Since starting my blog, writing a post about my growing record collection had to be one I was most excited to share. Since getting my record player about three christmases ago (it is a peachy orange coloured Crosley which I absolutely love!); I have been building up a collection of records. Despite being someone who loves to download all of my music onto my phone digitally, there’s something about having a physical copy of your favourite album and having to take the time to sit and listen to it play truly allows you to enjoy the music. In this posts I will show you all of my records and hopefully you can embrace this retro throwback and start to enjoy music in a different way.
The first record I ever bought is The Coral’s In The Morning 7″ single; this record definitely holds a place in my heart as the song ‘In The Morning’ instantly reminds me of my childhood- It would always play throughout our house and and the up beat sound makes it almost impossible to dance and sing along to James Skelly’s impressive vocals.
Next is on to one one my all time favourite bands, The 1975, as you can see I have a few of their records and frequently listen to them all. The first record I bought out of these is their debut self titled album, I can remember waiting for them to release their first album back in 2012 after hearing a few of there singles; when released this album didn’t disappoint with a double LP capturing 16 meaningfully dark tracks. Following this I (and many others) embraced the bands uplifting transition into alternative pop music that had influences of electronic and 80’s music; shown throughout the bands second album (double LP) named ‘I Like It when You Sleep For You Are So beautiful But So Unaware Of It’. Despite being an insanely long album name to take in (and yes it did take me about five minutes to type out); the beauty and emotions within it caption the 17 tracks perfectly. As in all of their songs lead singer Matty Healy shares his vulnerability and passion throughout every track; including the songs ‘Nana’ and ‘She lays down’ which reflects on personal struggles experienced within his life. Finally, my last record in my collection from The 1975 is a limited edition 7″ single of their song ‘Milk’ (a track that was included in their song ‘You’ on their first album); I was so excited to get my hands on this limited record as ‘Milk’ has to be one of my favourite songs by the 1975- theres something about this guitar heavy, short track with sultry vocals that make this almost impossible to ignore.
Next is a Years and Years album ‘Communion’, I won’t talk much about this one as although I love the upbeat vocals and rhythm shown throughout the thirteen track dance record; I must admit that I don’t regularly reach for this album as much as others within my collection however this doesn’t discredit the amazing songs within this record.
My record collection wouldn’t be complete without a strong female artists within the mix, Halsey proved her dominance within the music scene after the release of her album ‘Badlands’; the 12″ album with eleven tracks captures her powerful vocals that are struck with an edgy pop sound. Sadly this record isn’t played as much as it should be, due to the annoying skipping throughout some of the song- however everyone who owns records will know that this is a common downside.
Jake Bugg, also has quite a large section of my record collection at the moment I only own his first self titled debut album and also his second album titled ‘ Shangri La’; one thing I love about his music is that although many know Jake for his country, indie rock sound the albums he has released show that he isn’t afraid to explore other genres of music. This is especially shown through his new album, ‘One My One’ that shows him to fearlessly explore his own take on hip hop and rap; this album will definitely have a place in my collection in the future.
Although my record collection is heavily influenced by indie rock artists, I have a few odd pieces which capture popular chart music; that whether we want to ignore it or not has a huge influence on all of our music collections. In this case I can admit that yes I joined the hype and bought Justin Bieber’s latest album ‘Purpose’; the thirteen track LP captures popular dance and pop music which is entertaining to listen to. However, similar to Years and Years’ record I must admit that this is the album that I have listened to the least- but in no way does this blast the popular album in anyway.
Following this, I have The vaccines’ album, ‘What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?’ this album has a great mix of iconic songs; many in which are the most recognisable and definable of the band including ‘If You Wanna’, ‘Post Break-Up Sex’, ‘Norgaard’ and ‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra ra)’. The amazing guitar solos within this album paired with the contagious lyrics can easily be described as the soundtrack to many lives.
Based on my most recent music obsession it wouldn’t be right to not include Catfish and the Bottlemen’s two great albums ‘The Balcony’ and ‘The ride’; these two albums showcase lead singer Van Mccann’s amazing vocals projecting meaningful lyrics; there’s something about listening to songs such as ‘Kathleen’ that allow you to escape from everyday stresses. By simply looking in my College, this band have dominated young people and it is clear that their music has had a huge influence on their lives.
It wouldn’t be a record collection if I didn’t include something from Oasis, this album definitely won’t be the only one I buy; but simply a starter. I definitely don’t have to explain why Oasis are an iconic band, however the vocals of both Liam and Noel within the songs on this 12″ album enforce the timeless image both the Gallagher brothers instead their band will have. Some of my personal favourites, include ‘She’s Electric’, ‘Talk Tonight’ and ‘Underneath the Sky’.
Finally we have come to the end of my record collection and have ended on my most favoured records, The Blossoms self titled debut album; not only do I love their unique songs but their presentation as a normal working class group of mates who have worked on music growing up together in Stockport couldn’t be more true. As you may have already noticed I attended a signing at HMV in Middlesbrough in which they performed a selection of songs from their album; what further attracted me to them as an audience is their ability to perform their music and have it sound exactly as it on the album- not to mention their amazing style. As I write this they have been nominated for the Brit awards British Brakethrough Act, this band is definitely blowing up as we speak however I urge you to hear lead singer Tom Ogden’s voice in person; you definitely won’t regret it.
Hannah M xoxo
Whether you are going out with your loved one or having a night out with friends, this simple and easy make up look will suit all occasions; however it can be glamed up a bit if you fancy going all out with your makeup.
Finally I applied a coat of Mac’s whirl lipstick as the pinky brown toned lipstick works perfectly with the pink bronzed eyes; and you have finished your easy make up look to celebrate Valentine’s Day,
Electric Dreamer 