Gabrielle Aplin: English Rain // Album Review

Imagine: Saturday afternoon. No noise aside from the relaxing sound of raindrops on the ground. The feeling of humid air, cozy and gentle. No, who wants humid air? We have plenty humid air in Manila and. It. Sucks.  You get the idea.

True to its title, her new album English Rain gave me the feels of a peaceful and stress-free rainy afternoon. If feelings were colors, she gives me gray with a hint of pastels. 

See? Even the album art is true to its word.

The very first song that diverted my attention to Gabrielle is Please Don't Say You Love Me which pretty much the most heartbreaking yet the most honest song I have ever heard. 

Heavy words are hard to take,

Under pressure things will break,

How we feel is hard to fake,

So lets not give the game away

I just can't help myself but notice that she sounds like Birdy. Is it just the accent, or do they really sound the same? [If you guys don't know, Birdy is the singer who brought you the revival of Bon Iver's Skinny Love.]

Even so, I am in love with Gabrielle Aplin. Though her melody and her voice are light and pastel and everything gentle, her lyrics will really strike you in a way that would give you an impact. Her way of delivering those words are so pure but nonetheless experienced, as if she's really trying to get you to feel how she felt while writing or singing those songs.

Tracks include: 

1. Panic Cord 
2. Keep on Walking 
3. Please Don't Say You Love Me 
4. How Do You Feel Today? 
5. Home 
6. Salvation 
7. Ready to Question 
8. The Power of Love 
9. Alive 
10. Human 
11. November 
12. Start of Time 
13. Take Me Away (bonus track)

I hope she makes a new one soon. Looking forward to a new Aplin experience.

xx.

The Script: #3 // Album Review

I've been a HUGE fan of The Script ever since "The Man Who Can't Be Moved," mainly because of their Indie-alternative-ish (or whatever) sound. Aside from Danny being a real hottie, this band wrote songs that really left me having an LSS that's why I memorize every word and every line in their first two albums The Script and Science & Faith.

But now, I don't know.

#3. Obviously, it's their third album. I've waited for this!! When I learned that they will be releasing a
collaboration with Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am, I was hyped. Totally. When I heard it, first thing I thought: "It's not really what I expected to hear from the The Script, but not bad!" Then: "Maybe the other songs would be better, so let's just wait for the whole thing. We'll see then."

So here's the complete track listing.

1. “Good Ol’ Days” 4:23
2. “Six Degrees of Separation” 3:52

3. “Hall of Fame” (featuring Will.i.am) 3:22

4. “If You Could See Me Now” 3:39

5. “Glowing” 4:46

6. “Give the Love Around” 4:24

7. “Broken Arrow” 4:34

8. “Kaleidoscope” 3:41

9. “No Words” 4:05

10. “Millionaires” 3:11

The moment I got hold of these songs, I immediately tried to digest the whole thing. Point is, I cant! (:<) All that goes into my mind was: "What's this? Is this The Script?" Really.

I was waiting for the old The Script sound. That straight to the heart tune that first caught me. But, instead of being lost in the feel of the songs, I found myself lost in understanding what they were talking about. I just think that there is too much urban influence going on in this album and the rap parts are too much. Just Saying. "We Cry" way back in 2009 is more than enough to showcase Danny's rapping skills.

I was expecting an album to sing along with, not an album to rap along with. (=.=)

BUT!! It's not all that bad. Once I got the hang of it, I loved the songs. No doubt they're really good. 

My favorites are:

• Six Degrees of Separation (I think it's the only song that has THE SCRIPT written all over it)

• If You Could See Me Now

• No Words

Nonetheless, I'm still a fan of The Script. I'll be waiting for their fourth, in the high hopes of getting that same old The Script sound.