we're too blind to see what's really here in front of our eyes

i think this is in bath! 

TGIF!!!!!!!! i've been back in work for a mere two days but it feels like i've been there an eternity and so i'm writing to you from the confines of my bed, lucozade and sick bucket at the ready. what a weekend this'll be. as we all know, music is a great escape. and there's one little lady who holds a special place in my heart forever and always and that's miss gabrielle aplin. yeah, she sung that john lewis song once upon a meadow but she did bloody loads before that. get ready for this new series.

it's sort of a "what the fuck is that like?" meets "what the fuck is that song?" hybrid. the best kind.

satisfying artwork

aplin has been around for yonks now. she is a little youtube sensation but you'll probably know her from "the power of love" cover that she nailed and earned her a UK number one (hats off to the girl). i've been following NOT LITERALLY this little starlet for years now: before i worked there, i frequented moles in bath and watched her play open mic nights to about 25 people. we got talking, i got fangirling. she started to recognise me (does that mean i was in stalker territory?) and the rest is history. well no it's not but basically i saw her loads more and have watched her go from strength to strength. and i'm here today (and for a few days in the future)
to tell you why i love her and why you should too. 

& so here's mitch cole's guide to: 

HOW YOUNG

"why gabrielle aplin is wonderful" 

she's got too much music to talk about in one blog post. so this'll be a neat little series of adoration where i'll be talking you through one EP at a time: pinpointing the components that make it amazing. it's best to start at the beginning and that's all the way back in 2010 when she released her debut "acoustic EP". buckle up guys.

ghosts

outline: this is an impressive opener and proves this girl is wise beyond the years. it's thoughtful, it's intricate, it's pretty, it's dark, it's well-written, it's powerful, it's subtle, it's clever. 

salient point: the last chorus, full of weird noises and kick drums.

best lyric: "when you're awake on your own, shadows turn into ghosts." 

liar & the lighter

outline: this is a youmeatsix cover and there was some fuss around it when they asked her to take it down or something. i'm not entirely sure, it all sounded very petty. regardless, it outlines the fact that aplin doesn't rely on massive production: it's just her, a piano & some strings and that's a perfect fit.
salient point: when the strings kick in. delight.
best lyric: "the names may vary, the names they may change. but the game, the game, it stays the same."

mountains

outline: AMAZING SONG ALERT. at this point in the EP, you realise gabrielle isn't pissing about. this is some real young love material. unrequited love, falling in love with the right person at the wrong time, the what ifs. it's very 18 year old girl and that is still basically my thing.
salient point: about half way through when "and we've come to realise it's us that we despise" is sung in perfect harmony with about 12903759 layers of her silky smooth vocals.
best lyric: "you're a mountain i can't climb yet. and i'm a painting but you're blinded."

more than friends

outline: very minimalistic and very short but that's fine. this girl self-released this EP, was unsigned and had little to no help with the whole process. the title explains it all. go with it.
salient point: the warbly "oooh woooooooaaaaaah" at 1:38. and then claps!

best lyric: "can we go back to when broken things only needed plasters to mend?"

reverse

outline: AMAZING SONG ALERT. if you weren't already sold on the fact that gabrielle aplin has so much potential, then this masterpiece will be the final nail in the coffin per se. just aplin and her guitar, a match made in heaven. the lyrics of this song echo something much bigger than the girl herself: a bitter and realistic look at what is happening on this here planet earth. it's equal parts pensive and observant, humble and defeated.

salient point: when it all quietens down for the "watched the ones i love turn into rust" slice of perfect middle eight. subtle, tasteful and really effective. 

best lyric: "the colours of these roads are matching the rainy skies. we're too blind to see what's really here in front of our eyes."

done and done. the deity herself is here, here and here. buy this EP here or here. then buy the rest. you can wait until i froth over them in a few days but let's not waste our precious time. be one step ahead and then send your thoughts to me, her and the world. more music should be like this: honest, beautiful and really really fucking good xo