My Musical Diary LVII

Hello guys, the newest Diary is here. Sadly it's also the last music Diary for quite a while. I really need to concentrate on working on my thesis now but I do hope to resume writing these when my studies are over. I also plan on writing a film diary once in a while, so that's something you can look forward to (I guess?). Anyway, without further ado I give you the 57th edition of My Musical Diary. Enjoy!

Kate Bush - Jig of Life


Kate Bush - Jig Of Life by goldrausch

Kate got her CBE yesterday. Very, very well deserved. For me, Kate is the greatest female musician/artist of all time. Nothing more needs to be said.

I understand the story of the Ninth Wave (the B side of Kate's 1985 masterpiece album Hounds of Love), to a certain degree I understand the concepts, including Zen philosophy that the songs include. But I still couldn't put into words how I personally interpret Jig of Life. From the music point of view I keep getting drawn to this particular song. It's hypnotic. And its use of Irish music motives is just very clever. This is not the sort of song you like on first listen...but once I personally got it, I haven't been able to let it go.

Just play this one at my funeral.

Shakira - Dónde Están Los Ladrones



Yep, I'm still on the Shakira wave. I've just been listening to her a lot lately. This is the title track from Shakira's 1998 album, which I already mentioned last week. And again, this song wasn't released as a single, just like last week's Si te vas. A testament of how good this album is. Though I have to agree that this song might not be single material. It's not primarily catchy, its strength lies in Shakira's vocal, which in parts of the song get very rock. Shakira isn't all yodel, her voice can be very steady and powerful when it's needed.

INXS - Original Sin



I watched the recent BBC Nile Rodgers documentary two days ago and while I did know Nile has had a hand in many a hit I had no idea he actually produced this great INXS song. Of course now that I know I can hear the signature sounds...anyway, discovery of the century!

Cher - The Shoop Shoop Song



After about 20 years I was able to rewatch Mermaids on YouTube a few days ago - and this time was actually also able to get what the film was about, not being 5 or 6 any more. It was definitely an enjoyable experience. All of the main actresses, plus Danny DeVito were great and the film was not nearly as silly as I expected it to be. I was shocked to learn the little girl in the film was Christina Ricci but of course once I knew that information I couldn't believe I actually didn't recognise her right from the start.

But I'll be honest with you, I pretty much watched this film because of Cher. When it comes to music I'm on greatest hits terms with her - I love her voice but apart from Heart of Stone I don't really own any other of her studio albums. I have however seen quite a few films with her, enough to know she's a pretty good actress (and she always looks gorgeous...I don't care how she does it!). In short, I just really like her and even if she starts looking like Amanda Lepore, I'll still like her for her singing and her acting. However...The Shoop Shoop song was such a big part of my childhood, it was always on the radio, always, so as a result I managed to develop quite an allergy to this Cher's cover of the Betty Everett hit. The song is just wonderfully silly, and catchy....the recipe for a monster hit and a perfect torture tool.

Yet something happened when the credits for Mermaids started to roll...the song started but...I didn't hate it any more! I haven't listened to it in years, so I had no idea my allergy was gone and...pow! I actually love the song again!


Rufus Wainwright - Sanssouci 



I was in a Rufus mood a few days ago and when this song started playing it immediately transported me to Potsdam 4 years ago. I visited the beautiful park/garden (incl. the amazingly ugly little palace there...just my personal taste people, I just don't like stuff like that) and had a great time there. The garden is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited, especially the whole ancient Roman-like part of it. A day does not pass by I don't want to magically teleport there and take a walk, for at least a few minutes. And this song reminds me of the great few hours I spent there, late summer of 2009. Sigh.....

Thank you all for reading. Before this Diary hopefully resumes in the autumn I will still keep this blog alive: a review here, a film diary there...so do keep coming back. For now...

Love, Peace and Ringo! xxx

My Musical Diary LVI

The spring might not be here yet but the first April Diary is here on time...enjoy!

Alison Moyet - When I Was Your Girl



Alison's new album comes out in a month and the first single from it pretty much blew me away. I can't say I know many of either Yazoo's or her solo work but there are several of her songs that I hold dear to my heart. I also adore Alison's voice - deep, powerful and always passionate, an edgier Cher, if you will. When I Was... makes me want to dig into Alison's discography and discover more great songs.

Marc Almond - Your Kisses Burn feat. Nico


szólj hozzá: Marc Almond - Your Kisses Burn

It's been too long since I featured a Marc Almond song here. Criminal. I gave my precious The Stars We Are vinyl a spin over the Easter holiday and while it's hard to choose one song from this pretty much flawless album, it was Your Kisses Burn that made the biggest impact on me this time. It's regal, and it sounds even more regal on big speakers. Plus Marc's and Nico's voices compliment each other so well... It's sad that this duet is pretty much the last thing Nico ever recorded. I have a thing for deep female voices and I do think she could have steamrolled Marianne Faithful in the living chanteuse legend category had she lived and put herself together. Alas...

Rufus Wainwright - April Fools



Well, it was April Fools Day a few days ago and which other song could have been a better song of the day than this one, right? By the by, this song is where my blog address comes from:

So let it all go by
Looking at the sky
Wondering if there's clouds and stuff in hell

I was listening to this song while out on errands one day and and even though I'd listened to this song hundreds of times before, only then it suddenly hit me what a great lyric that was. The image of clouds in hell. In my case enhanced by the fact I read Pullman's His Dark Materials a few years ago and consider the third book one of the best pieces of fiction I ever read. Hell and all. If you haven't read I can only recommend.

P!nk - Just Give Me A Reason feat. Nate Ruess



I recently rediscovered this P!nk song from her newest album pretty much only thanks to seeing it amongst the top few singles in the UK chart. I feel a bit ashamed I didn't listen to The Truth About Love album more. I made up my mind about the songs after one listen and from then on only listened to those I really liked...I'm not even sure if I actually listened to this song then. Because Just Give Me A Reason is everything but forgettable. The chorus is such an ear worm. How did it pass me by back when the album came out? HOW???

Shakira - Si te vas



The new season of The Voice started in the US last week and so far watching it has been pure joy. Shakira and Usher replaced Xtina and Cee Lo Green this time and it has been a definite improvement (nothing against CLG though, I do actually miss his quirkiness and hired pets). Of all the coaches on that panel Shakira is the one I've been listening to the most. For over a decade actually. 

Even though I understand very little Spanish I love quite a few of Shakira's 90's songs from before she became a huge international English singing, hips truth telling star. Si te vas, a fast, pissed off pop-rocker, is to be found on her fourth studio album Dónde Están los Ladrones?, which came out in 1998. It's the last of the Spanish-only albums before Laundry Service came out three years later and it is arguably her best album so far. Si te vas never even got to be a single but it could have been a big hit - I guess that speaks for itself.

I'm happy Shakira's on The Voice now. She's a great addition: adorable, smart, witty, easy on the eyes and with a cool, laid back attitude. And selfishly I'm happy she took this job because it made me dig out her albums and listen to them again and add a bit of the Latina flavour back into my life.

Video Bonus:

Hurts - Blind video

We've been graced with a new Hurts video: to Blind, their upcoming second single from Exile (check out my review here). Apparently this video was the brainchild of Theo Hutchcraft (the band's singer). It was filmed in Spain and Theo managed to almost annihilate his right eye while filming it, after falling off stairs and hitting his head on an iron gate. He really should be careful what he's singing about next time because the song goes "cut out my eyes and leave me blind". A nifty prop this time but please, the next time you film a video and happen to be singing about, let's say, stabbing yourself in the heart, please, oh please, don't fall on a stiletto heel chest first. D'ya hear me, Theo??

Back to the video...well it's interesting. Apart from Theo's monster swelled eye (in some shots being hilariously obscured by stuff) it features a pretty female lover of his and Cupid's arrows which the couple uses to get high on love. It ends in tragedy, of course. While it lacks Adam Anderson completely, goes a wee too much Bonnie and Clyde in places, and let's face it, Theo is not much of an actor, it however is mostly successful at what it set out to do: cleverly accompanying an epic Hurts song full of melancholy and gloom. That is not a backhanded compliment, I do actually quite like it. I'm grumpy about the Adam no-show (since he's the one Hurt - ha! - I actually want to look at) but as videos go, this one is pretty good and features some cool ideas.


Little Mix - How Ya Doin'? video

No gloom in this new Little Mix video, instead a lot of adorable British sass (and one Missy). Very colourful and completely precious. Btw, my girl Leigh-Anne's dress is what I want to wear this summer. If the summer ever comes, that is.

Thanks for reading...spread the word about this blog and/or comment below if you wish to. Until next week...

Love, Peace and Ringo! xxx

My Musical Diary LV

Another week, another Diary. Not sure if it's the spring or if it's just a coincidence but all but one of my picks this week are pretty high energy. So get dancin'! And to cool down afterwards we have one gorgeous cover version of a Leonard Cohen song...

Jessica Sanchez - Tonight (feat. Ne-Yo)



This one is truly a dance song. It lodged itself in my head just after two listens and since it was unveiled a week ago I've already used it a couple of times to dance to. The lyrics are predictably stupid - you just can't expect Shakespeare from a song like this but the song does what it set out to do more than just well (btw, Jessica is a great vocalist!) and it could be a big hit. One that I wouldn't mind as much as other dance songs on the radio right now.

Kate Bush - Eat the Music



Kate's only 90's album gets bad rep among critics and many fans alike but I personally always loved this album. And if any song can put me in a spring-y/summer-y mood, it's the third track on the album, Eat the Music. It's all about blossoming, opening up, love, life etc. The video for it is very tribal and sensual. This song is just very alive and joyous. How can you not be in love with it.

Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)



The Breakfast Club is one of my favourite films and anyone who's seen this film knows the significance the song has in connection to the film (fist pump, freeze frame). For many years I'd hear this song on the radio and either hate it or somewhat like i,t depending on where my relationship with 80's music was, but it wasn't until seeing The Breakfast Club about 5 years ago that I finally got it and fell in love with it. Last Saturday the song came on the radio while I was doing some chores and I couldn't get enough of it so I proceeded to listen to the song for another half an hour, over and over. One of those moments.

Little Mix - How Ya Doin'? (feat. Missy Elliott)



My favourite English girlband is releasing a final single from their debut album next month and they unveiled it a few days ago on Radio 1. But surprise! How Ya Doin'?, which on the album has a somewhat bland production got a bit of a single makeover. As far as I can tell it's completely rerecorded, lyrics modified, full, interesting production treatment - and, obviously, it has Missy Elliott coming out of her cave and throwing some rhymes in. And the result is actually prrrretty good. Hoping for a hit for these girls.

Lana Del Rey - Chelsea Hotel No. 2



While I was getting ready for the Hurts gig last night (GIG WAS GREAT btw!!!!!) I saw Lana posting a new video and...it turned out to be this gorgeous cover version of Leonard Cohen's (in)famous song/letter to Janis Joplin. Lana singing it obviously changed the meaning somewhat, probably changed the object of the song as well and the result is just stunning.

Lana has an amazing ability to pull you into a song and pay attention to every single word she sings. I guess that's what her and Leonard might have have in common. Also neither of them is a good technical singer but they both have incredibly interesting, unique voices and they know how to use them to their full potential. I have to say that after listening to this cover a couple of times I want Lana to record a whole album of Cohen covers. Am I crazy? I don't think so (predictably).

Come to think of it...they have quite a lot in common, these two. They are both pretty shy people who are great at self-mythologising...I actually wouldn't mind Leonard covering one of Lana's songs, while we're at it. Let's bend this gender thang. I got a taste and now I want more.

Thank you for checking out the blog. Feel free to share and/or comment and till next Friday...

Love, Peace and Ringo! xxx

My Musical Diary LIV

Another week has passed (does time fly or what?) and so a new Diary is here. Features some new & obscure songs as well as underrated classics...and a country hit! And if you like your female pop music sassy, be sure to check out the Bonus section.

David Bowie - God Bless The Girl



I don't wanna hurt you, just wanna have some fun

This song is a bonus on the Japanese edition of The Next Day and I'm a bit pissed off it's not on the album here. I really, really like this song a lot. Seems to have been written by Bowie, the (still thankfully very theatrical) human, not Bowie the alien. Does this make any sense? For me it seems to accomplish what She Drives A Big Car wanted to but didn't quite deliver. It has an emotional punch. Well done, DB. Now go & make it available for the rest of the world. I love the Japanese but this is too good to be released just to them.

Woodkid - The Shore



I've featured Woodkid here before but this time he's here because his debut album The Golden Age finally came out a few days ago and I've had a chance to listen to it a bit. Just like with Lana Del Rey (for whom he directed a few videos), his music sounds a bit samey on first listen but after a while of living with the record, the individual jewels that are on it start to crystallise and you get struck by the beauty of pretty much each and every song. The first song that hit me like that was The Shore, slower than the songs that precede it on the album and definitely something that a fan of interesting piano-featuring songs would appreciate.

Woodkid's voice already reminds me of Antony Hegarty a lot. Less vibrato and pain, more melancholy. The tempo and instrument choices on this song drive this comparison home, pretty much. But it would be wrong to try to force Woodkid into Antony's world. Woodkid has his own, a very cinematic world. Sometimes the songs are like 60's co-production epics, sometimes they are an independent 90's flick and sometimes, as is the case with The Shore, they are a quirky noughties film, a bit dark, a bit sweet and somehow moving.

I couldn't find the studio version online, but the live one I do feature here is pretty close to it and great as well. Do check out the album on iTunes if you like this song. Woodkid isn't exactly a big mainstream star and I'm sure every cent he gets for his music counts.

Carrie Underwood - Two Black Cadillacs



And the preacher said he was a good man
And his brother said he was a good friend
But the women in the two black veils didn’t bother to cry
Bye bye

Country songs are not a frequent staple on my Diary, especially not the pop country ones. But I watched Country Strong this week (and was pleasantly surprised!) and it kind of got me in the mood for one of USA's most successful female country artists of the last couple of years. Carrie performed this song on the Grammy awards this year (together with her winning monster hit Blown Away) and I got instantly hooked and had to buy it. I went back to this song this week and felt the need to listen to it over and over.

This song has an amazing groove, it's pretty dramatic (infidelity! revenge! murder!) and simply a great song, especially for a mainstream brand of country. And Carrie is just vocally spot on for it.

T.V. Carpio - I Want To Hold Your Hand



This is my favourite cover version of a Beatles song. Why did I decide to put it here this week? American Idol had a Lennon/McCartney songbook week and while quite a few of the contestants did a great job with their songs (shoutout to Candice, Amber, Kree & Janelle!), some of the less successful ones got me thinking of the Beatles songs featuring film musical Across the Universe (one of my favourite film musicals, btw!) and in particular of this delightfully surprising and moving version of I Want To Hold Your Hand. An early Beatles classic and their first smash hit in the US, but not a song that I hold as dearly to my heart as some of the others, got a deeper meaning in the film and a more interesting and exciting arrangement. The dominance of the bass in combination with T.V.'s angelic vocals are truly chill inducing. Before this version came out I honestly had no idea this song was this good and that it wasn't just some dance song for 60's teenagers.

The Beatles - She's Leaving Home



I don't write about my favourite band's songs here nearly often enough. Whenever there's a choice between an old song of an established artist and a song by a lesser known "fresh" artist I tend to choose the latter, because what can I really add to what's already been written about the classics?

But then I see 80% of the American Idol contestants not really knowing the music of The Beatles and I realise that regardless of age not everyone knows every little detail about this band. Not everyone has read almost every Beatle-related book they could find. Not everyone at least once fantasised about time travelling to the 60's and meeting them. Not everyone can't actually count how many times they listened to an outtake of a lesser known Beatlesong. Not everyone cried when George Harrison died. And that is OK. It means that there are still plenty of people who can discover the magic world of the Beatles discography and fall in love.

Take Amber Holcomb who didn't know any Beatlesong before choosing She's Leaving Home from a list of twenty. She approached the songs with fresh ears, gave each a listen and decided She's Leaving Home was the one she could connect with the most. And her recorded version is quite remarkable. She approached the emotion of the song a bit differently from the deadpan melancholy of the Englishmen. And her approach works really well.

She's Leaving Home is still a somewhat underrated Beatles song. It doesn't get played on the radio much. It gets slightly lost in the creative mayhem of the Sgt. Pepper album - it hasn't been accused of being about drugs or covered by Joe Cocker - but it's one of the most moving songs Paul McCartney and John Lennon ever wrote. And it's probably one of the last true collaborations between these two. The swinging 60's meeting the deprived 40's and 50's: the voice of a narrator telling the leaving girl's story is mixing with the desperate and disappointed cries of her parents. It's an incredible achievement which could lead one to writing an essay about happiness and the meaning of life. The parents who thought comfort and security were the way to live one's life are proven wrong by their curious child. When will the child be proven wrong?

I could go on and on...actually analysing this song makes all these ideas sound a bit heavy-handed but the beauty of the song lies in the fact that it actually is completely effortless and its meaning might have changed and gotten deeper with time.

God, don't you just love songs like this one?



Bonus:

Stockholm Syndrome - Karma (preview)



You can always count on the Swedes to make great, interesting pop music and Stockholm Syndrome are no exception. The female trio's second single will be released next Monday but the preview has already piqued my interest so much I had to include this snippet here. These girls are sassy. They already proved that with their first single Pretty Girl (a song that is everything but pretty). But I have a feeling Karma might be even better than Pretty Girl was, but just as cutting.

--- 

Cody Belew - Baby Get Out



Adding this song last minute because it didn't quite fit into my five chosen songs... the song is worth a paragraph though. It could be huge on country crossover radios but I think people who do not listen to country at all could like this one a lot as well. Too bad Cody is unknown outside of Nashville and the fanbase he acquired thanks to taking part in The Voice last year. This song deserves to be heard. Great hook, great two vocalists with interesting voices... Spread the word guys!



Dearly beloved, thank you for checking out the blog. Feel free to share and/or comment and till next Friday...

Love, Peace and Ringo! xxx

My Musical Diary LIII

53rd edition of my Diary is here. Some new stuff, some old stuff, some lesser known stuff - I hope you'll find something you'll like here. Here we go!

Hurts - Help



I reviewed Hurts' new album here a few days ago and naturally I've listened to this new release a lot recently. I'm looking forward to seeing the band in two weeks and excited about how these new songs will sound live. Help is definitely one of the stand out tracks on the album and it's a beautiful closer of the standard edition of Exile. It gradually builds up throughout the course of the song and its climax is a very strong experience, moving even.

Fred Astaire - Cheek to Cheek



I watched a lesser known Astaire-Rogers featuring film Roberta last weekend and it inspired me to finally buy a proper Astaire best of for my iPod (I own a CD with his later recordings and I'd previously bought a few mp3s but since I just love this man's singing style and delivery I decided to finally do something proper about it).

Cheek is right the opening track of the whole compilation and one of Ginger'n'Fred's most famous dance numbers. The song was written by Irving Berlin especially for the famous duo's 1935 film Top Hat and therefore it was tailored for Fred's singing style, which was very simple and straightforward (compared to the styles of the professional singers of that era). It has since been covered by countless many artists and much stronger vocalists than Fred was, but my favourite version of this song will forever be his.

David Bowie - The Next Day

Here I am
Not quite dying
My body left to rot in a hollow tree
Its branches throwing shadows
On the gallows for me
And the next day
And the next
And another day

What a lovely image this conjures up. Good old Bowie. All kittens and rainbows. The opening track from my very flippin favourite male artist EVAH clicked with me instantly. Musically it's reminiscent of the 1979/1980 period, which is my favourite and the here I am bit is highly sing-along-able. Apparently the song is inspired by the Arthurian legend or what not but I can't help but be reminded of Macbeth's "and tomorrow" soliloquy.  All around, it's just brilliant.

As is the whole album. I actually tried to write a review or a reaction of sorts and I might post it at some point. But even if I've been listening to the album for weeks now (since it started streaming on iTunes) I'm still quite overwhelmed by it, and smitten and THIS IS FUCKING NEW BOWIE. I never thought he'd ever release new material, let alone that it'll be better than his previous three look-back-y albums. Many people are excited, everyone's written their review...I'm not sure if I have much to add to that all. Ah well, we'll see.

At this moment I can't find this song online (a few other tracks from the album are available though) but what can I say, just buy the album. That's all.

John Lennon - Nobody Told Me



Always something happening and nothing going on
There's always something cooking and nothing in the pot
They're starving back in China so finish what you got*

A few days ago, while doing some housework I got a sudden urge to listen to solo John Lennon. Which I used to do when I was younger but rarely ever do these days. And...the songs are not bad are they? Nobody Told Me is a bit less known but it still seems to make it on every best of compilation and it's typically Lennon-y. Mid- to uptempo, some social & political commentary wrapped up in paradoxes and snark...overall a pretty strong song. It was released in 1984 on the posthumous Milk and Honey album and it has always been one of my favourites of John's.

Most peculiar, mama!

*This particular line reminds me of the stories we share with our friends about the methods our parents used to make sure we'd eat all of our meals. My friend's retort: "well then send it to Africa and don't make me eat it!"

Rodriguez - Cause



Cause I lost my job two weeks before Christmas
And I talked to Jesus at the sewer and the Pope said it was none of his God-damned business
While the rain drank champagne my Estonian Archangel came and got me wasted 

Cause the sweetest kiss I ever got is the one I've never tasted

I watched the Oscar winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man the other night and absolutely loved it. Highly recommended. The story of the American singer songwriter Rodriguez who unbeknownst to him became a huge icon in South Africa is so unbelievable you just couldn't make it up. And the music is pretty good too. Cause in particular is a very strong song and, even more chillingly, proved to be a premonition. The opening lyrics go cause I lost my job two weeks before Christmas which is exactly what happened to Rodriguez: he was dropped by his label shortly after his second album, released at the end of November 1971, failed in the charts.

I'm blown away by Rodriguez's lyrics and I'm about to buy some of his music as soon as I put this up. Got mah money today, so why not spend it on someone worthy?



Video Bonus:

Gabriel Bruce - Cars Not Leaving video

Dancing with a mop. Dancing on a ship. Sea and birds. A creeper creeping about.
What more could one want to see in a video to a great song? This video makes me smile and that's all that matters. Can't wait for Gabe's debut album. Just can't frakking wait.



Pet Shop Boys - Electric trailer

Who else is excited about the Pet Shop Boys' upcoming dance-y release? Whooooooop!





Thanks for reading......Any musical discoveries you'd like to share with me? Sound off below!

Till next week.........

Love, Peace and Ringo! xxx

Hurts - Exile (Deluxe edition) Review

I approached the new album with some trepidation. I liked each new revealed song less and less and was eventually worried something even worse than Sandman would wait for me on the album. Listening to Exile then ended up being a nice surprise. No tragedies. Perhaps no enormous tunes a la Happiness either but I don't necessarily see that as an all out bad thing. On first few listens Happiness seemed almost cheesy to me. The melodies were so big and somehow familiar, it was a bit ridiculous. Exile definitely does not suffer from this. I also should note Theo's vocals are quite an improvement over the first album. Deeper, richer, more interesting and at the same time less affected.

To say this album is darker than Happiness would be misleading. Sonically maybe. But lyrically it's not much darker than pretty much any song on the band's debut album, and the same goes for the melodies of the individual songs. There is not a big departure here. Hurts are an interesting band in that they are not original. They didn't invent a new style of pop music. But at the same time they somehow managed to create a distinct sound for them and so even though Exile has a different, more industrial sound to it, the album is still instantly recognisable as a Hurts album. What many fans, myself included, seem to be attracted to when it comes to this band, is the core of what they are doing: the melancholy, the darkness, the romance. And Exile has it all.

The following part of this review is mostly intended for fans of the band and those who already have the album or are interested in a song by song overview. The rest of you, jump to my final verdict.

Exile: Depeche Mode meets Muse meets U2. But actually one the of strongest songs on the album. Pretty sexy. And a great opener.

Miracle: Coldplay meets Hurts. I wasn't enamoured with it at first and hated the Coldplay sound (for Hurts) but the song has grown on me and now I don't hear it as a Hurts doing Coldplay affair any more, just as a pretty good Hurts single. All emo, dark and poppy. Just the way we like 'em.

Sandman: Well. I hate this one. And it's not getting better with additional listens. The song itself would have been quite good but the whole very earwormy hip hop-y hook keeps ruining the song for me.

Blind: I've given it a few listens but it hasn't clicked with me yet. It's typical Hurts though, so I suppose the click will come soon enough.

Only You: One of my favourite songs on the album. Might be the least retro song the band has ever recorded. Sounds ethereal and a bit futuristic. Light, but in the best possible way.

The Road: The first officially revealed song from the album is some dark, creepy stuff.
Darling, what's your name and can you hear me? Tell me why you're out so late alone, it starts. But it's a very strong song and the closing Nine Inch Nails meets Muse sound effects suit it perfectly.

Cupid: Another of my favourite songs on the album. Reminiscent of Depeche Mode.

Mercy: When it starts playing it promises more than it eventually delivers. A proper tune would be nice. I do like the backing vocals though. It definitely has the potential to grow on me after a while.

The Crow: An atmospheric song. Not the strongest on the album but not a failure. Can be revelatory if one is in the right mood.

Somebody to Die For: This song could have easily appeared on Happiness, just as it is. Instantly recognisable as a Hurts song.

The Rope: The Hitchcock film Rope is definitely better than this song. It's not a bad song per sé, but it's quite forgettable for me at this point.

Help: The verses remind me of Mika at his quietest and most introspective - and that is a very good thing. A beautiful closing song of the regular version of Exile.

Heaven: A bit of a throwaway song, deservedly ended up a bonus on the deluxe edition. So far it sounds quite generic to me but it's entirely possible it will grow on me over time.

Guilt: Why isn't this song on the regular version? Come on. Previously known as Under The Bridge, Guilt was the first new song we've ever heard from the Exile era and it sounds even better recorded. It's a great song and a worthy closing track on the Deluxe edition. Quintessential Hurts.

The final verdict:

Exile sees Hurts being less 80's/early 90's dark synthpop but rather more Depeche Mode jamming with Nine Inch Nails. It actually seems a natural progression - especially to those who have seen the band perform live in the years between the releases of Happiness and Exile. And the new album still sounds very, very Hurts. Will it alienate some fans? Possibly. But I don't think it necessarily should. The emperors just put on slightly different clothes.

(Okay, the metaphor with clothes wasn't exactly apt.)

My Musical Diary LII

The new Diary is here! I've been listening to the Bowie iTunes stream of The Next Day a lot (A LOT) the past week but since apart from that and the two singles the rest of the individual songs are not legally enabled to be listened to online, I didn't want to pick one of the new songs for this post. Besides, it's hard to single out just one of the songs. I'm in the process of writing a review of the album, so I'll save all my Bowie thoughts for that entry. But for now, enjoy this pretty varied Diary and do share or comment if you find this entry interesting. ;)

Dido - No Freedom


Dido's lead single from her brand new album. I used to listen to her quite a lot about a decade ago. I especially liked the first album but then I kind of drifted away from that sound and adopted taste for the less smooth and more theatrical. Still, when I finally heard this song it felt a bit like travelling back in time to when I was listening to Dido on my cassette walkman and singing her songs at home when I was alone. It's a beautiful quiet little song, and her voice is as soothing and original as ever.

Adam Green - Dance With Me



Another blast from the past. I used to listen to Adam quite a bit about 10 - 6 years ago and this song reappeared in my head a few days ago, out of the blue. I still have a few of his songs on my iPod so I do listen to him once in a while but still the sudden play rotation was a bit of surprise.
I think Adam used to label himself as anti-folk or some such...he definitely has an alternative indie thing going on but in a good way. Wacky sense of humour, interesting voice but raw vocals and a gift for writing very strong memorable songs. I think once you hear Dance With Me, you'll never forget it. I love the guitar solo which comes up later in the song, iconoclastically going against the rest of the song, which really is mostly a pretty folk song.

I really do have to catch up on his newer stuff, I've heard only great things about it. In the meanwhile, do check out the following of his older songs: I Wanna Die, Frozen In Time (which is just simply beautiful), Emily and the anti-ode to Jessica Simpson titled Jessica.

Amelia Lily - Party Over



Now a bit of brand new dance pop. You know I have a soft spot for Amelia Lily. Ever since China in Your Hand (and I hope something a wee bit like that gets to be on her debut album Be A Figher). Amelia has premiered a new single & video for it...and even though at first I wasn't completely sold on the song (I even kicked it off last week's Diary) I have to say giving it a few listens and seeing the video helped me like it eventually. It won't be something I'll be listening to over and over (pardon the pun) but it'll be good for a workout. And it could be a hit. I hope.

The video is like sci-fi to me since I'm not much of a party animal - and that's great because I love sci-fi! Yay! No, really it's fun, and Amelia looks cute in it.

By the way, check out Amelia Lily's Youtube channel. She's got a couple of acoustic performances there, her own songs as well as some covers. She has a great voice and these videos let it shine without all the Xenomania production stuff around it.

Iggy and the Stooges - Burn



Iggy and the Stooges have just unveiled Burn, a song from the upcoming studio album Ready To Die, which will come out at the end of April. And it's not bad at all! I have to admit when it comes to The Stooges I only listen to the classic first three albums and can't say much of the renewed Stooges' material engaged me in any  significant way. But Burn reminds me a bit of the recent Rolling Stones single Doom and Gloom. Nothing entirely innovative but Stooges enough and good enough I'll want a few repeated listens.

Lou Reed - Oh Jim



Lou turned 71 last Saturday. I was already in a VU mood (see my last Diary) and so the Velvets and solo Lou ride continued for a couple of days.

My favourite album of Lou's must be Berlin. It's beautiful, bleak, depressing, theatrical and full of memorable songs. There are days I think Berlin is better than any single album Bowie ever did. But something tells me Lou might have never recorded Berlin the way he did had he never met Bowie. They influenced each other and the results on both sides were great.

Berlin is one great big song after another. It features Lou's reworking of the VU's Stephanie Says, here Caroline Says II. It features the Weimar cabaret-influenced Lady Day. The utterly heartbreaking Kids and the anthemic closing Sad Song. And more.
But for this entry I decided to choose the angry & swaggering Oh Jim which in its last third turns into an almost emotion-less, resigned complaint oh Jim, how could you treat me this way? The first part features some really cool drums, Lou's delivery here is pretty much flawless. The second part is...interesting. Not so easy to pin down. Just Lou and his acoustic guitar...sometimes I think it's sad, sometimes I think it's just Lou fucking with us ("you didn't expect me to end the song with the Velvet's Oh Gin, with different lyrics, did ya? muhaha!"). But it's definitely an intriguing piece of music and one of my favourite of Lou Reed's songs.



Video Bonus:

Lou Teddy Bear Reed is usually not very cheerful in interviews (esp. with men) but this famous interview with Charlie Rose shows him as a real sweetie. Lou had his (now) wifey Laurie Anderson with him, and their (now late) dog Lola and while all kinds of artsy fartsy things get said in the course of the almost half an hour interview, the whole thing is quite lovely and softens his reputation a little bit. So if you haven't seen this yet, I encourage you to watch it ASAP.







Until next week...

Love, Peace and Ringo! xxx