Music Journalism // Best Of Twitter

Some might say that over the years I have accumulated quite a large following on Twitter. As it stands I have around 1.7k followers, and that number is ever-increasing. A large portion of that figure is made up of bands, artists, or their representatives (I can only assume this is because of my own music taste which is quite evident on my account if you have the time to look through the long list of bands I follow). Frequently now, I am contacted by members of bands that are not as well known, who ask me to listen to their debut songs on YouTube, or, if I'm lucky, they may even send me a free album. Recently this has been occurring more and more, with around seven requests from bands in the past two days. This contact with bands or their associates is, frankly, brilliant for me because at some point in the future I would love to become a music journalist. I realised that I could help some of these bands get started by recommending some of the best songs I'm sent, to you, blog readers, and simultaneously improve my chances of a career in the field. If not, it's good practice and good fun.

1) Living Proof by The Gift of Ghosts

Sent to me by band member Rich on his account @RichTGOG, this was definitely the best, most promising, well-produced song I've been linked to in a long time... maybe ever. Rich actually directed me to a lyric video, which I also thought was very professionally made. After a couple of listens, I was completely hooked on both the words and sound. Out of everything I've been sent, Living Proof was the only song I liked enough to publically recommend on my own Twitter account. I genuinely believe that The Gift of Ghosts could rival most signed rock bands as they're a perfect example of a band that knows what they have to do to get where they want to. Definitely listen to Living Proof if you're a fan of Crown The Empire or Bring Me The Horizon -  although I wouldn't recommend it if you can't stomach a bit of screaming.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83BA04_IyQ0&feature=youtu.be

@TheGiftOfGhosts

facebook.com/TheGiftOfGhosts



2) Jury Of Wolves by Outline In Color

@OutlineInColor approached me to draw my attention to their album 'Jury of Wolves' on iTunes. I'm not an iTunes user but I took it upon myself to check out their YouTube account instead. I have a feeling that Jury of Wolves would be extremely popular with the metal-heads amongst you, although I must admit it's a little heavier than the music I usually store on my phone. It went down well with my friends who enjoy screamo a lot more than me. That said, the verses provide a nice contrast from the rest of the song and for me they make the song worthwhile. You can decide for yourselves by watching the lyric video below. With regard to Outline In Color's other songs that haven't been mentioned in this blog, I do have a bit of a problem with the screaming going on over the singing. I'd recommend a listen if you like Memphis May Fire or Asking Alexandria.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z94DQBUVXvk

@OutlineInColor

facebook.com/OutlineInColor

3) Under The Weather by Above The Underground
Above The Underground were one of the generous bands. They got in touch with me to thank me for my follow back, and offered me a free download of their new album 'Sonder' in return. Today though I searched them on YouTube and came across a gem from one of their older records, Autumn, called 'Under The Weather'. Above The Underground make the kind of music I'm really into and what's even better is that they're a home-grown band from Cheshire, UK. You might be a fan if you like Blink-182. (And also, no screaming!)

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTc_ZueSgh0

@ATUpoppunk


facebook.com/abovetheundergrounduk

Members of Diamond Days, Tempting Fate (not to be confused with my friends' band Tempted Fate), Forgotten Fallacy and Glory For An Idol all got in touch but sadly their songs didn't make my top three. Bands are nothing without their fans, guys, and every one could use some help in one way or another. Listen to them on Spotify, like their Facebook pages, follow them on Twitter, subscribe on YouTube... please do whatever you can to show them support.

If you'd like to see your band on a blog like this please private message me on my Twitter account @HUNTY0UD0WN by clicking >here<

(links correct June 2014. This post also appears on www.b4ndwagon.blogspot.com)

Monday 26th May 2014 // Monthly Favourites

Within the past couple of days (now that AS exams are over and I actually have some free time) I've finally had time to rekindle some love for my favourite past-times. Yesterday I managed to see my best friend Jayson again, but other than that I've really been enjoying my own company. I don't know why. This means that I've spent quite a lot of time alone; whether it be watching movies, reading books, blogging, writing songs or whatever.

One thing I've rediscovered, is my love of Italy and all things Italian. I was having a discussion with a couple of college friends about what the hell I'm going to do if I fail my AS-Levels when I began to consider spending some time in Italy; which hadn't crossed my mind in a while. When I was quite young, I picked up a book called 'Pretty Face' by Mary Hogan, which I wouldn't recommend reading unless you're around 13-14, but nonetheless when I read it I became obsessed with a small town named Assisi, which is situated within the Umbria region of Italy. The book told the story of how a largely overweight girl was sent over to Italy (specifically, Assisi) where it was believed she could lose some weight. The main character managed this by climbing the mountain there every day in order to see her friend/boyfriend Enzo. It's all very gay but it's a lovely story to read if you're a young teenager, or if you just feel like falling in love with Assisi. Since then, I've had an overwhelming urge to visit Italy, and who knows, maybe even spend a portion of my life there. If I'm really gonna go all out on this 'all things Italian' point, I could also mention Marcus Butler's YouTube video "Drunk In Italy". I watched the video with a friend at a sleepover, and was amazed by the fact that they actually party in the streets! It's just that you wouldn't see a rave on the pavement in England, complete with strobe lights and everything, now, would you?

Leading on from this first point, I've also rediscovered my love for learning languages. Even before I read 'Pretty Face', I was well on my way to learning basic Italian, and a little bit more French. At this point I might only have been 8 or 9 years old. I was short of things to do at weekends so I attempted to learn Italian by reading a short children's Learn Italian book, and learning French via PC-CD ROM. Recently I realised that hardly any of either language has stuck in my head - if you asked me to speak a sentence in Italian I would have said something as simple as "Caio, amore mio" - and I can say even less in French. Annoyed at myself for letting it slip, I spoke to my friend Dan about it, who shares a passion for languages (though he's much more concerned with German). He was able to direct me to a free app on the Google Play store called 'Duolingo' which is extremely helpful for learning languages. I've been using the app for four days and I can already speak Italian to a Level 6 standard. It'll be vital that I learn at least some of the language if I want to stay in Italy long-term. If you're interested in learning a language, I highly recommend this app as you can go at your own pace, and you can choose whichever language you like. It also reminds you at intervals to keep up with studying at times when particular sections might be fading from your memory.

Something entirely new I discovered just over a month ago is Game of Thrones. I can't say with certainty that I know all the characters' names or that I understand all the story-lines because I have only seen from the end of Season 3, but I did fall in love with the Sixth Episode of Season Four: 'The Laws of Gods and Men,' where we begin to see (almost) everyone rally against Tyrion who is by far my favourite character. And I have to say *spoiler alert* "I DEMAND A TRIAL BY COMBAT!" was definitely the highlight of the season. I would love to read the books, but sadly I don't have any yet. Plus, I'm already started on two books, 'It's Kind Of A Funny Story' and House Of Night's 'Revealed,' as well as having purchased three books (including The Lovely Bones and Eragon) over the weekend. Surely, there'll be some book reviews coming your way soon.

Meaghan xx