Can you describe good music?

 I've recently experienced  a mild and quite humorous case of writers block when it has come to writing these blogs. Not because I can't find a topic to talk about, because music evolves every day, but instead I haven't found anything I feel passionate or excited about in a while until recently. The other day I stumbled across one of the only interviews Joni Mitchell has ever given. Watching her refreshing attitude to music and the progression,development and heartache that went into her own music really made me appreciate and envy her thoughts on what good music really is. So what is good music?I believe that there is no single accurate description of good music. We all have our own opinions about what we think it is. Our opinions are influenced by factors such as whats 'in' at the moment, what our friends like and what we think is cool to like. When it comes down to it we all hold our own thoughts about what is good music and what isnt but the most important thing to think about isn't what good music is but how it is appreciated.  For example , in my own opinion I believe Fleetwood Mac are one the greatest things to come out of the music industry. I dont believe that every one of their songs is amazing but the heartache, talent and true determination behind each of those songs showed and proved that their music was some what of an art.'Good music' is something that  shows off this art and creativity. I really do struggle to understand who decides music is good or bad when in fact it is our own personal opinion that criticis it.

The word 'guilty pleasure' gets used frequently when it comes to my music opinion. Sean Paul for example . Not the greatest of song writers/performers but somehow I still adore his music and love his way of singing( and I'm not even joking). Normally this would be a blasphemous choice when it comes to naming artists that I like but we can't control what music we like or what we see as 'good'. You might claim to be some kind of alternative/indie rock lover but hear Michael Buble on the radio and suddenly get attached. We can't stick to a particular type of genre and say that we only like that. We are and should be more open to music and naming it good or bad.  As cheesy as this sounds, music is not something to label its something to embrace, explore and enjoy. 

 Beau x

             Procrastination or Motivation?

I most definitely should be revising at this minute in time, but instead I'm counting this blog as an English Language A-Level revision exercise (hah).  There are ridiculous forms of revision , one of them being getting up early and working in silence on a table all day with no distractions. As much as people want to say that they do this everyday, it really won't be true. One of the tools that helps me revise on a day to day basis and soothes my utter frustration of the concept of A levels is  my ever soothing and honestly motivational playlist. You might just see this as the worlds worst distraction to your revision and one of the most ridiculous blogs  you have read, but I just thought I'd share and see if it helps. Here are five songs that help me revise and motivate me to break free from the mental block revision creates. 

                                          

 Enjoy

Beau x

Big Yellow Taxi for Mitchell

 

Joni Mitchell has to be one of the most inspiring and talented musicians of all time. Some of you may not have heard of her or her music but I recommend you pick up whatever laptop, Iphone, Ipad or device you have sitting next to you and search it. You will never look back.  Producing nineteen albums in her successfull career has lead her legacy to be one to remember, and one that proves that even though these generations have past, her music still stayed as gripping as ever. Being described as 'a powerful influence on all artists who embrace diversity, imagination and integrity' won her over ten awards over the years and to say the least she deserves them.  

 

 

Mitchell's  hypnotic and beautiful  song writing has influenced numerous artists all around the word, some of these being the legendary Led Zeppelin, Morrissey and Prince.  The Rolling Stones magazine even labeled her as 'one of the greatest songwriters of all time'.  Her pure voice is one that sticks in your memory and one that sticks in your head after just one listen.  Her music drifts between folk -rock and folk-jazz and each song reflects its own individual genre in a talented and quirky way. The gritty yet soothing tone of her voice is one can put you in a trance and leaves you just open to the beauty of the song. Even though this music might be  the opposite to what you normally listen to or  isn't your cup of tea, Mitchell  needs appreciating. So for the sake of reading this blog or just out of curiosity, have a cheeky listen!

Beau x 

                                 Watch, Listen and Tell

There are over 120,000,00 videos on YouTube, about 200,000 uploaded each day, over 10,000,000 YouTube videos watched daily and over 300,000,000 accounts exist. Watch,Listen and Tell are a YouTube channel dedicated to acoustic and live music. They have over 30 videos of amazing mixed genre bands playing their songs acoustically in different areas around England. 

       The magic of Watch, Listen and Tell is that the videos are filmed with a warm tone and with just the sound of the instrument, the voice and the nature behind. The videos show the raw talent of many known and unknown artists and it gives them opportunity to really show off the pure voices they have and create the platform for success in the future. WLT provides musical enchantment for everyone's ears and what made me  love and divulge in WLT was that I found that with every video I listened to  it made me want to listen to more of the band playing. I found numerous new bands that I liked and discovered that the genre I may have thought I didn't like appealed more to me. If WLT doesn't appeal to you now , I highly recommend listening to all the videos and you will be sure to find something you love. This YouTube channel really helps you to relax and explore the musical world. You may even find a band you love that's been right in front of you all along.

The video below is when WLT visited a village called Hambale in Zambia to help build pit toilets that help fight the number of people dying of diarrhea. They found that one of the builders had built his own handmade guitar and wanted to play for WLT as the sun was setting. This video will captivate you in a way you wouldn't believe. If your Sunday is not so bright , listen to this.
          
        Watch, Listen and Tell. Happy Sunday!

 Beau x

Take a Trip to San Cisco

San Cisco ,a  Australian four-piece Indie Pop group who have recently been brought to fame in the UK . Their techno vibrant sound cultivated me within seconds and persuaded me to listen on and find out what other quirky songs they have created. And luckily enough I was drawn to them, and to their individual unique addition to music. They definitely have a vintage feel to them and their song,  Beach  certainly proves this as it has an 80s deep base and the  60s out of this world intoxicating vocals that send your mind into many segments of fascination. They released their first EP, Golden Revolver in 2011  and from then on have grown into an even bigger success releasing four other songs and awaiting an album to be released. For anyone with a music taste that dabbles into multiple genres like myself, I highly recommend this new exciting four piece. And even to people who normally see indie pop as another kettle of fish to their usual genre, I would still recommend these to anyone. This band in my eyes is categorized as many different styles and tickles the taste buds of all my musical needs.  So listen, enjoy, and look deeper into the sounds you may not like as you will probably find something you wouldn't think you'd like but seem to adore. 

Beau x

A Bugg You Can't Shake Off

Jake Bugg, an 18 year old from Nottingham. Influenced by Oasis, Bob Dylan  and The Beatles, he is an unmissable new star in the music industry. With rustic sounds and a voice that sounds like its from the 60's Bugg has certainly grown on us all. His sounds may not appeal to all 'music fanatics' but the songs he's written himself show a true talent in themselves aside from the way he presents them.

His quirky and unique talent hit me straight away, I was engaged with the tone style and era of his voice as he's not the typical new release you hear in our 'charty tarty top forty' every week, Bugg has blown away the music industry, even Lana Del Rey , Example and Michael Kiwanuka have had him supporting their tours.  Unlike his friends who supported the hip hop culture ,Bugg ventured away and decided to turn to Rock.He received an acoustic guitar from his Uncle when he was younger he decided to turn on his first Dylan album and practice along and if that doesn't make you fall in love with him, I don't know what will. From reading an article about his up and coming fame he was asked whether he'd enter a show such as Britains Got Talent or X Factor, the musician however described that ordeal as 'not feeling natural or genuine'. At least he's got some sense. The 18 year old even dropped out of studying Music Technology in his local college when he found some old Beatles song books in the library and decided he'd rather learn songs then go to classes. His somewhat outgoing  and confident characteristics have led him to this success and one big one at it. Nick Grimshaw has already listed his first Lightening Bolt song of the week and his first released hit of Troubled Town took to the industry a storm. The success he has gained so quickly is astonishing. I can't wait to see what else he has to offer the music industry and I hope he sticks to his deliciously new and individual sounds. 

Beau x 

 A Taste for the Older Tune..

A  stereotypical parents job is to be there to look after you, nurture you, and most of the time pay for you. But in my family and most families another job they have taken on is giving us the basis to our music taste from when we were young. From my own experience of  lying  in the back seat of the car  on the way back from numerous tedious journeys with my mum and being forced to listen to Queen over and over again on our ancient cassette player. I can say , after a while of being tortured by this , I began to like it and then found myself suggesting a favourite (Bicycle at the time, god knows why). This blog is to share and possibly get feedback on whether your parents have influenced your music taste or not and how they have made an impact on it. As well as Queen  I begun to get into David Bowie , still at only the age of around ten, how very rock and roll, and  although I  wasn't quite his number one fan as I thought 'Jean Genie' was 'Chinchilla' and bellowed it around  up until the age of 15 and when I was finally corrected , I started to actually listen to his music properly showing the influence my mum had playing it around me had.

       Even to those whose taste revolves around the latest in the charts and up to date music you are most certain to have a band you like that was influenced by a parent. Its just a fact. I like to think. A criticism of parents sharing music can be to say that they are living in the past and  their idea of no present music living up to the pop and rock legendary era they lived in. To us, we are living in our own era of developed pop and rock. This however is a load of rubbish in many ways. Of course new and important music is being created and we are experiencing something of our own that we can share. This does not mean however we can not enjoy music from the past. To this day some of my favourite artists include The Beatles , Fleetwood Mac and The Police, but also I'm a big fan of  Mumford and Sons, David Guetta and Example, showing the diversity and blend of different musical cultures. I enjoy music through the eras and I think it is important to experience and indulge yourself in music from what you hear when you are younger to when you are older and this is  to give you an opportunity to enjoying the many different genres in the future and to let you share even more music with generations to come. Music from the past is shared just as well in the present and future.




Beau x