2013 in review

2013 has really and truly flown past. It's currently New Years Eve and I guess as everyone gets ready for their parties and plans, I thought it would be a good opportunity to review the year just had.

It's been a big year, filled with great music, both newly released and live music at various concerts and festivals such as Matt Corby, Splendour in the Grass, Lewis Watson, Lakyn Heperi, Gabrielle Aplin, Passenger, Ed Sheeran, Birdy, Woodford Folk Festival and a couple more in the mix. This year held big moments for me personally such as the start of this very blog - The Universal Solitude, as well as the building of my YouTube. 

I have chosen my 10 most listened to artists/albums of the year, I'm sure I will have missed some amazing artists, but these are my picks of 2013. I will say now that not all of these were released this year and the order of these artists is completely random!

1. Sticky Fingers

Sticky Fingers (not my photo)

I have been a huge fan of Sticky Fingers, especially over the last year since I saw them at Woodford Folk Festival this time last year (to date). My love for this band got almost a bit obsessive as I would honestly say there was a point where if I had my iPod on, there was an 89% chance Sticky Fingers was playing. With about 30ish of their songs, I just listened to them on shuffle constantly. Sounds a bit ridiculous, like, come on Stella, branch out a bit more, but there is something about Sticky Fingers that just works into every situation, every mood, every emotion. 

2. Ray Lamontagne

Ray Lamontagne (not my photo)

An oldy but a goody with this one. I grew up listening to Ray Lamontagne as my father is a big big fan, I was so used to listening to him with my family, it wasn't until this year that I actually bought his album 'Trouble' for myself. Truly up there with some of my all time favourites, I find this album fairly melancholy (somewhat like David Gray's White Ladder in its emotional vibe) and it really takes me back to being a little girl driving with my parents in the old red Volvo hatchback.
Songs like Trouble, Hold you in my Arms, and Forever my Friend were my standouts, but the album is so beautiful as a whole and was really a standout for me this year.

3. Jake Bugg

Jake Bugg (not my photo)

Huge favourite this year was Jake Bugg. I was introduced to is music, I would say about June/July and was mesmerised. Such raw talent is shown through Jake's music, and watching interviews with him it can be seen that he really does just care about his art, his music. I fell inlove with his self titled album and listened to it many many times, hearing new emotions and new messages every time, really a very interesting album. Introducing Jake Bugg to my father after discovering him was interesting as he didn't seem to fall inlove with him like I did at first (perhaps this could be to do with the fact that I played him Two Fingers, a song about drugs, cigarettes and caring less, maybe not the best message to show the father of a 16 year old girl). But over time, as my Dad discovered Jake Bugg for himself, I watched him connect with the music as I did too. I would like to commend Jake Bugg for this, for being able to relate to a 16 year old and a 50 year old, hard to do, but boy did Jake succeed.

4. Haim

Haim (not my photo, I wish though)

Pwoah. It's difficult for me to put my love and respect for these lovely girls into words. They have made an astonishing entry into the difficult music industry this year and really blown everyone away. With music that really stands out, very different to a lot of the music you hear nowadays.
Unfortunately I was unable to see Haim live at Splendour in the Grass as I wasn't there for their set, but man I wish I had have been.
Raved about by fans an critics, Haim has really set a whole new standard for music around the world. Three young girls, I am completely jealous of their success but they absolutely deserve every glimmer of it. Big, big props to sisters Este Haim, Danielle Haim and Alana Haim, absolutely stunning. 

5. The Kramers

The Kramers (not my photo)

This is kind of a weird choice for me, but The Kramers really made a significant imprint into my year, specifically the song 'Ariel'. This song seemed to be playing throughout the best few months of this year and as cliched and lame as it sounds, I think the song 'Ariel' will always remind me of that time. I am still in the midst of the time it will remind me of, and although it sounds like a kind of weird that it's in my favourites, it's here because of how much that song means to me, and where that song takes me.
(So lame, so sorry).

6. Lorde

Here we go again, which 2013 favourites/recap DIDN'T Lorde make it into lets be honest. I made that sound a lot more negative than I implied it, I do that a lot. Lorde deserves to be in every single person's 2013 review. I did manage to see Lorde live at Splendour in the Grass as she filled in when Frank Ocean pulled out. This was before her album 'Pure Heroine' was released by the way. An absolutely amazing performance. Throughout 2013 I have listened to a lot of Lorde and she really does deserve all of the amazing attention she is currently receiving.

7. Vance Joy

Vance Joy (not my photo)

Leading on from Lorde is the lovely Vance Joy. I first got into Vance Joy around the same time as I discovered Lorde, so they both kind of take me back to the same place. Vance Joy's EP 'God Love You When You're Dancing' was one of my favourite EPs for a while and I did listen to it constantly. I had a lot of friends who fell inlove with Vance Joy at the same time so for a while it was a bit of a soundtrack to our lives. Honestly, such a talented musician and I do hope to hear more from him in the future. I also would really love to see him live at some stage. Amazing talent.

8. Foals

Foals (not my photo)

For my birthday in September one of my lovely friends who I have mentioned on this blog a bit, Keeley, bought me the Foals album 'Holy Fire' vinyl for my collection. I'm not going to lie here, I hadn't really taken time to listen to the full album before this. But I'm so happy I received the album as it gave me the chance to really get into it, and I really did. 'Holy Fire' is an amazing album, by an amazing band. I really did enjoy listening to this a lot. For me personally, I find it very night time music...is that the stupidest thing I've ever said? I don't know, this album just really makes me excited, it's the type of album I like putting on when I am getting ready to go out, to psyche myself up.

9. The 1975

The 1975 (not my photo)

Here's another weird choice of mine. I feel like this band is much more 'pop' than I usually listen to, but honestly, I really got into them throughout the month of August. I performed a cover of their well known song 'Chocolate' for a music assessment, and just really got into a lot of their other songs such as 'Girls', 'Sex' and 'The City' from there. I really loved this band for a while, I don't know what it was that made them stand out from the rest of the pop culture to me, but they really did. With interesting lyrics and well constructed songs, yep, I'm not embarrassed to show my 'pop' music love, amazing job The 1975, unfortunately I am not attending Big Day Out, but if I was, I would be in the mosh pit for them.

10. Half Moon Run

Half Moon Run (not my photo)

What a surprise. My one true love, truly my pick for album of the year goes to Half Moon Run's 'Dark Eyes'. I was lucky enough to see these guys live the other day (full review of that performance is in my Woodford Folk Festival 2013 blogpost). These four guys from Canada are such talented and beautiful musicians, very raw, intense and charismatic, 'Dark Eyes' really is a more of a journey than an album.
I cannot put my love for these guys into words, their music is so different from anything I have heard and ranges from intense and upbeat to slow and thoughtful. Absolutely amazing job to Half Moon Run on everything they have accomplished so far and will do in the future.

All in all, an amazingly musical year. I'd like to thank anyone who has supported this blog, and everyone who has introduced me to new music, or just music they like. Thank you.
It's been a fantastic year and I am sure 2014 will bring just as many if not more spectacular moments.

Thank you,
Stella Grace xxx

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Sticky Fingers: http://www.stickyfingerstheband.com
Ray Lamotagne: http://www.raylamontagne.com/us/home
Jake Bugg: http://jakebugg.com
Haim: http://haimtheband.com
The Kramers: https://www.facebook.com/thekramers
Lorde: https://www.facebook.com/lordemusic
Vance Joy: http://vancejoy.com
Foals: http://www.foals.co.uk
The 1975: http://the1975.com
Half Moon Run: https://www.facebook.com/halfmoonrun

Woodford Folk Festival 2013

On Saturday my good friends, Keeley, Sarah and I travelled to Woodford to attend the Woodford Folk Festival. This was only my second year going the festival and it was an absolutely spectacular day.

Unfortunately as my friends and I are under 18, we needed a guardian over 25, therefore making it hard enough to go for the day let alone to camp for the entire week.

But luckily my mum offered to get us in and we managed to organise the trip on the Friday afternoon before the day, and Saturday morning we headed off for Woodford. 

Out of the festivals I have attended, Woodford is by far my favourite, it has amazing performances and other attractions as well as amazing food and a really warm, homely atmosphere. 

At 12pm we headed to the Grande to see Half Moon Run's set. Not going to lie, the main reason we went to Woodford was to see these guys live. I have been a huge fan of Half Moon Run for a while now and I was very keen to see them play. I have to commend them on the performance, they were the best live act I have seen to date and I would recommend if you get the chance - do go see these guys. 

Connor Molander (front) and Isaac Symonds (back) - Half Moon Run

They played all of their best songs and had an amazing vibe on stage, they genuinely looked like they were having the time of their life. Coming from the -25 degree weather in Canada to wearing black skinny jeans in 34 degree heat in Woodford didn't stop them for being extremely energetic on stage and really entertaining the audience. To me and the people I talked to, it genuinely felt like a very intimate performance, it didn't feel like they were just performing their music to a crowd, they were really interacting with the audience and the whole vibe was very accepting. 

Devon Portielje was extremely charismatic on stage; his performance, vocals, and instrumentals all added to a really intense and engaging performance. Connor Molander, Isaac Symonds and Dylan Phillips all added their own magic to the performance and together the band was extremely enegertic and made one of the best live performances I have experienced. 

Devon Portielje (lead singer) Half Moon Run
(photo taken by my friend Keeley Young)

It was a sad time when Half Moon Run's set came to a close, but the excitement for Thelma Plum's 2pm show got us through. 

I saw Thelma Plum live at the 2012 Woodford Folk Festival, it being the first time I had heard her. Since then I have been a huge fan of Thelma Plum and her music so it was great to be able to see her again. We bumped into Thelma Plum earlier in the day walking through the festival but she was already talking to some people so we didn't really want to interrupt that, although I did meet her last year and she is very down to earth and warm - so if you do ever get the chance to say hello, I recommend doing so.

Thelma's set was very intimate at the Bazaar tent. Thelma, despite having a stunning performance last year, has come along way since then.

She interacted with the audience very well and she made me (and I'm sure many others) feel as if they were the only ones in the room. With instrumentalist and back up vocalist Andrew, they managed to be funny, sincere, heartfelt and joyful throughout the set. She was truly amazing, making people laugh out loud during her jokes about her "dickhead ex-boyfriends" as well as cry during songs such as 'Apple'. Truly an amazing performance, definitely leaving not only me but a majority of the audience wanting more. 

Thelma and Andrew on their way to Woodford
(not my photo - it's from Thelma's instagram)

I thought is was very caring and sinsitive when she thanked the audience for listening to her performance despite the sticky 34 degree heat. Which is true, it was extremely hot, but for me personally she made it bearable, taking my mind of the heat as she was all I could focus on in that moment. 

The rest of the day was spent eating a lot of festival foods at places like Govindas (my personal favourite), Byron Bay's Organic Donuts, and many many more. A lot of money was spent in the stalls around the festivals which sold a huge variety of things ranging from bohemian blankets and wallhangings, to clothes and jewellery, to artwork and sculptures.

What I haven't mentioned as of yet which truly deserves recognition is the amazing bamboo tunnel entrance to the Amphitheatre. A joint project between master sculptor Wang Wen-Chih, Cave Urban and architect Nici Long (as well as a team of 30 people), the 100 metre bamboo tunnel and tower lead the way to the largest stage at Woodford. I took some photos of the tower and tunnel, but honestly it looks even more spectacular in real life. Absolutely amazing.

It's a big statement but I can honestly say that Woodford Folk Festival is my favourite music and cultural festival, and this comes down to the vibe and atmosphere. It's a very warm and inclusive festival where everyone seems to get along and just love the moment that they're in.

Unfortunately at the end of the night I realised I didn't have my phone, in a panic we searched the cafes and tents we had been at, and luckily at the Schnitzel tent we found it. A festival filled with very genuine, trusting, and good hearted people.

An amazing festival spent with amazing people, so thank you Woodford, see you next year!

- Stella Grace xxx

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Woodford Folk Festival: http://www.woodfordfolkfestival.com

Half Moon Run:

Website: http://halfmoonrun.indica.mu/en/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/halfmoonrun

Instagram: @halfmoonrun

Bandcamp: http://halfmoonrun.bandcamp.com

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/halfmoonrunning?feature=watch

Thelma Plum:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelmaplum

Triple J Unearthed: http://www.triplejunearthed.com.au/ThelmaPlum

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thelmaplum

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/thelmaplum?feature=watch

Wang Wen-Chih: http://www.caveurban.com/art/wang-wen-chih/

YouTube Favourite - Lilly Ahlberg

It has taken me far too long to write this blog post, which I apologise for. Perhaps it's because of school, perhaps I want to express my thoughts correctly, perhaps I shouldn't make excuses, I should just write.

A few months ago now my very good friend sent me a link to a YouTube musician called Lilly Ahlberg (links are in at the bottom). He sent me a link to her cover of Mr Brightside by the Killers. The cover was absolutely stunning, different to the original as Lilly really made it her own. I found this cover very haunting and personal, fairly melancholy and I just fell in love. Often when such amazing songs such as this are covered, it is difficult for them to live up to the original, but yet Lilly really did the song justice, and it was for this reason that I really started listening to more and more of her channel.

Lilly Ahlberg (not my photo - link below)

I am an extremely big fan of YouTube musicians and cover artists as I find them easy to relate to in the way that they are often very down to earth as well as connected to their fans. This is exactly what Lilly Ahlberg is, which I think really adds something to her performance, so BIG props to her for that.

Lilly has covered some absolutely amazing songs, giving them all a unique and personal spin. Perhaps it helps a bit that her and I have extremely similar taste in music...
Her covers of songs such as 'Yoko', originally performed by Pegasus Bridge (my personal favourite, video below), and 'Lua' by Bright Eyes (for example) are songs that you do not hear covered very often at all. But despite highlighting these, she does cover songs that are very popular, and yet, she manages to stand out from the crowd. Her cover of MGMT's 'Kids', and 'We Can't Stop' by Miley Cyrus being stand alone examples of this as well as of her raw talent.
I am sure I am not the only one who respects Lilly beyond belief for not only attempting, but succeeding in creating these absolutely unique and stunning covers.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend you take a look at Lilly's YouTube (links are below). Honestly, I don't believe you will be disappointed. No matter what your music taste is I think everyone will be able to find something in her music, whether thats the music taste, unique spin, or personal meanings to the covers. If not, I guarantee that that you will be able to recognise the unique beauty  within her music.
All in all, congratulations Lilly Ahlberg on everything so far. You have a bright future and you truly deserve every glimmer of success, and for all of your wildest dreams to become reality.

Lilly Ahlberg (not my photo - link below)

- Stella Grace x

P.S Thank you to Lilly for letting me write this talent acknowledging blog post, you are very inspiring, so please keep the music coming.

Lilly's links:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sillllylilllly
Pledge Music: http://www.pledgemusic.com/artists/12814
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lillyahlbergmusic
Twitter: @lillyahlberg
Instagram: @lillyahlberg

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Pictures: 
http://www.youtube.com/user/sillllylilllly?feature=watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1VIkQNrcqo

On the Go - Caloundra Music Festival

Finally, I am back! It has been far too long.

Holidays came and went far too quickly, and now I'm back into the dreaded school term again. 

Sorry this is just a short blog post, I thought I would like to do a quick overview of the Caloundra Music Festival that was held over the weekend. This bus ride is really long, so what better time to do it! Hahaha :)

Photo's with local radio - 91.9 Sea Fm

The Caloundra Music Festival was held on the last weekend of the September holidays. The Caloundra Music Festival is a small (ish) annual music festival held at the beach in Caloundra, Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia. 

I live around 10 minutes away from Caloundra, so the annual festival is a 'must go to' festival in my opinion. 

It is a smallish festival and has an amazing family/community vibe to it. That could be interpreted as a bad thing, it isn't like a weird community school fest! But is has a sort of 'homely' atmosphere, it's nice. 

Festival by night - image from facebook

The festival is a really safe and happy festival, and cannot really be compared to any of the huge festivals such as Splendour in the Grass or Falls Festival, as Caloundra Music Festival is much more of a community friendly event. 

Despite saying this, international bands and festivals goers travel for the involvement in this festival each year. 

This year I went for 2 out of the 4 days (unfortunately I had to work 2 of the days and couldn't go :( ratsss). 

Apart from losing my phone half way through the festival, it was such a fun weekend! As it is a local town, many people I know were there, who I bumped into and got to spend time with which was great. This meant that there was a huge group of friends there, which added a lot to the experience.

There were some amazingly groovy acts playing over the weekend, such as;

- Boy and Bear (!)

- Eskimo Joe

- Xavier Rudd

- Jebediah

- Earth, Wind and Fire Experience ft. Al McKay 

- Sheppard 

- Dumstaphunk

- Blue Kind Brown

- The Baseballs

- Donavon Frankenreiter 

- The Screaming Jets

- Ash Grunwald

- Katchafire

- Busby Marou

- Toni Childs

- Seirra Leone's Refugee All Stars

- Melbourne Ska Orchestra

-  AND MANY MANY MORE!

My personal highlights of the festival were Boy and Bear on the Friday night. It is the second time I've seen these guys play and it was truly amazing. The first time was at a small local gig in Kawana a couple of years ago. It was also at this gig that I met them for the first time. These guys are so musically talented and have such an amazing and genuine stage presence. 

It was an an absolutely brilliant set and I recommend HIGHLY, if you haven't already, to check them out and consider buying their newest cd (all information is at the end of the post as always).

Boy and Bear at Caloundra Music Festival

Eskimo Joe were great on the Saturday night and performed a mixture of their old classics and their more new stuff. They had a great presence on stage as well, and managed to make the atmosphere feel very friendly, like we were all one hugeeee family, hahaha, which sounds a bit wanky but it was lovely. 

Eskimo Joe - Austin Zande Imagery (link in description)

But, overall, a standout performance from Earth, Wind & Fire Experience ft. Al McKay was up there with the true highlights from the festival. 

They did SUCH an amazing job and got the whole crowd dancing. I, honestly, did not see one person who WASN'T dancing, sweating, bonding, and hysterically laughing in pure joy whilst they were performing. 

Earth Wind & Fire at Caloundra Music Festival

Overall the festival was a major success, and if you live in the Sunshine Coast, or you are in South East Queensland during the start of October one year, COME ALONG! Who knows, I will probably see you there!

Caloundra Music Festival Website: http://www.caloundramusicfestival.com
Caloundra Music Festival Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caloundramusicfestival

Check out Boy and Bear!
Website: http://www.boyandbear.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boyandbear?fref=ts
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/boy-bear/id331665629

- Stella xo

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Images from:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151990546995962&set=o.103542455738&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151996204630962&set=pb.27469015961.-2207520000.1381310492.&type=3&theater

http://www.919seafm.com.au

http://www.caloundramusicfestival.com/galleries/cmf-2013

Lewis Watson EP - Four More Songs

This blog post is almost a bit of a sequel to the blog review I posted a while back of musician Lewis Watson.

Over night, last night, Lewis Watson released his newest EP 'Four More Songs'. The EP, funnily enough, includes 4 songs;

1. Calling

2. Songs That We Wrote When We Were Drunk

3. Close (demo)

4. Made Up Love Song #43

Lewis Watson - Four More Songs - EP art

I have been a huge fan of Lewis Watson for a long time now, and I can genuinely say that this EP is one of my favourites so far. 

The first song of the EP, 'Calling', was originally released on Lewis's YouTube channel close to a year ago, and ever since it was released there, I have been biting my nails waiting for it to be properly recorded and released haha. And finally, last month, the film clip was released for 'Calling' by Lewis Watson! (This video is below).

I was incredibly excited to see that this was the first song on the EP, as I think the up tempo beat and 'fun' vibe the song gives off, is a really groovy and exciting way to begin the EP. I think this song tends to put the listener in a good mood, and excites them, increasing their anticipation for the following songs. This song originally came across to me as a little different from some of his previous songs, due to the up beat and faster sound. But upon further analysis of the song, Calling is clearly a very 'Lewis Watson song' in the way that it perfectly portrays the individuality that Lewis as a musician, manages to show throughout his songs.

'Songs That We Wrote When We Were Drunk' is the second song on the EP. Lewis released a lyric video for this song about a month ago on his YouTube channel, and I find it amazing in the truthfulness of it. The lyrics to this song are really appropriate and describe the situation perfectly, almost like a story or a conversation, and lyrically, it is very personal and extremely relatable. With the beautiful and unique tune of the song, Lewis manages to 'tell the story' of the song, without making it too plain or conversational; it is smooth and really easy to listen to.
Originally when I listened to 'Songs That We Wrote When We Were Drunk', although I did really appreciate it as a piece and adore the song, it wasn't my favourite on the EP. But there was something so personal about the song that caused me to, without even thinking about it, listen to it a lot (when I say a lot, I mean A LOT). I also found this song in my head a lot which was really lovely.
I love this song, I think Lewis Watson has portrayed the emotions perfectly throughout the song, making it relatable to the audience, which is something he manages to do often. Really amazing job on this song, Lewis.

The third song on the EP is 'Close (demo)'. I was excited to hear this song as it was the only song off this EP that was unavailable on YouTube or his SoundCloud prior to its official release. Therefore, because of this, I have not been able to listen to Close (demo) nearly as much as I wish. Despite this, listening to this song really...warmed me. I mean that in the most normal way possible. I adore this song. I really do. It's a huge statement I know, but I think this may just be my favourite song on this EP.
As a guitar player myself, I am in love with the guitar throughout this song. It has a very calming feel to the guitar strumming which I love. The instrumental aspect of the piece is subtle in its playing, but really allows the song to flow, almost carrying the lyrics throughout the piece.
As always, Lewis has written the most beautiful lyrics along with this song. They are so personal, but in the way that I think they will be uniquely personal to each particular listener. I mean this in the way that I think each listener of the song will find their own meaning to the song, which is absolutely amazing, and a real talent that Lewis Watson has.

The last song on 'Four More Songs' is 'Made Up Love Song #43'. This song is Lewis Watson's cover of an original song by Guillemots, which was released in late 2009 (video of the original is below).

When I heard that Lewis Watson was going to cover this song, I was a bit confused as the original is crazy (very good), yet quite different to Lewis's usual style, and I really didn't know how Lewis was going to cover it. I really shouldn't have doubted him for a moment. This cover is amazing. Lewis Watson has changed the original song perfectly, not so much that it is unrecognisable, but enough that it is 'his own'. This is genuinely such a beautiful cover of the song. Lewis Watson has given it a real twist and made it his own, and it is stunning. To me personally, it may not be the same as you, but I develop a different emotion whilst listening to Lewis's cover, in comparison to the original by Guillemots. The original song was amazing, and very unique, and I personally didn't really find it as emotional to listen to as I did to Lewis Watson's cover. (Please do not get me wrong, the original is very groovy too).
Massive congratulations to Lewis Watson for covering this song. It would be such a difficult song to cover, and Lewis has done a tremendous job of it.

The latest EP by Lewis Watson, 'Four More Songs', I have to say, is my personal favourite EP by Lewis Watson, so far. I genuinely, before now, did not believe that anything would beat 'The Wild' by Lewis (for me). But this EP is stunning in its simplicity, I find it a very personal EP in the way that it is very emotive in its response to life and love. I think 'Four More Songs' is amazing as I believe it would evoke different emotions to different listeners, which is amazing.
Biggest congratulations to Lewis Watson with not only the release and success of this EP, but overall, congratulations on coming this far. Many, including I, are super excited to see what the future has in store for Lewis, and I am incredibly excited to see his success continue to grow.

If I have in any way intrigued you with this review, please (!) go check it out yourself. You will not regret it, I swear. The link to buy it on iTunes is available below as well as many of Lewis Watson's other links :)
What's your opinion?

P.S Lewis Watson just tweeted that he is releasing a new film clip very soon! So by the time you are reading this it is possibly already out! The link to his YouTube is below! Xo

Buy 'Four More Songs' here!
https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/four-more-songs-ep/id648046163?ign-mpt=uo%3D4

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/HolyLoowis/featured
Website: http://lewiswatsonmusic.com
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/lewis-watson/id445534728
Twitter: @levvis_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lewiswatsonmusic
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/levvis
Instagram: @levvis

- Stella xo

The Starkins Review

Firstly I'd like to really apologise for the lack of blog posts lately. I had exams and stuff so it was difficult to find the time, but I'm here now, so thanks for sticking with me :)

Pwoah, I wasn't originally going to write about this band, actually to tell the truth, when I began writing this post I hadn't heard their music. But as I was doing some research on other artists, I saw a comment that brought me to The Starkins youtube channel, and I am so glad that I found them!

The Starkins - Matt Elliss, Andy Daniels, Will Campbell, and Joe Elliss.
(This is not my photo, reference is below)

The Starkins were formed in late 2010, they have a good youtube following currently, but as it isn't enormous I didn't know what to expect. I was blown away, seriously, these guys have such a talent; there music is catchy and upbeat, easy to listen to, without being even slightly boring. The boys are so talented as artists and as musicians. Their music is the type of thing you could have playing in the background of whatever you are doing (like I have playing right now haha), or the type of music to be really focusing on, giving all of your attention to, which I personally think is something really hard to achieve, but they sure have managed.

The Starkins consists of 4 guys; Joe Elliss on drums, Matt Elliss on guitar and backing vocals, Will Campbell on bass guitar and backing vocals, and lead vocals by Andy Daniels. Don't let the fact that The Starkins, being a band made up of four young guys, make you think they will be the average cliched boy band, these guys are anything but that; with their own sound and unique vibe they give off.
Although they admit to being influenced by the rock genre and bands, The Starkins are so original in their concepts, vibe, and sounds, and I think this is a main contributor to their success.

I am positive that The Starkins will become hugely popular in the near future, and I really hope so, their talent is something that really deserves all the attention it can get. And...I'm not going to lie here, I find them so refreshing in the way that their songs are really vibrant. They aren't the classic teenage artists singing about how hard life in our generation is...their lyrics are interesting, and different, they are singing the truth of life! They aren't overly dramatic, but their lyrics do bring emotion with them. They genuinely have found the perfect balance between pop culture and the indie genre of music.

If you haven't heard this tremendous band as of yet...what are you doing? Go! Now! Make a new tab, come on! I highly recommend their SoundCloud (which is linked below).
I genuinely love all of their music, they bring something new and fresh to the music industry, which is something we really needed if you ask me.

I will surely be watching the popularity surrounding these guys grow in the future, and if they ever come to Australia, I will most definitely be there!

I would quickly like to thank The Starkins - Matt, Andy, Joe and Will for being so supportive of this blog post too.
As always, their links are below, so go check them out!

Website: http://www.thestarkins.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheStarkins
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thestarkins
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheStarkins
Instagram: thestarkinsofficial
Twitter: @The_Starkins
(follow them on Twitter so that they are less bitter (pwoah, that is a great joke and reference to their song Happy For Today) haha).

- Stella Grace xo
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Pictures used are from 
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https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/427968_396181380447782_2075116963_n.jpg

Wayward Daughter - For the Keeping Review

Wayward Daughter are a duo of two girls - Lydia McAllister and Becky East. I have been watching Wayward Daughter on YouTube for a while now. I first 'discovered' them a year or so ago and fell inlove with them.

Wayward Daughter

2 years ago, Lydia's covered Apologise by One Republic on YouTube. She continued as a solo cover artist on YouTube for quite a while until a bit later in the year when she uploaded a cover of The Pretty Reckless's, You Make Me Want To Die which also featured Becky East on guitar.

With over 41K subscribers on YouTube alone, Wayward Daughter have grown their fan base around the world. 

Wayward Daughter's song 'For the Keeping' became a huge success when it was first released on YouTube last year. I thought to review this particular song because this is the piece that they have entered in the 'Gabrielle Aplin Tour' competition (information at the bottom of the review). 

For the Keeping, played by Becky and sung by Lydia is a beautiful song that is a perfect example of the reasons they deserve all of their success.

Becky's guitar is stunning and haunting in its playing. With literally no errors, the guitar carries the melody of the song by combining it quite subtly into the rest of the guitar piece. 

Becky is amazingly talented on the guitar, and if you listen to the song without watching the clip, you swear you could hear multiple guitars playing...but no, Becky's extremely precise and intricate playing carries the song and helps the overall theme of the song flowing. 

As well as the guitar, is Lydia's stunning voice. Writing the lyrics themselves, Lydia is perfect in all her notes, pronunciation and overall vocals. And it is her voice that really brings out the magic of the song with not only the words she is singing, but the way her voice flows in and out of the guitar part. It is this eb and flow that makes the song sound so smooth and haunting to listen to. 

The lyrics of the piece are stunning in their simplicity and are easily relatable. I think I especially love the lyrics of the song because of how true they seem, they are very personal words, and yet they generate such an emotive reaction from the audience - making the listeners find a personal meaning in the lyrics.

I am so happy that I found Wayward Daughter's music, I really do think that listening to their music is more like an experience than just a song. Their music isn't just something you want to have playing in the background, it is something you want to have your full attention on, which is what it truly deserves.

If you haven't already, go and check out Wayward Daughter, even if it isn't your style, I guarantee that if you give it the chance, you will really get something out of it.

AND ALSO GUYS!
If you haven't already, Gabrielle Aplin is doing that competition where you can vote for certain musicians to support her on tour, so it would be super great if you could vote for Wayward Daughter to support her! so follow these steps, it takes like a second guys.

1 - Go to this link!

http://www.gabrielleaplin.co.uk/livesupport/

2 - Select "London/Shepherd's Bush

3 - Click Wayward Daughter's "For the Keeping" thumbnail and click either Facebook or Twitter underneath to vote

IT LOOKS LIKE THIS!

4 - Tag @WDaughterBand in your votes so that they can follow you!

Check them out:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/LydiaEvangeline
Website: http://waywarddaughterband.com
Blogspot: http://www.waywarddaughter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaywardDaughterBand?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WDaughterBand

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Picture is from
http://external.ak.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQB3_n9PVrKbNGdP&url=http%3A%2F%2Fassets.pledgemusic.com%2Fprojects%2F000%2F006%2F221%2Fsplashes%2Fdesktop.jpg%3F2013&jq=100

Lewis Watson Review

I was just watching some of Lewis Watson's old covers on YouTube and realised that I haven't, as of yet,  written anything about Lewis!
I'd firstly like to mention that this 'review' (if you can even call it that) is going to be extremely bias because Lewis Watson is my favourite artist as well as a real inspiration of mine...to tell the truth, he is the reason I joined YouTube in the first place haha.

(Lewis Watson (this is not my photo...I wish))

Lewis Watson is a UK musician, he joined YouTube mid 2010, playing a cover of a Bombay Bicycle Club's song, Swansea. Since then Lewis has become a sensation, building up his fan base to the amazing 61K (YouTube) subscribers he has today. 

Lewis has produced multiple EPs including 'It's got 4 sad songs on it btw', 'another 4 sad songs', 'The Wild' as well as his upcoming EP - 'Four more songs'.

I really respect Lewis Watson, not only as an artist, but as a person. I mean, I do not know him personally but I have been watching his videos and listening to his music for a long time, and even with the growing amount of fans he is getting and with his rapid success, he has managed to really stay grounded and not let all the success change him. And, not going to lie, but I think its for this reason that a lot of his fans seem to be really connected...and as cheesy as it sounds, a bit like a family. I think, the way Lewis Watson stays in touch with his fans, makes it really seem like we know him personally, although we don't, its nice to know that he really does appreciate and recognise his fans for all they have done.  

Despite the amount of shows that Lewis Watson is doing, and the amount of travel he is doing, he still manages to stay in touch with all his fans, whether that's via YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or his website. By doing this, it really shows that he loves his fans and appreciates them for everything they have done. 

I got the chance to see Lewis Watson early this year when he was on tour with Birdy and Lakyn Heperi, and he was phenomenal. Really and truly, he was professional yet very down to earth on stage. His stage presence was perfect and he captured the audiences attention so well. He was funny and charismatic, yet professional and captivating, which really is refreshing compared to some of the artists we see nowadays.

It is a little bit scary writing about Lewis Watson, as there is no way to put it all into words, and I am terrified to make a mistake in my explanations. He truly is a major inspiration of mine and many others, he has come so far in a matter of months and he should be more than proud of his well deserved success.

I think, to really understand where I am coming from...you'll have to check him out yourself (please trust me, you will not regret it)  -
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/HolyLoowis
Website: http://lewiswatsonmusic.com
- Stella xo

Photo used: http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/mp/KZnT5q2tdvrl.jpg

Thelma Plum review

On the go
I'm currently sitting on the bus home listening to my music , and I couldn't help but think that the lovely Thelma Plum doesn't get nearly as much rave as she deserves.
Thelma Plum is an acoustic artist who rose to her quick success after being featured on Triple J.

(Thelma Plum and me at the Woodford Folk Festival 2012)

I got the opportunity to meet Thelma Plum and see her play acoustically live at the 2012 Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland Australia and have been a fan ever since.
She was breathtaking in her performance and inspirational in person.

Thelma's beautifully unique and lovely voice is one of angels. She writes her own songs and based them around her everyday life, but don't let this put you off! The lyrics she writes are relatable yet magically unfamiliar, and there is something almost mesmerising about the way she has created her songs.

In my personal opinion she is one of Australia's most talented and most creative artists.
Thelma Plum is a reasonably new artist, but this is not a sign of inexperience or naivity...Thelma shows great elegance, grace and careful thought throughout her music and is a definite artist to keep your eye out for in the future.
- Stella xo

Thelma's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelmaplum
Thelma's soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thelmaplum
Thelma's Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/thelmaplum?feature=

Gabrielle Aplin EP - Panic Chord.

So I thought that, to start off this blog, I would begin with a review of Gabrielle Aplin's new EP 'Panic cord'.

Gabrielle Aplin is a singer songwriter from Wiltshire England. Starting as a youtube cover artist in 2009, Gabrielle has risen in the charts and now has a well deserved (still rising) number of over 100,000 fans worldwide.

(Gabrielle Aplin - Panic cord EP)

Her new EP is a fantastic example of her unique talent.Her newly released EP 'Panic Cord' caught my attention of course. I have been a fan of Gabrielle for a number of years, and seeing her open for Ed Sheeran in his Australian tour late last year was both inspiring and amazing, her performance being beyond perfection.

This EP consists of the tracks;

1. Panic Cord

2. Dreams (W/ Bastille)

3. Panic Cord (Hucci remix)

4. Please don't say you love me (Cyril Hahn remix)

I'd firstly like to mention that although these songs have been around for a little bit already, there is something magical about the way the EP has been so carefully put together that makes it more like an experience than just a disc of music.

(Still shot from Gabrielle Aplin's 'Panic Cord' film clip)

The first song, Panic Cord, was released a while back and was a favourite of mine for a solid while. This song is beautiful, and even if you're not a fan of the style of music, it's easy to admit that Gabrielle has a lot of talent.

The song became very popular, the film clip, being released 1 month ago, has already received a crazy 1,103,692 views. It is easy to say that this song is simple for young/teenage girls to relate to as it is filled with very truthful and personal lyrics and themes. Kudos to her for that.

I like this song being on the EP, because I find this song is the most similar to a lot of her other music than the rest of the songs on this EP. Maybe it's me not wanting to deal with change, but this is my favourite style that has come from her, so I think I really expected to hear a lot more of this style on the EP.

This EP, quite obviously is named after this song, this being a reason to it being the main song on the EP.

(Gabrielle Aplin and Bastille - Dream (Fleetwood Mac cover)

The second song is Bastille and Gabrielle Aplin's  cover of Fleetwood Macs song Dreams. I'm a bit iffy on my opinion of this song, I mean, it is quite obviously an amazingly structured song, and although being quite different from a lot of the acoustic work that Gabrielle Aplin usually does, she and Bastille have created something really interesting. I find this song very spiritual in an almost psychedelic way, which I do really love. Although I am personally not in love with how they have covered the chorus of the song, I do love the verses and Gabrielle sounds beautiful and magical the whole way through the song, so really, props to her for pulling it off, because she REALLY has. It was such a bold move to cover a Fleetwood.

The third and fourth songs of the EP are both remixes of Gabrielle Aplin's original songs. I personally am into a lot of the more acoustic sounding songs, so although they are really good, they just aren't my taste. I'm sorry if your opinion differs, they are amazing, just not my personal favourites.

The first of the two is a Hucci remix of Panic cord, and I think this is my favourite of the two. I like this song the most because although its such a crazy and unique remix, the melody of the original song can be heard throughout it, so it's almost like a memory or something, its a very hallucinatory song almost.

The second song of the two, being the Cyril Hahn remix of Please don't say you love me (PDSYLM), is also very unique to the original although in some of it, it's hard to tell it is even a remix of PDSYLM. I don't know, this might be your type of thing, but it's not my personal favourite. I think, because the original of the song is such a stand out to me, I think that it shouldn't be messed with. Despite saying this though, if you MUST mess with PDSYLM, this is how it should be done. It is unique and puts a really interesting twist on the original. So i do respect it because even though it's not really my thing, it is an amazing remix of the song that is definitely worth a listen. 

Overall I think this EP was a real change from Gabrielle's usual more acoustic songs, and I'm not saying that in a negative way. I was pleasantly surprised by the emotional and 'spiritual-ness' of this EP. I do think that if you're a fan of Gabrielle's or a fan of any of the other artists featured in 'Panic cord', oh  screw it, no matter what you're a fan of, go check this girl out. She is an amazing talent and you wont be disappointed.

Gabrielle Aplin has a really bright future ahead of her, there is a link to her website below, so check her out there. On that website you can find all the links to itunes where you can purchase this EP and/or any of her other music. Also on this website is a sneak preview of the EP, so go give that all a listen and feel free to comment your opinion. And of course be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for her in the future, because we will be hearing a lot more of this bright new talent. 

Tell me your opinion.

- Stella xo

Gabrielle Aplin website: http://www.gabrielleaplin.co.uk