...remix a track like this.
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Popdar #4 - "My Forever"... Hearthrob pop is back.
What did I tell you? I bloody well said that Owl City would have an effect on pop in 2010, and fuck me sideways, My Forever are from the same planet; it took them 8 months to come to my attention but they've landed. These guys write songs like Kids in Glass Houses, as emo as they come, but there is an innocence rather than an angst that flows through their glistening powerpop, which makes it all the more escapist, all the more gorgeous, and most importantly, it doesn't make you want to blow your brains out.
This kind of thing makes geeky teenage boys feel obsolete, and downright pissed off at how good looking young musicians with sugary voices can moan about heartbreak, but YES YES YES, My Forever may be irritatingly attractive, but they're singing about butterflies and pockets full of feathers! Or at least their airy fairy titles make it seem that way.
Now enjoy this. One of the cheesiest tracks of the year, a daydream pop acoustic version (how predictable, but lovely) of the lead track from their EP, "Silhouettes and Paper Birds", which is available to download now on iTunes.
This kind of thing makes geeky teenage boys feel obsolete, and downright pissed off at how good looking young musicians with sugary voices can moan about heartbreak, but YES YES YES, My Forever may be irritatingly attractive, but they're singing about butterflies and pockets full of feathers! Or at least their airy fairy titles make it seem that way.
Now enjoy this. One of the cheesiest tracks of the year, a daydream pop acoustic version (how predictable, but lovely) of the lead track from their EP, "Silhouettes and Paper Birds", which is available to download now on iTunes.
Thursday, 19 August 2010
Popdar #3 - Nicki Minaj... Whoa.
Now I can't say I knew much about Ms (Mrs?) Minaj prior to coming across this; I think I assumed her as the sort of female vocalist who would simper anonomously around the heave-ho boast-shouting of whichever US rapper superstar needed a pick-me-up at that particular moment.
How fucking wrong I was.
"Your Love" is based around a sample of Annie Lennox's ode to madness in the abscene of love (which in itself was a cover anyway) and turns the celebratory and slightly weird sadness of the original into a finger-lickingly lush R&B landscape, that oozes glamour, composure and yet expresses total devotion and adoration, to the point where even slightly disturbing phrasing such as "I love him like I raised im, when he call me mama, lil mama, I call him baby" seems totally normal. And that oriental gibberish in the chorus is simply irresistable. The-Dream better watch out, he's not the only R&B force on the block wearing his heart and bling on the sleeve...
How fucking wrong I was.
"Your Love" is based around a sample of Annie Lennox's ode to madness in the abscene of love (which in itself was a cover anyway) and turns the celebratory and slightly weird sadness of the original into a finger-lickingly lush R&B landscape, that oozes glamour, composure and yet expresses total devotion and adoration, to the point where even slightly disturbing phrasing such as "I love him like I raised im, when he call me mama, lil mama, I call him baby" seems totally normal. And that oriental gibberish in the chorus is simply irresistable. The-Dream better watch out, he's not the only R&B force on the block wearing his heart and bling on the sleeve...
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Popdar #2 - The Saturdays Remix, Royksopp and a bit of Cheryl for old times' sake.
A rather spontaneous entry for a hungover mind, but this weekend I'm actually not feeling indie. What with my current dreamy Brighton beach love of Best Coast, Depreciation Guild, The Drums and the like, that has clung to me tighter than spray-on skinny jeans, I think I've O-Ded on clangy guitars and lyrics about getting high with friends. So I think it's time for a bit of a detox.
What I want this weekend is pulsing beats and euphoric eurochord slabs at Night and fiddly, chilled electronics for the comedown. So I give you, rather coyly, The Saturdays... but not as we know them. Missing You is great, don't get me wrong, you've gotta love The Saturdays, sweet as cherry pie on the surface, but actually moderately psychotic underneath. We've had "don't know if I should stab you or kiss you", now we are treated to "I miss hurting you til you cry". A moment's silence, if you will, for The Saturdays' ever suffering lovers. (Except for Marvin from JLS... he can suffer for being a part of the worst number 1 single of the year.)
And when the silence is done, treat yourself to the Cahill remix of Missing You. I went slightly unexpectedly crazy over their regal euphoric dance treatment of Cheryl Cole's Fight For This Love last year; they managed to turn something rather unimaginative into something celebratory and peerlessly uplifting. With The Saturdays' latest, they plug the 1990s to us, and turn the thunderous ballad into a considerably lighter, bouncier eurodance track that could well have won Eurovision circa 1996.
You know what? That's got me in the mood to relive the version of Fight for this Love that REALLY fights. So here it is.
Phew, I'm tired after all that overenthusiastic limb-flailing. Didn't do much for the noggin either. So let's chill to the masters of chill, Royksopp. Senior is out on September 6th (my copy is already pre-ordered bitches), and by the sounds of things, Royksopp are returning to their roots. Junior was neither nowt nor sumut to me, hints of commercial dance, but not enough commitment to the cause to really make it work. I find myself still returning to Melody A.M. and wondering what was wrong with that formula.
Evidently, Royksopp wonder that themselves, as The Drug, the first track to be released from Senior, is as hypnotic and mesmerising as Eple or Royskopp's Night Out. It's by no means a rehash though. Hints of Kaskade flow through it, as the fluffy cloud chords glide over an irresistibly funky click-clap-stop-start beat. For the first time in a decade, it seems Royksopp have realised that they don't need to do anything fancy to create a good record. Just lay down one or two wonderful elements, surround it in electronic mystery, and voila: you have something quite special.
What I want this weekend is pulsing beats and euphoric eurochord slabs at Night and fiddly, chilled electronics for the comedown. So I give you, rather coyly, The Saturdays... but not as we know them. Missing You is great, don't get me wrong, you've gotta love The Saturdays, sweet as cherry pie on the surface, but actually moderately psychotic underneath. We've had "don't know if I should stab you or kiss you", now we are treated to "I miss hurting you til you cry". A moment's silence, if you will, for The Saturdays' ever suffering lovers. (Except for Marvin from JLS... he can suffer for being a part of the worst number 1 single of the year.)
And when the silence is done, treat yourself to the Cahill remix of Missing You. I went slightly unexpectedly crazy over their regal euphoric dance treatment of Cheryl Cole's Fight For This Love last year; they managed to turn something rather unimaginative into something celebratory and peerlessly uplifting. With The Saturdays' latest, they plug the 1990s to us, and turn the thunderous ballad into a considerably lighter, bouncier eurodance track that could well have won Eurovision circa 1996.
You know what? That's got me in the mood to relive the version of Fight for this Love that REALLY fights. So here it is.
Phew, I'm tired after all that overenthusiastic limb-flailing. Didn't do much for the noggin either. So let's chill to the masters of chill, Royksopp. Senior is out on September 6th (my copy is already pre-ordered bitches), and by the sounds of things, Royksopp are returning to their roots. Junior was neither nowt nor sumut to me, hints of commercial dance, but not enough commitment to the cause to really make it work. I find myself still returning to Melody A.M. and wondering what was wrong with that formula.
Evidently, Royksopp wonder that themselves, as The Drug, the first track to be released from Senior, is as hypnotic and mesmerising as Eple or Royskopp's Night Out. It's by no means a rehash though. Hints of Kaskade flow through it, as the fluffy cloud chords glide over an irresistibly funky click-clap-stop-start beat. For the first time in a decade, it seems Royksopp have realised that they don't need to do anything fancy to create a good record. Just lay down one or two wonderful elements, surround it in electronic mystery, and voila: you have something quite special.
Monday, 9 August 2010
Top 10 tracks of July 2010.
July (YES, I know it was years ago, I was on holiday, fuck you) was a month initially lipstick stained by the collosally overpromoted Kylie record, and combined with the uber-gay disco punch of the Scissor Sisters' third, it looked like it was going to be a fairly camp summer. But after the glitter settled, what we were treated to was 31 days of sun, rain and a delightfully eclectic scattering of genius ideas across the spectrum of genres that make up pop music.
- - - - - - - -
10
Bang Bang Bang
Mark Ronson & The Business Intl, feat. Q-Tip & MNDR
Retro is hardly retro anymore, but an edgy chord sequence taken from a Power Rangers episode and a cluttered Hip Hop beat makes this the best track that wasn't on Gorillaz' "Plastic Beach". Admittedly this combination of alternative hip hop and melody striken 80s pop isn't an alien one to 2010, but it's a formula that the previously soul-funked up Ronson has surprised us all by nailing. Now who the fuck are the Business Intl?
9
Katy on a Mission
Katy B
Dubstep's pretty macho huh? That sledgehammer beat that advances at the pace of a hungover Rhinocerous (and boy is he pissed) and that gargantuan maggot-infested bassline that throbs like a migrane. Well Katy B has managed to perfect Popstep, and it's as sweet as a strawberry cough drop. She flirts and taunts with the panting synth backing her, and the beat tries less to crush and more to cruise. Katy and her pals "erupt into the room", "sink into the tune" and effortlessly command the dancefloor and simultaneously eclipse her peers. Finally... a pop sound we can feel proud of in 2010.
8/7
Get Outta My Way/Can't Beat the Feeling
Kylie Minogue
There's no point in taking the time to address these tracks separately, they are both merely highlights on Kylie's glorious new record. After Fever Kylie lost a bit of pazazz. Taking the tempo down has never been a great idea with this pint sized diva. Ms Minogue "can't help feel the need to strut" if you recall, and you can't strut to a slow burner like Slow or All I See. Although the occasional glimpse of perfection could be seen, in the form of Wow mainly, Kylie didn't have an awful lot to showcase her joyous spirit and gleaming positivity. The record Aphrodite is another matter. Four to the floor the whole way, Get Outta My Way is the sound of Kylie striding defiantly onto the dancefloor after too long at the sidelines, with a bag of hooks too good not to empty, whilst Can't Beat the Feeling aptly expresses the joy of being back on top, a future disco that welcomes everyone back to the Kylie show.
Get Outta My Way - Kylie Minogue by suprem.angel
Can't Beat The Feeling - Kylie Minogue by suprem.angel
6
Any Which Way
Scissor Sisters
One glance at the cover of Night Work, and you know you're in for a rocky ride. Those buttocks may be clenched tight, but Scissor Sisters are gonna fuck you (oh, excuse me... "funk" you that is) any which way they can. But whatever your apprehensions are, seriously, let them. It's a hell of a lot of fun. Any Which Way is camp even by Scissor Sisters standards, and as D-I-S-C-O as they can get away with. Each hook is a guilty pleasure, each clavichord flurry an embarrassing dance move, each snare the sound of a whip on leather. "In front of my parents, I don't give a damn baby, just take me..." Damn. Sex has not sounded this much fun in years. And these guys are gagging for it.
5
I Need Air
Magnetic Man
As with Katy B's hook laden softcore-step that I mentioned earlier, Magnetic Man doesn't see why dubstep shouldn't be a vessle for pop magic. But Mr Magnetic doesn't settle with the club speaker system, he wants to enter the very elements that surround you. Even the heavily processed vocal sounds nervous and edgy, as the stainless steel synth blips cut through the atmosphere like a knife, and the jittery beats dictate every move made by every sound. I Need Air manages to provide just as much punch as any thick dub bassline and compressed kick combination, with only half the effort. For a genre famous for being as dirty as the ground it stomps upon, who'd've thought subtely would be the best policy?
4
Boyfriend
Best Coast
Sunny, stoned, smiley, daydreaming indiepop. And taken from an album of gleefully lazy pop songs, some sounding so similar it's as if Best Coast were so baked they forgot they'd already written that lick, but that's why it's such a great record. This track opens the show and is as good as any to lie on a beach with a joint and a bottle of Jack Daniels, making shapes out of the clouds. Bit more on the last "Popdar".
3
Aphrodite
Kylie Minogue
Final Kylie one, honest. After the limp All the Lovers, you could be forgiven for thinking that the title track of this album, named after the Greek Goddess of love, (sung by the gay-friendly Australian alternative) would follow in the underwhelmingly regal dancepop footsteps of that single. How wrong you would be however. Aphrodite is all swagger right from its first cocky tribal drum hit. When Kylie drawls "I was gone and now I'm back, yeah" you grin like an idiot and proceed to do as she says. This love goddess isn't a flowery, gentle figure smiling on sickly sweet newly weds, this one walks over your back in 7 inch hells, commanding you to love her above all else. To be fair, she provides a convincing case: "I'm fierce and I'm feeling mighty, I'm a golden girl, I'm an Aphrodite, all right!" Kylie's hooks haven't been this irresistable in 9 years, and she knows it.
Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite by alienhits
2
Hang With Me
Robyn
As I wrote on my last Pop Watch, Hang With Me is a pop triumph. The remake of Body Talk Pt 1's ponderous and easily overlooked ballad finally reaches the light at the end of the tunnel which near enough beat the Robyn of Dancing on my Own into submission. Read a bit more about Robyn's latest bullseye on "Popdar #1".
1
Suicide Dream 2
How to Dress Well
It's utterly futile and indeed irrelevant to try and contextualise this kind of music, so all I can do is describe just how mindblowing it is. How to Dress Well's ethereal futuregoth ambience seeps through the speakers with a desperate sadness, loneliness but underlain with a glimpse of threat. Suicide Dream 2 is as scary as it is beautiful. The trickling keys and distant pads are hardly intrusive, but still the vocals are inaudible murmers... they could be delirious ramblings or fearful cries for help. Either way no one can hear. It's the most terrifying of dreams: the one where you are trapped with no escape. The title suggests this is a dream where you are in fact trapped inside yourself, and How to Dress Well express this helplessness with an aptitude that is all too accurate.
- - - - - - - -
10
Bang Bang Bang
Mark Ronson & The Business Intl, feat. Q-Tip & MNDR
Retro is hardly retro anymore, but an edgy chord sequence taken from a Power Rangers episode and a cluttered Hip Hop beat makes this the best track that wasn't on Gorillaz' "Plastic Beach". Admittedly this combination of alternative hip hop and melody striken 80s pop isn't an alien one to 2010, but it's a formula that the previously soul-funked up Ronson has surprised us all by nailing. Now who the fuck are the Business Intl?
9
Katy on a Mission
Katy B
Dubstep's pretty macho huh? That sledgehammer beat that advances at the pace of a hungover Rhinocerous (and boy is he pissed) and that gargantuan maggot-infested bassline that throbs like a migrane. Well Katy B has managed to perfect Popstep, and it's as sweet as a strawberry cough drop. She flirts and taunts with the panting synth backing her, and the beat tries less to crush and more to cruise. Katy and her pals "erupt into the room", "sink into the tune" and effortlessly command the dancefloor and simultaneously eclipse her peers. Finally... a pop sound we can feel proud of in 2010.
8/7
Get Outta My Way/Can't Beat the Feeling
Kylie Minogue
There's no point in taking the time to address these tracks separately, they are both merely highlights on Kylie's glorious new record. After Fever Kylie lost a bit of pazazz. Taking the tempo down has never been a great idea with this pint sized diva. Ms Minogue "can't help feel the need to strut" if you recall, and you can't strut to a slow burner like Slow or All I See. Although the occasional glimpse of perfection could be seen, in the form of Wow mainly, Kylie didn't have an awful lot to showcase her joyous spirit and gleaming positivity. The record Aphrodite is another matter. Four to the floor the whole way, Get Outta My Way is the sound of Kylie striding defiantly onto the dancefloor after too long at the sidelines, with a bag of hooks too good not to empty, whilst Can't Beat the Feeling aptly expresses the joy of being back on top, a future disco that welcomes everyone back to the Kylie show.
Get Outta My Way - Kylie Minogue by suprem.angel
Can't Beat The Feeling - Kylie Minogue by suprem.angel
6
Any Which Way
Scissor Sisters
One glance at the cover of Night Work, and you know you're in for a rocky ride. Those buttocks may be clenched tight, but Scissor Sisters are gonna fuck you (oh, excuse me... "funk" you that is) any which way they can. But whatever your apprehensions are, seriously, let them. It's a hell of a lot of fun. Any Which Way is camp even by Scissor Sisters standards, and as D-I-S-C-O as they can get away with. Each hook is a guilty pleasure, each clavichord flurry an embarrassing dance move, each snare the sound of a whip on leather. "In front of my parents, I don't give a damn baby, just take me..." Damn. Sex has not sounded this much fun in years. And these guys are gagging for it.
5
I Need Air
Magnetic Man
As with Katy B's hook laden softcore-step that I mentioned earlier, Magnetic Man doesn't see why dubstep shouldn't be a vessle for pop magic. But Mr Magnetic doesn't settle with the club speaker system, he wants to enter the very elements that surround you. Even the heavily processed vocal sounds nervous and edgy, as the stainless steel synth blips cut through the atmosphere like a knife, and the jittery beats dictate every move made by every sound. I Need Air manages to provide just as much punch as any thick dub bassline and compressed kick combination, with only half the effort. For a genre famous for being as dirty as the ground it stomps upon, who'd've thought subtely would be the best policy?
4
Boyfriend
Best Coast
Sunny, stoned, smiley, daydreaming indiepop. And taken from an album of gleefully lazy pop songs, some sounding so similar it's as if Best Coast were so baked they forgot they'd already written that lick, but that's why it's such a great record. This track opens the show and is as good as any to lie on a beach with a joint and a bottle of Jack Daniels, making shapes out of the clouds. Bit more on the last "Popdar".
3
Aphrodite
Kylie Minogue
Final Kylie one, honest. After the limp All the Lovers, you could be forgiven for thinking that the title track of this album, named after the Greek Goddess of love, (sung by the gay-friendly Australian alternative) would follow in the underwhelmingly regal dancepop footsteps of that single. How wrong you would be however. Aphrodite is all swagger right from its first cocky tribal drum hit. When Kylie drawls "I was gone and now I'm back, yeah" you grin like an idiot and proceed to do as she says. This love goddess isn't a flowery, gentle figure smiling on sickly sweet newly weds, this one walks over your back in 7 inch hells, commanding you to love her above all else. To be fair, she provides a convincing case: "I'm fierce and I'm feeling mighty, I'm a golden girl, I'm an Aphrodite, all right!" Kylie's hooks haven't been this irresistable in 9 years, and she knows it.
Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite by alienhits
2
Hang With Me
Robyn
As I wrote on my last Pop Watch, Hang With Me is a pop triumph. The remake of Body Talk Pt 1's ponderous and easily overlooked ballad finally reaches the light at the end of the tunnel which near enough beat the Robyn of Dancing on my Own into submission. Read a bit more about Robyn's latest bullseye on "Popdar #1".
1
Suicide Dream 2
How to Dress Well
It's utterly futile and indeed irrelevant to try and contextualise this kind of music, so all I can do is describe just how mindblowing it is. How to Dress Well's ethereal futuregoth ambience seeps through the speakers with a desperate sadness, loneliness but underlain with a glimpse of threat. Suicide Dream 2 is as scary as it is beautiful. The trickling keys and distant pads are hardly intrusive, but still the vocals are inaudible murmers... they could be delirious ramblings or fearful cries for help. Either way no one can hear. It's the most terrifying of dreams: the one where you are trapped with no escape. The title suggests this is a dream where you are in fact trapped inside yourself, and How to Dress Well express this helplessness with an aptitude that is all too accurate.
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Popdar #1 - Robyn, Cut Copy and Best Coast.
Is there any emotion that Robyn cannot drag onto the dancefloor?! If Dancing on my Own was a mental breakdown in heels and a sequin-encrusted leotard, tears of glitter rolling down sweaty cheeks, then this strobe-doused version of Hang With Me gives us all the hope that we can dance again. It's a hesitant commitment, one that warns "don't fall recklessly, headlessly in love with me" but assures "if you keep it tight, I'm gonna confide in you."
It's only guilty feet that've got no rhythm after all, and Robyn's got nothing to feel guilty about with this blissfully feel good anthem. Should've known this minx wouldn't be dancing alone for long.
It's only guilty feet that've got no rhythm after all, and Robyn's got nothing to feel guilty about with this blissfully feel good anthem. Should've known this minx wouldn't be dancing alone for long.
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Top 10 Songs of June 2010.
June 2010 was a tough month for me. The transition between university and real life is surely traumatic for anyone. Luckily, I had one album to help me through: Anathema's "We're Here Because We're Here". A life-affirming collection of enlightenment anthems, a veritable supernova of optimism, and above all, a true beacon of unrepressed, unashamed beauty and emotion.
'Emotion' is definately the word of the month: Tru-popwise, Robyn returned with her cockiest collection of self-assured quirkpop yet, leading with a emotional punch of a confessional lead single, Rihanna came to terms with an unrequited, passionate lesbian crush (not hers of course) and Gaga's video for "Alejandro" finally usurped itself, a high art novella of a short film that made the gay community proud and the Madonna fans outraged.
But without further ado, my tracks of the month are as follows...
10
Help I'm Alive (Twelves Remix)
Metric
A remix from a bonus disk? Wtf right? Well, this probably wouldn't have made it if it weren't for the sheer bizarre experience of hearing the original after this sunburnt skinny-dipper of a remix. "Help I'm Alive" is taken from Metric's 2009 release "Fantasies", rereleased this month, and matches ominous guitars with the fearful vocal lick "You're gonna eat me alive!". But when you add a glittery discoball, a sizzling synth bass and a Calvin Harris swagger, you get this: A shimmering, disturbingly blissed out funkfest that celebrates the previously quoted lyric, as if singing "Always look on the bright side of life" whilst tied to a rotating skewer.
9
Tenderoni
Kele
You can tell Kele’s been dying to make a track like this for years. The thudding four-to-the-floor kick and gritty bassline recall a delightfully over-compressed funky house vibe that is sadly lacking from the over-slick club anthems of late...
(Read my full review here: http://www.lastbroadcast.co.uk/music/single-reviews/v/11341-kele-tenderoni.html)
8
Te Amo
Rihanna
After the gobsmacked overlistening I gave the incredible "Rated R" last fall, that breathless first listen impact of "Te Amo" is dampened whilst writing this article, but rest assured the raw sexual curiosity of this gem continues to burn seductively. That nasal tone that whined "please don't stop the music" now ponders "te amo... don't it mean I love you?" Rihanna has been exposed to the big, bad world out there, the realities, and in a world where only Lady Gaga truly addresses homosexuality in her art, Rihanna shows maturity beyond her years as she huskily tries to let down her would-be-lover down easy. However, the sultry nudge-winks implied in Rihanna's thoughtful tones make it easy to understand how one could be easily led on. Let's hope it just holds up in court though.
7
Yamaha
The-Dream
The-Dream just has no shame when crafting his lush, exquisite R&B landscapes, and "Yamaha" is full on 80s tribute, one swung beat away from New Jack Swing. Taken from his third record "Love King", only The-Dream can make misogyny sexy and forgivable. "Never seen a girl with an ass so fat" is uttered like a desperate plee for love rather than a leering retort, amongst the stuttering rhythms and sunrise strings. Pushing the boundaries of R&B even further, The-Dream is R&B's one true talent.
6
Love
Visitor
Vistor don't have an awful lot to show for themselves other than an euphoric indie dance single that pulled out all the cheesy stops to tug at your heartstrings, but it is its predominantly instrumental 6 minute rave/house b-side that really wets the thirst of the emotional and the romantic.
5
Fright Night (Nevermore)
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
My ears are used to hearing modern bands take huge chunks of ideas that can barely pass off as 'influence' from the 70s and 80s, but its a real thrill to hear an artist truly recreate the sound of an era, warts and all. Ariel Pink are 60s psychadelica, 70s prog and 80s horrorpop, and all played through a transistor radio in the corner of a worn down California motel room one summer evening in 1972. There's a killer on the loose, you watch the sunset through your nets curtains, enveloped in cigarette smoke and the smell of cheap whisky. You suddenly hear "knock, knock, knock, on the door, 3 times!", you spin round... TO BE CONTINUED!
No, but in all honesty, it's a tune.
4
Commander
Kelly Rowland & David Guetta
Damn girl. Never has an sassy R&B diva ventured so confidently and defiantly into a rave and demanded attention, without a finger click or urban vibe in sight. "Commander" sounds so deliciously epic and thunderous that one automatically assumes it is a remix. We know Kelly translates to dance music well, see the goliath Joey Negro mix of "Daylight", but it's a delight to find she knows it too. David Guetta may be behind the steering wheel, supplying the lightning flash chords and collision course beats, but Kelly's in total control, and right now she commands you to dance. Do as she says.
3
Thin Air
Anathema
The opening notes of "Thin Air" are no strange sound to anyone who's attended an Anathema gig in the last 4 years. The delicate pitter patter of guitar that spirals around Vinny's soft falsetto has been a mainstay of their set for as long as the revered "Everything", and it follows the same glorious build up of said track, as does every perfect number of "We're Here Because We're Here". But whilst the happy-clappy "Everything" was alien to the ears of a great deal of melancholy, wistful Anathema fans, "Thin Air" is every bit the emotional battle the fans are used to, but for the first time ever, the battle is won. There couldn't be a more fitting opener for "WHBWH", and when Vinny breaks out of his falsetto restraints and soars with the line "it feels like we're already flying!" you're soaring through the sky with him.
2
Dancing on My Own
Robyn
Robyn isn't anyone's bitch or scapegoat. She doesn't compromise, she doesn't mince her words and she has attitude that could move mountains and bring down governments. But she's also an insecure little girl who desperately wants to be loved. Like "Be Mine" before it, "Dancing on My Own" is brutally honest, euphorically uplifting and yet tenderly bittersweet all at once, a thoroughly intense listening experience and yet with an all too simple message: a broken heart fucking hurts.
Thing is, "Dancing on My Own" is in a resolutely major key, and sports irresistable pulsing rhythms, shiny, tinkly synths and gorgeously warm synth strings; Robyn wants her love interest to see her having a good time without him. But he doesn't see her at all. She's damned if she cries over him, so she dances through her tears, determined to let herself go in the music. But with each thud of the kick, Robyn falls harder and harder. Proof, if ever there was such proof, that Robyn understands the sheer emotional power of a simple pop song.
1
Dreaming Light
Anathema
I rambled a lot about this'n in my Anathema blog, and there's no real need to reitterate how much this song means to me. So I will let Danny Cavanagh speak for himself.
"Suddenly, life has new meaning.
Suddenly, feeling is being.
Suddenly, I don't have to be afraid.
Suddenly, it all falls into place.
And you shine inside,
And love stills my mind like the sunrise
Dreaming light of the sunrise."
You can call it saccharine. You can call it a glorified power ballad. You can call it melodramatic. You can call it a U2 knockoff, a Sigur Ros knockoff, a fucking Coldplay song... you're not listening. LISTEN to Anathema play this song. Remember where they've been, what they've battled with, what they've expressed. Every balladic cliche is more than justified on "Dreaming Light", and it represents the end of one long, hard journey and the beginning of a new, enlightened life, full of hope and promise. If "Judgement" mourned "One Last Goodbye", "We're Here Because We're Here" dreams of light at the end of the tunnel.
"We are not just a moment in time."
'Emotion' is definately the word of the month: Tru-popwise, Robyn returned with her cockiest collection of self-assured quirkpop yet, leading with a emotional punch of a confessional lead single, Rihanna came to terms with an unrequited, passionate lesbian crush (not hers of course) and Gaga's video for "Alejandro" finally usurped itself, a high art novella of a short film that made the gay community proud and the Madonna fans outraged.
But without further ado, my tracks of the month are as follows...
10
Help I'm Alive (Twelves Remix)
Metric
A remix from a bonus disk? Wtf right? Well, this probably wouldn't have made it if it weren't for the sheer bizarre experience of hearing the original after this sunburnt skinny-dipper of a remix. "Help I'm Alive" is taken from Metric's 2009 release "Fantasies", rereleased this month, and matches ominous guitars with the fearful vocal lick "You're gonna eat me alive!". But when you add a glittery discoball, a sizzling synth bass and a Calvin Harris swagger, you get this: A shimmering, disturbingly blissed out funkfest that celebrates the previously quoted lyric, as if singing "Always look on the bright side of life" whilst tied to a rotating skewer.
9
Tenderoni
Kele
You can tell Kele’s been dying to make a track like this for years. The thudding four-to-the-floor kick and gritty bassline recall a delightfully over-compressed funky house vibe that is sadly lacking from the over-slick club anthems of late...
(Read my full review here: http://www.lastbroadcast.co.uk/music/single-reviews/v/11341-kele-tenderoni.html)
8
Te Amo
Rihanna
After the gobsmacked overlistening I gave the incredible "Rated R" last fall, that breathless first listen impact of "Te Amo" is dampened whilst writing this article, but rest assured the raw sexual curiosity of this gem continues to burn seductively. That nasal tone that whined "please don't stop the music" now ponders "te amo... don't it mean I love you?" Rihanna has been exposed to the big, bad world out there, the realities, and in a world where only Lady Gaga truly addresses homosexuality in her art, Rihanna shows maturity beyond her years as she huskily tries to let down her would-be-lover down easy. However, the sultry nudge-winks implied in Rihanna's thoughtful tones make it easy to understand how one could be easily led on. Let's hope it just holds up in court though.
7
Yamaha
The-Dream
The-Dream just has no shame when crafting his lush, exquisite R&B landscapes, and "Yamaha" is full on 80s tribute, one swung beat away from New Jack Swing. Taken from his third record "Love King", only The-Dream can make misogyny sexy and forgivable. "Never seen a girl with an ass so fat" is uttered like a desperate plee for love rather than a leering retort, amongst the stuttering rhythms and sunrise strings. Pushing the boundaries of R&B even further, The-Dream is R&B's one true talent.
6
Love
Visitor
Vistor don't have an awful lot to show for themselves other than an euphoric indie dance single that pulled out all the cheesy stops to tug at your heartstrings, but it is its predominantly instrumental 6 minute rave/house b-side that really wets the thirst of the emotional and the romantic.
5
Fright Night (Nevermore)
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
My ears are used to hearing modern bands take huge chunks of ideas that can barely pass off as 'influence' from the 70s and 80s, but its a real thrill to hear an artist truly recreate the sound of an era, warts and all. Ariel Pink are 60s psychadelica, 70s prog and 80s horrorpop, and all played through a transistor radio in the corner of a worn down California motel room one summer evening in 1972. There's a killer on the loose, you watch the sunset through your nets curtains, enveloped in cigarette smoke and the smell of cheap whisky. You suddenly hear "knock, knock, knock, on the door, 3 times!", you spin round... TO BE CONTINUED!
No, but in all honesty, it's a tune.
4
Commander
Kelly Rowland & David Guetta
Damn girl. Never has an sassy R&B diva ventured so confidently and defiantly into a rave and demanded attention, without a finger click or urban vibe in sight. "Commander" sounds so deliciously epic and thunderous that one automatically assumes it is a remix. We know Kelly translates to dance music well, see the goliath Joey Negro mix of "Daylight", but it's a delight to find she knows it too. David Guetta may be behind the steering wheel, supplying the lightning flash chords and collision course beats, but Kelly's in total control, and right now she commands you to dance. Do as she says.
3
Thin Air
Anathema
The opening notes of "Thin Air" are no strange sound to anyone who's attended an Anathema gig in the last 4 years. The delicate pitter patter of guitar that spirals around Vinny's soft falsetto has been a mainstay of their set for as long as the revered "Everything", and it follows the same glorious build up of said track, as does every perfect number of "We're Here Because We're Here". But whilst the happy-clappy "Everything" was alien to the ears of a great deal of melancholy, wistful Anathema fans, "Thin Air" is every bit the emotional battle the fans are used to, but for the first time ever, the battle is won. There couldn't be a more fitting opener for "WHBWH", and when Vinny breaks out of his falsetto restraints and soars with the line "it feels like we're already flying!" you're soaring through the sky with him.
2
Dancing on My Own
Robyn
Robyn isn't anyone's bitch or scapegoat. She doesn't compromise, she doesn't mince her words and she has attitude that could move mountains and bring down governments. But she's also an insecure little girl who desperately wants to be loved. Like "Be Mine" before it, "Dancing on My Own" is brutally honest, euphorically uplifting and yet tenderly bittersweet all at once, a thoroughly intense listening experience and yet with an all too simple message: a broken heart fucking hurts.
Thing is, "Dancing on My Own" is in a resolutely major key, and sports irresistable pulsing rhythms, shiny, tinkly synths and gorgeously warm synth strings; Robyn wants her love interest to see her having a good time without him. But he doesn't see her at all. She's damned if she cries over him, so she dances through her tears, determined to let herself go in the music. But with each thud of the kick, Robyn falls harder and harder. Proof, if ever there was such proof, that Robyn understands the sheer emotional power of a simple pop song.
1
Dreaming Light
Anathema
I rambled a lot about this'n in my Anathema blog, and there's no real need to reitterate how much this song means to me. So I will let Danny Cavanagh speak for himself.
"Suddenly, life has new meaning.
Suddenly, feeling is being.
Suddenly, I don't have to be afraid.
Suddenly, it all falls into place.
And you shine inside,
And love stills my mind like the sunrise
Dreaming light of the sunrise."
You can call it saccharine. You can call it a glorified power ballad. You can call it melodramatic. You can call it a U2 knockoff, a Sigur Ros knockoff, a fucking Coldplay song... you're not listening. LISTEN to Anathema play this song. Remember where they've been, what they've battled with, what they've expressed. Every balladic cliche is more than justified on "Dreaming Light", and it represents the end of one long, hard journey and the beginning of a new, enlightened life, full of hope and promise. If "Judgement" mourned "One Last Goodbye", "We're Here Because We're Here" dreams of light at the end of the tunnel.
"We are not just a moment in time."
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