October 2010
1 post
immmm back. having disturbed every last friend on facebook with constant embedded youtube videos, i figured its so much easier to just put that stuff on here. so from now on i feel that words are unnecessary…im just posting any music i think is worth music lovers’ time and you can make your own judgements.
June 2010
5 posts
ENTER THE NINJA
my dad is south african, and when i was younger we used to go there every christmas to visit my family. back when tanning at a beach wasn’t my MO on tropical soil, i used to hit the arcades with my lil sis all the time. anyone who knows me knows i have the dancing aptitude of robin thicke on meth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojAyFFfO2Po watch this to undersand…) but i used to love...
i actually cannot handle how good this song is. ronsons outdone himself and thank fuck hes rid us of those horns which were once incredible and quickly got old. here he, mndr, and q-tip use “alouette” for a track that has something to do with suits who run towns, plucking their feathers, and bald people dying. on the bright side, the songs so catchy by the time youre singing along on...
May 2010
15 posts
me likey. you might recognize the vocals of shingai of the noisettes…
when bad singers happen to good songs
okay, i get it. kids in glass houses decide they need a hit. they have a catchy tune and good following. whats missing? NOT A GIRLGROUP MEMBER WHO CANT SING. apparently no one bothered telling them that, before they made the mistake of working with frankie of ‘the saturdays’ fame…not to mention, she used to be in S CLUB JUNIORS…that is just embarrassing. so while you may...
turn it up, turn it up for the people that say...
now that miley’s off trying to appease an older crowd, there are countless tweenagers with a void in their little hearts and blank spots on their walls where her posters used to sit. last summer i found the perfect candidate in pixie lott when she became the british miley with her hits mama do and boys&girls. when i was home last week this song was EVERYWHERE, and i guess im too snobby...
tinie tempah ft. tinchy stryder
everyones favourite pocket-sized rapper is back with a tinie tempah collab. seems hes whistling a different tune with this new album. this definitely has more grime influences in the beat than his past few singles that were all about the chorus (see #1 and never leave you for examples…) and whose poppy vibes propelled him to the top of the charts - pretty sure thats what he’s...
this is unacceptable
THE WORLD CUP
this is a really sensitive subject for everyone involved, because everyone i know is american and therefore inherently know theyre going to lose on june 12th. however, they are all saving face and saying things like ENGLANDS TEAM SUCK THIS YEAR, YOURE GONNA LOSE, BLAH BLAH BLAH when the truth is we all know whos ass is going to get kicked come june and its not ours…to celebrate the wonderful...
guns and horses by ellie goulding has to be the most misleadingly titled song ever. i still have no idea what guns and horses have to do with anything except a reference in the first verse that did nothing to clear up my confusion. however, this second single from the UK songstress is one of my favourites on her otherwise fairly mediocre album Lights. her accent makes me so happy though, and every...
whenever im home, i spend a vast amount of time chillin in the kitchen with my mother while flicking through channels 350-365 on sky…there are so many music channels in england its ridiculous! so while im here now ive gotten all caught up on the commercial pop music that is repeatedly played on these channels all day. my current fave manufactured pop song is “all night long” by x...
i called the tinie tempah success so far ahead its ridiculous with pass out. now his second single ‘frisky’ is coming out, and i love it! his songs are so fun and i love that he doesn’t take himself seriously…at least i hope not with lyrics like “ive got so many clothes i keep some in my aunts house”…anyway, i was casually youtubing tinie vids and came...
shameless ft. plan b - no hats, no trainers
granted this came out years ago but plan b is deservedly killin the UK right now and this throwback exhibits some great lyricism and flow…check it out
edward maya & vika jigulina - stereo love
who doesnt love romanian pop music…tell me you dont like that numa numa yay song and i just dont believe you…regardless, these guys are slightly more credible with some strong techno beats combined with some home influences…its catchy and melanie is subconsciously bopping her head as we listen to it so i think its a win
fenech soler - stop and stare
fenech soler are more known for their remixes than original music. shame cause they got a lot of buzz at sxsw this year, and everything ive heard by them is electropop at its finest. check out stop and stare below, i think these guys are gonna blow up
blood red shoes - don't ask
looked into this duo after hearing them on radio 1. apparently theyve been at it for years, but aside for airplay on r1 havent had too much attention or success which is a shame because judging from what ive heard on youtube theyre making some good music. check out their new single, dont ask:
band of skulls - death by diamonds and pearls
not to be confused with band of horses, band of skulls are a dope band and this song highlights their upbeat rock infused sound. these guys were on the twilight soundtrack - not a fan of that but other sick artists were featured too, like florence & the machine, which led to some commercial success stateside.
foals - this orient
any budding music supervisors listen up, cause listening to this song you know its made for tv. videos kinda coo too
April 2010
12 posts
slick rick
very few british hip hop artists have penetrated the US market, and i know this is a throwback but ive been listening to slick rick a lot recently who is one of the few. the man is a legend. on pharrell’s collaborative mixtape with DJ Drama, the title track the prequel features the following musings by its star:
I was hurt, stunned, astounded, amazed and dazed..and confused as a child...
la roux - tigerlily
my tickets to see la roux arrived today and made me even more excited for my summer in nyc! in the spirit of all things la roux, i thought id share the best song on their album. the track, tigerlily, is more ominous than it sounds. from what i understood its about someone being stalked, and i just checked out songmeanings.net (yea…im cool, i know…) and it seems the popular consensus is...
chiddy bang’s producer, xaphoon jones, is incredible at sampling music (and even picking the music to sample). anyone who has listened to their mixtape the swelly express or his solo tape knows what im talkin about. chiddy bang just released a mini-mixtape that they created on a flight to london called air swell. all the tracks feature UK artist beats, including kate nash, tinie tempah, and...
whatever happened to...
dido? she was so good! here with me…thank you…hunter…white flag…loved it. now where is she?
to melanie:
i blame coco aka coco sumner aka sting’s daughter features on the new sub focus track, splash. someone sent me splash a few months ago and i wasn’t feeling it, but this new version with coco is a lot easier to digest. i really like her voice…if you like this, you should check out her track caesar ft. robyn (but the diplo remix…cause its better). anyway, heres splash:
god damn biffy clyro. i haven’t had enough time to recover from my love of their last single, many of horror, and theyre already releasing a new song for me to obsess over. check out bubbles, which is definitely not as good as the last single but still a little bit amazing…and if you have their album HOLLA cause i’ve run out of itunes vouchers and i want it :(
i love cover versions when done well. jack penate is amazing, check him out if you havent already. his track “pull my heart away” was recently remixed by jamie from the xx and theophilus london. up-and-comer alex winston has done a beautiful cover of the song, made entirely on garage band. shes working with the knocks in NYC so i expect big things. check out the original followed by...
many of horror
biffy clyro have been on my radar for a while now, but none of their tracks have stuck with me like many of horror. i discovered it after they performed it with marina & the diamonds on the NME awards, and ive been obsessed ever since. i also have a weakness for scottish bands, which doesnt help. theyre hitting the UK festival circuit this summer so if youre over there be sure to check em out...
mumford and sons
my younger sister has the absolute worst taste in music out of anyone i know, its an embarrassment. imagine my surprise when she sent me i song i actually liked…mumford and sons are surrounded by the same hype as artists like the drums and local natives, but i would argue that theyre more deserving. their sound is unique, i cant name a lot of british folk bands about right now. theyre also...
i know this is years old, but ive suddenly fallen back in love with it. this is my favourite arctics monkeys song…alex turner is on top form here. i also love the kate nash cover, check it out here. the music video is creepy, i advise switching screens if you hate clowns…
i melt
March 2010
13 posts
ive blogged about codeine velvet club before, but seeing them live at sxsw made me love them even more and even drove me to buy their album. they hit the day stage at the austin convention center, and though the audience didn’t seem to have any idea who they were, by the end of the set everyone was really into it. lou hickey was complementary to jon lawler not just vocally, but even...
discovering a song via perez hilton is not something im proud of. im consoling myself with the knowledge that i liked sophie ellis bextor in the early 00’s so i beat him on that count, but still…anyway, sophie’s new single ‘bittersweet’ is a catchy pop song that would probably have been #1 ten years ago. her song with freemasons, ‘heartbreak (make me a...
while the US is concerned about gun control, the UK has a problem of its own. knife culture is big there, with stabbings and attacks so common that police have set up random checkpoints on a daily basis to try and prevent these situations. last year, british MC Professor Green was a victim of a random club stabbing. although he’s been on his grind for years, and made a name for himself on a...
Pendulum
Pendulum are absolutely massive in England. their live shows sell extremely well, with many people who are unfamiliar with their actual music going just because of their reputation for one of the best live shows in town. their drum n bass / electronica sound teamed with lead singer Rob Swire (yeah…the dude from deadmau5’s ‘ghosts n stuff’…see the end of this post for...
Breakage is an esteemed UK drum and bass and dubstep producer. Here, he teams up with vocalist Donae’o for what is sure to be a hit. donae’os vocals are on point, and while i wouldnt usually think theyd work well with this genre of music, somehow it works really well. i especially love the bassline. anyway, check it out below as well as another Breakage single ft. Newham Generals...
skepta-bad boy
first heard skepta’s track ‘bad boy’ back in january, but i wasn’t entirely feeling it. hes going for the mainstream grime kinda sound thats brought a lot of success to dizzee rascal, kano, wiley etc. which is fine, but a departure from his old work like ‘b o double s (boss)’ which i loved. click here to check that out! anyway, bad boy did its job an infiltrated...
chipmunk, justin bieber, esmee denters etc.
bieber fever has officially reached england, with his visit sending pre-teens over the pond into a frenzy last week. i guess its inevitable that someone was going to jump on his track, but i never thought chipmunk would have the guts to try and outdo luda. although he did a pretty good job with his verse, i dont think he really added to the song, if anything listening to it i kept waiting for...
for all you masochists out there, this is possibly the worst thing your ears will ever be exposed to. tempah-ah-ah-ah…i cringe. im assuming tinie tempah was just excited to hit #1 on the UK charts with pass out (which i called months ago, if you look back…jus’ sayin!) and thought he could do one of those covers that no one would expect but end up being amazing. it backfired....
Fyfe Dangerfield
i saw fyfe open for marina & the diamonds. i didnt realize at the time that he was the lead singer of the guillemots, a great british band (check out their song trains to brazil…its really good!) anyway, i guess fyfe is branching off and doing solo work. his voice gave me goosebumps it was so good live. ironically, my favourite song he did was a cover of girls aloud song ‘call the...
the demise of kate nash's career
when kate nash popped on the scene, everyone labeled her the new lily allen. her debut single, foundations, certainly had allen-like aspects to it. however, kate’s entire album was great. her lyrics were simple and sometimes bordered on stupid, but her songs were unique and her voice and accent made it fun to listen to. i remember during senior year we were all obsessed with her song Birds,...
its comforting to know that while people like drake are failing to live up to the hype surrounding them*, ellie goulding deserves everything thats happened so far in her career. tastemakers have been blogging about her for months, shes been touring incessantly, and the buzz surrounding her debut release ‘starry eyed’ which has been circulating around the net for ages led the BBC to...
I Gotta Bonkers Feeling
tinchy Stryder, amelle from sugababes, and taio cruz (who for reasons beyond my understanding is #1 in the US) collaborated a few months ago to make a cover medley of i gotta feelin by BEP and bonkers by dizzee rascal. i actually think i gotta feelin sounds better than the real version…and the violinist during dizzee just blew my mind. check it out
February 2010
7 posts
mclean - my name
sometimes in this climate all you need is a nice slow jam. im liking this track, never heard of mclean before so i did some youtube investigating and i wouldnt be surprised if he became an rnb staple, file next to the jay sean, lemar, craig david types that succeed in the UK no matter what genres “in” at the time
Audio Bullys - Only Man
sick track speaks for itself really, glad theyre back!
Emily's Heart
its pretty clear by this point that i love jamie t. his sophomore album, kings and queens, is probably my most played cd this year so far. he reworked emily’s heart and released it as a single…the new version is much better than the old, but opinions vary. there are many love songs, and too many to mention are about cheats. but jamie manages to make it feel like a fresh topic by...
Natalia Kills
If you think Gaga or Ke$ha are annoying and fake…you’re in for a treat.
I met Natalia Cappuccini a few years ago at a private gig with my friend Christine*. My first reaction was complete irritation. The more time passed, the more I wanted to move to the other side of the room while this obviously British girl was trying to sound and act American. There’s nothing wrong with...