Music this Week: Bastille, Ben Howard, Stevie Nicks

Music this week is a short list because I've pretty much been listening to the same three artists over and over and over again!  I watched Stevie Nicks' documentary about the creation of her In Your Dreams album, so I was listening to her album a lot.  But Bastille and Ben Howard both have new music out so I've been alternating between them and getting sick of them NEVER.

(1) The Driver - Bastille
BBC Radio 1 recently launched a project to create another soundtrack for Drive with different bands and artists contributing.  Bastille contributed this song, and it's on their new mixtape VS. (out Dec 10).  The more I listen to this song, the more it is everything.  It's the perfect example of the type of full music that I love that I think of "unapologetically loud, but not noisy."



(2) I Forget Where We Were - Ben Howard.
This song is heaven.  After my first listen, it instantly went on repeat about twenty times.  I haven't even had time to analyze the lyrics but this song stirs up so much emotion.  Sometimes joy.  Sometimes rapture.  Sometimes calm.  Sometimes weeping.

Music this week: MONKEES and others who are likely to be British

Turns out I DID get to go see the Monkees!

My parents got me tickets for my birthday and we went to see them in Philadelphia at the great Mann Center.  I was a great show and I really enjoyed myself, although my mom did immediate ask upon the start of the show "Is it going to be this loud the whole time?"  And I was super pleased that they did "What Am I Doing Hanging 'Round" and got "Pleasant Valley Sunday" in during the encore!

But in honor of the Monkees, and one of the songs they did live that made me like it a lot more than I used to, the first song I've been listening to a lot these past few weeks is

1.  Steppin Stone - The Monkees


Cuz I'm not your steppin stone!

2. Along Together - Fall Out Boy


I've never listened to them before, but I got a little in the new Fall Out Boy album.  This song is definitely my favorite (even if some of the lyrics are a tiny bit weak . . . they are not nearly as weak as some of the other songs).

3. Boyfriend - Marina and the Diamonds


My little sister turned me onto this song and it amazes me.  I had to go back to watch the Bieber version and it is basically unrecognizable.  This version is so much better!  Marina is great.

4.  Black Flies - Ben Howard


I had the great great privilege of getting to see Ben Howard yesterday perform in Central Park.  It was a night of beautiful music.  Probably the best concert I've been to (excepting F+tM of course).  Black Flies was a song he just completely rocked out in a transcendent way, so here he is performing it live at the Isle of Wight.

5. The Girl Who Got Away - Dido

I was randomly listening to this while running and it was so relaxing but had a great beat.  I felt one with the world.

Music this week: Ben Howard

I'm going to be doing some driving this weekend so I'm looking for some good tunes to listen to on the road.  The BBCAmerica blog recently did a post on the new sounds from London so I took a look.  Something reminded me that I've been missing Mumford & Sons recently, but I think Ben Howard is going to hold their place for a while.

I was instantly won over by his beautiful cover of "Call Me Maybe."

Current other favorites are:

The Wolves

Keep Your Head Up