Tag: Music

Broken Machine

Hola everyone.

I know I said that I’d do some kind of series about my trip to Paris, but something really important happened today. So important that I just have to break in the series. Today is the day that Nothing But Thieves released their new album. You can probably guess it. I’m shook.

.

Nothing But Thieves – a band I’ve now known for over a year. A band I fell in love with the second I listened to their music. And a band I’ve been following ever since, especially after getting the chance to see them live last year at Reading and experiencing their amazing show. And now, after nearly two years or so, their new album called “Broken Machine” is finally out. And I can tell you, I’ve waited for quite a while for this and now that it’s here, it’s completely blowing me away.

.

During the last few weeks, they have actually already given the world bits and pieces of the new LP. A new single, another one, an acoustic version and then even two more songs. And they were all mind-blowing. But now that I’m able to listen to the album in full, it really feels like a complete piece. A piece of art. So, without further ado, here’s the track list and some bits of my opinion:

.

  1. I Was Just A Kid
    • I would say that this is seriously the perfect beginning of the album. It shows their way of combining good, old rock n’ roll with some new indie tunes and of course Conor Masons mind-blowing voice (he’s the lead singer). I actually froze while running up the stairs because I was so shocked while listening to it for the first time.
  2. Amsterdam
    • This was the first new song they released and for me the perfect representation for what they are capable of doing. It has the most amazing intro with a beat that really sticks to your memory. And then it gets louder and faster and better. It just pops.
  3. Sorry
    • I present you the second single and definitely my favorite song of the whole album. I was so blown away when I first listened to it, I actually couldn’t stop playing it for over a week. I’ve probably listened to it more than a hundred times. It’s so good, no joke. Also, there’s an acoustic version available, which sometimes – depends on the mood – is even better. I love it.
  4. Broken Machine
    • For me, this is the one song you would never expect to hear from this band, especially not the intro. It’s kind of weird, really mechanical (HA), and then turns into this rock song with Conor’s voice in the background. And the lyrics are amazing, no wonder it’s the title track.
  5. Live Like Animals
    • If I had to choose, I would actually say that this one is the one song I enjoy the least. I don’t really know why. It’s probably the guitar chorus. But apart from that part, the song is crazily good. I just adore Conor’s voice so much.
  6. Soda
    • This song is what you could call the ballade of the album. It’s really chilled compared to the other songs and really calming, despite the guitars in the background. And somehow the lyrics are kind of depressing (“I don’t wanna be myself”), but I think that just adds the special touch to the song.
  7. I’m Not Made By Design
    • This is the kind of song I can already imagine being the craziest when played live. The guitars are powerful, Conor is giving everything with his angelic voice and the beat is amazing. It’s the perfect getting-hyped-up song.
  8. Particles
    • Apart from Sorry, this is basically the one song to fall in love with. When I first listened to it right after midnight – of course I waited for the album to be released to listen to it right then and there – I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know about you, but for me this song is literally perfect. And let’s not forget Conor’s vocals and falsetto parts. You can really hear his classical vocal training, his voice is so strong. And moreover, on the deluxe version of the album, there’s a piano version of this song and it’s even better than the “normal” version, at least for me. And yes, I cried. Just listen to it, you’ll see. You’ll tear up too. God, Conor’s voice, it’s giving me goosebumps. I wish I could bury myself into this song. Seriously.
  9. Get Better
    • This is the perfect bounce-your-head-to-it song. It’s kind of upbeat, but also a little bit slow and chilled back. It’s a mix of both. And for me yet another song that perfectly reflects the kind of style of music they are heading to or living for right now.
  10. Hell, Yeah
    • Hell. I think this song is literally about hell – “it’s just a little bit warmer”, “it’s just like home”. Somehow quite funny to me as a lyrical piece, but not when you listen to it. Right at the beginning, there’s just Conor’s voice and an acoustic guitar and he sounds hurt. You can hear the hurt in his voice. So I strongly believe that there’s so much more to this song than hell, literally. Nonetheless, this one is amazing, but that’s not really a surprise, is it?
  11. Afterlife
    • This one here is the last song on the “normal” version of the album and with it’s title, it’s fits, really. It has this kind of Amsterdam vibe to it and it’s also a little bit more calming. And for me the best last song they could have chosen.

.

When you get the deluxe version of the album, there are four more songs waiting for you to listen to them – Reset Me, Number 13 and the acoustic version of Sorry and the piano version of Particles, which I’ve already mentioned. Reset Me is kind of a punch in the face after Afterlife. It’s rough, fast and loud and exciting. So exciting. And Number 13 is simply cool. It’s bouncy, pure old school rock full of amazing, rough vocals and great guitars and beats. And it combines like five types of music in one. It’s hard to describe, so I guess you just need to give it a listen to hear it yourself.

.

So, guys, there you go. That’s the new masterpiece called “Broken Machine” by Nothing But Thieves. And it really is a masterpiece. I’m so proud of this band and of what they achieved. They really grew together with their music and especially Conor gets better and better with every single new song, every single new show. It’s actually quite sad for me that they are little bit underrated and kind of still a secret in the music universe, but I’m sure that this will change dramatically after this release. Thank god they are going on tour this winter already and I’ve got tickets to see them. I would never be able to wait much longer for the moment I get to listen to the songs live. Because if Nothing But Thieves are anything, they are the kind of band that is even better live than on the studio versions. And that’s hard to manage, trust me.

.

So, yeah, if I can give you anything, it’s the advice to give this band a listen, seriously. You won’t regret it. But I guess you’ve already noticed that I’m really hyped for this band. God, I love them. And to end this post on something exciting, I’ll leave some videos for you to watch down below. Please enjoy. And I wish you all an amazing weekend and hope that you enjoyed this post. And please don’t hesitate to leave a comment, of course. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

.

.

New Music Monday

Hola everyone.

Another Monday. Another start of a new week. And another list of amazing new music. As I’ve recently been adding more and more new music and new songs onto my list on Spotify, I thought I’d share the best ones with you guys.

.

First of all you guys know that I’m mostly into indie pop/rock songs, so my list basically only consists of indie music and indie bands like Cage The Elephant, Foster The People and Nothing But Thieves. Most of the songs are upbeat and happy, but of course I could never write a list of songs without adding one of Eds. But I’ll let the songs do the rest of the talking. I hope you like them, please enjoy.

.

Cigarette Daydreams by Cage The Elephant

.

Forever Alone by Kakkmaddafakka

.

Fall by Ed Sheeran

.

Lotus Eater by Foster The People

.

Sorry by Nothing But Thieves

.

Atlantis by Seafret

.

Tuttifrutti by Phoenix

.

Favorite Liar by The Wrecks

.

So, there you go guys. Those are some of my favorite songs right now. Most of them are pretty new too, I’m really curious to see if some of you already know them. So please don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below. And until then I wish you all an amazing week and hope that you enjoyed this post. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

UK haul

Hola everyone.

I love going shopping. And I love the UK. So I thought in connection to my last post (link) about my trip to the UK I’d present you guys all the things I brought home with me – books, clothes and other stuff. Please enjoy.

.

Books

First and most important, books. I love reading with every single fibre of my body. Funny thing that about 3 years ago I wasn’t even that interested in books. I mean, of course I was reading, but I wasn’t like obsessed with it like I am today. Since January I think I read about eight books or so, which is really quite a lot for me. And as I only read English books, going to the UK meant that I’d come back with some books from the first second on. I even always have a list of books I’d like to read saved and ready on my phone. So let’s just say that I spent quite some time in different book stores and got back with no less than five awesome books.
.

  • Remix by Non Pratt
  • THUG (The Hate U Give) by Angie Thomas
  • Freshers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison
  • Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
  • A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

.

Some of you may already know all or some of the books, especially THUG or A Monster Calls. I think they are pretty popular right now, A Monster Calls even being an amazing movie. While being on my way to Liverpool I started reading Remix, actually having no idea what it is about. There’s literally no short description in the book. Just to give you guys a little insight, it’s about two bfs going to a festival called Remix and their ex-boyfriends, who crazily also attend the event. Chaos is predestined, of course. Honestly, I’m now over the half of this book and I freaking love it. It’s something I’ve never read before. The POVs change between the two girls, Ruby and Kaz, even in between the chapters, so you experience the whole story from both of their perspectives, which is so damn cool. I can just really recommend you guys giving this a go. And I’ll definitively go and check out the other books by Non Pratt, I really love her writing style.

.

.

Clothes

I don’t need to tell you guys how much I love clothes and dressing up and experimenting with outfits and planning them for the week. And as I waited quite a while to go shopping again, I had the plan of spending some money while being on the trip. Buying something in Manchester for example is always cooler than buying it at home or online. And you can’t deny it, that’s true. So, my mum and me went on a little shopping trip. I mean I didn’t buy that much, but I love every single item, so I’m more than happy. And I  like to wear all the pieces together, I love how English it looks. So, I bought:

.

  • the coolest socks ever from Topshop
  • a supercute blouse also by Topshop
  • black dungarees I’ve been looking for forever from Primark

.

Yeah, that’s pretty much it. Like I said, it’s not much, but I love everything. Apart from the things we bought, mum and me also fell in love with another cool blouse and an amazing jumpsuit, all from Topshop. I can’t tell you why we didn’t just buy them, but anyways, we now bought them online and I can’t wait for the pieces to finally get here so I can wear my beautiful jumpsuit – the weather is perfect for that right now. I’ll just tell myself that I got it in Manchester.

.

.

Ed-related and other stuff

You know, the UK isn’t just great for buying English books, but also for getting stuff you’d never get here in Austria. Which for example is the magazine I got called Q. It’s a music magazine and features an amazing article about Ed. Altogether the article is 12 pages long and one of the truest things I’ve ever read in my life. I know that in the past weeks, there has been a lot of hate swirling around Ed and his music, which I don’t get at all, but I’m a massive fan, so yeah. No comment on that. But seriously, I love the article. Because it really just tells the truth. Ed explains why he works the way he does, how he deals with all the hate, his future plans – which are big and crazy – and his life overall. He now seems to be in a really good, happy place and I’m really glad. I know that before going on his break, Ed went through a rough time and I’m more than happy that he managed to wrote through that. I don’t think he deserves any of the hate he gets, as he’s such a genuine, honest person with such a great talent. And he works hard for what he does. He wouldn’t be where he is now without that. Personally, for me, Ed is one of the most inspiring people on this planet. In the article it says that before even being signed, before being anything near to popular, he had this huge masterplan. Five EPs, five albums with mathematical titles, another row of five albums after that. Can you believe that? He had this plan, from the first second on. At times when none but his dad truly believed in his work. And now look at him. He all made it real. And for me, that’s just so incredible and inspiring. Because I’m the same. I have this huge plan of moving to London and maybe even starting my own magazine and so on. But it’s going to be hard and it may sound impossible to other people. But like Ed I’ll work hard for that dream and then, maybe if I work hard enough, I’ll achieve all of the things I’m dreaming about. Ed showed me the way, so I’ll try my best.

.

And speaking of that, I also bought all of his five EPs. I just had to. They are all so amazing and from 2011, that’s crazy. I’m so happy that I chose Ed as the one guy I’ll stand with forever. You know, I know I’ll grow older and maybe forget about all my fangirl moments. But being a fangirl is different to this. I love Ed for his music. And that kind of love is something you can hardly ever leave behind. And I don’t want to, not for a slightest bit.

.

Oh and apart from that I also got two pins, something that’s a must for me. I’m kind of a collector of pins, I always put them on my bag. And when I saw them, I just had to get them. Especially the “I like big books and I cannot lie” one. That’s so funny.

.

.

So yeah, there you go guys. Those are all the things I got on my trip.  I really hope you like this post and my pictures. And if you have any other questions or want to say something, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. And until then I wish you all an amazing start of the week and, as always, thanks for reading. x

I did it

Hola everyone.

Okay, my mum did it. But hey, the outcome is the same. I seriously have tickets to see Ed. My Ed. Edward Christopher Sheeran. Basically the musical love of my life. And I still can’t believe it guys, oh my god.

.

First of all – have you got tickets too? If yes, oh my god, congrats. And if you don’t, go and check out the shows, some aren’t sold out yet. And there’s still the website twickets, you still have a chance of getting tickets there. Good luck.

.

And second, I’m currently listening to Divide and the tears are already streaming my down my face (actually Happier is playing at this exact moment and I’m more like ugly-crying). I seriously cannot tell you how happy I am that I’ll be seeing Ed. Even twice. How crazy is that? Holy moly. But first let’s talk about Saturday, the day. I woke up at like half past 10 to be ready for 11 o`clock when the tickets will be on sale. So, I was sitting there, in front of my laptop, on the edge of my nerves. I knew this one would be hard, really hard. And even harder because I knew that mum wouldn’t be able to buy tickets for me because she was on a gold tournament. So I was pretty much alone, apart from a friend, who was also trying to get tickets for us. And then it got 10:59 am and I got ready, refreshed the page and there it was, the crash. The whole site crashed. Of course I also tried to get tickets for other countries, just to make sure I’d really be able to see Ed. But those sites also crashed. Everything crashed. And I sat there, for more than a half hour. Nothing worked and I got more and more nervous with every second.

.

Then I tried to check for tickets in London. I always wanted to see Ed at Wembley, so this was a good plan B. And then I saw that Wembley was already sold out. And I got worried. Really worried. I had the feeling that other people were already grabbing tickets for Vienna and yeah, I can honestly say that I had a little breakdown. I was really scared. I mean, I could not not see Ed. That was no option. Never.

.

And then mum texted me and asked if I was able to get tickets. And I of course told her no. And suddenly she texted me and told me that she had tickets for us. And a minute later I got the confirmation email. And if I didn’t cry before that, I cried then. Oh my god, I was so relieved. I seriously still can’t believe it. And you know what’s the coolest part? My mum actually got tickets while playing golf. She told me she got the tickets, shot the ball and then proceeded to pay for them. And while she literally got us the best tickets while playing golf, I sat in front of my laptop, unable to do anything. Thank god the servers seemed to work from then on, so I tried to get tickets for my friend and at around 1 pm, I could finally shut my laptop.

.

And then I checked Stuart Camps twitter page. He’s Ed’s manager and pretty much the coolest and most amazing manager ever. He answered questions throughout the sale and still does, actually. And if you ever want to have news about Ed first hand, you just have to follow him. And as Ed’s shows sold out so fast, Stu started adding more and more shows. And I was so shocked. Like, speechless, really. Because before anything had happened Ed was said to play two shows at Wembley. He now plays four. FOUR. That’s about 360.000 people. Can you believe that? He sold out Wembley for four shows. An English guy with his guitar and a loop station. That’s crazy. And I’m so proud. Really.

.

And then it happened. Stu was tweeting again and then this came: “2nd Austria show going up soon”. And you can probably guess what happened then. I freaked out. Completely. A second show? In Vienna? A chance to see Ed two times? I thought I was dreaming. Imagining things. Crazy. But it was real. So I called and texted people, asking them if they would go to the second show with me. And at 3 pm, I had the tickets for two shows. And I’m still at the edge of bursting into tears every second because of it.

.

I’m so thankful. God. And you know what, my mum bought both tickets, for both shows. So I would never be sitting here, writing the things I’m writing, without her. And her ability of doing the impossible and getting tickets for the most-wanted-shows. She’s a superwoman. There’s no denying that now. So yeah, thank you to my mum. My hero.

.

So yeah, I am now seeing Ed in 393 days (yes, I installed a countdown) and I can’t wait. For real. Can time please hurry up? Please? Oh, and I can’t wait to get the tickets. I think that will be the moment I’ll finally realize it and then cry until I have no more happy-tears left. And before I forget it, I want to thank Ed’s management and whoever made those two shows possible. And of course Ed for making me so happy and being in this world, basically. I know it’s getting pretty cheesy now, so I’ll stop.

.

Anyways, guys, that is my story. But what’s yours? I really hope that you got tickets if you wanted them. And if you didn’t, I hope you will manage to get some. I actually saw that they are constantly adding shows, so just keep an eye on Stu’s twitter page, that’s my tip. And until that, I hope you enjoyed this post and I wish you all amazing week. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

 

Concerts and more concerts

Hola everyone.

Today is the day. I think I don’t really have to explain to you how much I love going to concerts, we have talked about that often enough. You could say I’m pretty much addicted, but hey, it could be worse, right? So, while being on my “blog-break” to focus on my exams, I actually had the chance of seeing two of my favorite bands live – Paramore and The 1975.

.

This was actually the first time for me to ever see Paramore live and I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was to finally experience their show. Because judging from the videos I watched of them playing live, it would be freaking amazing. And to be honest, it was even better than I expected. I was and still am totally blown away. Honestly, I usually never really listening to girl bands or bands with female singers, but Paramore always had a special place in my heart. And now that I could experience their magic live and hear Hayley’s voice, I’m even more in love with them and their music.

.

It’s unreal how good they are at playing their songs live. From the first second on built up this incredible dynamic, the whole crowd screamed their lungs out and jumped around like crazy. They started of with one of their newest songs called “Told You So” and then continued with a mix of old and new songs. And even though I pretty much only listen to their new stuff, I couldn’t help but freak out at every single song they played. I think my favorite part was when they played “Still Into You”. I love this song with every cell of my body and every single piece of my soul, so there was no holding me back when they started it. I don’t remember a to of other situations where I screamed and sang that loud and with such great passion. And I wasn’t the only one.

.

You know, that’s why I love concerts so much, especially rock concerts like this one or Fall Out Boy. The music is so loud, everyone is screaming and singing and jumping around and you can just let yourself fall completely and get lost in the moment. That’s when I can really be free.

.

And apart from that I loved when they brought fans on stage to play “Misery Business” with them. Before bringing them up Hayley told us that this time was going to be special as there was a fan out in the crowd who had written to them on Twitter and wished to play with them. Of course I was expecting just another guy to come on stage, but what happened next really surprised me. We started cheering and suddenly there was this guy called Viktor, rolling on stage in his wheelchair, with the biggest smile on my face. And then it all became real. Hayley went up to him and handed him the mic. He then proceeded to talk to the crowd and what he said brought real tears to my eyes. He said that this was the happiest moment of his life and this was the sign that anything is possible. God, it was so emotional. Then they brought another girl on stage and started playing the song again. And everyone was so happy, you could really feel it in the air. I am forever thankful for that moment and that night. I will never ever forget it. And I seriously cannot wait to see them again.

.

.

Yeah, the second concert, as already mentioned, was The 1975. And actually my 4th time seeing them. And I guess four times are a little bit too much, as I was a little bit disappointed. Maybe it was because they only played for one hour and a few minutes, maybe because I couldn’t feel any emotions coming up. I don’t really know. I just wasn’t feeling it. Even though I still love their music with all of my heart, especially their old songs. I just don’t love their new album, I guess that was one of the struggles of mine that evening. My friend who was at the concert with me said that she had the feeling that it seemed like the band wasn’t really happy to be here. I think that’s why I couldn’t sense any emotions.

.

So yeah, two concerts, one more than breathtakingly good, the other one a little bit disappointing. Of course I am still happy that I could experience both of them and I guess there can’t always be perfect concerts. That would be boring, wouldn’t it? But please don’t hesitate to leave your opinion down below.

.

Speaking of concerts, I forgot telling you one of the most amazing things ever. I can’t really remember if I told you about this last year, but I’ll tell you anyway. So, every year in October there is a EDM festival taking place in Amsterdam for a whole week. And last year, Martin had a show there too (pretty obvious as he actually lives there). I got to watch it live over a stream but while jumping around in front of my TV, I made it my mission to once experience this live. And guess what, I actually will this year. I know, how crazy, right? Lucky me I could tell one of my friends into wanting to come with me and experience this big, incredible party together. We bought our tickets two weeks ago, I know have it hanging on my door so I can always remind myself of what amazing things are coming up. God, I’m so excited.

.

Oh, and another thing. Tomorrow is the day. Ed’s tickets will be going on sale at exactly 11 o’clock and I’m already slightly freaking out. Please guys, please pray for me to be able to get tickets. Please. I need to see Ed. I really do. Oh, and if any of you will be trying their luck too tomorrow, good luck. I know we can do it. We just need a lot of hope and a good internet connection. And until then, I hope you enjoy this post and my little concert stories and I wish you all an amazing weekend. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

Welcome Back

Hola everyone.

I am baaaaaaaack. Whoop whoop. God, I can’t even begin tell you how much I missed being on here, writing stuff, telling you guys about life and other things and of course you guys in general. And soooo much happened, seriously. I know I told you that I’d tell you about the concerts I’ve been to the past days, but I have so much stuff to tell you so I thought I’d give you all a basic update before I go in deeper. So, let’s get right to it.

.

First of all, uni is finally over. Yesterday I had my last lessons and my parents and me moved out of my apartment, so here I am, home again. And right now sitting outside in my garden, enjoying the sun and listening to some 20s and 30s music while writing this. Life is good. But actually the last days at uni were pretty cool too. I had lessons we call a “Tutorium” here. You could say it’s a course were you are just in small groups of like 30 people and get to discuss and practice your work. And this one was about feminist views and overall women and it was really really interesting. Our tutor was super cool and she even had her teeny-tiny baby and her husband with her and guys, I can tell you, a baby makes everything so much better. It was so cute to see them together as a family. I think pretty much everyone of us fell completely in love with the small baby boy.

.

And as much as I can tell, I think the exams went pretty well too. I mean I still don’t really have the results, but I had a good feeling after walking out of them. But god, I was so relieved when they were finally over. It’s such a huge pain in the ass to have to study every single day for over a month and having this small creature jumping around in your head 24/7 telling you to go and study because otherwise you will fail and your life will turn a huge breakdown. Not to mention the pressure of having to get good grades, because if you don’t you will never be able to make it into your dream college and everything you have ever dreamed of will vanish before your very own eyes. Sounds pretty dramatic, doesn’t it? And now imagine having such thoughts swirl around in your head every day because you’re just a little bit masochistic and love pressuring yourself. Okay, I just noticed how crazy I must be sounding so I guess I’ll just stop right here.

.

Anyways, I think the exams went good and that everything turned out just the way I wanted it and now that uni is over I can finally look forward to this upcoming summer and to all of the things I have planned. I want to start working on my second book – I will tell you more about that in the next weeks, don’t worry – and I have the permission to transform our right now really boring looking office into a creative room full of color and amazing designs (my personal interior design mission), which I can’t wait to do. And of course I’m so looking forward to our planned vacations. In three weeks I think my parents and I will fly to Manchester and travel to Liverpool and Blackpool – actually my parents are flying there to go and watch a golf tournament, so I basically just told them that I would attach myself to them and then stroll around the city while they will be watching a ball roll into a hole (notice my excitement about golf). And in August mum and me will be traveling to Paris, one trip I’ve been looking forward to since we decided on flying there and seriously, I CAN’T WAIT. I have the slight feeling that I will overly fall in love with Paris and never want to leave it again. Sounds pretty much like me, doesn’t it? So yeah, happy days are coming.

.

What else happened? Oh yeah, as mentioned before, I went to two concerts – Paramore and The 1975 – which I will be telling you about on Friday. Just to give you a little foretaste, Paramore blew me away. Seriously. One of the best concerts I’ve ever attended. But more on Friday. Oh and Fall Out Boy brought out a new single called “Champion” which isn’t just completely amazing, but also basically helped me through all the study sessions and times when I just wanted to burn all of my books and laugh like a crazy evil woman while doing so. So, if you ever loose faith in yourself, I can just recommend that you give this one a listen, it really helps.

.

.

Musicwise, two of my favorite bands released their new albums – the german band Kraftklub and Imagine Dragons. Both albums are absolutely stunning and turned me into a much bigger fan than I was before, so props to them. I can’t wait to see them live. Oh and oh my god, Ed released the new tour dates for his stadium tour next year and guess what? He’s really coming here, to my city, to Vienna. Edward freaking Christopher freaking Sheeran, the musical love of my life, is seriously having a show here. The tickets are going on sale this Saturday and I’m already at the edge of my seat and also nerves. Please guys pray for me that I will get tickets. Because if I don’t I will certainly go and have a crazy sort of breakdown and nobody wants that, right?

.

Hmmmmmm, what else? I think that’s pretty much it. I guess. So, as you can see, quite a lot happened and I’m more than excited to be back. I really really missed you and this blog. It is true, you notice how much you love something/someone the time it’s away. And I really hope you are as happy as I am and that you enjoyed this post. Here’s to more. Oh and I hope you’re all doing well and I wish you an amazing week. And, as always, don’t hesitate to talk to me and thanks for reading. x