Hard As Hello (Bastille Remix) /  by E

Kimberly Anne's lead single off her forthcoming EP, Hard As Hello, set for release March 24, has a steady rhythm and a soft melody that are wonderfully addictive and they're only made better by her amazing lyrics. 

Bastille remixed the track and somehow made sanguine lines like "when I'm watching the tragedy, as you choose her over me, and it's that cinematic walk away scene, where I'll be fine", "so I'll pan out as you zoom in, to the qualities that I'm lacking, and I'll find me some thicker skin, to get me by" and the recurring "feet don't fail me now, I'm feeling stronger than this, I'm as hard as hell" feel haunted, yet more direct than before. The remix features vocals and production from Bastille and that mixture of Anne's honest lyrics and indie pop track mixed with Bastille's heavy beats and techno influences is fantastic. 

Check out the original track here, head to the websites to find out more about Kimberly Anne and her music, and get both the original and the remix on Hard As Hello March 24.

"Hard As Hello" Kimberly Anne (Bastille Remix)

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Midnight /  by E

Coldplay released their latest single, à la BEYONCÉ (they did no prior advertising; they released it and let their fans and all of social media do their thing) and, while I like this style of 'non'-advertising and I think it takes a lot of confidence to rely solely on that word of mouth promotion, the new single is lacking.

From a purely musicological viewpoint the track is fantastic. It shares the stark, bare bones recording style from Brothers & Sisters combined with X&Y's tendency to drown out vocals with heavy riffs and emotionally wrought compositions with all of the techno influences that began appearing in heavy force on Mylo Xyloto and you can clearly chart how the band's music got to this point through an easy to follow album timeline; but the track lacks that hummable melody and ineffable charisma which forces you to dance and lose yourself in the music.

This could be the album's opening track, which would explain its slow build and its inability to incite anything other than a general feeling of needing something else to fill the void left by this lackluster single, or it could be a sign that Coldplay has finally evolved so far into the world of techno music that I can no longer really enjoy their music. Regardless of the sound, lyrics which state "millions are lost from home, in the swelling, swelling on, running around and with a thunder, to bleed from thorns, leave a light, a light on" sound like a first round eliminated poem from your local coffee house poetry slam; they remain uninspired and, ultimately, disappointing from a band which has continually brought us great lines like "what if I got it wrong and no poem or song, could put right what I got wrong or make you feel I belong", "questions of science, science and progress, do not speak as loud as my heart, tell me you love me, come back and haunt me, oh and I rush to the start" and, of course, "life goes on, it gets so heavy, the wheel breaks the butterfly".

As much as I like Coldplay, have always liked Coldplay, and think people who say they don't like Coldplay are just afraid to admit that they sang "Yellow" in the shower this morning, I am not a fan of this new sound and I'm hoping the band grows from this new direction, rather than running with it and holding this new sound steady across the rest of the album's tracks.

"Midnight" Coldplay

Waiting For The Sun /  by E

Jolie Holland's "Waiting For The Sun" off her forthcoming album, Wine Dark Sea (due out May 20), has a sweet folk swing and heavy jazz influences that leave the track feeling warm and inviting. The prominent saxophone and electric guitar riffs add a fun change of pace to the hummable melody and Holland's soulful vocals make the track irresistible as she croons the line "just waiting for the sun to come out of hiding".

Look for Holland's self-produced LP coming this May, check out the single below, and head to the sites to find out more about the artist.

"Waiting For The Sun" Jolie Holland

Music Related News /  by E

As I missed last week's Music News, this week's will be an amalgamation of some of the music headlines and releases from the past two weeks.

  • Marty Thau, producer, manager, and founder of Red Star Records, passed away early this month. He worked with so many amazing bands throughout his career and was, himself, kind of amazing (especially if you're a fan of the punk/new wave scene). Thau is quoted as saying "rejection is my middle name. I've been called almost every complimentary or contentious name in the book... I was wise enough to know that all you can do in life is be who you are. Some will love you for yourself, but most will love you for what you can do for them."
  • Miley Cyrus set out on her Bangerz tour and it's just as wonderfully fun loving and exceptionally weird as you would expect. 
  • Drake got into a short Twitter war with Rolling Stone when he stated that he was done with "doing interviews for magazines. I just want to give my music to the people. That's the only way my message gets across accurately". Apparently, the magazine tried to pit him against Kanye and then 'took away' his cover and replaced it with a picture of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman (the horror). Basically, Drake was upset because he believes himself to be incredibly important. 
  • Follow this link to hear tracks which will be featured on St. Vincent's self titled album, due out tomorrow in the US.
  • Dubkiller released a remix of Sick Puppies' "Telling Lies" and, though I haven't listened to the band sinceDressed Up As Life, Dubkiller's mix is great enough to get me interested in the band again. Check it out for addictive beats and a rhythm you can't not move to. Sick Puppies Telling Lies Dubkiller Remix
  • Timeflies released their video for, "All The Way", the first single from their upcoming debut album, After Hours, and it's just as fun as the song itself.
  • Sleep Thieves released their second single from You Want the Night and you need to hear "City of Hearts" if you like good music. 
  • The Trews released the first single, "What's Fair Is Fair", from their upcoming self-titled album and it's solid rock sound is wonderfully addictive.
  • Jacob Latham's "Pay Attention to the Rain" from his Midnight Train EP features truly amazing lyrics, vocals which don't try to be anything more than they are (a refreshing change of pace), and a solid rhythm that supports a hummable melody. The entire EP is just so great.
  • Fred Page released "Concrete" and I became completely addicted to his lyrics.
  • Lost In The Trees released their album Past Life and it is gorgeous. Each track features the band's honest lyrics and flawless compositions and their new sound is softly hypnotic and completely addictive.
  • Undiscovered Soul's "Tandem" is one of the most addictive songs you're going to hear. The band features six separate members from parts of Europe and, while that would be enough to give a lot of bands a composition which is too full, Undiscovered Soul relishes in the chance to include so many different layers in their tracks and it comes out sounding perfectly balanced and more than worthy of playing on repeat; plus, the lyrics are fantastic.
  • Problems, solo project from Justin Walkden, released two singles that need to be played when you're laying in the sun over spring break. Check out "Bruised" and "Alighted" for tracks that will be wandering through your mind for the next week.
  • Runaway Dorothy's The Wait will be released tomorrow and you need to get it for some good music; check out their single, "Give Me A Reason".
  • The Menzingers released the first song from their upcoming album, Rented World, due out April 22, and "In Remission" features solid guitar riffs and lyrics you're going to want to sing along with. 
  • Tokyo Police Club released the third single from their forthcoming Forcefield and "Tunnel Vision" is just as fantastic as ever. It evokes images of their earlier albums with the fun lyrics that we first started to hear again on their second single ("Hot Tonight") and that fantastic solid rock sound that has been so prevalent on their first two albums. This band is amazing and this latest track has me thoroughly excited to hear everything else on Forcefield.
  • Melanie Martinez released the wonderfully creepy and slightly haunting "Dollhouse" and I haven't been able to stop listening to it on repeat.
  • Kat Dahlia's video for "Crazy" was straightforward, keeping the emphasis on the song (and it's diary-esque lyrics) and is really only great because it added Dahlia's attitude to the song, which somehow made it even better.
  • Helios will be available for release tomorrow and "Hurricane" and "Love Don't Die" should have you thoroughly excited for new music from The Fray. The lyrics are always fantastic, the band is just as great (maybe better) live as they are recorded, and the music could not be catchier, so grab the album tomorrow (or pre-order now).
  • The Vamps released "Wild Heart" as a single on iTunes this week and it's everything pop, cute, and fun that could ever compete with the youth's love for One Direction. It is disturbingly catchy.
  • Breathe Carolina's Savages is available for pre-order now and their single "Sellouts" needs your attention (Danny Worsnop makes it fun).
  • Eli Young Band's 10,000 Towns is available for pre-order and "Just Add Moonlight" is far too addictive for the feminist in me to stomach (you should probably just buy it and listen to it on repeat until you're too tired of it to play it again).
  • American Authors Oh, What A Life is available for pre-order now and you want to get it. I've spent the last month listening to this album on repeat and I can tell you that it is so far past addictive and so much better, as a whole, than "Best Day Of My Life", that it's going to be your favorite album to play on repeat this Spring.
  • Beck's Morning Phase will be released tomorrow and you should just get it, because it's Beck and it will no doubt be fantastic. Listen to "Blue Moon", "Waking Light", and "Wave" now. 
  • Strange Talk's Cast Away is available for pre-order and you should just grab it now because all of the tracks are fantastic and you'll be happy to get the immediate downloads of "Cast Away", "Morning Sun", and "Young Hearts".