Record of the Day: John Mayer - Shadow Days

So, I don't want to be one of those dicks/hipster people who go on and on about how they have liked an artist or a movie or an actor since the beginning of time before everyone else, which then gives them some kind of claim over that artist/movie/actor but HONESTLY that is what happened with me and John Mayer! Seriously. I bought his very first EP Inside Wants Out about 10 years ago now (by the way - best EP I've ever heard by far) and have been completely in love with his music ever since. I mean, that dude KNOWS how to write a song. I know he's kind of an asshole in real life but I just don't care, he voice makes me block it all out. I've seen him twice now and was absolutely not disappointed. I particularly like that he brings a big Persian carpet with him to all his gigs to stand on. I enjoy a good artist quirk.

It's been a while since I've done a top 5 soooo....my top 5 John Mayer records go something like this (with some super cool live versions):

5. Your Body Is a Wonderland (from Room for Squares, 2001) Here's a nice acoustic version:

4. Comfortable (from Inside Wants Out, 1999 / re-released 2002) Here's a live version that goes into his delicious cover of Tom Petty's Free Fallin' (FYI one of my favourite songs of all time - I like to think it's being sung to me because of the line "She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis"...)

3. Dreaming with a Broken Heart (from Continuum, 2006)

2. 3x5 (from Room for Squares, 2001)

1. Say (from The Bucket List OST, 2011) Here's the music video; this movie is absolutely heartbreaking by the way - but GREAT of course.

His fifth studio album was released last week and having it pre-ordered for months, it arrived at my work place last Tuesday and I sat and listened to the entire album in detail. As we're all weird music freaks at my office this is a thing many people I know do - really get to know an album - which I did. And now I want to marry the album and have little Grace-album babies with it because oh my god IT'S SO BLOODY GOOD. You'd think after 5 albums there would be a couple of duds on there but really really no! It's genius. Even more exciting is that the release of the album marks John's return to business after a two year break whilst he had a granuloma near his vocal chords removed - not gonna lie, this stressed me out A LOT but luckily his vocals are as stunning as ever. To sum up, I really like the album...I'll stop rambling now.

I've chosen my favourite so far (I'm sure my mind will change as I listen more, it always does) for today's record of the day, which also happens to be the first single from the album.

Record of the Day: John Mayer - Shadow Days (From Born and Raised, 2012 - Columbia/Sony Music - Damn them...)

My ULTIMATE John Mayer Spotify playlist: John Mayer 

Record of the Day: Blink 182 - Ghost on the Dancefloor

Got my free tickets from work today to the Blink gig at Brixton Academy in July yay!! I adore them so much, mainly because they make me feel like I'm 15 again but also because they're just marvellous :D At the gig I plan to jump around like a lunatic and throw myself around in a pit of gross sweaty men...so just another Wednesday night really.


Record of the Day: Blink 182 - Ghost on the Dancefloor (from Neighborhoods, 2011 - DGC/Interscope Records)

My Blink playlist:

Blink 182 



Record of the Day: The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight

I'm in a pretty fantastic mood today! The sun is still shining in London (3 days in a row - WHAT?!), I have a pretty dress on and it's Friday! Naturally when I'm in a good mood I turn to The Sugarhill Gang...I have no idea why some songs make me feel super happy, I'm even less sure why this specific song does that because despite watching the below video with the lyrics I still have no clue what they're talking about BUT I don't care!

I've also included a clip from The Wedding Singer when Ellen Dow raps the song. Literally, there is very little I enjoy watching more than rapping Grannies.

Record of the Day: The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight (from Sugarhill Gang, 1980 - Sugarhill Records)

Record of the Day: The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer in the City

It is so hot in London today, I am MELTING! We're absolutely not prepared to deal with this kind of heat here, I'm pretty sure there was hot air coming out of the vents on the bus earlier! It is a pain in the arse not knowing how to dress or function at this time of the year BUT on the plus side everyone is in a great mood! The usual London rudeness seems to disappear, every whips out the shorts and beer bellies (a tad unnecessary), people start acting ridiculously from the heat to the brain (e.g. I bought a pair of denim short overalls today...) and even better, in my office everyone puts on their summer music! The marketing guys have had Michael Jackson playing for the last hour but my summer music is organising in a playlist especially for days such as today (you may find the whole playlist at the bottom of the post!).

The song I chose from my playlist seems very appropriate, as I am in fact in the city and it's summer, plus its a GREAT song. Enjoy and go eat some burnt BBQ sausages whilst you still can!!

Record of the Day: The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer in the City (From Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful, 1966 - Karma Sutra Records - what a great name!!)

Sunny Day :D - Spotify Link

Sunny Day :D - HTTL link

Record of the Day: Kanye & Jay-Z (Watch the Throne) - Ni**as in Paris

So, on Sunday I went to see Jay-Z and Kanye West on their Watch the Throne tour at the O2. With my job I get super lucky and get free tickets to lots of gigs, this being one of them. I think it's safe to say on the whole I don't listen to a lot of rap, not because I don't like it per say, but just because it's not something I choose to listen to. But genuinely this was one of the best shows I've been to! I definitely enjoy live rap better than recorded I've discovered but I think it had more to do with just how many hits the two of them have had. There was no glitz and glamour to it, the whole show was just the two of them doing their collaborative stuff from the Watch the Throne album and their own individual music which included basically every song I (as a rap rookie) had ever heard by the two of them. Oh and half way through Rihanna popped on stage to do a little cameo! Only guys as cool as Jay-Z and Kanye can pull off getting RiRi to come on and do one song. My personal highlights were Izzo (H.O.V.A) and Touch the Sky but one of the most surreal moments was at the very end. When they decided that playing Ni**as in Paris just the once was not quite enough, so preceding to playing it 6 times in row as their encore! I've heard that this happens at every show (at one show in LA they performed it 9 times) and somehow I wasn't sick of it! And to be honest, I'm still not sick of it, sooo my record of the day is: Ni**as in Paris - Jay-Z & Kanye West (Watch the Throne, 2011 - Roc-A-Fella Records / Def Jam Recordings)

"No one knows what it means, but it's provocative, it gets the people going!"

Record of the Day: Fun. - Some Nights

Ahhhh I'm so excited about this band!! Me and my roommate had a bit of a discovering moment last night when we came across this gem. I, of course, LOVE the single 'We Are Young' featuring Janelle Monae (who if you don't know, go look her up you silly silly person) which seems to be everywhere at the moment, and it turns out that all their other stuff is super amazing too! They released their first album together in 2009 and their newest record Some Nights I believe came out in the US in Feb but is only available to pre-order in the UK at the moment (tres annoying - get on it Warner!) But you can listen to some stuff on their website so go there and do that here.
Enjoy.

Record of the Day: Fun. - Some Nights (from the albums Some Nights, 2012 - Fueled by Ramen, Warner)

Also have a listen to their first album Aim and Ignite here: Fun.

Record of the Day: Twin Atlantic - Apocalyptic Renegade

I adoooore this band. They've been around for a couple of years but I've heard them three times on the radio this week so I've had a little spotify revival sesh. I love that Sam McTrusty sings with a Scottish accent ;) Their second album Free was released exactly a year ago which is where today's record comes from. So have a listen and enjoy my Twin Atlantic spotify playlist at the bottom.

Record of the Day: Twin Atlantic - Apocalyptic Renegade (from Free, 2011 - Red Bull Records)

Spotify Playlist:

Twin Atlantic - httl link

Twin Atlantic- Spotify link