15 songs y'all should listen to by The Smiths

The Smiths defined an era in the 80s, they created a musical safe haven for the awkward, the shy, and the socially aware. Iconic guitar riffs, basslines, racing drums, combined with poetic, melancholic, sarcastic lyrics - The Smiths are one of a kind.

The Smiths are one of my favourite bands - it was inevitable, I grew up with parents who are dedicated members of the Moz army. One of my friends when discussing me recently said I "don't go more than 5 seconds without thinking about Morrissey". This post has been in my drafts for a while because it's been ridiculously hard to decide what songs by The Smiths I would recommend to a newbie, but a lot of people have told me over the past year that they want to get into The Smiths and don't know where to begin, so consider this your starter pack..

DISCLAIMER: The song meanings I am talking about are my interpretations, if you interpret them differently obviously that's fine - Morrissey was often very ambiguous in his lyrics!

I say y'all over text to sound cool and casual, but IRL I'm not much of a y'all person - sorry to destroy your perceptions of me.

THIS CHARMING MAN {HATFUL OF HOLLOW - 1984}
This song has so much going for it, right from the iconic introductory riff. This song is about a whole range of things. The most obvious theme being making a sexual debut (to use Laci Green's term) with an older man, but I think there's a lot more meaning to this song besides from sex. I think this song is also about wanting to start living and stop overthinking everything - like the line"why ponder life's complexities when the leather runs smooth on the passenger's seat?" sums up the song for me, and it's about the protagonist trying to enjoy life and live in the moment rather than over thinking.

THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT {THE QUEEN IS DEAD - 1986}
This is one of the first songs by The Smiths I ever heard (I think the first that I actually paid attention to was The Queen is Dead which I'm gonna talk about down below) and it was actually played at my parents' wedding - I obviously wasn't there to witness that but my Mum was about 6 months pregnant with me so y'know I was listening to The Smiths before I was born, so it's got that emotional significance for me. I wholeheartedly think this is one of the greatest love songs of all time (right up there with Something by The Beatles or The Luckiest by Ben Folds). I just think the lyrics are bloody brilliant - "if a double decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die, and if a ten tonne truck kills the both of us, to die by your side, well the pleasure, the privilege is mine". I think the song's just about that honeymoon phase in love (I'm making it sound like I've experienced it but nah #foreveralone) and not wanting to be separated from your significant other because like all the feels.

HEAVEN KNOWS I'M MISERABLE NOW {HATFUL OF HOLLOW - 1984}
This song also has a pretty iconic intro, I think the combination of chords Johnny Marr uses are just so satisfying to listen to and I quite like the bassline too (although, the best bassline in any song by The Smiths is hands down Barbarism Begins at Home - it's so good that there's a performance where Johnny Marr stops playing guitar to listen to it and dance with Morrissey). It's a sarcastic song about depression and not finding joy in anything anymore except for 'in the haze of a drunken hour' and the protagonist doesn't leave the house and questions their friendships and relationships with people. What I love about The Smiths and Morrissey's solo work, is that the songs tackle serious issues regarding mental health but in a relatable way with a catchy melody which I think is rare to find in music. Usually songs that are about depression are . . . depressing (great use of vocabulary, Bess) but The Smiths make songs about depression relatable to those suffering with it but the song's not slow or dull or boring like other songs on the issue, they're still enjoyable songs which I think is quite a rare thing to find.

THE QUEEN IS DEAD (TAKE ME BACK TO DEAR OLD BLIGHTY) {THE QUEEN IS DEAD - 1986}
Now this was the song that got me into The Smiths. To be honest, this entire album was the start of the obsession with The Smiths. I first heard this song on my Dad's Jubilee playlist, we're not a pro-royal family at all and we went away for the jubilee weekend a few years ago so Dad made a playlist to listen to on the car journey, and this was on there (along with God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols, obviously). This song is just epic. I hate that word because I think it got thrown around a lot to describe anything in 2012 but that's the only word I can think of to accurately describe this song. This song is essentially an anti-monarch anthem. It illustrates how the Queen symbolised national unity during World War I (that's why there's a war song in the introduction) and how the Queen is seen as a Mother in the UK, but how the whole system is archaic because the Royals are out of touch and don't care about the things that don't affect them. Simply put, this song is Morrissey calling for a revolution. I repeat, this song is epic.

PANIC {LOUDER THAN BOMBS - 1987}
This song was written around the time of the Chernobyl disaster because apparently Radio 1 DJ Steve Wright reported the Chernobyl disaster and then went right into playing Wham! which is obviously quite inappropriate, and the song doesn't have anything to do with people's lives. Marr said in a 1987 interview with NME: "'Panic' came about at the time of Chernobyl . . . The story about this shocking disaster comes to an end and then, immediately, we're off into Wham!'s 'I'm Your Man'. I remember actually saying 'what the fuck has this got to do with peoples' lives?' We hear about Chernobyl, then, seconds later, we're expected to be jumping around to 'I'm Your Man'." To me, this song is about not relating to mainstream music (because I'm such a hipster) because the songs that are constantly played in the UK top 40 or in the clubs don't say anything to me about my life. This song got me through High School when all my friends were listening to One Direction and I was the weird kid listening to the Pope of mope.

I WANT THE ONE I CAN'T HAVE {MEAT IS MURDER - 1985}
This song on a basic level is about wanting to be with someone but you can't for whatever reason. Morrissey often made his lyrics character ambiguous so they can be interpreted in so many different ways, for example a lot of people think specifically this is about a gay person being in love with someone who's not come out as gay. Simply put, it's about being driven insane because you can't be with the one that you want.

THE HEADMASTER RITUAL {MEAT IS MURDER - 1985}
There was a time when this was my favourite song by The Smiths, and it's definitely one that I rarely skip when it comes up on my shuffle. As with all of the songs by The Smiths, I love the guitar part - I think Johnny Marr is the best guitarist in the world, I love the combination of chords in this song with the riff, it's pretty darn splendid. This song, to me, is about school in the 60s/70s where school really was quite brutal regarding the whole physical abuse thing, but I also think there's a bit of a fish out of water story going on in the song like I imagine all the kids in their uniforms accepting the education system the way it is and one kid seeing the clear flaws with it and wanting to break away ("I want to go home, I don't want to stay"). I used to listen to this song first thing when I was leaving school on a Friday afternoon, it's just really satisfying to go home for the weekend and listen to a song which basically shuns school. Also, Morrissey's yodelling is on point.

I KNOW IT'S OVER {THE QUEEN IS DEAD - 1986}
I never used to be a massive fan of this song, in fact alongside Some Girls are Bigger Than Others it was one I always skipped when listening to The Queen is Dead album but I decided to give it a proper listen when my Mum said she preferred this song to This Charming Man - I still think that was quite a sweeping statement and not one I agree with, but it is now one of my faves. This song is the classic tale of unrequited love, in this case with someone who had never really experienced love and is now in a state of sadness and despair to the point where they feel dead ('Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head') and they're trying to go about their lives as usual ('It's so easy to laugh, it's so easy to cry, it takes guts to be gentle and kind').

HOW SOON IS NOW {HATFUL OF HOLLOW - 1984}

Using two guitars, multiple reverb amplifiers, tremolo, syncopation, and a glass slider, Johnny Marr successfully created one of the most iconic song introductions of all time in this song. This song is about being shy ('I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar') and feeling unloveable ('I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does'), so much so that you're giving up hope that you'll ever find anyone. This song to me is biographical and one that I think most self-conscious, shy people will be able to relate to - this one is for us, guys.

SHEILA TAKE A BOW {LOUDER THAN BOMBS - 1987}
This song is one for those feeling the bitter winds of teenage angst and an anthem for non-conforming. 'How can someone so young sing words so sad?' suggests that the protagonist isn't satisfied with their average life and they want to break free, they want to grow up and find someone who loves them rather than being in education and trapped by their suburban family life.

WILLIAM, IT WAS REALLY NOTHING {HATFUL OF HOLLOW - 1984}
This song is about being pressured into marriage, the protagonist is trying to convince their friend not to get married for the sake of it because we only have one life, so why rush into marriage? I also think it's about feeling trapped in "a humdrum town" and wanting to escape and live life beyond the expectations and norms of your hometown.

HAND IN GLOVE {HATFUL OF HOLLOW - 1984}
This song is about being in love and having this common egocentric view that your love is the best one out there. It's quite melodramatic and almost teenage-like especially with lines like "no I really don't know and I really don't care". It's also got a bit of a harmonica solo at the beginning at the end of the song and I always appreciate a bit of harmonica (I'm into 50s rock'n'roll, how could I not be?) as well as a nice riff throughout the song.

NOWHERE FAST {MEAT IS MURDER - 1985}
This song is an attack on consumerism and how we have new products thrown in our faces constantly, and this is all but bread and circuses to distract us from inequality. The rise of consumerism has resulted in the average Joe's morale being weakened, to the point where the protagonist doesn't care whether they live or die ("when I'm lying in my bed, I think about life and I think about death, and neither one particularly appeals to me").

BIGMOUTH STRIKES AGAIN {THE QUEEN IS DEAD - 1986}
This song is about speaking out of place or saying too much, it seems like it's autobiographical seeming as Morrissey has a tendency to say very bold statements and annoy a lot of people. The constant references to Joan of Arc make this evident because she was burned at the stake for saying what she believed, and Morrissey is jokingly comparing himself to her.

PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES {THE SMITHS - 1984}
It's the music over the lyrics that makes this song for me. I love the syncopation and the bassline in this. I believe the song is about someone pressuring the protagonist into sexual relations and not wanting to reciprocate which may be autobiographical as Morrissey identified as asexual at this time.



What's your favourite song by The Smiths/Morrissey?

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 - May

I haven't discovered a lot of new music this month (hence why there are a few rediscoveries in here) but there's a strange mix, so read below to see what I've been listening to!

1. Lonesome Street - Blur

I feel like I could put the entire of the new Blur album on here, but I think this is my favourite one. It sounds a little bit like Modern Life is Rubbish era and it's really catchy with some nice harmonies, plus even Liam Gallagher has said it's the best song of 2015.. if an ex-Oasis member is calling a Blur song the best song of 2015, you know it's good.

2. Martha My Dear - The Beatles

This isn't a new song to me but it's one that I always ignored a bit. The White album is an album that I've always thought to be hit and miss, there are some amazing tracks on there and some really crap ones on there (Piggies, for example..) so when I initially ripped songs from the White album to my computer a few years ago, I only ripped the ones I knew really well and Martha My Dear wasn't one of them. However, since then I've gotten a new laptop and a new phone so I had to rip all my music again and I have been listening to the tracks on the White album I ignored before, and Martha My Dear is one of them. The strings, the brass the piano, and the voice of Paul McCartney is just such a beautiful combination and I've been singing this song non-stop for the past month.

3. Feelin Myself - Nicki Minaj ft. Beyonce

Again, not a new song to me, but one I've been listening to constantly with all of the hype of the new video. Nicki Minaj deserves so much more recognition for what she does, she's a POC woman dominating the rap field at the moment (let's not forget Kanye West nearly took her part out of Monster because he thought she'd show everyone else did, then he didn't, and she did) and she does it in a theatrical way, and I think that aspect is lost on a lot of people. Also, need I get started on Beyonce? Me and my friend Isabella (who you may have seen in the various vlogs on my YouTube channel) have been singing this non-stop in the car journeys on the way to school, it's just pretty darn good.

4. One Great Song and I Can Change the World - Swim Deep

Swim Deep are a group who I only got into about a year ago, but I loooove some of their songs, and this new release is no different. It's just super groovy and catchy, it's a bit more upbeat than some of their other songs which are pretty chilled out.

5. Keep You - Wild Belle

I haven't the faintest idea how I came across this song, but I love it so much. It's got that reggae feel about it, I hate to use the word 'vibes' because it sounds so frigging pretentious but it's got those really chilled out summery vibes in it.

What music have you been liking this month?

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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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I'ma let you finish but Ben Folds Five are one of the greatest bands of all time

I was considering doing an entire post dedicated to music that isn't so well known but is really good and well worth a listen, the focus being on the band Ben Folds Five, but then I realised that I love them too much to dedicate just a fifth of a post to them. My favourite bands are The Beatles and The Smiths, but Ben Folds Five are way up there and sometimes they're equal to The Beatles to me, which is a sweeping statement to make but that's how good they are, seriously.

I first listened to Ben Folds Five when I was about five years old and I think the song that stuck with me most at that age was Jackson Cannery, although I didn't know it was called that for years, I just called it the 'stop the bus' song because the first line of the song is 'stop the bus'. I majorly got into Ben Folds Five (opposed to just knowing a few songs) when I was about ten or eleven years old, and when I was sixteen I was lucky enough to see Ben Folds Five live as they reunited for a tour and a new album.

Ben Folds Five are by far one of the best bands of all time, Ben Folds' solo work is pretty awesome too. Ben Folds Five set out to prove you don't need a guitar for rock music and so the piano is the focus in their music, for a pianist obviously this is a selling point, but their songs are genuinely so so good. If you keep on reading, I'll give y'all a breakdown of my favourites (for which reasons) because I love all of their songs, they're one of the few groups who don't have any rubbish songs, it's really quite a strange thing.

I know Rockin' the Suburbs isn't a Ben Folds Five album, but I couldn't leave it out as it's probably one of my all-time favourite albums and it's still Ben Folds so y'know it's not a completely artist.

THE SAD SONGS:

1. Boxing
2. Brick
3. Smoke
4. Missing the War
5. Evaporated
6. Mess
7. Thank You for Breaking My Heart

THE 'I'M DOING ME SO P*SS OFF' SONGS:

1. Philosophy
2. Underground
3. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces*
4. Draw a Crowd
5. Do It Anyway

THE SING IT OUT LOUD SONGS:

1. Jackson Cannery
2. Philosophy (again, seriously amazing amazing song)
3. Where's Summer B?
4. Underground (another repeat, versatile band man)
5. Sports & Wine
6. Uncle Walter
7. Best Imitation of Myself**
8. Video
9. The Last Polka
10. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solem Faces
11. Song for the Dumped
12. Kate
13. Battle of Who Could Care Less
14. Army
15. Erase Me
16. Michael Praytor, Five Years Later
17. The Sound of the Life of the Mind
18. Draw a Crowd
19. Do It Anyway

I could pretty easily do the same thing for Ben Folds' solo work, but I think Ben Folds Five are marginally better at least for me and I wouldn't want to overwhelm you with good music.

Who's your favourite band/artist?

*If I ever became famous this would be the song I'd sing to my high school buddies
**Fun fact, my Tumblr username came from this song - see if you can spot it

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March wishlist

Another month has gone by, which means it's time for another wishlist - let me assure you, #TheDress is not on there*.

I'm no expert when it comes to contouring and general bronzing of the facial area, in my life I think I've owned three different bronzers, but I've never tried out a cream bronzer which is why I'd really like to try out the Bourjois Bronzing Primer**. I think cream would be easier to contour because you can use your finger to guide out where you want it to go and blend it out, plus I find the Bourjois Bronzing Powder a pretty good shade for me even though it's a little bit orange-y so perhaps not one for the paler folks, but I'd quite like to try out a cream product.

I'm also a bit of a newbie with powders, I own the Collection Sheer Loose Powder and it does the job of mattifying and setting my makeup but I find loose powder problematic because I always wear black so when I spill powder on myself I look a little bit foolish, so I'd quite like to try the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder as it seems a less messy and it's recommended by so many people, I don't go for coverage with powder so I'd just get the transparent one.

I've mentioned countless times that I find foundation and concealer difficult to get right, mostly because the beauty industry doesn't generally include black people or mixed race people and if they do go darker than the fifty shades of white they have on  often, it's usually a lovely shade of tangerine. However, the L'Oreal True Match foundation seems to have such a wide shade range and I've seen quite a few people compare it to MAC Studio Fix foundation, and I'd rather spend £10 on a foundation than £20 - mans gotta save money in the recession.

If you're new to my blog or don't read my 'Music of the month' series you may or may not know that I love Rage Against The Machine and My Chemical Romance - I'm not over the emo stage I went through at age 12, will I ever be? Who knows? Anyway, I've only been able to listen to them on Spotify and it gets annoying when I'm out without wi-fi and can't listen to Know Your Enemy or  Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) y'know I'm going to be in a bad mood. I love all of the songs on both Rage Against The Machine and May Death Never Stop You, I'd love to buy all of My Chemical Romance's albums but I'll start with a compilation album, and I've found Rage Against the Machine on eBay and May Death Never Stop You on Amazon for under £5 so it's a win win for me.

What's on your wishlist for March?

*I saw the dress initially as black and blue but then it kept changing from black and blue to white and gold, but it's black and blue, let's shut up about it now.

**I don't understand why the heck it's called a bronzing primer seeming as everyone whose used it has said it's just a regular bronzer, does it prime? This is one of the unanswerable questions of the universe.

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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 - December 2014

Here it is, the last 'music of the month' post...

until next year.

I tried not to make this month's edition completely Christmas songs although that is 98% of what I've been listening to.

1. Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars

I have a feeling that this has been everyone's favourite song this month. I have a friend who has been a fan of Bruno Mars since he first hit the charts and she suggested this song to me, and I was hooked from the first time I listened to it. It's so upbeat and fun, I like Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars but I honestly didn't expect this song to be that good and I was genuinely impressed.

2. Black Ballerina - Ariel Pink

I can't remember how I came across Ariel Pink, and I don't think you'll like his music if you're not into more alternative, quirky music. This is a very random song but I really like it and I've listened to it a lot.

3. Blank Space - Taylor Swift

When I heard that Taylor Swift had removed her music from Spotify, I was a bit annoyed and I refused to listen to her new songs to make some sort of protest, but I gave in and listened to Blank Space when the video came out and it's such a good pop song. I've heard a few other songs from the album (I haven't bought it yet though, yeah I know a bit late..) and I'm quite blown away. I loved Taylor Swift when she came out with Love Story when I was about 12 (I distinctly remember making a dance for it with some of my friends.. yeah that happened) but I slowly went off her as her music became a bit too samey for me, but this album is genuinely a good'un from what I've heard.

4. Runs in the Family - Amanda Palmer

What initially introduced my to Amanda Palmer was the fact that she had worked with Ben Folds before, Ben Folds has a permanent space in my favourite all-time artists (and bands if you include Ben Folds Five), and she does sound very Ben Folds-esque with the heavy piano.

5. The Passenger - Siouxsie and the Banshees

I think I had heard of Siouxsie and the Banshees through Tumblr but I hadn't ever really listened to them, but I decided to give them a go so I went to Spotify and listened to their top track which was this, and I think the instrumentation is great, and it sounds a little bit like The Smiths. Coincidentally, Siouxsie featured on a Morrissey song so I listened to that too and I think that made me love Siouxsie Sioux that much more.

I also have to give credit to Fairytale of New York by The Pogues because that has been my top Christmas song this year.

What music have you been listening to this month?

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