Out today on #WarChildRecords! We have re-released the classic albums ‘1 Love’, ‘Hope’, ‘Help! A Day In The Life’ and ‘War Child Presents Heroes’, all available now on digital.

A limited vinyl run of each album will also be available. Pre-order now!https://t.co/Fn56VdSZ47 pic.twitter.com/S47f0HDJDZ

— War Child UK (@WarChildUK) September 10, 2021

The first of the four albums, 1 Love, was originally released in 2002 in a collaborative effort with NME, to celebrate fifty years since the magazine debuted. The album featured the likes of Oasis, Muse, Prodigy, Jimmy Eat World and Stereophonics, all of whom were asked to select a number one song to cover. The second album, Hope, saw War Child teaming up with the Daily Mirror to create an artistic response to the Iraq war. Unlike 1 Love, this album did not just include covers, it featured re-imagined original songs as well, such as Cat Stevens’ re-recording of Peace Train with the inclusion of the Incwenga Singers, a South African choir.

Help! A Day In The Life was the third compilation album released by War Child, this time to celebrate the tenth anniversary of a previous compilation record entitled The Help Album and to help fund the charity’s efforts in countries ravaged by war. The album featured twenty tracks- both original music and covers- by various artists including Radiohead, Bloc Party and Coldplay. The fourth and final album, 2009’s War Child Presents Heroes, was recorded over a period of six months and was intended to carry the theme of “placing faith in the next generation”. This album exclusively featured cover songs, however in this case, the original artists were called upon to nominate newer artists to re-interpret their songs. The compilation included musicians such as Rufus Wainwright, Lily Allen and Beck.

The four re-issued albums were released on streaming platforms on September 10^th, and are presently available for pre-order on limited edition vinyl.

Obviously avatars are second nature to Gorillaz, although 2D, Murdoc and the rest of the gang have a little more character than the round-faced, smiley Nintendo figures. It’s an ambitious crossover though, since they exist on two quite different ends of the same spectrum.

The musicians performed their new collaboration ‘The Valley of the Pagans’ which comes from Gorillaz’s new album Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez. They were joined by Beck, the collaborator on ‘The Valley of the Pagans’, in The concept of a virtual live performance in this style doesn’t seem likely to replace live music any time soon, but it’s interesting to watch it being executed (and the song is certainly just as good over Animal Crossing). It’s a little less impressive than a fully blown Gorillaz VR extravaganza.

The interview begins at 48 minutes and the performance at 1 hr 27. Whether or not the Animal Crossing aesthetic is for you, the content of the interview is brilliant, with Albarn and Hewlett both very relaxed and honest.

“We share a little bit of creative DNA,” Whitta says, referring to the fact that Gorillaz and Animal Talking both inhabit the virtual world. They also speak about the power of the internet to bring people together, especially in these strange and distanced times. It’s true, that it feels comfortingly like a talk show to see Albarn and Hewlett sat next to one another on a couch, even if digitally.

Gorillaz have played with form since they first burst onto the scene, and Song Machine is no exception. In the press release, virtual Gorillaz member Russel Hobbs declared: “Song Machine is a whole new way of doing what we do, Gorillaz breaking the mould ‘cos the mould got old. World is moving faster than a supercharged particle, so we’ve gotta stay ready to drop. We don’t even know who’s stepping through the studio next. Song Machine feeds on the unknown, runs on pure chaos. So whatever the hell’s coming, we’re primed and ready to produce like there’s no tomorrow.”

‘Season One’ is released in ‘episodes’; the latest, ‘The Valley of the Pagans’, was leaked prior to its official release, but it will be with us soon. Gorillaz have always had stellar collaborations, and this is no different – the line-up features Robert Smith, Slaves, Slowthai, St Vincent and more.

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SONG MACHINE TOUR 2021 Pssst, for first access to 2021 tour tickets, purchase your copy of Song Machine with a Circle of Friendz Pass at gorillaz.com NOW Gorillaz.com/tour

A post shared by Gorillaz (@gorillaz) on Oct 23, 2020 at 4:29am PDT

Gorillaz announced a huge show at the The O2 for August 2021. They also committed to returning to the virtual sphere for a live stream event to celebrate the release of their new album, which will take place in December. You can see the dates of their series of real-life shows below.

16/06/21 – Tanzbrunnen – Cologne
18/06 – Parkbühne Wuhlheide – Berlin
01/07 – Rockhal – Luxembourg
11/07 – The O2 – London

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Gorillaz present Song Machine Live  Coming to you live & direct from London A global live stream on 12 & 13 December 2020 Tickets & Gorillaz Live goods available now  gorillazlivenow.com

A post shared by Gorillaz (@gorillaz) on Sep 17, 2020 at 9:41am PDT

Beginning in January, there are now six ‘Song Machine’ episodes, with collaborations including Slowthai, Georgia, Skepta, Octavian, and The Cure’s Robert Smith, who most recently featured on the latest episode and single titled ‘Strange Timez’. The three live shows will air over 12th and 13th December on LIVENow, and tickets are available from the website now. It is yet to be announced who of the featured artists will appear, if any.

LIVENow’s director Marc Watson said, “We are really proud to work alongside Gorillaz to create something truly special for fans all around the world. ‘SONG MACHINE LIVE’ will raise the bar on what to expect from live-streamed concerts.” The band made the announcement via social media, simply posting a trailer with caption, “Gorillaz present Song Machine Live. Coming to you live & direct from London.”

Furthermore, the band revealed last week that they will be releasing a new album, ‘Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez’, on 23rd October. This will include previous releases as well as new works with Beck, Elton John, 6lack, Leee John, Kano, and Roxani Arias. As if that wasn’t already astounding news, there will also be a deluxe edition featuring St. Vincent, Earthgang, and more.

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Introducing the all-star cast of Song Machine Season One STRANGE TIMEZ Featuring: @slowthai @beck @st_vincent @eltonjohn @therealkano @mikewillmadeit @georgiauk @groovyq @chaiofficialjpn @fatoumata_diawara__ & many more Pre-order  gorillaz.com

A post shared by Gorillaz (@gorillaz) on Sep 14, 2020 at 1:09pm PDT

Check out the full track-lists below.

1. Strange Timez (ft. Robert Smith)
2. The Valley of The Pagans (ft. Beck)
3. The Lost Chord (ft. Leee John)
4. Pac-Man (ft. ScHoolboy Q)
5. Chalk Tablet Towers (ft. St Vincent)
6. The Pink Phantom (ft. Elton John and 6LACK)
7. Aries (ft. Peter Hook and Georgia)
8. Friday 13th (ft. Octavian)
9. Dead Butterflies (ft. Kano and Roxani Arias)
10. Désolé (ft. Fatoumata Diawara) (Extended Version)
11. Momentary Bliss (ft. slowthai and Slaves)

Deluxe
1. Strange Timez (ft. Robert Smith)
2. The Valley of The Pagans (ft. Beck)
3. The Lost Chord (ft. Leee John)
4. Pac-Man (ft. ScHoolboy Q)
5. Chalk Tablet Towers (ft. St Vincent)
6. The Pink Phantom (ft. Elton John and 6LACK)
7. Aries (feat. Peter Hook and Georgia)
8. Friday 13th (ft. Octavian)
9. Dead Butterflies (ft. Kano and Roxani Arias)
10. Désolé (ft. Fatoumata Diawara) (Extended Version)
11. Momentary Bliss (ft. slowthai and Slaves)
12. Opium (ft. EARTHGANG)
13. Simplicity (ft. Joan As Police Woman)
14. Severed Head (ft. Goldlink and Unknown Mortal Orchestra)
15. With Love To An Ex (ft. Moonchild Sanelly)
16. MLS (feat. JPEGMAFIA and CHAI)
17. How Far? (ft. Tony Allen and Skepta)

Italy & UK new 2021 dates have been secured for these #Hyperspace shows. Existing tickets are still valid & tickets are on sale now. https://t.co/1HPW05Qh9P

25/06 Brescia, IT
26/06 Rome, IT
27/06 Luca, IT
06/07 Edinburgh, UK
07/07 Manchester, UK
10/07 & 11/07 London, UK pic.twitter.com/vn1fAIpGUQ

— Beck (@beck) July 6, 2020

As assured by the artist himself via Twitter, all existing tickets will remain valid, and new tickets are on sale now from his official website. At present, seven out of the fourteen original dates have been rescheduled. Nothing further is confirmed, but it is hoped by both Beck and his followers that the other shows will go ahead later.

Furthermore, in a recent development, it was revealed that Beck will be headlining at Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona on Friday 4th June 2021, and Porto on 10th June. He shared his excitement in a Tweet, saying, “See you in 2021 Barcelona.” As well as this, he will appear at Trinity College Dublin for their Summer Series on 4th July 2021.

While in isolation over the past few months, Beck has been playing his music from home, recording a cover of Chris Bells’ ‘I Am The Cosmos’ which he uploaded to YouTube for his 300,000 subscribers.

Beck’s tour is in promotion of his 2019 album ‘Hyperspace’, an 11-track project including singles ‘Saw Lightning’and ‘Uneventful Days’, the former gaining over 9 million streams on Spotify. This was his fourteenth studio album release, seeing collaboration with Pharrell Williams and receiving a great reception from both critics and fans.

As a singer, songwriter, musician and producer, Beck has had a very versatile career, sharing his debut studio album‘Mellow Gold’ in 1994. He has worked in each of these fields with artists such as Sia, Childish Gambino, and Cage the Elephant. Prior to ‘Hyperspace’, his latest work was ‘Colours’, released in 2017; Beck’s alternative musical style continues to evolve with each release.

Check out the full rescheduled UK and European tour dates below.

25/06/2021 – Gardone Riviera Anfiteatro del Vittoriale – Brescia, Italy
26/06 – Auditorium Cavea – Rome, Italy
27/06 – Piazza Napoleone – Lucca, Italy
06/07 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh
07/07 – Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK
10/07 – Brixton Academy – London, UK
11/07 – Brixton Academy – London, UK

Photo Credit: Brett Padelford

The dates may not be going ahead, but ticket-holders can be assured that they will see Beck perform live in the near future as the dates are currently being rescheduled for later this year, or perhaps even next year.

Due to continued restrictions on public gatherings, and in the interest of public safety, the below Beck shows will not be happening as scheduled.

We’re working to reschedule as many of these shows as soon as it is safe to do so and will keep you updated along the way. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/eINLDo2SeM

— Beck (@beck) May 20, 2020

His team shared the announcement on Twitter, saying “Due to continued restrictions on public gatherings, and in the interest of public safety, the below Beck shows will not be happening as scheduled.” The thread continued, finding a further statement, “Beck is very sorry about this situation and is looking forward to getting back on stage as soon as possible.” Ticket-holders can obtain more information or a refund from their point of purchase, but most will hopefully hold on to them until the dates are rescheduled.

Beck’s tour is in promotion of his 2019 album ‘Hyperspace’, an 11-track project including singles ‘Saw Lightning’ and ‘Uneventful Days’, the former gaining over 8 million streams. This was his fourteenth studio album release, seeing collaboration with Pharrell Williams and receiving a great reception from both critics and fans.

As a singer, songwriter, musician and producer, Beck has had a very versatile career, sharing his debut studio album ‘Mellow Gold’ in 1994. He has worked in each of these fields with artists such as Sia, Childish Gambino, and Cage the Elephant. Prior to ‘Hyperspace’, his latest work was ‘Colours’, released in 2017; Beck’s alternative musical style continues to evolve with each release.

Find all the affected tour dates below:

2/06/2020 – Laugardalsholl – Reykjavik, IS
14/06 – L’Atelier – Luxembourg City, LX
16/06 – L’Olympia – Paris, FR
17/06 – Beethovensaal – Stuttgart, DE
20/06 – Arena Open Air – Vienna, CZ
23/06 – Zenith – Munich, DE
24/06 – Halle 662 – Zurich, CH
26/06 – Cavea, Auditorium Parco della Musica – Rome, IT
27/06 – Piazza Napoleone – Lucca, IT
28/06 – II Vittoriale Degli Italiani – Brescia, IT
07/07 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh, UK
09/07 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK
11/07 – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK
12/07 – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK

Photo Credit: Brett Padelford

Amidst a wave of cancelled festivals and events, Primavera Sound is the latest event to fall victim to the coronavirus crisis. Posting a statement to their website, festival organisers, said: “Faced with this constantly changing scenario, the restrictions imposed by the authorities on the celebration of public shows and on the free movement of people (making the participation of the announced artists difficult and in many cases impossible) and in coordination with the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council and the Sant Adrià de Besòs City Council, we are forced to postpone the upcoming edition of Primavera Sound Barcelona for reasons of force majeure known to us all. Our absolute priority has always been to guarantee the safety of our audience, artists and all the people involved in the festival.”

Primavera in summer, for once in a lifetime.
More info at https://t.co/ZvNNJAIE8U pic.twitter.com/pYUQTgVtqs

— primavera_sound (@Primavera_Sound) March 28, 2020

The original festival was meant to take place between June 3rd and June 7th 2020, but amid the growing coronavirus pandemic the festival has been postponed until August. The festival will now take place from August 26th and August 30th 2020, and tickets already purchased for the festival will continue to be valid for the new dates.

In an lengthy statement on their website, organisers of Primavera Sound, said: “For this reason, given the exceptional nature of the situation in which we find ourselves, Primavera Sound Barcelona 2020 will take place from 26th to 30th August. We feel obliged and responsible to contribute insofar as we can to the survival of the live music scene, whose role will be key to the return to normality after this absolutely unprecedented situation that has never been faced before by the cultural sector and all its agents: artists and their teams, agencies, promoters, venues, festivals, stage builders, technical and production teams, bar staff, cleaning and security staff, and in general the thousands of people involved in the sector. We thank all of them for their perseverance and contribution.

“On our side, and with the indispensable support of Pull & Bear, Heineken® and Desperados, adidas, Aperol, Lotus and all of the festival sponsors, we will make every effort to ensure that this change, imposed as a result of the current global health crisis, affects the festival’s programme as little as possible.”

The statement concluded, “The tickets already purchased for Primavera Sound Barcelona 2020 will continue to be valid for the new dates. Once the state of alarm decreed by the Government of Spain is over as well its possible extensions, we will give you more information and will reactivate the ticket sales. Moreover soon we will give you more details about NOS Primavera Sound Porto 2020. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding in the face of this unprecedented situation. Let’s all face this together. We will get through this together. And we will celebrate our 20th anniversary together. We are waiting for you in the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona at the end of August. Primavera in summer, for once in a lifetime.”

This year is a special time for the festival as it is set to celebrate it’s 20th anniversary and this year’s impressive line-up reflects the celebrations. Primavera Sound Barcelona 2020 revealed that headlining this year’s festival would be Tyler, The Creator, Lana Del Rey, The Strokes, Beck, and Massive Attack. Joining the five impressive headliners will be performances from the likes of Pavement, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, Maggie Rogers, Khaled, Bikini Kill, The National, Kacey Musgraves, Iggy Pop, Disclosure, Dinosaur Jr., King Krule, and Young Thug, among many others.

Unfortunately, for fans of both Primavera Sound and Reading and Leeds Festival the new rescheduled dates for Primavera Sound will take place the same weekend as Reading and Leeds Festival. The news comes after Reading and Leeds announced that the festival will go ahead as planned for the time being. Following the cancellation of Glastonbury Festival and flurry of other cancelled events and festival, Reading and Leeds Festival released a statement that confirmed the festival will go ahead as planned.

A statement released on the Reading and Leeds Festival website, said: “Please be assured that the safety and health of all staff and visitors, is our main priority and we are implementing recommendations and instructions appropriately. We are closely monitoring official guidance from the World Health Organisation, Public Health England, UK Government, local public health authorities and are working with event promoters and organisers as information evolves.”

Europe – more shows added to fill the summer months
Tickets go on sale Friday, 2/28 at 10am local.

Visit https://t.co/1HPW05Qh9P for a full list of shows on sale.#Hyperspace pic.twitter.com/nTI2WMVIMr

— Beck (@beck) February 25, 2020

The ‘Hyperspace’ Tour is in support of Beck’s latest album of the same name released back in November 2019. Hyperspace is his fourteenth studio album, following the success of 2017’s heavily pop-oriented Colors. Primarily produced by the singer himself and pop mastermind Pharrell Williams, the LP is intended to help Beck “seize the moment” of his Colors era.

The alternative king elaborated how Hyperspace shaped up with NME, “I had a few things after the ‘Colors’ tour finished and I really wanted to seize the moment with this project. There’d been a period of time where Pharrell had been really busy and an opportunity opened up so I went with it. Originally it was going to be a single or an EP, but I think we were both surprised when there was a body of work here.”

The 49-year-old singer also pointed out how Hyperspace, while retaining pop aesthetic in his previous record, experiments with minimalist sounds, which Williams helped him achieve: “I really tried to be less ambitious on the production on these songs, like to let them be simple and let them breathe. Pharrell is a master minimalist. On production I’m a bit of a maximalist – I’m known to have 140 tracks of things trying to coexist and fight to be heard at the same time. I’ve really tried to reform myself to let it be more simple.”

Apart from N.E.R.D’s frontman who helped Beck crafted his another pop perfection, the “Loser” legend invited alternative pop singer Sky Ferreira (“Die Waiting“), Coldplay’s Chris Martin (“Stratosphere“), and musical prodigy from Dublin Terrell Hines (“Hyperspace“) to join force on the record. The album, as well as his previous records, received critical acclaim from music critics with the likes of NME and Rolling Stones.

This July, Beck will return to the UK shores for his latest tour. The ‘Hyperspace’ Tour will be the singer’s first headlining tour in over three years since his tour in support of the Grammy-winning record Morning Phase released in 2014. (He only brought the ‘Colors’ Tour to the UK for music festivals.) There will be four dates in total for the UK leg of the ‘Hyperspace’ Tour. Check out the dates below.

The ‘Hyperspace’ Tour Dates
07/07/2020 — Usher Hall — Edinburgh
09/07 — O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester — Manchester
11/07 — O2 Academy Brixton — London *sold out*
12/07 — O2 Academy Brixton — London

Photo Credit: Brett Padelford

1.  ‘WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’ – Billie Eilish

Among the debut albums from breakout artists this year, ‘WWAFA, WDWG?’ by 17-year-old Billie Eilish, stood out as the most impressive and innovative record, and there’s no denying that.

The LP is well thought out and is an honest narrative of an individual from Generation Z, with lyrics about being depressed yet ironically and ridiculously dauntless.

Sonic-wise, Eilish and her brother Finneas also managed to turn trivial noises like breaking glass and a dentist’s drill in “bury a friend” or people booing and clapping in ‘Wish You Were Gay’, representing their generation’s quirkiness. From now on, many emerging—and yes, existing—artists are likely to make an effort to replicate what, ‘WWAFA, WDWG?’ has achieved.

– Jay Arpiwach

2. ‘Music To Listen To’ – Bring Me The Horizon

The second entry in the top ten of this list is from Sheffield heavy metallers, Bring Me The Horizon. From the very long title to the surreally named track listing, ‘Music To Listen To’ deviates drastically from Bring Me The Horizon’s earlier works. That being said, this album is by far one of the best 2019 has to offer.

It stirs to memory sounds of deadmau5’s more recent discography, a fusion of electronic beats with the harsh grunginess of Tool’s latest album, ‘Fear Inocolum’.

Highlights of the album: The brass at around three minutes into ‘Steal Something’. An eerie, unsettling looped vocal sample playing for eighteen, yes, eighteen minutes as Oli Sykes delivers a haunting and reflective monologue on life over it.

The villainous ‘A Devastating Liberation’, (an instrumental reworking of ‘why you gotta kick me when I’m down?’, from ‘Amo’), and lastly, ‘Dead Dolphins’, are magnificent.

– Matthew Bailey

3. ‘Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent’ – Lewis Capaldi

The Glaswegian born singer-songwriter and all round funny guy released his debut album in 2019 to huge acclaim. The production values feel like warm caramel to the ears. If that’s possible…

‘Someone You Loved’ is the piano led ballad that is instantly recognizable. Capaldi’s vocal performance is much more controlled and restrained and it’s only in the chorus that his voice captures that unique husky sound that appears throughout the album.

Tracks like ‘One’, ‘Headspace’ and ‘Bruises’ illustrate Capaldi’s abilities as a songwriter and vocalist. However, it’s in ‘Hold Me While You Wait’, another piano impressive ballad, that his true vocal abilities are seen, as he builds from soft husky tonnes to a burning crescendo. Ultimately, these songs are highlights of an album that had to make the cut.

– Matthew Bailey and Caitlyn Hart

4. ‘Nothing Great About Britain’ – Slowthai

‘Nothing Great About Britain’ is the affirmation of intent from self-titled ‘Northampton’s Child’, Slowthai. The Northampton-born rapper’s debut offers a combination of punk and grime, that was released with a bang and came as a fresh of breath air.

Slowthai is a rapper that wasn’t scared to tackle issues of gravity in his debut offering, he showed no fear in speaking out against “the norm” and revealing his tender side.

The self-proclaimed “Brexit Bandit’s” debut album tackles the UK’s most important issues such as the looming withdrawal of Britain from the European Union, class inequality, and poverty. But, in a time when the British public were being bombarded with politics, Slowthai approached these heavy subjects in a light-hearted and fun way.

Tracks like ‘Slow Down’ and ‘Peace Of Mind’ tell the story of his life before his career in music and the struggles he faced growing up in poverty. The album also sees Slowthai collaborate with fellow rappers Skepta on ‘Grow Up’, Mura Masa on ‘Doorman’, and Jaykae on ‘Grow Up’. With the British grime scene experiencing one of its best years, in 2019, its no surprise that this debut offering from Slowthai  hit all the right notes, not only securing him a place on our top ten, but the coveted price of BBC Music Sound of 2019.

– Caitlyn Hart

5. ‘No. 6′ Collaborations Project’ – Ed Sheeran

Sheeran’s contribution, ‘No. 6′ Collaborations Project’, speaks for itself! It’s a statement of Sheeran’s unarguable success in the charts right now, and it features the biggest of the biggest names in the industry.

From Eminem and 50 Cent to Justin Bieber and Stormzy, Meek Mill and Skrillex, it’s frankly incredible to remember where he started with his ‘+’ album in 2011.

‘Remember The Name’, with 50 Cent and Eminem, the Skrillex collab, ‘Way To Break Your Heart’, ‘I Don’t Care’, with Justin Bieber, and his team up with Stormzy, ‘Take Me Back To London’ are stand out features on this record.

– Matthew Bailey

6. ‘Amo’ – Bring Me The Horizon

Bring Me The Horizon’s first entry at number three. Listening to ‘Mantra’, the first glimpse into their fifth album, it felt reminiscent of ‘Can You Feel My Heart?’ from ‘Sempiternal’. It’s a heavy, mainstream, well-executed track, but pales slightly in comparison to others.

‘Nihilist Blues’, for instance, is an example of their effortless ability to transition between EDM beats and heavy rock influences. The album’s finale, ‘I Don’t Know What To Say’, opens with elegant, swaying strings, before delivering a chorus at two minutes remarkably similar to Rammstein’s epic ‘Mein Herz Brennt’.

For the fans of Bring Me The Horrizon’s earlier work, this record will take some of them in a direction they may not favour. However, if a band failed to develop musically, they’d be at risk of being left behind in the past. Bring Me The Horizon have then excelled at maturing into a group to be taken seriously.

– Matthew Bailey

7. ‘Grey Area’ – Little Simz

North London born, Little Simz made her triumphant return in 2019 with ‘Grey Area’ and has been regarded as the “UK’s most overlooked rapper who dares you not to stare this time.”

‘Grey Area’ is Little Simz’ third album which she said she used to experiment and explore new sounds, and reflects the “grey area” in her mid-20’s. The album sees her trying to navigate through, this “grey area”, and out the other side.

Tracks like ‘Offence’, ‘Boss’ or ‘Therapy’ have been described as seeing Simz put on a “strong, independent tone”. With the establishment of this new sound, one might think all tracks sound alike, but no two songs are the same, on “Grey Area”. Meanwhile, on the track ‘Sherbet Sunset’, Simz lays all her cards on the table by laying out her struggle, which sees her leaving herself open and vulnerable.

Simz concludes the album with a reflective track, ‘Flowers’, which features the soulful vocals of Michael Kiwanuka. The track sees Simz close, a hugely successful return, with an impassioned rap about the artists that have sadly left us – such as Amy Winehouse – with whom she said she shares a kindred spirt. It can only be described as touching conclusion to a victorious return.

– Caitlyn Hart

8. ‘Sucker Punch’ – Sigrid

Another remarkable debut record of 2019 belongs to Norwegian synthpop star Sigrid. As suggested in the title, ‘Sucker Punch’, the LP is filled with killer hooks and thunderous sounds thrown out of Sigrid’s wide-ranging voice.

Similar to Billie Eilish, whom she beat on BBC Sound of 2018, Sigrid successfully crafted a story of a modern-day teenager who experiences doubt, delight, and desperation in life and falling in and out of love.

– Jay Arpiwach

9. ‘Pony’ – Rex Orange County

Alexander O’Connor is no stranger when it comes to talking about feelings and deep thoughts. In ‘Pony’, O’Connor keeps extending his soft-boy persona, using his sharp skills of lyricism to explore what it feels like to be a man in the 21st century.

While many songs on the album are devoted to his genuine affection for his girlfriend, Thea Morgan-Murrell, he still manages to slip his criticism of fame and the idea of masculinity in. The record, therefore, is not only like a hot soothing tea to the ears but also a hard-to-swallow pill – like the truth you are afraid to hear.

– Jay Arpiwach

10. ‘Hyperspace’ – Beck

Pop music, to many, is somehow considered a less cool genre to listen to, but the king of alternative music’s fourteenth studio album, ‘Hyperspace’, has proved that pop music can be cool after all.

‘Hyperspace’ is a follow-up to Beck’s 2017 initial venture into pop music, ‘Colours’. It seems like he can’t shake the fun to make pop album so much that he asked pop monster producers Pharrell Williams and Greg Kurstin to help him craft one more gigantic pop record.

The result is the synth-heavy album that balances the pop elements with alternative lyricism. These 11 tracks offer such perfect sonic coherency and heart-warming voice of Beck that bring us to the space of hyperexcitement.

– Jay Arpiwach

Jack White and Beck join the likes of Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, U2, Guns N’ Roses, Ryan Adams and many many more who have all signed the petition. The petition in question is aiming to stop Youtube from allowing anyone to upload and host musicc; in short to stop fans sharing their music from accounts that aren’t ‘official’. The argument is that as Youtube allows anyone to share and upload material then the already hugely rich musicians are missing out on even more money. There is logic in it as ultimately the music is the musicians artistic property therefore any potential gains from sharing it should go to the artist; however as said the vast majority of these musicians are hugely successful and rich so what’s the harm in a fan sharing their music?

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is the law that musicians and record labels are looking to reform as they argue it is entirely outdated, having come into work 20 years ago before the digital music streaming explosion.

The petition makes the argument that the likes of Youtube (whilst not directly mentioned) make:

 “huge profits” by allowing people “to carry almost every recorded song in history in their pocket via a smartphone, while songwriters’ and artists’ earnings continue to diminish.”

Ultimately I doubt this petition will hugely affect Youtube as the people that are against Youtube are a minority in comparison to those who like and enjoy the service Youtube provides.