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the 3 sneak peeks for tonights episode, entitled jughead

#1

#2

#3


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A small rundown of my first impressions of the newbies, and a big old list of the music played (inc a couple of mpfrees)

Overall episode: Decent, nowhere near the old series highlights, but a good introduction to the new characters.
Characters I Like: Shy twin (Emily), Naomi Campbell, Effy,
Indifferent: Freddie (could be good, but he is a bit of a shit actor), JJ
Dislike: Cook (good actor, but very annoying, too much like a Chris/Tony hybrid, incidentally the actor knows Joe Dempsie who played Chris), Bitch twin (Katie, she seems to be a worse actor than her sister, and seems like a downtheline bitch), Pandora (good fo one episode, no more!, i hope the series doesnt run a theme with her mirroring the "Sid's a Virgin" storyline from s1.

And, more importantly, the music! As per usual it was excellent.
Fucked Up - Son the Father
Fat Segal - Freddie Theme
Fat Segal - Cook Theme
Asobi Seksu - Lions and Tigers
Timothy Victor - Lady Belles
Beyonce - Ring the Alarm
Britney Spears - Womanizer
Wu-Tang Clan - Shame on a Nigga
Method Man - Release Yo'Delf
Eugene McGuinness - Monsters Under My Bed
Timothy Victor - Roundview College
Wilco - I'm The Man Who Loves You
Fat Segal - Freddie Theme
Santogold - Shove it(mp3)
Fat Segal - Cook Theme
Liquid Liquid - Optimo
Soeur Sourire - Mets Tons/ Dominique
Fat Segal - Freddie theme/ Cook theme and Drums
Klaxons - Magick (mp3)
Asobi Seksu - Nefi and Girly

Read all about the music here
View the sneak peeks for episode 2 (Cook centric) here
Watch the "Coming up on Skins" preview for the next few episodes
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May sees the welcome return to the scene for one of the Best british bands around, both on record and live. Dates and mp3s below.

The dates are as follows:
May 2009:
Thu 14 Newcastle - Academy
Sat 16 Liverpool - University
Mon 18 Southampton - Guildhall
Tue 19 Birmingham - Academy
Wed 20 Nottingham - Rock City
Fri 22 Leeds - Academy
Sat 23 Manchester - Academy
Sun 24 Norwich - UEA
Wed 27 London - Brixton Academy
Thu 28 Bristol - Academy
Noisettes and Stricken City are supporting.
Tickets on sale the 29th of January!

Maximo Park are a special band. A Certain Trigger is one of my favorite albums of all time, brilliant musically and Paul Smiths lyrics are superbly poignant. Our Earthly Pleasures was admittedly a disappointment, but the highlights of the album are most definitely up there with Maximo's best. Seen them 4 times live now, twice at Leeds fest and twice in gigs of their own. I am so pleased that i'm back from my travels for the Leeds Academy date! News on album no.3 to come very shortly, very exciting stuff!
From 2005's A Certain Trigger:
Maximo Park-Postcard of a Painting
From 2006's bside album Missing Songs:
Maximo Park-A Year of Doubt
From 2007's Our Earthly Pleasures:
Maximo Park-Our Velocity



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I'm so excited about this! Although this will be the 3rd time I've seen them, its the first time at their own gig! I am (probably for the first time) appreciating how good an album A Weekend in the City is. Silent Alarm is epic. Intimacy is very good. 5 x MP3s below!

From 2004's Silent Alarm:
Bloc Party-Like Eating Glass
From 2007's A Weekend In The City:
Bloc Party-Song for Clay (Disappear Here)
From 2008's Intimacy:
Bloc Party-Ion Square

Bonus:
Immense Diplo remix:
Bloc Party-Helicopter (Diplo Remix)
Great bside to The Prayer:
Bloc Party-England

A review of Bloc Party at Manchester Apollo will be appearing here sometime this weekend hopefully, courtesy of Sean

One Month Off is the next single to be taken from Intimacy, and is available to buy/download from today...


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Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy


awesome. got this vid from Kanyes blog, how cool is it that he is posting about them?
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The She&Him duo link up again, on M.Ward's new album, set for a February 17th release. MP3 below

M. Ward-Never Had Nobody Like You feat. Zooey Deschanel

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Review inside, courtesy of Sean....see his blog here

"I remember the summer of 2006; the likes of Lily Allen and The Kooks were making happy music about good times. Upbeat indie-pop was rife as a horde of teenage bands assaulted the charts. These days, it's a bit of a different story. Recession calls for bands to create doom laden albums, full of emotion, audiences need to feel like people care.

From the opening to Death, White Lies prove all their critics right. The dark opening to the debut album To Lose My Life... reveals the huge debt this London 4-piece's sound owes to the likes of Joy Division and Editors. However, the album is a hugely impressive record, full of murky, gloomy, bass driven verses and epic choruses. Not only do White Lies have a fantastic sound musically, singer Harry McVeigh showcases an aptitude for writing excellently depressing lyrics, supported by his superb voice.

However, here in lies the issue. Despite the band presenting an album with 10 highly polished, musically excellent tracks, it's hard to gain a sense of real emotion, they aren't as moving as they wish they were. The same could be said about McVeigh's delivery of the lyrics; despite the lyrics being excellent in places, and his impressive vocal abilities, it doesn't feel like he is really pouring his heart into them. The whole album conveys the feeling that the band are just creating a gloomy, death obsessed indie record because they can, and because it will fit the times, not because it's how they actually feel.

As I said, it is a musically excellent album, containing many highlights than really can grab you (the end of The Price Of Love, or chorus to Fifty On Our Foreheads), the album doesn't grab your heart, in the way other recent examples have. Listening to Glasvegas' debut, James Allen pours his soul into many of the tracks, whereas on To Lose My Life... McVeigh sounds like he is describing rather than feeling. It just doesn't make me want to sing my heart out in the way I wish it would.

6/10

Best tracks:
Fifty On Our Foreheads
Unfinished Business
The Price Of Love "

6/10 is an underestimation of this album imo. I would say 8 or 9 out of 10 for sure. Musically it is outstanding, and lyrically pretty strong. My favorite is From the Stars, a beautiful song. Very strong album, the Joy Division/Interpol comparisons are justified, and I would liken them to Editors, perhaps not as good yet, but with the potential to be as good, if not better. Set to go no.1 this afternoon.


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"Ben Linus appointed me as your leader" "That is the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard...goodbye John Locke"

Lost has evolved once again. It is now even more complex, even more scientific and even more brilliant. As the writers tell us, this has always been a show about time travel, we just didn't realise it at the time. Compared to Heroes, Lost is desperately difficult to recap. It is so complex, and my analytical/writing abilities aren't anywhere good enough to provide a detailed, theory based recap...but here is a short reminder of what went on, on and off island.
Off the island:
Jack/Ben: Ben has thrown away Jacks drugs, he is very much still a broken man. Great to see Ben still has contacts in the outside world, Jill seems to be very knowledgeable about Locke and the general "plan". Oh and Ms. Hawking!!!!!!!! She seemed to be his superior..what was she working out on that computer? Something to do with a portal, for when they can return? how will they return? oh and how the fuck is Ben gonna get Sun/Hurley on side?The question remains over whether Walt/Dessie/Frank are needed...
Sayid/Hurley: "What is this dead Pakistani doing on my couch!?" Best line in Lost ever? After Sayid shows us all that he still has the "ninja moves" that took out that other in the season 3 finale, and gave us the best Lost fight of all time, Sayid vs Keamy in the s4 finale, Hurley drives home and then calls for Jacks help. This was as centric an episode as were gonna get from now on and proved, once again, Hurley's importnace to the story. Jorge Garcia is a brilliant actor, and the development his character has undergone since s1 has been so good. The scene in which he described what really happened with a great degree of confusion (mirroring the viewer?) and his mum believed him was unbelievably good. Lost can do character based, emotional episodes/scenes even with the crazy sci-fi shit. Rejecting Ben for me was a grave mistake, we will see.
Kate/Aaron: Who called for the blood test? I like the idea it was Ben, in order to make her vulnerable?
Sun: Does she really want to kill Ben? I feel sorry for ji Yeon, she always seems to be jetting off across the world leaving the baby in the hands of her mum and EVIL dad.
Desmond/Penny: Only one scene in two episodes?! Where are they hiding (assuming they dont just like living on a boat)? Are they hiding from Ben or Widmore or both? Who is Faradays mum? (ahem... Ms Hawking). ep3 is Dessie centric...
On island:
Locke: Emerging from the light, to rain, alone Locke screams for Richard and the Others. Big question over where they went. Richard is so mysterious that i get him not moving, but why not the rest of them? Why didnt the ones captured from 815 move with Locke? I was seriously hoping for some Yemi after the plane crash...maybe to explain where his body went, and Lockes visions of him? alsa not, but we did get ETHAN! I used to be shit scared of Ethan, but his welcome return (first time since s3 ill have you know) was great. Ethan and Locke did spend palot of time together alone in the jungle in s1 (see Erikas recap, link later on). Richard/Lockes scene was also very important im sure, the compass is gonna be relevant next episode...and he has retained his knife throwing skills to get Sawyer/Jules outta a pickle.
Sawyer/Jules: Sawyer is angry. For all he knows he has just lost the love of his life, best buddy (Hurley) and a good friend (Jack!). He is the viewr to Daniels producer, qestiong what the hell is going on! I expect alot more Sawyer this season, he hasnt had a centric episode since s03e04!!!!! Juliet is also going to be important in the time travel shit, and her knowledge of the Others could prove vital in the whole time-skipping business.
Danny-This is going to be the Faraday season. He is our guide through time travel, he knows whats going on. He knew Marvin bloody Candle!!!! He knows Desmond, who the rules dont apply to!
Charlotte-Does she have the sickness? What is wrong with her? "I haven't had a nosebleed since i was a child", when she was on island?
Miles: "That chick likes me" Lol, such a great character, something mysterious about him going to get the boar, maybe hebetrayed the group? People speculate he is Pierre Chang/Candle/Wickman/Halliwax's child...becuase he's Asian...not sure about that one.
Quick roundup of where they went:
Flash 1: The day the Nigerian plane landed...late 90s?
Flash 2: After the s2 finale, unknown time. After the o6 have returned home? Richard says "they're already home" to Locke.
Flash 3: Sometime before Locke and Boone discover the hatch, and after Desmond gets to the island. Probably after the crash.
Flash 4: The past, before the DI?

Also, Ana-Lucia was awesome!! No time travel theories here, but as usual the unrivaled DarkUfo has loads. Here are a few links
Because you left recap by Erika: Essential reading, great theory and recap.
Things i Noticed by Vozzek69 (ep1 & 2)
Jeff Jensen's recaps (1 & 2)
Popular Mechnics article 1 (time travel shiz)
Pop Mech article 2
Episode 3-Jughead:
No sneak peeks yet, but here is the trailer:

Desmond central I think. Apparently no O6. More Richard! Smokey!
The skipping through time thing is going to allow the writers so much freedom. I want Rousseaus backstory! And the Black Rock's! And more on Dharma!!!


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A. R. Rahmans composition for the best film of 2009 so far has been nominated for 3 oscars, and has already won the Golden Globe for best Original Score. His aim was to create a mix of old indian traditional music, with modern India., and it succeeds brilliantly. M.I.A.'s involvement does add to its appeal; paper planes, the dfa remix AND a collaboration on "O...Saya"...and it was released on her record label. Tracklisting and 2 mp3s below...

1. "O... Saya" performed by A. R. Rahman, M.I.A.(mp3)
2. "Riots" by A. R. Rahman
3. "Mausam & Escape" by A. R. Rahman
4. "Paper Planes" performed by M.I.A.
5. "Paper Planes (DFA Remix)" performed by M.I.A.
6. "Ringa Ringa" by A. R. Rahman featuring Alka Yagnik, Ila Arun
7. "Liquid Dance" by A. R. Rahman featuring Palakkad Sriram, Madhumitha
8. "Latika's Theme" by A. R. Rahman featuring Suzanne D'Mello
9. "Aaj Ki Rat" performed by Sonu Nigam, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Alisha Chinai
10. "Millionaire" by A. R. Rahman featuring Madhumitha
11. "Gangsta Blues" by A. R. Rahman featuring BlaaZe, Tanvi Shah
12. "Dreams on Fire" by A. R. Rahman featuring Suzanne D'Mello
13. "Jai Ho" by A. R. Rahman featuring Sukhwinder Singh, Tanvi Shah, Mahalakshmi Iyer (mp3)

Buy the soundtrack here



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The long awaited collaboration from 2 of the most talented people in music.

Feist & Ben Gibbard-Train Song
This is from the charity compilation "dark was the night" for HIV and AIDS (buy it!) also featuring...

Andrew Bird
Antony + Bryce Dessner
Arcade Fire
Beach House
Beirut
Blonde Redhead + Devastations
Bon Iver
Bon Iver & Aaron Dessner
The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues
The Decemberists
Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
Kevin Drew
Feist + Ben Gibbard
Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear + Feist
Iron & Wine
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Kronos Quartet
Stuart Murdoch
My Brightest Diamond
My Morning Jacket
The National
The New Pornographers
Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch
Riceboy Sleeps
Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio)
Spoon
Sufjan Stevens
Yeasayer
Yo La Tengo

what a line up for a compilation CD!

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finally, season 5 is here...lots of goodies inside

Seasons 1-3 had flashbacks, season 4 had flashforwards and flashbacks, and season 5 will once again have a new method of storytelling. With only 34 episodes of the series remaining, Damon and Carlton have switched it up again in ways I can't guess yet. The decision to set an end date to the show towards the end of season 3 was maybe the best thing that ever happened to the show. Season 4 had such drive and focus as a result. Here is a quick reminder of where/when the characters are, as of the season 4 finale, and a few nice links if you have forgotten who they are...
Oceanic 6/ Island Escapees: Jack, Kate, Sayid, Hurley, Sun, Aaron, Ben, Desmond, Walt,Ji Yeon
Losties (on island) (and friends): Juliet, Sawyer, Charlotte, Daniel, Miles, Rose, Bernard, Vincent
The Others (on island): Locke, Richard, Cindy, Harper
"The Island": Jacob, Christian, The Smoke Monster
Other people (off island): Frank, Penny, Charles Widmore, Matthew Abbadon
Unknown: Jin
Dead (no links!): Arzt, Boone, Michael, Nikki, Locke (depending on when you are), Charlie, Shannon, Paulo, Ana-Lucia, Eko, Libby, Mikhail, Mrs Klugh, Colleen, Danny, Ethan, Alex, Goodwin, Greta, Bonnie, Karl, Tom, Horace Goodspeed, Kelvin, Radzinsky, Roger Linus, Naomi, Captain Gault, Keamy, Minkowski, Omar, Regina, Anthony Cooper, Henry Gale, Rousseau, Yemi, Adam and Eve!, The Pilot!
of course being dead doesnt mean anything in Lost :D
Episode titles/info:
Episode 5.01 - Because You Left (Multi Centric) 21/01
Episode 5.02 - The Lie (Hurley?) 21/01
Episode 5.03 - Jughead (Desmond?) 28/01
Episode 5.04 - The Little Prince (Unknown) 4/02
Episode 5.05 - This Place is Death (Unknown) 11/02
Episode 5.06 - The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham(Locke) 18/02
507-316 (Unknown) 25/02
508-LeFleur (Sawyer?) 11/03
509-Namaste (Unknown)18/03
510-He's Our You (Sayid?) 25/03
511-Whatever Happened Happened (Kate?) 01/04

A few sneak peeks and promo's for the Premiere:
Trailer (one of thousands):

Sneak Peek #1 Kate/Aaron

Sneak peek #2 Jack/Ben

Sneak peek #3 Sayid/Hurley

Sneak Peek #4 Locke (ridiculously exciting, please tell me this means Yemi?!)

Sneak Peek #5 Jack/Ben/Dead Locke

Sneak Peek #6 Losties at Beach

Sneak Peek #7 O6/Penny (from ep2)

Detailed spoilers are now out for season 5's premiere, dont read them. The last 4 seasons have all started so well, there is no way im gonna let myself be spoiled for the start of this one. Watching that beach scene, its gonna be so interesting how the dynamic of the losties on island will work with no Jack for leadership...
So ridiculously excited about this...Lost is the best thing ever
Lost Season 5 premieres 21/01 ABC/ 25/01 Sky1

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Recap of the first part of the season, character briefs, sneak peeks and more...

For the first few episodes of JJ Abrams (Lost, Alias, Cloverfield) new TV series I was skeptical. It was a nice idea, and very interesting, but the events seemed to be almost isolated and the story appeared to lack direction. But eps 7-9 were stunning and the finale of part 1 was brilliant. It has great cast, and now with a full season scheduled I am expecting big things from Fringe.
Episode recaps:
Pilot: Read/watch
The Same Old Story: Read/Watch
The Ghost Network: Read/Watch
The Arrival: Read/Watch
Power Hungry: Read/Watch
The Cure: Read/Watch
In Which We Meet Mr. Jones: Read/Watch
The Equation: Read/Watch
The Dreamscape: Read/Watch
Safe: Read/Watch
I need a good reminder myself!
Characters:
Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv): The heroin of the show, an FBI agent assigned to investigate the mysterious Pattern.
Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson): Very intelligent son of Walter, owing money/ in trouble with shady characters from his past.
Walter Bishop (John Noble): Eccentric, slightly mad scientific researcher/mental patient heavily involved with Fringe science experimentation in the past.
Broyles (Lance Reddick): In charge of the special task force investigating the pattern. As with all of Reddicks characters, there is alot more to Broyles than meets the eyes.
John Scott: (Mark Valley): Introduced as a big hero, and lover of Olivia, only to be killed off in the pilot. He still pops up all over the place, and his mortality is most definately in question. Killing off the lead in ep1 is what Abrams reportedly wanted to do with Jack in Lost, oh and his consistent appearances as a Ghost/supernatural being are also reminiscent of numerous visions in Lost...
Nina Sharp (Blair Brown): Chief Operator of the mysterious, powerful and very involved with the pattern Massive Dynamic (Dharma anyone?).
The Observer (Michael Cerveris): Crazy mysterious, appears in every episode.
Other characters: Main/Recurring/Guest

Airdates:
111: Bound: January 20th
112: The No-Brainer: January 27th
113: The Transformation: TBA

Preview for "Bound"

Sneak peek #1

sneak peek #2

Check out these 2 great fansites:
Fringepedia
Fringetelevision

Fringe returns January 20th on Fox/unknown airdate on Sky1

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Kicking off a week of BIG premieres/returns, Skins returns with its second generation for series 3.

After obsessing a generation of sixth formers with the plight of Jal, Chris, Tony, Michelle, Maxxie et al for the last two years, the creators of Skins decided to get rid of the entire cast and start all over again. The only remaining lead was Effy, set to become the centre of a new "gang". Its a pretty bold move, that I was angry about at the time, but could well work. this is of course all depending on the target audience they are going for. Having been the same age as the original characters, it was easy to relate (however exaggerated their lives may have been) but even watching the sneak peeks makes me feel old. I don't know if they will gain any younger fans this year, or merely lose older ones, i suppose it remains to be seen. Here is a rundown of the new cast and characters, the first 7 minutes of episode 1, and some sneak peeks.
Characters:
Effy-Enigmatic and elusive, Effy's the queen bee, attractive to all around her, utterly in control of herself and totally independent.
Pandora (seen in s2)-An adorable virgin, Pandora's found a best friend in Effy and a sweet tooth for naughtiness.
Cook-Oozing charisma, James Cook pulls off daring stunts knowing that Freddie will always be there to bail him out.
Freddie-Freddie Mclair's happily travelling through life on his skate board, smoking weed with his mates, staying cool.
JJ-Master illusionist JJ's got a huge imagination. With childlike excitement, he dreams up the trio's entertaining schemes.
Naomi-Naomi Campbell is a beautiful idea, Passionate, political and principled, she's the only one who still believes in anything.
Emily-Emily Fitch likes being a twin, but she's crippled by her own shyness and depends on Katie to be the dynamic one
Katie-Super smart Katie Fitch is shedding her identical twin skin, and establishing her individuality
Thomas-Thomas is an African boy and is a good, honest, honourable soul
First 7 minutes:
Skins Episode 1 Part 1 Preview

Sneak peek #1
Sneak peek #2
Sneak peek #3

That Cook guy looks so fucking annoying! I still have a hope that Sketch will somehow appear in this series, she is still in Bristol, and Aimee-Ffion Edwards is an awesome actress.
Also, because its Skins, well done Dev Patel. I never rated Anwar as a character, but his performance in Slumdog Millionaire was brilliant, what a great film.

Skins series 3 begins on January 22nd on E4

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my favourite 10 "new" artists for 2009, in no order

1. A-Trak
A-Trak isnt new in the slightest, having been Kanye's tour dj since he was supporting Usher, but he is a top tip for me as he still hasnt released that much of his own material, and 2009 could mean a debut album? A-Trak is an amazing DJ, and a brilliant producer/remixer, and 2009 could spell big things for him. Annie Mac is a massive fan
Myspace
Website/blog
A-Trak-Knucklehead
Boyz Noize-Oh! (A-Trak Remix)

2. Mumford & Sons
Completely different, but equally brilliant. They originate from the same school of folk as Laura Marling (yay, pretty sure she features on one their songs, and they toured with her in the US) and Noah and the Whale (boo). 2 amazing ep's released so far, their sound is a blend of laura marling and josh radin, with maybe a bit of frank turner thrown in there. Liar is my favourite song in the world at the moment, lyrically so moving and astute. Although hardly suited for chart success, expect a critically aclaimed debut with loads of festival appearances this summer. I cant wait.
Myspace
Mumford & Sons-Liar
Mumford & Sons-Roll away your stone
new tour to be announced soon for the end of the month :D

3. Kid Cudi
Picture the scene. Front of the 02 arena, after queing for 4 hours outside we still had another 2 hours+ to wait for Kanye with no santogold to look forward to, the crowd was tired. Thn Kid cudi came on. He only played for about 10 minutes, exploding onto the stage with a crazy energy that had the crowd proper up (in contrast to all the other GOOD music artists). A Kid Named Cudi is an awesome mixtape, almost album quality. Admittedly he doesnt have the best flow in the world (lupe/andre 3k for me), but he is extremely versatile, he can actually sing (ahem Kanye), he is a good rapper, and a witty lyricist. The Crookers remix of Day N nite is already huge (people seem to think its the original). The best of Kanyes proteges for sure, he is going to be massive. Spring 2009 for his debut :D
Myspace
Website
Crookers-Embrace the Martian (feat. Kid Cudi)
Kid Cudi-Man on the moon (the anthem)

4. Kid Sister
Kid Sister is a Chicago rapper, not a GOOD music artist, but another highly tipped Kanye protege rapper. Her debut (whcih has bene forever postponed) features Kanye, the count and sinden, david banner and estelle, and sees production from A-Trak (her boyfriend and frequent touring mate), Kanye West, the count and sinden, the neptunes and spank rock. She is like the US Lady Sov, but 100 times better, with awesome flow, voice and lyrics. Cant wait for Dream date/A force to be recognised (no-ones quite sure of the name).
Myspace
Kid Sister-Pro Nails (feat. Kanye West)
Kid Sister-Pro Nails (Rusko Remix)

5. Empire of the Sun
These already have and Ossie only released album, but they are new to the US/UK. The band are a synthy, electronic duo sounding like a tone down less mental version of MGMT, the lead singers voice is strikingly similar to the singer in MGMT. They are not quite as good, but their dreamy tranquil style makes for a really nice album, and (Annie Mac is already playing them) it wont be long before they storm into the Radio 1 Playlist.
Myspace
Empire of the Sun-Walking on a dream

6. White Lies
Just to reiterate, this list is most definately not in order. White Lies have received a huge amount of hype, but a huge amount of it is deserved. They are similar to Joy Division, and Editors, big boots to fill but i am confident they fully can. Depressed, a bit grungy, a bit dark but awesome lyrically and musically, I cant really describe how excited i am about this band...
Only 1 week til the albums out, its streaming online all over the place but im gonna wait.
Myspace
White Lies-From the Stars

7. Wale
Wale has been around forever now, but with an album finally slated for release this album, I expect big things from the Washington rapper. He's released a mixtpae a year since 2005, another (back to the feature) is coming in 2009 before his debut, but is takig his sweet time about an album. Wale is so hotly tipped due to his intelligence and originality, the Kramer for example is perhaps a song youd expect from someone with a few more than 24 years. With Ronson by his side, Wale has featured on remixes of Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse and Duffy, and famously rapped of DANCE. Expect big production, and (i think) a feature light album. Srsly cant wait for this.
Myspace
Wale- The Freestyle (Roc Boys)
Wale-W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.

8. The Big Pink
Only heard the one song, but already loving this band, droning vocals mixed with cool effects, guitars and a dancy feel.
Myspace
The Big Pink-Too young to love

9. Passion Pit
"Passion Pit make colourful and cerebral electronica, combining layers of sunny vocals, warped samples, glitchy beats and euphoric effects with a sturdy rhythmic backbone. "
from BBC, pretty good summary
Another MGMT esque band, think that might be a trait of the new bands this year. Sleepyhead is a huge tune.
Myspace
Passion Pit-Sleepyhead

10. Tony Williams
Last but mos def not least is Kanyes frequent backing singer and GOOD Music artist. He has such a sweet voice, and his most famous for his appearances on Kanye West’s’ "Spaceship," "I’ll Fly Away," "Drive Slow," "We Major" and "Everything I Am." Has also sung on Common, Nas and Jay-Z songs, and is now ready to release some music of his own! King of the Fool is "coming soon".
Myspace
Tony Williams-Dreaming of your love

i am going to be using mediafire for a while now, until i can sort out hotlinkfiles
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its mental, download the mp3 and watch the video below



Jamie T-Fire Fire
and my favourite from Panic Prevention
Jamie T-Back in the Game

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One of the vast amounts of new wayne tracks around on the internet. this a pharrell collab/production, its brilliant. Link below

Lil' Wayne-Yes feat. Pharrell
"The f is for fenominal" I hope thats a joke.

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hugely welcome return to form for scrubs first 2 eps of season 8. granted its hardly at its peak (s3 for me) but its truly back on course to make a great and fitting final season. ep1 was pretty good and funny, but ep 2 was amazing, classic scrubs formula of humour and sadness...and using i will follow you...what could go wrong tbh? couple of sneak peeks below for upcoming eps 3 and 4, dont read the episode descriptions that are about unless you want to be spoiled...


check the podcast here...listening atm, aparently its really good
Death Cab For Cutie-I Will Follow You Into Dark

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Below is a nice little video, with the actors talking about their characters:


there are loads and loads of spoilers about and loads of sneak peeks for the first couple of episodes. my advice=dont read the spoilers, some pretty big stuff happens in ep 3 or 4 i think and thats only a week away (2 eps per week i think) so theres almost no point.
Can't wait for wednesday when I can watch it! I have such faith that this is going to be awesome.

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am i too old for this?
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i remembered seeing this back in the day and searched it on youtube...
eminem & dido-stan live on totp

2009 is going to be eminems year
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Good luck to him. Bit of a surprise, as no-ones really heard of him...very inexperienced but shouldnt be judged until hes actually been in a few episodes.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a139875/matt-smith-to-be-next-doctor.html
Who is Matt Smith...even the BBC doesnt know...




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Top Artists:

1. Death Cab
2. Kanye/Coldplay
3. Jay-Z
4. The Streets
5. Vampire Weekend
6. Lupe Fiasco
7. Hot Chip
8. Milburn
9. The Last Shadow Puppets
10. Stars
11. KoL
12. Cut Copy
13. Bon Iver
14. MGMT

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So i pussied out and couldnt choose a no.1 but these are my top 10.





loads almost made it....

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The remains found in 1991 are confirmed as those of Tsar Nicholas 2 after DNA analysis.
this was the only notable album released this month, i was very disappointed.At least it was grower...from awful to bad...





Phew...3 days late but finally finished...

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Obama won!
reposted after removal

1. Kanye West-808s and Heartbreaks
I wont write alot here, because it will end up turning into a rant ( a postive one), so if your interested, here are my initial thoughts on Kanyes 4th.
I now admit this isnt a hip-hop album, it is almost undefinable. Its a pop album i suppose, but nothing like any pop albums before it.
Best track: Kanye West-Welcome to Heartbreak feat. Kid cudi (no link im afraid)
Bonus: Young Jeezy-Put On (feat. Kanye West) his verse on this is ridiculous, and a brilliant set up for 808s...
2. Q-Tip-The Renaissance
2008 was a year of hip-hop discovery for me, a year of A Tribe Called Quest discovery and in turn Q-Tip's awesomeness. This album is fantastic. Its such a positive record, both lyrically and musically. Gettin Up (one of the 2 Dilla productions) is so chilled and upbeat its brilliant. Other highlights include Move (the other Dilla production, Jackson 5 sampling), and Believe (my favourite) and a classic chillout hip-hop song. It was so lovely to have an uplifting hip-hop album this month after being depressed by 808s darkness haha! After 9 years away from releasing his own music, Q-Tip is firmly back on top of hip-hop.
Best track: Q-Tip-Believe (feat. D'Angelo)
Bonus: A Tribe Called Quest-Luck of Lucien
Aparently he will be on one of the 3 new Prince albums this year!
Metacritic (81)
3. The Killers-Day and Age
Another disappointing album, and now my overexcitement has died down probably their worst so far. I was so excited for this album, but its a dud. The first 3 tracks are awesome, electronic classic Killers, but after that the album falls flat. With the excpetion of I Cant Stay, the remainding tracks blend into obscurity. Bloody hell that was negative.
Best track: The Killers-Losing Touch
4. Beyonce-I Am...Sasha Fierce
Beyonce also released her worst album to date, with a double album to represent herself (I Am...with big ballads a la If I were A Boy but much worse and boring!) and her alter ego (Sasha Fierce, upbeat tunes a la Single Ladies). The first half of the album may as well be chucked away, Beyonce has made much better slow songs (Irreplaceable for one), but it has always been her upbeat tunes that I have liked. Sasha Fierce provides 2 awesome examples of this in Single Ladies and Diva. Although im not quite sure of the lyrical gist of single ladies, its a big tune. And Diva I probably just like because the beat is as close to A Milli you can get without actually sampling it. Bangladesh produced A Milli and Diva surprisingly enough. Her vocals are actually brilliant on it. Anyway, it has nothing on her first 2 albums in terms of consistency, and it is lacking a BIG guest appearance from Jay-Z! I am hoping for a Diva remix with him sparring with her about being a hustler or some shit.
Best track: Beyonce-Diva
Metacritic (62)
5. T.I.-Paper Trail (UK release)
Not listened to this enough yet to make a full judgement, but not a huge fan on first couple of listens. Live your life is a ridiculously good song though, and Whatever You Like although badly written and generally silly is also great. Not quite sure of the moral message of Live your life, but its so infectiously good I cant complain.
Best track: Live your life feat. Rihanna
Metacritic (73)

Ludacris also released a feature saturated album this month. T.I, T-Pain, The Game, Rick Ross, Chris Rock, Chris Brown, Jamie Foxx, Lil Wayne, Nas, Jay-Z and common are just a few of the artists on the album. Its still pretty rubbish. The Nas/Jay-Z featured track is by far the best song, the Nas verse is brilliant.
Ludacris-I Do It For Hip-Hop (co-starring Nas and Jay-Z)
"They say I’m so low key, I’m socially awkward
Only those that really know me are the ones that I talk with
They smile in the light, hate in the dark,
you call it beef, to me its's just a fuckin’ walk in the park
Because you are who you are when nobody is looking
That's who you are so when the cash and cars is gone, the day after tomorrow
Don’t be askin’ to borrow, ski maskin’ it hard, like the way you rap in your bars
I could ride on you and whoever, devise new endeavors
I’m as live as hive full of predators
Twenty thousands different species of bees
Some half poisonous sting, some just pollinating their leafs
It's just like rap, some will buzz some will attack, compromising their own life in fact
Sixteen years since my first sixteen, pardon the rest of my niggas
But I’m the best whoever did it" Nas
I bought Illmatic for £3.60 from zavvi yesterday, good times.


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Global financial crisis has huge negative effects on Iceland, and many British charities and local councils who had invested in high interest Icelandic banks fear for their savings.

1. Oasis-Dig Out Your Soul
Bit of a winner by default, as it was the only album this month that superseded my expectations. I actually think it's their best in a long time, after not expecting much at all. Noel Gallagher is a good songwriter, and his work is most definately the strong point of this album. The first 4 tracks are awesome, guitar led beasts, and all incidentally written by Noel. I'm Outta Time, though lauded by some, is trying a little too hard to be a classic Oasis ballad, and fails. Falling Down is undoubtedly one of the album highlights, and shows the continued disparity in songwriting talent between the brothers. Come to think of it, I love all the Noel written songs on the album, and am indifferent to the rest! Oasis wouldn't work without Liam though...
Heading out on a huge stadium tour this summer, bound to be full of twats, but probably great anyway! Check out tickets here, there are quite a few left...
Best track:
Oasis-Bag it up
Metacritic (66)

2. Snow Patrol-A Hundred Million Suns
I was so excited for this album, and it was a big disappointment for me. I am one of the Snow Patrol fans who jumped on the bandwagon when Final Straw was released (one of my favourite albums ever). I enjoyed Eyes Open, I think its a good album, but in reflection it has nothing on Final Straw. It is a fairly bland album, and unfortunately AHMS is similar, but worse. There are some good tunes on it, but only the closer and opener show what this band are really capable of. The album doesnt show progression, and almost plays into the hands of their haters, those who label them boring Coldplay rip-offs. Its painful to be that critical, there are some enjoyable songs on it (the last track is epic for the record), but that is my perception. oh and take back the city is a big tune.
Best track: Snow Patrol-If there's a rocket tie me to it
Metacritic (67)

3. Sway-The Signature LP
This album doesnt really deserve to have a number next to it tbh. Its that bad imo. It has really depressed me to write that Snow Patrol bashing, so ill start on the good parts of the album:
Good bits: Fit 4 a King is a brilliant, almost epic build up tune, reminiscent of "this is my demo" (track) and F Ur X is an awesomely produced boy-girl sparring that plays right into sways lyrical wit and flow. Thats it.
Bad bits: Saturday Night Hustle is not the sort of track Sway should be on...its awful. Silver and Gold is possibly the worst song of 2008, Akon is so fucking annoying and fins it necessary to moan all over Sways verses and the production is horrible. All the other tracks. Even Upload (produced by the same guy who produced download) is weak.
The most annoying thing about this album is the fact that Sway is so damn talented. This is my demo is a great album, and in my view Sway (along with Kano) is the most talented rapper the UK has. In terms of lyrical wit, he has no competitior (see his feature on Harvey Nicks), but this album is godawful. Where was the rumoured Kanye production?!!! Cant see much improving as Sway is now signed to Akons label. Its not like he has even gained commercial success, the album debuted at no.51. grrr
Best track: Sway-Fit 4 a King



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LOL not quite, but all the reports say Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard are engaged!! How good a songwriter would their children be?!?! Collaboration album please! It wouldnt be a surprise, what with Ben's recent negative comments over a new Postal Service album. Can't see Death Cab going back in the studio for a while...
Ben Gibbard-You remind me of home
She&Him-Sentimental heart (my new favourite song in the world)
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READ HERE
Loving the inclusion of summer heights high and dead set. Skins at only 24 though? No fringe? Lost should be no.1!! oh and housewives should be higher!
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At 17.35 today, the new Doctor will be revealed on Doctor Who Confidential.
Patterson Joseph? Robert Carlyle? David Morissey? Alan Davies? Rhys Ifans? Chiwetel Ejiofor?
Catherine Zeta Jones?
Its all very exciting!!

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