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Written by Shahlin Graves & Sarah Mudgway
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Wednesday, 21 July 2010 16:14 |
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SKY SAILING - An Airplane Carried Me To Bed [ SG ]
Whilst none of these SKY SAILING songs would be amiss on an Owl City album, the eleven acoustic tracks of 'An Airplane Carried Me To Bed' stand strong enough on their own as a separate entity, that they're likely to appease many grudges against Adam Young still held by devoted fans of The Postal Service. The progression in Young's songwriting between 'An Airplane Carried Me To Bed' and 'Ocean Eyes' is positively endearing in retrospect.
Young recorded these songs three and a half years ago in his little bedroom basement and describes the album as: "a step into the past, the documented account of a shy boy from Minnesota with more hopes and dreams than he knew what to do with. When you listen to this record, you can hear naivety, innocence, inexperience and the wide-eyed imaginings of a wishful thinker. It's both light and dark, optimistic and melancholy. Unpolished and dusty, it's an antique and therefore holds a truly unique and graceful aesthetic within. Though there has always been just one artist behind the music, before there was Owl City there was Sky Sailing and I consider it a great honor to finally find this opportunity to share it with you."
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The album is aptly titled, as it is indeed the perfect transportation from reality, to the land of sweet dreams. Insomniacs are sure to find a silver bullet within 'An Airplane Carried Me To Bed' to arm themselves against even the worst of nightmares and sleeplessness. Each song also doubles up as heartening playlist essentials, especially for rainy indoor days earmarked for catching up on your reading list. Snuggle into Sky Sailing, when you're in need of a comforting blanket of vocalised daydreams.
MUST-LISTEN: 'Captains Of The Sky', 'Tennis Elbow', 'Explorers', 'Sailboats'.
HEARTOMETER: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 + 1/2 [ out of 10 ]
YOU WILL LIKE, IF YOU LIKE: Owl City, Ace Enders & A Million Different People, Copeland, I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business, The Album Leaf, Hellogoodbye... and drinking cups of tea in Winter whilst reading your favourite book.
THIS COULD HAVE WON US OVER MORE, IF... it was released physically, accompanied with the cute, cute cute packaging it so deserves.
WATCH: An unofficial animated video for 'Captains Of The Sky'.
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Written by Shahlin Graves & Sarah Mudgway
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Sunday, 13 June 2010 09:56 |
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LADY ANTEBELLUM - Need You Now [ SG ]
Mid-May, we warned you [ HERE ] that LADY ANTEBELLUM were a band you needed to know about quick-smart... and then, Lady A gracefully debuted at #1 on the New Zealand albums chart with 'Need You Now'. Despite having been released back in January in the States, the band's second album has also kept a tight grip on the Billboard country albums chart's #1 spot for NINETEEN consecutive weeks.
In the same way that it's ignorant to simply label Taylor Swift as a country-music artist, Lady Antebellum's like-minded pop-hook sensibilities really shine through with universal appeal, with the bonus of back-and-forth vocals between Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley. Personally, I like to think of the 'Need You Now' album as a convenient projection of what Swift fans can expect from the twenty-year old in the future, when she's out-grown her teenage angst.
Lady Antebellum like good times, they fall in and out of love like a best-selling chick-lit novel... and are now widespread embraced as champions of drunk phone calls at 1:15 in the morning - all the perfect essentials for never-ending sing-a-longs.
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MUST-LISTEN: 'I Run To You', 'Our Kind Of Love', 'Stars Tonight', 'Perfect Day', 'Lookin' For A Good Time'.
HEARTOMETER: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [ out of 10 ]
YOU WILL LIKE, IF YOU LIKE: Taylor Swift, Colbie Caillat, Gloriana, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Miranda Lambert... and both the 'Tim McGraw' song and person.
THIS COULD HAVE WON US OVER MORE, IF... I'd already seen Lady Antebellum live. They're the kind of songs which grow on you tenfold after experiencing sold-out arena sing-a-longs. C'mon Lady A! Get down under...
WATCH: 'I Run To You' performed acoustically for a private radio station show.
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Written by Shahlin Graves
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Wednesday, 26 May 2010 10:27 |
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As far as I'm concerned, the current influx of brilliant debut albums from U.K. female(-fronted) artists, are all keep-sakes for my music library. Last year, England gave us Florence + The Machine, Little Boots, VV Brown and La Roux... this year, Marina & The Diamonds have been a hot export, as well as our 2010 debutante favourite, ELLIE GOULDING.
But! As far as you are concerned, Ellie's just another name amidst a sea of pretty fishes, that also include Eliza Doolittle, I Blame Coco, Sunday Girl and Diana Vickers - not to mention comeback albums from Kate Nash, Laura Marling and Goldfrapp...
If you haven't been a fan of the songs released as singles from 'Lights' so far, I highly recommend you check out the 'must-listen' tracks I've named below. 'Starry Eyed' is my least favourite Ellie song - towards which I feel a little bit of the same animosity (diluted tenfold of course), that I harbour towards Katy Perry's 'I Kissed A Girl' - hate the cheesiness of the first single; generally love the rest of the album. |
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Written by Shahlin Graves
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Tuesday, 27 April 2010 08:49 |
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If you can't remember the last time that you listened to a CD from beginning to end without skipping tracks or feeling bored, then you my friend, are in dire need of the new ARTISAN GUNS EP.
Dearest friend, issues of free will aside - it's not so much that you won't want to stop listening to 'HEARTS', it's more that the addiction will gain mastery over all of your playlists - 'Hearts' is standalone proof that there IS hope for those still on good terms with their ears.
If you care enough to look beyond parroting auto-tune, second-rate attitude, and the pseudo caked-on faces of the local scene's top cash cows, there's gold to be struck... and Artisan Guns, are a burgeoning hope, for even better things to come. |
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Written by Shahlin Graves
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Friday, 16 April 2010 10:38 |
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While listening to KATE NASH's new album at her record label about a month ago, I had an epiphany. 'MY BEST FRIEND IS YOU' snuck in through my ears, helped itself to my heart, and now I wear it on my sleeve. With eight more months to go in 2010, you might think my revelation rather hasty; but I am quite certain that there is no other album due to be released this year that can trump Nash's follow-up to 2007's 'Made Of Bricks'.
'My Best Friend Is You' springs into play with the 60's influenced, sock hop-ish 'Paris'. Nash's trademark lyrical irony, is accompanied by handclaps galore, and a dazzling doo-wop pop inspired background of brass and strings. 'Paris' is charming like its namesake. Lines such as - "still climbing trees, tripping up over fallen leaves, but holding hands" - showcase Kate's more romantic side, in juxtaposition to the wistful refrain of the chorus - "no you'll never listen to me". |
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