It's that time again! It has to be said, it has been an incredible summer for music this year. Summer really began during Wildlife Festival in June for me, and it's been on a roll ever since, especially with the release of some brilliant and long awaited albums. It's not just been music making my world go around in the last few months however, so without much further ado, I present to you, my summer 2015 list of addictions.
Florence and the Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Now come on, if you guys really know me you'll have known this was on here from the moment you started reading this post. How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful is the long awaited third album from the band, following on from the brilliance of albums Lungs and Ceremonials, and it really doesn't disappoint. It seems to have taken both of the wonderful elements of the first two albums, and blended them into something truly amazing and spellbinding. This is definitely my favourite album from the band so far, I've been listening to it pretty much non-stop since it came out. My favourite tracks include the title track, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, as well as Mother, Various Storms and Saints, Queen of Peace, and the demo for Which Witch. I'm lucky enough to have grabbed some tickets to see Florence and co again in September (third time's a charm!), and I'm really looking forwards to seeing some songs off this album being performed live. Seriously guys, you have to check this album out because you will be hooked.
Years & Years - Communion
Following on with the theme of music, we finally got our hands on the first album from Years & Years this summer, and it hasn't disappointed. King was such a huge single at the start of the summer, it was pretty unavoidable, and it's been followed up by such a smasher of an album. The whole album has an upbeat feel to it, definitely the kind of album for a summer soundtrack, and all the tracks have this feeling of being connected to a much larger story arc. My favourites on the album are definitely Shine, Take Shelter, Worship and Border. I saw Years & Years at Wildlife Festival, and I'm really looking forwards to seeing them do a whole set when I see them in London in October.
Royal Blood - Royal Blood
My brother introduced me to Royal Blood last, and I can't get enough of them. Their self-titled first album is a complete masterpiece, a completely unique and different sound to anything else I regularly listen to, and the lyrics are just brilliant and down-right clever. This summer their album has been a bit of an anthem for me, especially on my commute to and from work. Honestly, I don't think there's a single song on this album I don't like or listen to. I would love to see them live so much, I reckon it would be a completely overwhelming experience. My favourite tracks on the album are Loose Change, Blood Hands, Careless and You Can Be So Cruel.
Sex and the City
I know I'm a little bit late to the party of how good Sex and the City is, but oh my god, I'm so hooked! Sex and the City has completely taken over my life, I come home from work and watch it non-stop until it's time to go to bed, and then repeat the following day. I'm lucky enough to be writing my dissertation on the representation of women in US sitcoms, so technically this has all been for research purposes. I'm completely hook, line and sinker addicted to this show, I find myself thinking about the situations of the group when I'm not watching it, and it's made me re-evaluate my attitudes towards dating as well. I'm not sure which character I like best, it seems to change depending on the storyline, and I'm conflicted as to which one I'm most like. I think I'm something of a hybrid between Carrie and Charlotte (at the moment, my opinions are always changing on this!). Also, god damn these girls have some serious fashion sense! And I would give anything to live in a New York apartment as nice as any one of the girls on the show, anything. I'm so jealous!
Real Techniques Brushes
I decided that this summer would be the summer I actually take the time to learn how to properly put my makeup on, rather than sort of chuck it at my face and hope for the best. My first step towards this was to invest in some decent makeup brushes, after all, a bad workman always blames his tools! I went for Real Techniques because my housemate Em uses them, and I've heard from many other reputable sources that they are actually quite good, and last well if you look after them. I'll admit that when I use the brushes I do see an improvement with how my makeup looks, so I guess I'm doing something right now!
(At the moment my collection consists of a stippling brush and a powder brush, but I'm hoping to purchase a few more soon.)
Much love ♥
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