Belgian Booms: Good Vibes, Electric Guitar and Simplicity
10:44
It seems like almost every second post I do is about music so I have decided to make it a deliberate thing with this blog. I am currently living in Belgium and it’s a really vibrant place. I am surrounded by beautiful architecture and I will put my put my hands up and say that the men I am seeing around here are just as beautiful. I am really enjoying exploring all the country has to offer. Despite a few bumps, I’m starting to really enjoy myself and let myself be open to new things. Here are the songs I have been enjoying at the moment whilst living in Belgium.
FRENSHIP – Carpet
What immediately caught me what the sound of the singers’
voices coming together, to me it keeps the song a really earth vibe. The beats
really get me going and I find myself dancing to it when I’m by myself. Usually
I focus on the lyrics in an intense way when I listen to songs but it really is
the instruments and the sound of the singers’ voice. The musicians manage to
write a song about a past relationship and yet the music is still so upbeat and
catchy. FRENSHIP are quirky, I like the
sounds the make and a song with a good beat gets me going no matter what.
"Do more"
She says to me on the carpet floor
Stretch yourself thin
So I can be with you once again”
Glass Animals – Pools
Speaking of beats, Pools is just phenomenal, there’s an
earthly tropical beat with the added sounds of animals. I find this song so
catchy and I quote myself with the word “groovy”. Glass Animals are known for
their interesting lyrics and quite frankly, quite weird music video. I usually
play Glass Animals when I want to lift my mood or even when I’m walking. The
drums are the key elements here and my entire body reacts to the rhythm that’s
going on within the song. I personally would play this song at a get together
because it’s catchy and I dare you to try ignore that beat.
“Shake my little soul for you now, toy
And I settle up into a world of noise
I'm a man of many tricks and tools and joy
With a battery of guilt on which to poise”
Woodlock – Lemons
An old favourite, Lemons is such a sweet little song.
Australian based band Woodlock have been ingrained into my musical life because
their music soothes me to no end. Brothers Zech and Eze Walters create the most
beautiful harmonies with their melodic voices. The lyrics connect love and
nature together in a glorious way. The chorus is what tugs at my heartstrings
the most. I fell in love with this song in early 2015, when I myself fell in
love. I hope that Woodlock’s music reaches more people as I really think people
should hear it. I actually wanted to show you American Honey Blonde more but I
could not find a Youtube link for it, but it’s on Spotify.
“Call to her heart I will offer my shield,
The sour has turned into sweet.
Let not the wheat in this garden grow tall
For they will choke the lemon tree”
John Butler Trio – Kimberly
I have so much respect for John Butler as person, especially
because of this song. Kimberley is a song about the destruction of the
environment, particularly the destruction of Kimberley by cowboys, a region in
Western Australia. This is a part of the world that is full of natural beauty,
with gorges filled with beautiful rivers and bordered by the Indian Ocean. If
you listened to the song without knowing the backstory it would still be a
lovely song. It’s heavenly stuff, John Butler is hands down a genius at playing the guitar. The song is so
passionate and tells a powerful story.
“You see Kimberley was special, a rare and
wild soul
Nearly every man who met her, their hearts she always stole
But there are always those exceptions of the cold and callous kind
That wanted just her body and leave the mess for us behind”
Nearly every man who met her, their hearts she always stole
But there are always those exceptions of the cold and callous kind
That wanted just her body and leave the mess for us behind”
Bootstrap – Wild Moan
I found this song by researching the artist Bootstraps after
I heard their song “Fortyfive”. This song is gorgeous, the singer’s raspy voice
really adds to the song as a whole. The combination of piano, guitar and
percussion creates a music heaven for my ears. I can’t describe how the song
makes me feel, it makes me hope for the future, creating a little excitement
combined with fear. I really want to share this song with people because it’s beautiful
and I would love to see it used in a film of some sort.
“Ain’t we been tense piano strings,
are we ever struck by anything?
Ain’t we been moved wayward teeth,
how long you been
drifting?
Royal Blood – Little Monster
What a band. I repeat, what a band. Literally two seconds
into the song I react to the song’s infectious riffs. I’ll put my hands up and
say I don’t think there’s any of Royal Blood’s songs that I don’t like. My love
for rock music is always awoken again by listening to this. I remember hearing
this song once during a scene of BBC’s Peaky Blinders starring Irish actor
Cillian Murphy. Even though the show is set during the early 19th
century, it totally fits. All I can say
is you need some Royal Blood in your life.
“Hey little creature,
Tell me what's on your mind,
Where've you been hiding?
And can I come this time?”
Alt J – Bloodflood
My love for Alt J has not waned in the two years since my
friend Pamela introduced them to me. The opening of Bloodflood is just
fantastic. The combination of chimes and thuds are perfect in my opinion. I
love using my hands to map out the chimes and drum beats as it’s so rhythmic.
The name of the song is so Alt J. I find this song really relaxing to listen
to. I reckon this band would be a treat to listen to live as their sound is so
unique, and I would love to see a crowd react to this song. I tend to listen to
this song when I wake up in the morning or when I’m going about my day to day
life. The name of the album is introduced into
this song “ An awesome wave”.
“Tide out, tide in, a flood of blood
To the heart through the fear slipstreams
Breath in, exhale, I've poked a nerve
You'll slap me like a whale”
Re-arrange – Biffy Clyro
For a while after Biffy Clyro released their newest album
“Ellipsis” I was convinced that their new music couldn’t match their older
material. However, I really love this song. Simon Neil’s voice means the world
to me. The beat in this song is not something I am used to hearing from Biffy
Clyro, yet in my opinion it works. What remains the same is Simon Neil’s
ability to tap into emotion with his use of language, creating fantastic
lyrics. Biffy Clyro’s music both heals and upsets me emotionally, because it’s
so relatable.
“Cause I would never break your heart
I would only re-arrange
All the other working parts will stay in place
Listen to me when I say, darling you're my everything
I didn't mean to hesitate, please stay with me”
Banfi - Where We Part
I added this song into my “Discover Weekly Gems” playlist a
long time ago, but it’s only in recent weeks that I have actually taken the
time to listen to it. Joe Banfi’s voice is beautiful, breathy and adds emotion
to a song about two people parting. The chorus is particularly nice. I enjoy
the emotion of the song, but it’s more interesting to listen to how he
describes the aftermath of a relationship. It doesn’t make me emotionally
really, it’s just instrumentally lovely and nice to sing along to. Call me a
hipster or whatever but there’s something really cool and exciting about
finding great music that not necessarily everyone knows about. Hope you enjoy
this one!
“Yeah this is where we part
Yeah, this is where the caving breaks what we used to beYeah this is where we part
Hmm, and guilt's killing me but don't forget me, brother
Follow me round like you used to do”
Wolf Alice – Bros
I just realised that this is the only song sang by a woman
in this blog post and I am very annoyed about this. If I am being honest, this
is just how it happened – these really are the songs I’ve been loving this past
while. I must remember to search for more female sung songs. I remember my
friend Aidan telling me that there was a band named Wolf Alice who had a
powerful female lead and sure enough I already a song by them in my playlist. The
guitar and percussion create a beautiful melody. I really enjoy the lyrics in
this song, the lead singer’s voice is powerful. It tells an emotional and funny
story about childhood friends.
“Shake your hair, have some fun
Forget our mothers and past lovers, forget everyone
Oh, I'm so lucky, you are my best friend
Oh, there's no one, there's no one who knows me like you do”
***********
It’s taken me two days to write this blog post because I
kept getting distracted by the music, getting lost in the notes, lyrics and
emotion. The stories being told in each song are so diverse, just as the
countries the musicians each hail from. Music is what shapes us to be who we
are. Hope you learned a little and gave your ears something nice to listen to!
Thank you as always for taking the time to visit my blog and
see what I’ve been working on.
All pictures are merely decorative and belong to their respective owners.
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