Sunday, February 15, 2009

Women of music, and why they rock!

Now i know this is going to be a very odd post. But hear me out. I recent years more and more i have added a lot of female artists, bands containing female lead singers and all girl band's. And this is for a very good reason. No im not some kind of lesbian trapped in a man's body. No it's because female artist's thankfully sing about topics from a different viewpoint then the overkill of male singer's out there. 

Pop-Punk, punk, rock, emo so on and so forther is full of male singers. There's far to many of them. And when most of them are singing about girls that have jilted them it becomes pretty stagnant and annoying. Now the real talent amoung them is those who can write new songs that tell the same old stories and still sound good. The difference with female artist's is that they tell completly different stories from a new point of view. They are also inclined to sing about nothing the odd time too, and compared to a lot of what i listen too this is a very good thing.

I will start talking about each artist as briefly as i can and explain why i like them.


Avril Lavigne:

Now before i get started, i hate her new stuff, it's awful. But the moody earlier stuff and her hits, that's what i love. And it's not because they are catchy or in some case's really emotional or whiney, no it's because they are really good songs. Complicated or My happy ending, brilliant songs. And she should never be put down based on being comercial or that new pop crap. She was once really really good and coloberated on writting some very good songs. I dare you to listen to her first 2 albums and not like them. There are of course a few duds here and there, and Sk8r boi is just formulaic and annoying but most of her early songs were brilliant and she is a good artist.

The Like:

Oh how i love the like. 3 Gorgeous girls with slightly unique fashion sense and well they're just really good at what they do. What they do is write catchy and melodic indie tunes that are sometimes hard to understand due to Z Berg's deep and smooth voice but brilliant none-the-less. What i say and what i mean, June Gloom and (so i sit here) Waiting are all amazing songs. And it has been a very long time coming but i can not wait for their next album. Also, i have a thing for Z berg ever since her eye's locked onto mine at a gig. Oh and Charlotte Froom is very hot in hot pants and who could forget the mad thing that is the cute british drummer Tennessee Thomas.


Paramore:

Ah paramore. I forgive them for their christian beginings. I forgive them for their fanbase. I forgive them for not being as amazing as they could be. And i love them for having b-side's that rock more than their album tracks. Hayley Williams has one hell of a voice and she use's it well. The latter half of their first album was forgetable, mainly due to My heart and Franklin but the rest, omfg the rest! Pressure alone is brilliant, but all we know, Brighter, whoa and Here we go again seal the deal and remind you that these kids are talented. Emergency is also a keeper but slightly too melodramatic compared to the rest and thankfully they dropped most of that emo edge. Now Their second album, although amazing didnt seem to deliver enough. Misery Business alone is a huge achievement, but That's what you get and Crush,crush, crush never seem to hit the right spot when it come's to catchy brilliance. I sing along anyway but there's better in this band. That better is song's like Rewind, Stop this song(love sick melody) and Decode. All b-side's. Every line in all 3 of these song's is catchy. The songs themselves are chock full of catchy little hooks and riffs and just show off how good this band is even when they dont try too hard or overproduce a song just for album space. Also look out for their acoustic performance's and their cover of Foo Fighters My Hero.

Leanne Harte:

Keeping the Irish end up so to speak. This talented solo artist can do things with a guitar you could only imagine a guitar soloist from a huge group could do. For simple indie songs and moderate writing tallent the really interest here is her skills with a guitar. She's just a genious and talented at that. What's even better is a friend of mine used to have guitar lesson's from her, and apparently she doesn't even know scale's or the major chords, or at least cant teach them. Impressive stuff for such a talented artist. She apparently works in Tower Records off graffton street. If you're like me you'd wish she would make some more music soon because she is brilliant.


Emily (r.i.p):

Another example of Irish music, and it is a terrible terrible thing that these guys are gone. No one in the band was called emily, and the lead singer Christine wasn't a Hayley Williams but she was good at what she did. What she did was belt out some seriously catchy tunes to some heavy and fast pop-punk riffs with an air of metal behind them that were just catchy as hell and really really melodic. Just because you say it, Fold like a twenty, Dear Temptation, Disco aint dead it's just resting, Trainwreck on great denmark street and the b-side's Fool me twice and i'll put you to the ground, down but never out and the song I helped name "We're gonna need a bigger boat". Yes folks i helped name that song, and it is one of my favourite song's ever. It was so emotional when christine cried at the end of it when i saw them at their second last gig and it's a shame they're gone. I love them to bits and they are just brilliant. Powerful and catchy a shame they're gone. Come on "You fold like a twenty", has to be in the runing for best wierd insult in a song ever!


Chicks:

I have to say it, they are FAR from perfect. But they are talented, a bit off the wall, not exactly the best singers. But damn are they catchy and sometime's funny. Their best song by far has to be Fuck Music. The very idea of loving music so much you want to fuck it is brilliant in itself but the song is just amazing. Hey Kids, structures and Don't Get Excited are also radio friendly tracks from what is basically a patchy album with a few gem's here and there. Fat boy and rock whore are weak and annoying but as a whole i love this band and it's kind of a specialist taste as i know not everyone would or could love them.


Miss Conduct/S!rens:

If you don't know them yet, you should start listening. Now called S!rens and with a new singer, but just as talented this band is just awe inspiring. Really really heavy riffs that are catchy on their own but add the amazing vocal's of Emma-Jane and you have a bad that can easily surpass paramore in brilliance. Their album should be out soon, but i heavily recommend their Ep Sinner vs Sinned which was recored with their old singer. Just an amazing bad, they will go far.
www.myspace.com/sirensrock 



Hey Monday:

Now as a new signing to Fueled by Ramen they are obviously going to be compared by label-mate's paramore, but they are different. For one their're nowhere near as strong vocally and their riff's aren't as strongly layered or as talented. But among a few week song's like their first release Homecoming there is some amazing catchy jem's.  Set off, How you love me now, Obvious, Should've tried harder and the morale story of Josey. This band doesnt hit the mark but there is amazing potnetial. Obvious's basic chorus of "ah-ah-obvious" is surprisingly catchy and the story telling in Josey is brilliant if not a little disjointed. Arizona is also to be praised, but including a geographical inacuracy in a chorus should be fround apon. 6 Months is also a great slow song, but i can't help but feel the lead singer Cassadee Pope isn't up to the task. For such a moving song she fall's short of hitting the higher notes.
The Dollyrots:

Now they may be a bit gimmicky and Brand new key may be a reworking of "i've got a new combine harvester" but this band are amazing. Catchy beyond belief and just a big ball of fun. Only this band could cover "be my baby" from dirty dancing and get away with it. Why do you ask, "Because i'm awesome!" Enough said.

Mod Rocket:

A 4 some of young girls from New York. Rising star's that should be watched. Their really really talented for such basic songs and you have to enjoy them for that alone. Their simple, they're brilliant and they talk about the oddest things, sometimes nothing. I still struggle to know what Sonic is talking about other than some loose connection to talking to a boyfriend. 

Katy Perry:

Now now, forget I kissed a girl. It may be a mega-huge hit, but she's also pretty good. Sure she might actually be a marketing ploy but her songs are pretty good. One of the boys, Hot N Cold, Waking up in vagas and Mannequin are all really good. For a brief time i listened to her album more than Fall Out Boy's latest, with good reason, her catchyness and wit was easy to notice for a first album. For such a late album fall out boy's follie a deux require's a fan's ear to slowly get used to it's brilliance, katy perry is simple easy pop and it work's so well.

The Veronicas:

This Australian Electro-pop group are amazingly catchy and some how havent reached europe yet. They are really really good. I can't help but love them. Now some songs may seem simple and basically pop fodder, but they do it so well. Untouched, Hook me up, Take me on the floor and the simplistic Popular are just kareoke and sing along classic's that can easily get even the most hardened soul's bouncing about to pretty simple lyrics and amazing hooks. Their earlier work is good too but i havent given it as many listen's because their 2nd Album Hook Me Up is just so good!  Also, did i mention they're Non-identical twins, added bonus i think...




Heathers:

An irish indie group that i just love. They're coincidentatly also non-identical twin's and seem to have gotten their name from the same movie, or at least i think so. That movie being Heathers with Winona Ryder, in it she play's Veronica a member of a group of friends containing 3 girls called Heather. The Veronicas named themselve's after veronica where as the source of Heather's for Ellie and Louise is beyond me. But onto their music. Fire Ant's alone is amazing, and it's not even on their album, which i stil don't have. Margin in Irish is beyond catchy, you'll catch yourself mumbling the words just because they sound so good. Rember when is also amazing. I heavily Recomend them!

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