February 2012
88 posts
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RIP Davy Jones
Davy Jones, 1945-2012. CS
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The new Bon Iver video
The beautiful (and gently surreal) new video for Towers, which appeared online yesterday. CS
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World Of Twist - Sons Of The Stage
There’s a 1991 live set from much under-rated Mancunian rockers World Of Twist on BBC 6 Music tonight at 9pm. Here’s a video from Snub TV featuring the band chatting in a municipal baths, interspersed with their finest song (as appropriated by Oasis as an intro song and Beady Eye as a bellowed cover). CS
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Another surprisingly good remix...
Following that Kooks one the other week, here’s a surprisingly good remix of Ellie Goulding’s Elton John cover. CS
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Conor Maynard
Having already built large followings online, this 19-year-old R&B popster is now being tipped by many - including industry newsletter Record Of The Day - to be the UK’s big breakthrough of 2012. See what you think… CS
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The making of the new Gorillaz video...
You can hear the full 13-minute version of the new track here. CS
I'm sorry, what?
From the vaults:
“Listening to Charlotte Church’s revelatory Tissues and Issues, I finally understood the terrible pressures of fame faced by that modern-day Picasso, Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine”
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A better than expected Gotye remix
Coyote Kisses’ new remix of Gotye’s nation-dividing Number One smash is actually rather good. CS
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"All the people, so many people"
This mash of Parklife and Damon’s BRITs speech is absolutely brilliant. CS
(via NME.com)
Cases in Which I Will Buy New Vinyl →
yvynyl:
I hear a song that rips my heart/mind out and lays it bare to the sun.
I’m in a spendy mood, and listening to a decent new album with a big ‘BUY NOW’ link.
I’ve heard a band’s great single on a blog, and am halfway through listening to the second, even better, single.
My dear friend recorded/produced/sang backup/played harp/etc on a good record.
I feel tempted to buy a record first...
WatchRufus Wainwright releases the “most pop album” he’s ever made in late April. Roped in as producer? Mark Ronson. Here the pair have a natter about the “Laurel Canyon, groovy, funky, swinging, hip” sound they were aiming for.
Chief Boima | XLR8R podcast →
General excellence courtesy of Chief Boima (a.k.a. Boima Tucker, who’s part of the Dutty Artz crew.
Tracklisting:
01 DJ Arafat “Frapper Naboula Tala” (Ivoir Mix DJ) 02 Chief Boima “Last Night of Your Life” (Dutty Artz) 03 BB Ramazani “Fouka Fouka” (X-pol) 04 Dollar R DJ “Wolosso Azoubagehi” (Section Zouk/Score) 05 Abou Nidal “Wrou...
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The best of the BRITs
Rihanna’s performance, which stole last night’s show. (Look out for London indie types fiN being the paint-splattered backing band.) CS
Happy Ash Wednesday
Yes, today’s the day when we must all enjoy the work of the irrepressible Northern Irish power popsters. CS
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Anna Calvi's Tiny Desk Concert
Here’s Anna Calvi - who’s up for Best Newcomer at tonight’s Brits - playing one of the wonderful Tiny Desk Concerts for US broadcaster NPR, last month. If you like it, you can download the audio from here. CS
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Holding On For Tomorrow
Alex James has revealed - in another ill-considered column for The Sun - that Blur will play five songs when they pick up their Outstanding Contribution To Music gong at Tuesday night’s Brits. Which leaves Blur fans - quite literally! - holding on for tomorrow. (Any excuse to post one of their best and most under-rated songs, really.) CS
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"It's a new one!"
As the fan near the camera says, this is a brand new Blur song - as performed during Graham Coxon and Damon Albarn’s appearance at this weekend’ War Child fundraiser in London. Very lovely it is too. (Damon used to have an office in a building under the Westway - where the roof was literally the road. Perhaps he still does.) CS
When The KLF and Simply Red shared a Brit
Twenty years ago, in one of the Brits’ less-celebrated odd moments, The KLF and Simply Red jointly beat Queen to the Best Group award, when they received exactly the same number of votes. Naturally, the award was accepted on the two acts’ behalf by Martika. Click here to watch the video. (Wonder if Mick Hucknall and Bill Drummond still meet up every February to swap custody of the...
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What does a Grammy-winning boxset look like?
Well, in 2012, it looks rather like this snazzy Springsteen set, which picked up the Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package award. (It’s yours for just shy of £60 on Amazon.) CS
Bonobo - Eyesdown (Machinedrum Remix)
It’s always nice when good remixes get their own videos - and this intense, hand-drawn animation for Machinedrum’s d’n’b remix of Bonobo’s new single is a real corker.
Top three quotes from our interview with Ed...
• “I was on some TV shows with Lady Gaga the other week, and you could see the difference in reaction between her fans and my fans outside. She comes out and she looks like a star and the reaction is just tears, crying, people going, Oh my God, Oh my God. My fans are like: ‘Alright, Ed.’”
• “I get tweets every single day going, like, I’m so glad you...
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The Brits are coming
It won’t be like this.
Sailor & I - Tough Love
Tough Love by sailorandi
Gorgeous, string-powered track from the moodily melodic Swedes, taken from their new EP which is out at the end of next month. CS
A surprisingly good Kooks remix
This unexpectedly funky reworking is currently attracting lots of blog love. CS
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New iamamiwhoami video
Two years into their wonderfully-orchestrated Campaign of Mysterious Oddness, those iamamiwhoami videos keep on coming.
(Via @popjustice)
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The new Will Young video...
…is actually very decent. CS
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Wonder who played Tallulah
Long before she did it like a dude and declared a lack of concern for the price tag, here’s Jessie J being Blousey Brown in her stage school’s production of Bugsy Malone. CS
RIP Whitney
This was the one time I saw Whitney Houston perform live - at the Brit Awards in 1999 at the old London Arena. My abiding memory of the evening is that she blew the other performers out of the water (in fact, I’d actually forgotten that David Bowie and Stevie Wonder both sang that night too). The sense then was that her faltering career was right back on track. Sadly, of course, it really...
Bon Iver & The Roots on Jimmy Fallon
Why don’t British chat shows ever offer music as interesting - or, indeed, as good - as this? CS
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The art of video making
This wry new video from The Kindness actually gets even better when the song itself finishes (around the two minute mark). CS
