Florrie - Little White Lies

Drumming up a storm in her latest video for 'Little White Lies' is Florrie (Florence Arnold), the rising English pop singer, songwriter and, you guessed it, drummer. 'Little White Lies' is a mix of electronica and pop, with some pretty funky drum accompaniment by Florrie - that girl can really rock out! 'Little White Lies' is her latest single, and we're a little bit in love; Florrie's voice is beautiful and angelic amongst the synthpop beats and the mix of the mid-tempo drumming. 

The video sees Florrie immersing herself in a field, and also traversing through a number of plastic bags (representing the 'little white lies', no doubt) as they drift throughout the video. The whole affair is noticeably colourful and fun, and Florrie looks to be having a good time amidst her band as she takes the lead for once, having played as an in-house drummer and performed with many popular acts like Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud and the Pet Shop Boys. We think Florrie is definitely one to watch in the music world, and you can check out her latest video below: 

Sia - 1000 Forms of Fear [Album Review]

Sufficed to say, Sia's been in the music industry for longer than most, producing and co-writing many successful hits for a number of more 'mainstream' artists. Having penned Beyonce's 'Pretty Hurts', and having co-written songs with Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Eminem and many, many, more, it's fair to say Sia's fully adept at churning out those catchy tunes for popular artists. Bridging the boundaries between song-writing and actual singing, Sia's sixth studio album is aptly named 1000 Forms of Fear. Why so apt we hear you cry? Well, it is known that Sia Furler has suffered from bouts of depression, alcohol and drug addiction, and that this album is the first since her series of problems, and 1000 Forms of Fear reflects the types of addictions that can grasp you; as well as serving as a living reminder that Furler is uncomfortable with fame. The tracks, with equally poignant names, all have a story to tell and focus around a recurring theme; fear. It's quite clever that Furler has decided to take this particular path with her music and considering the challenges she has faced in the past, the latest album may end up being her most successful to date. 

The album comes from a very personal place, and that is reflected throughout the songs, with the electro-pop ballad 'Chandelier' focusing on alcohol addiction and focusing on self-destruction. The dark themes of the song fit in perfectly with the rest of the album, and Sia's vocals soar amongst the synthesizer, drums and electronic beats. Of course, many will know the track for its video, featuring the ever charismatic Maddie Ziegler, who dancing has attracted the attention of millions. 'Chandelier' was originally wrote for either Beyonce or Rihanna, but to be frank, we can't see anyone other than Sia singing her own song in such a passionate and mesmerizing way, as she does. It's one of those tracks that has everything, the addictive beat that reflects the nature of the song, and the power from Sia, with her vocals wavering and breaking at certain points; reflecting the fragility of the piece, as well as its strength. 

Elsewhere on the album, is the indie pop/electronica 'Elastic Heart', which has to be one of our favourites from 1000 Forms of Fear. Aside from being from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Soundtrack, the track encompassing the unusual, with Sia's voice taking on almost a life of its own as it is mixed perfectly and warped between the rhythmic beats. It's quite a difficult track to wrap your head round, with the words at time becoming unclear, but this obstruction makes us love it even more; Sia's tracks are always so reflective and thought-provoking, whilst at the same time being addictive pop hits in their own right. If anyone's got song-writing and singing down to a fine art, it's Sia. 

Furler teams up with Chris Braide on the memorable 'Big Girls Cry', which features some rather interesting selection of lyrics 'And I don't care if I don't look pretty/ Big Girls Cry when their hearts are breaking' (we feel like adding in a triumphant 'You go, girl'). The result of the pairing is a more vulnerable and introverted song, with Furler hitting the notes with such simplicity. If you are now scouting out for potential other favourite songs (haven't exhausted the released singles), we would suggest the moving 'Dressed in Black', where Furler sings about being saved from the desperation she felt 'Life had broken my heart, my spirit/ And then you crossed my path/ You quelled my fears you made me laugh/ And you covered my heart in your kisses'. 

The fear continues with the disturbing but rather eloquent piano-ridden 'Straight for the Knife', which tackles the idea of 'romance' gone wrong, 'You went straight for the knife, and I prepared to die/ Your blade it shines/ Looked me straight in the eye, you turned the gas on high'. Furler has that ability to hit it hard when she needs to, and that is one of the most captivating features of the album - her ability to enthral a listener with a simple track. Whilst we are a bit partial to the atmospheric 'Fire Meets Gasoline', the alternative 'Eye of the Needle', we couldn't quite get into 'Hostage' or 'Free the Animal'. 

Sia Furler is one of those rare artists who can do both of the unthinkable in a music world, filled with auto-tune and mind-numbing repetitive beats; create and write a catchy song with meaningful lyrics and sing it like no other. 1000 Forms of Fear best encompasses Furler's unique sound for the audience who may not have any idea who she is. 

Foxes - Glorious (Music Video) [+ Review]

Foxes has a new music video out (watch below), and it's for none other than the title track from her début studio album, Glorious. The aforementioned 'Glorious' single is a mid-tempo pop mix with a mix of instrumental guitar riffs and beckoning chorus melodies. We particularly adore the section towards the end of the track when the song reaches its climax, so to speak, and Foxes is joined by a great accompaniment of additional singers, that unanimously sing 'When the time is right/ and there's no way out/ and I ain't losing something I ain't got'. 

'Glorious' is an aptly named track that does indeed showcase Allen's talents and provide the perfect opportunity for her to show that she can deliver a powerful and full-out track like 'Glorious', and hit those strong notes, whilst still bringing it down to a more manageable, bitter-sweet level with the first verse. Additionally, the guitar riffs at the end of the track just add that extra something to the track, making it that little bit more edgy and notable. In contrast, the music video, whilst beautiful in its own bizarre way, featuring a beautiful hue of summery pastel colours (apt for the time of year), is a little bit confusing and perhaps not executed in the right fashion, as we fear many audiences will be a little bit confused to the mismatched nature of the video. 

However, as music videos often don't make a lot of 'sense' at first glance, we would love to hear what Allen herself would say about the concept of the video (we see it as another way to show the artist's distance from the surrounding people - by having their faces covered by flowers and the like, and them performing mundane activities - and showing her level of disconnect to them), as undoubtedly it would be interesting to get an inside perspective. Nevertheless, the track is indeed a 'Glorious' addition for the singer, and we look forward to hearing what material she will be releasing next. 

You can read our review of Foxes' début album, here.  

The Fault in Our Stars [Soundtrack Review]

While audiences near and far are still weeping over the recent film adaptation of John Green's novel, the soundtrack for The Fault in Our Stars deserves separate recognition for its varied musical sounds, with talented singers and music artists showcasing their talents in the form of Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, Birdy, Lykke Li, Tom Odell, Jake Bugg, Kodaline and many more. 

Progressing through the album in a rather whimsical fashion, the first track to catch our attention is the synth-pop stylings from Charli XCX, whose recently co-starred on music hit 'Fancy' with Iggy Azalea. Whilst she may be dominated the charts with 'Iggy Iggy', Charli XCX's 'Boom Clap' features Charli's deep vocals (in a similar style to Marina Diamandis, with whom she featured with on the track 'Just Desserts') echoing the title distinctively, and admittedly, in a rather catchy fashion. The track has a succinctly airy quality to it that is brought back down to its roots by the powerful drum and 'clap' beats. Overall, it's a welcome addition from the English recording artist and paves its way as a solid hit from the soundtrack. 

Meanwhile, Ed Sheeran's 'All Of The Stars' offers up a touching ballad that features some pretty melancholic piano accompaniment, and combined with the lyrics, this one will no doubt be a pretty big tearjerker for listeners. Featuring incredibly apt lyrics (which we won't repeat in case it spoils the movie for you) that can only be recommended to listen to after you have watched the film, Sheeran's track is possibly the most reflective song on the soundtrack, as it seems to encompass the essence of the movie in a sea of emotion (that is probably made from your tears, too). Whilst the melody is fairly simplistic, Sheeran's vocals are on point and as drawn out, soft and lasting than ever. Powerful stuff. 

Having already flexed her vocal chords for the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack, for which she recorded 'Possibility', Lykke Li is back and as haunting as ever on the soundtrack for The Fault in Our Stars. Her addition, 'No One Ever Loved', also sees Li taking firm use of the piano to compliment her soaring vocals (the sound of the beginning of the chorus reminds us of a little bit of 'The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face') and the effect is truly mesmerizing. The delicate piano vibe continues with the emotional and sullen 'Not About Angels', recorded by Birdy, which features some pretty isolate piano playing that just sets the mood of the track perfectly, with Birdy's voice quivering in places making it that more emotionally charged. 

Some of the lesser known - but still incredible - tracks from the album include STRFKR's electronic 'While I'm Alive', which is particularly funk-tastic, whilst Tom Odell's vocals on the resonant 'Long Way Down' make it worthy of a listen, and Kodaline's 'All I Want' is ready to tug at the heartstrings with its melancholic lyrics and overall depressive vibe (it really does sound like it is made for this particular type of film). 

Overall, The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack ranges from the deeply depressive and sob-enducing to the rather more upbeat and uplifting with Charli XCX's 'Boom Clap' being a welcome change in the tone of the soundtrack (after all, no body wants to spend the entire hour consistently crying through 15 tracks, do they?), and whilst for any other film most of the songs would seem inappropriate, for the film adaptation of John Green's novel, anything less would be a travesty. 

Watch Dogs (2014) - [Review]

A recent addition to the videogame universe this year was Watch Dogs, a multiple platform video game that offered its players the chance to take control of a fictional version of Chicago, by ‘hacking’ the City. The game, developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft collective, enticed players in with the idea of being able to hack every technological feature in the City, after its installation of the ctOS network, which connects the whole city together ‘as a community’. The centralized operating system manages and controls the whole city of Chicago, and as evidenced, is apparently easier to hack into than anything before. Whilst the construction of said system was probably the most idiotic thing a person could do, it serves as a great function for the game, as players are able to control (after acquiring the needed skill points and abilities) everything from blockers to bridges, steam pipes to junction boxes, helicopters to explosive packs on enemies, are much, much, more.

Watch Dogs focuses on the character Aiden Pearce (Noam Jenkins), whom the player controls throughout the game, a grey-hat hacker who can hack into the poorly designed ctOS network and use the system for his own means. By opening his phone (which contains the software), he can profile those around him and access cameras, vehicles and other technological items in order to infiltrate people’s bank accounts and steal money from them, in addition to a wide variety of other things (like one-time hacks, songs and vehicles). The story begins with Pearce and his former partner, Damien Brenks, as they carry out a job on the Merlaut Hotel, which Pearce transferring funds from his smart-phone. Things start to unravel when Brenks comes across a mysterious file, and although Pearce tells him to leave it, whilst Brenks tries to unlock it, he alerts another hacker, who notices them both. Pearce quickly leaves the scene, disabling Brenks’ abilities to further investigate the file. Pearce hurries to get his family out of the city and away from any danger, but a hit has already been put out on Aiden and a man named Maurice (Christopher Jacot) drives past Aiden’s car, which is also carrying his sister (Nicole/Nicky, voiced by Anne Hopkins), neice (Lena) and nephew (Jackson/Jacks, voiced by Nicholas Bode) and shoots out the tyre, causing the car to crash – and Lena to die. Post funeral, the game focuses on Aiden’s character as he tries to get revenge and answers for his neice’s death.

In addition to Aiden, the only playable character in the game, there are other character who help him, in the form of DedSec member Clara Lilles (Isabelle Blais), a tattoo artist and hacker; Raymond “T-Bone” Kenny (John Trench), a former ctOS engineer who designed the network; and Jordi Chen (Aaron Douglas), a ‘fixer’. The notable other characters in the game who Aiden converses with are his former partner, Damien Brenks (Daniel Kash), ‘Lucky’ Quinn, a crime boss of Chicago’s underground (Myron Natwick), and a gang leader with a military background in the form of Iraq (Jerod Hayes). The character’s storylines are particularly developed, and this is one of the positive features of the game, with particular reference to Clara and Raymond Kenny, and the player can also discover audio files throughout the games campaigns that reveal further information as to their back-stories.

The weapons available to players to use range from semi-automatic weapons like machine guns/rifles, SMG’s, pistols, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, shotguns and more. Ammo for the weapons are available to buy at the gun stores located throughout the districts, whilst hacking is available in the districts once the player has infiltrated the various compounds that hold each connection. After Aiden has ‘defeated’ the compound in that district, he will be able to hack into, and control, that area. Players also have the option of visiting the craft stores that stock things like jam coms (which disable communication and tracking devices in the area), IED’s (bombs that detonate on command or motion detection) frag grenades and blackouts, which can be used to aid in mission completion. The variety of weaponry and the hacking features of the game propel gameplay to exciting new levels and further the level of interactivity one can have with the city, making for adventurous and action-packed sequences and explosions, particularly during chase sequences. Furthermore, the player can earns skill points from XP advancements, which can be used to purchase increased abilities that span across four areas; hacking, driving, combat and crafting. These allow gameplay to be moulded around individual choices, which make for an engaged gameplay situation (note – there aren’t enough skill points to buy all the options, so choose wisely!).

In addition to the developed character back stories (through audio files, cut screens, video files and interludes) and hacking and weaponry abilities, the graphics are particularly on point (we played the PS3 version of the game) and there are extra online features that are available through the game’s network. Players are able to take fixer contracts that range from criminal convoys to gang hideouts, and are also alerted to when a crime is being committed; a player can also choose whether to be a ‘criminal’ or a ‘vigilante’, by the actions and choices they make in the open-world game. The extra online features are an appreciated addition to Watch Dogs varied gameplay, and the mission stylings are ever changing, meaning campaigns don’t become boring or repetitive. As mentioned, the graphics are particularly advanced (as would be expected), and the details on the features of the city and the characters themselves are intricate and well-researched and developed.

Whilst we would have liked to see more resolution for some characters in the end, and perhaps an increased understanding as to why exactly the main character would risk hundreds of other lives over the death of one girl, his niece; he only ever truly seems to contemplate this actuality towards the end of the game (after many, many, people have died). Whilst the narrative is sketchy (but the accompanying characters are great), the visuals and the open-world gameplay are the true feature to the game. The abilities Aiden possess in this playground truly make Watch Dogs a highly enjoyable game, whether you wish to cause the upmost destruction, watch your enemies simmer, or sneak past undetected; the game has all of the options to do so.

So, whilst the title character is plagued with ‘ghost of the past’ and clouded in uncertainty and ambiguity, the actual game is a full-out affair of open-world freedom, which provokes genuine enjoyment. A chaotic adventure that is fuelled by its sheer choice and abilities, and kept on a sturdy path by its secondary characters; Watch Dogs is another successful open-world game, which is sure to delight and entertain you whatever direction you choose to take with it.