Hi!

TONIGHT'S ORDER:
(Understandably, the holiday season means we have reduced numbers, but I didn't expect only 6 entries! Ah well, more chance of winning for each of us! ;) )

1)        Gotye
2)        Amy Winehouse
3)        Luke Bryan
4)        White Lies
5)        The Script
6)        Train

1.        Gotye – Somebody I Used To Know



Some fun facts about Gotye…
-        His real name is Wouter "Wally" De Backer and his stage name is a pronunciation spelling of the French equivalent of his name in Flemish

-        Gotye is pronounced ‘Gaulthier’ like the fashion designer

-        Gotye can speak many languages such as Dutch, English and even some Japanese

1)        Gotye – This was a huge hit. It was played on every radio and it did become a bit overplayed. I dunno how it became so popular. Maybe it was the video. I suppose also its melodies are simple, but effective. Nice simple but bubbly instrumentation with some nice harmonies. Their voices are a bit shouty at times, but I quite like it.

2.        Amy Winehouse – Rehab



Some fun facts about Amy Winehouse…
-        Her song “Rehab” is based on her past refusal to attend an alcohol rehabilitation centre after it was encouraged by her management company

-        Lady Gaga credited Winehouse with paving the way for her rise to the top of the charts

-        Her famous beehive was as high as 6 inches

1. Gotye- Do I like the song... of course. Do I like Gotye's style.... yeah, I do. Is it Gotye's best... unfortunately no. It does pale a bit in comparison to some of his lesser known works, but it is a testament into the indie scene. I'm not expecting first from this entry, but I can see it have top 3 (of 6).

2)        Amy Winehouse – Her voice is very distinctive. I can’t really say I’m a huge fan of it, but it’s not too grating. The melodies are catchy, the lyrics are simple and the instrumentation is nice and jazzy and bluesy. Not bad

If it's just you at the moment, kilik. I'll wait for you to catch up! :)

2. Amy Winehouse- I think this is a black sheep in this group. A soulful jazzy song in the midst of the different rock sounds. It's gonna be hard to place. I do like it. But will something come along and knock it off its perch?

3.        Luke Bryan – Muckalee Creek Water



Some fun facts about Luke Bryan…

-        Luke Bryan’s full name is actually Thomas Luther Bryan. He just prefers to be called Luke

-        His dad is a peanut farmer in Leesburg, GA

-        He cites George Strait, Alan Jackson and Alabama as some of his musical influences

You may continue.

It's like I've got my iPod on shuffle. All the songs so far (I expect 5/6) are on my iPod.

3)        Luke Bryan – As with most country voices, his voice and the instrumentation is very emotive. His vocals aren’t just stuck in one register too, he can go up high and hit some pretty good notes. I usually prefer faster country songs, but this has got some nice instrumentation and that instrumental section was nice. It builds well and it comes to a pretty good climax.

4.        White Lies – Death


Some fun facts about White Lies…
-        White Lies have cited Talking Heads as a major influence to their music

-        They primarily have only European success, with only one of their albums making the top 100 in the US at #95 whilst all three making the top 5 in the UK. The album To Lose My Life beat competition Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon and The Script in the UK album charts.

-        Two of the three members met in primary school and performed together in a school show.

4)        White Lies – Nice strong drum beat driving the song along. It’s very rhythmic. I like the dramatic strums of the guitar too in the build to the chorus. It’s fairly simple in structure, but that’s only a minor quibble. There are new instruments and melodies coming in and out here and there, adding appropriate variation. It goes a bit rocky towards the end, but with it, his voice hits some nice high notes.