As I’m sure you’ve noticed, 2009 has been claimed by young ladies with synths and laptops and the like. And hurrah for that, frankly, if it gets certain types of band - say, those with the word “Scouting” in their name, to pick a section at random - off our radios. Likewise, plaid-clothed forest-dwelling types with birds in their beards (except Bon Iver; he can stay).
HOWEVER. Let’s not call time on a whole gender, eh? One reason to allow men with stubble and checked shirts to continue to create music might be a band called Delta Spirit (above; click image to enlarge).
Man Like Me face an uphill battle to not be tagged as “Madness covering Goldie Looking Chain on a council estate in Camden while Hot Chip clatter bins in the background”, or some such nonsense. But I am hoping they will prove victorious in that battle.
For one thing, although they seem like thoroughly larksome fellows they are not novelty to the core like GLC. “Single Dad” illustrates this, as the central message is “oh shit I knocked up my girlfriend oh well my own fault best get on with it I suppose”.
But if you’re thinking this all sounds a bit frowny, fear not - this ode to one parent families is a bona fide party tune. Pass the rusks, sonnnnnn!
This is a hipster collaboration so cool it’s a wonder it didn’t end in a fight to the death over whose shades were colourfulest.
Fortunately, as well as being very of the moment, M.I.A, Santogold and Spank Rock are all very amazing, as this - sorry, there’s simply no other term for it - BOOMING BIZNESS illustrates.
If you’re wondering who N.A.S.A are, they’re Spike Jonze’s brother and a pro skateboarder. Of course. It couldn’t just be a couple of bedroom geeks, could it? They have an album due for release next month with a whole host of stellar buddies helping them out, including Tom Waits, Method Man, David Byrne and Karen O. See a full tracklist here.
With a cast list like that and beats like these… Click over to stream “Whatchadoin’?”
Welshy non-Tom Jones progeny Duffy is going to be the new face of diet Coke. Well, I say “face” - if Coca-Cola have any sense they’ll give at least a snippet of time to a hunksome male sewage worker or somesuch. Young women might identify with successful young pop star Duffy, but they do have hormones!!!
Lest you wondered if the new ad spots will feature Duffy lazing around at home glugging fizzy pop and watching T4 on a minging hangover - which I believe is how the beverage is traditionally consumed - you should know that, unsurprisingly, Coca Cola are positioning the partnership slightly differently.
You’ve watched Fever Ray’s new arse-chilling video so now it must be time for the rather long remix, yesh?
Hey hey hey, come back - if you have a monotonous spreadsheet to complete in the next eight minutes and twenty-four seconds, this will DEFINITELY help you. Get it into your ears and get on with it.
Older viewers: do the first two minutes remindez-vous of The Breeders’ “Cannonball”?
Spring will see two erstwhile R&B divas return to the fold with new albums. Christina Milian has just released her video for “Us Against The World”, from her forthcoming album Dream In Color; while Toni Braxton’s “Get Loose” has hit various spots of the internet ahead of her new album Pulse.
Let’s pretend that ONLY ONE CAN SURVIVE, and compare their sleeky sleekness.
I’m not usually one for drum solos, but there’s something undeniably impressive about this guy playing along to the theme to Super Mario Mario Bros 3. This is his latest video; he has another one which has received EIGHT MILLION views on YouTube.
Also on his channel - clips of him playing along to The Simpsons and Macgyver (?!?!!).
Posted by
Stuart Waterman on
Tuesday January 13th, 2009 at
9:55 am
Odd, isn’t it, how you can spend years being aware of an act, and yet somehow manage to never hear their music? As far as I know, for instance, despite knowing the name “Tom McRae” I have never heard any of Tom McRae’s music.
Chances are I actually have heard him on some soundtrack or other, of course - having just checked him out he sounds like he could nestle next to Damien Rice quite nicely. But you know what I mean.
Anywhizzles, the other day I became a fan of him as a result of reading his blog. This is why: I don’t know how many of you vowed to stop throwing toast at Jehovah’s Witnesses this year, maybe it was just me, but I broke that resolution within minutes of making it.
LOL, Tom McRae! LOL! *claps*
The 60s was the decade when the pirate radio phenomenon threw our nation’s youth into an under-the-duvet frenzy (ahem) as they secretly tuned their transistors to the illicit sounds of Radio Caroline and Radio Luxembourg (ask your gran). Pretty good fodder for a movie, yes?
Whether that movie is The Boat That Rocked is up for debate. It comes from Richard “Four Weddings”/”Love Actually” Curtis, and has a trailer which positively reeks of the scent we have come to know as “Parochial Britcom”. The characters wear garishly patterned clothes, and at one point someone walks into a lamp post. Hmm.
If any cast can elevate a film above such matters you’d hope it would be this one, though. Those featuring include Philip Seymour Hoffman (?!), Kenneth Branagh (?!), Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, Gemma Arterton, Chris O’Dowd and Jack Davenport.
See the trailer after the jump… (warning: it’s on autoplay)
Now, I had to mark Motown’s 50th birthday somehow. I could blether on for way too long about the effect the music has had on me, and the way its greatest moments still manage to create excitement in even the most jaded music fan.
However, their birthday also allows me to go back to their 25th anniversary. It was at the Motown 25 show in 1983 that Michael Jackson gave his iconic performance of “Billie Jean”. I don’t think it’s overstating it to call this piece of video one of the greatest pop music performances in history, even though - oh yes - HE’S MIMING.
Try and pretend you’ve never heard “Billie Jean” before. Try and pretend you’ve never seen the moonwalk before. This was how the viewing public came to this performance, which explains the screams…
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, 2009 has been claimed by young ladies with synths and laptops and the like. And hurrah for that, frankly, if it gets certain types of band - say, those with the word “Scouting” in their name, to pick a section at random - off our radios. Likewise, plaid-clothed forest-dwelling types with birds in their beards (except Bon Iver; he can stay).![[Post to Twitter]](../../../../../wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter-micro3.png "tt twitter micro3 photo"){kind=icon}
