New Music Friday // Lucy Spraggan

Normally X factor auditions aren’t interesting but given that this year they’re pretty much allowing anything (people with previous recording contacts, amateurs, instruments alongside the usual), we got to see Lucy Spraggan perform her own track Last Night (put simply, it’s about waking up the next day thinking, what happened last night….or as she’s put it’s suffering Beer Fear)

According to Lucy, her self released album, Top Room At The Zoo, is due to be pulled so best if you like her, best get in quickly. Check out her track Last Night below.

Official Site | Soundcloud

Taylor Swift // We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

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Quite possibly winning the award for the longest song title this year, Taylor Swift brings us her new single, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.

Swift is probably better known for her country music making this seem (for most) a little strange for her. In a general sense, it’s a look at a break up from the female side of things.You could be forgiven that it sounds a bit like a Avril Lavigne number. What annoys us though is that the lyrics seem simple and it’s difficult to like the track when the lyrics structure almost follows along like dah dah dah dah dah dahdah.

Not sure what to make of this but it may just verge on the annoying for some people.

Rating: 2/5

2 Shoes // Turn Me On (Turn Me Out)

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Cast your mind back to the X Factor last year. Remember the girls 2 Shoes who were unceremoniously eliminated from the competition in the first week of the live shows. Well, they’re releasing their first track called Turn Me On (Turn Me Out).

To be honest, the track is probably what most expected from them. It’s a dance orientated track that to be honest probably suits their style. It doesn’t do much to keep most listeners going until the end. It starts to drag on and that’s only after the first minute. Then again, it’s probably more likely to heard in clubs where nobody will truly notice.

Rating: 1/5

The Script // Hall Of Fame Feat. will.i.am

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It’s been a while since the Irish group have released anything, but now they’re back with the new single, Hall Of Fame featuring fellow The Voice judge will.i.am.

It’s a little different from what we’ve heard from the band in the past but at the same time, maintains some of what is familiar. Danny O'Donoghue’s vocals are as strong as ever on his solo sections but when both him and will.i.am sing together, there is no competition to out do each other. Their vocals complement each other brilliantly.

Sitting on the fence with regards how this is likely to go down with people…good song to hear occasionally.

Rating: 4/5

New Music Friday // Jessie Ware

Let’s us introduce you to Jessie Ware. Hailing from London, she’s just released her debut album, Devotions. She seems to have this voice that has an ability to catch the listeners attention and holds it. The melody’s may just sound as if they are on repeat but it’s Ware’s voice that provides the emotion. It would be easy to say that you’d expect to hear on one of these '’chillout’ albums. Check out her track Running below

Official Site | Soundcloud | Facebook

Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen // Good Time

We can’t remember the last time that we heard from Owl City other than that memorable track Fireflies. We’ll he’s teamed up with Carly Rae Jepsen for this new track, Good Time.

It’s a got a familiar feel to Fireflies but the good news is that their vocals seem to work well to produce what is an infectiously catchy summery tune. In fact, it’s probably that catchy that you’re going to be annoyed by it because it’s going to be stuck in your head for a while. But still, we need those types of summery tunes considering the weather at the moment.

Great little tune that probably going to be around for a bit and then some

Rating:4/5

Amelia Lily // You Bring Me Joy

Download @ Amazon.co.uk

You remember Amelia Lily right? She ended up being voted off by Kelly Rowland in the first show of the 2011 X Factor before being given a short reprieve back on the show before finishing in 3rd place. With us now? Good, because now we’re going to talk about her debut single, You Bring Me Joy.

We’d love to say that the track does that, but it doesn’t. This feels like a subdued Amelia, not the fiesty one that we saw on the show. The track almost says ‘Hi.Just thought I’d pop by’. Somehow we expected something with a little more spark from her. This just seems to trundle along and sound very generic. Longevity not guaranteed.

Rating: 2/5

Amy Macdonald // Pride

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The choice for the second single from the third album Life In A Beautiful Light shouldn’t be a surprise to those who bought the album seeing as the sticker on the front of it said features the singles Slow It Down and Pride.

Whilst the song could fit in with Olympic fever, the song draws on Macdonald’s experiences of standing at Hampden Park (Scotland’s national stadium) singing the Scottish “national anthem” (aka Flower Of Scotland) before the international football matches and having 50,000 voices singing in the rain. The song itself is similar in tempo to previous single Slow It Down but has a much happier feel around it.

Probably the right time to release this given what’s going on in the UK at the moment, and with a few radio & TV appearances to promote the single, whilst it might not do grandly in the charts, at least she’s getting the song out there.

Rating: 4/5

Carrie Mac // Things I Wish I’d Said

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Not a week after she released her cover of Erasure’s A Little Respect, Edinburgh singer songwriter Carrie Mac releases her latest single, Things I Wish I’d Said.

It’s a piano driven, heartfelt ballad that has a nice addition of strings just after the first chorus. Our first thoughts on the first play was that could see in a movie in a scene similar to Evanescence’s My immortal in Daredevil. It’s good to hear some new material from Carrie and hopefully this is an insight into what she’s been up to recently and what fans can expect from future releases

Rating: 4/5

Alphabeat // Love Sea

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Love Sea is the second single to be lifted from the Danish groups forthcoming album, titled Express Non-Stop.

The single isn’t what we were expecting from the group after their previous release Vacation. It’s a nice little tune which gives us a reminder of songs from around the 70s/80s (in fact, the chorus melody sounds very like Whitney Houston’s How Will I Know with a bit of Boy Meets Girls Waiting For A Star To Fall). It’s not a mad dash to the finish line, more like a gentle skip along a sea-front.

The track might surprise those used to the synth sound, but it’s a nice little change and perfect for the season

Rating: 4/5

Scouting For Girls // Summertime In The City

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Something tells us that the boys were being a little hopeful with the title of this track. Either that or they’re hoping to bring the summer out with it’s release.

Summertime In The City is the first single from the group for a while and first to be lifted from their forthcoming album, The Light Between Us. If you were to look at the track in it’s simpliest form, it’s all about the joys of (the non-existent) summer. To be honest, it’s very similar to their previous tracks and the chorus feels as if they are shouting it.

Fans will probably appreciate the new music from the three-piece though there’s not much for the casual listener.

Rating:2/5

Cover Drive // Explode Feat. Dappy

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The 4th single from the Bajan outfit comes in the form Explode featuring Dappy.

We can’t help feel that this song feel very familiar. Maybe it’s because it feels a little like a mash up of their previous singles albeit at a mid tempo, or that it seems reminiscent of a Tarzan Boy by Baltimora . It’s not the most engaging song and they have had better from previous singles.

Not a favourite from the group and hopefully they’re not on a slippery slope down after doing so well

Rating: 3/5

Carrie Mac // A Little Respect

Download @ iTunes

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from the Edinburgh based singer/songwriter (2 years if we’re right) but during this year she’s been doing some cover versions of songs, and one of the popular ones has been the cover of Erasure’s track A Little Respect.

Don’t expect a full, all instruments sounding cover though. This is a slow, piano and vocal only cover. It’s an interesting cover considering the difference in the tempo but we like it. It’s different and Carrie makes it her own whilst ensuring the respect to the original.

A nice little track to tide us over in the meantime.

Rating: 4/5

New Music Friday // Sinead & The Dawnbreakers

2012 will marks 10 years since Fame Academy burst onto our screens. With Lemar and Alistair Griffen already with new music out this year. Now it seems that Sinead Quinn is doing the same. Now with backing band known as The Dawnbreakers, she’s already produced an EP called Can’t Please ‘Em All, drawing on her love of the 50s and 60s and giving it a contemporary twist.

You can check out the EP below:

MySpace | Bandcamp

Joe McElderry // Here’s What I Believe

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Next month will see Joe’s 3rd album with Decca (4th overall) being released and the first offering from it comes in the form of the album’s title track, Here’s What I Believe.

Now we recommend that you sit down to read the following: Joe’s co-written it! Apparently it’s means if it’s not received well then he can only blame himself. Bless. The song is a nice ballad and for someone that’s just getting to grips with self-penned tracks, isn’t too bad. The only fault that we can find with it is that there are moments where he seems to be reaching the limits of his vocals range within the constraints of the style and the words become difficult to understand.

It’s apparent that he’s tried to bring some lessons from the previous two albums that were more classical crossover and hopefully he’ll take what he’s learned from this and incorporate it in further works

Rating: 4/5

Noisettes // That Girl

It’s been a while since we heard anything from the Noisettes (Don’t Upset The Rhythm and Wild Young Things still ring in our ears) but now they’re back with their new single That Girl

It has the feeling of a track from the 50s/60s but at least a couple of lyrics suggest otherwise (I don’t want know about the magazines that she keeps/ About her blogs and her tweets). The track itself might sound retro, but at the same time, it’s different from what others are doing out there It’s a great little number just in time for the *cough* summer *cough* and one that you could imagine diving along with windows down (or roof if you’re lucky enough!)

Rating: 4/5

Paloma Faith // 30 Minute Love Affair

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This is the second single to be taken from Paloma’s album Fall From Grace

To be honest, after giving us the brilliant track Picking Up The Pieces, we’re now on the other end of the scale with a rather slow ballad by the name of 30 Minute Love Affair. To be honest,we struggled to listen to this all the ay through. We found the vocals a little whiney and and nothing really to keep us listening as it doesn’t really seem to go anywhere.

Sadly we can even bare to have a 3 minute love affair with this track, never mind a 30 minute one.

Rating: 2/5

Lemar // Invincible

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It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything by Lemar (2 years since his last release apparently) and to be honest, we were a little surprised by this as we didn’t know who it was at first.

It’s a bit of a different sound for him with his going for a pop/rock sound with this track rather than the R&B sound that he’s probably more known for. Oh and add that he’s also showcasing his abilities as a songwriter on this track. He seems to be following a trend for artists to set up their own record labels to release their music through, so hopefully his ten years in the business has given him some wisdom to see where he is and where he’s going.

A great little tune and we think will take people by surprise!

Rating: 4/5

New Music Friday // Olympic Opening Ceremony

Fir the past week, the eyes of the world have been on London but probably none so as last Friday night with the opening ceremony of the 30th Olympiad of the modern Olympics in London. Everything was kept under lock and key so much so that videos that had leaked from the rehearsal  were being asked to be reported so that they could be removed.

Probably the highlight of the night was the lighting of the Olympic cauldron from 204 copper petals. The song that accompanied that moment was called Caliban’s Dream by Underworld and featuring the  Dockhead Choir, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Only Men Aloud, Elizabeth Roberts, Esme Smith and Alex Trimble. You can hear the full 7 minute song below and relive the magical moment. The question probably now is...can the closing ceremony equal or exceed it? And what's instore for the ParaOlympics?Caliban's Dream by Underworld

Alistair Griffin // Just Drive

 
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So apparently Alistair Griffin isn’t a stranger to the music world. Apparently he came in second play on the second series of the BBC show Fame Academy. Yes,we sadly don’t remember that either, however he’s now back with his new single, Just Drive

It’s gained fans amongst the F1 community after being featured in a montage on the BBC coverage. It’s a great little track that’s very laid back but at the same time, showcases his song writing skill and vocals which just seems to blend perfectly with the melody. A track that you could stick on and….well, just drive along to.

Hopefully it’s a clean slate for this artist and he’s learned a few things along the way. It’s a great little number that deserve attention.

Rating: 4/5

Train // 50 Ways To Say Goodbye

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50 Ways To Say Goodbye is the second single from Train’s recent album California 37

It feels just slightly quicker in tempo to their last single Drive By. We love the mariachi sound to the verse and bits included in the chorus, before hitting the chorus like a train (yes we know, really bad joke!) with a sound of rock pop track. Maybe we should be more worried about the excuses…sorry, ways to say goodbye, that they come up with.

Another great little number from and one that it’s likely to be hanging around playlists and ears for a while to come like previous tracks.

Ratings: 5/5