Sounds N Spirits

Good Music. Good Drinks. Good Times.

[soundsnspirits]

Joyce's Best of 2k15

Joyce’s Best of 2k15

Liz and I decided that, though we’ve gone a little ghost this year, we wanted to share our favorite music of the year with everyone so we’ve made lists, we’ve checked them twice, and now we’re telling you our top ten favorite albums and singles of the year! I’m currently in Asia but I wanted to get this out before we all said goodbye to 2015 so here’s my lists- I’ll elaborate later! Albums: Art…

View On WordPress

[soundsnspirits]

Liz's Best of 2k15

Liz’s Best of 2k15

Joyce and I decided that, though we’ve gone a little ghost this year, we wanted to share our favorite music of the year with y’all so we’ve made lists, we’ve checked them twice, and now we’re telling you our top ten favorite albums and singles of the year! Here are my choices – Albums: 1. Glitterbug // The Wombats I’ve been waiting patiently since 2013 when The Wombats released “Your Body Is A…

View On WordPress

[soundsnspirits]

THIS JUST IN: Bloodstream // @EdSheeran + @RudimentalUK My favorite song off of Ed's sophomore album, X (Multiply), is now Ed's next single and it's gotten a revamp with the help of Rudimental - the group responsible for jams like "Feel the Love." My love for the album version of "Bloodstream" will never wane but this collaboration brings a bigger and more intricate sound to the track and makes it a must-listen single!

[soundsnspirits]

SHOW REVIEW: CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN @ THE TROUBADOUR IN LOS ANGELES

Catfish and The Bottlemen are the most exciting act in music right now.

A hefty statement, sure, especially since it's only these self-deemed "bunch of nobodies'" second time touring America. But if you’ve seen them perform, you’ll agree that they are in every way deserving of all the accolades and more. Their debut album, "The Balcony,” received rave reviews and the Llanduno guitar gang has been gigging constantly in support of it. On Monday day, the Welsh lads brought their live set to the sold-out Troubadour in Los Angeles, where people were still buzzing from a post-Grammys high.

Outside the venue, the band maintains anonymity, but you wouldn’t know that walking into the Troubadour. Before the show started, even the guitar tech Larry (who is lead singer Van’s childhood friend) walked onto the stage to immediate and loud cheers. Needless to say, people were excited.

Around 9 o’clock, Catfish and the Bottlemen (Van McCan, Johnny “Bondy” Bond, Benji Blakeway, and Bob Hall) exploded onto the stage and championed through their entire debut with unrelenting energy.

Read the rest of the review + see more pictures at http://soundsnspirits.com/

[soundsnspirits]

GIG REVIEW: GEORGE EZRA + SAM SMITH AT THE FORUM

Talent speaks in ways that special effects never can. On Friday night, after a gloomy, rain stained day, George Ezra and Sam Smith brought sunshine to Los Angeles. Sans extravagant effects and backup dancers, the English singer songwriters delivered solid performances to a sold out crowd at The Forum.

Kicking off his set with "Cassy O," George Ezra immediately increased the energy in the room, which had been quickly filling up. Though the audience may not be familiar with his work, they still swayed along to the music, because it's virtually impossible to stay still when Ezra and his band begin to play. After wrapping up the first song, Ezra introduced himself in a humble, English manner (humorously self-deprecating, that is) and urged the crowd to look up the video for "Blame It On Me," the second song of the set, in which a series of unfortunate events happen to Ezra. Ezra continued on, with songs like "Listen To The Man" and "Barcelona," two songs that are incredibly joyful and allow Ezra to show off his impeccable vocals and undeniable guitar skills.

Read the full review + see more pictures at soundsnspirits.com!

[soundsnspirits]

THIS JUST IN: GREEK TRAGEDY (BASTILLE REMIX)

THIS JUST IN: @thewombats GREEK TRAGEDY (@BASTILLEdan REMIX)

January has been an eventful month so far for the British trio The Wombats. First, they announced the release date for their third album, “Glitterbug.” Next, their newest single “Greek Tragedy” hit the airwaves with a fabulous reception. And today, just back from a five show stint in America, the boys stopped by to chat with Zane Lowe on his show on BBC Radio 1. While they were there, Zane…

View On WordPress

[soundsnspirits]

You might think that the world has enough guitar touting singer songwriters, especially if they're from the UK. We already have Ed Sheeran, Jake Bugg, Hozier and legions of other bubbling singer-guitarists-do we really need to hear from another one? The answer is an apparent no, but George Ezra is the exception. 

If you're at all musically inclined, you've probably heard the name "George Ezra" floating around the internet. At just 21 years old, George Ezra is already taking over the world with a voice that may have you think he swallowed a 60 year old man. Though his album is coming out today, it's actually already been released in the other parts of the world. In the UK, Ezra's debut, "Wanted On Voyage," has already gone two times platinum, selling over 600,000 copies and topped the Official Charts for consecutive weeks months after the album was released. His lead single, "Budapest," has also been played nonstop on BBC Radio and is starting to make rounds on American radio, but "Wanted On Voyage" is so much more than that.

Inspired by a trip he took by himself around Europe, Ezra made an album for others to listen to on their own life journeys. Songs like "Budapest" and "Barcelona" are obvious love songs named after European cities, and while that may seem cliche, Ezra makes it work in his own magical way.  At different moments in both songs, his deep, oaky voice almost seem ethereal floating atop relaxed guitar riffs...

Read the whole review at SoundsNSpirits!

[soundsnspirits]

It’s a mystery why The Wombats haven’t taken over the world with their massive tunes and witty banter. The band has been around for a long time, but have still been kept as a gem in the indie world, shielded from mainstream America. But things may change with their third album, “Glitterbug,” due out on April 7th. On their third effort, The Wombats have teamed up with producer Mark Crew (Bastille, To Kill A King) who has helped churn out mega-hits like “Pompeii.”

For those of you unacquainted with the band, they sound like a cross between Two Door Cinema Club meets Foster The People, but grungier and glittery at the same time, and I mean that in the as the highest compliment. Their music and live shows are chock full of the energy embodied and exhibited by all three band members, Matthew “Murph” Murphy, Tord Knudsen and Dan Haggis.

The three liverpool lads, though jetlagged and all, brought their energetic selves to Los Angeles, the city that inspired a few tracks off the new album, and played to a surprisngly animated afternoon crowd at the Bootleg Hifi. The band kicked things off with “Your Body Is A Weapon” and “Moving To New York,” and soon after, the guitar pedal gave out and left Murph guitarless. In true English fashion, Dan and Murph exchanged some hilarious banter (jokingly saying the pedals are only used to cold English weather) which just improved the show.

Read the whole review and see other pictures at SoundsNSpirits!

[soundsnspirits]

THIS JUST IN: Greek Tragedy // The Wombats

Disregarding a rogue single in late 2013, it’s been quite a while since the world has gotten new music out of The Wombats. Their sophomore album, This Modern Glitch, was released back in 2011 yet still remains one of my current favorite albums – so needless to say, the premiere of the first single off of their upcoming third record has had me all kinds of excited. “Greek Tragedy,” off of the…

View On WordPress

[soundsnspirits]

11 Best Songs of 2014

11 Best Songs of 2014 @thebottlemen @bombaybicycle @warondrugsjams @fkatwigs

Words by Joyce Jude Lee

What makes a good song: a catchy hook, an infectious melody, a powerful verse, or experimental sounds? Just one of these aforementioned ingredients would make a good song, but a track that incorporates all of these would make it one of the best. Out of all the fantastic music that has been on the radio or dominated music forums, these eleven tracks rise above the rest.

1.…

View On WordPress

[soundsnspirits]

INTERVIEW: MAGIC MAN TALK FIRE ALARMS AND NICKNAMES + AN INTERVIEW IN PICTURES

What on earth is going on in this picture?

Ever wonder what their nicknames are for one another? Or what happened that time Alex Caplow pulled the fire alarm and got in big trouble? Read the whole interview + see other "interview in pictures" snapshots of Magic Man, one of our favorite bands of 2014, at SoundsNSpirits! 

Follow SoundsNSpirits for more interviews, gig reviews, and more! Enjoy loves, and Merry Christmas!

[soundsnspirits]

"Love Is Coal" To Kill A King

This is hands-down, the best lyric video I have seen this year. Brilliant in execution, all done in one shot. Not sure how long this took to conceptualize and rehearse, but it paid off. Not to mention, there is a story within the video as well, which perfectly conveys the message of love that's within the song. Watch, watch, and watch again. 

[soundsnspirits]

INTERVIEW: YOUNG RISING SONS TALK TOURING WITH THE 1975 AND MAN BUNS

We’re in the middle of a chilly holiday season, but it’s never a bad time to listen to some upbeat alternative music that reminds us of warmer times.

Young Rising Sons, a four-piece alt-rock band based out of New Jersey can provide just that.  Consisting of lead singer/guitarist Andy Tongren, lead guitarist Dylan Scott, bassist Julian Dimagiba and drummer Steve Patrick, Young Rising Sons are fully equipped to deliver anthemic alt-rock that is both uplifting and honest. SiriusXM Alt Nation and others across the globe have all received their debut single “High” with enthusiasm. This single, as well as the rest of their self-titled debut EP, boast varied instrumentation and vocals that showcase the band’s rough edges and soulful sweetness.

I had the chance to speak to Andy Tongren before they played a show to a sold out crowd with The 1975 in San Diego, where we got to know the band a little better.

READ MORE: The 1975 At The Hollywood Palladium

INTERVIEW:

SNS: How did the band come together?

Young Rising Sons: The other three guys are from New Jersey and they’ve known each other playing in bands that play shows with each other. I met them about five years ago, I was going to school in New York City and I was just playing acoustic in a bar, and they happened to be there. And they needed a singer, so I went to hang with them and jam a little bit, and it was instant chemistry. It kind of felt like a movie, to be honest. Now we’re best friends first and band mates second.

SNS: Congrats on being signed to Interscope! That’s huge.

YRS: Thank you so much! It means a lot to us, to have that family with us.

SNS: What are you musical influences?

YRS: We listen to everything, I grew up with a lot of Mo-Town, Temptations…that kind of stuff. We all kind of draw from somewhere else. We try to bring a little soulfulness to the music. We are big fans of Queen, Americana, Bruce Springsteen, being from New Jersey, that’s huge for us.

SNS: What are you up to musically then? Are you working on a new album?

YRS: Yeah, ever since we’ve been signed, we’ve been on tour. The little breaks that we get, we go to the studio to finish the album. It should be out early next year. Probably like March. We’re really excited about it, it’s going to give people a much deeper perspective as to who we are as a band and who we want to be.

SNS: What’s it like touring with The 1975?

YRS: It’s been great, awesome. The shows have been fantastic, the fans have been great....

Read the rest of the interview at www.soundsnspirits.com! 

[soundsnspirits]

Some PSAs...

We will be posting interviews with Magic Man, BROODS, Grizfolk, Young Rising Sons, and Ella Eyre before the year ends, so make sure to follow the page if you want to see/read those!

We will also be rounding out the year with some year end "Albums of the Year" and "Songs of the Year" pieces, so watch out for those.

Also, I have lots of pictures (^like this one^) archived from The 1975, Bastille, The Black Keys shows (etc.), would you lot be interested us posting more pictures (in lieu of December gigs, sigh)?

Thank you SO SO much for the support you've given us by reblogging, sharing, reading,  and watching our stuff. Liz and I are genuinely so so grateful for each and every one of you.

And as per usual, if there's good music that you think we should know about, share away! If you like what you see, share the post! :)

All our love! x

[soundsnspirits]

PRIDES: Mixtape 2014 Live at The Old Mill Studios

Glasgow band, Prides, have put out an end of the year mixtape, and we reckon you should give it a listen. They seamlessly mash up some of my favorite songs, including The 1975's "Settle Down," Catfish and The Bottlemen's "Cocoon," and Jessie Ware's "Tough Love."

BRILLIANT

[soundsnspirits]

"From Eden" by Hozier is one of my favorite songs at the moment. Here he is playing a lovely rendition of this song in a tiny Manchester living room. LOVELY.

[soundsnspirits]

HUGE CONGRATS to Bastille for the Best New Artist Nominee at the Grammy.

Watch our interview with them if you missed it before! Dan called themselves "failures and losers" in this interview...but I beg to differ.

Follow soundsnspirits for more interviews, reviews, pictures, music news, and other things if you enjoyed this! :)