Ben Howard released "I Forget Where We Were"

Double Brit-winner Ben Howard returns and makes his directorial debut with the dreamy video for "I Forget Where We Were," the title track to his brand new sweeping sophomore album. The 27-year-old English folkie and troubadour has several EPs and a 2011 album to his name, but this follow-up is his strongest statement yet, as he externalizes a kind of inner madness while his imagery remains suitably poetic.
It's anyone's guess as to exactly how he has done it, but London-based southpaw singer-songwriter has found himself the antidote to second album syndrome, which is a grand, serious affair and contemplate the pain of love, the restless spirit, and the disquieting sense of falling short. Howard strikes a sure-footed balance between the lilting ballads we've come to expect from past releases and more haunting dirges that carry the weight of remorse. "I Forget Where We Were" delivers a darker Howard, one who embraces loneliness and disappointment instead of shying away from them. As mild as the music might often sound, this is an album that cuts deep.
Howard's intricately picked acoustic is still in the mix, but he seems to have discovered the appeal of electric instrumentation and an effects box, conjuring metallic notes that cascade around each other, while his mournful voice is layered with shadow harmonies. "I Forget Where We Were" has an evocative feel, a string of songs that seem to form themselves rather than being transcribed from a songbook. The sensibility is darker, richer and stranger. It may lack the definition of his debut, but the Brit-winning artist's latest evokes something more ambiguously potent.
Moody, disaffected and gutsy, the title track, "I Forget Where We Were," sees Howard returning with a more electronic-guitar influenced set of songs. The track blends Howard's naturalistic references with the lyrics of a potentially doomed love song. It takes the listener on an expedition through the thoughts of Howard, bringing back that near personal relationship he can create with listeners. When listening, I find it so easy to pretend that Howard is communicating only with me, yet this is part of the personal bubble he builds with every listener. The video is Howard's directorial debut and follows a somber couple for a very serious day at the beach.

First Aid Kit gets vintage makeover in "Stay Gold"

First Aid Kit get a natural yet vintage makeover in the folk-pop Swedish duo's new autumnal video for "Stay Gold," the Americana hymn that serves as the title track from Swedish indie folk duo's third studio album, a 13-piece orchestra and masters the art of sophisticated sadness which is more about their own life than their previous ones. For First Aid Kit, gold isn’t about specie, fame, or success. It's something much more precious. The singing and songwriting sisters have a knack for transmuting the common into the extraordinary.
Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg have taken what, in the era of TV talent shows and Internet stars, has become a rare path to major-label success. Finds their close harmonies as honey-drenched as ever, "Stay Gold" is a brief cloud over a lovely record that is the aural equivalent of lying in a sunny meadow, with rich texture of classic country instrumentation and stirring string arrangements, matching their soaring vocal melodies.
Like their "My Silver Lining" clip, this one gets lots of mileage from images of both sisters breezing through the shadowy and saturated woodsy landscapes. Inspired by the song itself, which is about fleeting beauty and potential futility and recounts the impermanence of all things such as love and friendship, the Alex Southam-directed clip, shot on the picturesque Swedish island of Gotland with vintage filmmaking, is strewn with a handful of contrasting and albeit gorgeous. There are radiant suns/shadowy cliffs; pristine waves/dead autumn leaves; and the soft glow of twilight/the cold stillness of night. The video matches perfectly with the ethereal and soothing sound that First Aid Kit are known for.

Meiko Pining After Desired Love In "Be Mine"

Meiko may have launched her journey as a singer-songwriter by playing small coffee shops in California, but her voice feels so cozy and sounds so familiar - like a long lost friend singing body swaying melodies at a beach bonfire, and with an international tour in the rearview and her just-released third full-length "Dear You," follows Meiko's acclaimed 2012 release "The Bright Side," which climbed to No.1 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart, as the buoyant hit single "Stuck on You" garnered the attention of influential tastemakers worldwide and found numerous placements in film and on television.
Fortunately for longtime fans, Meiko has maintained an affinity for honest, conversational lyrics. The eleven songs on "Dear You" consist primarily of her private, unsent letters. "I like writing letters: love letters, pissed-off letters, breakup letters," she said in a recent press statement. "Call me passive-aggressive, but it's easier to write someone a letter than actually confront them in person." While writing letters can be an outlet for overwhelming feelings, Meiko says she rarely sends them. Instead, she prefers to turn those feelings into songs, a process that became the basis for her "Dear You" album.

"Dear You"'s decidedly darker tone is, in many ways, the flipside to the sunnier disposition fans found on "The Bright Side." Longing, betrayal, heartbreak and reprisal are intimately acknowledged and explored here, supported by Meiko’s increasingly stripped down, sophisticated songwriting. Meiko professes, "It's not all candy and roses, but sometimes you just need the grit and that's exactly how I imagined 'Dear You' being completely confessional. It was good for my soul and I'm happy to finally let it out into the world."
"Be Mine," her new album's glistening first single, is an honest admission and plea to a lover. The mid-tempo, guitar-driven song with Meiko's crystalline sweet voice across the top. The song is a confessional track that finds her pining after desired love. "I take a sip of the bottle, it's my remedy," she sings. "And I know that it is a problem; I am dealing with it on the daily." Now, Meiko has released the music video for "Be Mine," and in it, Meiko says that the song is about needing a shag, since she was missing her long-distance boyfriend when she wrote it. We're lovin' her breathy-sexy-kitten-like voice.

You+Me frolic in countryside in 'Break the Cycle'

You+Me is the project of P!nk and Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Green, two of the most notable voices in music today. While such prominent voices rarely mix too seamlessly, P!nk and Green were destined to harmonize together. The duo already dropped their gentle lead track "You And Me" weeks ago, and now, the duo returns with a heartfelt new selection, "Break the Cycle," from their upcoming duet debut record, "rose ave," out on October 14.
The powerful chilling ballad and somewhat-haunting Americana track, "Break the Cycle," is a love song dedicated to P!nk's mother, and it emphasizes the two singers' incredible harmonies over subtle guitar strumming and stirring strings. P!nk is embarking on a new musical journey, joining Green for a foray into folk that steers far from her more familiar rowdy behavior. Keeping in line with the acoustically driven tone of their gentle first track, "You and Me," strings float in and out as P!nk and Green sit an octave apart atop sparse strums during the verses.
In the chorus, the duo harmonizes with a more upbeat feel, and declares across the hopeful chorus that matched in lyrics like, "Let me heal the wounds you've held onto for all these years/ Break the cycle, break the chains/ Love is louder than all your pain." P!nk has always been excellent at conveying strong emotions in her music, and this stripped-down production shows her softer folk and country music side and only allows her words to stand out stronger than ever.
Described as 'a passion project' for the talented two, they've opted for low-key with a simple, yet elegant accompanying video to "Break The Cycle." The grainy, sepia-toned video appears to be filmed in the countryside, and showing the singers parading and singing around in a mountainous country setting, which perfectly suits the song's simple yet majestic arrangement. Filmed with an old-school grainy filter, "Break the Cycle" enhances the country vibe with You+Me's hip Little House on the Prairie-esque looks.

First Aid Kit keeping on with "My Silver Lining"

Swedish indie folk-pop duo First Aid Kit made big waves around the world in 2012 when haunting single "Wolf" caught the attention of indie bloggers and alternative radio stations. The Söderberg sisters Klara and Johanna are now gearing up to release their upcoming third LP, "Stay Gold," due June 10 and unveiled new summery video for sublime lead single/album opener "My Silver Lining," a song about finding yourself on the road, where the Soderberg sisters sing about voices calling and "keep on, keepin' on." It sounds simple enough, but that's what they do best: explore simple Americana notions through lush harmonies.

It's hard to image a more lush or evocative summer soundtrack than First Aid Kit's latest haunting country tune. Drenched in strings, "My Silver Lining" is true to the band's folk roots but their canvas is now a little broader musically and that chorus/those gorgeous harmonies could well find a home on pop radio. "It's a song about searching for a reason to keep on keeping on, to find that good that comes with the bad," the Americana-styled folk-harmonizing sisters explained in a press release about their brilliant folk-pop anthem. "We wanted to create a piece that was dark yet uplifting at the same time."
"My Silver Lining" marries disco, folk and a western twang for a distinctly vintage country swing vibe that seems to pay homage to both Harry Nilsson and Rumors-era Fleetwood Mac. Here, First Aid Kit further refine their blend of rootsy Americana, channeling their inner Johnny Cash over a mix of rumbling guitars and sweeping strings. While the orchestration lends a sense of grandiosity and romanticism, the siblings remain thoroughly connected to folk and country's core of straight-ahead heartache and forlorn, even amid somewhat more optimistic fare.
Filmed at the Paramour Mansion in Silver Lake, L.A. by Elliott Sellers, the visually lush clip followed by ghostly versions of themselves and their travels as the ornate mansion seems to come alive, doors open unexpectedly, dishes crash, summoning lightning with their hands and everything is a little hazy. It fits perfectly with unsteadying feel to the song's woozy, eerie Americana vibe. "We wanted to create an intriguing and mysterious world where everything is slightly off and the mansion slowly comes to life," said the sisters. "The idea of things in life changing, even scaring you, but still having to carrying on despite it all is a theme in the song, which we wanted to convey in the video."

Ed Sheeran captures emotions in 'all of the stars'

Ed Sheeran continued with his new music and turned weekend into a real sobfest with the release of the new video for the upcoming film "The Fault in Our Stars" soundtrack number "All of the Stars," and it's a heartbreaker. The British singer knows his way around a heartbreaking love song, so it's no surprise on this one. Directed by Josh Boone, the romantic drama comedy, hits theaters June 6, is based on John Green's bestselling novel and stars "Divergent" actress Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as two individuals who meet at a cancer support group meeting and fall in love.
Sidestepping his recent fare, which found Sheeran veering into funkier directions with his music, "All of the Stars" slots more snugly in the singer's softer acoustic rock presentation for which he came to be known originally. Accompanied by guitar and piano, Sheeran croons, "It's just another night/ and I'm staring at the moon," Sheeran sings pensively to start the tune, accompanied by warm piano notes, "I saw a shooting star and I thought of you." The chorus of "All of the Stars" kicks up the momentum a bit, acoustic guitar and piano complemented by percussion and the occasional strum of electric guitar, Sheeran crooning about "all of these stars will guide us home."
"I can hear your heart on the radio beat/ They're playing 'Chasing Cars'/ And I thought of you/ Back to our time/ How you and I used to be," he sings, remembering listening to Snow Patrol with a lost love. The track is all about falling in love under the stars, and the video captures the emotions perfectly, and this may just be Sheeran's most emotional video yet. It features fan-generated messages of encouragement submitted via Instagram. More than 5000 entries were received over a three day period, which is impressive given that the participants had no idea their handiwork would end up in the Brit's visual.
The finished product is a simple collage of encouraging fan art and all sorts of positive signs, drawings, affirmations and other inspirational quotes from John Green's novel to the story thrown in and posted on a wall, with the occasional snippet of film footage. It suits the sparse, emotional approach of "All Of The Stars." Sheeran essentially had the world's easiest job for this one and despite having a sing, he doesn't actually show his pretty little face until the last possible minute when the camera zooms out and the 23-year old artist is seen brooding on a couch, singing the song's final lyrics "I can see the stars from America." Watch and listen and try not to cry.

George Ezra stuck in a posh house in "Cassy O'"

George Ezra has premiered his new music video for "Cassy O'," the first cut and title track from UK singer songwriter's new EP of the same name, which released on March 16. Finished in fifth place on the BBC Sound of 2014's longlist, and closing 2013 with the release of his debut "Did You Hear the Rain?" EP, the 20-year-old Bristol native cites Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie as his musical influences. His sound has been described as bluesy with a voice beyond the years as he marked himself out as someone who could match a folk sensibility to a pop touch.
The debut EP is a gorgeous, folk-inflected song that perfectly introduces Ezra to the masses: a shaggy-haired musician who might be good-looking, but he's also incredibly talented. Ezra is standing on the edges, and all he needs is the right push, the right moment, the right song... Now that he's plopped firmly into pop culture consciousness, the rising star is shaking things up in a big way with "Cassy O.'" Well, "Cassy O'" could be it. Stripped from the newly-released sophomore EP, which is a strident, rough hewn effort with just a touch of gloss.
"Cassy O'" is a jangly, clap-a-long stompy number which showcases Ezra's powerful, deep vocals nicely. With the swagger that comes from hundreds of thousand Soundcloud plays, and a confident, rebellious vibe, the clip is proof that Ezra's not just one to watch - he's one to know. Adorable moppet Ezra's "Cassy O'" video sees the acceptable face of singer-songwriterdom stuck in a posh house and wandering around a family scene, guitar in hand, with a load of girls alternately fighting and masturbating, like a hipster version of Big Brother.
The accompanying music video also sees the song's namesake O represented with numerous objects, including spaghetti hoops, a rubber ring, a party ring biscuit and a vinyl. "Cassy O'" is so catchy, but be warned: Ezra's bluesy voice makes everything sound sad and the lyrics make no sense. Not that it matters. As with all songs written by someone born after 1990, let's just go ahead and assume that it's about a depraved sex act or a new drug, neither of which you'll ever do.

The Civil Wars feel lonesome in "Dust to Dust"

The Civil Wars used lost footage from their trip to Paris in March 2011 for "Dust to Dust," the third single off their self-titled sophomore album released last August. The song was used in the 2013 horror/drama remake "Carrie," as well as the ABC Family TV Show, "Ravenswood." In their new video, the defunct folk duo Joy Williams and John Paul White take to the streets of Paris, where we find White alone in a cafe, sipping espresso and penning a letter he ultimately hesitates to send once at the mailbox. His former bandmate Williams is also alone with her thoughts, sipping wine at a bar.
But they're not kept apart for long. Much of the video intersperses shots of the two in the studio together with scenes of them roaming the Paris streets. And for a moment, they look to be in perfect harmony. Even the most romantic city in the world can feel lonesome and uninviting, as you can see in The Civil Wars' latest video, "Dust to Dust." Set in Paris on a drab winter day, the embattled bandmates go about their separate yet hopelessly-intertwined lives, all the while pining for something more.The folk band duo wrote this anthem for the lonely late one night in Birmingham, England. "Sometimes you come across somebody who thinks they are hiding their pain, but if we are all honest, nobody is very good at it," Williams explained. "You're like a mirror, reflecting me / Takes one to know one, so take it from me." According to Williams, when she penned this song with White, they "decided to change the pronoun at the end of the song. We wanted to represent that we all experience loneliness in our lives."
The video's footage was filmed in Paris by Becky Fluke in March 2011 and at The Art House studio by 1504 Pictures in September 2012. Sung in a near-whisper and backed by a tiptoeing combination of guitar and drums, the two characters in the song seem almost afraid to let their guard down. Since the duo announced their abrupt hiatus in the middle of their European tour last November, that tension probably didn't require a lot of acting. "When we re-discovered what we'd once thought to be lost footage from two years ago, these forgotten images from a trip to Paris strangely seemed fitting for the feel of 'Dust To Dust,' says Williams. "For me, it's like stepping back in time."

Tom Odell walking through a forest in "I Know"

Tom Odell takes a rather long walk on a desolate road through a misty forest in the music video for his latest cut "I Know," the fifth single from Odell's chart-topping debut studio album, "Long Way Down," which dropped just last summer that went gold in September. When it comes to songwriting, Odell is not afraid of exposing himself. It's evident when you listen "Long Way Down," which filled with earnest, yearning love songs.
The 23-year-old British singer-songwriter and pianist's music stands somewhere outside of the contemporary in an evergreen spot reserved for urgent singer-songwriters and their breakup ballads. "Songs are about just being totally honest and putting those words to music," Odell explains. "I Know"  finds Odell singing about the realization that something he loves is over. Like the other tracks on his "Long Way Down" album, it is autobiographical. He told Q magazine: "I want to write songs people can relate to. I want people to cry, or be in ecstasy. So it has to be real. I find this song fits in perfectly with the wintery theme.
The accompanying beautifully-photographed performance video sees Odell performing the track while walking in slo-mo through a Scandinavian forest. "We wanted to shoot a stripped down performance piece on Odell in some moody Scandinavian light," director Magnus Harder explained. "It's something very subdued and at the same time, a very powerful song, so putting Tom in this alluring environment makes sense (at least for me)." It was shot in the atmospheric woods of Mörkö (known as the 'Dark Island'), south of Stockholm, Sweden.

Not the most easy going location. pretty distant, lots of mud, camera trucks stuck in the mud, flat tyres, wild boars and very short daylight time. DoP Simon Rudholm captured Odell's performance using rare vintage Polish film lenses. Then, to compliment the dark soul of the location, some neat visual effects conjure the video's surprisingly surreal and chilling ending. But then, once night falls, it ultimately becomes quite spooky... Give the video a watch to see who is waiting for him at the end of one very long road.

Birdy strolls through a garden party in "Wings"

Much has happened to the young Jasmine Van Den Bogaerde, aka Birdy since she came out of nowhere with a striking and stripped down piano-backed soulful cover of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love." Birdy might not have made so much as a peep for the last year or so, but after what feels like an eternity of waiting, the 17-year-old songstress is back with a brand new pretty snazzy video for her latest track "Wings," the lead single from British singer/songwriter's upcoming sophomore set, moodily titled album, "Fire Within," which scheduled for release on September 23 via Warner Music Group.
Birdy generated a mountain of buzz with her eponymous debut self-titled album. The somber collection of covers showcased the teenager's haunting voice to perfection and topped the charts around the world. "It's been an incredible few years since I released my debut album back in 2011," the British teen said in a statement. "I've been writing new songs and I'm so excited for people to hear them. They come straight from my heart." For a taste of Birdy's new, slightly less morose sound, check out "Wings." The focus is still very much on her glorious voice but the soaring track has a radio-friendly sheen missing from her debut.
Written by herself in collaboration with Ryan Tedder and produced by Tedder and Rich Costey, "Wings" sees Birdy explore familiar themes of love and passion. Sticking with the big, haunting vocals, "Wings" is a folky track with an indie edge and it seems fair to say that once you start, you just can't stop listening. Birdy joins forces with Sophie Muller for the promo to the emotive, widescreen pop of "Wings." The video is pretty edgy too and going for a Gatsby-gone-wrong sort of feel, it matches the ethereal vibe that makes us wish we were prancing about the countryside in some sort of lacy veil.
Muller invites viewers into a Renaissance fantasy world in the artful clip, which follows Birdy as she strolls through an extravagant garden party in a sumptuous mansion surrounded by a bunch of odd and flambouyant characters complete with acrobatics, masks, fencing and horses. The Black Dog director captures a haunting feeling of loneliness from Birdy, even as the revelers play around her in flamboyant costumes and masks. Amidst the stylized celebration, we get private moments with the teen songstress as she pierces the viewer with her melancholic - if not completely heartbreaking - gaze. The clip is a gorgeous fever dream that captures the delicate limbo between innocence and adulthood, as Birdy's dulcet tones float airily against the chaotic backdrop.

The Civil Wars debuts "The One That Got Away"

A bit of good news for folky roots-music fans, The Civil Wars are back with a studio cut clip for their new single, "The One That Got Away," the lead single off their upcoming sophomore self-titled album, is due out August 6. The acclaim for country-folk duo The Civil Wars is probably as high today as it's ever been. They've won Grammys, they've recorded with T-Bone Burnett and Taylor Swift, and their debut album "Barton Hollow" has been certified Gold. The trouble is, the two bandmates Joy Williams and John Paul White appear not to be in a place where they can truly enjoy their well-earned success.
In creating the song, Williams and White just poured the amazing passion they have for music and the band as well as all of the angst and stress they have been feeling into one perfect song about lost love. It is completely stripped of any excessive production so prevalent in music today. What we get is a heartbreaking story about the two people who are singing. The tension builds to the chorus where they end up wailing in a beautifully haunting harmony, "Oh, I wish I'd never, ever seen your face," Williams sings over hard-strummed acoustic guitar, "I wish you were the one that got away."
And while the song is simplistic in its approach, so is the video for this studio cut. It isn't high concept but is as painful as it is beautiful. More of a behind-the-scenes-type presentation, it consists mostly of a series of shots showing Williams and White recording the song in the studio. But it's a painful video to watch because it gets directly at your heart and stays there, as it seems to show that whatever rift exists between these two talented musicians is heartbreakingly real. For starters, as Williams and White harmonize beautifully on the song's often-painful lyrics, they never look each other in the eye. Glances are made back and forth, but there's a connection that's missing.
The Civil Wars have put everything they've got into their new single, "The One That Got Away." What we get is an amazing look at the anatomy of a band on the verge of a break-up. Then again, perhaps we shouldn't get carried away just yet: Judging by "The One That Got Away," not everything is heirloom peaches and artisanal cream between Williams and White now. Whether this is manufactured to emphasize the melancholy mood of the song, or is simply the way things are between them these days, we may never quite know. But either way, "The One That Got Away" is a haunting song you won't soon forget.

Nina Nesbitt has dropped "Way In The World"

She first piqued our interest earlier this year with her single "Stay Out" and now folk's newest darling Nina Nesbitt takes us on a trip to the seaside and in the music video for her beachy "Way In The World," the infectious lead and tilte track from Scottish singer and songwriter Nesbitt's next fifth EP, due out July 22nd through Island Records, as well as the next single and third taken from her upcoming untitled debut studio album that's scheduled for release later this year via Universal Music Group. It's a slice of summer with the acoustic feel and funtime video. Be warned though you may hop in the car and make your way to the seaside before you even realize it's raining outside!
It's been a fantastic start to the year for Nesbitt, the half Scottish, half Swedish singer-songwriter, who is still only 18. She started her music career by writing and recording songs in her bedroom and uploading the videos to her YouTube channel and her rise has been remarkable. After going back to basics and all emosh on her last piano-ed track, Nesbitt is back with a summery slice of acoustic pop about finding yourself and all that malarky. And it makes us wanna go to the seaside, have a go in the 2p machines and eat a massive stick of rock with 'Sugarscape' running through the middle of it.
Written by herself, "Way in the World," is the perfect follow up to "Stay Out" with its whip-smart lyrics and catchy chorus. It has a lighter, more summery vibe than its predecessor, and both were co-produced with Jake Gosling and Iain Archer. "Way In The World" takes another step forward in lyrical prowess with the delivery bounding with unmatched skip. Despite the acoustic guitar being Nesbitt's weapon of choice since the beginning, "Way In The World" is her tentative first step into the world of folk and, as you can expect, it's an impressive dance. Nesbitt is on the rise and "Way In The World" is the track to bring her all the way up.
That's pretty much what happens in the video too, actually. Dan Henshaw delivers this carefree and charming promo for "Way In The World," shot in Worthing on the English south coast. The director manages to capture a rare sunny day in Blighty, follows Nesbitt and her friends as they lark about under Worthing's decaying iconic pier, on the beach at twilight and around a campfire. Check out the video below. Hooray and hoorah. It'll make you do a funny little jig and give you serious wardrobe envy. Swear down.

Tom Odell has used up tears on "Another Love"

Hotly-tipped UK singer-songwriter Tom Odell has released a new version of music video, which has been billed as a short film, for his stirring piano ballad, "Another Love," the the lead single and title track off his acclaimed debut extended play, "Songs from Another Love," that earned him the 2013 British Critic’s Choice Award, as well as the third single from Odell's debut long-player, "Long Way Down," which is due out June 24th through Columbia records, as he told Digital Spy, "is about the end of a relationship."
Atop beautiful piano compositions by this classically trained musician, who storing all his ideas on a Dictaphone for years before moving up to London so that more people could hear his music. Disguised by unmistakable youth and porcelain skin, Odell carries experience, heart break, and emotional depth. The British 22-year-old falls into a space that borders James Blake's minimalistic territory, yet spills over into Alex Clare's soulful emotionality. "Another Love" has a similar recipe in its soft-sounding verse: "I want to cry and I want to love, but all my tears have been used up." Suddenly, it gets all fired up giving it a grand atmosphere, where violent acoustic strums, heavy keys and solid beat align it with Mumford and Sons.
Odell explained the tune: "It's about a particular relationship that I had. It's that feeling a lot of people have when they're in a new relationship but they can't stop thinking about the last one. When I was 16 or 17 I fell in love with someone and she broke my heart, and that's what 'Another Love' is about." The track reminds us that love knows no age and teenagers can often feel the brunt of its lasting scars–for the unlucky in love. He explains, "All my tears have been used up on another love. I want to fight, but my hand's been broken one too many times. Yeah, I'll sing a song that'll be just ours, but I sang 'em all to another heart." Will he love again? We hope so, for the sake of one lucky heart out there.
British heart wrenching crooner Odell has channeled the pain and tears of "Another Love" into a mysterious video that chronicles the search for a missing woman, and the protagonist's inability to recognize his lost love even when she's right in front of him. The visuals are compelling because they speak to the message of the song, what happens when we let our heart get stuck so far in the past, bound in fear, that we don't see the happiness that could be ours, that's within arm's reach. Filmed by Jamie Thraves and was filmed whilst Odell was in LA for his sold-out Troubadour show in May. Like most good narratives, the film ends with serenity even though there’s not complete closure.

Birdy tackles Bon Iver's 2008 hit "Skinny Love"

With the way her rich voice flutters, British YouTube teenage sensation Jasmine van den Bogaerde couldn't have chosen a better stage name than Birdy, who has blowing up in the UK, and has unveiled the music video about two years ago for her breakout debut single, "Skinny Love," a rendition of American folk band Bon Iver's 2008 hit from their 2008 album "For Emma, Forever Ago." The young songstress was 14 when she recorded this song after she won the under 18s category of the UK talent contest UK Idol at the age of 12.
Birdy chose to cover "Skinny Love" for her debut album after her aunt, who is a fan of the song, first played it for her. This 16-year-old chanteuse bearing her soul (via Bon Iver's Justin Vernon) all the way from the UK. With only a piano to accompany her, Birdy unleashes her tender and frankly jaw-dropping vocals and bowls the listener over by her breathtaking voice. A sparse, yet utterly emotional version of a spectacular track that has seen her playlisted by the top UK DJs. If Van den Bogaerde keeps this up it won't be long before Birdy becomes a household name on both sides of the Atlantic.
We speculate widely about the meaning of "Skinny Love," is it about a relationship petering out? Is it about a real-life skinny lover? We asked Birdy how she interprets the lyrics and it's something of a mystery to her too. "When I'm singing it, I'm not really sure of the actual meaning of the song," she admits. "But... to me it feels it's like a break-up, people who really love each other but having to move on then. For me, it's more about the melody and the music," she adds. If you're into delicate prodigy-grade piano pop, and haven't heard this beautifully innocent song, you can watch the video clip below you'll find some other treasures from this young star.
I do prefer her breath-taking version to the original. Birdy's version of "Skinny Love" is just phenomenal and her vocal strength is amazing! This is a beautiful summer song and Birdy has a stunning voice. The piano is poignant and powerful alongside the lyrics. The promo for song was directed by Sophie Muller, in which we sees the Birdy walking around an abandoned house and also playing the piano. The video also marks the first time the public have seen the Birdy. The video is beautiful, haunting and so mature!

Gabrielle Aplin turns a guy down in "Panic Cord"

British indie singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin has finally given us something else to hold onto while we anxiously wait for the release of her debut album with a beautiful new version music video for her track "Panic Cord," the third single off the 20-year-old's upcoming debut, "English Rain" due on May 13. "Panic Cord" written by herself, and the original version of the track was taken from her 2011 second EP, "Never Fade," which document four things that have happened to her and she owes the complete honestly and detail in return for the amazing support she have received.

Aplin post on her blog: "'Panic Cord' is the ONLY song on the EP that is about a relationship, and we weren't even officially' together but the situation still really got to me. I had never ever felt guilty for turning someone down before and it was the first time I had experienced it. 'Panic Cord' is pretty much about when someone likes you more than you like them. But to the extent where they'd literally do anything for you and as much as you want to, you just can't do it back. I was so frustrated and angry with myself for letting down someone who was perfect, and was finding it hard to live with the temporary guilt of throwing someones feelings back at their face after they had completely spilled themselves out to you.
During turning this person away, it got weirder. Where they were doing everything in their power to keep me and I just didn't understand why, I felt like a complete witch and found myself getting bored of all the lovely things this person was doing for me. I just couldn't comprehend how or why someone would do something amazing for me, and get no reaction from me and still enjoy doing it and carrying on. He told me that he had 'kept a box of our memories' (we're just a box of souvenirs...) in the hope that it could change my mind. I was so confused and it really opened my eyes. I had no memories of this person in my head, but to them we were something amazing. I was so hurt by the fact I had to let someone down, and almost felt as if i was to blame for their sadness, even though i was completely honest the whole time."
The accompanying music video sees Aplin hanging out with her boyfriend, but later shows her falling out with him. As Aplin going through a relationship she had that has now turned into "a box of souvenirs." Throughout the track she tries to figure it out saying "Maybe I'm the one to blame" because "Maybe [she] pulled the panic cord." Her light and airy vocals make this song a little happier than what it is about but it totally works somehow. The fresh tone to her voice is something that hasn't been heard in a while and is a welcome change.

Nelly Furtado live in the moment in "Bucket List"

Nelly Furtado reminds us of the importance of life in her just released inspirational new visual for her latest single, "Bucket List," the fourth European cut from the Canadian singer's latest fifth studio album, "The Spirit Indestructible." The 34-year-old struggling songstress is redefining the word with her latest album. Unlikely to revive the project, the track's release really ups our respect for Furtado.
Furtado isn't giving up on her "The Spirit Indestructible" album for which she's released approximately 25 singles in the past two months despite its lackluster chart performance. After all, it's almost certain that she's funding the roll-out of these singles herself; something artists in both similar and better positions could and should be doing too, if indeed as passionate about their careers as they claim. Success, more often than not, rests in the art of the hustle and Furtado is hustling but at least she's doing something right.
A bucket list is a list of things to do before you kick the bucket away to die. Furtado explained that on this Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins produced track, which finds Furtado speaking about, and showing us, her "Bucket List." she meditates on personal relationships and life goals. "A first kiss with that special someone should? never be at the bottom of anyone's bucket list. Because life is simply too short. And before you know it, you run out of time," Furtado cleverly reminded us at the beginning of the beautiful and evocative video.

You only live once. Furtado celebrates those who live in the moment in the Aaron A-directed video for "Bucket List." And the clip following a group of five adolescents full of life who simply spend the day, walking, chilling and exploring in New York City, as they live their lives while they're young and discover who they are. They climb to the top of skyscrapers, visit Central Park, and end things with a passionate kiss. The lyrics of this song are everything! And bravo too to Furtado for being this committed to her music. Watch them live, love, and laugh in this dreamy clip.

Phillip Phillips has released "Gone, Gone, Gone"

While a new batch of contestants battle to become this year's American Idol, the reigning Season 11 champion Phillip Phillips has released a brand new music video for his love themed follow-up single, "Gone, Gone, Gone," the second single from his debut album, "The World from the Side of the Moon." Watch the nostalgic blast of Americana in the video for Phillips' heart warming tune, which celebrates people sticking together in difficult times. Get lost in the American Idol's sun-kissed world of sentimentality.
The 22-year-old singer, known for his guitar-driven tunes and unique vocals, has some issues with his kidneys after being announced the winner of American Idol Season 11, but he has come back strong and his first post-Idol single "Home," has had huge success on the charts, the most successful "Idol" coronation song of all time, thanks to the 2012 London Olympics.
Another rousing folk-rock anthem filled with stompy marching-band beats, chanty choruses, winsome guitars, and declarations of undying loyalty, "Gone, Gone, Gone" is arguably just as catchy as "Home," if not more so. While this endeavor undeniably has a more pop-friendly undercurrent, it continues to evoke his signature Mumford & Sons-esque emotions. "This is just a beautiful love song, but it's not cheesy," Phillips told Yahoo! Music. "I really like how it plays out. It has a serious feel to it, like, 'I'll be at your side, no matter what.' But it doesn't have to be about a girlfriend or boyfriend. It can be about anyone that you love dearly, a family member or something."
Directed by Joseph Toman, the exquisite clip has the same folksy, nostalgic feel of Phillips' music. Shot in a number of places, including Springfield of Missouri, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs of California. “It's a celebration of life, and hopefully something that everyone can find something in to relate to," director explained. It features home movie footage of couples, families and children whose love has persevered in time, highlighting special moments in their lives. There's even a shot of Phillips strumming in what could be the basement of his family's real-life pawn shop. It's generic and it's generically uplifting.

Nelly Furtado Unveiled "Waiting For The Night"

Nelly Furtado taps into her Latin roots in the enchanting Flamenco-Glam visual for her newest single, "Waiting for the Night," the third European single and  the fourth overall single from the 34-year-old songstress' first English-language fifth studio album in six years, "The Spirit Indestructible." The video isn't too complicated. But it's fun, fierce and fabulously in keeping with one of the best songs off the album.
"Waiting For The Night," produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, is a dance-pop and electro-pop number with elements of Latin pop, R&B and folk featuring accordion and bagpipes. Lyrically, the song is about her having a crush on a boy, and it was inspired by a diary she kept as smitten sixteen-year-old on a summer vacation on São Miguel Island, Portugal, her parent's birthplace. On this track, she snatches the beyond-played-out thrash-dance template and makes it sound, if not fresh, then at least palpably urgent—that is, until it tags out on a wonky accordion riff. Nonetheless, solid effort.
"Waiting For The Night" features the best use of an accordion in pop music since The Wanted's "Glad You Came," and it sounds a lot like you may think a song named 'Waiting For the Night' may sound. Perhaps the catchiest single to come off the album, and with an easily memorable chorus. The song has a Latino/dance feel to it while the video features some sort of voodoo contemporary dance-what's not to love? It's a black and white affair, which may remind you of her Folklore days. Own the night with Furtado.
Works through some geographic displacement, the Canadian Portuguese songbird lights up the screen as as Furtado and her team of dancers don the looks of Dia de los Muertos inspired makeup on only half of her face, doing some sultry noirish swaying with zombie dancers, and working their way through the tango, flamenco and tribal dance in an underground dancehall and shows off her exotic beauty in this new clip. The camera then pans to a group of foreign dancers perform the song around her rocking the same style - only this time, they're clad in white dresses and doing a choreography.

Gabrielle Aplin | "Please Don't Say You Love Me"

UK singer/songwriter Gabrielle Aplin has unveiled an official music video for her debut major label single "Please Don't Say You Love Me." The track is another wonderful tune from the Bath folk-pop songstress, and is due for release on November 18th, and serves as the lead single from her upcoming as-yet-untitled album, set for release in early 2013. The talented teenager's dreams are slowly but surely becoming reality.
Aplin has come a long way from the days when she first made a stir online and covered a song by the American Pop-punk band Paramore, called "My Heart" on YouTube in 2008. With beautiful vocals and a raw talent for song, she has since released three successful EPs displaying her remarkable multi instrumental skills, and though still only 19, she's self taught, insanely talented and her music feels like it's about something far more personal, far more human, more close to heart.
"Please Don’t Say You Love Me," is a sweet and simple love song with a guitar-driven folk/pop sound. Aplin's soft vocals reflect the vulnerability of the lyrics, and after just one listen, the chorus of this track will stay with you. She's outdone herself with this acoustic-driven ballad, drawing on her incredible capacity for writing emotional and relatable songs, as well as that enchanting voice of hers. If you like something a bit more mellow, you should definitely check out the floaty, folky Aplin, but only if your prepared to sway about in a dreamy haze for the next half an hour.
The singer breaks down in her car en route to a party in the clip, which accompanies a track narrating a haunting yet beautifully frank take on the uncertainties of life and the dreaded heartbreak that comes with it, featuring Brit actors Ophelia Lovibond and Iain De Caestecker as a young couple in love struggling through problems in their relationship. The clip showing us that this girl refuses to live in the shadow of the likes of Laura Marling and Lucy Rose. Naturally, we love it!

First Aid Kit regretting unfinished things in 'Blue'

First Aid Kit are back with a new utterly beautiful music video for their breezy pop radiation of current single, "Blue," the third single taken from their recent excellent second LP, "The Lion's Roar." a record so bursting full of alternative folk rock that it sounds as though it were spawned from the loins of the dusty midwest, belying the two bashful Scandinavian women, are undoubtedly one of the hottest sister duos around right now in every sense of the word.
The Comet favorite, First Aid Kit, a Swedish indie/folk duo consisting of the young sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg, whose close vocal harmonies and woodsy, folk-influenced songwriting take influence from the likes of Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsom. The sisters manage to so effortlessly create a timeless sound that is vulnerable yet musically mature can only be commended, and thoroughly enjoyed. Transcending the expectations of the listener.
The pair's newest song "Blue," is full of haunting nuance and the video is positively as beautiful as it is haunting. The track has providing a stunning example of what lies in wait on the album. According to Klara, many songs on "The Lion's Roar," are based on universal emotions: "'Blue' is about this woman who looking back at her life and regretting the things she didn't do. We sort of write about our fears of the future and regrets we may have kind of as a warning to ourselves - 'Don't become these people', rather than just 'Oh, I'm 19 and I'm scared about the future.'"
The sisters do appear in the Daniel Wirtberg-directed video, but taking center stage is the veteran Swedish actress Ewa Fröling, who stars as a widowed former beauty queen. A touching video showing Fröling going about her daily business and the troubles she has when visiting a local bonfire. The relationship between beauty and age is a finicky thing, but legendary Swedish actress is an exception to the rule, as best exemplified here. Bonfires, Dickensian homes, and snazzy shades add an eerie twinge to this '60s throwback.