& WE'RE BACK!

My dearest apologies for dropping off the face of Blogger recently, I'm still recovering from Coachella while juggling this full-time school & work lifestyle. There I go again acting overly-dramatic.... Once I'm able to upload everything from my camera I promise to share the pics & video on this lovely page :) So, what better way to pick back up from where we left off by exposing your eyes & ears to new (or maybe not so new) tunes!

 

PURITY RING - OBEDEAR

Purity Ring has will release their first official album on July 24th, and needless to say it was a sweet surprise for them to drop a track months before the release. There's just something about this futuristic-pop duo that never fails to disappoint. Their sound will drop-kick your worries until you decide to move on to something else. 

BEACH HOUSE - EQUAL MIND

As most of you already know, April 21st was the date for "Record Store Day" 2012. Record Store Day is celebrated internationally on the third Saturday in April every year! As apart of the celebration, Beach House released a limited edition 7" vinyl single with "Lazuli", a track from Bloom, their upcoming studio LP. "Equal Mind" was chosen as the b-side and will not be found on Bloom's track listing. The beginning of the track reminds me a little of "Myth". It won't be long before you find yourself heading down a different path from the sounds of Myth, but expect it to be equally as dark & lovely. A.K.A. what i'd like to describe as the forté for Beach House. 

MARINA & THE DIAMONDS - THE STATE OF DREAMING

I'm sorry but I've turned into an impatient diamond and when I heard that bits of Electra Heart (the upcoming album for Marina & the Diamonds) were leaked, I could only stay away for so long before giving into temptation. One of SEVERAL cool things about this track is that the instrumental is the same that is used in Part 4: The Archetypes (see previous post for the video clip). Electra Heart is released in the UK in about a week, and will not be released in America until July....... I know, I know......Tragic. 

ZEDS DEAD FT. OMAR LINX - THE ONE

If you missed Zeds Dead at Coachella, I don't know what to tell you except LOOK IT UP ON YOUTUBE RIGHT NOW. Their set blew my mind, to say the absolute very least. The icing on the cake for the set was that Omar LinX was also present, and hearing this track live = adios. 

YOUNG WONDER - ORANGE

I recently heard this track and it was love at first sight. I've yet to get my digital hands on their recently released self-titled EP, but I have a good feeling about this "electronic dub-pop" duo from Ireland. Check out their page by clicking on the link above when you get a chance! Great vibes, and most of all-contagious.

TILL NEXT TIME! XX

Calling All Diamonds

So as most of you already know, I have a huge obsession with Marina Diamandis from Marina and the Diamonds (and yes Ellie Goulding as well, we'll save that for another post.) Let me just say, ever since I first heard "I am not a Robot" when it was an ITUNES free single of the week back in either 2009 or 2010. I was hooked on her voice. Homegirl can make her voice sound extremely deep one second, and the complete opposite the next second. After listening to each track on her 2010 album "The Family Jewels" I had one of those "I feel like we're the same person" kind of thought. The track "Obsessions" struck me and it is probably the most played track on my ITunes. The simplicity, the vocals, how you interpret the lyrics......it's deep. it's dark. it's hopeful..somewhat. It's a mouthful to say the least

Take note of how Marina looks in this video because it's about to change in the upcoming videos. 

SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD. 

So in order to keep this brief & to the point. I had the pleasure of catching Marina & the Diamonds' set at last years' Coachella. Let me just tell you this, if you were there and missed her set- SHAME ON YOU. She performed the entire set without her in-ear monitor and nailed it for what we were able to catch. Marina has a lot of sass in her stage presence which makes her stand much taller than she actually is.

The wait for her next full-length album "Electra Heart" has felt like forever for the "diamonds" (what she calls her fans, & i'm proud to call myself a diamond). What's special about Electra Heart is that it's not just an album with a handful of songs + a cd cover with some fun images on it. Marina has worked extra hard to put together a more visual and interactive side to her album by creating a tumblr for Electra Heart , and if you have a couple minutes PLEASE CHECK IT OUT. It's seriously one of the most intriguing sites i've come across. Several months ago Marina posted a video on her youtube channel with minimal explanation besides the opening credits referring to the beginning of Electra Heart. In Interviews Marina was asked about Electra Heart...whether it was her alter-ego or a nickname and continuously she explained that it "is the antithesis of everything that I stand for. And the point of introducing her and building a whole concept around her is that she stands for the corrupt side of American ideology, and basically that's the corruption of yourself. My worst fear - that's anyone's worst fear - is losing myself and becoming a vacuous person. And that happens a lot when you're very ambitious."

"From Marina's Twitter: "Been building a project called "The Archetypes" since March 2011. I shot it myself across North America and Europe over 7 months.'The Archetypes' is split into 4 categories: "Su-Barbie-A", "Teen Idles", "The Homewrecker" + "Stars & Queens"...  

PART 1: "FEAR & LOATHING"

PART 2: "RADIOACTIVE"

To clear up the confusion, this track had a lot of hype behind it with the idea that it was the first single off Electra Heart, but Radioactive is acknowledged as the "promotional single" and will not be on the upcoming album. BOO

PART 3: "THE ARCHETYPES"

Lyrics: Housewife, Beauty Queen, Homewrecker, Idle teen.

The ugly years of being a fool, ain't youth meant to be beautiful

Queen of no identity

I always feel like someone else

A living myth

I grew up in a lie

I can be anyone

A study in identity & illusion

An Ode to Cindy

A living film

A Real fake

And you will never know

Love.

"Through others, we become ourselves" - The Archetypes

PART 4: "PRIMADONNA"

So Electra Heart is scheduled to be released on April 30th (and i'm hoping that is the same for the US release date otherwise heads will roll.) Definitely check out this amazing woman if you like what you see. I can only imagine how the rest of the album will sound with producers like Doctor P & Diplo in the mix. I've watched several interviews of Marina and you can tell that she's fighting hard to get what she wants, and she deserves every bit of it. She does a lot for her fans, and this entire concept with the album and the outside work will definitely take over everyones' minds once it's released

& to take things on a different route, Marina perfomed an acoustic version of both Primadonna & Homewrecker (another track that will be on the upcoming album)