omg

Mark Ronson ft Lilly Allen, 'Oh my God'

I don't like the Kaiser Chiefs, Im bored of Lilly ranting and don't like most of Ronsons album.

But if all Chiefs songs were covers, all Lilly appearances were music related, and all Ronson videos this cool then id maybe almost like them.

And doesnt she look like Nicky from BB8?

if it wasnt for those pesky kids

My Chemical Romance, 'Teenagers', The Black Parade


I'm sure anyone who wants this has it already but this single is out now and the video has over 9million views on youtube, im impressed.

'Pauline', a name not made for pop

AllSTARS*, 'Things that go Bump in the night' & 'Land of make believe'
VS Northern Line, 'Love on the Northern Line'



On Sunday ex saturday morning popstar Thalia will enter the Big Brother house as a fake housemate. Not sure she's anymore fake or less / more of a celeb than Ziggy -Zach- Northern Line -Lichman?

Saturday Review: Ghosts

Siobhan Donaghy, Ghosts

While everything and more has already been said about this album, I feel like it needs to be reviewed properly before I can stop willing it to succeed chart wise, and can just consider it as one of my albums. So far from being unbiased this review is more of my own discovery of Siobhan's music.
The final track, 'Ghost' is perhaps my favourite song even though it was the first Siobhan track id ever really listened too. I remember seeing the video for 'Overrated' and thought the song was OK, but her second single 'Twist of Fate' I vividly remember panning to my friends, because she had the audacity to rhyme say with itself.

can you

find the words to say

that i hate you

its not an easy thing to say

Yet on hearing 'Ghost' and still hearing good things about her first album so many moons later I got my copy and played it all spring. It lacks the epic scope that i feel Ghosts has but lyrically I think they compliment each other so well. they have a unique style whereby sometimes u can listen intently and recognise some semblance of meaning. but the metonymic slide u get when getting lost in her over layered vocals means u drift off and pick up the significance of different lines each time. so in a sense this review is my penance for stalling her career last time mocking her lyrics.

Healing Heart forgive this Hurt of mine.

'Don't Give It Up' starts with a mild electronic wailing, it sounds like a poltergeist transmission going from feedback to clarity and out of focus again as the relentless throb of the beat kicks in. Clear vocals tell us that something other this way comes, with a sense of impending terror, and slowly these are replaced almost with a second voice of a protecting angel that softens the warning from the first vocal. The chorus sweeps up and around uniting us all, by reminding us we all have scars in our own way. Ultimately i believe the theme of the entire piece is calling for nothing less than the uniting of all humanity. urging us to not give it up or mess it up, to understand and to empathise that there always lies a bond between us as humans even if their seems to be a hemorrhage between our own heart and mind. At 2.42 we get our first breaking through the clouds moment of the album.

Didn't we make it nearly, for everything that i hold dearly

This feeling doesn't last as were back down to Earth for 'So You Say'. A song brimming with bitterness lyrically is sung so beautifully its hard to see it as the dark song it is, until accompanied by the video perhaps. Its a song about conflict each line says one thing and corrects itself: don't say a thing about me, say that you can live without me. The grey area trying to sort wrong from right and the alternating chorus / verse, soft / harsh structure works to reflect this with the final minute rousing us but trailing off mid flight.

'There's a Place' is a beautiful song, but this close into the start of the album it feels too light. Its sung in the highest whisper with none of the added low textures of the previous two songs until 2.45 when we hit the middle eight.

From this height we get dropped... 'Sometimes' opens with a sound of a back peddling atomic bomb, reminds me of Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow- not the Klaxons version. Its most clear here but i think it shows up somewhere on most songs on the album. The lyrics of the song are deceptively minimal barely half a dozen couplets it has the backwards sound meeting some whistling melodies, and its lyrically charged with self doubt from feeling alone in a relationship...

my friends all adore you and say I'm losing the plot

how can i grumble when i got what i got ...

only sometimes.

'12 Bar Acid Blues' is similarly pop sounding as 'Sometimes' but in an entirely new style. I think its the song most likened to Revolution in Me and potentially the lyrics are downright bad, but, here they showcase a nicely comical side to Siobhan's work... Ive eaten fish and I'm feeling sick i can only hope ill be landing quick, this side actually reminds me of Kate Bush more than the 'eccentric' pieces later on the album, for some reason this song reminds me of the didgeridoo and wobble board of Rolf Harris from his work on Bush's 'The Dreaming'.

'Make It Right' brings us back to the main thread of the album its a deliciously self critical song that shows the ego at work. A future self is trying to cast doubt on the stoicism of the past but often ends up criticising out 'Adam' yet again.

why pacify just punish me...don't let me take this liberty

The sounds promised in 'Don't Give it Up' here return. Let it be a warning its here to stay relentlessly till we fade out in 5 songs and almost 20Min's time. Where back in that limbo space lost in the storm n only occasionally witnessing that sublime moment of reaching the eye of the storm.

Back with myslf again

all my fears just like a ball and chain

and i know although i am alone

im at home here with my selfish pain

Siobhan's embraces this other persona that's only previously peeked through. colder and bolder, shes closer to the truth, marking this as a truly epiphanic song, a moment of clarity where the veil of propriety has been lifted and although being honest is grueling and selfish its never felt more true and more human. Because...

Lost is where she feels at ease...its written in a code she cant read and it haunts her

...Were straight into 'Goldfish'. at 1.00 we get the closest to sometimes to hearing our backwards bomb...but its trace is echoed all over. Another chorus takes us into the dizzy heights... lift a barrier, people comfort her, through the wasteland deep within her mind, referencing T.S.Eliots 'Wasteland' a landscape of alienation. Here once again Siobhan's mid-epiphany conjuring up what it feels like to be confronted and forced to contend with the bad within us...

she will fight it out

till her strength gives out

should she float like a goldfish in a bowl

she doesn't see it out her solitary world

Channeling her dark side again 'Medevac' calls for help. a medical evacuation from that sense of desperation. An homage to Bush's 'Running up that hill' in both tune and content. Bush wished for a feminist revision, by highlighting the uphill struggle and desiring god to swap our gendered fates. Here, recalling her producer Sanger's drug addiction, Siobhan metaphorically takes his place with her empathy for his unimaginable situation. The bridge and the wailing chorus make this possibly my other favourite.

if only you could wrap me up after all that I've said i wish somebody cared

if only u would fix me up like a ship in the night I'm losing the fight

~

help me out here cos I'm strung out i cant go back there or ill burn out

medic, medevac me up

I've credit for you to blow out the dark

I love the ambiguity: is the medic our dealer or our saviour. we've got the bitter 'dark' that our private hell needing a hand to hold in order to guide us...but is this our problem prior or during addiction?... to concoct me up good i wish somebody would. a good decent fix, a drug or a cure.

so wake up hope its dark n lonesome

i can hardly hardly get over my eyes

it ain't lonely I'm homely

'Halcyon Days' continues the same theme but with a much more calmer interpretation- a melodic homage to Massive Attacks 'Teardrop'. its a Serene almost domestic scene. this time were needing help to stand up in his home, the aching unknown. savouring the stream of consciousness, our epiphany, our halcyon days, we find nothing can be lost from our minds.

in the stream of purest though nothings lost that cant be caught

As the song and the album ends we hear Siobhan complete Kate Bush's intent, Shes swapped places with Sanger. she's left her numb selfish body and transcended through the human power of empathy...

if only could id make a deal with god

and id get him to swap our places

Siobhan's voice becomes masculine and deep and the song winds down, its tender... to behold. She evidently shares the demonic possession she's witnessed and helps by burying it and sharing its grief.

As we hit the silence though... we hear the chiming of 'Ghost', a seemingly nonsensical excercise in the 'purest thought'. Akin to Woolf's stream of consciousness, it is utilised to understand the human condition neatly tying together threads from the previous songs.

swore under an oath to war yeah

fuel full fat her glass of milk warm sitting here sitting in bed

Our bomb sound is now reversed in the rewinding track. It now meets its impact, and this moment in space and contemplation is forced to move on. I hope to more of the same.

Listen to medevac on Siobhans Myspace from where i took these photos.

controversial

Avril Lavigne / The Rubinoos, Girlfriend

I don't really wanna suggest one way or the other if this counts as plagiarism. I'll let someone else decide. Its just such a small and simple piece to copy -maybe thats the crime, cos it borders on genius perhaps- but is it really so unfeasable that two bad pop writers decades apart gave us "hey HEY, you YOU" as an excuse for lyrical content? I think someone needs to think long and hard about that mokey typewriter thing.

I wonder if one day we can just skip plagiarism and sue anyone releasing dodgy lyrics... Speaking of which enjoy Madge at LiveEarth.

Thursdays boyband nominee...

Alongside Thomas Dekker and Simon Curtis todays boyband contender is Calvin Goldspink, soon to be seen in Life is Wild, in America but theres no way were having him looking like this...

Its inappropiatly hot Calvin -circa SClub- or hes outta the band... he can choose his own haristyle tho, but it must be a choice of these two...

Lost in a Hayes

Darren Hayes, 'On the verge of something wonderful', This delicate thing weve made

As well as having long titles, Mr has has some videos he'd like you to watch. The bottom one is new. The others aren't. Mr. Hayes also has some questionable hairstyles but its looking likely that his hair is now the least of his worries now he has a potentially incredible mega album to wave in our faces unitl we combust. maybe thats his game all along. make music : distract from the hair? we kid we'd still do him. The oldest videos are small cos they're further away, timely speaking.

TokyoPoP

Tokio Hotel, Scream Proof that word of mouth marketing does work, I heard this bands name mentioned three time times in the last 48hours and I now own a new shiny twinkly copy all of my very own... Our lead is astonishingly beautiful and in his hands he holds the same ball im gazing into now as i predict what this new album will sound like. Im expecting good things... here goes / review pending approval.

Kylie -steps back in time

Kylie is now confirmed to be starring in this Christmas's' episode of Dr.Who. Being set on the Titanic, most likely, I don't think it would be too much much of a stretch to imagine her playing a showgirl and no doubt singing an old classic- after all this last season already had two scenes devoted to pop songs with Rogue Traders and Scissor Sisters being on the Masters play lists.
In less eagerly awaited news... Catherine Tate is back reprising her role as Donna from last Xmas. I fast-forwarded most of the episode so grr might need to replay it again. Freema / Martha will be absent for the first half of season 4 but will show up for 3 episodes of Torchwood, which i still haven't seen. Its all swings and roundabouts but think this ast season wil be hard to beat.
Im not sold on Tate, ill miss Freema and im not sure Kylie can act, but she did ok on kath and kim.

Baby steps Xtina

Christina Aguilera, Expected '08

She's semi officially pregnant. hurrah. and congratulations. Maybe this will spell the end of rubbish singles spawned from her overlong last album... and maybe even a two year wait for new matieral in which time she might have outgrown her retro/ throwback aspirations. And while no-one wants to see a post-natal recreation of the Dirrty crotchless pants, maybe she'll give us another track equal to it one day.

Cut and Stick Boyband

Thomas Dekker and Simon Curtis are myspace buddies... and this got us thinking... that if American record companies are too popshy to sign these guys then theres an eager euro market for an electonica boy band...keep shecking this week as we announce our dream lineup.

anther day another soso video

Timbaland, 'The Way I Are', Present Shock Value

I can't help but think that this soccertastic video is to help worldwide promotion on what is a very euro track. Im not too keen but the song is one of the best on the album. It only got to 18 in last weeks UK singles chart so maybe itll race up the charts by next week?

Retro Tuesday: Bertine Zetlitz

Bertine Zetlitz, '500', My Italian Greyhound

This video serves to make the song even cooler than it was originally thus fulfilling its video duty. Mz Zetlitz retired to become a fulltime mother following this album but she recently announced that she has musical ideas for a new opus, so fingers crossed her baby is some sort of progidy and can take care of itself while mum makes us all some more songs.

Dya Love It?

Amerie, 'Gotta Work' Because I Love It

I really want to like Amerie, after loving 'OneThing' she's my r'n'b chanteuse of choice. This song and video though just fade in comparison. The album is okay and theres some nice tracks on it, this is the best one probably so judge for yourselves whether you'll go out n buy the rest. A bit like Kelly Clarkson's latest, its all pretty good but theres just a lack of that zeitgeist feeling that Rihanna is offering by the bucketload.

Duff done good

Hilary Duff, 'Stranger', Dignity

Her second UK single is out soon, this video helps bring out the songs arabian charm, and shes looking hot, and strangley like a young Jennifer Lopez. Maybe soon she'll start getting recognition as a decent popstar, with an album full of quite good songs.

Mutya goes to the dogs

Groove Armada ft Mutya Buena, 'Song For Mutya (Outta Control), SoundBoy Rock /Real Girl

Yes they clearly wanted to create a summer festival type video, but this is more village fete than glastonbury...

One of the best songs of the year demands a reshoot with a bigger budget, more of mutya driving passed a big sugababes poster ft Amelle and ripping it up with her teeth, and ideally would be set to a Skins stylee wrecking-ball houseparty at the end.

is this a future pop sensation

Digital, 'Get your kit off'

While it would be nice if this band became a huge success, you can actually enjoy there songs now. Perhaps, like me, you can pretend that theyre already playing a sold out arena tour, while you dance away. This way you perhaps have given yourself unrealistic expectations, but its better than turning any good pop song into fodder for an "is pop music linked to cycles" thoeretical debate.

These guys sound like Blazin Squad meets Girls Aloud. They have lyrics that would make a grown man blush. Better than both of those things they seem to have finally hit the marketable boyband on the head by having a decent ratio of man:boy voices thus amassin lass:gay pleasing potential...check it out.

P.s...thanx to the zapping for the heads up... a post about their metrosexual lyrical content coming soon no doubt from me.

Little Red Pepper

Bo Pepper, 'Draggin' me down'

This song is not the one heading my favourite song of the moment list (see right.) That one is by Bertine Zetlitz- but this one is good too. Maybe this time next week all my favourite songs will be called 'draggin' me down'?

Bo Pepper are potentially my new favourite band. I have a lot of bands I must listen to before I see them at summersonic... but if they had a festival called wintersonic then I would petition the organisers of that festival to get them on the main stage. And so hereby crown Bo Pepper the band of the next musical quarter.

(ps. apart from Darren Hayes there are no good releases in the upcomingable future, so get liking Bo Pepper and theyre delightful videos now)

under exposed and not commercialised / handle me with care

Roisin Murphy, 'Overpowered'

I like this track its nice that so little of the album has leaked, makes it all anticipatory. I never got into her last album but this one is rumoured to be looking good, love the video too...

Roisin Murphy - Overpowered
Uploaded by misslupin

Delayedclimax/dyingfall

Justin Timberlake, 'Lovestoned', Futuresex/Lovesounds

Ten months following the album release, we have the 4th U.K single to tie in with his recent Biel love-in. Are we really to believe she was the fututrelove/sexsounds he was thinking about while dating Cameron Diaz?

Why cant all popstars be like Rihanna and release an album every summer? Will the single sell? Who's she in the video? and is this a delayed climax , a second wind or a last sigh from the album?

Think about it while watching the video...

Justin Timberlake - LoveStoned ( New )
Uploaded by Yannicklor

Sunday Roundup: Spiced Out

The Spice Girls, Greatest Hits

The Spice Girls aren't in it for the money, but they for sure wont be giving away their greatest hits for free. Why? Because any one interested in a greatest hits already has all the tracks on their itunes. However they, like Prince, will continue to reap profits from touring proving that sales are kinda becoming obsolete once you've got your foot on the pop ladder. Having said that I'm sure they'll still sell bucketloads, and hopefully there are a few new tracks that are worthy of their previous pop success.