New Waves.. Avril Lavigne - 'Here's To Never Growing Up'

Avril Lavigne is probably an artist that you didn't expect to ever see on this blog - indeed, neither did I! My obsession with Avril had waned with childhood and I carried only a passing interest of her through my teens and into my twenties, viewing her as someone who - though definitely physically ageless - seems to be trying too hard to cling to her youth.

Lavigne definitely has a talent for writing/co-writing a catchy pop song, and as the only song I can recall from her fourth album, Goodbye Lullaby, 'What The Hell' certainly continued in this vein. However, I approached 'Here's To Never Growing Up' with a bit of trepidation; it certainly sets its mission statement straight off the mark, but surely there's a time where this type of song gets... old. Lavigne and her original audience are aging out of this pop-rock bracket, however her music is not. The track - co-written by future hubby Chad Kroeger (yes, that Nickelback Chad Kroeger) - is radio friendly fodder, and one that I felt almost brainwashed into liking by the time I finished the review for RenownedForSound.com. 

You can read the review of the song here or by clicking the pictures, and you can watch the music video for the song here :)

http://www.avrillavigne.com/uk/herestonevergrowingup

https://twitter.com/AvrilLavigne

https://www.facebook.com/avrillavigne

Flashback Friday.. Spinnerette - 'Ghetto Love'

I have a bit of a girl crush on Brody Dalle. It's been around for a while, in a manner similar to Allison Mosshart, Kathleen Hanna, Gwen Stefani, Marina Diamandis, Lights, I can't help but admire these women and the persona that surrounds them, their music and their message.

If you've heard of Brody Dalle, then you know that she was formerly of a band called The Distillers, a punk band who had three albums - their self-titled 2000 debut, Sing Sing Death House (2002) and Coral Fang (2003) - and are probably best known for their song 'Drain The Blood'. The band split in 2006, leaving Dalle and co-Distiller Tony Bevilacqua to work on a new project that would later become Spinnerette. Their self-titled debut - and as of yet, only - album, is certainly a departure from the days of The Distillers, however whilst the album as a whole certainly begins to lag in urgency, there are some good songs dotted about.

Perhaps my favourite song on the album is the short and snappy 'All Babes Are Wolves', however it feels more fitting to showcase how much Dalle has departed from the sound of the band that made her famous. So here is 'Ghetto Love', the debut song from Spinnerette which, with its grooving stomp, shows a diffenet side to Dalle and her voice. She is more than capable of singing, with that trademark throaty grit of hers intact, and whilst Spinnerette itself garnered mixed reviews, I'd recommend you take a listen in order to make your own mind up.

http://spinnerettemusic.com/
https://twitter.com/Spinnerette
https://www.facebook.com/spinnerette

Rapid Review.. Laura Marling - 'Once I Was An Eagle'

I admit, I have never overly immersed myself in the music of Laura Marling. The only reasons I have for this are:

1. When it comes to acoustic and/or folk music, I prefer male voices, eg. Jamie Woon, Jonny Craig, Justin Nozuka, Josh Kumra (off the top of my head, and they all begin with a 'J':- WOW.)
2. My limited exposure to Marling had left a somewhat depressing, lovelorn mark on my consciousness, and it's rather rarely that I actively choose to listen to such lyrically heavy music.

Therefore, despite approaching Marling's new album, Once I Was An Eagle, with a touch of trepidation, I must admit I was pleasantly surprised, despite her tales of romantic misdemeanour. I'm rather proud of the review I wrote for Renowned For Sound.com so please feel free to read it here :) 

I gave it 5/5 - yes people, a mighty 5/5! Marling truly captivated her audience with this album!

Rapid Review.. 30 Seconds To Mars - 'Love, Lust, Faith & Dreams'

Earlier this week, I wrote a review for Renowned For Sound.com on 30 Seconds To Mars' new album, Love, Lust, Dreams and Faith. 

For me, it came as somewhat of a surprise, as despite following the bands and Jared Leto (don't start..) on various forms of social media, I hadn't paid enough attention to be aware that they were going to spring a new album on us all.

30 Seconds To Mars are one of those bands that make me reminisce on my time at high school and college; the first song that I ever heard by the bands was 'Attack', taken from their 2005 album, A Beautiful Lie, and it is still the song that I return to by the band, the few others being 'Hurricane', 'Stranger In A Strange Land' (This Is War), 'From Yesterday' (the video!) and their cover of Bjork's 'Hunter'. Part of me feels as if I've outgrown the band; along with so many others, they now reside in Nostalgia Town.

Anyway, my opinions on the new album can be read by clicking here or by clicking the pictures in this post!

Feel free to tell me what you think about my review or writing in general :)

PS. I gave it 3/5