More on this - one of the greatest records of all time - when I can get out of my SHOUTING-ABOUT-THE-HOUSE-BECAUSE-IT'S-SO-GOOD phase and speak properly about it.
PS: This time tomorrow that change should be ready. So the GA album review will probably go alongside that. More tomorrow...
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.
Sunday, September 02, 2007 A very fine example as to why I'm more excited about the upcoming Sugababes album than I am the new Madonna one.
This is a live performance of an upcoming track from the new Sugababes album, "Change."
I'm very excited about this album. "About U Now" is by far my most played song on iTunes and in the car of late. I have listened to it probably two thousand times, am completely obsessed with it still. And now this. I am so in love with it. I have a really strong feeling about this record. All of this is subject to change of course on the chance that the album turns out to be full of filler and my "instincts" are worth shit all, but whatever. I am really excited though because "Change" will be the first proper full-length album my homegirl Amelle gets to do her thing on. I am totally taken by her; the look, the voice, everything about her - gorgeous. She is fast shaping up to be one of my favourite girl band members of all time.
I've not thought the Sugababes have been able to top the "Angels With Dirty Faces" record album wise. They have consistently released quality songs and more than a few solid album tracks, but Angels was the last of their albums I didn't have to skip songs on. I'm one of the very few people who thought "Easy" was a stroke of genius (still adore that seedy clip too,) and when Amelle replaced Mutya I had complete confidence in her being able to take the group to a new level of brilliance. Maybe it has something to do with her birthday being the 22nd of April, and mine being the 23rd? It is like we are kindred spirits or summat.
Hopefully I'm on the money. Won't have to wait too long either; the album is released on the 8th of October. There's been a strong feeling within about Berrabah from day one, and so far she has done a more than satisfactory job at proving me right. I loved Mutya, don't get me wrong, but I'm more than happy with the line-up arrangement of Sugababes v3.0. There's also the whole Amelle-in-public-punch-up saga (where the "victim" was too scared to press charges in fear of "reprisals." There's also the long list of crazy ex-boyfriends that get charged with raping members of her family, which instantly makes Amelle more interesting than any Sugabababe incarnation to date,) which, in my opinion, made Cheryl Tweedy's nightclub toilet brawl over a lollipop sound like something from Playschool.
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.
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.
Well it's here! The brand spankin' new Girls Aloud single "Sexy! No, No, No..." has leaked in radio rip form on the Internut and it is--as expected--very good.
It's incredibly danceable and a complete stomper, giving "Something Kinda Ooooh" a serious run for its money in the foot-shuffling department. Aside from absolutely raising the bloody roof with its electricity through the main chunk of the song, there's also a vocoder used through Cheryl's dramatic almost-talky-bit intro which makes this all the more an enjoyable experience.
The "Sexy!..." video clip was filmed this week, so hopefully they've; A) spent more than 20 pound on it, and B) planned on premiering it sometime next week.
For those who aren't aware, "Sexy! No, No, No..." is released in the UK from September 3rd, with Girls Aloud's long awaited fourth studio album to follow in November. Veeeeeee-Exciting stuff.
Monday, June 18, 2007 Big Mc (and a little Girls Aloud story)
WARNING. There are times when I talk about McFly that I make complete sense and sound like I am quite aware of what I'm relaying. Other times, I make absolutely no sense and sound like a 5 year old girl. The following post may contain traces of nuts.
I'm having a heavy McFly week. I've been watching and listening to them at a full pace for the last 7 days. This will probably be followed with a Girls Aloud week, which always progresses onto a Madonna week, then a Dannii Minogue week. That then turns into a Kylie Minogue weekend, which closes with 3 days of Bjork/Tori Amos obsession. There is a method, it seems to happen twice, maybe three times a year, and that is how it operates. I like it when it pops up because I don't have to worry about what CD's to take in the car. But back to McFly. Their music has the ability to make me laugh, cry, dance, sing, get up and do my thing. I discovered them in the early stages of 2005, shortly after having some life-changing lung surgery, so they - alongside the Popjustice forums (which I had also just discovered) and Girls Aloud - played a giant part in my recovery process. There are four acts I "collect" and "scrapbook" things of. Madonna, Girls Aloud, Dannii Minogue and McFly. If you were to ask me who my favourite acts of the last 20 years were, Madge, GA & McFly would be the top 3. Dannii's top 10, don't worry. One day I may divulge the others. Erm, anyway...
A couple of weeks ago I finally received my copy of the re-released edition of McFly's "Motion In The Ocean" album, which contains a brand spankin' new DVD of the entire Motion In The Ocean Tour 2006 show, Live from Wembley. There was a confusing uproar from a lot of the fans over the re-release. People were claiming it to be "cynical marketing," and feeling they were being "ripped off." The confusing part about all this was that, only a short few months earlier, these very fans were complaining about the news this tour was NOT going to be released on DVD at all. There were complaints it had not come in a proper DVD casing (!!), and "I've already got the Motion In The Ocean album!" The fact that they were getting the show in full didn't seem to register, or the fact that they were going to be paying CD price for the package rather than a DVD price (which, by the looks of it, is more expensive than buying CD's in the UK!) So after all that, it's nice to finally have the disc in my hands.
The show begins with "Please Please," which you may recall is "loosely" (such an appropriate word to associate with her, too) based on turbo-slut, lover of knives and friend of the Minnillo (ugh), Lindsay Lohan. Easily one of their better video clips, however the song hasn't aged well. But then again, most novelty songs wear very thin on me after a couple of months, and "Please Please" really IS a novelty song. There is, however, an incredibly healthy amount of boxer shorts-shots through this opener. There's also a shot of a nice-looking-indeed teenage emo-esque boy singing the lyrics in the audience. Which is an exciting change to all the screaming girls they show in the crowd.
There are highlights galore, including a cover of "Ghostbusters." Their cover of the Beastie Boys classic "Fight For Your Right" just doesn't cut it when compared to the ace late 90's dance remake by NYCC, but really, what does? These guys are a talented bunch of musicians and songwriters (I'm leaning towards "Wonderland" being my favourite McAlbum of all time now by the way), regardless of what a lot of pop fans might think. Tom Fletcher is a musical genius, and that Danny Jones has the greatest pipes in all of man-land. Danny's solo of "Not Alone" on the DVD is earth-shatteringly good. You know that wave of euphoria you get when you hear something really special in a song or a performance? It's the feeling I got when I saw Madonna crucified on a cross for the first time. That very same feeling ran through me whilst watching this. If you ever wanted proof as to why Danny Jones is one of the greatest male vocalist's of the 21st century than this IS IT. Watch out for the harmonica action, which almost evokes an internal combustion every time I hear it.
There's also some ex-Busted action, as Matt Willis makes a very welcome guest appearance during "Don't Stop Me Now." Though - quite alarmingly - there are a total of ZERO boxer shorts-shots. Tsk Tsk Matt, Tsk Tsk.
Danny's hair is exceptional through out the show. Whilst most people seem to focus on charming young Dougie's hair, ever since Danny ditched the hair straighteners, I've been a solid Danny Jones boy. Early 2006, it was always Dougie or Danny. My moods would change, and so would my preferred McFly totty (like Lindsay, I've been through them all), but I have been a Danny Jones boy for a strong 8 months now. We're soooogoing steady... There's alsothat smile which will probably result in my very first heart attack were I to see it in the flesh. Combine that with those curly locks... Christ alive...
But back to the show. Overall, this is a vast improvement on the Wonderland Tour, even if there was no "Silence Is A Scary Sound" this time round. I would have given an arm, leg, and vital organ to have been at either (or both) of those shows. I've no fucking idea why they've not attempted to crack the Australian market yet. What is going on there boys? How else am I supposed to stalk you around Melbourne until I get a photograph with you unless you actually come to this country? Though, if I ever did get to meet them, it would probably just end up exactly the same way it did when I met Girls Aloud last year* in Melbourne. But seriously, they've got a fan base down here so why not give it a go? If Girls Aloud were able to do it then they can too. Come on Camp McFly, chop chop.
DOWNLOAD: Danny Jones & George Karalexis - Forget All You Know Last year Danny recorded some stuff with a guy by the name of George. A few of the songs appeared on his MySpazz page recently, and this is probably the better of the selection. It's a ballad; it's not brilliant, but it is nice to have in the collection if you're a fan like I. Quality is pretty medium-to-low, sorry. Special thanks to the ace boys and girls over at McFly Media for the rip.
*Have I ever told you that story? My best friend Ben & I drove at some ridiculous time in the morning down to the Channel 10 studio's in Melbourne, hoping we'd somehow convince reception to let us into the studios to watch the girls perform (I had a Girls Aloud t-shirt on! Why wouldn't they let us in?!) We were walking up to the studios through the car park of the hotel next door. Just as we were walking closer to the hotel, who should exit the revolving door but (in this order) Nicola, Kimberley, Nadine, Cheryl and Sarah. I froze, Nicola pointed at me (massive "Girls Aloud" logo on a t-shirt and about 37 of their CD's and Vinyl in my hands was obviously not very hard to miss) and they began walking towards me. ME! They spoke (Nicola was incredibly chatty. I seriously think she's not spoken that much in any interview before. It was amazing, seriously) to me whilst I shook, trying to speak and failing miserably at asking them any of the questions I had planned to on my drive up. They were incredibly sweet, Nadine gobbled something about my McFly baseball cap, we got photo's with them (which I look HIDEOUS in) and stuff was signed, then they were off. Within 5 minutes Girls Aloud - the people - had come in and out of my life. It was the most surreal experience ever. I spent the following 24 hours ecstatically happy. It was a really good day folks, a really good day.
Some photography to accompany this large post all of you have probably not bothered reading...
Everyone's favourite alcoholic, Girls Aloud's Sarah Harding, has denied the Sun's stupid story over the weekend announcing an Aloud split this year, by declaring there's a new album on the way. Sarah hopped on the official GA Website - in between having a drink and being the greatest pop star on the planet since Madonna - to post a few comments on the girls' future.
"Just wanted to post a msg on here to say don't believe the ridiculous story about us splitting up in one of the papers on Sunday. As you know by now, some people just can't stop making stories up out of nothing. Me and the girls are really excited about the tour coming up - and we've got some great surprises planned. We've also started work on our new album which will be out in October. Andyou'll be pleased to know there will be no covers on this album!! Oh and Cheryl has just texted me saying to make sure I mention that she is not going to a judge on any reality show - these stories are just rubbish. Hope you're all enjoying the sunshine. See you all at the shows. Sarah xxx"
Please take note of the double exclamation marks as the sentence proclaiming a cover-version-free album draws to a close. You can view the whole thing over on the GA website. Quote copy and paste job with thanks to the ace BopPop, however.
PS: Popjustice is back after what felt like 3 months away. They've had an Ashlee Simpsonstyle nose-job, which looks quite fabulous really.
PPS: If I'm slightly absent for the next week then it has something to do with having to pen eight thousand assignments by Friday, my birthday being just around the corner, an upcoming 5 day weekend from work, and emulating my hero Sarah Harding as much as possible for the entirety of my Annual Crisis Talks... (thanks to Janina for that witty line, btw.)
No, seriously. The COMPLETELY forgotten about "Reality Television", er, "stars", seem to still have some kind of a record deal with SonyBMG, even after their first single "Party Girl" managed to sell half a copy last year. For those of you that don't remember what "Party Girl" sounded like, think of the Aloud's "Sound Of The Underground" the morning after a night on Speed and Heroin. Let's throw in a lethal dosage of GHB as well for "good measure". An absolute mess of a song, with a chorus that was not far off from being similar to the sound of nails down a chalkboard, rather than one of the underground.
The girls were introduced to no more than 7 people on a television show in Australia, imaginatively titled Girlband, which aired on Sunday Nights for about 2 weeks, and was then moved to Sunday Mornings at about 4am 10am for the remaining few. In the very first episode, the people behind this masterful creation pretty much said "We liked the success and overall package of Girls Aloud in the U.K. - we wanted to make something like that here." They even showed a clip of the "Biology" video. I was all for this happening, and when the press releases hinted at it being a bit of Rogue Traders-esque sound, I thought the girls would do really well. But as the show progressed, the poor girls who'd been roped into this job were meek, boring and very dull shadows of the Girls their Management were trying to turn them into. Girls Aloud or Rogue Traders they were not, in fact, nor were they even close to Clea. These were four girls who just didn't fit together. It didn't help matters that the songs heard on the show and first single were all nothing short of terrible.
But things seem to have continued for them. The Girls have just returned from India after recording the theme song for an upcoming Bollywood Movie horrifically titled "Heyy Babyy". Still no word on if they'll ever be releasing that album though, which was news I searched for on their MySpace (which if you go visit, you'll actually find a fairly good track called "Stand Up"). So whilst I was snooping around, I noticed their latest publicity shot. It reminded me of something, so I thought I would share it around.
Look familiar?
For the first time ever, Nicola is not the one who looks out of place.
This years "exciting" Brit Award nominations have been announced. To say that the entire nation of the United Kingdom shall be fast asleep shortly after it begins is an absolute understatement. Forget Valium, Xanex, Codeine or GHB, if you're one to have fly-by fits of insomnia through the year, just do as I am and get a friend in the UK to tape this years Brit Awards for you. That way, whenever you are unable to sleep, just pop your trusty recording of the 2007 Brit Awards into a "VCR" (!!!!!), and away to the land of dreams you go.
Not surprisingly, Girls Aloud (pictured, right) and the Sugababes have been snubbed. Maybe Girls Aloud can do what they did last year while Brits were on - Come to Australia? And quite surprisingly, McFly have been snubbed as well, an act I was sure were Brit Award darlings up until now. Have a look at the absolute wank found within these nominations and - hey, why not - let's have a chat about each of them.
British Male Solo Artist James Morrison Jarvis Cocker Lemar Paolo Nutini Thom Yorke
If Jarvis Cocker doesn't win this I'll be very cross. You would expect to have seen Robbie on there, but apparently - according to the Senior Citizens down at the Brits - "Intensive Care" is an album more worthy of listens than "Rudebox". Even though it is actually his all time worst.
British Female Solo Artist Amy Winehouse Corinne Bailey Rae Jamelia Lily Allen Nerina Pallot
Well, this is slightly better. If I were choosing the winners, Amy Winehouse would collect this gong, but it'll either go to Lily Allen or Corinne Boring Rae. I'm not quite sure why Jamelia's been acknowledged - yes, the album and singles have been great but haven't 3 people in total bought them? Well if we're doing that, why is there no nomination for Emma Bunton then?
British Group Arctic Monkeys Kasabian Muse Razorlight Snow Patrol
Muse are the only act on there with an actual pop album this year. And they're not even a pop act. No Girls Aloud, no Sugababes, no McFly. How so very sad.
MasterCard British Album Amy Winehouse - Back To Black Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not Lily Allen - Alright, Still Muse - Black Holes & Revelations Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
Not bad, if not slightly predictable. Where is a nomination for Take That's "Beautiful World" though? Hasn't that been Number #1 in the UK now for 37 years?
British Single Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On The Feeling - Fill My Little World James Morrison - You Give Me Something The Kooks - She Moves In Her Own Way Leona Lewis - A Moment Like This Lily Allen - Smile Razorlight - America Sandi Thom - I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair) Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars Take That - Patience Will Young - All Time Love
Oh you're kidding me, right? Sandi 'Fucking' Thom? Leona Lewis? No Girls Aloud then? Again? I am really hoping Take That snatch this award - something tells me they probably will. But something told me Girls Aloud may have received an actual nomination this year as well, so what would I know?
British Breakthrough Act Corinne Bailey Rae The Fratellis James Morrison The Kooks Lily Allen
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Hopefully Lily will get this one and be disgustingly drunk/gakked when she accepts it.
British Live Act George Michael Guillemots Kasabian Muse Robbie Williams
I suppose that is a generally okay list. But they've managed to leave at least another 3 off there, haven't they?
International Male Solo Artist Beck Bob Dylan Damien Rice Jack Johnson Justin Timberlake
Beck should win this, but Justin probably will.
International Female Solo Artist Beyonce Cat Power Christina Aguilera Nelly Furtado Pink
If Beyonce nabs this award I'll be furious. The only good things she's put her name to since "Crazy In Love" have been "Dreamgirls" and the press release announcing Destiny's Child were to be no more.
International Group The Flaming Lips Gnarls Barkley The Killers Red Hot Chili Peppers Scissor Sisters
I really don't want to see Gnarls Barkley win this one. Their album wasn't that bad, but it had some very patchy moments on it. My hopes are on The Flaming Lips & The Killers, but my money is probably on the Scissor Sisters.
International Album Bob Dylan - Modern Times Gnarls Barkley - St Elsewhere Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds The Killers - Sam's Town Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah
Scissor Sisters do NOT deserve an award for THAT album, surely?
International Breakthrough Act Gnarls Barkley Orson The Raconteurs Ray LaMontagne Wolfmother
Dear Wolfmother. Please fuck off. xx IAR. Believe me when I say that a lot of us are VERY ashamed they are from Australia.
Outstanding Contribution To Music Oasis
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
My question to the folks who put these lists of nominees together each year is: Do the viewers at home receive an award for putting up with an evening of suicidal television? What a painful, painful evening this is panning out to be.
Not as painful as our "beloved" ARIA Awards* though. *The ARIA Awards are Australia's answer to the Brits. But even shitter. Not only do people selling three records get nominated, but they also win. Hello Clare Bowditch.
