Post by krburg on Feb 22, 2011 22:38:39 GMT
My mate told me that apparently Leighton Baines is quite into his music, turns out he's now got his own music blog on the Everton website..
www.evertonfc.com/everton-blog/?auth=53
Welcome to my music blog!
I will be posting regular pieces on my biggest passion outside of football. But where I go with my entries is entirely up to you. There is one rule though - all football talk is banned! I would love to hear any recommendations people may have in terms of bands to listen to or tracks you like. I will give feedback on the recommendations – and will be offering my own insights into what I’m listening to every week and what I like. I’ll keep it light-hearted – and I hope it is something you enjoy.
I will be posting regular pieces on my biggest passion outside of football. But where I go with my entries is entirely up to you. There is one rule though - all football talk is banned! I would love to hear any recommendations people may have in terms of bands to listen to or tracks you like. I will give feedback on the recommendations – and will be offering my own insights into what I’m listening to every week and what I like. I’ll keep it light-hearted – and I hope it is something you enjoy.
My First Music Blog
21st December 2010 - 10:39
Welcome to my first music blog. To get started I have given some answers to some general questions about my music habits and what I like and don’t like.
What I like
My musical tastes are just generally whatever my ear likes! I would say it is predominantly guitar based, and I’m still trying to broaden my horizons by listening to different stuff when I can. So whatever stuff you like that you think I may be interested in, please let me know. And I will give it a listen. Although, whilst I am willing to give most things a try, I tend to avoid things like the modern versions of r'n'b - its just not my cup of tea!
My top five artists
Bob Dylan: People label him a poet or storyteller but basically he is the greatest lyricist ever.
Pink Floyd: Possibly the most innovative band of all time – they pushed boundaries with their music, lyrics and live shows.
The Beatles: The most influential band that has existed. They produced an amazing range of music. Their music always seemed to be developing - and throughout their collection there is something for just about everyone to enjoy....a national treasure!
Arctic Monkeys: An amazing band that I feel like I have grown up with - because they are a similar age it seems that as they have developed their sound and that it has always been in keeping with how my tastes have developed....lucky me!
Paul Weller: A fantastic musician who also is an idol to many and has influenced a lot of British bands over the years.
A gig I would love to go to
I would have loved to go to a Pink Floyd show - Roger Waters is doing Pink Floyd’s 'The Wall' Tour and that is on in Manchester next year. That could be a mind blowing experience and one I would like to get to.
What I listen to in the car
In the car I almost never have the radio on and just have the ipod plugged in. Maybe I should do a playlist of stuff that I am listening to and update it accordingly for future blogs?
My recent purchases
The latest album I bought was The Black Angels – ‘Phosphene Dream’ and latest single was Miles Kane – ‘Inhaler’. They are both very good! I would recommend the ‘Tame Impala’ album too!!
What the other lads listen to
I’m not sure about the other lads in terms of their taste in music - like at most clubs they listen to a lot of hip-hop and r'n'b. I think Ossie and Hibbo are alright. They are into their bands a bit – the likes of the Arctics, Kasabian etc and a bit of old school too - Talking Heads, Fleetwood Mac etc. When JP (Kissock) was at the club he was massively into his tunes and we would talk about different stuff we were listening to and he would put me onto all kinds of stuff – he’s a great lad!
Interests outside of football
Music is probably my main hobby really. Growing up my parents would have tapes on in the car like Phil Collins, REM, Deacon Blue and that sort of stuff. As an early teenager I remember I started to get into Oasis, Travis, Cast, Space etc. But a few years later I got into all sorts! I remember I even used to go into my sister’s room and listen to her Spice Girls album!! Then I got into hip-hop - 50 Cent and all that!
I was into Dizzy Rascal’s first album, so started to listen to stuff along that UK garage vibe. But the stuff he puts out now seems so far detached from that! Like I said, I think I just follow whatever my ear likes!
Obviously, as I have grown up I look back at some of the stuff I used to like and cringe but that’s all part of the process! Over the past couple of years, as well as trying to keep up with new stuff that’s coming out, I have enjoyed going back listening to older records which is great fun and when you come across something that you love it’s very rewarding. My wife says getting into my car is like stepping into a time machine and going back years!
Getting to gigs
I have found it difficult to get to gigs a lot of the time because obviously my main priority has to be football and when we have a game I tend to do very little in the 48 hours before. That means that on a typical week when we play on a Saturday, Thursday and Friday for me are generally about training and starting to prepare for the game which means getting the right amount of rest. So, as you can imagine, when we play a midweek game too it pretty much writes off the whole week!
So that is an insight into where I stand musically – not loads of detail but just a glimpse. What stuff do you like? And what are you listening to right now? All recommendations are welcome.
21st December 2010 - 10:39
Welcome to my first music blog. To get started I have given some answers to some general questions about my music habits and what I like and don’t like.
What I like
My musical tastes are just generally whatever my ear likes! I would say it is predominantly guitar based, and I’m still trying to broaden my horizons by listening to different stuff when I can. So whatever stuff you like that you think I may be interested in, please let me know. And I will give it a listen. Although, whilst I am willing to give most things a try, I tend to avoid things like the modern versions of r'n'b - its just not my cup of tea!
My top five artists
Bob Dylan: People label him a poet or storyteller but basically he is the greatest lyricist ever.
Pink Floyd: Possibly the most innovative band of all time – they pushed boundaries with their music, lyrics and live shows.
The Beatles: The most influential band that has existed. They produced an amazing range of music. Their music always seemed to be developing - and throughout their collection there is something for just about everyone to enjoy....a national treasure!
Arctic Monkeys: An amazing band that I feel like I have grown up with - because they are a similar age it seems that as they have developed their sound and that it has always been in keeping with how my tastes have developed....lucky me!
Paul Weller: A fantastic musician who also is an idol to many and has influenced a lot of British bands over the years.
A gig I would love to go to
I would have loved to go to a Pink Floyd show - Roger Waters is doing Pink Floyd’s 'The Wall' Tour and that is on in Manchester next year. That could be a mind blowing experience and one I would like to get to.
What I listen to in the car
In the car I almost never have the radio on and just have the ipod plugged in. Maybe I should do a playlist of stuff that I am listening to and update it accordingly for future blogs?
My recent purchases
The latest album I bought was The Black Angels – ‘Phosphene Dream’ and latest single was Miles Kane – ‘Inhaler’. They are both very good! I would recommend the ‘Tame Impala’ album too!!
What the other lads listen to
I’m not sure about the other lads in terms of their taste in music - like at most clubs they listen to a lot of hip-hop and r'n'b. I think Ossie and Hibbo are alright. They are into their bands a bit – the likes of the Arctics, Kasabian etc and a bit of old school too - Talking Heads, Fleetwood Mac etc. When JP (Kissock) was at the club he was massively into his tunes and we would talk about different stuff we were listening to and he would put me onto all kinds of stuff – he’s a great lad!
Interests outside of football
Music is probably my main hobby really. Growing up my parents would have tapes on in the car like Phil Collins, REM, Deacon Blue and that sort of stuff. As an early teenager I remember I started to get into Oasis, Travis, Cast, Space etc. But a few years later I got into all sorts! I remember I even used to go into my sister’s room and listen to her Spice Girls album!! Then I got into hip-hop - 50 Cent and all that!
I was into Dizzy Rascal’s first album, so started to listen to stuff along that UK garage vibe. But the stuff he puts out now seems so far detached from that! Like I said, I think I just follow whatever my ear likes!
Obviously, as I have grown up I look back at some of the stuff I used to like and cringe but that’s all part of the process! Over the past couple of years, as well as trying to keep up with new stuff that’s coming out, I have enjoyed going back listening to older records which is great fun and when you come across something that you love it’s very rewarding. My wife says getting into my car is like stepping into a time machine and going back years!
Getting to gigs
I have found it difficult to get to gigs a lot of the time because obviously my main priority has to be football and when we have a game I tend to do very little in the 48 hours before. That means that on a typical week when we play on a Saturday, Thursday and Friday for me are generally about training and starting to prepare for the game which means getting the right amount of rest. So, as you can imagine, when we play a midweek game too it pretty much writes off the whole week!
So that is an insight into where I stand musically – not loads of detail but just a glimpse. What stuff do you like? And what are you listening to right now? All recommendations are welcome.
New Year, New Music
6th January 2011 - 12:05
First of all I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and say thank you to everyone who posted replies to my first blog! I was really chuffed with the response - and thanks for all the recommendations.
I checked out various bits from the posts - some of the suggestions that I wasn’t aware of, and even a lot of the stuff I had heard of before, inspired me to go back and have another listen!
It had been a while since I’ve heard The Strokes’ 'This Is It' album and that got a little rebirth! Also, Kasabian got a few listens too and that somehow led me back to The Pretty Things’ 'SF Sorrow' - and before I knew it it had spiraled into all sorts!
It makes you appreciate how much good music there is out there and I’m grateful to the people who make it for us. I must say I was a little surprised that nobody gave Bowie a mention! I picked up his ‘Station to Station’ reissue and went back through a few of his other albums and got a new appreciation for some of his work.
Not sure how many of you are aware of a band called Stornoway - they have been knocking around for a little while now and our physiotherapist Dom put me onto them - they would probably fall into an indie/folk category and could be worth checking out. Click here for a listen.
Also, someone mentioned The Wedding Present in a reply to the last blog and our assistant manager Steve Round had been telling me about them too - so I may pick up one of their records with my HMV Gift card!
A few people mentioned Aloe Blacc. I don’t know too much about his music but after a listen I suppose the obvious comparison would be John Legend. If he’s an artist you’re normally in to then this guy is worth checking out.
There was also a mention for a band called Dogs. I checked out their Myspace and thought they were pretty good. I think they are unsigned at the moment – you can listen to them here.
There were plenty of good mentions from you guys last time around. Please keep posting anything that you think I might enjoy so I can check them out. Even if I don’t like it much, somebody else might (one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure!) and there’s nothing better than coming across new music that you can get into - so share!
I randomly picked up an album by Mando Diao called ‘Give Me Fire’ the other day, I have given it a couple of listens and it seems alright so far.
I also came across Betty Davis’ self titled album. I picked that up just before Christmas and am glad I did. If you are into Funk/Soul/R'n'B then this would be a good purchase!
I grabbed a record by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan after reading that they were the modern day Nancy & Lee (Sinatra & Hazlewood), but although it had some good moments it didn’t quite measure up for me!
The Vaccines have been give quite a bit of hype and their album is released this month so it will be interesting to hear that one.
Obviously it's pretty hard to escape end of year lists over the festive period and as much as I enjoy settling down and scrawling through lots of them I am starting to get excited about what’s coming up this year!
More than anything I am probably looking forward to a new record from the Arctic Monkeys. They changed direction a little with the last one and some fans were a little disappointed but I loved it! It will be interesting to see what they produce this time around and I couldn’t imagine being disappointed by anything they do!
It’s been a few years since The Strokes put out their last album – ‘First Impressions Of Earth’ - but their fourth album is due in a few months and that’s another one to look out for.
Paul Weller recently said that Noel Gallagher had been helping him out on his new material by playing drums! Although he also stated that Noel’s contribution may not make the final cut of the album its good to hear that there’s new stuff in the pipeline from Weller – ‘Wake Up The Nation’ was one of my favorite records of 2010.
I’m hoping to hear new material from Kasabian this year too. They have revealed that some of the songs are already written and work is underway. After ‘West Ryder’ they have big boots to fill!
I was a big fan of 'The Seldom Seen Kid' by Elbow and their new album 'Build A Rocket Boys' is due for release soon and they are playing Liverpool’s Echo Arena in March. Their new single 'lippy kids' can be viewed online here.
Beady Eye’s record is due out at the end of February. I’m intrigued to see what they come with. I enjoyed the first single and their latest one 'Four Letter Word' is growing on me after a couple of listens. Check it out and let me know what you think?
R.E.M. are due to release their 15th album in March too! With all that and more to come I am hoping we are going to get some great music this year.
What else are you guys looking forward to?
There were a couple of gigs towards the end of the year in town that I couldn’t get to and I was gutted. First on was Weller at The Echo Arena and of course Paul McCartney played the o2 Academy on the back of the Band On The Run re-release.
Weller did a couple of John Lennon covers too. Did anyone get to either of those gigs?
Did anyone get any good CDs for Christmas they’d like to recommend – or warn people against?
What was your favourite track/album of 2010? Amongst my favourites for 2010 were probably…
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
The Black Angels - Phosphene Dream
Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation
Neil Young - Love And War
Although I have probably enjoyed listening to some older stuff as much if not more!
6th January 2011 - 12:05
First of all I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and say thank you to everyone who posted replies to my first blog! I was really chuffed with the response - and thanks for all the recommendations.
I checked out various bits from the posts - some of the suggestions that I wasn’t aware of, and even a lot of the stuff I had heard of before, inspired me to go back and have another listen!
It had been a while since I’ve heard The Strokes’ 'This Is It' album and that got a little rebirth! Also, Kasabian got a few listens too and that somehow led me back to The Pretty Things’ 'SF Sorrow' - and before I knew it it had spiraled into all sorts!
It makes you appreciate how much good music there is out there and I’m grateful to the people who make it for us. I must say I was a little surprised that nobody gave Bowie a mention! I picked up his ‘Station to Station’ reissue and went back through a few of his other albums and got a new appreciation for some of his work.
Not sure how many of you are aware of a band called Stornoway - they have been knocking around for a little while now and our physiotherapist Dom put me onto them - they would probably fall into an indie/folk category and could be worth checking out. Click here for a listen.
Also, someone mentioned The Wedding Present in a reply to the last blog and our assistant manager Steve Round had been telling me about them too - so I may pick up one of their records with my HMV Gift card!
A few people mentioned Aloe Blacc. I don’t know too much about his music but after a listen I suppose the obvious comparison would be John Legend. If he’s an artist you’re normally in to then this guy is worth checking out.
There was also a mention for a band called Dogs. I checked out their Myspace and thought they were pretty good. I think they are unsigned at the moment – you can listen to them here.
There were plenty of good mentions from you guys last time around. Please keep posting anything that you think I might enjoy so I can check them out. Even if I don’t like it much, somebody else might (one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure!) and there’s nothing better than coming across new music that you can get into - so share!
I randomly picked up an album by Mando Diao called ‘Give Me Fire’ the other day, I have given it a couple of listens and it seems alright so far.
I also came across Betty Davis’ self titled album. I picked that up just before Christmas and am glad I did. If you are into Funk/Soul/R'n'B then this would be a good purchase!
I grabbed a record by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan after reading that they were the modern day Nancy & Lee (Sinatra & Hazlewood), but although it had some good moments it didn’t quite measure up for me!
The Vaccines have been give quite a bit of hype and their album is released this month so it will be interesting to hear that one.
Obviously it's pretty hard to escape end of year lists over the festive period and as much as I enjoy settling down and scrawling through lots of them I am starting to get excited about what’s coming up this year!
More than anything I am probably looking forward to a new record from the Arctic Monkeys. They changed direction a little with the last one and some fans were a little disappointed but I loved it! It will be interesting to see what they produce this time around and I couldn’t imagine being disappointed by anything they do!
It’s been a few years since The Strokes put out their last album – ‘First Impressions Of Earth’ - but their fourth album is due in a few months and that’s another one to look out for.
Paul Weller recently said that Noel Gallagher had been helping him out on his new material by playing drums! Although he also stated that Noel’s contribution may not make the final cut of the album its good to hear that there’s new stuff in the pipeline from Weller – ‘Wake Up The Nation’ was one of my favorite records of 2010.
I’m hoping to hear new material from Kasabian this year too. They have revealed that some of the songs are already written and work is underway. After ‘West Ryder’ they have big boots to fill!
I was a big fan of 'The Seldom Seen Kid' by Elbow and their new album 'Build A Rocket Boys' is due for release soon and they are playing Liverpool’s Echo Arena in March. Their new single 'lippy kids' can be viewed online here.
Beady Eye’s record is due out at the end of February. I’m intrigued to see what they come with. I enjoyed the first single and their latest one 'Four Letter Word' is growing on me after a couple of listens. Check it out and let me know what you think?
R.E.M. are due to release their 15th album in March too! With all that and more to come I am hoping we are going to get some great music this year.
What else are you guys looking forward to?
There were a couple of gigs towards the end of the year in town that I couldn’t get to and I was gutted. First on was Weller at The Echo Arena and of course Paul McCartney played the o2 Academy on the back of the Band On The Run re-release.
Weller did a couple of John Lennon covers too. Did anyone get to either of those gigs?
Did anyone get any good CDs for Christmas they’d like to recommend – or warn people against?
What was your favourite track/album of 2010? Amongst my favourites for 2010 were probably…
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
The Black Angels - Phosphene Dream
Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation
Neil Young - Love And War
Although I have probably enjoyed listening to some older stuff as much if not more!
Loving Your Recommendations
7th February 2011 - 12:42
Thanks again for the response to my last blog! Again some great recommendations with Gorillaz and The Coral amongst them - they were two of my favourite records of last year.
In my first two posts plenty of you guys recommended listening to The Tallest Man On Earth - I wasn't familiar with him so I grabbed his EP ‘Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird'. The comparisons to Bob Dylan are obvious and it even sounds too much like Bob! It's early days so I will see if this one grows on me.
I'm undecided on whether to grab the latest Kanye West album. I wasn't a fan of his last one but this one has been getting rave reviews, has anyone got into it?
Tom McCurrie posted a comment which gave an upcoming band, Shamona, a mention. They are a young local band and are worth checking out and showing some support.
They have a cover of John Lennon's ‘Come Together' on their Myspace along with their own tunes. I will be keeping an ear out for them! Check them out here .
A mention from Daniel Evans for Exit Calm is also worth a look.
And it's also worth checking out THIS/BROADCAST here .
There were also few mentions for Broken Bells. That was one of my faves from last year too so I'm glad to hear you guys are liking that. If you haven't heard them before, their self-titled album is worth checking out.
Tony Kibble gave a few good mentions, among them The The. I grabbed their album ‘Soul Mining' and I'm happy I did! Cheers mate!
A couple of people mentioned having a word with the DJ over pre-match and half-time music! Give me some recommendations and I will see what can be done!
Dave Powell was spot on with a Captain Beefheart shout - I love his ‘Safe As Milk' record! Check out this amusing clip of Beefheart and His Magic Band!
Dave also mentioned The Fall. I have never really given them much time and with so much material its hard to know where to start! Any recommendations?
Also check out Phil Murphy's band - Secret Pilot. Cheers for the post!
Beady Eye are going to be supported by Miles Kane on part of their upcoming tour. I was planning to try and see both so this is good news for me! Two birds with one stone and all that! Any one get out to any gigs over the last month or so?
In this month's issue of BIDO LITO! (Liverpool music magazine) amongst other good stuff there is an interesting article about independent music label Payper Tiger Records that I thought was worth a mention. You can pick up the free mag at various places around the city, I normally grab mine at Probe or Bold Street Coffee!
Over the past month one of the albums I picked up that I enjoyed was Anna Calvi's self titled effort. It's probably more of a grower than an instant favourite due to its fairly intense and slightly dark and dramatic nature but its one I'm getting into.
It takes me around 30 minutes to get to Finch Farm of a morning so here is a little insight into some of the tunes I have been listening to over the past few weeks. In no particular order:
Anna Calvi - First We Kiss
The Black Angels - Bad Vibrations
Jacques Dutronc - Les Cactus
Miles Kane - Come Closer
Beady Eye - The Roller
Tame Impala - Desire Be, Desire Go
The Rolling Stones - She's A Rainbow
The The - This Is The Day
The Velvet Underground - I'll Be Your Mirror
The Walker Brothers - Sun Aint Gonna Shine Anymore
Captain Beefheart - Zig Zag Wanderer
The Doors - You're A Lost Little Girl
What's making the recently played playlist on your iPod? Feel free to post your own playlists at the bottom of this blog and I'll check them out when I can!
7th February 2011 - 12:42
Thanks again for the response to my last blog! Again some great recommendations with Gorillaz and The Coral amongst them - they were two of my favourite records of last year.
In my first two posts plenty of you guys recommended listening to The Tallest Man On Earth - I wasn't familiar with him so I grabbed his EP ‘Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird'. The comparisons to Bob Dylan are obvious and it even sounds too much like Bob! It's early days so I will see if this one grows on me.
I'm undecided on whether to grab the latest Kanye West album. I wasn't a fan of his last one but this one has been getting rave reviews, has anyone got into it?
Tom McCurrie posted a comment which gave an upcoming band, Shamona, a mention. They are a young local band and are worth checking out and showing some support.
They have a cover of John Lennon's ‘Come Together' on their Myspace along with their own tunes. I will be keeping an ear out for them! Check them out here .
A mention from Daniel Evans for Exit Calm is also worth a look.
And it's also worth checking out THIS/BROADCAST here .
There were also few mentions for Broken Bells. That was one of my faves from last year too so I'm glad to hear you guys are liking that. If you haven't heard them before, their self-titled album is worth checking out.
Tony Kibble gave a few good mentions, among them The The. I grabbed their album ‘Soul Mining' and I'm happy I did! Cheers mate!
A couple of people mentioned having a word with the DJ over pre-match and half-time music! Give me some recommendations and I will see what can be done!
Dave Powell was spot on with a Captain Beefheart shout - I love his ‘Safe As Milk' record! Check out this amusing clip of Beefheart and His Magic Band!
Dave also mentioned The Fall. I have never really given them much time and with so much material its hard to know where to start! Any recommendations?
Also check out Phil Murphy's band - Secret Pilot. Cheers for the post!
Beady Eye are going to be supported by Miles Kane on part of their upcoming tour. I was planning to try and see both so this is good news for me! Two birds with one stone and all that! Any one get out to any gigs over the last month or so?
In this month's issue of BIDO LITO! (Liverpool music magazine) amongst other good stuff there is an interesting article about independent music label Payper Tiger Records that I thought was worth a mention. You can pick up the free mag at various places around the city, I normally grab mine at Probe or Bold Street Coffee!
Over the past month one of the albums I picked up that I enjoyed was Anna Calvi's self titled effort. It's probably more of a grower than an instant favourite due to its fairly intense and slightly dark and dramatic nature but its one I'm getting into.
It takes me around 30 minutes to get to Finch Farm of a morning so here is a little insight into some of the tunes I have been listening to over the past few weeks. In no particular order:
Anna Calvi - First We Kiss
The Black Angels - Bad Vibrations
Jacques Dutronc - Les Cactus
Miles Kane - Come Closer
Beady Eye - The Roller
Tame Impala - Desire Be, Desire Go
The Rolling Stones - She's A Rainbow
The The - This Is The Day
The Velvet Underground - I'll Be Your Mirror
The Walker Brothers - Sun Aint Gonna Shine Anymore
Captain Beefheart - Zig Zag Wanderer
The Doors - You're A Lost Little Girl
What's making the recently played playlist on your iPod? Feel free to post your own playlists at the bottom of this blog and I'll check them out when I can!
www.evertonfc.com/everton-blog/?auth=53
I'd forgotten about him!
