Tuesday, August 28, 2007 He is Chris, and he is little.
First of all, Happy 17th Birthday for the other day Lil' Chris! UK readers: did you see him on BBLB the other night with Dermot? Only 363 days to go till it's alright to fancy him.
Anyways, it's the new Lil' Chris video for "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off."
Pretty cute clip hey? Thanks to Samuel@ EQ for the heads up.
Will the public like the song when it's released though? Just for the record, I love it, but I'm a big fan of the kid so I could also be a tad biased. What I *do* know is that it is a hundred times better than the terrible version Clea forced down our throats last year, and about a million times better than that stupid, god-awful and completely unnecessary Gym Class Heroes one that I seem to hear every time I walk through a slightly populated public area.
The class clip is of no surprise though; Chris' video output, although not extensive, has been of a high standard throughout his lil' career.
Take for example this, my absolute favourite video from 2006. It's also one of my favourite songs of the last 10 years, from an album which I appreciate more and more with each obsessive listen:
"Figure it out", k?
"Check(in) it out." IT'S A BIT LIKE THAT SKINS PROMO!
I'll get to a proper post on Thursday. BIG week of university commitments this week so I'm swamped. Had an exam today on Australian Politics that I can confidently say I BLITZED. And now I can forget everything I ever learnt about it (the minute I put down the pen, I could actually feel all the information absorbed over 3 months vacating my brain.) Also just completed my first column to run in next weeks Forte Magazine. Will post bits and pieces of it at some point.
Also getting onto that terribly delayed "My Favourite Pop Record" thing which I've been banging on about for the last 10 years.
That is what the sleeve for the upcoming deluxe edition of Dannii's greatest album, Neon Nights, will look like when released later on in the year. A deluxe edition of Girl (her 2nd greatest album, and home of "Coconut," the greatest cover in the history of recorded song) is also scheduled for release this year. There is also the rumour/firm belief of not only a brand new 'complete' DVD collection, but also a compilation entitled Unleashed ("Erm, hai guyz!??" - Lisa Scott-Lee) set to see the light of day ALSO within the next few months.
Plus she is kicking some seriously lop-sided and botoxed arse (Sharon Osbourne's apparently) over in the UK on The X-Factor. It's just so incredibly exciting to be a Dannii fan right now.
Full track listing for deluxe edition Neon Nights and Girl can be found here.
So what's been happening on websites other than this one since my last Blogerati post? As you'd expect - seeing as that was well and truly a month ago - lots.
Australian Idol began here in, er, Australia, and a country rejoiced at the return of Scott, 2 Be Certain's triumphant Idol scribblings. 90% of the reason I watch Idol is so I can kill myself laughing week in, week out over on Scott's blog. His latest post rates each of the final 24 on their likelihood of success out of 10, lists an anagram or two for each of the contestants names, and officially endorses Matt Corby (pictured, left,) who is by far my early favourite (and really fucking easy on the eyes too), along with the wee lass sporting the Lindy Chamberlain haircut. Scott's top 24 round-up is quite possibly one of his finest, finest hours. Right up there with the Marcia God.
Pop Trash Addicts is shaping up to be one of my actual favourite websites of the year. It is like reading the minds of my best friend Ben & I, and like the conversations we have together in the car listening to tragic brilliance from Shakaya, Sirens, Joanne (who once told Ben in an email many years ago she was working on a second album that was "very edgy." As Ben said, "so edgy it never saw the light of day!") and other delights our fine nation has brought to the world of pop. There is news on Melissa Tk-tk-tk-tk-auktz, (who may very well still be waiting for me to call her and do that interview we'd organised back in 2005... er... oops?) a post honouring pop goddess and attitude-filled angel Samantha Fox, info on the sexing-up of Roxane-off-of-idol, ONJ and even some Slinkee Minx (who you may recall I interviewed on this site in very early 2006... will be re-posting that chat sometime next week in honour of their ace new album, which PTA have reviewed here.) PTA, like me and millions of others across the globe, love Dannii too, and have a sister site (*boomTISH*) called Dannii's Dirty Box, which is just as fabulous.
Speaking of Dannii, now that The X-Factor has begun in the UK, the IAR Official Dannii-Watch campaign begins once more. Each week, I'll be discussing - quite meticulously - the finer details of D's hair, make-up, attire, leg-stances, and flirtatious giggles directed at Simon. Could she be any more incredible? The answer is a resounding YES; we should all be honoured to be sharing the same air Dannii Minogue breathes in.
Paul's got THE BEST X-Factor first episode round-up I've read online over at The Zapping. And I quote: "Another woman is quite good... Nerves make her do a split second jazz hands during I Will Always Love You, so points for individuality. Oh and she has some dead relative who inspired her to audition." Fucking awesome. Paul also had a yarn withDeborah Gibson at the beginning of August too. This is also something you should read.
Another of my favourite new websites is Pop Unlimited, which, during its time with us, has featured Jam & Spoon, Deuce,The Tamperer, Human League and Grace (I just loved "Skin On Skin"), just to name a legendary few. And all in impressively great detail. Acerben, who runs the site, has the absolute greatest taste in classic dance this side of the internet - aside from mine of course.
I saw French scary flick Ils over the weekend and, knowing he'd watched it, rushed over to Glenn's Stale Popcorn to announce my feelings to him through the power of blog commenting. There's some interesting intel on Glenn's site regarding the US remake of the film starring Liv Tyler. I'm not at all convinced though that this will be any good - the original scared the living shit out of me (I only realised how much today, mind) and prompted one of my all time WORST nightmares last night... (5 FUCKING DAYS LATER! Now THAT'S an intense reaction!)
In what was probably the most important Internet pop revival of the month of August, D'Luv at Chartrigger discussed the absolute greatest song from the Who's That Girl soundtrack and 3rd greatest Stock/Aitken/Waterman production of all time, Michael Davidson's "Turn It Up." An army of pop lovers bowed down at the feet of D'Luv and thanked him for the precious gift.
Another blog-retrospective which was just as enjoyable came about on eMackinations, in the form of a classy collection of photographs and clips involving the trashtastic Marky Mark. Oh yes.
The outstandingWilliam at Fop announced his spunky blog was to be no more. :( Thankfully, the CFBGoesPopgirls returned shortly after. :)
Clem Bastow, she of ridiculously good beauty and excellence, began writing for the already top-notch Defamer. Her first piece was not only quite good indeed, but it also incorporated the genius LOLcats craze, which is very much my favouritest thing in the whole wide world at the moment.
Electroqueer have a collection of shoddily filmed Darren Hayes @ G.A.Y clips which are actually worth a go. There's also info on how to purchase Nelson Clemente's new music, a guy I've been meaning to talk about on here for ages but keep forgetting to. Anyways, he's very good and EQ have done a much better job than I of endorsing his brilliance.
Don't Stop The Pop spoke to Steve Anderson! The interview is aces beyond words and touches on the subjects of Rent Remixed, Kylie X, Robyn and, of course, Willy Baker.
Bop Pop posted some pictures of the glamorous Fergie with some weird looking blokes, two pairs of rave-wear sunglasses not being worn by Calvin Harris (and, therefor, somewhat irrelevant), and a pair of ug-boots being worn by a fat cow that used to sing songs and sell records.
GOD ALMIGHTY. That is The Feeling's Dan Gillespie-Sells. Seriously, that man actually becomes more and more attractive as the days go by. DISHY stuff, he's even working that hair-above-lip thing I usually hate. Picture taken from D'Luv's ace new column for Towerload, which also has some VERY. EXCITING. NEWS. about the upcoming Celine Dion album.
Proper update tomorrow. If you want to know what I think of the newly leaked Madonna song then click here and have a read of the comments area. I doubt I'll discuss it much further than that. xo gets it in one when he declares it a "C effort."
d) An impressive progression from the previous album and its singles.
e) Dark & Moody brilliance.
f) A possible contender for single of the year.
g) All of the above.
or
h) Absolute rubbish.
If you answered either a), b), c), d), e) or f); congratulations, you were almost correct, but not quite there.
If you answered h)Absolute rubbish, you may wish to rethink your answer and study the song in question in a more positive/productive fashion. Then you should come back and provide me with an IAR-Approved reaction to the song; ie: one that I will find satisfactory.
The correct answer to this question was, of course; g) All of the above. If you answered this correctly, congratulations, you deserve a pat on the back.
Thursday, August 16, 2007 It Only Comes Once A Year...
Today is not only the anniversary of Elvis Presley's death in 1977, but it also marks the 49th birthday of the greatest woman in music, the Queen of pop; Madonna.
Almost half a century...
For 25 of those 49 years, she has been one of the most recognisable faces in the world, and probably THE most recognisable face in the world of pop, regardless of how many looks or hairstyles she has adopted.
And for most of that time, she has been the woman I've looked up to and admired like she were part of my family. So I thought it would be stupid for me not to commemorate her arrival anniversary on the website.
Here are some choice YouTube clips to celebrate...
Madonna as one of the dancers in Patrick Hernandez's disco classic "Born To Be Alive." Can you spot her?
Australian music guru Molly Meldrum on the show Countdown, in what was Madonna's first ever Australian television interview. Incredibly cute.
"Gambler" - the greatest up-tempo Madonna single of all time. I have constant fights in my own head (and have done for about 10 years or so) as to whether "Gambler" or "La Isla Bonita" have been her greatest single of all time. The result alters every couple of days, depending on my mood. The "you can't stop me now, I'm on the road baby I know how" bit totally rocks as hard as it did the very first time I heard it.
The now infamous Madonna Pepsi commercial. If you don't know the story behind the Madonna/Pepsi saga, visit this fantastic website, which will fill you in.
That interview with David Letterman. Not at all staged. No.
"Keep It Together" live at the Blond Ambition Tour, one of my favourite live Mo performances.
Mo & Ro's excellent interview on the terrible Arsenio Hall show. Classic Mo & Ro stuff. 4:35 - Rosie's reaction to a fly; comedy gold.
The making of the "Human Nature" video clip. Low quality, but definitely a great watch.
"Rainbow High" from Evita.
Clips/bloopers from the shoot of Madge's Max Factor advert from 1998.
The theme song & opening titles for canceled TV Show Wonderland. Madonna & William Orbit produced/performed the theme for the show which barely survived its second episode.
"La Isla Bonita" at the Drowned World Tour. This is either her best or at least second best live performance of all time. I can't decide between this and the Live Earth version...
The original, 'banned' "American Life" video clip.
"Mother & Father" at the Re-Invention Tour. Not as good as the performance used in I'm Going To Tell You A Secret, but that one doesn't seem to be up on YouTube :(
"Let It Will Be" live at the Confessions Tour, 2006. Absolutely lovvvvvve everything about this performance.
"La Isla Bonita" with Gogol Bordello at Live Earth, 2007.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007 High School Muscial 2: The Verdict
I have just stepped away from viewing High School Musical 2, the second installment to last years incredibly popular Disney production. Some of you may recall that I quite enjoyed the first movie, so was quite eager for the arrival of its sequel. Without giving away anything of importance to the films storyline (!!), here are a few points I scribbled down. Points about the movie in question. Shall we dance?
* First of all, what is up with that Taylor chick? You know, the black girl playing a 16 year old, but looks like she is not a day over 68? Her. Every time she appeared on screen I was worried for her safety. Where was her pacemaker? Did they provide her with wheelchair access on set? I mean, how on earth did they expect her to get around? I am alarmed, but sadly not surprised that Disney would allow their employees to work in such dangerous conditions.
* There is a sort of song-battle-off between Troy and Chad during "Work This Out." IS IT WRONG I THOUGHT OF EMILY OFF-OF BIG BROTHER DURING THIS SCENE?
* I am convinced everyone has had severe makeovers since the first film. Vanessa Hudgens has had dramatic hair surgery, and the geeky piano chick now has locks ala Shirley Temple.
* She is even sporting one of Fergie's strategically placed ghetto caps. Oh no she di'ent!
* If Sharpay and Ryan's parents are so bloody loaded, why the hell are their children enrolled in some shitty public school?
* Ryan, an educated rich boy, insists on wearing his trademark cap during a, hem-hem, poignant scene within a fancy restaurant. THE LAST TIME I CHECKED, that was terrible manners. IS THE CAP SUPPOSED TO BE SOME SORT OF CENTRAL MOTIF? Is this a deliberate call on the movies behalf to draw your attention to the mise en scene? Even with my extensive and fresh knowledge within the subject of film studies, I AM UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHY HE WOULD DO THIS. There are CHILDREN watching this movie! Why are Disney teaching kids it is okay to wear a hat at the table? Walt Disney is spinning in his fucking grave right now I can tell you that.
* Who knew that the ultimate battle between Gay & Straight would go down in a Disney movie and, for that matter, on a baseball pitch? A League Of Their Own is now no longer the only movie dealing with a bunch of homosexuals trying to succeed in the manly world of baseball.
"I'm singin' to Nelson! Aint I baby?"
* There is a totally awesome 'bitch got served' moment, which will make any fan of the regular servings dished out on One Tree Hill very, very proud.
* The first good song comes in at the 1 hour and 16 minute mark. It is a ballad that is probably only any good in comparison to the films earlier and considerably more terrible songs.
* Just like in the first movie, Troy's solo is the film--and soundtracks--best moment. "Bet On It" is the kind of stuff the Backstreet Boys would have creamed their leather pants for circa-1995. Brilliant stuff. Even more brilliant, Zac Efron totally channels Shakira in the "Whenever, Wherever" clip during this number. Oh I am serious.
* It takes an hour and 30 minutes for Ashley Tisdale (Sharpay) to display some of the comical genius she throws forth in the Disney television show Zach & Cody's Suite Life. For the earlier hour and 29 minutes, she is a right fucking cunt and I can guarantee you will want to kick her fair and square in the vulva just like I did.
* There are two (2!) uses of a wind machine. Very good.
* The closing song is okay, but it's certainly not up to par with other musical grand finales...
So, after all that nonsense, what do I actually think of the film? Here's a time line to answer that question.
* At 32 Minutes I thought I was in hell. Very disappointing start.
* At 58 Minutes, I began to enjoy the movie.
* By the 1 hour & 45 minute mark, I was left quite happy and uplifted.
So in summary, it was good, but nowhere near as magical as the first. The soundtrack for this really upset me; very naff and all-round terrible to the senses. Bar the two I've already mentioned, the songs were actually quite grating and fairly annoying to sit through. Some of you may laugh and say that was probably the case for the first one, but I really DID love the soundtrack from the first installment and was very disappointed to find the second just did not deliver the goods.
Worth a watch but probably only for those of you who were able to love/enjoy the first. If you barely stomached it, stay away from the sequel; there's nothing new to see here.
So a fantastic email arrived in ye 'old inbox this morning from a long-time reader, Mark Simons, who is a bit worried of what the future holds for IAR. Instead of me relaying his comments, I thought I would just share the whole email and follow it with an open letter of sorts.
Dearest Adem,
I have been reading your site for a couple of years now. I never comment, never email, just read and enjoy the posts. But your most recent post is the something about a camel, back, straws, etc.
What is going on here? You have turned into one of those Indie people haven't you? Soon you'll be hanging out with Emily off of Big Brother and telling people to push out their niggers. Segregation never, Integration now Adem!
I am worried. I am worried that you have traded in your lovely Girls Aloud t-shirt for one of Jet or something equally as hideous as that. You haven't have you? Do you listen to The Strokes? I bet you have been. Don't lie to me. Am I going to find Pete Fucking Doherty in your banner one day? This questions answer is a complete mystery to me, because two weeks ago I would have never given it a second thought but now that you're telling people you enjoy that new Babyshambles song, well I don't know what to think anymore.
Please tell me you're not wearing a pair of faded black, skintight denim jeans right now as you read this email??!?!
Anyways, love the site and stuff. And I am not telling you to STOP talking about that guitar music, but maybe throw in a picture of Dannii Minogue in between indierelated posts just to give people like me a bit of a break from it all. Keep up the good work.
Love always, Mark Simons.
Genius.
Dearest Mark;
To answer your questions, and address some points...
1) Indie is not taking over my body and soul, but I do like some of the music it produces. I have always been a fan of that crazy Indie-movement, even before Emily off-of-Big Brother discovered it and shared the glory with people the world over. In fact, if I was a fan of it before Emily discovered it, doesn't that mean that I actually CREATED it? Calvin may have created disco, but it seems I created Indie.
2) The Girls Aloud t-shirt is still being worn, never fear. It IS in competition with my Arctic Monkeys t-shirt though. I don't think you should worry about me ever taking on a love of Jet however. Did you know that Jet are very much actually the worst band in Australian music history, right after Wolfmother? This is FACT Mark, and you should know better than to insinuate I would think anything else. Although, looking at your concerns, I do not blame you for thinking I may act foolishly and embark on a strange love of said "artistes."
3) I do listen to The Strokes. They are very good Mark and you should give their most recent album a proper listen if you haven't already.
4) No, Pete Doherty will never feature on the IAR banner. There is probably more chance of Elizabeth Hasselbeck appearing on the IAR banner than there is Pete Doherty. ALTHOUGH I DO LOVE HIM IN A COMPLETELY NON-SEXUAL, NON-DEALER KIND OF WAY.
5) Skin-tight jeans. On me? Are you fucking mad? You HAVE seen what I look like haven't you? I think skin-tight jeans would be an extreme crime, one that would see me locked away for violating several million occupational safety hazards.
As for breaking it up with a bit of pop, you'll be very pleased to know that I am caning the fucking SHIT out of the new Sugababes single, "About You Now," which is an incredible pop song and probably the best thing I have heard thus far in 2007.
Hopefully you're a Sugababes fan then.
Thanks for the feedback Mark, it is always appreciated.
xoxox Adem.
PS: Have you ever thought about starting a blog? I think you should.
Pay some serious attention the young faces in the photo to your left. Taylor, Ashley, Amandah, Tim & Sarah make up Operator Please, and they are the newest home grown Aussie band to take over the world with their superb blend of hyperactive indie-pop.
New single "Just A Song About Ping Pong" is sitting very comfortably on the ARIA singles charts this week at Number 13, after climbing two spots from 15, following their gig last week supporting the Arctic Monkeys. These guys are a set of absolute pocket-rockets. Seeing them live last week for the first time was an absolute thrill; particularly putting stage presence to the faces and voices I'd previously heard and seen through a MySpace profile and a promo EP. Lead vocalist Amandah is an absolute riot to watch, violinist Taylor is incredibly sweet and magnetically focused, keyboardist Sarah (who reminds me SO much of a cuter version of Jacqui from Girlfriend) is--without a doubt--the most energetic and fun dancer you'll see part of any band, and the two boys are a bit great too. The new single (watch the very fun video,) along with all four tracks from their previous E.P. "Cement Cement," are all worthy of purchase. Prior to spending money, visit the MySpace for a listen to their other stuff if you must. Then, go to iTunes or Sanity and throw a bit of cash towards some splendid Aussie pop music. Oh, these guys are heading over to the UK this month for some live gigs, after they complete their support tour of Maximo Park, so keep an eye out for dates near you.
* I'm a mere hour away from discovering whether I'll be penning a column for a music rag... and getting paid for it...
* 4:55PM UPDATE - Got it. :)
* The new Babyshambles single, "Delivery," is absolute brilliance. There, I've said it.
* The live performance of it from Glastonbury however, is not.
* That new Darren Hayes album is very good indeed. Xo's write up on it is a bit brill too.
* I am still obsessing greatly over Alex Turner & Co after the events following the Monkeys' gig last Tuesday. Speaking of Turner, seems like he actually is teaming up withMiles Kane for the recording of a side project, and the album will be produced by one half of Simian Mobile Disco. Totally exciting stuff... more info here.
* This is NOT a blogerati post! That's coming Thursday.
On Tuesday night I felt very, very old. It didn't help that I was at an all-ages Arctic Monkeys gig. What probably didn't help even more was that I was in the very front row of what would, 6 minutes into their set, turn into the most outrageous mosh-pit I'd ever encountered in my life. Surrounded by 16 to 18 year olds. Moshing. Pushing. Knocking me and others over. Did I mention there was pushing? Yeah, there was a lot of that. These bastards were distracting me from appreciating the greatest rock band of the 21st century at the fullest. Now, my problem with this lies with the fact that I'd been waiting outside Festival Hall, in the freezing cold, since 4pm. All in order to secure myself a front-of-stage position so I could stare at my darling Alex (click for bigger pics) whilst he sung to me. Within seconds of the Monkeys opening their set (ironically with "This House Is A Circus"), the temperature in the "mosh" area (which had been labeled "standing" area on my ticket thank you very much) rose from about 25 degrees Celsius to about 45. THIS IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION. As the second song began, I'd decided that the minute I could take a photo of Alex on stage up close, I'd grab my bag from the barricade and push my way out of the prime spot I'd secured. There was no point. I couldn't breathe. I was thirsty. There was a thick stench of beer, teenage sweat and alarmingly sharp body odor mixed with the cheap, locker-room sprays of Lynx lingering through the air. Whilst this all may sound like the setting of some delicious erotic fantasy, delicious; it was not. Erotic; it was not. And most definitely sexy; it was not. Sexy? No, No, No. On top of all that, my attempts at reaching for my camera were doomed. The second I'd placed my hand in my pocket to pull it out (the camera folks), I realised that the very second i took the photo-maker out of my pocket, I'd never see it again. It was all pretty upsetting and I reluctantly grabbed my backpack and began to push my way through to the back of the hall. On my travels, a young girl who'd noticed me leaving latched her arms around my waist and begged my kind self to take her with me; her face was pale and she looked like she was seconds away from death. The poor thing. So I allowed this random stranger (and three of her friends) to latch onto me in a conga-line fashion whilst I charged my way through a sea of fucking idiots.
The further I walked away from the front, the older people got. By the time we'd reached the bar, I was actually spotting people my own age. Some of them were even older! It was like I'd just undergone some sort of biblical revelation; I can only put this down to the fact that I was seconds away from hyperventilating and was suffering from serious dehydration. I got a bottle of water into my hands. Started to drink it. Picture me shaking so much because of how drained I was after my crowd-related, life draining incident. I couldn't believe it; I then spent about 20 minutes trying to calm myself down and barely paid the amount of attention I should have to the set. I sang along to songs, but if you asked me what songs they played during that 20 minutes I'd have no fucking clue.
I eventually found a spot near the side which allowed me to enjoy the remains of the show. I ended up with no on-stage shots, which I was a little disappointed about. But I was more upset about having to leave my well-earnt position up front. Seriously though,the mere thought of trying to last another 6 minutes in those conditions probably would have brought on a heart attack.
The show was great. I may have spent 20 minutes in my own little water-sipping world but the last 55 were probably the best 55 I've spent at a concert in ages. The boys were phenomenal and Alex gave the crowd a few gorgeous monologues in between songs here and there. No surprise covers or anything either; it was all strictly Arctic tracks. BUT then again, they could very well have sung "Biology" during that 20 minute time frame and I wouldn't be able to confirm it. I would like to add, in regards to my surroundings, that Festival Hall is by far the very WORST live music venue in Melbourne and its demolition is LONG overdue. The only seated areas in an Indie-type of show are so far to the sides of the stage that it just isn't worth the money you pay. If you're going to shove people who've paid the same amount of cash as those up the front, at least provide them with large screens to view the show. But nope, not a single screen in sight, just a glimmer of a couple of tiny bodies playing some instruments.
So the show ended and I was determined to at least try and get one of my CD's signed. Out in the cold again, I stood for up to 3 hours (which explains the horrible, horrible flu I have right now) with a bunch of kids aged between 15 and 18. They were talking about assignments they had due the following day, and some were discussing the exams they had coming up. It only made me feel older. I was--once again--the only person there over the age of 18. And I'm quite a few years departed from 18. Anyway, after a pizza delivery guy dropped off 8 boxes of pizza, a bus-boy delivered two bins filled with ice and bottles of beer, Alex and the boys eventually emerged from the side doors of Festival Hall. Jamie waved but joined the others swiftly into the van. Alex began to walk towards us, completely wasted with a glassy look in his eyes; it was bloody adorable. He signed my CD and agreed to a photo. He then signed across the line and allowed me to take a few extra random shots along the way (I am still quite confused that I was the only person out of 20 waiting who had bothered to bring a camera). Just as he was leaving, he walked back over to me, looked at my Girls Aloud t-shirt and said: "That's a crackin' t-shirt my friend!" He then followed it with a wink, smiled, and then turned back around, waving goodbye to the crowd as he walked over to the van.
And that is how My favourite worst nightmare turned into the greatest night of my life.
Just a quick post with news on the upcoming Rogue Traders releases. New single, "Don't You Want To Feel" is an absolute CORKER, and will be hitting radio in just under a months time. The new album is due to 'drop' October 13th, and is called "Better In The Dark."
Wednesday, August 08, 2007 It's 2 bloody AM and I have work in the morning...
...however, I still felt I should quickly pop on here before going to bed. A small post to notify you all I have just walked in the door from tonights Arctic Monkeys gig in Melbourne. There's a lot to tell; the night was a bit of a disaster (nothing to do with the Monkeys, everything to do with the crowd) but I'll fill you in on why sometime tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a photo which marks the very point my night totally turned itself around. Click for a bigger shot 'aight.
Wait till you hear what he had to say about my Girls Aloud t-shirt!
UPDATE: Am really fucking ill, so don't expect a proper report till the weekend. I put it down to the hours spent outside in the freezing cold waiting for Alex to make an outdoor appearance. Was the mother of all flu's worth it? Fucking oath.
There are two albums from Australian artists I have been dying to hear; the forever-in-the-making debut from Van She, and the debut from Midnight Juggernauts. My infatuation with the Juggernauts began last year when they supported Norwegian pop goddess Annie during her first live Melbourne gig. It was such an electrifying performance that I ordered their EP "Secrets Of The Universe" right away online and, to keep me happy until the disc arrived, bought the tracks on iTunes so I could have my fix. Now that their debut album has finally arrived, the excitement is too much for me to contain. Everything I thought I would get out of a full length album from the Juggernauts, I got within my first listen of Dystopia. "Ending of an Era" is an absolute euphoric exercise in moody electro, whilst new single "Into The Galaxy" does its job in providing all round brilliance over a 5 minute time frame, a track which is destined to set fire to the disco, and maybe even the Taco Bell.
But let us talk about this records pinnacle moment. This pinnacle moment has a name, the name being "Road To Recovery," Dystopia's most wondrous exercise by a long shot, which is saying something seeing as previous hits "Tombstone" and "Shadows"--all ace beyond words--are included on this albums track listing. The verses are phenomenal, the production is astonishingly offtap, and that divine chorus is like an ode to Madonna's "Get Together." Then, just when you think things cannot get any more spectacular, "Twenty Thousand Leagues" comes in like a bat out of hell, sprinkling about the best bits of Stuart Price, Blondie's "Rip Her To Shreds" and the Human League through a wind machine on a sunny day. If you are not down with the status of wind machines, they are seriously brilliant, underestimated, and are an item which should be a non-negotiable requirement for every nightclub dance floor in this country. Just as virtually every track on Dystopia should be too.
"Dystopia" is out on Monday and you can purchase your copy from here.
That is some REALLY good album art. I know it's something that's been done before, but I still love it. Considering I find the man quite ugly, it's a very pretty looking record cover. And let's not even get into how bloody GOOD the new single "1973" is either, which Paul and Popjustice have already told you themselves... I'm still trying to adjust to the fact that me, Adem Ali, is thoroughly enjoying a song by James Blunt.
So Chanelle, by far my favourite contestant in the UK Big Brother compound this year, has left the house. I am completely distressed and honestly feel like her time was cut way too short, and her foolish decision to leave is one she will regret in the future. Don't even get me started on how much I hate Ziggy right now, bitch PLEASE.
To commemorate the many wondrous/iconic/hilarious times Chanelle provided us in the Big Brother house during her stay, I've put together a collection of must-see YouTube clips of her finest diary room entries. I LOVE YOU CHANELLE!
Chanelle's finest diary room moment EVER.
Chanelle is worried about genital herpes.
Unfit, fat and cold.
Gold, from the 1 minute mark.
Not. Happy. Jan.
Sangrias in Spain. This is very good.
"When you feel that you can manage it..."
Emergency food supply... takes a few minutes but is very much worth the wait.
Chanelle questions whether Charley knows the true meaning of the word "honest."
From the 1:50 mark... fucking genius. "Shit just constantly flies out of her mouth and..."
After an argument about hair straighteners with racist cunt Emily. "I can't help it if..."
I really cannot help feeling that her relationship with Ziggy has ruined the whole experience for the both of them. Could you imagine how much MORE brilliance we would have gotten out of her had they not hooked up? And Ziggy's probably a really nice guy and not the absolute pig-fucker I think he is, but what can you do about it now?
