The Music Note

I am currently enrolled on Berklee College of Music’s Online Music Supervision Professional Certificate. This multi-course programme specialises in all the key areas of music supervision – a field which involves the synchronisation of music with visual media, notably TV, film, advertising and video games. Of the five courses that comprise the certificate , I have so far completed Music Publishing 101, Copyright Law, Music Licensing and Music Production Analysis, and I am just about to begin Music Supervision – the final and most vital module in this particular certificate. As an aspiring music supervisor, I am fascinated by the avenues to which music is placed in TV and film, processes that are extensively covered in the Music Licensing module. A theme that was discussed in this course, is the one surrounding the concept of “selling out”, and whether such a notion is relevant in today’s digital-focused music industry. The course cites the unprecedented licensing of Moby’s 1999 al...

Bryan Ferry returned to London last week for the first of two nights at the Palladium. The gig was an especially anticipated event in light of 2015’s postponed Royal Albert Hall show, in which a throat infection caused Ferry to cancel the performance just moments before he was due on stage. However, the inevitable disappointment that was experienced by fans as a result of the abrupt cancellation was outweighed by concern, especially following news that the remaining leg of UK tour dates had also been cancelled. Fans were therefore both relieved and thrilled following the announcement that the Albert Hall show would be rescheduled by way of two dates at the equally iconic setting that is the London Palladium. Ferry opened the set with the intensely atmospheric title track from current album Avonmore . This was surprisingly the only song — albeit one of the strongest — from the 2014 record to appear in the set, despite the current tour being in support of this latest release. The ov...

                                    Reading-based band The Midnight Rambler, fronted by lead vocalist and guitarist Mike Lemin, offer up an eclectic mix of heavy blues and alternative rock on debut release Tales From The Nightshift . Though the album is wholly consistent in its delivery of infectious melodies and inspired lyrics, standout tracks come by way of the punchy, riff-driven ‘Shockwave', while ‘Nightswimming’ has all the key elements that contribute to a memorable album opener, with furiously fast-paced hooks and dynamic vocals that soar over an addictive chorus. On the equally noteworthy 'Parallel', lyrics like “Somewhere / There’s another version of me / Living / The life I was meant to lead” are structured perfectly in a pre-chorus that fully succeeds in transforming the delicate, ballad-like simp...