New Albums: What was the best and what did I learn?

Starting the music part of the challenge I knew listening to new albums was a chance for me to be open minded and looking through the list of albums I listened to I wasn’t wrong.

It’s quite a diverse list of albums; from iconic artists and albums, to country, rock, dance, musicals film and Chas and Dave! Normally I wouldn’t have listened to this much variety normally.

People have asked me what my top albums were from the challenge and they were:

·Girl Talk- All Day

·Age of the Understatement- Last Shadow Puppets

·Led Zeppelin- Mothership

·Lionel Ritchie- Definitive Collection

·Parov Stellar

Girl Talk was my favourite very early on, it was a recommendation from my friend Coops and I had no idea what to expect. But it was an album full of mashups and I love mashups so it suited my tastes perfectly. Apparently there’s another album which I need to listen to.

The top 5 is quite eclectic; the Last Shadow Puppets album felt like I was listening to a film soundtrack, the production on it was amazing. With Lionel and Led Zeppelin, you forget with both how many songs they’ve done that you recognise. And Parov Stellar was completely random and was a fusion of European jazz and dance that made you feel like you were on holiday. Not many songs can take you to another place.

The main thing I learnt from the album part of the challenge wasn’t about the music and more about my friends. A large proportion of the albums were recommendations from friends near and far. These albums sometimes marked memorable moments in their life, or inspired them in a new way, or revealed a side to them I didn’t know about them before. So I feel I know these friends a lot better. 

When it comes to albums I will be even more open minded after the challenge….but I doubt I’d want to listen to Chas and Dave again!

New Album: #28-29: Random till the end

Just like the large majority of the albums I've listened to for the challenge, the last 2 were recommendations. The first came from my friend Jen who recommended me the Incubus album Morning View, as it was the one that got her into rock music (I think, sorry if I got that wrong Jen!) 

The album wasn't as rocky as I thought it would be and usually with albums the first few songs are the stand out tracks, however I felt the last three; Are you In?, Under My Umbrella and Aqueous Transmission were the best for me.

The last album I listened to was recommended to me by my friend Tom and it was an artist called Parov Stelar who is Austrian. His music style is electro swing, a genre of music I hadn't heard before but absolutely loved after hearing the album. The album was a mega mix and it had 20 of his songs in full, so a great introduction! The whole album gave you that summertime feeling as if you were on a long weekend in a European city, so considering the bad weather we've been having it transported me to a warmer place, well in my mind anyway.

So that’s the end of the music part of my challenge. I’ll be doing a blog post in the next few days to look back at what a listened, it was a quite a variety!

New Album #24-27: Random Mix for a Road Trip

A trip to Wales is a just over 3 hours there and 3 hours back; so I thought when I went to Abergavenny this would be the perfect time to listen to a few albums and podcasts. I put about my trip on Facebook asking if anybody had albums to listen to and my friend Penny from drumming said I was more than welcome to look through her CD collection. So the night before the trip I went round hers and picked a few CD’s for the road.

And of course I went to my resident music advisor's Jen and Mark for their album picks as well. I picked quite a few albums from Penny and got 4 from the Walkers, so to make things even I listened to 3 albums each.

                My resident music advisor Jen and I

I started off with Jools Holland; More Friends: Small World Big Band Volume 2, which I think was perfect road trip music. The album had lots of variety and different artists collaborating. You could tell that they all wanted to make great music with each track. My favourite song was Together We Are Strong by Jools Holland, Sam Moore and Sam Brown.

The second album I listened to was Happy People by Peace and this was a nice summertime feeling album, it sounded like a cross between the Beach Boys and Bombay Bicycle Club. Django Django’s self titled album followed and the album sounded like it should be the soundtrack to a Quentin Tarantino film. Like so many albums though with the songs all sounding similar, it’s hard to pick out a favourite song from each.

The last album I listened to in the journey was one of the most random ones for the album. When I saw it in Penny’s collection, I just had to pick it up. Penny’s husband had got it as a joke from one of his customers as apparently one of the group visits his restaurant but they don’t know which one. The 27^th album I listened to for the challenge was the best of Chas and Dave! And not just any album, a 2 disc set. So while stuck on the M25 on a hot Sunday afternoon with the windows open, other drivers were given the delights of Chas and Dave. Penny hadn’t listened to it herself and it was still sealed. The first disc wasn’t as bad as I thought. It was light hearted and the whole album had a feel of a night at the pub with your friends. I’d only heard of two of their songs before listening to the album; Rabbit and Snooker Loopy.

                           My other music advisor Penny and I

The second disc I listened to when I got back and it was full of medleys which to be honest they could’ve done without. A medley or a megamix should be 10 minutes max and on the first album they had a few that were longer and felt like a lifetime. It was too much of a good thing guys! 

New Album #22-23: Striking a Chord

At school I loved Five, but after they split up it was all about Busted and McFly. In one of my yearbook’s my friend Jenny signed it with; ‘Can I be invited to yours and Charlie’s wedding?’ And by Charlie I mean Charlie from Busted.

Fast forward to last year and McFly and Busted joined forces and made an album which I listened to over the weekend. It was a good album and some songs struck a chord with me, in particular Gone.

Another album I listened to recently was Lionel Richie & The Commodores Definitive Collection. 

This was lent to me by my friend Penny (she’ll feature more in my next post) and I listened to part of it on the way to Abergavenny and the rest on my journeys to work. You can’t go wrong with a bit of Lionel and listening to all his hits you forget how much music he’s made. The first disc was mostly the upbeat classics and the second disc was the older, more meaningful songs. Like the McBusted album there was one song that struck a chord with me and that was a Commodores song called Still. I guess it’s always nice in a way when a song strikes a chord with you, it sort of makes you realise that whatever you’re going through, you’re a) not going through it alone and b) someone else has been through what you’re going through before and came out the other end.

New Albums #20 and 21: Chilled out Friday

It was Charlotte’s birthday celebrations last weekend and I’m not the most tidiest person. So on Friday I tidied some of the flat and while I did that I thought I’d listen to a couple of albums for the challenge.

They were both recommended by friends, and the first was Beach House, Bloom; which was recommended by my friend Coops. It was a chilled out album and had an eighties feel to it as well.

The second album was recommended by my friend Tom and it was Jamie Woon, Mirror Writing. Like Beach House it was a chilled out album and I did recognise a couple of the songs. But with both albums being so relaxing (I almost fell asleep), I felt the songs on each album merged into one. So if you asked me to tell you which was my favourite song, I’m afraid I couldn’t. 

New Album #19: It’s all a Blur

My friend Jen and her husband Mark are music experts, so it’s about time that listened to one of their recommendations. Mark said I should listen to Blur’s Great Escape album, so while cooking some banana bread I got through the whole album.

Mark, Jen and Alex James from Blur, who can add making cheeses to his talents!

Like the Led Zeppelin album there were quite a few songs on the album which I recognised. The whole album felt like a concert, so it definitely made cooking more entertaining. Stand out songs for me were Charmless Man and The Universal.

Listening to the album couldn't have come at a better time as Blur is playing a gig at Hyde Park in a few weeks, which a few of my friends are going to, including Jen and Mark. So at least when they tell me all about it, I’ll know a few more of the songs they’ll be going on about!

New Album #16-18: Rocking, jazzy pitch

I’m whizzing through the albums for the moment, and have listened to another three. The first and second were recommendations from Linsey my music guru of the moment. Are You Experienced is a pretty epic album by Jimi Hendrix. There were a few songs that I recognised, Foxy Lady being one of them. The album was great and Jimi Hendrix really is one of the masters of guitar.

Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black album was the next album I listened to and I recognised quite a few of the songs from when they were first released. The ones that hadn't been released as singles were okay, but not very memorable.

The final album came courtesy of my friend Ro who I caught up with over the weekend in a trip to Northampton for a friend’s birthday. She had the Pitch Perfect 2 soundtrack so we listened to that on the way there….and on the way back. By the end of the trip my flatmate never wanted to hear it again after the trip as we had it on repeat. I got the first film’s soundtrack which was great, and this one had more songs and more mash ups which I like the most. 

New Album #15: Monkeying Around

Album number 15 is another recommendation from my friend Linsey and her attempt to brainwash her friends in a good way with all things Alex Turner (her future husband.) He has already featured in the challenge with the Age of the Understatement album. So I listened to the Arctic Monkeys Album AM and I have to say it was pretty good.

My favourite songs are Do You Wanna Know? which days after hearing it, is still in my head. The other song is I Wanna Be Yours and as soon as the lyrics started I recognised it. I text Linsey asking why did the lyrics sound familiar and she said it was from a poem that Alex Turner studied out school.

For some reason I kept my poem anthology from school and found the poem the lyrics are from. Its called I Wanna Be Yours and is by John Cooper Clarke.

As you can tell from my notes I said back in 2001 that it was meant to be performed and was written like a pop song. Great minds think alike!

New Album #14: Turning to Broadway

My other sister Lucy is a big musical fan, and in particular Broadway musicals. When we went to New York a few years back, the trip was timed so she could attend the Broadway Flea Market, where she could buy lots of memorabilia.

                                                  Us on Broadway a few years ago

Lucy recommended I’d listen to the Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack. Now it’s a first to listen to a soundtrack to something I haven’t seen before. And with most musical songs they are very narrative based. I read a quick synopsis about the show and sort of got the meaning of the songs. The vocals are really strong and Neil Patrick Harris doesn’t falter. I believe the show was in the West End a few years ago, so I’ve missed my chance to see it, but if ever came back I’d like to go.

New Album #13: The DJ recommends

I’m a big fan of the Radio 1 DJ Greg James. Have been for years and one year my sister wrote to him asking for him to write me a birthday card….and he did! My friend Linsey also designed this fetching mug a couple of years ago for my birthday as well.

Linsey saw on his Facebook that he put up a post about the Maximo Park, A Certain Trigger album being 10 years old. She recommended that I’d listen to it for the challenge and that’s what I've done.

I recognised a few of the songs, Apply Some Pressure being one of them. And considering it came out 10 years ago which was when I started uni, most of the songs were probably played at LRV our student union…..and that alone makes me feel very old!

New Album #12 and New Book #15: A country double

For the latest album and book I’ve read I have to credit my sister Lisa as she is a huge country music fan and the large majority of the country music albums I listen to are hers. Country music for her started with Taylor Swift and it grew from there. In 2012 we even took a holiday to Nashville, which is one of the best places, the people are so friendly. It was part of a music holiday for me and my sisters and a way to mark the end of the Harrold sisters’ education. The second part of the holiday was to New York as my other sister Lucy is a huge Broadway musical fan.

It was in New York that I spotted Brad Paisley’s book on sale and Lisa being a big fan of his also, got his book and it’s the latest book I’ve read for my challenge. Diary of a Player: How My Musical Heroes Made A Guitar Man Out of Me is an autobiography or as Brad says a life in progress. It shows how he got to where he is.

The book is a good read and by the end of it, it made me want to jump on a plane and go back to Nashville! It was interesting to read that Brad got a D on guitar at college and his story about how his sons try a press down on the strings of the guitar while he is playing reminded me that either me or my sisters did that when we were younger when my dad played guitar.

Going back to Taylor Swift, I listened to her new album 1989. Having listened to all her previous albums thanks to my sister, I have to say it wasn’t as good as her previous albums. Red currently is the standout album for me. The songs on 1989 were okay, Shake It Off and Blank Space were both good, but the others not so much. For me it felt like some of the depth in the songs was lost in transition from country to pop. It’s good that she’s ventured into a pure pop album; as a result it might strengthen her country songs as a result.

 The Gulch where Taylor Swift was apparently living when we visited Nashville back in 2012.

New Album #8-11: A random Music Marathon

After my weekend of reading lots of books I decided to have a weekend of listening to lots of music. It started with Olly Murs’ Never Been Better album. It’s his 4^th album and I've got the first 3. There were no surprises with this album and he stuck to the same formula as his albums, a few ballads, few album fillers and very catchy ones that would be singles. Stand out songs for me were; Did You Miss Me? and Beautiful to Me.

           At the X Factor Concert in 2010 where it all began for Olly Murs.

The second album was lent by my sister and was Regina SpeKtor’s FaR. I've heard the odd song of hers before but never an album in full. It was a very whimsical sounding album, but there weren't any stand out songs for me. Potentially there were a few songs that could be growers so maybe I’ll give it a 2^nd listen.

Following this album was The Age of the Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets which features Alex Turner, my friend Linsey's favourite. She lent me the album and I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved it. The whole album could have been a soundtrack for a very stylish film, or any of the songs could have been Bond themes. The songs were narrative based and I could easily imagine music videos for every one of them.

The final album was also recommended by Linsey who until this challenge I didn’t realise what a variety of music she was into! Led Zeppelin’s Mothership album is a very lengthy 24 songs, could it count for 2 albums on the challenge?! The whole album felt like a master class in guitar riffs and their songs have been used for so many things. Whole Lotta Love is a great song and I got really excited when I heard Kashmir as that is sampled on one of my favourite songs called Come with Me. So it was great to hear the original.

So 4 completely random albums, and I enjoyed listening to them all. 

New Album #7: What’s on the dark side of the moon?

To help me with my challenge, my friend Rachel gave me a few books and an album. So today while cleaning the flat I listened to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.

                                          Me with my music advisor Rachel

It’s quite a short album with only 9 songs, and with an iconic band like Pink Floyd I did recognise a couple of the songs; Money and Eclipse. Eclipse in particular has been on my mind; I’m not sure if I’ve heard it on a film or TV show, but its starting to bug me. If anyone knows the answer, let me know.

The album was okay, quite cool and chilled. Unfortunately it didn’t blow me away, I could see that it’s a high standard, but none of the songs have stuck in my mind.

New Album #6: The lady’s gold

My sister Lisa is obsessed with country music, and as a result over the years she’s got me into different bands and singers. We even went to Nashville a few years ago.

One of the bands that I got into thanks to Lisa was Lady Antebellum, and I've got their first 3 albums. The Need You Now album is one of my favourite albums. And a couple of years ago Lisa and I saw them in concert. My only regret of that concert was not making a banner saying it was my sister’s birthday. We were a few people deep from the stage and Charles came over to our area and was reading the banners that fans had.

Their 4^th album Gold is what I listened to recently on the way to work, and to be honest I don’t think it’s one of their best. With Need You Now and We Own the Night, there’s a bit of variety in sound, but with this album it was a middle of the road without any stand out tracks.

Maybe the album is a grower. I’m hoping their latest album 747 will be better.

New Album #5: Festive boogie

Now from the title of this blog post you would think that at Christmas I danced to some festive songs, wrong! My sister Lisa got Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ album The Heist. She’s got 2 main genres of music she likes; rap and country. So on Christmas Day we danced around our living room to the album.

I’ve heard some of the album before; Same Love, Thrift Shop and Can’t Hold Us Down, but the other songs were a real mix. With some rap albums all the songs sound the same, but this was a great variety of styles on one album.

New Album #4: If they remade a classic

Last month I caught up with my old friend Tom, and while we were catching up I explained about the 29 challenge, and he gave me a list of albums I should listen to. And today I listened to the first album he recommended, which was Saturdays=Youth - M83.

 

It’s not my usual sort of music I listen to, but as soon as I heard the first song and then the second it immediately reminded me of the classic film The Breakfast Club. When I was a teenager it was one of my favourite films, and when I went to uni I went to the traditional poster sale in fresher’s week, and bought a Breakfast Club poster. I thought it was the coolest; it had the essay they wrote on the poster as well.

So going back to the title of this blog post, if and I hope they don’t, but if Hollywood ran out of ideas and had to remake The Breakfast Club they should use the album as the soundtrack.

New Albums #3: Mixing it up

When I said I was going to do this challenge quite a few people gave me recommendations straight away and this guy Coops was one of them! This is me and him at my Halloween party. I know him because he is my sister Lisa’s geeky sidekick back in the day.

So one of the albums he recommended me was Girl Talk-All Day. I listened to it while doing some housework and I loved it. It’s an album full of mash ups, and the variety of music being sampled is unbelievable.  I don’t think you’d find an album with samples of Bruce Springsteen, ELO, Madness, Blur, Jackson Five, Beyoncé and Daft Punk to name but a few.

It also has that nostalgic sort of feel as well, and reminds me of uni days when me and my mate Chris would guess which song was going to be next just by the overlapping beat being played by the DJ. Although the DJ at our student union pretty much played the same playlist every Wednesday, so it didn't take long before we knew the songs and mixes inside out.

I highly recommend the album; whether it be for housework, gym, journey to work, it works with anything.

New activities and places #16, and new album #2: Lectures and Live Life Living

This is me and my friend Laura, also known as Twinee and as you can see we look quite alike. We've only known each other since June, but it feels so much longer. We were both temping at the local council and kept each other going when the days dragged on with not much to do.

I've moved onto a different job but Twinee is still there and wants a new job, so I gave her a motivational day to help her get a job. There was a bit of job hunting, some life lessons from Susan Sarandon in a Oprah Masterclass and then we watch a few TED Lectures. During the job hunting we had Example’s new album Live Life Living on in the background. I was meant to see him in concert a few weeks ago, but my plans fell through. I've heard a few of his songs before, but not heard a whole album of his. It’s a bit strange listening to a summer style album in winter. It’s not what I’d usually listen to but with this challenge, in particular the new albums part, it’s all about broadening my horizons.

The TED Lectures is a free lecture series and there are hundreds on YouTube to watch. The first one we watched was by Susan Colantuono and was called ‘The Career advice you probably didn't get.’ To be honest most of it went over my head, as it was about middle management and higher management career women. Lots of buzzwords and business jargon, which one day might make sense to me. We then started to watch a lecture by Meg Jay called: ‘Why 30 is not the new 20’ but we stopped it after a few minutes as it said your 20’s mark out your future career style and how you should be set up and establishing yourself during this time. This freaked me and Twinee out as my career so far has changed quite a bit, so we stopped the lecture promptly.

The final one we watched was by Matt Cutts who works at Google, and it was called: Try something new for 30 days. This one reminded me of what I'm doing with the 29 challenge. So not an amazing start with Ted Lectures, but there are quite a few that look good. In particular one by Jane Fonda, who was one of the main inspirations for the 29 challenge.

New Albums #1: Visiting a highway

It takes me nearly an hour to drive to work, so this gives me a chance to belt out my favourite songs, with nobody being able to hear me. Today I thought I’d do something different, so I listened to an album I hadn't heard before. My friend Rachel is a huge Bob Dylan fan and when I told her about the challenge, she put Bob Dylan on the list.

The album of his I listened to was Highway 61 Revisited and there were 9 tracks. What I didn’t realised with Dylan tracks is that they all quite long, the longest being 11 minutes! While listening to the album, it did feel like I was driving in America, instead of driving to Cambridge.

What I like about the album is how each song has a strong narrative; you can really build characters from the lyrics. Now whatever I say about what Bob Dylan songs remind me of, I will get slated, but with the narrative element it does remind me of Billy Joel songs as he does the same. You only have to listen to All for Leyla and Allentown to hear this.

I'm glad I've listened to a Bob Dylan album as he has been an enigma to me for years.