

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1) Panic! At the Disco – Death of a Bachelor

Brilliant brass-infused tune which utilises a range of genres such as jazz, hip hop, EDM, trap and swing impeccably. Front-man Brendon Urie does his best imitation of Frank Sinatra amid hip hop beats, jittery synths and organic brass instruments.

2) The 1975 – Somebody Else

Powerful, emotive and raw song which lyrically tells of dealing with a past over moving onto somebody new. Gentle, tinkling synthesisers evolve into slamming ’80’s-influenced beats on this stunning love song. One of The 1975’s best ever songs.

3) Shura – Touch

Gentle and tentative synthpop track featuring fuzzy synths, pretty piano chords and ethereal vocals from Shura. Gorgeous.

4) Netsky ft Digital Farm Animals – Work It Out

Catchy EDM track with gospel vocals, fierce drum patterns and catchy piano riffs. Much in the same vein as Sigma’s ‘Nobody To Love’ two years ago in terms of repetition, catchiness and the use of piano riffs.

5) Gwen Stefani – Make Me Like You

Gwen Stefani resurrects her solo career with this catchy and funky disco-pop track. Chanelling The Cardigans’ ‘Lovefool’ and elements of Kylie, it’s one of Stefani’s best.

6) Zayn – It’s You

Gorgeous downtempo R&B ballad on which Zayn fully utilises his gorgeous feathery falsetto.

7) MUNA – Winterbreak

Dark electropop track featuring hollow beats, heavily processes vocals and gentle guitar riffs. Absolutely gorgeous.

8) All Tvvins – Unbelievable

Fierce electro-guitar track with a brilliant chorus and reverberating guitar riffs.

9) BJ The Chicago Kid & Kendrick Lamar – The New Cupid

Chilled out, retro inspired R&B/hiphop track with soulful guitar riffs and syrupy smooth vocals.

10) The Knocks & Walk The Moon – Best for Last

Brilliant electronic infused track with catchy bass riffs and Nicholas Petricca’s smooth vocals.

Music Monday – Volume Eighty Seven

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1) Jahmene – Down for Love

Brilliant hip-hop/Gospel fusion from 2012 UK X Factor runner up Jahmene Douglas. This is his first original composition (début album was an amalgamation of cover versions) and is from his forthcoming second album, on which he has reportedly collaborated with a range of established names.

2) Babyface and El Debarge– Walking on Air

Fizzy and uplifting R&B track from hit songwriter Babyface and El Debarge (of Debarge fame). It’s a cheery and catchy with lovely lyrics.

3) Babyface – Our Love

Gorgeous R&B ballad which closes Babyface’s latest album, the brilliant ‘Return of the Tender Lover’ (hence why it’s our album of the week!). Gentle piano arpeggios and Babyface’s silky smooth vocals layered into luscious harmonies remind us of his forte to write brilliant songs, particularly ballads.

4) Rihanna – Kiss It Better

Brilliant down-tempo progressive R&B track abundant with squeaky synths and wailing guitars. Rihanna at her best.

5) Ronan Keating – Breathe

Lovely pop-rock ballad comprised of Keating’s powerful vocals, sweeping strings and acoustic guitars with a gorgeous chorus.

6) Tundran – Still Afraid

Catchy electropop track built of various sounds and instrumentation.

7) Timbaland and Mila J – Don’t Get no Betta

Brilliant and catchy R&B track emphasising what Timbaland does best. Fun and mechanical production elements and punchy percussion compensates for its repetitiveness and simplistic nature.

8) Nothing But Thieves – If I Get High

Stunning and haunting acoustic-based ballad which evolves into an electrifying climax.

9) Jarbird – Iona

Ethereal and dreamy Pop ballad from London-based band Jarbird.

10) BASECAMP – Comfort Zone

Laid-back and minimalistic electropop influenced track. Catchy, funky and an enthralling listen.

Music Monday – Volume Eighty Five

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1) Nate Ruess – Brightside

Quirky yet utterly beautiful pop song which makes full use of Ruess’ idiosyncratic vocals over a backdrop of jazzy piano chords, squeaky string sections and eerie music box sounds. Dreamy and magical.

2) One Direction – History

Bittersweet Pop track which serves as a perfect ‘goodbye’ (at least for now) to fans. Considered by many as an update of Toy Story classic ‘You’ve Got A Friend In Me’, acoustic guitar strums and a sing-along Chorus make this a perfect Pop anthem.

3) Rihanna & Drake- Work

Rihanna returns with this laid-back reggae-pop track, aided by Drake. It’s rhythmic and catchy with Rihanna’s heavily auto-tuned vocals sliding effortlessly over clever production.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/clips#p03grqg5

4) Ellie Goulding – Army

Stunning synthpop track in the same vein as material on Goulding’s debut ‘Lights’. Over jittery guitar samples, crashing percussion and simmering synths, Goulding sings of her best friend.

5) Zayn – PILLOWTALK

Sexy and sultry alternative R&B track comprised of thunderous beats, eerie electro elements, broken vocal samples, wailing guitars and soaring melodies.  It’s a far-cry from Zayn’s One Direction days and conveys a far greater depth of maturity, mostly through its sexual themes.

6) Lion Babe – Where Do We Go

Funky disco-themed neo soul track from New York City duo Lion Babe.

7) Taylor Swift – Out of the Woods

Dramatic synthpop track comprised of broken vocal samples, gated percussion and Swift’s almost whispered vocals. One of the highlights of Swift’s ‘1989’ album, it’s perhaps the best representation of the album, utilising scatty samples and ’80’s electro sounds.

8) Lawson – Money

Lawson return after a period of instability in terms of musical output. The release of the band’s second album has been repeatedly delayed but they are now preparing or its release in March. ‘Money’ is its lead single (excluding last year’s single ‘Roads’), a catchy pop-rock track in a similar vein to ‘When She Was Mine’ and ‘Brokenhearted’.

9) Dawin – Dessert

Catchy, jittery and squeaky pop track by American singer and producer Dawin featuring a rap from Silento.

10) Tom Parker – Lost In Your Love

Ex member of The Wanted Tom Parker impresses on this catchy house track which he has also produced.

FEATURE: Zayn – PILLOWTALK

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Zayn_Malik_-_Pillowtalk_(Official_Single_Cover)

Ex One Direction member Zayn Malik has set the world alight with excitement with the première of début solo single ‘PILLOWTALK’.

‘PILLOWTALK’ is a sexy and sultry alternative R&B track comprised of thunderous beats, eerie electro elements, broken vocal samples, wailing guitars and soaring melodies. It’s a far-cry from Zayn’s One Direction days and conveys a far greater depth of maturity, mostly through its sexual themes.

The fizzy downtempo track is co-written by Zayn with Anthony Hannides and Michael Hannides of MYKL [who’s track ‘Red’, Zayn tweeted support of back in March 2015] in addition to Levi Lennox. The latter three also produced the track.

Zayn always exhibited one of the more powerful voices within One Direction and his buttery vocals suit this progressive R&B far more than the anthemic Pop of his boyband days. It’s a carefree transition into R&B in a similar fashion to Justin Timberlake following his NSYNC days.

A bold and triumphant launch as a solo artist.

Check the track and its racy video out below:

FEATURE: Ko JazZ – Jazz Daniels EP

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Ko Jazz delivers his latest project Jazz Daniels EP, an EP comprised of a rich jazz/hip-hop fusion. It’s a polished, bold and substantial piece of work from the chilled-out jazz-influenced ‘Honey On The Rocks‘ to the heavier hip-hop ‘The Brewery‘.

You can read the overview of the EP supplied to us below:

The unsung hero of iLLustrious, KoJazz finally delivers his newest project, Jazz Daniels EP, which is entirely produced by in-house beatmaker, Solidified. The most ambitious element of KoJazz’s sprawling Jazz Daniels EP was its attempt to trace the pervasive ills of his drinking habits and cleverly providing drunken tales throughout hypnotic production. The conceptual idea was spawned by Token Photo and Jazz’ liquor of choice. KoJazz raps about the highs and lows of alcohol consumption. The project features Bishop, MeRCY, Rell Burgundy, YoAmanduh and others which all came through with stellar guest appearances. Producer Solidified, provided sonically the perfect backdrop on every record that you often find yourself drunken with amazement. Whether you find yourself texting your EX because of “Drunk EXting” or confessing your sins due to “I Swear To Drunk, I Ain’t God”; KoJazz gotta song for everyone. There’s a message in the bottle. Make sure to listen responsibly.

Standout Track: Gentleman Jazz

KoJazz – Jazz Daniels EP // Entirely Produced by Solidified
https://soundcloud.com/kojazz/sets/jazz-daniels-ep

@KoJazz
@Solidified_

Listen to the EP below: