On record, the frenetic energy of saxophone-wielding Norwegian dance rock outfit Datarock would seem to be an unlikely match for the ska/dub/electro amalgamation of Esser’s debut album, Braveface. But after seeing both perform last night at the Highline Ballroom, their similarities came through loud and clear: these acts have a decidedly come-as-you-are approach, letting their eccentricities seduce the decidedly hipster audience into dropping its guard and raising its feet.
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Miike Snow seems to be obsessed with anonymity. For starters, most people assume from the name that Miike Snow is a solo artist, when in fact it is a trio. They were shrouded in secrecy—only an image of a rabbit was released to the Internet—and the band members identities were kept secret until it finally leaked that the men behind lead singer Andrew Wyatt were the Swedish duo of Bloodshy & Avant, known for their work with pop tarts Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue. Taking the stage at Mercury Lounge last night after the Beck Hanson-ish noodlings of Ohio duo The Kickdrums, it wasn’t surprising to see their faces obscured by white masks.
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The moment you have been waiting for all year has finally arrived: “My Life Would Suck Without You”, the new single from Kelly Clarkson, leaked onto the internet today in versions ripped from various radio and online sources. While it might be un-American to question our American Idol, we have some issues to discuss with Ms. Clarkson and her handlers. Clive Davis, Reba McEntire and her husband, THIS MEANS YOU. In fact, Kelly, you might want to look away.
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While catching up on our blog reading, we caught this intriguing post amid all the materialism and hot girls on Kanye West's blog:
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The gang at Buffetlibre have unleashed their second Rewind project, where they ask up-and-coming acts to submit covers or remixes of oldies-but-goodies for the masses. You may not have heard of many of these bands yet, but the first edition's alumni include Dragonette, Purple Crush, Cannonball Jane and FrankMusik, and this one features buzzy acts like Starfucker, Little Boots, Heads We Dance, and AC Slater.
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Mash-up mavens The Hood Internet, whose output shares a lot of similarities with Girl Talk, have unleashed a fever dream of a mix with “Single Foxes (Put A Wood On It)”, which lays the vocals of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” over a slice of the lovely Fleet Foxes track “Ragged Wood”.
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Britain’s potty-mouthed popstress Lily Allen returns today with the digital release of “The Fear,” the first single off of her upcoming sophomore album “It’s Not Me, It’s You”. The song, which leaked earlier this summer as “I Don’t Know,” mines similar terrain as Allen’s previous songs “Everything’s Just Wonderful” and “Cheryl Tweedy” in mocking society’s obsession with fame, fortune and fabulous living.
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Kansas City's dance punk collective Ssion, hitting Webster Hall Dec. 17 & 18—has released an unusual new video in support of the single "Warm Glove" off of the album Fool's Gold. Before the song even starts, the group makes you—or, depending on your viewpoint, lets you—sit through a full ninety seconds of a bloated leather daddy guzzling God-knows-what from a gas can. (The lyrics suggest it is most likely attitude that the fellow is drowning himself in.) Like any daddy worth his boot polish, the band makes all the foreplay worth your while; when it finally arrives, the song is a sleazy stomper and the rest of the video a playful hoot.
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After seeing his mannered performance of "Praying For Time" on American Idol this spring , my expectations were low for George Michael's current tour; a feeling that was possibly shared by a few, as it was hardly a capacity crowd for the second of a two-night stand at MSG. Then the lights dimmed, and the audience made some serious noise, an impressive decibel level they kept up for nearly three hours. The infectious energy from the singing and screaming fans, many experiencing release after waiting 17 years since his last U.S. tour, was electric enough to cause the hairs on my arm stand at attention again and again. The singer himself felt it, commenting that compared to the Monday night audience "someone has turned the power on".While his performance never sparked comparable chills, George Michael '08 proved to still be a commanding performer. His midsection may be a bit thicker, but the hips still swiveled with the same swagger. His face is fuller, yet his 45-year old voice has barely thinned: the fudged high notes were few and far between, even on soaring ballads like "A Different Corner".
Having received little U.S. airplay since taking on his former record label in the early 90s for, among other things, improperly promoting his second solo album, the setlist was an orgy of pop classics, some which I wasn't even aware I knew: ranging from Wham! chart-toppers like "Everything She Wants", to ballads like "Father Figure" to recent club hits "Amazing" and "Flawless" . During the show-closing and roof-raising performance of "Freedom '90", it's hard not to think that Mr. Michael may have had a point about shoddy marketing: how is it possible that such a universally recognized song, one with an iconic video to boot, only reached #8 on the Billboard charts?
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