LORDE!!!!

I have been waiting so long for this music video to come out to share with you my new music obsession LORDE! You may have heard her song Royals on the radio but if you haven't I strongly urge you to stop everything you're doing and listen to that song right now (video below).

Lorde is our newest Internet sensation after Brooke Fraser raving about her on Twitter and then George Fm picking up Royals. Lorde is actually 16 year old Ella Yelich- O'Connor from Auckland's North Shore. The fact that she is 16 astounds me because her voice is so mature! I've been stalking her a little bit and from the sounds of things she's currently leading a double life: Takapuna Grammar by day; Pop star by night.

Lorde is amazing and I can't wait to see what she does in the future. I'm sure you'll love her too and listening to The Love Club EP is the perfect way to celebrate New Zealand Music Month.

Her EP The Love Club is only available on itunes and Spotify right now but physical copies are in the making! You can request a copy here.

Paramore and Fall Out Boy are back. Teenage me rejoices.

Two of my favourite bands from high school have put out new albums almost at the very same time. I'm very happy about this.

Paramore released their self titled 4th album last month to rave reviews. The self titled album was the band's first release after 2 members of the band quit in 2010 so all ears were listening to see if the band could make something as good as what they have previously put out. Thankfully they can. You MUST listen to my favourite track 'Aint it Fun' which features a gospel-style choir at the end.  Honorable mentions also go to 'Grow Up', 'Still Into You' and 'Anklebiters'. Absolutepunk said "As a full record, Paramore certainly isn't for everyone - but there's certainly something for everyone. If you're not having fun at some point of the album, you're probably not trying." I completely agree.

 This record is exactly what my inner teenager lives for. Save Rock and Roll is the title of Fall Out Boy's 5th album and marks the return of Fall Out Boy after their 3 year hiatus. The lead single 'My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light 'Em Up) sounds exactly like what I wish my time in high school had been like. (In reality it was more like Weird Al's White and Nerdy). Make sure you check out the other 2 singles  The Phoenix and Young Volcanoes  because they're amazing too. Save Rock and Roll features some incredible guest stars in Courtney Love, Elton John, Big Sean and Foxes so make sure you listen to those tracks. Especially the title track with Elton John; whoever thought of putting them together is a genius.

Can the movie be better than the book?

There's nothing greater than the pleasure of reading a good book - unless it's sitting in the movie sneering "That's NOT how it goes in the book".

I'm a serial offender. If there's a film coming out, I'll have to read the book first, just to assert its superiority to everyone in the neighbouring seats. Good thing there aren't any more Tangy Fruits, or I'd have candy concussion by now. Although Giant Jaffas do pack a wallop from above.

Anyway, because I haven't read either Beautiful Creatures or Warm Bodies (or, for that matter, The Great Gatsby), you're going to have to tell me what you thought. How do they compare? How about The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

There are a small percentage of movies that were actually better than the book, in my estimation. I liked Stardust better, for example, because I found it wittier than Neil Gaiman's original, and the ending was happier. I am a sucker for one of those. Yet I like The Iron Giant better than The Iron Man even though the ending is not quite so happy, because it has more action, and they did the character of Hogarth so well. It's a woman's prerogative, etc.

And one of you graphic novel readers, please tell me - why did Alan Moore hate V for Vendetta?

On the other hand, the Best Picture-winning Slumdog Millionaire wasn't even in the same ballpark as Q & A, which was magnificent. Why did they change it? WHY?? And as for the adaptation of my favourite kids' book, The Dark is Rising (aka The Seeker...) Even the trailer was trash.

Did anyone enjoy The Hobbit film better than the book? Is anyone not horrified they've split it into three? Does anyone else secretly wish Smaug would just bloody toast them all?...(Except you, Martin. You're awesome.)

Stream of consciousness over.

*For copies of any of these books, visit your magical local library. No terms and conditions apply.

This Month I'm Loving...

The cooler weather, bowls of steamy hot soup and socks.

I love socks.

Long socks, short socks, stripey socks, spotty socks.  The brighter the better, though I am also rather fond of long, black socks, the longer the better.  My current favourites are my latest purchase -  a pair of Big Bang Theory Soft Kitty socks.

Yes you heard correctly. And yes I *adore* them because Reasons.

Damn Sheldon Cooper and that Soft Kitty song.  And if ever someone makes a pair of Supernatural socks (the show, not the other...) I'll be the first in line.

As always I've been discovering a world of new things.  Many of which aren't available for purchase in New Zealand.  Yet...

Our selectors at Auckland Libraries are amazing so I know that when these do become available they will probably be purchasing them.  In the mean time here's an advance preview of things to watch out for.... and which I can't get enough off.

Teen Wolf

I totally blame Tosca for this one.  She's the one who kept taking about it.  So of course I just had to give it a try.

And of course I've become completely and utterly hooked.  And don't get me started on Sterek....

Trust me you really don't want to know.  What you do need to know is that it features werewolves, hunky guys, great music...

It was pretty much a given that I would love it and become addicted to it... all in a completely non-obsessive way...

Vikings

Blood and mayhem.

It's a thing.

And I make no apologies that I have a certain weakness for it.  Especially when it involves good storytelling and great characters.

Ignore the fact that Vikings is made by the History Channel (even though it is) or that it's creator was the man behind The Tudors (which he was).

Vikings is a rousing tale that follows the mythic adventures of Ragnor Lodbok.  There's also swords and leather and men with beards so you just knew I had to be there.

Utopia

As much as I like blood and mayhem and supernatural things I also like things that are just a little dark... okay make that a lot dark.

Utopia fits the bill perfectly.  There's brutal deaths (and that's just in the first few minutes), weird characters and a comic which may just hold the destruction of mankind in it's pages.

Mikky Ekko

I mentioned above that one reason for watching Teen Wolf is some of the great music and this artist is just one that I've fallen for.

Most people probably know him through his duet with Rihanna on the song Stay, but you really need to check out his solo stuff which is even better.    I'm hanging out for his debut album which hopefully will be coming out later
this year.  Until then Youtube will have to fill the void.  Check out this song of his which has been on constant repeat on my Spotify account Who Are You Really

Haim

Another artist that is due to release their debut album later this year, Haim are three sisters who have been slowly building up a huge following over the past year,

I fell in love with them when I heard their song Don't Save Me earlier this year.  It's bouncy and catchy, just like the rest of their music.  You just have to check them out

8th Doctor Who Big Finish Adventures

After my last post you're all probably aware how much I have fallen in love with audio dramas so it will come as no surprise that I am just loving the 8th Doctor Who adventures which I have been working my way through.

Paul McGann is just as brilliant doctor and he has the perfect voice for audio and as always Big Finish have produced a series of just wonderful audios which I know I will probably listen to again and again.

Attenborough

David Attenborough documentaries are some of my favorite things in the world. Not only does it involve watching TV, which is the great love of my life, but it also makes you smarter! (Actually I think all TV makes you smarter. My current obsession Supernatural  has taught me a lot about how to kill demons. Which is 1000000% relative to my life). Check out some of David's wonderful documentaries below:

Africa 
This is the world's wildest continent as you've never seen it before - an intense sensory adventure from the
Atlas Mountains, through the Savannah lands to the Cape of Good Hope and from the Roof of Africa and the Kalahari to where the dark rainforests of the Congo meet the Atlantic Ocean. Each episode shifting the focus onto a different region as it contrasts the epic power of the landscape with the dramatic struggles of individual creatures living there

Attenborough: 60 Years in the Wild 
Sir David Attenborough has been at the forefront of natural history film making for over half a century, witnessing an unparalleled period of change in our planet's history. In this unique and important series he delivers his testimony in a trio of spectacular films, focusing on three areas which have transformed most profoundly over his career: film making, science and the environment. During his extraordinary career he has seen, first-hand, more of the natural world than anyone else and witnessed how our remarkable planet has changed more rapidly and extensively than ever before.

Kingdom of Plants 
In this sensational series, shot over the course of a year, Sir David Attenborough explores the lives of plants and their fascinating world, from the most bizarre to the most beautiful. Using pioneering techniques in 3D macro and time-lapse photography, he traces them from their beginnings on land to their vital place in nature today, exposing new revelations along the way. He moves from our time scale to theirs, revealing the true nature of plants as creatures that are every bit as dynamic and aggressive as animals. And he does all this in one unique place, a microcosm of the whole plant world where some 90 percent of all known plant species are represented: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The Blue Planet 

Chronicles the mysteries of the deep, coastline populations, sea mammals, tidal and climatic influences and the complete biological system that relies on and revolves around the world's oceans.