What do Foals and Lady Gaga have in common apart from a continual, desperate desire to prove a sense of rebellion against mainstream musicality?
Apparently, a sneaky penchant for a heavy dose of Ace of Base ( with a side of extra cheese, please).
Don't believe me?
Compare and contrast this...
with this....
Or how about...
with
In my humble opinion, it's about time more artists started taking valuable musical inspiration from these super-Swedes.
'90s music has just about reached the point where it's so bad it's bloody good: in these days of doom and gloom people are simply seeking music to theme good times, and the incessant builds of cookie-cutter drum machines and shrieking synths found in this era lend themselves well to this mentality.
Take Kele's "The Boxer" EP as a prime example of the new breed of '90s offspring; a pushier, more aggressive pop a thousand abandoned glow sticks away from the heavily accented Europop of yesteryear where just a listen will send you into a trance-induced stupor.
For something more straight to the point, Roll Deep have been surfing a wave of chart success in recent weeks with their unbearably infectious "Good Times" borrowing more than a hint of turquoise hair mascara from the '90s period: catchy hooks powered by luscious female vocals, shuddering piano synths and the all-important bassline bouncing along to its impending build. Future single Green Light looks to follow in the starbust of its predecessor with an identikit, irresistible formula.
The '90s: so much more than flag-flaunting Britpop and gunged-up grunge.
P to the S: changed up my Spotify to reflect a fresher July soundtrack. Have a look.
© Miranda Thompson 2010.
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blog
Showing posts with label Kele Okereke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kele Okereke. Show all posts
Friday, 9 July 2010
Friday, 30 April 2010
D is for DONE (nearly)
Typed it, printed it, bound it. The dissertation is DONE and will be handed in as soon as Bank Holiday rolls away with these disgustingly dark rainclouds. Let's take a minute to celebrate.
10,000 words on the interiors and material culture of eighteenth century country house leads inevitably to this song. I genuinely think that I may be one of a few who could talk with (no) authority and (little) confidence on fashionable furnishings and where to put your servants in your luxury country pile. Can't help but think my interest might have waned a bit later had Damian Hirst been involved and I'd had Alex James to look at. That's actually a bit of a lie: from trawling through musty, dust covered papers untouched for hundreds of years, to spending hours transcribing ant-sized letters accompanied by bowls of tea and bags of e numbers, to finally locking myself in a darkened room and bashing away at a keyboard for weeks on end, there has been a seam of enjoyment somewhere amongst the chaos.
Emerging out of the other end somewhat heavier and of a duller, pasty complexion, I've even discovered a new must-read. No word of a lie, ex Country Life architectural editor Jeremy Musson has penned a fantastic history of servants in the country house, nattily titled Up and Downstairs: The History of the Country House Servant."
There's definetly a film or two to be made out of some of the scandalous snippets included in here, the raunch factor of which rivals Jilly Cooper on a bonkbuster marathon. One that springs to mind was the valet who had "intimate relations" with not only his lady and her young daughter but the lord as well.
Gosford Park's got nothing on this.
Spending long days tapping away on the computer means that my mind has wondered to other places rather than dusty damask coverings, and the discovery of the Pretty Much Amazing music blog is getting very close to knocking old favourite Jeffmix from pride of place as my most cherished music go-to. I check up on PMA on a daily basis and store up the deliciousness of Jeff every month for his dose of genius music selection: got to say that PMA has been boshing out treat upon aural treats recently which showered like snowdrops upon the dank February of academic life. Treats like this bad boy; Kele offof Bloc Party's solo effort.
It's a complete departure from Bloc Party of yore: screaming club night, banging out electo fabulousness and definetly not meant for standing emotionally in a dark corner. Can't wait to see what the rest of the forthcoming LP "The Boxer" has in store.
About a month ago PMA linked to Delorean, a Spanish (Basque) alt. band and their chooon Stay Close from new album Subiza. Althoug I liked this song on first listen for all its jazzy mixing of synths and plaintive vocals, it's grown and grown on me like creeping ivy.
I included this song on my April playlist and (cue casual linkage)have popped it on again on my brand spanking new May spotfy list, avaliable as always from the link on the right of the blog. It's a new month which means a whole new playlist: at this very moment in time just four songs have made it on, including the new Jason Derulo whose lyrics make me think even more happily of life without the diss.
'm feeling like a star, you can't stop my shine,
I'm loving cloud nine, my head's in the sky,
I'm solo, I'm riding solo,
I'm riding solo, I'm ridin solo, sooloooo.
Yeah, I'm feeling good tonight, finally doing me and it feels so right, oh,
Time to do the things I like,
Ahem.
I can also promise you loads of 90s anthems to get loaded up on there: currently listening to 90's Floorfiller Classics which I've been sent to review and joyously rediscovering all kinds of greats. Bobby Brown is a god. For another post, another time, perhaps...
Also sorted out my comments boxes so if you want to leave your thoughts on my posts you no longer have to belong to the google network to do so. hollllaa.
© Miranda Thompson 2010
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blog.
10,000 words on the interiors and material culture of eighteenth century country house leads inevitably to this song. I genuinely think that I may be one of a few who could talk with (no) authority and (little) confidence on fashionable furnishings and where to put your servants in your luxury country pile. Can't help but think my interest might have waned a bit later had Damian Hirst been involved and I'd had Alex James to look at. That's actually a bit of a lie: from trawling through musty, dust covered papers untouched for hundreds of years, to spending hours transcribing ant-sized letters accompanied by bowls of tea and bags of e numbers, to finally locking myself in a darkened room and bashing away at a keyboard for weeks on end, there has been a seam of enjoyment somewhere amongst the chaos.
Emerging out of the other end somewhat heavier and of a duller, pasty complexion, I've even discovered a new must-read. No word of a lie, ex Country Life architectural editor Jeremy Musson has penned a fantastic history of servants in the country house, nattily titled Up and Downstairs: The History of the Country House Servant."
There's definetly a film or two to be made out of some of the scandalous snippets included in here, the raunch factor of which rivals Jilly Cooper on a bonkbuster marathon. One that springs to mind was the valet who had "intimate relations" with not only his lady and her young daughter but the lord as well.
Gosford Park's got nothing on this.
Spending long days tapping away on the computer means that my mind has wondered to other places rather than dusty damask coverings, and the discovery of the Pretty Much Amazing music blog is getting very close to knocking old favourite Jeffmix from pride of place as my most cherished music go-to. I check up on PMA on a daily basis and store up the deliciousness of Jeff every month for his dose of genius music selection: got to say that PMA has been boshing out treat upon aural treats recently which showered like snowdrops upon the dank February of academic life. Treats like this bad boy; Kele offof Bloc Party's solo effort.
It's a complete departure from Bloc Party of yore: screaming club night, banging out electo fabulousness and definetly not meant for standing emotionally in a dark corner. Can't wait to see what the rest of the forthcoming LP "The Boxer" has in store.
About a month ago PMA linked to Delorean, a Spanish (Basque) alt. band and their chooon Stay Close from new album Subiza. Althoug I liked this song on first listen for all its jazzy mixing of synths and plaintive vocals, it's grown and grown on me like creeping ivy.
I included this song on my April playlist and (cue casual linkage)have popped it on again on my brand spanking new May spotfy list, avaliable as always from the link on the right of the blog. It's a new month which means a whole new playlist: at this very moment in time just four songs have made it on, including the new Jason Derulo whose lyrics make me think even more happily of life without the diss.
'm feeling like a star, you can't stop my shine,
I'm loving cloud nine, my head's in the sky,
I'm solo, I'm riding solo,
I'm riding solo, I'm ridin solo, sooloooo.
Yeah, I'm feeling good tonight, finally doing me and it feels so right, oh,
Time to do the things I like,
Ahem.
I can also promise you loads of 90s anthems to get loaded up on there: currently listening to 90's Floorfiller Classics which I've been sent to review and joyously rediscovering all kinds of greats. Bobby Brown is a god. For another post, another time, perhaps...
Also sorted out my comments boxes so if you want to leave your thoughts on my posts you no longer have to belong to the google network to do so. hollllaa.
© Miranda Thompson 2010
DISCLAIMER: The video links hosted on my blog are not being presented as my own. If you believe that the copyright in your work has been violated through this post, please contact me through the blog.
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