Elly Unplugged

Ebony Bones

I have been fortune enough to have been brought up spending every Christmas in the warm confides of Antigua and every time I visit I observe how incredibly energetic and upbeat a-feeling atmosphere the Island gives off.

This energy is perfectly captured by a Miss Ebony Thomas (Ebony Bones), who I have had the recent pleasure of listening to. She writes, produces and records her own music in her bedroom, but is not to be mistaken with this years breed of 'bedroom-pop' campaigners. After Zane Lowe gave her single We Know All About U the position of "The Hottest Record In The World Today", Bones became the most played unsigned artist on Radio 1. What to call her genre? It simply cannot be categorized with such a demeaning title as 'Carnival Pop!

The first record I heard by this entirely new type of diva was 'The Muzik', a tinny but contrastingly fiery track. One of the track's themes is defiance, and those united by oppression. The song listens more like a sermon or a Battle speech than anything else, the video cleverly uniting people from all over the world through 'The Muzik'. It has this weird stirring effect in the depths of your soul, Wonderful!



While, We Know All About You manages a funky, but very intimidating emulation of a 1984 world. Ebony Bones could possibly be something COMPLETELY NEW on to the pop culture scene.

Remember this? The CSS video competition

MEMORIES!

My article about Fleet Foxes reminded me of SubPop Record's weird knack of finding talent before anyone else. CSS sprung to mind, I looked up a few of their videos for a memory moment and low and behold I remembered the video contest for their single 'Alcohol'.
For those of you who were not familiar with this, the band and QOOB, whether or not it was out of sheer laziness started a competition to create the singles promo-video.
The winner was a Jared Eberhardt, who triumphed with his stop frame 'bunny' representation of the band.



Creepy or no? Anyway, this contest sparked so many original videos, I thought it was worth remembering;

Subpop Strikes Again

Fleet Foxes are my late discovery, having heard their names so many times before, but only just latched on to them.
This 5 piece band appeals to me not only because of their truly lovely melodies, but also reminding me of the joy I had listening to 'The Magic Numbers' debut in 2005[?]
Have a listen,



Yes, truly, deeply Lovely

The Synthpop Arguement

It seems that the main, if not only thing I seem to be writing about anymore is the emergence of synth pop female stars, and it is true that the 'emergence' has been drastically over-hyped.
So I was delighted to read an amusing review in the Guardian by Alex Miller that muses;

' Wouldn't it be great if Florence had a cock? Or La Roux had foreskin? Or Little Boots had huge balls? Then maybe we wouldn't have to suffer under the weight of endless editorials about the "re-emergence of women in pop". '

Almost perfectly on time, I received a comment from an anonymous user referencing the following article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/may/26/little-boots-la-roux

The article reads,

'Little Boots and La Roux don't speak for synth pop : For all their intelligence, Little Boots and La Roux look and sound like polished pop stars. And they are not forging openings for stranger, more interesting electronic music.'

The main points made are true, these two artists lack 'the abrasive edge, the awkwardness' of their more underground counterparts, (indicates to 'Fever Ray' , The Knife spin off.) It implies that artists such as these are preventing their colleagues from making appearance.

Hang on, I swear the whole point of this genre was that you don't have to be edgy of 'awkward' to be important in music. This is the centrepoint of the movement, creating music that appeals to the public is not a boundary, mainstream music is not necessarily created for a mainstream audience. 'Mainstream' is not a genre, it is just music that happens to allure to the majority of people. 'Abrasive' music is however specifically created to appeal to the sort of people who wrote this article.

I quote Little Boots herself, "There's room in popular culture to do things that are creative and not exactly straightforward, Just because something has got the possibility to appeal to a mainstream audience doesn't mean you've got to be bland." She never pretented to be anything but a ditzy pop-princess.

People have got to stop this anti-hype mechanism; the theory that all music that is pushing the boundaries, but still popular should have been created pre-naughties. This just isn't realistic, attention can only be good for the scene! That sort of view belongs to the 'landfill indie' which this 'Little / Roux' genre is campaigning against.

Critisising these artists for not being underground enough? We might as well critisize Britney for not having a guitar or Madonna for not sounding raw enough!

La Roux Straight To The Number One Spot

This is the time where I can gloat about how La Roux has triumphed once again. Bulletproof is possibly even catchier than her last single and once again, the zinc remix is PERFECT!

There is also a slightly more diverse remix, with a thumping baseline, (that however much I love La Roux, she lacks) :
http://hypem.com/track/849036/La+Roux-Bulletproof+(iamxl+remix)

Something's Wrong

We've so much amazing music at the dawn of the new year... But you only have take a look at the current iTunes top 10 to realise there is obviously something wrong...

1. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas
(The black eyed peas, quite frankly BORING comeback with Fergie's cringe attempt at vocals)

3. Kiss Me through the phone - Soulja Boy Tellem (NO! WHY?!)

4. Number 1 - Tinchy Stryder
(Responsible for keeping la roux from the Number 1 spot, and is blatantly an attempt to rival Bittersweet Symphony, and even sounds pretty much the same!)

8. Tiny Dancer - Ironik
(This could just lose all of Elton John's credibility!)

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

Alex Roots....Has been scouted

Kelly Klarkson headbanging chorus... and Cyndi Lauper creepy backing vocals? Toyah and lene levich?
I hate it, and it's not what I should like...
BUT I LOVE IT!

Jamie T - Sticks and Stones

The cheeky little bugger is back with a new single that at first listen sounds as raw as his original work and just as musically pleasing! It even feels a bit 'Just Jack'-y at times (in a good way though!)
It dosen't quite measure up to the anthem factor of sheila, but after a few listens, it might become just as fun!

Little Boots vs. La roux

2009 heralds new steps for electro-indie, perhaps even further in progress from Nu Rave two or so years ago. This is an all out battle against the retro acts; The Wombats and Hooisers of this world, the dreadful offspring of a genre which has been done to death.

Leading this army into the sunset are the two lovely ladies of this years music movement are the likes of Little Boots and La Roux. Little Boots' hypnotic, almost epic sounding spacepop first made it on to the table last sumer, posting her jimjam videos on her youtube channel. The first I heard of her was September's mention of her in Mixmag's 'Introducing section.'

In interviews, she stated "I want to change people thinking that because it's a poppy thing that a record label's pressed a button on the giant songmaking computer and this popped out at the end."

Intereting! A few jumbled records became available and an iTunes EP was released. Her first REAL single, 'New in Town' is due for release this month.

La Roux had no such build up, and her wionderfully (if anything) shrill voice first penetrated my cranium after a single giveaway by the lovely NME! It was love. Much of her music is reminiscent of what I imagined would happen if Prince decided to swallow Depeche Mode.

Oh! And the hair! By Jesus, I've seen her live, and I really don't know how it manages to stay up!

However the Boots' sound is so deep, some tracks even resemble soundtracks from a children's fantrasy film, something very new sounding. She has something which La Roux lacks; track variation. Her sound ranges from deep club aimed sounds, the Hot Chip produced 'Stuck on Repeat', with a repettitive baseline that does exactly what it says on the tin, and Greg Kurstin produced 'New in Town' has a traditionally cheesy pop chorus, but her sound prevails and pulls it off perfectly.

Jowever, La Roux delivers a much more upbeat sound than Boots, energy which is perfectly presented for the dancefloor. Her album is full of those agonisingly catchy hooks that makes you want to hurt yourself when you're not listening to them. Despite thier similarities, the 'When Doves Cry'-esque 'In For the Kill' and 'Quicksand'. In 'Bulletproof' La Roux briefly dumps the high voice andseems almost angry . AND IT'S WONDERFUL.

You can't pit these two artist against each other. Yes, they're both birds with keyboards, but their sounds are so non-interchangable, it's not worth it.

Space Disco and Futurepop.

La Roux (Again...)

As I consider how many times I should allow myself to reference La Roux in one blog, I also cannot resist mentioning her new single which I had the privilege of viewing live. It was immense, and so is this soon to be chart topping single!

New In Town - Video!

I like to feel that I've been with Little Boots right from the beginning (I know that's not true, but it helps me sleep at night) mag article, I even feel like I know her personally (it's not stalking... YET!) I can hardly contain my exitement when I announce how far the Boots has travelled, when I present you with her new video single. It may be tramps dancing around with trolleys, but hey, Little Boots' unique style makes it look close to glamour!

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=56329368

Bonkers - Dizzie Rascal Video

The video for Dizzie Rascal's 'Bonkers' has just been released to the public,
give it a watch, here
(It's not ON youtube yet!) GRR!

It dosent tickle my fancy, rather more reminding me of the old Comfort softner adverts, but the song is worth it!

Ami Underground

Ami is part of a group of sketchers known as the 'Urban Sketchers', and takes his subject from public places and people around him. His website is worth taking a look at:

http://amiunderground.blogspot.com/

New In Town - Little Boots

New In Town

The 'Bedroom Pop' electronic seamstress attracted a lot of hype in January this year after she appeared in the Upcoming section of Mixmag (Last Summer) and then the NME Radar section.
Her tinny but almost magical sound emerged after she quit her last band, Dead Disco in need of creating her own individual sound,
'I got tired of looking bored in front of brick walls'.

A mention is worth giving to a number one spot on the BBC sound of 2009 (Won by ADELE the previous year.) A VERY long time passed since the hype. An iTunes EP was released, but did not reach a wide audience.

On her first 'Proper' record, she collaborates with Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Kylie) , who is renowned for his electronic pop-perfectionist feel, but also for "The artist has let down the fans" records. This record by no means is the same. Boots delivers one of those killer chorus songs which you know for an instant will be a number *And I'm waiting for praise when it does*!
The problem is, Little Boots is (and I know this is a cliched thing to say) out to sell. The techno dreamy synth is still there, but is predictable and somewhat "I know what will come next"-y...

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even from early on, the artist has claimed,
"I wanted to make a pop record. I don’t care about being cool or edgy. I wanna reach people and I wanna make music that people have fun to and have a good time."
Well, that sounds familiar. That's exactly what's happening, Little Boots is too clever to stay underground. In this post I give the thumbs up to Little Boots for braving the mainstream scene,
and the finger to those indie scenesters and critics who are too cool for any one's worth.

Listen, unless your too-cool... Looking at you Gareth Grundy from The Observer

La Roux - In for the Kill

La roux has finally released an official single, the quirky In For The Kill almost rivals the previous, Quicksand in terms of infectious catchyness. The video (which rather rudely cannot be embedded) has been aptly dubbed by Radio 1 as,'Top gear meets Blade Runner'. Have a look!

*Now #2 on the Download charts

The remix isn't half bad either:

Bonkers New Single - DIZZIE RASCAL

Those of you who were lucky enough to live through the seventies (Well... That's an opinion point) are likely to be distracted when looking back on the era by the colors, the music, the culture and Gary Glitter. One thing you will probably have to be reminded of is the strange vocabulary that developed;

• Bam!
  
• To the max
• Physce
• Boo-yah
• Bone Jacked
  

But my personal favorite is the emergence of the word "Bonkers", and I have Dizzie Rascal to thank for the comeback this word is scheduled to make.
Dizzie Rascal is the reason that hip-hop still survives. His most recent album, Maths + English , and collaborations with Calvin Harris and others (The lovely Lily Allen, and Joe Lean) further secured Dizzie as a successful mainstream artist. His Last single, Dance Wiv Me is widely accepted as one of the theme tunes to last summer

In His latest single, he teams up with Armand Van Helden to deliver a sound that is about as close to musical nirvana as possible with a catchy synth driven chorus,
"Some people think I'm bonkers but I just think I'm free/ And I'm just livin my life there's nothing crazy about meeeee."
Some have branded recent efforts as lacking in the substance and humour he once transmitted, and dubbing 'Bonkers' as just simply a 'Dance Wiv Me' afterthought.
It is true, the single is repetitive, and is not as lyrically dependant as for instance, 'Fix Up, Look Sharp'.

Like Kanye West's, The Rascal is simply experimenting with his sound and 'Bonkers' is a happy accident, perhaps the penicillin discovery in Grime.
I had to look long and far to find you a bootleg of this song, but it has been acheived (see below) and I will not rest till it is released.

O.A.S.U.M asks, What's your personal opinion? Dancey Dizzie or Grime Dizzie?
Comments would be lovely!

Its 2020, and the only Venue 02 haven't sponsored yet...

Lindsay Lohan (*Cough, Cough* Glenn Close) floats onto Lily Allen's Stage

I never thought I would mention Lindsay Lohan on this blog at all, let alone the third post! During Lily's performance at the Wiltern venue in L.A, the jobless star meandered onto Lily's stage during a cover of Britney's 'Womanizer', and attempted to recreate a slightly doped down scene from Fatal Attraction behind her. Presumably, Missus Lindsay is either promoting a new career with an odd publicity strategy, or happened to crave attention at the time. Once again, Lohan reminds us of how desperately she needs to buckle down, find some work and stop trying to boil people's rabbits.

Following Up On The Kylie Jokes...