I’ve posted about the wonderful Manchester trio Performance pretty steadily the last few months. I believe this lot are onto something and I firmly stand behind them in their quest to restore intelligently crafted pop to the top of the pops. This is exactly why I deem it necessary to post a banging reinterpretation of the new single Unconsoled reworked by house maestro Tom Staar who has previously done work for the likes of Basement Jaxx and Fenech-Soler, to name a couple. Turn out the lights, close your eyes and bounce to this.
I’d been meaning to post about NYC’s Holy Ghost! for some time now but for some reason never got around to it. Allow me to correct that error now since this band is so good and deservedly is making waves outside of the metropolitan area. Their recent remix of Monarchy’s Love Get Out Of My Way was mega and their upcoming tour with Chromeo should definitely turn the party out. A band with a rhythm section this tight should not be kept under wraps, it would simply be criminal. Taken from their just released EP Static On The Wire, this banger called I Know I Hear should be played and replayed often in your playback device of choice right about now. I can’t say enough about the bass-line. Never mind about the rest of the song, it’s the Chic-like bassline that does the deed for me. Bernard Edwards would surely be proud, I would think!
Do the deed and cop the EP here then make sure you see the band live Thursday night at the Bowery Ballroom.
Just another Ski Beatz track is straight fire. From the forthcoming 24 Hour Karate School, it’s Cream Of The Planet featuring the mighty Mos Def. What more needs to be said but this is the type of beat that fits Mos like a glove. A simple beat, some jazz samples and let Mos get to work and work is exactly what he does here. This sounds better than anything he did on The Ecstatic and it bodes well for 24 Hour Karate School. Needless to say, that record is a must-own for any die-hard hip hop fan. Recommended.
It’s been tough being a Lauryn Hill in the last decade or so since The Miseducation… came out and completely rewrote the script and became the template for neo-soul. Universally applauded and sold by the boatloads, Lauryn Hill cemented her place as an artist on the rise, destined for greatness but then something happened. She fell off the face of the earth. If you believe the rumours that piled up, becoming a virtual maelstrom of misinformation and half-truths, the girl went crazy. Hey, maybe she simply felt the pressure was too much to bear and simply decided to take a powder, take a step back, focus on becoming a mother and wife while living happily ever after. It’ s certainly not out of the realm of possibility but that doesn’t necessarily make great copy, I know. Time marched on and slowly but surely new artists took the abandoned baton laying limp on the ground and ran as far as they could with it but the zeitgeist had passed. None could capture the imagination and ears of people across what seemed like every demographic and target market, music elitist or casual listener quite like Lauryn did. I know someone very well is going to comment and refute my statement by mentioning Alicia Keys. Please don’t. She’s simply not Lauryn.
The welcome but ultimately unsatisfying MTV Unplugged 2.0 released in 2002 aside, it’s been a long wait for those of us who still had faith in her talent and hoped that the creative fire would bring her back to the world again. Sure there was the ill-fated Fugees reunion that never happened (and probably just as well), the sporadic live appearances, the random public outbursts but what we wanted was some new Lauryn Hill tunes. It looks like we may just be getting our wish.
Presenting Repercussions, a new Hill track that’s making its way to the nets like wildfire. A simple boom-bap and immediately we’re brought back to Lauryn’s dulcet tones and it’s like she never left us. Smooth and hypnotic, you’ll be swaying your head, snapping your fingers with your hands held high in the air within seconds. Some may call this track “safe” and doesn’t show any real evolution in Lauryn’s sound. Allow me to be one of those who will gladly state for the record that there is plenty of time for her to branch off later but for right now, I’m vibin’. Lauryn Hill’s back and the music world is truly all the better for it.
As a dance music junkie, it brings a smile to my face to see that in 2010, a bunch of esteemed veterans have been releasing quality records or are about to make long-awaited comebacks that promise to show the new kids where all this ravin’ started. Enter Faithless, the chart-topping trio that’s been blowing minds and making feet stomp since 1997’s debut record Reverence. When I first heard Imsomnia, I pretty much had nightmares for a week. Once over those, I couldn’t help but marvel at their sound. Put a Faithless record on in a club and it’s an experience like few other acts can provide. It truly feels like your senses are being reinvigorated and the feeling of complete euphoria grabs hold. They’ve been going strong since and recently the trio just released their new record The Dance. Featuring the first single Not Going Home which is a tremendous tune in its own right, the record continues the band’s record of excellence and has much to offer for fans, old and new. Reacquaint yourself with Faithless now.
Bryan Ferry is better than you. He gets more girls. He still looks good for a man well into his golden years. He also roped in some heavyweights for his brand new record Olympia. This is the first single entitled You Can Dance. This, friends, is baby-making music and nothing less should be expected from the man who helped put the “art” in “artifice” with the legendary Roxy Music. The record itself will feature his old Roxy Music cohorts Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera and…Brian Eno! Throw in Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Mani from the Stone Roses/Primal Scream/Freebass, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers among others and you’ve got a record that should be musically stunning. The record is out on the 25th of October.
1. “You Can Dance”
2. “Alphaville”
3. “Heartache By Numbers”
4. “Me Oh My”
5. “Shameless”
6. “Song to the Siren”
7. “No Face, No Name, No Number”
8. “BF Bass (Ode to Olympia)”
9. “Reason or Rhyme”
10. “Tender is the Night”
Love is ending… Here it is, friends. The promotional film for the new single by the Charlatans. I must say I do like the song a lot. It appears after their brief excursion through their New Order collection on You Cross My Path. The band decided to go back to the future by taking the best bits of their illustrious legacy of their own and giving the younger bands a primer on how the 1990s really got started. Tim Burgess sounds in fine form here and the band sounds re-energized which can only mean good things for the upcoming record Who We Touch.
It’s been an interesting ride thus far following the evolution of Austrialian electro-indie trio, Cut Copy. 2004’s debut Bright Like Neon Love was a seriously enjoyable if not thoroughly derivative recap of the 1980s synth-pop and plastic-funk sounds which allowed the band to gain a modest following here in the States amongst the hipster and indie crowds. 2008 found the band releasing their landmark record to date in In Ghost Colours which was the sound of a band having the confidence to begin the process of shedding the cocoon of its influences and bringing its own individuality to the table. This critically acclaimed record featured the asbolute smash single in Lights & Music which I want to be the song played during the opening credits to my own biopic. So what has the band been doing since…?
Offered up a teaser track via their mailing list, that’s what? A new song taken from their forthcoming third record due out in Janaury called Where I’m Going is out, about and being blogged by all the cool boys and girls. It’s only right that I add my own two cents, right? Here goes… My take on it is that Where I’m Going is an interesting change in style for the band. After a few listens to the Beach Boys, the band decide to replicate what they picked up and give it a bit of a modern update but remember to include the “wooo’s” for good measure. It’s a decent enough tune but the lack of bombast and flair becomes the song’s undoing. In short, it’ll make you smile and give the band credit for changing things up but change for the sake of change doesn’t guarantee impressive results. Let’s hope this is merely the sonic equivalent of a band mailing list update and not an example of the big things we’re expecting from Cut Copy later on in the year when the promotional gears really start turning for the new record’s release.
Yes friends. This is actually the artwork for the forthcoming debut record by our favourite boy toys, Hurts. Keeping the simple yet so chic black and white aesthetic the band has come to be known for. Happiness is out on the 6th of September via Major Label/Sony with the next single being…Wonderful Life! A new video is currently being filmed though I have to say it would take a lot to top the original video but I’m sure the new version will be grand in its own right. Come to think of it. Anyone notice a similar vibe being shared being the artwork for Happiness and the one from these boys?
When I first posted about Manchester’s The Heartbreaks, their single Liar, My Dear was just making its way through the blog circuit. The band’s familiar yet fresh sound was only beginning to melt the hearts of listeners here in the States in much the same way it already had begun in their native England. Fast forward just a few short months and the band has achieved a healthy bit of notoriety thanks to the strength of their live show and of course, the tunes. Their new single I Didn’t Think It Would Hurt To Think Of You is another winner with a chorus that sends your head spiralling and leaves you certain you were born in the wrong decade. Two singles in and it’s become pretty plain that the Heartbreaks certainly have found their own recipe for crafting lovely tunes that tug on your heartstrings. This gift shall serve them well as they forge a path for themselves through the jungles of the UK pop charts and beyond. Good one, lads!
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