September '13 Video Box

1. Arcade Fire - Reflektor



2. Sleigh Bells - Bitter Rivals



3. Franz Ferdinand - Evil Eye



Pick of the month:

A big fan of genres being mixed, and this is ace!

Franco and the Dreadnought feat. James Gill - I want it all

August '13 Video Box

1. MGMT - Your Life is a Lie



2. Maven Fiction - Wishbone Break Up



3. These New Puritans - Organ Eternal



4. Franco and the Dreadnought - Moving Mountains



5. Anna Calvi - Eliza



6. Haim - The Wire



7. Mutya Keisha Siobhan - Flatline



PickS! of the month:

8. Zola Jesus - Fall Back



9. Lady Gaga - Applause

Covering your ass: Franco and the Dreadnought Special

Last year with the artist I work with, we launched a cover competition to create some hype for his first video, Last Man Standing. We got only one entry, which was ace though. A year from that we decided to launch a similar competition again- the fan base had tripled and many collaborations with other musicians were done during the past time. So, I was expecting quite a few covers and remixes this time.

We didn't get as many submissions as we would have wanted, but once again the quality was just amazing. Three covers and a remix, which are completely different from each other, yet fantastic. Great vocals, rhythm ... They're so good that I think I've listened to them more than the original versions!

The winner will be chosen by the public tomorrow evening, so you still got time to go vote for your favorite by just simply liking/commenting on the entry you love most right here. One lucky voter will receive Franco's new EP, and the cover winner on the other hand not only the EP with their name on the art work, but also a brand new Franco shirt and maybe a home gig. There's nothing better than to see him play the acoustic guitar in an intimate setting.

Here are the entries with the original versions.

Where I'm Calling From



Entry # 1 Emily Rose Hutchinson



Entry # 2 Josh Ruding



Love Sweet Home
- I remember when they were recording this at The Animal Farm studio and me and my friend were asked to  do the stomp/clap for the background. It was just a simple stomp/clap, but it was funny to see how we were trying to keep up with the rhythm. So staying in rhythm  for the girl who did the cover is not the hardest thing! It also reminds me of summer camps when we kids did the cup thing.



Entry # 3 Izzy Kennedy



Last Man Standing



Entry # 4 Connor Lepre aka Droid Daughter

April ´13 Music Box

1. She & Him - I Could´ve Been Your Girl

2. Franco and the Dreadnought - Spanish Harlem

3. Oberhofer - Earplugs

4. Oberhofer - You + Me (Still Together In The Future)



5. Oberhofer -Together/Never



6. The National - Don´t Swallow The Cap



7. Florence + The Machine - Over The Love



8. Noah and the Whale feat. Anna Calvi - Heart Of Nowhere

9. Janelle Monáe feat. Erykah Badu - Q.U.E.E.N.

10. Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams - Get Lucky



11. Holm. - Day 211 CocoRosie Lemonade Remix

12. Holm. - Day 201 my cloud tower dreams.

13. Holm. - Day 189 It´s Getting Late.

14. Shelf Nunny - I Feel So Good About Myself

15. Kali Ma feat. Christina Klaproth - Girl You Got

16.Polica feat. Justin Vernon - Tiff

Pick of April.

What were your favorite tunes of April?

March ´13 Music Box

A very James Blake month.

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Under The Earth

Click here for the absolutely rad exclusive preview.

2. Ghost Town DJs - My Boo (Aeropsia Remix)

Chill.



3. Holm. - Day 176 Trying Not To Care

Great beats, great vocals.



4. Kali Ma - Dabbin´ (Demo)

Can't say if the singing is a parody or a cool 80s thing. Correction: while writing this I noticed that the vocals had been taken out.



5. Franco and the Dreadnought - Not Enough

Written with Mercury Prize Nominee Kathryn Williams.



6. Franco and the Dreadnought - Where I'm Calling From

Same as above.



7. James Blake - And Holy Ghost



8. James Blake - Voyeur (Dub)



9. James Blake - Voyeur



10. James Blake - Digital Lion

The best out of all four.



11. Little Boots - Broken Record



12. She & Him - Never Wanted Your Love

I'm tired of being clever, everybody is clever these days.



13. StarWaves - Oblivion OST



14. Austra - Home

It's so great to have Austra back.



15. Mutya Keisha Siobhan - Lay Down In Swimming Pools

And pick of the months goes to... OMG OMG like the most anticipated thing like ever. System OVERLOAD. And it's only a mashup.




What were your favorite tunes of March? Comment below or on Facebook or tweet to @InJallusWords

February ´13 Music Box

The shorter the month, the more songs uploaded. Here are my February favorites.

1. iremembertapes. - I Met You
This new track is a mixture of 80s dance and 90s euro dance, and it actually works. #ElectronicMusicIsKing



2. HAIM - Falling
I already see them in the very top of  every single music site's "Top 2013 Everything".



3. James Blake - Retrograde
Another album to be waiting for...



4. ME - Vampire!! Vampire!!
Damn catchy and the voice of Luke is brilliant. Yes.



5. Alkaline Trio - The Torture Doctor
Hey! Ho!



6. Darwin Deez - You Can't Be My Girl
First I was like "damn VeVo", but then I was like " aa, haha".



7. Crystal Fighters - Separator
An interesting tune from the Londoners. Like they say themselves we like many styles.



8. Iron and Wine - Grace For Saints And Ramblers
One of my favorites getting jazzier every second.



9. Franco and the Dreadnought vs. James Gill - ?
Only now I noticed that this track doesn't have a name, but it doesn't matter, cause it's good.



10. Tree feat. Shelf Nunny & Kirsten Rosenberg - Tully
Great to have Tree back, this song and video is rather dope.



11. Shelf Nunny feat. HOLM - Wave Of Phases
Equally dope as the previous one.



12. Fun. - Why AM I The One
Featuring the band's determined suit case.



13. El Perro Del Mar - I Was A Boy
Simple, but lovely.



14. Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra - The Bed Song
The Bed Song is one of my favorite songs by Amanda Palmer, but you have to watch the video. Pick of the month right here. #tearjerker




What were your favorites of February? You can comment below, on Facebook or tweet to @InJallusWords

Gig night at the Rattlesnake of Angel

February 1st, 2013

North London's Rattle Snake turned out to be a great place to go see unsigned up and coming music acts. When the live music isn't on, it's an even greater place to hear some 60s and 70s feelgood tunes.

The first to take the stage was Franco and the Dreadnought. It was about a year ago that I saw him live for the first time. Back then it was an intimate and relaxing acoustic session, now I got to hear him with the support of beats coming out of a Mac. Honestly, I do prefer the acoustic set, but on the other hand we got to see more of Franco's amazing guitar skills. Seriously, those agile fingers... I just wonder how many hours of practice he has put into it. Also, after many months of interacting through written words, it was truly a breeze of fresh air to speak face-to-face. You know it's been too long, when he tells me that the last time we spoke I had a British accent.

Listen to his music here.

It's no secret that the next act made me think "not another indie folk band", but Lloyd Yates and his crew managed to do something that I hadn't heard a folk act do yet- bring some proper rock into it. It was as refreshing as talking to Franco. By the way Franco loved Lloyd's hair.

Listen to my favorite song of his here and check out the do here.

With the blue lighting, Toby Connor gave us a bit of a chill atmosphere, but luckily his music didn't leave us cold! It reminded me of Live or Silversun Pickups with the 90s rock feeling in it.

Watch the great quality video below, you can even see blurry Franco passing by. In its literal meaning I mean.




Last but not least, the bluesy rock and roll hero JJ Symon. He really had people taking over the dance floor, some even looked like they were at aerobics class. No doubt it was a perfect ending for a lively evening.

Listen to his songs here.

Icing on the cake.

October's Music Box

October has been a month of many many releases, of which some aren't that good actually. Well at least at the moment those particular tunes haven't grown on me yet or the videos are just bad, but as they're coming from bands that I adore(d), they need to be included here.

Bloc Party - Kettling

Probably the best song of their latest album, though the video doesn't impress that much, but I get why they did it if I understood the lyrics correctly.




Feed Me & Crystal Fighters - Love Is All I Got

Crystal Fighters are a pretty decent British band, a great live band as well. I've also been in one of their music videos, unfortunately though not in this super hero London party clip.



The xx - Chained

Indie wonder kids are back. Some think the song and video are boring, but naah at least it's beautifully shot. Slow motion always does the trick.



Bon Iver - Beth/Rest

This could be probably the awful song and awful video. But the tune is actually quite good when you get into it despite the 80s love movie vibe. The video on the other hand..UGH. Just stick with the music Justin...



Franco and the Dreadnought - Platt Fields

There's nothing wrong with promoting the artist I work with, especially when Platt Fields is my favorite tune from him, and everything for a good cause.



M83 - Steve McQueen

I was surprisedd M83 released a new video from his album released a year ago. But yeah it's only been a year and Rihanna for example released like almost every track from her albums. Steve McQueen is a great great song.



Paul Banks - Young Again

It's always a joy to hear Paul's voice and the video is so sympathetic!



fun. - Carry On

Completely fell in love with the band at their Helsinki gig and this is the song they started the show with. Inspiring lyrics!



Crystal Castles - Affection

I end this month's music list with a last minute addition. I end it with the best of the month. All you CC fans were probably like *?* when you heard this, no doubt it sounds like electro r n b, so not them, but still so amazing, which is them.




Which were your favorite songs and videos of the month?

Franco and the Dreadnought - The Platt Fields EP

-You know that guy from Manchester whose song was given to Nelson Mandela as a 90th b-day gift?
- Mean Franco and the Dreadnought?
- Yeah, him alright.
- What about Franco and his guitar?
- Well, he's got his second single out called "Platt Fields", which is an ode to Platt Fields park in Manchester.
- No shit. Is it good?
- I think it's his best tune so far. And you know what else?
- Tell me oh holy new music source.
- The single comes with an acoustic version and two other songs!
- Oh maan sounds like a good deal!
- But that's not even the most awesome thing about it.
- What there's more?
- When you buy The Platt Fields EP on Bandcamp you'll not only be supporting a talented musician, but "Friends of Platt Fields" too!
- Who of what?
- Friends of Platt Fields are a group of hard-working volunteers who maintain the park by keeping it clean, organizing community events, trying to increase the wildlife habitat and so on. ALL PROFIT from the downloads will go to this group!
- Sounds important what they do.
- It is. You can see some of the volunteers as well as Franco's fans in the Platt Fields video produced by local uni students.
- Aah that's so cool that they got to be video stars! Well, I better check the video and buy the EP later.
- Don't wait too long to do that as Franco's goal is to reach £1000 by October 22nd.
- That's already next Monday! Okey I'm going to do it as soon as I get home and spread the word to all my friends on Facebook, Twitter and all the other social media networking sites I'm on.
- Exactly because that's what social media is for!
- And it's a good cause to promote.
- A good cause indeed. And tunes.

Friday Feature: Franco and the Dreadnought

© Janine Simone Photogprahy

Franco (aka John Blaylock) and the Dreadnought (aka DXME Martin Acoustic Guitar) have a chemistry between them that only thousands of hours of ambition-driven practicing and passionate love for music can create. This of course combined with talent of creating memorable melodies and lyrics, the journey to success can begin.

Or actually it has already begun.

Being the former lead singer for Manchester hit band International One, Franco is no stranger to success. Even Desmond Tutu has personally asked for his musical contribution to celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela. The composed song was given to Mandela as a 90th birthday gift.

Last Tuesday Franco and the Dreadnought's video for debut single 'Last Man Standing' was released. For this special occasion you have the chance to win a home gig on his Facebook. Whoever wins, whether it required flying across the ocean or driving to Liverpool, he would do it. The latter option meaning that he's a huge Manchester United fan and umm football rivalry issues...

Anyways, here's the video, which also ManU legend Gary Neville (you know Beckham's BFF) is a fan of. And a free 6 track EP to download.

Franco and the Dreadnought @Nambucca, London

February 13th, 2012

It didn't really feel like the last day at The Farm. Perhaps I was missing beer, but still for 5½ months I always was thinking that the first day was just yesterday.

There's no doubt that I learned a lot during my stay, and I could leave richer with experience and knowledge. Though, some facts I've come to realize has made me think that the music scene is losing hope and musicians can be complete stupidos. However getting results and discovering artists, who could change that way of thinking, made the struggle of just and just not exploding worth while.

I was exhausted of the life in London that I couldn't wait to get back home. However, I will miss the relaxed atmosphere and great bosses and colleagues. I will especially miss the dissing between all of us.

The work day didn't end at 6pm that evening, as I had to head off to see one of our artists, Manchester-based Franco and the Dreadnought performing. Franco (real name John) will also be my thesis subject, when I'll basically be studying social media in a way that we could get him some more recognition and fans. We had quite a good brainstorming session with him and The Farm's American intern, Beth, who just tasted her first Mars bar.

It's good to see that he's one of those musicians, who comes up with good ideas and is very enthusiastic. He's also a good songwriter and guitar player, which I witnessed at the venue. The music was so calming and relaxing, and with the lights dimmed and candles burning, I fell asleep just for a second. In a good way though.

Drinks with him and his girlfriend was a perfect way to getting to know each other better. They're so easy-going and nice people.

Now when I'm reflecting this whole experience, I'm feeling a bit more motivated to do some hard work. But let me watch some Desperate Housewives first.




Ps. Franco is performing at The Purple Turtle in Camden next Thursday at 8.30, so I hope all of my London friends could make it!