Focus Music Notes. "Out of the Blues". Popular music through the decades

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Two of the UK’s hottest singers of the moment Angel and Misha B have team ed up on ‘Ride or Die’, the B- s ide to Angel’s new single ‘Time After Time’, which is out now . Watch the video for the track, directed by BAFTA Award winning actor Adam Deacon and Paul Akinrinlola of Parallel Pictures Angel ‘Time After Time’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vae91nUMgow http://thisisangel.com Time After Time (Remixes) - EP - Angel

R&B and Pop’s newest sensation Angel (aka Sirach Charles) will be releasing ‘Time AfterTime’ through on 19th November 2012. Produced by Parallel Music, (Angel’s production company) and Tommy Hittz (Chris Brown), ‘Time After Time’ is the follow up single to summer anthem ‘Wonderful’ which has recently spent 8 weeks in the top 20, 2 weeks in the top 10 and has sold over 250,000 copies to date thereby cementing Angel’s position as one of the top 5 highest selling breakthrough acts of 2012. At just 24 years old, this young West Londoner has risen from underground producer and songwriter to R&B Renaissance man within one year. Having previously penned hits for the likes of Pixie Lott, Jason Derulo and Roll Deep, Angel is set to make his mark as an artist his own right. Earmarked as a one to watch in 2012 by MTV and HMV, Angel has been dubbed by The Guardian as ‘Britain’s first all singing, all writing and producing urban boy wonder’, while Radio 1 crowned him ‘the new face of UK ...

Alt-J are a British alternative indie band. Their debut album An Awesome Wave, was recorded in Brixton, released in May 2012, and has just won  the 2012 British Barclaycard Mercury Prize . Gwil Sainsbury (guitarist/bassist), Joe Newman (guitar/vocals), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards) and Thom Green (drums) formed the band when they met at Leeds University in 2007. http://altjband.com/ Check out Top Tracks for Alt-J here

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Ben Howard releases a brand new EP of material, the Burgh Island EP, through Island Records on 10 December 2012. Since the release of Ben’s platinum-selling, Mercury Music Prize nominated debut album, Every Kingdom back in October 2011, he has mindfully kept himself firmly routed to the motorways and freeways of each corner of the globe. A gruelling schedule of relentless touring across the UK, Europe, America and Australia. Devon is home to Ben, but it has become a rare occasion when he can settle back there for any longer than a couple of days before the touring process kicks back in. Having performed at many of the major summer festivals across the UK and Europe this year to huge audiences, Ben retreated to Devon and to a remote studio on the Start Point peninsula to lay down The Burgh Island EP, an entirely new record that finds him ditching his acoustic guitar and taking things electric. The four tracks that form Burgh Island EP are united in their dark, menacing, and brood...

I just love this. Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth feat. Emeli Sande. A guy with real musical talent. Enjoy...

Grammy award winning, 15 million album selling, singer-songwriter Macy Gray, one of the most unique and original artists operating in music today, returns with her brand new album, Talking Book on October 29th. The album is Macy’s love letter to its creator Stevie Wonder and is released in time for the 40th Anniversary of this timeless masterpiece. Gray says, “Talking Book is one of my top five favourite albums of all time, and Stevie is my favourite. This is my own personal gift to Stevie Wonder, for all that I learned from him and for his miraculous songs that change my life every time I hear them. This is not a tribute album or concert, it’s a love letter and a big thank you card on record and on stage.” Track Listing: 1. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life 2. Maybe Your Baby 3. You And I (We Can Conquer The World) 4. Tuesday Heartbreak 5. You’ve Got It Bad Girl 6. Superstition 7. Big Brother 8. Blame It On The Sun 9. Looking For...

Icelandic alternative folk sensation Of Monsters and Men have emerged as the breakthrough international act of 2012.The bands debut album ‘My Head is An Animal’ reached #3 in the UK album charts, #1 on iTunes and topped charts in Iceland, Ireland, Germany, Canada and America. Of Monsters and Men are pleased to announce new single ‘Mountain Sound’ coming out 5th November on Island Records. Crafting epic songs inspired by their amazing homeland, fairy tales and personal history, Of Monsters and Men have gone from battle of the bands winners and a must-see act at SXSW to internationally and critically acclaimed superstars. The bands first single ‘ Little Talks ’ to date has received over 22 million views on YouTube. New single ‘Mountain Sound’ is full of spirited harmonies and insatiable energy, which will undoubtedly captivate fans in the same way ‘Little Talks’ has done. Emotional lyrics, lush and diverse instrumentation are all powered by hand claps and sing-a-long hooks.Of Mon...

Bob Dylan's first eight groundbreaking albums are exclusively available now.

Jessie Ware's hugely anticipated debut album 'Devotion' yesterday capped a flurry of critical praise with a much coveted nomination for this year’s Mercury Prize. Having previously gone straight into the album chart Top Five, this accolade confirms Jessie as one of the UK's brightest new stars. With album single 'Wildest Moments' going on to the BBC Radio 1 A-list and recently receiving an intimate rendition on BBC One's Breakfast Show, now comes new single 'Night Light'. True to its name, 'Night Light' sees Jessie's powerhouse vocal shining with stirring emotion to a backdrop of swirling guitars, majestic piano flourishes and addictive down-tempo rhythm. Released ---- on PMR Records, ‘Night Light’ is equal parts modern soul and timeless pop that demonstrates yet again that Jessie Ware is in a class entirely of her own. Along with this, Jessie Ware will be embarking on her first UK and Ireland headline tour in November, with dates in L...

In June, the London duo of producer George Reid and singer Aluna Francis released their debut EP, 'You Know You Like It' on the experimental Tri Angle Records. The three tracks seamless marriage of UK glitch and bass culture and sample based production with futuristic R&B sheen and British pop sensibilities packed a contagious punch, winning the accolades of everyone from the NME and The Guardian to Pitchfork and Spin, quickly highlighting AlunaGeorge as one of 2012's brightest hopes. Hot off the heels of that resounding opening gambit, AlunaGeorge now announce their new single, ‘Your Drums, Your Love’. Picking up where 'You Know You Like It' left off, ‘Your Drums, Your Love’ continues the duo’s streak of cutting-edge club pop with an enticingly downbeat R&B ballad. Reid’s elusively liquid synths, rumbling low-end bass and hip-gyrating electronic sway provide a glistening backdrop to the sweet allure of Aluna’s voice, soaring with the arching, fragile ref...

Keane's new album 'Strangeland' entered the UK charts at Number one to make it their fifth consecutive number one album, equaling Coldplay and Radiohead, and beaten only by The Beatle s. 'Strangeland' has debuted in the top ten in twenty countries around the world. It is their fourth studio album, after 'Hopes & Fears' (2004); 'Under The Iron Sea' (2006); 'Perfect Symmetry' (2008) and the 'Night Train' EP (2010) which also topped the UK Album Chart. The critics hailed ‘Strangeland’ as one of Keane’s classic records and the once-heard, never-forgotten chorus of ‘Disconnected’ puts this classic sound centre stage once more. The Beatles-esque production of the song courtesy of producer Dan Grech (Radiohead, Lana Del Ray, The Vaccines, Howling Bells), colours the heartbreaking lyrics with a deceptively breezy pace, harmonies tugging at the emotional chords as only you could expect from one our biggest bands in the world. Cu...

LOWER THAN ATLANTIS have announced that due to manufacturing issues, their major label debut album “Changing Tune” will now be released on 1 October 2012 via Island Records. The first single from the album, “Love Someone Else” is currently available via iTunes and has a radio impact date of 1st October. The album artwork can be seen below. LOWER THAN ATLANTIS will embark upon a headline tour in October and the dates are as follows: Tune into Zane Lowe BBC Radio 1 from 7.00pm Monday 1st October Exeter Phoenix Tuesday 2nd October Southampton Mo’Club Wednesday 3rd October Bristol Trinity Thursday 4th October Nottingham Rescue Rooms Friday 5th October Glasgow Garage Sunday 7th October Manchester Club Academy Monday 8th October Norwich Arts Centre Tuesday 9th October Birmingham Academy 2 Wednesday 10th October Leeds Cockpit Thurs...

“ We wanted to do something unashamed,” says Ben Lovett. “We’re confident and happy to be where we are as a band — everything that’s happened with us has exceeded expectations, and it’s all been a surprise, it’s all much bigger than what we were prepared for. So when we came to recording this record we had a choice: to shy away from that, or to realise that people dig what we’re doing, and make something robust, with that energy . ” It was December 2010, and Mumford and Sons had been on the road since the previous summer: a glorious, eventful, yet relentless time. Standing somewhere between exhilarated and exhausted, the plan now was for the band’s four members to spend a few weeks apart, write, recuperate, and then reconvene in Nashville in the New Year, with the intention of trying out material for their second album. The informality of the set-up in Tennessee perhaps helped to dispel any nerves they may have had about following up 2009’s Sigh No More, an album that had gone four t...

Mumford & Sons release their new single, ‘I Will Wait’ on the 24th September 2012. It is the first single to be taken from their second album, Babel, released on the same day. The story of Mumford & Sons has been written and mapped out on the road. Since before the release of 2009’s debut album Sigh No More, the band has rarely been off tour, but the recording of Babel brought them off the road and back into the studio. Many of the songs on the new record found their dynamic through years of tested live performance. ‘Whispers In The Dark’, ‘Lover Of The Light’, ‘Below My Feet’, ‘Lovers’ Eyes’ and ‘Hopeless Wanderer’ might be familiar to fans that have seen the band perform live over the past eighteen months across the world. Babel was produced by Marcus Dravs, a man whom the band trusts to replicate and to understand the importance of live energy as much as they do. In a similar fashion to its predecessor, it is a record that marries the upbeat with the intimate, and the unr...

21 year old Salford born singer Ren Harvieu, whose breathtaking voice has had the critics reaching for the superlatives and whose critically acclaimed debut album “Through The Night” entered the UK chart at no. 5, has here brand new single “Do Right By Me” released on October 1st through Kid Gloves/Island Records. The single is released ahead of Ren’s first major UK tour which gets underway in Glasgow on Sunday October 7th. Full list of dates below. Ren has been busy with festivals during the summer performing with rap superstar Nas at Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend, T In The Park, Camp Bestival and V festivals and is also due to play Bestival on September 9th. October 2012   Sunday 7th Glasgow Oran Mor Monday 8th Gateshead Sage Tuesday 9th Manchester The Ritz Thursday 11th Liverpool Stanley Theatre Friday 12th Birm...

Jessie Ware 's hugely anticipated debut album ' Devotion ' yesterday capped a flurry of critical praise with a much coveted nomination for this year’s Mercury Prize. Having previously gone straight into the album chart Top Five, this accolade confirms Jessie as one of the UK's brightest new stars. With album single 'Wildest Moments' going on to the BBC Radio 1 A-list and recently receiving an intimate rendition on BBC One's Breakfast Show, now comes new single ' Night Light '. True to its name, 'Night Light ' sees Jessie's powerhouse vocal shining with stirring emotion to a backdrop of swirling guitars, majestic piano flourishes and addictive down-tempo rhythm. Released ---- on PMR Records, ‘ Night Light ’ is equal parts modern soul and timeless pop that demonstrates yet again that Jessie Ware is in a class entirely of her own. Along with this, Jessie Ware will be embarking on her first UK and Ireland headline tour in Novembe...