Hope you're all doing well! 2020 has been a very strange year for every single one of us.
One of the positives to come out of this year that's helped me get through is the really excellent music that has been released throughout. Some artists used lockdown as an oppurtunity to get creative!
Even I re-arranged and re-recorded an old song of mine which you can stream here (or download here) 😉
Anyway, here is a list of my Top 10 favourite albums of 2020:
10. Serpentine Prison by Matt Berninger
The debut solo album from Matt of The National. Not too disimilar from his work with The National but this appears to take more influence from some of the great singer-songwriters of the late 60's/early 70's (think Bob Dylan, Neil Young, etc).
Standout Tracks: Serpentine Prison, Loved So Little, One More Second
9. Unfollow The Rules by Rufus Wainwright
This is Rufus doing what he does best, writing beautifully crafted songs. Reminds me stylistically of his 2007 'Release The Stars' album.
Standout Tracks: Peaceful Afternoon, Alone Time, Early Morning Madness
8. How I'm Feeling Now by Charli XCX
A totally unexpected lockdown album entirely created in just a few weeks! One of Charli's more experimental (and personal) creations that also features some bangers!
Standout Tracks: I Finally Understand, Visions, Enemy
Yes, I know... once again I'm very late to this (but I'm slightly earlier than last year 😉) but here's a list of my top 10 favourite albums of 2019!
Also, as we've just said goodbye to the 2010's, I complied a small selection of some my favourite albums of the decade on my Instagram - click here to take a look 😀
Anyway, lets get on with the list...
10. Clarity by Kim Petras
A debut album of modern day pop done right! Kim is iconic and the whole world will soon be saying "woo-ah!" 💙
Favourite Tracks: Icy, Got My Number, Personal Hell
9. Love + Fear by Marina
It's no secret that I've been a huge fan of Marina since before 'The Family Jewels' was released but, I must admit, I was a little underwhelmed by this album upon early listens. However, I grew to appreciate the growth and maturity Marina shows on this album, and while it's still not her best imho, I feel like some of her best songs are on here.
I feel like 'Love + Fear' is Marina's answer to Kate Bush's 'The Sensual World'.
A brilliant synthpop album with some house influences thrown in. Plenty of 80's references without ever sounding dated. I think it's safe to say by now that Hot Chip will never make a bad album.
Favourite Tracks: Spell, Hungry Child, Melody Of Love
If you follow me on social media, you may have seen I made a small announcement recently regarding my 2013 'Morality' and 'Immorality' EPs. I've decided to remove the original releases from my bandcamp discography and replace it with a singular "streamlined" Morality EP, which features a small selection of tracks from each of the original releases compiled as one EP.
In this blog post, I want to talk about what this EP means to me six years down the line and explain why I've decided to do this...
I know I'm a little late with this post but I thought I'd do a round up of some of my favourite things I either acquired or started using often during the month of April 😀 Also, brilliant little thing to point out... everything in this list is cruelty-free!!! 😍
Favourite Album
Outer Peace by Toro Y Moi
Toro Y Moi is a recent discovery for me but, after being gifted a copy of his latest album for my birthday at the start of the month, I've fallen in love with Chaz's music and I'm keen to delve into his previous records. Outer Peace is straight-up futuristic electropop that's just funky as hell! You can definitely hear inspiration from bands like LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk. Outer Peace is a very fun record with few slower R&B influenced tracks thrown in the mix, but it never takes itself too seriously and that's what makes it so enjoyable.
It also needs to be pointed out that Chaz Bear is a fashion icon! The king of looking cozy whilst still looking stylish AF! 👌👌👌
Fashion Favourites
WIK Belt Bag in Grey by Matt & Nat
Yaaaasss!!! The 90's are back, henny! I'd been on the hunt for the perfect cruelty free bum bag/fanny pack (whatever you wanna call it) when the trend started to rub off on me and I knew when I saw Matt & Nat's nylon WIK belt bag that I had found the one. Admittedly, this purchase has been met with polarising opinions from my family and friends hahaha, but I love it so who cares?! 🙌
I was initially intending to purchase a faux leather bag but Matt & Nat's new Oam collection is made from a really interesting textured nylon that's incredibly lightweight, making it a great choice for the upcoming summer months. In this selfie, I've teamed it with my beloved Ernie & Bert sweatshirt from Uniqlo's KAWS X SESAME STREET collection.
This is also my first nylon fabric Matt & Nat bag and I'm very impressed with the quality of it so far, feels like it will be just as hard-wearing as their faux leather items and, just like those, this bag also features a lining made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. I would presume that the outer nylon material is also recycled, however, I can't seem to find anything to confirm this. If you have any info, please let me know!
I'm starting a new series on this blog!!! 😃 Lemme explain... every music nerd has been here, you hear talk of an artist/band, maybe you've even heard a couple songs, you wanna delve into their discography but have no clue where to begin. Well... hopefully my guides can help you 😉 Quite a few years ago (on my Tumblr page) I made a post explaining that I really wanted to explore St. Vincent's back catalogue. At the time, I was only familiar with her David Byrne collaboration, Love This Giant, and I didn't have a clue where to begin. A few users kindly sent me recommendations and now, several years later, I've become a huge fan of her work and like to consider myself well-versed in her discography.
So... whether you're in the same position I was a few years ago, just wanna discover some new music or a hardcore fan of Annie and are a little curious what my picks are, this guide is for you!
Hi everyone 😃 Hope you've all had a fantastic holiday season and didn't get too drunk celebrating the start of 2019! 😝 Some really great albums came out in 2018 and I'd like to share my 10 favourites of the year with you. Yes... I know I'm late to this, but nevermind! 💁 Tell me what your favourite albums of the year were and maybe this list will encourage you to listen to some albums you may have missed.
10. KOD by J. Cole
Cole doing what he does best, conscious hip hop.
Cole tackles themes of addiction and his production style takes on a trap influence.
Favourite Tracks: KOD, Kevin's Heart, 1985 (Intro to The Fall Off)
9. Hunter by Anna Calvi
Anna's best album to date in my opinion. A powerful record exploring themes of gender that proves rock music is still very much alive
Favourite Tracks: Alpha, As A Man, Away.
8. Tranquillity Base Hotel + Casino by Arctic Monkeys
An album that's truly divided fans and is like no other album in the band's discography
A Bowie/Gainsbourg inspired concept record about a hotel on the moon that features the band's most experimental and imaginative songs.
Favourite Tracks: One Point Perspective, Star Treatment, The Ultracheese
I thought it would be cool just to share with you some music that I'm really enjoying right now, maybe I'll make this a regular thing? Who knows? Anyway... here's what I've been listening to and loving lately...
Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book (aka. Chance3)
Coloring Book is fire! (need I say more?)
For those who aren't familiar with Chance, his latest mixtape (titled Coloring Book), has been getting talked about a lot among people in the music industry and music fans because it is the first record to make the Billboard 200 charts solely based off of streaming. Not to mention the release of this tape was highly anticipated and hyped up by rap music fans. This mixtape, like all of Chance's previous records, is officially available to stream free of charge.
Coloring Book is an incredibly creative and uplifting fusion of hip-hop, gospel and soul, with an array of features from artists such as Kanye West, Lil' Wayne and Justin Bieber.
Check out the lead single, Angels...
Favourite tracks:
No Problem
Angels
All Night
All We Got
Anohni - Hopelessness
Hopelessness is the debut release of the new project started by Anohni (previously known from Antony & The Johnsons). Hopelessness musically is very much a departure from her work with Antony & The Johnsons, as this record features heavy amounts of electronic instrumentation. The album was produced with Hudson Mohawke and Oneothrix Point Never.
Hopelessness is a very intense and powerful record, with politically charged lyrical themes mostly covering issues such as climate change and terrorism. This record can be very dark at times but it certainly doesn't fail to make a bold statement. I personally applaud Anohni for not being afraid to tackle such important issues in her music. In a time where a lot of popular music (especially lyrically) can be quite bland, homogeneous and uninspired, artists like Anohni and records like Hopelessness are very much needed.
Here's the lead single, Drone Bomb Me...
If you can find it, I highly recommend checking out the music video for this song starring Naomi Cambell. It also features art direction from Ricardo Tisci.
Favourite tracks
Drone Bomb Me
4 Degrees
Violent Men
Why Did You Separate Me From The Earth?
Kamasi Washington - The Epic
Kamasi Washington is a an incredible jazz saxophonist, who notably played sax on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly (my favourite album of 2015). Washington's own album, The Epic, received a substantial amount of critical acclaim too and topped the "Best Of 2015" lists curated by numerous music publications.
The Epic is a three hour long album of very beautiful jazz compositions (mostly instrumental, but some pieces do feature vocals) that never seems to stop losing momentum. It's a very rewarding listen, which entirely down to Washington's impeccable skills as a musician and composer the talent of the musicians that accompany him. I must admit, I was a little intimated and turned off at first when I found out the length of this project but, once I heard it, I find myself continuously going back to play it again and again.
Please note, the physical release of this album is separated across three discs. Don't feel compelled to listen to all three discs in one sitting, if you do not wish to.
Aside from his work on To Pimp A Butterfly, this was my introduction to Kamasi Washing and I'm very excited to hear else he has to offer.
Check out Re Run Home...
Favourite Tracks
Changing Of The Guard
Clair De Lune (originally composed by Claude Debussy)
Re Run Home
Miss Understanding
Thank you so much for reading this blog! I hope you enjoy my music recommendations and hopefully I will write more posts like this in the future!
I've had this idea in my head for a while now, but I've been debating whether or not to write it as it would involve revealing quite a lot about me. Anyway, I've finally decided that I think it would make a fun/interesting blog post. so here are two albums that define me.
Please note, both of these albums are undoubtedly amongst my favourite albums, this isn't a "favourite albums" list. These are albums that I feel some form of strong personal connection with, albums that provided a soundtrack to moments of my life story, or a soundtrack to a part of my personality.
So, here goes....
1.
Poses by Rufus Wainwright
What an interesting album to start off with! I'll start by saying that I have yet to come across an album I relate to more than Poses. For those familiar with Rufus and this album, I'm well aware that one of the core themes of this album is Rufus' struggle with drug addiction that he was experiencing at the time. Please don't worry! I'm not, nor have I ever, had any experience with addiction of that sort. I'm saying that I relate to many of the other themes that Rufus addresses throughout this album.
I started listening to Rufus when I was about 18, but I had a very difficult connecting to Poses at that time. Now that I'm 22 (about five or six years younger than Rufus when he wrote this album) I feel like I relate to it more than ever. I can only imagine that, over time, my connection with this album will grow even stronger.
I won't say too much about how I relate to it exactly, as that would mean delving into the depths of my personal life, but the character Rufus centred this album around, a young, non-heterosexual male with a passion for city life and filled with ambition, is very easy to identify with, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. I think the part of this album that I identify with the most is the way Rufus writes about the idea of love and lust, not necessarily the romantic encounters he writes about in this record, but his relationship with romance as a concept.
I feel that, while I find this album relatable, it's also helped me to understand a lot about myself that I perhaps hadn't made the effort to understand before.
2.
Speak For Yourself by Imogen Heap
This album was life-changing for me. I soon learnt that there are a number of artists who have recorded in home studios and produced their own records before Imogen, but this was the first time I had heard a record created by a "D-I-Y" artist. Imogen released this album on her own record label, recorded the album in her home studio, wrote/produced every song by herself and performed most of the instruments. It might sound silly, but before hearing this record and learning about how it was created, I had no idea it was possible for people to do that!
It was around 2007 when I bought this album, so I was 14. This album proved to be so inspirational to me, because it encouraged me to learn how to write songs and produce my own music. Now, that's exactly what I do! Without hearing this album at the time that I did, who knows what I would be doing now?!
Thank you so much for reading this, I'm planning to share the stories behind even more albums that define me in the future!
I know it's a cliché to start off a blog post this way, but it's been quite a while since I updated this blog! I'm really sorry for that!
Just to let you know, there is a reason why I haven't updated this blog in a while (and it's not that I'm lazy!)
Last month, I finally finished my university course! (woo!!!!)
All my classes are done, and my coursework has been submitted, now I've just got to wait for my grades.
If you follow me on other social media, you may have seen that I released a brand new EP last month too!
The EP is called 'Elements' and it was composed as part of my 'Independent Research Project' (more commonly known as a dissertation) and explores the themes of music as symbolism.
The EP is an ambient, instrumental music project, and it's the second ambient music project that I've released.
Here's the beautiful artwork for the EP, shot by my father
I'm currently working on lots of new music that I plan to release very soon!
In regards to this blog, now that I'm done with university, I plan to start writing and updating this blog much more frequently. I've currently got a few ideas for new music-themed posts, as I feel like I haven't done enough talking about music on here yet.
I read a lot of blogs, and watch a lot of vloggers, but I'm still feel like I'm fairly new to the concept of blogging. Some of you may know I've been writing a blog over at http://joshstarmer.tumblr.com/ for a few years now, but I just write that to document the creation of my own music.
I've got a few ideas of things I want to write about on here in the future, but I'm open to suggestions. Are there any things you'd like to see me discuss on here? Let me know!
Keep checking back for more updates,
Josh :-)
And if you'd like to follow me on other social media, click here for links to everything I'm on!
Hi everyone! (long time, no speak) I hope 2015 is treating you well. I know it's customary to post your "favourites of the month" blog at the start of the next month, but here's mine anyway! This is my first "monthly favourites" post, and my lists will consist of literally anything I have enjoyed in the previous month. Here is a list of some of my favourite things from December 2014!
This is the first part of a series of blogs that I will post sporadically.
This new series is called 'Song Stories' where I will be sharing stories behind many of my favourite songs, telling you all about exactly what that song means to me.
If you've been following my music career for a while, you may remember I had something similar to this on my music blog were I would share the story behind songs that I had written.
However, I decided to stop doing that because I felt it can distract people from having their own stories and connection to songs that I've written.
Anyway, as you may know, I love everything about music. Music is something that's very personal to me, and it's something I'm very passionate about. I often develop strong connections to songs that I hear and love, so I thought it would be cool to share those connections with you!
My first song story is about 'The Morning Fog' by Kate Bush!
Hi everyone! Here are my Top 10 favourite albums of 2014! If you've seen my lists from previous years on joshstarmer.tumblr.com, you'll know that I don't like to comment on the albums. I just like to say that you need these albums in your life right now!!! Please see the list after the jump...
I love Christmas, but I just don't really like holiday music (Bah, Humbug!) Call me "scrooge" all you want!
Now don't get me wrong, I can enjoy festive music when it's playing in the background of the store when I'm out doing my Christmas shopping, or if it's on at a party, but I just cannot bring myself to actually choose to listen to a record filled with those cheesy Christmas pop songs.
There are only two Christmas/Holiday themed albums in my collection, Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas and Midwinter Graces, and they're all I need!
Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas by Ella Fitzgerald
Midwinter Graces by Tori Amos
However, winter is my favourite season, there's no doubt about it! There's lots of music that I particularly love listening to when the air is crisp and I'm waiting for the snow to fall. So here are some of my favourite albums to listen to in the Winter...
This blog is going to be my lifestyle blog. I'm going to write about all kinds of different things on here!
My posts will be about everything from stories from my own personal life, my hobbies and interests. There's going to be things such as product recommendations, reviews and much more!
I'm really looking forward to using this blog, so please follow me!
If you'd like to know more about who I am and what I do, please check out the information and links to my other social media!
They can be found on the right-hand side of my homepage
