My Little Empire Review

I got The Civil Wars Barton Hollow because i say them on the tv one night and i thought that might not be too bad. Oh i was wrong. The Civil Wars “Barton Hollow” is a great album of folk/country songs. They fit into a new geane of music called Alt-County with the likes of Fleet Foxes, Bright eyes, Monsters Of Folk and The Low Anthem. They are in good company because the two singers (Joy Williams and John Paul White) realy work well togeather and bounce off each other so well. Check out the videos below. If you dont like either of these tracks below you are not into folk/country (alt-country) and you will not like this album. I think this is a great album and well worth the money. Go buy it. Now.    

Amazon Review

In February 2012, The Civil Wars – duo Joy Williams and John Paul White – won two Grammy Awards: Best Folk Album for their debut album, Barton Hollow, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for its title-track. It’s easy to hear why. Originally released in the States last year, said record’s love-torn, life-worn songs have finally dragged their weary, tired bones across the Atlantic just in time to soundtrack the onset of spring – or, rather, the end of winter. Because, in these original songs – and even in a bonus track, a quirky yet elegiac take on Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean – there’s a both a sense of finality and new beginnings, the ebb and flow of life and love.

Much of this is down to the interplay between Williams’ and White’s vocals – soft, dulcet, tentative whispers of musical conversation that, alone, sound scared and vulnerable but, when they sing together, are stronger and more powerful. Nowhere is this more evident than on the record’s highlight and centrepiece, Poison & Wine, a plaintive, forlorn swirl of conflicting emotions. “I don’t love you,” the pair sing in unison on its searching, wistful chorus, “but I always will” – and immediately that paradox comes alive through the aching, trembling, brittle frame of the song and the defiance of its lyrics and vocal delivery. 20 Years is an equally stirring and haunting tribute to the past that cuts heart strings with each pluck of the guitar, while the gentle, stirring chug of C’est La Mort drifts like ashes scattered onto a river.

It’s not all tears and tragedy, though – the country jangle of the title-track, the neo-classical instrumental of The Violet Hour and the sparse waltz of Falling all add texture to the duo’s takes on that ageless, ever-inspiring theme of love. A timeless, anachronistic record, Barton Hollow could be from 30 years ago, or it could be from 30 years hence. What’s certain, though, is that you truly feel it in the here and now. –Mischa Pearlman – read original

Selected Tracks

The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow

The Civil Wars – Poison & Wine

My Little Empire Review

 Emeli Sandé is one of the stand out artist of 2012. She was big before the Olympics but she well be massive afterwords because of the use of here singing talent during the opening and closing ceremony. Our Version of Events is avery good album with great songs like, heaven, next to me and my kind of love (see below for videos). It is well worth the money and you will find yourself listening to it again and again. enjoy 

Amazon Review

Emeli Sandé’s aptly-named solo debut single Heaven was arguably the finest British pop song released in 2011. The Scottish singer-songwriter’s seraphic vocal swoops and producer Shahid ‘Naughty Boy’ Khan’s reassuring old-school breakbeats were warmly received by listeners, while a striking similarity to Massive Attack’s Unfinished Sympathy can rarely hurt a song’s success.

Considering Heaven, which opens Our Version of Events, and the fact Sandé has written for everyone from Alicia Keys and Leona Lewis to Tinie Tempah, Sugababes and even Susan Boyle, it’s perhaps reasonable to expect the most consistently great pop album since Girls Aloud’s Out of Control. Although this doesn’t arrive, we do have a charming and occasionally moving record full of care and polish, effort and grace.

“I can’t buy your love, don’t even want to try / Sometimes the truth won’t make you happy,” sings Sandé on My Kind of Love, amid filtered pianos and surprisingly understated gospel chants. Lovely stuff, but it would have been a more compelling listen if the track was ludicrous and overblown, like the brilliant George Michael and Mary J. Blige cover of Stevie Wonder’s As. – read more on Amazon.co.uk

Selected Videos

Heaven

Next To Me

My Kind Of Love

Lord, who co-wrote many of the group’s legendary songs including Smoke On The Water, had been receiving treatment for pancreatic cancer since last August.

He co-founded Deep Purple in 1968 and also played with bands including Whitesnake during his career.

He died at the London Clinic on Monday, surrounded by family. “Jon passes from Darkness to Light,” a statement said.

Lord was influenced by classical, blues and jazz but approached his Hammond organ with a rock attitude and helped Deep Purple become pioneers of progressive and heavy rock.

Tributes have been paid on Twitter by musicians including one-time Deep Purple bandmate Joe Satriani, Iron Maiden and Anthrax.

Ex-Rage Against the Machine star Tom Morello wrote: “RIP the great Jon Lord, Deep Purple’s cornerstone/keyboardist. So many great great songs and that incredible SOUND of his! Thankyou.”

Guitarist Joe Bonamassa wrote that he was “extremely saddened” by the news, adding: “One of the nicest and most talented people Ive ever met. Rest in Peace.”

  Born in Leicester, Lord learned classical piano at an early age before being seduced by watching early rock ‘n’ roll star Jerry Lee Lewis and jazz organist Jimmy Smith.

He could have chosen a career as an actor after receiving a drama school scholarship, but started playing in pub bands including short-lived outfits with future Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood and his brother Art.

He also worked as a session musician and is thought to have played piano on The Kinks’ hit You Really Got Me.

After meeting guitarist Ritchie Blackmore through another project, the first incarnation of Deep Purple was born.

Lord’s classical influence surfaced when Lord composed Concerto for Group and Orchestra, which the band performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in 1969.

But the group refined their heavy rock sound and found mass success at the start of the 1970s with albums including Deep Purple in Rock and Machine Head.

In their classic years, the band also included Blackmore, singer Ian Gillan, drummer Ian Paice and bassist Roger Glover.

Lord continued to compose classical works alongside the group’s output and, when they split in 1976, he joined other groups Whitesnake and Paice, Ashton and Lord.

  Deep Purple reformed in 1984 and resumed at the height of their commercial prowess, playing to tens of thousands of fans around the world.

They sold a total of 150 million albums and Lord remained an ever-present amid numerous line-up changes until he left in 2002.

Still composing, he had signed to a classical music label and performed a concert to mark the 30th anniversary of Concerto for Group and Orchestra.

“Thirty years later the piece came back and changed my life again… It gave me the courage to step outside and carve a career for myself outside the band,” he told an interviewer.

He broke the news of his cancer diagnosis on his website last year, telling fans he would continue to write music as part of his therapy. – see original

Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap, born 9 December 1977 in the London Borough of Havering, is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, composer and songwriter from Havering, London. She is known for her work as part of the musical duo Frou Frou and her solo albums, which she writes, produces, and mixes. She has produced three solo albums, the latest of which is 2009′s Ellipse, which was a North American chart success and earned Heap two Grammy nominations, winning Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. – read more

I’m Your Vinyl are an exciting new act from Dublin featuring singer/guitarist Dana Donnelly and producer/musician Ken Mc Hugh (AUTAMATA/WE SAW HEAVEN).Having road tested their songs with a few performances over the past few months, including the IMRO “best of” showcase tour and the Camden Crawl festival, they will release Part one of their debut album on the 15th of June.Part two and three will be released in September and January consecutively.

With catchy songs chronicling the joys of life and love, their colorful warm sound is upbeat and melodic with plenty of twists and turns sewn together using uplifting beats and cinematic sonic vistas.

Influences range from Bjork and Doris Day to Pulp Fiction and Twin Peaks, IM YOUR VINYL have a fresh new sound that is worth getting to know.

“PART ONE” of I’m Your Vinyl’s album is now available for purchase on iTunes

Website: www.imyourvinyl.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IMYOURVINYL

I’m Your Vinyl – Roll The Dice

I’m Your Vinyl - This is your life

I’m Your Vinyl – On To The Ashes

The official video for Paul Mealor’s Wherever You Are by Military Wives with Gareth Malone.

‘Wherever You Are’ is a moving love song written by Royal Wedding composer Paul Mealor for the choir to sing at The Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance. The music is set to a poem compiled from letters to and from the servicemen and their wives on a 6-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. It is the raw emotion of the song that has touched so many of the British public.

Below is a list of the top 10 of both England(UK) and Ireland.

UK Top 10 Singles

Week ending 25th December 2011 – read full list

Irish Top 10 Singles

Week ending 22nd December 2011 – read full list

“No.1 Christmas Single” a demo by spudhead, Christmas song demo, about a soldier spending Xmas in a warzone and longing to be home with his family. Graphics by Jeff Cummins (better known as record sleeve designer for Paul McCartney, Ted Nugent etc…and his Doctor Who Target covers), animated by motion designer Jake Whiteman . “The idea for the video was sparked by having watched Mike Viola’s video for his song; Good ideas grow on trees…”

Some of the other worthy mentions are….

 Emmy The Great & Tim Wheeler – Home For The Holidays

The Christmas Waltz – She & Him

Elizabeth Grant (born June 21, 1986) better known by her stage name Lana Del Rey is an American singer-songwriter. Her stage name is a combination of the late old Hollywood actress Lana Turner and the Ford Del Rey. She calls herself the “gangsta Nancy Sinatra”.

Grant was born in New York City and grew up in Lake Placid, New York. When she was fifteen, she left Lake Placid to go to boarding school in Connecticut. She is the daughter of domain investor Rob Grant. Lizzie Grant’s management chose her stage name, Lana Del Rey, “I wanted to be a band but the label I was with and the team I had around me absolutely wanted me to be a solo artist. Lana Del Rey came from a series of managers and lawyers over the last 5 years who wanted a name that they thought better fit the sound of the music.” read more click here

Born to Die is now avaliable on amazon click here

Video Games

Blue Jeans

On 4/23/2011 I, John Taylor, made a new world record attempt for Universal Record Database and Guinness World Records for Flight of the Bumlbebee at 600 BPM.
Both Record Setter (formerly URDB) and Guinness have approved this attempt as the official record for fastest guitar player. WoW.

Strike Back: Project Dawn, as it is known in the United Kingdom (or just Strike Back in the United States) is a ten-part British-American action serial television series, and is the second series of Strike Back. However the only cast member to return from the original series was Richard Armitage in the first episode. The main cast for the series includes Philip Winchester, Sullivan Stapleton, Amanda Mealing, Eva Birthistle, Michelle Lukes and Rhashan Stone. The series follows the actions of Section 20, a secret branch of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), particularly two of its officers, Michael Stonebridge (Winchester) and former American Delta Force operative Damian Scott (Stapleton). Section 20 leads a worldwide manhunt to find and capture Pakistani terrorist Latif, who is plotting an operation of his known as “Project Dawn”. – read more on wikipedia

The words of the song are below the two videos. Click here to view the words

Strike Back Season 2: Project Dawn Intro

The Heavy – Short Change Hero

The Heavy – Short Change Hero

I can’t see where you’re comin’ from
But I know just what you’re runnin’ from
And what matters thinkin’ who’s baddest but the
Ones who stop you falling from your ladder

When you feel like you’re feeling now
And doin’ things just to please your crowd
When I love you like the way I love you
And I suffer but I ain’t gonna cut you ’cause

This ain’t no place for no hero
This ain’t no place for no better man
This ain’t no place for no hero
To go home

This ain’t no place for no hero
This ain’t no place for no better man
This ain’t no place for no hero
To go home

And every time I close my eyes
I think, I think about you inside

And your mother givin’ up on asking why
Why you lie and you cheat
and you try to make a fool out of she

I can’t see where you’re comin’ from
But I know just what you’re runnin’ from
And what matters thinkin’ who’s baddest but the
Ones who stop you falling from your ladder, cause

This ain’t no place for no hero
This ain’t no place for no better man
This ain’t no place for no hero
To go home

This ain’t no place for no hero
This ain’t no place for no better man
This ain’t no place for no hero
To go home