CONTROLRadioUK Presents Throwback Thursday: Best Of Rock

HAHAHA! Finally a Throwback Thursday that is firmly in my element. I discovered Rock music when I was around 14yrs old after a lovely girl at school introduced me to Linkin Park. I have not looked back since, though Rock has grown a lot since then with a number of sub-genres. I don't like every song & every band because some of it, just like every other genre, can be extremely generic. But I do like some and here, on this grandest of Throwback Thursday, we're taking a look at some of my favorite Rock songs (with some minor contributions from CONTROLRadioUK HQ)



The Song: Skin to Bone
The Artist: Linkin Park

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: If I had my way 'Robot Boy' would be here instead, as it's in my top 5 favourite EVER songs list and no words of compliment can do it justice, but 'Skin To Bone' is just as good. The first Linkin Park song I heard was 'In The End' and to this day I know all the lyrics and rock out like the BAMF I am. Since then their music, just like every other Artist/Band in existence, has evolved. There is an argument over whether that's for the worse or better, but I have continued listening to their music even if I don't like every song and 'Skin To Bone' is so good. It's got a lovely tribal beat that runs perfectly through the song with the other mixture of beats. The lyrics whilst short and sweet, go ever so very deep and it really is a fantastic song.

---

The Song: Somebody Told Me
The Artist: The Killers

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: My peers at CONTROLRadioUK HQ wanted me to feature 'Human' because for some unknown reason, it's the only song by The Killers they like. I don't know if it's because it was vastly overplayed on release with many people mocking it, but I really don't like it and this was the first song by The Killers I ever heard, and 'Hot Fuss' was the first Rock album I ever bought. It was a fantastic album, not a song I didn't like and I eagerly anticipated The Killers follow up album which fell flat. Like Linkin Park before them, The Killers are a band where I don't like every song & album they come out with, but when I do like something I fall for it hard. I will still to this day sing 'Somebody Told Me' with all my might proudly because it is a fantastic song with a release date that makes me feel very old.

---

The Song: Wake Up Call
The Artist: Maroon 5

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: I love this video. It's just so well done with the editing and effects, I love it. It's not the best song by Maroon 5 (for me that will always be 'She Will Be Loved') but the musics good, the lyrics are good, and it's just a fantastic video.

---

The Song: Walk Away
The Artist: Kelly Clarkson

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: Trying to pick a Kelly Clarkson song is not easy because she's amazing. My peers at CONTROLRadioUK HQ wanted me to go with 'Because Of You'. It's a fabulous song with a very powerful video, but I wanted something a bit more fun for a Thursday. 'Walk Away' is the fun I'm choosing today because again! She's got so many great songs, with great videos, anything from 'Miss Independent', 'Since You've Been Gone', 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)' could've been picked. But 'Walk Away' was one of my favourite songs as a late teen.

Read More

CONTROLRadioUK Picks 5 Songs You May Not Have Heard Of

Here at CONTROLRadioUK we're always on the look-out for music be it for the playlist, or just because we think the tracks are pretty neat so check out our picks below.



I think I've mentioned before that a lot of songs at the moment have the same type of sound. I don't know if everyone's using the same producers, or when someone uses one sound on a song and it becomes popular everyone has to, but it's something that happens every so often (like when one movie sequel is a massive success so that's all studios make for years, or TV Networks bringing out show after show on one genre because a show did great with it so everyone has to jump on the bandwagon). I don't like it because as said, every song sounds the same and when you've heard one, they all gel together so you lose originality. 'Human Touch' has that same EDM Pop Sound that every song has at the moment, but Betty Who makes it stand out from the crowd. Now before listening to this song I'd never heard of her, so I had no idea what to expect. I've now listened to the song a total of 5 times and the way Betty goes about this song makes it unique. The lyrics whilst a little generic feel original, and not a lot of people can do that. Betty Who is an Australian singer/songwriter and her album 'The Valley' is out on March 24th.



This is where I'm once again judged by my peers at CONTROLRadioUK HQ, but this song is excellent. It's the perfect mixture of Pop/Rock that isn't too heavy, but still pulls you into the song and then takes your breath away with the chorus. Some parts of the video grab me whilst others don't, but that's OK because the song more than sells itself. The lyrics are original and Vérité has one of those unique voices that stands out, and also completely guts you. This might be the song that gets her known, but she's got a back catalogue of 3 EP's and some mighty fine songs available on Youtube/Spotify which shouldn't be overlooked. Vérité is an American singer/songwriter and you can download/stream 'Phase Me Out' now.



Rag'n'Bone Man is incredible. He has such a beautiful, soulful voice & 'Human' was an excellent song, but I think 'Skin' is actually better. When you've got a song with such strong lyrics, it's always a risk that the music might overpower them but here it's a gentle supporting act and I love it. Singers like Rag'n'Bone man don't come along every day, and coming across his music has been a breathtaking pleasure. Rag'n'Bone man is an English singer/songwriter and his debut album 'Human' is out now.



My fellow peers at CONTROLRadioUK HQ don't see anything special about this song. They're right in that sense because there isn't anything unique about it but sometimes, I don't need that in a song. I just need something that makes me feel a bit joyful and distracts from all the chaos in the world. This does that for me perfectly, with a nice little airy sound you can get lost in. Bahari are a female trio coming out of the Southern California community of Manhattan Beach.



Finishing this week with a song that is good, but could've been so much better if it had more power. As it is we've got some nice enough lyrics that don't exactly grab me, and a bland song. Now I know what you're thinking. 'Why are you featuring this song here if you're just gonna complain about how much you don't like it?' The answer to that would be this song came out in December and has been sitting on the CONTROLRadioUK HQ noticeboard since then, because my fellow peers agree that this could've been a monster and many songs have come & gone from the noticeboard, but this has sat firmly & is now here. Gabrielle Aplin has a good voice even if her music isn't exactly my thing, and as much as I criticize, there is obviously something to like about this song. I've listened to it a number of times and despite not being great it does stick with you. It's just very disappointing it doesn't go anywhere.

Read More

CONTROLRadioUK Presents Throwback Thursday: Songs Of 2012

For our next series of Throwback Thursday there will be no blowing away with facts & chart positions. As much as I know you good folks enjoy my commentary so much, we here at CONTROLRadioUK HQ like to mix things up every now and then. This week we're looking at the songs of 2012, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip down memory lane for better or worse (and in some of these it really is a case of worse)



The Artist: Coldplay ft Rihanna
The Song: Princess of China

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: If you put aside the Cultural Appropriation, and this being around the time Main Artist - Song Name & Featured Artist became a thing (goodness knows why but it's extremely irritating) this is a really great song & 'Hymm For The Weekend' is a great follow up. I prefer the live versions of this song more, due to the amount of energy that's in the performances. Lyrically this is not the best song you will ever hear, but musically it is great. But I don't think it'd be right to talk about this song and not mention the Cultural Appropriation. I don't know when we decided it was a good look to take things from other cultures, but it really is not and it's especially bad here because it's not only mixing Chinese & Japanese cultures together, it uses their people as a prop & the less said about how Rihanna's dressed in this video the better.

---

The Artist: Taylor Swift
The Song: We Are Never Ever Getting back Together

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: Will there ever be a more annoying chorus? I severely doubt it. But the song stays with you & 5 years later I not only know all the words off by heart, but also have the song on my MP3. So there really is no accounting for taste. Oh and the video is funny.

---

The Artist: Icona Pop ft Charli XCX
The Song: I Love It

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: Continuing the same annoying trend as Coldplay ft Rihanna, but 5 years later this song is still such a monster, and it introduced me to Charli XCX so I won't be too hard on it. My ears also detect this containing a sample through the chorus and the video doesn't really do much for me. But still; MONSTER.

---

The Artist: Karmin
The Song: Brokenhearted

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: There are many things that I hate about this song and it's only here because I was outvoted, but the absolutely worst thing is that I know all the lyrics & can't help dancing alone. I've mentioned it before but it bears repeating; I do not like songs that are overplayed. If I'm meant to like a song, trust that I'll come to that conclusion in my own time. This was constantly played on the radio & TV in 2012, and I think Karmin have made better songs (although I'm still not a fan because their songs don't tend to have enough power in them). This song also has a rather annoying sample but because I'm not a negative nelly, I'll say that lyrically this is OK, I like how Amy mixes up the singing & the rapping & as much as their music may not be my thing, they deserve a better career than what they have.

---

The Artist: Leona Lewis
The Song: Trouble

CONTROLRadioUK Thoughts: A cracking remix of this song by Wideboys is easily available & CONTROLRadioUK HQ's favored version of this, but the thing that first attracted me to this song & why it's featured is the video. It perfectly matches the songs tone and Leona & Colton handle it perfectly.

Read More

CONTROLRadioUK Reviews: Sweet/Vicious

When I first heard the shows premise & saw the trailer, I was wondering how on earth it was going to work. Vigilantes going after rapists on a College campus? It sounded preposterous, leaning towards being offensive, especially with the humor contained in the show & I was preparing myself for it to be a mess. College rape is an extremely serious subject matter, especially when Colleges 90% of the time cover it up & we live in a society that loves to blame the victim. But Sweet/Vicious? Actually turns out to be none of these things.

In the first episode we learn that our hero, Jules Thomas, is herself a victim of rape. The culprit? Her best friends boyfriend. What follows is mesmerizing performance after performance by a simply amazing Eliza Bennett. We feel her pain at being raped by her best friend's boyfriend, someone who she trusted, once counted as a friend, and now can't bear to be around. In her work as the vigilante, Jules is able to get justice for other rape survivors that she wasn't at the time able to get for herself. But it is a slippery slope, especially when you do accidentally murder someone, and wear the 'everything is ok' mask every day, whilst inside you're breaking away bit by bit; it's only a matter of time before that all comes crumbling down & Jules loses herself.

That's where the equally amazing Ophelia Mayer comes into it. She's the shows comic relief & Taylor Dearden has superb timing, along with being Jules rock. They're both in the vigilante game for different reasons at the start, but by the end they're united for the cause and as best friends. Ophelia is able to reconcile Jules with her best friend Kennedy towards the end of the season whilst helping her best friend and budding law student Harris see that the campus needs the vigilantes.

Whilst parts of episodes aren't as engaging as others and the season really picks up in the last few episodes, Sweet/Vicious doesn't have a bad episode. Dylan McTee is tremendous as rapist Nate Griffin, boyfriend to Kennedy. Playing a rape victim along with the assailant can be tricky as you have to get the right tone & Dylan nails it, making me hate Nate with every fiber of my being. The show is also so superb because of the writing. It never seeks to take away from Jules or any of the other victims pain, nor does it try to humanize Nate & make us feel sorry for the other rapists. The show is always clear on who is right and who is wrong, and portraying establishments in an unfortunately realistic way. The questions are always with the rape victims and what they could've done to avoid being raped, whilst questioning whether they were actually raped or what happened is something they just regret. When your rapist is the star of any sports team, your hopes for justice diminish even further & when you think you will get that justice you so deserve, it will be ripped away from you by higher powers who are only interested in cover ups for said teams. Another important thing the show does? Give trigger warnings at the beginning of episodes. This should be a standard thing but unfortunately it isn't.

I hope that Sweet/Vicious is renewed because it telling an extremely important story, but even if it's no that's ok. Season 1 was respectful enough to not end on any cliffhangers, just further hope for the future along with some crumbs for a potential season 2. Very few shows pull at me the way that Sweet/Vicious has & I cannot speak highly enough about it.

Read More

CONTROLRadioUK Picks 5 Songs You May Not Have Heard Of

Here at CONTROLRadioUK we're always on the look-out for music be it for the playlist, or just because we think the tracks are pretty neat so check out our picks below.



Pure and simple? This is a great beat. It mixes a number of different genres together, doesn't sound messy, doesn't over-due the Dubstep & I'm not sick of it by the 3rd listen; far more than I can say for 80% of dance tracks out right now. Sikdope is a Polish producer and 'Old School' is available now.



This song is basically my spirit animal. The lyric video is amongst the most creative I've seen, simply for the way it relates to the songs lyrics. I love the way this song gently grows to a big chorus that doesn't overwhelm the songs message, and I absolutely love the lyrics which again! My spirit animal. I think many women will relate to the lyrics and the positive message that it's sending. Maggie Lindemann is an American singer/songwriter and she could have a great career ahead of her.



What can I say about MUNA that I haven't already? They're excellent, I'm yet to hear a song by them I don't like and the album 'About U' is available now.



I first came across Anne-Marie last year when she released 'Alarm' and taking a look through both her back catalogue, and her duet with Clean Bandit & Sean Paul (for which she was the best thing about 'Lullaby') the girls got a cracking voice and makes some good songs. 'Ciao Adios' is no different but my minor critic would be I'd like her to sing about something different; cheating partners have been sung about to death. Sound wise this song is very similar to 'Lullaby' and the cynic in me can't help thinking this is being released to capitalize on that song. Those criticisms aside though this is a very good song that I'm sure people will be dancing away to.



My research tells me that JP Cooper previously collaborated with Jonas Blue on 'Perfect Strangers', and you know a person really does not pay attention to pop/dance music when I have no idea who they are or what that song was. In regards to 'September Song', I came across this by chance and again! You know a person does not pay attention when this actually came out at the end of November. This is a really nice song though with an equally nice video to accompany it. JP Cooper is an English singer and 'September Song' is out now.

Read More

CONTROLRadioUK Picks 5 Songs You May Not Have Heard Of

Here at CONTROLRadioUK we're always on the look-out for music be it for the playlist, or just because we think the tracks are pretty neat so check out our picks below.



Kicking off the picks this week we have this beautiful number. This is one of those songs where you can't explain what it is about it exactly that is so good, it just is and gets better on every listen. My fellow peers at CONTROLRadioUK HQ on the other-hand are not crazy about this song. I don't judge them, instead I just feel sorry for their bad taste in music. Thankfully though they allowed this song to play for long enough to reach the chorus & that nice little drop beat warmed their cold, dead, musical hearts. Unfortunately I do not know much about Anna of the North, but continue with music like this & it won't be long before everyone does.



In 'words hurt' news, one of my peers at CONTROLRadioUK HQ commented that this song has a similar sound to One Direction, which is just wrong. That won't spoil my enjoyment of this song though because it is a banger. The video is interesting but doesn't overly grab me, probably because I've spent the last week staring at storyboards. I'm yet to hear a Grouplove song that I don't like and as I'm banned from featuring another of my favourite bands here due to tragic taste, you betcha I'm gonna feature Grouplove, Bastille & the mighty OneRepublic as much as possible. I have mentioned it before but it does bear repeating; Grouplove's album 'Big Mess' is currently available to stream and buy!



This song has been bumped from the picks many-a-times because I can only feature 5 songs here, and the list on our noticeboard is usually 15-20 long. I do still like this song but I have to admit after listening to it so many times, it is starting to wear a little thin on me now. But trying out a little 'Positivity Monday', Tor Miller has a fantastic voice. There's great production on this song which makes it feel bigger than it actually is, and even if it's wearing thin on me now it is still extremely memorable. The video doesn't exactly jump out to me, but I will be giving his album 'American English' which is available now a listen. Tor Miller is an American Indie/Pop singer.



I don't think an introduction is needed here because if you don't know who Twenty One Pilots are by now, you're either an extremely fortunate person or living under a rock. I don't say that to be mean because I do like Twenty One Pilots quite a bit, but everyone has different tastes. This song here though? Absolutely superb and as soon as it started playing CONTROLRadioUK HQ was for once unanimous in it being picked. I've touched on it before but Twenty One Pilots work so well for me because musically wise you can't put them into any one category; one of their songs can start out as a rock ballad and transcend into a dance number. Crucially though when they mix things up it doesn't sound like a mess. There's always so many different theories about what their songs/videos mean which I also like. Are they so fantastic that I love every song they come out with? Far from it, but they do make some wonderful music. I'll also note that this song features a sample that sounds very similar to 'You've Got The Love' by Florence and the Machine & I don't hate it.



Finishing off this weeks picks, a song here that sounds very similar to something that was recently submitted to CONTROLRadioUK and I don't hate it. This is a fantastic song with great lyrics accompanied by superb music, that grows excellently as the song goes along. There's nothing I hate more than verses seeming to be leading to a massive chorus, but instead playing it safe and going down. I can listen to this song over & over again (confession time: I actually have been) and it never gets boring which I'm glad about, because I started listening to Frenship last year & I wasn't overly impressed. I am nothing if not about second chances and I shall be giving their EP 'Truce' a listen. Frenship are an American Electronica music duo.

Read More