REVIEW :: 'Pure Heroine' by LORDE

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THE WAIT IS OVER.

Lorde's new album Pure Heroine has
finally been released. And it's pretty freaking awesome.

If you're on the Internet fairly often (and follow the right people on Tumblr), you've probably seen leaked audio posts floating around. I personally have only listened to two of them other than Royals, so I'll be reviewing this from a somewhat fresh standpoint.

Pure Heroine is the opposite of flashy and loud. Subdued and simplified are what really personify and describe Lorde's musical forte: heavy beats, slight vocal harmony, stripped away lyrics, and clear notes. Though one can say a lot of the songs on the album sound similar, but I feel that there's enough variety while staying true to her style. Glory and Gore and Still Sane are both evidence of that.

Final verdict: Pure Heroine has its own specific vibe that permeates through most of the tracks, but is a great start-up album for a newly famous artist.

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Recommended tracks:

• Team
• Tennis Court
• Ribs
• Buzzcut Season

Let me know what you think of Pure Heroine in the comments!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

REVIEW :: 'AM' by Arctic Monkeys

This album has been high on my list for anticipated releases in September, and I've been so busy that it was released right under my nose!

In the recent weeks, I've fallen in love with Arctic Monkeys. I'm a sucker for a smooth voice.

This whole album's vibe exudes sex appeal. Is it Alex Turner's sultry voice, or the strategic use of awesome electric guitar riffs or thick bass notes? Perhaps it's the sexy lyrics combined with all of the above. Either way, 'AM' has a fantastic feel to it. There's little to dislike about this album.

Though the album seems to have the same sort of tone, it slows down by the time one reaches No. 1 Party Anthem, ironically, being the first slow track on the album to appear.

'AM' has a multigenerational tone to it, a mix of yesterday and today. Turner's voice harks back to 70s and 80s rock, yet stays planted in the present for a modern sound. With pre-release singles such as R U Mine?, Do I Wanna Know?, and Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?, you're hooked before the album's even released.

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What's interesting about the Arctic Monkeys is that every album has it's own sound, vibe, and feel. The common denominators are the band members themselves, but that's about it. They're constantly experimenting with their sound, yet staying intrinsically themselves. Often times bands can't pull this off without losing a significant amount of fans, but the Arctic Monkeys are an exception.

One song I hope is released as a bonus track is Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You, since it's nowhere to be found on the regular track list. Hmph.

Here are some recommended tracks off of 'AM'

• One For The Road
• Arabella
• R U Mine?
• Snap Out Of It
• Knee Socks
• I Wanna Be Yours

AM is now available on iTunes for purchase and Spotify for streaming.

Till next time xx,

Sierra

P.S. What's your favourite track off the new album?

Mix It Up :: Naked As We Came

naked as we came from erraberra on 8tracks Radio.

Tracklist:

Flaws (Acoustic) // Bastille

Seen It All // Jake Bugg

Houdini (Acoustic) // Foster the People

Hey Love // Jason Mraz

Give Me Love // Ed Sheeran

California Dreamin' // The Mamas and The Papas

What A Catch, Donnie (Acoustic) // Fall Out Boy

Lies [Acoustic] // Marina and the Diamonds

Write It On Your Skin (Acoustic) // Newton Faulkner

Underdog (Acoustic) // You Me At Six

A Beautiful Lie (Acoustic) // 30 Seconds to Mars

Idaho (Acoustic) // Josh Ritter

Ocean // John Butler

The Longer I Run // Peter Bradley Adams

Learning to Breathe // Switchfoot

Jezebel // Iron & Wine

Riptide // Vance Joy

Night of the Hunter (Unplugged) // 30 Seconds to Mars

Zebra // John Butler Trio

Be Honest (ft. Inara George) // Jason Mraz

Naked As We Came // Iron & Wine

My love for acoustic songs has no bounds, so I combined a few of my favourites onto one playlist! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Weekly Tuneage :: Imaginary Friend

Hello all! I haven't forgotten about my little blog, don't worry. It's just been my first official week of school so things have been busy to say the least.

My friend just introduced me to this really pretty song Fire Escape by one-man band, Imaginary Friend. I thought it was really serene sounding and overall quite beautiful. The music video is also rather artistic and kinda fits with the song. You guys should totally check this artist out.

Till next time xx,

Sierra

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Weekly Tuneage :: Sara Bareilles

This song I discovered unintentionally. I was seeing how Sara Bareilles' new song and video Brave were really popular, so I checked out the rest of the album. This song's title caught my eye so I added it to my Spotify queue without thinking about it, then I listened to it.
Hercules is just excellent. The chorus is absolutely beautiful, and this song blew me away. It's really different from her usual style, but it's still excellent. I almost like it more than Brave. It's something about the minor tonalities that really get me, and I love the fact that it's so different. 
Awesome, awesome, awesome. Definitely jamming out to this song this week.
Till next time xx,
Sierra
P.S. I'm always open for music suggestions, just leave a comment or shoot me a message!

REVIEW: First Impression of "Ghosts" by Mayday Parade

Huzzah! We've been given a taste of the new music from pop-punk group Mayday Parade, even though the album is more than a month out. Their single Ghosts was released today, August 27th, 2013.

You can listen to it here before reading on if you'd like (sorry, there are no YouTube lyric videos so Spotify will have to do).

Right off the bat, it begins with lead singer Derek Sanders' distinctive voice accompanied by almost angelic the background harmonies. A different direction we're used to seeing from Mayday Parade, but kind of cool anyway. Then as soon as the drums start, we hear the great Mayday Parade we know and love.

I really hate to say this, but I will: it's a nice track, but I can't help but feel that something is missing. Maybe due to an absence of co-lead singer Jake Bundrick's voice that blends and adds more dimensions to Mayday's songs. He's reduced to simply a harmonic device, a background sound. Both equally talented singers, they should both be equally present on the track, which is probably why Ghosts rings empty to me.

Don't get me wrong, I love both Derek and Jake, and Derek has sung solo on many tracks before that I enjoy (such as Anywhere But Here, one of my favorite songs and many songs off of the album by the same title), but this time it doesn't seem like their best work.

What I do admire about it is the direction they took with the song. It's not their typical stuff, and it really mixes it up. It's pretty, even if the lyrics are kind of simplistic and repetitive for Mayday Parade, who have an odd knack of making lyrics, simplistic or otherwise, sound heartfelt and emotional. This track, however, doesn't quite do that for me, but I won't give up on them yet.

Verdict: Ghosts isn't a bad song, but I hope that their new album is better than this single.

What do you think of the new song?

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Spotlight :: Mat Kearney

Hello everyone! I've been kinda at a loss for post ideas, so I thought I'd talk about one of my favorite artists, Mat Kearney.

(image via last.fm)

 

Name: Mathew William "Mat" Kearney

Age: 34

From: Eugene, Oregon (aww yeah, Pacific Northwest!)

Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Alternative, Indie, Rock

Years Active: 2003 to present

For Fans of: Peter Bradley Adams, Ben Rector, Matt Nathanson, Parachute

Official Site

Why I love this artist:

(image via last.fm)

What makes this singer-songwriter unique is his musical style, which is best described as "Acoustic/Hip Hop fusion", especially with his song Hey Mama. In addition to singing, he also plays guitar, harmonica, piano, CP70, mandolin, synthesizer, and vibraphone. Talk about multi-talented.

I also love Mat because of his smooth voice. Wow, I could listen to it all day. These are some of my favorite tracks from him:

• Runaway  (which was also featured on the soundtrack of the movie Soul Surfer)
• Ships in the Night
• Annie
• All I Have 

Also, check out this AMAZING acoustic version of All I Have below!

Fun Fact: Annie was the first song I heard from him, off Pandora Radio.

What's your favorite song from Mat or your favorite singer-songwriter?

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Weekly Tuneage :: Luke Bryan

Fun fact: I am a [semi-selective] country fan! Beer in the Headlights by Luke Bryan is sweet and fun at the same time. This song was featured on my Crazy Country Love mix I made last week as well. 
People shouldn't knock all country artists, honestly. There are some really wonderful songs and artists out there! What I like about country is that it tells a story, illustrates a vignette that most of us can relate to in some way or another (how else would Taylor Swift be so popular?). Though I'll be the first to admit, there are only so many songs about a truck that can catch the ear.
So give it a listen and tell me what you think!
Till next time xx,
Sierra
P.S. If you have any suggestions for songs you want me to check out, feel free to shoot me a message here.

Weekly Tuneage :: Arctic Monkeys

Now it's 3 in the morning, and I'm trying to change your mind...
Recently I've been really into Arctic Monkeys, which kind of came out of nowhere. This song has been on repeat, and the video is really, um, interesting (slight viewer discretion advised). Lead singer Alex Turner stars in his own video, wandering the streets of the city high as a kite. The song is fairly straightforward, but it's extremely catchy. I especially love the chorus.  This song and Do I Wanna Know? really get me pumped for their new album, AM. I'm really glad I discovered this band when I did! (I blame the Internet).  Is this song stuck in your head yet? Say it in the comments! Till next time xx, Sierra

Weekly Tuneage :: The Neighbourhood

Cali-based band The Neighbourhood's song Female Robbery has been on replay this week! It's rather sad, but it's smooth and slow, too. The lead singer's vocals are super easy to listen to, and the overall vibe is rather chill. 
I decided not to post the original music video because I thought it was too sad and possibly disturbing for others, because it hints at child abuse. (If you'd like to check it out at your own discretion, here it is).

Most of you will know this band from their song Sweater Weather [above] that's been all over the radio lately (though the album came out in 2012), but the song Female Robbery [featured video] is just as awesome.

Tell me what you think about The Neighbourhood in the comments below.
Till next time xx,
Sierra

Mix It Up :: Crazy Country Love

crazy country love from erraberra on 8tracks Radio.

Tracklist:

01. Beer in the Headlights // Luke Bryan

02. Night Train // Jason Aldean

03. Dayum, Baby // Florida Georgia Line

04. Ticks // Brad Paisley

05. I Want Crazy // Hunter Hayes

06. Kiss A Girl // Keith Urban

07. Drunk On You // Luke Bryan

08. Need You Now // Lady Antebellum

09. Would You Go With Me // Josh Turner

10. Sparks Fly // Taylor Swift

11. Tell Me How You Like It // Florida Georgia Line

12. Somewhere With You (Kenny Chesney cover) // Tyler Ward

13. Sweet Thing // Keith Urban

14. I Run To You // Lady Antebellum

15. Beat This Summer // Brad Paisley

16. Crazier // Taylor Swift

I was watching the CMA concert fest the other night and was inspired to make this country love song playlist! These are some of my favorite country songs. A mix of country love songs for those nights gazing up at the stars with your sugar.

Hope you enjoy, and please leave a comment either on my 8tracks or here telling me what you think!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Weekly Tuneage :: Mumford & Sons

If you couldn't tell, it's been a Mumford week (or past couple of days). I made a recent post about Mumford & Sons's latest video for their song Hopeless Wanderer. Speaking of awesome music videos, Lover of the Light is an incredibly beautiful song with a matching music video.  There's nothing I don't like about this song. It's incredibly musically complex, the lyrics are lovely, and Marcus Mumford's perfectly gravelly voice and talent from him and the rest of the band is at a peak. The video stars the ever talented Idris Elba, who acts solo in this production. His exceptional acting prowess shines in this video. And I mean, who doesn't love this man?  The symbolism in this video is rather ambiguous. My take from it was that Elba's character has two sides to him: the civilized, proper side; and the wild, instinctual side. The stag that appears throughout represents his inner self, the lover of nature. We see his character only sometimes happy in his domestic setting, but genuinely happy and joyful in the wild. His face can only be interpreted as sheer euphoria. The music video makes me smile because we see this character in a pure, natural place and completely overjoyed about it. That speaks volumes to me about our nature as human beings and simple pleasures in life that we tend not to indulge in. Anywho, enjoy this wonderful song and have a fantastic rest of your day! Till next time xx, Sierra

Videos of the Week :: Mumford & Sons, 30 Seconds to Mars

Hopeless Wanderer // Mumford & Sons


The last thing I was expecting from Mumford & Sons was this video, and I love it. This has to be one of the funniest music videos I've ever seen. It's almost like a Saturday Night Live sketch than an official music video. Mumford & Sons is such a talented group, and I love how they can poke fun at themselves by having these hilarious comedic men pretend to be them. Starring Jason Sudeikis (Marcus Mumford), Will Forte (Ted Dwane), Jason Bateman (Winston Marshall), and Ed Helms (Ben Lovett). It fits well for the overall whimsical, upbeat vibe of the song itself. The ending was especially amazing.


Do or Die // 30 Seconds to Mars


Now we're gonna switch gears from hilarious to emotional.

The official music video is here! As we've heard, a lyric video for the same song made from lyric tattoos will also be coming up soon (a really cool idea if you ask me).

30 Seconds to Mars is my favorite band, and their music videos rarely disappoint. This video is amazing because, much like Closer to the Edge, is a tour video that showcases the fans (or the Echelon) and how much the band, and music in general, means to them.

It connects with fans on an emotional level with the band, in the video or just watching it, and shows us that they do care about us. Not all groups thank their fans that way. It establishes an even greater bond between fans and 30 Seconds to Mars, and between fans themselves.

In the video's description box there was this:

A NOTE FROM JARED LETO:

I'm sitting in the dark writing this having just finished this little film and although I don't feel quite done yet it's time to let it go.

This is a story about an incredible adventure that we all shared together this summer. A summer that we will never forget. It's also a reminder (for myself as well) to LIVE LIFE NO MATTER WHAT. But ultimately it's a love letter to you all. The believers.

That sums it up perfectly, if you ask me.

Tell me what you think of the music videos in the comments below!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Monday Mix - Same Old Empty Feeling In Your Heart

same old empty feeling in your heart from erraberra on 8tracks Radio.

Tracklist; 01. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight // Birdy 02. The Ocean // Mae 03. Let Her Go // Passenger 04. Broken Vow // Josh Groban 05. Damn You // Lana Del Rey 06. Heart's A Mess // Gotye 07. Lies (Acoustic) // Marina and the Diamonds 08. Drunk // Ed Sheeran 09. Crash // You Me At Six 10. Almost Lover // A Fine Frenzy 11. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room // John Mayer 12. Turning Tables // Adele 13. Give Me Love // Ed Sheeran 14. Stay With Me (Acoustic) // You Me At Six
Everyone feels lonely sometimes. This is a playlist with songs that say what you feel when those feelings creep up on you in the quiet evening. 
Let me know what you think!
Till next time xx,
Sierra

Spotlight :: Bastille

You guys. You guys. This band is so fantastic, I can't believe what I was missing.

For those who don't know, Bastille is a four-man band from London, England that expanded from a solo project founded by Dan Smith. They formed in 2010.

And three years later, they release their debut album Bad Blood on September 3rd of this year, so maybe I'm not so late to the party after all!

The British band's style is best described as neo-synth pop with a heavy 80s influence. The artists they remind me of are Florence + The Machine, Neon Trees, Foster the People, & Walk the Moon. 

I will admit, their stuff before Haunt EP didn't impress me. My expectations were too high after I listened to "Pompeii" and "Haunt - Demo". It was too electronic for my liking. However, their EP definitely shows promise and potential and makes me extra excited for their new album. All four songs are excellent in their own ways.

Part of me wanted to save this post till the album comes out, but the review of Bad Blood will come, so I might as well gush about my first impression of them beforehand!

Must-Listen List:

Pompeii

Bad Blood

Haunt - Demo 

I'm always looking for new music to review and to share with all of you, so leave your music suggestions in the comments or send me a video via my contact page!

Hope everyone's having a lovely day, and Happy August! (Wow that came really quickly).

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Weekly Tuneage :: Bastille

Thanks to a friend of mine on Facebook, who posted a status that she couldn't stop listening to the band Bastille, I decided to look them up...at 1 in the morning (I clearly make excellent life choices).  Anywho, I wish someone would have told me about this band earlier because I'm in love. 
Bastille is a four-man band from London, England that expanded from a solo project founded by Dan Smith. The song Pompeii (above) has over 38 million plays on Spotify and 32 million plays on YouTube. This song is amazing, I can't stop listening to it. Apparently I'm really late to the party on this one since the video was released January 30th of this year....Oops. This is a definitely catchy song that's bound to get stuck in your head, but in the best possible way. Take a listen and tell me what you think about Bastille. Till next time xx, Sierra P.S. Expect a Spotlight post about this band and a review of the EP Haunt very soon! I'll go into greater detail about the band there.

Mayday Parade announces new album!

According to Property of Zack, alternative-punk band Mayday Parade announced their new album Monsters in the Closet to release on October 8th, 2013. Panic! at the Disco's new album also drops on the same day, so fans of both bands (like me), are either gonna be really happy or really sad that day.

But most likely very happy.

Here's the album art for the new album!

Hope everyone's having a great Monday!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Monday Mix :: slow your roll.

And we made our peace with lonely nights, and you healed our broken hearts.

I have a new mix I made for Monday, finally!

This mix is a bunch of slower songs to help your mind relax. It's kind of indie, bear with me. I realized I've been listening to some real mellow, slow songs lately, so I put them all together. It's really good if you're trying to unwind before bed or want something soothing.

slow your roll. from erraberra on 8tracks Radio.

Tracklist:

Islands // Young the Giant
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight // Birdy
Jezebel // Iron & Wine
Delicate // Damien Rice
As I Lay My Head Down // Other Lives
Los Angeles // Peter Bradley Adams
Write It On Your Skin (Acoustic) // Newton Faulkner
93 Million Miles // Jason Mraz
Sleep Apnea // Beach Fossils
Islands / Intro (mashup) // The xx vs. Young the Giant
Royals // LORDE
Come Away to the Water // Glen Hansard
All My Days // Alexi Murdoch
Naked As We Came // Iron & Wine
Hey Love // Jason Mraz

Thanks for listening! Tell me what you think in the comments below :)

Don't forget, you can follow me on 8tracks!

Have a happy Monday (as best as you can for a Monday, anyway)!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Weekly Tuneage :: Vance Joy

 
I'm taking advantage of plural nature of "tuneage" and posting multiple posts (if you haven't noticed already, I really really REALLY like talking about music).

This is Riptide by Vance Joy. I need to gush about this: I'm head-over-heels in love with this song. Vance Joy, an indie-folk artist from Melbourne, Australia has really caught my attention. It's been on repeat for days (and I really do mean days). The use of ukulele matches so well with his voice. I'm currently teaching myself how to play this song on the guitar (it's only three chords and a capo, but super fast strumming pattern). Really upbeat song that puts me in a sunnier mood.

So yeah, check it out. He's currently touring with his new album (or album in progress, I'm not entirely sure) in Australia, Canada, and part of the U.S.

ALSO, if you like this song you should seriously listen to the Tram Sessions version below. It's beautiful and wonderful and rad.

Enjoy the awesome music and let me know what you think!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

(Also, I won't be surprised if this becomes "Daily Tuneage" soon....We shall see.)

Weekly Tuneage :: Newton Faulkner

So... I'm trying out something new! I realized that I don't always have a playlist for Monday Mix because I don't always have the time to make one (though I'm currently working on one now...coming soon). Therefore, this'll be the mini version of that so you'll get at least one song a week.
One of my best friends Lauren and I are always sharing music, because we tend to like the same things. She recently recommended this song to me, "Write It On Your Skin (Acoustic)" by Newton Faulkner. I really really love acoustic songs, and this track has a sunny tone and his voice is amazing. I've been putting this on repeat lately, it just doesn't get old. The guitar finger plucking is so mesmerizing. Though, Spotify wouldn't let me listen to it because it's an English label and not available in my country. Boo. Not cool.
Anyway! It's a really lovely song and I hope you all enjoy.
Till next time xx,
Sierra