There’s something a bit Common about the rapping man from Fly Gypsy (Common, not “common”), in that during “You” he manages to rap about the dirty without coming off like a braggart or fibbacious schoolboy. I will admit I am rather fond of the line that goes “my cursive is curvacious”, too.
Um, it sounds better coming from him.
And doesn’t the video make you think of all those classic “I am shooting a video on a beach somewhere tropikaaaal, therefore I shall be doing lots of boning ‘neath a coconut tree, oh yes” videos of yesteryear? You know, like this? And this? AND THIS?
Posted by
Stuart Waterman on
Wednesday November 25th, 2009 at
9:30 am
Earlier this year I went all frothy over Two Door Cinema Club’s rather zingful “Something Good Can Work”. I even offered it as a free download, which would seem to be the ideal opportunity for me to link to it again. Only, er, in changing my hosting and whatnot that link don’t work no more. PISS.
Oh well, here it is again:
In’t that nice? (Yes.)
Now they’re back and they’ve got a noo single called “I Can Talk”, the video representation of which you can see over the internet page.
I’m not one for R&B ballads, really. They tend to be syrupy and over-emotive, which is obviously a generalisation but, you know, given the choice between a ballad and a club “banger” it’s the bangful one that wins me over 85% of the time.
However, like the very best pop songs, Brit soul type McLean‘s “Broken” manages to transcend the genre with which it would be most closely associated. It’s a heartbroken, overwrought fist-clencher which, in a landscape of overproduced, autotuned pop spaff with half an eye on ringtone sales, actually makes you believe the singer is properly, hair-tearingly lovewrecked. Marvellous.
It also has a very interesting history, having first surfaced way back in 2006, when McLean went by the name of Digga (since changed because an American artist went by the same name). Unbeknownst to me, it became an online sensation, racking up millions of plays on YouTube and prompting, seemingly, everyone with a webcam to produce their own version. Continue reading »
Posted by
Stuart Waterman on
Tuesday October 20th, 2009 at
8:30 am
Look at that image, and listen to this song, and like me you might just come to the realisation that Kid Sister is surely destined to be a bona fide, proper, soon-to-be-sullied-by-a-guest-rap-from-Akon pop star.
Her songs are ravey enough for clubs but accessible enough for the pop charts, she’s collaborated with Kanye West already and she gets remixed by people so cool you haven’t heard of them. Although she has been “up and coming” for a while now, so let’s hope her moment hasn’t passed. Her album Ultraviolet is out in November.
While I’m being nice I’ll also apportion two and a half props to RCRD LBL, which not only showcases splendid music but is also the kind of site pilfering bloggers like me like a lot - they provide handy, easily-shareable wee widgets like that one up there.
Sounds simple, but it’s a notion that still escapes a lorra record companies…
Posted by
Stuart Waterman on
Monday October 19th, 2009 at
8:00 am
Interesting tactic from Ali Love’s PR folk here - sending out an email as if it’s actually FROM Ali Love. There was me thinking a nascent pop star was getting in touch to say hi, but nah, it’s just another email full of remixes.
Still, it got me to open the message and now I’m giving their “client” “coverage”, so job done really.
The email contained his new video “Diminishing Returns”, which you can see below. It’s all a bit dull (unlike the song, which is rather good) until Ali decides to don some chainmail. An underused accoutrement in music videos, the old chainmail.
Having said that, I am telling you now: if I see someone wearing chainmail in an east London bar, I’m emigrating.
What a moment. What a MOMENT! This post is about Ronika, who I had never heard of until about twenty-five minutes ago when I remembered I have a SoundCloud Dropbox (that orange thing in the sidebar labelled “SoundCloud DropBox”) and decided to have a rummage.
Ronika, you are the first artist to feature on this site as a result of my DropBox.
I think. My memory’s not all that. And it did take me about a month to get round to listening to it. Continue reading »
Posted by
Stuart Waterman on
Wednesday August 19th, 2009 at
8:00 am
This site’s esteemed illustrator, Mr Phil Martin, has been touting Mayer Hawthorne for many months now. While I thought “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out”, the first track to emerge from his forthcoming album A Strange Arrangement, had pleasingly meaty, vintage soul-inspired production, the track didn’t do a whole lot for me.
I think the video adds a certain something though, partly due to the shock that the guy producing the sounds - and apparently he’s a one-man operation - is a geeky white guy. A geeky white guy you’re going to be hearing a lot about in the next month or so.
Mewonders whether a certain Mr West pilfered that heart-badge motif, too…
We all know that Twitter is an invaluable way to let people know how deathly dull your life is, but the Twitgigs experiment this Thursday 6th August is an opportunity for you to try and convince your followers otherwise.
At The Vibe Bar in “London’s trendy Brick Lane” Twitgigs will be putting on a battle of the bands with acts sourced directly through Twitter. Punters in attendance choose the winner by sending in a postcard tweeting their votes, if they can tear their eyes away from the live Twitterfall updates that will be displayed around the gaff.
If you can’t make the night yourself (what do you mean you don’t live in London?!) you’ll be able to catch it live at ustream.tv, where presumably the possibility of watching a live stream of Twitter updates on one of the venue’s screens may present itself. I think watching live video streams of live Twitter streams could be the future, you know.
Proof-pudding time is about to arrive for Passion Pit, with several European festival appearances lined up over the summer.
Amongst the enormo outdoor festival shows they’ll also be appearing at east London’s Vibe Bar as part of the latest Levi’s OnesToWatch 5 Night Revue. Unsurprisingly that gig’s already sold out, but tickets are available for other shows during the impressive-sounding week in July.
The full line-up goes thusabouts:
Tuesday 7th July: Dananananaykroyd + The Late Greats + Romance
Thursday 9th July: Hockey + Chew Lips + Trouble Andrew
Friday 10th July: Everything Everything + Post War Years + Special Guests
But that’s only four nights!?!?!?! WTF?!?!?!!
Calm head - apparently a fifth night of shenanigig will be announced in due course, with extra special guests. My money’s on Stavros Flatley, but I’ve been wrong in the past.
Flamboyant Bella are going to divide opinion over the next few months. They’re under 21, they’re “big on MySpace” and they’re another one of those acts who pronounce “no” as “noi”. You knoi, like Penate and Nash? They also have quite a knack for writing exuberant pop music, and might cheer up people who were a bit sad when
Posted by
Stuart Waterman on
Friday June 5th, 2009 at
12:07 pm
