tunedright

Review by Dahlia M.

There are times where you want to listen to a song with a strong guitar and a pounding bass; a song with an inspiring drum beat and vocals that put the cherry on top with their rocky and unique sound. Blitz Kids’ second full-length album is yet another great addition to the pop-punk and alternative rock market. The Good Youth is an upbeat and positive record that will definitely encourage some foot tapping and air drumming. 

Blitz Kids already have one other full length album entitled Vagrants & Vagabonds released in 2011. However, compared to their latest album, one can definitely hear how they have matured musically. The Good Youth, released in early 2013, is physical proof that Blitz Kids have definitely stepped up their game. This innovative band worked with well-known and successful producer John Feldmann, who is known for supporting leading pop-punk and pop-rock bands such as You Me At Six and Panic! At the Disco. With such excellent guidance from their producer, Blitz Kids have shaped their record to be energetic and it displays the band’s efforts in finding their sound. Jono Yates holds the guitar work down and works together with skilled bassist Nic Montgomery to solidify the strings on the album, while drummer Matt Freer sets the infectious drumming. All of this is then united with vocalist Joe James’ exceptional tone that finally creates and showcases the albums’ unprecedented feel. 

Upon listening to the album, we can compare it to Pop Rocks candy. The first few seconds of the song is when you put the candy in your mouth, but as the guitar and drums kick in, the popping frenzy begins. The opening track “All I Want is Everything” unites the listener and the band through a collective chant that begins the sentimental and inspiring number. As the anthem plays, we feel the need to chant alongside James and passionately air-drum or prove ourselves to be aspiring air-guitarists. With such memorable vocals from James and the band, how could anyone deny the chance to belt out lyrics? The unbelievably powerful number opening the album gives us a general idea of the rest of the album. In addition to the lively “All I Want is Everything”, there are tracks that demonstrate James’ softer and emotional voice. “Keep Swinging” and “Long Road” come consecutive to each other and they are the two out of three timid but shining gems of the record. The bands’ guitar and drum lines are notably focused in both numbers, crediting Yates, Montgomery and Freer and exhibiting their undeniable talents. Throughout the album, Yates and Montgomery merge their efforts and produce incredible guitar work in addition to Freer’s impressive and skilled drumming. As the tracklist plays through, we fall on “Perfect”. This track is one that will stick to your ears. This number will permeate your whole being and will undoubtedly make you move. The quick and beautiful drumming patterns will pierce through your body and merges with the guitar and bass lines alongside the chant-worthy and sing-a-long vocals. Last, and definitely not least, “Lost Generation” is up. The last gem of three. This number opens with a placid introduction and then launches with emotive and fragile vocals. The dance-like chorus and shifts in tempo throughout the song allows it to reach an unforgettable magnitude. 

With tracks varying from emotional ballads to heavy and influential pop-punk numbers, The Good Youth justifies Blitz Kids’ hard work in making an electrifying and breathtaking record. This major step forward in their musical career will take a positive and successful turn. If they are playing a show in an area near you, be first in line to get tickets! If they serve the same amount of energy from their album into their live shows, you will not regret it. --

Check out if they are playing a show near you soon: http://goo.gl/MdeXml

Here’s where you can stream their full album online (via SoundCloud): http://goo.gl/i14EF9 

Official Website: www.blitzkidsofficial.com

Twitter: twitter.com/blitzkids

Facebook: www.facebook.com/blitzkidsuk

-Dahlia

TunedRight© 

Review by Dahlia M.

You’re sitting in a bathtub filled with hot water and the refreshing smell of your favorite bubble bath soap is filling the dimmed room. As you allow your tense muscles to relax, you listen to the ambient sounds of synths, low percussion, and a soulful voice that can be compared to molten gold. Trip-hop trio London Grammar unleash their robust electronic pop material and deep-seated vocals into the world. 

Having uploaded their first song “Hey Now” on YouTube and SoundCloud in December of 2012, and being featured in Disclosure’s album Settle, their popularity skyrocketed, earning them fresh fans. After releasing their EP Metal & Dust in February of the following year, their debut album entitled If You Wait was released in September later in 2013. Lead singer Hannah Reid encompasses the album with her haunting and resonant vocals, accompanied by Dominic ‘Dot’ Major’s slow and downbeat percussions and keyboard, in addition to Dan Rothman’s attentive guitar.

Frequently, there is a number that will stand out like a sore thumb, taking away the overall outstanding essence of the album. However, this is unequivocally not the case for the hearty album. This album’s tracklist flows through without any complication holding the fluent haunting style lasting from track to track. Starting from the top of the list, “Hey Now” is a mind and body enveloping number that initially gave way to London Grammar’s success. This placid track is one you can listen to when you need a moment for yourself and want to give your whole body an electrifying but warming chill. Each song after that provides a calming atmosphere and mood. London Grammar’s cover of Kavinsky’s “Nightcall” is one of the numbers that offers Reid’s rich baritone voice. As the  song progresses and reaches the chorus, her baritone voice is pushed away and turned into a higher pitched and chilling tone. The tracklist ends with “When We Were Young”, a lighter and upbeat song that still carries a sense of Reid’s ‘haunting’ vocals. Major and Rothman’s percussions and guitar aid and create the foundation in the upbeat tempo presented. All together with Reid’s vocals, this track is a great finish to the pop album.

If You Wait is an album you should have at least a song or two from in your music library. The trio’s effortless album has won many hearts this past year and will most probably win hundreds more in the world as time passes. Hopefully, in future projects, London Grammar will keep their ambient sound but also explore other areas of music. But for now, you would be crazy not to check out this unbelievable album and group!

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Here’s where you can stream their full album online (via Spotify): http://goo.gl/o5tsbt 

If Spotify doesn’t work in your country, here’s a YouTube playlist of the full album: goo.gl/dmYMMl

Official Website: www.londongrammar.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/londongrammar

Facebook: www.facebook.com/londongrammar

-Dahlia

TunedRight© 

Check out this mix on @8tracks: ~80s heck yeah~ by TunedRight.

Playlist 2: ~80s heck yeah~

Summary:  You can dance if you want to, you can leave your friends behind… because your friends don’t dance and if they don’t dance well they obviously haven’t listened to this playlist. This playlist features classics like Billy Joel’s You May Be Right, Bananarama’s Venus, as well as a lesser known Canadian rock band, Doug & The Slugs. If you want to dance to some oldies and go a little crazy for a half an hour, this is the playlist for you~

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Tracklist:

Venus - Bananarama

Walk of Life - Dire Straits

Chinatown Calculation - Doug & The Slugs

Walking on Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves

Working For the Weekend - Loverboy

The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats

Yes - Merry Clayton

You May Be Right - Billy Joel

We’ve all experienced it. It lurks inside of us, and we can never truly get rid of it once it sinks its teeth in us. I’m talking about the infamous, gut-wrenching case of post concert depression.

Phase One: The High. If you’ve been to a concert before, you know this feeling and have experienced it, but perhaps you just couldn't name it before. Post concert depression has different stages. The first stage begins right after the concert: you are on a high on adrenaline or weed or something, but the energy you got from listening to your favorite band play live woke something up inside of you. The atmosphere has left you feeling so pumped that you feel like you could conquer the world. 

So you’re crawling walking out of the venue and you’re pinching yourself, thinking, "Was this all real?" and "This was fucking amazing", basically trying to process the pure, unadulterated awesomeness that just happened to you.

Phase Two: The Honeymoon Phase. Soon after you gather your friends (or to be honest, anybody who’ll listen), you start telling them about all of the amazing things that happened during the night, like when your favorite band member winked at you during your favorite song, or when they touched your hand, or about the hot guy you hooked up with, or any number of things. You want all the memories vivid in your mind, trying to relive it, to treasure and lock away all the little details of the night.

Phase Three: Bragging. You wake up the next day either sporting a bad hangover or your head still reeling from the previous night.You upload photos and videos on all your media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, you name it. You caption your photos as “BEST NIGHT EVER  ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡” because you won't even try to express yourself better than that.

Soon, you crawl out of bed or whatever flat surface you woke up on and grab your phone. Assuming that you still have it and it has enough battery life left, you start looking through your pictures and videos, unable to stop the grin from stretching across your face.

It’s time for you to reenter society. You scavenge for clean underwear and your newly purchased concert merch (the coolest addition to your closet).

Phase Four: Denial. You listen to your music, but can’t help avoiding listening to that one band... You’re afraid of coming face to face with the truth. The truth that probably the best moment of your entire life is over, irretrievable from the past. You don’t want come face to face with the fact that the night is over; it happened, and it probably never will again. Never the same way. This phase can range from a couple of days to months.

Phase Five: Acceptance. The grieving period is over, and it’s been a while since the concert. That one band comes on your iPod and you don’t skip it, but rather blast it extra loud, then scavenge through your photos and mementos once again, remembering all the great stuff that happened. This is when you are thankful that you were lucky enough to go to that concert and experience what you did.

But hey, isn’t that your new favourite band playing a gig in your town? Oh yeah, you better go and buy your tickets before they sell out. Have fun reliving post concert depression.  

Check out this mix on @8tracks: Let It Go by TunedRight.

Playlist 1: Let It Go

Summary: I know that some of you have moments where all you want to do is just close your eyes, shut everyone and everything out, and relax. I decided to create this playlist just so you can do so. This playlist features artists/groups such as London Grammar, Lewis Watson, and The Kooks which means the style of music varies. I don’t know how you relax yourself, but what I do know is that once you put your headphones on and lie down, you will be able to take a deep breath and let it all go. 

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Tracklist:

Sights - London Grammar

Devious - The Genuine

Home - Gabrielle Aplin

Every Night - Imagine Dragons

Hear You Me - Jimmy Eat World

Metal & Dust - London Grammar

Big Bad World - Kodaline

Seaside - The Kooks

Hold On - Lewis Watson

Let It Go - The Neighbourhood

Open - Rhye

Set the Fire to the Third Bar - Snow Patrol

Long Way Down - Tom Odell

Haunt // Bed - The 1975

Bones - Lewis Watson

Hello and welcome to TunedRight. We're just three people who share a love for music, joining forces to create one big blog of every genre we love. In this day and age, people tend to say that today's music is, to put it eloquently, pure stinking shit. Though they're not entirely wrong, it's more about the fact that there's twenty times more incoming media to sift through in order to find the really good stuff. TunedRight is here to do the sifting for you.