Tag: The 1975

30 Songs for 30 Years

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Excitingly, I turn 30 in a couple of days’ time!

So, naturally, I put my nerdy music hat on and decided to (foolishly) collate a list of thirty songs that I love dearly and/or hold a special significance.

This was no easy feat and took me quite a while… There are many favourite bands, artists and songs missing from here. But it’s proved 30 isn’t that big a number (not that I particularly feel old!) I also think I’ve settled on 30 songs that perfectly capture my music tastes and key moments in my life so far.

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September Mixtape

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It’s September which means it’s time for the September mixtape!

We’d have loved to have included some material from Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ album but unfortunately it is not available to share. Still, here’s twenty tracks we have been loving listening to in this past month.

The 1975 songs you NEED in your life.

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The 1975’s name is taken from a book of beat poetry once given to frontman Matt Healy. “1 June, The 1975” was scrawled on one of the pages which intrigued Healy and it subsequently became the name under which the band was to become successful.

So, on the 1st June this year, we are declaring it as The 1975 day! Here are 20 songs by the band you need in your life.

Music Monday – Volume Ninety Two

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1) Kanye West – Real Friends

Moody, downtempo hip-hop track with an overall melancholic tone and brilliant lyrics.

[Because Kanye is a tool and won’t put any of his latest music anywhere where people may actually listen, this is the only clip available: http://bbc.in/1OmSlT4]

2) Shura – The Space Tapes

Fuzzy, spaced-out electro-remixes of three tracks from Shura’s forthcoming highly-anticipated début album ‘Nothing’s Real’. Reverberating vocal samples, frolicking synthesisers and eerie sounds all echo infinitely throughout this nine-minute sampler track.



3) Niki and The Dove – Play it on my radio

Gentle but majestic 80’s-influenced synthpop track. Mirroring Fleetwood Mac at their peak, precarious percussion, dreamy harmonies and fluttering synthesisers drift beautifully through this brilliant song.



4) The Floyds – You

Lovely, breezy acoustic-based track with great lyrics.

https://youtu.be/DZ00HaNqQ0w

5) Liss – Sorry

Dream-like, heavily auto-tuned synthpop track from up-and-coming band Liss, comprised of clinking synths, a waltz-like bass line and a meandering rhythm.



6) WSTRN – Come Down

Another brilliantly catchy R&B track with electro elements from West-London collective WSTRN. Sampling Evelyn King’s 1982 hit ‘Love Come Down’, the trio have created another smash record.



7) KAYTRANDA & Karriem Riggins – BUS RIDE

A beautifully chilled-out instrumental track from Canadian musician KAYTRANADA. Twinkling pianos, soulful and eerie synthesisers and fierce percussion drives this retro alternative-R&B track.



8) The 1975 – The Ballad of Me and My Brain

Brilliant track on which witty lyrics are growled over unsteady percussion and fierce guitar work. Haunting vocal samples evolve into a neurotic punk-pop track which perfectly captures losing your mind.



9) The 1975 – Lostmyhead

Dark and melancholic shoegazing track which is musically simple but incredibly powerful. Heavy, distorted electric guitar riffs and hazy synthesisers form the backdrop as frontman Matt Healy drones ‘And he said, I lost my head, can you see it, can you see it?’. It eventually climaxes in a brilliant orchestral track with percussion.



10) Active Child – 1999

Jazzy and soulful track by electronic artist Patrick Gossi, under his working name of Active Child. Gentle percussion and jazzy pianos with Gossi’s beautiful falsettos all result in a beautiful song.

Music Monday – Volume Ninety One

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1) The 1975 – She’s American 

Funky indie-rock ballad which mirrors work by INXS & Duran. Slamming percussion, frantic guitar riffs and skippy synthesiser sounds provide the song’s instrumentation as Matt Healy sings of cultural differences between him and his American girlfriend. It’s brilliantly catchy and very witty lyrically.

2) The 1975 – This Must Be My Dream

Perhaps the best song on The 1975’s new album. The band demonstrate their impeccable synchronicity through layering gospel melodies, silky vocals, slamming percussion, driving bass lines and snarling guitar riffs. It’s a throwback to the new-jack-swing era in the late eighties and early nineties bought to popularity through producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Teddy Riley through musicians such as Bobby Brown, Janet Jackson and Michael Jackson.

3) The 1975 – Paris

Beautiful and mellow electropop ballad which imitates Yazoo’s ‘Only You’ to a point just before being eligible for a lawsuit. Sparse guitars, dizzy synthesisers and a gorgeous honeyed ‘again and again’ refrain makes this another of the album’s strongest tracks.

4) The 1975 – I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it

A proficient, cleverly-created instrumental which punctuates the album beautifully. Pretty and melodic piano particles flutter over driving electronica whilst Healy’s lusciously layered vocals beg his lover not to leave. The track is lengthy at six minutes but is split into two parts, evolving into an uplifting and exquisitely beautiful house track.

5) The 1975 – Loving Someone

Giggling synthesisers and hiphop beats form the backdrop as Matt Healy half-raps his best lyrics to date; a cultural observation on the impact pop culture and celebrity have on youth.

6) Gallant & Jhene Aiko – Skipping Stones

Chilled-out neosoul track which carries a retro vibe. Gallant’s incredible vocals flutter into a rich falsetto over brass instruments, driving bass lines and twinkling keyboards.

7) Joe & Jake – You’re Not Alone

Uplifting and euphoric pop-rock track which is this year’s UK Eurovision entry. Whilst criticised by many for its generic formula and chord structure, it’s a powerful and beautiful track.

8) Laurel – Life Worth Living

Moody alternative-pop track which avoids over-production, instead focussing on using organic, pure instruments.

9) Zayn – Like I Would

Catchy alt-R&B track featuring elastic synthesisers, synthetic percussion and a brilliantly sing-song chorus.

10) The Last Shadow Puppets – Everything You’ve Come to Expect

Quirky and brilliantly written track which utilised genres such as baroque pop, psychedelic pop and experimental rock.