Lily Allen – Higher – Pre-Single

March 11, 2018 — Leave a comment
Lily Allen – Higher – Pre-Single
Singer Lily Allen
Album No Shame
Single Higher
Date 8 Jun 2018
Tracklist 14 Songs
Duration 11 Minutes
Download iTD

℗ 2018 Parlophone Records Limited, a Warner Music Group Company with the exception of track 2 (P) 2017 Parlophone Records Limited, a Warner Music Group Comp

Lily Allen
About Lily Allen
With her omnivorous musical tastes and cheeky attitude, London-based pop singer/songwriter Lily Allen made a name for herself almost as soon as she released her demos on the Internet. The daughter of comedian Keith Allen, Lily spent most of her childhood bouncing from one school to another; in fact, she attended 13 different schools between the ages of five and 15. This constant moving meant she didn’t have much of a chance to make lasting friendships, so Allen entertained herself with books and, especially, music: she listened to everything from T. Rex, the Specials, and the Slits to the Happy Mondays and drum’n’bass, and even ran away to see the Glastonbury Festival when she was 14. After she left school a year later, she realized that music was the only career for her. Allen concentrated on her songwriting and singing, developing a style that was equally sweet and bratty; late in 2005, she set up a MySpace page and posted demos of her songs, as both individual tracks and as part of two limited-edition “mixtapes” that also featured tracks by Dizzee Rascal, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Ludacris. The critical acclaim for her work fueled Allen’s publicity, leading to tens of thousands of friends on MySpace, airplay on BBC Radio One, and a record deal with Regal/Parlophone before the end of 2005.
Allen began working on her full-length album with producers such as Greg Kurstin, Mark Ronson (with whom she also collaborated on a cover of the Kaiser Chiefs’ “Oh My God” that appeared on her second mixtape), and Futurecut, and released a limited-edition 7″ of LDN as her debut single in spring 2006. Both LDN and Smile, which followed that summer, were chart successes, with the former reaching number seven on the U.K. chart and the latter hitting number one the week it debuted. Hot on the heels of Smile came Allen’s first full-length, Alright, Still, which she supported with a slew of dates stretching out to the end of the year. Despite the speed of her success, Allen continued to update her MySpace page with amusing blog rants, including one about her June 2006 appearance on Top of the Pops that berated the lead singer of the Kooks for “wearing broken straw hats and dark sunglasses” indoors and Dirty Pretty Things for having “organic sliced bread on the rider.” Allen rang in 2007 with more tour dates, including gigs in Japan, Australia, and the U.S., and the U.S. release of Alright, Still. She also earned nominations for British Breakthrough Act and British Female Solo for that year’s Brit Awards, while “Smile” and Alright, Still were nominated for British Single and British Album, respectively.
Allen spent most of 2007 touring, but also collaborated with Dizzee Rascal on Maths and English’s duet “Wanna Be,” and provided vocals on Basement Jaxx’s Crazy Itch Radio. Allen’s personal life and side projects were nearly as prominent as her music career, with her relationship with Chemical Brother Ed Simons and her subsequent miscarriage making headlines in late 2007 and early 2008. In February 2008, Allen embarked on a talk show on BBC Three, Lily Allen and Friends, which lasted through that April. That month, Allen posted two new demos on her MySpace page, including “GWB,” which was about President George Bush; for her second album, she worked with producer Greg Kurstin of the Bird and the Bee, and co-wrote several songs with him instead of just providing the lyrics. She also worked on songs with Jamie Reynolds of the Klaxons and wrote a song about comedian James Corden for the 2008 Shockwaves Awards. Another new song, “Everyone’s at It,” debuted that fall, and Allen courted controversy again with an unauthorized cover of Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” that December. It’s Not Me, It’s You, which covered topics like drugs, fame, family, and society, arrived early in 2009, preceded by the single “The Fear.” Despite the album’s success, which included platinum certification in the U.K. and a debut at the top of the charts in the U.K., Canada and Australia (and at number five in the U
.S.), in September 2009 Allen did not renew her record contract and took a hiatus from making music.
She remained busy, however, founding her own label In the Name Of (which included Cults on its roster), writing songs for the musical version of Bridget Jones’ Diary, and starting a family with her boyfriend Sam Cooper, whom she married in June 2011. The following year, she announced that she was in the studio working on new music with longtime producer Greg Kurstin; she also sang vocals on P!nk’s 2012 single “True Love,” which was produced by Kurstin. Early in 2013, she gave birth to her second child. By November 2013, she had released a cover of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” for a holiday television commercial by U.K. retailer John Lewis. The single version promptly became her third U.K. number one single. Two subsequent singles, “Hard Out Here” and “Air Balloon,” both reached the British Top Ten as well, and both appeared on her third album, Sheezus, which appeared in early May 2014. 
by Heather Phares

Owl City – New York City – Pre-Single

March 11, 2018 — Leave a comment
Owl City – New York City – Pre-Single
Singer Owl City
Album Cinematic
Single New York City
Date 1 Jun 2018
Tracklist 18 Songs
Duration 1 Hour, 13 Minutes
Download iTD

℗ 2017 Owl City

Owl City
About Owl City

Owl City is the musical brainchild of Adam Young, who launched the project in 2007 while living at his parents’ home in Owatonna, Minnesota. Troubled by insomnia, Young began spending his evenings in the household basement, where a computer and several instruments provided a diversion from his sleeping patterns. He eventually combined those diversions into a blend of electronica and emo-pop, using little more than his computer and various keyboards to record the material. Songs were uploaded to MySpace upon completion, and Young began attracting a surprising amount of attention on the networking site. Of particular note was “Hello Seattle,” a fabricated ode to the Emerald City whose viral popularity earned Young a record contract with Universal Republic.

Ocean Eyes, his first album for the label, was released in 2009, coinciding with the launch of Owl City’s first national tour. While on the road, Young watched as “Fireflies” became one of the year’s most popular singles, eventually topping the charts in several countries (including the U.S.) and selling more than three million copies. A deluxe edition of the album appeared in 2010, featuring seven bonus tracks as well as the original track list, and Universal Records capitalized on the buzz by also reissuing Maybe I’m Dreaming and Of June, both of which had been self-released several years earlier. An Airplane Carried Me to Bed, an album of acoustic pop songs that predated the Owl City project, followed in 2010. Technically a side project, the album was released under a different moniker, Sky Sailing. Young returned to Owl City in 2011 with All Things Bright and Beautiful, his first collection of new material in years. The Midsummer Station followed in 2012. A highly collaborative affair, the album featured production assistance from big-budget producers like Stargate and Robopop as well as cameos from Blink 182’s Matt Hoppus and rising mainstream pop radio star Carly Rae Jepsen. The Midsummer Station — Acoustic EP, which featured unplugged versions of three of that album’s songs plus two previously unreleased tracks, arrived in 2013. That year, Owl City songs appeared on the soundtracks to The Croods, The Smurfs 2 and the VeggieTales Christmas movie Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas. Young also provided the music for Oreo Cookies’ 2013 television commercial “Wonderfilled.” The following year, he covered “Listen To What the Man Said” on the Paul McCartney tribute The Art of McCartney, and released the singles “Beautiful Times” and “Kiss Me Babe, It’s Christmas Time” as well as the Ultraviolet EP. Featuring the Aloe Blacc collaboration “Verge,” Mobile Orchestra appeared in July 2015.

by Andrew Leahey

tyDi & Christopher Tin – Collide

March 11, 2018 — Leave a comment
tyDi & Christopher Tin – Collide
Singer tyDi & Christopher Tin
Album Collide
Single Collide – Album
Date 9 Mar 2018
Tracklist 12 Songs
Duration 1 Hour
Download iTD

℗ 2018 Global Soundsystem Records

About tyDi

Australian DJ, songwriter, and producer tyDi is a conservatory-trained musician whose eclectic trance and house tracks have earned him a globally dominant profile. Born Tyson Illingworth in Mooloolaba, Australia in 1987, tyDi first became drawn to trance and other types of techno in his early teens. Although he played drums while in high school, he eventually procured a set of DJ turntables and by age 16 won first prize at the Brisbane DJ Wars. After high school tyDi relocated to Brisbane, where he earned his Bachelor of Music Technology from Queensland Conservatorium of Music. While at school, tyDi still found time to perform, building a loyal following with his regular appearances at the Brisbane nightclub The Family. In 2008 he maximized this attention by becoming the youngest artist ever to win the InTheMix Top 50 DJs in Australia contest.
After graduating conservatory in 2009, tyDi released his debut album, Look Closer, which rose to the number two slot on the Australian dance chart. Two years later he returned with his sophomore album, Shooting Stars, which hit number one on the dance charts in Australia, Canada, and the U.K. and showcased collaborations with several vocalists including Tania Zygar, Brianna Holan, and Audrey Gallagher. In 2012 he curated the dance mix compilation album Global Soundsystem 2012: California, and the following year he delivered a compilation of his own chillout, non-dance-oriented material, Hotel Room.

In 2014 tyDi released his fourth solo album, Redefined, which showcased a more stylistically varied electronic palette and included vocals from Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba and the Ready Set’s Jordan Witzigreuter. A bevy of non-album singles followed, including 2016’s “Oceans” (with Jack Novak and Greyson Chance) and “Lost” (featuring Asiahn), among others. He delivered yet more singles in 2017, including “Beautiful War” (featuring Lola Rhodes) and “Closing In” (with Christopher Tin and Dia Frampton). 

by Matt Collar

Three Days Grace – Outsider

March 11, 2018 — Leave a comment
Three Days Grace – Outsider
Singer Three Days Grace
Album Outsider
Single Outsider – Album
Date 9 Mar 2018
Tracklist 12 Songs
Duration 39 Minutes
Download iTD

℗ 2018 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment

Three Days Grace
About Three Days Grace

The members of Three Days Grace began bashing punk chords when they were in their teens, carving a derivative yet energetic sound that fueled their live performances. Three Days Grace were formed in Norwood, Ontario, Canada, in 1997 by Adam Gontier (vocals, guitar), Brad Walst (bass), and Neil Sanderson (drums). The group was originally called Groundswell, a five-piece that lasted from 1992 until transforming to a trio five years later. Gontier and Walst were raised in Norwood, and many of their songs were inspired by living in a place with a population of around 1,500. The bandmembers were still in high school when they had their first gig, and they performed anywhere that would accept them — including opening for a movie.

Three Days Grace eventually relocated to Toronto and were introduced to producer Gavin Brown by their old manager. The band gave Brown a private set, and he selected what he felt were the most promising tracks. The group then produced a demo for EMI Music Publishing Canada. With Brown at the helm, Three Days Grace recorded “(I Hate) Everything About You.” The tune got them a publishing deal with EMI, and soon they were signed to Jive after being courted by the company’s president. Brown and Three Days Grace were sent to a studio in Boston, Massachusetts, to start the group’s debut album. The band completed its self-titled full-length in Woodstock, New York, at an isolated location free from big-city distractions. Heavily influenced by Kyuss and Sunny Day Real Estate, the dark, angst-ridden tales of small-town love and hate on Three Days Grace brought the group a Next Big Thing tag.

Three Days Grace was released on July 22, 2003, by which time “(I Hate) Everything About You” was already a hit on alternative radio stations in Canada. The band toured extensively behind the record for the next two years as both a supporting act and headliners, but after a while, life on the road left the band, especially Gontier, feeling isolated and alone. Consequently, this theme of disconnection — coupled with the realization that one was, in fact, not alone — would serve as the basis for their follow-up album. Getting back to their roots by writing the record in the Ontario countryside, One-X was released in June 2006. The album, which hit number five on the Billboard Top 200, marked the recorded debut of the band’s second guitarist, Barry Stock. Three Days Grace supported One-X throughout the summer on dates alongside Staind, Hoobastank, and Nickelback, while “Animal I Have Become” became a number one modern rock hit.

In 2009, the group released its third full-length album, Life Starts Now, which reached number three on Billboard’s album chart. After heading out on tour with bands like Nickelback and Avenged Sevenfold, the band returned to the studio to record its fourth album, the more atmospheric, electronic-tinged Transit of Venus. Again, they charted in the Top Five of the Billboard 200. In early 2013, Gontier left the band, citing a health issue, and was replaced by Brad Walst’s brother, singer Matt Walst of My Darkest Days. After touring and recording with their new singer, two singles, “Painkiller” and “I Am Machine,” were released in 2014 and both reached number one on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart. The band’s fifth album, the darker, loss-inspired Human, followed in the spring of 2015.

by Michael Sutton