At long last, we are finally almost up to date! So, let me begin:
1/. 'Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)' - The Vaccines.
You'll notice in due course that a lot of the songs in this playlist are bands I saw at Reading festival, so I guess it's a late Reading review too.
Reading Story #1: The Vaccines were the band that I was probably most excited to see, and they didn't live up to my expectations in all honesty. They're at the point where they're so famous already that they don't even need to play their songs because everybody knows every single word, which is pretty much perfect for a festival. It was absolutely packed in the NME tent throughout their set, and I found myself completely squashed between two really sweaty men [but, hey, weren't we all sweaty?] in the inner pit. One of the guys was really friendly though and we found ourselves attempting to dance to the music together, though in actual fact I can only assume we looked like we were partly paralyzed. When 'Wreckin' Bar' came on, my friend and I looked at each other, beaming, and bobbed to our hearts' content, sometimes even managing to throw an arm in the air during the "ra ra ra" bits. It was a beautiful moment... until we had a cup of some suspicious fluid or other thrown on us.
2/. 'Contact High' - Architecture In Helsinki.
I think I first heard this song in late June, but I didn't really pay attention to it until I came back from America. I went to visit my friend to exchange gifts and such [HOLIDAY PRESENTS ARE FREAKING AWESOME - I got a fabric bracelet with the Hail Mary in Spanish on it], and she almost immediately began what I can only refer to as a lecture about the newest livelavalive video and how amazing it was. One of the songs played in this video is 'Contact High' and I was pretty impressed that she knew the song. The fact that she became obsessed with the song led to my falling in love with it, because it's incredibly catchy and so danceable. It's one of those songs that I will want to dance to, even if it's just me singing it in the shower [don't try this at home though: dancing + showers = disastrous results in most cases, believe me.] I can assure you that this song will stay on my 'Recently Played' list on iTunes for a looooooong time.
Here's that livelavalive video too:
3/. 'Stop Your Sobbing' - The Kinks.
This. Song. Is. Brilliant. It's one of those songs by The Kinks that probably isn't intended to be funny, yet I find it absolutely hilarious. The gist of the song is that this guy is sick of his girlfriend crying all the time, and it's driving him so mad that he's not even attracted to her anymore. A bit lame, but I think I can understand. We all have one of those friends [or acquaintances - some people like to steer clear of these types] who cry about every little problem in their lives, most of which are completely insignificant in comparison to other people's problems. I can only assume that singing, "there's one thing you gotta do-ooh, to make me still want you-ooh. You gotta stop your sobbing-ah-oh, yeah. Stop it, stop it. Gotta stop your sobbing-ah-oh," would shut them up. Which they should do. Because people like that annoy me. Rant over.
4/. 'Inhaler' - Miles Kane.
Reading Story #2: I was in the inner pit when I watched modern day Beatle Miles Kane's set in the NME tent. If you've followed my monthly mixtapes all year, you'll know that I'm already something of a fan, but I certainly wasn't expecting the audience atmosphere that I became a part of - a moshpit to the song 'Inhaler'. It was incredibly surreal pushing, shoving and generally crushing the snapback-wearing hipsters to the upbeat, 60s style riffs of the song, but incredibly enjoyable at the same time [I couldn't possibly turn down a bit of jovial hipster-pounding really, could I?]
But that's not all! It's time for another edition of "storytime with Grace"! After the set I was sitting outside, nomming on some pasta while my friend went to the toilet, when all of a sudden who do I see sauntering through the mud than Mr Kane himself! Obviously, I couldn't miss this opportunity and so had to pounce over and have a chat. I walked over, smiling, and the first thing he did was open his arms and give me a huge hug. I'm pretty sure the words going through my head then were 'OHMYGOD, BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE EVAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!!1!!!!!!11!!!1!', but instead of vocalising my thoughts, I congratulated him on his spectacular set. I then found myself posing for a picture that somebody was taking of their friend with Miles Kane and me, so I guess there's a picture somewhere of the web of me with Miles Kane and a random [though I suppose I'm the randomer in the picture...] I apologise if that story wasn't as hilarious as the classic "long time, no see" one, but it was a spectacular moment in my life so there.
5/. 'Hello' - Lionel Richie.
Oh, Lionel! You and your creepy obsession with that blind girl! The way you watch her while she dances, knowing she can't see you being a perv; and call her up in the middle of the night while she's trying to read her braille, just to be silent for about 30 seconds, before singing, "Hello! I've just got to let you know!" and dropping the phone without hanging up properly! You're a crazy cat, Lionel, and clearly you chose a good un, because she made quite an impressive - if slightly offensive - clay sculpture of your face.
So, basically, I've always loved the video of this song and I saw it recently and fell in love with it again. I then proceeded to show it to my friend and now it's kind of our song. Also, I have Lionel Richie's greatest hits now - it's quite something.
6/. 'Radio Ladio' - Metronomy.
Reading Story #3: Metronomy were the most impressive band I saw at Reading. I was excited to see them, but I wasn't expecting them to play such a big mix of old and new; I, being a fairly long-time fan of Metronomy, was incredibly excited when they played 'Radio Ladio', a fairly unknown single of their's from 2008. I danced and sang and generally had a brilliant time, screaming, "R-A. D-I. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. L-A. D-I. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" You'll get it if you listen to the song, so go listen to it already!
7/. 'Each And Everyday' - Best Coast.
Reading Story #4: I was sick on the Sunday of Reading festival. Literally sick. Oh, the irony of the only person at the festival who doesn't drink, smoke or do drugs to be sick! [My group's Reading experience later became known as 'chunderful' due to the number of us who vomited] But anyway, I was feeling completely exhausted and weird all morning, but was determined to see Best Coast. I managed to stumble into the arena and over to the NME tent in time to catch the last song, which was 'Each And Everyday'. Apparently they were incredible, so I'm pretty bitter. After they finished their set, I walked over to the Vodafone phone charging place and threw up while queuing for an hour to get my phone charged. Fun, fun, fun.
8/. 'Generator' - The Holloways.
This is one of the songs I used in the video I made about my holiday [I was so proud of it, you should check it out] and now it holds a particular soft spot for me. I didn't put it on any of the 8 road mixes I made for the holiday, I just felt that it was perfect holiday montage music because it was upbeat and fun.
9/. 'Hear You Me' - Jimmy Eat World.
Reading Story #5: I saw most of Jimmy Eat World's set and sang the whole of 'Hear You Me' to my friend while she looked at me, trying to understand what I was doing. It's a beautiful song which basically remembers the life of somebody that the band knew who passed away. It's so poetic and gentle, I can only imagine that whoever this person was, they would be so proud to have been respected like this. Also, the crowd absolutely adored it.
10/. 'Australia' - The Shins.
This was the other song I used in my holiday video, mainly because The Shins are from Portland, where I stayed for most of the holiday. If you didn't know, it's hipster central and it was where I discovered just how much of a hipster I am [when you walk into a hipster bookshop, then a couple of hipster record stores wearing your 'Clockwork Orange' t-shirt and you fit in, you know you're a hipster] Anyway, the song is really happy and fun and incredibly catchy. The Shins are unfortunately not very famous in the UK, so I'd advise you give them a good ol' listen, because they most definitely deserve a bit of your listening time.
11/. 'Nine In The Afternoon' - Panic At The Disco.
Reading Story #6: one of my best friends & I waited about 6 years to see Panic! At The Disco live, so when we saw them at Reading, it was really emotional and sentimental. This song holds a lot of history for both her and I, not just with each other but for other reasons too, and she started tearing up when they started to play it. I can safely say that they were up there with Metronomy in the best bands that I saw at Reading, and they surpassed my expectations. Brendon Urie sounds identical live as on disc, it's actually unbelievable.
12/. 'I Got Love' - The King Blues.
Reading Story #7: I was going to go and see The King Blues at Reading with a guy I met, but it was packed when we got there, so we didn't. [That was a horrendous story and I apologise, you can have your money back at the end of the ride.]
Also, my friend recently sent me a message on Facebook that said, "Grace, I read your blog and I don't like it." When I asked him why, he said that it was because I didn't talk about The King Blues enough. So here is King Blues Corner! Alex Townsend, this is for you so you'd better be happy right now. This song reminds me of you and Rhiannon so much it's unbelievable, and I can't listen to this song without thinking of you and smiling like a madman. You're freaking awesome. Sentimental moment over? Okay, let's move on.
13/. 'Mama' - My Chemical Romance.
I was somewhat unexcited about the prospect of seeing My Chemical Romance, and Gerard Way's "put your fucking hands up and worship me" attitude didn't particularly help to change my mind. However, one thing I can say was that listening to the songs they played from 'Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge' and 'The Black Parade' really took me back to Year 7, and I kinda liked that for that moment. The two songs in particular that I really enjoyed were 'Mama' and 'Dead!' because they sounded exactly the same as I remember from the album, except without Liza Minnelli's whining on 'Mama'.
14/. 'Something' - The Beatles.
Y'know I mentioned that hipster record shop in Portland earlier? Well, that's where I bought 'Abbey Road'. 'Something' is easily my favourite song on the album, because everything about it is so simple - the melody, the lyrics, etc. - but it all combines to make an absolutely heart-melting love song. As you all know, my loyalty is definitely with McCartney, but the fact that Harrison wrote this gem certainly puts him in the number 2 spot [considering the fact that the other two Beatles are John Lennon and Ringo Starr, there wasn't that much competition for the number 2 spot though tbh].
15/. 'Jump In The Pool' - Friendly Fires.
Reading Story #7: I saw most of Friendly Fires' set and they were good. That's pretty much it. Sorry.
16/. 'Too Close For Comfort' - McFly.
I don't know if you knew this, but McFly are actually really good at writing ballads. This one is probably my favourite one - I recently put it on a mixtape I made for my friend called 'Sleepy Wallow' [SEE WHAT I DID THUR?! Jesus, I'm amazing] and now she's in love with the song too. It's the perfect music for wallowing and crying, if you like that kind of thing. If not, maybe give 'Brocolli' a listen? That's a very good McFly song.
17/. 'Canvas Dreams' - backpackparty.
I'll apologise in advance for this one, because it's not brilliant but I can't help but love it. First of all, you may be able to tell from the terrible grammar and silly name that they will either be: a) a hipstery ukulele artist like NeverShoutNever! or b) a hipstery feebly electronic artist like *cough* Hellogoodbye [okay, I admit it. I'm a hipster, but it's not my fault, okay?!]
backpackparty are more like the latter [thank God] and use a mix of cute keyboard melodies, typical alt. rock male vocals and even a bit of chanting to create a pretty sound song. The interesting thing, though, is how they do it. backpackparty are actually 3 YouTubers, namely TouchTheSkyFilms, funnyz and SimplySpoons, who each work on a separate component of the song. They then send their component to the other members and so the song is created. So, in effect, they are a YouTube collab band, which I genuinely found impressive. Give it a go, by all means, but I don't blame you if the "we're not going home!" puts you off.
18/. 'Love Of An Orchestra' - Noah & The Whale.
Reading Story #8: I couldn't find my friends in the NME tent before Noah & The Whale, so I watched them alone. They weren't that great. I really like this song though, because I find it shows a more mature side of Noah & The Whale, without it being dull like the majority of 'Last Night On Earth'. The use of orchestral instruments in the song add an originality to the song and the upbeat melody and lyrics are a pleasure to hear, seeing as Noah & The Whale don't tend to do happy songs all that often. It's pretty, basically.
19/. 'Something Good Can Work' - Two Door Cinema Club.
Reading Story #9: I was supposed to see OFWGKTA, but I couldn't be bothered to leave my tent when they started, so I watched Two Door Cinema Club instead, because they started later. I'm really glad I did actually, because it stopped me from becoming one of those white kids who chant "WOLFGANG, WOLFGANG, WOLFGANG!" like a knob. Don't you realise it's embarrassing? Maybe you should take your Ray Bans and snapback off for a second, have a look in the mirror and see just how ridiculous you and your friends look. Sorry, the majority of Odd Future fans really grate on me.
Two Door Cinema Club were pretty good by the way.
20/. 'Reptilia' - The Strokes.
Reading Story #10: my friends and I all went to see The Strokes together and met this guy from South Africa with a silly name that I can't remember. He was a really nice guy and we danced together to 'Someday'. I was incredibly pleasantly surprised by how good The Strokes were actually, considering the fact that I left midway through their set at Isle of Wight in 2010. I don't know if it was the company or if they are genuinely better now, but I really enjoyed myself. Julian needs to take the sunglasses off every once in a while though - he might get tan lines on his face or something, and that might be awkward.
And that's August over and done with!
Hopefully, we can expect the September Playlist sometime in the next week or so, but please don't hold me to that - you know what I'm like.
Here's your August picture! Byeeeee!
x,.
