New Song from Owl City - Verge

Although I miss the days of when Owl City's songs were almost entirely metaphor, I must say that I continue to fall in love with music by the wonderfully talented Adam Young. Today is, as we have come to expect, no different. With the release of his new song "Verge" featuring Aloe Blacc, I once again am made aware of exactly why Owl City is - and likely will be for a while - one my favorite musical projects.

Of course a full album review of the new Owl City album will be here on the blog as soon as possible, for now, check out the new lyric video for "Verge" by Owl City.

The Shade (New Metric Song)

More or less, I have just one week left until my BA is finally a thing. Granted, there is a lot of work that I need to do before then, however, as one of the staples of this blog is music, I wanted to take a moment to mention the new single from Metric, called "The Shade."

This new song from one of my favorite bands has been on repeat for about 3 days now, and I literally can't get enough of it. If this song is representative of what their new EP or album will sound like, well let me just say that we are in for a treat.

Chvrches

It is almost shameful that I have not written about this band before, as they are currently one of my favorite bands and well worth a post here on my blog. Chvrches, and yes, that is spelled correctly, is a Scottish electronic band that I have fallen in love with over the past few months. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, and Martin Doherty and currently have 1 studio album, The Bones of What You Believe which was released in 2013.

For some reason, Chvrches is a band that manages to check off just about every item on my list of what makes a great band. Their music is great, they are good live (according to my extensive YouTube research) and they seem to just be really cool people, (again, YouTube research!)

So why them over so many others? Because they are different. I honestly don't think there is another band with quite such a unique sound. Sure, artists like Owl City and Lights have an electronic slanted pop sound, and artists like M83, David Guetta and Madeon lean heavily towards an electronic sound. However, there is not, to my knowledge, another artist or band that really blends the two (vocal/pop and electronic) quite so seamlessly and in such a beautiful way.

The other reason that I like the band is because they seem very down to earth, recording their music in a basement studio in Glasgow, as well as being active on social media and proactively interacting with fans.

Also, did I mention that their music is really good!?!?

Enough chatter, here is some of their music for you to enjoy!

 



Thanks so much for reading, and I will talk to you soon.

- Dave

My Review of Forev (2013 Film)

Forev is a film that was released more than a year ago, but for me, it recently came across my radar. I have been aware of, and a fan of Noel Wells since she was a cast member of Saturday Night Live for the 39th season. However I was not fully aware of her non-SNL work until recently. After finding out about this film, and then discovering that she was the lead character, I just had to watch it!

All things being considered, I feel like this was an all around good film. Not great, but not bad either. The story was good, and while introducing some original ideas and concepts, at its core I feel like it was a rather typical love story. Was it unique enough to keep me watching? Absolutely. But I could not help thinking about how I felt like I had seem much of it before, in one form or another. That is not, however, to say the story was bad. In fact, I found it quite charming, especially when combined with the acting, which I will get to in a moment.

The main concept is that a guy and a girl find themselves engaged after only a few hours as they embark on a road trip through Arizona. I will not go into detail here, both to avoid spoilers and to preserve the overall story for those of you who decide to watch the film after reading this, and also to prevent those of you who have already seen it from becoming bored or disinterested. Suffice it to say that the story was engaging enough to keep me interested, but was also generic enough that I saw just about every turn coming, and clearly at that.

Now for either the best or worst part, depending on your own taste; the acting. I found it charming and, for lack of a better word, "real," however I could also see it coming across as either fake or forced, as there were certain characters who were a little hard to believe.

That being said, I found the interaction between Sophie and Pete to be charming, believable and, at times, extremely funny. I think that all three leads, Noel Wells, Matt Mider, and Amanda Bauer all did fantastic jobs, and I cannot think of a better casting selection for this film, as all three worked so well together on screen, and their characters were believable and endearing.

On a more technical note, I think the editing, cinematography and production design were spot on. I have lived in Arizona, and I can appreciate the production team creating the look and feel of that area of the world. Granted, the likely filmed much of it on location in such areas as these, but still, well done. I also enjoyed the editing style and the overall atmosphere of the film. At times a tad loos in the editing, but for the film it worked, as a faster cut would have come across much more urgent than the film was.

And, it's an independent feature, which for me is a bonus. I find myself more and more enjoying films made independently of a major studio, and while such films can be a tad difficult to get your hands on, they are often well worth it, as in my experience, independent films are often the incubators for major changes and developments in the industry as a whole, and as such deserve and need our support so that filmmakers can continue to make advancements in an industry that is currently so focused on solely making money.

So what is the verdict on the film? That depends on you. For me, I liked it a lot. While there were flaws, such as a somewhat generic love story and a few missed opportunities for experimenting a little more, the film, as a whole, worked well, and told a story well, which is really all one can ask of a movie.

Was it the best film ever, no. It was a good attempt at a new approach to a love story that just fell a little short. I do recommend it, however, as a good film that tells a good story, with good acting and good production design and execution. Get my general feel for the film yet? Yah, it was good. Simple as that.

At the end of the day, all one can really ask of a film is that it tells a story in an entertaining and engaging way, and Forev does just that. It is an overall well made film that kept me watching throughout, even if I could often tell what was about to happen.

The verdict?
Pretty damn good / Recommend Heartily

7 out of 10

Beach House

It's probably not what you think. Beach House is not referring to a relaxing home quaintly located somewhere in a coastal region. Although the result is similar; a beautiful respite from the day to day troubles and worldly issues that plague our lives. And yet, also, a reminder of them.

Beach House is a band from Maryland, formed in 2004 and consisting of Victoria Legrand & Alex Scally. The band has a unique sound that Wikipedia classifies as "Dream Pop" and as we all know, if it is on Wikipedia, it must be true!

The duo creates the type of music that one might listen to at first and think, "alright, this is good," but by the end of the song, the thought process is more like "wow, that was [insert feeling/emotion/other thing that songs evoke in human peoples here.]"

It is hard to explain the feeling that accompanies bands like this. I think the best thing I can do is embed some of their songs, and let you be the judge.





Enjoy, and thanks for reading.
- David

Technical Support

I had every intention of writing a nice long blog post all about a new song/music video that I recently found, but ended up finding myself knee deep in the world of computer troubleshooting.

Fear not, as after a few hours I was able to resolve the issue (my printer is a jerk) however I lost the time that I had set aside for writing this post. So, I have decided that tomorrow (Saturday) I will post the music related entry that I had planed to do today, and today, you get this video from the IT Crowd (cause, tech support and stuff)



Thanks, and I will talk to you tomorrow.
- Digit

Live Music

I know that in this world of perfection, we can often lose our appreciation for really good live music. I have been thinking a lot about this lately, as I myself have looked at different show tickets for some of my favorite artists and thought, "But that is so expensive, I can just listen to their album." But what is lost, you might ask, by listening to music solely on a digital disk or the internet?

This is a question that I have been asking myself recently. When listening to music on the web or in a polished, well produced medium, we hear exactly what the artist and production team want for us to hear, right? Well, yes, but we also lose the chance to see AND hear that song. Sometimes I wonder if the real experience IS to see that song preformed live. There is no false sense of perfection, and there is no disconnect between the artist and the listener. So, maybe the real experience is the live performance, and not the finished track.

I know that shows are expensive and that they require far more effort on your part to actually drive to a venue, find a parking space, actually get tickets, and all the rest that goes with a live show. But even that is part of the experience. That, I think, is the real difference. When listening to a song on a CD or YouTube, you get just that, a song, not an experience.

That is my thought process, anyways. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I will talk to you tomorrow.

Lyrics and Melody

I realize this may get a bit personal, as in my opinion, music says a lot about people, especially when the lyrics really hit home. For me, music is mostly about melody and sound, and the lyrics and meaning come secondary. But lets all be honest, the really great songs do both really well. But therein lies the issue, because not everyone will have the same musical taste, and not everyone will have the life experiences required to relate to any given set of lyrics.

This is an issue that I run across often, because I listen to so much music. I often listen to a song that really speaks to me, but musically is just not quite there. The opposite is also true, and there are some great songs out there that have a really great beat, but the lyrics are not relatable. So, I am always excited and impressed when I hear a song that meets both requirements.



Florrie is a British singer who has a fairly small discography, and as such, it is rather unlikely that I would stumble across her music. But I did, and, well, wow. Her first single is a song called "Little White Lies," and here is where it gets a bit personal, because the lyrics speak to me on an almost personal level. No idea how she is able to capture all of that in a song, but she has. At any rate, if your personality is anything like mine, you will easily relate to the lyrics.

The tune is also stellar, and that is a potent combination in a song. Lets just say that I currently have the song on repeat as I type this very blog!

So enjoy, dear readers, and also get a small insight into my own psyche. Thank you so much for reading, and I will talk to you tomorrow.

- Digit

Christina Novelli

Oh, YouTube, you have a persistent need to introduce me to new and interesting artists. I am not faulting YouTube in any way, far from it, in fact. I am one who, lets be honest, tends to listen to music more than is really ever required, and my musical taste is really quite boundless. Yes, there are tracks by certain artists that I am less than fond of, but by and large, I love almost every kind of music.

Therefor, it should come as no surprise that when YouTube and other sites offer me suggested music or music videos to listen to or watch respectively, I jump at the opportunity to potentially discover a new favorite artists, or at least, to hear a song that I think, wow, that was worth it.

This time, however, I did not just listen and think, wow, that was worth it. I listened to several songs, several times, and am doing so as I write this post. Have all those songs and all those listens been a worthwhile use of my time? In a word, yes.

Christina Novelli is a relatively unknown singer from Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom. As of now, she has quite a list of collaborations with others, and although she does not have an album, I am quite hopeful that she will come out with one in the future.

Novelli's voice is both powerful and clear, and mixed with the dance and techno tracks by collaborative artists like Gareth Emery and Craig Connelly, the result is something that for a music lover such as myself, is pretty near bliss.

The very first song that I heard was the collaboration with Gareth Emery on the track Concrete Angels, which is an amazing song in and of itself, but also has a creative music video, and yes, I pay attention to such things! Here is the video:


Another great song and video come from her collaboration with Craig Connelly on the track Black Hole, which again incorporates great visuals into the video, which helps tell the story of the song. Here is that video.


And because I really just want you to get the full sample, I shall now include one more video, which is not a video, but simply an image with music. Still, I recommend you give it a listen.


Well worth a listen, I cannot think of a better way to spend a few minutes of you time. Fair warning, however, a few minutes may look a little longer when you finally realize that you have been listening to songs for the better part of an hour. Still, the answer is yes. It's worth it.

Thanks for reading, and I will talk to you tomorrow.
- Digit

Some Pictures about a Campus

Today, I had some time to walk around my local university and take some photos. I picked a few that I thought turned out rather well, and decided to share them with you. These are not edited at all, just straight from the camera, so I realize they could be better, but anyways, enjoy!

An emergency call station at dusk.

A Tree

A Rusty Railing by a dumpster.

A Flower on a bush.

Art Dept. Staircase.

Art Dept. Lockers.

I hope you have enjoyed these photos, and I will talk to you tomorrow! Thanks for reading,

- Digit

Fire N Gold

Why do I listen to music so incessantly, day in and day out? No idea. That being said, I do tend to stumble across a neat video or a cool song from time to time. However, the place is usually YouTube or Pandora. This one is different. I was sitting in Starbucks, and this song played. In the back of my mind, I though that I had heard the song before. So, I did and one does on such occasion, and whipped out the amazing SoundHound app, which allowed me to search the song based on the melody, and, well to be honest I think there might be a little witchcraft involved, seriously, I have no idea how the app searches the music.

At any rate, I searched the song, and discovered that I had never in my life heard of the artist, Bea Miller, or the song, Fire N Gold. So, as dictated by the musical YouTube gods, I listened to the song about 5000 times, (not really, but you get the point,) and as such felt compelled to share it with all of you here on the Daily Digit. Let me know what you think!




Thanks for reading,

- Digit

Foxes

I have recently been obsessed with the new album by Foxes. Why? I do not know. However I do know that this is an artist that, in my opinion, will go very far. For one, her style, while keeping with the somewhat traditional indie pop sound, tends to add a unique style that sets her music apart from the rest.

My first exposure to her music, much like most of America, was with her collaboration with Zedd on the track Clarity. A fan of the song, it did not get me all that excited about Foxes, and I spent about 2 months not giving her a second thought.

Then, I somehow stumbled across the music video for her single, Youth, and I was hooked. I love the way that her music is able to conjure up images of the things she is singing about. While watching the music video, I really was transported into the world that she had created, both with the song and the video.

After watching this video, I, as one does, watched all of the videos on the official Foxes VEVO channel, as well as way too many lyric and cover videos that I was able to scrounge up on the deep dark sections of the YouTube.

As I continued to explore her music, I realized that her combination of a unique style and a seemingly great personality (I also watched some interviews and such) I was a fan.

So I am writing this post to say that if you have not already, check out her music. You may just discover a new artist that is making some pretty great music.

Thanks for reading, and I will talk to you tomorrow.

- Digit

Icon For Hire

It almost seems rare in this day and age to stumble across something new, something that you had not heard of before. And completely by chance! While watching a YouTube video recently, one of the recommended videos caught my eye. "Get Well" was the song, and Icon For Hire was the band. As I enjoy just about every genera of music, I thought, "Why not, it might be good." Well, turns out that it was good. Quite good!

I am writing this blog post roughly eight hours later, having listened to one of their albums twice, and this song more times than I care to admit. So I thought that I would share the video with you, and who knows, you might like it.

Thanks for reading, and click here to see the video.