I’m not one for R&B ballads, really. They tend to be syrupy and over-emotive, which is obviously a generalisation but, you know, given the choice between a ballad and a club “banger” it’s the bangful one that wins me over 85% of the time.

However, like the very best pop songs, Brit soul type McLean’s “Broken” manages to transcend the genre with which it would be most closely associated. It’s a heartbroken, overwrought fist-clencher which, in a landscape of overproduced, autotuned pop spaff with half an eye on ringtone sales, actually makes you believe the singer is properly, hair-tearingly lovewrecked. Marvellous.

It also has a very interesting history, having first surfaced way back in 2006, when McLean went by the name of Digga (since changed because an American artist went by the same name). Unbeknownst to me, it became an online sensation, racking up millions of plays on YouTube and prompting, seemingly, everyone with a webcam to produce their own version.
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Posted by Stuart Waterman on Tuesday October 20th, 2009 at 8:30 am

Look at that image, and listen to this song, and like me you might just come to the realisation that Kid Sister is surely destined to be a bona fide, proper, soon-to-be-sullied-by-a-guest-rap-from-Akon pop star.

Her songs are ravey enough for clubs but accessible enough for the pop charts, she’s collaborated with Kanye West already and she gets remixed by people so cool you haven’t heard of them. Although she has been “up and coming” for a while now, so let’s hope her moment hasn’t passed. Her album Ultraviolet is out in November.

While I’m being nice I’ll also apportion two and a half props to RCRD LBL, which not only showcases splendid music but is also the kind of site pilfering bloggers like me like a lot - they provide handy, easily-shareable wee widgets like that one up there.

Sounds simple, but it’s a notion that still escapes a lorra record companies…

Posted by Stuart Waterman on Monday October 19th, 2009 at 8:00 am

Interesting tactic from Ali Love’s PR folk here - sending out an email as if it’s actually FROM Ali Love. There was me thinking a nascent pop star was getting in touch to say hi, but nah, it’s just another email full of remixes.

Still, it got me to open the message and now I’m giving their “client” “coverage”, so job done really.

The email contained his new video “Diminishing Returns”, which you can see below. It’s all a bit dull (unlike the song, which is rather good) until Ali decides to don some chainmail. An underused accoutrement in music videos, the old chainmail.

Having said that, I am telling you now: if I see someone wearing chainmail in an east London bar, I’m emigrating.

Buy Ali Love MP3s at 7Digital

Posted by Stuart Waterman on Saturday October 17th, 2009 at 12:34 pm

What a moment. What a MOMENT! This post is about Ronika, who I had never heard of until about twenty-five minutes ago when I remembered I have a SoundCloud Dropbox (that orange thing in the sidebar labelled “SoundCloud DropBox”) and decided to have a rummage.

Ronika, you are the first artist to feature on this site as a result of my DropBox.

I think. My memory’s not all that. And it did take me about a month to get round to listening to it.
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Posted by Stuart Waterman on Wednesday August 19th, 2009 at 8:00 am

This site’s esteemed illustrator, Mr Phil Martin, has been touting Mayer Hawthorne for many months now. While I thought “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out”, the first track to emerge from his forthcoming album A Strange Arrangement, had pleasingly meaty, vintage soul-inspired production, the track didn’t do a whole lot for me.

I think the video adds a certain something though, partly due to the shock that the guy producing the sounds - and apparently he’s a one-man operation - is a geeky white guy. A geeky white guy you’re going to be hearing a lot about in the next month or so.

Mewonders whether a certain Mr West pilfered that heart-badge motif, too…

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Posted by Stuart Waterman on Tuesday August 11th, 2009 at 10:00 am

We all know that Twitter is an invaluable way to let people know how deathly dull your life is, but the Twitgigs experiment this Thursday 6th August is an opportunity for you to try and convince your followers otherwise.

At The Vibe Bar in “London’s trendy Brick Lane” Twitgigs will be putting on a battle of the bands with acts sourced directly through Twitter. Punters in attendance choose the winner by sending in a postcard tweeting their votes, if they can tear their eyes away from the live Twitterfall updates that will be displayed around the gaff.

If you can’t make the night yourself (what do you mean you don’t live in London?!) you’ll be able to catch it live at ustream.tv, where presumably the possibility of watching a live stream of Twitter updates on one of the venue’s screens may present itself. I think watching live video streams of live Twitter streams could be the future, you know.

On the bill at Twitgigs will be bands with names like Essay Like Nephew (@essaylikenephew), Mike Dignam (@mikedignammusic) and The Seal Cub Clubbing Club (@wefuckinghateseals @thesccc). To get tickets in advance, go to this patch of internet.

You can follow the Twitgigs people themselves at @twitgigs, where they have a stream dedicated to live music in London.

Posted by Stuart Waterman on Tuesday August 4th, 2009 at 9:00 am

Proof-pudding time is about to arrive for Passion Pit, with several European festival appearances lined up over the summer.

Amongst the enormo outdoor festival shows they’ll also be appearing at east London’s Vibe Bar as part of the latest Levi’s OnesToWatch 5 Night Revue. Unsurprisingly that gig’s already sold out, but tickets are available for other shows during the impressive-sounding week in July.

The full line-up goes thusabouts:

Tuesday 7th July: Dananananaykroyd + The Late Greats + Romance

Wednesday 8th July: Passion Pit + Fanfarlo + Apples (SOLD OUT)

Thursday 9th July: Hockey + Chew Lips + Trouble Andrew

Friday 10th July: Everything Everything + Post War Years + Special Guests

But that’s only four nights!?!?!?! WTF?!?!?!!

Calm head - apparently a fifth night of shenanigig will be announced in due course, with extra special guests. My money’s on Stavros Flatley, but I’ve been wrong in the past.

Buy tickets for Levi’s OnesToWatch 5 Night Revue shows at TicketWeb

Posted by Stuart Waterman on Tuesday June 23rd, 2009 at 8:30 am

Flamboyant Bella are going to divide opinion over the next few months. They’re under 21, they’re “big on MySpace” and they’re another one of those acts who pronounce “no” as “noi”. You knoi, like Penate and Nash? They also have quite a knack for writing exuberant pop music, and might cheer up people who were a bit sad when The Clik Clik split.

“Flambo”, as they are apparently known, have the advantage of being roughly the same age as their target audience, meaning songs such as the sledgehammer-subtle booze epic “Absolutely Wankered” and the hormonally horny “Touch” have an immediate appeal for school-age, park-dwelling, genital-fumbling cider-guzzlers.

They’re on the Wonky Pop tour at the moment, but singer and guitarist Flo took time out from popping and wonking to answer some questions from My Chemical Toilet.
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Posted by Stuart Waterman on Friday June 5th, 2009 at 12:07 pm

Modern music is a confusing place for the elderly, and the CD single I received for DaVinChe’s “Rider” nearly gave me an aneurism. The facts as far as I can discern are these:

1. “Rider” is grime producer DaVinChe’s new single, out on June 8th.

2. It comes as a kind-of mixtape, with lots of different versions of “Rider” on it. Guests include people called Wiley, Skepta, Tinie Tempah, Tinchy Stryder, Clea & Bashy, Keedo and Wretch 32 (??).

3. The track featuring Clea & Bashy is actually called “Riding For Love”, despite being a kind-of remix of “Rider”.

4. “Riding For Love” is clearly the most chart-friendly version and has been picking up exposure on MTV Base accordingly. At the risk of being labelled a h8r I find Bashy’s contribution is a tad lacklustre,  but you can’t argue with the hook:

5. I also quite like Tinie Tempah’s version, which you can hear here:

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6. You might not be surprised to learn you can also buy “Rider” as a ringtone, but I’ll be fucked if I’m going to encourage that kind of behaviour.

Buy all eleven (!) tracks on CD single from 8th June

Buy individual tracks on MP3 from 7th June

Posted by Stuart Waterman on Friday June 5th, 2009 at 10:41 am

Fenech Soler have taken a leaf out of Stuart Price’s Les Rhythmes Digitales book. They’ve gone, “Hey, we make straightfaced Eurobouncy electropop, so shall we call ourselves something vaguely Fronchy? That way everyone will automatically think we are good.”

And then they’ve had a little think, and then they’ve answered, “Yes. Yes, we shall.” And then they’ve agreed with themselves, shaken hands with themselves, and done just that.

It’s worked a treat, too - they’ve been signed up to the Vulture label, which is run by Alan Braxe. At this point I could pretend to have heard of him, but I don’t like to mislead, readership. Apparently he’s some big dance cheese from across Le Channel, anway*.

Other factlets: they’re from Northamptonshire, so probably know how to pronounce “Towcester” correctly. They are insultingly young, with none of them currently over 21 years of age. And their new single, “The Cult Of Romance” came out this week.

The single’s good, but as is often the case these days there’s an even better remix. You can hear that remix, by Combo, below. It is 6 minutes of proper good hi-NRG emoelectro, it is.

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Buy Fenech Soler, “The Cult Of Romance” at iTunes

Fenech Soler on MySpace

*Having since listened to some of his stuff, I can confirm Mr Braxe makes a very pleasing racket indeed. “In Love With You” in particular is a fluffy-nosed delight. Oh, and it turns out he was one of the folk behind Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You”. Perhaps I should keep my smart remarks to myself in future.

[Image: Elisha Smith-Leverock, from Fenech Soler's MySpace]

[via Worrapolava]

Posted by Stuart Waterman on Wednesday May 13th, 2009 at 9:00 am