2014 Favourites: The Music (Part Four)

3) James Vincent McMorrow 'Post Tropical'

Hozier was the obvious breakout Irish star of 2014, his self-titled debut conquered listeners both sides of the Atlantic, his hit single Take Me To Church soared into the top five worldwide, the singer-songwriter really made his mark and proved to our peers that Ireland has a lot more than Jedward and Crystal Swing to offer the world. But still as superb as his work has been I've always found myself more drawn towards James Vincent McMorrow, in particular Post Tropical his second full-length album.

The Irishman took a risk with this collection, moving away from the folk more mainstream singer-songwriter mark of his debut. He regularly listens to a lot of alternative r&b and that's what has influenced the majority of this record. He's challenging those electronic hip-hop genres he enjoys, managing to push himself further as an artist and content creator. I can't approve of this experimentation and reinvention enough, he's recreated a new sound on an unknown territory.

What I cherish most about McMorrow is the rawness in his work, he writes, produces and performs the entirety of the album himself. Every song feels very private and personal. These moments of intimacy grab you, I got goosebumps. You feel the loneliness, the pain and sorrow he's conveying. It's very real. 

This album does take a few listens to really get into but there is something quite refreshing here. The softer instrument arrangements, the gradually unfolding melodies, the unhurried tempos, the overall instrumentation showcase how fantastic this record is. It's a vivid and organic collection.

His voice is like something from a parallel universe, as delicate as a flower. He is actively improving and pushing his falsetto to new heights, so high it's basically sky scraping. He knows how to utilize his talents and bring the best in that pained, confessional tone his fans love about him.

There's so much more depth to McMorrow than I had thought. With his second collection he did the direct opposite of what was expected, in doing so he didn't allow himself get pigeonholed, confirming there's no limitations to what he intends to create. He has and hopefully will continue to keep things interesting. Music is an art, sometimes we forget that. 

Favourite Tracks: Gold, Look Out, Glacier 

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Page 3 Controversy

I sat down today with the intention of writing the next instalment of my favourite albums of 2014 countdown but hadn't the heart to after coming across the media storm surrounding The Sun's judgement to continue to publish its page three feature of topless, bare-chested young female glamour models. This was after persistent speculation that it was to be dropped.

The public have been equally spilt with this issue and there has been all sorts of absurd, senseless arguments in favour of the publication. Crazy accusations that banning the feature will cause avoidable unemployment to these models, that it is 'feminism' gone too far, how it is a blow to free speech or that it is just seeking to control women. There's been the fair argument that it's a case of choice, these models choose this career, it's each individual's choice to buy the newspaper or not.

There was an article I read that deemed the debate sheer prudery and an act of snobbery towards The Sun's readers, claiming that they can very well distinguish reality from fantasy and to stop trying to cheapen their readership.

There's been the argument that the dispute is full of double standards, suggesting that the Calvin Klein ads featuring men in their underpants should also be reviewed, that the David Beckham H&M adverts are equally tasteless and that if the movement simply addressed equality then all of this should be discussed. Clearly, an objectified image of a person, male or female in a newspaper isn't right but this issue is about more than equality, if that makes sense.

The reality is the page three feature demeans women and shouldn't be appearing in such a generally circulated national newspaper. It is soft core pornography, that is inappropriate for publication in something readily available to children. It contributes to a culture that portrays young women as sexual objects, it negatively affects female body image and it adds to an attitude tolerating sexual violence against young women.

I understand that if you switch on MTV more than likely you will see half-naked female singers and dancers, at the click of a mouse there is no shortage of explicit images readily available worse than what The Sun is offering but it's the context here that's being criticised. The point being you have to go look for it, search for it on your own accord. For a child to see a topless women demeaning herself in a newspaper that his or her father, mother, grandparents buy allows them to think this sort of behaviour is accepted and it normalises an attitude that women should be perceived as sex objects. There's no censorship here, at least with lads' magazines, pornography sites there is some degree of control and restriction.

On 10 October 2014 Malala Yousafzai, a seventeen year old Pakistani activist known for her strong activism towards female education was announced as being the youngest ever Noble Peace Prize recipient, yet the most prominent pictured woman in that newspaper that day would have been an image of a young girl in her underwear. This is only one of many achievements by women in the last forty years since page three's establishment. What sort of message is that sending out?

What's really made me sick about the whole thing is The Sun has done nothing but gain from this controversy. This debate generated more exposure than any of their marketing campaigns possibly could ever have, and when people assumed they were turning their attitude they didn't do a lot to silence the rumours. This could have all been a publicity stunt for all we know, it brought them to the forefront of the public eye and if that's the case they really have hit a new low.

It is time for our society to grow up and behave responsibly to its children. Of course if this campaign was successful it wasn't going to change decades of culturally engrained stereotypes but it would have been a huge step in the right direction. No doubt it will sadly continue to cause offence to both women and men. 

Don't buy the newspaper? We are still impacted by things we cannot see.

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2014 Favourites: The Music (Part Three)

4) Ella Henderson 'Chapter One'

At first it's almost questionable why I'd place an album deriving from the Simon Cowell domain of music among my annual favourites. The self-preservative music mogul known for following trends instead of actually leading them, the tycoon who markets his acts to a less discerning public down to greed, the man notorious for drowning out any real individuality from his artists rather than defining a new sound. You would be fair to think this record was just another product in the assembly line of pop stars, his talent shows fabricate but I can assure you this time things were different, Chapter One is anything but manufactured rubbish. 

Ella Henderson, the eighteen year old musician fronting the record was given all the creative freedom and control she deserved with this collection, with writing credits on every song but Glow on the LP, it has an identity and integrity behind it.

Sampling pop, rhythm and blues into an album filled with beautifully crafted, empowering songs. She's managed to carve out her own niche in a market already dominated by young female vocalists. The gripping choruses, the mid-tempo power ballads, the retro sixties vibe present on particular tracks are each triumphs. But it's the stripped back production of the soft piano ballads I love most that bring out all the emotion and soul within this masterpiece.

Her voice itself is probably her best tool. Spell bounding and soaring vocals that could put the legends to shame. A punchy, soulful vocal power filled with dramatic emotion that will play on your heartstrings whether you like it or not. She's packed plenty of power and energy into these tracks, a workmanship and technique that cannot be faked.

It's a really solid debut, she effortlessly proves sometimes shows like The X Factor can birth a superstar. Considering she's still only eighteen years old demonstrates what true artistry we are dealing with. She's a genuine talent and the most exciting thing of all is I know we still haven't seen the best in her yet. 

Favourite Tracks: Empire, The First Time, All Again, Pieces 

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2014 Favourites: The Music (Part Two)

5) La Roux 'Trouble in Paradise'

After the instant success of their eponymous debut album no one could have expected the five year wait that came with their follow up. In this time producer Ben Langmaid spilt from the duo leaving just singer and front woman Elly Jackson to take over the reins. 

I watched an interview with Jackson years ago on morning television where she explained that she writes music very differently to your standard musician. Most bands or artists will write forty, fifty songs for a record and then narrow it down from there whereas she will only write the 'x' amount of songs she intends to release. She doesn't work in that pressured let's-hope-for-some-magic approach. This is evident because after a five year delay Trouble in Paradise offers us only nine tracks.

However with this difficult second record comes a strong sense of perfectionism, these nine tracks deliver immense consistency. There isn't a single song on the record that Jackson didn't agonize over or struggle with. This is a body of work with a very defined aesthetic that she knew couldn't be rushed. These are real pop songs that matter to her.

The music still has the familiarity of La Roux which I have always loved, a nervy groove and funk feel that she probably doesn't get enough credit for. Trouble in Paradise isn't as heavily produced or as electro as her debut, her sound has really loosened up feeling friskier, bouncier and warmer. She has always been known as a synth pop artist but there is a more organic eighties vibe present than before. Also, I really enjoy that whilst it's very upbeat the album is disguising a real melancholic mood or theme. Everything still comes across very fun and fresh. 

The gap between records really allowed Jackson experience the freedom and time to explore and develop a sound for her that she should be proud of, it remains a firm cohesive track list. The wait might have sacrificed her commercial success in this fickle music industry but she let the music breathe again, which is pretty inspiring.

Favourite Tracks: Sexoteque, Kiss and Not Tell, Paradise Is You. 

I could almost write an entire post on her awesome sense of style

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2014 Favourites: The Music (Part One)

Fifteen days into the new year and I'm still feeling very retrospective of the last twelve months. Last week's post discussed embracing change so in light of it I've decided to attempt something different. Over the next week or so I plan to share my top five albums of 2014.

Music has so many psychological functions and people listen to it for various reasons. It can be a mood changer, it can help us relax, it's a form of pain management and a huge stress reliever. It can articulate what many cannot express through the spoken word and it is also a means of escape. Music is healing, it soothes the soul so why not celebrate it?

Obviously I'm not an accomplished music reviewer and nothing I write will be done through a hugely critical or adept point of view. It will be bias as I love these albums, they were the soundtrack and recollection to my year. I won't be making any harsh or carping judgements this isn't a fault-finding exercise. At the same time, I have no template of what to assess. 

I'll have a look at the artists' overall technique, style and sound but nothing I write will be ground breaking. The next five posts are more so a celebration of the songs I chanted hairbrush-in-hand into the mirror, the ballads I cried to on my bad days and the absolute anthems I lip-synced dramatically to on those cold morning walks into college . 

This April, this blog is approaching the two year mark and I want to try something new. Tomorrow I will post the first of my selections, I'd love to hear your favourites in the meantime.

As cute as this photo is, that cassette needs rewinding.

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Fresh Starts

2014 was such an insane year for me, a lot of stuff happened that I really could not have seen coming, both good and bad. I was lucky enough to snatch a new job, I switched college course again, I moved home twice, I got pierced and tattooed for the first time. But one thing I've started to notice with people is how change cannot always be associated as a positive thing.

That's enough Auld Lang Syne for another twelve months.  

Throughout the year many old friends and acquaintances have spoken quite sceptically to me about how 'different' I have become. But what does that actually mean? Shouldn't change really be encouraged? Growing as literal human beings on this earth.

I feel the word has a bad stigma to it, people are almost scared of it. When it truly should be embraced. You should do something different everyday, change yourself. Take up a new hobby, try out a particular type of food, buy yourself a weird pair of shoes. If you are not diversifying, you are not growing.

From personal experience, anyone who has ever voiced concern over you changing are the sort of people who are stubborn and resistant to new things, they feel that anything new will have an immediate negative impact. Not to get too dismal, but in some cases it just can be a jealousy or power issue, they feel they can't control or manipulate you any more, they're freaking out because you're doing things that are very spontaneous to them and that they're no longer part of the picture. People like to have things predictable but change is good, so support it. 

The only person you have to answer to is yourself, just know whatever situation, whatever decision you make in life, it's going to be on your shoulders and if you're fine with it don't let anybody tell you different.

I don't know about you but I'm excited for the year ahead and what the next twelve months have in store, I really feel 2015 is going to be a good one.

Could this post be any cheesier?

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