Got Some Tunes [December]

Tinchy Stryder (ft. every UK rapper at the moment): Game over
I really like this, I think it's a brilliant idea. HOWEVER, Chipmunk totally ruins this, usually I really like his stuff but he sounds awful on this track. Surprisingly I even quite like Devlin on this despite how I can't actually stand his usual stuff.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs: Household goods
This has the James Blake/Jamie Woon vibe as well but with a heavy dance best behind it.

Enter Shikari: Destabilise
I can't workout whether a) I like this and/or b) it is actually good. I still feel as though Enter Shikari are trying to make a song as anthemic as 'Sorry...' but I'm not sure they ever will.

Mark Ronson & The Business Intl (ft. Boy George and Andrew Wyatt): Somebody to love me
I absolutely love this. I need to get this album to be honest because everything that I've heard from it so far is amazing.

Jamie Woon: Night air
I used to get this mixed up with the James Blake track I posted last month but I think it's because they have the same sort of vibe. I love them both either way.

Good Charlotte: Like it's her birthday
I don't really know where I stand on Good Charlotte anymore but thanks to Tap Tap I found this new one and it is brilliant however not much different from any other song they've done ever.

Ellie Goulding: Your song
Possibly the most beautiful cover I've ever heard. I love that she sings this with her actually speaking voice compared to the more singy voice on her own music. I finally saw the advert as well!

Plan B: Love goes down (Danny Byrd remix)
Danny Byrd can do no wrong right now seriously. This is really different to any other remixes of any Plan B songs I've heard before because it's so upbeat and feel good compared to the others.

Woe Is Me: & delinquent
I absolutely love this band and I'd put their whole album on here but this is the new song they've got a video for so this one will do.

Bullet For My Valentine: Bittersweet memories
This is my favourite song from their current album and I'm so pleased by the amount of Radio 1 airtime this is getting! I think it sounds a lot more like the stuff on "The Poison".

Avicii & Sebastien Drums: My Feelings For You
Brilliant dance tune. Loving Avicii at the moment. The video for this is class as well.

Adele: Rolling in the deep
I love this but I don't think it sounds like Adele at all; a lot more like Florence and the machine.

Got Some Tunes [November]

BIRTHDAY MONTH. So so busy.

The Count & Sinden ft. Bashy: Addicted to you
Nice tune, topical video.

Chase and Status ft. Tempa T: Hypest hype
Such a tune. Must be played at maximum volume.

Gyptian: Hold yuh (Major Lazer remix)
Love really subtle remixes like this.

Two Door Cinema Club: I can talk
Ah oh ah ah oh ah oh ah ah oh hey hey.

Tim Berg: Seek bromance
I can not get enough of this, I love it so much. A lot of people saying that the original is better but I prefer this version. Both have pretty interesting videos.

Skepta ft. Preeya Kalidas: Cross my heart
Yeah Skepta's good.

Make Me King: Working title
So I assume that's not the actual name of this song but Alex Baker's been playing it a fair bit on Kerrang! Unsigned and seeing as it doesn't exist anywhere it's not on the playlist. The first time I heard the first 30seconds of this song I thought it was brilliant. I hope this band do well because I really think they have the potential.

Eliza Doolittle: Let the sun shine
So much better than the original.

Michael Rice: We are not made of glass
Heard this ages ago and saw it floating around the internet the other week. Michael Rice used to be in Yashin but now does solo stuff, good move in my opinion.

Pierce The Veil ft. Jeremy McKinnon: Caraphernalia
I've embarrassingly got back into Pierce The Veil recently and this song is pretty good including the guest appearance from ADTR's Jeremy McKinnon. I wasn't sure about him on this at first but it actually works quite well.

Drive Like Red: Chasing ghosts
These added me on youtube so I listened and it wasn't bad but it's a pretty generic emo sound. Nothing different really.

Crystal Castles ft. Robert Smith: Not in love
I actually despise all Crystal Castles songs that I've ever heard but on first listen I absolutely loved this, it's definitely Robert Smith that made it for me but I've not heard much of The Cure so this is was a pleasant surprise for me.

Katy B ft. Ms Dynamite: Lights on
Not sure it's as good as 'Katy on a mission' but maybe it's a grower.

Got Some Tunes [October]

The Wombats: Tokyo (vampires and wolves)
I'm not sure whether I like this because it's genuinely better than their first album or just because I'm not fed up of it yet. Either way it's such a good tune.

We Are The Ocean: Lucky ones
I really like the new stuff WATO are releasing at the moment however I don't think this song really sound like them much; I feel like the chorus is just begging to be catchy. It's not bad though.

Francesqa: Years
I don't think Francesqa could ever write a song that isn't catchy.

Attack! Attack!: We're not the enemy
I still love Attack! Attack! even though most of their songs sound pretty much the same and have the same format. I quite like the video for this as well.

Deaf Havana: Smiles all round
The new direction Deaf Havana are heading for is really working for them and this song just emphasises that. I love the spirit they have about their music despite the amount of hate they've gotten since Ryan's departure.

Swedish House Mafia & Tinie Tempah: Miami 2 Ibiza
Such a tune seriously and the lyrics are absolutely brilliant.

Eminem: No love (feat. Lil Wayne)
I prefer the structure of this song to other stuff Eminem's released recently, it's just a bit different. Lil Wayne isn't half as annoying as usual on this either.

James Blake: Limit to your love
I didn't realise that this was a cover when I first heard it but it's beautiful.

We Are Scientists: I don't bite
Such a catchy riff in this. We Are Scientists can do no wrong, period.

Sam Garrett: The river
Brilliant singer/songwriter, amazing voice. His stuff isn't on youtube so go to http://www.myspace.com/samgarrettmusic to hear his stuff.

Got Some Tunes [September]

Freessshhh from Reading Festival 2010.

Mark Ronson and Funeral Party do not embed.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8895ED5E5310BF8D

All Forgotten: Deadweight
Watching the video it appears as though AF have had an entire lineup change opposed to just a change of vocalist. I personally prefer Jon's vocals, I think that they were more original but this guy's alright... can't remember his name for the life of me though.

ISPYSTRANGERS: We're all gonna burn for this
Oh but it's so catchy...

We Are The Ocean: Playing my heart
Possibly their best song since 'Nothing good...'. And Dan's singing (bless him) is definitely worth listening to this song for.

Mark Ronson: The bike song
Weird, not particularly commercially viable but very good in a strange way. I didn't realise that the singer was the guy from The View, he sounds so different on this, less Scottish.

Magnetic Man ft Katy B: Perfect stranger
Magnetic Man nor Katy B can do no wrong. This is a banger.

B.O.B. ft Rivers Cuomo: Magic
After seeing Weezer at Reading, Rivers Cuomo is now the love of my life and I absolutely loved this song the second I heard it. B.O.B. knows how to write a good tune.

Plan B: The recluse
Just as good as the previous tracks from this album, I think I'm enjoying it more just because I haven't heard it 920570917250987 times and I'm not fed up with it yet.

Funeral Party: Just because
Catchy, messy, loud.

Canterbury: Calm down
I love Canterbury, I do, but... it's just another Canterbury song to be honest.

Weezer: Memories
Not half as good as some other stuff they've done but it's still got a catchy chorus.

Got Some Tunes [August]

Really couldn't be bothered to write anything about the majority of songs this month but trust they are all (apart from YM@6 which also doesn't embed) brilliant.

Klaxons: Echoes
Better than flashover. If this is anything to go by the new album should be good but I don't think this is half as anthemic as their previous singles.

Tinchy Stryder: In my system
Best thing he's released since... ever.

Fake Blood: I think I like it
Marmite track. For fans of Crazy Frog.

The Count & Sinden: After dark ft. Mystery Jets
If you don't like Mystery Jets but you like dance music this is definitely worth a listen.

Ellie Goulding: The writer
Not as good as the last two singles in my opinion. It's nice though, but just nice, nothing more than that.

Donae'o: I'm fly
I'm fly, so flyyyy. It's catchy. That is all.

You Me At Six: Stay with me
At least it's not liquid confidence.

Don Broco: Dreamboy
Absolutely love this song. A lot more lighthearted and more easy to listen to than some of their older stuff. They have brilliant energy live as well.

Katy B: Katy on a mission
Brilliant dance track. I didn't think she'd look like she does though...

Duck Sauce: Barbara Streisand
This has no need for words.

We Are The Ocean: All of this has to end
Tune. I do think that maybe Dan's screamy vocals aren't that necessecary on this track but they still work.

Magnetic Man: I need air
Dance tune of the summer.

Blood Red Shoes: Heartsink
Catchy indie rock.

Got Some Tunes [July]

I said I wasn't going to write anymore of these but it felt wrong creating the playlist without something to go with it so I'm just gonna write a few words about each track.

Giggs: Blow em away
Shola Ama on this puts a much more commercial spin on Giggs' usual work. This has the potential to be massive.

M.I.A.: XXXO (Jay-Z remix)
Such a tune.

Plan B: Prayin (Breakage remix)
Better than the original.

Swedish House Mafia: One (ft. Pharrell Williams)
The original speaks for itself but Pharrell's vocals just add that extra touch.

Hadouken!: House is falling
Best track from the "For the masses" album, so glad they decided to release it as a single.

Young Guns: Crystal clear
In my opinion all Young Guns songs are starting to sound pretty similar but I guess the final verdict can be made when they release their debut album on July 19th.

Futures: Sal paradise
I don't have anything to say about this really but if I hadn't written anything it would have looked odd.

Midgar: Lead your children to the sky (ft. Steve Sitkowski)
This caught me by surprise that they'd got the Outcry Collective vocalist Steve Sitkowski to do the verses on this song and Midgar were left to to the chorus but it works really well. I felt bad after hearing this that I've never really given Midgar the credit I now believe they deserve.

Asher Roth: G.R.I.N.D.
Asher Roth is back and this song is a tune. I doubt it will blow up like "I love college" but I like it.

Lower Than Atlantis: Far Q
In my opinion Lower Than Atlantis can do no wrong and I'm glad they are getting so much attention at the moment especially on radio 1, they deserve it.

Mystery Jets: Dreaming of another world
The first Mystery Jets song I've liked in a while despite how it sounds like everything else they've ever written.

Got Some Junes

Sorry this is late.
This will be the last time that I write one of these to go along with the playlists I make each month. I enjoy doing the playlists but writing these is just long and boring and it's not like everyone can be bothered to read them anyway.

Tinie Tempah: Frisky
A lot of music industry types are arguing that TT should have released 'frisky' before 'pass out' and the reaction would have been better. I disagree because I think that 'frisky' is about a million times more commercial. It's still got those clever little puns in the lyrics, "her dress from all saints but I think I found a sinner", but it's got a better party vibe.

Kele: Tenderoni
Kele Okereke from Bloc Party has released solo material! Whether you like Bloc Party or not is irrelevant to liking Kele on his own because it sounds so different, it's a lot more dancey, maybe carrying on from the sound of Bloc Party's 'Intimacy' album?

We Are Scientists: Nice guys
Definitely not the best song We Are Scientists have ever released, it's not bad though, but the video is genius!

Deaf Havana: My life is average
After Ryan Mellor had to leave the band, Deaf Havana are continuing with just one vocalist (James Veck-Gilodi) giving their music a more commercially viable sound. It is different from their old material and does take a bit of getting used to but is brilliant nonetheless.

Kids In Glass Houses ft. Frankie Sandford: Undercover lover
I hate to say it but I think KIGH have sold out by getting Frankie Sandford (off of the Saturdays) on this song. It's good and it's catchy and in my opinion, Frankie doesn't really bring much to the song that isn't already there (oh apart from the "cos this is killing me" line). I think in this song, she's unnecessary.

Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg: California gurls
Katy Perry back on form with this song, I think it definitely has the potential to be as big as 'I kissed a girl'. And it has a catchy as hell chorus. So hot, she'll melt your popsicle.

Eminem: Not afraid
It's good. I'm getting a bit bored of Eminem songs that sound like this, because there are a fuckload of them, I'd like something maybe a bit different for once. [Afterthought: does this song not sound exactly the same as 'toy soldiers'?]

Klaxons: Flashover
KLAXONS ARE BACK!!! Not too sure about this but it's not a single, it's just a taster track for what's to come on the album. Hopefully it doesn't all sound like this...

Mark Ronson and The Business Intl: Bang bang bang
So Mark Ronson's back with a new album full of collaborations and absolutely no covers. This sounds like a pretty good insight into what is to come. Despite how half of it is in French and I have no idea what she's saying even when she's singing in English it's pretty catchy.

Everything Everything: Schoolin'
I'm worried that this new Everything Everything song sounds too much like their older stuff so I'm slightly skeptical that they're going to be able to make a whole album of songs that sound different. On the other hand maybe I'm just being pedantic because it's by no means a bad song.

Skepta: Rescue me
Really like this, I'm not too familiar with Skepta's solo stuff but this sounds good, in my opinion better than 'bad boy' (his last single) but I don't think this will be his massive breakthrough track. His time will come, just not with this song.

Francesqa: Ghosts
LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE Francesqa. This is brilliant. It comes out on June 14th, BUY IT.

Got Some Tunes [May]

I haven't written much about any of the songs but they are all definitely deserving of a listen no matter what you're in to.

All videos are shown here apart from the Lower Than Atlantis song which is an album track.

Save Your Breath ft. Sean Smith: Stay young
Not a massive SYB fan, personally I think their music is no different to any other band but proper feeling this tune. It's got a good party/summer vibe and the lyrics that Sean Smith sings were so relevant to me when I first heard it. KIGH are in the video as well (Y) it's like a Welsh band fest.

Lower Than Atlantis: Mike Duce's symphony no. 11 in D minor
Every song on Lower Than Atlantis' debut album is a highlight but I think that this is by far my favourite. It's a lot slower and more melancholy than they're other songs but it's pretty powerful.

The Audition: You ruined this
I dislike that The Audition have come out with a new album so soon because I don't think that the songs on it are up to the standard that they should be. This one's alright, there's nothing bad about it, it has a catchy chorus I guess.

Aggro Santos ft.Kimberly Wyatt: Candy

To begin with I only liked this song because I found it fucking hilarious but actually it's not that bad. Also, the party in the video totally outdoes the party in the BEP 'I've got a feeling' video. Have you been to visit him at aggrosantosdotcom?

Big Boi: Shutterbug
I don't actually think before this I've heard any solo stuff from Big Boi but this is such a tune. On a first listen you're never quite sure where exactly it's going to go next.

Ocelot: Beating hearts
I first heard this months ago and I could not find it anywhere but it's here now. This has a Friendly fires/fenech-soler kind of vibe but a bit more dancey. OHHH IT'S SO GOOD AND CATCHY.

A Loss For Words ft. Four Year Strong: I want you back
This Jackson 5 cover outdoes Charlee Drew's cover by more than a mile. I have no words to describe how good this is.

Mike Dignam: Finders keepers
I never thought that I would be able to listen to this song without wanting to die but this guy has proper changed it up and made it sound so good. It actually does not sound anything like the original. Mike Dignam>You Me At Six. Someone give this guy a record deal or something.

Chiddy Bang: Truth
Definitely not as good as 'Opposite of adults' but it's the sped up Passion Pit sampled chorus that makes this I think. Without that it's nothing.

The King Blues: Headbutt
I am definitely not a King Blues fan but I think it's the catchy chorus that got me on this one.

Angry Vs The Bear: Show emotion
I heard this on BBC Introducing and was really surprised that I actually liked it. The singer has the same kind of vibe as Florence and Marina etc. Not sure what any of their other stuff sounds like but after hearing this, I'd tip them for big things in the future.

Young Guns: Sons of apathy
This is a grower. Not as good as some of their other stuff but it's not bad at all and it seems to be getting a fair bit of radio airplay for such a minor band.

Close Your Eyes: Song for the broken
To be fair they sound exactly the same as A Day To Remember but they replicate their sound pretty well. I also swear that the singer and Dan from We Are The Ocean were separated at birth, seriously. This song is the album highlight and I can imagine it being brilliant live.

AR: Lower Than Atlantis - Far Q

There is no need to write a real review for this album.
The reason for this is because it is amazing.
I can not fault it one bit.
Some of their lyrics are genius and as an album it's different to a lot of similar stuff genres because their songs aren't about love and boring soppy stuff. I love their views on everything they sing about in this album.
The fact that I enjoy it so much surprised me as they are really not the sort of band I usually listen to but I've analysed their sound to that akin of Gallows but more melodic and with more depth.

I can't possibly pick a best track because they are all so good.
Nor can I pick a worst track because I do not dislike any of them.
Rating: 5/5

[Rock sound: 8/10][Alter the press!: 3/5]

GR: There For Tomorrow & The Friday Night Boys

This is the first gig I've ever been to by myself and despite how extremely awkward I probably looked the whole night the situation was not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

However I did miss the start of All Forgotten's set because it took so long to get in to Underworld which was mildly annoying. Their set was flawless. This is the third time I've seen them and they've been brilliant every time. It was also thanks to guitarist Steve that I got on the guestlist so my ticket only cost £5. Nice one. I unfortunately can't quite say the same for the other bands on the lineup.

I spent most of They Sink Ship's set sitting down. I didn't mean to be disrespectful I just couldn't be arsed to get up. To me, they have nothing to offer as a band than any other band that sound similar to them. Evidently they've got some catchy bits going on in a few of their songs but other than that, they aren't really worth the effort. They thought they were amazing though, I like a bit of self belief.

"This song's about the day I lost my virginity". Well that's hard to believe. I suggest that if you ever feel the urge to see The Friday Night Boys, rethink and see All Time Low instead. They're pretty much the same band but All Time Low are about a million times better. The thirteen year olds appear to love FNB but I'm not really too sure why. They're mediocre pop punk was just too samey for me.

I must admit from the outset that by this point I was tired and dare I say pretty bored so I took it upon myself to leave part way through There For Tomorrow which I partly regret but I mean I'm not that bothered. They were alright from what I saw of them, nothing special, just alright. I don't really have much more to say to be honest.

Gig rating: 1.5
[Full marks for All Forgotten and then just a 0.25 for the other three bands combined for trying. See the top right of the page for a guide to my gig ratings.]

Three word review
Natalie W: All Forgotten deliver

Got Some Tunes [April]

The Diana Vickers video is disabled from embedding. I was unable to find the re-worked version of The Big Pink so I have not included the song on this playlist. To view the entire playlist on my channel click here.

Darwin Deez: Radar detector
It's catchy. I'm not so sure about his other stuff but this one, it's catchy.

Lostprophets: For he's a jolly good felon
Compared to the rest of "the betrayed" this is the track on the album that sounds the most like songs from "Liberation Transmission". It's pretty good, definitely the most mainstream song they've released from this album so far.

Diana Vickers: Once
I have no idea what appeals to one about Vickers' dreadfully annoying voice and I can't really remember what I liked so much about her when she was on X Factor but I guess this song isn't bad.

Deftones: Diamond eyes
DEFTONES ARE BACK =) I think that the title track from the forthcoming album is a lot better than current single "Rocket Skates" but that may just be my selective taste in Deftones tunes.

Proceed: Visual field
I don't think Proceed will ever make a bad song. I am however disappointed that they only use one vocalist now, I liked the screaming...

Yashin: Get loose!
Not just another emo/screamo/fringe/black hair/lame band. Don't ask me what makes them different but there is definitely something about them. They deserve to be big.

Jayz feat. Swizz Beatz: On to the next one
I actually really like this but the use of the sample absolutely does my head in. From the first time I heard this, the song just does not make sense because the real line that the sample comes from is "under the spotlight" and I find that when I know it actually says "under the" I can not make it sound in my head like it says "on to the". Other than that, it's a pretty good sample.

Bullet For My Valentine: The last fight
Bullet are back, thank God. They've definitely left the glitch that was 'Scream Aim Fire' behind and returned their sound to 'The Poison' era. This is a strong debut single from the new album 'Fever' and is pretty much just textbook Bullet.

Futues: The boy who cried wolf
Risen from the ashes of Tonight Is Goodbye, Futures gave away their debut EP with the March issue of Rock Sound magazine. This is definitely the stand out track from the CD. CHECK IT.

The Big Pink: Tonight
Taking 'Dominos' into account The Big Pink can sure as hell right an anthem and 'Tonight' is doubtlessly enough to rival the success they had with their first single. The duo are releasing a reworked version of the song that in my opinion sounds a lot better than the original album version.

Rusko: Hold on
As far as I am aware this is a very different sound from typical Rusko tunes. He's taken a more mainstream route with this song including some female vocals and not as much of the darker dubstep sounds that he often uses. Definitely one to check out.

Got Some Tunes [March]

Gosh there's a lot this month.

Embedding is only disabled on the Alphabeat video. A couple of the songs on this playlist do not have their official videos. When the official videos are added to youtube I will add them to this playlist. View the entire playlist on my channel here.

Alphabeat: Hole in my heart
I don't think Alphabeat will ever disappoint me with their catchy Danish tunes.

Ellie Goulding: Starry eyed (Penguin Prison ft Theophilus London)
I posted the original of this song on my first ever Got Some Tunes and I am by no means bored of it. I heard this remix and was pleasantly surprised to hear an Ellie Goulding remix not courtesy of Jakwob. Theophilus London is pretty good in this as well.

Two Door Cinema Club: Undercover Martyn
Not a massive fan of TDCC, I find that their music generally just passes me by but this track definitely stood out. I think this is their first single from the new album and if this is anything to go by, the album does not disappoint.

Cold War Kids: Audience
I pretty much love anything I hear by Cold War Kids and this is no exception. I have no idea what it is that I like so much about the band or their music but this song makes me smile every time that I hear it.

Kids In Glass Houses: Matters at all
Thank goodness that KIGH have come back with something good after the atrocity that was 'Youngblood'. This pretty much sounds like every other song they've done, catchy, emo, poppunk laid out on a plate before you.

Drake: Best I ever had (Matamatics Remix)
I hadn't actually heard this song in full before I heard this remix but after doing so I decided that I preferred this version. Drake is by far the best up and coming hiphop artist at the moment. Check it.

Audio Bullys: Only man
Since the Audio Bullys made my ears bleed with that dreadful 'I shot you down' song a few years a go I made a rule not to like them; it's just this song is so catchy.

Hadouken!: Mic check
This is a definite grower. I thought this was the worst song on the album until about the fifth listen where I decided that the sample they've used is actually used pretty well. It's a shame he shouts absolutely meaningless phrases over the top.

Major Lazer: Pon de floor
"Ladies get in line let me see your bestest wine". Brilliant song but God it gets annoying after being on repeat for about 24hours.

Rihanna: Rude boy (Wideboys Remix)
I CAN NOT FIND THIS ANYWHERE ON THE INTERNET. But I heard it on the radio and in my opinion it's a lot better than the TC remix of 'rude boy' which is also floating about.

Deaf Havana: Nicotine and alcohol saved my life
I am so glad they've decided to release this as a single. It's definitely on of the most meaningful songs on the album. Both the intro and outro are amazing. Just by the way, when searching for the video on youtube, I found a boy who has done a drum cover of this and learnt it by ear, it is SO GOOD. Watch it here

Canterbury: Gloria
This is not on their album (free to download at www.canterburythankyou.com) so I'm not quite sure where they've whipped this little ditty out from. I've also only heard it once and I'm hoping that it's a grower.

Twizzle vs GreenMoney: Skydiving
The sample used on this will get stuck in your head. Fact.

Professor Green: I need you tonight
TUNE. In my opinion the chorus could be a lot stronger but it's still a good song.

The Brit Awards 2010

I have finally managed to watch the entire show and I will now proceed to rip it to shreds.
For the awards, in italics is who I thought would win and underlined is who did win the award.

Lily Allen opened the ceremony and I must say I actually quite liked her pretty odd performance. It's weird to think that this time last year 'The Fear' hadn't even been released yet. She's done well this past year and to me she seemed very happy as she was performing.

Brits Performance of 30 Years
Spice Girls - 'Wannabe' / 'Who Do You Think You Are' (1997)
Don't really have much to say about this, especially considering that the only shortlisted performance that I actually remember was Girls Aloud's one from last year.

British Male Solo Artist
Calvin Harris - Dizzee Rascal - Mika - Paolo Nutini - Robbie Williams
I don't think that you could watch this and manage not to be happy for Dizzee he was well deserving of this award.

Where do I start with JLS? Well their entrance was just tacky to be honest and the lighting towards the start just made it look like whoever was doing the lighting had fallen asleep. They really need to sort their stylist out, I mean really, the one that looks like a monkey looked like he was trying to reenact the Kylie 'can't get you out of my head' video and it also annoys me greatly that he lifts up his top every ten seconds just to get little teenage girls screaming at him, put it away for god's sake. Finally, they shouldn't have had dancers behind them, there was just too much going on onstage. However I will grant it to them that they sang pretty well...

International Male Solo Artist
Bruce Springsteen - Eminem - Jay-Z - Michael Buble - Seasick Steve
I would have loved for Eminen to win this.

Brits Album of 30 Years
Coldplay:A Rush Of Blood To The Head - Oasis:What's The Story Morning Glory
I don't have a problem at all with what Liam Gallagher did at this point.

Kasabian performed a song called 'Fire' whilst being surrounded by fire, hello originality. Purely from watching this one performance I am unable to grasp what it is about Kasabian that makes them a good live band. The crowd seemed well up for it but I feel like Kasabian are similar to Enter Shikari in that people think that they are good live, go to see them live and then believe that they were good when they weren't. I will admit I could be wrong because I have never seen Kasabian live, but that is my opinion on them.

British Breakthrough Act
Florence And The Machine - Friendly Fires - JLS - La Roux - Pixie Lott
JLS were by no means deserving of this but it's a given that if it is their fans voting for them to win, they will win. I would have been happy for any of the other nominees to pick up this award. JLS did not breakthrough, they were merely lifted up.

Critics' Choice Award
Ellie Goulding
I love her, I love her, I love her, I love her. She looked amazing. I also love how genuinely overwhelmed she still was about receiving her award. I hope she does well this year.

Lady Gaga was alright. I'm not bothered that she didn't do one of the big hits. I like Gaga, I think she's a brilliant popstar but I am getting a bit bored of it all now.

British Group
Doves - Friendly Fires - JLS - Kasabian - Muse
When I heard that Tom from Kasabian had fallen over when going to receive this award I assumed he had just tripped up. I was not expecting that beast of all falls, it was brilliant.

International Breakthrough Act
Animal Collective - Daniel Merriweather - Empire Of The Sun - Lady GaGa - Taylor Swift
I would have loved for Animal Collective to win this but that was a pretty big ask. An obvious win for Gaga.

The collaboration performance of the night was Dizzee Rascal and Florence and the Machine which was by faaaaaaaar the best performance of the night and that song is due to chart in the top 10 tomorrow night.

Then there was this weird bit from Prince Harry, I can't remember what it was about but his face at the end was absolutely priceless.

International Female Solo Artist
Lady GaGa - Ladyhawke - Norah Jones - Rihanna - Shakira
I don't know why I thought Rihanna would win this...

British Female Solo Artist
Bat For Lashes - Florence And The Machine - Leona Lewis - Lily Allen - Pixie Lott
Very surprised that Lily Allen got this one.

Jay Z, Alicia Keys and this godforsaken song are all just getting on my nerves now. I can not take this much longer.

International Album
Animal Collective:Merriweather Post Pavilion - Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. - Empire Of The Sun:Walking On Dream - Jay-Z:The Blueprint 3 - Lady GaGa:The Fame

Despite Cheryl Cole's exceedingly poor miming her performance was very pleasantly surprising and I actually quite enjoyed it. I liked that she didn't just do a standard performance of 'Fight for this love' but she mixed it up a bit. I was impressed.

British Single
Alesha Dixon:'Breathe Slow' - Alexandra Burke ft. Flo Rida:'Bad Boys' - Cheryl Cole:'Fight For This Love' - Joe McElderry:'The Climb' - JLS: 'Beat Again' - La Roux:'In For The Kill' - Lily Allen:'The Fear' - Pixie Lott:'Mama Do' - Taio Cruz:'Break Your Heart' - Tinchy Stryder ft. N-Dubz:'Number 1'
Again really, JLS' stylist really needs to get their act together, those suits were... just poor really. I am still in amazement that Joe McElderry was actually nominated for this, what a joke.

Mastercard British Album
Dizzee Rascal:Tongue 'N Cheek - Florence And The Machine:Lungs - Kasabian:West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum - Lily Allen:It's Not Me, It's You - Paolo Nutini: Sunny Side Up
Definitely a deserving winner of this award.

Outstanding Contribution to Music
Robbie Williams
A few people were saying that they thought that Robbie's performance went on for a bit too long but I totally disagree. I think this is the first time that this award has gone to someone whose music I'm actually really familiar with and I enjoyed his performance.

06 Hello My Name Is Natalie and I Fail At Life.

I have watched hardly any television this week
And for that, I apologise
Because it therefore means that I have absolutely nothing to write about.

I've decided to stop writing these posts because I don't really enjoy doing them and I find them a bit of a drag to be honest.

05 Let The Plug See The Socket

I will watch The Vampire Diaries and write about the first three episodes next week.

Glee (S1E5)
I think I've worked out what my problem is with this programme; there's not enough singing, well there is, but I would prefer more group songs because I think they are what's best about the programme.

Home and Away
OMFG. So good about Hugo's death being faked, I did not see that coming at all, definitely the best thing to come out of this beastly long storyline.

Skins (S4E2)
I hate to admit it but I think that this series is actually quite good so far.

Mock the Week (S8E3)
Really funny this week. I love the newsreal when Hugh Dennis does the voices of different people over a news clip, I could literally just watch them over and over again and never get tired of them. I think my mum fancies Hugh Dennis... Also Andi Osho, who I've never seen or heard of before was quite good, I love anyone who can do an impression of a Nigerian woman!

The Grammys
This is the first time I've ever watched this awards ceremony and to be quite honest I really didn't get what was going on. It seemed to me as though they had cut and pasted the whole show in to an order that was by no means chronological and made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I don't believe that there was any part of Jamie Foxx's performance that was sung live and god did they bring out some randoms to present awards and introduce other acts. I did however love the performance of Lil Wayne, Eminem and Drake with Travis Barker, definitely the hightlight of the two hours.

Take Me Out (S1E6)
I absolutely love this programme, it's just so hilarious. Darren from Dublin was a bit of alright, shame about the Irish accent though... if only he'd been Welsh... phwoaar.

GR: Kerrang! Relentless Energy Drink Tour 2010

We love to cause a scene.
First port of call: lost ticket scenario, approximately 2minutes after entering the venue.

Once this was over with I stood in the main room literally praying for Young Guns not to have the opening slot on this date. I did not have time to find myself being disappointed as I heard the intro to 'winter kiss', turned to everyone, shouted "young guns are on first!" and barged my way into the middle of the crowd with Anna and Curie following close behind. They played a good set but I think that they deserved a much better crowd reaction to the one that they got. I mean come on serious, Gustav Wood is ridiculously hot.

I don't really want to talk about My Passion. They look ridiculous, their music sounds dreadful and all their fans (bar Jack) are fat teenage scene kids with dyed black hair. On the up side, however, they did have a lot of energy on the stage which paid off for them getting (nearly) the whole room jumping up and down.

The Blackout never dissapoint and this was the sixth time I've seen them, definitely one of the top two performances. They pretty much get better every time. My favourite part of their set was the bemusement at the end of 'save our selves' during the "woah-oh-oh-oh" bit on Sean Smith's face making me actually believe him when he said "that is the best that that has ever been done, London".
Joshmeatsix and Gavin during 'This is why we can't have nice things'

I didn't mean to cut Curie out of this but I totally cba to make the picture smaller.

After getting some free Relentless caps, keyrings and an oyster card holder we decided to stand at the back of the room for All Time Low where Curie ensured us that we would have a good view of the stage, and we did. Their set was really good but I was wishing all the way through that they would play 'coffee shop soundtrack' but unfortunately they didn't. I don't think I've had so much fun watching a set in a long time.

Gig rating: 4/5

Three Word Reviews
Natalie W: My Passion suck
Alice RH: Don't loose ticket
Cain W: Prettyy Damnn Goood!
Anna P: The blackout owned
Curie K: Jack is sex

AR: We Are The Ocean - Cutting Our Teeth

First impressions on first listen:
I had the preconception based on what I'd heard at live shows and the couple of songs the band have released so far from this album that it was going to be absolutely bollocks. I have never been quite so long in my 17 and a quarter years of living. After listening to this album just the once I think it is brilliant.

Album artwork:
A bit odd. Not really sure what message it's trying to convery or anything but in saying that I don't have a problem with it at all. It's just not really what I was expecting.

After a few listens:
I love it, I love this album, it is so good. Although, I'm not sure whether it is as good as I think it is or whether I just think it's really good because my preconceptions were that it would be rubbish. I sort of don't really have anything bad to say about this album. For me the stand out tracks are 'confessions', 'don't take chances' and 'are you proud of me now?'. I've waited a year to have a recorded version of 'confessions' and it was worth the wait. When I first listened to 'are you proud of me now?' I didn't really get anything special from it; I later read the album sleeve where they've dedicated that song to all their family and friends which really puts into perspective how far they've actually come over the past couple of years. This album is definitely a worthwhile purchase.

Best track: Don't take chances
Worst track: [I can not possibly pick a worst track so I've chosen the one I like the least] Look alive
Rating (average rating of all tracks): 4/5

[Rock Sound: 9/10][Kerrang!: 4/5]

Got Some Tunes [February]

A fair few tracks to shout about, but not really much to say about them.

Yeasayer and Hadouken! are disbled from embedding.
View the full playlist here or at my channel here.

Drums: Let's go surfing
Something I hadn't noticed which somone kindly pointed out on youtube, it does sound like he says "Obama, I wanna go surfing" and that's had me chuckling a tad. This is a proper carefree summer tune (although I do take into consideration that it is currently winter and snowing at the time I'm writing this). If you know Alice Hodges, this is definitely song I would associate with her.


Example: Won't go quietly
I should have probably put this in last months post but I didn't so too bad. I love Example and this song is so catchy. Fact: I only like songs if they are catchy. Such a tuuune.
I totally rate the DC Breaks and also the Men In Masks remixes of this.

Chiddy Bang: Opposite of adults
This song samples Kids by MGMT and I totally didn't get the pun in the title until the second time I heard it although it is pretty clever. A lot of people were saying that they didn't like this but I think it's a brilliant use of the sample because it's not like they're just singing over the original song. Amazing.

Yeasayer: Ambling alp
I honestly can't work out why I like this song. Let's just call it catchy and be done with it. The video definitely puts a new spin on the word "weird".

Calvin Harris: You used to hold me
The best song that I've heard off of the Ready for the Weekend album by far although a lot of people seem not to like it and I can not work out why.

Hadouken: Turn the lights out

This is definitely the best Hadouken song I've heard in a while and it must be good to make it onto the radio 1 playlist. Oh fuck it, it's catchy, okay? That's all I have to say. "Make way for the cardinal sin when the boys come out and the freaks come in". I always shout that line and I'm not too sure why...

The Midnight Beast: Tik tok parody
The best (and possibly only) parody I've heard this year. It is so clever and even made me laugh a bit which parodies tend not to do for me. Plus the one in the white vest in the video is fiiit.
[I wrote this before I heard Example's version of 'Tik Tok' which I might prefer, I can't decide]

Danny Byrd feat. Liquid: Sweet harmony
Such a tune. I've never heard the original but this is immense.

Groove Armada: Paper romance
As a general rule, I don't like Groove Armada but this song has totally won me over. I think it's the male vocals which they don't normally have I don't think. So yeah, it's good, check it.

Proceed: Melancholy monday
I love Proceed, they sound amazing. No shouting vocals on this song though which I never realised the first maybe ten times I heard it. Still sounds absolutely brilliant.

Tinie Tempah: Pass out
I hated this when I first heard it but it's really grown on me and the lyrics are proper good ("I live a very very very wild lifestyle, heidi and audrina eat your heart out" loves it). I think this is the first I've actually heard from Tinie Tempah but with these lyrics it definitely leaves me wanting more.

04 Female Americans Need To Gain Weight.

It's disgusting.

Glee (S1E4)
From where I'm standing, this is getting worse with each episode. If it doesn't pick up next week I vow to stop watching.

90210 (S2E5)
Why the fuck am I still watching this rubbish?

Home and Away
YES! This Hugo/people smuggling story is finally coming to an end! Although, it will probably drag out for another week but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Good times.

Mock the Week (S8E2)
Sarah Millican is hilarious.
I never realised before that John Bishop plays Katie and Emily's dad in Skins.
Russell Howard + Glasses = Phwooarrrr.

Celebrity Big Brother Final.
Launch night I said the final would be Sov, Vinnie and Basshunter.
Night of the final I thought it would be Vinnie, Alex and Dane but I thought Dane would win. Slightly surprised but then again not really that surprised that Alex won, probably more of a deserving winner than my buddy Dane would have been. I must admit I did actually watch a fair bit of this series, the tree of temptation was brilliant. Pssst... it's me, the tree!

8 Out of 10 Cats (S9E4)
I SWEAR I WILL START A FACEBOOK PETITION TO MAKE THIS PROGRAMME LONGER.
Has the series finished now that CBB is over?

Skins (S4E1)
I can not believe it has been three years since the first series. I was in year nine and we thought it was bloody amazing.
I actually quite liked this episode but only after it'd got past all the random shit in the first 20minutes or so with the rest of "the gang". It wasn't amazing but I didn't hate it. Best quote was definitely "Jesus says shut up", the two little girls on the sofa were so cuuute!

Take Me Out (S1E5)
I can not believe I have never watched this before now. It was amazing and also pretty hilarious. Wow... also James from Cardiff was a bit of alriiight.

Heroes (S4E5)
I really like both Clare and Peter's stroylines at the moment. On the other hand I proper do not get what's going on with Sylar and I do not understand at all what the carnival and the people there are on about. Feel free to offer any explanations.

AR: Hadouken - For The Masses

Due to lack of rant to do with this band and their new album this review is a lot shorter than my previous review of the You Me At Six album. The shorter the better I think.

First impressions on first listen:
First track down and it's not blowing me away but 'turns the lights out' is up next, TUNE. This album is awful. I'm not sure I'll be able to listen to it through more than once to be quite honest but I'll try... Actually I'm really not sure what to think about this album, a few of the songs are actually pretty good but a couple of the others are just unbearable. We'll give this another go in a couple of days.

After a few listens:
This album on the whole has rapidly grown on me, it's actually really quite good. Songs I didn't like at first such as 'rebirth' and 'mic check' after a few listens get considerably better, especially the next single 'mic check' as I've grown to really like the sample used throughout. Highlights of the record are definitely 'turn the lights out' and 'house is falling' but that may just be my taste.

Comparison:
I think that it's clear from just the first few songs I've heard that the band themselves have definitely grown particularly in lyrics and song writing since their 'liquid lives' and 'that boy that girl' era; which is of course a good thing.


Best track: Turn the lights out.
Worst track: Play the night.
Rating: 3/5

[I prefer this album to You Me At Six but it's not quite as listener friendly, you need to be in the mood to stand this album the whole way through without ripping your hair out.]

[Rock Sound: 5/10][NME: 3/10]

03 TV Review Post That No One Can Think Of A Name That Isn't Lame For

CSI:NY (S6E2)
I absolutely loved this episode and it quite possibly could be the best episode of CSI:NY I have ever seen, although to be fair I've only seen a season or so worth of episodes but nevertheless.

Glee (S1E3)
This episode was definitely not as good as the previous two. Does this programme even have a storyline? Like, seriously, what is the plot, what are they trying to achieve? I've gone back to not getting this at all. I also felt like a couple of the songs, especially the one about Mercedes and smashing the windscreen, were really forced and unnecessary. Adding to this, I don't like the guy who has all of a sudden decided he wants to sing as well. He can get out to be honest.
Maybe this episode was an anomaly.

Coming of Age (S2E1)
I am so overwhelmingly glad this is back! I actually don't think the storylines or jokes are that funny but the characters are amazing and I think they would still make me laugh if it wasn't actually a comedy. I doubt many people have actually seen this but it's basically about a group of five friends who hang out in a shed with a cardboard cut out of Jeremy Clarkson. It's a lot better than I just sold it as.

The Brits 2010 Launch Party
I came across this by chance and missed the first fifteen minutes but I'm sure it wasn't too eventful. The only thing that kept me watching once I'd landed on ITV2 was the performance from Ellie Goulding and she was sooo so so soo amazing, I totally love her. Ellie Goulding fought off Marina and the diamonds and Delphic to win this year's Brit for Critic's Choice and I believe that she is fully deserving of it. It was also anounced that Robbie Williams will be receiving the Contribution to Music award which at first I thought quite odd but then realised he has been around for quite a while singing and stuff. So it looks like next month's ceremony is shaping up to be very exciting indeed.

Here's Ellie performing her new single, Starry Eyed.


Mock The Week (S8E1)
Good. Lost interest halfway through though... It's not quite the same without Frankie. Mark Watson <3

02 TV Review Post That No One Can Think Of A Name That Isn't Lame For

Hello again.

CSI:NY
I'll be watching/reviewing this series a week later because it clashes with Heroes gah.
So this is now the only CSI I watch because the others are just bad these days. This series picks up where the last one left off which was that there was a driveby shooting at the bar the team were drinking at. I liked that they didn't go into loads of detail about what had happened and that it just sort of skipped to a month later with little snapshots of what had happened. I did though miss about a minute and I'm still confused as to whether they actually found the people who were going around shooting everyone. Oh, but one thing I really didn't like was Adam, gaahhh he's got rude and he's lost weight... I used to like him.

Glee
I'm gonna be honest here, I slept through the majority of the first two episodes so I will attempt to watch them again before the end of the week but I can't promise that I'm gonna be any more impressed than I was this first time round.
I managed to stay awake! And I have to say I liked it a lot better, probably because it all actually made sense. Something I liked which I wasn't sure was going to happen was that they don't randomly burst into song on the regs, the songs fit very well into the storyline so I thought that was clever. Think I'll keep watching this.

90210
It was on and so I watched it against my better judgement.
I don't like ANY of the characters in this programme, they're all just so ridiculous.

Home and Away
I watch this religiously so I will not write about this every week but thank god it's back, I've suffered withdrawals the past three weeks. I must say though, they've dragged this story on way too long, hurry up and arrest Hugo and get on with a storyline that features more of Xavier and Romeo. Thank you.
My wish has been granted, hello Xavier ;)

8 Out of Ten Cats

I've found what I think is wrong with this programme, it's too short! I think it would be so much better with just an extra 15minutes. But hey, Jack Whitehall was on this week so I'm totally not gonna complain about that because he is fiiiit.

American Idol
SO GOOD. I'm so glad this is back. Don't really have much to say about it though... although I have had that 'pants on the ground' song in my head for about an hour now =/

AR: You Me At Six - Hold Me Down

First impressions on first listen:
I don't like it at all.
I like 'The Consequence' and fell in love with that when I first heard it back in November.
As for the rest of the album, fuck, all he does is complain. I'm currently on track 9 out of 12 and quite frankly, I'm not sure I can take much more. There are no happy songs that I can put on a party mix or anything.
I think it sounds a lot like new Paramore stuff which isn't good because I hate everything Paramore have done since their first album.
At the moment, I don't think this cd was worth the £9.99 I forked out for it.

Album artwork:
Don't like it. Nuff said. It's boring.
Something that I've noticed, the sleeve says that Aled Phillips (KIGH) features on track 11 but he actually features on track 10...

After a few listens:
I must admit that I like the album overall a lot more now that I've heard it a few times and got used to some of the songs. I'm not going to do a long and boring track-by-track review but I'll touch on a few of the songs.
Basically, this album annoys me because he just keeps banging on about how his girlfriend cheated on him and after the first couple of songs I only wish she hadn't of cheated on him because then he wouldn't have written this dreadful album. I mean serious, he complains in every single song. For me the stand out tracks are 'Underdog' and 'The Consequence' but that's only because they are the songs that sound the most like stuff on their debut album. I also quite like 'playing the blame game', 'hard to swallow' and 'safer to hate her' although Josh has miraculously regained this American twang on his voice which I find annoying. And something I really didn't like was that 'contagious chemistry' could easily have been the standout track on this record HOWEVER the entire song is ruined by the "you bitch" at the end. Very disappointing.

Comparison:
What I liked about You Me At Six and their debut album, Take off your colours, was that it had a more fun feel to it for example tracks like 'Gossip' and this second album is just totally different. Although, when saying this I do take into account that some of the songs on TOYC were written when the band members were 15-16 years old but that's what I prefer. For God's sake Josh Franceschi, stop complaining about your girlfriend and get over it.

Best track: The consequence.
Worst track: Liquid confidence.
Rating (average rating of all album tracks): 3/5

[Rock Sound: 8/10][Kerrang!: 4/5]

01 TV Review Post That No One Can Think Of A Name That Isn't Lame For

I don't know how long these will last but we might as well give it a go.

Celebrity Big Brother.

This will be the first and last time I will watch an episode of this series although it did appear to look quite good seeing as it's the last series etc so they've just chucked all the money they could find at it. Probably the best thing about it is the house which is amazing but scared the hell out of me. Seriously, basing the kitchen on an autopsy room? I can't deal. I don't really have much to say about anyone who's gone in there. I think the final will be between Lady Sovereign, Vinnie Jones and Basshunter. I am backing any sort of campaign to get Sisqo's thong song to number one. I met Dane Bowers once, we were gonna buy his apartment, he used to live in Purley. Finally, I can not believe they all fitted in that mini...
No more Big Brother talk until the launch night of the normal one in Summer.

90210.

This programme neither is interesting nor does it make any sense whatsoever.
I still stand by my view that 90210 is the worst programme I have ever seen.

8 Out Of 10 Cats.

Probably, no, definitely the best thing about Big Brother is that 8 out of 10 Cats comes back!
I love this programme, I love Jimmy Carr and Sean Lock however, I do not find Jason Manford at all laugh out loud funny. He needs to get out. Other than that it was good this week. Although I was disappointed that Shappi Khorsandi didn't talk as much as I wanted her to.

Heroes.

ZOMG! I was so excited for this despite not remembering anything that happened at the end of the last series and I have to say I was very disappointed. The only thing that you actually needed to recall from the last series was that Sylar morphed into Nathan Patrelli and Parkman erased Sylar's memory to make him believe that he was Nathan. In short, the two episodes I watched were possibly the most boring episodes of Heroes I have ever seen. I hope that it can only get better from here. Although something that I did like was that Claire is trying to carry on her life as normal by going to college which actually made the programme seem a little bit more realistic. Other than that, it really wasn't worth it.

I'd like to mention that I have watched more tv than this but these are like the new series that I thought were worth writing about.
Next week will include (hopefully): Glee, Come dine with me, CSI:NY

Got Some Tunes [January]

Hello two zero one zero.

The playlist above features all songs on this post. You Me At Six and Delphic have disabled embedding their videos. Follow the url (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9CE794DE85085946) to watch the playlist on youtube where you can view all of the videos.

You Me At Six: Underdog
This is the first single to be released from their new album 'Hold Me Down'. I must admit that I didn't like it at all at first and I thought 'The consequence' was much better but 'Underdog' has grown on me. I think it's only the chorus that I don't like but the song's got a pretty good message if you ask me.

Young Guns: Winter kiss
OMG I LOVE YOUNG GUNS. This is such a tune. The chorus has a proper hook and Gustav Wood's voice is like phwwoaarrr. This single is also gonna be released for free, winner!

Sub Focus: Could this be real
This is the first Sub Focus song that I've heard with vocals on and it does not dissapoint at all. A really good dance record in my opinion.

Drake: Forever (feat. Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Eminem)
OMG I LOVE THIS SONG. I'm not too familiar with Drake's work but I've heard a bit of his stuff. What I like about him especially in this song is that he sings the chorus as well as rapping one of the verses. Although it does annoy me slightly that he's brought in all this big name artists, can hip hop artists not just release a good song on their own for once?

DJ Earworm: United State of Pop 2009 (Blame it on the pop)
THE MOST AMAZING MASHUP I HAVE EVER HEARD. DJ Earworm has taken the top 25 billboard hits of 2009 and made a four and a half minute mashup. Just listening to it I can't imagine how long that took him and the video is just a total other level.

Delphic: Doubt
Hello just another band on the synth indie rock bandwagon, it's a shame this song's catchy! Not sure they'll last more than this one song though...

Marina & The Diamonds: Hollywood
I have before compared Marina & the Diamonds to a poor man's Florence & the Machine (I mean, it all starts with the name right) but I am now starting to regret that statement as I believe her songs have started to improve slightly. This song is cathcy, although it does have a rather odd video, but with lyrics like "Oh my god, you look just like Shakira, No no you're Catherine Zeta, Actually my name's Marina" she's destined to win over some haters.

Miike Snow: Silvia
I personally think anything made by Miike Snow is beautiful and this song is definitely no different. Fearne Cotton (who I would quite like to hit over the head with a frying pan) said that this song makes her cry; I don't think it's that deep but it's somewhere on that track.