Since hitting it big time at the tender age of 19 in the 1990’s and becoming quite the rock poster girl, the singer is back with a long-titled album the starts with and will probably be remember only as The Idler Wheel. Expect the same sound with sinister lyrics and beautiful lazy vocals. This is one of the most exciting comebacks this year!
It’s hard to avoid a Madonna album when it comes out, but it’s easy to throw it away after it does. Still, sometimes the iconoclast gets it right. And when it’s right, it’s really right.
This time around MDNA goes back to her dance roots, but we wouldn’t have ever guessed that we would fall hard for the track with the banjo intro. The truth is, “Love Spent” is the most lyrically revealing track on the album when it comes to her personal life. The tracks talks of marriage vows taken, so it could be one of only two people on this earth. Unless, of course, the song is about someone else. But for now, let’s say it’s allegedly Guy Ritchie and not Sean Penn.
It’s a simple track with Madonna’s signature easy-to-get lyrics, but it has the most emotional output of all. It’s not entirely a dance song, but it has a groove. Not only does it beat some of the other highly produced tracks, but it is fortunate enough to carry one of the strongest choruses Madonna has produced this millennium. “Love Spent” is a great track from a vastly-growing album.
Love it or hate it, this song was #1 on the UK charts in 1994. The track might not have real lyrics or a meaning at all, it was a great dance number at the time and is still infectious in melody. However, the band did not go on to do bigger and better things.
Leave it to Bic Runga to come up with a simply-constructed little ditty, attach thoughtful lyrics to it and also make it have one of the most memorable choruses of the season. This number is simple in structure but rich is style. “If Your Really Do” is a beautiful lullaby that speaks of yearning and love. It manages to embody everything essential about creating an effective and well-written song organically. Bic Runga’s only new album in six years, Belle, is short and sweet, but it manages to pack the punch with the catchy tunes like this delightful track.
“[Chorus]
This girl’s prepared for war
And as for love
Who knows what it’s good for
Except for crying
Yourself to sleep at night
And for blowing down
Your little heart”
- Bic Runga on “This Girl’s Prepared For War” from Belle.
Big, epic pop songs that launch careers are few and far in between. This one’s one of them. It’s bold and makes a statement. The beats almost feel like a tribal call and the lyrics speak of subtle yearning. Delilah is surely one of the artists to look out for in 2012. The visual for the song is also strong. It’s unlike any other track you will hear today on the charts, yet is instantly catchy and not in an annoying way. Give it a couple of spins and see if it grows on you.
This is the third time from the same album that Dionne Bromfield gets the incredibly prestigious “Sexy Track” title from our blog. Okay, naysayers you can settle down, we are making a joke much to your dismay. This song is a little tougher than the radio-friendly “Yeah Right” and the extremely infectious “Ouch That Hurt.” It’s a soul song with an old rock mentality. Something that feels like it could be a teeny bopper anthem yet be featured on the snobby Q magazine. The lyrics are the real catch here and they speak a story of ultimate yearning. A proper London streets song with great vocals and words that are uttered of pure emotion. We really believe that Dionne Bromfield is the natural continuation of Amy Winehouse’s legacy.
Adele’s new live CD and DVD has a cover and this is it. Live At Royal Albert Hall in London is set to drop soon to meet the demands of the lucrative fourth quarter. It’s a great time for Adele to make some more cash, everything she poops now is gold. So, it’s smart to hold off that high-anticipated third album that she allegedly claimed to have worked on. The sleeve is not so bad. It could have been better. Click below for the full tracklisting.
Formerly of GusGus, Hafdis Huld has done well as a solo artists. The Icelandic muse is already on the campaign for her third album and this is the lead single off of it. It’s kooky, as we came to expect from her, but also perfect for those crisp autumn mornings. The lyrics are simple yet striking. The arrangement is the same without straying too far away from her signature sound which is a great mixture between winter folk and playground love. This track is a breezy numbered that will leave you wanting more.
In celebration of conquering yet another decade, we decided to put together a compilation of some of the strongest and most inspirational songs we had ever heard in our lives. This compilation was set to be a benchmark of a new era and also a collection of the songs that have influenced me the most. Although one would think that picking your favorite songs of a lifetime is easy, this was probably one of the hardest compilations we have had to put together. First off, for a crazed music fan, its hard to nitpick tracks that have made a change in your life. Music is not stagnant and certain songs may have special meanings during times and not during others. Still, we managed to go down our entire library and we ended up with 70+ tracks, so we had to scale down.
All of the songs on here have had a great influence on us growing up and living through. Unlike other compilations, all of the tracks have the lyrics embedded in them. Also, all of the songs are dedicated to someone. These dedications are in some cases tied to the memory of hearing the song or it has lyrical connotation or merely general unrelated dedications. Some of the tracks on Thalatheen speak of epochs of memories. So, this one’s coming from the heart and it’s our gift to you. Yes, we give gifts out on our birthday! lol.
This former Brownstone member launched her solo career with a great track and then meandered into oblivion. This was a strong rock anthem, the time it came out and the lyrics are so powerful and simple. She didn’t look bad either. We wonder where she is now.
Loft965.com is very happy to bring you the album covers for the vault releases of Jill Scott’s Hidden Beach recordings. The above cover is the regular album and the one below is the deluxe version of it. The Original Jill Scott From The Vault Vol. 1, is set to chronicle all that didn’t make it on the albums and more. High off of the heals of her her first number one album, The Light Of The Sun, Jill Scott has more to offer this year. Can’t wait to review this one.
4 could probably be Beyonce’s best album to date. The reason for it is not because it carries a bunch of singles like B’Day, but because it is a return to making music that matters. Love songs, like “I Care,” don’t come easily these days. The form takes on soul music like never before, with poignant lyrics and a feeling of instrumental clout on the song. Moreover, Beyonce’s vocals are the best they have ever been. This is the kind of song that proves that Beyonce is a powerhouse musically and shows us that sometimes getting down to basics of music creation is intrinsically the best way to makes paramount beats.
Hailing all the way from Ireland, this folkster is no stranger to dreamy low-tempo numbers. Also, she is the perfect chanteuse for road-trip music. This track is no different, it is a great rock number with carefully embedded lyrics that will give you wanderlust at first listen. It’s climactic and has a strong story, until the chorus hits and keeps you humming for days.
“You fondle my trigger, then you blame my gun” – Fiona Apple on “Limp”
Summer is here and so are the robust dance pop songs. This one’s from The Saturday, which we almost gave up on but have now totally regained our attention with this number. This is probably one of the only tunes out there that have a stronger verse beat than a chorus. It’s main draw is not its lyrics, but its hot beat that can turn a dance floor into a mosh pit. The girls are back of style and a great new infectious single. This is one of their best yet right up there with “Up!”
Songs with catchy choruses are a few and far in-between these days. In this case, Oh Land mastered the chorus and perhaps got a PhD in it along the way. This track is a fresh and up summer song that will leave you humming for days on end with its quirky lyrics and buoyant nature. You can hum to the drum of Oh Land’s “White Nights,” but its definitely not hum-drum.
Whilst ditching her brother for a moment to concentrate on her solo career, Julia Stone does not stray to far away from the sombre lullabies that had made the duo popular. On this track particularly, a lovelorn Stone sways her way through sullen-tinged beats with a message of hope and longing. The melody compliments the lyrics perfectly and goes one step further by prettifying the bittersweetness of the situation with its almost jazzy demeanor. A great track to have deep conversations to.
