Friday 30 November 2012

UNEARTHING MUSICAL GEMS - TFIF Five! (30/11/12)


TFIF!!! To celebrate the end of the week I thought I'd do a quick blog for the first 5 tracks that came up after shuffling my iPod. This week's selection is totally random rather than a shuffle within a particular playlist (as I've done previously for the two specials (rock and disco) that I published.

So...without further ado....

1) Picking Up The Pieces - Paloma Faith
YouTube Amazon
Whether you think she madder than a hatstand or not, Paloma Faith has one hell of a voice. I'd not seen the video for this song until doing this blog, but immediately spotted the stunning Golden Ball and West Wycombe Park, which are local to me, being used a backdrop. Telling the story of a woman whose boyfriend is still in love with his ex, this is the first release from her second album, "Fall To Grace".

2) Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
YouTube Amazon
A 1981 classic from the legends that are The Police. Despite only having three members, The Police never sound like they are lacking in any way, I think partly due to the phenomenal drumming of Stewart Copeland. The demo version of the song, pre-1981, can apprently be heard on Strontium 90: Police Academy, and the final version has been used over and over on film and TV ever since.

3) Raspberry Beret - Prince and The Revolution
YouTube Amazon
Ah, the original purple pixie! From the album, "Around The World In A Day", this featured Middle Eastern finger cymbals and strings (most notably a violin) and came before Prince had an identity crisis and changed his name to something unpronounceable. He was a keen advocate of pushing the boundaries of sexually explicit lyrics - I remember listening to "Darling Nikki" and being mortified at the time, although of course no one would bat an eyelid nowadays. Anyway, this is a jaunty little song with some rather tame lyrics for Prince...

4) Heaven For The Weather - The Streets
YouTube Amazon
From the now-defunct The Streets' 2008 album, "Everything Is Borrowed", this one was particularly good live due to the ascending baseline. This was the last single released from that album, with only two others being released, and a studio album, before the band called it a day. Mike Skinner, the lead singer and synth programmer, is now part of The D.O.T., a more dance focused band that provided some of the soundtrack for The Inbetweeners Movie.

5) Going For Gold - Shed Seven
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Released at the height of the Britpop era, and a rather downbeat indie effort, this was arguably Shed Seven's best known song and is their biggest seller, reaching Number 8 in the UK charts. With the media circus that was the battle between Blur and Oasis, Shed Seven just quietly got on with it. Sadly that might not have been the best ploy for them.

So, just a quickie today because I have another gig review coming out over the weekend....watch this space..! :-)

So what did you think of them? Send me a comment below!

Monday 26 November 2012

ALBUM REVIEW - Deftones, "Koi No Yokan"


It has been almost two and a half years since their last album, but the Deftones are back with a vengeance with their 7th studio album.

Hailed as a resounding success by Deftones' fans, Koi No Yokan takes no prisoners, being slightly reminiscent of their much-revered album, White Pony from which their Grammy winning track Elite came. It seems more cohesive than the last album, Diamond Eyes, perhaps due, in part, to the turmoil that the Sacramento band were going through at the time. Bassist Chi Cheng had been involved in a car accident that had tragically left him in a coma, and he had been temporarily replaced with Sergio Vega. The band took the decision to put Eros on hold (the album that they had been working on with Cheng), and replace it with something that would better represent the new line up. The resulting Diamond Eyes album was safe, conservative and, at times, slightly laboured.

But Koi No Yokan sees the band returning to their former glory, keeping the listener on their toes by sweeping from the antagonistic to the ethereal. In the opener, Swerve City, the bass is more assured and skips aggressively around the crashing drums and anthemic vocals. The song will surely be a winner in a live setting. Keeping up with the same theme, Romantic Dreams cleverly switches between time signatures whilst the rock-steady drums and bass compete with Chino Moreno's pleading vocal and Stephen Carpenter's euphoric guitar.

The following Leathers is one of the shining stars of the album, with the delicate intro lulling the listener into a false sense of security before a brash vocal and guitar combo crashes in and punches the eardrums. Once again the song contains anthemic, tormenting vocals against a backdrop of heavy guitar riffs, with Moreno urging someone to come out of their shell and reveal themselves. In the following track, the choice of using programmed claps at the start of Poltergeist over the heavy bass and guitar riff seems strange, but in a funny kind of way it seems to work, giving way to a strong performance by Carpenter on guitar.

Entombed serves to calm the frenetic haze of the previous tracks, uniting angst-ridden lyrics about being under someone's spell with soothing guitar riffs. The combination of programmed beats from Frank Delgado and live beats from Abe Cunningham work well. However, whilst the song is perfectly placed, it is slightly drawn out. But no matter, the following Graphic Nature is another triumph, building on the lyrical theme of the previous track, but with stronger guitars, bass and drums.

In Tempest, the listener is once again soothed with the intro before heavy bass and insistent vocals compete for air, with the fantastic Gauze bringing up the rear and sending the band into a rhythmic mantra with Moreno spitting lyrics out in a one-sided argument. To bring perspective, the pulsating and moody Rosemary once again starts in a vapour of rhythmic guitars and samples, with Moreno's angst clearly on display as a metaphoric plane crash ensues.

Penultimate track, Goon Squad, is dark and ambient to start with, giving way to angry vocals and heavy guitars and bass. It is, however, laboured, and loses its impact because of this. Fortunately, What Happened To You? is very different, being less of a dirge and very unusual compared to the other tracks, and ends the album in a cloud of soaring guitars, unusual drumming and harmonious vocals.

So it seems that the Deftones are back on form and raring to seize the world by its throat. It will be interesting to see how this album pans out when they play it live, particularly due to the anthemic qualities, and the contrast between light and dark in the tracks. Overall this is a great album, and a surefire winner for Deftones fans.

My review score: 8/10

Have you heard the album? What did you think? Leave your comments below...

GIG REVIEW - Crystal Castles at the Brixton Academy


Brixton Academy, 24th November 2012
No support


For me, Crystal Castles is one of those bands that must be seen live to be appreciated. Whilst their albums tick all the boxes when it comes to punky electronica, a fifth dimension is added when those tracks are heard in the confines of a dark, sweaty festival tent or gig venue, because you experience their rib-shaking bass overlaid with ear-splitting chiptune synth in all of its glory.

I'd heard great things about Bo Ningen, their Japanese punk band support act, so I pitched up early, ready to see what was on offer. On entering the Academy the stage was already occupied by an old skool style DJ, complete with obligatory female in white hotpants who was raving and shaking her beer. The support time slot came and went, and the DJ continued. I took to Twitter to investigate, and all I could glean was that Crystal Castles had decided that they didn't want a support act tonight. Slightly baffled, I carried on nodding my head to the DJ set until he disappeared. Then finally, quite a lot later than planned, Ethan Kath, Alice Glass and their live drummer took to the stage in a frenzy of lights and synths, kicking off their set with Plague from their new album, (III).

As Alice shrieked and cursed through the first few songs it was apparent that something wasn't quite right. There were silences, and Alice seemed pre-occupied. It was at that point she knelt and lit some candles on the stage next to some flowers. She finally raged, "There's no hell. There's no heaven. There's f***ing nothing." She was visibly upset about something.

The band seemed to rally at this, and they powered through tracks from all three albums. In a haze of furious drums, ferocious bass, raging synths and snarled lyrics, Alice threw herself around the stage and into the crowd, and then climbed on top of the drum kit in a swirl of lights and spat out the lyrics to Crimewave. The sound was phenomenal, probably because the sound guy was banging and bouncing like a mad thing at the sound desk, and you could see that he was absolutely absorbed in the music and sound. It is not often you see the sound guy raving like a club DJ, and it magnified how easy it is to get caught up in the live Crystal Castles experience.

The biggest crowd pleasers of the night were Celestica and Not In Love, the latter of which finished their set, with the band disappearing, without a word, backstage. The crowd seemed a bit confused, but eventually started baying for the band to come back out for more. Finally they returned to top off the night with three further tracks, two of which were from the new album (Insulin and Sad Eyes). And then they disappeared, again without a word, although I should point out this is not particularly unusual for Crystal Castles. Again the crowd were slightly baffled, unsure as to whether the band would appear for a second encore, but it was not to be, and the crowd shuffled out.

It bothered me that there was something amiss, something lacking, that you normally see at a Crystal Castles gig. I couldn't put my finger on what it was, but it felt a bit like the band were going through the motions, certainly in the first part of the set. Following further investigation I now know that the band tragically lost a friend the day before the gig to terminal cancer, hence the candles, flowers, the silences and Alice's rant. How they performed at all I will never know, but given the circumstances, and on reflection, I think that they gave their all for the gig in very difficult circumstances.

Whilst it wasn't the best Crystal Castles gig I've been to, it was still memorable. I hope Ethan and Alice take comfort in the fact that they did their friend, who was an avid Crystal Castles fan, proud.

My review score: 8/10

Did you see the gig? What did you think? Leave your comments below...

Friday 23 November 2012

UNEARTHING MUSICAL GEMS - 70s Disco Special No. 1 (23/11/12)


After last week's genre-specific blog (it was a Rock Special, so if you missed it you can find it here), I thought I'd do another one in a very different genre today. So this week's Musical Gems are all 70s Disco tracks. It's No.1 of the series, so expect to see more over the coming months.

As always, the tracks are generated by my ipod on its shuffle setting, so there's no rhyme or reason to the order, or as to why certain songs don't appear yet. That's the beauty of my Unearthing Musical Gems blogs, they are completely random!

So without further ado, here is the first batch...

1) Best Of My Love - The Emotions
YouTube Amazon
Released in 1977, this song was composed by some of the members of another legendary disco band, Earth, Wind and Fire, and won both a Grammy and an American Music Award. It has been used in many films and has been covered by everyone from Mary J Blige to Christina Milian to Sheena Easton to CJ Lewis (the latter reaching no.13 in the UK charts in 1994).

2) More, More, More - Andrea True Connection
YouTube Amazon
Sung by a porn star and initially released only to discos in 1975, this song went on to be a chart hit, reaching the top ten in the UK, USA, Canada and Ireland and the top 25 in Europe and Australia. It has subsequently been rerecorded by the likes of Samantha Fox, Bananarama, Rachel Stevens and Dannii Minogue, and sampled in numerous songs such as the 1999 hit by the band Led, "Steal My Sunshine".

3) Relight My Fire - Dan Hartman
YouTube Amazon
Yes, believe it or not, the original version of this song was NOT sung by Take That, but rather Dan Hartman, and was originally released in 1979. It was the follow up to Hartman's other disco smash, "Instant Replay", and featured the late legendary vocalist Loleatta Holloway in the "Lulu bits". In terms of sales it didn't match those of Take That's version, but outlived Take That's two week stay at Number One in the UK charts by four weeks. Regardless of which version is played, it is a guaranteed floorfiller.

4) Never Can Say Goodbye - Gloria Gaynor
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Perhaps not quite as popular as her other disco chart topper, "I Will Survive", this track is still a stomping disco number. It was released in 1974 and was originally recorded by the Jackson 5 in 1971 before being recorded by Gaynor. It was subsequently released by The Communards in 1987 with Jimmy Somerville's distinctive falsetto starkly contrasting against Gaynor's soul diva vocal in the earlier version.

5) That's The Way (I Like It) - KC & The Sunshine Band
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Another disco smash, this track has been sampled in more than 32 other tracks, and covered at least 9 times, including by Dead Or Alive and Clock. Released in 1975, it was considered racy at the time because of the sexual connotations or the title track and the "uh-huh"s in the chorus (oh, how times change...).

6) Can You Feel It - The Jacksons
YouTube (original director's cut version) Amazon
Ok, so this is not strictly 70s disco as it was released in 1980, but is included here as one of the final disco smashes before anti-disco protesters finally had their way, and the takeover of disco as one of the premier genres of the era was halted, with punk/rock taking over. Whilst the video is fairly over-indulgent, the track itself has stood the test of time and can still fill a dancefloor in seconds.

7) Theme From Shaft - Isaac Hayes
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From the film, "Shaft" (obviously), this was recorded in 1971 and went straight to Number 1 in the US on its release. Both written and performed by Hayes, the song describes the film's lead character and, again, was considered risqué at the time. It has been used in many TV shows, has been parodied by Sesame Street, has been covered more than 16 times, and has been sampled more than 30 times in tracks such as "Get Down" by LL Cool J, "Street Tuff" by Rebel MC and Double Trouble, "100 Miles and Runnin'" by N.W.A., "Power To The People" by Public Enemy, "Lovely" by Bubba Sparxxx, and "Reservoir Dogs" by Jay-Z.

8) Movin' - Brass Construction
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A brass and synth lover's dream, this track was cut down from a 16 minute jam session which was recorded by the band in 1976. It is perhaps best known from the sample used in TLC's "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg", and The Bucketheads' track "Got Myself Together" in 1992 and 1995 respectively.

9) Every 1's A Winner - Hot Chocolate
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Featuring that distinctive rock guitar riff, this was as big a hit as "You Sexy Thing" but doesn't usually get as much airplay. This brings back memories of me and my Mum playing this at full volume to wind up my Stepdad because he absolutely hated Hot Chocolate (in fact he wasn't too keen on disco as a whole). This track was released in 1978 and followed their popular tracks such as "Brother Louie", "Emma" and "So You Win Again" as well as the aforementioned "You Sexy Thing".

10) Forget Me Nots - Patricia Rushen
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Ok, again this was not a 70s disco number, having been released in 1982 as a post-disco song, but it's often lumped into the disco genre due to its discoey feel. However the shift into the 80s is marked by the introduction of a short sax solo, prevalent in a lot of 80s pop, R&B and soft rock records. It has been sampled many times, most notably in "Fastlove" by George Michael and "Men In Black" by Will Smith.

So what did you think of today's selection? Comments? Criticisms? Did they stir any memories? Send me a comment below!

Monday 19 November 2012

UNEARTHING MUSICAL GEMS - Rock Special (19/11/12)


So, a new set of musical gems, this time all rock based to coincide with AC/DC's decision, finally, to make their back catalogue available for digital download. As of today you can get their tracks on iTunes with, I'm sure, others distributors to follow suit (although you still can't get them on Spotify).

There will be more rock gem blogs in the future so stay tuned. As always, the tracks are generated by my iPod completely randomly via its shuffle setting, so there's no specific order or reason as to why they're on here other than they've popped up from my indiscriminately from my rock playlist.

So here are the first ten...

1) Shake A Leg - AC/DC
YouTube iTunes
So, they've finally followed in the footsteps of The Beatles and have agreed to let iTunes sell their back catalogue after years of shunning the digital download world! I think they've probably realised that continuing to rely on physical sales alone and shunning downloads if futile, and they're hurting their pocket if they don't embrace it. Whether you like it or not, digital downloading is here to stay. So, putting AC/DC on shuffle, this was the first track to come out of my iPod. This one's from their 1980 album, Back In Black, which has sold 50 million physical copies worldwide, and probably a ton more now that it's available digitally. The Back In Black album was written as a tribute to Bon Scott, the Australian band's Scottish former lead singer who tragically died at the age of 33. The black album cover was to signal that the band was in mourning.

2) I Will Break You - Skunk Anansie
YouTube Amazon
This is a relentless distorted guitar fest! From their new album, "Black Traffic" this is a great track with some huge vocals from lead singer, Skin. If you haven't heard their album yet go and have a listen, it's well worth it. I'll be reviewing them live in December so look out for that.

3) As Heaven Is Wide - Garbage
YouTube Amazon
More guitar distortion and female vocals, this time from Garbage's first album, "Garbage" from 1995. The album was produced by Butch Vig, who also produced Nirvana's "Nevermind" and is a member of Garbage, and who just happens to be one of my favourite producers. Whilst this isn't my favourite Garbage track, I have to say that the first two Garbage albums, in particular, are fantastic. The thing I like about them is that they are not afraid to mix traditional rock with synths, programmed drums and other electronic devices. In the late nineties I wanted to be their lead singer, Shirley Mason! I just love her attitude.

4) Love In An Elevator - Aerosmith
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Ok, so maybe they're slightly cheesy, but Aerosmith have inspired even the hardest of hardcore rockers to play air guitar at one point or another! Released in 1989, the video for this track features Mötley Crüe guitarist Nikki Sixx's wife (she's the one who, at the beginning, asks Steve Tyler if he's going down...) and also Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry's wife (she's the topless one canoodling with him the in elevator), as well as various random characters such as Dorothy for the Wizard of Oz (God knows what that's about!).

5) Saturday Superhouse - Biffy Clyro
YouTube Amazon
From their 2007 album, "Puzzle", this is one of my favourite Biffy tracks (although I have quite a few of them). The cover art for the single featured a man on fire and was chosen after lead singer, Simon Neil, had suffered a bereavement. The entire sleeve was meant to represent anger, grief and sanity. The album climbed to Number 2 in the UK album chart.

6) B.Y.O.B - System Of A Down
YouTube Amazon
In acronym terms, "BYOB" usually means "bring your own beer", but SOAD have cleverly changed this to "bring your own bombs" in homage to the lyrical content of this track. Whatever your view on war, this track is a superbly tight heavy metal track, produced by Rick Rubin, from 2005. I particularly like Serj Tankian's cry of "Blast off! It's party time! And where the fk are you?!?!!!". I have a bit of a thing about people who are always late and I find it's particularly fulfilling to yell that at them as they arrive...although perhaps not so good to yell that at your boss....

7) Love Spreads - The Stone Roses
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From 1994, this track was the first single from their second album, "Second Coming". The song reached Number 2 in the UK chart and has been used on TV and in the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. Two videos were made for the track after their label was not happy with the first one (which featured home footage and hidden images amongst footage of member of the band dressed in various costumes).

8) Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
YouTube Amazon
As you can see, I have quite a liberal interpretation of "rock" as we have strayed into rock n roll...from the King himself, this was released in 1957 to coincide with the film of the same name, and was his 9th US Number 1. It came a year before he was drafted off into military service, and after he had signed a $25,000 record deal with RCA in 1955.

9) Club Foot - Kasabian
YouTube Amazon
Released in 2004 and from their debut album, "Kasabian", this track was written as a tribute to a Czech student who committed suicide as a political protest. It has been used in numerous films (including "Green Street", "District 13" and "The Guardian"), TV shows, and video games, as well as being used by Arsenal Football Club as a player entrance song. If you haven't seen this band live I would thoroughly recommend it as they are great.

10) If You Wanna - The Vaccines
YouTube Amazon
From their debut album, "What Did You Expect From The Vaccines", this was their third single and was officially released in March 2011, with a demo of the song having been released on YouTube in 2010 shortly after the band formed. The band immediately drew great reviews from the likes of Zane Lowe, The Guardian and Q magazine amongst others. I particularly like the urgency of this song, which is on a par with their first release of only one minute 24 seconds, "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)".

So that's today's set of rock gems! As I said, I'll continue the series at a later date, so stay tuned.

What did you think of today's selection? I'd love to hear from you so if you have comments, criticisms, or even general rants, post them below!

Rock image courtesy of marklar

Saturday 17 November 2012

Album Review: Loreen, "Heal"


Eurovision Song Contest entrants usually either sink without trace, or end up being ridiculed to the end of their days...or at least that's the way it tends to go in the UK. It wasn't always like that; acts such as Sandie Shaw, Lulu, Bucks Fizz, Celine Dion and, most notably, Abba were embraced by the British and had musical success, but since the nineties this seems to have taken a turn, and now the Eurovision is seen by some as somewhat of a poisoned chalice.

So it was with trepidation that I listened to this year's winning entry from Sweden, performed by Loreen. Whatever misconceptions I had were immediately extinguished, because "Euphoria" is an absolutely fantastic trance track. Heartened by the fact that I actually liked a Eurovision track, I found myself browsing her album, "Heal". And because my misconceptions were completely turned on their head I decided to do an album review... Here goes....!

First off, if you're looking for every song on Loreen's album to be a dancefloor filler like the mighty "Euphoria" you will be disappointed. Instead, the album shows off her versatility across several styles, from ballads to R&B to dance. It charts the journey through a relationship, from the excitement and anticipation at the beginning, to the complacency of the partner who fails to appreciate the other as the relationship progresses, to the doubts of whether the relationship is right, and finally concluding in its demise and all of the pain and bitterness that comes with it.

Kicking off the album with "In My Head", this is a great opener with an unusual beat and bassline combination which turns it into somewhat of an earworm, charting the dizzying euphoria felt in the first flushes of a romance. This is followed by the dancefloor friendly "My Heart Is Refusing" which is reminiscent of Avicii/Tim Berg and Afrojack, and contains a good singalong build up and chorus. It tackles the conflict of being in love and refusing to believe that there is a reason to mistrust your partner.

Loreen's vocals are unfaltering, and particularly exceptional in the third track, "Everytime". With an acoustic start it is a refreshing twist and a very beautiful, haunting, downbeat song. For me it is the jewel in the album and tells of the emotional struggle to leave someone. The mood is lifted by "Euphoria", the dance anthem with a slightly baffling ship fog horn at the start.

"Crying Out Your Name" is an upbeat song with another good singalong chorus, and describes the torment of searching for the answers to a crumbling relationship at the bottom of a bottle. "Do We Even Matter" follows, and continues the theme of questioning whether the relationship matters to her partner. In a strange way it reminds me slightly of "Mama" by Genesis.

The realisation that her partner is actually a snake hits her in the following "Sidewalk", which contains a dubstep style break that really suits the song. In the upbeat "Sober" she seems to have reconciled with her partner, hoping that it is not a temporary thing. But it clearly is with the inevitable acknowledgement of the "other woman" that follows in the R&B tinged "If She's The One", with her imploring her partner to make a choice.

A more upbeat "Breaking Robot" follows, where the final throes of the relationship are laid bare. This track is reminiscent of "Get Together" by Madonna in terms of style and contains some cracking vocals from Loreen. In an effort to get the toxic relationship out of her system she embarks on a one night stand "See You Again" (which again has hints of Avicii/Afrojack's style), with all the danger signs of a rebound relationship rearing their head in her desperation to see her conquest again.

The final song of the album, "Heal" is, for me, the weakest. It's a downbeat number in which the topic of trying to salvage a relationship is touched upon, but the lyrics lack the depth of those in the rest of the album, and the song feels more laboured and lacks the strong hook of some of the others. The song also seems out of place given the story that is told throughout the rest of the album.

Overall, this album contains some poignant lyrics that are conveyed articulately and passionately by Loreen. With a good mix of ballads and upbeat songs across different styles it shows that not all Eurovision winners should be written off by my fellow countrymen without at least giving them a listen. It's certainly changed my attitude!

Have you heard the album? What did you think? Leave your comments below...

Friday 9 November 2012

UNEARTHING MUSICAL GEMS - Fabulous Friday Fifteen (9/11/12)


It's Friday!! WOOOHOOOO!!! To celebrate I'm giving you fifteen, yes FIFTEEN!, little gems for you to start your weekend with.

So whether you're after some new music, or feeling like a trip down memory lane, I hope you'll find something you like in the following:

1) Real Love - Mary J Blige
YouTube Amazon
A 1992 R&B smash hit, giving Mary J Blige her first top ten US single, and was from her debut album, "What's the 411?" It reminds me of summer, for some reason.

2) Off The Wall - Michael Jackson
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I can't believe that this one is from 1979!! It came from MJ's fifth studio album, "Off The Wall" which spawned hits such as "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Rock With You" and the tear-jerker, "She's Out Of My Life". It was his first album working with soul legend, Quincy Jones.

3) Reeperbahn - Digitalism
YouTube Amazon
In a similar style to The Prodigy's dance/punk-electro/rock, but less aggressive, this is a great electronic track from Digitalism's second studio album, "I Love You Dude".

4) Oy - Gipsy Kings
YouTube Amazon
I'm loving the crowd action in the YouTube vid of this one. The Gipsy Kings' fans' version of a moshpit is a giant rumba session! Love it!!

5) Darts Of Pleasure - Franz Ferdinand
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This was actually Franz Ferdinand's debut single before their third, arguably best known single, "Take Me Out". Released in 2003, "Darts Of Pleasure" piqued the interest of John Peel, who proclaimed them "the saviours of rock and roll". They even managed to roll some German lyrics in at the end!

6) Little L - Jamiroquai
YouTube Amazon
This was the lead single from Jamiroquai's fantastic funk album, "A Funk Odyssey", and was allegedly written following Jay Kay's split with then-girlfriend Denise van Outen over his drug use. The album continued Jamiroquai's progression from acid jazz to a more disco-funk sound.

7) Superstylin' - Groove Armada
YouTube Amazon
Ahhhhh, I absolutely LOVE this song (as the 242 plays in my iTunes library confirm!). From their 2001 album, "Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)" this reggae tinged, funky electronic track (that description does them no favours, but I promise it's wicked) is an absolute stormer!

8) Coming Closer - Sub Focus
YouTube iTunes
Featuring Takura, who you might recognise from some of Chase & Status' tracks, this is a great dark dubstep track. I'm eagerly anticipating his next album following the debut album that was released in 2009, from which this track came.

9) Heart Of Glass - Blondie
YouTube Amazon
Another one from 1979! This track was an experimentation into a more disco type of vibe from their previous rock/pop classic, "Hanging On The Telephone", a move credited to Debbie Harry. It obviously worked because this track earned them their first Number 1 hit in the US and all over Europe.

10) Damaged - Plummet
YouTube Amazon
This is a fantastic trance track, albeit that the video is a tad strange!

11) Funky Shit - The Prodigy
YouTube Amazon
From The Prodigy's 1997 album, "The Fat Of The Land", this is full of electronic lasers and beats. Renowned for their mental live performances, the YouTube vid is was recorded live in Red Square. I'll be reviewing them live in December so watch out for that!

12) Can You Feel It - Mr Fingers
YouTube Amazon
Eighties deep house classic, "Can You Feel It", was released in 1986 and has been hailed as a song that defined the genre. It's been used on probably every 80s house compilation ever since...

13) New Song - Howard Jones
YouTube Amazon
Another 80s classic! Howard Jones lived in my home town when I was growing up and I used to follow the reports on him in our local paper because I absolutely loved the synth stuff he did. This is no exception - it's got a great, happy vibe, and is full of synths and Lindrums galore!

14) Folding Stars - Biffy Clyro
YouTube Amazon
One of Biffy's less frantic tracks, this is a great song, and really shows that they are more than just a frenzy of drums and guitars (putting aside "Many Of Horror", which is another absolutely superb downbeat track by the band). My favourite thing about Biffy is that they're not afraid to use unusual time signatures in their tracks. They are absolutely top notch musicians.

15) Little Sister - Queens Of The Stone Age
YouTube Amazon
This is one of my favourite QOTSA tracks, and was originally recorded with Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) before being re-recorded for their fourth album, "Lullabies to Paralyze". It is rumoured that the song was recorded in one take.

I hope you've found something in that little lot to tickle your fancy! As always, I'd love to hear your comments...

Friday 2 November 2012

UNEARTHING MUSICAL GEMS - Friday Five (2/11/12)


Well, I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned, TFIF!! Are you ready to finish the week on a high? Or start the weekend with a bang?

Here are this weeks gems. They work best when they're turned up loud... ;-)

1) Angel - Massive Attack
YouTube Amazon
This track is absolutely fantastic. The way it slowly builds up to the climax, and then drops back out again, is genius. It's no coincidence that it has been used in many films and TV shows, from "Snatch" to "West Wing". This is in my top ten tracks to listen to after a bad day...where I shut the door of the studio, turn the light off and whack up the volume. Pure class.

2) People Are People - Depeche Mode
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Released in 1984, this track is one of Depeche Mode's most well known tracks. Depeche Mode were a firm staple of the electronic music genre in the 80s, and it was this band, along with others such as Yazoo, Human League, OMD, Tubeway Army, and Kraftwerk to name a few, that turned me into a total synth geek.

3) Aerodynamic Beats/Forget About The World (Gabrielle) - Daft Punk
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This track comes from Daft Punk's "Alive 2007" album which was recorded live in Paris and used Ableton on huge supercomputers, which Daft Punk accessed remotely from midi controllers. And it's an absolute banger! Daft Punk's unique vocoder type of house music is instantly recognisable, and hugely popular. One of the two band members, Thomas Bangalter, was also involved in the side project that spawned another French house classic, Stardust's "Music Sounds Better With You".

4) Home - Kelis
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From her 2010 album, Flesh Tone, this is another upbeat belter and, for me, the best track on the album. She worked with various popular producers on the album, including Benny Benassi, Diplo, will.i.am and David Guetta, and the change in style from some of her previous work such as "Caught Out There (I Hate You So Much Right Now)", "Tricky" and "Milkshake" seems to suit her, albeit that this album wasn't quite as quirky.

5) I Believe In Miracles - Jackson Sisters
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OMG - I LOVE this song!! It was originally written in 1973, but this song was not really a hit until the 80s when the Rare Groove scene was big. It's funkier than a funky thing!!

I hope you enjoy this week's selection. As always, I'd love to hear your comments...

What's your favourite TFIF track?