Meg Bolland

When you think of David Bowie, what’s the first album that comes to mind?  Is it “Hunky Dory”?   Or, “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust”?    Maybe it’s “Heroes”.   It’s unlikely to be “Outside” (1. Outside and subtitled The Nathan Adler Diaries: A Hyper-cycle).   Bowie’s 20th studio album was released in September 1995. It may have been a comeback from his decline in the 80s with the flop of “Tonight”, but it is rarely mentioned when discussing the icon’s best work.    There is a lot to unpack with this concept album, from method to madness

Is there anything better than hearing a song you love in a movie? Especially, when the scene encapsulates or even elevates the meaning of the song…    I remember being ecstatic when watching The Royal Tenenbaums. Not only is it a movie by one of my favourite directors (Wes Anderson) but it had some of my favourite songs slotted in it. I mean, you know it is going to be a good-en when the movie kicks off with a track from The Beatles.    Here are just a few of the tunes in the film:    Hey Jude (instrumentals) by

‘All Along The Watchtower’ was released on Jimi Hendrix’s 1968  album ‘Electric Ladyland.’ The song is a cover of Bob Dylan’s original, of the same name, which was released a year prior. Both versions are extremely distinct. Nonetheless, it is as iconic as it is today because of Hendrix, who mixed Dylan’s lyrics with signature guitar work, with a combination of blues and rock elements.   Even Dylan commented “it overwhelmed me, really. He had such talent, he could find things inside a song and vigorously develop them. He found things that other people wouldn’t think of finding in there.”

FKA twig’s ‘MAGDALENE’ had me bewitched from the very first listen. The album is feminine, with a mesmerising mix of spiritual energy, vulnerability and tragedy. MAGDALENE is not only a break-up album but an exploration of her emotions regarding her health, as she had six fibroid tumours removed from her uterus. As a result, her “confidence as a woman was knocked”. As you can imagine, each song is filled with soul…  The most famous track ‘cellophane’ was the first song by the artist in 3 years. The lyrics share a vulnerable recollection of her relationship with Robert Patterson. While a

When I was younger, I was a bit of a ‘Tumblr’ kid. I loved Alex Turner, angsty songs and winged eyeliner (honestly, not much has changed). Naturally, ‘AM’ by Arctic Monkeys was one of the main soundtracks to my teenage years, with the iconic ‘Do I Wanna Know’, ‘Arabella’ and of course ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ playing in my earphones in a melodramatic attempt to romanticise my train rides to school…   For years, I did not know that ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ was a cover of a song by punk poet John Cooper Clarke. Embarrassingly, it was not until last

“I’ve stopped my dreaming, I won’t do too much scheming these days…”   From Andy Warhol’s muse to rock icon, Nico has certainly left her mark in the rock genre. With her influential 1967 album, Chelsea Girl being many ‘60s music lovers’ favourite from the era. The album featured songs written by some of the greats – Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Tim Hardin.    Nico is well-known for featuring on The Velvet Underground’s debut album, her eerie yet soothing voice captivated listeners from around the world. John Cale described her as “like a rock. She didn’t move up there.

Arctic Monkeys’ 2018 album ‘Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino’, was a shock to many Monkey’s fans who loved them for their relatable anthems of club conquests, drunken voicemails and unrequited love. This fresh take on psychedelic rock transported listeners to drinking martinis in a retro hotel on the moon, a world away from Sheffield bouncers throwing them to the curb after a few cans of Stella.    After the success of AM, Alex Turner took to the alien world of LA for a change of scenery. This consisted of drug-fuelled nights roaming the artificial streets of the city and learning

“All these places have their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I’ve loved them all.” In My Life, the iconic and timeless from The Beatles’ Rubber Soul album, is one of my favourite songs of all time and without a doubt my favourite Beatles track. This song was named number 5 in The Rolling Stone’s list of the ‘100 Greatest Beatles Songs’ and number 23 in their ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time’. The Beatles are arguably the greatest band of all time, with only a few