Thursday, 21 July 2016

The Jadelist: MAY 16

Hey hey lovely people!

As you could probably tell from the previous post, I'm bulk writing these posts in June after I finally caught my breath post-deadlines

In all honesty, it's been so nice and almost therapeutic to take a couple of hours out today just to listen to some great music and write about it, and I really to love doing this.

Just finding some new tracks to listen to and going on some kind of musical scavenger hunt has been great, but now it's time to share with you what I've found.

So without further ado, here's the May Jadelist:


1.

What If I Go? by Mura Masa



Okay, so discovery-wise, it didn't take much effort to find this song!

One day when I was listening to Spotify, this add came on, and I've gotta say, I wasn't even mad.

What's great about this song is it starts very drum and vocal heavy, pretty cutesy if I might say, but then out of nowhere, the beat drops and completely changes, but here's the special part, it DIDN'T ruin the song

I mean half of the time, adding too much of a remix/techno sound completely ruins a song, but this compliments so much and man I am so happy

Also, after a quick Google, it turns out that Mura Masa is nearly a whole year younger than me and already making great tracks like this, so yeah, just gonna crawl into the corner right now...


2.

Warm Water - Snakehips Remix by Banks




Nope, this isn't some ripped straight from the video song, that party atmosphere is meant to be there.

Usually, having vocals that sound hollow and somewhat tinny would be pretty awful, but this strangely works, almost in a relaxed way.

This was definitely one of my more laid back remix tracks this month.

Also, nice to see Snakehips popping up and around again, considering that they have the midas touch of music for me, in the same way as Kygo!


3.

Sun by Jónsi




This was a funny one for me to put in

I don't think anyone could say that Jónsi creates awful music. His style is so unique, cute and still epic.

So naturally, one day I felt like going on a Jónsi hype and started spiralling into a sea of his tracks, on his own and with Sigur Rós, until I needed more songs, so started branching into the ones I hadn't yet heard.

Now, I'm such a summer freak, so of course the first one I clicked was Sun from the We Bought A Zoo soundtrack.

This track just captures seeing rays of sunlight into music form and ironically, gives me the chills.


4.

Younger - Kygo Remix by Seinabo Sey, Kygo




So Jade, where did you hear this great club track by Kygo? Anywhere exciting? An event?

Well, no. Actually, I heard it in a Skechers shop...

Shout out to Skechers for having some great music in their shops!

But back to the song. The moment I heard it, I was hooked.

It has that great style that I love, which made me think, it has to be Kygo. Low and behold, after a cheeky Shazam in the shop, it was indeed my favourite DJ.

There's something about the music that Kygo creates that embodies this summery vibe whatever time of year you listen to, which is surprising considering he's from Norway, not the first country you think of as being summery

Not to mention that this song is such a good motivator, because you ain't getting any younger, are you?



5.

Quesadilla by WALK THE MOON




That's right, I put a song in Jadelist that's called Quesadilla. I put a song in that's named after a food.

Does the word Quesadilla get mentioned in any of the song lyrics? No.

This song definitely has the typical WALK THE MOON vibe, but probably a bit more upbeat. Is it too much for me to say it has a very 2009 style, when Raybans were the thing and everyone wanted to be a scene kid?

Regardless, I think listening to this song will set you up to have a good day, I mean, nobody can be mad listening to this song. Music therapy people!


6.

LA Calling by Crystal Fighters



Maybe this song is just goals for me?

It sounds summery from the get go, especially with the guitar riff. It's about going to LA, which is definitely a dream of mine, and it's just very upbeat like be.

I'm sorry, did they make this song for me?!

The summery style of songs are definitely strong in this post. Yes, I'm really that excited for summer.

Guitar riff? Check

Great location mentioned in lyrics? Check

Summery vibe? Check

This song passes the official Jade summer song check. Good game everyone



7.

Ocean's Deep by Born Ruffians



Off topic, but as soon as I see Born Ruffians, the first thing I think of is Viva Piñata and the ruffians in the game? Anyone else? Am I too young?

I mean, continuing with names, Born Ruffians and Ocean's Deep just doesn't present the image of a song that sounds pretty upbeat and catchy, so feel surprised when you listen to this song.

When you look into it, the lyrics aren't really all that upbeat, talking about a breakup and the lies involved, but hey, who would notice that when it's hidden with an upbeat rhythm?!

Born Ruffians just have that typical English seaside town vibe, which is strange considering they're from Ontario, Canada.

Need a post-breakup song? Click play!


8.

Some Minds by Flume, Andrew Wyatt



Now, for a change of music style after the vast majority of this month being upbeat, summery style songs.

I wish I could remember where I first heard this song, but it's completely slipped my mind, but I think it's either from an advert or some time where I Shazamed it.

It definitely sticks out like a sore thumb this month, being a bit more ominous, with, can I say a magical backing to it? Like little music specks of light in a dark room? Too visual and pretentious?

But then, as you start to edge towards the end of the song, and unexpected remix cuts in thanks to Flume, another favourite record producer of mine who just seems to be popping up everywhere.



9.

Life Itself by Glass Animals




Okay, no time for judgement but do you want to know where I found this song?

Buzzfeed. That's right, I found this song using a Buzzed quiz, and I'm not even mad.

The intro of this song really gives you a different impression of what the song will be like, until it starts to change about 50 seconds in, bringing much more of a pop vibe.

It's funny because I have barely heard any Adam Lambert songs, but that was the first impression I got from the vocals; very alluring and pop prince style.

Which is completely weird to me, because I've heard Glass Animals before. Their song, Gooey, was definitely a big favourite of mine and my official soundtrack to meteor showers, but I never would have guessed that this track was from the same band. 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if this song becomes pretty big, I mean it checks those unwritten boxes to become a pop hit, so it's just a matter of waiting and wishing, but I have an inkling this will do very well indeed.


10.

We Two Are a Moon by Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop


Now to end on a cutesy song if I ever did hear one.

I first heard this when I was listening to Radio 6 in the bath. Imagery.

But no, because I was in the bath, I didn't quite catch the artists at first, which lead to a furious drying of hands, rewinding on TuneIn and Googling lyrics.

This song has a nocturnal, romantic, acoustic style that just sounds oh so cute, but also something that reminds me of insomnia.

That's something I love about Radio 6, giving you the opportunity to listen to artists you may have otherwise not encountered, and this is a perfect example of that.

So go ahead and take a listen!




So that's it for this months Jadelist. What song was your favourite? Let me know in the comments below




As always, thank you so much for reading & I hope you have a lovely day







Lots of Love


Tuesday, 28 June 2016

The Jadelist: APR 16

Hey hey lovely people!

Time for a confession: This post is being written in June.

I know, I know, that's a long time, but if this final year, well, if these past few weeks have taught me anything, it's not to have too much on you all at once.

Having different types of deadlines, commitments and everything else all at once took its toll and I kinda just became a big ball of anxiety during April and May, but it's all good now!

Thankfully, I've recognised the issue, so I'm taking the steps to keep anxiety at bay and what not, so now I'm back with some more fantabulous music for you all to enjoy!

Though April was a hectic time, there was a lot of great music involved which thankfully haven't scarred me for life with flashbacks to deadlines!

So, without further ado, here's this months Jadelist!



1.

Work from Home by Fifth Harmony






I'm British, so I never thought this would happen: I'm becoming obsessed with Fifth Harmony

Now, that's not to say that because I'm British, I shouldn't like them, but the USA has more of an attachment to them, and rightly so, they appeared of their version of The X Factor. 

Essentially, they're like the USA's answer to Little Mix, which is probably why i brushed them off, not that I don't like Little Mix, but I'm not their biggest fan, but man, was I wrong!

Their first song that I loved was Miss Moving On, then BO$$ dropped and I was hooked on that too, but when I first heard this song, I was obsessed and had no clue who it was, thinking it was some new starlet's debut single.

Proceed to a gobsmacked Jade, looking at the Shazam result on her phone to find out it was actually Fifth Harmony

This song has such an infectious beat, not to mention that the lyrics will be stuck in your head FOR DAYS!

Work work work work work work work...okay, I'll stop now. 


2.

Valentine's Day by Proleter






Now for the shameful back story from this song.

I found this through a YouTube video by LtCorbis.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, LtCorbis is a 11 year old girl who's language is filthier than a white Ford Transit, but this girl knows comedy and how to be a YouTuber in 2016.

Anyway, this song was featured in the outro to one of her videos, but the short 15 second snippet clearly wasn't enough for me, so I Shazamed it and voila, here we are.

It's funny because I've heard of Proleter but never listened to them until now.

It has that sampled jazz meets modern music vibe, and I'm sucker for jazz.


3.

Beautiful War by Kings of Leon





Kings of Leon are great and that's all you need to know. The end.

Okay, maybe not that outright, but Kings of Leon never seem to fail, and this is no exception.

Though don't be fooled, this isn't one of their typical rocker songs.

Beautiful War has a lazier, tender vibe to it that's a bit dissimilar to the bands typical style, but that doesn't mean it's not as good.

It's funny, because this gives me somewhat of a U2 vibe rather than KOL

Definitely a nice calm rock anthem.



4.

Finale by Madeon, Nicholas Patricia





It's funny because this song shouldn't really be here

Believe me, I checked if this had already featured in a previous Jadelist, but to my surprise, it hasn't, which is insane because I love this song a hell of a lot.

I first heard this song a couple of years back, dismissing it from the get go because the techno vibe at the start was a bit meh.

But no, I stayed persistent and listened a bit longer until the beat dropped. Then I truly realised how great this song was.

My favourite part in particular is towards the end, when everything starts to calm down, almost like a sunset on a summer evening. Too dramatic and picturesque? My bad!

Either way, I've loved this song for such a long time, and here's hoping you like it too!


5.

These Days by Nico





Ignorant Jade incoming.

Now, I've liked the song Amplified by Watsky for quite some time now, and I thought it was great and totally original.

Yeah, I didn't know that it sampled this song.

You see, it all started when I heard a vine with the rhythm in it, immediately thinking 'Hmm wait, this is from Amplified, but it sounds a lot more, vintage?'

Fast forward to an embarrassed Jade reading the comments, finding that it was actually used by Nico before Watsky.

Nevertheless, I started to get hooked on this song. I really appreciate it's calmness, I don't know, it just seems like something you'd listen to while writing inside on a rainy day, kinda like now....



6.

Luxury by Jon Bellion, Audra Mae





Jon Bellion, you absolute bae.

Did someone say Vine song?

Well, kinda.

While on Vine, I heard a cover of Woodstock by Jon Bellion and thought it was beyond. This then lead me to stalk his Spotify, where I found this little gem.

Luxury kinda reminds me of the type of song you'd hear from someone like Owl City or hellogoodbye, kinda that soft techno-pop sound.

Now all we need is for Woodstock to be on Spotify and I will be forever grateful. Cheers Jon.



7.

Flame by Sundara Karma






Whoah whoah whoah whoah whoah, I am ridiculously in love with this song.

What makes it weird is that I wasn't even expecting to like them!

I was scrolling through Facebook one day when a Sundara Karma event came up on my timeline and I don't know, the name kinda interested me so I thought I'd do a quick Spotify search

Best. Decision. Ever

This song is 100% in my favourite style of music, and I'm sure it's gonna be one of my favourites for a long time to come.

I simply can't describe how good this song is in words, you just have to listen for yourself.


8.

To Believe by VITAMIN






Gotta thank Viola Beach for this one.

So, as you all probably know by know, Viola Beach were my perfect genre in a band, so I've been trying to find any bands that are along the same lines.

Seriously, bless Spotify's 'Related Artists' feature, because I found so many great bands, with VITAMIN being one of them.

This song definitely has that upbeat vibe that I absolutely adore, not to mention that I'm obsessed with the short guitar riff near the end.

Love Viola Beach? Give these guys a listen!


9.

Glow by High Tyde






Another great band found from the Viola Beach related artists.

So far, these guys are the most similar I can find to them, and I'm completely taking advantage of that.

It's funny, because I associate this sound with British seaside town indie-pop-punk-rock, and guess where these boys happen to be from? BRIGHTON!

Brb, just off to patent my musical mapping skills. MI5 are clearly in need of my services.

It's a fast paced rockable song that just captures that British charm that I oh so adore.



10.

Heartbeats by José González





What a lovely song to end on, again, another one I thought I'd already featured because I've loved it for such a long time.

Now, I am such a big Supergirl fan that it's ridiculous, but you have to give credit to the show for its music.

Seriously, they feature some great lesser known artists with their original songs, or fabulous covers of songs, just like this song.

It was covered on the show by Daniela Andrade and Dabin, which don't get me wrong, I loved, it was a nice techno twist, but it only made me go back and listen to the original.

This is one of those quieter, acoustic-type love songs that should be a classic. World, get on that!






So that's it for this months Jadelist! What music have you been loving in the month of April? Let me know in the comments below!


Now, question of the post: What was your favourite song from this months Jadelist?



As always, thank you so much for reading & I hope you have a lovely day





Lots of Love




The Jadelist: MAR 16

Hello lovely people!

Jade is almost a free elf!

That's right, one more week left of deadlines and then I'm officially free from uni. Error 404, existential crisis impending due to real world life about to kick in. 

So, now that my biggest deadlines are out of the way, I finally have a chance to do a bit more blogging, so naturally, I thought I'd finally catch up with Jadelist.

What's worse is that I actually make Jadelist throughout the month, so I've just had a few playlists silently judging me each time I go on Spotify.

Nevertheless, here's ten songs that I loved in the month of March. Enjoy!



1.

Barely Breathing by Duncan Sheik 




How did they know that cheesy songs you would hear in a 90's movie are my weakness?!

Seriously, pretty embarrassed that I like this song, but I'm such a sucker for that late 90's to early 00's style of music.

Also, am I the only one getting Scrubs theme song vibes from this?!

Don't worry, I did a quick search and it's not the same artist, but it has that chilled punk vibe that was around then.

Petition for more music from this genre these days? Just me? Okay....





2.

All The Pretty Girls by Kaleo



How can such a sad song sound so pretty?

The guitar riff at the beginning just sounds so sweet and I may have fallen in love with it.

Then the vocals start to kick in and it's not really what you expect, but never mind that, it still sounds beautiful.

Not to mention that later is the song, it starts to pick up a folk-style rhythm, so naturally, I'm beyond obsessed.

I mean, this song is just some giant contradiction, sounding so beautiful with deeper words.

But what's annoying me the most about this song? Kaleo sounds incredibly similar to another artist, and it's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't think of who for the life of me!



3.

Beach Baby by Bon Iver



Kaleo AND Bon Iver?! Looks like March was a time of sad music for me!

Admittedly, this Bon Iver isn't all that sad sounding.

But what attracted me to listen to this song? The title.

That's right, I see the word beach and it's an instant pull factor. I am that shameless. (N.B., still haven't gone to the beach in 2016 yet...)

But back to the music itself. It has that relaxed acoustic vibe, like something you'd listen to in bed on a lazy, rainy morning.

But then, later in the song, this lead kicks in that gives it almost a vintage beachy vibe, if it even can be described.

All I can say is that it makes you feel content.




4.

J'ai Cherché by Amir


Ahh, the first Eurovision song of 2016 that I heard.

Plus, what are the odds that it was from France?! Francophile Jade strikes again!

Now, I don't wanna brag or anything, especially because I haven't heard all the other songs yet, but I typically have an eye for picking the Eurovision winning song each year (with the exception of 2011, let's just forget 2011...)

Well, I think this has a very high chance of winning. It just has that typical winner vibe to the song: epic, upbeat, powerful, great vocals, I mean, can I praise this song enough?!

Mark my words, I will definitely be buying Eurovision tickets if Paris host in 2017. 



5.

V. 3005 by Childish Gambino



Okay, confession time.

A lot of the songs from this months Jadelist were discovered from Vine.

I can already feel your collective judgement. My bad...

Well, this song is definitely no exception. What's more worrying is it's not like this is a new song or some kind of unknown musical gem, hidden in the depths of the internet.

Nope, not only is this by well known rapper Childish Gambino, but it was also released in 2013. Always first on the trends, clearly...

This song has conflicting parts throughout, with relatively chilled versus and then a high impacting chorus.

Plus, I may be addicted to the music video. That ferris wheel though!


6.

Paper Habits by Jet Life, Young Roddy, Trademark Da Skydiver


How pretty does the beginning of this song sound?

Getting major Animal crossing vibes from the beginning rhythm.

Now, this is by no means a rant or insult at the song, after all, it's in Jadelist, of course I like it, but how many rap songs do I only like for a great instrumental?!

Not sure whether to be happy that there's a nice sounding song, or disappointed that it's overshadowed by the rap.

Nevertheless, I'm getting some lazy summer vibes from this, and I'm not mad.



7.

Say You Do by Sigala, Imani, DJ Fresh


Whoah! A mainstream song in Jadelist! YAAAASSSSSSSS!!

But this song totally deserves it! Nice to hear vocals that could totally support themselves without great backing music.

That's not even a dig at the music, because it's so infectious! I may or may not be sat here tapping my foot while writing this.

It's weird, because it has a modern summer vibe, especially with the drum beat, but the vocals and the chorus give me an early 00's girl band vibe. Yeah, that's probably why I love it so much!

It's no surprise that this song has turned out great - DJ Fresh was involved, and nobody can forget the hit that was Hot Right Now, that may still be on my gym playlist...



8.

Stay by Kygo, Maty Noyes


Okay, let's make it official right here, right now: Kygo will forever be my favourite DJ.

He has a sound that is instantly recognisable that is dissimilar to other DJ's. I think it's the techno drum beat that sounds like an edited steel drum.

Either way, his edits always sound much more upbeat, summery and party like. Maybe it's just me being Eurotrash, but I just really like the sound he produces.

But seriously, this does have a very Euro-vibe to it. I mean, props to Scandinavia right now for all the great DJ's coming out of their in the past few years.

You've taken a girl who typically hates house music and made her fall in love with it. I take my metaphorical hat off to you!



9.

Last Days Of Dancing by Maja Francis



Props to Jack for introducing me to this song, and good luck to all the future projects relating to this song.

Now, I thought that this was some unknown song in the world of music, but to my surprise, it's doing rather well, with over 1 million Spotify plays to its name! Nice one Maja!

I get Robyn vibes from Maja. Maybe its the voice or similar music styles, but I'm definitely hooked.

Lets not even mention the last 30 seconds or so when an extra beat kicks in. Pure magic.

It just sounds like one of those reunion songs that you'd hear at the end of a movie.

To me, this is an anthem of togetherness.


10.

Boys That Sing by Viola Beach



Someone hold me.

Honestly, it's really upsetting that this band will never live to see their success.

Now, for someone like me to find a band that I am fully 100% interested in all they music is a rare thing, so hearing their sound and falling in love with it after their passing was bittersweet to say the least.

So naturally, after becoming hooked on Swings and Waterslides, I just had to go out and see if there was any more of their music around, and I was presented with this beauty.

It has that upbeat indie-pop vibe that I just adore.

I just hope that Viola Beach still gain some notoriety for years to come, despite their tragic ending.


*Cheeky Bonus Song*

Like A Fool by Viola Beach

 

Okay, don't hate me but I couldn't shorten it to 10, and c'mon, two songs from the same artist and EP is totally allowed, right?

Now, this still has a loveable vibe like Boys Who Sing, but this has much more of a summery vibe to it, like spending the day at the beach.

Seriously, this band to me are the epitome of British summer as a young person and I'm head over heels in love with their sound.

Prayer circle that more of their music gets released over the coming weeks.




N.B - Hey everyone! This is present day Jade! Past Jade is an idiot who left this post in a tab for months without publishing. Don't be like past Jade!


So, that's it for this months Jadelist! How did you feel about the songs in this post? Let me know in the comments below.

So, question time! What song have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments below!



As always, thank you so much for reading & I hope you have a lovely day






Lots of Love