What is Bella Listening To?

Hey,

It’s time for another installment of “What is Bella Listening To.” No, my playlist may not be super exciting, but I love sharing with ya’ll what’s been trending on my Spotify account. J

Here we gooooooo….

 Damn You by Lana Del Rey- One of Lana’s unreleased, early tracks, this song really stands out above the rest. I love her emotion, the poetic lyrics, and the simple instrumentation. Lana can take a potentially sleep-inducing song and turn it into something memorable. The lyrics detail a failed relationship, and even if you blocked out the words, only listening to her voice, you would easily be able to hear exactly what happened in the relationship. Honestly, the one characteristic is what is lacking in the music industry. Artists today, with several exceptions, do not show emotion in their songs; they’re just autotuned robots. Anyways, Lana’s song is worth checkingout.

Only You by Ellie Goulding- Ellie’s album just dropped this last week, and while it’s not quite as stunning as her debut album, it boasts a few good tracks, one of which is “Only You.” I like the well-developed electronic sound—she’s dating Skrillex and it’s painfully obvious he was a big influence on this album—and her high, light vocals, though it sounds like she’s stretching her voice a little too far, but somehow, she makes it work. This is not something I would typically listen to, but I do respect Ellie for her musical ingenuity and think she may be one of the best female pop artists we have.

Because I Know I Can by Andy Burrows- Andy Burrows may be a familiar name to some, as he was the drummer of Razorlight, switching to We Are Scientists for a while, eventually creating a side project I Am Arrows, and finally settling into this solo venture. I highlighted “Green Grass” by I Am Arrows a few months ago, and I really like Andy’s work. This song is essential alternative rock. It features a prominent, strong drum section, beautiful melodies, varying instrumentation, and Andy’s Simon and Garfunkel-esque vocals. Really good work, Andy.

Starz In Their Eyes by Just Jack- I discovered this guy thanks to Pandora, my faithful musical ally. I like the memorable instrumental beginning, Jack’s mixed singing-rapping vocals, and the tempo changes. He never quite settles on just one style, which is a nice surprise. It’s cool when bands—or artists—play around with a song format. This song is six years old, but honestly, if a popular “band” (I put that in quotation marks to let you know that’s used sarcastically) put this song out, I could see it charting. Oh, well, it’s a well-kept indie secret. J

Cinema (Disparate Youth) by Mike Tompkins - This cover makes it on my list because I have a deep, heartfelt admiration for a capella artists. And, Mike Tompkins embodies everything I love about YouTube. He takes a simple cover, puts his own spin on it, and gets millions of hits. I admire his creativity, truly. Anyone who does a capella, though, automatically gets my respect—assuming their cover doesn’t suck big time…lol. Mike’s cover fuses Benny Benassi’s song “Cinema” with “Disparate Youth” by Santigold. The mash up sounds, at first blush, like it would clash and sound awkward, but oh…it’s stunning. Mike’s incredible talent with the software paired with his soaring vocals and the fact that, using the software, he can recreate the Skrillex sound that we all know and love (or hate, depending on your musical preferences). It’s a beautiful piece of art, really. Check it out here...

Until next week,

Bella