One of the most beautiful collaborations I've caught in a while. Perennial favourite Ellie Goulding snuggles up with new kid on the block Lissie, described by the Guardian as a "guitar toting Americana lovechild who belongs in the 1970s" to duet on Lissie's achy-breaky ballad Everywhere I Go in a mash of soaring vocals and tumbling vanilla locks.
I suppose that one of the reasons for posting this is also to celebrate the fact that FINALLY I'm going to see Ellie in Briz this weekend as a part of the immense Dot to Dot festival, (held also in Notthingham and Manchester over the Bank Holiday) a city-centre music festival where you trek between each of the city's varying venues. I went back in 2008 ith the main intent of tracking down French-synt-anglo-wannabes The Teenagers (mission accomplished after hot pursuit of the bassist resulted in a signed French grammar book) and had a banger of a day which was rounded off by the ever fabuolous Mystery Jets, who are also down to finish the live music section, before legends like Jakwob and Doorly take to the decks. Cannot. Actually. Wait.
© Miranda Thompson 2010
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blog
Showing posts with label Ellie Goulding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ellie Goulding. Show all posts
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Kiddie Cocaine and that
Having spent a year learning the ins and out of the EU and composing intricate presentations on ‘the rural space” in France, it’s no wonder I’ve so keenly returned to the welcoming, interesting fold of a history degree.
The latest substance to come under my historical radar is Ritalin, or “kiddie cocaine” as it’s been nicknamed by some commentators. To be honest, I’m still a bit in shock about this one. A whopping 3 to 7 per cent of American children have been identified as being treated with Ritalin, equating to roughly about 2-5 million children who are on medication to keep their behaviour conforming to social standards. Ritalin is most commonly associated with the disorder it treats which ADHD, or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which can be identified in both children and adults in symptoms such as inattentiveness or impulsivity. Basically, if you don’t behave well enough in school, it’s reason enough to be sent to the doctor and filled up with pills.
What’s more, if you’re a boy you’re four times more likely to be diagnosed with it than your four year old female counterpart, most likely because you prefer crashing toy trucks and banging dinosaurs than playing tea parties and princesses. Bless them. No wonder some critics are naming the Ritalin phenomenon “the medicalisation of boyhood”.
Jizzing over my course, done. It’s onto the good stuff. As a seminar group we’re actively encouraged to find and bring music relating to whatever subject our topic touches on each week, such as Clapton’s Cocaine a few months ago or the banging Ebenezer Goode to celebrate the amphetamine movement (blogged previously, find it in the archives). Last week I typed, with some trepidation, Ritalin, and then ADHD into YouTube’s search engine, and was pleasantly surprised with the results the latter search threw up.
In the light of my reading, I’m not sure if Samsaya, an Indian-Norwegain pop princess, is an absolute genius or slightly insensitive in taking the next step in glamourising medical disorders. I’m wracking my brain to think of any other comparable musical ditty which has sexed up a biological psychiatric problem in such a way. If you think of any, do let me know.
(P to the S – skip the irrelevant first thirty seconds.)
On first look, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled across a Saturdays videos or some such. I think the visual aim is trying to replicate the chaos that can cloud an ADHD individual, shown here in the ker-azy make up clumping the dancers’ faces, the plates of cake and the conveniently placed small man. I'm not surprised she's displaying all the ADHD signs when she's clearly off her face with the hoardes of E numbers avaliable.
However, it’s the lyrics which tickle me the most. The general gist seems to be a bizarre melange of her appreciation of her own mental disorder slash telling some poor random bloke its never going to happen because of the ADHD; “the next curve and we’re through”. Overall it seems to be an apt summary of ADHD “See them talking so I act like I’m listening/Feeling strange like I know something’s missing/Day in day out I feel my mood slipping/On a fast track of constantly tripping.”
Signing off with the resonating “ADHD, I love you” pretty much sums up this whole extravaganza. Brilliant.
And finally, and because it’s Sunday, and because I can’t get enough, here’s more of the delectable Ellie Goulding with a lullaby to herald end-of-week sleeps.
© Miranda Thompson 2010
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blo
The latest substance to come under my historical radar is Ritalin, or “kiddie cocaine” as it’s been nicknamed by some commentators. To be honest, I’m still a bit in shock about this one. A whopping 3 to 7 per cent of American children have been identified as being treated with Ritalin, equating to roughly about 2-5 million children who are on medication to keep their behaviour conforming to social standards. Ritalin is most commonly associated with the disorder it treats which ADHD, or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which can be identified in both children and adults in symptoms such as inattentiveness or impulsivity. Basically, if you don’t behave well enough in school, it’s reason enough to be sent to the doctor and filled up with pills.
What’s more, if you’re a boy you’re four times more likely to be diagnosed with it than your four year old female counterpart, most likely because you prefer crashing toy trucks and banging dinosaurs than playing tea parties and princesses. Bless them. No wonder some critics are naming the Ritalin phenomenon “the medicalisation of boyhood”.
Jizzing over my course, done. It’s onto the good stuff. As a seminar group we’re actively encouraged to find and bring music relating to whatever subject our topic touches on each week, such as Clapton’s Cocaine a few months ago or the banging Ebenezer Goode to celebrate the amphetamine movement (blogged previously, find it in the archives). Last week I typed, with some trepidation, Ritalin, and then ADHD into YouTube’s search engine, and was pleasantly surprised with the results the latter search threw up.
In the light of my reading, I’m not sure if Samsaya, an Indian-Norwegain pop princess, is an absolute genius or slightly insensitive in taking the next step in glamourising medical disorders. I’m wracking my brain to think of any other comparable musical ditty which has sexed up a biological psychiatric problem in such a way. If you think of any, do let me know.
(P to the S – skip the irrelevant first thirty seconds.)
On first look, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled across a Saturdays videos or some such. I think the visual aim is trying to replicate the chaos that can cloud an ADHD individual, shown here in the ker-azy make up clumping the dancers’ faces, the plates of cake and the conveniently placed small man. I'm not surprised she's displaying all the ADHD signs when she's clearly off her face with the hoardes of E numbers avaliable.
However, it’s the lyrics which tickle me the most. The general gist seems to be a bizarre melange of her appreciation of her own mental disorder slash telling some poor random bloke its never going to happen because of the ADHD; “the next curve and we’re through”. Overall it seems to be an apt summary of ADHD “See them talking so I act like I’m listening/Feeling strange like I know something’s missing/Day in day out I feel my mood slipping/On a fast track of constantly tripping.”
Signing off with the resonating “ADHD, I love you” pretty much sums up this whole extravaganza. Brilliant.
And finally, and because it’s Sunday, and because I can’t get enough, here’s more of the delectable Ellie Goulding with a lullaby to herald end-of-week sleeps.
© Miranda Thompson 2010
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blo
Monday, 1 March 2010
The smattered colours of ecstatic fright
Happy St David’s Day!! Leeks and dragons and sheep oh my!
Beams of straggling sunlight peeking through the gaps in my curtains this morning made it seem like the first proper day of spring today, putting a bounce in my step and instilling some form of motivation after a week grumping about with tonsillitis. Running out in the fragrant fresh with clouds floating aimlessly across an azure sky made me think of this; probably the most underrated dance choon of the early Noughties.
To be honest, I’ve been trying to find an excuse to post this since the dawn of my blogging time. It’s a firm stayer in my Top 25 most played and has accompanied me down powdered pistes, floated across crystal Canadian lakes and boomed out of rickety Rabotian balconies.
However, I digress.
I’m off to see Passion Pit, purveyors of musical goodness, in Brizzle on Wednesday night, cueing the past week spent “warming up” with their epic album “Manners”. Thing is, I’ve already seen them at the heatwave that was Glastonbury this summer, but since “seeing them’ consisted more of passing out to them outside the John Peel Tent, it’s pretty much essential that I enjoy them again. Actually being conscious this time would be a massive plus as well.
Passion Pit are a delightful mashup of aural goodness, resonating with some chunky percussion, swirled about with vibrant electo and dusted off with some admirably high pitched vocals. They are American, yes, but seem to be blessed with a sweetly genuine demeanour and not so much blustering bravado as one might find with other cross-pond successes.
Top tracks off of the album? You must have already heard of “Sleepyhead”, the carousing, multi layered affair summing up the band’s abilty. Check out the stripped down piano version here.
Or if you fancy, Ellie Goulding and Starsmith have done a natty little electro-y cover featuring Goulding’s always amazing vocals.
I’m not going to lie. I’m actually in a bit of a mood with Ellie Goulding at the moment. Musically, I’ve been blown out. Twitter was alight with moans and whinges yesterday as she announced:
“I'm so sorry and I'm so gutted that I've had to cancel the Bristol date with passion pit to do a tv thing. I'm genuinely so sorry :( :(“
The TV thing? Alan Carr, appazas. No words.
She then went on to offer her flat as a potential venue for gutted fans. Forget the rescheduling , I think I need a hotline. It’s a bit like being told not to drink again; all you want is an ice cold gin and tonic or ten.
Consequently I then went straight to spotify and spent the next hour masochistically replaying Starry-eyed, like the absolute goon I am. I need to get a bloody life.
Ok. Enough is enough. Back to Passion Pit.
Please relish these two little beauties; let their sheer genius roll around your eardrums and seep into your subconscious and I will let you know if they were as amazing as they sound post passion frenzy. Try and make out the lyrics if you possibly can, there's some little gems squeezed about just crying to become blog post titles. Ahem
Little Secrets: A proper goer; smashingly good drums and some buzzy electro makes for a win win situation.
Swimming in The Flood slowly builds into languorous loveliness. Lip smackingly good.
ONE MORE THING!!! You cannot progress any further with your life without hearing this. A collision of goodness as Passion Pit pose as their producing alter-egos, The Wet Bandits" and give Two Door Cinema Club's "Undercover Martyn" a thorough overhaul, Passion style. Gleeful is probably the most apt description for this treasure. Apologies for the dire quality....
© Miranda Thompson 2010
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blog
Beams of straggling sunlight peeking through the gaps in my curtains this morning made it seem like the first proper day of spring today, putting a bounce in my step and instilling some form of motivation after a week grumping about with tonsillitis. Running out in the fragrant fresh with clouds floating aimlessly across an azure sky made me think of this; probably the most underrated dance choon of the early Noughties.
To be honest, I’ve been trying to find an excuse to post this since the dawn of my blogging time. It’s a firm stayer in my Top 25 most played and has accompanied me down powdered pistes, floated across crystal Canadian lakes and boomed out of rickety Rabotian balconies.
However, I digress.
I’m off to see Passion Pit, purveyors of musical goodness, in Brizzle on Wednesday night, cueing the past week spent “warming up” with their epic album “Manners”. Thing is, I’ve already seen them at the heatwave that was Glastonbury this summer, but since “seeing them’ consisted more of passing out to them outside the John Peel Tent, it’s pretty much essential that I enjoy them again. Actually being conscious this time would be a massive plus as well.
Passion Pit are a delightful mashup of aural goodness, resonating with some chunky percussion, swirled about with vibrant electo and dusted off with some admirably high pitched vocals. They are American, yes, but seem to be blessed with a sweetly genuine demeanour and not so much blustering bravado as one might find with other cross-pond successes.
Top tracks off of the album? You must have already heard of “Sleepyhead”, the carousing, multi layered affair summing up the band’s abilty. Check out the stripped down piano version here.
Or if you fancy, Ellie Goulding and Starsmith have done a natty little electro-y cover featuring Goulding’s always amazing vocals.
I’m not going to lie. I’m actually in a bit of a mood with Ellie Goulding at the moment. Musically, I’ve been blown out. Twitter was alight with moans and whinges yesterday as she announced:
“I'm so sorry and I'm so gutted that I've had to cancel the Bristol date with passion pit to do a tv thing. I'm genuinely so sorry :( :(“
The TV thing? Alan Carr, appazas. No words.
She then went on to offer her flat as a potential venue for gutted fans. Forget the rescheduling , I think I need a hotline. It’s a bit like being told not to drink again; all you want is an ice cold gin and tonic or ten.
Consequently I then went straight to spotify and spent the next hour masochistically replaying Starry-eyed, like the absolute goon I am. I need to get a bloody life.
Ok. Enough is enough. Back to Passion Pit.
Please relish these two little beauties; let their sheer genius roll around your eardrums and seep into your subconscious and I will let you know if they were as amazing as they sound post passion frenzy. Try and make out the lyrics if you possibly can, there's some little gems squeezed about just crying to become blog post titles. Ahem
Little Secrets: A proper goer; smashingly good drums and some buzzy electro makes for a win win situation.
Swimming in The Flood slowly builds into languorous loveliness. Lip smackingly good.
ONE MORE THING!!! You cannot progress any further with your life without hearing this. A collision of goodness as Passion Pit pose as their producing alter-egos, The Wet Bandits" and give Two Door Cinema Club's "Undercover Martyn" a thorough overhaul, Passion style. Gleeful is probably the most apt description for this treasure. Apologies for the dire quality....
© Miranda Thompson 2010
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blog
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Sunday Afternoon Selection
This afternoon my house spent a bizarre hour meeting randoms and seeing more male gentalia than I care to recall on chat site du jour, Chatroulette. Items of note? An “encounter’ with the Jonas Brothers (we were conned), sexing couples, dirty men young and old, lonely Asian dudes in empty IT rooms, juiced Americans and a French doctor, all whilst screaming and waving at anyone who came into view dressed in appropriate disguises, namely sunglasses, scarves and my polar bear hat.
In between all the mayhem and chaining myself to my desk to try and prepare for dissertation doom, I’ve needed some serious tunes to get me through the day. So here they are:
First up, a sprightly boptastic tune from Vampire Weekend meets Ra Ra Riot sideproject Discovery. A mass of punchy drums and dancing electronica, it’s just an easy, toe tapping listen.
The whole album “LP” is a musical treat; from Ezra Koenig offof Vampire Weekend lending his familiar vocals to “Carby”, or the intensely amazing reworking of “I Want You Back” with some slow burning bass and twinkling synths.
Love of my life Ellie Goulding takes the next spot on the podium with her cover of Bon Iver’s “Wolves”. I’m going to throw a whole load of words out there you could dangle off this beauty; haunting, electrifying, eerie, ethereal, hazy, and gorgeous, its music to sit and watch the snow and stars by. I massively enjoy the crackling fireworks effect at the end, apparently due to a faulty cable. My girl crush escalates out of control by the moment.
In my head, I want to join the Young Money crew so that I can be BFF with Drake. It’s about 99.566611 % probable that this isn’t going to happen, since I currently live in Bumfuck Nowhere UK and can’t rap to save my life. I can passably mime though.
So here’s to the next best thing; downloading his fitter than fit mixtapes. I recently got my paws on “So Far Gone”, mainly for my dream combination of Lykke Li and Drake combined on Li’s delectable “Little Bit”. Press play and slide from Sunday to Monday in a haze of heat-beating percussion and soothing vocals. This video is a little bit adorably cute as well.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
© Miranda Thompson 2010
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blog
In between all the mayhem and chaining myself to my desk to try and prepare for dissertation doom, I’ve needed some serious tunes to get me through the day. So here they are:
First up, a sprightly boptastic tune from Vampire Weekend meets Ra Ra Riot sideproject Discovery. A mass of punchy drums and dancing electronica, it’s just an easy, toe tapping listen.
The whole album “LP” is a musical treat; from Ezra Koenig offof Vampire Weekend lending his familiar vocals to “Carby”, or the intensely amazing reworking of “I Want You Back” with some slow burning bass and twinkling synths.
Love of my life Ellie Goulding takes the next spot on the podium with her cover of Bon Iver’s “Wolves”. I’m going to throw a whole load of words out there you could dangle off this beauty; haunting, electrifying, eerie, ethereal, hazy, and gorgeous, its music to sit and watch the snow and stars by. I massively enjoy the crackling fireworks effect at the end, apparently due to a faulty cable. My girl crush escalates out of control by the moment.
In my head, I want to join the Young Money crew so that I can be BFF with Drake. It’s about 99.566611 % probable that this isn’t going to happen, since I currently live in Bumfuck Nowhere UK and can’t rap to save my life. I can passably mime though.
So here’s to the next best thing; downloading his fitter than fit mixtapes. I recently got my paws on “So Far Gone”, mainly for my dream combination of Lykke Li and Drake combined on Li’s delectable “Little Bit”. Press play and slide from Sunday to Monday in a haze of heat-beating percussion and soothing vocals. This video is a little bit adorably cute as well.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
© Miranda Thompson 2010
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blog
Monday, 25 January 2010
Just Because
I feel like sharing some absolute tunes I can’t get enough of at the moment. Just because.
Ellie Goulding’s Starry Eyed is dominating radiowaves and my head with her deliciously sparky futuristic pop. Her voice is mesmerising, veering from the delicately gravelled-y to soaringly sweet and just dances over this swirling combination of languid pianos and relentlessly frenetic beats. It’s a bloody fit video as well; I’m a more than a bit in love with all the blue and gold and stars and lights, not to mention Goulding’s enviably flawless flicks of eyeliner. I can’t wait for her album to come out enough – 1 March is too far away.
Another piano heavy beauty is “Daylight” by utter sweethearts Matt and Kim. I’ve dug this out of my summer Spotify playlist with the sole intention of brightening up late January essay deadlines. A properly stripped back pop song with lots of fortissimo piano chuntering, it is actually impossible not to listen to this song and not feel a trickle of a ray of some golden sunshine smoothing off the winter’s stress and strains.
And finally, because I am a complete goon and can’t get enough of the boybands – the recent Acafellas episode of Glee nearly finished me off – here is some melodramatic early Noughties cheese. Point Break are proper lads. They like bumping and grinding and wearing their hair in lairy dreadlocks or centre parted curtains. In this slightly melodramatic video for slightly melodramatic song ‘You” (think slowly bashed drums and soaring vocals redolent of footy supporters) the boys mix in a detective trail around the bleak surroundings of New York slash stalking a vaguely fit girl with some truly epic dance routines. We’re talking pointing at the camera, stomping around AND spinning on toes. The move where they pretend to zip their trousers up will probably remain indelibly printed in your mind. Sorry.
Sorry this final, fabulous video's quality is so dire - am sure that the amazingness of the content will more than compensate - Glee shows the others how it's done. I heart Matthew Morrison.
© Miranda Thompson 2010
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blog.
Ellie Goulding’s Starry Eyed is dominating radiowaves and my head with her deliciously sparky futuristic pop. Her voice is mesmerising, veering from the delicately gravelled-y to soaringly sweet and just dances over this swirling combination of languid pianos and relentlessly frenetic beats. It’s a bloody fit video as well; I’m a more than a bit in love with all the blue and gold and stars and lights, not to mention Goulding’s enviably flawless flicks of eyeliner. I can’t wait for her album to come out enough – 1 March is too far away.
Another piano heavy beauty is “Daylight” by utter sweethearts Matt and Kim. I’ve dug this out of my summer Spotify playlist with the sole intention of brightening up late January essay deadlines. A properly stripped back pop song with lots of fortissimo piano chuntering, it is actually impossible not to listen to this song and not feel a trickle of a ray of some golden sunshine smoothing off the winter’s stress and strains.
And finally, because I am a complete goon and can’t get enough of the boybands – the recent Acafellas episode of Glee nearly finished me off – here is some melodramatic early Noughties cheese. Point Break are proper lads. They like bumping and grinding and wearing their hair in lairy dreadlocks or centre parted curtains. In this slightly melodramatic video for slightly melodramatic song ‘You” (think slowly bashed drums and soaring vocals redolent of footy supporters) the boys mix in a detective trail around the bleak surroundings of New York slash stalking a vaguely fit girl with some truly epic dance routines. We’re talking pointing at the camera, stomping around AND spinning on toes. The move where they pretend to zip their trousers up will probably remain indelibly printed in your mind. Sorry.
Sorry this final, fabulous video's quality is so dire - am sure that the amazingness of the content will more than compensate - Glee shows the others how it's done. I heart Matthew Morrison.
© Miranda Thompson 2010
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blog.
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