Alternative | Snapshots and Needle Drops

Top Drops 2014

January 13, 2015 by snapshotsandneedledrops

It’s been a scarce couple of musical months, guys and dolls. Life has taken on a new kind of intensity after starting my new job– which I love– but unfortunately leaves me with little time for musical exploration or blogging. However, missing out on listing Snapshots and Needle Drops’ top ten drops and shots for 2014 was never an option… even if it is late. Once again, I plan on posting last year’s photography on the Snapshots and Needle Drops […]

Categories: Alternative, Australian, British, Canadian, Dance, Electronic, Experimental, Folk, Indie, Irish, Jazz, Lists, Playlists, Pop, Remix, Rock, singer-songwriter, Soul • Tags: 2014 music, best of, Canadian, indie, jazz, music, photography, pop, Rock, top ten

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SS&ND Reviews: This is All Yours – Alt-J

November 4, 2014 by snapshotsandneedledrops

They say a band’s sophomore album is the hardest. In this age of music, if your first release flops– that’s it. In Greg Kot’s book Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music— my all time favourite book about music– he references Joni Mitchell’s remarks on how, when she was signed, record companies offered multi-album deals. Joni’s first contract gave her something like eight albums. Mitchell claims this allowed her to grow naturally as an artist, hone her writing and musicality. […]

Categories: Album Review, Alternative, art rock, British, Dreamwave, Electronic, Experimental, folktronica, Indie, indietronica, New Wave, Rock, Sample, synth rock • Tags: album review, Alt-J, art rock, Indie Rock, music, photography, Rock, This is All Yours

Night of Triffids

October 14, 2014 by snapshotsandneedledrops

Nightfest, Floriade, Canberra, ACT Has anyone read The Night Circus? Author Erin Morgenstern depicts a magical world, hidden in plain view of Victorian England. Her writing illustrates a traveling, black-tented circus that only opens at night. Using magic (unbeknownst to the naïve and stunned 19th century English), the Night Circus travels around, creating a phantasmagorical oasis from whatever frosted barley fields it pops up from. This was what Nightfest was like; a temporary mix of flora and illumination coming together to […]

Categories: Alternative, art rock, Dreamwave, Indie, Pop • Tags: ACT, Australia, Canberra, dreamwave, Erin Morgenstern, festival, Floriade, indie pop, music, Night Fest, night photography, photography, The Night Circus

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Osheaga Wish List

August 4, 2014 by snapshotsandneedledrops

Festival-goers waiting for the headliner acts on the main stages I’ve been sick for over a week now. Runny nose, headache, sore throat, hacking cough: sick. My voice swings from sounding like a suffocating chipmunk to Beast (à la ‘Beauty and the’), if Beast smoked 4 packs a day. I’m doing everything right: resting, drinking hot lemon water and honey, eating well, taking vitamins, going for short walks…. nada. The Beast is here to stay. However, after a weekend of […]

Categories: Alternative, Concert Pics, Indie, Rock, Soul • Tags: Bon Iver, festival, Justin Vernon, Montreal, music, Osheaga, Osheaga 2014, photography, playlist, travel, Volcano Choir

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Beats on Repeat

June 30, 2014 by snapshotsandneedledrops

We’re branching into something a little different at Snapshots and Needle Drops today. Beats on Repeat will be the periodic (re: whenever I feel like it) publication of my weekly musical obsessions. These are songs that I just can’t stop hitting replay on; the tracks I can’t get out of my head and, for whatever reason, will not get a Doodledrop of their own. Beats on Repeat will be featured pretty much solely on Snapshots and Needle Drops’ facebook page. So get […]

Categories: Alternative, British, Electronic, Indie, Playlists, Pop, Soul • Tags: British Music, electronic, indie, music, playlist, pop, remix, Rudi Zygadlo, sam smith, soul

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Ria Sia

June 16, 2014 by snapshotsandneedledrops

Toronto Pearson International Airport, dawn, New Years Day 2013 Sia’s smash-hit “Chandelier” and its incredible music video have infected the internet with a healthy dose of power vocals, phenomenal dancing and mainstream-busting unconventionality. If you happen to be one of the 12 people who have not seen the video yet, I’ll link it through after today’s track(s). All this talk of Sia, however, reminds me of a remixed version of her 2004 “Breathe Me” that I became obsessed with in […]

Categories: Alternative, Australian, Ballad, DJ, Dreamwave, Electronic, Experimental, Indie, indietronica, Pop, Remix, singer-songwriter, Soul • Tags: Australian, Chandelier, dreamwave, indie, music, photography, pop, remix, Sia, travel, travel photography

The Gloaming

June 5, 2014 by ebembo

I’m a big fan of Sofia Coppola. Her films are so atmospheric. Her first feature-length film, The Virgin Suicides, has such a hazy aura; you can almost feel the humidity. What adds to the film’s uneasy ambience is the soundtrack by Air. When I see stills from the film, I can already hear the opening lonely piano notes of “Playground Love” in my mind. Virgin Suicides was one of the first films that made me realize that certain lasting images […]

Categories: Alternative, Electropop, Indie, Pop, singer-songwriter, Soul, Swedish, Uncategorized • Tags: Air, atmosphere, Dream pop, film, Lykke Li, movies, music, photo editing, photography, piano, pine trees, Sofia Coppola, Sweden, trees, twilight, Virgin Suicides

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Canberra Skyfire- big fireworks celebration

Blogiversary- Snapshots turns 3!

June 2, 2014 by snapshotsandneedledrops

Canberra Skyfire 2014 Just a quick post to tell you all that it’s Snapshots and Needle Drops’ third birthday!! Three years ago, I went public with this little project and I can not tell you how grateful I am to all of you who have stopped by. I am particularly grateful to the loyal bunch who come back week after week to read my ramblings, listen to my music selections and view my photography. YOU GUYS ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST. […]

Categories: Alternative, Caribbean, Folk, Indie • Tags: alternative, Australia, Caribbean, fireworks, folk, indie, music, photography

Treasure Hunting

March 17, 2014 by snapshotsandneedledrops

The Remarkable Rocks, Kangaroo Island, South Australia A few weeks ago, I wrote briefly about a trip my friend Matt and I took to Kangaroo Island. Matt and I make the perfect travel companions. We’re relaxed, adventurous, spontaneous, and we like climb all over shit. One big hangup we had about visiting Kangaroo Island is that most people do it in a day or two. A DAY OR TWO??! We had a full week there and felt like we had […]

Categories: Alternative, Dance, Dreamwave, Electronic, Experimental, House, Indie, Instrumental, New Wave, Unreleased, Unsigned • Tags: adventure, Australia, dance, dreamwave, electric, experiemental, indie, Kangaroo Island, music, photography, Remarkable Rocks, South Australia, travel, unsigned

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Snapshots and Needle Drops

Music meets international photography.

Category Archives: Alternative

Top Drops 2014

SS&ND Reviews: This is All Yours – Alt-J

Night of Triffids

Osheaga Wish List

Beats on Repeat

Ria Sia

The Gloaming

Blogiversary- Snapshots turns 3!

Treasure Hunting