Under the Westway

I have been talking lately about bands getting back together and recording new albums, but not all of them do the same.

After a six year hiatus, Blur reunited in 2009 for a couple of concerts. The positive reviews their comeback drew lead them to headline at several Summer festivals, but there were no news of a new record.
2010 brought their documentary No distance left to run, which earned them their first Grammy nomination (for Best long form music video), and the new song Fool's day. Still no news of a new album.
Early on 2012, despite them saying that the time for a new record had not come yet, producer William Orbit's tweets made it clear that the band was back in the studio. However, in May he announced that recording had halted. The pressure was too much, they didn't want to rush things and maybe they were not ready for the commitment an album involves.
Luckily, on July 2 they released the singles The Puritan and Under the Westway.

9. Blur - Under the Westway



There were blue skies in my city today.

Settle down

After a wait that seemed to last forever, No Doubt are back, and what a comeback!
I've heard a lot of different opinions on this song: some say it's just the same music Gwen Stefani has been doing since she began her solo career; some others think that there's no doubt they're the No Doubt we once fell in love with.
I'm with the second group.

The fact is that when the song ends it's very hard not to hit play again.
It may be the reggae atmosphere, the addictive rhythm, the catchy lyrics or the urgent need to dance that we get when we listen to it.
Whatever it is, let's enjoy it!

Settle down will be included in their new album, Push and shove, that will be out on September 25.
I can't wait to listen to the rest of the songs in there. What about you?

8. No Doubt - Settle down



But you can see it my eyes, you can read on my lips, 
I'm trying to get a hold on this.
And I really mean it this time, and you know it's such a trip.
Don't get me started, I'm trying to get a hold on this.

That golden rule

Probably the most epic song ending ever.

7. Biffy Clyro - That golden rule



I wanna scream one last death medley.

Kill your heroes

Sail made AWOLNATION widely known, which was enough to make me want more (I'm an easy guy).
That led me to Megalithic Symphony, their debut album, most of which I must admit wasn't easy on my ears... at first.
I decided to give it a try anyway, and I started noticing that after each listen my feelings towards the record were slightly different, evolving from that initial what-the-hell-is-this to a hey-(I-just-met-you-and-this-is-crazy)-I-think-I-like-this.
While that internal process was taking place, Not your fault hit the radio stations, and suddenly everything changed: AWOLNATION were not a one-hit-wonder anymore, since that one was clearly their second hit.

A couple of weeks later, I was already sure that I liked Megalithic Symphony. A lot.
The album had a lot of potential, and I couldn't wait to see them perform it live. I had the change to do it last July in the Bilbao BBK Live 2012, where all my suspicions were confirmed: the gig was awesome, electrifying, fun, full of energy... a party from beginning to end.

AW-ESOME-OLNATION

6. AWOLNATION - Kill your heroes



I say ya kill your heroes and fly, fly, baby don't cry.

Runaways

Flamingo was okay, but Brandon Flowers is not The Killers.
It's been almost four years since Day & Age, but The Killers (all of them) are finally back!
Their new album, Battle Born, will be out on September 18, and after listening (over and over again) to its first single, Runaways, it's impossible not to be excited.

5. The Killers - Runaways



We can't wait 'til tomorrow.

Call me maybe

It's not what it seems!
Okay, maybe it is, but just a little.
The song is everywhere, that's a fact. Luckily for you, I'm not here to post the original, by Carly Rae Jepsen, but one of its (thousands of) covers.
Don't run yet, please! I swear it's worth it!
Ben Howard's cover sounds like a completely different song, definitely not the typical Summer song, but something deeper, with a meaning of some kind, even though the lyrics are what they are.

I'm aware that it's totally unfair for this to be the first Ben Howard song I post in this blog, since he has great songs of his own: The Wolves, The Fear, Old pine, Only love...
I promise to go back to him sometime.
Probably soon.

4. Ben Howard - Call me maybe



Hey, I just met you and this is crazy.

Fail for you

I'm in constant search for new music, and I become extremely happy when I find something new (meaning new to me) that amazes me. This has been the case of my discovery of the week: Luke Sital-Singh.
I listened to I have been a fire a couple of nights ago on the radio and I instantly fell in love with it. It sounds to me like Damien Rice mixed with a little David Gray. You'll have to agree with me that can only sound great... and it really does.

I haven't been able to find a Youtube link for the song, so I'll leave you with another one: Fail for you.

3. Luke Sital-Singh - Fail for you



I recommend you go visit this site, where you can listen to the four songs his E.P. Fail for you is composed of. Among those tracks you will find the one I was talking about before: I have been a fire.

Press play. Close your eyes. Enjoy.

The only thing I couldn't do is fail for you.

Blindness

If I had to pick an album from 2009 it would probably be Metric's Fantasies.
It was the first time I paid attention to Emily Haines' band, even though I had unconsciously listened to it in several Grey's Anatomy episodes, and I simply loved it.
When I listened to the album's first single, Help, I'm alive, on the radio it was love at first sight (you know what I mean). After that came even greater songs, such as Gimme sympathy, Sick muse or Gold Guns Girls.

Something funny happened to me with Metric: one day I didn't know them, the next day they were almost everywhere! Zombieland, The Vampire Diaries, Entourage, CSI: Miami... and of course, again, Grey's Anatomy.
I still remember the opening of the sixth episode in season six...



2. Metric - Blindness



Send us a blindfold. Send us a blade.
Tell the survivors help is on the way.

I will wait

Beginnings are always hard. That is why it took me more than a week to get this post done.
The main problem wasn't this text, but the song I would choose to start this new blog: there are so many songs in my head...
My hunger for music never stops, and it's exactly that hunger what brings me here: I want to share the songs I love, I want you to tell me which ones are your favourites, I want to discover amazing artists I don't know yet and help you do the same...
I think my point is already clear, so it's time for me to shut up and let you enjoy the music.

For this first post I chose I will wait, the first single of the upcoming Mumford & Songs album, Babel, which will be out on September 24 2012.
It's a great start, isn't it?

1. Mumford & Sons - I will wait
 


And I will wait I will wait for you.