Top 5 Singles of 2013

Welcome to the second installment of the end of year post! So far I have shown you my top five albums of 2013 and now onto top five singles! Before I go further with the post I would first like to say that I picked five incredible songs and it was so tricky to put these in order of preference!

5) Katy Perry - Roar

Kicking off the top 5 with a roar is Katy Perry’s single…well Roar. It's not the usual rock or metal song I go for but for me this single was a highlight of 2013. Empowering lyrics and a catchy melody are the two components needed for the perfect pop hit. It also seems to show the growth of Katy Perry herself as she been through quite a lot in the past year or so.

4) Avril Lavigne feat. Chad Kroeger – Let Me Go 

At number four is the single Let Me Go by newly weds Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger. I must admit I was very sceptical when I heard these two were going to release a single together. I’m very happy to say that I was proved wrong in this case; captivating use of the piano, the haunting lyrics and the beautiful harmony between Avril’s and Chad’s voices completes the song! The thirteen year old inside me is squealing with joy that my two favourite artists growing up have collaborated.

3) New Device – Save Your Life

Coming in at number 3 is the single Save Your Life by New Device. It was very refreshing to here some brand new material from the London rockers after a three-year gap. I remember first hearing this on Voice.FM and feeling warm inside within the first few seconds of the song. From the familiar clean crisp vocals provided by charismatic front man Dan Leigh to the original riffs and solos delivered by Matt Mallery and Nick Jones, Save Your Life has all the crucial features of a perfect rock song.

2) Within Temptation feat. Tarja – Paradise (What About Us?)                        

At number 2 is the sing Paradise (What About Us?) by Within Temptation featuring Tarja Turunen. When I first heard these two were going to do a single together I was very excited and I had every right to. Sharon Den Adel and Tarja’s beautiful voices complemented each other to create a strikingly moving song with a chorus that gives me goose bumps every time. If these are the kind of songs that we will hear on the new album then I think we don’t have to worry.

1) Shinedown – I’ll Follow You       

Finally my number one single of 2013 is I’ll Follow You by Shinedown. I was really excited to hear about the release of this song! After hearing it at their live show in Southampton in 2012 and listening to it again of the album I realised how profound this song is. With deeply thought lyrics and an enchanting melody to complete it I’ll Follow You has become a favourite single of mine. It doesn’t matter how many times I listen to the single it continues to blow me away each time. The reason why it is my number one single of 2013 is because it reminds me of some happy times; particularly when they performed this at Wembley Arena to 12,000 adoring fans as they sang along! That is an experience I will not be forgetting any time soon!

Two amazing videos!!!

Hello everyone I hope you are well! On this post I am sharing two videos that have caught my attention!!

The first one comes from Dutch Symphonic metal heads Within Temptation; it features not one but two of metal's leading ladies, front lady Sharon Den Adel and ex-Nightwish turned solo vocalist Tarja Turunen. The song is just flawless, both voices compliment each other remarkably. Within Temptation released The Unforgiving two years ago so it is refreshing to see some excellent new material from them. It has been a long time since we have seen Tarja in the spotlight but it is great to see her back and better than ever. If this video isn't further proof that Within Temptation continue to produce original haunting material then I don't what it.

The next video I understand it was released a month ago but I have finally got round to watching it. It's from London hard rockers New Device and it's the second single of their latest album Here We Stand. It is my personal favourite song off the album so I was pleased to see it released as a single and a video. I love the catchy melody of the chorus and it makes an excellent opening track for the album.

So those are the two brilliant videos I thought I must share! Take care now and stay musical!

Musical Lotty!!

Tarja - What Lies Beneath

I must admit I was putting off listening to this album; after hearing My Winter Storm and not liking it that much I had my doubts about this album. After hearing the first song Anteroom of Death on the album I had to hear the rest of it; I love how it started with a harpsichord and her voice alone then went to disstorted guitars and her voice over the top. I had heard the songs I Feel Immortal and Falling Awake before which I really like a lot so I was pleased to hear those songs on the album. What I also love about this album is the variety of songs; you have the fast, heavy tracks such as Until My Last Breath and Dark Star, you also have the soft tracks such as Underneath and The Archive Of Lost Dreams. It is incredible how Tarja's beautiful voice suits every single song and the string instrumentals introducing some of the songs, the one from In For A Kill reminded me of Jaws for some reason. This album is a lot better than My Winter Storm, definately shows another level to Tarja's solo career since being fired from Nightwish nearly six years ago and Nightwish are doing incredibly well; their Imaginarium project is coming together nicely.

Stand out tracks:  Until My Last Breath, Underneath and Dark Star

Find Tarja on her official website, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter and LastFM

Tuomaslotte's Best Music Videos of 2010

This post is dedicated to the best music videos of 2010;

Dommin - My Heart Your Hands:  This song is haunting and beautiful; the theme in this song matches the video very well. The symbolism of a girl pulling a red scarf out of where his heart should is very very strong and one of the highlights of the video; the manakins coming to life was also very effective, I think the manakins could be symbolising ex lovers or women who have had their hearts broken. I loved the gothic mansion setting for the video I thought it was the right place to suit the song.

HIM - Scared To Death:  My favourite song on HIM's 2010 album Screamworks:  Love In Theory and Practise; when they were to release a video promoting this song I was very excited. The white paper triangles were so so beautiful; it may have been showing purity in the video; I like the way the video is shot too. I studied Moving Image for two years so I was taught how to make a film and all the camera angles so I loved the interesting angles the video uses to keep the viewer watching.

Tarja - I Feel Immortal:  I must say I'm not a massive fan of Tarja's solo stuff, she does have a beautiful voice and respect her greatly but there's some of her songs that sound a bit bland and mundane. This video however matches this song perfectly. I love the seaside setting; a seemingly tranquil environment used to explore a topic we all hate going though....aging. The boy grows into an elderly man whilst singer Tarja stays the same age throughout; hence the title I Feel Immortal.

Kukka - Uniklubi:  Like Tarja's I Feel Immortal this video also explores aging but this time it's the band that ages. A young couple are tied together whilst the band play in front of them; while this is going on an hour glass's sands are running. This could indicate to how fast the band are aging whilst the young couple don't age at all; it's almost as if there are two different worlds in one room and I think that's what made the video.

Poets Of The Fall - Lift:  I feel this video is about 'outsiders' not being understood. Lead vocalist Marco is a prison convict in this video who realeases a moth from his grasp before being interrogated by the police investigators. He tries to explain something to them but they don't seem to understand; at the end of the video the nasty women ticks two boxes on the sheet one saying 'Illusionist' and another saying 'Dreamer'. Reading the comments for this video on YouTube the moth could represent them as an independent rock band being free to do as they please; the moths pinned to picture frames in the attick where the band are performing could represent bands signing to big major record companies suggesting their record companies own them like these moths pinned to the wall.

Poets Of The Fall - Carnival Of Rust:  This has become one of my absoulute favourite music videos this year; it's very Tim Burtonesque and surreal but it has such a powerful message. Vocalist Marco is a broken down clown doll in this video that a girl in a gas mask brought to life by putting coins in the machiene. It takes place at a very weird carnival with fire eaters, magic act and a ring toss game; by the end of the video the girl leaves the clown which upsets him. The most powerful part of the video is where the girl is walking away from this clown after winning a prize on a game; he sings 'Don't Walk Away' as she leaves him in despair. Wow making me cry just thinking about it.