I hope this blog introduces you to new songs, books and movies. If they aren't all already part of the popular culture, they should be. Or hopefully will be!
There will always be a new post of the day drawn from the new as well as old familiars that haven't been seen or heard in a while. The songs will always be personal favorites of mine so apologies in advance!
Lauren Aquilina is an eighteen year old singer-songwriter from England. She has two extended play albums, both of which had a single that broke the top 100 for the UK Singles Charts. Lilo is from her first album, Fools (2012). I can't wait for her first full length album.
I wasn't sure what a lilo was but apparently it is a UK term for an inflatable mattress. I guess the lyrics make more sense with that knowledge!
Please see the video below for music and lyrics.
If you like the song, please support the artist and buy her music!!!
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian group that formed thirty years ago. With fourteen albums, they've a lot of songs from which to choose. Amazing to see any group last so long but Push the Sky Away (2013) is the first without Mick Harvey, who was one of the founding members. It's still an excellent album with lots of good music with vivid imagery. Wide Lovely Eyes is from Push the Sky Away (2013) - good song though Higgs Bosun Blues is the song with the catchier title! That song belongs on Big Bang Theory (my favorite sitcom on television!).
Please see the video below for music and lyrics.
If you like the song, please support the artists and buy their music!!
Vienna Teng is an American folk-singer. Though she's had five studio albums, I don't think she's had major commercial success. I think that's our loss. As a Stanford Comp Sci grad who has worked for Cisco, she certainly has a fallback career if need be.
She has released a new album recently, Aims, but I haven't heard it yet, though I'm very excited based on past work. Stray Italian Greyhound is from her 2009 Inland Territory album. I liked the work a lot and think we can expect great things from Vienna.
Please see the video below for music and lyrics.
If you like the song, please support the artist and buy her music!!!!
Really interesting song from Jay-Z and Frank Ocean. Go to rap-up.com for a video from Jay-Z that explains the song - basically reflecting on the fact that the water on which his yacht is floating is the same water that brought his ancestors as slaves.
Catchy tune and I like the contrast between Frank Ocean's and Jay-Z's voice makes the song all the more interesting!!
Please see the video below for music and lyrics.
If you like the song, please support the artists and buy their music!!!!
Barbarossa is a UK-based artist - don't know much about him but his album Bloodlines (2013) is a great introduction to his work.
I liked most of the songs - great music and intelligent lyrics are always something I appreciate. Bloodline shows off Barbarossa's vocal talent which is on display throughout the album. Hope you enjoy!!
Please see the video below for music and lyrics.
If you like the song, please support the artist and buy his music!!!
British group Rudimental is an electronic group that released its first single in 2011. Home (2013) is their fist studio album and it is quite good. As producers of electronic music, most of their music is made or broken on the quality of the artists who are featured on vocals. From that perspective, this album definitely does not disappoint, especially when artists like Emeli Sande and Alex Clare are singing.
Right Here features the musical group Foxes and is representative of the songs on the album. Cannot wait for more from this group!!
Please see the video below for music and lyrics.
If you like the song, please support the artists and buy their music!!!
When I first saw the trailer for Gravity, I was not interested in watching the movie. After all, listening to Sandra Bullock screaming for two hours didn't seem like a sustainable plot device.
Quick movie summary as follows:
Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) visits the space station as a mission specialist to complete critical work on the Hubble Telescope.
Stone and another mission specialist conduct a spacewalk to perform maintenance/upgrades on the telescope while veteran astronaut and mission commander, Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) joyrides through nearby space with his new jetpack.
All three are advised that the Russians have destroyed a spy satellite via a missile strike and the resulting debris will impact them in short order. The debris kills all of the individuals within the space shuttle and the mission specialist that accompanied Ryan on the spacewalk.
Stone and Kowalski are stranded in space and need to determine how to get home (here's to hoping the International Space Station is still working).
I'm glad I saw the movie. Bullock gave an amazing performance and was not nearly as annoying as she could have been. The screaming was kept to a minimum and the time went by quickly since I was immersed in the story. An amazing work that is enhanced by IMAX and 3D. I normally am irritated by 3D but this movie did a good job of using it without overwhelming the viewer.
Asia was an 80's rock band from England. Founded by four individuals with a long pedigree of rock groups, the group formed with high expectations and had a lot of success with their first two albums. Not sure that the other ten studio albums lived up to the promise.
While there have been multiple changes to the roster over the years, the original line-up of John Wetton (lead vocals from King Crimson), Steve Howe (lead guitar from Yes), Geoff Downes (keyboards from Yes) and Carl Palmer (drummer from Emerson, Lake & Palmer) all returned in 2006 to take the Asia name back. In 2013, Steve Howe retired and Sam Coulson took his place.
Please see the video below for music and lyrics.
If you like the song, please support the artists and buy their music!!!
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