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PMS August

Have you missed me? I've certainly missed me. Fear not, I've returned (sort of) to tell you most, if not all, of my perfect monthly sounds (PMS, get it?) of August. Last month I told you that PMS had temporarily moved home, but I'm now making it a permanent adjustment. Let's unpack the metaphorical boxes and have a cuppa whilst I tell you all my thoughts. August, how distant does August seem? To be perfectly honest it feels only weeks ago that the bells were ringing in for New Year and I was more than a little bit drunk, telling people that they haven't lived until they'd been to Glastonbury. I stand by that sentiment sober, no matter how pretentious it may sound. Register now for 2016! Or don't and give me a greater chance of getting tickets for myself.
That was a tangent and a half, wasn't it? What I meant by all of this was that the year has sped by, and we have put the sort-of-but-not-really-summery summer to bed once more, resigning ourselves to the cosy, cosy confines of September. But August wasn't a complete bust. Maybe weather-wise, but certainly not with music.

Carly Rae Jepsen / E.MO.TION

If you'd asked me a year ago how I felt about Carly Rae Jepsen, even a few months back, I wouldn't have responded too kindly. Her first and seemingly only song 'Call me Maybe' had been forced upon us and I didn't feel too fab about it. Now, I love a good pop princess as much as the next person, but it just wasn't my cuppa tea. It was too pop for me. (Someone who queued for days to see Lady Gaga.) Ask me now, however, and I can only praise the woman. She is due to release the pop album I always wanted and never knew I needed (and my word do I need it). The single 'Run Away With Me' is an absolute class follow up to that single - 'I Really Like You'. It's all the best of the cheesy 80s with modern raspy vocals and I love it. It's like 1989's fun little sister; beaut sounds without all of T-Swift's seriousness. If someone told me they listened to it and didn't want to gather all their gals and drink wine and dance then I'm not sure I could trust them. 

Halsey / Badlands

My love for this album was a complete accident. I first stumbled across Halsey when I was scrolling aimlessly through Tumbr, and rightly so as it appears she seems to rule the tumblr corner of the interwebs. Famed for her blue hair, obviously, she is the leader of the teen girl gang that resides on the internet. Intrigued by me not knowing anything about this, and worried that I was too old to be in the know about such artists, I keenly downloaded her album. Bordering annoying I wasn't too sure I'd made a good decision, maybe I was too old to enjoy it. It's the lyrics that pulled me in, in which the anger of the female youth is ever present, talking about sex and social pressures and the patriarchy. I only wish that there had been someone writing and singing similar messages when I was a hormonal teenager. However, it's a message that you're never too hold to hear. 

FKA TWIGS / M3LL155X

I will officially go on record to say that 'In Time' is Twig's catchiest song to date. I find myself singing or humming or whistling it constantly. Which makes it even more difficult to bare when I can't listen to the song as a single. I shouldn't moan, the visual mashup of songs that she released is glorious. Classic, all girl dance routines and a powerful pregnancy metaphor and girl power, the video is well worth a watch. All 16 and something minutes of the thing. Well done FKA Twigs. Well done. Please always release new music. (Also, her cover of Sia's 'Elastic heart' was phenomenal!)

Miley Cyrus / Miley Cyrus and her Dead Petz

I mean, technically, this album was a cheeky little September release, but let's just pretend for the sake of a consistent blog post that it's all August. It's also not a little release at all, with Cyrus releasing 23 songs, which is an insane amount of lyrics to pretend to remember. Surprise was definitely key with Miley dropping a Beyonce on us all during her VMA hosting gig. I, like so many of the Hannah Montana generation, hopped on the interwebs straight after the announcement to get a dose of that comfy pop I've come to expect from Cyrus. Instead, we were treated to something much more personal and in turn much more real sounding. The single 'Dooo it' was reminiscent of the Bangerz phase of Cyrus's career, but from 'Karen Don't Be Sad' on-wards, we start to hear the album I think she'd always wanted to make, and one which she would probably want to listen to after smoking something fun. This guitar-based, psychedelic sound is a far cry from the commercial pop she'd been hitting us with in the years previous. I'm torn, part of me wants the cheesy ballads and thumping pop beats to dance around to, but the new direction is also music I'd choose to listen to without labeling it as a 'guilty pleasure'. Here's hoping for her to move further and further in rock. 

So, that's my round up of my fave music released from August. What a month it was indeed. Pop music absolutely dominated the summer and I am 100% okay with that. If you happen to be curious about my absence, which I highly doubt but I plan to tell you about anyway, I am currently in the process of moving back to Southend, to renew my Essex gal status. I kid, of course, but I have moved and spent a fair amount of my time on trains. Luckily, I've had these fabulous albums to keep me company, ta very much gals! I hope the cheesiness continues and I hope you love it as much as I do, because I said so. 

Mistress America

I'm walking down the stairs of the picture house, trying to keep my Birkenstocks from falling off of my feet but simultaneously slapping them against every step. This causes the couple next to me stop debating whether they actually enjoyed Noah Baumbach's Mistress America or not. The aged woman behind me could only claim that it 'had a few good one-liners'. That's such a mum thing to say, right? The film had some good one-liners. And it did, buckets and buckets of them, mostly spoken by a dreamy teenage writer in New York called Tracy (played by Lola Kirke), the kind of teenager I like to think I could have been if I hadn't been born in Essex, had liked gin and had invested in a beret.

I knew I was going to like this film from the go. After falling madly in lust with Frances Ha and watching it at least one lazy Sunday afternoon a month, I knew anything Greta Gerwig related was right up my street. Maybe I'm the culture junkie and alternative wannabe they're simultaneously mocking and living through, maybe I'm not. As predicted, I loved it. It was exactly the cosy, awkward yet chic Sunday afternoon Greta Gerwig film I had hoped for; warm colouring, indie soundtrack, bootcut jeans and female friendships galore!

Gerwig's character, Brooke, is what I both love and hate about the film. In an instance I'm Tracy; rendering Brooke an iconic New York funny-woman and admiring her wholly. I love her. Then I see little parts of myself played out across the screen. That relentless optimism of 'things will always work out' that I've come to rely on. The flakiness of a character too scatty to follow through with any of her ideas. (If I had a pound for every time I told someone I was writing a novel, I'd have, at least, a fiver by now...) I hate her.

Like the debating couple on the stairs said, before they became distracted by my obnoxious sandals - it's impossible to tell whether you loved her or not. The audience is left exactly in Tracy's eyes; in love, in disgust and then in admiration once more. Like Brooke, Mistress America is a difficult one to pin down. It's overall charm and familiarity feels like going for drinks with an old friend. Even if that friend is arrogant or egotistical or too big of a dreamer, it's still impossible to dislike them. It is impossible to dislike Mistress America. Watch the trailer below!

PMS

PMS usually stands for Premenstrual Syndrome and is most often linked to a lady's lady-bits. PMS in this instance stands for Perfect Monthly Sounds, and is linked to all the songs that I wish I had helped procreate with my non-lady bits. The songs I wish I had written / sung / discovered, all by women in the music industry, are usually posted in a monthly blog over at Bored Magazine but for one night, and one night only (probably) I've posted it here. (Because you're my favourite! -Don't tell anyone).

July’s sounds have mostly been discovered during the hazy early morning hours, when I can’t sleep and I find myself stuck in the black hole that is the internet. Usually, the songs that made sense the night before because the underlying cowbell spoke to me in a way that nothing else could, do not always make the same sense the morning after. Luckily, these songs stood strong in the light of day, equally dreamy and with no cowbell in sight. (Yeah, I did re-listen to all of the songs to confirm that this is accurate / When did everything get so cowbell heavy? / Can you tell I’m not sleeping?)

Miya Folick / I Got Drunk 

‘But I was drunk and you know how I feel about you.’ Very little explanation needed. For those who have had a few too many brandy-and-cokes and confessed feelings that are more often than not unrequited, this one’s for you. Listen to the entire ‘Strange Darling’ EP for more heartbreakingly honest lyrics, musical journeys and a self-proclaimed (and utterly enjoyable) grunge-folk sound. 

Pixx / Fall In

An absolutely sultry voice and ever so exciting release from Pixx. Nine months since her single ‘A Way to Say Goodbye’, the British singer is finally waiting to birth her debut EP into the world. V. Exciting. Melt into her songs and hear Joni Mitchell, Lana Del Rey and FKA Twigs but at the same time hear something entirely different and new. 

Girlpool / Before The World Was Big

There’s something inherently summer and cutoffs and skateboards about this L.A girl band. I’d exchange my humid yet grey London evenings for a California sunset any day but I think this sound is as close as I’m going to get, for now. It’s that kind of wanderlust and untapped nostalgia that really works. Raw vocals, raw lyrics, raw sounds and cool vibes. Cool.

All Dogs / That Kind Of Girl 

Pop punk at it’s finest, this song packs an emotional punch whilst trying to bring back 2006 in a totally kick-ass and upbeat way. A musical metaphor for majorly dressing up to go to the shops incase you bump into your ex, you know? Or you don’t know and it’s just me that’ll put on a diva shade of lipstick to go get almond milk, just in case. Milk or no milk, the song is fab. 

Ibeyi / Ghosts

After missing out on seeing the sisters play live at Glastonbury, I’ve had their self-titled album on repeat, as if it’s some kind of consolation. It’s helping, a little bit. I suggest that you too should get them on repeat to lead a fulfilling and gorgeous musical existence. Not much to say other than, beautiful. (I don't call myself a writer for nothing). 

Single

I present to you another misleading post title! If you clicked on this thinking you would get to read the intimate details and emotions of a single gal then I'm sorry to burst the bubble, it ain't gonna happen (unless I've had a couple of glasses of wine.)

This morning (afternoon) I was scrolling through the wonder that is inter-webs in bed and I stumbled upon an article; the top ten Fall Out Boy songs that should have been a single. (Well done Facebook for adhering to my fourteen year old self and love of nostalgia.) What was missing from the list, however, lead me to think about all the songs that had been overlooked. So, after mucking around on my iTunes for a few hours, I've compiled my list of songs that should've made it to single status. (Not just Fall Out Boy but definitely a little FOB thrown in.)

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Alt-J at Reading Festival 2013

Alt-J / Taro

Alt-J's An Awesome Wave is beautiful throughout. I do not envy the person who had to pick out singles from a catalogue of songs that all deserved the limelight. However, 'Taro' is a completely standout track, an opinion which was really cemented for me when I saw it performed live. Aside for the fact that I was completely intoxicated and surrounded by bubble machines, it was such a indulgent moment that I cannot believe it was never turned out into a promotional single. (Thank God they decided to include it in the live act.)

Fall Out Boy / Just One Yesterday (Featuring Foxes)

Technically, the song does have a video, but so does every song on the 2013 Save Rock and Roll album, so it makes no real difference. Sigh. This song brought just enough pop and emotion to really break the band into some decent radio play. With the (at the time) relevant Foxes feature to really open up the fan-base demographic, I was always surprised they didn't get their promo on. Still, it is a song I have never skipped playing to this day and for an indecisive gal like me, that's an achievement in itself. 

The Kills / Super-powerless

Not only did this track not get its time as a single, but it never even made it onto an album -actual shock horror. Released as a B-side track in 2007, 'Super-powerless' deserves way more credit, mostly for its red wine drinking reference. We all know what it's like to have a few beverages and think we're  awesome until we go a bit far and end up trying to pay a taxi man with fried chicken (no, just me?) For those who sometimes use alcohol for the wrong reasons or get a little bit more than tipsy sometimes, this one's totally for you. 

Lady GaGa / Gypsy

Quelle surprise, I didn't include the fan favourite 'Dance in the Dark' as a single that should've, would've, could've been. I admit, I agree. It should've been! But 'Gypsy' came at a time (ARTPOP / 2013) where nothing was really working out for Gaga. She didn't seem into it, the fans found it difficult to get into it and unsurprisingly the critics weren't into it either. Seeing her perform 'Gypsy' live gave everyone a little glimpse into the fun, hit-making and emotional artist we all missed, and I think if it had been released, the rest of the world would have gotten on board as well.

Palma Violets / Chicken Dippers

As you'd expect from a title that gives you an absolute hankering for processed chicken products, the song is fun! A cut from their debut album 180, the song lures you in with this sultry tempo and echoey yet harsh vocals and builds into intense, dirty choruses. Although the lyrics are minimalist (and are probably, definitely written about a ginger girl or someone who is legit on fire) the line 'you make me feel like I'm the only one' is delivered in such a way that you could almost believe it's one of the best written, heart-felt ballads of all time. (Stops writing to pursue chicken dippers.)

Red Hot Chili Peppers / She's Only 18

Stadium Arcadium is genius. I and many others I know still listen to it repeatedly. The songs and ideas remain relevant but contrastingly classic. At the time of its release, 'Dani California' and 'Snow' were perfect single choices, I wouldn't change that. Hump de Bump however, really? Two discs of perfectly single worthy songs and that's what was chosen? Nah. I played a little fantasy RHCP manager and decided to choose 'She's Only 18' as the finale cut to promote the album. Playful, forceful and catchy as hell. 

M.O / Slow Love

No Mythologies to Follow remains one of my top albums of 2014. (I had to think twice about what year it is right now.) It's an album I have forced upon many a friend and to ease them into it, I've alway opted for Slow Love as an introduction. Much less 'poppy' and much more synth yet soulful than the other tracks on the album, her voice is simply dreamy and delicious. 'Slow Love' gives me visions of duty sunsets in London. It deserved the chance to be part of everyone else's memory as well. 

Arctic Monkeys / Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You

Once again, a song that never made it to the album, only a B-side to 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?' it was certainly overlooked as an album track and I believe was (and is) well worthy. Catchier and more heartfelt than some of the slow-burners that did make it, the 'Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You', would've made a perfect final single to a string of perfect single. (Also, it is great to try and imitate a northern accent with)

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There's a whole plethora of songs that I didn't get to talk about, I realise this. I also realise that these are all contemporary songs. However, the biggest revelation of this entire post is that album favourites often come with some kind of sentimental or nostalgic memory attached to them. So songs that I deem important because it scored some monumentally scarring, unrequited love I had at fourteen, may not actually sound that fab to the common ear. (See, this was so nearly a post about being single after all!) I also found out that most of the songs I thought deserved single status, had actually been released as a single and had flopped. Guess I don't know everything after all. Don't quit your day job Alex, because I said so. (Cries internally.)

Bleachers

In an overtired yet unable to sleep half-slumber I listened to the most recent NPR: All Songs Considered last night, which had SOAK as a guest DJ. Refreshing as it was to hear a artist of a similar age talking about the same musical influences I had growing up, they had a discussion about picking albums based purely on their album artwork. There's something special about the surprise that follows when the decision to purchase is based purely on visuals and not what you've heard.

All this in mind, I found myself scrolling through iTunes 'new music' section. Not quite walking about HMV on a Saturday morning with my emo pals and a well-earned tenner wondering what to pick, but the sentiment was still there. At the bottom corner of the singles section was a little picture of the back of a person, with short bleached and pink hair. Major hair envy and nostalgia for that time I decided to go pink kicked in and I decided it was probably worth a listen. The song was 'I Wanna Get Better' by Bleachers. Before the song had even finished I had their album 'Strange Desires' downloaded and ready to play on repeat.

(I wasn't kidding, this is me spring of '14)

The sound is fun. It has the energy of the punk-pop bands I stalked as a 14 year old, the 80s vibe I loved as an 17 year old and the voice and tone of all the music I enjoy now. Perfect. Parts of the album feel a little cheesy, but it's easy to forgive because it's just so damn enjoyable.

It all became clear when I realised the singer was Jack Antonoff, bae of Lena Dunham and pal and producer to Taylor Swift's 1989 album; the album we've all been dancing to repeatedly for the past few months, right? They catchy, synthy pop vibe is all over the Bleacher's debut and will have you dancing all the same, without the guilt of being a twenty-something thoroughly enjoying America's new pop princess (not that I've ever felt guilty about loving Tay-tay.)

There's rarely a song on the album that doesn't have an sickeningly catchy I-need-to-sing-along hook in the chorus and I think that's the charm. 'Roller coaster' makes me think about singing along in the car as I drive by the beach with the top down (or sitting shotgun in my mum's ford as we do the stretch of the golden mile in Southend if we're being realistic, no American-dream here.) 'Shadow' is delightfully more towards the indie side of the record, but still uses that enthusiastic vocal layering in the chorus to bring it back to pop perfection.

My favourite cut from the album is 'Like a River Runs', an equally infectious positive vibe track, perfect to sing out all your feelings too, that sounds like you've probably heard it on a advert before. Antonoff's vocals are much deeper in the verses and hark back to the pop-punk sound I referred to before. If I sing along fast enough, I can fake a Scottish accent better than I've ever managed to before. (Aside from singing / shouting along to Biffy Clyro.)

Strange desires is a perfectly cliche summer anthem album. It's lifting me way out of the grey days in London and giving me life as the kids say these days. Well worth having a listen and cheesy dance to, because I said so.

Kanye, Juergen, Kim & Me

As a writer, I adore print. As an artist, I admire photography. As a reality tv lover, I'm addicted to Keeping up with the Kardashians. As a woman and eyebrow connoisseur, I bow down to Kim and as a sometimes, wine-enthused, rapper extraordinaire, I enjoy Yeezus too. All of these things meant that I could be found seventh in the queue outside Dover Street Market at 10:06am on a Saturday morning, when I could have so easily been in bed. Instead of the latter, I took my last £20, which could have been spent on food or bills or things essential to living, to pick up the questionably essential 'Kanye, Juergen and Kim,' a portfolio of photographs published via System Magazine. (Please don't tell my mother.)

For the first ten minutes, I waited in the wrong queue. I didn't even know there would be a queue, let alone a plural. The original plan had been to go over to west London early for breakfast in the area, then saunter down to the market at 11am and collect my magazine. A romantic Saturday in London, with myself.

As I wandered down Dover Street to scout the area for the nearest Pret, I noticed a small crowd had already formed. Dismissing the middle class white family waiting by the door as tourists, I placed my bets with the edgier, younger crowd that had started up on the opposite side of the shop. Soon after, a guy approached me (the only female in the queue) to ask what I was actually there for.

'The Kimye Book' I said with instant regret, remembering that combination names should be left on the internet. For a moment it seemed he agreed, looking at me with confusion. As it turns out I was in a queue for men's shoes, the so called 'Kimye Book Queue' started over behind the middle-class white family. (Shame on the guy for assuming that a woman couldn't buy men's shoes.) ((Shame on me for not knowing what the shoes were.)) (((Update, I have since googled said shoe and I'm glad I switched queues.)))

I tutted my way through the tedious one-in-one-out system the shop had going on, half expecting Kim  herself to be working the shop floor with the amount of security and precaution Dover Street Market were taking. (Guess the shoes are a pretty big deal after all.) Once down in the shop's basement, no Kim in sight, and pushed to the back of the line by the shoe-crazed youth, I managed to exchange that controversial last £20 and get my set of photos of the king and queen of controversy.
After I finally found a Pret and bought myself a salad ('with what money?' I hear you ask - good question!) filled with coriander that I would spend ten minutes picking out and an avocado that was lust-worthy, I positioned myself down in Green Park to have a flick through the magazine.

It's bizarre. This is definitely not a criticism by any stretch of the imagination. I had wondered why the photographer, Juergen Teller, had been listed central in the title when the subjects were seemingly so narcissistic. Inside, the answer was sprawled out across pages of Juergen hiking and climbing and awkwardly existing between shots of the all-powerful-power-couple. Kim's stares were haunting and her curves were to-die-for and Kanye succeeded in looking brooding as the pair frolicked about in piles of dirt and grass somewhere in France.

I would give and arm and a leg and some more of my non-existent money to have been there during the shoot. I think that's where the collection's magic lies, in what the heck happened to even get to the end result. Why is Juergen Teller crawling through he dirt in extreme short shorts to find a gold ring and why did Kanye style Kim in that skin colour body-suit and bra and get her to pose with a tractor and a hundred more whys. Thank you Juergen Teller. Maybe I'm hideously biased (because I truly believe that Kim can do no wrong) but this is genius. Thank you.

My back ached from the tree I was awkwardly leant against. It always looks so chic in the movies, sitting and reading under the shade of a tree when in reality you're just uncomfortable with dirt on your hands, bug bites on your back and pins and needles in your butt. I persevered, wanting to capture my cliche summer in London moment. Instragramming a picture from the magazine, to update the world that I had, in fact, made it out of bed, I received nothing but hate (in the form of vomming and sick emojis) -in true Kimye style. But I guess, that's what I love about them; love or hate, they force you to actually have an opinion.

They force you to comment on that stranger's Instagram with hate or devote unmentionable hours on that bloody Kim Hollywood Life game. They force you to start petitions to get Kanye out of Glastonbury or to actually kind of agree when he says he's the 'Greatest Living Rockstar'. Love them or hate them, they force you to talk about art. And that's a conversation we all need to get more involved with. (Because I said so.)