Flashback Friday.. Best Coast - 'Boyfriend'

Soo, it's been a good while since we've seen this feature on here, hasn't it? Ahh well, onwards and upwards!

This week, us UK residents finally saw some vague hint of summer hit our shores (yayayay!) and I could not be happier! Our winter has absolutely dragged this year (snow in March, anyone?) and I am far past the point of humouring it any longer. So, vicious wind aside, this past week has been glorious; it's amazing how much a little bit of sunlight can make you feel that much better ♥

Therefore, ladies and gents, it is time to crack out some relevant summer choons! Cue - Best Coast! I admit, for me these are a relatively recent discovery, and I'm well aware that I'm about 2 years late to the party, but since being introduced to Best Coast by my boyf, I've become more than a little bit obsessed with their slightly grungy surf-pop sound, and especially with the haunting voice of singer, Bethany Cosentino.

'Boyfriend' is my favourite song at the moment, with Cosentino singing longingly to the boy of her dreams and wishing that it was she, and not the skinnier, prettier rival who adorned his arm. The band's 2010 debut, Crazy For You, is consistently good and pushes that whole lo-fi retro surfer vibe to full effect; it is definitely an album that you will fall in love with, and would make a fantastic CD of sing-a-long driving anthems if you so have the privilege (or if, like me, your weapon of transportation is a dingy bus)!

PS. Check out the Drew Barrymore directed MV for the Best Coast single, 'Our Deal' starring Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl Kicks Ass!) and Teen Wolf, Tyler Posey, it's a treat ;)


http://www.bestcoast.us/
https://www.facebook.com/bestcoast
https://twitter.com/best_coast

Flashback Friday.. Hurts - 'Better Than Love'

You may, or may not, have heard of Hurts. You should have heard of Hurts, as their brand of neo-New Romantic synthpop was applauded by many a music critic after the atmospheric single, 'Wonderful Life' was thrown around cyberspace circa 2009.

If you haven't heard of the Manchester band, I'll resist from spanking you; I've never heard them played on radio and only sporadically on music channels. Despite this almost hot and cold response from Brit music press, the band have practically blasted through the charts on the continent, with their debut album, Happiness charting in the Top 10 in twelve European countries. Their second album, Exile, is to be released on March 11th and the band have recently (and somewhat surprisingly, in my eyes) graced the front cover of NME. To give you a taster of what they are about, take a listen to my favourite Hurts song, 'Better Than Love'.

'Better Than Love' is, in my opinion, the most immediate Hurts song, slowly building with a forebodingly pounding beat juxtaposed with glittering synth riffs at the chorus before exploding in a euphoric crescendo, 'Better Than Love' is an ode to fear of loving but failing to live, and uncertainty and denial in a relationship. In short, it's a terrific song, a genuinely rare gem!

Hurts' second album, Exile is released March 11th.
The first single from Exile, 'Miracle' is released March 10th.

2013 European tour dates are as follows:

March 14 - Cologne, Essigfabrik 
March 15 - Munich, Theaterfabrik 
March 16 - Hamburg, Uebel & Gefaehrlich 
March 18 - Stockholm, Strand 
March 20 - Warsaw, Palladium 
March 23 - Zurich, Kaufleuten 
March 25 - Milan, Magazzini Generali 
March 27 - Vienna, Arena 
March 28 - Prague, Lucerna Music Bar 
March 30 - Amsterdam, Melkweg 
April 1 - Manchester, Academy 2 
April 2 - Glasgow, Garage

http://www.informationhurts.com/
http://www.facebook.com/hurts

Flashback Friday.. Diagram of the Heart - 'Did I?'

A fair few of you may never have encountered the music of synth-pop duo, Diagram of the Heart, although quite recently millions - if not billions more of you will have seen their frontman perform on a worldwide platform.

'How did this happen??, I hear you cry, confusedly! Well DotH singer, Kye Sones recently auditioned on singing contest, The X Factor, and received a standing ovation for his rendition of a piano based mash-up of Swedish House Mafia's 'Save the World' and Rita Ora's 'R.I.P', and Ora, that day's guest judge, branded him a 'superstar'!

All this occurred due to Diagram of the Heart being dropped by their label before to the release of their debut album some time last year. Prior to this, the band released three singles, 'Dead Famous', 'Did I?' and 'If I Were You' and played the iTunes Festival. All of their songs were addictive pop, and my personal favourite happens to be 'Did I?'; you can find an (artistically edited) video of what appears to be a live performance, which is good quality and sounds only marginally different from the recorded version, showcasing how good Sones' voice is. It's a very strong song and it's a shame that the band didn't get wider coverage in their duration.

If you like it, download their singles and check out their cover of The Xx's 'Islands'.
Also, support Kye and his X Factor bid, especially if he makes it through to the live voting rounds! Hopefully he does!

https://twitter.com/Kyesones1