Hello and welcome to a very special review for Love Life, Love Music. I will be looking back at the top 5 albums of 2014 that I have reviewed on this blog. They don't have to have been released in 2014, they are albums that I have reviewed this year on my blog. At the end of the Top 5 you can find links to all the artists reviews on my blog. So sit back and guess which albums have made it onto the top 5 list! Lets go!
5. Honeyblood - Self Titled
When I first heard this album a few months back I was blown away with their unique and very 90's alternative rock/punk sound. With the Scottish female duo storming the playlists of Radio 1 and Radio 6 Music its no wonder they're becoming one of the hottest acts this year. Along with being part of the NME newcomer tour this year too they are ones to watch in 2015. Songs such as "Fall Forever", "Killer Bangs" and "Choker" make this band very distinctive and don't sound like anything else out there. This album is a unique experience and one that I think everyone should give a listen to if you enjoy alternative rock.
4. Royal Blood - Self Titled
This is another duo that have excelled in the industry this year. These guys took the summer by storm and shot straight to number one in the UK top 40 album charts. It was a special occasion because these guys are all about powerful rock. Its been ages since an album that's complete rock from top to bottom beat everything out the way to push straight to number one. This album was named 'The Re-Birth Of Rock' and I would agree. With the clever pedals and other technology, the bass is made to sound like a guitar and everyone was amazed on how this was done. Simple beats, but hard hitting fulfill this album and even though the record is just under 35 minutes long, its worth every minute. I was very impressed with each song and how different they sound from each other considering this is only a duo producing this music all in the same genre. Songs like "Figure It Out", "Little Monster" and "Come On Over" are real rock out songs, I have blasted this out in my car without a care in the world. I just hope other rock bands will follow suit.
3. Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirit
It comes to no surprise to me when this was one of the first albums I wanted in my top 5. Gregory Porter's album Liquid Spirit introduced me to one of the best male vocals in jazz at the current time. Very slick, smooth and just makes it look so easy to sing these incredible notes and any vocalist will know its very difficult to sing jazz in the first place. Watching a preview video for the album it showed how much Gregory puts into the album and shows how much talent this guy has. He writes all the music and composes each part, writes the lyrics and produces the music along with a producer to make sure it sounds to his desires. For someone to do that is extremely special and not many people do all of these things when recording an album. Each song is special and has a real identity and spirit to it which is rare to find in albums. Songs like "Liquid Spirit", "Hey Laura" and "Water Under Bridges" are personal songs to me and if you give the album a listen, you'll have your own personal songs from this album.
2. The Cape Race - Home,Truths
This album was a close first because of the amount that I've been listening to these boys. The Cape Race are a rock band from Manchester and they know how to produce a quality rock album. A top quality rock album. Each song has a punchy, powerful and catchy at the same time. The vocals for this album are what make this band so unique, powerful raspy voice echoes throughout the whole record. A well recorded and produced album that has had me put this on repeat since its release. This was easily my summer album and chill out to and headbang away in the car, bus, train, anywhere! Its not a heavy rock album for the most part so it appeals to a large audience, though at times it gets heavy and good heavy too! The band know how to rock out in style and do it in the best way possible. I highly recommend this album to anyone who remotely is into rock because you won't turn back!
Drum roll for number 1.... 1. Paolo Nutini - Caustic Love
Back in April 2014, one of the best albums of the year was released. When I first heard it from top to bottom, I instantly said "this could be my album of the year already". Come the end of the year and it still is...by a clear mile. This album came out of nowhere for me, it was an amazing surprise. I hadn't listened to Paolo Nutini a great deal before then with his previous album so I wasn't excited for this album or knew when it was coming out. I was extremely surprised with the pure quality that this album offers. From the songwriting to session musicians, I can't fault it. I always try find one thing that is wrong or could've been changed with an album, but this is just too good. Listening to the record from top to bottom is an experience, each song having its own unique identity. Paolo's voice has matured from the 5 year gap between his old album. Emotional, pure and faultless from his vocals which just blew me away from the first track. I really enjoyed the interludes in the album, not many people can pull them off but the obscurity of them is genius. Each song makes me think "how does one person come up with this song, how did he get to where this song is". Its nothing like I've heard this year and I encourage you all to buy this album on any platform. I have bought it on vinyl and as a digital download and the artwork in the vinyl sleeves are so pretty and worth the money without even listening to the album itself.
So...there we have it, my top 5 albums of the year. Did you guess which one was going to be number one? This year has been crazy for my blog, I started it in March this year and have never looked back or regretted it. I wanted to thank all of you who have read my blog so far (and thanks to those in the future too). Thank you to every company or individual who has emailed me with new music, news, tours and even Christmas cards! Its been a rollercoaster and next year will be even better. This is also my 50th post as well and thinking that I've reviewed 50 artists on my blog is outstanding. Keep listening to amazing music and support live music too! Thank you very much for reading and have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Lewis 5. Honeyblood Review
Hello! Welcome to blog post 31! Today I wanted to talk to you all about headphones. We all use them or have done in the past and if anyone is struggling to find a pair for the right price and quality. Then here is my top 5 list of well known brands of headphones that might help you out! I had this post ready for May, but having lots of other people come to me and ask if I could review their music. Now I have room to share this with you, enjoy! Before I get into this top 5 I wanted to just clear a few things up too. I wanted to do well known brands too that you can find in your local HMV/Currys/Dixons etc instead of choosing brands that are outlet only. This is my personal top 5 choice and I'm only looking at over the ear headphones too. If you think I am wrong or have left out a significant brand then let me know in the comments! What's your top 5!? Okay... lets get started! 5. Beats by Dr.Dre
Well, this brand had to be in the top 5 plainly for its popularity and probably nothing else. These headphones are everywhere and aren't actually that good for sound as they seem. Beats by Dr.Dre have been around now since 2006 and have evolved into quite a few different ranges. I really don't understand the amount of hype for these. I think a lot of people now go for look rather than sound which is a shame, but I guess people are willing to pay for looks. These headphones have a price range of £150 - £390 which to me personally are extortionate prices. To get their lowest range of product is already more expensive then some of the better quality headphones at mid range produce... So... in conclusion, you're paying a ton of money for something that looks great, but had incredibly shoddy sound. Thank god there is at least there's free shipping...enjoy!
(all ratings out of 5) Cost - 2 Design - 5 Sound Quality - 3 4. Philips The reason I chose Philips in this top 5 is because they actually offer a wide range for many customers. This is something that makes me wonder with such a diverse range of headphones for specific users...is there much difference? Well for starters they have entered the realm of bluetooth which is a nice feature to have and shows the company is developing its headphone brands. They also have specific headphones for sports, bass lovers etc and all at a fairly low price. The price range starts from £15 - £120 and for those who don't have a lot of money, this is a great brand to use. If you wanted to go wireless or bluetooth, again its not that expensive coming in at around £60. Not only is it fairly cheap, but the sound isn't bad for what you're paying for either. In conclusion...a reasonably priced brand churning out a variety of headphones with some decent sound. Not bad! Cost - 5 Design - 3 Sound Quality - 3 3. Sennheiser Next we have the German headphone brand Sennheiser. This brand was a close second, but there are some reasons as to why this came in at number 3 and not 2. Sennheiser offer a quite large range of products and try go that extra mile to appeal to the customer. The first thing I wanted to touch on was the price range because you can't get a bigger price range than this...ready? Price range: £24.99 - £999.99!? Yes that's right, you can get some 'cheapy' headphones, or if you're hella rich, why not grab some German hand assembled HD 800's! This is the descrition for the 800's is "These headphones are top-of-the line audio technology at its finest. Hand assembled in Germany with top quality materials and using the largest transducers ever, these provide an unmatched natural listening experience." At that bloody price I hope so too!! This is what I meant by them going the distance. They have a nice range with decent sound at around the £160 mark, but I still feel you're not getting enough for what you pay for. Every time I go to put on Sennheiser headphones, something's not right, the sound is a little muffled or the positioning on my ears isn't that comfortable. I'm trying the mid range headphones out too, not the cheap ones too! The fact that you have to spend more for design too is a little bit cheeky because the £24 ones don't look that great, but then again, its what you pay for. In conclusion, Sennheiser have got the ingredients to be a great headphone brand. they are already pretty popular and have a great sound, but there is something not quite right that I hope they can fix soon. Cost - 4 Design - 3.5 (4.5 for more expensive brands) Sound Quality - 3.5 2. Sony Sony own a wide range of different products including headphones and range from wireless to bluetooth. The money they earn from their other products such as TV's and sound systems gives them the tools to make some great pairs of headphones. They offer a nice range of headphones that look great and have a nice quality even at £25 a pair. Its great to see Sony investing in making their cheaper products looking as nice as the £100 + pairs. Obviously quality is different, but to the untrained eye, you can't tell the difference. Although you can grab some snazzy wireless headphones with a wireless transmission for £99 which is a fantastic deal. The price range is from £25 - £449.00 and on their website each set has got great reviews.
So with Sony is a grand choice you have at either a hefty price coming with the quality, wireless or bluetooth. To the cheaper products which look great on your head and have a reasonable sound quality, but at £25 you can't go wrong! Cost- 4 Design - 3.5 Sound Quality - 3.5 1. Bose Now, anyone who knows me personally knows that I am a massive Bose nerd. I love their products and their headphone quality is insane for the price you get them at. Whilst Im writing this, I am using my Bose AE2 headphones that cost £120. Now...that does seem like a lot but hear me out. I bought them because I heard so much about their sound quality and how comfy they are. When I'm writing my blog I sometimes forget they're on my head, they're so damn comfy. These are the lower ranged headphones too, so the price doesn't really help, but you definitely get what you pay for! Although they don't look the best which puts quite a few people off, they make it up in sound... by a mile. The sound quality is insane, you can hear everything with the slight noise cancellation in them which gives your ears a real treat in hearing everything in the track. I heard one of my favourite tracks the other day by Frank Turner and noticed a little shaker in the background and someone talking that wouldn't of been picked up with cheaper headphones. They can give you the raw power from the music too, so if its a rock song, it'll deliver the power to your ears! Now these headphones are the lower part of the range, but the range doesn't go to extortionate heights like Sennheiser. I tried out the latest noise cancelling headphones the 'QuietComfort 3'. To which you put them on and you can hear around you, until you flick a little button (baring in mind I was in a bustling airport) and I couldn't hear anything outside and I had no music on. I was blown away by how they can do that and the sound quality was to die for, although at £300 you'd expect to get the best price! In conclusion if you want fairly expensive headphones that you can rely on and get what you pay for. Then I would recommend Bose because they do at 2 year warranty on their headphones and then for mine when I took it back (4 days before the warranty was up) they gave me an extra year on the replaced ones. Cost - 3.5 Design - 4.5 Sound Quality - 5*
Bose AE2 Headphones
So...yes this was slightly biased because I love Bose products, but the products from 5 - 2 were my personal choices because I tried all these headphones brands out when I was hoping to get some slightly pricey headphones and Bose was the clear winner by a mile. Though it is all down to personal preference, if you're a sound quality freak like me, you'll go for Bose. If you like headphones that just look nice, you might go for Dr.Dre. Let me know what your Top 5 headphone brands are in the comments below or tweet me them! I look forward to seeing your choices! Thanks for reading and until next time Lewis
