This weekend was big for music, wasn’t it?
Adele was singing in the BBC’s house, Benjamin Clementine surprised Jamie XX to win this years Mercury Prize, Anastasia was on Strictly…
Fear not however, Monday is here with four more songs to carry on the fun.
Frances – Borrowed Time
We like Frances at Kettle. Our ‘warm mug of a songwriter’ has already warmed our hearts with tracks such as ‘Grow’, ‘Let It Out’ and now she has a new release titled ‘Borrowed Time’.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hw3h9cAIFk align:center]
Jumping from the piano to a synthy sounding keyboard, Frances has shown a slightly more quirky pop style to already glorious sounding vocal chords. With the trajectory she appears to be taking, we’re expecting big things for Frances next year.
Justin Bieber – I’ll Show You
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfGaX8G0f2E align:center] Kettle do not endorse some of the fashion choices on display in this video
I think we need to talk about Justin Bieber.
Up until now, JB has quite rightly been viewed as an annoying little pop diva. His songs were nauseating, his fans even more so, and generally he really wasn’t worth thinking about.
Now however, he’s started working with a group of producers who aren’t interested in playing to the Belieber crowd. Skrillex and Diplo, though a little annoying in their own right, are credible producers who’ve not only made some hits of their own but also worked with major artists like Beyonce and MIA.
Just because some else is making his hits might not win you over, in fact the admission that he doesn’t make his own records could actually reinforce your dislike of the little man, however, be realistic. Every major pop release has a massive team of writers behind it; even Taylor Swift had help on her last album, despite being an award winning songwriter herself.
What I’m trying to say is, fans aside, there’s no reason why a decent sounding Justin Bieber record should be dismissed on account of it being his (albeit tattooed and slightly cringy looking) image on the cover.
Which neatly brings us to our second track, ‘I’ll Show You’ – which despite some cliché lyrics, I think is alright.
Hidden Charms – Love You Cause You’re There
Less of a hot take this time.
Hidden Charms are an emerging band from London. Despite being young of age, they have a very retro feel to them, drawing more influences from The Shadows than of more modern culture.
‘Love You Cause You’re There’ is actually fairly contemporary sounding for the band, coming across as it could be from another of Jack White’s many enterprises – an American-blues-inspired-rock sort of song, but obviously from the UK; Band of Skulls, basically.
Benjamin Clementine – London
[video:https://youtu.be/6RJMhYtYKMQ]Finally, a nod for our latest Mercury Prize winner.
This years field was very strong, I personally thought Jamie XX’s record was certain to win, and, although the underdog always seems to win when it comes to Mercury Prizes, it’s testament to Benjamin Clementine’s talent that he’s walked away with the prize.
Despite being so musically sophisticated, his music is accessible to the point that I’m considering it as a Christmas present for some of musically illiterate family members; like how Nina Simone is a classical/jazz legend yet can still feature in yoghurt adverts.
‘London’ is one of my favourite of his tracks – subtle, slow and personal to start before jumping off onto a completely different tangent for a big string backed chorus. Lovely stuff.
Got a favourite new track you think we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
