100% Song Of The Month
In 100% song of the month I'll list 5 songs that surprised me in the last month, and compare them to the #1-song in order to rate them. That way you know if a certain song is really great or just "ok, but nothing special". Here is this month's 100% Song Of The Month!
05 Kyla La Grange - Cut Your Teeth (Kygo Remix) (76%)
I'm using this one to wake up. Beautiful chilled-out track with beautiful vocals. Free download available on Kygo's Facebook page!
04 Mako - Our Story (Original Mix) (81%)
Another free download which sounds better than most EDM-songs that come out these days! Get this incredible danceable tune at Mako's Facebook page!
03 Paradise Fears - Fought For Me (Acoustic) (86%)
As someone who loved the original edit of their "Battle Scars"-album, which came in a difficult time for me, the acoustic version of this song and album was a nice trip down memory-lane.
02 Rezonate - Canvas (95%)
If other EDM-artists would take a bit more time to work on music we might have a lot more of songs like this one. Unfortunately, that's not the case, making this track's mix of analog and digital instruments almost unbeatable. Almost.
01 Paradise Fears - What Are You Waiting For? (Acoustic) (100%)
Without any doubt I have to give this month's number 1 spot to this awesome song. Great adaptation of an incredible song with some of the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard. I can't wait to see this band grow and release new music. I'm a fan.
Album Review
We Are The In Crowd - "Weird Kids"
The album review takes an album or an EP and reviews it. Easy. Here's how I liked listening to We Are The In Crowd's "Weird Kids"
1 - The album starts off slow, with both "Long Live The Kids" and"The Best Thing (That Never Happened)" not being able to really surprise me. I can't say these are bad songs, but the lyrics aren't really doing it for me. I do have to say that the songs sound well-engineered, which is something I also noticed when I bought their previous album, "Best Intentions".
2 - The biggest kick the album provides can be found in track 3. The chorus of "Manners" hits hard. Incredible vocals, great lyrics anyone can relate to and an incredible use of effects, both on the vocals and the instruments. A huge amount of detail to be discovered as you listen to it once again, which I'm sure you will. They did a great job in releasing this one as one of the 5 singles leading up to the actual album.
3 - After "Manners", unfortunately, things get a bit boring. Everything from "Come Back Home" until "Don't You Worry" sound a bit "been there, done that". It lacks inspiration and (most importantly) heart. "Remember (To Forget You)", song number 7, is the only song in this list that manages to break away from the downwards spiral the album seems to get in, by adding another good example of lyrics I like to yell along.
4 - The end of the album picks up a bit of quality that was left out of the previous 5 tracks. It's not nearly as great as "Manners" is, but "Windows In Heaven" is a song of which I can feel that a lot of emotions went into the details. It's a great story, the music builds up nicely. Absolutely worth a listen. The last song, "Reflections" continues the upward spiral, making the album end on a positive note.
Overall I'd have to say that 3 songs really stand out, meaning that you can just pick out the ones you like on iTunes and save some money to go eat a hamburger. It's a big improvement compared to the last album, in which I thought their cover of "Grenade" by Bruno Mars was the only great song on the entire album. They are moving forward but seem to forget that except for catchy melodies you also need some words to sing. If the pop-genre is where they want to be they will have to work on that.
1 - Manners
2 - Windows In Heaven
3 - Remember (To Forget You)
Overall Album Score: 33%
Upcoming
Let's have a look at the most anticipated releases of next month. Remember that it is possible that a release might be released sooner or later, depending on the country you're living in.
3 March
[Pop] Pharrell Williams: "G I R L"
[Rock] Rufus Wainwright: "Vibrate - The Best Of Rufus Wainwright"
4 March
[Electro] RAC: "Strangers, Pt.1"
7 March
[Alternative] Blaudzun: "Promises of No Man's Land"
10 March
[Alternative] Elbow: "The Take Off and Landing of Everything"
14 March
[Alternative] Foster The People: "Supermodel"
[Pop] Kylie Minogue: "Kiss Me Once" (both Standard & Special Edit)
17 March
[Electro] Tycho: "Awake"
21 March
[Country] Johnny Cash: "Out Among the Stars"
[Alternative] My Chemical Romance: "May Death Never Stop You" (both Standard & Deluxe Edit)
[Pop] Shakira - "Shakira." (both Standard & Deluxe Edit)
31 March
[Alternative] Kaiser Chiefs: "Education, Education, Education & War"
That's it for this month's issue! Let me know which EP or Album you want me to review next month by tweeting suggestions @BirdReview and obviously it's recommended to follow us there, since we've got regular one-tweet-reviews right there!
I see you all next month!
Michiel
