Rule number 1 is that you gotta have fun

Skins actress and one-time star in an Emeli Sandé music video (and thus an obviously music-related person) Laya Lewis once tweeted that everyone should listen to at least one Spice Girls song a day.

And who am I to judge. So you might as well fill your daily quota with "Who Do You Think You Are", an uptempo disco track off their debut album Spice. Them haters be hatin', but this is a proper '90s pop tune so deal with it. It's also a classic Spice Girls tune with a groovy beat, catchy melodies and Mel C stealing the show with her solo bits 'cause come on, the backflipping songstress' vocals always stand out the most. No wonder she went on to have the most successful solo career out of the five. She was always my favourite Spice Girls as well. I mean, let's face it: she's one BAMF. The fact that she also reminded my of my sister had probably nothing to do with it.

Mashup Madness: Basement Jaxx vs Nirvana

I know how bizarre it sounds: Basement Jaxx's bubbly pop tune "Oh My Gosh" mashed up with Nirvana's grunge anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit"? Doesn't sound like it would ever work. How in the world could it? But guess what - it does. Unfortunately the Youtube clip cannot be embedded so I just have to provide you with a link to it: here it is. But do check it out nevertheless, it's a fabulous clash of nearly opposite musical styles. It's ridiculously catchy!

Second thoughts about Electra Heart

So, this week saw Marina Diamandis bid farewell to her Electra Heart persona. Initially I was relieved - and I still am, as I miss Marina being Marina - but now I've started looking back at the whole Electra Heart era. When she first introduced us to this new stunt she said that she created the character to be able to do things that she'd never normally do, things that are the total opposite of her. "Such as conquering the charts with radio friendly, commercially accessible electropop while sporting a Hollywood blonde hairstyle", I thought. Which is actually exactly what she did. I was cynical.

Quite often story arcs need closure to be understandable. You know, that one little twist that causes all the jigsaw pieces to fall into place. So was it for Marina's Electra Heart thingy as well. After the final part was uploaded in Youtube, I skimmed through all the previous videos back-to-back and lo and behold, things started making sense! I started to see a storyline, one I believe is rather close to what it was meant to be, so here's my interpretation of the video series:

M.I.A.'s forthcoming album has a release date now.

FINALLY. Ever since "Bad Girls" in the beginning of 2012 the world has been waiting for album news but M.I.A. has kept us waiting. Now, however, the new album is given an actual release date: the 5th of November. So remember, remember. It seems her fans are not the only ones who are frustrated with how long it has taken: this morning M.I.A. tweeted the following threatening to leak the album - titled Matangi - if it doesn't get released soon.

Well, it worked. Thank god.

Meanwhile, you should get acquainted with her new material that will or will not be on Matangi. First there's the aforementioned "Bad Girls", one of the best songs of 2012 and, in my opinion, way catchier than "Paper Planes". The hypnotic, exotic-sounding anthem features an amazing hook that'll stay in your head for the rest of the day. It's also accompanied by one of the most badass music videos you've seen in a while.






Then there's another new track and a music video to boot. It's more rap-oriented a bit outlandish for my liking but see for yourself:






But there's even more - this video features yet another new M.I.A. track. Yay! The song itself starts around 2:30. Sounding much more promising than "Bring The Noize", "Doobie" is a sinister banger that, together with "Bad Girls", gives a feeling that the new album will be a rather dark one. Apparently, the album release was originally postponed because the record label felt that it was too positive. What a silly reason.

Farewell, Electra Heart

It's been a long two years for Marina Diamandis and her Electra Heart thingy. After a course of ten music videos for her new songs, it appears she's finally killing off the annoyingly vague alter-ego-but-not-an-alter-ego-after-all Electra Heart persona. Don't get me wrong, there have been some amazing songs on her second album but let's face it - Electra Heart did not reach the high standards set by her first one, The Family Jewels. Also the new, radio-friendly Marina makes me miss the good ol' indie popper that she used to be. (Now that I think of it, I might as well write a thing about her in my debut album series.) In the dramatic 11th installment of the Electra Heart videos she looks back at the Electra Heart era and seems to wipe off the trademark heart from her cheek, indicating this is the last we see of the platinum blonde, heart-sporting pseudo-popstar. (How hilarious would it be if she now announced that the whole thing was just a bit of a joke? I'd buy it.)

It's good to see the authentic dark-haired Marina back. Maybe now that she's had her time dealing with the American stereotypes she would no longer be so "obsessed with the mess that's America", as she once put it.

New music video by Basement Jaxx: 'What A Difference Your Love Makes'

Basement Jaxx, everyone's favourite frenetic house duo is releasing a new album sometime in the future. A little while ago the new song "What A Difference Your Love Makes" surfaced in the internet and now it's accompanied with a video. It's an enjoyable little summery tune - and very Basement Jaxx-y too - with the surprisingly non-hyperactive video featuring South African dancers doing something that I believe is called Pantsula dance. Sure, the song is no "Where's Your Head At" or "Raindrops" or "Good Luck" but hey, at least it's considerably better than their previous one, "Back 2 The Wild", which could've been an album filler back in their Remedy era. If even that. But yeah, this one's a bit more promising. Still, if they chose these two songs to introduce the new album with... well, I hope they're saving the best for last.

Review: 'Hurricane' by Grace Jones

Grace Jones is quite the character. Many people know her merely as a bizarre gay icon with an eccentric taste, or as a former Bond girl and occasional actress, or as a model who hung out at studio 54, partying wildly and serving as a muse for Andy Warhol. There's more to her, however, as she also has an extensive career in music that has gone somewhat unnoticed by many, or maybe it's just been overshadowed by her controversial public image.

Her 2008 album Hurricane is stellar in three ways: not only is it single-handedly one of the most spectacular releases of its year, it's also an actually good comeback album which is always a feat. She had been absent from the music scene for 19 years (!!) and expectations tend to build up in such amount of time. Thankfully, the album lives up to them. Thirdly, she was at the age of 60 when the record was released, and many artists have the sad habit of repeating themselves as their careers develop, but not Grace: Hurricane is an innovative sonic adventure, sounds perfectly fresh and - in my opinion - is her best LP to date. This is Grace Jones like you've never heard before. Even though the album features several trademark elements of Grace's (reggae beats, Jamaican vibe, spoken word lyrics) there are also many new things like the electronic sounds as evidenced in the nearly industrial sounding "Corporate Cannibal".

The album kicks off with the bouncy opener "This Is", which features the much-cited opening lines "This is my voice / My weapon of choice". A bit later she states what the album is all about: "This is a voice, these are the hands / This is technology, mixed with a band". Next song, the magnificent "Williams' Blood" is a soaring fusion of pop and gospel that explodes in the chorus filled with distorted guitars and backing vocals. One of the highlights of the album and also released as a single, this song certainly doesn't pale in comparison with older Grace Jones classics such as "Pull Up To The Bumper" and "Slave To The Rhythm". The song also includes excerpts from the hymn "Amazing Grace", which sounds like it could be a wee bit tacky (you know, with her name and all), but it isn't - it all sounds very sincere and well, graceful.

Lyrically the album showcases Grace as a storyteller, especially on autobiographical tracks like "Williams' Blood" and "I'm Crying (Mother's Tears)", an ode to her mother. "Corporate Cannibal" is an assault against modern-day capitalism and the corporate world with powerful lyrics such as "I deal in the market / Every man, a woman, a child is a target" and "I'll consume my consumers / with no sense of humour". You can tell she's not playing around. Then there's "Sunset Sunrise", penned by her son Paulo, which deals with humans' relationship to nature ("Is it yours? / Is it mine? / Is it ours to divide?"). The album also shows how talented she is as a singer and it isn't the production or over-using of auto-tune that makes you think so - trust me, I've seen her live.

With TV characters such as Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother overusing the word "epic" in every possible instant, it has suffered quite an inflation, but there are two songs on the album that virtually cannot be described without it: Hurricane and Devil In My Life. The latter, despite being the album closer, is actually the first song to be written for the album, and features stunning string arrangements. Ending the album on a strong note, it leaves the listener transfixed. Hurricane, the Tricky-featuring title track, is a majestic six and half minute trip-hop number that shows how fierce she can really be. It serves as a stand-out centerpiece for the album and unfurls into a genuine powerhouse and when she declares "And I'll be a hurricane! / Ripping up trees" the listener is convinced that she's not exaggerating the tiniest bit. "See me / Here I come!" she chants as she shows the rest of the world how a comeback is properly made.


4½ / 5




Try at least: "Williams' Blood", "Hurricane", "Devil In My Life"

Lana Del Rey disses Gaga in new song

Have you heard this track already? It's apparently a leaked demo (it feels like Lana keeps giving us new demos every other week) that appeared in the internet around two weeks ago. Lyrics such as "Stefani you suck / I know you're selling 20 million / Wish they could've seen you / When we booed you off in Williamsburg" indicate that Lana herself might not be the biggest fan of the mother monster.







As a matter of fact, another demo did surface just today! With already such a ridiculous amount of demos out you'd imagine she'd have quite enough material for a next album. Oh well.







Speaking of Gaga, she too has a demo out. The song is going to be called Burqa, or Aura, or something like that. It also namedrops the overly ambitious album title "Artpop". It's rather ludicrous and incoherent. It's like she had five versions of the song, then couldn't pick one and eventually incorporated them all. The same goes for the lyrics. And it's quite lacking in the melody section as well. But you know, judge for yourself:







[Edit: It seems that the latter two tracks have been taken down. Oh well, that's internet for ya.]

Review: 'Carnavas' by Silversun Pickups

The last couple of days have been rather hot, at least where I live, so you kind of have to keep the windows open to survive in the heat. However, when your windows are open you tend to get a lot of unwanted visitors flying or crawling in which is disgusting. Last night I was startled by an enormous moth zipping back and forth in my apartment. Uninvited. A fight to the bitter end ensued. After hours of fighting, hiding, and then fighting again, I emerged victorious (as you'd probably figure out). Afterwards I continued writing my previous blog entry.

But the whole incident reminded me of a certain lyric: "I can tell it's summer from the / size of the bugs that fly through my window / Flying through my window". It was all painfully relatable last night. The lyrics come from a song called "Rusted Wheel", that appears on an album named Carnavas, that was released by a band named Silversun Pickups. Not only is Carnavas a great album, but it's also a sensational debut album. I've done a lot of thinking regarding debut albums and how they often end up being among the best work of nearly any bands out there. An exceptionally good debut album is unfortunately often succeeded by a not-quite-as-brilliant second album. It's hard to first create something extraordinary and then duplicate the success with an at least equally brilliant effort. There's even a specific term for this phenomenon: Sophomore slump.

All of this made me list some of my favourite debut albums, which I'm introducing and reviewing through a series of articles. Expect music from great bands at their rawest, at their freshest, at their most innovative. Thank you, Mr. or Ms. Moth: though you gave me horror, you gave my inspiration as well. And in order to respect my fallen muse the series will be started off with Carnavas.

Released in 2006, Carnavas is the first LP (although not the first recording) of the L.A.-based Silversun Pickups. The band, formed in 2002, released their debut album to generally positive reviews. The album itself peaked at #80 on Billboard 200, while the singles "Lazy Eye" and "Well Thought Out Twinkles" peaked at #5 and #9 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, respectively, later appearing in Rock Band and Guitar Hero games.

Silversun Pickups' shoegaze sound has quite often been compared to that of The Smashing Pumpkins and not without a reason: there is something very similar in the vocals, in the way the guitars are used, in the way the songs sound. Brian Aubert's occasionally soft, occasionally screaming vocals are reminiscent of Billy Corgan's emotional way of singing (especially on songs such as "Lazy Eye"), and the songs are drenched in a wall of sound created by the guitars. There is a fine line between being inspired by someone and plagiarising them, but while the influence is notable, the band does have their own thing going on.

While Band of Skulls' indie rock sound was bluesy, Silversun Pickups' music leans more towards the 1990s alt rock sound which also explains the occasional similarity with The Smashing Pumpkins. (It's good that they use the abbreviation SSPU, otherwise they'd even share initials with the band in question!) Yet, the music is much more than grunge and angsty riffs played in flannel shirts. From the big opener "Melatonin" to the uptempo album closer "Common Reactor", the group showcases their talent and still somewhat unique sound on a variety of material. The band has released three albums to date, but like quite often with debuts, Carnavas is Silversun Pickups at their best. Take the aggressive but melancholic "Well Thought Out Twinkles", for example - one of their best moments so far - or the dreamy "Checkered Floor" and the previously mentioned "Rusted Wheel". Other highlights include "Waste It On" with its delicious amounts of bass guitar - it's all very 90s rock - the emotional "Three Seed" and "Dream at Tempo 119" that starts with an intro that could be a character theme from Doctor Who. I kid you not.

Silversun Pickups is an album-oriented band which is audible from their material: their singles are great, but so is the rest of the album - no fillers here. It's almost funny how nostalgic yet fresh this music sounds. Like the band introduced previously, Band of Skulls, SSPU might not be revolutionising rock music, as they both draw influences from the past, but they're both creating distinctive guitar-driven music that sounds fresh and still somehow new. Do yourself a favour and give the record a spin.


4½  /  5

Try at least: "Well Though Out Twinkles", "Lazy Eye", "Rusted Wheel", "Checkered Floor"

MKS: The return of the 'Origibabes'

Now, the thing about Sugababes is that their musical output was quite often overshadowed by all the catfights and internal drama the group had, not to mention the continuous changes in the lineup, which has led to no original members being left in the current lineup, "Sugababes 4.0". However, as evidenced by their reunion officially announced in 2012, at least the first incarnation of the group has successfully buried the hatchet.

The trio - consisting of Sugababes founding members Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy, named not so cleverly 'Mutya Keisha Siobhan' (really?) - has an album coming out but unfortunately it won't come out until early 2014. Worry not, though, as they do have a couple of songs out already, the first one being their debut single "Flatline".





The song, while not really that remarkable, showcases the wonderful harmonies that Sugababes should really be remembered for. Judging by the song, MKS are apparently going for the Florence + the Machine kind of a big pop sound with nearly tribal drumming and everything, aren't they? Seriously, add some harp parts and her vocals and this would make an indistinguishable Florence song. Not that I don't like her, she's lovely.

[Edit: Yeah, I'm taking it back. After only one day of earworming this song has inevitably grown on me. I suppose it just needs a couple of listens to really open up.]




Not so fast, though: they do have another song out, too! Well, kind of. Earlier this year their producer Dev Hynes uploaded a brand new MKS song on Soundcloud. Heavily sampling Kendrick Lamar's 2012 single "Swimming Pools (Drank)" (or perhaps being more of an interpretation of it), the track features a much more urban sound than "Flatline" and, to be honest, is about a thousand times more exciting. Too bad Hynes announced that the dark-sounding "Lay Down In Swimming Pools", complete with their trademark harmonies, will not be included on their forthcoming album - except it will, albeit in a new version, as confirmed in the group's Idolator interview.

In addition, there is some other new stuff floating around in the internet, namely Youtube, but it's all live footage captured with mobile phones so the quality is what it is. Meanwhile, enjoy the two tracks above!