albums

Music Monday: 28/11/16

Posted on by mymidnightexpressions

This weeks songs are:

1. Chipmunk – Flying High

British Rapper, Chipmunk, released this song in November 2011 and its the lead single of his second studio album, Transition (2011). I love the beat of this track and I’ve been a fan of Chipmunk’s music since I was 10. He has only just come back to the music scene, doing grime, but I still love his old tunes. I really like the music video of this song as well, it was shot in South Africa, please listen to this song below:

Chipmunk – Flying High

2. Timbaland & Magoo – Indian Flute

Timbaland and Magoo are a rap duo from Virginia who met when they were teenagers. I like this song because it is unique in the sense that there is a story being told by a woman in the language of Punjab. The whole song is a dialogue between a man and a woman, it’s pretty much a story of two lovers. Yes, there is an Indian flute in the background which adds to the context of this song and makes it even more beautiful. Check out this song below:

Timbaland & Magoo – Indian Flute

3. Muse – Starlight

Starlight is an alternative rock song by the British alternative rock band, Muse. The album title, Black Holes and Revelations  (2006), comes from one of the lyrics in this song “Our hopes and expectations, black holes and revelations“. I really like this song and this band in general, so check out this song below:

Music – Starlight

Enjoy, and please tell me what you think about my song choices for this week!

Omone 😀 

#ClassicPopPicks

Posted on by mymidnightexpressions

Last week I shared my ultimate gig wish list for 2016 and this week for Music Monday, we are going to take a trip down memory lane. Even though pop isn’t my favourite genre, pop music was one of the reasons why I developed my love for music. I love songs from 2007-2011 because I began to have a passion for music at this time. I like the fact that there’s a lot of British artists in this playlist as well as American artists and my favourite artists in this playlist include Lady Gaga, Duffy, The Saturdays, Sam Sparro, Fergie and Christina Aguilera. This playlist is definitely contains the classics and most artists in this playlist were at their prime during this time. Happy Halloween and Enjoy this playlist!

https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify_uk_/playlist/1q5egxQKL7etdyhohqTS9S

Omone 😀

My Ultimate Gig Wish List 2016

Posted on by mymidnightexpressions

Going to gigs are one of the most invigorating and exciting experiences in the world, so many good artists are doing gigs right now and here are a list of artists and bands that I would love to see live!

1) Drake

Drake is undeniably one of my favourite rappers in the world due to his versatility when he’s singing or rapping. He’s announced his new tour called Boy Meets World and he begins performing in the UK in January 2017.  His latest album, Views (2016), includes great tunes for example Hotline Bling, Controlla and One Dance. Views received 245 million streams which took over the previous record of Beyonce’s Lemonade (2016). His first show in the UK is in Glasgow and you can find tickets and tour dates here.

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2) Ariana Grande

Ariana released one of my favourite songs this year, Side To Side, featuring Nicki Minaj. I love the Caribbean influence of this song and I would love to hear Ariana and Nicki perform this live. I have been quite impressed with her latest singles, not only are they catchy but they display her beautiful vocals. The Dangerous Woman Tour is going to be her biggest European tour which starts in May 2017 in Stockholm, you can access tour dates and tickets here.

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3) Craig David

7 Days by Craig David is one the most famous songs from the early 2000s and I have loved his comeback including his single Ain’t Giving Up, with British DJ Sigala, which is a great tune. Craig released his latest album, Following My Intuition (2016), last month. His album reached no.1 on the UK albums chart and this is his first no.1 album since he released Born to Do it in 2000. One of my closest friends went to his gig in the O2 and she said that it was amazing. It would be great to see this urban soul singer live, you can access tickets and tour dates here.

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4) Coldplay

Coldplay are one of my favourite rock bands ever, I could list a number of songs I love by them which is why I would love to go to one of their gigs. Coldplay are known to have one of the best live shows with an amazing atmosphere of music and dancing. I’ve wanted to go to a Coldplay gig for quite a while but right now their doing their international tour in countries like Australia, New Zealand and Germany. If you’d like some more information on Coldplay’s tour dates click here.

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5) UB40

The reason I put UB40 on this list is because they are an amazing British Reggae band that I’ve loved for a long time. Unfortunately, there aren’t many British Reggae singers/bands that have been brought to people’s attention and UB40 are one of the most successful reggae bands worldwide, selling over 70 million records. Some of my favourite songs by them include Red Red Wine, Can’t Help Falling In Love and I Got You Babe. They are having gigs in Reading, Blackburn and other cities, for more information click here.

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6) Sigala

Sigala is one of my favourite house DJs and some of my favourite songs include Easy Love and Give Me Your Love, featuring John Newman. The atmosphere of being in a house/dance music gig would be electrifying which is one of the reasons why I want to see Sigala live. Sigala has gigs beginning in February and you can find more details here.

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7) Maxwell and Mary J. Blige

I personally believe that Maxwell has the most beautiful and soulful voice on earth. The first time I heard Maxwell’s version of This Woman’s Work, originally by Kate Bush, on MTV unplugged, I really wanted to be one of the audience members hearing his delicate voice. Mary J. Blige is one of my old favourites and some of my favourite songs by her include Real Love, Family Affair and Don’t Mind. Maxwell and Mary J. Blige are going on a UK tour which begins at the O2. For more details on tour dates and tickets click here

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8) Tom Odell

I would love to be up close in a small crowd, watching Tom Odell play the piano whilst singing one of my favourite songs by him, Another Love. I can imagine his gigs being more intimate than putting emphasis on stage lights and amazing graphics. If you’d like to see him live click here to buy your ticket.

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I would like to give a shoutout to GetToTheFront.com, please check out this website to access tour dates and get tickets to see your favourite artists and celebrities live!

Omone 😀

Music Monday: 24/10/16

Posted on by mymidnightexpressions

This weeks songs are:

1) Foxes – Let Go For Tonight

Let Go For Tonight is a pop song by the English singer, Foxes. This is the fifth track on her album, Glorious (2014) but it also featured on her debut EP, Warrior (2012) as a demo. I really like this song because it’s all about seizing the moment, relaxing and focusing on the love you and your partner share. It can sometimes be hard to let go of everything and enjoy the moment due to our stressful and busy lives. This song peaked at no. 7 on the UKs Singles chart however, it reached no. 1 on the Japan Hot Overseas chart in 2014. please listen to this song below:

Foxes – Let Go For Tonight

3) KDA – Just Say ft. Tinashe

KDA is a house music producer and this song features American singer-songwriter, Tinashe. I love the powerful beat in this song and the distortion of Tinashe’s voice which, creates a unique and upbeat track. The lyrics of this song are quite self-explanatory as she says “Just say that you love me, cause I want you to”. This is the first song that I’ve listened to by KDA and I really like it so check out this track below:

KDA – Just Say ft. Tinashe

3) Oh Land -White Nights

Danish recording artist, Oh Land, released this song back in 2011 and it appeared on her self-titled album, Oh Land (2011). This was her first top 20 single on the Danish Singles Chart and it also appeared on an episodes of Teen Wolf called ‘The Tell’ in 2011. This song is about summer nights that don’t go dark even though the sun goes down. I really like the softness of her voice in this song so please check out this cool song below:

Oh Land – White Nights

Enjoy the song choices for this week and please tell me what you think about these songs!

Omone 😀

Music Monday: Solange

Posted on by mymidnightexpressions

Solange  released her third studio album, A Seat at the Table (2016) last month and it features songs like ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ and ‘Cranes In The Sky’. Honestly, I haven’t really listened to any songs by Solange in the past and I’d only recognise her as being Beyonce’s older sister. ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ is a mix between funk music and electronic and it definitely grew on me the more times I listened to it. This songs accurately reflects how important Black people express themselves through their hair and how we should celebrate how unique it and ignore any negative comments/ideas about our hair. The first line says ‘Don’t touch my hair, When it’s the feelings I wear’, its weird beacuse I can relate to people in the past literally coming up to me, uninvited and touching my hair like it’s some sort of magical artefact. LOL. I like how she notices that our hair is a way of self-expression whether we use weaver or go natural. I particularly like the pre-hook where she says ‘They don’t understand, What it means to me, Where we chose to go, Where we’ve been to know’ because it truthfully talks about how sometimes Black people’s hair is said to be undesirable compared to European hair and how other people might not understand why we like to take care of hair so much. Check out this great song below:

SOLANGE – Don’t Touch My Hair

‘Cranes In The Sky’ is the lead single of her album and it was actually written in 2008. The song talks about the pains of being an African-American woman and how Solange tried to deal with these problems through drinking, sex etc. The first verse says ‘I tried to drink it away, I tried to put one in the air, I tried to dance it away, I tried to change it with my hair‘, Solange is literally trying to push those negative thoughts and feelings away from her and she feels as if the rejection she has faced, over the years, are hanging over head like cranes in sky.  I really like the music video for this song, it reflects how beautiful and delicate her voice and this song is. There are some great scenery in the music video and the harmonies when she says Away is so beautiful. Fun fact: the music video for this song was shot in nine different cities. Please listen to this song below:

SOLANGE – Cranes In The Sky

I hope you like this weeks special on Solange and please tell me whether you’d like to see more artist specials from me!

Omone 😀

Music Monday: 10/10/16

Posted on by mymidnightexpressions

This weeks songs are:

1) Cheat Codes & Dante Klein – Let Me Hold You (Turn Me On)

This is one song cover that I absolutely love! Cheat Codes and Dutch DJ, Dante Klein created this EDM cover of Kevin Lyttle’s banger, ‘Turn Me On’, which was released in 2003. If you haven’t heard the original song then obviously you must have been living under a rock! I really like the original dancehall version of this song by Kevin Lyttle but I also enjoy this version which features some new lyrics. Both songs talk about how they’re going to take the girl they have their eyes on home, so please check out this great song below:

Cheat Codes & Dante Klein – Let Me Hold You (Turn Me On)

2) Usher – There Goes My Baby

There Goes My Baby is an down-tempo R&B track from Usher’s sixth studio album, Raymond v. Raymond (2010). It peaked at no.25 on the Billboard Hot 10o and Usher brilliantly explains this song by saying in 2010: “The feeling of it is if you have a true connection with somebody, no matter what happens in life, it will always come back, No matter how long it takes to make it through whatever issues pull you apart, something pulls you back together. The rest is between the lines.” I love hearing Usher’s falsetto, it’s what makes this song so beautiful so, please check out this song below:

Usher – There Goes My Baby

3) Labrinth – Let The Sun Shine

English Musician, Labrinth, released this song back in 2010 and it’s the sixth track on his debut album, Electronic Earth (2012). This song brings back old memories of when I first started downloading songs onto my Sony Ericsson phone when I was 12. He talked about the inspiration for this song and said: “It was influenced by the sun coming up. I was working in my little studio in my bedroom. My brother was sleeping in the bunk bed behind me and kept waking up saying, ‘Keep it down, you’re making too much noise.’ At that time, I felt I was learning so much musically and it felt like the most perfect moment writing that track with the first rays of sun shining into the room. People listen to it and they say it sounds like a ‘eureka!’ moment and it was.” Check out this nice song below:

Labrinth – Let The Sun Shine

Enjoy this weeks songs and please tell me what songs I should feature on next weeks Music Monday!

Omone 😀

Music Monday: 03/10/16

Posted on by mymidnightexpressions

This weeks songs are:

1) Maverick Sabre – Let Me Go

Maverick Sabre is an English-Irish singer/songwriter/rapper, who released Let Me Go back in 2011. This song is a hip-hop/r&b track from his second debut studio album, Lonely Are The Brave (2011), which was titled after a movie he watched when he was 12. Let Me Go peaked at no. 16 on the UKs Singles chart in 2011 and I remember, when I was 13 years old, hearing this song for the first time on TV and falling in love with it. Maverick opened up and said that this song was about his alcohol problems, specifically Jack Daniels. I particularly like Maverick’s unique and soulful voice so please check out this song below:

Maverick Sabre – Let Me Go

2) Wretch 32 – Don’t Go ft. Josh Kumra

Don’t Go is also a Hip-Hip/r&b track, released by English rapper, Wretch 32 featuring Josh Kumra. This is the fourteenth track on his debut studio albums, Black and White (2011), which is a mixture of British Hip-hop, r&b and grime. This song reached no. 1 on the UKs singles chart in 2011. Wretch 32 said that this song, originally known to be a love song, is about his love for music which was surprising to many people. Check out this great song below:

Wretch 32 – Don’t Go ft. Josh Kumra

3) Garbage – #1 Crush

I first heard #1 Crush while watching a video about Spike and Drusilla from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. This song was written and recorded between March 1994- May 1995 and it also appeared on the soundtrack for Romeo + Juliet (1996). #1 Crush is actually the B-side to their debut release Vow and this song is about having an obsession over a love interest. Shirley, the lead singer of this group, said this about the song in 1997 – “All real love is a form of obsession. If you love someone more than anything else, that degree of exclusivity requires an abnormal amount of passion and care. And that can be positive. It’s just that keeping it short of unhealthy, short of violence, really requires a bit of moderation. You can’t let something like that take over all of your thought processes.”

Garbage – #1 Crush

#AllNightDanceParty

Posted on by mymidnightexpressions

Like last weeks post, this week has been so hectic with school and all that comes with it. I didn’t get to write a blog post on Friday because I had so much work to do and I’d probably be repeating everything I’ve said on my previous blog posts. This week has been quite stressful however, in the beginning of last week I discovered one of my now favourite playlists on Spotify called ‘All Night Dance Part’. I’ve been particularly listening to dance music this week beacuse it somehow lifts my spirits, makes me forget about all the school work I have to do and brightens my mood. In a way, it reminds me of summer when I didn’t have to worry about mid-topic assessments and making pre-notes for lessons. I highly recommend that you listen to this playlist, some of my favourite songs are Girls Like, BOSS, I Loved You, Slave To The Vibe, Ain’t Giving Up, House Work, Rinse & Repeat, Just Say, Freak Like Me, Changes etc. So check it out!
https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify_uk_/playlist/3pWL5FdzK7xyUoSzzQzjLx

I might start posting my favourite playlists every week on my blog with different song genres and my own playlists as well, so please tell me if you think I should!

Omone 😀

Music Monday: 12/09/16

Posted on by mymidnightexpressions

This weeks songs are:

1) Noisettes – Don’t Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go)

Don’t Upset The Rhythm was released in March 2009 by the English indie rock band, Noisettes. This song appears on their second studio album, Wild Young Hearts (2009) and there’s an official remix featuring Wale and Estelle. I really like this song because it does bring back memories from my childhood, when I started to really have a passion for Read More

Music Monday: 05/09/16

Posted on by mymidnightexpressions

This weeks songs are:

1) Gorgon City – All Four Walls ft. Vaults

North London producers, Kye Gibbon and Matt Robson-Scott, formed the duo Gorgon City in 2012. All Four Wall is their first single of the year which features the British band, Vaults. This is a deep house track which has the same foundations of UK garage and this song also appears on their second studio album, Kingdom (2016/17). Some people, including me, believe this song has a kind of 90s vibe so, please check out this song below:

Gorgon City – All Four Walls ft. Vaults

2) 50 Cent – Do You Think About Me

Do You Think About Me was released in January 2010 and it appears on 50 Cent’s fourth studio album, Before I Self Destruct (2009). This song features the uncredited vocals from the R&B singer, Governor. The music video for this song features 50 Cent’s ex-girlfriend, Viviva A. Fox who tries to destroy him anyway she can. 50 cent describes this song in an interview: “I was writing about the difference of how it felt when it was only about money once it got down to me dealing with the child-support situation. The friendship we had was forgotten. I believe people invest in each other and it’s never even when you’re in a relationship – one person is loving harder than the other. When the expectations aren’t being met, they kinda resent the other party. A lot of times they don’t go from being boyfriend and girlfriend or to getting engaged or being married back to being friends. They kinda gotta part ways from each other because one still has feelings and one is ready to move on.” Check out this song below:

50 Cent – Do You Think About Me

3) Seeb – Breathe ft. Neev

Seeb are an EDM tropical house duo from Norway. This song reached no. 7 on the VG-lista, a Norwegian record chart. The narrator of this song is talking about how they can see past their partners lies and they describe their partners kisses as empty. The narrator is trying to form a connection with their partner but their partners lies are destroying their relationship. I really like the drop in this song and how relaxing it is so please check it out below:

Seeb – Breathe ft. Neev