Yé-Yé music

Years ago, in high school, my headmaster told me the French called pop music 'Yé-Yé music'. It wasn't meant as some cultural snippet but as a sneering put down. He was the same headmaster who blubbed to the local press when Neil Tennant wrote It's a Sin about his time at the same school. In other words, the man was a boring shit who hated pop music. And by dismissing Yé-Yé music, he missed out on something joyous. No wonder he was miserable. Here are two pop songs currently making me feel vindicated.

First up is a bunch of thrift store guitar twiddlers turned All Saints stadium pop gods. One Night Only have grown up - due in part to lead singer Georgie Craig's Glamorama-type existence as Burberry's pin-up boy - and become Keane/Duran Duran. I love bold, confident music, but the lyrics have to match. "The big screens, the plastic-made dreams" has such an 80s anthemic ring, it belies the true age of the singer (er, 20). Say You Don't Want It is now a bona fide top 40 hit, ripe to sound mammoth in Wembley Stadium.



Next up is someone who really doesn't need any poking from me. Web-rat, Sky Ferreira's One is everywhere at the moment. It's the kind of clever pop that gets on people's tits but others think is nothing short beautiful, just like the fashion shot of her above. Honestly, she doesn't need to bother after this.

FREE! download of new Pacific!

The marvelous Hot Lips duo from Sweden, Pacific! are back! Back!! BACK!! And gone all frightwig on us. Delving into the depths of the universe they've come back with Narcissus, a bone-shaking, sonic-bothering, rumbler of a dance track that made my arse cheeks quiver.



Heads up to Jon Pleased Wimmin who put this on his facebook with a warning. It's hard to believe it's the same band who's debut album, Reveries, was such a squelchy, funky laid back affair. But I like bands going leftfield. It's been two years since they began travelling the world with Hot Lips et al and in that time they'll have seen, done, eaten, danced to A LOT. In other words, this is a band expressing their broadening horizons. As a taster to the new album on Alan Braxe's prolific label Vulture, it's coming straight at you, fists flying. The Pet Shop Boys should take note that Narcissus was originally "conceived as a live performance to accompany a modern dance ballet" and especially as this track has the anthemic qualities of a classic PSB track.

And the FREE Jagz Kooner REMIX is below via Soundcloud. Enjoy!

PACIFIC! - Narcissus (Jagz Kooner remix) MP3 by sigimarra

Katy B mine

I can inhale this track all day. In.... and out. Goldsmiths alumni Katy B is all over the radio and much deserved too. Sidestepping the current Brit sound to create their own hugely appealing version of dubstep, Katy and producer Benga have hit on a winning formula. Check out the current A-listed Katy On a Mission and the just as amarze Louder.

The straight Sylvester

Well this one sneaked out... Mischa Barton's new squeeze, the clubbing fashionista, Ali Love, has a proper collection of ten tracks released as a bona fide album, Love Harder. Following the killer singles, Diminishing Returns and Love Harder, this album should be MASSIVE. Think of a straight Sylvester. That's Ali Love.

Love Harder is quite an achievement. Every track is accomplished dance/pop. He's kept the huge 80s feel of his earlier material but added a twist with dirty synths and filthy vocals. Love In Darkness has the aforementioned Sylvester feel. It's a bit like two straight blokes doing Man 2 Man's Male Stripper. Glorious. But he can still do floaty pop with the lovely Dark Star.

Here's the latest single, Smoke and Mirrors. Go get the album here before he explodes - in the filling out arenas sense - because he will!



FOOTNOTE: repeated listening of the album and the more I'm thinking how would it sound with Ewan Pearson at the helm as producer. Pretty epic I'd suspect. And how about a Fred Falke remix? Just wet meself.

Hurts all over like a rash

It's taken well over a year, but Hurt's Wonderful Life single finally gets an official video in the run up to the release next month. The Hurts camp have been clever in their mass global awareness campaign. Like a slow creeper, they've spread roots all over Europe. It remains to be seen whether or not it all pays off: the last stop before release, radio play seems to be non-existent. I find it very odd that Radio 1 are resolutely ignoring one of the most talked about bands of 2010. With a few weeks to go, it should be way up there on the playlist. A message to the band themselves though... "Don't let go. Never give up it's such a wonderful life"!

**UPDATE AUGUST 5th: Wonderful Life now on Radio 1's B-List!!!**

Judie Tzuke: something new, something old

A friend of mine bemoaned the lack of updates here, "I suppose there's nothing new worth writing about though". Coming from the queen of the bright and shiny and all that's new, it's a big statement. But he and I both know there's loads of new stuff worth writing about, it's just we take our eyes of the horizon for a bit of a rest. And that's where we uncover hidden gems from the past. Or rather, it becomes the new discovery. And that quite neatly sums up the stunning collection of 33 (bloody Nora!) tracks Moon on a Mirrorball from Judie Tzuke .

Her name has always been always been synonymous with the UK's rock and pop pantheon, but weirdly, I couldn't recall any of her music. A chance encounter on a radio interview where they played her 1979 hit Stay With Me 'Til Dawn and THAT VOICE just lifted me. Yes, I actually elevated off my seat. And then I realised I knew her voice all along, usually in the back of a cab gurning all the way home at sunrise o'clock when the taxi driver's tuned into Magic or Heart or dressed in Mylo's clothes as Need You Tonite on his classic Destroy Rock and Roll album (quick aside: where the fluck has he gone?!?).



After 30 years as a singer/songwriter she's packaged her favourite tracks alongside new ones which is the PERFECT introduction for Judie Tzuke philistines. And the new stuff is KILLER. Take the introductory single If (When You Go). Her daughters Bailey, 23 (yes, the Freemasons singer on the glorious Uninvited) and Tallulah, 15, provide the angelic, ethereal backing vocals - one in each ear - with their mum front and centre with a deeper, resonant, slightly gravelly voice on a track co-written with Kylie's longtime collaborator Steve Anderson. His trademark strings do the business, sweeping and swooshing underneath this mammoth song.



Judie Tzuke's songs are like looking up into a blue sky to see jetstreams criss-crossing. They're the past and the future. And it's clear she has influenced a plethora of singer/songwriters with her music. Sia springs to mind immediately.

Go buy Moon on the Mirrorball here. She's touring the UK in autumn and the gig in majestic Union Chapel in London promises to be vare special.

Ever so lonely without you...

...oops, just saw the last blog post was April 17th. Tsk tsk. Well, there's been loads happening while I've been away, making music and shiz. I meant to post this video ages ago, so here it is; better late than never. I love the deluxe minimalism of this track So Lonely by Chris Sorbello. The production on it is top notch, especially the way they give her vocals the necessary ice cool sheen.

Living in the plastic age

And so, for Independent Record Shop Day, here is my own first Top Ten. I happily trolled down to WH Smith for what were only 7" singles because, of course, an album didn't even figure in my pre-teen brain. I was always slightly disappointed when I didn't get the picture sleeve version and only realised years later that WH Smith was the one shop you were guaranteed to get the boring sleeve. I played these records on permanent rotation which is why they're etched into my brain.


1. New Musik - Living By Numbers Listen out for the Lorraine Chase-alike "They don't want your naaaaame" at 2.50.


2. The Buggles - Living in the Plastic Age


3. The Regents - 7Teen


4. Altered Images - I Could Be Happy


5. Peter Gabriel - Games Without Frontiers


6. Blondie - Rapture Clicky here for the proper video.


7. Adam and the Ants - Antmusic

8. Adam and the Ants - Young Parisians Do you see the start of a trend here? And this was a re-issue on the back of Antmusic.


9. Adam and the Ants - Stand and Deliver


10. The Human League - Don't You Want Me And so began the longest love affair... This is my favourite clip of their telly appearences, Christmas Top of the Pops 1981. Watch out for the silly string nearly choking Joanne at 3.00.

Holestar's single, NyLon Woman OUT NOW!!!

WHOOP! WHOOP! It's here at last! NyLon Woman the debut single by London's favourite 'tranny with a fanny', Holestar, is OUT NOW! And I'm screaming about it because I wrote it. You can read all about my involvement here. With a punk ethos that would have made Malcolm McLaren proud, Holestar is out to prove a point; namely, that the DIY route is so much easier in this digital age. For one, it's cheaper to produce than ever before and secondly, the reach to music fans is worldwide in a heartbeat. The blog love on this has been inspiring. Go on, have a read!
FIZZYPOP
POP TRASH ADDICTS
MANHATTANCHESTER
SILENCE IS A RHYTHM TOO
XO'S MIDDLE EIGHT
2,000 FEET
I AM SOHO
FREAK CHIC
To download the single now GO TO: iTunes UK and change your store if you're outside of the UK or to Amazon. It's even on Napster! What you waiting for? COME TO MAMA!

If you want a FREEBIE MIX by me, clicky here!

Punx are punk

Thanks to a friend of mine whose finger is always on the throbbing pulse of gaydom, here's Hunx and His Punx. Below is their brand new single, You Don't Like Rock 'n' Roll which they're touring the UK promoting as I write. This San Franciscan has a great sound: like The Ramones teaching Martha Reeves and the Vandellas how to fist each other... It's fuzzy rock 'n' roll with a delicious queer taste. I can imagine John Waters watching the vids and chuckling, "That's my boy".



The whole ethos of being able to make any kind of music with any kind of lyric and get it out there, like Hunx and His Punx, is a fitting testament to Malcolm McLaren who died yesterday. These Punx live up to their name admirably.

Below is my favourite track (and video) of his (theirs?) called Cruising. The leather clone outfits are more fashion than sexy, but that's the point, methinks.