i wanna be the only one to make it to the light

Originally published on Popped Culture

Just Drive is the latest single from Alistair Griffin, taken from his forthcoming album entitled Albion Sky.

The 33-year-old Middlesbrough born singer-songwriter found initial fame in the second series of the BBC reality show Fame Academy, a competition in which he eventually finished second place.

The song itself has all the basic components one would expect of a decent pop song—a simple, repetitive guitar riff, lyrics bursting with inspirationally profound metaphors and a powerful chorus oozing with raw emotion. But I can’t help but feel disappointed. There was no eventual climax and I felt left slightly hanging, waiting for the final punch.

To top it all off, the single’s cover features a fashionably dishevelled Griffin pictured in, what appears to be, a seemingly irrelevant post-apocalyptic wasteland—lovely.

In some respects, I think that this ‘instant pop song recipe’ that Griffin has opted for has given the song a very wooden and regimented feel. It’s catchy—don’t get me wrong—but it doesn’t grab me. Griffin was given 2 minutes and 45 seconds in which to impress me, but I’m actually left with very little understanding of the song itself and what it’s about.

Five years ago, I have absolutely no doubt that this song would have gained greater chart success. But the music industry is constantly evolving and artists such as Alistair Griffin are now competing with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Adele—in my opinion, he needs to ‘up his game’ in order to remain relevant and appealing to modern listeners.

Just Drive is Griffin’s first charting single in 6 years, though stumbling in at No. 38 on the UK Singles Chart. Although achieving a good chart position is definitely not the be-all and end-all of a song’s success, it’s definitely a good indicator as to the artist’s presence in the music industry. Alistair Griffin no doubt has a large fan-base, having had a top-ten hit with his 2003 single Bring It On and further success with You and Me the following year.

To give him credit, it’s refreshing to find an artist who isn’t best friends with their auto-tune feature. His voice has soul, depth, and it’s easy to see that he’s a passionate musician.

Alistair Griffin is a good vocalist, however I think his talents are wasted on this mediocre song, his voice being worthy of far better material.

You can find Alistair Griffin on MySpace, his Twitter page and his website.

she's elusive, i'm awake, you're finally real, there's nothing fake

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Since finishing exams, I have very quickly become a social recluse. Daily activities now include: not getting dressed, watching back-to-back Jeremy Kyle and, naturally, Friends box sets. In chronological order. Seriously.

With such a busy schedule, it's any wonder I have time to review anything anymore. I quickly googled this song last week when I came across it in an old episode of the Channel 4 series Goldplated from back in 2006. (You'll learn to realise that I find most music whilst watching TV).

I'm about five years late in discovering this song, so for future reference: expect all reviews to be written considerably after the song's release, as I am ridiculously slow!

So, I initially thought it was Damien Rice. In fact, it's a guy called Scott Matthews. He's pretty much unknown these days, but I love the anonymity of artists like him--he's judged entirely based on his music and not celebrity status, so to speak.

He's got a rough and almost rugged quality to his voice--the way it cracks in some of the higher notes just makes it all the more raw and honest. Vocally, it's far from perfect, but that's really what makes it perfect. (What a cliché).

Anyway, have a listen. You might hate it. Let me know.

You can find Scott Matthews on his website or perhaps MySpace.

(P.S. I'll very shortly begin writing for a new website called Popped Culture which I shall keep thee posted on).

love won't be leaving, it won't be gone until i find a way

I normally have very particular tastes when it comes to music. I know what I like and I definitely know what I dislike—but I found myself slightly taken aback on my first listen of Anna Calvi.

It’s not what you’d expect from her at all. Her slight figure and almost naïve charm are both decidedly deceptive, and give no clues to both the maturity and depth that her voice carries.

She’s becoming well known among critics for her lyrics openly referring to death, but this frank and candid approach to song-writing gives her music a whole other dynamic. She clearly has a vision and isn't afraid to set herself aside from the rest by producing something innovative and different.

Earlier this year, she was shortlisted for the prestigious Sound of 2011 award and is gaining numerous favourable reviews among music critics and journalists alike.

Playing the guitar like I’ve never quite seen, she's managing to prove herself not only as a singer but as a capable musician too—something which is becoming increasingly uncommon among the artists of today.

Find Anna Calvi on her website, MySpace and on Twitter.

when all of your flaws and all of my flaws are laid out one by one

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You know you’re an actual loser when your only source of new artists and fresh music is in the dramatic bits of Made in Chelsea. Note to self: get a life, act normal, watch less trash.

I’m such a tool when it comes to music. I treat every new song I find like it’s the thing that’s been missing from my life. Until it gets to the point where I’ve played it so much I can’t bear to listen to it any longer! This definitely needs to stop.

In all seriousness, however, I love the song. The vocals are somewhat reminiscent of Foals—probably due to the unmistakably English accent, if nothing else—and I’m a sucker for synths and beating-about-the-bush style, cryptic lyricism, so it’s a winner with me.

I also advise you to check out Kate McGill's acoustic cover of the song.

You can find Bastille on their website, Twitter and also on Facebook.

war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength

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Scrolling through the archives of my other blogs, I have come to realise that the vast majority of what I post is in fact complete and utter nonsense ~ which is entirely the opposite of what I had intended for this blog! So instead of posting a video or reviewing something, I shall give this post some substance.

I’m currently re-reading Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. I have always loved this book but until now I hadn’t actually realised its frightening relevance in our modern society. The fact that Orwell had predicted that 1984 would bring the rise of a totalitarian dictatorship resonates with such irony considering the current political strife, not just in the UK, but globally.

Granted, the novel oozes with hyperbole and over-exaggerates the state of affairs of the country ~ the infamous character of Big Brother evokes fear among the electorate and enforces a ludicrous set of rules and regulations, essentially restricting thousands - no, millions - of people from living their lives, and instead aims to control their every move.

But living in a world where politicians go back on their word as often as they have Sunday roasts means that we can certainly draw parallels between the 1949 novel and our modern day political system. Considering the promises that the likes of Nick Clegg and other Liberal Democrats made to students concerning University tuition fees, it seems that even the friendliest of faces and the most sincere professionals, can abandon their beliefs and transform into, fundamentally, power hungry, glorified Tories.

For the young voters of tomorrow, I feel that everything is becoming much more uncertain. In an almost post-modern sense, the distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ (so to speak) is becoming ever more blurred and in essence, neither one is the better alternative. But in my opinion, it’s not the voters that should be worried but the politicians and the parties themselves.

With people becoming more educated, well informed and genuinely interested in politics, people are better positioned to make a clear, sensible and nonpartisan judgement, voting for the party which offers the best solutions for society and disregarding those that appear to propose otherwise.