HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLOG!!!!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY BLOG!

I did it guys. I stuck around. For someone who commits to things like a three year old learning to play the drums (very badly) I am actually surprised I stuck it out so long. No doubt it's been to the support, praise, and glorious, oh glorious internet points I've received from you guys over the past year. It's been fantastic sharing music with you and hearing your opinions. Thanks so much for sticking it out, thanks so much for reading these stupid little posts! I am so grateful, you have no idea. 

Unfortunately, it isn't feasibly possible for me to bake a cake for you all to celebrate this momentous occasion. Unlike the puppy pictured above (it's National Puppy Day, just FYI, hoorah! A day to celebrate another one of my passions - puppy dogs. To those of you who know me in real life, I swear it's a passion, NOT an addiction .), you get no cake. However, I'd like to give you something equally as sweet as a present (no, it's not a picture of me, I know I'm sweet enough as it is). 

This sweet little track debuted just last week. It's Vera Blue's 'Like a Version' cover of Jack Garrett's beautiful track "Breathe Life". Believe me. You NEED to hear this if you haven't already. The Celia Pavey love fest continues this week as I fall so ever closer to the precipice of falling in love with this girl.

I generally have mixed feelings about 'Like a Versions'. Sometimes they're AWESOME, sometimes... well... they leave a lot of room to be desired. Vera Blue completely blows me away with this cover. The range that this girl has is stunning. She is stunning. This track has been a long favourite of mine. Jack Garrett creates this beat that makes me dance in my seat whenever I hear "Breathe Life". It's such an awesome track and to see it transformed so effortlessly and cooly the way Vera Blue does I'm absolutely speechless. For once in my life, I have no words to describe how uplifted and floaty my heart feels when I listen to this cover. It turns a bitey track with some oomph into a celestial synth filled float away track that makes you sway. I'm going to make a prediction now and tell you that this one will be in the Hottest 100 this year. For sure.

Stunning track. Stunning girl. Absolutely in love.

So, happy One Year Anniversary fam!

Thanks for reading, and thanks for listening.

Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of love


Kristen

Girl Power!

I've realised within the last few days, so many of my posts have been about male musicians. My music tastes vary, but by golly, it was looking very stark in terms of featuring some  girl power. Shame on me! Some of the music that I have been really digging in the last couple of weeks have been featuring some amazing female artists. So, in light of today being International Women's Day, I decided to make a short little post about some kick-ass female artists I've been digging as of late

Vera Blue 

Celia Pavey: Goddess

Vera Blue is a new project from Celia Pavey. Third runner up from the second season of Australia's The Voice,  just another example of reality television success (as much as it pains me to say it). Although, I was always rooting for Celia (2013 was a dark time in my life, let's not speak any more of it), I kinda lost track of her. It wasn't till I was stuck in traffic on the commute to uni did I hear Hold. Hold is this soulful, delicate, piece of artistry that honestly gives me goosebumps every single time. It's one of those songs that you need to lie down, close your eyes, and appreciate. First to the music, then the lyrics, then together. I'm a sucker for love songs, lets be honest. But don't take my word for it, check it out below. I promise you, you'll understand the moment you hear it. 

Grimes

Grimes: Actual Angel

Okay, so if you haven't been around me for a few months or haven't had the pleasure of sampling one of my playlists at parties or events you'll not have heard of my undying love and deep appreciation for Grimes' new album Art Angels (she got one of my votes for the Hottest 100, if you can remember). I think my friends are sick of it to be honest, I would be to if this album wasn't the greatest thing that I have heard in the longest while. Art Angels is something completely different from what we expect of Grimes. Canadian musician Grimes (Claire Boucher) is known for her experimental electronic music, most people can agree that what made Grimes Grimes was something unique. However, Art Angels introduces this element of pop in a way Grimes only can. Check out one of my other favourite songs from the album. Just try to tell me you don't love her.

Sampa the Great

Sampa so much more than Great

Okay, so here's a newbie that's really caught my eye (my ears perhaps?) Winner of the Triple J 'The Plot' competition, and all round wunderkind, Sampa the Great has completely blown me away. What a way to end this blog post, not only because Sampa is this fantastically powerful young woman who raps and sings about feminism and and issues such as black identity, but also because she's new and upcoming. She's someone I see going far and I want to share her music with the world. I recently heard an interview with her and this chick oozes this charisma and energy you wouldn't expect. Sampa the Great is so much more than just great. Her style is very much something that I wouldn't listen to. Her rapping is almost like slam poetry, it's engaging, it's clever, it's lyrical. It's hip hop but better. I'm going to leave you with a little taster of some of her work. The track F E M A L E emphasis what I feel International Women's Day should be about. Big, bold women, round of applause. Keep an eye out for this woman, she's going to be going places.

xx Kristen

Back to Uni Blues

UGhhhhhhhhhghhghghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggggggggggggggggggg

University has started again.

My blissful three months of carefree nothingness has ended (okay, not so carefree, there were cares, but considerably less so than the rest of the year). Here comes the stress, the heartache, and the lack of sleep that we all associate with heading back to school.

I have my first assignment due next week, which by all accounts has been one of a series of many disastrous events that I predict to happen this year. The glass is no longer half full, it's fully empty, someone has emptied my cup of joy and replaced it with empty nothingness.

So, why not listen to some soulful melodic music to dumb the pain and prepare for the next hellish weeks of semester.

Today, I want to share with you a new little song from my favourite Australian Idol runner-up (sorry Nollsy :( ) Matt Corby.

 Matt is known for inducing fluttering heart beats

So, apart from being a total babe and potentially causing me to sigh occasionally when I see pictures of him. What is Matt Corby bringing to the table?

This little song of course

I think what I love about this song so much is that it is a rainy day song. Since it's already March (honestly, where did this year even go), summer is over and we're heading into winter. It's time to start talking about winter songs and cold cuddling music. This is something for gazing out of rain spattered windows thinking of why you even enrolled into this semester at uni (when am I going to leave this place?!!). Matt has made a name for himself with Brother in 2011 which pretty much brought him to the spotlight of everyone's mind after his stint on Australian Idol (twelve year old me was besotted in 2007, let me tell you). However, in recent months he's been bringing to the table some really soulful, beautiful stuff. I'm quite keen to hear Telluric in all it's glory when it comes out. This album has a flavour to it that I am going to really be embracing come the colder months. It's release date is set for my birthday (11th March! Don't you forget it!), so, I'm keen as a bean to let his beautiful velvet voice embrace my ears like some sort of Matt Corby ear muff (God, my analogies are terrible, is this why no one is reading my blog?).

So listen, enjoy, and be sad with me as another semester begins and my hopes and dreams for a brighter/stress free semester vanish into thin air.

xx Kristen