Heavy Rotation - Glee: The Music Presents The Warblers

It's no secret I enjoy bopping along to the Glee soundtracks in my car. They're just so damned addictive! So when I saw this CD had been released, I was all over it like a rash.

Like A RASH, I tell you.

The Dalton Academy Warblers.

The compliation starts off with Teenage Dream, the Katy Perry song that made The Warblers leap off the screen with their energy, followed smoothly by a plucky,folksy version of Train's Hey Soul Sister. Both of these songs were not my favourite when I heard the original versions on the radio. Warbler-ify them though? I can't get enough!

The Destiny's Child debut song Bills, Bills, Bills is a smooth but poppy number, and following it with Paul McCartney's Silly Love Songs is a nice break in tempo before the album kicks back into high gear with Robin Thicke's When I Get You Alone and Neon Trees' Animal.

Chris Colfer's version of The Beatles' Blackbird is short and pretty, and his duet with Darren Criss on the Hey Monday song Candles is one of the best songs on the album. The fist pumpingly good cover of Pink's Raise Your Glass is something you can't help but tap your foot to, and Maroon 5's Misery is also featured, continuing the party-like musical atmosphere.

Disappointingly short, this album finishes with Rod Stewart's Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, which is one of my least favourite songs in the world, and doesn't do the prior 12 songs justice as a finale (it makes me think of overweight, sweaty, drunk men at an over 28s nightclub).

But it's the third to last song that blew me away. The Warbler's cover of Keane's ballad Somewhere Only We Know is the standout number on the album. It's beautifully done, full of love and happiness, and the melody is just stunningly perfect. It's easily the best song on the album, and the best song The Warblers have sung.

This album is full of a capella crack, and a lot of the time you don't even realise there isn't a musical instrument to be found in an entire song. The vocal arrangements and quick, snappy melodies aren't used to try and rewrite the songs. They're simply used as a new way of performing happy, upbeat music, and I can't get enough of it.

In a word: great Pin It

Heavy Rotation - Sparkadia

I heard a song on the radio about three months ago and was instantly enthralled. The singer's voice reminded me so much of Zachary Condon from Beirut to the point where I actually thought it was a Beirut song. But I googled the lyrics and discovered I was wrong - it was actually an Australian guy. It took a while before I heard the song on the radio again, but then suddenly it was popping up more frequently, as was another song I loved even more than the first one I had heard.

May I present to you The Great Impression by Sparkadia.

Sparkadia started out as a band in Sydney a few years ago and was originally known as The Spark. But after all of the band members departed, Alex Burnett forged ahead on his own to create an album that is a quirky mix of pop, ballad and mystery.

The opening title track is so light and happy it's impossible not to think of pop music from previous decades, the tinkling bells and falsetto-voiced Burnett are irresistible, and Footprints, the second track, continues this joyful, melodious sound. The third track, Talking Like I'm Falling Down Stairs, is the track I originally heard on the radio. It's slower and smoother, but there's an intensity in the lyrics that instantly makes you sit up and listen closely.

Love Less Love definitely takes it's cues from 80s pop music. It's a graceful glide through 80s pop nostalgia that rolls along at a catchy pace. Towards the end of the album, Fade From View echoes those sounds with a much more ethereal sound, which adds a nice touch to what could have been a bland, filler pop song. Ghost has a more somber tone, but it's chorus is reminiscent of 1950s rock - thumping and abrupt, but it touches a nerve as it evokes imagery of deeply hidden love. I Started Something I Couldn't Finish is incredibly spooky. There's honestly no other word for it - I feel as though I should be running maniacally through a ghost house in a horror movie whenever I listen to it.

The final track on the album, Too Young, starts out with some simple guitar and Burnett's superb voice, but it's the lyrics that draw you in as the pace picks up. It's a perfect final track - optimistic and free, with a lovely coming of age feel to it. This song was instantly one of my favourites upon my first listen, and it remains so.

But it's the fourth track, China, that is absolutely perfect. This was the second track I heard on the radio and I cannot get enough of it. It starts out so simply, and Burnett's voice emotes in such a quietly controlled way. The lyrics are illustrative of Burnett's superb songwriting skills, and as the music builds it's impossible not to get completely swept up by the crescendo. While some might say that lyrically the song is too simple, Burnett seems to know not to let the story take over the gorgeous arrangement of the instruments. China is probably one of the best songs I've heard in a long time, and it's definitely the stand out track on the album.

While Sparkadia's sound might not be for everyone, this is an album that has certainly carved out a niche sound in the Australian music industry. Boredom Abounds predicts this is an artist to watch.

In a word: profound

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Heavy Rotation: Adele

About two or three months ago, people started posting a music video on their facebook walls*. Then I started seeing and hearing someone with a sultry voice being advertised, so I went to YouTube and watched a bunch of clips that hooked me from the get go.

May I present to you 21 by Adele.

Adele hails from North London, and at the age of twenty was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice, and she won two Grammy awards in 2009 for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. 21 is her second album, released in January, 2011.

Before purchasing this album, I read up on it a little bit and it was described as as a blues, folk and roots album. I don't know much about roots music, but it doesn't really strike me as such. Blues and folk, yes. Roots? No. Some have written that the album was underwhelming compared to Adele's debut album 19. But as someone who hasn't heard of her until now, I am impressed and enthralled with 21, and I have been since buying the album.

From the opening track, Rolling in the Deep, Adele sets the tone for a smoky, angsty musical journey. But angsty in a good way. Basically, this album is an ode to love - unrequited love, unfinished love, bittersweet, painful, sad love. And Adele nails it.

For me, this album had a distinctly 1960s feel to it, both rhythmically and vocally. Adele strikes me as being somewhere between Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick and Lesley Gore, and this is especially noticeable during the tracks Rumor Has It, Take It All and I'll Be Waiting which each have a very (sort-of swinging) 60s feel.

Adele's husky voice can belt out a chorus like nobody's business, but she can tone it down for the ballads as well. Turning Tables and Don't You Remember are somewhat slower than most of the other tracks, but Adele's voice takes a couple of average melodies and creates songs that evoke images of arguments, break ups and the loneliness that follows.

There are two tracks on the album that I really love. The first is Set Fire to the Rain, which feels so soulful and liberating, and is slotted nicely in the middle between the ballads on the album. My favourite track, though - the unbelievably weighty Someone Like You. From the first subtle piano notes through to the emotional crescendo of the chorus, anyone who's ever been in love is instantly taken back through the lifespan of their relationship while listening to this final track. There's something so raw and honest in this track that I've been getting to the end of the CD and hitting the rewind button about three times. I just can't get enough of it.

21 is simply a wonderful album, and Adele is one of the most compelling female artists in a long time and there will surely be amazing things to come from her in the future.

Don't believe me? Watch this:

Someone Like You - live version

*after directing my sister to this clip, she described Adele as being similar to Amy Winehouse, but without all the drugs. It's on oversimplification, but it amused me.

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Heavy Rotation: Washington

I heard an interview a few months ago with a girl that was referred to as "Washington." Like Cher. Or Madonna. Or Prince. Or....Wait, I'm getting distracted. Anyway, she was interviewed, and then they played this cute, boppy song that I couldn't get enough of.

So, it turns out that this Washington girl was Megan Washington, of the band Washington. Born and raised in Papua New Guinea, Washington moved to Brisbane with her family in 1997, where she studied jazz at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. After moving away from jazz, she performed with a variety of ensembles before launching the band Washington in 2008 and releasing an EP, Clementine . They won Triple J's unearthed competition in November 2008 and things really took off, performing at Big Day Out and releasing a second EP, How To Tame Lions, in 2009. In July this year, Washington released their debut album.

May I present to you I Believe You Liar by Washington.

First of all, I find this cover art a little....weird. I don't think it matches the tone of the album at all, but that's a minor complaint and I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with me.

Anyway, like I said, I heard this boppy song that was infectious and fun and just really, really great to listen to. So, I did that weird thing again - I went into a shop and bought the ACTUAL CD, and popped it into my car stereo. That was about a month ago. People, it has not left my speakers since that day. I play it constantly.

Constantly.

Upon the first listen, it seems so carefully crafted. The arc of the songs seems so polished that if you didn't know anything about the band, you could be mistaken for thinking it was a second or third studio album. But after the second listen, then the third and about halfway through the fourth rotation, you may stop yourself for a split second, realising that you've lost yourself completely in the music. And not in an intense, geeky way like a uni student trying to impress the girl he wants to ask out. In a real "holy crap, this music is addictive and I don't want it to stop" kind of way.

Washginton's style jumps around a little bit, but the sampling of different styles, from some 1950s and 60s soulful guitar to the crackalicious pop songs, every song is a three minute rhythmic hook, sucking you in in less than five seconds. The lyrics are open and honest, sometimes even carefree, which makes a nice change from the overwhelmingly annoying earnest wailings of some Australian female singers, like, oh, say Missy Higgins or Kasey Chambers. The slower numbers are interjected in between the energetic songs, and it really is very much like listening to the emotional journey of a woman in her early twenties.

Some of my favourites include Rich Kids, Clementine and  How To Tame Lions, but my absolute favourite (and the boppy song I mentioned earlier) is by far Sunday Best:

Seriously, how awesome is this clip? And how catchy and fun is the song?

In conclusion, I highly encourage you to purchast this album. ASAP.

In a word: fantastic

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Heavy Rotation: Boredom Abounds' Mixtape

There has been a bunch of new Australian music released in the last couple of months, and for once I actually like some of it (I know, I know, I'm a terrible Australian - I don't like most of the music this country produces - FOR SHAME).


Anyway, I'm being lazy with this entry and phoning it in with a bunch of youtube videos, but these are the songs that have me reaching for the volume dial and turning it up when I hear them.


Let's kick it off with a slow one from Kisschasy called Dinosaur. It's a simple tune, but that's exactly why I like it - the acoustic guitar lets the lyrics speak for themselves.





This Sia track was featured on the TV show Spicks and Specks earlier this year and I loved the video for it. But then I listened to the song, You've Changed, again and realised that it was pretty cool too.



Seriously, how awesome is this video?


Now for a band called Gyroscope and this kick-ass tune titled Baby, I'm Getting Better. I hear this song at least once a day as I drive home from work and I love it.



See what I mean? Kick ass.

I was never a huge Powderfinger fan. I didn't hate them, but I didn't love them either. They definitely have some great tracks, but sometimes I tired a little bit of Bernard Fanning's voice. They're calling it quits now, which is sad, but their final album is definitely showing the world they're going out with a bang. This track, called Burn Your Name, is really great and it's a fantastic example of their talent and the great music they've produced over the past ten years or so.


The video is pure Powderfinger.


Finally, there's this track from ex-Australian Idol contestant Lisa Mitchell, who, to be honest, I never thought much about one way or the other. Then she released a new album and this track started playing on the radio, and then I saw the video for it whenever I was at the gym.


How gorgeous is it? While she doesn't seem entirely comfortable in front of the camera, the sets and dancers more than make up for that. The song is so upbeat and happy I just can't stop listening to it. Pin It

Heavy Rotation: Glee, Glee and more Glee

I love Glee. Love love love it. It's fluffy, fun escapism and I can't get enough of it. So, now that they've
released more soundtracks, I got my hands on Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers (Deluxe) andGlee: The Music, The Power of Madonna and they've been rotating in my car for the past week.

Let's start with Volume 3:

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Heavy Rotation: Mumford & Sons

Late last year, I kept hearing a song on the radio and I just could not get enough of it. After a while, I finally found out who was singing it and promptly began scanning radio stations whenever I was in the car in the hopes that I would hear it again.

The song was Little Lion Man, by a British band called Mumford & Sons. The song wasn’t like anything I had heard on the radio for a long time (mostly because I listen to the commercial stations – I know, shame on me, Triple J is SO much cooler blah blah blah). It was a little bit rock, a little bit bluesy, a little bit folksy and a complete earworm that would be stuck in my head all day. Then, in January I started hearing this song, and I instantly recognized the singer’s voice. The song was called The Cave and I loved it. Suddenly I started seeing the music video for it at the gym every time I was on the treadmill, and I was totally hooked. Besides trying to figure out where the clip was filmed (some sources are saying it’s in Goa), I couldn’t get that melody out of my head. So, I did something I haven’t done in a really long time – I went into a shop and I purchased an ACTUAL CD. I know, who knew they even made those crazy compact discs anymore?

I’ll give you, people of the downloading generation, a moment to stop and take that information in.

Without further ado, may I introduce you to the album Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons.

There’s something about lead singer Marcus Mumford’s voice that is so appealing – it’s raw, honest and completely passionate, and coupled with the old-time sound they incorporate into their fast and funky or slow and soulful songs, their music is instantly unforgettable.

While my favourites are the aforementioned Little Lion Man and The Cave, I also love Winter Winds and Timshel is just achingly beautiful. The whole album is a great mix of modern folk and old-time ballads, and it’s on heavy rotation in my car at the moment (and will be for a while I suspect). I can’t recommend it highly enough – it’s the kind of music that makes your heart sing.

Plus, it has banjo. Who doesn’t love a freaking banjo??

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Are you a Gleek?

Because I am.

When Glee burst onto the scene in 2009, it captured a wide and varied audience, from tweens and high school students addicted to the drama, to adults looking for some light hearted fun. When I watch Glee I’m less about the storylines and more about the fun, happy music. Shallow, I know.

So when the first soundtrack was released I was desperate to get my hands on it, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Glee: The Music, Volume 1 starts with a bang and the entire seventeen track CD is a fun and funky mix of songs from the episodes. The music is performed pretty much as it appears in the episodes, and songs that were not performed by the Glee cast as New Directions, but rather by a competing glee club, have simply been adapted and performed by New Directions with great results. The producers haven’t attempted anything too different from the original tracks with no complicated modernisation of the melodies (often the pitfall of cover albums), and each number just sounds like a Glee Club performing great songs.

Group performance favourites of mine include Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing with Lea Michele and Cory Monteith on lead vocals and Kanye West’s Gold Digger with Matthew Morrison singing. Gold Digger could have gone horribly wrong considering a broadway singer is taking the lead, but Morrison performs it well – he doesn’t attempt to much of a gangsta accent, but sings it with enough attitude that doesn’t make you think twice about the fact that a skinny white dude is performing it.

It’s the solo/duet songs that top my playlist, though. In particular, Amber Riley’s version of Bust Your Windows, originally by Jazmine Sullivan is full of attitude and has a really funky beat, and Maybe This Time with Lea Michele and Glee guest star Kristin Chenowith (the tiny lady with a huuuuge voice) is a kick-ass song for car singing. Mark Salling’s version of Sweet Caroline is fabulous but short, although I think putting the full length song on the album would have done them any harm . The final track on the album, Defying Gravity from stage musical Wicked is sung by both Lean Michele and Chris Colfer, and is a soft, sweet duet that closes the album off nicely.

An honourable mention goes to Diana Agron for her lovely version of You Keep Me Hanging On, originally by The Supremes. While she doesn’t have the strongest voice, Agron does suit the style of the 60s girl-group perfectly, and it’s great to see that this track made it onto the album.

This album has been on high rotation in my car for a few months now and I’m loving it!

Glee: The Music, Volume 2 is also a good album, but I was left a little cold at first. As with the first CD, there are 17 tracks, all songs performed in the series, but this album focuses mostly on the slower duets. I’ve found quite a few of the tracks a bit lacklustre in their enthusiasm (ie. there is none to be had), which is disappointing. Songs that could have been improved upon for me are I’ll Stand By You and (You’re) Having My Baby which are both sung by Cory Monteith, and Lea Michele’s version of the Jennifer Paige song Crush. Both performers seem a little bit flat, and while the songs are arranged in almost identical styles to the originals, the vocals just don’t convey much feeling. I actually would be happy to have not had them on there at all.

Similarly, there songs that are from the last couple of years made it onto the album that are also slightly off. Lily Allen’s Smile is covered by Lea Michele, and while Michele tries hard to mimic Allen’s accent and tone, the song falls short of engaging this listener. I also found this was the case with Michele’s cover of My Life Would Suck Without You, the massive Kelly Clarkson hit from 2009. Michele is a talented singer, of that there is no doubt (and one of my favourites on the show), but she just isn’t able to convey the attitude and feeling Clarkson has, which is disappointing. In the context of the episodes, these songs are great, but standing alone on a CD.

The other disappointment for me was not having Mark Salling performing most, if not all of the lead vocals on the Stones’ song You Can’t Always Get What You Want. He’s proven himself as having a great voice for rock on Volume 1, and I think this is one song that he definitely could have taken over.

But it’s not all bad! Amber Riley does outstanding versions of Dionne Warwick’s Don’t Make Me Over and Jennifer Holliday’s Dreamgirls hit And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going. Listening to these songs it’s easy to picture Riley as a chart-topping singer in the 1960s. It’s also great to hear True Colours performed by Jenna Ushkowitz, who, as Tina in the show, often takes a backseat to Michele and Riley. She has a perfectly capable voice that is sweet and strong and she is a really good choice for this Cyndi Lauper tune. The cast version of John Lennon’s Imagine is also lovely and without too many bells and whistles. The alternating lead vocalists in the song are engaging and don’t overpower each other.

Overall, I don’t love Volume 2 as much as I love Volume 1, but it’s still a decent album and worth a listen if you love the show. And it’s a good way to keep your Glee craving satisfied until April (!) when the show starts up again. Pin It