Author Archives: Olivia

Flo vs Flo.

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There’s a few songs by Florence + The Machine that sound different to the ones that have appaeared on Lungs.

Firstly, there’s this version of : My Boy Builds Coffins. This version sounds quite bluesy and not as dark as the version on Lungs. I’m not knocking either version. I just love the different sound. I reckon Flo should do a Blues album. That’d be cool. Or even better, an album of ALLLLL the demos because only a few were on the deluxe version of Lungs. I’d buy anything she did to be honest. Even if it was an album of Robbie Williams songs..and I can’t stand him.

There’s this version of : Swimming Song. which has that raw sound of Kiss With A Fist. There’s a bit of Punk in Florence. She did Search And Destroy with Lightspeed Champion at a gig in Brighton last year. It was pretty friggin’ good. I loved it. Dev Hynes is a phenomanel guitarist and Flo is a fantastic singer, so of course it was beyond brilliant.

You’ve all heard the versions of Ghosts/I’m Not Calling You A Liar/Don’t Tell Me. Regardless of which version you love, the song is great.

I’ve got a demo version of Kiss With A Fist which is so raw and actually makes you want to punch someone in the jaw. I obviously wouldn’t do such a thing, but the version of it is THAT good.

There’s honestly no point to this post. I just wanted to write about Florence (again…I know). I juts love her and I love how she has this raw sound that everyone has fallen in love with. I remember first watching a clip of her on YouTube in 2007 and just falling in love. Her voice, her lyrics, her stage presence- it’s all amazing. A gifted human being. She could sing any song, any kind of genre and it’d be beautiful.

Ellie Goulding…because she is amazing!

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I was going to write this last night, but I needed to sleep. I always need to sleep. In fact writing this has resulted in me playing Ellie Gouldng over and over..I now need a nap. I apologise if it is poorly written, I think most of my stuff is hah!Anyway, enough of that. Have a lovely long piece on the beautiful Ellie Goulding 🙂

With the rise of female solo artists emerging, it is obvious that a lot of critics will be quick to lump them all with the same label, without even listening to them. Anyone who has a strong voice will be called “the new Florence” or anyone with a synth will be “the new La Roux.” Is journalism just becoming sloppy now?

How will singers such as Anna Calvi be categorised? Not heard of her, and then go listen to her. Play Blackout as loudly as you can and you’ll hear a voice like no other.

This leads me onto this year’s winner of Brits Critic Choice and Sound Of 2010, Ellie Goulding. My love for her music is as big as it is for Florence + The Machine; anyone who knows me knows that it’s a lot of love. I think her album will probably be one of the best of the year, and that’s just going by the clips that are floating around on YouTube. It’s nice to have a singer you can believe in, and Ellie Goulding is just that. The more I listen to her, the more I like the fact that you cannot compare her to anyone. Past or present, there is nobody you can really compare her to. You could be a massive Wu Tang Clan fan yet still love Ellie Goulding. She also has the beautiful gift of covering songs and making them better than the original, there’s not many that can do this.

Yes she plays the guitar, but that doesn’t mean she’s a folk singer. Her lyrics don’t resemble sitting around a campfire on a hot August evening. Her lyrics resemble that lovely topic of heartbreak and love. The two go hand in hand, for the most part. Ellie Goulding’s lyrics make it easy for you to relate to her with the simplicity yet beautiful way of putting the hurt out there. It’s vulnerability at its best. Florence + The Machine did it last year with Lungs, and Ellie is going to do it this year.

I will not deny that ever since I heard Under The Sheets, I played it over and over and over pretty much every day. Starsmith produced it (his remixes are amazing) and it shows that British music is worth being proud of, once again. She’s also worked with Frankmusik, who I feel deserved so much more credit for his album, Complete Me, last year. My love for Ellie Goulding grew and grew after seeing her on Jools Holland. One of the best performances I’ve seen on his show.

What I adore about Ellie is that you can hear the love of what she is doing coming out of her voice. There’s no effortless drawl in attempt to be cool or pressurised high pitch notes to show how well she can sing. It’s a natural, beautiful voice that I can only hope will be around for a long time. Her lyrics are extremely poetic and if she stood on a stage reading her lyrics rather than sing, she’d probably reduce everyone to tears. Or that could just be me. I am a bit of a wuss at times.

Songs likes Swimming Pool and Wish I Stayed are just magical. There’s no other word really. They are just wonderful. Lyrically and musically. The End is painful yet it’s beautiful. The questioning and wonder that surrounds The End is something everyone can relate to, which is what makes Ellie Goulding easy to relate to.

Will her album win a Mercury Music Prize? Who cares, it’s painfully obvious that the panel know nothing and that it’s rigged, so what does it matter what these so called experts think? All that matters is that Ellie Goulding is a fantastic singer. If Guns And Horses gets released, it’ll be the song of the year. I’m aware that this is just my opinion and maybe it means nothing to anybody apart from me, but I love finding music that means something. Finding a singer that has heart and passion. Slowly but surely we are getting singers and bands with a love of what they do coming out, rather than seeing it as a way to make money.

So what I’m trying to say, is that Ellie Goulding deserves all this praise and recognition she has been given. Some will compare her to Laura Marling- which is by no means a bad thing. I just think comparisons are useless. If you like Laura Marling, you may like Ellie Goulding. But like I said earlier, if you like Wu Tang Clan, you may like Ellie Goulding. Personal taste.

I would very much like you to buy Lights when it is released on March 1st and make it number one, as would Ellie, I presume!

Foreign Office.

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I’d very much like you, dear reader, to listen to a delightful band from that London called Foreign Office. If you love/like Golden Silvers, then you will no doubt love Foreign Office. There’s only one song up on their MySpace page, but that doesn’t matter. It just means you can play it over and over and go about your business with this wonderful song blaring out of your speakers. Hopefully you’ll be hearing a lot about them this year..and next year..and many years to come because they are wondeful. I’m a bit in love with their music.

Foreign Office.

Esben And The Witch.

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I hate describing bands, I’d much rather someone listen to it and make their own comparison. I feel however or whatever I write about Esben And The Witch will not show how good they are. The word “good” isn’t the right word, it doesn’t do them any justice.

Basically, if you like Fever Ray. Ambient sounding music with dark, haunting, spine-tingling vocals…then you’ll LOVE (I promise you will) Esben And The Witch. I’ve vowed (to myself) to use MySpace more than I did last year for music. So far, I’m liking what I’ve stumbled across.

They only have 3 tracks on their page, but just keep playing them over and over 🙂

Esben And The Witch.

Anna Calvi.

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One of the most wonderful singers I’ve heard in a LONG time. She is quite perfect. I urge you to click on the link I’ve put here, and play Blackout OVER AND OVER AND OVER. It is euphoric. If you can..put some headphones on and close your eyes whilst your listening to it. Imagine you are driving a car..no hands on the wheel if you want to be that rebellious and driving very fast on a wide, empty road.

Please enjoy and fall in love with her. She needs to be massive because is so so talented.

Anna Calvi’s MySpace Page.

Ellie Goulding MTV.CO.UK Sessions.

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Ellie went to MTV and did some songs. There’s not really much else I can write is there? Well, it’s very good. And I had some Monster Munch. My one true vice is Flamin’ Hot Monster Munch. This has nothing to do with Ellie Goulding. I’d appreciate it if she (or anyone) bought me a packet. Maybe some rum&coke too. I’m not asking for much. HERE’S THE VIDEOS….before I just ramble :

Guns And Horses.

Starry Eyed.

Under The Sheets. < WATCH THE DRUM ELLIE USES. Lots of glitter. AWESOME!!!!

I’m not lying..I really do enjoy Flamin” Hot Monster Munch. And bagels.