And a merry new year to you all. Hope 2012 hasn’t been too disappointing thus far, and while the music is picking up slowly once more, not a great deal has jumped up in my face as yet, but no doubt in a week or so, my ears will be ringin’ once more with the sweet sweet sounds I hope this year will bring.
Medicine by We Were Promised Jetpacks: What an incredible name. The Edinburgh rock band quietly released their 2nd album in October last year, and their lead single is an awesome powerhouse of guitars and furious drumming, with a notable and appealing Scottish twang in leader singer Adam Thompson. This has been sitting on the shelf for a while now, and happy to finally share it. Take your medicine
Wicked by Jhameel: First I found him on Hypem, then Wearehunted, and now The Guardian have caught wind of the San Fran star. As they correctly point out, he’s a mixture of George Michael and Prince, with funky soul pop ringing true on his new ‘music series’ entitled Waves in which he generously offered a free download of all 5 songs on this EP. Wicked has it all: Dancey synth, pulsating drums, stacatto aggressive singing fused with a soulful flare which would make the artist formerly known as blush. Really quite Jhameeling to one’s ears
United States of Whatever by Liam Lynch: I can’t remember what I was watching but someone was in some kind of American mall, and shouted for her friend ‘Kiki’. Where have I heard that name before? ‘She was like “Uhhhhhhh” And I’m like “WHATEVER!”. What a ridiculous song from way back in 2002. Uhhhhhhh
Filmstar by Suede: Classic Britpop from Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler. Reassuring us that fame is all that it’s cracked up to be: ‘Propping up the bar, driving in a car, it looks so easy’. Some clever individual points out on Youtube that the chorus is their most Bowiest. Great point. Try and catch them while their reformed and that. Sueding in the deep end
300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues by The White Stripes: I recently heard a tribute to Jack White on 6music. The man is not only talented, a little mad, but quite simply the coolest man around. Have you seen him make a guitar in about 2 minutes??? The White Stripes have had an enormous effect on my musical life since 2001’s White Blood Cells. The pre-famed eponymous debut and De Stijl to Elephant, Get Behind Me Satan and the much maligned Icky Thump. For me, the latter was the perfect conclusion to the band’s existence. I can safely say I will never tire of the music, and the recent tribute has been swiftly followed by backcataslog enorme. 300 is one of my favourite bow-out songs from Jack and Meg. Stripe out (live)
strangefascinations 