I’m going to keep it short and sweet today, as I’ve only got a few tracks that you must hear.
First up, and arguably most important- “Let The Sun Shine”, by Labrinth.
Labrinth, a.k.a. Timothy McKenzie, is the mastermind behind this gloriously beautiful record. He’s already got two top ten hits with his work with Pass Out and Frisky rapper, Tinie Tempah, however he’s got signed as a solo artist recently himself- Simon Cowell’s first recruit that’s not from Reality TV in six years. But, don’t hold that against him- he’s superb, so far.
He’s originally a producer, and has created tracks for the likes of Professor Green and Pixie Lott, to name but a few, but he was chosen to work as a vocalist and musician instead. He’s already jumped further into the limelight after he, allegedly, chose not to work with ex-Girls Aloud singer Nadine Coyle, as he’d prefer to work with Cheryl Cole. But, back to the song…
The song is a pop masterpiece, without the commercial rubbish sound you may think Cowell would promote. His diverse musical influence is apparent and it’s visible on the track. Starting off with nice vocals, a quiet yet hollow, later surging synthy sound, slowly building into a slow yet ,eat- it continues along with perfectly suiting lyrics. Overall, its very well crafted. Yeah, it’s radio friendly, but you wouldn’t be ashamed to have it on your iPod either. It’s one of those tracks that is so good, you know there’ll be many shite remixes released, when really, there’s no need- it’s good enough on it’s own.
Dub him as a younger Timbaland, but that’d be insulting- Labrinth is far more varied, and if this quality of music stays consistent, he’s far more talented. Well, just about. He’s far more likeable, that’s for sure.
I’ve great faith in this new artist; a lot of it.
Labrinth – “Let The Sun Shine”
Let The Sun Shine is out September 26th.
The trailer has been released for the DIT Movie, a groundbreaking-blockbuster tale of life in the Capital.
In short, it’s for those “who want to make the most of their college experience”. It was uploaded by DIT CampusLife, the people behind the services and student support facilities in the IT.
It’s very witty and catchy, and I’ve not seen anything quite like it. It works very well as a compliment to show the lighter, and fun side of the college, in addition to the “serious” videos on offer.
Set in modern Dublin, four students lives are to change… Forever.
It’s brilliant. Watch and enjoy.
Other colleges, take note.
It really is a better campus experience.
Arcade Fire are getting a lot of hype. They are selling out gigs in record time, they’re playing the big festivals, they’ve released their latest album, The Suburbs, and they’re receiving critical acclaim from fans and reviewers alike. And now they’ve launched a website, after teaming up with the developers of the Google Chrome web browser, which helps you experience a visual version of the latest single, “We Used to Wait”, a song which talks about the past and nostalgia. It’s called The Wilderness Downtown.
The website enables you to enter an address, presumably where you once lived. Then it will load a special custom built video for you which takes you on a journey to the neighbourhood and give you a glimpse of how times once were, or as they are on Google Maps and Street View now. I tested it out, and living in Ireland, a country with has no Street View, it’s not as effective, but if you select somewhere like Times Square in New York, or London, you get a real feeling of how the project operates. You’ll be beamed across the sky, alongside flying birds and a running man (seen in the picture) to witness the area you selected. At the end, you’re invited to write a postcard (as they did to announce their album) for your younger self, which is later added to the experience.
It’s a big step by Arcade Fire, who’ve decided not to moan and give out about the internet “crippling the music industry”, but harness the technology and experience for users so that they can truly embrace the song and see it for themselves, in video, words and pictures. Personally, I don’t want to say how the site works very much, as it’ll ruin the initial moment of awe as you use it. All you can do is view it for yourself.
Arcade Fire play The O2 in Dublin on December 5th and 6th.
http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/
. E+OE.