Nice to hear from Alex Clare again!
Tag: Alex Clare
Watch: Alex Clare ‘War Rages On’
I’ve followed Alex Clare right from the beginning. Now he’s back with a sound as massive and impressive as I could have predicted.
First Listen: Alex Clare ‘Where Is The Heart’
Alex Clare is one of those stories that makes me happy. So much talent and completely unrecognised, right up until this ad came out and turned him from a quiet star into someone amassing over 300k likes on Facebook.
BRIT Awards 2013 nominations announced
The BRIT Award nominations have been announced for 2013, and are as follows. I usually highlight who I think will win every year but I really couldn’t guess this year, so here’s the list- you decide! The winners are announced at the O2 Arena in London on February 20th.
Mastercard British Album Of The Year
- Emeli Sande – ‘Our Version Of Events’
- Mumford & Sons – ‘Babel’
- Alt-J – ‘An Awesome Wave’
- Plan B – ‘iLL Manors’
- Paloma Faith – ‘Fall To Grace’
Best British Single with Capital FM
- Adele – ‘Skyfall’
- Alex Clare – ‘Too Close’
- Coldplay & Rihanna – ‘Princess of China’
- DJ Fresh feat. Rita Ora – ‘Hot Right Now’
- Emeli Sande – ‘Next To Me’
- Florence & The Machine – ‘Spectrum’
- James Arthur – ‘Impossible’
- Jessie J – ‘Domino’
- Labrinth Feat. Emeli Sandé – ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’
- Olly Murs feat. Flo Rida ‘Troublemaker’
- Rita Ora feat. Tinie Tempah – ‘R.I.P.’
- Rizzle Kicks – ‘Mama Do The Hump’
- Robbie Williams – ‘Candy’
- Rudimental Feat. John Newman – ‘Feel The Love’
- Stooshe – ‘Black Heart’
Best Live Act
- Coldplay
- Muse
- The Rolling Stones
- The Vaccines
- Mumford & Sons
British Male Solo Artist
- Calvin Harris
- Olly Murs
- Ben Howard
- Richard Hawley
- Plan B
British Female Solo Artist
- Bat For Lashes
- Amy Winehouse
- Emeli Sande
- Paloma Faith
- Jessie Ware
British Group
- One Direction
- Alt-J
- Muse
- Mumford & Sons
British Breakthrough
- Jessie Ware
- Jake Bugg
- Rita Ora
- Ben Howard
- Alt-J
International Group
- Alabama Shakes
- Fun.
- The Script
- The Killers
- The Black Keys
International Male Solo Artist
- Bruce Springsteen
- Michael Buble
- Frank Ocean
- Gotye
- Jack White
International Female Solo Artist
- Taylor Swift
- Rihanna
- Alicia Keys
- Cat Power
- Lana Del Rey
British Producer Of The Year
- Damon Albarn
- Jake Gosling
- Paul Epworth
Critics Choice
- Tom Odell
Special Recognition Award
- War Child
First Listen: Rudimental feat Alex Clare ‘Not Giving In’
So another week begins, and there’s nothing more motivating to start the day than with an epic bit of noise by Rudimental and Alfitude favourite, Alex Clare. Happy Monday.
2011’s Random List
So everyone’s doing their lists for 2011. They’re fun to read but a nightmare to compile, so I thought I’d shake it up a bit with my list by using some really rather pointless categories.
2011’s Most Painfully Cool
Woodkid – This is one of those ‘hidden loves’ I have who I don’t really blog about because I want to enjoy for myself. Kinda selfish it sounds but it’s only because if I do blog about them I just won’t stop… Friendly Fires being an example. Anyway, anything Woodkid touches turns to gold.
2011’s Best Second Album
Friendly Fires – Pala. Second albums are so hard to get right but Friendly Fires had no trouble coming back with a piece of genius.
2011’s Best Album To Fall In Love To
Patrick Wolf – Lupercalia. Patrick Wolf has one of the most devoted set of followers for any musician that I know in the UK. I have a few records of his, but this is by far the standout album that he’s produced to date. Just because the story behind it is so simple- he fell in love. And the songs that feature are a pure joy to listen to.
2011’s Most Underrated Album
Alex Clare – Lateness Of The Hour. Produced by Diplo and mixing some really heart-stopping beats with a raw voice and big lyrics, it’s just stunning from start to finish. I really hope it picks up in 2012 because this record is just too good to not be heard.
2011’s Most Bittersweet Album
Amy Winehouse – Lionness. You may know that I am a huge fan of the late Winehouse. So when this was released last month I was stunned at how some of the songs which had already been released sounded so different when arranged the way Winehouse actually wanted. It’s a beautiful record, but I really hope her estate releases more.
2011’s Most Addictive Track
M83 – Midnight City. This track makes you feel like a kid running around in the dark pretending to be a space hero or something. It’s amazing.
2011’s Biggest Disappointment
Ed Sheeran – ‘+’
2011’s Most Anticipated Debut
Penguin Prison – Penguin Prison. This chap’s been causing a stir on the blogs for a couple of years now and his debut album came out a few months back. Most of the songs have already been out, but there’s something about hearing them in full set that makes the ears very satisfied.
2011’s Most Welcome Return
Man Like Me. One of my favourite bands by a mile, purely because of the genius behind their sillyness, Man Like Me released some new material this year that got me a bit excited.
2011’s Most Interesting Lyric To Come Out Of A Rap
Childish Gambino – Freaks & Geeks: “An elephant never forgets, so my dick remembers everything”.
Alex Clare covers some Etta James
And boy does he do it well. Alex Clare is by far the stand-out male soloist to have emerged in this year- and although he hasn’t hit the mainstream yet, I’m so sure there will be a time when he is massive.
First Watch: Alex Clare ‘Treading Water’
Aside from the sick beat and amazing video, I’m seriously envious of Alex Clare’s beard. Album’s finally out 11th July.
Live: Alex Clare & Oh Land at XOYO London
After the first time seeing Alex Clare live I knew I wanted to see him again. As it happened he was supporting Oh Land tonight at XOYO in ubercool Shoreditch. He didn’t disappoint, got me jumping around a little bit. I can’t wait for his album to drop!
Oh Land came on with a huge headdress made from feathers. She too was amazing, and clearly had a big crowd of devoted followers. One of the best shows I’ve seen this year (despite bumping into an ex of mine inside). All I can say about her music is it’s kinda like The Knife, but with a bit of heart. The Danish invasion continues. Oh, and Boy George was hiding in the crowd! Few more pics on my Flickr.
Live: Alex Clare at The Lexington
One of my favourite new artists of recent months, Alex Clare played The Lexington tonight in London and was really good. Championed by Diplo, every song played tonight was crafted with precision and Clare’s rough, soulful voice gives it an edge that’s just so cool right now. I didn’t expect him to be so shy, and the way he smiled kept reminding me of an old friend. I want more. Again, apologies for the shit quality of the pics- I think it’s time for a new camera…
New Music: Alex Clare
I got a bit excited when I heard this – best of British! ‘Up All Night’ just sounds so so good. Produced by Diplo and Switch. Check out here.