Thursday 22 May 2014

Sandcastle Of Love by Dan Godlin

By now, you should all know how much I love discovering new, talented people, so yesterday when I heard about a cool new song, I was more than happy to buy it, and let everyone know about it!

A while back, I interviewed the lovely Erin Alden.It was through Erin that I heard about Sandcastle Of Love by Dan Godlin, because Erin co-wrote it!

I must confess, I didn't know anything of Dan Godlin, but I do know that Erin associates with the best talent there is, and Dan is no exception.

Dan Godlin released his debut album, Loving On Empty in 2011, and followed it with an EP titled In Between in 2012. Having just heard this one new track, I am very much looking forward to listening to Dan's back catalogue, and super excited to hear what he has coming up in the future!

You can listen to more from Dan Godlin right here. If you are a fan of Jason Mraz, you will adore this song; it's mellow and catchy and will put you in the perfect mood for summer!


Tuesday 20 May 2014

Album Review: Heads Or Tails by Kieron Cox

Every now and again, I will get followed on Twitter by a kickass musician. Most recently, I was followed by a young man named Kieron Cox. Kieron currently lives in Berkshire, but travels around the UK for gigs - you can check out his gig dates here.

Kieron very kindly provided me a copy of his album Head Or Tails, and I must say, it's pretty impressive!

I'd like to start with a quick note about the tone of Kieron Cox's voice. The first thing I did when he followed me was check out his YouTube videos, and I was instantly smitten with his sound. It's smooth, but there is a gorgeous hint of gravelly-ness (yes I know that's not a word :p) which makes his voice stand out from all the other musicians out there who are trying to make it big. These days, a unique voice is more than half the battle, and on that front, Kieron has got it made.

Now, onto the album.

There are twelve tracks on Heads Or Tails, and there's not really a dud amongst them. Most albums do have a track or two that have me reaching for the "skip" button, but I love every single song on this one.

By far, my favourite track is Half As Much, a beautiful ballad about hoping to mean something to that special person. It wouldn't be out of place on a Savage Garden album - it has those perfect lyrics that instantly target your inner romantic and make you go all sappy. I would even go as far as to say that Kieron Cox does sound a teensy bit like Darren Hayes.

Other notable ballads on the album include The Moment, and I'll Be Waiting For You, but Kieron isn't a one-trick pony who filled Heads Or Tails with slushy boyband type tracks. Sure, love is a strong theme, but it's not all slow and mushy.

Will You be My Girl is a funky little number with a great beat, and the ridiculously catchy Win Some, Lose Some will have you singing along in no time.

Time Shoots Us Down, in my humble opinion, knocks the socks off the other tracks lyrically. Amongst all the other songs, this is the one that creeps into my head at random points during the day.

Overall, Heads Or Tails is an excellent debut album from a talented young man who has a bright future ahead of him!

You can find out more about Kieron on his website. Go listen right now!!


Wednesday 19 February 2014

Solving the Mystery of Pretty Little Liars: Who is Dead, and Who is A?

It's been a really long time since I wrote about Pretty Little Liars, however, I recently started a rewatch - I'm midway through Season 2 right now - and desperately searching for clues to bring us to where we are now.

Yes, that was my exact face at the end of the latest episode! :p

In last week's black and white episode, Ali (Sasha Pieterse) said something that has stayed with me. She said, "You have all the pieces." She was telling Spencer (Troian Bellisario) that she has everything she needs to solve the mystery of A - but I don't think she was strictly talking to her. I think she was talking to the viewer.




I think it's us who have all the pieces of the puzzle.

Over time, almost everyone in the show has been under suspicion of being A/Ali's murderer.

But this week, a new piece slotted into place - that of Spencer's former drug problem.

We have seen her recently. She's tense, not sleeping, looking like the walking dead, and having full on hallucinations in a world of black and white.

And now we have the bombshell. Two years ago, Spencer had the same problem. TWO YEARS. When Alison disappeared. Remember all that time ago, in the pilot episode where Spencer wandered back into the barn and announced Alison was gone. There was not even the slightest question about whether she'd just gone home. It was like fact. She's gone.



People who know me, and have read my early theories will know that Spencer was my number one suspect at the start. I didn't like her, and I didn't trust her. Over time, I fell in love with her, but I have never been able to shake off the memory of that first episode.

Spencer on drugs. Who else used to get off their heads on drugs around that time? Jason (Drew Van Acker), Ian (Ryan Merriman), Garrett (Yani Gellman) and their friends. Now, I don't believe those things are linked, but remember how Jason couldn't remember the night Ali went missing? Perhaps this is foreshadowing - and it was Spencer who did the killing.

Obviously, Ali isn't dead, but someone is. And I'm thinking Spencer may have been the one to do it.

As for Ezra (Ian Harding)- and his connection to Mona (Janel Parrish) and Jenna (Tammin Sursok). Well, that is somewhat more complex. Ezra revealed he was writing a book about Ali, and confessed he originally used Aria (Lucy Hale) for information. But what about all the A activity? What about all the watching, and the creepy notes? Him being a "reporter" - I use the word loosely, some of the things he filmed were downright creepy - explains the cameras everywhere, however unethical. But what of the threats? If he wasn't guilty of some of the horrific things A did - how did he know about Toby's tattoo and bike helmet? And why would he be involved in that if he genuinely loved Aria as much as he says?
 
Mona was helping him in some way - this has been confirmed. But in what way? Is she getting close to Mike (Cody Allen Christian) as a way to get closer to Aria? OR - another theory that has been brewing for a while is that it is Mike himself that is A. That boy has so far been the most pointless character ever to be in a TV show - there has to be a reason for him, right?


Let us not rule out the other thing that could be a clue. Wren's (Julian Morris) prescription pad in Spencer's purse. This was a tiny, tiny thing but along with my questions about Mike, I have often thought Wren might be A, or at least involved. Evidence? He helped Melissa (Torrey DeVitto) with Ian, so he knew where to find him, and he was working at Radley - and acting somewhat suspiciously there. He could easily have given Mona everything she needed to keep attacking the other girls. Keep in mind, when there is a British character in a US show, a lot of the time, they end up being the bad guy! But there are subtle things. He gave Spencer an amazing massage early on, and Emily (Shay Mitchell) once got some A treatment in the form of a massage at a spa - the joys of re-watching! What we don't have is a motive. Ali liked older guys for sure, but really? Ian, Ezra, Detective Wilden (Bryce Johnson), AND Wren? Not only is it creepy how many older men have been involved with a girl who was only fourteen or fifteen at the time, it's hard to believe Ali would have managed to get the attention of all them, no matter how beautiful she was. But stranger things have happened...MUCH stranger things.



The black gloved hands at the end of each episode since Ezra was revealed to be A suggest that we are still wrong. There is still someone else to be afraid of. If those hands belonged to Ezra, why not just show his face since we're supposed to "know" he's behind it all?

So -- I realise this is a little bit of a mish-mash of thoughts, but let's lay this out more clearly:

Spencer may have been the murderer (though who she killed is a bit of a mystery). I am quite into the "Ali had a twin" theory, there have been several hints about this.

Ezra hasn't yet been totally honest, and I think there is a lot more we don't know

Mona might not be the devil anymore, but it's not time to trust her completely just yet

Keep a close eye on Wren - he's not just a pretty face!