If you love music you would of heard of the curse of the third album. It usually results from a good or great debut album then followed by an amazing second album. Lots of artists go through this phase in their careers because it's usually easier to top their first album as when they start to write and produce for the second album they would of had more experiences to write about and also they learn how to refine their own particular sound however it's difficult to beat that success which is where the struggle comes in. One artist who I feel has recently beaten the curse of the third album is Harry Styles. In late May Harry released his third album called Harry's House which is the album I feel like we've all been waiting for! You can't deny that even if you're not a fan of Harry's music he possess sheer power and magnetism both on the music industry and on the whole world. If you're young, good looking, can sing and can write songs then you are sure to do well however Harry's on another level and has been for years since the One Direction days. When he sings live in front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium (I was there at the Capital Summertime Ball!) he commands the stage like no one else, even making the crowd shush until As It Was started! Now that he's a little older and more experienced I feel that he's really come into his own and this album shows that and I'll tell you why.
As you expect Harry’s House is one hell of a treat. After 3 years apart from his second album, he’s had a lot of time to explore different musical styles which is why this album sounds so great! Music For A Sushi Restaurant starts out as an electro instrumental for a good 15 seconds of the song until that echo of Harry’s voice enters the record. With an 80s sound that’s followed by a catchy chorus (which is now used for the new Apple Air Pods ad) it’s a great introduction to the album that sticks in your head for the rest of the day (or week!).
Late Night Talking is my favourite song on the album! This one has been on repeat the most and there are many reasons for this. As soon as the track starts you can tell that there is a retro feel to this song as it sounds like it’s from the 1970s as it has real soul to it that not many songs have nowadays. Harry’s voice gradually gets louder until it reaches the chorus when you get the full impact of the song, particularly when he sings ‘Now you’re in my life, I can’t get you off my mind’, that line resonates with literally everyone on this planet, whether you just have a crush on someone or you’re in love this them. I also love the title of the track as it really does represent a deep connection you have with someone so much that you can't stop talking to them until the early hours, whether that is a lover or even a friend.
Grapejuice takes the record into chilled summer vibes with it's mid tempo beat and Harry's relaxed use of his vocals. I love the relaxed sounding synth section near the end of the track which does sound like it comes straight out of 1982, which is actually the year that Harry mentions in the song, so this track is definitely inspired by 80s music.
AS It Was which you could argue is the biggest song of the year so far (and rightly so!) was Harry's debut song released from Harry's House and what a breakout song it is. Everyone I've talked to loves this song and whenever I tell them it's by Harry they are shocked to say the least! This is the most Pop sounding song on the album as it's your typical upbeat summer anthem with lyrics that anyone can learn in the same day. I love that the message can be interpret in different ways, either in regards to changes in a relationship or changes to the world in general as the world is definitely not the same as it was years ago for many different reasons. If he doesn't win any awards for this song in particular next year I'll be shocked to say the least!
Daylight is another song that fits into the chilled summer vibes section of the album however this one has more of a dreamy quality to it than Grapefruit. Fun fact about this video, it was actually directed by his friend James Corden while Harry was on the Late Late Show and they knocked on people's doors in New York asking if they could borrow their flat to film the video. Imagine finding out that both you and your apartment are going to be in a Harry Styles video, to say I'd be excited would be a huge understatement! One of my favourite parts of the behind the scenes video for the music video is when James Corden is holding up these fake blue birds that Harry's meant to pretend are not there however he keeps laughing every time they play the line 'If I was a blue bird I would fly to you' . It's very funny and I recommend you watch the making of it as well as the video itself.
Little Freak is where the album gets slower and more sentimental in meaning as Harry mentions that he keeps thinking about someone, which now we know is Olivia Wilde as that fits to the time frame of when he wrote this album and when they first got together. This is a great track to play when you just need to unwind from the busy world around you and those relaxing notes played on the acoustic guitar will surely help you do that.
Cinema brings the album back up to an upbeat sound and it's one of the coolest songs on the album for sure. It's got that funk genre sound to it again taking references from the 1970s. I love the electric guitar solo as it really brings soul to the track that the previous songs don't have as much of as they have more of a Pop sound in general.
Daydreaming like As It Was is a very summery pop song filled with a great use of harmonies going on from just taking different elements of Harry's vocals and putting them together, it's a clever trick which works well in this song. I also love the piano solo at the end which fades away towards to end of the song.
Keep Driving is another one of my favourites on the album as it sounds one of the most sophisticated songs on it which makes sense as Harry's maturing, so he'll want to show more of this side to him. I love the use of the metaphor of Keep Driving used to portray a relationship to ask should we keep this thing going or stop?
Satellite starts with a space age intro turning into a poptastic dance track which then turns into a rock song, so it's definitely the most eclectic song on the album. The lyrics in this one are a tad on the repetitive side as it's mostly him saying that he's waiting for someone over and over however it's still good to play in the background.
Boyfriends has a very relatable message unfortunately as it talks about them taking advantage of their girlfriends which many people have experienced. It's a relaxing ballad played mostly on an acoustic guitar and backing vocals which adds to how raw and poignant the meaning of the song actually is.
Love Of My Life opens to a haunted base sound getting faster as the song progresses. I'm not sure if the haunted aspect of this song is meant to represent a past love as that's what the lyrics suggest however it gives the song a strong instrumental punch. It then ends with a few keys played on the piano before the album is then completed.
I think this is Harry's best album to date which as I previously mentioned for a third album to be the best one is very rare indeed, but what can I say, he's a talented man! What are your thoughts on Harry's House, I'd love to know!
Thanks for reading
Chantal x
The first contestant who went out on Saturday was Chandelier who turned out to be the 90s legend Heather Small from the band M People. The problem with this performance however was that for some reason she disguised her iconic voice from the judges and audiences which confused us all. The voice that she put on made her sound a lot older than she was, so I was thinking of a singer from the 1960s or 70s. I was so shocked when she lifted up the mask however I'm glad that Mo guessed her right as it shows that he's a true Heather Small fan!
Mushroom has to be one of the most theatrical performers out of the cast. This is someone who can clearly both sing and act and I think this person has done both throughout her career. She's also very comfortable on stage which makes me feel very confident that she has performed in plays and musicals before. One person who fits all of these credentials is Jessie Buckley. Jessie is a well known Irish singer and actress and last year she played Juliet in the National Theatre's production of Rome and Juliet. This version was filmed on stage however it was seen both in cinemas and on the National Theatre at home service which is their online platform to watch their previous shows due to covid. This all connects perfectly to mushroom.
For the next three performers I'm not as confident with working out who they may be. Bagpipes sounds like a rock and roll or maybe a punk legend, so it could be Johnny Rotton from The Sex Pistols who has previously been on the American version of the show however whether he has Scottish heritage I honestly don't know? My sister thinks he sounds like Dalmon Albarn who of course actually sang Song 2, the song that Bagpipes performed as he sang it with his band Blur. Whether he would go on the show and sing his own song is the question though, however it is a very punk thing to do, so maybe he chose to do it to shock people?
Firework has one of the best costumes out of all of them because it's fun, bright yet the celebrity can easily move around as only their head, hands and feet are completely covered. From her frame we can tell that she's tall and very slim. I don't recognise the voice at all however she gave some clues about Coronation Street. One person who's been in the soap for a while is Alison King who plays Carla. She would match the description as she used to be a model before she became an actress. Whoever she is I just love her energy!
One of the few things that has kept us going through this unusual time is music. It never fails to uplift us when we're down, or even when we're ecstatic. Recently there haven't been that many new bands or artists that I've felt connected to, I can count on my hand how many. One band that has caught my eyes and ears has been Inhaler, the Irish Indie Rock band from Dublin who are a four piece that includes Elijah Hewson (vocalist & guitarist), Robert Keating (bassist), Josh Jenkinson (guitarist) and Ryan McMahon (drummer). If you know your music and Pop culture then you'll know that Elijah, known as Eli is actually the son of Bono. What I love though is that neither of the band or Eli himself have used Bono's power and connections to make their band the success it is, they've worked on it themselves taking the time needed to perfect their craft to make it the best debut album that it can be and I'm very happy to say that it is just that!
It Won't Only Be Like This features songs from when they first ever started writing together in their early teens and the title track of the album which is also the first track listed on the album encapsulates this perfectly. Now this song has taken on a different meaning due to the pandemic however it still shares the same message as before which is to appreciate what you have now as you don't know how long you'll have it for and to tell you the truth this is exactly how I live my life, so I can totally relate! Phonically it's a brilliant up tempo track that instantly gives you loads of energy so you feel that you can take take on whatever the day throws at you.
My Honest Face is a track that the band released a couple of years ago before I actually knew of them however I'm pretty sure I remember hearing the song on the radio at the time, I just had no idea it was them! It's full of high energy and the drums on this track sound amazing, it really packs a punch!
Slide Out The Window is a mid tempo song that talks about wanting to be somewhere else when you're stuck in a place you can't get out of, which of course is very relatable to what we all went through this year and last year. It was one of the last songs they created for the album and I think that you can actually tell as it sounds the most sophisticated and stylish out of all the tracks, so you can tell they wrote this one recently while in their twenties.
Cheer Up Baby is high up there on my favourites for the album. It wasn't written recently however again due to our lives recently it has taken on another meaning like the first track as it was made into a love letter to their fans during the pandemic in a way to tell them that they are not going through it alone. The guitars and drums sound impeccable on this song, I love it so much!
A Night On The Floor is very reminiscent of youth culture. It has a more grown up sound to it, both metaphorically and phonetically, so I'm guessing this one was also written recently. It has a much slower pace than the rest of the tracks and a great guitar solo towards the end!
My King Will Be Kind is about someone who doesn't give enough to a relationship, which means that you're the only one who's putting in the effort. This song has a very chilled vibe about it which I like a lot.
When It Breaks for some reason reminds me of all the songs that you would have in The Inbetweeners, it's just a great noughties sounding Indie song! It's upbeat, energetic and fun, what more could you want?
Who's Your Money On (Plastic House) is arranged as two songs played one straight after the other even though it's one song, if that makes sense. The Who's Your Money On? part of the song has more of an electronic sound to it in the beginning which I love and mixed in with the drums and the guitars makes it sound amazing! The Plastic House part of the song has a beautiful melancholy sound and feel to it, which really brings the emotive lyrics to the forefront of the track.
Totally is such a great song! It's about a couple who's completely incompatible but yet for some reason they're still together. It's mid tempo sound makes it great for chilling out to. I love how Eli annunciates the words in this song, I don't know what it is but he makes every word sound enticing.
Strange Time To Be Alive is pretty self explanatory as it really is a strange time to be alive! It's more of an intro as it's so short however that also encapsulates the meaning of it as well.
In My Sleep is about dreaming however it feels so real to you that you can't explain it. The guitar sounds powerful throughout the song as well as Eli's vocals, like the rest of the album it's a strong performance.
This album has only been out a couple of weeks however it's definitely up there as one of my favourites of the year so far. Eli's vocals are amazing and he has such a beautiful velvety voice and Robert, Josh & Ryan make for brilliant musicians and they will only improve the more mature they get. It's a strong debut album full of personality, Irish charm and grit. I can't wait to see them perform these songs live live in October (it better happen!). I truly believe they are going onto great things and I can't wait to follow their journey!
Have you heard Inhaler's debut album? If you have what do you think of it?
Thanks for reading
Chantal
Finally we have reached the end of what has been a tumultuous year for everyone regardless of what position you are at in your life. So to celebrate reaching the end of 2020 I have compiled a list of artists who in my eyes have saved 2020 because of the music they've released. For these five artists 2020 has actually been a very successful year as they've all released either new albums or singles this year that have done very well, not just in the eyes of critics but also in the eyes of the public.
Dua Lipa
When I think of music from 2020, the first thing I think about is Dua Lipa's success. Her second album Future Nostalgia completely pushed her into the limelight like never before! Why you ask, because this album produced hit, after hit, after hit. Whether it's Don't Start Now, Hallucinate, Levitate there is not one bad song on this album! It's simply a masterpiece. The title Future Nostalgia describes it perfectly because it could of been played back in the 1970s at Studio 54 just as it of course has been played today in bars, pubs and clubs (well maybe not often this year, but you get what I mean!). Dua was also the first artist to create a live stream concert called Studio 2054 which I watched and it was amazing because it was so immersive that you totally forgot that you were actually watching it in the comfort of your own living room with the lights off! This year Dua also hosted Saturday Night Live and I thought that she did a really great job, both at performing her music and at acting in the sketches. She's so talented and I can't wait to see what she does next year. One thing I know is that I'm going to see her on tour in September and I can't wait for it!
Little Mix
2020 has been quite a year for Little Mix! They released their sixth studio album and unfortunately for us they've lost a member of their band as Jesy Nelson decided to leave the group earlier this month. I wish her all the best and I support her decision as I can't begin to imagine what it's like to live under the spotlight all the time and I don't blame her for needing a break from it all. However it still feels sad to lose her as they were such a great team, but that being said it will be interesting to see what the remaining three members do going forward. The last album that they created as a foursome was released earlier this year and is called Confetti. In my opinion this album is the best album they've ever created. It's just the perfect album that we needed this year because it's so uplifting and it's just brilliant Pop music! Again it's really hard for me to choose a favourite song, the ones I listen to the most are Sweet Melody, Confetti, Gloves Up & Happiness. They are the only girl group who can be rightly compared to the Spice Girls and now they've actually produced more music than the Spice Girls ever produced, so I personally think that they deserve to be compared to them (I actually think they are better!).
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus is not an artist that I'd usually listen to that much. In the past I liked a couple of her songs that she'd released from an album, but I'd never actually listen to a whole album of hers. This year that all changed when she released her latest album Plastic Hearts. The reason why I was so eager to hear this album is because when she released Midnight Sky I was completely obsessed with it, I literally couldn't stop listening to it because it was so catchy and it had a rocky edge to it. As soon as the album was released I listened to it on Spotify and I was amazed at how good it was! Again I know I keep saying it but it's really hard to pick a favourite song from this album. Plastic Hearts, Angels Like You & Prisoner are my three most listened songs but I can't stress how good the rest of the record is, please go and listen to it if you haven't already. I hope Miley stays in the Rock genre for the next record she does because I think that it suits both her voice and her image so much.
Mabel
Mabel is an artist that has so much talent, yet I personally believe that she's underrated and deserves much more success. She has such a soulful, velvety voice and her songs are the perfect mix of Pop and R&B. This year Mabel has released some seriously catchy songs including Tick Tock featuring Clean Bandit, West Ten featuring AJ Tracey and Boyfriend. She also released a stripped back and acoustic version of her album High Expectations called 'High Expectations...Stripped' which I absolutely adore because it showcases her voice perfectly. I have a feeling that she will release a new album in 2021 because recently I've seen some new publicity photos on Instsgram which makes me think that she has something exciting up her sleeve. I can't wait to hear what she brings out in the near future.
Megan Thee Stallion
I have to end on the biggest success story of 2020 which is Megan Thee Stallion. After the success of her song Savage featuring Beyonce, helped by it being so popular on TickTok, she became a household name and just before she released her debut album she featured on Cardi B's song WAP which was huge! It racked up so many views on Youtube and the abbreviation was searched countless times into Google, I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the most Googled word this year. Her album Good News wasn't released that long ago and already it's a huge hit in my eyes. I'm not usually a huge Hip Hop fan, don't get me wrong I like it however I don't usually know the words to most of the songs on a Hip Hop album, but with Megan's I do, and that shows commitment on my part, but she's worth it. I also think that she's the best rapper of today and her songs are so catchy! I hope she wins loads of Grammy's in February, she deserves to.
Thanks so much for reading my post on my favourite music of 2020! Let me know in the comments what some of your favourite songs or artists have been, I'd love to know.
See you soon
Chantal x
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I haven't written a music blog post in ages, so I thought that it was about time that I'd update you on some of the songs that I have been loving at the moment. There haven't been that many songs over the last few months that I've been that bothered about however very recently 3 songs have had me clicking the play button more than once recently, which in my book means that they are going to be huge hits with people (if they haven't charted yet). These songs are all from huge artists including Katy Perry, DJ Khaled & there's a comeback from Paramore which is very exciting, especially if you were a huge fan of them back in the day.
Let's start with Katy Perry's Swish, Swish. I feel like Katy Perry has gone in a new direction with this album as it sounds a lot more like a dance album rather than a pop album and so far I'm loving the results of this experiment! I like her other songs she's released so far (Chained To The Rhythm & Bon Appetit) however I like this song the best as it's sure electronic/dance music and I think we need this kind of upbeat music right now the most what with everything that's been going on lately and if it's one thing music can do it's that it can provide some escapism from the horrible things that go on in the world and this track will sure make you feel great!
Now DJ Khaled is an artist that I'd heard of but I don't think I've ever listened to one of his songs before, but when I'm The One came on one of the Spotify playlists I was instantly hooked. It has Justin Bieber on vocals which makes the song even better in my opinion as I feel his voice nowadays suits that R&B sound to it and it would be a great song to listen to when you are getting ready to go on a night out as it's mid tempo so you can bop along to it (lol bop does anyone ever say that word, probs not but I still like it ha). It's a tune!
Paramore was not a band that I was obsessed with as a child/teenager however even I love their new comeback song Hard Times and even the video is really great. The band is singing in this really colourful and almost neon room and there are cool effects in it too, the look of the video is very late 80s/early 90s and that makes me very happy. I'm pretty sure this song has already been a huge hit and if not it will be for sure. It's a song that really puts you in a great mood which contradicts to the title of the song actually, but I really do think that it's a perfect comeback song for them-it's a different style for them as it's very Pop in style but I feel this will bring in a new audience for them which is what every artist wants when they release new music.
Hi, so I'm finally back from having a bit of a blogging break which is not something I planned to happen but it did, I just didn't end up writing any posts after Christmas, so that means this is my first post of 2017! 2017, my god that's weird to look at and say but this is where we are at now, so we just better get on with it shouldn't we haha.
Anyway aside from all that today I am back with my first That's A Tune post of the year. Technically though this one should be called 'These Are Tunes' as I am actually going to talk about two new songs I'm loving, not one. Of course as you can see from the photo I'm going to talk about Ed Sheeran's new songs that he's recently put out to the world. I was so excited to hear them that I listened to them both pretty much as soon as I got up and I was definitely not disappointed at all as they are both amazing songs.
Let's start with the song I heard first which is Castle On The Hill. This song is a mid tempo, upbeat song that is about Ed reflecting on his teenage years before he became the megastar he is today. He talks about him and his friends hanging out and watching the sunset on the castle on the hill (hence the name of the song) and them driving fast through country lanes. In the last verse there're a touching set of lyrics that gives us an over view of what some of his friends and the people he knew ended up being like and the reason why I love this verse is that it's a perfect description of how different people's lives end up becoming after they leave school. Sometimes you are surprised that certain people get into professions that you thought they wouldn't get into, or maybe they settle down at a young age which you didn't expect either. It's such a brilliant song that has that nostalgic feel to it which makes me love it even more, it's just perfect.
The second song he released is Shape of You. This song wasn't actually going to be his own song as he began writing this song to give it to another artist to sing, but then he changed his mind and thank god he did because it's utter perfection in a song. This is a slightly different sound for Ed compared to his older songs as it's got more of an R&B dance edge to it and also the lyrics are a little more mature as it's about him admiring the way a woman looks while he's in the bar looking for a potential lover/ girlfriend, hence why he says 'I'm in love with the shape of you, We push and pull like a magnet do, Although my heart is falling to, I'm in love with your body.' The theme of this song is physicality and how it makes us attracted to someone and how we can use it to attract other people too. This song is my favourite out of the two as I simply can't get enough of the brilliant beat of the song. I'm constantly singing or humming it, which as we know means it's going to be a hit.
You know when every once in a while a new album comes out that it just utterly brilliant that you literally can't stop listening to it, it's that good. Well this year that album of choice for me is Bruno Mars 24K Magic and there are so many reasons for this.
Even though this album is pretty much brand new it has flavours of older sounds sprinkled through the whole album, which is my kind of thing. We are talking elements of 70s/80s soul/R&B which again appeals to me hugely as I am constantly listening to that kind of music myself on pretty much a daily basis-reason 1 covered.
Another reason why this has to be the best album of the year for sure is the songs themselves-I'll quickly give you a run down of them all. First we have 24K Magic which is the title of the album, a brilliant opener for the start of the album, it's a song to get the party started with as it's perfectly upbeat enough to dance to and with it's playful lyrics you can't help but sing along with it and it's super catchy.
Chunky is your ultimate jokey tongue-in-cheek song basically about him wanting a girl with a big bum, so like a modern day version of Baby Got Back but it's got a groovy beat to it (yes I said groovy but this is a retro inspired album so it's ok, I can say that word) and again it's an amazing song to dance to.
Perm is another upbeat song which is about telling people to let their hair down and just enjoy themselves having a good time.
That's What I Like is the first mid-tempo song on the album and it has a cool smooth R&B sound to it that you just want to bop to and it literally is about what he likes in a girl-very self explanatory there.
Versace On The Floor is the first slow tempo song and it's the ultimate sultry love song ever. I actually talked about it in another post which you can read here, it's amazing!
Straight Up & Down is another mid-tempo song which has more of a chilled vibe to it but is has a great beat to it and it's about him wanting to spend time with this girl.
Calling All My Lovelies is the most humorous song on the album apart from Chunky because even though it's a slightly slower song it talks about him being a player calling all his girls up as he can't get hold of the one particular girl he actually really wants to spend time with. It has a very soulful and smooth sound to it which I just love!
Finesse is another feel good song like 24K Magic but personally I prefer it as I just love the word and I haven't heard it in a song before plus it's such a great song to move to, this would certainly get me up on the dance floor for sure!
To Good To Say Goodbye is the last song on the album and it's another slow-tempo song about him not wanting his relationship to end and that it's too good of a relationship to let go of. It's a great ballad and I always find myself singing along to it when it comes on.
So those are the song described, but there's one more reason I love this album and that is that it's a complete variety of songs and situations and Bruno doesn't take himself too seriously when it comes to the songs, some are goofy, dancey and fun and some are slow and romantic but what it shows is that variety is the spice of life, especially when it comes to making an album.
I feel like I haven't done a music post in ages, so now's the right time to post another That's A Tune post. I've always liked Bruno Mars songs but I've never been obsessed with him as an artist until Uptown Funk came out and most recently he released 24K Magic which is another brilliant song. But the latest song that he's released to the world is on a whole other level! It's called Versace On The Floor and I think I can already say that it's one of my favourite songs of the year so far. The reason is because it's purely what I call real music, not one of those overly produced and auto tuned songs, it's magic in a song! It's a beautiful 90s/80s influenced R&B number that oozes sophistication, romance, love, sensuality and style all packaged into under 5 minutes of listening time. I've certainly fallen in love with this song and I think a lot of you will too! Trust me you'll want to listen to it before it becomes proper mainstream just so you can say you heard it before the rest.
I feel like I haven't done a That's A Tune post in aaaaages, but today I'm back with another one and we are now on number 40 which is a bit crazy, but I still like posting about them so I'm not going to stop haha. Today's post is about another Culture Club song. I've been listening to a lot of 80s music and whenever I do that I seem to go on a Culture Club listening splurge. Their songs are just so great and George's voice is stunning! About six or so months ago I discovered a song by them that I never heard before called Move Away which I then found out was from their 4th album but I never listened to that one before. Personally I'm not keen on the other songs on the album but this one is amazing! It's catchy, it's got great lyrics and it just sounds very stereotypical late 80s which I love! It's just a song that makes you feel really happy and ready to go, it's probably a good song to put on first thing in the morning to wake you up too haha.