The October mix-tape

This post is a bit late - so sorry, I have been majorly slacking on the blogging front with this sudden influx of uni work and *attempting* to be sociable, but I am hoping to get back into the swing of things. Anyway, here are the songs I've been listening to non-stop for October.

Love Me - The 1975
I'm a big fan of the 1975, I think their music is completely different to anything else in the charts. Although half the time I can't tell what Matt Healy is saying, I still really love their catchy melodies. This song to me feels a little bit 80s and it's probably become one of my favourite songs by them in a very short space of time.

Hotline Bling - Drake
I kept on seeing everyone on Twitter and Tumblr talking about this song and quoting it, and it's hella groovy and chilled and catchy. Plus, I love Drake's dancing in the video.

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? - Amy Winehouse
Not a new song by any means but one I've only just really discovered. I know Amy's version is a cover, so please don't get all pretentious with me about it I know this. I heard about this song because I read an article in the NME about Amy's top 10 songs and I hadn't heard her version of this song (which is odd because it's used in the second Bridget Jones film which I have seen more times than I can count), and it was the only song on that list I hadn't heard before so as a big Amy fan I gave it a listen. I love the instrumentation of this song (I think I've said this before, but the way to my heart is with a bit of brass) and I love the rawness of Amy's voice, it's just a really lovely song.

Anticipation - Esper Scout
Epser Scout are a band I had never heard of until recently, and in fact I only discovered them because one of my Facebook friends (actually, my childhood friend's older sister) has recently become their drummer so she's going on tour with them and tingz. They recently released an EP which has this song on it (which is the B side) and another one called In Foreign, which I also really like but I've probably listened to this one more.

When We Was Fab - George Harrison
Not a new song, but since George Harrison's solo stuff has been added to Spotify I've been listening to it loads and this song I really like partially for the references to The Beatles (I also love the video because it's one of those 'what the heck is Ringo doing?' sort of situations - check out his selfies on Twitter and you'll have the same sensation) but it's also really catchy with some really rad instrumentation and some nice harmonies.

What have you been listening to this month?

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The September mix-tape

This post is going up a little late because I've been busy at University and socialising and having to allocate more time to buying adult things like fruit and pasta sauce rather than sitting down and doing a blog post, but despite that, I have found some time to tell you about the music I've been listening to. As per usual, it's a bit of an odd mix.

1. Bite - Troye Sivan
I loved Troye's first album and when I found out he was coming out with another one I knew I was going to love it, I think the whole album is really good but this is probably the song I've been listening to most on the album. It's got a somewhat ambient, chilled feel to it but it's also quite catchy with a good beat - basically, Troye is super talented and I think he deserves all of the credit he gets for his music. I think it's great that his album is good in its own right rather than it just being popular solely because he did YouTube already.

2. Cry Baby - Melanie Martinez
My friend Antoinette got me into Melanie Martinez, she recommended Pity Party to me a while ago and I really liked that, but then she told me to listen to the rest of the album and I did and this is probably the song I've been singing the most from it. It's really catchy and I think Melanie Martinez has a really interesting and unique style of music.

3. Young Volcanoes - Fall Out Boy
In all honesty I've never been too much of a Fall Out Boy fan, I've liked a few songs from them before and I can see why people do like them but they just don't really click with me for the mostpart. However, I watched Evan Edinger and Dodie Clark's cover of this song recently (I don't know why I hadn't seen it before given that I've basically seen all of Evan and Dodie's videos) and I've had the song stuck in my head the whole month, it's a really fun one to sing along to.

4. The Blackest Day - Lana Del Rey
LANA'S NEW ALBUM - CAN WE TAKE A MOMENT???? Okay, I love Lana so much, I think her style of music is different to all of other popular music that's out right now and I've been looking forward to the Honeymoon album since it was announced. I think I might like the Honeymoon album more than Ultraviolence (although, as generic as it is, Born to Die is probably my favourite album). This is such a chilled song with a good beat and it's probably my favourite on the album, although I also like Art Deco and Religion - basically, Lana is amazing and I love her unconditionally (okay, maybe not unconditionally because she does some problematic things but I like her a lot)

5. Isolation - Joy Division
This month I watched Control for the first time and it got me back into Joy Division pretty massively. I've liked them for quite a while but I tend to skip them when they come up on my Spotify (except for Love Will Tear Us Apart Again because that's one of my favourite songs ever and probably, however cliched it is, probably my favourite song by Joy Division) but after listening to the songs in the film I decided to listen to them again and I've rekindled my love for them, I think Ian Curtis' lyrics are literally like poetry, they're just so beautifully written and it's just generally enjoyable to listen to Joy Division songs - like they're beautiful but sad, so it's enjoyable but in a sad way . . . if you feel me . . .

What have you been listening to this month?

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The August mix-tape

This month has definitely been more upbeat, dancy songs (sans the Lana Del Rey song) ranging from One Direction to The Cure, so y'know there's something there for everybody.

1. Drag Me Down - One Direction
I've been through quite the journey with One Direction in the past year - I've gone from disliking them intensely, to liking them ironically, to liking them ... not ironically.. and I have to be honest, I didn't think One Direction would be so good without Zayn Malik, but I think this song is really catchy and quite a bit of fun, and in all honesty, I've been listening to it a heck of a lot this month.

2. The Sun And The Rain - Madness
I've been listening to this song non-stop since hearing it on the credits on an episode of White Teeth. I already liked Madness quite a lot but I'm not sure if I had heard this song, but since hearing it I've been obsessed - so much so, that I tried to find the sheet music to play it on the piano (and I failed) and then I worked it out myself because I love it so much. I think the actual music is just so well arranged and it's such a fun one to sing along to.

3. Where's Me Jumper? - Sultans of Ping F.C
I first heard about this song because I was listening to Lily Allen's desert island discs episode on podcasts and I gave it a listen, and it's just the most random song. It's about anarchy and general political ideologies, but then it's literally about someone who's lost their jumper. It's such a fun song and it's been stuck in my head all month.

4. High By the Beach - Lana Del Rey
I'm so excited for Lana's new album - Lana has a special place in my heart, she's one of those artists who I can listen to any song and love it, so I've been loving the little snippets from her new albums that have been coming out. High By the Beach may not be the most interesting track lyrically but it's quite chilled and the video's pretty badass, I just think Lana has such as unique voice - almost hypnotic, so any song by her is a yes from me.

5. Why Can't I Be You? - The Cure
I feel like such a fake Morrissey fan when I listen to The Cure because of Robert Smith's and Morrissey's feud but I do love The Cure. I actually hadn't heard this song but I think I saw someone talk about it in a blog post and I decided to give it a listen, I love the instrumentation (as I think I've mentioned in other places, I looooooove a brass instrument and this has just that) and it's just really upbeat and fun. I personally think the upbeat songs by The Cure are their best ones, y'know like Boys Don't Cry, Friday I'm in Love, Just Like Heaven, Inbetween Days etc. and this is right up there with them - been listening to it a heck of a lot.

What music have you been listening to this month?

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The July mix-tape

This month actually involved me listening to current music, but couldn't hold back from a bit of Macca . . . read on to see what I'm on about.

1. Oh Girl You're The Devil - Mika
I discovered this song whilst looking for songs to put in 'the Satanic songlist' for my holiday and as this song had the word 'devil' in the title, it was inevitable I was going to find it. I used to love Mika when I was younger but I hadn't listened to him for ages, and I just fell in love with this song. It's got a nice syncopated piano backing and some rad harmonies in the backing vocals, it's just basically been stuck in my head for the whole month.

2. Good for You - Selena Gomez ft. A$AP Rocky
I've never been a massive Selena Gomez fan, I'm not sure if it's because she's just a bit meh in terms of vocal ability or if it's because I was a belieber when I was 14 and I have some sort of pent up rage at the fact that she got to date Justin and I didn't*, but I decided to give this song a listen after seeing some people talking about it on Twitter. It's a bit Lana Del Rey-esque, and I think that style of music is definitely something she should look into because it suits her voice quite well.

3. Bills - Lunchmoney Lewis
I heard this song on a Spotify advert and immediately typed in the lyrics into Google to find out what the song was. This song is one hell of a toe-tapper, it may not have the most meaningful lyrics but it's been stuck in my head for the most part of the month - although I'm certain this isn't going to become one of my favourite songs, it's just very catchy.

4. My Little Red Book - Ronan Keating
I've actually been listening to both the Manfred Mann and Ronan Keating version of this song, I think Burt Bacharach writes some great great stuff and this has been stuck in my head since I decided to watch High Fidelity again, as this song is used nearer the end of the film and it's one I hadn't picked up on when watching the film before. Burt Bacharach just writes some amazing stuff and the instrumentation and the harmonies in the backing vocals in the Ronan Keating version is amazing (any song with a brass section will win my heart over) but the actual music is good so I quite like the Manfred Mann version too.

5. Silly Love Songs - Wings
I've loved this song for years like I am quite invested in the works of Paul McCartney whether it be The Beatles, solo work, or Wings. I've always classed this as a very good song, but it came up on my Spotify shuffle and I hadn't listened to it in a while, and I was doing a whole lying-in-the-dark-listening-to-music-dealy and I just realised quite how amazing it is. I quite like the lyrics, the instrumentation, and Paul McCartney's sweet voice.

What music have you been listening to this month?

*I actually never hated Selena during my belieber phase, okay I wasn't an insane fangirl

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The June mix-tape

I know I have a varied music taste as it is and I usually have a strange mix in these monthly music posts, but I really do feel like this month's post has one of the strangest mixes yet. I've been listening to loads of music over the past month while I've had exams and been revising (I discovered after trying to revise in silence for the majority of exam period that I can't revise in silence).

1. Fade Away - Susanne Sundfor
I discovered Susanne Sundfor on Instagram via one of Maddie's posts, this was the song she recommended and I immediately loved it, and proceeded to listen to everything else she's ever done on Spotify. She reminds me a lot of Kate Bush or Tori Amos, and the album Ten Love Songs is really amazing - it's quite atmospheric and the whole album flows so well, it really feels like it's telling a story in the same way a film does with its music. Love love love.

2. Staircase at the University - Morrissey
If you're new here, hello my name is Bess and I like Morrissey a lot. I had heard this song before and the whole World Peace is None Of Your Business album but I didn't really give it a proper listen when it first came out, in fact I only gave it a proper listen (y'know the whole ignore everyone for about an hour and listen to the album start to finish kinda deal) a few months ago when I needed something to listen to in my free periods at school, and it was then that I realised the album was actually amazing, it just took some dedicated listening time (also, a lot of the songs are growers). I only just got round to ripping the album to my computer as when I got my new phone I decided I needed a lot more music, and I've been listening to this a lot just because of how #relatable it is. One of the quotes is "if you don't get 3 As, her sweet Daddy said 'you're no child of mine and as far as I'm concerned you're dead". Okay, perhaps it's not that #relatable to my life but it definitely made me laugh because of the amount of people I know who are in that situation (when I say laugh, I wasn't laughing at them I'm not a sadist)

3. Panic Station - Muse
I've been having a massive Muse moment this month, it started with their newest album, then moved to their oldest albums, and then it got the point where I was just putting all of their songs on shuffle and ignoring everyone for the day whilst I cracked down on revision. I actually didn't know The 2nd Law album all that well so I didn't really know this song. What I love about this song really is the instrumentation, I just love a good brass in a song (seriously, a bit of brass can quite easily turn me on to a song) and you've got a bit of a guitar solo in there too, just seriously top notch.

4. You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man) - Loretta Lynn
This is definitely the oddest song of the bunch in here, but I've fallen in love with Loretta Lynn. Not literally, although I do love her as a person too - she was presenting feminist ideals in the 60s and 70s which wasn't done so much in mainstream media, in fact she had a song called The Pill which was literally about contraceptives, how many artists would do that? I started liking Loretta Lynn after watching the Coal Miner's Daughter in about February (great film) but I decided to give her a bit of a listen on Spotify and I have been obsessed. There's something about country music that I really love, and Loretta has a gorgeous voice and catchy songs. This is probably the one I like the most but I also like I'm A Honky Tonk Girl, You're Looking At Country, and Wine, Women and Song.

5. Androgynous - The Replacements
This is a song that I added onto my Spotify a while ago but I don't remember why or when or how or anything (I have a tendency of doing that, if I listen to a song once and like it I add it to my Spotify so I don't lose it but then I'm always confused when it comes up on shuffle because I don't remember how it got there). This came up on my shuffle and I've been listening to this a lot, it's really chilled and simple with just a sort of honky tonk kind of piano and a little bit of percussion, plus the song is about gender and sexuality which isn't necessarily something you hear about a lot in mainstream music . I also love this cover that Miley Cyrus, Joan Jett and Laura Jane Grace did!

Special mention to Beyonce, I've been listening to her a crazy amount recently (you could say I've been crazy in love with Beyonce, okay that was terrible but seriously she's great).

What music have you been listening to recently?

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Music of the month - April 2015

1. Postcards from Paradise - Ringo Starr

I couldn't not mention one track from Ringo Starr's new album given that I'm a massive fan of The Beatles. I don't think the song is particularly musically unique but if you're a Beatles fan, you have to listen to this just for the novelty of it. It's literally a bunch of Beatles references thrown in over the span of 5 minutes - guaranteed to put a smile on your face if you're a fan of the Fab Four.

2. Tiny Vessels - Death Cab for Cutie
This isn't a new release or anything (seriously, it's from 2003) but Death Cab for Cutie is a band I don't know all that well, like I think I know a couple of songs and that's it, but this song came up on my Tumblr dashboard so I gave it a listen like I do 99% of the time when a song comes up on my Tumblr dashboard (this is how you discover the best music bruh), and I love this song. It's a pretty depressing song which I interpret as being about a relationship where there isn't a spark or a deep, emotional connection - it's basically just a relationship of the sexual variety (click on the link it's not porn, I promise)

3. Gasoline - Alpine
Alpine are a new band to me which I discovered in this post by A Little Opulent, I gave their top tracks on Spotify a listen and immediately fell in love. This song is pretty chilled and Alpine on the whole are pretty different to anything I've ever heard before.

4. Yesterdays - Only Real
Only Real is a completely new discovery to me. I saw on the Spotify new releases tab that Jerk At The End of The Line album had came out so I decided to give it a listen and it's so so good. Sort of rap meets indie (before y'all get pretentious on me, I know indie initially meant independent music label, but I am saying indie in the way it's generally used now). I think this is definitely going to be an album I listen to a lot during the Summer, and the song Yesterdays is a really catchy one which explains why it's his top track on Spotify, although the whole album is really good!

5. American Oxygen - Rihanna
Rihanna's someone who I've never really been obsessed with, I never really went through a phase with her or anything, but I do think she's talented and makes good content. I heard this song when the video came out and I just think the video itself was great, I enjoyed the little nod to Mike Brown with the clip of the 'Hands up, don't shoot' marchers (I was one of them in the march in London if you wanna watch me yelling like a moron) and I think the song in general was a bit of a nod towards Eric Garner with the 'breathe out, breathe in', and I interpreted the song to be about disillusion around the American dream and that sort of theme which I quite enjoyed. I'm actually considering doing a makeup-sort-of-tutorial-but-sort-of-not-because-not-a-makeup-artist-guys for the look Rihanna wore in the video, that's if I get round to filming it though.

I'd also like to give a little mention to The Jam and The Style Council because I've been listening to them almost non-stop this month, they weren't really new songs to me or anything so I didn't think to give them a whole dedication but y'know just had to mention them because they're cool as heck.

What music have you been listening to?

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Music of the month - March 2015

1. SAVAGES - MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS

Marina Diamandis is so so talented, her ironic poppy style in the Electra Heart era is what really drew me in so when she started releasing singles for her new Froot album, I was very excited to hear what she had on offer. I do like the singles she's released, don't get me wrong, but besides from Forget, they were all very different from what I had liked from in her the past. When the rest of the Froot album came out, I was really surprised that I loved the songs on the album that weren't singles as usually the singles from an album are my favourite. Savages is a quite a good pop song with a strong social message - you gotta love that.

2. SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT - BADLY DRAWN BOY

This isn't a new a song to me but it is a rediscovery. As you may know if you read my review of the book, I read and rewatched About a Boy, and I've been listening the soundtrack an unhealthy amount since then. This song has been constantly stuck in my head, I'm not sure if it's my favourite on the soundtrack but it's definitely been the one that I've had stuck in my head most.

3. CELEBRITY SKIN - HOLE

Hole isn't a new band to me but they are one that I dismissed a while ago and never really got into. I've always had this conception that you choose either Nirvana or Hole, and I chose Cobain over Love. I'm not sure what it is that made me give them another go, but I did and they are a really good grunge band. This is probably my favourite song by them but I do really enjoy the whole Celebrity Skin album, it's a bit grungey, a bit rocky, and the group is mostly made up of women which is great because I don't know a lot of girl rock bands and I'd really like to because girls are awesome.

4. BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL - THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS

A big thing has happened this month, I have discovered a new favourite band. By that, I meant they're in the top ten but that is a big thing for someone who is as obsessed with music as I am. That band is They Might Be Giants. I discovered them through listening to a playlist and I have gone forth to listen to most of their discography, they've been together for quite a long time so I'm still not all the way through but oh Kanye where have these people been all my life?

If I had to put them into a category, it would be alternative rock. They're quite similar to Ben Folds Five (who I love and you'll know that if you've read this post) so they're definitely worth a listen. It was hard for me to pick just one song by them but I do really like this one, if you want to see what I'm listening to though you can always just follow me on Spotify to get updates!

5. DEBBIE DOWNER - COURTNEY BARNETT

Courtney Barnett is a fairly new musician to me (like as in the past couple of months) but she is really great, she reminds me a little bit of Hole actually. She came out with a new album in the past week and I listened to the whole thing in the morning before school one morning and I just really liked this song, the lyrics and the hook are really catchy - she's definitely an artist who deserves a bit more recognition! Other favourites on the album are Pedestrian at Best (which I actually loved when it was released as a single before the entire album), An Illustration of Loneliness (Sleepless in New York), and Depreston.

What music have you been listening to this month?

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Music of the month - February 2015

It was really hard for me to narrow down February's edition of Music of the month, I think during half-term I discovered a lot of new music on Spotify (which you can follow me on here if you want) so I have a few honorary mentions at the end of the post.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

1. Sugar - Maroon 5

I used to really really like Maroon 5, Songs About Jane is such a good album and to be honest over recent years I've just went off them. I still think they're better than a lot of mainstream artists out there* but goddamn they do some catchy songs, and Sugar is one of them. It's pretty cheesy, the video's pretty cheesy, but it's a lot of fun and I like it.

2. Modern Jesus - Portugal. The Man

I had never heard of Portugal. The Man but Spotify is a beautiful device, half the things I listen to now are Spotify discoveries. I would describe it as alternative, it's a little bit rock-y but not extremely. The actual music isn't particularly inventive but I do quite like the lyrics.

3. Sweatpants - Childish Gambino

Where has Childish Gambino been all my life? He's a bit like Drake 2.0, sorry not sorry, I never really got into Drake, but Childish Gambino is really sweet and chilled and I just like this song because it makes me feel badass saying 'don't be mad 'cause I'm doing me better than you doing you' - seriously just say that a few times whilst picturing someone you don't like and I guarantee you'll feel hella badass.

4. Here Comes Your Man - Pixies

Pixies are a group I had listened to in the past but I hadn't heard much, however after reading and re-watching High Fidelity I decided to listen to the music mentioned in the book and the film, one of which being this song. It sounds a little bit Beatle-esque with the guitar and it's pretty catchy too, have to say Pixies have become a bit of a new obsession!

5. For Tomorrow - Blur

Blur are most definitely not new to me but I hadn't listened to this song. Modern Life is Rubbish is a bit of an ignored album for me, it's not that it's bad, I just haven't really properly sat down and listened to it, I still haven't but I think I saw someone reblog this song on Tumblr so I listened to it and just really liked it. Blur are one of my favourite bands (although I'm part of the small population that likes Blur and Oasis.. weird right?) - this song is super catchy, plus whilst I'm on the subject of Blur, I really love their new single Go Out which is going to be on their new album The Magic Whip, although it sounds a bit like Oasis in my opinion which is an odd musical direction for Blur to go in.

Honary mentions go to Hozier, My Chemical Romance, The Clash, and a last minute addition is Fyfe - Fyfe may make it into next month but I literally only just discovered him a couple of days before putting up this post so sorry Fyfe, you didn't make the cut.

What have been your favourite songs this month?

*Hipster alert

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Music of the month - January 2015

We've reached the end of January, so this entails failing your new years resolutions and spending bans (goddamn the spending ban, I haven't bought any makeup or clothes this month!) but staying inside and away from the shops has it's positives, it means I've listened to a lot of cool music, so let's have a looksie at what I've been listening to, eh?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

1. Triumph of Disintegration - Of Montreal

Wikipedia describes this band as having 'evolved from vaudeville late 60's Beatles and Kinks-influenced psychedelic pop to a mixture of electronica, funk, glam, and afrobeat music influenced by Prince, Talking Heads, Os Mutantes and David Bowie' - if that's not a recommendation, I don't know what is. This song is quite upbeat and catchy, and it was recommended to me on Spotify, if Spotify doesn't know what's best then who does?

2. I know it's over - The Smiths

You may or may not know that I am a devoted fan of The Smiths, so this isn't a new song. However, when I first listened to the whole The Queen is Dead album this song just didn't stick out to me. Maybe because all the other contenders on the album are so mindblowingly brilliant (literally track after track of perfection) I never had an instant rapport with this song, but I listened to this song again because my Mum kept saying how she believed it to be better than This Charming Man - I disagree, but I'm glad I gave this song another go because it is definitely one of my favourites now.

3. Born too late - Dent May

Okay.. WHY DID NO ONE EVER TELL ME THE GOD-LIKE MUSICAL TALENT OF DENT MAY? I have fell head over heels for him, I may as well mention the entire Warm Blanket album because I love every single track on there - imagine The Beach Boys crossed over with The Smiths and an indie band of your choice from this day and age, and that's Dent May. This is probably the song that's been stuck in my head most but the whole Warm Blanket album is astonishingly brilliant.

4. Oh! You pretty things - David Bowie

Oh! You catchy sooooong... Again, not really a new song but I've been listening to the Hunky Dory album a lot this month and I just really like this one, but Kooks also deserves a special mention - can't go wrong with a bit of Bowie in my books.

5. The Masterplan - Oasis

Another song that isn't new haha, but this is an Oasis song that I've never really listened to all that much. In fact the whole album is one that I haven't listened to too closely before although the songs I do like on that album, I really really like. The issue I have with Oasis (that I'm constantly reminded of because I have a Dad and a brother who are team Blur all the way in the Battle for the Britpop crown) is that a lot of their songs can be a bit samey, which is fine if you like those songs, which I do, but they aren't as diverse as some of the greats *cough cough The Beatles* but I'd still say this song is different from your Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger, and Champagne Supernova - the instrumentation is a lot better, and it's just darn good.

I've got to give a mention to Rage Against The Machine too (literally everything), I've been feeling the cold winds of teenage angst over the last couple of weeks of January and frankly RATM have been what I listened to most for the last half of the month. Also, if you want to follow me on Spotify so you can see what I'm listening to and listen to playlists and stuff, you can click here.

What music have you been listening to this month?

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Music of the month - November 2014

As we enter the last month of 2014 (cray cray right?) I present to you another Music of the month post, so on we go!

1. Passionate friend - The Teardrop Explodes

I'm not sure if it's weird that I have such a similar taste in music to my parents, but at least it means I always have people to go to for music suggestions. My Dad has been playing The Teardrop Explodes' Wilder album a lot this month and this is the song that stood out for me on that album, but generally The Teardrop Explodes have become a new favourite. This song sounds a bit like R.E.M combined with Ben Folds Five and I love both, the instrumentation and harmonies in this song are pretty darn cool.

2. The boy who blocked his own shot - Brand New

Brand New are a group I gave a listen to a while ago but besides from Jesus Christ, none of their songs really stood out for me. I quite like the lyrics in this song even though instrumentally it's not particularly interesting, but I have been listening to this song a lot this month.

3. Undercover lover - Emma Blackery

Emma Blackery is one of my favourite YouTubers, so when her new EP came out I knew I had to give it a listen. I expected it to be generic pop to be honest but I gave it a go regardless and I wasn't disappointed - she really pulled it out of the bag, she reminds me a lot of classic Paramore/Hayley Williams combined with Harriet Wheeler's voice from The Sundays, and this song is really catchy.

4. Fluffy - Wolf Alice

If you don't follow me on Twitter, you may not have seen me freaking out about getting Alt-J tickets for January (SO EXCITED!). The relevance of this is that Wolf Alice are one of the supporting acts! I listened to Wolf Alice a while ago after seeing them appear on my Tumblr dashboard a few times and I quite liked them, so to find out they're supporting Alt-J is amazing so I've gone and listened to their songs again and I've listened to this one a lot. This particular song reminds me a bit of Hole, they sound a bit grungy so maybe that's why I like them.

5. Seaside - The Kooks

How did it take me so long to discover The Kooks?! I had heard Naive when it came out and I really liked it but I had never really given the rest of their stuff a proper listen, and now that I have I am obsessed.

I'd also like to give a special mention to all of the McBusted songs that have been released as I love love love them but they didn't quite make the cut, also I've started listening to Amanda Palmer but she's not quite made it because I've only just discovered her, I've also been loving Taylor Swift's Blank Space but I refuse to give her a proper spot in my Music of the month on the basis that she's taken all of her music off Spotify - sorry T Swizzle.

What music have you been loving this month?

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Music of the month - October 2014

I'm sure you'll all be relieved not to see another single product review on here at least for the moment, I have really been enjoying doing them so often and I will keep on doing them however I still want to keep my Music of the month series going as my music taste is one of the few good qualities about me.

1. Warm foothills - Alt-J

I'm still in love with Alt-J's new album (as if I hadn't gone on about them long enough in my last Music of the Month post) but I just think Alt-J are great and I find their music so alternative and calming, I'm really hoping to go and see them in concert in January!!

2. Luv, hold me down - Drowners

This is more of a song that I've rediscovered. It's upbeat and it's fun, it's a nice combination. I really should get round to listening to more music by Drowners because they're really good!

3. Twelve feet deep - The Front Bottoms

The Front Bottoms are a new discovery for me this month, as usual I have discovered them through Tumblr. I'm honestly so thankful that I follow people on Tumblr with a similar music taste to me because I discover so much music on there. I love the whole album entitled Rose by them anyway so I could recommend that generally.

4. I'm an Actor - Phoenix

I really like Phoenix but I hadn't heard this song before and it sounds quite different from the other songs I like by them, it's a lot slower but I like it. I feel I should also give a mention to If it's not with you from the same album which is called Alphabetical.

5. Mesmerise - Temples

I am really surprised I didn't get into Temples earlier as I had seen lots of them on my dashboard, I did give them a go ages ago but I didn't really get into them. Then someone I know recommended them to me and I gave them another go because they told me Shelter Song sounds like a song by The Beatles (which it does, the introductory riff in that song is uncannily like George Harrison) so went on to listen to their Sun Structures album and I have fallen for them. This song doesn't sound massively Beatle-esque but I still very much like it.

I also feel like I should give an honourable mention to the High School Musical soundtrack, I've been listening to it whenever I do homework or revise and I have to say it really does brighten up my mood. I'm also just a massive loser who still isn't over High School Musical.

What songs have you been loving this month?

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Music of the month - September 2014

Hello there readers - I do apologise for not blogging that much over this month, I am back in the humdrum sixth form lifestyle, I'm actually doing my last year of A levels so it's a pretty important year but I don't want blogging to take a backseat so I'm still going to try and upload as often as I can! As you can tell by the title, it is time for another 'Music of the month' post (you can read my last one here) because whilst I am spending most of my time crying over the fact that I'm doing A levels and I want to melt my face because of that, I am still listening to music so I have been listening to a few songs on repeat this month!!

1. Babooshka - Kate Bush

I've been listening to Kate Bush a lot this month because my Philosophy teacher loves her, and at the beginning of every Philosophy teacher he recommends some music or a film or a book to us (and then we can recommend something if we want to), and he's recommended Kate Bush a fair few times so I've been listening to her a lot. I turned to her popular tracks on Spotify and Babooshka was the third one in there and I just like how quirky it sounds, and I also think she has a great voice.

2. Every Other Freckle - Alt-J

I have been listening to Alt-J's newest album on Spotify non-stop since it was put on there, it's slightly different from their old album but still has some similarities. Every Other Freckle is fairly similar to the songs on their last album but less chilled and more 'groovy' - I really didn't want to have to use the word 'groovy' in this post but that's what it's like, don't judge me.

3. Lovely Day - Alt-J

As I just said, I have been really enjoying Alt-J's new album. It sounds a little bit different from their first album in some ways but it's also similar enough that if you liked the first album you won't be disappointed with this one. This song is a bonus track on the album and I really like it because it sounds a bit strange and quirky but it's a nice chilled song.

4. The Girl in the Dirty Shirt - Oasis

I have liked Oasis for a long time but I haven't heard all of their songs so I'm always discovering new ones. I feel like all of their most popular songs like Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova (which I love don't get me wrong) sound quite similar but this song provides some variation. My family are always criticising me for liking Oasis (they prefer Blur) because all of their songs sound the same, but this one sounds slightly different and a bit more 'rocky'.

5. Lullaby - The Cure

The Cure also aren't a new band to me but I don't know that many of their songs, and I think this song came up on my tumblr dashboard and I instantly liked it. It's another chilled song but it's more upbeat than Alt-J. I'm never sure if it's wrong for me to like The Cure seeming as The Cure fandom seem to hate The Smiths fandom (please just let me love who I love)

Thanks for reading this month's 'Music of the month'!!

What music have you been enjoying this month?

Music of the month - August 2014

Hello readers, it's that time of month where I post another 'Music of the month'. I've listened to a lot more new music than I usually do recently, probably because I'm off school and I've finally discovered the world of Spotify - yes, I have moved over from Grooveshark to Spotify (you can follow my Spotify here), therefore this post is a bit longer than my usual 'Music of the month' posts but I should be back to normal once I'm back at school as I'll be too busy letting my soul die to discover lots of new music.

1. Rude - Magic!

I first heard this song on the Dan and Phil segment of BBC Radio 1 (which was on every Sunday and along with #SuggSunday on Youtube, was one of the highlights of my Sunday but now the show has been changed up and whatnot) and I remember liking it. Then I saw on Spotify that it's the number 1 track everywhere so I listened to it again and I just cannot grow tired of this song, it's strange for me to be into a 'mainstream' song (oh God, I bet I sounded like an utter hipster, I'm not, I just generally don't like many songs in the charts)

2. On the Radio - Regina Spektor

This past month has definitely been the month of Regina Spektor for me. I had only ever listened to the odd song by her (I love 'You Don't Know Me' by Ben Folds and she sings on that, so that was my first impression of her). She reminds me a lot of Sara Bareilles' old stuff which I used to love. I think Regina has such a great voice and I love musicians who mostly use piano as their main instrument in their music (this is probably because I'm a pianist so I'm a bit biased but hey)

3. I Want to Break Free - Queen

I have loved Queen for a long long time, but I go through phases with their songs and at the moment I'm going through a phase with this song. In addition to this being an amazing song, I really like the video. It's such a fun song to sing along to, and I love the guitar solo break in the song!

4. Better - Regina Spektor

I don't really have too much to say about this song but it's fairly upbeat, and I just needed another Regina Spektor song in this post because I listened to her non-stop for the most part of the summer - she really is just phenomenal.

5. Gorilla - Bruno Mars

I listened to this song when it was released and I remembered liking it but I had forgotten about it, seeming as I've made a Spotify account though I've gone and re-listened to a bunch of songs I used to like and honestly I've been listening to Bruno Mars' most recent album a hell of a lot which is weird because I never really rated him much. I have a friend who is really into him so she raved on about him and I guess I never saw what was rave-worthy about him, but he is such a good musician and performer and I think this song is really catchy.

6. Left Hand Free - Alt-J

I've loved Alt-J for a while now but I hadn't heard this song until someone I follow on tumblr reblogged it and I always try to make a habit of listening to all of or most of the songs reblogged onto my dashboard as I follow some really cool people who listen to awesome music, so I listened to this and my first thought was that this doesn't sound anything like Alt-J but I still really like it. I'm not sure what I'd compare it to, it's a bit like Arctic Monkeys and I love them so that could be why I like this.

7. Easy Money - Johnny Marr

I don't know whether this has come across on my blog before but if you follow my tumblr, twitter or instagram (cheeky self promo), you'll probably know I adore The Smiths and I think both Morrissey and Johnny Marr are incredibly talented human beings. I listened to Johnny Marr's last album and didn't think much of it (I reckon they're growers), so when I heard he had released a new single I wasn't particularly fussed but when I listened to it it just stuck to me, it's really catchy, the guitar part is amazing, and I'd probably be lying if I said I hadn't listened to it about fifty times since it came out - I'm very much looking forward to his new album now.

8. Stop the World I Wanna Get Off With You - Arctic Monkeys

I heard this song a while ago when it came out but with Arctic Monkeys I go through phases of their songs so I suppose I'm going through a phase with this one at the moment, I think it can be seen as quite a romantic song (Alex Turner - you can hide behind that leather jacket and your sunglasses but we all know you're a big softie), I'm also not sure but I think there may be a double meaning because 'get off' could be seen from two points of view I think - thoughts?

9. Arabella - Arctic Monkeys

Again, this isn't really a new song but it's one that I've rediscovered and just been listening to a hell of a lot. I think the whole AM album is amazing, although I think most Arctic Monkeys albums are evenly matched and it's hard to pick out one and say it's the best (but I think 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' possibly sticks out a tiny bit more for me)

10. Apres Moi - Regina Spektor

As I said before, I've been listening to a hell of a lot of Regina Spektor this month, I just think she's incredible, so it was very hard for me not to just put thirty Regina Spektor songs for this month's edition of 'Music of the month', I quite like this song because she sounds very passionate whilst she's singing it and she generally performs quite well, I won't try and figure out what the song means because from looking up the song meaning it has caused a fair bit of controversy.

Thanks for reading about my favourite music this month!

What music have you been loving this month?