TURN IT UP
I adore the Ting Tings, and the video for “Be the One” is superb. As a relatively new guy on the singles scene, the lyrics to this song kind of hit home for me: “I don’t wanna be the one / only overjoyed / and I don’t wanna be the one / making all the noise.”
In other words, why are you wasting my time if you don’t really give a fuck? Ha! And the subject of this post comes from the end of the song, because often the one who is smitten wasn’t the one who pursued in the first place.
Even though they hail from Nashville, I’ve never really gotten into Kings of Leon. But that changed when I saw them perform on Saturday Night Live this past weekend. It wasn’t their latest single, “Sex on Fire,” that won me over. It’s okay, but like most of what I’ve heard from the band before, it didn’t really grab my attention. (Apparently I’m missing something, because it has been No. 1 in the U.K. for two weeks now.)
For their second song, the guys played a track off their brand new record, Only by the Night, called “Use Somebody.” I’m not sure why — maybe it was the riff that drew me in, perhaps it was the background vocals – but I was completely blown away. If you’ve never given the Kings a chance before, check it out below and you might become a loyal subject.
It will be a crime if this is not the next single. Oh, and on side note, doesn’t frontman Caleb Followill (pictured third from left) look so much better without long locks?
Though they’ve never truly succeeded in the U.S. pop music market, I know there are a few Sugababes fans in the states (including friends of mine who’ve been forced to listen to the group while in my presence). The ‘babes new single for “Girls” came out a few weeks ago, but as some of you know I was indisposed, so I’m posting it a little late. Better than never, right?
It’s not a revolutionary or high-concept clip — the girls are once again slutting it up in a nightclub, nothing wrong with that! – but the simple horn-driven track has grown on me. Let’s hope the Sugababes forthcoming album is even better in quality and concept. Fingers crossed.
Congratulations are in order for Tina Fey and the cast & crew of my current favorite scripted comedy, 30 Rock, which took home several awards at Sunday’s Primetime Emmys – including Outstanding Lead Actor & Actress in a Comedy Series for Alec Baldwin and Fey, as well as writing honors and the big award for Best Comedy.
Unfortunately, while NBC trots the season premieres of many of their most popular programs in the coming week (The Office, for example, will be brand new this Thursday), first-run episodes of 30 Rock will not begin until Oct 30. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this is more than month after every other returning program on the network. WTF? Surely this late start won’t help the show in the ratings department, where it hasn’t exactly excelled (it finished at No. 94 last year — ouch!).
At least Tina has a sense of humor about the whole thing. During one of her acceptance speeches, she asked viewers to seek out the show. “30 Rock is available to be viewed on NBC.com, Hulu.com, iTunes, Verizon phones, United Airlines and occasionally on actual television,” she joked. Hopefully, come Halloween eve, people won’t have forgotten her plea.
Singer-songwriter Ladyhawke hails from New Zealand, she’s performed alongside Peaches, and in the past few months she has charmed most of Europe and Australia with her smart, infectious dance-pop. Naturally, the next step in her quest is a bid at North American success.
If we’re lucky, lead single “Paris Is Burning” will take the clubs by storm and eventually cross over to pop radio. I admit, it’s more likely she’ll end up a hipster fave like Robyn and Annie, but at least she’s giving it a shot. Check out the video, which, with its metaphorical showers of feathers and fireworks, sort of reminds me of Santogold’s “L.E.S. Artistes.”
Ladyhawke will release the Paris Is Burning EP Oct 14, the same day she kicks off her very brief U.S. tour in NYC. After that she’ll be heading back across the pond for a U.K. tour with Black Kids. Damn, I wish I could hop on a flight to London!
If you like what you see, you can watch the creepy clip for Ladyhawke’s new U.K. single “Dusk Till Dawn” after the jump. (more…)
It’s been three years since Franz Ferdinand released their last album, You Could Have It So Much Better, and now it seems that their oft-delayed third effort won’t be out until early 2009. Thankfully, the Scottish lads have given fans — myself included — a treat to tide them over until then. A dance-rock track called “Lucid Dreams” was released quietly on iTunes a few weeks ago.
Though it is listed as a single, don’t expect a promotional video or any radio airplay, which is a shame because the infectious song is actually better than a few of the singles from the band’s last record. But that’s just my opinion. You can listen to the track and get up-to-date Franz Ferdinand tour info on the official web site.