Jimmy Franco

My crush on A$AP Rocky has returned with almighty force after watching this video. And after a few skeptical first plays, I can say that I do like the song; the mish mash of sound effects in the background is actually quite schnazzy. But I guess I'm a little biased seen as everytime I hear it I imagine A$AP Rocky looking terribly handsome in his shades.

Forget Your Balls And Grow A Pair Of Tits

YES THEN LILY ALLEN. Thankyou for absolutely taking the piss out of the commercial music industry and standing up for feminism in a brilliantly funny way all while giving us a superb pop song at the same time. HALLELUJAH.

FKA Twigs

I am completely captivated with with the artistry of FKA twigs right now, her visuals just as much as her audio. It appears the two are a vital partnership in the London-based artist's work; both are unique, completely mesmerising and unparalleled by any artist in the vast industry that is the music business. FKA twigs acts as some sort of hypnotist to her audience, with the the audiovisual pulling the viewer into the world it has created and not ceasing to let go until the last millisecond of the song.

Papi Pacify stirs together the heavenly voice of twigs with the strumming of unconventional notes. The song really pulls you in when an intriguing melange of brassy tones and roiling beats explode in the chorus.

Water Me again juxtaposes the tenderness of the vocals with an oppressive undertone that just reels you in to see what unexpected path the music will find next. Although there still remains that otherworldly thread that is sewn through all of her work.

EP2, her debut release with Young Turks (home to Jamie xx, SBTRKT and Chairlift) and her second EP, features four songs (How's That, Papi Pacify, Water Me, Ultraviolet) as well as collaborating with producer Arca. Again, I'm completely mesmerized.

Leave It All In The Rearview

Objects In The Mirror Mac Miller

So obsessed with this. Displaying an endearing vocal over a gorgeous instrumental produced by Pharrell (who else could create such a delectable blend of harmonies?) I could easily listen to this all day. Aside from the wonderfulness of the music, there is also some wise lyrics in there too. Mac uses the imagery of a girl to personify the overcoming of a personal addiction.

"People love you when they on your mind. A thought is love's currency."

P.s. Totes obsessed with his Most Dope Family episodes too.

Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film

Ah, this is grand. Jay Z's video for Picasso Baby, the second track from MCHG, shows the biggest rapper alive performing to a room full of artists from all corners; musicians, actors, dancers, artists, performers. "What do you do with that energy? You know, so today it's kind of an exchange. You have somebody to drop it back off." It evokes such a sense of unity between these people that, although completely different in many aspects, all live to create art. "We are artists. We are alike. We are cousins. That's what is exciting for me, bringing the worlds back together." It's so interesting watching the various reactions people have. I love it so much.

P.s. Did you spot Adam Driver, the guy who plays my favourite character in Girls?
P.p.s When is Girls returning? I'm having withdrawals.

Said I Had A Dirty Mouth

I'm sorry, I thought I could stop myself but my inner fangirl is screaming "TELL THE WORLD" right now. I'm pretty sure most of you will have already seen this video if you love One Direction (and if you don't, I don't know what kind of sick world you're living in) but I'm going to post it anyway and we can all get our obsession on.

Firstly, is it just me or are all of them pretty nifty actors? Like when did this happen? Louis and Niall are the perfect double act in those fat suits behind their desks and Liam aka Leeroy proves he's a triple threat with those camp-tastic moves. I admit that Harry is my favourite and always has been so naturally I love his geeky character of Marcel just as much (too much)...aww how cut is it when he fumbles in with his equipment. But obviously all of the characters are hilarious, particularly Zayn as a girl (he's even prettier than half of the female population!). Finally, the dance sequence with all of the boys makes me way happier than necessary.

I would say 1D are my guilty pleasure but, let's be honest, there isn't anything guilty about it. I can't imagine how anyone is going to cope with the 90 minute film This Is Us. I'll probably see it twenty times.

p.s. James Corden and Ben Winston, you geniuses.

Like Water

Video to 'Like Water', the first track from the Pro Era mixtape 'The Aprocalypse'. The tribute to the late Capital Steez is so beautifully conveyed. Rest in peace.

IFHY

I like this video. A lot. Directed himself, or rather by 'Wolf Haley', IFHY shows the creative direction from Tyler the Creator is far superior to many of his peers who seem to solely focus on flashy cars, wads of cash and big booty bitches in their videos. Taking the romanticism and innocence that lies within the bubble of a doll house, the Odd Future rapper twists the fairytale connotations with his creepily accurate plasticised face and stiff movements to produce a disturbingly endearing video. One thing is for sure, it's a technical marvel for those of us who can only just about fathom the zoom on a video camera.

Not Giving In

ED Sheeran dubbed this video as 'one of the best music videos of the year' and I couldn't agree more. Following two brothers through the rough streets of Manila, Philippines, the video is apparently based on world champion breakdancer Mouse and his older brother; he makes it and his brother gets engulfed by drugs and gun crime. I don't think that I would like the song half as much if it wasn't for the video. It has the feel good aspects of the vibrant bassline but also the powerful aspects of the darker times the brothers face. The scene where the older broter is shot and the camera pans around him in slow motion in contrast to his brother in the same position but in completely different contexts is beautiful.

Written and Directed by Josh Cole < major props to this guy.
 

Hope any New Yorkers are safe after the hurricane! The images are crazy.

Pyramid Video

Perfection. Frank Ocean has created the most perfect imagery to match the wonderful song that is Pyramid. BOOM.

Oh! Guess who likes French again? I had been feeling like I hit a brick wall with French recently but I've decided that I'm going to be alrighty, it was just a bit of a shock going from AS to A2. Especially when there's a fair few people in the year above who are practically natives. I have a feeling the return of the French assistant Richard may have something to do with my sudden enthusiasm though. Babe.

Lana Del Rey: National Anthem Video (ft. A$AP Rocky)

Lana Del Rey's latest video for her single National Anthem is, according to A$AP Rocky, "some cool trippy shit, some real 2015 shit".

Proceeding the famous moment in which Lana imitates Marilyn Monroe singing for the president's birthday, the instagram-style video begins in unison with the song and both Lana and A$AP Rocky depict the perfect, presidential American lifestyle of JFK and his wife. This unblemished portrayal heightens the doomed fate at the end of the video as a gunshot sounds and the underlying message of the song comes to it's climax. The lingering shot of a tattoo reading "trust no-one" is quite significant to the story of JFK, considering how Marilyn was his lover and this video comes from the perspective of his wife. The audible voice of Lana is then carried out with an instrumental that is so emotionally burdened and powerful. It's just a perfect seven minute forty piece of cinema that represents the song beautifully.

For me, I find that this video captures the meaning of the lyrics perfectly, which I never quite understood as clearly without the visuals. It also brings into light such a monumental moment in history (JFK's assassination) that maybe the 'newer generation' hadn't known about prior to this.

p.s. Am I the only one who finds A$AP Rocky quite attractive with this powerful and polished demeanour?

Frank On A Friday

Frank Ocean released this trailer via his tumblr today. With no caption, it's unclear whether 'Channel Orange' is an album release that follows up Nostalgia, Ultra or if a different project is in the works. However, upon hearing just one minute and forty-five seconds of the previewed song in this video, I am darn excited.


Frank often posts material that he is working on through the blogging site; I found myself in a pensive manner when I'd read some of his poetic, thought-provoking lyrics such as the excerpt below about a 'lone wolf'. It's actually quite powerful.

travel far lone wolf
live long lone wolf

when it’s cold, make a pact 

with the wind lone wolf 

not a pack lone wolf

we see your shadow lone wolf

we know the way you love it

the darkness stays lone wolf

don’t call or cry for it

howl for the light lone wolf

survive the night lone wolf

Frank also shared this a capella version of a song entitled Summer Remains last month with the caption 'just at home fuckin around, no judging'. After posting the ever-captivating lyrics, it's apparent that, as well as having such a naturally powerful and buttery voice, this artist also has a strong talent for writing songs.Plus, he can play the piano. What's not to love?

Let's All Go On An Urban Safari

Immense. The menacing string riff, the pressurised drum and bass rhythm, the fascinatingly honest lyrics, all the elements of this track from Ben Drew (AKA Plan B) convey his, as well as many other people's, strong feelings towards stereotypical views and misconceptions of certain social groups.

     Ill Manors

     Plan B

As shown in the video, the London riots that broke out last August sparked a flame in the rapper's mind to write a song that not only questioned why the violence erupted but also represented the group of young people that had been portrayed badly in the media, often referred to as chavs. Stating that the aim wasn't to condone the behaviour of rioters, Plan B has used his position in music to make people aware of the hypocrisy and derogatory views that some have towards the less fortunate.

Here a few quotes from Plan B's interview with Mista Jam in which he expresses a real understanding for the subject of the song:

"We are all, in the simplest form, animals and when we are backed into a corner we lash out."

"I wanna know why it happened and how we're going to prevent it from happening again."

" I wrote it for the forgotten kids of society that no-one represents"

As opposed to running away from the delicate subject of the song, Plan B has delved right into attacking the subject head on. He has literally said a massive fuck you to society. So take that world.

♥mollie

Never Let Me Go

Latest video from Florence and the Machine for Never Let Me Go.

I love the haunting effect that it has, especially with lines 'arms of the ocean' and 'sinner like me' being sung beautifully on top. The chimes in the song combine perfectly with the misty scene that is created on the ice rink. Florence just has a wonderful way of writing gothic lyrics but manages to use delicate instruments behind the words and the two work perfectly together.
Have a listen to the track from the album Ceremonials:

Also, if you love Florence's way of creating imagery, melodies and just gorgeous artistry in general as much as i do then i'm sure you would love to watch the behind the scenes video.

♥mollie

Seize The Day

"Seize The Day" was the caption that accompanied this video on the twitter page of Ellie Goulding a few days ago. It was the perfect message to go with this very empowering video that just makes you want to do everything and say everything that you have not yet managed to.

      Once And For All

        Clock Opera

♥mollie

We Found Love

"It's like you're screaming but no one can hear. You almost feel ashamed that someone could be that important, that without them, you feel like nothing. No one will ever understand how much it hurts. You feel hopeless, like nothing can save you. And when it's over and it's gone, you almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back so you can have the good."

      We Found Love // Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris

It is not actually possible to love a video more than i love this one. I mean, i thought Only Girl In The World was amazing but Rihanna's latest video exceeds all expectations. The raw emotions portrayed in this film suit the lyrics perfectly; i adore the fast paced movement of the imagery which incorporates a range of issues such as drug abuse, sex and heartbreak. The old-school grunge styling and dark tone to the film complement each other and Rihanna embraces her look to the full, i now have an urge to rip my tights and pair them with an oversized denim shirt and a tattoo. She is the perfect badass...not to mention her co-star Dudley O'Shaughnessy is haaawwt. I shall leave this post revelling in the immense-ness of the creativity Rihanna and her team have yet again produced to the highest standard, enveloping the audience in a different world.

When I Was A Youngster

When I Was A Youngster // Rizzle Kicks

Umm, loving the latest track from my favourite two hot tomales, Jordan and Harley of Rizzle Kicks. Great melody and relatable lyrics instead of the usual song about love and shiz, it actually has a proper meaning presented in a fun way. LOVE IT!

Mollie xo