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Monday, 8 December 2008

old skool monday #29

they have some great pop songs!!
"New Year" is a pop song written by British group Sugababes, and Jony Lipsey, Cameron McVey, Felix Howard, Matt Rowe and Paul Simm for their debut studio album One Touch (2000). It was co-produced by Lipsey, McVey and Simm.

The song was released as the album's second single in the winter of 2000 and reached the top fifteen in the United Kingdom, where it sold 75,000 copies. It also reached the top thirty on the Irish Singles Chart, but failed to make an impact on the singles charts elsewhere.
pretty impressive to have cowritten this when they were all only 16....they are actually all really good singers..well were..the group/band is completely different now! they still make the the odd great pop song, but nothing as good as their old stuff like this, overload and soul sound...link below

Sugababes-New Year
this is actually a pretty christmassey song

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Sunday, 7 December 2008

the eclipse part 2 recap...

nooooooooooooooooo. ok so Sylar was never gonna really die...when I first watched this episode for some reason I thought this was possible, and I also thought Clare might be dead for real. How was I so stupid?

I suppose the huge build up to the eclipse as a major event that would have massive repercussions for the Heroes etc etc made me believe 2 of the biggest characters in the show could be killed of within 10 seconds of each other! Turns out all their powers were just turned back on when the eclipse ended....what a ridiculous anticlimax. If it had happened in the night none of them would have even noticed!! My first opinion of this episode was that it was brilliant, up there with the best Heroes eps, but looking back it reeeaally wasnt that spesh...the fact that alot of the characters reminded me of their season 1 selves may have been a factor in my initial view of the epi.

the episode kicked off by picking up where we left off in Haiti, with Nathans kidnap by the Haitian (i love how we, and Peter!, still call him this, even when they are in Haiti...I wonder if he introduced himself at Primatech as "the haitian") brother. Nathan speaking French was hilarious, as in how bad it was, I really hope this was intentional...The Haitian is such a good character, and has been underused in the whole history of Heroes imo. I'm sure there is a very interesting story to be told about him. The way he killed his brother was horrible, having your memories removed until you cant remeber how to function is pretty dam nasty. Hope we see alot more of him int he big showdown coming up...After Peter and the Haitian busted him out, nathan decided to join Arthur anyway...This was so unbeliveable and illogical. his reasons for going to Pinehearst were so weak, and just didnt make sense! They could at least of had Tracy persuading him, that would have been far more believable. Peter without powers is becoming more and more likeable, and more like the good old Murse of old, whereas Nathan is getting more and more annoying. Nathan (when he appeared) was one of the more intersting aspects of s2, and early s3, with some signs of a complex character developing, but he now seems to have turned into exactly the same character/person he was towards the end of s1...Milo Ventimiglia is an awful actor though haha

Clare was rushed to hospital and drastically felt the effects of never having been ill before, no damn antibodies! sandra is such a good character, but before being faced with the moral dilemna of lying to the police, Clare died. bad times. Lucky for her the eclipse ended just in time and she came back to life. I wonder how long she could be dead, without her power, before its too late to bring her back. HRG spent the episode on a Sylar/Elle hunt. HRG was very much like the mysterious, sinister Arthur Bennett from season 1, and was great ij the whole episode. He is such a brilliant character when used well. After being rudely disturbed, Sylar and Elle hit the supermarket for some plasters, and Sylar tries to make them split already! Elle should have clocked on something was up then already...and then when he shoved her in the lift and sent her away, it may have been another sign that Sylar was not quite 100% committed to their relationship...Elle made a good point whilst getting bandaged up, HRG has all the power during the eclipse, and I guess Sylar being killed showed this, but this could have been developed more....The scene in which Sylar began to slit Noah's throat was awesome and very very interesting. HRG declares "They're not your parents" and claims Angela/Arthur are manipulating Sylar to use a ver powerful weapon on their repsective sides. There was a look of knowing in Elle's eyes when HRG was talking, i think he may be telling the truth. But then again, HRG is equally as capable of manipulation/lying than the Petrelli parents. Hiro then saved the day! "Bad man"! whisking elle and sylar to a random beach, and Clare back in time...I am reserving judgement on the "beach scene" until we discover Elle's fate. She had better not be.

I almost cant be arsed to wirte about Matt/Daphne as their story is becaoming so boring. Daphne had such great potential at the start of the season but the big "secret" surrounding her was such an anticlimax. I thought she was gonna be a murderer or summat. And Matt Parkman's character is systematically getting ruined by the awfully written, horribly unbelievable love story they have. i know I have previously applauded the matchup, but my mind has been 100% changed. Matt (for the last 2 series really) has been such a sap, and I feel I can no longer defend his character, a character i used to love. His hollow bumming of Daphne and insistence that "you are a good person" is so fucking annoying. and stupid!! when he calls her "sweetie" i just want Sylar to swoop in and smash his head open arghghghgh. there is still a chance for redemption for both these characters. if not this volume, then next (both will be in it).

Hiro and Ando on the other and have been reinvogorated towards the end of s3, and (again reminding me of s1, speaking japanese and reading comics) are now the loveable characters of old. Masi Oka is so good at playing Hiro. I hope he stays childlike for a long while!! Seth Green and the other comic book guy were also great, such good cliches of comic book guys!! I wonder who has the final 9th wonder story? this could be v.important.

I cant be arsed to talk about Mohinder, he is so so so so so so so fucking annoying. things: 1) how the hell could he beat up/kill Flint? A huge, aggressive, angry thug vs a wimpy, pathetic scientist? really? 2) is Maya gonna proper come back? seems pointless to have her appearing if shes not...

only 1 bloody sneak peek for next week...here you go..not that exciting tbh

Friday, 5 December 2008

prospekts march ep + liveeeeeee

Coldplay were amazing on Saturday. First date on the UK arena tour, so so goood! Check out this budding young journalist/sociology student/waste Sean's review on his blog here download new song "glass of water" from their recent ep "prospekts march" by clicking below...

Coldplay-Glass of Water

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new laura marling

pretty sweet. new album next year? apparently shes been playing loads of new stuff live. click below to get the mp3...

Laura Marling-No Hope in The Air

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the renaissance

..is brilliant. great album. production duties shared by ronson, j dilla and q-tip himself, its a great chilled out album, a 10 year wait since his first! it has been very well received by fans and critics. click below to download my favorite track below
here is my current fave
Q-Tip-Believe (feat. D'Angelo)

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repost: thoughts on 808s

At the moment, i feel like i owe Kanye an apology. I may not have written it on here, but I was worried about this album. Love Lockdown never hit me like other Kanye singles have, I couldnt wait for this album, but i was scared it would not live up to the sort of magic he is capable of. I listened to the haters, I thought it might be a poor T-Pain rip off, a showcase of Kanye's poor singing. I needn't of been scared. this album is ridiculously good. It is definitely a different direction to anything he's done before, a move away both musically and lyrically from the heavy sampling fast flowing egotistical Kanye of his past 3 albums. This album is much more personal, and (admittedly my rap/hiphop knowledge is pretty limited) the most vulnerable/personal hip-hop album I have ever heard. Kanye has been heartbroken, both by his well publicised split with Alexis Phifer and obvi the death of Donda West. This album is almost as if Kanye is having a mid life crisis at the age of 31. Kanye has lost his fiancee, and his mum, he is a lonely, bitter guy and this is translated brilliantly on this record.

Say you Will kicks the album off telling a girl "dont say you will, you do", presumably to Alexis, its an awesome tune, really low-key start which suits the rest of the album, i like the interpretation given by "beatalchemist" on songmeanings. "Welcome to Heartbreak" is one of the album highlights for me, with kanye pondering his loneliness, comparing himself to his friend. While his friend is celebrating his children, all Kanye can show off are his material possessions. Lyrically this is awesome, and the production (as on the whole album) is classic kanye brilliance. Love Kid Cudi's chorus as well, woul have been nice if he couldve had a verse, but i guess it would have taken away from the personal meaning of the song...Heartless (single no.2) just keeps growing on me. this is the closest to the "old Kanye" on the album, witty lyrics and great production, and rapping! track4 sees another personal highlight for me "Amazing" with young Jeezy, with the best use of the 808 on the album, Kanye shows that cocky persona is still there, and Jeezys verse is actually awesome. Check out this live video i posted of amazing and put on. Kanyes verse in put on is just ridiculously good, almost like a set up to this album. Anywho, after love lockdown (which does sound better in the context of the album), mr hudson guests and co-produces on paranoid. This was originally gonna be Kid Cudi, but Mr Hudson replaced him! love this song so much, reflecting on his relationship and basically how it broke up i guess. awesome production on this, the music almost reflects his bitterness and frustration with Alexis. Robocop is another brilliant track, my current favorite, continuing the theme of paranoid, with Kanye explaining that "Shorty kinda crazy but it turn me on" haha. Robocop is definitely single/club material. Street Lights is so chilled its brilliant and Bad News, despite maybe a little too much autotune effects, is great. See You In My Knightmares with Weezy makes Barry Bonds look like a joke freestyle, Lil Wayne sings the riff really well! More depressing but brilliant stuff. Coldest Winter is about Donda, its heartfelt, its great.

Overall, a fantastic album. people shouldn't be so dismissive of thus album because its not the hip-hop Kanye has produced before. What other hip-hop artists are this innovative and brave to make such a vulnerable and alternative album?

just because its funny...
50s views on 808's
""I heard, like, seven songs. There's a place for it. I think people will enjoy it if you're actually in love or going through something. I think Kanye's going through an interesting point in his career.
"I don't think the public will forgive (West) for it, but it's interesting. I think it's T-Pain's record, but I'd rather buy it from T-Pain.""

Lol, i dont think people in love would particularly enjoy this record for this reason. the vast majority of this record is about being out of love. 50 cent could never make a record like this. he probably would never be able to articulate his feelings into even one song, except for liking money and fit girls. (NB i do love i get money/pimp(snoop remix)/in da club/21 questions/window shopper/heat/ayo technology) but apart from that 50 has never made a good song.

repost; DmCA takedown. i find it very unfair that the DMCA only seems to remove posts about huge artists like kanye, coldplay and the killers who have huge no.s of fans and money, rather than small artists who are potentially hurt by illegal file sharing on blogs. anyway, links have been removed...sorryyy

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Wednesday, 3 December 2008

about to die of excitement: first sneak peek at s5 of lost

who got the court order for the blood sample eh? my guess is either jack (on bens orders, to get kate to go back to the island), or sun to try and reveal the lie theyre telling, or widmore, or abbadon, or jezza bezza. you never reeeealy know with lost. :D
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Monday, 1 December 2008

review of the year: january

Snow falls in Baghdad for the first time in over 100 years

A countdown of my favorite albums from January 2008! counting the albums original UK release date. Lupe fiasco's The Cool was only released in the UK in January but i consider it last year, and IN Rainbows is most definately 2007 not 2008 for me anyways...

Vampire Weekend-Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend are the band of 2008. Their amazing blend of pop, rock, indie, with African influences have created the much publicised brand of "afro-pop" that the band have become renowned for. The mainstream indie scene was dead (by this I mean the indie on radio1's playlist). The Pigeon Detectives had long since revealed themselves as one trick ponys, the Wombats UK release was disappointing, the View never matched wasted little dj's etc etc you get the point. Vampire Weekend's sound is so fresh and exhilarating, they pumped life back into the scene, with energy and originality. Even after hearing A-Punk a zillion times, it is still as great as when I first heard it. There is no bad song on this album. This album has no dips, it is pure brilliance from Mansard Roof to The Kids Dont Stand A Chance. I may have been exaggerating when I said they could be playing arenas on their second album tour, but a couple of main stage slots at the festys next year and it might not sound so far fetched. Having seen them 4 times this year, they are well worthy of their growing live reputation. Ezra's voice is also amazing. I can't believe at the start of the year i was in 2 minds over who was better, VW or MGMT!!! So difficult to pick a favourite from the album!, but here goes...

Favourite song: Vampire Weekend-Bryn
Bonus: Vampire Weekend-Walcott (Insane Mix)
Reviews by proper people:
Pitchfork (8.8/10)
The Guardian (4/5)
watch the Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa video, its brilliant, proper East Coast preppyness here, but then turning into Vampires! i'd love to live somewhere like that! the house is amazing

2. MGMT-Oracular Spectacular
A very deserving number 2 for MGMT. First things first, this summer saw 2 disappointing live performances by the band, at Glasto and Leeds by the band. Live music is so important to me that it is difficult not to let it put a dampener on my enjoyment of this album. I still think this is a brilliant album. Similarly to Vampire Weekend, MGMT have a unique sound (in the mainstream anyway) described by Pitchfork.. "MGMT find kindred spirits in Muse and Mew by dressing their melodies in the fanciful trappings of 1970s British prog, but unlike their contemporaries the duo also weaves in lessons from disco, new-wave synth-pop, and early 90s Britpop.". Unlike, "Vampire Weekend", Oracular is far from perfect. Whilst Time to Pretend, Kids, Electric Feel and the Youth are anthemic and brilliant, 4th dimensional transition and the handshake fall flat. But the superb "Future Reflections" rounds it all up superbly. Lyrically the duo have immense potential, the lyrics to Time to Pretend are fantastic, as are those to Kids imo. Their next move is gonna be so interesting, could be awful or epic. Only time will tell...My favourite song on this album was always Kids, until it got released as a single...I'll always remember the Skins trailer for the Jal episode, with Chris being wheeled away on a hospital bed, with "Kids" as the music, ah dear. Perfect. Anyway, a little too much radio1 whoring of Kids/Time to pretend has turned me towards The Youth (even though they are probably better tracks!) as my selected track from this album.
Best track: MGMT-The Youth
Bonus: MGMT-Electric Feel (Justice Remix)
Reviews by journos:
Pitchfork (6.8/10)
IGN (9.6/10)

3. Lightspeed Champion-Falling off the Lavender Bridge
Dev Hynes, formerly of Test icicles, is an absolute don. Taking large influence from Bright Eyes (he was watching Conor and the band at Leeds festy!, ignoring the attentions of some random hot girl beside him!) can never be a bad thing. Though Dev's lyrics are never going to be as deep, dark, sinister and altogether amazing as Conor's he gives a damn good go. This is a pretty strong album lyrically and musically it is lovely. The chords are so nice, simple yet beautiful, and come to think of it this album has a number of fantastic songs. Midnight Surprise is an amazing piece, Galaxy of the Lost, Tell me what its worth, dry lips...the list goes on of awesome songs on the album! No real bad songs come to think of it. He is awesome live as well, saw him in a half empty leadmill where he was brilliant and a half empty NME tent at leeds where he was also very good. Looking forward to new material next year maybe? He also seems like a eally really really nice guy lol.
Best track: Lightspeed Champion-Midnight Surprise
Bonus: Lightspeed Champion-Galaxy of the Lost (Bo$$ in Drama Remix)
also, check out his regularly updated blog, its pretty cool.

Honourable Mention: Chris Walla-Field Manual

Funny story. I typed "CHR" into my itunes to have a quick listen before writing on here...but ended up getting distracted by Chris Brown's "With You". How much does that tell you about this album? actually not alot, with you is a big tune! Chris Walla (Death Cab's guitarist if you didnt know) is an amazing producer (see Transatlanticism), a brilliant guitarist (see every Death Cab album), and a great pianist (see the majority of DCFC piano songs). 1 Big problem with his debut solo record is his voice. I don't like being mean to someone who i have a huge amount of respect for, but his voice is really weak, strainy and often sounds like he had a serious sore throat when recording this album. Also, although the lyrics aren't awful, Chris could do with getting (alot) of tips off lead songwriter Gibbard if he ever makes a second album...there are some really nice songs though, "sing again" and "geometry &C" are pretty good, but the album as a whole just doesnt hold up! Stick to the producing/guitaring please Chris! I feel sorry for him, he hasn't even been able to tour this album yet. It had been pretty highly anticipated for ages, but he wasnt even able to properly promote it as Death Cab took over all his time. Maybe next year eh?
Best track: Chris Walla-Sing Again
Bonus track: Death Cab For Cutie-This Charming Man (back in the day when Chris was allowed to sometimes sing lead vocals, this cover is so bad its good :D)

gigs this month
ermmm none i can remember.

This month in Music according to wikipedia

february on its way!

old skool monday #28

i know i cant afford to stop, for a mooooooment
The King of intelligent hip-hop. Almost 10 years since Black on Both Sides came out, Mos Def will be releasing his 4th solo album "The Ecstatic" with production from Kanye West and J Dilla amongst others (Feb 2009). here is his most famous song, Ms. Fat Booty. the Aretha Franklin sample is genius. his influences include the roots, de la soul, a tribe called quest. he has influenced kanye and lupe. enough said. i was gonna choose the roots' distortion to static, but mos def's "brooklyn" came on on shuffle on my ipod so i went for this. enjoy...

Mos Def-Ms. Fat Booty
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heroes the eclipse part one, the non review

im crap i know, but i have had nooo time to write a recap/review of the latest heroes episode. this isreally annoying for me. expect the next episode to be done and dusted for friday.
read about what happened in "the eclipse part one" here
only 2 more episodes left! daphne is a cripple! no-one has any powers! elle and sylar! haitian has a brother! claire got shot and it hurt! HRG is aiming at Sylar and Elle! dont let the exclamation marks fool you into thinking it was a spectacular episode. it was decent, but nothing spesh. arthurs drawings at the start made the majority of the ep predictable tbh
only 1 bloody sneak peek for next week!
promo #1

looks awesome
promo #2

as if clares gonna die lol
sneak peek

this episode is gonna be big
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