w h o k i l l Review

For her second album 'whokill', Merrill Garbus may have moved on from using second hand cassettes and hand held voice recorders used to create alter ego tUnE-yArDs, but in doing so lost none of its predecessor's charm.

Influences from African music are prevelant throughout (Merrill spent time studying music in Kenya). However, it's the way she uses them are what's interesting. In sharp contrast to her mostly straight forward, unprocessed voice, the  beats are chopped up, reversed, staggered to great effect. Tracks such as 'Killa' and 'Bizness' in particular blast through, leaving a first time listener slightly bewildered as to what's just happened.

In short, Merrill howls like a woman demented, addressing scattershots of idea over an uneven beat. And yet, these are the positives of the album. Despite the mania, it all works. The album touches on issues of race, religion, love and personal and national identity, in a way that is never less than heartfelt. On repeated plays, each song unravels ever so slightly, allowing the listener to get that bit farther into the mind of Ms. Garbus.

It may not be your traditional fare, but it's still well worth a listen.

Judas Review

Let's be honest, going by this, Gaga clearly failed Religious Education. It doesn't really matter all that much, though.

On first listen, it's a bit of a jumble. A deceptively joyous choir of "oh-oh-oh I'm in love with Judas" opens the song, quickly giving way to the "sledge hammering of beats" we've been promised for so long. The verses are pretty dark, which seems at odds with the euphoric upbeat chorus that follows. Then there's the "middle 8" which feels pretty subdued by Lady Gaga's standards, which is followed by it all going crazy. Like all good Gaga singles, there's a hook of random syllables, this time opting for the slightly more logical than usual "Ju-das-Juda-a-a, Ju-das-Juda-a-a, Ju-das-Juda-a-a, Judas-Gaga".

Honestly, I was a tad disappointed. First 'Born This Way', and now this.

So, I went about my business for the day. And I found myself singing the chorus without meaning to. So I listened to it again. And yes, it was still everything I described above. But it started to slot into place. Gaga's chucked a lot at us here, but it all has a reason. There's a dead-pan humour to the lyrics, such as "Love is like a brick, you can build a house or sink a dead body", that suggest she's not taking it all as seriously as one might think.

After the overly-preachy 'Born This Way', it's nice to see Gaga cutting loose a bit more. Like 'Bad Romance' before it, she takes heartbeat and betrayal, and remixes them for the dancefloor.

Despite the title, don't take the religious references too seriously. They're a metaphor obviously, but she doesn't hit us over the head with them. She's leaving that for the beats to do.

K-Pop: What Exactly Is It?

Most people have never listened to Korean Pop, or even thought about it. But as more and more big name producers queue up to work with acts from South Korea, is that about to change?

In the last few years, a musical revolution has taken place in South Korea. There was a shift from balladry and soft rock, to "K-Pop", a mesh of pop, rock, rap and dance music. In a short period of time, the music industry in South Korea was revitalised. Dozens of K-Pop acts have been successfully launched since. Debuting a new act is taken very serious by the labels, with many having years of training in singing, dancing and acting before releasing a single.

Despite the fact that the acts are usually singing in a hybrid of English and Korean, it doesn't really matter that you can't understand the words. When it's done right, like any genre of music, you can feel it and appreciate it regardless. Korean Pop as it stands combines the sheer abandon of 90's pop with a "harder" edge. Acts such as SHINee and 2NE1 combine both singers and rappers within the group, with joyful pop choruses often seguing into fast and furious raps. It all adds up to a synthy sugar rush, with many tracks having real lasting appeal.

Even without breaking the West, Korean acts are having huge success. BoA, above performing Dress Off has sold 24 million albums, figures acts in the "bigger" territories like the UK or USA can mostly only dream of. In fact, South Korea is one of the few markets to have had strong growth in sales over the last decade.

There are some frustrating aspects to K-Pop, however. Full albums are a rare thing, with most acts choosing to release singles and mini-albums largely comprised of said singles. For those importing, it's often hard to justify the costs for the amount of music you're getting. 

Although it's still largely a national phenomenon, acts are starting to push outside their borders, thanks in large part to the internet. In the last year, several groups have begun to have big hits in neighbouring countries. This includes artists such as Kara and SNSD having top ten hits in Japan (becoming the first foreign girl bands to appear in the Oricon top ten since The Nolans nearly thirty years ago). BoA has also landed the lead in an upcoming Hollywood dance film. Add to this the fact that several groups are venturing on tours to both Europe and America, and it seems less and less likely that the genre will continued to be confined to South Korea. It's unlikely to become a dominant force in Western mainstream, but it's proven that it's still possible for music industry growth.

Check out:

Go Away - 2NE1 by ikpopox

8) Bang! - After School by Tenshhi

Last Ever LCD Soundsystem Concert Tonight

After a year of threatening to do it, LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy has finally followed through, retiring the moniker.

Tonight the last ever LCD Soundsystem gig will take place, at the Madison Square Garden. Murphy has said repeatedly that he felt too old to be doing this kind of thing, but it's a shame that it's over. Having produced three amazing albums, it feels like there was still room for the act to continue on.

In saying that, maybe sometimes it's best to go out on a high. Faulty Towers only had 13 episodes. As did Firefly. Who knows if they'd be revered if they'd continued on for longer. And ending on a performance at Madison Square Garden is certainly one way to go out with a bang. Besides, Murphy has implied that he intends to continue on working on music (as well as running his own label). So maybe there's still something to come. The name may be retired, but his talent certainly isn't.

For those of unable to actually make the gig, Pitchfork will be streaming it live.

E.T. Video Finally Lands

So, Katy Perry's video for E.T. is out. Let's look at it in detail. Not very much, though.




Pros:


- Amazing song

- Visually stunning

- A knowing wink to the current trend of product placement (bonus points: no Plenty Of Fish*)

- DEER LEGS

Cons:

- Kanye doesn't add much.

- What he does add involves the lines "Tell me what's next, alien sex. I'mma disrobe you, then I'mma probe you".

- Other than the pretty visuals not a lot happens.



So, there you have it. Good video, great song.

*Please note, Plenty Of Fish didn't pay me to make that reference. Honest.

Changed The Way You Kiss Me, Example's New Single

It's quite good. Considering his previous output, that's not much of a surprise, but it's always reassuring to know.

Sile's In Love At First Sight

For those curious as to what TV presenter Sile Seoige's review of the Kylie gig in Dublin tonight was, wonder no further:

Yes Sile, we think you might regret it too.

Born This Way Rips Off, Well, Everybody

Poor Lady Gaga. Despite launching her new single straight to the top of the Hot 100, and keeping it there for the past five weeks, some people aren't impressed. Across the net there are whispers and incriminations that Gaga has been heavily "inspired" by other artists. Who exactly? Well.... *takes a deep breath*

There's Madonna,



David Guetta/Kelly Rowland,



Christina Aguilera,



TLC,



aaaaaand now SNSD. Who? They're a K Pop girl group, who released a song called Be Happy, about a year ago:



Of all of them, this is oddest. In the other cases, there are definite similarities in the melodies, and while it's understandable that people immediately think of the other songs, I don't think it was an intentional act.

Be Happy is different though. The beat is actually quite similar throughout, and the message of the song is almost identical. I'm in now way saying Gaga has actually ripped the song off, but it's a very odd coincidence.

In all honesty, it's not Gaga's best work. She'd be better off to let these other acts take the blame and move on to You & I, which sounds very good indeed.

Royseven 'You Say, We Say' Review

Nearly five years after their first album, 'The Art Of Insincerity', was released, Royseven have finally got around to following it up. Sadly, despite the wait, 'You Say, We Say' doesn't match up.

Accompanying single 'We Should Be Lovers' is perfect radio fodder, and has been duly hammered. It's a pleasant track, with Paul Walsh's voice and suitably dramatic backing from his band-mates making up for slightly clichéd lyrics. Along with this, 'Channel 103 On My T.V.' and 'You Can't Hide That' are definite highlights, drawing the most on their Muse influences. Sadly, there's not much else going on here. The title track reveals a lack of real ideas, building itself around a chorus that just doesn't work.

'No Romance', while hugely enjoyable, does have an air of being a mash-up of Irish rock hits in the last five years. 'Dance' is built perfectly for a summer soundtrack, as is 'Killer'. It's just a shame the energy doesn't hold up all the way through. For the most part, the album trundles along, without much enthusiasm or passion.

Oddly, the album was fully completed nearly a year ago, with the first single, 'Killer', released all the way back in October. It feels like they could have used that time to inject a bit more heart into their songs. The production is immaculate, but there's not much under that shiny surface.

Femme Fatale: Flawless Victory?

After two years of recording, Britney's Femme Fatale is finally complete. Following the trend of her last two albums, it features a string of producers, all treating Britney's voice as just another instrument, manipulating it to great effect.


Inevitably, Femme Fatale is going to be compared to Blackout. As a whole, Femme Fatale feels like the yin to Blackout's yang. Where Blackout was dark and grimy, Femme Fatale is filled with light, an airy sense prevalent throughout. In both cases it works perfectly.

Some of the highlights include second single Till The World Ends, which opens the album. From the first synths, the song slinks along to its euphoric chorus. It may seem a bit repetitive at first, but the sheer football chant feeling is impossible to resist. Trouble For Me starts with a Wiley-like intro, and shows a confidence often missing from Britney in recent years. Criminal is the song most reminiscent of of "classic Britney", and features the lyrics "Mama I'm in love with a criminal", and a flute. It may not sound appealing, but it works perfectly, and provides a strong closer to the album.

One of the surprises of the album comes from long-time collaborators Bloodshy & Avant. Having previously delivered big singles in Toxic and Piece of Me, along with popular album tracks Phonography, Toy Soldier and Unusual You, their work on Femme Fetale in comparison doesn't match up.

Both How I Roll and Trip To Your Heart are perfectly serviceable pop songs, but neither really adds that much. Considering how effective the pairing of Britney and B&A has been before, it's a shame that's there's not much of a pay off this time around.

In all truth, the only misfire on the album is the aurally offensive Big Fat Bass. Both produced by and featuring Will.I.Am, the vocals from both are quite croaky, with an overly repetitive "The bass is getting bigger" present throughout the song. Not one of Will.I.Am's finest efforts, to put it mildly.

Femme Fetale is by no means a game changer, but this doesn't stop it being a very strong album. The best example of this is lead single Hold It Against Me. Much vaulted for its innovative use of a "dub-step breakdown", in truth Britney's flirted with the genre before (more successfully) with Blackout's Freakshow. However, this doesn't stop Hold It Against Me being a very enjoyable pop song. Likewise, she may have done this all before, but she's still doing it pretty well.

Who Are You, Jessie J?

Ah, Jessie J. Right off the bat, I have to say, Ms. Cornish can sing. More so than most pop stars. It's just a shame that she seems so intent on hiding this fact. Why sing a full note, when you can s-s-stutter it instead? May as well chuck in various random shifts in accents too. And while you're at it, have your debut single be a piss-take that's in no way representative of who you are as an artist. Because, why not?

As for the album itself, it just seems so half-assed. The production seems very shoddy, which is surprising, considering we're talking about the likes of Dr. Luke and Toby Gad here. The songs themselves are pretty bland, and don't really reflect the sparky personality Jessie's shown in interviews and vlogs. There's little that immediately jumps out at the listener, with several of the tracks based around the idea that it's ok to just be yourself. It's a bit of a simplistic message at the best of times, even more so when it follows similar (more effective) songs recently released, like Firework, Born This Way and Fucking Perfect.

Add to that a live track chucked instead of the studio version, and it adds up to a very puzzling album. Despite the fact that Jessie has been writing and preparing for this album for quite some time, it feels like a rush job. Sadly, there's not much to recommend from this album, other than Jessie herself. To sum up an artist's first effort in such a way is disheartening, to say the least.

British M.P. "Playing Air Guitar" In Important Debate

During a debate on military cuts in the House of Parliment, eagle eyed viewers noticed one of the M.P.'s was less than focused on the issues at hand. Conservative MP, Graham Evans, can be observed absent mindedly strumming and playing air guitar. The video has sparked anger from Labour's Shadow Defence Minister, Michael Dugher who accused the Conservatives of not treating the debate "like the whole thing was some sort of joke."


The clip has proved popular on the internet, with many people dubbing music from Guitar Hero in sync with the video:




Evans has since insisted that he was "only tapping", and blasted claims that he wasn't paying attention. As yet, it's not been confirmed exactly what song the MP was allegedly trying to play.

Social Perception: Piracy Is OK As Long As Nobody Profits

The majority of people have no issue with illegally downloading files, according to a study by Danish academics, that looked at today's moral standards, compared to ten years ago.

Seventy percent of those surveyed said they had no problem with regards to file sharing for personal use. The survey asked people to rate on a scale from 1 to 10 how socially acceptable certain acts were. When it came to downloading pirated materials for personal use, 7 in 10 people felt that it was "generally okay" with 15 to 20 percent of the group concluding that there was nothing wrong with it whatsoever. 

However, three-fourths of those who responded found it completely unacceptable to sell the material for a profit.

Elsewhere in the survey, it was found that tax evasion tolerance has fallen over the past ten years. However, the acceptance of social welfare fraud has risen, despite an crack down in recent times. Unsurprisingly, in almost every case, women were found to be more moral than men. The only exception was in taking early retirement, which men found to be more of an issue.

No Mythical Creatures Were Harmed In The Making Of This Video

Unicorns, lasers, rainbows, Dawson. I've no idea what it's all meant to mean, but honestly, it's a trippy, fun video to start the weekend with. And don't worry, all of the unicorns were professionally trained to do stunts, so they're fine.

War Of The Worlds Re-Dubbed

 
It's a style of music that's been around for a few years now, but dubstep finally starting to pick up some steam. It first appeared as out of garage and grime artists, but has since come into it's own. It has a spacey sound, due to it's sparse instrumental, with a distinctive "wobble" of the bass.

It's recent popularity is due some part to uses of it by mainstream acts like Britney and Rihanna. However dubstep acts in their own right have begun to break through, with Magnetic Man, Katy B and Chase & Status all securing recent hits.

For those who know nothing of dubstep, most people would recommend starting with one of these artists, or James Blake, runner up in this year's BBC Sound Of poll. However, in my opinion this "remixed" version of War Of The Worlds is an amazing introduction.


War of the Worlds by erwtenpeller

Music Downloads: Go With The Flow?

As CD's die out, more and more focus is being put on internet downloading of music, with several online retailers popping up. Cue the latest entry into a rapidly overcrowded market: mflow.

Like any MP3 store, you can browse the site and find most major acts (there's still a couple of labels that are unavailable). Both songs and albums are available in 320kps quality, which is very good. In the push to get people to notice the site, it has making available a surprisingly large amount of promotional offers. So far, it has offered a range of offers, from free credit to codes that lower all song prices to just 20p, as well as offering certain albums for free. The site is 100% legal, and pays all artists, as required.

While it is undoubtedly a great offer to avail of, one has to ask, how do they intend to make a successful business out of it?

The answer to this is a fairly novel idea. The website allows users to "flow" songs, either on their mflow profile, or via Facebook, Twitter or Google Buzz. What this does is essentially promote the song to anyone following that user, presenting them with a link to purchase the song. But why would anyone do that?

As an incentive, for each purchase that is made via that flow, the user receives some of the payment, in the form of additional credit, worth 20% of the purchase.

It remains to be seen if such a tactic will pay dividends in the long term, or whether it is just a short-term novelty. However, with iTunes currently dominating the digital downloads market, it makes sense that new challengers will have to provide something different.