U.K based pop duo made up of David Keiffer and Joe Femi have known each other since high school and have self-declared their music as “acoustic house,” and formed in 2014. They would play gigs at the local pubs after class and their band gets it’s name from a Nepalese surfer named Dillon they met during a trip to Brazil.
Mixing together sounds from an array of genres from around the world—Femi’s Brazilian-Nigerian background heavily influences their newest material—the band has taken their infectious music on tour with the likes of Meghan Trainor and Charlie Puth.
Song by Song Review
As soon as I heard this song, I honestly had it on repeat for days. It relevantly talks about topics of immigration and dreamers but still has that feel good Latin Flavor to it’s pop musicality.
“Only Fools Fall In Love” finds the duo further honing in on their sharp and slick take on modern pop music. Mixing acoustic guitars with a tight, rhythmic beat work and electronic flourishes, the song centers around an infectious, catchy earworm of a melody and a sentimental lyric that all can relate to.
Watch the music video HERE and be sure to follow Life of Dillon below so you don’t miss all their other new music:
Back with their third album to date, I guess you could say that A Great Big World has something to new to say.
Their self-titled album is recorded with a live band and is self-titled because it sounds “most like them.” The duo, made up of two dudes that met at NYU, Chad King and Ian Axel, have released two other albums, their first which included the Top 5 Billboard Collaboration with Christina Augilera, “Say Something.”
Song Review
Younger: The first single off the album, “Younger”, encapsulates the innocence and naivete of childhood youth, unfolding like a colorful love letter to an adolescence of playing wiffle ball and Super Mario Bros, listening to Maroon 5, and dreaming about the future. It has a fun up-tempo and contains video game sound effects hidden throughout the musicality. Total #TBT.
Watch the nostalgic video game-inspired throwback lyric video here.
Connect with A Great Big World in the world of social media:
Brother Leo only cared about football as a child but that didn’t stop his mom to force her son, whose birth name is Ola, to join boys’ choir and take piano lessons. Fast forward to age 17 where he was playing professional soccer for the Trelleborgs FF, he sang during a school function and friends were adamant about him auditioning for Pop Idol.
He signed a deal reluctantly in his native Sweden. Before his Swedish debut, he had a plethora of number one hit credits as an in-demand songwriter for Gnash, Hailee Steinfield, Akon, and more under his given name.
His artist name Brother Leo was assumed in 2018 which is based off Svennson’s more confident and free imaginary twin as a child.
Song by Song Review
Everything On Red: Based on a gamble on a roulette wheel on either red or black, this song is about betting all your chips on the love at first sight you feel when you meet someone new for the first time. Produced by Fatboy Slim, the musicality and feel to the track is reminiscent to island or Carribean music. The breakdown gives the impression that time has slowed and all you hear is your heartbeat in your ears.
Stranger On An Island: Sunny verses of beachside vignettes combined with tropical drums and wild turntable scratches make this track a summer splash, and give you that getaway feel no matter the season. You may hear Brother Leo sing about being stuck on an island but this beachy track will be stuck in your head after just one listen.
There are many trains to jump on nowadays. Yet, if you’re smart like myself, you’ll hurry up and join the MTrain bandwagon. Meghan is no newbie in terms of music. She’s been writing songs since she was 11 years old growing up in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Her first ever published song was 19 when she co-wrote a song with country duo Dan and Shay and “DJ Tonight” and “I Like The Sound of That” were born, and later cut by country supergroup Rascal Flatts. At the young age of fifteen, she home-produced her first three albums, Meghan Trainor, I’ll Sing With You (acoustic), and Only 17. Trainor attended Berklee College, and is a musical prodigy with the ability not only to write and sing songs but she can play piano, guitar, ukelele, percussion, and trumpet.
Meghan wrote “All About That Bass” but found no artists would use it. With incredible gutsiness, Trainor performed it on ukelele for Epic Records chair, L.A. Reid. It was released as her first single as a signed artist on June 30, 2014, and its music video became a viral sensation. “All About That Bass” reached number one in 58 countries and became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with worldwide sales of 11 million units as of December 2014.
Trainor’s three home-produced albums were pulled from circulation in anticipation of her major label album, Title, which was released on January 9, 2015. It debuted atop the Billboard 200 charts, making Meghan the 13th artist with a #1 single and #1 album. It was the 9th best-selling album worldwide of 2015.
Thank You was released on May 13, 2016 from Epic Records and musically inspired by Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, and Bruno Mars.
Song by Song Review
“Watch Me Do”: A James Brown feel, this song produced by Ricky Reed, is a sassy self-love anthem about “doing your thing.” My favorite part is the bridge: I’m the shhh, be quiet/I’ve been on a low-hater diet.
“Me Too”: This has to be my favorite off the album right now mostly because it’s so catchy and it’s the second single off the album. It’s Trainor’s club banger co-written with Jason Derulo that once again promotes self-love in a healthy way and good luck not dancing to this one when you hear it. The video for this was pulled because a heavily edited version photoshopped Trainor’s waist to an unrealistic size and she pulled it because it gave mixed messages. Once again, #ThankYouMeghan
“No”
The first single off the album, about a hard rejection, and standing up for being okay with your independence while out at a club or a party, it’s Trainor’s joke with L.A. Reid. The track is a powerful woman’s anthem.
“Better:” Containing soca elements and featuring, Yo Gotti this track is about realizing that the person you are seeing isn’t up to your standards, and letting them know that.
“Hopeless Romantic”: This is one of my favorites off the album because this track is my response to all those Nicholas Sparks movies, saying how they set one’s expectations at a unrealistic level but either way, I’m not giving up on love. It reminds me of an old-school ballad.
“I Love Me”: This is another favorites off the album because it’s just too catchy not to dance and sing along too. It’s a song celebrating who you are as an individual. Featuring Lunch Money Lewis, it reminds me of a song that you can dance to or kids to double-dutch to.
“Kindly Calm Me Down”: A piano ballad that shows sassy Trainor’s vulnerable side. Trainor wrote it when she 18 about her father’s battle with cancer and she pitched it to fellow pop singer Christina Aguilera who didn’t cut it because it didn’t fit her album when it was in its final stages.
“Woman Up”: Co-written by Hot Chelle Rae bae Nash Overstreet and Taylor Parks, this girly song is about being strong after a break-up with dance pop musicality complete with reggae elements.
“Just a Friend To You”: A track written and performed on a ukelele, it’s a song about seeing a friend as more but you can’t do anything about it because the circumstances aren’t right.
“I Won’t Let You Down”: With Carribean vibes, the song comes off as if Trainor is singing to her parents but it’s actually a self-actualization song about bettering oneself.
” Dance Like Yo Daddy”: A song inspired by dancing with her dad in the music video for “Better When I’m Dancing” which she wrote for the Peanuts movie, it’s a song she co- wrote with Kevin Kadash for both her dad and for the love of dancing.
“Champagne Problems”: A dancy song she co-wrote with Ryan Tedder last for the album after she had a problem with the album and her manager said to her, “Don’t forget. You have champagne problems.” It’s a song about problems that are so miniscule you don’t really need to worry about them.
“Mom”: Featuring Kelli Trainor in the bridge, this “mom song” is one that can bring emotion and fun. This song is showing Meghan’s thanks to her mom for being the best mom she can. She is also expressing the love her mom gives towards her, to her fans and of course, her mother! As someone who’s best friends with her own mom, I love this song a lot because it has the same musicality of “Dear Future Husband” but brags on moms everywhere.
“Friends”: Co-written with Ryan Tedder, it celebrates spending time with friends with a sound much like a “Bob Marley track.”
“Thank You”: The title track off the album where Trainor personally thanks her fans for helping her live her dream everyday it features R City and leaves the album on positive note.
Overall, this is another solid banger of an album and for that, we’d all like to “Thank You” to Meghan for being such a light musically and teaching young people to be okay with who they are. You are a role model and are the only popstar I know who does press in a onesie and heels. Keep slaying, girl.
As soon as I heard this song, I honestly had it on repeat for days. It relevantly talks about topics of immigration and dreamers but still has that feel good Latin Flavor to it’s pop musicality.
“Only Fools Fall In Love” finds the duo further honing in on their sharp and slick take on modern pop music. Mixing acoustic guitars with a tight, rhythmic beat work and electronic flourishes, the song centers around an infectious, catchy earworm of a melody and a sentimental lyric that all can relate to.
The Smart Cookie Philes 