Lana Del Rey - West Coast

I am very pleased to announce that this week gives us the release of a brand new, original Lana Del Rey song! I saw her perform West Coast at Coachella last weekend, and hearing it again is bringing back some serious flashbacks and nostalgia.

West Coast has the same melancholic Lana Del Rey sound that we have come to adore her for. In this song Lana paints a dark picture about living the Hollywood lifestyle and how our starry eyes obsess over fame. Also, it is only fitting that the lackadaisical music channels that laid back Californian way of life. The drums seem to always be hitting at the last possible second and the guitar dribbles along as the song unfolds without any adding any life to the track. All in all, I think this song is a solid showing of what her new album, Ultraviolence, will have in store for us later this year. Fall in love with Lana all over again as you listen to West Coast below!

Enjoy! <3

Coachella Spotlight #13: Leading Ladies Edition

2014 is Coachella's year of the leading lady. The line up contains a plethora of solo female vocalists, some you know very well, and some you do not. In honor of this insurgence of leading ladies, I wanted to briefly touch on some of these performers that I think people should go see at Coachella this year.

1. Ellie Goulding

She has been on my to-see list for quite some time now. Ellie is absolutely amazing and her live show, I have heard, is just as stunning. Her voice translates very well into a live setting and her music is all the more powerful when blasted out to thousands of people. The song I am most excited to see of hers has to be JOY. I know its a softer, more emotional song, but I absolutely adore it. I am not sure if it is a song that makes it into her live sets or not, but I will be crossing my fingers that she slows things down for a minute to play this one.



2. Lana Del Rey

She is another female vocalist that I cannot wait to see this year at Coachella. I know she always kills her live performances. They may not be the most lively of sets, but it will be really nice to just hang out and watch her do her thing. She has so many huge tracks, from Young & Beautiful to Video Games, that I am sure the crowd will be singing along with every word in every song. The one I am most excited to see is definitely Off To The Races. I love it because it is one of the few LDR songs with a really awesome beat. A lot of her music is focused around her voice and has little to no percussion at all, so this track will be our chance to get a little dancing in during her set.

3. Lorde

There really is nothing left to be said about Lorde. She is fantastic. Being only 17 and having an incredible voice made her an instant star. After releasing Royals she has seen nothing but success and adoration around the world. Her set is easily one of the most highly anticipated sets of the festival, as it is very rare we get the chance to see her due to her mass popularity. I expect her set to be one of the most crowded stages of the weekend. Since I am sure you all know every Lorde song inside and out, I wanted to show my favorite remix of one of her tracks. FFFRRANNNO flips one of her older tracks, Bravado, into a really great mellow trap tune that I have been listening to for about a year and still can't get enough of. Check it below.



4. Banks

I posted about Banks a couple months back, introducing her music to you all. She is a very up and coming artist and has just recently been gaining a lot of attention around the blogosphere. Her soft voice matched with dark, mellow beats creates a very unique sound that sets Banks apart from other solo female acts. It's definitely not music I can listen to at any time, but when it is the right time, it is perfect. Her latest song, Brain, which was produced by Shlohmo, another artist that will be at Coachella this year, is sure to make her setlist. Do yourself a favor and check out Banks this year and see something new!

5. HAIM

I had to throw HAIM on this list because they aren't just one leading lady, they have three leading ladies! This all girl band is a must see at Coachella this year. After releasing their breakout single Forever, these three sisters had nowhere to go but up. They released their debut album last September, which has earned them a spot at every major festival this season. Their fun, upbeat indie rock jams are sure to kill it at Coachella this year. I can't wait to see them perform Falling, although I know it won't matter what songs they play, because they are all so good! Definitely check them out.

Happy Coachella! <3

Coachela Spotlight #11: Classixx

Last year I got super into more simple, relaxed house music and less of the intense electro house rage music. There were a select few artists that helped me make that transition, and Classixx was one of them. I am excited to get a good buzz going and have a good time to their music at Coachella!

Classixx released their debut full length album last year, which is how they gained enough buzz to land this nod from Goldenvoice. Their album, Hanging Gardens, was released to both critical acclaim and fan adoration. The first single off the album is called Holding On, and it is the first Classixx tune I ever heard. I love the groovy bass lines throughout the whole song and the keys give it that happy daytime vibe that I love. Check it out below!



Their album is full of both fun and relaxing songs. Other favorites of mine include Dominoes, Fax From the Beach and Jozi's Fire. Also, the entire remix pack for Holding On is excellent. All three remixes retain the vibe of the original, but amp it up in various ways to bring more life to the track. Check those songs out on our Spotify Playlist!

Classixx alwys does an excellent job at remixing as well. I thought I would throw up a couple of my favorite remixes of theirs for your listening pleasure. See which one you like best below!




I hope they are relatively early on in the day at Coachella so we can all get day drunk together and dance around like idiots to their smooth, funky beats! See you there!!

Happy Coachella! <3

Banks

There has been an influx of up and coming female indie vocalists ever since Lana Del Rey's meteoric rise to stardom. Lorde was the first to make a big name for herself, and rightly so.. because she is amazing! However, Lorde aside, there has been one new voice that has really caught my eye as unique. Her name is Banks.

Banks is a singer/songwriter from the city of angels who has been creating quite a buzz around her music as of late. So much so that The Weeknd deemed her worthy to open up for him on his latest nationwide Kiss Land tour earlier this year. Like The Weeknd, her music is dark and melodic but she talks about real emotions/experiences that I am sure many women can relate too. For example, in her song Bedroom Wall she sings about being with a man that is distant as she tries to pull him closer, both physically and emotionally.

Another favorite track of mine is called Warm Water. I love the vibe, the hook and the sound of her voice over the incredibly minimal beat. Check out the official music video below.

If you dig her music you have to check out Before I Ever Met You, Change or This Is What It Feels Like on her Spotify or her SoundCloud. Make sure to follow her on Facebook to stay up to date on everything she does!

Enjoy! <3