Rating: 9.4/10
Website: http://the1975.com/#
Purchase: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/the-1975/id686362512
One of my favourite albums of all time. I'm so surprised that this band isn't that popular, or in particular, this specific album. It is one of the most solid throughout in every aspect, especially in today's industry. The band is extremely unique, especially in the philosophy behind their music. That belief, and idea, definitely plays through in this album. It's all about the music, rather then the production.
And the music that they have created is amazing. It's extremely unique in this industry, a kind of pop rock synth mix. The band themselves calls their music black RnB, and while you can definitely see those influences in the songs, the style is much harder to classify then that. Title tracks Robbers, Chocolate, Girls and Sex are very similar, relying slightly more on an conventional sound then other singles such as Menswear, Pressure, and She Way Out. The awesome thing about this album is that each song has something slightly different then the other, but you still can't identify a weak song throughout the record.
This is a young band, and one that will continue to develop, and find a sound that they will stick with for a long time to come, but this debut album is absolutely a hit, and marks excitement for the future that is well deserved.
Friday 26 February 2016
Tuesday 23 February 2016
Top Ten Songs for February
This was definitely a good month of new music. Not only have I included some great new songs, there was also many other new releases, and some new discoveries that unfortunately didn't make it onto the list for this month, but will definitely be here next month. One of those bands is Daughter; check them out!
1. Dancing on My Own - Calum Scott - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSinMOs5eGw
Unfortunately, you can't find this song everywhere. It's not even on iTunes! Calum Scott was a contestant on the British X Factor, finishing in third place, but this audition was the highlight of his time on the competition. His vocals are almost identical to Maroon 5's Adam Levine, and his control over his pitch is absolutely amazing, and perfectly suited to this unique cover.
2. Every Giant Will Fall - Rend Collective - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW63lCBOaVo
A lot of people seem to forget that Rend Collective isn't only a band. They spent a lot of their time doing others thing as well, including a devotional blog on their website. It seems as if they are just investing in this project, but they have some really cool ideas up there right now, especially in regards to the holiday season, what worship is, some devos out of their songs, and other amazing ideas.
3. Fierce - Jesus Culture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II1JKBuz-AY
Jesus Culture has released a lot of new music lately, and while I do like their new stuff, there's nothing really that's as good as something from their older stuff, like One Thing Remains. The only song that actually comes close is this Fierce song. It's slightly more upbeat, and the lyrics come from a great, unique idea.
4. No Longer Slaves - Bethel Music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TkUMJtK5k
I still strongly believe that this is where worship music should aim to head for this year. An altar call of a song, it tugs at the heart strings, and opens up so much passion in any listener. Musically, this is what worship music is all about; laying it all out before God. Bethel Music has done an amazing job creating this particular song.
5. From the Day - I Am They - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUjuRFwwvaw
Heard this song over a weekend retreat, and I have to say the song leaves a lot of room for some very good covers to be done that could even be better then the original. The original is very close to sounding like a Rend Collective tune, but the vocals aren't quite as distinct.
6. Love Yourself - Justin Bieber - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyEuk8j8imI
Still my favourite song from Bieber's new album. I would have thought that this new album would help Bieber cater to an older audience, but to be honest, I've only noticed a slight increase in attention from the older demographic. And really, that interest is only coming from those in their early 20s. I'm sure Bieber is fine with that, but I expected more interest from those in their 20s, and even some who are in their 30s.
7. Simplicity - Rend Collective - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8p3n5wzFpM
The song is right up my alleyway. Acoustic, passionate, an amazing lyrical idea, another amazing worship tune. Rend Collective is typically labelled as a one dimensional band, with only the folk vibe to them. However, this song proves that there is much more to them.
8. Heartbeat - Mat Kearney - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acScCRFIFNc
Believe it or not, I'm not a huge fan of concerts. I've actually only been to about 6 concerts in my whole life. There are only a few select artists that I would actually go and pay to see, and Mat Kearney is one of them. Apparently his live stuff isn't full of gimmicks, but it's a good, down to earth, musical performance.
9. Wasn't Expecting That - Jamie Lawson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AydFkrm6UrU
One thing that I've really realized is that a lot of newer artists that go on world tours seem to pass Canada by. It's kind of disappointing, especially with the major cities like Toronto not even being on the list. Jamie Lawson is one such artist. He's doing a lot of stuff in the States, but nothing in Canada.
10. Fire Away - Chris Stapleton - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AhUXAILWE
I also love this artist's vocals. Again, the raspiness lends an amazing helping hand to the emotion generated. The only complaint that I have in regards to this artist is that the majority of his songs sound the same. While I have only listened through his whole album once, it seems like his voice is very one dimensional, and therefore doesn't create a whole lot of variety throughout his songs.
1. Dancing on My Own - Calum Scott - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSinMOs5eGw
Unfortunately, you can't find this song everywhere. It's not even on iTunes! Calum Scott was a contestant on the British X Factor, finishing in third place, but this audition was the highlight of his time on the competition. His vocals are almost identical to Maroon 5's Adam Levine, and his control over his pitch is absolutely amazing, and perfectly suited to this unique cover.
2. Every Giant Will Fall - Rend Collective - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW63lCBOaVo
A lot of people seem to forget that Rend Collective isn't only a band. They spent a lot of their time doing others thing as well, including a devotional blog on their website. It seems as if they are just investing in this project, but they have some really cool ideas up there right now, especially in regards to the holiday season, what worship is, some devos out of their songs, and other amazing ideas.
3. Fierce - Jesus Culture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II1JKBuz-AY
Jesus Culture has released a lot of new music lately, and while I do like their new stuff, there's nothing really that's as good as something from their older stuff, like One Thing Remains. The only song that actually comes close is this Fierce song. It's slightly more upbeat, and the lyrics come from a great, unique idea.
4. No Longer Slaves - Bethel Music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TkUMJtK5k
I still strongly believe that this is where worship music should aim to head for this year. An altar call of a song, it tugs at the heart strings, and opens up so much passion in any listener. Musically, this is what worship music is all about; laying it all out before God. Bethel Music has done an amazing job creating this particular song.
5. From the Day - I Am They - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUjuRFwwvaw
Heard this song over a weekend retreat, and I have to say the song leaves a lot of room for some very good covers to be done that could even be better then the original. The original is very close to sounding like a Rend Collective tune, but the vocals aren't quite as distinct.
6. Love Yourself - Justin Bieber - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyEuk8j8imI
Still my favourite song from Bieber's new album. I would have thought that this new album would help Bieber cater to an older audience, but to be honest, I've only noticed a slight increase in attention from the older demographic. And really, that interest is only coming from those in their early 20s. I'm sure Bieber is fine with that, but I expected more interest from those in their 20s, and even some who are in their 30s.
7. Simplicity - Rend Collective - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8p3n5wzFpM
The song is right up my alleyway. Acoustic, passionate, an amazing lyrical idea, another amazing worship tune. Rend Collective is typically labelled as a one dimensional band, with only the folk vibe to them. However, this song proves that there is much more to them.
8. Heartbeat - Mat Kearney - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acScCRFIFNc
Believe it or not, I'm not a huge fan of concerts. I've actually only been to about 6 concerts in my whole life. There are only a few select artists that I would actually go and pay to see, and Mat Kearney is one of them. Apparently his live stuff isn't full of gimmicks, but it's a good, down to earth, musical performance.
9. Wasn't Expecting That - Jamie Lawson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AydFkrm6UrU
One thing that I've really realized is that a lot of newer artists that go on world tours seem to pass Canada by. It's kind of disappointing, especially with the major cities like Toronto not even being on the list. Jamie Lawson is one such artist. He's doing a lot of stuff in the States, but nothing in Canada.
10. Fire Away - Chris Stapleton - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AhUXAILWE
I also love this artist's vocals. Again, the raspiness lends an amazing helping hand to the emotion generated. The only complaint that I have in regards to this artist is that the majority of his songs sound the same. While I have only listened through his whole album once, it seems like his voice is very one dimensional, and therefore doesn't create a whole lot of variety throughout his songs.
Monday 8 February 2016
How-to: Set Up A Pedalboard
Rather then talk about how to physically make a pedal board, or the actual schematics of the board, I want to discuss the actual order of the effect pedals. Maybe at a later time I'll share some tips in regards to physically creating a board, but this post's purpose is all about how to properly set up the equipment on the board.
The first step is to have a good power supply. It is best to have all your pedals connected to the same power supply, although it is not necessary. Having them all connected to the same source removes any chance of additional noise. However, my pedal board does have separate power supplies, and I've found this doesn't create too many problems. The best way to connect your pedals is through a daisy chain. A daisy chain can connect to a single adapter, or to a power supply box (the best one being the VooDoo Lab - http://www.voodoolab.com/pedalpower_2.htm). From there, it loops every pedal back to the same power supply.
From there, the order of your pedals is next. Again, there are no set rules for the set up of your pedals. At times, you have to consider the physical makeup of the board you have and the room for certain pedals, as well as the actual type and brands of your pedal. Find the best set up by experimentation. Look for a good, clean sound, easy access to pedals, and an aesthetically good looking board.
A good suggestion is to always start with your volume or wah pedals. From there, add your distortion, overdrive, or compression pedals. Within this type of pedal you can also get different orders, depending on what effects you have. Throwing a boost in front of a distortion will add more distortion, whereas adding overdrive or compression after a distortion pedal will increase the volume, without adding much to the distortion level. It all depends on what sound you are looking for.
From there, go into your modulation effects. This includes your choruses, pitch effects, phasers, e.t.c. After, add into your delays and reverbs. These tag on at the end to effect your total sound up to this point.
Don't forget to plan out space for tap tempos, tuner pedals, and any other additional effects (maybe like a looper or expression pedal). Because these are simply add on pedals, they are connected to a certain other effect pedal, and therefore don't have to be in a specific spot. It just depends on the space on your board.
An additional note should be put in for the ever growing in popularity multi effect pedals. The new trend seems to be adding a multi effect pedal to a board with other single effect pedals. Personally, this is what I have done with my board, and I love it! Depending on what multi effect pedal you get, it can drastically change the order you choose to go with. I go into my multi effect pedal right off the bat, and from there into my wah, into a delay, and end with a looper. I've got tap tempos on the delay and looper, an expression pedal on my multi-effect (that is normally dedicated solely to volume control), and I make sure my multi-effect is always running a reverb, a distortion, and then leave an open spot on the pedal for whatever I please. Again, it comes down to experimentation to see what works best for you, and what sounds the best as well.
The first step is to have a good power supply. It is best to have all your pedals connected to the same power supply, although it is not necessary. Having them all connected to the same source removes any chance of additional noise. However, my pedal board does have separate power supplies, and I've found this doesn't create too many problems. The best way to connect your pedals is through a daisy chain. A daisy chain can connect to a single adapter, or to a power supply box (the best one being the VooDoo Lab - http://www.voodoolab.com/pedalpower_2.htm). From there, it loops every pedal back to the same power supply.
From there, the order of your pedals is next. Again, there are no set rules for the set up of your pedals. At times, you have to consider the physical makeup of the board you have and the room for certain pedals, as well as the actual type and brands of your pedal. Find the best set up by experimentation. Look for a good, clean sound, easy access to pedals, and an aesthetically good looking board.
A good suggestion is to always start with your volume or wah pedals. From there, add your distortion, overdrive, or compression pedals. Within this type of pedal you can also get different orders, depending on what effects you have. Throwing a boost in front of a distortion will add more distortion, whereas adding overdrive or compression after a distortion pedal will increase the volume, without adding much to the distortion level. It all depends on what sound you are looking for.
From there, go into your modulation effects. This includes your choruses, pitch effects, phasers, e.t.c. After, add into your delays and reverbs. These tag on at the end to effect your total sound up to this point.
Don't forget to plan out space for tap tempos, tuner pedals, and any other additional effects (maybe like a looper or expression pedal). Because these are simply add on pedals, they are connected to a certain other effect pedal, and therefore don't have to be in a specific spot. It just depends on the space on your board.
An additional note should be put in for the ever growing in popularity multi effect pedals. The new trend seems to be adding a multi effect pedal to a board with other single effect pedals. Personally, this is what I have done with my board, and I love it! Depending on what multi effect pedal you get, it can drastically change the order you choose to go with. I go into my multi effect pedal right off the bat, and from there into my wah, into a delay, and end with a looper. I've got tap tempos on the delay and looper, an expression pedal on my multi-effect (that is normally dedicated solely to volume control), and I make sure my multi-effect is always running a reverb, a distortion, and then leave an open spot on the pedal for whatever I please. Again, it comes down to experimentation to see what works best for you, and what sounds the best as well.
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