The Midsummer Station - preview thoughts

The one minute long previews for the tracks of the new Owl City album, The Midsummer Station were released yesterday. And of course as a huge fan of all things Adam Young and Owl City I was very excited for a small taste of the anticipated album.

One small hitch stood in my way, I do not have Itunes, so no access to the tracks. But, 24 hours later and I was able to hear all the preview tracks thanks to tumblr and youtube.

The complete track listing for this album runs as follows;

1. Dream And Disasters
2.Shooting Star
3. Gold
4. Dementia (feat. Mark Hoppus)
5. I'm Coming After You
6. Speed Of Love
7. Good Time
8. Embers
9. Silhouette
10. Metropolis
11. Take It All Away
12. Bombshell Blonde

Tracks 2, 3, 4, 7 and 11 have already been released as either singles or on the 'Shooting Star EP'

Track 1, Dreams and Disasters

I have to admit, I like this tune a lot. It is happy, up beat, a great tune to dance around to. The lyrics are optimistic and encouraging. The lyrics are about looking for the silver lining always and striving on through the ups and downs of life. I love the chorus which runs 'follow the light through the dreams and disasters'. It's about being strong and not letting things get you down. I can't wait to experience this one at a live concert.

Track 5, I'm Coming After You 

I love this track! It's just so fun and in a way slightly odd. There is far more of a pop vibe in this track then most of Owl City's earlier work. And I can see why fans wouldn't like this track. But I think it is beautiful in strange kind of way. The lyrics conjure an almost comical image of a guy chasing and girl, tracking her down, trying to find her, he's chasing after her. Listen out for Adam's impersonation of a police car, and the way he says 'yeah' 45 seconds into the track, adorable yet funny. Even though it is a funny song, it can be taken seriously too. It has a balance of strangeness and charm.

'You've got the right to remain right here with me, I'm on your tail in a hot pursuit; Love is a high speed chase racing down the street. Woo,  woo, woo! I'm coming after you'

Track 6, Speed Of Love
Another brilliant dance tune. Very pop influenced. The lyric matter is very much in line with older Owl City work though.

'You were so hard to find, with oh so many clouds across my summer sky. You, my constellation prize, yeah every single star sparkling in your eyes'

Track 8, Embers
 This track sticks in my mind more than the rest for some reason, I love the lyrics. They're so uplifting. Just like 'Dreams and Disasters' it has a message of continuing on in life even when things get hard. These lyrics are more focused on not letting yourself get depressed and give up, but to keep fighting, to keep the embers alive, and not let the fire die out.
It is less of a dance tune compared to the rest, I'd probably say it is more rock influenced.

'And you'll find there'll be mornings when the ashes and embers are cold, but you'll fight with a passion and you'll never stop because you know, yeah, you know it gets better and your story is yet to be told'

Track 9, Silhouette
This track is very much reminiscent of 'Ocean Eyes' and the track 'Lonely Lullaby. It is mostly piano based, and so Adam's vocals take far more of a central role compared to some of the other tracks. It is a melancholy song I must admit, however it is so beautiful, and everyone can relate to the lyrics. Everyone has regrets they'd rather forget, and everyone had made mistakes they'd rather not be reminded of. I just love the  lyrics below; no matter who you are, you can nod your head and agree. This is I think my own personal favourite out of all the preview tracks. I feel that this is a very personal track from Adam too. I have to say I adore this track, and I feel that it reveals the hearts of many.

'I'm sick of the past I can't erase, a jumble of footprints in hasty steps I can't retrace, the mountain of things I still regret, is a vile reminder that I would rather just forget, the fire I began is burning me alive'.

Track 10, Metropolis 
Taking a leap back into pop after Silhouette is Metropolis. Although this particular track is far more subdued in comparison to the other pop tracks in this album. I found this track sweet and endearing, and the chorus is very upbeat. But I fell in love with it a little bit like he fell in love with Metropolis!

'A thousand miles feels like a million years, like hundreds of postcards that say 'I wish you were here'

Track 12, Bombshell Blonde
I have never heard a track like this from Owl City before ever. It is strange and quirky. And very comical! I love it! I think every album that isn't supposed to be taken seriously and is just a bit of fun, and I feel that is what this is. What's not to love about it?!
You get the feeling that perhaps as a boy Adam harboured that dream of being James Bond even if just for a day. But then, what little boy doesn't want to be a cool secret agent???
Just get a load of some of the lyrics;

'Her love is a dug laced with ecstasy, and her charm is spiked with a spell, a hot mess in a dress gets the best of me, she's ice cold but she's making melt'. 

In conclusion, this album is far different to any of it's predecessors.  But different isn't necessarily bad. If every album were the same we would soon get pretty bored. This album really changes things up a bit, and demonstrates a side of the artist that wasn't visible before. Whereas the previous albums are all be laced with optimism, this one is far more about taking control and going for it, and not letting anything hold you back. The tempos of the previous albums are slower and more laid back. This album is more jumpy and holds more dance tunes, which doesn't necessarily mean that the lyrics have lost any depth, the depth in the words are still there, but the packaging is different.
The songs themselves show an artist who is happy and enjoying life to the full.

I can see how some fans are disappointed in these tracks, however I feel it is unfair to the artist to insist that they never experiment with other styles and branch out. Artists would be so boring and one-dimensional if they only ever wrote the same old, same old.

But how about you, what are your thought???

The amazing Spiderman - he really is actually!

Oddly for me, I have been to the cinema two days running! What a lucky girl I am! Normally I cannot afford it. On Tuesday I saw the new Spiderman reboot with a very good friend of mine. She wanted to see Men in Black, but, when I head she had never seen a Spiderman film, I insisted upon the Amazing Spiderman. 

I have been very curious about this new Spiderman film as I saw the earlier Spiderman series back in the 00s with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. I can remember all the hype surrounding the film, I remember the Spiderman toys at fast food restaurants, and the controversy of the first 12a film certification. But I wanted to see how it would differ and whether it would be as good. Obviously I expected a lot in the CGI and special effects department as that has advanced so much over the past ten years. 

I think, however that I can safely say that this new film is pretty awesome! 

Let me say, I loved the casting! 

The relatively little known Andrew Garfield plays Peter Parker, otherwise known as Spiderman. 

I was vaguely aware of Andrew thanks to Doctor Who! He played a character called Frank in two episodes of Season 3 (5 and 6, for the really interested!), alongside David Tennant and Freema Agyeman. He also played a role in the imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, a film which bored me out of my mind!

I thought Garfield played this brilliantly! In reality he is 28 years old, however he pulled of the nerdy, awkward, 17 year old high school kid superbly. Something that in retrospect, Maguire was not half as good at. So that's 1-0 to Andrew?! 

On the opposite side is, Rhys Ifans. you may know him better as Luna Lovegood's hippy Father, Xenophilius Lovegood, or more recently as James Hook from the Tv mini series Neverland, in which he was very good. 

Ifans plays Dr. Curt Connors, or the Lizard. 

I thought Ifans pulled it off. Creepy, scary, dark, sinister, confused and insane. But I don't want to give too much away now!

In the love department, we have the beautiful and talented Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. 

I personally first met Stone in The Help, which as some of you may know from earlier blog posts, is one of the only films that can actually makes me cry. So I was very excited to see her star in this. She was everything that you would want, sweet, kind, funny, etc. But she's not some dumb blonde, she is top of her class, something she points out to Peter Parker during the film. 

There is a host of other actors in this film such as, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz, to name but a few. 

Now moving on. 

Storyline, felt fairly fast paced. Didn't drag too much, unlike the third Spiderman film. Also this story line, I have been told, is more in line with the original comic books. I have briefly looked into this; and it would seem that some things are very similar while some things are different. Such as the fact that Gwen Stacy never went to Peter's school, but they really met at university. Neither was she Peter's first love. 

I had hoped to find out a little more about Peter's parents in this film too. However I learnt nothing new in that respect, which was a little disappointing, although in this version both of Peter's parents were in the employ of Oscorp, the same corporation that Dr. Connors works for and Richard Parker and Connors were very close and working on the same gene-splicing project.

I also notice the absence of Peter's best friend, Harry Osborne, son of Norman Osborn, founder and owner of Oscorp, who was mentioned in this film but never made an appearance. 

Anyway..... 

I found this film very entertaining. I was slightly embarrassed as no one else seemed to be laughing as much as I was. (Upon exiting the screen I found out there were only a few other people in there with us!)

One scene in particular, where Peter discovers his new powers on a train full of other people is highly amusing, and very well played out. 

The struggles that Peter has as a teenager are highlighted by his relationship with his Aunt and Uncle who practically raised him, and his past. He feels abandoned by his parents and although he is grateful to the people who have cared for him, he sometimes takes them for granted and lashes out at them. The relationship between Aunt May, Uncle Ben and Peter is often times rocky and harsh words are exchanged. It is probably just like any other parent/teenager relationship. Peter feels they don't understand him, and once he has his powers this is true, they will never understand that.

But more importantly in this film is the idea that your actions have consequences. And you have to choose to do the right thing or the wrong thing. And you cannot blame anyone else for the bad choices you've made. When you make a mess you need to clean it up and not leave it for someone else. Peter shows how we need to take responsibility for our actions, and set things right. 

With regards to the 3D effects, let me state that I am not a huge fan. I don;t really see the point of it. I think it's a novelty that will eventually wear, and I feel very stupid sitting in the theatre wearing two pairs of glasses; my prescription glasses so I can see the screen plus the 3D glasses. I also get seriously frustrated when there are ten showings in 3D and three showings in 2D, but that's another story. So anyway, I had planned o seeing it in 2D, however I missed that showing and had to see it in 3D. Now, this is perhaps one movie where the 3D has a point to it. It was pretty cool when Spiderman was swinging from building to building, I did genuinely flinch at one point due to the swinging and falling. However later on in the film I removed my 3D glasses for a while, to relive the pressure on my skull, and found that the screen was far brighter without them, and fairly clear. And the majority of the film does not involve swinging, so the screen is dark for a large portion of screen time. I feel that the 2D showing would have been just as enjoyable as the 3D. So yes, the 3D was applicable and enjoyable at points, however overall I feel it was unnecessary. 

But all in all I really enjoyed this film. And I think that it is different enough compared to the Maguire trilogy to allow for such a short time period between the two. I really hope that they produce a sequel. And there is talk of Spiderman possibly joining the Avengers' team, which would be awesome! 

Oh, and in other news, Batman is out in 8 days! I'm so excited!!

Crunchy vs. Smooth; the great peanut butter debate

I was tweeting with a friend this week on the topic of peanut butter. And specifically on which one is better. She was decisive in this matter and said that she liked both however if push came to shove and she had to say which was better, she would have to go with crunchy.

I, being more indecisive as I usually am, said that it completely depended on what kind of mood I was in. And thinking about it there are many other factors too such as how I am feeling, who I'm with and most importantly, what I'm eating it with.

Now I love nuts, and I love nut butters, but peanut butter has a special place in my heart. And I'm not talking about that Skippy stuff with it's added partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (very bad for you), and sugar.
I prefer my peanut butter to be peanuts, peanuts, peanuts, with a little dash of peanuts and salt and sometimes peanuts.
Yes, I know companies add oil, usually palm oil or vegetable oil, i.e. oils with none or very little health benefits.
But this isn't a health rant, boring! As all things are okay in moderation, except perhaps trans-fats, aspartame, MSG and glucose corn syrup, but pretty much everything else, unless you're allergic, then I strongly recommend avoiding!

But, back to the issue at hand here.

CRUNCHY VS. SMOOTH

Now, I personally feel that smooth is my preference after a hard day, or emotionally draining day. There is something hugely comforting about coming home from stress and hard work and eating a peace of  bread (gluten-free off couse!) covered in perfectly smooth peanut butter with lashings of Grandma's deep pink, dripping, seed-studded, feel-good homemade raspberry jam. There is no effort needed to eat this, it is all soft and good. There are not bits of nuts that need to be crunched down, it's just easy chewing. After a tiring day you don't want to eat something that takes effort!

When comfort is key, I must admit that a peanut butter with little added sugar can sometimes be preferable. As long as it's not Skippy.
When I'm ill, and I haven't eaten anything for near 24 hours my go-to meal is always lightly toasted bread smothered in smooth, slightly salty peanut butter, topped with beautiful golden honey and garnished with banana slices. When you're completely wiped out after an illness you don't want the harshness and abrasion  of crunchy peanut, you want the smooth, texture that sticks to your teeth, as if it were giving you a hug.

However on a normal day, when I am not ill, emotionally or physically, you know, those days when you can jump out of bed and get on with life easily enough; well on those days I like my peanut butter, loud and crunchy!
I like my peanut butter to be more savoury than sweet, I mean it's far more natural that way, and it tastes much better. Who wants added sugars and syrups that were synthesised in a lab? Eeew, no thanks!
 Besides, if it's not quite sweet enough than you have the excuse to add honey.

Crunchy peanut butter on rice-cakes is a brilliant pre-exam meal. And if you're like me, it's a good post-exam meal too.

So to be really honest, I really don't ever want to have to choose between the two. I love my peanuts whole, blended to a semi-smooth butter, and completely pulverised into a smooth and comforting goodness.

And of course there are all the different things you can make with peanut butter.......... hmmmmm, the possibilities are endless..... now I must go in search of peanut butter.......

How about you guys, which do you prefer? How do you enjoy your peanut butter?

Also, I know it's early but international peanut butter and jam day is on the 2nd of April!!

Chow now!

Penultimate Ballet Class

In less than an hour I will be at my second last ballet lesson, possibly forever. I've been attending my ballet school for seven years now. And this year three of us are leaving. I must admit that while I am eagerly anticipating college in California, I am very sad to say 'goodbye' to my amazing ballet teacher, and my friends. One of the girls used to tie my shoes for me, she did this for a whole term as I was not very good at it! I've relied on various girls in my class to teach me steps that I did not know due to an absence from class. And one of the girls held my hand during an exam so I would not cry after seriously messing up a port de bra exercise.

We are an odd bunch of girls. But we all mesh, and get along, We have a real laugh, and even though classes can be stressful sometimes, especially in the run up to exams or shows, we have always kept going.

When I first started dancing at LBS, there were about fifteen girls in my class, now we are down to six, myself and five other girls. Our teacher used to be super strict with us too, but she has mellowed so much, and we are very adept at sidetracking her; we love it when she goes off on a tangent and describes the latest ballet she saw, or the origin of a particular dance.

I cannot quite contemplate how much I am going to miss these girls. I've taken four RAD ballet exams, performed in three shows and had a ball for the last seven years at LBS.
The amount of times we have giggled through pirouettes, or stumbled over bar de bourges, or attempted to dance as light weight fairies, fallen on the floor after a jete, and countless other balletic feats.

I love my ballet babes!! And I am going to miss them enormously, and even if I take classes in CA, I will never find girls as amazing to dance with as them <3

Vain, me? Yes, guilty...

Title says it all really.

For years I've been under the impression that because I don't cover my face in foundation, blusher, rouge, eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick and powder, and because I don't really bother with my nails, I just cut them short and very occasionally paint them, that I was far from being a vain person.
I have acquaintances who refuse to leave the house without their makeup on. I know people who keep their nails in top-tip condition, and visit the nail salon often.
I also know people who spend an absolute fortune at the hairdressers. Who dye their hair once a month, and fret because they cannot remember what their natural hair-colour is anymore.

I was actually banned from wearing make-up, except from lip-gloss, nail varnish and concealer for the worst of spots, until I turned eighteen. And once I was eighteen it didn't really appeal to me, especially when I realised how expensive it all was! I am indeed a skin-flint, and the thought of forking out an additional £10 or more a month on what I viewed as grown-up face-paint, was not pleasant to me whatsoever.

I've always thought that wearing a tonne of make-up was akin to lying, because that's not the real you, it's a created face, and beneath all that powder your face is far more unique and interesting. With all that make-up you just look like any other girl is striving to look like a doll, with flawless skin, thick eyelashes, perfect complexion, etc, etc.

But I'm not saying make-up is inherently evil. Don't mishear me. I'm just saying that being completely obsessed with it, and not letting anyone see you without isn't healthy.

Now, as I said before, I'm not one of those girls. But does that mean I'm not vain?

No, I'm afraid not. My vanity merely lies elsewhere.

Namely, my hair.

Now I don't spend much time at the hairdressers, in fact the last time I was at a salon was the 18th of August 2011, if I recall correctly. I have my hair cut by a local lady, who charges far less; remember what I said about being a skin-flint?!

However, my most prized possession is.............

my pair of hair straighteners.

I love them. I love having my hair silky smooth and shiny. And the thought of having to buy a different pair that I can actually use in America is simply horrendous to me! No lie. I have been researching and googling and I can't seem to find a pair that equal my current pair for a decent price. I am really quite annoyed and unhappy about this situation. 
So I deduce that maybe I have a small problem here. Like maybe, I'm vain.

Hmmmm, yep, more than likely. I must be honest I don't really like people see me without my hair straightened. Confession time, when I was about fourteen, my Mum had bought me my straighteners and I was hooked, addicted, obsessed, whatever, and we had to go out somewhere, and I didn't have time to straighten my hair before we left. And boy, did I sulk about it! I was pretty miserable kid that day. Thankfully, I don't behave like that anymore. But, that doesn't mean I'm not vain.

I used to get up super early to wash, dry and straighten my hair whenever we were going out for the day; Woah, did I say, 'used to', as in past tense? I mean I still do!

Maybe I need to learn a lesson here. Is frizzy hair the end of the world?

In which I watch THOR!!

I am a major Comic book hero fan! Batman, Captain America, Spiderman, Ironman, you name it I love it.

However Thor was one that I didn't really know much about. But when I realised that he featured in Avengers assemble, and was a Marvel Comic hero I had to watch it of course.
I watched it last night. So I am now finally ready to watch Avengers! Which I plan on saving until my flight to LA, along with the Hunger Games; I've got to have some things to make an eleven and a half hour flight exciting, otherwise I'd probably go mad.

Anyways, on we go.

I will start of by saying that, I love Tom Hiddleston. Not in the irritating, fangirl way; you know, the girls who sit in front of you at the cinema and sigh and squeal the whole way through the film and really, really get on your nerves. Nope, definitely not like that.
On the other hand, Chris Hemsworth, well, I found him...... annoying. Even though, I'd only ever seen him in Star Trek, and the trailers for Cabin in the woods and Snow White and the Huntsman. Yep, that's the truth, hehe, confession over.

However, having seen this movie, I am now even more impressed with Tom Hiddleston, he truly is a superb actor. And I don't find Hemsworth quite as annoying, so good job all round really.

So, casting ran as follows,

Chris Hemsworth as the arrogant, vain and frustrating god, Thor.

Tom Hiddleston as the silver-tongued god of mischief, Loki.

Anthony Hopkins as King of Asgard, the god Odin.

More minor yet important characters include,

Natalie Portman as the woman of science, Jane Foster.

Jaimie Alexander as the female warrior of Asgard, Sif.

Idris Elba as the gatekeeper, and Sif's brother, Heimdall.

There are of course many others including, Agent Coulson, Darcy Lewis, Erik Selvig, Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun, and of course, Jeremy Renner cameo as Clint Barton, aka, Hawkeye.

Moving along. 

The storyline is about growing as a person really. Thor is arrogant and likes to be noticed; he is also headed for the throne of Asgard, when his Father Odin dies. His brother, Loki is far less exuberant and colourful a character to begin with. However it quickly becomes clear that he is not to be trusted. After disobeying a direct command from Odin, Thor is banished to Earth. Where he learns to respect others and be humbler and serf-sacrificing, etc, etc, etc.

Turns out Loki has issues too, and before you know it *BOOM* fight! 

Turns out Thor's a pretty nice guy really. And Loki, well.. I'll let you watch the film and find out. But turns out Odin knew what was going on all along, and wanted to teach his son a lesson. 

To be honest this film doesn't have the best storyline. In fact it's probably rather weak; but I do still think it's worth a watch. There are valuable lessons that can be learnt from it. And it's got a few laughs. 

                                           "This drink, I like it, ANOTHER!"

Yep, this is  while he's still a doochebag!

Also, I must admit, I wasn't hugely impressed with the soundtrack. It was barely there. I usually notice the music. But not this time. I hope the Avengers soundtrack is better.

Another that I found weird, Thor sounds American, and Loki, British?! But they were raised in the same house? Okay then......... We'll just suspend reality for a moment, *wink, wink*

The costumes were pretty epic too. Watch out for Loki's deer helmet! And Sif's outfit it pretty cool too.
I wasn't hugely impressed with the CGI around Asgard, and the Bifrost, however in retrospect it highlighted the fact that Asgard is not like Earth, it is a separate realm, and has a magical quality, after all it is home to the gods.

But, all in all, not bad. Go watch it!

What were your thoughts on Thor?

Updating......

Whew, it's been a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time!

Anyway, this is more of an update than a blog post.
The college have started to process my application, so I should get my visa in six to eight weeks, which is super exciting.

I've sorted out someone to collect me from the airport in August. She's an old friend, I haven't seen her since I was about seven, she is about four years older than me, with three babies of here own. So I am really looking forward to seeing her again and meeting her family.

I have bought a few summer clothes off ebay and from our local charity shop, however it is rather depressing that I only been able to wear one of them as the weather here is simply awful! I was woken up at half past five this morning by rain hammering down on my windows. I really don't like cold, wet weather.

Next week I am going to start doing some serious reading. My Dad has a pile of books he thinks I should read before I go to Bible college, so I excited about that.

Oh, and I still haven't quite got my head around the fact that I won't see my Mummy for a whole five months.............. and of course my Daddy and siblings, but especially my Mummy. Who am I supposed to ask about laundry? Can I wash this colour with that, etc........???