The Suffolk-raised 20-year-old released his acclaimed debut album ‘+’ in September 2011 and he hasn’t looked back since. The album, which is now triple platinum with over 900,000 sales, debuted at #1 in the official UK charts upon release and reclaimed the #1 title at the turn of the year.

Furthermore, Ed Sheeran has received the most amount of BRIT Awards nominations this year, for ’Best Male’, ‘Best Breakthrough’, ‘Best Single’, and ‘Best Album’ , with the ceremony taking place at London’s O2 Arena on February 21st. In addition to this, Ed received nods from iTunes (‘Best Newcomer 2011’), BT Digital Music Awards (‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’), BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards (‘Best British Single’) and Q Awards (‘Breakthrough Artist’).

Last year saw the release of the massive UK top 5 singles, ‘The A Team’, ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’ and ‘Lego House’. No doubt the “flame-haired guitar genius” will continue this trend when he releases his new single ‘Drunk’ on February 27th.

Ed Sheeran UK Tour Dates 2012

October

Mon 15
London Hammersmith Apollo
Sat 20
Newport Newport Centre
Sun 21
Bournemouth Windsor HALL
Mon 22
Plymouth Pavilion
Sun 28
Birmingham Ballroom
Wed 31
Nottingham Nottingham Arena

November

Thu 1
Manchester Apollo
Mon 5
Doncaster Doncaster Dome
Wed 7
Hull Hull Arena
Thu 8
Blackpool Empress Ballroom
Sat 10
Newcastle City Hall
Mon 12
Edinburgh Usher Hall
Wed 14
Glasgow Barrowlands

Tickets go on sale Wednesday 25th Jan at 9am.

Ed Sheeran new single will be ‘Drunk’

Ed Sheeran has announced that his next single will be ‘Drunk’, released on February 27th via Asylum/Atlantic Records. He posted the video up online today – watch it here. It’s the 4th single to be taken from his triple platinum album ‘+’ which shot back to the top of the charts  at the beginning of this year 4 months after its initial release.

2011 was a phenomenal year for Ed Sheeran. With over 2 million records and 100,000 live tickets sold he was named as 2011’s Breakthrough Artist by Q, MSN, iTunes and the Digital Music Awards. Last week Ed received four  BRIT awards, shortlisted in the categories for British Solo Male, British Breakthrough Act, British Single for ‘The A Team’ & British Album of the Year for ‘+’.

Ed said at the time;

‘Exactly a year ago to the day I signed my record deal with Asylum/Atlantic Records. Today I have an album that’s gone triple platinum, 3 sold out tours and now four BRIT Award nominations. I’m over the moon! I really couldn’t have hoped for a better start to 2012.’’. He plays the first of two sold out Brixton Academy shows tonight in London, on the final leg of his UK tour.

The brand new video for ‘Drunk’ includes highlights from Sheeran’s last year out on the road as he toured up and down the country relentlessly. Watch it below and see if you recognise yourself… and some of Ed’s singer (and ginger) chums.

Ed Sheeran new single ‘Drunk’ is due for release on 27th February 2012.

Hard To Find - a brilliant snap shot of time

Described by Pacha Magazine as a ‘brilliant snap shot of time’ Hard To Find is a compilation series bringing together great and lost remixes from old 12” vinyl collections and CD singles.

For anyone who grew up listening to Jeff Young’s Big Beat and Pete Tong’s Essential Selection from the late 1980’s through to the 1990’s and beyond, or Annie Nightingale’s Sunday night request show, this album is for you. Highlight rare mixes of St Etienne, Neneh Cherry, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and D:ream are just of the CD high spots.

Hard To Find Tracklist:

CD1
01 William Orbit – Water From a Line Leaf (Underwater Mix Part One) (Remixed by Underworld)
02 It’s Immaterial – Driving Away From Home (Wicked Weather for Walking)
03 Beloved – The Sun Rising (Deeply Satisfying)
04 Neneh Cherry – Buffalo Stance (Nearly Neue Beat) (Remixed by Arthur Baker)
05 A Certain Ratio – Won’t Stop Loving You (Norman Cook Remix)
06 Saint Etienne – Only Love Can Break Your Heart (A Mix Of Two Halves) (Remixed by Andrew Weatherall)
07 Bassomatic – Fascinating Rhythm (Claudio Caniggia Mix) (Remixed by Renegade Soundwave)
08 The Grid – Floatation (Sonic Swing Mix) (Remixed by Andrew Weatherall)
09 Hall & Oates – I Can’t Go For That  (No Can Do) (Ben Liebrand Remix)
10 ABC – The Look of Love (US Remix) (Remixed by Trevor Horn)

CD2
01 A Tribe Called Quest – I Left My Wallet in El Segundo (Norman Cook Independence Mix)
02 Simply Red – Something Got Me Started (Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley’s Club Mix)
03 Definition of Sound – Moira Jane’s Café (E-Smoove’s Groovy Mix)
04 Sub Sub – Space Face Techno Todd Dub  (Remixed by Todd Terry)
05 Leftfield Lydon – Open Up (The Chemical Brothers Remix)
06 Sheena Easton – 101 (Def House Mix) (Remixed by David Morales)
07 D:Ream – UR The Best Thing (Sasha Full Mix)
08 Stereo MC’S – Step It Up (Stereo Field Dub) (Remixed by Leftfield)
09 Roxy Music – Same Old Scene (Glimmers Remix)
10 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Welcome To The Pleasure Dome (Fruitness)

Buzzin Music has two copies to giveaway in a free competiton.

To enter all you need to do is answer the following easy question:

Q: Who had a hit in the 1980’s with ‘Driving Away From Home’?

Submit your entries to comps@buzzinmedia.co.uk with the subject line: ‘Hard To Find’ (other subject lines will not be entered) with your full name, address & contact number.

This Buzzin Media Competition ends on 30 September, 2011.

The editor will randomly choose two winners from the correct answers. The editor’s choice is final.

Through the Rain by Senit

Senit, the 2011 female pop singer who represented San Marino in the recent Eurovision 2011 finals in Dusseldorf with the soft rock Euro pop song, Stand By which came 16th with 34 points, has released a new single from her forthcoming new album.  The Euro Pop Music single is called Through the Rain and is taken from her fourth album which is due to be released at the end of 2011.

Through the Rain by Senit

The Italian pop star was born in Bologna of Eritrean origin.

Her first two albums were sung in Italian but with her third album Senit decided to sing all the songs in English, something she has continued on her fourth album.

Through the Rain is a Euro Dance Pop crossover with vocal similarities to a 1980’s Bonnie Tyler power ballad and Billie Ray Martin and the 1990’s dance pop sound of Electribe 101.

Though not well known in the UK, Senit performed in musical theatre productions such as Fame, The Lion King, Hair and Rent, before she decided to concentrate on a career as a pop singer.

Senit is currently putting together a 2011 European Tour that will include concerts in many European countries in order to promote the new album.

For more information visit Senit’s official website, or follow her on Facebook.

Through the Rain by Senit is now available to download from the iTunes Store and other digital download outlets.

For more information about Senit visit Believe Digital.

Sponsored Post

The Angel Pop is Marina Celeste's third solo album

The Angel Pop is the gorgeous Marina Celeste’s third solo album, and sees her collaborating with Terry Hall, frontman of The Specials.

Marina Celeste originally met Terry Hall while duetting with him on the Nouvelle Vague track “Our Lips Are Sealed”, which led the pair to reunite in Paris to record another four tracks together for this release.

The Angel Pop is released digitally on June 18th and on CD on July 4th.

The album blends Marina’s original songs with some masterfully re-imagined renditions, such as her cover of Midnight Oil’s “Beds Are Burning“, or Trio’s Casio driven classic “Da Da Da“.

The original tracks on the album showcase her talent for performing in English as well as in her native French tongue, each song exuding contrasting themes of innocence and sensuality, achieved to great effect by her unique vocal style. She has a flair for creating atmospheric, dreamy pop songs; it will come as no surprise that she lists her influences as Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins and Everything But The Girl. There’s a great depth to her song writing that’s sure to see her compared to Stereolab as well as French DJ’s extraordinaire, Air.

Originally discovered at 22 by Marc Collin, of Nouvelle Vague fame, French pop music starlet Marina Celeste is no stranger to taking the spotlight, having toured the world and selling over half a million records during the course of her career.

With an already impressive body of work behind her, and a recent successful UK tour behind her, The Angel Pop is sure to make a huge impression upon its UK release.

Feldberg

As volcanic ash from Iceland once again causes disruption to UK airports Buzzin Media interviewed the newest addition to Iceland’s enviable canon of internationally acclaimed music artists.

Feldberg are a duo from Iceland consisting of singer Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld and multi-instrumentalist Einar Tönsberg (better known as Eberg). They were formed in 2008 when songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Einar returned to Iceland from London looking for a female vocalist to record Running Around, a song he had written for an Icelandic advert.

Feldberg make sumptuous dreamy electro acoustic folk-edged pop music.  This year their debut album, Don’t Be A Stranger finally received a UK release via  Smalltown America.  The album was preceded by two singles, Don’t Be a Stranger and Dreamin’.

Feldberg make sumptuous dreamy electro acoustic folk-edged pop music

Do you come from Reykjavík?  What is the rest of Iceland like compared to Reykjavík?

Einar: We live by the sea and all the cute houses look the same here with these multi-colored iron rooftops. Iceland is more or less the size of England but with less population then Brighton. Two third of the population is around Reykjavik, so the rest is pretty peaceful.  Just tweny minutes outside of Reykjavík you are already in lava land where moss covered lava is everywhere to be found.  The centre is amazing, a sordow no mans land and unaccessible unless by 4x4.

How did you first meet & start working together?

Rósa: Well Einar called me up because he was working on a sync and apparently no less than three people recommended he should call me.  He had a nice voice and seemed stressed so I just popped right over to his studio and never left.

You played as a three-piece in a recent gig at The Lexington in London but you have previously played with a full band.  What do you prefer and why do you not always use the same group live?

Einar: Usually the budget controls how many people we can bring over.  The group really is us two so if we are doing radio or instore we just play the two of us, but we love having the whole band, it´s just more dynamic.

Feldberg - Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld & Einar Tönsberg

Do you share the same inspirations?

Rósa: Sometimes we do and sometimes we don´t.  Einar works alot with music so he likes going home and enjoys the silence or turns on the radio (BBC 4 kind of radio).  I on the other hand am a DJ, so I am always listening to different stuff.

What inspired you to form Feldberg (music and otherwise)?

Einar: It just kind of happened. We decided meet up every Tuesday night and before we knew we had enough songs to make an album. We never really planned anything, it just came along naturally.

Do you have a set way of writing new songs?

Rósa: Usually Einar has a backing track and some vocal idea ready when I come in, then I babble some nonsense over and before we know we have the melody in place and we keep on going from there.  At other times we just jam it on a piano or the guitar and just have fun.

Why has it taken two years to officially release your debut album, Don’t Be A Stranger, in the UK?

Einar: Once you have an album ready in Iceland you just press print and the album is in the shops a couple of weeks later. Then all the work with marketing, radio and singles starts. It´s kind of the other way in the UK.  Here you do the work with marketing and so on beforehand. Smalltown America found our CD and decided to release it in the UK.

Read the Feldberg – Don’t Be A Stranger album review.

For more information visit:
www.myspace.com/feldbergmusic
www.facebook.com/feldbergmusic

It’s a song about ordinary, humdrum life and the everyday events that happen, with an uncluttered backing and set to a hummable melody. The vocals are pleasant enough and remind me in places of Gordon Gano. The simple verse/chorus arrangement works well and the whole thing hangs together nicely in a Darren Hayman-esque manner.

Ultimately though for me, there’s little to retain my attention beyond the first few spins. The melody is fine but there’s not enough depth for me. Perhaps the album will be more up my street and I’ll definitely be giving it a listen or two. After all, John Peel played more than one or two Herman Dune tracks and they are signed to Fortuna Pop – two institutions with a proven track record when it comes to what’s good and what’s not. I might be missing something but ‘Tell Me Something I Don’t Know’ won’t be lingering too long on my play list.

Herman Dune are playing:
4th June – Bristol – Thekla
5th June – Brighton – Coalition
6th June London – XOYO (with Comet Gain and Tigercats)

Herman Dune release their new single, ‘Tell Me Something I Don’t Know’ on Fortuna POP! (under exclusive licence from City Slang) on 23rd May 2011.

Feldberg’s debut album, Don’t Be A Stranger

The debut album Don’t Be A Stranger by Icelandic pop duo, Feldberg finally got a UK release in April, two years after its initial release in Iceland.  The album was preceded by two singles, Don’t Be a Stranger and Dreamin’.

Dreamin’ won Best Song at the 2010 Icelandic Music Awards and was selected by trendsetting French boutique label Kitsuné for its Maison 9 compilation, while the single, Don’t Be a Stranger spent four weeks in the Icelandic top 10.

Feldberg make beautiful, wonderful dream-happy music, best described as an electro acoustic folk-edged pop.  The music has echoes of sixties French pop and in parts resembles the less quirky side of Stereolab. Like a feel-good film they write songs that make me smile.  The songs sounded familiar with my first listen, though definitely not in a ‘heard it all before’ way, more in a perfect pop way that is given my instant approval.

Feldberg are Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld & Einar Tönsberg.  They were formed when songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Einar returned to Iceland from London looking for a female vocalist to record Running Around, a song he had written for an Icelandic advert.

“It was a lovely accident,” explains Einar. “I needed a vocal, somebody to do a female vocal. I called up my friends and they all said ‘You have to call Rosa.’ She was at my studio ten minutes later and she hasn’t left.”  Rósa adds: “It was really comfortable from the very beginning, like it was destiny. I felt like I should stay once I was there. It’s kind of like a relationship without the romance.”

“We kind of decided not to analyse anything,” says Einar. “Our rule was just to do the first thing that came to mind. Keep it fun and simple. I guess we’ve both been in projects where we’ve over-analysed things and wanting to do the most special music in the world but now we just want to do what’s natural for us.”

Don’t Be A Stranger by Feldberg is one of the most complete debut albums I have heard for a long time.  I have been playing it constantly now for the past month, and it has already taken its rightful place in my best albums of 2011.

Feldberg – Don’t Be A Stranger tracklisting:

1. In Your Arms
2. Farewell
3. Dreamin’
4. Running Around
5. House of Fun
6. Eleven
7. You & Me
8. Sleepy
9. Don’t Be A Stranger
10. Love Me Tomorrow

Feldberg’s debut album, Don’t Be A Stranger is available in the UK through Smalltown America.

For more information visit www.myspace.com/feldbergmusic or www.facebook.com/feldbergmusic.

Feldberg live @ The Lexington

Feldberg live @ the Lexington, London Thursday 28th April, 2011.

Feldberg are from Reykjavik, Iceland, a current hotbed for great music.  They play fresh upbeat electro acoustic music that resides somewhere at the tip of an ice cool pop folk music iceberg.  Einar Tönsberg sings while playing guitar and keyboard to accompany the beautiful voice of Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld which drifts between dreamy and a sensuous gravelly Marlene Dietrich.

Tonight they performed as a trio with a drummer as they played to a packed audience at the Lexington pub in London sandwiched between two other bands as part of the monthly Ja Ja Ja Club.  Ja Ja Ja is a monthly club night to help promote exciting artists from the Nordic music scene.

Feldberg played a set of songs taken from their debut album, Don’t Be A Stranger which was originally released in Iceland in 2009 but is only now getting a UK release via the Smalltown America label.  Songs included the wonderful dreamy pop of Dreamin’, Farewell, You & Me and the title track, Don’t Be A Stranger.

Feldberg were greeted by loud applause as they entered the stage and even louder applause as they left.  Einar and Rósa perform well together on stage as a perfect pop couple, engaging the audience with smiles, laughter and talking between songs.

Einar’s acoustic guitar can hit harder sounds with an array of pedals while he uses a computer to manage backing tracks, while Rósa also plays a toy xylophone and manages to shower the audience with shiny tinsel from giant popper tubes, though I’m not sure if this is in celebration of the forthcoming royal wedding or just part of their regular act. Rósa left the stage wearing a mask of the queen, which may be a giveaway.

Feldberg are exciting, happy and perfect for when the sun is shining.  Their music makes me smile and their songs stay in my consciousness.  It won’t be long before Feldberg are far too big to play small venues like The Lexington.  But until then I will try and see them again…. and again.

Ovation Live

Please be standing whilst I introduce this very talented Norweigian band ‘Ovation’.  The band members are Stian Sætermo Vocal, Guitar and Songwriting; Tony Andre Hansen Guitar and Backing Vocal; Raymond Hansen, Bass and Backing Vocal; Boss, Drums and Philip Moon on Lead Guitar and Backing Vocal.  

Here is how Ovation describe themselves and their music.

 
A soft wind, blowing gently by your ears…Ovation has developed a unique pop sound which is based on a mix between country on one side to pop and rock on the other. Ovation makes everything from small productions with only a guitar, bass, perk, and vocal, to big productions with violins and symphonic blankets wrapped around a lot of vocal and backing vocal to form a majestic listening experience… so please go ahead and enjoy our music

I was recently introduced to Ovation on Soundcloud and on hearing their pop rock track  ‘It’s OK’ I was immediately impressed by its uplifting lyrics, vocals, guitar riffs and bassline.

Its OK. full version. by naits79 ovation

Ovation is a band based in Sandefjord and Østfold in Norway. The line up was made complete when Philip and Boss joined the band in 2007. Since then Ovation have played at live concerts around Skandinavia. Ovation is currently working on there new album, which title is still being discussed and will be released in October, so watch this space!

Ovation are inspired and influenced by many things; not only other bands, but like all other artists individual life experiences which then has an impact on their music. The track ‘Katharina’s Song’ is a beautiful example of how Ovation perform one of the most commonly shared human experiences often expressed in the musical arena.

Katharina´s Song NEW Albumversion. whole song. by naits79 ovation

Stian Saetermo and Producer Andreas Eide Larsen

Ovation as a collective have an eclectic choice of musical tastes. Here are some bands they like, but are not necessarily influenced by :Matchbox Twenty, Coldplay, The Jayhawkes, Bruce Springsteen,Keen, Muse, U2, Live, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Julian Casablancas, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen and Queen.

Ovation are all big fans of music, but beside music they also have alternative interests. Just as an example, Tony Andre Hansen is one of the worlds best showjumpers and has participated in several world cup and euro cup show jumping competitions.

Buzzin Media wish ‘Ovation’ all the success they deserve and hope lady fortune shines down on them all to reward their hard work and determination.  Watch this space for the release of their album in October!

Ovation on Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/naits79

Buzzin Media on Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/buzzin-media