music

Grammy Awards 2016

/ James Fenney

Grammys-2016

The Grammy awards have been and gone for another year and what an utter shambles they were. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars won Record of the year for ‘Uptown Funk’, Ed Sheeran won Song of the year with ‘Thinking Out Loud’ and Taylor Swift won Album of the year with ‘1989’. Between them they also won all the pop categories. Swift and Sheeran should not have even been among the nominations as their albums both came out in 2014, which is downright disrespectful to the people who actually released new music this year and are more deserving of recognition. Especially considering they had already been nominated last year. Appalling pop monstrosity Meghan Trainor picked up best new artist and Muse picked up best rock album despite Drones being hands-down the band’s worst album.

There were a couple of silver linings amongst the multitude of dark clouds: Alabama Shakes had a successful night picking up best rock song, best rock album and best alternative album. (Although strictly speaking they shouldn’t have been in both rock and alternative categories!) There were a number of fitting tributes to musicians that we have lost including Lady Gaga’s frantic Bowie medley with Nile Rodgers and Alice Cooper’s supergroup The Hollywood Vampires performing ‘Ace of Spades’ in tribute to Lemmy. As a whole though it has been one of the worst awards in recent years ever since the nominations were announced. The Grammys need to buck their ideas up for next year.

British band killed in car crash

/ James Fenney

All four members of the upcoming indie band Viola Beach and their manager have died in a car crash in Sweden. The band was travelling after performing at the Where Is The Music? festival in Stockholm when their vehicle fell 80ft through the gap in a drawbridge. Eyewitnesses state that the car seemed to ignore or fail to notice all warnings and barriers. The band had released their debut single last year and had performed at Reading and Leeds. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the band and their manager.

Spotlight!: Spring King

/ James Fenney

spring king

Manchester based indie project Spring King are part of an exclusive club. Few other bands can lay claim to being part of history before they have released their debut. The band’s spirited song ‘City’ was the first track ever played on Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio station by none other than Zane Lowe. That quite an honour for a band with such humble origins. It started out as a side project for drummer, vocalist and songwriter Tarek Musa, who recorded tracks in his mother’s old sewing room with the drum kit in the bathroom.  With such a massive platform to help spring them up into the limelight, and now with the backing of a major label, all eyes are on Spring King to see if they can live up to the hype.

Fans of Gengahr, Blossoms, FIDLAR and Catfish & the Bottlemen should check out their latest single ‘Rectifier’.

Small but Mighty: Why we need an EP chart

/ James Fenney

charts

It should come as no surprise that the music industry is constantly changing. In my lifetime alone I’ve seen the rise and fall of downloads, the emergence of streaming services and the surprise return of vinyl. For the most part the official charts company has moved with the times and brought out special dedicated charts for streaming and vinyl, as well as counting them towards the main charts. However there is one important aspect of the modern music industry that they have thus far steered clear of: EPs. Continue reading →

Must Own Albums: Modern Marvels

/ James Fenney

21-by-AdeleAdele – 21

With the incredible 21, Adele suddenly became the most important woman in music. It would take me several paragraphs to list all the accolades and records it has broken. It has already become one of the best selling albums of all time and the singles ‘Rolling in the Deep’, ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ and ‘Someone Like You’ became worldwide number one hits.

arctic monkeys amArctic Monkeys – AM

After being one of the first bands to come to fame via the internet, they released the fastest ever selling debut album and soon became heralded as the greatest British band of the generations. Several albums down the line they went one better and combined their trademark Sheffield wit, slick Californian production and a newfound confidence to create their greatest album yet.

Amy_Winehouse_-_Back_To_BlackAmy Winehouse – Back To Black

Following her tragic death, Winehouse became the latest addition to the infamous 27 club. Her short lived, but hugely influential, music career has had a profound and lasting effect on modern music. Her final swansong Back To Black has already become a classic and features the singles ‘Rehab’ and ‘Tears Dry on Their Own’.

the-suburbsArcade Fire – The Suburbs

Canadian band Arcade Fire have crafted what may be the finest album of the 21st century thus far. The band’s bittersweet letter from the suburbs is grand and complex but still pulls you in with the warmth and familiarity of home. A compelling tale of life on the edge, searching for hope; it is pure, ambitious and simply magnificent.

Posthumous Albums: Music from the Great Beyond

/ James Fenney

kurt cobain

Following the recent death of David Bowie his music dominated the charts and Blackstar became his first ever number one album in the US. As bleak as the mourning period may be, death can be rather profitable. Michael Jackson for instance was in debt before his death, and a few months afterwards his estate had made millions. Record labels often use this fervour to produce albums long after an artist has passed away. The question is whether they should, or whether they should just let people rest in peace? Continue reading →

ELO to play Glastonbury’s Legends slot

/ James Fenney

elo-Jeff-Lynne

Jeff Lynne and the latest incarnation of the Electric Light Orchestra have been announced as the performers for the traditional Sunday teatime “Legends” slot for this year’s Glastonbury Festival. They follow in the footsteps of Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie who both performed to packed crowds. Jeff Lynne’s ELO has already been a surge in popularity after reforming and releasing their latest album Alone in the Universe which has since gone platinum in the UK.

Sir Terry Wogan passes away

/ James Fenney

BBC Radio 2 Presenters

This bleak January has taken yet another beloved figure from us in the form of broadcasting legend Sir Terry Wogan. After nearly 50 years as BBC Radio 2’s most popular presenter, he passed away aged 77 after a short battle with cancer. He was well known for his warm and witty broadcast style and his steadfast dedication to his loyal fans. He was the UK’s voice of Eurovision for many years and has been involved with Children In Need since the appeal’s inception in 1980. He was one of the greatest radio presenter ever to grace a microphone and Britain mourns the loss of such a national treasure.