Song of the Night

   Now just for a quick post, My song of the night. It comes as no surprise that this song is by The Stone Roses, as this time of night is seemingly my favourite time to listen to them. “Made of Stone” an obvious favourite for many Stone Roses fans, but right now it is seemingly so that the stars have aligned and made this the perfect moment to be listening to this song. Ian Brown’s vocals seem to create a sense of calm for me whilst the music I could listen to for hours on end meaning this song creates the perfect ambiance for tonight.

Enjoy!

@jesskateborden
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Top 5 Covers

   Covers are an essential part of music, being able to relate so closely to the words someone else has written or adapting the music to fit the message you can hear. The cover can go from wanting to give a tribute to an artist you love or to show a different message from a song. So without further introduction here are my Top 5 covers

1) Noel Gallagher – To Be Someone (original by The Jam)

      This is my all time favourite cover, from the emotion in Noels’ voice to the guitar accompaniment. This cover takes a classic song by The Jam and makes it his own and contrasts the original so greatly in sound. Personally I find when listening to The Jams version, the sadness and confusion I can hear in Noel Gallagher’s version is completely lost. The last lines “Did I have a nice time? I can’t remember if I had a nice time” is like a punch to the gut in how lost he sounds.

2) The Courteeners ft Miles Kane – There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (Original by The Smiths)

     This cover clearly is to pay homage to The Smiths, and comes across as them just being happy to be able to perform this song to their fans. From the iconic chorus to the mix up of lines to Liam Fray adding “Manchester” into the lyrics, this song shows how important The Smiths are to so many people and allows fans to play for fans and show who inspires them.

3) Arctic Monkeys- Come Together (Original by The Beatles)

      Performed at the Opening ceremony for the London Olympics in 2012. Arctic Monkeys did The Beatles proud with a stunning tribute which held everyone’s attention captive at this huge ceremony. It allowed for them to show their appreciation for an amazing band whilst showing how good they truly are.

4) Biffy Clyro – Killing In The Name (Original by Rage Against The Machine)

       As an acoustic cover, at first I was unsure as whether this would match up to the high standards of the original. However It really did, this song without the aggression of the loud electric guitars and drums begins to sound much more like pleading with someone rather than yelling. This cover takes the classic protest song to a whole different level.

  5) Kings of Leon – Dancing On My Own (Original by Robyn)

        This cover from the Radio One Live Lounge, rather than the anger and despair that can be heard in the original version of the song. Here it comes across much more as a song about giving up. From the use of the guitars to Caleb Followill’s powerful voice which takes this song to a whole other level. I can listen to this song on repeat without actually getting bored and fed up at all. 

Thanks for reading!

@JessKateBorden
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The Jesus and Mary Chain

      A band that began in 1983, broke up in 1999 and later reformed in 2007, The Jesus and Mary Chain were recently introduced to me by many users of Tumblr and one of my closest friends during one of the many times of just search through her Ipod for more music. Their music from the use of guitars to lead vocals of Jim Reid forms a perfect harmony which can either break your heart or give you hope. Their image in the early days does remind me very strongly of The Cure and even the distinctive lead vocals (not the same as each other but both allow it to be the forefront of the music).

These are the Top 5 songs by The Jesus and Mary Chain, which I have been listening to on repeat and I highly recommend you check out as soon as you possibly can.

  

To start off April skies, with the distinctive voice and guitar starting straight away together this song grabs the attention instantly and the lyrics like in all of their songs work so beautifully with the music in creating the perfect combination.

Darklands, a much slower song than April Skies, seems to create an atmosphere which can truly be appreciated either lying on a bed staring out of a window or dancing around with it at full volume to immerse yourself it the song whole heartedly.

 Just Like Honey from their debut album, is seemingly a classic throughout the discography of The Jesus And Mary Chain and rightly so. With the soothing lyrics and the music which constantly feels like it is building to a point but never gives anything away. A must listen.

Psychocandy, is addictive to listen to, from the drum beat and guitar in the background to the once again addictive quality to Jim Reid’s voice. This song can be played over and over without ever becoming old or boring. It holds a hypnotic power over the listener which seems to send an air of calm around the room it’s being played in.

Snake Driver, a song which I feel I need to listen to at full volume with my headphones in. This song steps away from the creating the perfect image as in Darklands however the combination of the lyrics and music work amazingly to create a harsh much more rock based song.

Any more song recommendations from Jesus and The Mary Chain are always welcome! 

@Jesskateborden
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My Top 5 Albums of 2013

This is a new series I am starting here at Those Three Minute Records, Each week I will do a count down of My Top 5, either songs, Albums, Bands and Gigs, (And Yes this is taking inspiration from the classic film High Fidelity and Jack Black with his Top Five cassette). So today we start with …. My Top 5 Albums of 2013.

Number one:

   To kick off this series and this list it seems only fair to start with an album that was highly anticipated and in high demand, Arctic Monkey’s AM. From start to finish, this album had me hooked from the leading single “R U Mine?” to the smooth melodies of “Mad Sounds”, This album stepped away from what the fans and critics alike expected of Arctic Monkeys and threw at them a whole new sound with Matt Helders Falsetto taking on a whole new level in their songs. This album may have been a huge step away from what everyone expected, but it made sense for the band and worked in a way no one could of imagined. Not to forget Alex Turners’ Lyrics still managing to create imagery in the most poetic way possible.

Number two:

   The Courteeners third, eagerly awaited album Anna, was released in February. With a very strong following of fans, The Courteeners have made a name for themselves with upholding the name of an “Indie Rock Band” this band lived up to their previous albums and more so. Having hit singles such as “Van Der Graaff” and most recently “Are You In Love With A Notion” gave a good overall feel of the album whilst still allowing the mystery of amazing songs such as “When You Want Something You Can’t Have” and “Money” to be maintained. The Lyrics and music worked in a harmony that can be found in their previous albums and is not uncommon for this Manchester bred band. Also if the chance occurs a must see live.

Number three:
   Now number three holds a special place in my heart, as during 2013 my favourite band from when I was 14 reformed…Fall Out Boy. This news came as a surprise and inflicted all of their old albums on my then flatmates. Save Rock and Roll, having collaborations with people from Courtney Love to Elton John, showed the true versatility of Fall Out Boy. This album acts as a whole new dose of nostalgia for me and makes me once again feel like the 14 year old girl dancing round her room. As a personal favourites “Young Volcanoes” and “Where did the Party Go” for holding on to the traditional vibe of Fall Out Boy that I knew and loved whilst also clearly growing up and developing their sound from the side projects since the hiatus in 2009.

Number four:

   The 1975 both artist and album title, attracted critical acclaim from all over during 2013 from their EP to the release of their album, this band held to their style of music and backed this up with their lyrics. From their singles “Chocolate” and “Girls” to “Falling For You” this band seems to be able to hold your attention to each syllable spoken and each note played. I am eagerly awaiting to hear what else this band has in store for us and hopefully get to see how they are live in the near future.

Number five:

   Last but definitely not least, Opposites by Biffy Clyro. The double album from the Scottish triple act, was not a disappointment. As a concept album, showing the complete opposite on each disc, seeing the positive and seeing the negative. This album truly showed the ability of Biffy Clyro to showcase the big ideas. The first song shown from this album “Stingin Belle” gave the fans exactly what they wanted after a long wait and then with the release of their first single “Black Chandelier” showed exactly what they had been doing with their time. This album shows outlooks on life and has become a must have album for me, personally. If at any point in the future there is a chance for you to see them live it is definitely highly recommended.


@jesskateborden
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My 2013 in Gigs

With Reflection being a necessary part of our culture at the beginning of each New Year, here
goes my reflection on 2013 in Gigs
To begin with my year in gigs included:
Biffy Clyro,
Bruce Springsteen,
The Courteeners
Liam Fray
Paramore
Johnny Marr
Beady Eye
Miles Kane

   These are the eight gigs that I managed to get to this year, sadly not many more. However these where some of the most amazing nights of the year from hearing Machines by Biffy Clyro to The River and Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen. The atmosphere was nothing short of cinematic. As I had never really listened to The Courteeners before this summer (I know, how I had missed them for this long is ridiculous) Seeing them in Liverpool did truly cement them as one of my favourite bands, the atmosphere and control they held over the audience was incredible, This kind of stage presence was then continued by Liam Fray in September at his acoustic show where he played the B-sides with just the accompaniment of his guitars and a piano. Paramore, once again engaged with the crowd and showed many critics that they were still a band, ignoring all of the rumors and gossip, performing a range of old hits and new records, it gave all ranges of the Paramore fan base, exactly what they where there for.

   Johnny Marr and Beady Eye, both holding a special place in the heart of Manchester, both did not disappoint from the unbelievable performance and combination of Marrs’ most recent record “The Messenger” and  his classics from The Smiths with a cover of I fought the Law made his homecoming show an immense occasion and showed why he truly is hailed as one of the greatest guitarists and musicians of his generation.  Then came  Beady Eye, A performance that showed that Liam Gallagher is still an amazing front man, with a power to control the crowd without even moving. This night was taken to a whole other level with the appearance of Bonehead and the performance of Live Forever, and then with the Beady Eye performance of Cigarettes & Alcohol, Oasis fans could also deem this night a complete success. And then for the final song, a cover of Gimme Shelter. An incredible cover and perfect end to the show.

   To Finish this incredible year of Gigs, Miles Kane in Eric’s. This homecoming show could easily be counted as one of the best gigs I have been to so far. The small venue and the ever growing and improving stage presence of Miles Kane, along with the pure excitement in the atmosphere of the crowd, saw all songs sang along with as loudly as possible. With songs such as Rearrange, Darkness In Our Hearts and Come Closer already classics in his collection, the cover of Sympathy For The Devil was the perfect mix of music for the closing show of his homecoming stint in Eric’s. Three gigs in 24 hours, showed the fans exactly how important this was to him and ended a brilliant year of gigs.