The delightful Glenn from Stale Popcorn appeared on my radio show Inside Splinters 2 weeks ago, and I have finally gotten off my arse and uploaded the effort. I think you'll find it is hilarious, random, and great. Please note: Heidi Sugababe cops a bit of a beating during some of the talk breaks - this doesn't actually reflect my thoughts on her (I love the woman.) She just happened to be the easy target on the night.
This gone Friday I hosted the Dance Classics Edition of Inside Splinters, which I actually think was my best show yet. Well, it was the one I enjoyed most... That's coming online tomorrow. But back to Glenn...
Sharebee offers links to Rapidshare, Megaupload, ZShare, and Badongo, so you should be fine in being able to download.
TRACKLISTING Rogue Traders - Candy Coloured Lights Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Thou Shalt Always Kill The Hives - Giddy Up Kelis - Young, Fresh & New Soho Dolls - Prince Harry Hilary Duff - Dignity Groove Armada & Mutya - Song 4 Mutya (Kissy Sellout Mix) Moulinex - Break Chops Justice - D.A.N.C.E. (Stuart Price Remix) Motiv8 - Break The Chain Sugababes - Easy (Ultrabeat Mix) Olivia Newton-John & ELO - Xanadu Rogue Traders - What You're On Annie Lennox & 8 Million other women - Sing (Moto Blanco Mix) Girls Aloud - Call The Shots (Tony Lamezma Mix) Bloody Beetroots - I Love The Bloody Beetroots Operaor Please - Just A Song About Ping Pong (Kissy Sellout Mix) Boys Noize - & Down The Hives - You Got It All Wrong Divinyls - Siren Song The Royal We - Al The Rage Rogue Traders - Throw Your Arms Around Me Sugababes - Surprise (Goodbye) JoJo - Beautiful Girls
Wednesday, October 24, 2007 Better late than never.
So I completely forgot to upload the Inside Splinters radio show from two weeks ago. I KNOW. Anyways, here it is, at 96kbps and coming in at 83mb in size. Please note that I was suffering from serious dental issues and could not be fucked talking much through this show.
There's a bare minimum of conversation between myself and the microphone due to the teething pain, and there are also some serious audio level problems because I was forced to do the show in the studio I've never actually used before. Just my luck it happens to be the fiddliest of all the studios at the station, and is the one everyone tries to avoid at all costs. However, the set list is killer.
Anyways, last week's show with special guest Glenn will be online by Friday.
Tracklisting... GIRLS ALOUD - Call The Shots BRITNEY SPEARS - Heaven On Earth NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB - Fan KYLIE MINOGUE - 2 Hearts LADYHAWKE - Paris Is Burning FRANZ FERDINAND FT. GIRLS ALOUD - Sound & Vision SUGABABES - About You Now (Spencer & Hill Mix) Feist - 1234 (Vanshe Tech Mix) Rogue Traders - Don't You Wanna Feel (Ash vs Denny Mix) Dragonette - The Boys Roisin Murphy - You Know Me Better Velvet - Chemistry September - Cry For You Sugababes - Surprise (Goodbye) Sara Bareilles - Love Song Tori Amos - Big Wheel Vitalic - La Rock 01 (Live) Michael Sembello vs Bloody Beetroots - Maniac Simian Mobile Disco - Wooden Cut Copy - Hearts On Fire Red Riders - Slide In Next To Me (Mailer Daemon Mix) Mdinight Juggernauts - Road To Recovery Pip Branson Corp. - Gutter Times (Teenager Mix) Darren Hayes - Setting Sun Madonna vs Stardust - Music Holiday JX - You Belong To Me Dannii Minogue vs Jason Nevins - Touch Me Like That
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 Lights on, Surprisingly someone home
The long-awaited Britney Spears album Blackout hits Australian stores this Saturday, the 27th of October, and it is well worth the $19.95 - $31.00 you will spend on it (depending on where you shop.) Don't let the packaging put you off. As a matter of fact, It's not as terrible as some would have you believe.
She's gotten a LOT of flack for the albums artwork but, in all honesty, when has she actually delivered the goods in that department? Not a single one of her covers have actually been any good.. in fact, this is probably the best one yet, and that is saying something. Are you telling me people actually think the covers for ...Baby One More Time, Oops!... I Did It Again, Britney or In The Zone are better than this one? I'd urge them all to get themselves to their nearest optometrist ASAP if that's the case.
My plan with this review is to look past the fact that Britney's an absolute troubled hot mess, and focus on the songs. I'd managed to avoid the majority of the leaks from this record, only having previously heard Radar and Heaven On Earth. Resisting the leaks was the best thing I could have done to enjoy this album to the full extent now that it's 'out there.'
It really is Britney Bitch, and opening track/current single Gimme More is still an absolute 4 minute powerhouse. Proof that people were able to look beyond the terrible MTV performance, this song is doing very well pretty much everywhere I look, and that pleases me. My favourite bit of this song? Aside from the explosive last 1 minute and 30 seconds, anytime during the chorus to replace the words "Gimme Moore' with "Demi Moore." Go on... try it.
Piece Of Me is a self-referencing stab at the Hollywood and gossip tabloids. It's all a bit LindsayRumours in more ways than one, but with more of a firm tongue-in-cheek feel rather than Blohan's "FEEL SORRY FOR ME I'M FAMOUS, LAWLZ" approach in her now infamous single. The production is excellent, high-synthed electro meets urban - just the kind of thing Britney SHOULD be doing on a new album. I don't really mind Radar, but there's something off about the vocals through the chorus; it's just too high. Stay away from Hot As Ice though, terrible chorus with a faux-Outkast feel to it. Impressively, those two songs are the only real dud moments on here. Usually, for me anyways, I've found that I am faced with more than half an album of Britney material that is just thoroughly rubbish. Not this time around though...
Break The Ice sees Brit announce "It's been a while, I know I shouldn't have kept you waiting, but I'm here now." Quite. The opening synths remind me of something from old Italo-disco King Fancy's back catalogue. Never a bad thing. The verses and chorus that follow absolutely deliver the goods... This is Britney's Promiscuous. The best song on the album has to be Heaven On Earth though, one of the earlier leaks I'd actually heard before. This is SUCH an adorable/cute electropop song that really needs to be a single. Breathy vocals, corker production, an amazing chorus, it really is near heavenly.
Get Naked (I Got A Plan) sees producer Danja (or Mini-Timbaland) recreate the ultimate in Timbaland homages. It is like putting Maneater, The Way I Are, Oh Timbaland and Wait A Minute into a blender, along with the 20 seconds of goodness to be found on Gwen's otherwise annoying Wind It Up. It's also the song Britney admits to being "crazy" in. Brilliant. Tracks like Freakshow, Toy Soldier (sadly, not a Martika cover) and Perfect Lover carry on this clever, modern urban sound through to the end of Blackout. Yes, so it might all sound like it's Timbaland production, but I still believe the majority of his production (past and present) is beyond excellent. I don't see anything wrong with making a record which sounds like this at all. Timb's sort of redefined the type of Urban a primarily pop artist can record, which I think is a very, very good thing.
Ooh Ooh Baby is an endearing nod to The Turtles' classic So Happy Together, whilst moody-near-ballad Why Should I Be Sad sounds suspiciously like it could be about a certain Mr. Federline, or at least intended to sound like it's about him anyway.
Across the board, this is a quality, quality record which fuses together the key elements of urban, pop, electro and dance music incredibly well. This - as an album - works, which is something I've always felt Britney's never been able to achieve. Great history of singles, yeah, but she has never been an albums artist. But Blackout really has changed all of that.
Lovers of the colour Orange and fierce pop-foursome Stefy are finally releasing Chelsea here in Australia, surely in what seems like 25 years after Popjustice talked about its brilliance.
The single, being released through Central Station Records on November the 24th, looks set to spawn a possible promotional visit... I'll keep you informed whenever I hear more about it.
I wonder if radio plan on touching it? It's heading to media in the form of a promotional CD sometime this month, so it should be interesting to see if (and who) actually gets behind this.
Can someone please explain to me why the new Young Divas single, a cover of Loverboy's Turn Me Loose, contains some dickhead RAPPING halfway through it? THERE IS NOTHING OVERTLY HOMOSEXUAL ABOUT RAPPING UNLESS IT IS DONE BY MISSY ELLIOTT YOU STUPID SLAGS, SO WHY IS THIS BEHAVIOUR CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE FOR YOUR OTHERWISE BRILLIANTLY CAMP NEW SINGLE?
I cannot even begin to explain how angry this has made me. Listening to the song; all was going well until that annoying man, who makes absolutely no sense with that jibber-jabber of his, pipes in with that bloody rap. Is this their way of trying to develop more street cred? THERE BETTER NOT BE ANY ADDITIONAL "FEATURING'S" ON THE NEW ALBUM UNLESS THEY ARE OF AN OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN VARIETY.
It is obvious that the blame lies with the Hillsong Church.
Here is a possible sample conversation that never happened (BUT LET'S JUST PRETEND IT DID) between the Young Divas just before the recording of Turn Me Loose:
MAGILLA GORILLAPAULINI: You know what, I reckon we should make a song that even Maya Jupiter would like!
LAVINA'S SISTER: Yeah! Let's make something kind of gay, but completely not so our families can actually listen to our music, rather than just pretend they do.
JESSICA: I r...
PAULINI: We didn't ask for your opinion Siobhan.
JESSICA: My name's not...
LAVINA'S SISTER: For god's sake Siobhan, shut up.
CAKE DEROOGE: Fuck I feel like sucking on some pussy, but I'll just have to settle for eating this lamb on the spit instead. Any of you cunts want some?
PAULINI: Sorry Cake, I don't speak in your Ballarat native tongue, I can't understand what the fuck you're saying. OH-EM-GEE, I HAVE AN IDEA! I will call the priest at our church Lavina's Sister, he'll know what to do.
*PHONE RINGS*
REV. FRED NILE: Hello Paulini!
PAULINI: Father, can you tell us what we can do to up our street cred, making us look more like a straight-persons band, but somehow still convince those dirty, sinning poofs to buy our new single?
REV. FRED NILE: You will need to employ a man of Urban variety to rap on your next single. Make sure it's still a cover and still a disco romp so those awful people who practice faggotry put their sinful money into your pockets. I don't condone you marketing your product at the Devil's Children, but at least they'll be buying your CD's instead of buying lubricant to rape children with.
PAULINI: Thanks father, you're the best!
*PHONE CLICKS*
PAULINI: We're gonna get someone to rap on the song! That will be so awesome and not at all desperate in any way, shape or form.
LAVINA'S SISTER: Woo! Girl Power! Let's just get some random guy from the train station, I'm pretty sure Levi from Idol Season 1 still chromes around Flinders Street.
PAULINI: LAWLZ, AWESOME!
CAKE DEROOGE: Oh bloody hell. My cunt's bleeding, shit guys, I reckon I got my period! Oh man, this timing SUCKS, we've got that bloody interview with Tracy Grimshaw tonight too. I was really looking forward to her...
JESSICA: Can I just...
PAULINI: Seriously Mutya, you were not employed to speak!
CAKE DEROOGE: Mutt? Where?
Can someone please edit the rap version of "Turn Me Loose" and make me an Urban-less version of it, ASAP? Kthx.
They can easily reverse my horror by recording a cover of this IMMEDIATELY...
In addition to that, as the amazing Will from Fop said several months back, they should also get onto recording this for the new album...
I am not apologising for the outburst, even though I probably should.
Amelle & The SupremesSugababes on the red carpet at this weekend's Fashion Rocks '07 extravaganza. That is some passionate hair and foxy outfit from Goddess Amelle; love, love, love her. Even with her Kingdom Hearts bling, she's still heavenly.
I think it's fairly official she is now my favourite girl group member of all time. Bold statement to make, but it's been banging about in my head for the last 6 months. Yes, even though Girls Aloud hold my self-appointed title as favourite GROUP of all time, Amelle just continuously delivers the goods and manages to surpass both Sarah & Nicola in the greatness levels.
I would really, really like one of those Amelle Barbie dolls now.
Here are the girls performing "Lady Marmalade" at this Fashion Rocks thing with difaPati Labelle. Whitney Houston introduces them in TRUE difffa style, which is almost as magical to watch as Amelle rubbing her arse up against LaBelle's.
There is now an abundance of news relating to Madonna's future which has been 100% confirmed by all necessary parties. In the space of a week it was announced Madge "could be" releasing her new album in March next year (thanks Liz,) and that the Queen of Pop would absolutely be leaving her long-time record company Warner, for a $120 Million Dollar deal with Live Nation. The new '08 album and another Greatest Hits package will see Madonna fullfill her contractual duties with Warner's by the end of 2009.
Here's a few quotes taken from places here and there, from people working alongside the woman AND the woman herself, about the whole Live Nation shebang...
"I think it marks the beginning of a new era in how record companies function, but I wouldn't call it the beginning of the end. For the last year or two it's become much more crystallized that everyone in the business has to explore new ways of being profitable. The combination of Radiohead (giving away their album for free download) and Madonna these last few weeks is a big shift.' - Liz Rosenberg [Publicist]
I particularly found this next quote interesting, especially the firm stance Warner make on who owns her previous recordings...
"We congratulate Madonna on her future plans. She is one of the most remarkable artists of our time. We are excited to issue her upcoming album next year. We are also honored to own her catalog of recordings from the past 25 years, as well as to manage her library of songs for an extended period of time. From all of us at Warner Music Group, we thank Madonna for a valued and enduring partnership." - Warner Music
and finally, from the woman herself...
"My time with Warner Bros. Records has been great. I appreciate their hard work and value the many relationships I have developed over the years with the label in the U.S. and around the world. I have an album coming out with them next year and I'm excited about it. We still have work to do together." - Madonna.
What will the future hold? All of a sudden I'm incredibly excited about the years to come Madonna wise. Any initial fears or worries I seemed to have had about the new album have vanished into thin air with the news of this Live Nation deal. I think it's a very smart move - some would say a very brave one - but she definitely knows what she's doing.
I'm looking at it - like I'm sure she is - as a completely fresh start. People have been complaining that she's not a risk taker anymore, but you can't say it doesn't take balls (which we are all aware she proudly owns more than a pair of,) no matter how much money is involved, to leave a company you've had a strong relationship with for 25 years to leap into something completely new. Everyone involved (Madonna's managers Guy & Angela, in particular,) are so genuinely enthusiastic about the switch which excites me. I undoubtedly think the Live Nation move is a very good thing.
* Nice picture, eh? Credit and thanks toMadonnaliciousfor not only the pic, but the quotes as well.
Saturday, October 20, 2007 Love's An Electric Storm
The new Delta Goodrem album, imaginatively titled Delta, is as marvelous as I had hoped it would be.
Nothing excites me more than hearing an act I admire and enjoy listening to grow as an artist, reaching new heights as every record is released. Three albums in, Delta continues to impress, and even wow me.
Next single and album opener Believe Again is an epic way to kick things off. Delta herself has said the song was heavily inspired by Madonna's Frozen - one of her favourite songs of all time from one of her favourite artists of all time. I'll come back to Madonna a bit later on... Believe Again actually starts off with Delt's sounding a lot like Celine Dion; her pronunciation of words and vocal whisps in the first minute are strikingly similar in fact. As the song builds, slowly making its way to the first chorus, it suddenly all rips into an eruption of piano and violin strings. The chorus and verses that follow are magical, and the middle 8 is revolutionary. One of the best songs of her career, up there with the awe-inspiring Electric Storm from 2004's Mistaken Identity album.
Current single In This Life follows, still managing to strike a chord with me. When I first heard this single, I was not convinced at all and was worried as to where the new material would take Goodrem. I think about 8 listens of the single soon changed my mind, and it is now one of my favourite songs of the year.
Mistaken Identity offcut Possessionless finally sees the light of day on this new album, a track which Delta told the Herald Sun Newspaper she had written whilst undergoing chemotherapy. The track is incredibly moving, with an infectious chorus; it's easy to see why Delta wouldn't let this song go. More depression hits in the form of God Laughs, a song which - in great detail - sees Delta tell the story of her parents divorce. Whilst Pink's Family Portrait documented the feelings a child may endure amidst a parental divorce, Goodrem's God Laughs is an anthem for the adult having to go through the ordeal. "We're all walking on quicksand/and when we think we understand, god laughs."
Delta's most UK-sounding pop moment comes in the force of the FIERCE You Will Only Break My Heart. FIERCE vocals, FIERCE chorus, FIERCE verses - third single choice thank you! Ace music journalist Cameron Adams wrote in the Herald Sun that he thought it was "reggae beats over Sugababes-style pop." On the money with that comment Mr. Adams.
There are two tracks on Delta which the singer did not have a hand in co-writing, The Guardian and Woman. Whilst they are both absolutely brilliant, you can almost tell just by listening that these aren't Delta originals. The Guardian tries to reach the heights of Goodrem's classic Not Me, Not I, but doesn't quite make it. There is a phenomenal key change though which still makes this a spellbinding song. Woman's absolutely great, but I wouldn't have been upset if it had been used as a b-side instead or as an iTunes bonus track. Especially seeing as the actual iTunes bonus track for this album is the second best song out of this new batch. I'll come back to that (and the Madonna thing) later on though.
Bare Hands is the closest you'll get to Delta doing electropop. At least on this record. This subtle, techno-ballad is also another throwback to Madonna's Frozen and, in places, The Power Of Goodbye. Just as you think things couldn't get any better, the middle 8 storms in and sends the song to new levels. Complete brilliance. I Can't Break It To My Heart, another ballad, sounds like the kind of thing Reba might throw her vocals into; a lush blend of big-chorus pop meshed with a tinge of country. Angels In The Room, another strong, powerful ballad, is a musical thank you to Delta's fans, and is another fine moment.
Channeling Human League in places, Brave Face is a stunning tale of the love shared between Delt's and her main man, Brian McFadden, who is quite a dish these days indeed.One Day is a staggering mid-tempo piece in which Goodrem announces "One day I will learn to like myself/one day I'll make the perfect wife, and I'll change my name just for him."
Frustratingly, iTunes have an exclusive track available for download as part of the new Delta album that is not on the physical CD release. The track is Right Here In My Heart, and is the second best song on here. What was she THINKING not adding this to the proper album release? This is an absolute MONSTER of a track. An uplifting and intoxicating chorus, fused with chemical verses - I cannot believe such beauty has been relegated to being an iTunes bonus download. People buying the physical release will have no idea what they're missing! I'm buying a physical copy (I collect Delta discs,) but have happily forked out the $1.69 for this masterpiece. Australian residents, you should do the same. International folk - search through those illegal places and you shall find.
Finally, I'll close by going back to the Delta/Madonna reference. I like the fact that a singer with a voice as big as Delta's will cite Madonna as a favourite artist. It's rare - the girls in Australia with big voices (read that as "the girls on Australian Idol over the years with big voices") always claim they love the Whitney's, the Mariah's, the Christina's... These girls (the Australian Idol types, not the big-voiced divas) never seem to find it 'cool' to admire Madonna, maybe because her voice is not exactly strong in comparison to the aforementioned ladies, or maybe because of Madge's overt sexuality. Not surprisingly, most of these girls - as popstars - are as fucking exciting as a crusty plank of wood. So it's definitely nice - for me anyway - to see Delta can appreciate that there's more to being a popstar than just having a strong voice. Being a Madonna fan myself, I guess if she can see and commend the path Madonna has taken musically, it says a lot to me about the kind of artist Goodrem is. And that's why I believe this woman will continue to have a prosperous future in music. This album is a fine testament to that; here's a strong, growing young woman with a multitude of great songs and three powerful albums, with a keen eye (and ear) for really good, classy pop music. Her reverent love for the genre shows in her own music, and I can only admire the woman more for that.
So this is a section of text that will be published next fortnight in my Inside Splinters column for Forte Magazine. It's about the death of Smash Hits Magazine in Australia. I wanted to post it here because I felt an online presence detailing the Oz edition's death was necessary, as there is nothing (other than Wikipedia) which documents this news.
In news that will only sadden those of us who treated the magazine as their bible through the 80's and early 90's, the Australian edition of Smash Hits Magazine seems to have closed its doors, for good. In fact, the final issue, which was due for release on the 9th of May this year, was cancelled and never saw the light of day.
The Australian leg of the magazine, whose first issue hit Aussie newsstands in November 1984, was given the chop by publisher Emap due to low readership. Just over a year ago, the United Kingdom publication of Smash Hits was also given the axe for the same reason. Smash Hits was, once upon a time, an iconic publishing figure both here in Oz and in the United Kingdom. When its UK office packed it all in, a country mourned. Journalists across the nation were throwing in their 2 cents on where it all went wrong, and music website Popjustice launched an online condolence book. To say it received media coverage would be an understatement. This was news in the United Kingdom.
Not surprisingly, the closure of the Australian edition barely gets a mention on the magazines Wikipedia page. Good luck finding a piece in any Australian publication that discusses the demise of the mag prior to this one. This news, something which should have been mentioned somewhere at the very least on an Internet news site, is nowhere to be found. Which explains why it took Inside Splinters five months, from an industry insider, to find out it had even happened.
Looking through an issue as recent as February this year is a telling way of noticing the magazine was nowhere near what it once was in brilliance. But that doesn't make the news any less upsetting. Many will argue that in a world of digital downloads, YouTube and music blogs, there is just no room for a publication like Smash Hits, especially in Australia. Teenagers do not read magazines. They look at pictures in the New Weekly, and they read gossip sites like Perez Hilton. Gone is the time when you were given an option to hear a new pop song by calling a 0055 number published in Smash Hits Magazine; these days you can download music illegally from private internet forums, Limewire, and torrent websites sometimes up to several months before their release date, in full quality and at absolutely no cost to your bank balance.
Smash Hits - both in the UK and Australia - began tumbling down a spiral of horror when it began changing its format. In the mid to late 90's, the magazine went from being a pop music publication, to one that celebrated general celebrity. In place of the razor-sharp journalism and hilarious interview techniques, came free pencil cases, posters of the cast of Beverly Hills 90210, and, in more recent years, sloppy writing.
Obviously, times had changed. Pop music had to share the spotlight with television, understandably, but was dumbing down the content all that necessary? An awe-inspiring question like "What colour is Thursday?" from a 1980's issue would soon be replaced with "What's your favourite colour?" in the late 90's and 2000's. How did they expect to live on? If that had been me as a young teen reading the most recent issues of the magazine, I would have felt like it was an offensively patronising read.
Not all is lost though. Music websites such as Popjustice, xolondon's Middle Eight, The Zapping, Don't Stop The Pop, Chart Rigger, Poster Girl and the like all carry the flame of clever, well written pop commentary into the digital age, albeit minus the 0055 numbers and the classy rip-out pin-up's.
I always dreamt of writing for Smash Hits one day. And whilst it died as a completely different type of Smash Hits to the one it used to be, I cannot help but mourn its demise.
The greatest Rock & Roll star in the history of music, Divinyls vocalist Chrissy Amphlett, will be playing (as apart of the newly reformed Divinyls) a live show at Melbourne's Forum Theatre on December the 15th of this year. Tickets go on sale October the 30th from Ticketek, and the band will be supported by The Church on the night.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Divinyls were (and, now that they have reformed, still are) the greatest Australian Rock & Roll band in the history of recorded sound. FACT.
Their first single in over 10 years, Don't Wanna Do This, hits radio next week, and was written by Amphlett and Rogue Traders drummer Cameron McGlinchey, who is also known as Mr. Natalie Bassingthwaighte. For anyone who buys a ticket to their December Melbourne show, you'll be pleased to know you'll receive a copy of the new single on the night of the concert, which you can pick up at the venue. A new album will follow in 2008, released through Universal Records.
To say I am fucking excited would be an absolute understatement. Oh my god. Mega Divinyls appreciation coming up over the next few weeks; some mp3's even...
So on this Friday's edition of my weekly radio show, Inside Splinters, I'll be playing a couple of feature tracks from my 2 favourite albums of the week; Rogue Traders' Better In The Dark, and the fantastic Black & White Album by The Hives, which has completely won me and my top 10 album's of 2007 list over in a biiiiig way.
Review coming some time next week perhaps?
If you manage to stumble across this unbelievable record before I pen about it next week, Giddy Up and You Got It All... Wrong are the highlights and - not surprisingly - the two I'll be playing on the show this week.
Anyways, on Friday night, tuning into 94.7 The Pulse delivers a sure-fire guarantee you will hear songs from:
THE HIVES! : ROGUE TRADERS! : KELIS! : THE SOHO DOLLS! BLOODY BEETROOTS! : DIVINYLS! : JOJO! : THE ROYAL WE! OPERATOR PLEASE! : BOYS NOIZE! : MOTIV8! : JUSTICE! ANNIE LENNOX! : GIRLS ALOUD! : OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN!...
...And possibly some more.
More importantly, joining me this week on the show is none other than the ace Glenn from the incredible/awesome/stupendous Stale Popcorn website (PLEASE NOTE: change of location - update your bookmarks kiddies.) There will definitely be discussions of Amelle and her two friends; left fist and right fist, and the striking features Jamie Bell possesses. Will that be ALL we talk about? You'll just have to tune in to find out... As per usual, I'll be podcasting the show next week through Sharebee as an MP3 file.
Geelong & (select) Melbourne residents; tune into 94.7 The Pulse on your FM dial from 8pm till 10pm, this and every Friday night for Inside Splinters. If you feel like giving Glenn & I a bell whilst we're on air, phone through on (03) 5222 5947 or, if you're internationally inclined and just feel like having a chat, +613 5222 5947.
I've always been under the impression that not many of my readers actually like Rogue Traders (commentsville is usually a dead-town when they're mentioned,) which is disappointing, yes, but is not going to stop me from posting about them at all...
Next Tuesday marks the two year anniversary of the Rogue's second album release, Here Come The Drums. It's also two years since my review of that very album appeared on IAR. You can read that here (opinion on the songs I didn't think much of back then has changed, by the way.)
So now it's time for album number 3. Here Come The Drums was ridiculously huge here in Australia, hanging around the Top 20 in the albums chart for well over a full year, so I'm quite keen to see how this more mature-in-sounding album fares with the fanbase.
But, even more importantly, what do *I* think of it? First of all, no one can accuse them of playing it safe. No samples this time around, goddess Natalie Bassingthwaighte has had her hand at co-writing five of the twelve tracks, and the record definitely boasts a more mature, refined direction in sound.
CALLING ALL LOVERS A solid start to the album; big on broken beats, but definitely not single-worthy material. 7/10
DON'T YOU WANNA FEEL First single to be lifted off this album, not surprisingly one of the best on here. Channeling Transvision Vamp with a dash of Chrissie Amphlett, this is one of the best Oz singles 2007 has delivered. 10/10
I NEVER LIKED YOU Bitchy Natalie! The verses bare a slight resemblance in sound to Split Enz's I Got You - the whole package is very a bright homage to new-wave, with a killer chorus ("Hey! Surprise! I never liked you, even when I tried to... I never liked you and I won't pretend to. Can't you see the curtains falling, uh-oh! Is there a reason you're still hanging around?...") This is the kind of song I could imagine Nicola Roberts singing. 10/10
CANDY COLOURED LIGHTS Track's that totally hint at you they are about getting on it in a nightclub are fine by me. This is a hypnotic, synth-heavy track with a chorus whipped up in heaven. Gorgeous. 10/10
SPEAK AND DESTROY It is like listening to Veruca Salt... remember those bitches?! It even sounds like Natalie says "seether" at one point. This is a classy stab at that very 90's rock sound, meshing it together with the new-wave feel this album seems to be generating quite well. 8/10
CHILDLIKE Moody ballad time! Usually I'm left unimpressed by the 'ballad section' of an album, but this is actually pretty good, once again keeping that heavy guitar and new-wave thing going. 7/10
ON YOUR WAY TO THE DISCO James Ash's "Oh yeah!" vocals through the chorus are DYNAMITE and totally make this song. 9.5/10
8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD It sounds a bit like We're Coming Home, doesn't it? Not as good though. This is the only track on Better In The Dark that hasn't really gelled with me at all... 5/10
BETTER IN THE DARK One thing I love most about Rogue Traders tracks is - and this includes their first, Natalie-less album - the lyrics are always clever. "I don't know your name. But I'll kiss you just the same. Holding hands, that's a start. Cos you'd look better in the dark." This is an attitude-filled rock throwback whose lyric content sums up what most of us have thought about many, many people we've seen in a nightclub. 9.5/10
WHAT YOU'RE ON This is what I like to call the record's best moment. What You're On is such a gorgeous, luscious pop song with sublime, dynamic lyrics. ...On is this album's In Love Again. Never a bad thing. 10/10
THROW YOUR ARMS AROUND ME SUMMER SINGLE ALERT! SUMMER SINGLE ALERT! Christ on a treadmill, everything about this song screams 'second single'. Rip-snorting guitar riff (which sounds a tiny, tiny bit like Mel & Kim's Respectable,) strong vocals through the verses, and an absolute rocket-fueled chorus - this is bonza stuff people. The clever thing to do would be to release this as the next single, thus making it a prominent part of the soundtrack to everyone's upcoming Australian Summer... 10/10
THE PRICE WE PAY It sounds like Take That's Wooden Boat!! Cute ballad with sweet vocals, returning things to that Veruca Salt sound I mentioned earlier. The unexpected appearance of an army of violins in the last 2 minutes is a very, very welcomed surprise. 9/10
This is their most cohesive album to date. Definitely a strong progression from Here Come The Drums. In fact, this album works and flows better as a whole than ...Drums did. I always thought the order of Drums was a bit out of whack in places but this - this has been set out perfectly.
Definitely a contender for Album of the Year. As someone who is a fan of the band, a lover of Natalie, and a long-time follower of James Ash since his career in radio at Hitz FM, this record makes me incredibly proud.
In case you haven't noticed, the site has had a bit of a once-over with the old photoshop. No particular reason really, this will all change again before the end of the year when design on the 'proper' new site is finished, but I just needed something fresh to work with until then. You know when you move furniture around your room or house because you're sick of living in the same old arrangement? That's kinda like how I was feeling with the site.
You will also notice that the divine Chrissie Amphlett looks after things 'round this hood now.
I honestly think I'll be more inclined to get my arse into gear and finish editing the My Favourite Pop Record thing now that the aesthetics of the site don't burn my retinas as much...
Saturday, October 13, 2007 Touch Me (I Wanna Feel Your Playlist)
So there's quite a bit of new music on heavy rotation this week on the old Casa De Ademstereo...
KYLIE MINOGUE - 2 HEARTS Some people do not like this, but I think it's swish. Am a fan of the original (by Kish Mauve,) but I do think Kyles' version is a slight improvement. I'm sold on the video clip too. My friend Emma said it's very Tori Amos, and she's right. It's also quite Goldfrapp'y (as is the video,) though I did read someone claim it was also like Christina Aguilera... yes, maybe if Kylie were a $2 hooker too busy shoving old 45's up her cunt to bother making good music, then yes, I can see the resemblance.
DANNII MINOGUE vs JASON NEVINS - TOUCH ME LIKE THAT As good as the new Kylie may be, I cannot help but feel Dannii has outshone her sister once again with this killer new song. I've always pictured Dannii as the type to be driving down the beach in her convertible, air-conditioning turned on high, smoking a cigarette, possibly under the influence of something she purchased from a friend in Ibiza, playing her own songs as she crusies through the sunset. But really, what's the point in listening to anyone else's music when you are Dannii Minogue? And that's why I love her. Dannii's never tried to be anything she isn't with her music (people are accusing Kylie of trying to be ultra-cool with 2 Hearts. I see where they're coming from, but still think it's a remarkable lead single,) and this track is an exceptional testament to that. Guns-a-blazing, outright homosexual dancepop at its finest, I have not been more impressed with the use of a sample - Sylvester's (You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real - since Madonna's Hung Up in 2005. Pure genius.
GIRLS ALOUD - CALL THE SHOTS What a lovely, unexpected treat. I had no idea this was going to sound like something lifted off the gorgeous self titled Cicada album, but it does. Interestingly, I have this unusual thing with any new, unheard Girls Aloud single. I listen to it once, know that it's brilliant but am not entirely convinced. Then I listen to it a second time and by the second chorus, I'm texting people telling them it's the best thing since sliced bread. It's exactly what happened when I first heard Biology (which I still believe to be the greatest pop song of all time,) and is the same story with this song. Absolute magic.
ROGUE TRADERS - BETTER IN THE DARK (NEW ALBUM) I'll post a proper review of this later in the week, but key highlights on this stunning album so far include Throw Your Arms Around Me, What You're On, Better In The Dark, Candy Coloured Lights and I Never Liked You. I think people are going to be surprised at how un-safe this album actually is...
SUGABABES - CHANGE (ALBUM) Still caning the life out of this, and am still convinced it's the album of the year so far. My obsession with Amelle is reaching worrying heights too; I spent 400 words of my upcoming column in Forte talking about her, and am using her name more times in a day than I do the word "awesome." Yikes...
ROISIN MURPHY - OVERPOWERED (ALBUM) This is, all round, a pretty solid album. A couple of disappointing moments, but nothing I'd skip whilst listening to. LovingYou Know Me Better.
More stuff coming this week. For those emailing me about the My Favourite Pop Record thing, I haven't forgotten about it, I just haven't had the time to complete all the editing (there's A LOT) with uni and some heavy family stuff going on this year. It is partially edited though, and I'm doing bits and pieces here and there when I get the chance. Sorry, but yes, it is coming, I suspect it will be online in full by November.
A recording of my Inside Splinters radio show from last Friday. I tried uploading to Sharebee, but for some reason all three times I attempted to do so it failed. So it's on Mediafire.
If this is an inconvenience for anyone email me and I'll sort you out with another link somewhere else.
Playlist... Sugababes - Denial Gossip - Careless Whisper Babyshambles - You Talk Deborah Harry - Two Times Blue Groove Armada - Crazy For You Muscles - Sweaty Muscles - One Inch Badge Pin Dragonette - I Get Around (Midnight Juggernauts Mix) Arctic Monkeys - Old Yellow Bricks (Cryptonite Mix) Justice - Stress Mantrix - Smack My Bitch Up Larry Tee ft. Princess Superstar - Licky (Herve Mix) Sneaky Sound System - Goodbye (The Heat Remix) Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Only One Robyn - Cobrastyle Annie Lennox - Sing Annie Lennox - Coloured Bedspread Kylie Minogue - In My Arms Kylie Minogue - Stars Various Artists - Classics Megamix Sugababes - Open The Door Angie Hart - Asleep Total Coelo - I Eat Cannibals Divinyls - Boys In Town The Cops - Call Me Anytime Jennifer Lopez - Mile In These Shoes*
*You may notice that this song is on some kind of ultra-warped chipmunk-like speed on the recording. That's because I accidentally forgot to amend the pitch control back to zero after having it on "+5" for the previous song. Oops.
This post was supposed to be up last Friday but Blogger decided to go all cunty on me and was cock-blocking my posts. All has been amended now.
I will post a download for last weeks show tomorrow sometime. Meanwhile, why not read the four-day old and worthless promotion for it?
Sugawaves. Do you see what I did there?
So tonight brings forth another edition of my new weekly radio show Inside Splinters. From 8pm till 10pm this and every Friday evening, I'll be hosting the show, which goes hand-in-hand with the reading of my new column (of the same name) found fortnightly in Forte Magazine. Mister Kamikaze Camel from Stale Popcorn himself also writes for Forte - we be repra'se'in' all that is good about music to the masses of Geelong yo (sorry I'm not usually this ghetto, I just didn't sleep well last night.)
The current issue (which came out yesterday) also has a couple of interviews I did with Bodyrox and also Boogie Pimps, if you're keen and locally able to obtain the paper. The Boogie Pimps interview will actually go to air in a couple of weeks, for those overseas/interstate. Hopefully tonights show will go much smoother than last weeks. Though I'm sure no one actually wants me to, I will again pop the show up for download in MP3 format on Monday. If you think I'm just wasting my time, it is probably best you email me and notify me immediately.
Also, the last Friday of every month I'll be putting together a dance classics edition of the show. Email requests from website visitors are most welcome. In fact, I encourage it.
So if you get the chance, and are in Geelong or Melbourne (some areas of Melbourne are more likely to receive reception than others,) tune into 94.7 FM from 8pm till 10pm TONIGHT (tonight being FRIDAY.) Also, if you feel like giving me a bell on air, you can do that by dialing 5222 5947. Or, +613 5222 5947.
Tonight I will be playing songs by;
SUGABABES! (x2) ROBYN! ANNIE LENNOX! (x2) BABYSHAMBLES! MUSCLES! (x2) PRINCESS SUPERSTAR! KYLIE MINOGUE! (x2) SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM! GROOVE ARMADA! DEBORAH HARRY! JENNIFER LOPEZ! THE COPS! ANGIE HEART! TOTAL COELO! DIVINYLS! SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR! DRAGONETTE! JUSTICE!
And probably something else, too. I'll also be playing a 14 minute bonza-megamix which previews the kind of songs you might hear on the dance classics special coming up on the 26th of October.
SO - Once again: tune into 94.7 FM from 8pm till 10pm TONIGHT (tonight being FRIDAY.) Also, if you feel like giving me a bell on air, you can do that by punching in the numbers 5222 5947 or +613 5222 5947 into your telephone of choice. Hooroo!
It's official. The new Sugababesalbum Change is the record I'm most looking forward to hearing in full for the year. How exciting for me that I'll be able to do so in just 3 days or less.
I'm incredibly impressed with the 5 tracks that have surfaced so far, in particular Denial, a song that completely outdoes the live version I posted on here last month which - if you recall - I loved to bits. Once the full album surfaces, I have a feeling it's going to be hard for them to top this, which I'm inclined to believe is one of their strongest songs to date.
This better be a single.Never Gonna Dance Again sees Xenomaniaand the girls teaming up to create a stunning, luscious and heartbreaking pop song. It is like Careless Whisper for the Naughties!Surprise is really cute and, naturally, Amelle sounds positively fierce on it. The ooh-ah-oh-oh's in the chorus are stunning as well. Dreamy ballad Mended By You is sweet, with a very simple but effective structure and lovely lyrics.
Title track Change is a classic 'babes ballad of epic proportions; airy verses, stomping chorus. There is also a fob-off-amazing key change towards the end that will actually elevate you to a spiritual state of bliss. I swear.
These tracks are a perfect teaser of what to expect from the refined ladies of Pop, especially now that they have - in my opinion - the definitive Sugababes line-up arrangement fronting these staggering songs. I love all these girls and honestly think their harmonising has never sounded better (sorry Mutya, you know I love you.)
It is all about these girls for me right now. Bring on the weekend.
EDIT: Within minutes of hitting 'publish post,' Change leaked in full. Have my expectations been met? YES. What an album. My Love Is Pink rocks big time, Undignified is another Sugaclassic, and Open The Door is the second best song on here. Full review coming Monday...
This is the front cover for the brand new Muscles album, Guns Babes Lemonade.
I listened to this for the first time on Saturday afternoon and was so overwhelmed with emotion in doing so, it's taken me five days to write about it. I smiled from ear to ear for the duration of all 11 numbers on this disc. The songs are FUN (I'll use this word a bit over the next few paragraphs,) but, more importantly, the person who made this album had more fun than I ever will listening to it; and it really shows. That's what really got me, I don't think I've ever heard anyone having THIS much fun on an album. That's just pure bliss for me.
For those of you in the dark as to who Muscles is, his real name is Chris Copulos, he's a young Aussie boy, and he makes incredibly fun electronic music. FYI: He's also really, really cute/hot in that naive country boy kind of way.
But this album, which was released this week (and was the first record I'd gone out and bought on the day of release without actually hearing it online as a leak first - I think it's actually been a couple of years since that's happened to be honest with you,) is a fiery ball of good times and fun, fun, fun.
I must warn you; this is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Muscles' vocals aren't amazing, but they don't need to be; it's part of the charm and beauty of all the songs. It gets a bit shouty but, again, it's all in such good fun that it doesn't bother me. The best way to describe his voice is to say he sounds quite like Gavin Rossdale. A LOT, actually. The voice is an acquired taste, and while I will completely understand where people are coming from when they tell me they cannot stand it, I won't agree with them. This peculiar voice, atop of quirky, electro beats... I say, I reckon you've got a winning debut album.
The tracks on here simply deal with things Copulos is obsessed with in life; ice cream, drinking lemonade in hammocks (it's my new favourite thing to say; "Lemonade in hammocks!",) eating marshmallows, being with friends, partying, being young, that sort of thing.
Essentially, quite a few of these songs discuss being apart of the dance scene, in particular Sweaty, in which Muscles replicates a conversation held between two pill-popping ravers. "I'm getting tired and I'm sweaty, but I still wanna touch ya if you let me. Because we hugged a few time and it was special... My hand slipped into your hand, and it was awesome, and you were special." Mashing genius lyrics up with loud, happy synths; this is the kind of thing that makes my day.
The whole album is a goldmine of electronica. One Inch Badge Pin contains yet another legendary, local-industry related line which tickled me pink. "Last night I met a girl, who says she has connections, in the Melbourne Independent Music Community... who says she has connections." Maybe this will go over non-Aussie's heads, but as someone who sees what goes on and how this "community" operates (and how many people claim to have these so-called connections,) it's an absolute gas. Maybe that's why the rave references sit well with me too; I spent a good portion of my teen years through to my early 20's working as a door bitch and, later, in publicity for several 'rave' parties and nightspots in Melbourne. So I can relate to the story told in Sweaty because I've seen that very story unfold around me countless amounts of times. That cliche of people loving each other stupid when they've induced MDMA, it's an ongoing joke amongst ex-ravers and people who've worked in the industry, which may explain why that song especially struck such a chord with me.
Both The Lake and Lauren From Glebe incorporate proper trance music melodies, something that is normally looked down upon by electro enthusiasts. But it's just so pretty...
Without sounding like a juiced up raver (which - just for the record - I am not, and have not been for quite a few years,) this record really is the pants. It's totally life-affirming stuff that has reignited my passion for Australian dance music.
Sharebee offers download links for ZShare, Rapidshare, Megaupload and some other one, so that should keep everyone happy.Tracklisting:
Sugababes - About U Now M.I.A. - Jimmy (Alternate Video Version) Kylie Minogue - Love Is The Drug Eve Massacre - Never Be Your Friend Justice vs Simian - We Are Your Friends Justice - D.A.N.C.E. (MSTRKRFT Remix) Yelle - Ce JeuMuscles - Ice Cream Gameboy/Gamegirl - Pumps & Rumps Architecture In Helsinki - Heart It Races (Tizzy's Rusty Tin Can Mix) Arctic Monkeys - Teddy Picker Babyshambles - Delivery The Royal We - All The Rage Klaxons - Not Over Yet Delerium - Silence (Sanctuary Edit) Dolly Parton - Peace Train Girls Aloud - Sexy! No No No... M.I.A. - 20 Dollar Roisin Murphy - Let Me Know Seal - Amazing Bag Raiders - Fun Punch K.I.M. - B.T.T.T.T.R.Y. Howling Bells - Low Happening (Presets Remix) Rogue Traders - Don't You Wanna Feel Subliminal Girls - Burn Koko Chungking - Stay Up Forever The Glass - Mad At You Teenage Bad Girl - Cocotte Duran Duran ft. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland - Nite Runner
So there you go.
On a completely unrelated note, I've just finished watching episode 7 of Season 3 Weeds... good golly it's hilarious. Best season yet? Quite possibly. It's definitelyNancy's best season anyway... Season 1 was all about Celia, but the best one-liners have been OWNED by Nancy so far. And Silas... oh god, has he actually gotten HOTTER now that he is a convicted criminal/doing community service/drug dealer?
