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