All Things British

Nov 4, 2013 All Things British

Missed Music Monday–Help Me Lose My Mind

Talk to me and watch me crumble, You will see me come undone. (Lyrics from Help Me Lose My Mind by Disclosure) I totally missed posting this last Tuesday…. The official release day for Disclosure’s awesome single, Help Me Lose My Mind featuring London Grammar. (And if you’ve been paying attention to this blog, you’d know that London Grammar happens to be one of my favorite groups – check out the post I did on them here.) Soooooo…I love this song!! It’s got catchy drum riffs and synthesizer

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Oct 24, 2013 Things I Love

Song of the Week Featuring Gabrielle Aplin’s The Power of Love

Thank you BBC1 for turning me on to yet another amazing British artist. This time it’s solo artist Gabrielle Aplin with the song The Power of Love. Seriously – both the song and video are chill-inducing. What the heck is chill-inducing you ask? It’s when you have chills up your arms because it’s THAT freakin’ good. What I love so much about the song - coupled with the beautifully captivating videography and Gabrielle’s amazing voice - is how it captures the essence of being in love. A raw, all

Oct 4, 2013 All Things British

New Music–CHVRCHES

It’s new music Tuesday for the Scottish trio CHVRCHES. I love this play on letters. And yes, I agree with this BBC article – you must use all caps when writing, err typing their name. (And don’t forget the “E”) Today their debut studio album Bones of What You Believe is released in the States. The group is electropop, but if you like Arcade Fire or Bastille or Depeche Mode, you’ll probably like CHVRCHES. As an author, I’m always on the lookout for new music to listen to while I run through a

Mar 29, 2012 My DrEaMwOrLd

Brit Artist of the Week - Discopolis

While listening to BBC Radio Scotland for my daily dose of Scottish immersion, I heard a cool song that I think you’ll enjoy by Discopolis. They are an “electro-indie” band that hails from Edinburgh. Their latest song, “Zenithopia” was released earlier this month. What the heck does “zenithobia” mean? I couldn’t find a definition, but using my deductive reasoning, I’d say it’s a combination of the following two words: ze·nith (znth) - n. 1. The point on the celestial sphere that is directly

Mar 28, 2012 All Things British

Do they really make tartan sheep in Scotland?

To find out, check out my stint as a guest blogger over at Celtic Hearts. Here’s a brief glimpse at the kind of sheep you can find in Ireland and Scotland. Check out my post to see more... You won't be disappointed. Photo Credit: P. Stubbs

Feb 27, 2012 All Things British

Brit Artist of the Week–Ed Sheeran

Last week Ed Sheeran won the Best Male Solo Artist at the Brit Awards. His performance of his hit song “Lego House” was masterful. If you’ve never seen the official video for “Lego House” you’ll want to check it out. Harry Potter fans will immediately recognize someone they’ve grown to love. Be sure to watch the entire video because the last minute or so will give you a chuckle. Ed Sheeran - Lego House (Official Video) from Ed Sheeran on Vimeo. Brilliant huh? Now if you liked that, I bet you’ll

Feb 20, 2012 All Things British

Song of the Week–“Next To Me”

A couple weeks ago I heard Emeli Sandè’s latest single, “Next to Me,” on the Tom Morton Show. Immediately I was tapping my toes to the infectious beat. It’s a little gospel, a little rock and a whole lot of soul. Did you know that the Scottish singer is also a songwriter? She’s written for many artists including Cher and Susan Boyle. Rumor has it, she’s one of Simon Cowell’s favorite songwriters. Unfortunately, those of us in the States have to wait until June for the US release of her debut

Feb 9, 2012 All Things British

Song of the Week - "In The End"

After selling out their UK tour, Snow Patrol will kick off their North American tour on March 29th in Orlando. Check out their latest single, “In The End”. Linked from Snowpatrol.com My favorite verse: “In the end. There is nothing more to life than love, is there?” Profound eh? But I find most of their lyrics amazing.

Jan 30, 2012 Writing Teen Romance

The Story of Music

I am one of those people that loves a song more after I hear the words. I write to music and depending on the type of scene I’m writing, prefer different tuneage. For me, I connect best with songs that have a deeper meaning. A song that makes you feel the music in a deep heart-and-soul-ache-make-you-want-to-cry sort of way. The song might not even be a sad song, it’s just the intensity of the emotion and the story the artist is able to convey with their words or arrangement of the music. Even an