A Creative Boom

Posted on by Mess Matty

So last time I wrote on here I was experiencing difficulties with coming up with ideas for videos to make on my two YouTube Channels. Today I’m writing this with new concepts and daily videos happening. I’ve transitioned from no ideas to nothing but new things to make. So I’ve decided to take you through how I got to this stage.

Finding The Cause

The first thing I did was dive into my impulsive mind to try and figure out what it was preventing me from having ideas. Turns out that the main issue was that I was restricting myself from doing what I really enjoyed. I have a music channel and on that I release music, however, everything I wanted to do had little to nothing to do with music so therefore I couldn’t make those ideas. This resulted in me getting frustrated with my inability to think of anything music related.

So, I decided to revive my second channel that was created in order to release anything I wanted and now all those ideas that previously frustrated and prevented me from being musical now live on that channel. I was having so many that now there are daily videos speaking about anything from suicide to ketchup. Sounds a bit strange but it weirdly works.

Losing Yourself

After finding the cause I began to rectify the problem. I did this by losing myself in the new projects. Rather than rushing and trying to complete the side stuff in order to get back to my main project. Instead, whatever it is that I’m working on I will approach with the mentality that it is my main focus, no matter what the over goal is for my career progression. This allows me to get out anything that is creatively preventing me from being musical since every other itch I have is scratched properly and not half-heartedly.

Because of this, I have been able to create daily videos while also having a video a week on Mess Music that remains at the quality that I set for myself. I would suggest to you that no matter what it is that you’re doing, put your passion into it because you will be better off because of it.

Self-Improvement

The final point is that I actively tried to make myself healthier and better. This is changing my sleeping schedule. I used to go to sleep at 03:00 and get up at 12:00. This caused me to not reach my full working potential since I was only fully awake by around two and before I knew it, the work day was finished.

So I now go to sleep between 23:00 – 0:00 and get up by 07:30 every day. This has meant that I now have an extra five hours or so to get more work done. It’s easily the best thing I’ve done to make my life better and I’d seriously suggest anyone try it out since it could change your life. I’ll leave the video where I go into more detail about it below.

 

Thank you for reading!
Matty Green ❤

A Creative Drought

Posted on by Mess Matty

So this is something that I’ve been struggling with lately after about six different video ideas failed miserably. Welcome, to this post which is going to be soaked in self-pity, first world problems, plenty of self-reflection and looking down on myself. Now doesn’t that sound thrilling and exciting to read? No? Oh well, good thing this is my blog and you’re able to just click off, I’ve actually gotta sit here writing it…

Creative droughts are something that I’m certain every artist or creator goes through at some point. For me, it’s almost every winter since the chemical reactions in my body brought on by the darkening nights, grey weather and general lack of vitamin D make it very hard to focus on one thing and really get anything done. For example, this is the third day I’ve sat down to just write something here.

Right, that last paragraph reminded me to take a vitamin tablet which I have now done and am now back to actually start talking about having a creative drought. The main goal with this post is to essentially debate myself with the hope that it’ll get me making content again and though that help you potentially if you’re struggling to get through the obstacles your own mind creates. If you wanna get fully into my mind while reading, put some Protest The Hero on since that’s what I’m currently listening to!

Okay, so what is a creative drought and how can we best tackle it in order to become the opposite, creative abundance shall we say? Not sure if that means anything remotely to do with what I intend for it to mean but that does not matter! We are here to get out a creative rut.

The first thing I’m going to do is look back to the last time I felt creative and see if we recreate the steps that I took to get into that frame of mind beforehand. However, the issue I can see with this is that I can’t actually remember a time I was purposefully creative. Which sounds incredibly weird when I look at my video count on YouTube which is in the hundreds now. I must have been creative at some point in order to make all of that, you’d hope at least…

This is all leading me to believe that I’m either a zombie (or walker) that makes stuff without realising it or I’m being too hard on myself for going through natural ups and downs. I choose to believe the zombie one personally. So where does that leave this post? Well, I’ve basically not really said anything throughout this entire thing so let amend that with a damn good outro.

If you are experiencing this sort of thing then I’d advise you to take a step back from the frustration, maybe write a blog post because I feel I could land on the moon now and think about everything involved with what’s causing the particular rut that you’re in. The one thing I’d say to remember is that sometimes the best stuff comes out of complete spontaneity which unfortunately can’t be bottled up and recreated.

So here comes the end of the post. I hope you at least enjoyed this in some way and hope to see you soon. Go subscribe to my channel and have a great whatever time of day it is for you!

Matty Green ❤
http://bit.ly/messmusic

Third Times the Charm

Posted on by Mess Matty

I think this is the third time I’ve start this… I didn’t check but hey, let’s actually try do this blog because sometimes I have a lot to say, mostly negative if I’m honest (more on this soon*) and I really need to vent sometimes. So welcome to the reboot of my blog where I’m going to talk about stuff to do with stuff that I happen to like or dislike.

That’s all there really is to say right now. So I will post my latest video and see you soon with a full post about something, not sure what yet but rest assured that it will be words that my fingers press out for your wonderful eyes. Let’s get productive shall we?

 

Hugs & Kisses ❤
Matty Green

(*There was never more on this, got ya…)

Personal Post | Pushing into Projects

Posted on by Mess Matty

Hey everyone!

Welcome back after a long break from posting on my blog. I’m not going to lie, I burnt myself out a bit with the amount of posts I released in a short amount of time but now, I’m back and ready to come out swinging with a post all about me! So, lean back into your chair, grab your drink and get your eyes ready to read the words I’m about to write, or in your case have already written. Onward’s!

The YouTube channel I have with my girlfriend, Mess Music is running well and slowly growing. We recently released our debut single Judgement (you can watch it below and you really should) and it’s done better than I predicted so I’m very happy with the outcome! As well as that, we’ve been releasing regular videos and have gotten into schedule that works for us. Final shameless self promotion, watch the video below and go subscribe to us!

Right! Now for the stuff coming in the future and other things interesting things. I think we need a bullet point list to make it easy and readable…

  • The singer for Mess Music is currently on holiday so once he’s back more songs will be coming through. A lot of songs are ready for vocals so hopefully there will be a lot of tracks coming through very soon.
  • We do have a cover, that I’m not ready to reveal yet, finished and ready to make a video for. It’s an old song and it sounds amazing so hopefully it’ll be out within a few months! The video planned is going to be awesome and Jess (my girlfriend), is in charge of shooting it as well has staring in it. Want a clue? Well, I don’t give clues!
  • I’m still managing Lewis James and we’re currently working on his upcoming E.P. which will be released soon. As well as that I’ll be talking a lot about him when everything starts falling into place, big things are coming for him!
  • Jess and I started skating so been relearning how to not fall off a skateboard!

And that’s the majority of things coming, lots to be excited about! Final thing is that I mentioned last time about a condition called S.A.D. For those interested, now that spring is here it becomes almost a non-issue so motivation and drive is back completely!

I believe that’s everything for now, I’ll be posting more in the coming weeks and let me know if there’s anything you want to see from me!

Thanks for reading and see you soon ❤

Matty Green:
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1lcfaAP
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1XfuNZS

 

BBC Sound of… Where is the Diversity?

Posted on by Mess Matty

Hello everyone! Hope you’re well.

Every year the BBC (British Broadcasting Company for those across the pond) recognize a new, upcoming artist who they personally believe have potential be huge in the coming year. Recently they’ve just announced the winner of Sound of 2016 to be Jack Garrett, an extremely talented musician and no doubt worthy of the title. There’s already been a thousand articles praising him so I’m going to tackle the issue I see with the whole BBC Sound of.

The two biggest issues I have are, where are all the bands and where’s the diversity?! This year there was one band on the list who went by the name Blossoms, that’s it. Everyone else was a solo artist or collective of artists. Is this because there was simply a lack of bands to emerge this year? Is the lack of diversity because of the BBC preferring one type of music over the other? Is this enough thought-provoking questions to get you to carry on? Right, let’s get on with this!

More Diversity Please:

Right, let’s get one thing straight. There is tons of diversity within types of music and I also can’t stand the classic phrase ‘It all sounds the same…’ Honestly it makes me wanna slap the ignorance out of whoever says it because nothing sounds the same. Even people making awful rip off versions of songs don’t sound the same as originals. The reason why I’m saying this is because I know those who enjoy the style of music that it is present will say that there is already diversity and that brings me into my wider point.

I want diversity that covers a ton of genres! I want everything possible represented. Give me Rap, Metal, Hip-Hop, Pop-Punk, all of it! If you’re going to be putting out a list that is the sound of a year then surely it should include as many sounds of that year as possible. Here’s an example of how little diversity there really is. Six out of the fifteen have the genre ‘Pop’ in their PR line and five have the term ‘R&B’ or ‘Rap’. That’s 73% of the list put into three (very similar) genres. Yes diversity exists within genres as stated but I want diversity of genres.

BBC, I hear your adverts on Spotify all the time, you preach to me that you want to show us new music and that you’re the number one place for new music. Why don’t make good on what you claim and show us something new and something different most importantly. Every single winner falls under one of three categories, ‘Pop, Rap or R&B’.  There’s been one artist that has a hint of heavy in them, that being Enter Shikari, who still use synths and dance elements in their songs, they came fifth for those interested.

Is there a clear bias within the BBC as to what wins? I’m not going to claim anything but I will say that in the rules, that I found in a simple Google search, that they hold the right to disqualify any artist if they deem it fit too. Take that as you will. The real problem though is that it punishes bands and artists who gain success on their own. If you release an album, you won’t be on the list and BBC will pretend that you don’t exist. If you breakout by yourself then they won’t have any part of you, the BBC only want artists that they can break themselves and therefore claim that they did it.

More Bands Please:

The second biggest issue is that they always favor solo artists over bands. Need evidence? Well, there have been fourteen winners and two of those have been bands… What’s so wrong with bands BBC? Why are they such a rarity both on your list and as winners? Solo artists are great yes, I’m not disputing that but bands are just as good. There have been hundred upon hundred of fantastic bands to come out over fourteen years and you’ve deemed to acceptable to praise two of them? Two?! Change is needed, let’s have some equality within this list.

I not advertising for there to be seven bands and eight solo artists. I understand that most solo artists will not release an album or go on tour before they find success whereas a band is much more likely to try do everything themselves. Seriously though, give his three or four bands on the list. Just more than one and I’ll be happier.

To Finish:

I understand that the list isn’t aimed at me and that it is for the mainstream audience. That doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be for me though and there needs to be more diversity within it. We are in an age where everyone, every culture and everything is becoming more accepted and praised. Why can’t we continue this revolution in mainstream music. I’m not asking for niche genres to be on prime time radio, what I’m asking for is the chance for those listening to hear something different that they wouldn’t normally hear.

BBC, you have no advertisers to keep happy, no sponsors demanding results so please, take a chance and give everyone the opportunity to hear something new and ultimately decide for ourselves what we like. The Sound of… list has so much potential to give everyone something new and every time it’s the same, you can be better and we should expect more.

Thanks for reading and as always, stay awesome!

Mess Matty
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1lcfaAP
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1XfuNZS

A New Year Random Ramble | Mess Music Podcast #1

Posted on by Mess Matty

Hey everybody!

This is just a quick post to tell everyone that Jess and I, (Mess Music) have created our first podcast. I’ll include the Soundcloud link below where you can download it.

 

As well as Soundcloud you can listen on YouTube and I’m working on getting it onto iTunes. The podcast itself is Jess and I talking about the New Year and what it’ll bring. We touch on Music, TV, Film and throw in a few funny stories from our past. It was so much fun to make so I hope you enjoy it!

Sales pitch of a post over, I’ll be back with a review I believe very soon! Stay awesome and stay you!

 

Personal Post | What The New Year Brings

Posted on by Mess Matty

First things first, Happy New Year! It’s January 2nd so this may be a day late but I hope you all had a great Christmas and a fantastic New Year. I spent it either with my girlfriend or writing new songs, got a total of two new originals written and a cover in the works, all just needing vocals done! So aside from neglecting to blog because well, everything seems to stop for two weeks, I’ve been as productive as I can be.

Now, you might be thinking, what is this blog all about? I’m not reviewing anything or writing a thousand words on why sounding like a orc from Lord of the Rings should be considered singing. No this post is all about, well me! Why would I write about myself in a rather selfish and self-promoting manner? Because once a month or so I want to… Yeah, as simple as that and mainly as a milestone to myself so that I can eventually see how far things have come. So, lets dive in to some personal things that are going on.

To start, since this is a music blog let’s talk about all the things music coming up. As I said in the intro I’ve been working on a bunch of stuff throughout the holidays. Most of which will have vocals recorded by someone else (who I’m currently in talks with) and from there will be produced into music videos for the Mess Music YouTube Channel. For this month, we’re hoping to shoot a rather dramatic video for a cover of ‘Take Me To Church’ and another more basic video for my original, Judgement (working title). The music for ‘Take’ is all finished with me providing all the vocals, which is quite daunting to put out since I don’t know how people will react to the direction I’ve taken it in. Also, without spoiling it, the video itself will hopefully be really quite dark with a heartbreaking story arc to it. It’s also interesting to me to tackle it as a Christian myself since the song can be convinced as anti religion. I’ll talk about that in a post when it’s released though! Get excited for that!

My song of the month: 

I’m also working as a manager with a fantastic solo artist called Lewis James. His style is a really interesting and masterful take on acoustic music that blends complex riffs with beautiful melodies. I’m not going to talk to much about it so all I’ll say is that there’s big things coming and a release in the coming future! I will write a ton more about it when everything moves along so stay tuned for that!

As for more personal things, this is a personal post after all! We’re coming into January and February which for me personally are the hardest months to get through and hold motivation due having a condition called S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder). However, hopefully with all the good things going on, it’ll combat it. As well as having Daylight bulbs which simulate sunlight and help to reduce the effects.

Before we get too deep into that side of everything lets end of this post with the mandatory ‘New Years Resolutions’ section! I’ve only really made one personal goal and that is to stick to a weight lifting routine I’ve set myself. So far I have so lets hope that next time I’m writing one of these I’m still on it. Also my final point is that I benched 7 stone last night which is a personal best. Hopefully I’ll at least double that soon!

Thanks for reading this and hope you enjoyed this rather self indulging post. Stay awesome and stay you!

YouTube: http://bit.ly/1lcfaAP
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1XfuNZS

Thrice | Vheissu | Review

Posted on by Mess Matty

Thrice are one of, if not my favorite band of all time. The music they create is some of the most fulfilling, heartfelt and honest you’ll ever hear. Each instrument is respected and plays a vital role in every song and there is never any wasted time or moments that aren’t thoroughly thought out. The lyrics are so deep that after 10 years of listening I’m still discovering more meanings and ideas that have been masterfully woven into each song.

They are revolutionary, inspiring, thought-provoking and genius. This is my review off Vheissu, which remains after 10 years as my favorite album of all time.

Review:

Man, where do I begin with this record. There’s so much here that it’s impossible to ever write down every single one of my thoughts. This album changed who I am as a songwriter and a person. It made me fall in love with music and learn to appreciate the art of songwriting. How you can layer on complexity without overwhelming the listener but also having deep meanings that could be analysed for years. There’s so much to dig into that this will probably be a long review. I won’t talk about every song since that would end up as an essay. These are just the ones I really want to discuss.

As the album begins you hear a classic anthem, ‘Image of the Invisible’ which at the time of released was disregarded as a standard singalong opening song. In many ways it is, I mean it has the rallying chant in-between each line screamed out by Dustin. It’s very easy to get into and yell along with him, however take a second to listen to what he’s saying before you disregard it. ‘We’re more than static and dial tone//We’re emblematic of the unknown’. Now think about how masterfully those lines contrast and work together. The first being relate-able to anyone while the next invokes deeper thoughts and pulls you in to a deeper meaning.

I now want to talk about ‘The Earth Will Shake’ and how I believe it should be considered as a true classic in modern music. Now that’s a bold claim but here’s why I think this. The song itself is made up what equates to three sections. There’s the huge chorus, the heavier verse and the softer sections that interlinks the other parts of the song. It’s in this simple structure where there is layers upon layers of detail and depth that truly make this track a classic. Have a listen to it before I go into detail. I’ve embedded a live version so you can really see the emotion in the song rather than just a lyric video. Thanks to Moshcam from filming this. 

The lyrics in the chorus, despite being deceptively simple have layers of depth and are incredibly powerful but in different ways dependent on the area of the song. At the beginning you get this sense of a lone soul looking to escape a prison, either methodically or literally which is yet another reason why it’s such an amazing song. You hear it pounding out and later in the song as a huge section that has crowds stomping their feet in unison. If you see it live, it’s a moment that can’t be replicated. The reason I think the song is so masterful is because it’s absolutely timeless. The way the lines of the verses call to each other, how the guitar work is constructed perfectly, ranging from heavy and massive all the way too soft and beautiful. The vocals are perfect. They’re gritty and forceful yet heartfelt with great amounts of passion behind every line sung. From the opening softness to the building aggression of the ending, the lyrics with the delivery are nothing short of perfect.

For the sake of readability I’m going to talk about two more songs in-depth even though I could go through every song in detail. The first I want to talk about is ‘For Miles’ which is another masterfully written song. It opens with a beautiful piano line and is accompanied by one of the most emotional performances I’ve ever heard. The emotion captured is astounding, it’s thought-provoking while having so much hope within sadness. it’s ultimately a more Christian song however it’s still open for anyone to relate too and interpret however they feel.

The song progresses until you come into a long bridge that gives you so much time to reflect on what you just heard. It gives you this moment of calm and allows you to digest everything before the ending of the song kicks in. Then you’re met with this intense emotional end that nearly pulls tears from me every time I hear it.

Now, the final and my personal favorite song of all time. ‘Red Sky’. The seer amount of raw emotion that this song invokes every time I hear it is incredible. Before I talk about it, hear it is for you to listen.

I just re-watched/ listened to it before writing this and every time I hear it, there’s just so much depth and emotion in the song. The way it begins with a piano and drums, then builds and builds with each element of the track adding so much. Until you hear the line ‘We’ll raise an empire from the bottom of the sea’ and then you are hit with the most uplifting moment in music I’ve ever heard.

It’s the most breathtaking and complete piece of music I have ever heard and will always remain as the only song I will ever consider perfect.

That’s just a few a of the songs from the album. Every song has its own merits and as a whole they all come together to form what I would argue as the greatest album of all time. It is timeless, emotional and heartfelt. If you’ve never heard it then go right now and listen to it. If you’re with me and heard before then just take the time to listen to it again.

Thrice crafted greatness with Vheissu and should be remembered as one of the great songwriters of our time.

10/10 – Best of the Best.

Mess Matty:
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1lcfaAP
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1XfuNZS

Dawn Of Justice | Adventears | Review

Posted on by Mess Matty

Dawn Of Justice are Melodic Ambient Metalcore band from France. Their latest release, Adventears, is their second E.P after previously releasing a debut E.P and album. It’s available for you to pay what you like on Bandcamp or on iTunes for £4.74.

Review:

I like to discover new music and since I’ve started reviewing albums I decided to take the time to find and review some lesser known albums between the big releases. So I found myself on the new arrivals section of Bandcamp in the Metalcore section. Most of the time I expect to hear sub-par, distorted music that has been thrown up in hopes of making a little bit of money. However sometimes you discover something that just makes you sit back and remember why you love music in the first place. Dawn of Justice’s Adventears is the record that blew me away.

The first thing I saw was the beautiful, vibrant artwork among the typical metal blacks and grey’s. The intro to the E.P is beautiful and sets the tone for the record perfectly. It’s calming, yet you feel this rising tension before the first song, ‘Styx’, kicks in. The opening track is a perfect mix between echoing riffs and heavy guitars, it fills up your speakers and just has a certain sound to it that makes you sit back and listen. It demands your attention from the first note to the last.

The vocals at first sound like the standard screaming that we’ve all become accustomed to but as the songs progress they become so much more melodic while keeping the harshness. They fit in perfectly, whether it’s as part of the heaviest breakdowns or part of the more ambient areas, they just work so flawlessly. The guitars either sit nicely in the mix with the bass or echo out riffs that contrast so well with the heaviness of the music.

As always though, there are some things I will pick at that just don’t quite do it for me. Including the intro, there are two extended ambient sections that for me, just go on a bit too long. I’d much prefer hearing the softer parts more involved in the songs rather than as extended intros. This is a personal taste issue though, for some they will love the ambient feeling before the storm.

My only other criticism, is that given the much more melodic feel that echo’s throughout the record it makes the breakdowns feel less needed and more like they are there because a metalcore band needs breakdowns. I’d love to see them break away from the traditional scream into a break down and focus on the melodic ambient side while still incorporating the metal edge.

Those are only minor points though. I absolutely love this E.P and am incredibly happy that I’ve found them. They hold true to the genre they’re within, while masterfully incorporating different feels and sounds. In a world where nothing is unique, they truly standout.

8/10 – Must Buy. 

Mess Matty:
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1lcfaAP 
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1XfuNZS 

Rest, Repose | The Sleep City | Review

Posted on by Mess Matty

Rest, Repose are a newly formed band that include popular YouTubers Jared Dines and Ryan Bruce, or Fluff as he is known. The Sleep City E.P is their debut release.

As the album begins the first thing that becomes apparent is that this is very different to what many may be expecting. For anyone who’s followed Jared in the past, either his work in Dissimulator or his YouTube channel, will be used to hearing him scream or playing generally heavy music. After hearing the first riff filling up my speakers I was ready to hear something new, something interesting and something I wasn’t expecting.

The first track ‘Influence’ sets the tone for the record. The opening riff, that has guitars chugging down low notes while a memorable guitar part echos out in-between, sets the tone perfectly. This record is all about the riffs. Every section is well thought out and put together masterfully. Each part flows beautifully into the next, every transition is pulled off to perfection and each section is varied while managing to remain familiar. It’s a fantastic example of having complexity within simplicity.

By far the most surprising part is the vocals. To me, they invoke thoughts of Alter Bridge, with lines being belted out as if a stadium of thousands were watching and singing along. Unfortunately they are more miss than they are hit. While the vocal lines and melodies remain strong, the delivery just falls short. There’s just something missing on the majority of songs and a lack off variation from section to section takes away from the moments that make you want to sing along.

My only other criticism of the record is that intros to songs become to feel a little too similar. This becomes apparent when you compare the opening track ‘Influence’ and the third song, ‘McCoy’. They are so alike in their opening that unless paying attention you may think it was the same song. This changes as both songs progress as it’s only an intro they share.

The two strongest songs from the E.P are ‘Sleep City’ and ‘The Generator’, the latter being the leading single. Both display the incredible amount of potential Rest, Repose have. The way the songs progress is masterful, the riffs fill up the speakers and the vocal lines cut through to create something truly special.

After finishing the record I was incredibly impressed. There is so much potential that the future of Rest, Repose could be incredibly bright. The E.P has wet my appetite, now I’m craving for their first album.

7/10 – Must Listen.

Mess Matty:
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1XfuNZS
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1lcfaAP