In at number 18 is Travis Scott with ASTROWORLD. Outside of the hype that Travis received in the build up to ASTROWORLD's release, heavy hitters from his previous few records like "Apple Pie", "Antidote", "goosebumps (feat. Kendrick Lamar)", etc, had me buzzing for this release more than any of the murmurs of the internet.

I still remember when I first listened to this album on my way into work - it's a long commute. By the time I got to work I wanted to talk to everyone about this album. There were a few tracks that fell away from my mind fairly quickly but given the sheer length of this album that's no surprise at all. After a few more listens even the least memorable tracks had pockets that caught my attention, like the piano portion of "NC-17" around the 1:10 mark or the smooth guitar running throughout "WAKE UP".

I love an album with lots of collaborators because often this is where you build the most well-rounded and diverse material. When I found out that Tame Impala handled the instrumental on "SKELETONS", and Stevie Wonder lent his hand with the harmonica section on "STOP TRYING TO BE GOD" followed by James Blake's brilliant and moody close - I couldn't help but smile. This album definitely isn't short of very talented cooks in the kitchen. My favourite tracks at the moment are "STARGAZING" "NO BYSTANDERS" "YOSEMITE" and "STOP TRYING TO BE GOD" but these have changed quite a few times since first listen. From top to bottom the mix on this album is quality and the transitions on songs like "STARGAZING" and "SICKO MODE" are so, so clean.

After Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight in 2016 this latest offering shows off a lot more of Travis' creativity and innovation. Not merely because of the heaps of new influences and samples on it but also because of the ease of his flow and creative wordplay. I'm actually not sure whether Travis will be able to top this with his next record but if that comes around and it's just as good as this, you won't be hearing any complaints from me.

Check out what filled up the number 18 spot last year here.

It seems like just yesterday I was writing about the "BBC Sound of 2014" list and if that list is anything to go by then I have no doubts that we'll be seeing each and every one of the contenders on this list in the coming years.

This is the first longlist in years where I haven't actually listened to at least half of the artists so I wanted to use this as a time to do some research and give my opinion on them as soon as they come to mind.

AJ TRACEY
I was not ready for this! Before searching him on YouTube I was sure that I was going to see a female rapper/singer and so when "Buster Cannon" was the first thing to pop up I was pretty surprised. The song is definitely a banger, the video's very creative and I appreciate the Dragonball Z reference - in short, in less than 4 minutes, AJ Tracey has secured a new fan.

ANDERSON .PAAK A personal favourite of mine. I've had eyes on Anderson for a while and so it's very nice to see him finally coming into the limelight especially over here on British shores. He's definitely a unique and noticeable voice in a genre that's becoming rapidly more saturated. Be it on features, solo material, production or even as part of NxWorries, Paak stands apart. I expect big things...

CABBAGE
I've been seeing this band everywhere over the past few months, they've obviously been extremely busy. The more and more I saw them, I kept telling myself to check them out; to see what they're about, but we all know about procrastination. I guess there's no time like the present. After the first listen I can imagine they'd be great to see live - I haven't heard a band so brazen and British since maybe Palma Violets and this might be a level up...




DAVE
Like most, I'd only heard of Dave because Drake went ahead and remixed his hit song "Wanna Know" and of late I have to say I've been very disappointed with Drake's efforts but I at least have to applaud him for drawing attention to some lesser known names through his own music. Dave is great for now but I'd be interested to see if he has the longevity to still be around and relevant 3 years from now.




DECLAN MCKENNA
I'm actually pretty ashamed that I'm only hearing about Declan through BBC - very poor on my part. After listening to "Isombard", I feel like this might be some of my favourite indie music to come out of the UK in the past couple years. I'm almost as excited as I was when I discovered Jamie T. As well as Declan sounding familiar, he doesn't sound copy-cat or too generic.

I don't think I've ever done so many "Music News" posts in the space of two months before, this year is insanely music busy.Check out some things you might have missed these past few days...

BILLY TALENT NEW MUSIC VIDEO "KINGDOM OF ZOD"
Well I knew that Billy Talent were releasing a new album called Hits but I stupidly just assumed it would be a compilation album of their greatest hits. I was wrong. This track is a banger! I am buzzing to hear the other new track "Chasing The Sun" on this album. Have a listen to "Kingdom Of Zod" here.


ALT-J NEW MUSIC VIDEO "LEFT HAND FREE"
Honestly, I was disappointed with Alt-J's sophomore album and thought it was a little bit boring but this was one of my favourites in the end. As always, Alt-J have a cool video to match the single that you just know you'll be seeing and hearing for a while to come. Have a watch here.


ROYAL BLOOD COVER PHARRELL'S "HAPPY"
When I saw this pop up on my Facebook news feed I was a bit shocked if I'm honest. This is probably the last song I would've imagined them covering but in keeping with Royal Blood style, they smash it. They really make the song sound like they wrote it - here.


SAM SMITH NEW SINGLE "LIKE I CAN"
After his ridiculously huge debut record In The Lonely Hour Sam is still going. Another fabulously sung single by himself here and all these tour dates he's been doing - the world won't be forgetting about Sam Smith any time soon.


AZEALIA BANKS NEW SINGLE "CHASING TIME"
Speaking of debut records, Azealia Banks has just announced the release of hers - Broke With Expensive Taste and here is an upcoming single from it. It's safe to say that I've missed having Azealia's music in my life. This sounds very UK, but it's definitely a radio hit.


FOO FIGHTERS STREAM ENTIRE SONIC HIGHWAYS ALBUM
The build up to Foo Fighters' eighth album Sonic Highways has been thoroughly entertaining to say the least but the time is finally here! Stream the full album here. I had a listen to it earlier and already love "Outside" and "In The Clear". Great album in my opinion.


NICKI MINAJ LYRIC VIDEO "ONLY"
I've been hearing a lot about this single recently and finally decided to check it out and see what all the commotion was about. Still don't understand all of the chatter but I like the single anyway. Packed with bass and rhymes. Listen to Nicki Minaj's single featuring Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown here.


BAD SIGN NEW LYRIC VIDEO "FATHER"
After seeing them support Arcane Roots last week (review to come soon), I've been keeping an eye out for news about Bad Sign's debut EP and anything to do with more shows. Earlier this week, they released this sweet new single here.


LITTLE DRAGON NEW MUSIC VIDEO "UNDERBART"
A band that I've actually had an eye for ages now, always giving me something new and interesting to enjoy. I really liked this album - Nabuma Rubberband - and Little Dragon released all of the singles that I wanted them to, this being one of them. Have a listen here.


KENDRICK LAMAR NEW MUSIC VIDEO "i"
Apparently a lot of people aren't pleased with this new video/single but I can't see why. Kendrick will always be a great rapper in my opinion. This song still shows that and as far as the video goes, I'd say it's pretty damn cool. Check it out here.


JAWS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "SWIM"
Brummy boys JAWS have released the music video to their latest single "Swim" for the debut record Be Slowly. The lads are a huge sensation here in Birmingham and it's definitely understandable. This is a cool song and the video is okay too! See for yourself here.


TRAMPOLENE NEW SINGLE "NEWCASTLE BROWN LOVE SONG"
I haven't heard much from these boys in terms of digital music since their single "You Do Nothing For Me" and so it's good to hear something new from them amidst their few London gig appearances. Especially when they're giving you their music for free here. Still waiting for a debut record though.

On Thursday (23/10/14), I went to The Institute, Birmingham to finally go and check out this "Nick Mulvey" I'd been hearing so much about. Before going I'd only actually heard one song of his - "Cucurucu" and I still remember the exact moment I heard it on the radio. I'm glad it stuck with me because it sounded amazing live. First, let me start off with his support act...

Sivu - another name I'd heard bopping around the interwebs of late. So much so, that once he said his name I immediately knew how it'd be spelt. Either way, this piqued my attention. It was unfortunate that he was doing the show without a band; merely accompanied by a pianist. I feel like his live performance would've benefited hugely from a band but hey-ho. He started off with his song "Sleep" and as he went on, I do remember thinking that his sound was a little too mellow for me to enjoy for a whole set. He had a nice voice but nothing about it seemed to stand out as unique, which ultimately made it seem a bit boring. However, there were some strong points and he came a across as a genuinely nice guy. Good connection with the audience and a strong finish with his song "Better Man Than He". I just don't think I enjoyed it enough to pay money for his music. Maybe his debut album - Something On High - can convince me on spotify.

Then Nick Mulvey stepped on stage and there was a clear definition of levels. I can't remember the last time that it was so evident who the main act was. The first thing I noticed about Nick was that he is an amazing guitarist! But then he started singing and I wasn't looking at his hands anymore. His voice is mesmerising. I don't really want to compare him to Ben Howard but his voice has the same impact. Great stage presence, and I was almost immediately drawn in by his bass/double bass player. Every time he came in on a song it was magical. Even when the band stepped off stage to let Nick perform some solo acoustic tracks, the mood of the room didn't dampen and neither did the quality of music. Some how, even in a reasonably big venue the show felt extremely intimate from beginning to end. If I knew more of his songs prior to the show I feel like I would've been completely in my element.

During the encore he performed a cover of Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home" which was actually really nice. As many covers of that song as the world has already heard, this still managed to sound a little bit fresh and did bring a smile to my face. All in all, I would have to say that Nick Mulvey certainly gained a fan after this night. Have a listen to his debut album First Mind if you get the chance - you will not regret it.

Overall Rating - 7/10


Here are some pictures from the night...

Now that my deadlines are pretty much behind me, I thought it time I get back to the music world! Well in fact, I've been pretty involved in the music world these past weeks (expect 4 gig reviews and quite a few more things coming your way), but I thought I'd just catch you up on what I've come across these past couple weeks...

TONIGHT ALIVE NEW MUSIC VIDEO "THE EDGE"
It's official, Tonight Alive are my favourite female fronted pop punk band right now by a mile (sorry Paramore). I've been overplaying their more recent album The Other Side a lot more lately and now this single has made me love them even more. I'm also pretty excited for the new Spiderman Movie which this features in - win:win! Watch and listen here.


CITIZEN NEW UNOFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO "THE SUMMER"
A pop punk band that I was introduced to late last year and will hopefully be seeing on their upcoming tour later this year. Citizen have actually really blown up recently, once I was introduced to these guys last year, everyone seemed to know who they were! Either way, I love this song and even though the video is unofficial it's cool - check it out here.


GARDEN HEART LIVE SESSION "CURE"
I actually spoke about Garden Heart after seeing them live at the Wayward Daughter EP launch last year here and have been looking out for their movements ever since. They've posted a few cool covers and some snippets of things coming up, but this is the best thing they've put up so far in my opinion - really brilliant. Click here to listen.


WOLF ALICE NEW SINGLE "MOANING LISA SMILE"
The first thing that made me think I'd like this song was the title. Whilst being witty, Wolf Alice also always put out awesome tunes and I look forward to hearing this as part of their next EP Creature Songs. Another band that I'd love to see on their tour later this year. Have a listen to the track here.


LAYLA NEW SINGLE "SMOKESTACKS"
SPOILER ALERT: One of the gig reviews coming up this week is for Bipolar Sunshine. Layla actually supported this gig in Birmingham and being my first ever impression of her, she really caught my attention! I'm absolutely loving this new single of her's which she performed - here.


FESTIVAL MADNESS
I've always known that there are a lot of festivals that happen in England but I have severely underestimated just how many. Moving to Birmingham has definitely opened my eyes to a lot more in the music industry. T in the Park have just announced some acts for their weekend and of course Glastonbury. However, here are some smaller Brummy and London festivals to look out for this summer: Birmingham & Beyond, MADE, Revitalised and One Beat Weekender.


JAMIE XX NEW SINGLE "SLEEP SOUND"
Just in time for the Glasto line-up announcement which he features on. I'm sure that every festival goer that will get to see him, is excited to hear this live. I could never really decide whether I liked Jamie xx's solo material or his remixes more, but this song might just tip the scale.


DRAKE'S REPLY TO JAY Z IN "DRAFT DAY"
Now I haven't really been paying too much attention to this whole rap industry beef between what seems to be the whole world and Drake but apparently Jay Z has said something offensive about Drake in a rap and so this is his response to that. If you are following this whole drama here is the reply. If you aren't following it, here's an enjoyable rap song sampling Lauryn Hill.


Check out the music news that you might have missed a few weeks ago here. This obviously isn't everything that has happened over the past couple of weeks so do keep an eye out for whatever else may pop out. Whilst you're supporting music - feel free to follow and support this Rock spotify playlist for a UK-wide university society competition, here.