I am completely in love with Miss Connie from Sneaky Sound System. Isn't she just one of the most staggering pop stars in the history of music? My love for this woman runs incredibly deep, so I'm quite excited by the news that work is sending me off to see her and the Sound System crew put on a nice, pretty live show this Saturday night at the god-awful Festival Hall in Melbourne. Even the venue cannot bring down my high! What I'm even more excited about is seeing Van She - one of my most loved Australian groups of all time - play as the Sneaky's support on the night, making this my fourth time seeing them do their thang. Viva la Van She!
The picture to your left is photographic evidence of the best dress at last weeks ARIA awards, worn by Miss Connie. It is also photographic evidence of the best performance of the night.
I'm sure most of you will take my word for it, but you should still watch it for yourself.
Magic. When I grow up, I want to be just like Miss Connie.
Speaking of live shows, this coming Thursday night I'm off to see Robyn AGAIN in Melbourne. She just cannot get enough of us sexual (guffaw!) Aussies it seems! For those keen, she is playing at Roxanne, which is behindBillboard Nightclub in the CBD. I'm very excited, as Roxanne is a slightly bigger venue than the incredibly intimate feel we had the other month for her gig at the tiny Miss Libertines. Will have a full report on that next week.
Stop whatever it is you're doing right now (unless the only thing you are doing right now is reading this post, in which case I'd advise you actually keep doing it.) There is a new remix of a Sugababes song which I think you should download. Remember the cheesy Ultrabeat remix of the underrated and completely ace Easy from last year? Well, Ultrabeat have managed to top that effort with a completely popperific version of About You Now. It's cheesy, it's loud, it's probably going to be seriously offensive to most of you - but I love it. I was driving down the highway last night at an ungodly hour, alone in my car and on the road, with the windows down and this turned up ridiculously loud. It made me very happy. Now you can maybe be as happy as I!
Just quickly, because I cannot be bothered reviewing them just yet; New albums from Young Divas, Celine Dion, DanniiMinogue, Freemasons and Seal are all EXCELLENT. Am about to listen to the new Duran Duran and Leona Lewis long players before bed and am very excited about both.
And finally, if you're in or around the Geelong area tomorrow night, tune into 94.7 The Pulse from 8pm till 10pm for my radio show Inside Splinters. On the musical menu tomorrow; Young Divas, Trash Fashion, Bloc Party, Kylie Minogue, Sneaky Sound System, Robyn, M.I.A, Daft Punk, DanniiMinogue, Justice, The Toxic Avenger, Bertine Zetlitz, Cut Copy, and many more. Hopefully I won't fuck up too much...
Anyways, I'm on a mini-break until Tuesday so, unless something incredibly dramatic happens and I desperately need to blog about it - I won't be back till then. (Apologies for the long break in between posts of late - I've been so busy with uni and family stuff - it's been a bit crazy down at the residence of Adem. Back to norm next week, I promise. Kthxbye.)
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.
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.
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...
...to let you all know I'll be back, guns a-blazing, next week. There is actually no reasonable excuse for my absence this week; I have done a total of no study, have written about 9 words all week (and that was just on an envelope for work...) In fact, I have spent my entire week watching Doctor Who, replaying the ace first episode of Summer Heights High, and reading the first installment of my actual printed pop column over and over again simply because I'm still not sure it's real. Yep, been pretty fucking lazy this week, but I've totally needed the me-time.
Somewhat random; I have been having really strange dreams about zombies for the last three months. I have no idea why but at least 4 times a week, I'm dreaming about bloody zombies. And with all this Doctor Who fresh in my memory, last night I dreamt about time traveling zombies. For Christ's sake.
Hopefully tomorrow night there wont be too many zombies in sight as I plan on letting my proverbial hair down on the town, where I will no doubt hassle all the local DJs to play me some Dannii Minogue and Sugababes.
So yes, regular programming next week. Speaking of Amelle & co, here is the new Sugababes video clip. Good golly that lady is fierce. LOVE. HER.
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.
