NEW MUSIC FAVOURITES: OCTOBER 2017

I've been itching to get back into blogging properly but what with having a ridiculously inconsistent work schedule I just haven't had the time to really sit down and write. However, I'm about to start a new job that's Monday-Friday, and this is incredibly exciting as I may now have time to actually, I dunno, live my life, I guess. I'm being slightly lazy here and going with a favourites post to ease my way back into things, but I'll be back with some more #original #content soon.

LOVELY, LITTLE, LONELY REVIEW.

YIKES. It's been a while. In my defence, my final year of university has been kicking my derrière and I now have a lil' part-time job which means that any free time I have is somewhat short-lived. I love writing blog posts but for me they're a multiple-hours commitment (what with planning, writing, editing, more editing, making the graphics and all that jazz) and I just haven't had the time to really get down to writing something. Regardless, I am here right now with an album review and I'm excited to share it.

It seems like only yesterday that I was writing my very first album review on this blog. It was The Maine's 2015 release American Candy. Yet, time did that thing it does, and it took me to right here today, two years later, with a review of the band's sixth studio album, Lovely, Little, Lonely (released on 7th April). To say I was excited for the record would be a prodigious understatement. I love The Maine and everything they stand for with all of my cold-to-lukewarm heart and soul. However, this post is not supposed to be about my relentless admiration for the band as people (although let's be honest, this probably will feature fairly heavily), so how about we start with my track-by-track review?

2016 IN CONCERTS.

I've always loved taking photos at gigs. I used to sneak my DSLR into venues - sometimes even with my giant zoom lens - and never once got caught. One time I was fifth row at the Radio 1 Teen Awards and ended up with some great photos of One Direction and Taylor Swift. It seems funny now, because multiple times this year venue staff during bag-check have told me that my little Olympus E-PL7 isn't allowed because it has a detachable lens and that deems it 'professional'. (What does that even mean, anyway?) Nonetheless, because I am me, and am remarkably persuasive when I want to be, on every one of these occasions I managed to convince each staff member to let me bring the camera in regardless (mostly I exasperate them and they just give up, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do). With that, allow me to present to you some of my favourite photos from the various gigs I attended this year (fifteen in total, but only nine of them feature in this post), taken with the aforementioned ~forbidden camera~.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: MARCH 2016.

Hello. These posts probably aren't interesting for you but they at least force me to write something, which then occasionally inspires me to write more actual interesting content afterwards. Here we go.

DEATH OF A BACHELOR REVIEW.

Hello I'm Georgia and I have had this post in the making since January. Better late than never though, eh? (I feel like I say that far too often to actually believe it when I say it.) Panic! at the Disco released Death of a Bachelor on the fifteenth of January and here I am offering my unsolicited opinions on it. I'm a big Panic! fan so I was super excited and intrigued to see how the album would sound with Mr. Urie being the only original Panic! member left, and the sole commander for the first time.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: JANUARY 2016.

Hello! I thought I'd drop by and give you an update about what I loved last month.

YOU WERE DANCING TO YOUR FAVOURITE SONG.

Summary: a much longer post than really necessary about seeing The Maine in concert and getting to meet (4/5 of) them after the show. Also, hi, welcome to my first post of 2016.

A few weeks ago I got an email from Eurostar saying there was a sale on for travel up until the end of January. Within ten minutes I’d used my Christmas money to book a train and had planned a weekend trip to England at the end of the month. I’d been pretty sad about the fact that I couldn’t go and see The Maine while they were touring the UK but with this trip booked it meant I could finally go and see them live. I was PUMPED.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: DECEMBER 2015.

HELLO! IT'S THE FINAL DAY OF 2015! It is time for my last monthly favourites post (and post in general) of the year. LET'S GO.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: NOVEMBER 2015.

It is currently a mere half-hour into December, which means I am so on time with this post. Let's raise our glasses to punctuality! Unfortunately my current literature essay has not benefitted from this punctuality quite so much, but y'know, baby steps. Here are some things I've been loving this month.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: OCTOBER 2015.

Welcome back to another monthly update on what I've been loving recently. Hit it! *Presses play on tape player.*

SOUNDS GOOD FEELS GOOD REVIEW.

Nervous. Scared. Excited. Worried. What does this amalgamation of emotions mean? Why, a new 5SOS album of course. On the 23^rd October 5 Seconds of Summer released their sophomore album Sounds Good Feels Good. Anyone who knows me on the Internet/in real life is probably aware that I’m a huge 5SOS fan, which means that I am simultaneously their best and worst critic. Over time I’ve seen them improve and I’ve seen them make some questionable musical decisions, and I feel like I am in good standing to review their new record. On that note, let me get started.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: SEPTEMBER 2015.

Ah. It's nearly two weeks into October and I'm only just uploading my "September Favourites". Better late than never...right? On another note, look how ugly the graphic is this month, it seems really empty for some reason.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: AUGUST 2015.

Hello, my blog-reading children, welcome to another monthly favourites post. I've spent the past four weeks pretty much doing nothing in our apartment here in lil' old Switzerland. Here are some of the things I've been loving.

BADLANDS REVIEW.

On 28th August 2015, after a few release-date hiccoughs, Halsey released her debut album, BADLANDS. I first stumbled upon Halsey (though she still called herself Ashley Frangipane back then) in summer 2013. I watched a few of her covers on YouTube and couldn't shake this feeling that she had something. Over the next few months I realised I'd had good reason to sense something special in her. I found myself converted to being a fan, and after a couple of small and temporary name-changes Ashley took a big step in her musical journey and became Halsey. In early 2014 she released Ghost as her first official single on iTunes, and it was a poignant moment to bear witness to. A couple of months later, Halsey presented her relatively-small-but-ever-growing fanbase with yet another taste of what was to come, in the form of New Americana. Later on, a newer version of it would prove to be one of the most successful songs she had ever released, with people praising it left, right and centre; dubbing it an anthem for the world's youth. Fast-forward one Room 93 EP, a record deal, a few tours and exponentially more radio plays later, and we arrive in August 2015, with the release of the eagerly-anticipated BADLANDS album.

A LITTLE LOOK AT ORPHAN BLACK.

Over the past couple of weeks I've become nigh on addicted to Orphan Black. For anyone unfamiliar with the programme, it's a sci-fi drama about human cloning. Let's get this straight: usually, as soon as I see "genre: sci-fi" I tend to be a little put off, but I decided to push through (especially as my last Great TV Show Find was also a sci-fi) (hi there check out this post if you want to know what I'm talking about) and I'm so glad I did. If you're hoping for aliens and intergalactic adventures this isn't the show for that, but I wholeheartedly recommend you give it a shot anyway.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: JULY 2015.

Hey there, I'm back with another favourites post, and only few days later than I'd intended. Okay then, let's get right to it!

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: JUNE 2015.

June has been really busy, as was expected. I simultaneously feel like I haven't had any time to myself, and that I've had so much time doing nothing, so I'm not sure how that's worked out. Yes, I know this monthly favourites is late, but it's here, which is better than nothing. Allons-y!

A (FEW) NIGHT(S) WITH 5SOS.

I like 5 Seconds of Summer. I'm pretty much wholly unapologetic about it - I've been a fan of them for a few years and it's truly been a pleasure watching them grow in success, skill and confidence (and height!). I've met them a few times, but there's something about watching perform that is just infinitely more exciting. I've been fortunate enough to be able to see them live many times, and upon their touring of the UK this summer, I took it upon myself to see them perform as much as possible.

MONTHLY FAVOURITES: MAY 2015.

Hello! I finished my exams just under a week ago and that is why I've been MIA for a few weeks. I'd like to think they went alright, but I suppose I'll find out during the summer. Nonetheless, I'm back now, and ready to absolutely rock your world with some new posts. Are you ready? Can you handle this? Let's go.

FUTURE HEARTS REVIEW.

This post has been sitting in my drafts since Future Hearts' release date but I've been waiting until I got the physical copy from my friend Libby before I published it. (I've been away from England so hadn't got the chance to see her until recently!) If you've read my blog before you'll know I'm a fan of All Time Low; four pop-punk idiots hailing from Baltimore. On the 3rd April they released their sixth album. Produced exclusively by John Feldmann and featuring vocals from Blink-182's Mark Hoppus and Good Charlotte's Joel Madden, I was super excited to listen to their sixth instalment. They consistently create awesome music so I had incredibly high hopes for this album. I was in no way disappointed. Without further delay, here's my review of Future Hearts.