ALBUM REVIEW: Ed Sheeran ÷ (Divide)

He's back! Divide (÷), is the long awaited third studio album released by Ed Sheeran. After a year-long hiatus Ed has returned with another album filled with every genre you could possibly imagine. Each song is melodically driven with impressive vocals and instrumental arrangements. I just finished listening to the deluxe version of the album from beginning to end, and I will go through song by song with my initial opinions. Going into this review I do want to disclose that Ed Sheeran is one of my all time favorite artists and he could probably convince me to buy an album of his that was just hours of white noise with the occasional guitar strum. With that being said, and to sum this introduction up, this may be my least favorite album of his BUT IT'S STILL VERY GOOD. Let me get into it...

1) Eraser 
5/5
Alright. Starting off with a bang. This is by far my favorite song on the album. The SB.TV version of this song drew me right in a couple days before the album was released as a sort-of-Ed-Sheeran-style of spoken word (think The Streets) that is my ultimate favorite. The album version adds more production to the live version with a driving beat in the background but it still provides the same story and feeling. Lyrically, this song is wonderful. This is not one of Ed Sheeran's classic love songs that he has come to be known for, but more of an intense story of the torments of drug use. 

2) Castle on the Hill 
5/5
One of the first two singles released off Divide earlier this year, this was a triumphant return for Ed. It's a driving pop song that gets caught in your head and also has a compelling story that goes along with it. What more could you want? I enjoy this song a lot, and can seeing this being the opening song in his live shows. It will be fantastic live and you can't help but sing along. The powerful vocals are the cherry on top of this amazingly written song.

3) Dive 
4/5
And here we are...a sexy blues-y love song. It's very good and his voice sounds absolutely fantastic with the perfect amount of grit. While I honestly really do love this song, but I feel like I've heard it before. That is its only fault...the sense that it's nothing truly unique. But hey, that's not necessarily a terrible thing, just something I noticed.

4) Shape of You 
5/5

When this song was released on Snapchat as a little 10 second snippet, I wasn't sold. Now, I love it. Once I heard the full version I was hooked. Unfortunately, the top 40 radio stations were also hooked and you can't go more that 10 minutes without hearing this song somewhere in your vicinity. Good for you, Ed. But I'm trying to avoid it as to not get sick of it like I did with Thinking Out Loud.

5) Perfect 
2/5
I had to re-listen to this song before writing this review since I honestly couldn't remember it. It's...a love song. It's sweet. It's cute. It's everything you would want in a slow love song. Get ready to hear this at every wedding you're invited to for the foreseeable future. I don't know. It's nice. I can't think of anything else to say. I don't dare call it generic...but it's sort-of generic.

6) Galway Girl 
4/5

So here we have a combination of hip-hop-ish-vibes and Irish folk music? Alright. You sold me. I'm here for it. This is going to get stuck in your head and it's definitely going to be fantastic live. For all those shows in Ireland...get ready. The only fault I have is a little bit of a problem with the production of this song where it feels sort of inauthentic, or maybe something "off" with the drum track, but it's nothing too bothersome. 

7) Happier 
3/5

Not so much a classic love song...but a yearning type of love song. I like the story of this song and really can feel the emotion behind the lyrics. Again, like with all of these, the vocals are spot on. This one is fairly memorable, but I can't picture this as a stand-alone song. The overall feeling is very cinematic and I can imagine seeing this as the backing for a film.

8) New Man 
4/5
Ok, so this song is fun. The lyrics are extremely relatable and hilarious, and the chorus is beyond catchy. I can't take it too seriously, but that's sort of the point. And that wikiwiki-record scratching at the end is great.

9) Hearts Don't Break Around Here 
3/5

Another love song. This one is better than Perfect in my opinion because it's slightly more interesting, melodically. But it's still a love song, and I have a hard time telling the difference between this and so many others. Maybe that's a personal problem though and I shouldn't fault Ed on it. Maybe it's actually really amazing and like nothing anyone has ever heard before. I'm not a professional music critic though and these are literally just my first impressions. Oh great, now I'm having an identity crisis in my review. Moving on...

10) What Do I Know? 
3/5

I completely forgot this song, also, after the first listen. It's a catchy bouncy acoustic song but...there's not much here. It's fine for bopping around, but I can't see myself wanting to listen to this over and over again. And now that I'm sitting here listening to it for the third time in a row I'm contemplating ripping my hair out. Yep. This is good for a listen every once in a while.

11) How Would You Feel (Paean) 
3/5

Oh look! Another love song! Didn't we hear this one already? No? Ok, well this one I like a little more. Or do I? I can't tell. I think I do. I feel like I'm at a wedding again. Yes, this one is slightly better. I feel like singing along a little bit and that's a good thing.

12) Supermarket Flowers 
5/5
This gets a perfect score for the sheer emotion and story behind it. It's an absolutely lovely tribute to his grandmother and it can resonate with anyone who has lost loved ones. Well done.

13) Barcelona 
3/5

Do you remember the Lizzie McGuire movie? They go to Rome and hang out and ride Vespas and Paolo is there and then Lizzie impersonates a pop star? Well, this song would be perfect for the nonexistent sequel of that movie where they do the same exact thing, but in Barcelona. Just picture a camera shot of Lizzie riding a Vespa around with Gordo around La Sagrada Familia and shopping in Las Ramblas. It's an upbeat love song that will get stuck in your head.

14) Bibia Be Ye Ye 
5/5

I'm giving this 5/5 just because it's fun as hell and it's something completely new and different for Ed. Taking inspiration from Ed's time in Ghana this song is a great combination of classic Ed Sheeran lyrics and a really fun Ghanian rhythm. 

15) Nancy Mulligan 
4/5

I really like this story of the Sheeran family history. It's written in Irish folk song style and I just really love that he is bringing this type of music into the pop music world. It's wonderful to hear all these influences in this, and other songs on this album, that one may not normally hear in such a commercially successful release. Update: When I woke up this morning, this song was completely stuck in my head over all the other songs I listened to.

16) Save Myself 
5/5

It's not a love song! It's a heart-rending song, but not a love song! WooHoo! I really enjoy this. It's a deeply emotional song with a powerful message that will resonate with many people. There's not much else to say here other than it's lovely. I think this is the gem of the tracks that are included on the deluxe edition

In summary, we have a great album that will do amazingly well in the charts. In my personal opinion, and one that really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, it's not my favorite. There's something about the production of this album that just feels...incomplete. I'm not entirely sure how to put into words why I'm not really feeling this album as much as a lot of his previous work, but that's just how I feel (paean). Many people have told me it might just take a while to grow on me...maybe I should give it another chance...but that's just it. I really don't have the urge to listen to any of these songs over and over and over again and give it time to grow on me. I will 100% be going to see him live, because I believe a lot of these songs will translate wonderfully to his unique style of live performance, but the album isn't living up to his usual caliber of music. Maybe I'm wrong (probably). Maybe I'm crazy (definitely). Maybe my opinions will change (possibly). But alas, here we are. It's a great album. I'll leave it at that. Maybe I've put him on too high of a pedestal for too long and I was inevitably bound to not enjoy something. That's totally fine. I'm still here for Ed Sheeran as much as I ever have been. Buy the album...see if you like it. It's worth the listen, that's for sure.

Review by: Carmen Bernu

Random Songs I've Shazam'd

Here is a list of random songs that I've Shazam'd recently. They all peaked my interest in one way or another.  That's it. It doesn't get much deeper than that. I've noticed a trend where I Shazam a lot of weird dance music, think it's good at the time, and then it's not as good when I get home. Anyway, here's the list. This post is mostly to ease myself back into writing about music.

1. My Rights Versus Yours - The New Pornographers
   This song was my JAM when I first started driving. My friend made me a mix CD to listen to me in my new car, and this was on there. So many good memories associated with this song and I completely forgot about it until I heard it on the radio again a couple days ago.
2. Lite Spots - Kaytranada
   Everything about this song makes me want to dance. Such a well produced song from a great album.
3. Casualty - Pional
   Honestly now that I listen to this song again, it's not that great. I'm not sure why this sparked my interest at all. Ignore this.
4. We Gone - Paper Diamond Feat. Shoffy
   Classic lounge-like deep house-ish track. Sounds pretty much like a lot of stuff out there. Gets sort of interesting in the middle but then goes back to being generic. I don't know. It's fine to listen to if you really want to.
5. Critical Mistakes - 888
   After hearing this song it was honestly stuck in my head for hours. VERY catchy. Not sure if I'd want to listen to it for ages, but it's good for now. A good combination of pop-punk and electro synth.
6. Feel Good - Syn Cole
   Wow is this repetitive but wow is it catchy. I've got your summer upbeat dance music right here.

I'm Back - New Playlist

I honestly can't believe how long it's been since I posted on this blog. Pretty soon I'll be doing my "Best of 2015" posts even though the last posts on here were "Best of 2014". Time flies. Unfortunately my real-life outside of my music-hobby-life has taken over and I haven't had a chance to do anything remotely fun. Just writing papers and working. So, now, of course when I have my massive thesis due shortly I am procrastinating and doing something completely unrelated. I have been stringing together a short playlist of songs I'm currently (within the past month) listening to and I thought I'd share. It's an hour and fifteen minutes of things I like and I hope you give it a listen.

Hopefully more posts to come.

MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: Anna Pancaldi - Out Ahead from the Black Tears EP

February 4th, 2015

Anna Pancaldi - Out Ahead from the Black Tears EP

Out Ahead is the debut single from Anna Pancaldi's debut EP 'Black Tears'...lots of debuts here. I first found Anna Pancaldi about a year ago when I was searching for covers of My Blood by Ellie Goulding and her voice and presence completely hooked me (link!). She really has the most velvety smooth voice that sounds effortlessly lovely. I'm absolutely thrilled she is releasing her own music and judging from this first song, Out Ahead, her EP is going to be fantastic. It's a stunning song with a completely gorgeous video that goes along with it. Give it a listen and see what you think!

PS- If you enjoyed this, there's a convenient link you should probably click right below if you're in the US, otherwise just search Anna Pancaldi in your local iTunes store and pre-order the EP, out March 22nd. :)

 iTunes (United States)

Best EPs of 2014

As I was writing my Best Albums of 2014 post I realized there were a bunch of EPs that came out that I really liked and wanted to share. I couldn't put them in the best album post so I needed to come up with a new list. So I did. Because it's my blog and I do what I want.
Typically releasing an EP means there are bigger things to come from that artist, so I want everyone to keep their eyes peeled (what a gross expression) for all of these people in 2015. I'm so excited for things to come and I have a feeling 2015 is going to be a hard year for my bank account.

5. George Maple - Vacant Space

I remember browsing the Spotify New Music of the Week playlist (which, sidenote, is really awesome and you can really find some gems every Tuesday) and was instantly caught up in George Maple's music. This is right up my alley. She's a mix of soul and electronic? Very vibe-y sexy dark lovely music. The kind of music you can picture listening to in a dark smoky jazz-club place...you know the type...the only lighting is that tiny tealight candle on your table and you stumble over at least 12 people on the way to the bathroom. Again, I'm not the best at describing things so the best thing to do would be to listen for yourself. (iTunes)

4. Vince Staples - Hell Can Wait

This album is killer. I really don't know what else to say. Vince Staples is an insanely good rapper and this album has such good production value from beginning to end. I first heard about Vince Staples from his feature on Earl Sweatshirt's album and his solo album is such a good transition from his featuring stuff. It still has that sort of dark sound that a lot of Odd Future stuff has, but it's his own sound and is something really refreshing I haven't heard before. I swear I've had the song 65 Hunnid stuck in my head since October. (iTunes)

3. To Kill A King - Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Whatever new things To Kill A King are doing is really working for them. It feels like the perfect next step for this group and I'm very excited for their sophomore album (due in 2015). If you don't know To Kill A King, they are sort of a rock/pop group with very distinct vocals from frontman Ralph Pellymounter. Their songs tell great stories and within a single song can go from something incredibly simple and sweet sounding to a really epic and profound sound. They really are masters of building up a song from beginning to end, which also makes for an incredible live show. This EP is an awesome collection of a wide variety of driving songs and I encourage everyone to give it a listen. (iTunes)

2. Charlotte OC - Strange

This EP only has four songs but they are four incredible songs. Talk about great vocals. I'm sort of obsessed with her voice and I can't rave about her sound enough. It's this mix of soulful folky music with like a darker electronic element to it? Very modern 70s? Is that a thing? I honestly have no idea how to even describe this but it's well-worth a listen. Can I just freak out for a minute about how excited I am that she has been announced for SXSW? See you in Austin, Charlotte. (iTunes)

1. Låpsley - Monday (and other things)

Alright. Where do I even begin? Låpsley is by far my favorite artist I have heard in 2014. I can't even express enough how much I love her music. I heard the song Station and then listened to it another hundred times, and still can't get over how good it is. The Monday EP doesn't have Station on it, but I'm just going to basically say that you should download everything that she has ever come out with ever. Have I raved about her music enough? No. Absolutely not. I could talk about it forever. If you like that sort of deep house electronic vibe-tastic sound like I do, this is a must. Her Understudy EP is due out in like...two days...and I must have it. You must have it. We all must have it. (iTunes)

Best Albums of 2014

Here it is.
Yet again, I'm posting my ~*opinions*~ on the internet, and it's terrifying. Should I put a disclaimer right up front? Sure. I just want to make sure everyone understands that something I might consider "good", isn't necessarily what you might think is good. WOW. What a concept. People like different things.
With that being said, I'm going to string together a top 10 of 2014. I did this last year and frankly, that list is better. For some reason I'm feeling that the music this year is very blah and I'm not sure why. I feel like everything in 2014 was either very artistic, and conceptual, or on the opposite end of the spectrum and very pop and radio-play driven. It's all great music, I just feel different about things this year. We'll see what you guys think.

Top 10 Albums of 2014

10. Iggy Azalea - The New Classic

I could literally hear 80% of you clicking out of this blog post as soon as you read this choice - LET ME EXPLAIN. I honestly don't understand the hatred that is being aimed at Iggy Azalea lately. Yes, I've listened to everyone's ~*opinions*~ (there's that word again) and I can see the validity I suppose but to me, she's just doing her thing. If we are going to condemn every artist for taking influence from another music style then we should just push everyone and their dog off a bridge. I think she's talented, yes, she's drawn from other people and styles, but she has worked hard for a really long time (she's been around for a while y'all) and I love her album. She genuinely is a really good rapper, it's full of fun and interesting songs and the variety is really great.
Favorite Track: New Bitch

9. Jessie Ware - Tough Love

I've been a fan of Jessie Ware for a really long time so I was excited to hear she was coming out with a new album after 2012's Devotion.  She's a wonderful vocalist with a soft and expressive sound and this album really showcases her range. It's a great mix of ballads, electronic, r&b, something else and something else. I honestly don't know. I think we've established I'm not the best at describing music (good thing I have a music blog). It's sort of like Adele, but if Adele was floating through a cloud.
Favorite Track: Cruel

8. Passenger - Whispers

My love for Passenger knows no bounds. Before even discussing the great music on this album, we need to address the album design and art. It's gorgeous. This is one of the most beautiful albums I own, with the case resembling a children's book. It has a cute little pop-up scene and beautiful artwork throughout. Just a sidenote, but this is the kind of thing that is keeping physical music alive. If you're a fan of singer-songwriter-type music, this is sort of as good as it gets. The lyrics are amazing and each one of the songs tells a very vivid story. Truly a concept album.
Favorite Track: Scare Away the Dark

7. St. Vincent - St. Vincent

Annie Clark is owning everything with this album. She's amazing and her album is amazing and everything is amazing. She's the kind of musician that has it all and can do everything and anything and this album is so representative of that. The sound and melodies are very eclectic/pop/electronic but the concept is so much more complex. It's one of those art-type-albums I try to understand, really can't completely, but totally enjoy to regardless. Catchy, fun, and intelligent music.
Favorite Track: Digital Witness

6. Taylor Swift - 1989

Here it is. I don't even know what to say. It's a good pop album. A lot of the lyrics are dumb, but hey, it's still good. I don't know. I think that's it. If you want to listen to it, I'm sure you already have, and there's nothing I can say that's going to change anything. This is the end of this blurb.
Favorite Track: I Know Places

5. Paolo Nutini - Caustic Love

If you're in the mood for some gritty blues type whatever, this is it. I'm so happy with this album it's ridiculous. I've always liked Paolo Nutini but this is totally the album he was meant to do, you know? Yeah. It's jazzy, bluesy, gospel-y, all-of-that-y. It feels like everything that happened with this album was really well thought out and it just works. Listen to this, immediately.
Favorite Track: One Day

4. Hozier - Hozier

You really can't escape Hozier lately. Every time I turn on the radio, Take Me To Church is playing on multiple stations and I immediately turn it off. I can't have radio ruining good music (like it always does). Although Take Me To Church has been out for a while, his self-titled album came out in 2014 and it's a stunning album that doesn't disappoint. When an artist has one song that really gets buzz, the rest of their music tends to just pass by unnoticed but I refuse to let that happen with Hozier. His album is amazing through and through and I'm just obsessed with his sound. It's all really powerful vocal-driven music and...I can't even talk about how attractive he is. I'm going to stop.
Favorite Track: From Eden

3. Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso

(Hey look another self-titled album) I completely and totally love Sylvan Esso. Their whole "band" consists of two people, and despite that their sound is so complex and complete. It's such fun music and a lot of it makes you want to get up and dance, which is rare for me, because I don't dance. At all. I had the opportunity to see them live a couple months ago and damn. Blew me away. I had so much fun and I love to see bands that sound better live than they do on their album. It's all so great. I'm glad something like this came out this year because I just love hearing something totally and uniquely new.

Favorite Track: Dress

2. Ed Sheeran - X (Multiply)

I already wrote a whole blog post reviewing this album track-by-track (Link!) so I don't know how much I can add except that this album has withstood the test of time since I wrote it. Again, like with Hozier, I refuse to listen to Ed Sheeran on the radio because I know it will ruin it. He's getting so much hype and publicity and well-deserved recognition for this album and I'm just so happy. It's a wonderful album and has a huge variety of styles and sounds that so many people can enjoy. Nothing else to say. It's just damn good. Oh yeah, and get the Deluxe Edition because there's no reason not to.

Favorite Track: Runaway or The Man

1. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2

I'm not sure if I put these in an actual order but I'm probably going to say this is my favorite album of 2014. Run the Jewels are a hip hop duo from New York made up of El-P and Killer Mike and I've only recently heard about them. A friend of mine was listening to this album and I was instantly hooked. It's insanely good hip hop and is super catchy, energetic and smart. I'll be listening to this well into 2015. 

Favorite Track: Blockbuster Night Part 1

Honorable Mentions:

iamamiwhoami - BLUE

Nina Nesbitt - Peroxide

Beck - Morning Phase

FKA Twigs - LP1

The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 Soundtrack Compilation Thing

My Playlist

After months of dealing with a hacked Google account cutting off access to this blog, and whatever other garbage has been thrown at me, I am finally able to write a new post. I honestly can't even think of how to begin this, or how to write, or how to do anything. My brain has been consumed by grad school and work and other bullshit that is going on and I need to remember to just stop, breathe, and do something cathartic. I find writing really cathartic, and even though I'm not good at it, at all, it still helps me feel better. Music also helps me feel better...hence this post. I have been working on a Spotify playlist on and off since early September and I'm really excited to finally share it.
I constantly (...not that constantly...occasionally is probably a better word) get asked what my favorite music is. "What do you listen to?" "What genre do you like?" "What's the cool jams?" Fuck if I know. It's pretty cliche to say that you listen to "everything" but I really do. With that being said, I think electronic-based-alternative-whatever is my favorite genre. Is that a genre? Anyway, genres don't exactly exist anymore so I thought I'd explain my favorite type of music through...music. Wow.
I spent WAY more time than I should have making this playlist flow, and sound smooth and consistent from beginning to end. So, if you need some new and not-so-new music to listen to, or a playlist for some sort of activity, this might be for you.

Here are some activities which I think would go well with this type of sound.

1) Star-gazing

2) Working out...but sort of low-energy work-outs...like stretching. Yeah. Stretching.

3) Sexy time. I mean...to be honest, it's all pretty sexual, hip-gyrating stuff. Go for it.

4) Looking at a city from the top of a skyscraper

5) Staring aimlessly at spreadsheets or computer programming. I can vouch for this.

6) Drinking a hot toddy, or mulled wine. I was going to say tea but this is too vibe-licious for that.

7) Being on an airplane. It's good cloud-watching music. Or drowing-out-screaming-children music.

8) Painting? Probably. I haven't tested this.

9) Drugs? Again, probably. No comment.

10) Meditating

So, overall this is a pretty dark, vibey, playlist. I think if anything this group of songs is a really easy stepping stone for a lot of people into the world of electronic. For a lot of people, myself included, "electronic" is a pretty intimidating genre with a lot of sub-styles, weird sounds and robotic notes. Even after listening to all types of electronic music for years, I really couldn't tell you how to categorize things. I guess this playlist would be like deep house for dummies? It's deep house mixed with bass mixed with god knows what. REGARDLESS, it's a really good mix of vocal electronic. I think you guys will like it. I know I do.