Music is my hot hot sex!

Song of the day: Angelique Kidjo - Lonlon

2010-06-18T23:24:00.002+03:00

I was wondering what my first post after my come back to be about, really gave it a good thought and after all decided to draw your attention to this splendid interpretation of Ravel's Bolero sung by the Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo in Yoruba (as far as I could find info), a language spoken in West Africa. I chose this song cause it perfectly represents the full extent of emotions I am overwhelmed with due to my return back to my very very first love - music. Classic music lovers may not be impressed at all, but to me this is one of the finest versions of Bolero I've ever heard.

I AM BACK!

2010-06-18T20:19:00.002+03:00

Hey, guys, I am so sorry, I was gone so long and posted absolutely nothing for ages. Let's say I lacked music inspiration and was just waiting for it and finally it struck me all of a sudden. I am so ready to charge you up with new music, albums and topics in this sphere of interest. I am so so glad to be back and promise to be more persistent.

Cheers,
Daniel

Cover me up: Metal covers pop III

2009-10-23T22:38:00.003+02:00

Another bundle of metal covers of pop songs. Really tried to come up with some more recognizable, but it wasn't that easy.

SugarComa - Crazy (Britney Spears)

Yngwie Malmsteen - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (ABBA)

Volbeat - I Only Wanna Be With You (Dusty Springfield)

Judas Priest - Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry)

Knorkator - All That She Wants (Ace of Base)

New Found Glory - My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dion)

Guano Apes - Big in Japan (Alphaville)

Raintime - Beat It (Michael Jackson)

Sonic Syndicate - All About Us (t.A.T.u)

Lillasyster - Umbrella (Rihanna)

Cover me up: Metal covers pop II

2009-10-22T22:03:00.003+02:00

Another ten metal covers of popular songs. Even if you don't like them, blame only the musicians.

Lacuna Coil - Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode)

HIM - Wicked Game (Chris Isaak)

Children of Bodom - Oops, I Did It Again (Britney Spears)

Nevermore - The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel)

Vader - I Feel You (Depeche Mode)

My Dying Bride - Roads (Portishead)

Pain - Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles)

Black Label Society - A Whiter Shade of Pale (Procol Harum)

Graveworm - I Need a Hero (Bonnie Tyler)

Turisas - Rasputin (Boney M)

Cover me up: Metal covers pop I

2009-10-20T22:14:00.003+02:00

To be honest I am not that much of a cover-versions-fan, but there are some covers that happen to be better than the original. Recently I was listening to Paradise Lost when it struck me all of a sudden that their "Small Town Boy" was in fact a cover of the 80s hit single by Bronski Beat. Half an hour later I was digging lists of cover version of various popular songs and it's not that much of a surprise that even performers from the rang of Madonna have covered at least one song throughout their career. Hence, I decided to create a few lists of my own with covers that you might possibly know or at least enjoy. Still, if you don't like them or find them of poor quality you can only blame the musicians. I am just the one with the lists.

I decided to start with metal covers of pop songs as they tend to be most fun to compare to the original and most are quite original of their own.

Dope - You Spin Me Right Round (Dead or Alive)

Theatre of Tragedy - You Keep Me Hangin' On (The Supremes)

Paradise Lost - Small Town Boy (Bronski Beat)

To/Die/For - (I Just) Died In Your Hands (Cutting Crew)

Machinae Supremacy - Gimme More (Britney Spears)

Rammstein - Das Modell (Kraftwerk)

Helloween - Lay All Your Love On Me (ABBA)

Gamma Ray - It's a Sin (Pet Shop Boys)

Deftones - To Have and To Hold (Depeche Mode)

Within Temptation - Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush)

Discoveries: The Bird and the Bee

2009-10-19T21:46:00.007+02:00

A MySpace music sensation Inara George (The Bird) and Greg Kurstin (The Bee), The Bird and the Bee offered their fresh approach to electronic music with slight influences from jazz, new wave and pop-rock. The duo falls in the indietronica sub-genre with dreamy songs and catchy tunes carrying 80s nostalgia. Their music brings together the best of both sides: Inara's mellow voice and Greg's instrumentals. Elegant and sophisticated The Bird and the Bee draw inspiration from French pop that serves as the backbone of the sound and appearance they have introduced. Up to date the duo has released two albums and four EPs with the eponymous debut from 2007 being my personal favourite.

* None of the featured videos are official and no copyright infringement is intended!

Recommendation weekly: Evil Nine + Freeland

2009-10-17T22:07:00.006+02:00

Evil Nine is an English breakbeat/electro hip-hop DJ duo from Brighton. Although being active since 1998 they have released only two studio albums up to date with their official debut being in 2004 with "You Can Be Special Too". Four years later it is followed by the sophomore release "They Live!" that continues their stylistic development. The duo has gained prominence with the hit single "Crooked" that features US rapper Aesop Rocks. For those a bit more into the electronic world Evil Nine might not appear to be much of a new name, although the duo keeps a rather more underground profile and still maintains an accessible and quite enjoyable style.

Evil Nine are closely associated with Adam Freeland, also known as Freeland, as they are signed to his very own label Marine Parade. Freeland himself is a musician and a producer active in the breakbeat scene. He started DJ-ing back in early 90s and soon began releasing mixes of his own. Despite his long club career his first ever original release saw the light in 2003. The album heavily relied on influences from punk, hip hop, electro, dub, reggae and rock. For his second studio record he worked together with Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe, ex-Marilyn Manson Twiggy Ramirez, Joey Santiago of The Pixies and Tony Bevilacqua of The Distillers / Spinnerette.

Review: Rammstein - Liebe ist für alle da

2009-10-14T22:46:00.003+02:00

Love! For you! Indeed, Rammstein are back and they have brought you a basket full of love, but be warned - it's going to hurt...good! With a sound reminiscent of their earliest material and irony always the loyal friend on their side "Liebe ist für alle da" is here to blow your top. Witty and disturbing, original and cocky, cynical and yet a must-have this album demonstrates Till Lindeman and co's returned back to basics and still managed to explore in depth a new music horizon.

"Liebe ist für alle da" didn't bring love to censorship across the world as it unanimously defied the scandalous accompanying video to the lead single "Pussy" and banned it from virtually any TV station. In Germany the song "Ich tu dir weh" caused a major controversy because of its lyrical content that resulted in the official banning of the song. Rammstein spent no time apologizing and announced the song as the second single to be released, although it most probably will never see light in their homeland. The rest of the tracks keep up the ill-fated spirit of the album with heavy riffs, steady drums and Lindeman's unforgettable singing. The track list takes a journey from their best known Tanz-metal style, through pre-World War II nostalgia to a sinister heavy crossover.

If you felt let down by Rammstein's previous two albums ("Reise, Reise" and "Rosenrot") this is the great return you had been waiting for over the past few years. It's unlikely that their newest release will ever top the impact that "Mutter" and "Sehnsucht" had on mainstream heavy music, but it most definitely will rock your socks. Despite the adherence to the industrial scene this album is accessible for any open-minded people who have a broader taste in music and feel free to experiment. "Liebe is für alle da" is one of those multi-layered albums that might take years to explore as they always have something to pop out after every listen.

Songs to hear: "Haifisch", "Frühling in Paris", "Waidmanns Heil" and "B********"

Review: David Guetta - One Love

2009-10-11T22:57:00.004+02:00

The more popularity David Guetta gains the lower the quality of his music goes...sad, but true. "One Love" is like a super-album that gathers prominent (predominantly) American R&B singers who kindly lend their vocals for the sake of commercial dance music. Among the featured names are Kelly Rowland, will.i.am, Akon and Estelle, as well as Guetta's long-time vocal guest Chris Willis. Actually the album is so packed with famous people that one could easily miss out who really sits behind the whole production. Another thing is that despite the celebrity dance-floor-stampede "One Love" stands out as more of a filling with a few catchy tunes than an astounding mash-up of electronica and R&B (as it may had been planned).

I miss the French house influences he drew inspiration from and that served as the backbone of his older material. It's pretty obvious that "One Love" is aimed at American listeners, making it by far Guetta's most commercial release. His attempt proved to be successful as both "When Love Takes Over" and "Sexy Bitch" topped Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs and made it in the Billboard Hot 100.

Still, Guetta's fourth studio effort is a must-listen-to for every house fan and an excellent recommendation for anyone who is in it for the party. Apart from that "One Love" shows the extent of one's inflated ego after they truly start taking themselves as big shots. I personally have no idea what the title should stand for anyway as "unity" of any kind is absent. The tracks follow the same pattern - chewy beats, strong black voices and cheesy loops scattered here and there. However, most of the songs hardly make a connection between each other and the track-listing looks like a symposium of "singles" rather than an album with a creative idea. Unlike his previous albums this time Guetta focuses on the vocals and lets his crony buddies to take the lead.

Songs to hear: "One Love", "When Love Takes Over", "Sound of Letting Go" and "Sexy Bitch"

Rating:5/10

Review: Annie - Don't Stop

2009-10-10T20:52:00.004+02:00

The long-anticipated "Don't Stop", Annie' sophomore album finally made it to she shelves after numerous delays, a label transition and legal disputes. "Don't Stop" has gone through more changes than Lady GaGa's concert outfits. Annie had to push the release date more often than Amy Whinehouse had to go to rehab. After her debut "Anniemal" was positively received by both fans and critics, it meant that any next releases would be met with high expectations. Despite all the tension that surrounded the production of "Don't Stop", it most certainly secures the young Norwegian singer a high-level position in the electronic world.

If "Anniemal" could be described as a bold synth-driven debut with a handful of the 80s, "Don't Stop" explores various fields of electronica going from French electro through Scandinavian electro-pop to catchy American synth-pop. This is mainly due to the presence of several prominent producers among who British production house Xenomania that has worked for Kylie Minogue, Sugababes and Pet Shop Boys among others. "Don't Stop" easily satisfies everyone with a good taste in pop music, especially those who are already overwhelmed with Britney's dubious electronic throw-ups.

"Don't Stop" is a classy and non-pretentious album that proves how outstanding and vibrant the Scandinavian pop scene can be. Annie has outdone herself, leading you into a colorful world of her own backed by clever lyrics and up-beat tunes. Definitely one of the best pop releases for 2009!

*Have in mind that there is an additional bonus CD "All Night EP" that has five songs not included on "Don't Stop".

Songs to hear: "I Don't Like Your Band", "Loco", "Don't Stop" and "My Love Is Better"

Rating: 8/10

Review: Natalie Imbruglia - Come To Life

2009-10-07T22:26:00.002+02:00

Natalie Imbruglia finally came back to life with her fourth studio album "Come To Life" that took her almost four years to record. After the mixed reception of her previous album "Counting Down the Days", Imbruglia took her time to face the frustration of meeting her own expectations about any future music efforts. Obviously she managed to pull herself together and revive what's left of her career. Don't get me wrong, Imbruglia has had a few major hits, but four years of silence in today's music business is equivalent to suicide.

Anyway, "Come To Life" is out there and Natalie has done a great job. After a first listen I thought that the album was full of crap and deserved to go straight to oblivion. Honestly, I was really disappointed, but second chance should always be given and this time it just clicked to me. Indeed, "Come To Life" is beautiful in any possible way, you've got the ballads, the up-beat songs and the good old semi-romantic/semi-angry-at-you tunes. Natalie is bitchy, sweet and ironical and sounds better than ever. The album has something for almost every taste, ranging from dance-driven contemplations to soulful guitar-based emotional landscapes. Furthermore Imbruglia gracefully sways between genres, leaving any false pretensions far behind.

For the track and best choice for a pilot single "Want" Natalie has worked together with Christ Martin from Coldplay. Another Chris Martin collaboration is "Lukas" that had been recorded during Coldplay' sessions for their album "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" and produced by Brian Eno. Martin has also worked on the song "Fun". Imbruglia takes part in writing most of the songs on "Come To Life" and since this is her first independent release she had additional freedom on the whole recording process. Congrats, Natalie, on coming to life!

Songs to hear: "Want", "Lukas", "Fun" and "WYUT"

Personal rating: 7/10

Review: Zero 7 - Yeah Ghost

2009-10-06T21:52:00.003+02:00

What's most noticeable about "Yeah Ghost", Zero 7's fourth studio release, is the absence of long-time guest vocalist Sia Furler. Sia, who by some is seen as the band's third member, didn't make an appearance as she is currently working on her next album "We Are Born", due April 2010. Although Zero 7 had initial plans to record something less vocal-dependent, obviously they have decided to stick to their collaborative projects the band is best known with. "Yeah Ghost" is somewhere in between the downtempo vibe Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker transmitted through their first two albums and a more up-beat clever electronica with a pinch of various genres brought together by the ensemble of guest vocalists.

"Yeah Ghost" easily distinguish itself from Zero 7's previous releases, as it incorporates a more club-orientated sound with a jazzy twist. I don't consider this a stylistic shift, but more of experimenting in new directions. The presence of new guest vocalists allows the band to explore other fields of interest, thus the variety of songs. "Ghost Symbol" reminds me of a Fever Ray outtake, "Sleeper" and "Medicine Man" could easily be mistaken as under the Basement Jaxx umbrella, and "Everything Up (Zizou)" could pass as a softer Calvin Harris. I am not saying that the duo ran out of ideas and decided on patching up material from other musicians. Not at all, more like they needed to step out of their comfort zone and make a few steps out of line, no matter if they tripped over or even flopped down to the bottom. After all music has to be defying, bold and constantly evolving and "Yeah Ghost" is the challenge that Zero 7 have to face themselves.

Songs to hear: "Ghost Symbol", "Mr McGee", "Medicine Man" and "Everything Up (Zizou)"

Personal rating: 8/10

Review: Paloma Faith - Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful

2009-10-04T22:10:00.003+02:00

Joining Britain's soul music forces, new addition Paloma Faith had to go through plenty of criticism, often being downsized to an Amy-Winehouse-wannabe or an Adele-copycat. Faith admits that she has always had awed rich soul voices and has occasionally tried to imitate them, but after some time she actually found herself in the wide music field. Despite critics opinions Paloma's debut album "Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful?" deserves your attention, unless you are not all fed up with the whole wave of white chicks spilling their guts out to sound as black as they can.

If you give the album a chance you'll realize that Paloma has put a lot of effort and it would have actually sounded pretty damn good, if it hadn't been the year of 2009. Sadly, as it may be, Faith has got on the train a bit too late and what her fellow Brit gals had already done, she was just about to do. It's not that the album sounds as if it was recorded in the 50s, that perhaps is it's best trait, but it's awfully reminiscent of several debut albums from the last 4-5 years and you could easily fail to notice that "Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful?" is not by Duffy or Adele. The whole record is elegantly structured, flowing from one song to the next one, leading through topics like faithfulness, loneliness, love and disappointment.

"Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful?" seems to suffer of poor promotion, as for the time being Faith lacks all the media attention Duffy-alikes got some time ago. Don't get me wrong, everyone for themselves, but Paloma's debut release may come out with a bit of a delay and still it gets to blow off tops, which seem to feel annoyingly secure about their careers. Looking forward to a next release, unless she changes careers again.

Songs to hear: "Stone Cold Sober", "New York", "Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful?" and "Play On"

Rating: 7/10

Review: Nelly Furtado - Mi Plan

2009-10-02T21:13:00.006+02:00

A Canadian of Portuguese descent singing in Spanish is the shear proof that we live in a modern cosmopolitan world where everything is possible. The singer is Nelly Furtado and the album "Mi Plan", her fourth studio release and first attempt in the Latino genre. Actually, Furtado has had several tracks in either Portuguese or Spanish, but "Mi Plan" is her first and probably not her last record aimed mainly at the Spanish-speaking world.

Around the worldwide release of the album Furtado stated that singing in Spanish or Portuguese lets her express things that she couldn't say in English and allowed her to be more personal and musically free. What she obviously missed out was the fact that she had already established herself as an English-singing performer and a change so big could have a negative impact on her career. I don't say that "Mi Plan" is not worth listening to or that Furtado doesn't deserve to be given thumbs up for the risky detour she is taking, but the public wasn't ready for Spanish Nelly. Not at all. "Mi Plan" was supposed to surpass "Loose" and prove that Furtado is here to stay. Yet, poor promotion and lack of media attention has put the singer in a displeasing situation she has to swiftly get herself out of.

No doubt "Mi Plan" would have made a great debut album in Latin America or Spain, most probably securing her an easily recognizable place in the hearts of fans and critics. Out of the field of possibly-maybe "Mi Plan" stands on shaky grounds that are about to given in under the high expectations that Furtado supposedly had to meet. With the current pace in a few months "Mi Plan" can be officially labeled as a flop.

If we distance from the whole market sales thing and solely concentrate on the product itself, "Mi Plan" cracks wide open under the pressure of simple love-songs that hardly distinguish from one another. The album runs so predictably as if Furtado was too busy giving statements on her Spanish debut than coming up original ideas of her own. The final product that landed on the shelves turned out to be more of an exaggerated dream-come-true than an album of genuine Latino passion.

Next time, Nelly, when you decide you want to go world just have another multilingual album, I am pretty sure anyone would have a favourite piece to stick to.

Songs to hear: "Manos al aire", "Mas", "Bajo Otra Luz" and "Fuerte"
Personal rating: 5/10

Review: Basement Jaxx - Scars

2009-10-02T21:13:00.005+02:00

Three years ago I thought that "Crazy Itch Radio" was my biggest Basement Jaxx disappointment, set myself ready for a better album next time. The only thing that came after so much waiting was a bigger disappointment, more dissatisfying than ever. Not that "Scars" is a poor product of contemporary electronic music, but it just misses out a few fundamentals for a successful dance album. Obviously Basement Jaxx have been walking along the wrong path for several years already and with this pace of weak production a major flop is on its way.

"Scars" contains everything that you ought to expect from a Basement Jaxx album: plenty of guest vocalists, danceable house tunes and witty lyrics with a certain touch of exotica. Apart from everything listed the album has nothing more to offer, it sounds so painfully familiar that you might mistake it for a re-release of "Kish Kash" with some additional b-side tracks. The whole album lacks the disco thrill that Basement Jaxx were so fond of. "Scars" is somewhere in between mediocre and satisfactory, failing to create originality of its own.

Despite the guest appearances of hyped performers like Santigold, Sam Sparro and Paloma Faith, the majority of songs easily pass the ear by without causing any specific attention. It seems as if the duo Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton has run out of genuinely good ideas and desperately needs a push forward to a more comprehensive and intriguing dance reality. If no visible stylistic change is to come and another Kish Kash-alike is to be released they'd better have the decency to break up. Please!

Songs to hear: "Scars", "Saga", "What's a Girl Got to Do?" and "Feelings Gone"

Personal rating: 5/10

Review: Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us

2009-09-30T21:52:00.005+02:00

Blamed by some fans for going way too commercial with their last few albums, obviously Paradise Lost took a serious note and offer a heavy slap on the face of all haters. "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us" is what many fans have expected for over a decade, after Nick Holmes and co explored the fields of synthrock, alternative rock and lighter gothic metal. Considered by many as Paradise Lost's big come back their latest album will rock your socks and leave you wanting more.

Enough with the faith! Paradise Lost kick ass big time and are here to unites us all, even in death. Metaphorically speaking "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us" is livelier and more emotional charging than the band's eponymous from four years ago and "In Requiem", out in 2007. Although not based on fast-paced tracks the album grabs you from the opening track, leading you from this great divide to the long anticipated unification of music and soul, leaving far behind those useless shells called bodies. Actually, you might need that bodies a little bit more if you want to physically experience the whole album with all those amazing riffs, Holmes' deep vocals and the constantly changing mood.

Paradise Lost subtly incorporate a few elements of their earliest doom/death material material that give additional heavier sound to the album. Still, they remain true to the gothic metal genre, of course, with a few slight stylistic detours that are left to you to be discovered.

Tracks to hear: "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us", "As Horizons End", "Living with Scars" and "I Remain"

Personal rating: 7/10

Review: No Angels - Welcome to the Dance

2009-09-29T22:22:00.003+02:00

For those who don't know or don't remember No Angels was a German girl band that had a string of successful singles back in the early 00s before personal differences emerged on the surface and just as expected the band fell apart. After a break up in 2004 they reunited in 2006, obviously for worse. Their latest release is the album "Welcome to the Dance", which supposedly had to skyrocket their career back to the good old top.

Sadly for No Angels this album is a major flop lacking any decent sound and memorable tracks. It hurt so bad listening to it that my whole being had to recuperate with a no-music-day. OK, I might overreact a bit, but "Welcome to the Dance" is anything but a dance album. It incorporates more electronica than ever nefore, but it all sounds so out of place (and time) that you might take this whole experiment as a joke. What's more silly texts and ridiculous tunes don't stand for quality music of any kind...if you please.

After the rather poor reception of their fourth studio album "Destiny" things looked like as if No Angels were going to break up once and forever. Obviously they didn't, backing up their careers or more likely cutting their own throats with "Welcome to the Dance". I wonder if their producers really hate them that much, allowing the band to release such a pile of crap. Not that No Angels have ever been a staple of quality pop music, but at least that managed to keep their heads above surface. Right now their bodies are lifelessly floating somewhere in the Sea of kitsch, without any certainty to be found.

Don't get me wrong, I am pretty sure that there are people that this album will perfectly appeal to and they will enjoy listening to it on repeat. For those who happen to be open for something a bit more musically challenging and intriguing "Welcome to the Dance" should be anything but tempting. If still you are ready to give it a chance, don't say I didn't warn you! 'Njoy?

Personal rating: 3/10
The two singles:

Review: Miss Li - Dancing the Whole Way Home

2009-09-28T22:02:00.003+02:00

Miss Li, real name Linda Carlsson, is among the current names that define Sweden's indie trend adding a bit of jazzy vocals, swift melodies and heart-lighted lyrics. Compared by some critics to Anna Ternheim and Hello Saferide, Li offers a rather more positive approach to music with a twist of pop. Just two years after her last release Carlsson is back on track with her fourth studio album "Dancing the Whole Way Home", which by far is her most successful effort.

Despite sticking to her original sound Miss Li expands on a few new fields, going all deep with a semi-cabaret sound, probably heading to a more sophisticated and elaborate stylistic change in favor of moody jazz with a sateen touch of dreamy pop. On a first listen you might be left with the impression that the whole style mixing has gone havoc, but after a while most of the material will start growing on anyone open to clever genre fusions. Even if this whole pop-flavoured jazz isn't your cup of tea, still the album can appeal to a broader audience, quite picky as well.

"Dancing the Whole Way Home" isn't exactly the album you'd be dancing to on your way home, but you might catch yourself humming it while waiting in the line or just being up for some positive experiences. Definitely not a groundbreaking release, still Miss Li knows music good and if it didn't lack proper international promotion she could have easily made her way to the European market, at least. "Dancing the Whole Way Home" is an excellent kick-start for her to be internationally recognized and receive some credit outside Sweden.

Songs to hear: "I Heard of a Girl", "Bourgeois Shangri-La", "Polythene Queen" and "Stupid Girl"
Personal rating: 7/10

Review: Clan of Xymox - In Love We Trust

2009-09-27T22:09:00.004+02:00

It's been quite long since I've listened to something new and really good in the whole gothic/darkwave field and I was really hoping that "In We Love We Trust", the latest release by the Dutch Clan of Xymox would break the ice. My hopes were too high, unfortunately.

Not that "In Love We Trust" has poor content or is of low quality, it's just that it offers absolutely nothing new or remotely intriguing. The new material is somehow lighter, easier to listen and less satisfying in comparison to previous albums. There are a few highs, but in no way can they compensate for the rest. Furthermore, "In Love We Trust" is also less club orientated with predominant slow tracks. Probably it will be a wonderful surprise for every fan who is more into dreamy ballads about love and despair.

Apart from the opening track "Emily" the rest of "In Love We Trust" takes another direction exploring the gloomy corners of life, although not as goth sounding as some might be expecting. Sadly "In Love We Trust" has no real potential hits from the rang of "Jasmine and Rose" or "A Day" and could easily pass your ears by, but after a few more listens the good stuff starts popping out. Nevertheless, in love we may trust, but they just had to be a bit more convincing.

Tracks to hear: "Emily", "On A Mission", "Desdemona" and "Love Got Lost"
Personal rating: 6/10

Discoveries: Copacabana Club

2009-09-26T17:52:00.002+02:00

Not much could be said about Copacabana Club, a fresh new Brazilian act hailing from the city of Curitiba, Paraná. Making an intriguing mixture of electro-rock and indietronica, they could be easily associated with bands like Cansei de Ser Sexy, although I'd rather make no such comparisons before they have released a full length studio album. Up to know they have released the EP "King of the Night" that contains the hit-single "Just Do It". I am pretty sure that if those guys release an album they would be Brazil's next big thing. My fingers crossed for a full release as soon as possible. If you have a Last.fm profile you could listen to their EP for free: Copacaba Club

Recommendation weekly: Nneka

2009-09-24T21:21:00.004+02:00

Nneka's style could be described as Bob Marley meets Erykah Badu with a heavy African influence. This young, relatively still unknown, German-based Nigerian-born singer offers her very own experiences, beliefs and causes she eagerly supports. Nneka, originally from the Igbo ethnic group, has tries a few styles through her career extending from hip-hop, reggae, trip-hop and soul with a world music twist. Spending her childhood in her hometown of Warri, Nigeria Nneka tells stories that explore the diversity of African culture, the clash of modern thinking with traditionalism and the struggles that most African go through on daily basic. Criticizing capitalism and the self-absorption of Western societies Nneka makes some excellent good points that deserve to be heard out loud. To me Nneka is another living proof that music can still have a definite social connotation.

My concert experience: Madonna

2009-09-23T21:43:00.003+02:00

I can't believe it took me that much time to gather my thoughts and give a full review on probably the best concert I have ever been! I guess I am going to be a bit too biased having in mind my affection towards Madonna and her music, which in no way makes me blind for the rather blunt and lacking originality Sticky & Sweet Tour. After the completion of the tour Madonna announced a total gross revenue of over $400 million, making it the second highest grossing tour in the history of music (topped only by A Bigger Bang Tour by The Rolling Stones).

With 85 gigs in two consecutive years Sticky & Sweet is Madonna's most extensive tour, which was highlighted by concerts in countries Madge visited for the very first time like Bulgaria, Romania, Finland and Sweden. According to Billboard Boxscore the tour was seen by over 3,5 million people in 30 countries. In Bulgaria alone the concert was attended by roughly 55,000 people putting it in the top 3 most successful concerts in the country.
According to Billboard Boxscore Madonna put almost $5 million in her pocket, which to me is quite a surprise knowing that we had the cheapest tickets. I guess we were really very enthusiastic as the price of 100 euros per Golden Circle ticket (average salary is around 250-300 euros) turned to be absolutely no obstacle for fans.

Luckily Madonna is still among the most popular musicians in Bulgaria, a fact that secured a full stadium and a passionate audience (to some extent). A few enthusiasts started gathering in front of Vasil Levski Stadium the day before, but the real hysteria was the very day when nationalities mixed and you could easily hear broken English flowing in the air. Although I consider myself a Madonna fan I decided to skip the part with spending my whole day under the blazing sun and went just half an hour before the doors were opened. Despite my fan-laziness I ended up a couple of rows from the stage. As a friend of mine said "If I knew we were going to be really that close, I'd have given my whole salary if it were necessary." Agree!

The support act was Paul Oakenfold, although if it were up to me I'd have kept Robyn for the second leg of the tour too. Anyways, I guess he was chosen as producing Madonna's latest hit single "Celebration" taken out from the eponymous Best Hits collection (released September 2009). Bulgarian media spent quite the time and efforts to report on the preparations for the concert: building of the stage, arrival of construction workers and crew, management of the event and highlighting fans' expectations. After all Madonna's concert was and still is one of the biggest events for 2009, despite all the baseless criticism Madge garnered.

At 10 pm what I have been waiting for over a decade came true: Madonna live in concert! Until the very last seconds, even when the opening tune began I still doubted that she is ever going to come on stage. But she did! Alright, I have to admit that I took me some 20 minutes to realize it. It may sound silly to you, but sometimes you just feel as if this person is a double and real Madonna is somewhere in The States having Margarita's and enjoying the company of her new criminally young boy-toy. But it was Madonna in flesh, just a few meters away from me and she looked so different from all the photos, videos, concerts and fan stuff I have ever seen. Probably, cause she was there just for me (OK, and the other 54,999 people) and I could see her face, the wrinkles, her flaming eyes and athletic body. I dare say she's beautiful in her unique way and has this charisma that I had only heard of.

Although I am really fond of Madonna and all she has done I cannot hide the fact that to me "Hard Candy" is a pile of crap, probably her weakest album for the last 20 years. Poor promotion, hideous style, boring photo shoots and tasteless songs with absolutely no message. Still, faith is cruel and it had me watch this very tour, I guess it was a punishment for dissing this album. "Candy Shop" was the first slap in my face, followed by "Beat Goes On". Luckily Madonna's career extend in almost three decades, hence the setlist diversity. Let's say that some of the Sticky & Sweet song arrangements made my ears bleed (check "Music" and "La Isla Bonita"). I wonder if Madonna feels insecure about some of her best known songs, as my mind still can't bear the fact that she chose "Rain" and "Die Another Day" to be backdrops (concert interludes), but gave a free spot to such a ridiculous song as "Dress You Up". It should go without mentioning that the audience kept absolutely silent during this very performance.

My personal favourite performance would be of "Miles Away". There was just this unique connection that made me feel everywhere and nowhere just gazing in Madonna's eyes. Another amazing moment was "You Must Love Me" when people around me started shouting out loud "We love you". I guess the whole we-love-you-hysteria startled her and for a dew seconds she was just smiling with her eyes supposedly filling up with tears. Of course, Madonna is such a stage-expert that you could never tell whether her reactions are genuine...how ironic.

The audience blasted out at "Like A Prayer" and to some extent at "Vogue", clearly being her best known songs in Bulgaria. I cannot be very judgmental about the audience as I was in a sea of fans and I had the impression that everyone was having a great time. In reality lots of people were there just to see Madonna, but didn't show any enthusiasm and many spent the whole concert drinking beer and discussing personal problems. According to some spectators the whole concert was on a playback, but being a few meters away from Madonna I can assure you that for most of the time she sang live. Whoever doesn't like her singing can take a flight to Mariah Carey's nearest concert and spend two hours listening to impossible octaves.

I can keep on going telling more and more about my concert experience, but some emotions can never take the form of words. Sadly, the concert came to an end in no time and we had to say Goodbye. Of course, until next time!

Finally back!

2009-09-22T22:00:00.002+02:00

My little summer break unexpectedly went for almost two months after my notebook crashed down and I lost almost all of the data I had on it. Dozens of reviews, articles and material-to-be-listened-to went into oblivion leaving me no choice but wait for the problem to be solved, apparently it took some time. Luckily not much happened, a few new albums, couple of interesting music events and the rest is time-spenders. Lots to come, reviews, continuation of some previous topics and most certainly loads of quality music. Stay on track!

Out and Proud: 15 bisexual female singers

2009-07-31T21:00:00.005+03:00

Celebrating diversity and rights equality music knows absolutely no boundaries. Colour, nor religion, nor nationality, nor sexuality could possibly stand in the way of music that goes beyond prejudice, inequalities and discriminative laws. At the threshold of the second decade of 21st century we still care exceedingly too much on who goes to bad who with. Like vultures medias point out the odd ones, pigeonholing them for the sake of some pointless organizations with depository missions instead of a good will. But still, there are those proud men and women who are out and proud. That is why I decided to spend some time with a series of OUT AND PROUD musicians, who have had some influence on contemporary music...and culture as a whole.

The first edition is dedicate to some of the best known bisexual female singers, who have officially stated their sexual preferences and don't mind how you would take it. The order is in no way strict or final!

15. Lindsay Lohan - the real bad girl of teen pop music, who began as a promising child actor, but as years passed she indulged into the pleasures of drugs, alcohol and promiscuity. Despite being categorized as lesbian Lohan is closer to the bisexual description, going on and off with guys and gals.

14. Missy Higgins - the Melbourne-born singer-songwriter was one of Australia's best music exports for 2005, giving her some serious career push. She has established as one of the best known Australian alternative singers for the last few years and a promising young musician who is just about to make another major breakthrough.

13. Meshell Ndegeocello - a fine instrumentalist, an experimenter and a style innovator Meshell is one of those smooth jazzy voices that make you dream of realms set far out of any modern boundaries. She may not be your regular million-copies seller, but has more to offer than your average MTV-diva.

12. Skin - open-minded, scandalous and talented are just some of Skunk Anansie's lead vocalist's traits that make her visible in the crowded sea of female singers. Even if you are not into alternative you just can't have missed out her shaved head.

11. Billie Holiday - having a seminal influence on jazz and contemporary pop music she has been referred to as one of the most important GLBT figures for the first half of the 20th century.

10. Amanda Palmer - The Dresden Dolls' lead vocalist and solo performer Palmer brings the spirit of the 30s back on track. She is quite open about her sexuality and leaves no doubt with her original lyrics which deal sexuality, self-expression and outstanding oneself.

9. Ani DiFranco - her songs center around GLBT topics, the atrocities of life, the joy of being oneself and knowing the sole reason of one's existence. One of the most talented and prolific in the folk genre DiFranco has made the way for other aspiring GLBT musicians who are open about themselves and know good music.

8. Dusty Springfield - one of England's most beloved 60s and 70s singer she has always had her personal life secluded, protecting herself from all the dirt that tabloids had in store. Struggling her entire life with personal dramas, Dusty has managed to keep her head up and become a role model for every female musician.

7. Janis Joplin - a controversial public figure, a driving force for the hippie movement and a life ending too early she lived for the moment and made music that lasted decades after her fatal encounter with heroin. Never truly understand during her lifetime Joplin remains an enigma for many, but still is considered as one of the most important bisexual musicians of all time.

6. Pink - being one of the most successful pop singers of the last decade Alecia Beth Moore sexual ambiguity to a new more commercial level freely using a lesbian outfit and openly demonstrating her support for the GLBT community. Not that she was the first one to back up bisexual musicians, but she was one of the few to be there from the very start up to now.

5. Debbie Harry - an inspiration for almost three generations music was her flirt with the world. With Blondie she went beyond her wildest dreams, becoming one of the best known female singers of the late 70s - early 80s and iconic figure for the music industry dominated back then by men.

4. Peaches - boys wanna be her! Bad girls had to learn some new tricks to keep up with her. Outrageous, spontaneous and disturbingly sexually charged Merrill knows no stops. Livin' la Vida Loca of her own she has continuously defended the honor of the GLBT community, even she goes to extremes.

3. Sinead O'connor - going through some major lifestyle changes, she never did shift sexual preferences and kept playing for the same team. Neither scandals, nor her deep theological explorations took Sinead of track, and despite not being that commercially successful her traces in the music business are still visible.

2. Bjork - although she has never said "I am bisexual" she has talked extensively on the boundless flow of sexuality, as well as expressed her sexually ambiguous thinking through her songs and videos. Soothing to some and annoying to other Bjork remains one of the most controversial musicians of the last two decades and certainly a basis for the adequate development of GLBT music.

1. Madonna - she is bisexual, she is lesbian, she is straight. Madonna knows no sexual boundaries and still I have placed her in this list as easily going both ways. She has never kept a secret her numerous encounters with other women, as well as the joy of trying as many tastes as one can. Not your butch feminist dyke, nor your regular vanilla heterosexual Madonna is the sole description for the freedom that bisexuality represents.

Exclusive: Madonna - Celebration

2009-07-30T22:35:00.002+03:00

Madonna's first single from her best-off album "Celebration" just leaked and it's time for a proper party! The eponymous song is one of three new tracks to be included in her greatest hits album, expected 21st Sept (UK), 28th worldwide and 29th (USA).

Wall of Shame: Галя - 3 минути излагация

2009-07-29T19:30:00.003+03:00

Имало едно време един доста успешен дует казващ се Каризма. Времето минавало, хитовете се редели един след друг, но лакомията и звездоманията превърнали този музикален проект в бездушния проект Кариеризма. След издаването на един измъчен албум и няколко трудни сингъла дуото се разпаднало на съставните си части: Мирослав Костадинов aka Миро и Галина Курдова aka Галя. Докато Миро успя да се понапъне и да пусне цял албум (със съмнително качество), Галка-малка си взе продължителна почивка, която изглежда не й е била достатъчна. Замина за Щатите, после досади с неадекватното си участие в МAD Secret Concert и след това ни се закани соло музика да пуска. Надявах се да й отнеме повече време докато намери някой да се измами да я продуцира, но къде с помощта на дружката й Руши Видинлиев, къде с едно голямо рамо от страна на Nescafé, госпожица Курдова се завърна на родната музикална сцена...за всеобщ ужас.

Няколко пъти съм изпадал в безмисления спор може или не може Галя да пее, но "3 минути до шоу" е живото доказателство, че наистина фалшивото пеене никоя програма за обработка не може да прикрие. Докато слушам този покъртителен продукт на местната музикална индустрия се чудя докога ще я бъде тази агония? То не бяха блудкави мелодии, плиткоумни текстове и досадни клипове, а сега дори и комбинирани в едно. Шефовете от Нестле е редно да уволнят всички отговорни за това извинение за песен, което се очаква и да бъде част от тяхната рекламна кампания. Разбирам, че Нестле подкрепя българската музика, но не е ли редно да допълнят "добрата"? Промоцирана като песен написана от двете страни на Атлантика "3 минути до шоу" съвсем спокойно минава в графата досадни и желателно незабележими, но имаме нещастието да ни бъде натрапвана като ХИТОВА! Създателите й дори трябва да се замислят как така парче създавано на два континента звучи като електронна песньовка с вкус на разредена евтина водка.

Скъпа Галя, скъпи Руши, скъпи екип работил по "3 минути до шоу", започнете да правите връзка с реалността! В опитите си да бъдете оригинални не вземайте едно към едно комерсиалното мислене на западната колегия, а търсете собствен подход. Текстът е умопомрачително глупав, без извинение. Месенето на български и английски език в една песен е особено дразнещо, най-вече когато няма грам връзка между бученето на "инглиш" и граченето на "бългериън". Ем ай фиешън ор уат? Галя досадно се напъва да бъде лошо момиче, но май не увира, че преправянето на гласа не е начинът. Ако трябва да бъда честен новото й амплоа е по-малкият проблем на фона на виенето й, което може да патентова като оригинална хорър музика.

Благодаря ти, Галя, поне сега няма да се чудя защо в родните клубове оригинална БГ музика не върви, а весело се щрака на чалга колаборацийките с твоята бивша творческа половинка Мирко! Жива и здрава! Време е пак за почивка...продължителна, моля!

Skunk Anansie officially reunited

2009-07-28T17:18:00.003+03:00

Recession is an evil bitch leaving musicians penniless and hungry (figuratively speaking). After a few reunions this year Skunk Anansie buried the hatchet in order to reform the band and play a few gigs, as well as releasing some new material. Honestly said I am not surprised at all, when money is short you just have to swallow the pride and do a few things you might have never expected to be committing. Anyways, Skin and company are back on track after a 9-year break up and they promise to be even better. An European reunion tour names "Greatest Hits Tour" is planned to start on 9th October this year with most gigs across the UK.

Here is the video to the single "Tear The Place Up" taken from their future album "Smashes and Trashes":

Wall of Shame: Every hero's wake up call?

2009-07-25T21:27:00.003+03:00

Probably there really is a god, or at least a higher power that keeps me away from all the crappy loads of music running through music channels as sewer. Don't get me wrong, I do respect everyone that works as a professional in this ruthless business, but sometimes I feel way to disgusted to be supportive. Such is the case with little miss Hayden Panettiere, best known as Claire Bennet from ABC's hit series "Heroes". Apart from her acting career she has a few mediocre attempts in singing of which I was most happily unaware of. A few days ago when one of Panettiere's efforts had been posted on my news feed on Facebook and my nosiness drove me straight to the hell called "Disney's teeny heavenly candy galore". I should check myself for diabetes and severe mental damage.

If you are a Jonas Brothers and alike fan Hayden is your girl, otherwise be warned!

Review: VV Brown - Travelling Like the Light

2009-07-13T23:10:00.003+03:00

VV Brown's success is virtually travelling with the light after the release of her highly anticipated debut album. Vanessa, of course VV is not a real name, offers an intriguing combination of electronica, funk and dance with a few strings of alternative and soul. A debut that easily could be among the best ones for 2009 and deserves your attention. Brown's major plus is the fusion of club friendly rhythms with the vibes of underground, which is brought to life with the distinctive use of various instruments and backing on plenty of styles.

Seen as a refined combination of Grace Jones and Erykah Badu, wrapped up in her own originality and stage presence VV Brown is virtually one of the next-best-things to storm the commercial sphere. Nevertheless, Brown's post-modern influences could be considered as both flaws or advances. To me, "Travelling Like the Light" is a fresh attempt to be apart from the mass and still sound accessible and friendly. Sadly, Brown's determination to swing back to the 50s-70s reminds me painfully too much of Duffy and Adele, exceeding the recommended retro dose.

Although often put somewhere in the indie niche, VV Brown is anything but indie. As soon as Island Records, which is part of Universal Music, becomes an independent label VV and alike can proudly call themselves indie-pop. Island being annoyingly cautious take Brown's promotion step by step that keeps her still criminally unknown. Probably under the label's pressure "Travelling Like the Light" deliberately allowed styles to flow into one another creating an idiosyncratic structure for every taste. Of course, even a fifth grader knows that this is a big load of nonsense. Brown proves to be an excellent funk/doo-woop/R&B singer, but she most certainly lacks that electronica vibe that makes you wanna go to every club eager to boogie to her tracks.

Tracks to hear: "Shark in the Water", "Back In Time", "Travelling Like the Light" and "Crying Blood"

Rating: 7/10

Weeds: Little Boxes

2009-07-12T23:19:00.003+03:00

A few days ago I started watching the American dramedy Weeds, which tells the story of Nancy Botwin and her endeavors in the marijuana dealership and the way it affects her family and friends. The opening credits in the first three seasons is the song "Little Boxes" by Malvina Reynolds . Jenji Kohan, the series creator, supports the idea of diversity, thus the guest music appearances of more than twenty musicians and bands that all perform "Little Boxes", keeping closest to the original and still introducing their very own way rework. Among the names are those of Regina Spektor, Linkin Park, Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins and Elvis Costello.

Review: DatA - Skywriter

2009-07-11T23:51:00.002+03:00

French electro has always been a slippery slope that can lead to the deep waters of failure. Well, David Guillon, the actual name behind the moniker DatA, got away with a few broken ribs and a fair warning not to play that "daft" if he's not absolutely sure about the final result. Don't get me wrong "Skywriter", Guillon's debut LP would have been a fine piece of electronica...if it was released somewhere in the 90s. At some points the similarities to Daft Punk are that obvious that it bloody hurts, despite the probable good intentions.

"Skywriter" comes out after Guillon's string of EP's, which gained him the respect and the critical acclaim by both fans and journalists. Despite all the praise DatA never did get out of the shade of French electro dominated right now by Justice and their alike. Probably Guillon is not striving to acutely distinguish himself from the whole scene, but "Skywriter" is an album you can easily do without if you are in fact too much into the French electro wave. Perhaps a few more original ideas and crucial stylistic efforts could have pulled out a few tricks to entertain the eager listener, but after a few listens "Skywriter" turns out to be little less than exciting.

Justice, hailed by critics as the fresher version of Daft Punk, did cause a small revolution in the rather stagnant French electro scene, but the success formula wore off too soon. Used by too many and too often and one time French electro sounded as an extended load of crap on repeat. DatA makes no exception to the rule...sorry, but we are not that stupid to anxiously anticipate yesterday's news. For what's worth "Skywriter" has a few pleasant tunes to keep aside for better times that safe the album from being the next annoying hyped electro album with no actual perks. Nevertheless, it all depends on your current electro status and if it says anything but French then, I guess, you should come back when the thrill is back.

Songs to hear: "One In A Million", "Rapture", "Skywriter" and "Blood Theme"

Rating: 5/10

Review: Rinocerose - Futurino

2009-07-10T23:15:00.003+03:00

Rinocerose (correctly spelled as Rinôçérôse) is one of those criminally underestimated bands that have always been an idea away from their worldwide breakthrough. Probably, loyal fans are happy to keep this band secret, just for their very own pleasure. Still, albums like "Futurino", their fifth proper studio release, proves that it's about time they gained some serious attention. The stylistic variety, the intelligent lyrics and the emotionally balanced flow make Rinocerose an exquisite addition to your extended music library, as well as "Futurino" a fresh look on French music.

Although Jean-Philippe Freu and Patrice Carrie, the brains and body behind the moniker, started Rinocerose as an exclusively electronic project it has moved to the more rocky sound that dominates "Futurino". Elements of dance-punk, new-rave, electro-rock and indiepop are introduced throughout the record by their subtle fusion and incorporation. The album stands somewhere between self-explored maturity and the party flow of independence, bouncing back and forth in accordance to the vibe.

Forget about all the possible surprises! "Futurino" is to be enjoyed right here, right now...with company, or on your own...day or night. An excellent detour from all the pop crap that has been terrorizing our TVs these days; a vacation on the French Riviera, sharing a few drinks and laughs in a dimmed club with the company of dance beats, groovy guitars and sleek vocals. What more to ask for?

Songs to hear: "Tomorrow", "Time Machine", "Head Like A Volcano" and "Touch Me"

Rating: 8/10

The pilot single "Time Machine": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ_ZbVhUyko

Review: Motor - Metal Machine

2009-07-09T23:37:00.004+03:00

"Metal Machine" Motor's newest album release is not your usual summer-hits blaster or your regular electro relief for the late night. It might have been conceived as a minimal project, but ended up offering a good load of techno, acid house and a narcotic pinch of electroclash, eventually mashing into a groovy bad-ass night filled with handfuls of ecstasy and happy faces. Not that the duo of Mr. No and Bryan Black have found America, but "Metal Machine" carries that specific charm of being intimate and open with this mechanical live we've put ourselves in and actually not feeling guilty about it.

Trying to find the right words for this record I find myself sucked into the steel loops and sent to another dimension where words express nothing. Words mean a lot of things, but when they are not present they can absolutely anything you want. Motor refrains from using proper vocal tracks as an attempt to stay closer to the true essence of music itself, being smothered and ambiguously understood by the vanity and complexity of words. "Metal Machine" is all about the music and keeping it real, despite the 100% artificial origin of this album.

Songs to hear: "Schism", "Jacked Up", "Glu" and "Death Rave"

Rating: 7/10

Review: Felix da Housecat - He Was King

2009-07-08T23:04:00.004+03:00

Who was king and does this mean he is not alive? Probably the two crucial answers in Felix da Housecat's new album that have no clarity. I guess it's just not my year, especially when it comes to favourite musicians and my dear Felix proves me no wrong. Sadly, we could all easily go without "He Was King" and now that is what I call a bummer, although I am not surprised at all.

Felix had his best years back when the electroclash scene was still vibrant, producing and meaningful. But after it's natural downfall and his dubious return to the house family, the picture got all smothered and some people obviously lost themselves in the vast fields of electronica. "He Was King" is somewhere in between house, electro, electropop and dance, without leaving any impression of being a whole product, but rather a compilation of various works under the electronic shield. I have always thought of Felix as a wise producer knowing "da" real good stuff, but as it seems things change and in this instance not for good. Honestly...I was bored! Yes, "He Was King" was just a few ideas away from absolute boredom and I could almost fall asleep while listening.

No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't come up with any praise and for what's worth this album just doesn't deserve it. Total lack of originality, songs that sound old as my grandma and brutally blunt tunes knocked out the few positive words I was planning to write down, but all went to oblivion as soon as I reached the end of the tracklist. With a few exceptions "He Was King" is a major filler either in your CD collection or on your hard disk. Actually even the exceptions are nothing special, they just sound OK compared to the rest of the material.

Songs to hear: "Machine", "Spank U Very Much" and "Do We Move Your World"

Rating: 5/10

First single:

Stuck in my mind: Telepopmusik - Breathe

2009-07-06T23:09:00.002+03:00

Summer is here and the music has to fit the season. What better than Telepopmusik's all-time classic "Breathe", which easily is one of the best summer songs I have heard. It's quite funny how odd the whole song is and still it carries that distinctive summer vibe, feeling the sun all over your skin, smelling the salt of sea and awaiting the long lazy hours in the sun. I have always loved the video for it shows how artificial we have become and our emptiness virtually kills anyone who opposes it. Of course, apart from the disturbing message implicated in the video, you'd better get in the holiday mood and prepare for a swim in the depths of the ocean...of music...or?

Sticky & Sweet Tour: Part 2 - setlist and first live videos

2009-07-05T22:38:00.003+03:00

Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour: Part 2 officially hit the road, starting from O2 Arena in London, and revealing the long anticipated setlist, as well as concert changes. With a few wardrobe retouches, new song arrangements and different backdrops, it seems that the Bitch of Pop music will kindly stick to her original Sticky & Sweet concept, which might come as a disappointment to those who have already watched the first part. Nevertheless, she is in great shape, keeping up strong and highly professional. An addition to be noted is the inclusion of the Michael Jackson element that came at the very last moment in accordance to his still-to-be-cleared death. The setlist is a bit of a mess and to be honest I am not impressed. I knew that she was going to concentrate on the "Hard Candy" material, but this whole bunch of rearrangements and sampling is slowly going on my nerves. Another thing is the absolute exclusion of "Confessions On The Dance Floor", which, let's face it, brought her back to stardom after the doubtful success of "American Life". Anyways, more to come from the Bitch and be ready to get all sticky and sweet this summer!

# "The Sweet Machine" (Video Introduction) (contains elements from "Manipulated Living", "4 Minutes", "Human Nature" and "Give It 2 Me")
# "Candy Shop"
# "Beat Goes On"
# "Human Nature" (contains excerpts from "Gimme More")
# "Vogue" (contains elements of "4 Minutes" and "Give It To Me")
# "Die Another Day" (Remix) (Video Interlude)
# "Into the Groove" (contains elements of "Toop Toop", "Body Work", "Jump", "Apache" and "Double Dutch Bus")
# "Holiday" (contains elements of "Billie Jean" with excerpts from "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'")
# "Dress You Up" (contains elements of "My Sharona")
# "She's Not Me"
# "Music" (contains elements of "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit", with excerpts from "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life")
# "Rain" (Remix) (Video Interlude) (contains elements of "Here Comes the Rain Again")
# "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You"
# "Spanish Lesson"
# "Miles Away"
# "La Isla Bonita" (contains excerpts from "Lela Pala Tute")
# "Doli Doli" (Kolpakov Trio solo) (Dance Interlude)
# "You Must Love Me"
# "Get Stupid" (Video Interlude) (contains excerpts from "Beat Goes On", "Give It 2 Me", "4 Minutes" and "Voices")
# "4 Minutes"
# "Like a Prayer" (contains elements of "Feels Like Home")
# "Frozen" (contains elements of "I'm Not Alone" with excerpts from "Open Your Heart")
# "Ray of Light"
# "Give It 2 Me" (contains elements of "Fired Up!" (Club 69 Mix))

Spoiler alert! Do not watch the videos, if you want to be entirely surprised!

Review: Florence and The Machine - Lungs

2009-07-04T23:11:00.004+03:00

Tori, Regina, Fiona, Kate and all the rest beware! Florence Welch, best known as Florence and The Machine, is on the roost and she happens to be amazing! "Lungs" is virtually one of the best indie-pop albums I have ever heard, as well as one of the best to come out in recent years.

"Lungs" is the balanced mixture of folkatronica, pop, alternative and experimental with the fine pinch of Welch's witty and highly original lyrics. This debut is so breathtaking, that it's almost disturbingly unreal and only after a few thorough listens assures me that music can still have a meaning over the obvious. Don't get me wrong, Florence is not heavenly talented and unreachable, she just manages to offer something that has been missing on the whole UK/American singer-songwriter scene for quite a long time. While Tori Amos bores me to death with her recent endless piano whining or Fiona Apple's stylistic uncertainties and struggles, Florence hops up in the right moment with a fresh breath straight from her lungs.

Smoothness, freely flowing tracks from one to another, stylistic diversity and originality make "Lungs" one of 2009's must-haves. Apart from the whole technicality Florence and The Machine go further deeper in developing the concept of an odd world where things that seem regular are irregular and notions tend to take particularly unusual forms and ways of expression. Received by both critics and fans with a critical acclaim after the release of the band's first single releases "Lungs" lives up to their expectations with flying colours. Such a strong debut for a 22-year old singer-songwriter, who was once labeled as dyslexic and dyspraxic, could only give us high hopes for an outstanding follow up to cause further competition in the rather stale indie genre.

Songs to hear: "Dog Days Are Over", "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)", "Drumming", "Between Two Lungs" and "Kiss With A Fist"

Rating: 9/10

Review: The Crystal Method - Divided by Night

2009-07-03T22:22:00.003+03:00

There is nothing better than pleasant surprises, especially when they come in the nick of a time. Such is the case with The Crystal Method's fourth proper studio album "Divided by Album", which is their first in five years. I dare say it grabbed me from the very first listen and enjoyed listening it till the very end. The Crystal Method might have never reached the popularity of The Chemical Brothers, but with with albums like their latest one, they do prove to be quite the competition.

"Divided by Night" sticks to the duo's tradition of extended guest appearances throughout the record both vocal or instrumental contributions. Eight out of twelve songs contain guest vocals, which virtually makes this album their least instrumentally dependent. The big number of collaboration give an additional asset to the final product and only prove for the complexity and maturity The Crystal Method have striven to demonstrate. Nevertheless, "Divided by Night" is not your another The Chemical Brothers' album squeezed to its maximum for the sake of commercial success and potential chart-breakers. Don't get me wrong, I like the Brothers a lot, but The Crystal Method happen to be still on track with the actual meaning of making music and care to be less over the top and electronically snobby.

Still fusing as many genres as possible, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland keep up to their own standards with a few intriguing improvements. Improvements that make their music more accessible without the blunt taste of selling-out. Stylistically "Divided by Night" has little to do with their genuine big-beat sound, which is another indicator that the whole genre is heading down the spiral to oblivion. In the times of such a high diversity of electronic styles sticking to the good old beats and turntables equals almost suicide and with their latest release The Crystal Method put the knives away from their wrists. Of course, "Divided by Night" could have had some more surprises in store and be even more outstanding and dancefloor-crashing, but let's be honest The Crystal Method have never been your club regulars. If you don't know/remember why grab the new album and divide your night with a few original tunes.

Songs to hear: "Divided by Night", "Drown in the Now", "Sine Language", "Double Down Under" and "Black Rainbows"

Rating: 8/10

My concert experience: Limp Bizkit

2009-07-02T23:05:00.003+03:00

I saw Limp Bizkit live. I didn't actually intend to do that, but it did happen and I am not sorry about it. Alright, I should go back in time further when I still kind of liked Limp Bizkit and the music alike, although I have never been a fan of Fred Durst and co., but liked several of their hits when they were still big. Years past, their fame faded away and I moved on, becoming one of the many who liked this band just cause it was hype. The moment the concert was announced only for a few seconds the idea of going to the concert ran through my mind. Limp Bizkit were brought to my attention no sooner than the day of their concert in Sofia when I received an unexpected invitation to attend the concert...for free. Here is the right moment to thank my friend Olia, who made this experience possible! I will skip the details about the tickets and move the action straight to the concert itself.

Limp Bizkit's performance was part of the first edition of the Rock the Balkans festival that was supposed to be a 3-day rock event. The whole idea was scrapped as soon as Biohazard had to postpone their gig, and probably due to poor sales and the bad weather in addition the festival was held in a single evening. These changes caused chaos, brought too different genres on the same stage one after the other and pissed off most of the attendees. Frankly said if it weren't for the free ticket I would have never given out money for something that had no actual concept and relied entirely on the main attraction.

My friend Olia and I got there just for the Turkish neo-metal band maNga, which were my personal surprise. The play an intriguing combination of crossover, electronica and Anatolian tunes, and sing exclusively in Turkish. I guess, the fact that they sung in a language different than English didn't trigger the chemistry between the band and the audience, which was slowly growing bigger. maNga was the only band to actually adequately clicked with the sound of Limp Bizkit, something that didn't happen with the rest of the acts.

The Turks were followed by the Canadian heavy metal quintet Saga. This band was a few minutes away from making me fold hands and pray to any god willing to save me from this ridicule and annoyance. A bunch of senile headbangers jumping around the stage led by a pathetic copy of Conan the Barbarian. I had rather spent their whole performance in the toilet, but someone had allowed them to play for a whole hour. Poor old guys, did no one tell you that we have never heard of you! The frontman asked us if we had listened to their new crap...ummm...stuff or had bought their newest album. Now that can be sure that no one will even illegally download anything by them.

After this dreadful performance, which almost put everyone to sleep, was time for the American progressive rock band Queensrÿche. Let's say that they didn't make me think of a suicide while listening to them, but can be sure that I will never ever dig up any torrent sites for their discography. They were bearable and the smaller evil, although I was counting every minute till the frontman says "This was our last song". Definitely there were people who were there for them and knew every single song, which was quite comforting recalling the previous act.

Five hours after the official start of Rock the Balkans the moment of truth was about to blast the hall. Tension grew, the multitude gathered impatiently and a black curtain fell in front of the stage. Of course, the curtain was just for those in front of stage. This time I was comfortably seated on the tribunes having an excellent view and seeing all the preparation going unnoticed for those down. The moment the crowd heard the drums from "My Generation" and it went crazy. There he was: Fred Durst in flesh. Honestly I was really happy that I wasn't any near to the stage as most probably I would have been squeezed out in the mosh or even worse my friend would have practically understood what moshing means.

Durst, with his red cap and shorts, true to his renowned style had a bunch of hits coming for the eager audience. People were frantic! Honestly, I had never thought that Limp Bizkit have that many fans in Bulgaria. Don't get me wrong, but nu-metal bands are no longer among the A-list and I didn't expect the crowd to know all of their songs by heart, let alone sing them out loud. Silly me. This is the third in a row reunion concert that I've watched and another one to have all of the original members as line-up. Wes Borlan, the prodigal guitarist, was the big attraction with his original outfit and make-up. Rumors surrounding his return to Limp Bizkit have it that after this tour the band will hit a studio and start recording. I doubt any chances recalling their break up, which was pushed into the media as going on hiatus. Hiatus, my socks!

Limp Bizkit went on with "Living It Up" and "Show Me What You Got" and I just let myself with the flow, despite the fact that I didn't remember some of their stuff. Still, I enjoyed myself a lot and remembered the good old times when baggy clothes, skaters and nu-metal were on the prowl. Thank them for the memories, but apart from recalling a few pleasant moments, I most certainly didn't feel the urge to go back to the teenage roots. "Eat You Alive" and "Hot Dog" were the next to bring me to my junior-high school years. With "Re-Arranged" the crowd went to cloud nine and in front of stage there were plenty of people who were still devoted to Bizkit's music.

"Break Stuff" is the "moshers" favourite, probably because of the song's context. Watching from the comfort distance of my seat I understood the heat of a concert. When you are into it you just forget about the discomfort, the sweat and the pushing, and totally indulge into the music. To be honest I kind of really wanted to mix with the crowd and experience everything to the maximum, but let's call it bad timing. "Boiler" and "My Way" continued the string of hits coming as the crowd's next multiple orgasm. "Nookie" made even me go crazy and Limp Bizkit did know how to rock my socks! The encore included another bundle of hits, which was a clever move as we had all come for their best known stuff and no more teasing was necessary for the night.

The final included the ballad and cover song "Behind Blue Eyes", which was virtually the only slow track played throughout the concert. "Rollin'" was the one that everyone expected and we all knew the gig won't go without! It just blew our tops! The final touch was put with "Take a Look Around". The crowd wanted more and just couldn't believe that it was all over...the journey to the beginning of this millennium when were all rolling as one generation living it all up. Good old memories...yeah, thank you, Limp Bizkit. Thank you!

NB: I've made some photos, but you'd better surf the net for some with higher quality and from a shorter distance. Sorry! Free is free!

Recommendation Weekly: maNga

2009-07-01T22:31:00.002+03:00

It's been a long time since I recommended something particular, but just a couple of days ago had the chance to watch and hear live this quite intriguing Turkish rock band. They were part of Rock the Balkans festival and to be honest they were the best act second only to Limp Bizkit. Despite the fact that they sung in Turkish they managed to impress me and afterward to dig up more of their material.

maNga fuse alternative rock with hip-hop, electronic music and traditional Anatolian tunes. Their songs are quite various spanning from nu-metal to industrial with a fine pinch of World. In Turkey they have been quite successful and I do believe that if they start performing in English this band has the virtual chances of going big. Having seen them live I should say that I am impressed by the frontman's vocal skills and the originality of the songs they performed. Probably, some of you will immediately define them as another Linkin Park wannabes or copycat posers, but actually they managed to bring back in my heart the good old flame of my teen years when I would listen to loads of nu-metal or rock music and have a few laughs and drinks in the park.

Manga - Bir Kadin Cizeceksin

Manga - Iz Birakanlar Unutulmaz

Manga - Bitti Rüya

Review: La Roux - La Roux

2009-06-28T23:09:00.002+03:00

Lucky me! June is my pop month and a few new releases made it exceptionally good. After the amazing debut by English singer-songwriter Little Boots, on my door was already knocking another UK-export: La Roux. Behind the duo are vocalist Elly Jackson and the producer/songwriter Ben Langmaid, who have been cooking new material for almost an year now. Their eponymous debut album could easily pass as the most mature and elaborate pop release of the first half of 2009 and I am certainly not joking nor exaggerating. The Britons have done a great job and an album like "La Roux" is a must-hear in this year's album list!

Drawing inspiration from 80s new wave bands like The Human League and Yazoo, La Roux have their own visions and rely entirely on their very own originality not annoyingly being dependent on good old stuff, which supposedly should do them a few tricks. No, not at all, cause Jackson/Langmaid obviously know how to use the security of the old sound being given a few new improvements. La Roux are far from the idea of being copycats, but let's say that they didn't just discover America, but might leave you with the impression that you just learned about the island of Cuba. Backing themselves on the security of the numerously tried out formula for an electronic act, their debut effort is not a pathetic attempt to bring together loads of memories under the same roof, but an intelligent music provocation that explores new depths and tangles some old stuff with a gentle touch.

"La Roux" surprises abit with the balanced integrity it demonstrates, although at some points you might lose yourself somewhere in between the classy synthpop sound and the rough electronic experiments that are patched together in a rather crude manner. Fillers are virtually left out of the album, which gives an additional exceptionable quality of the product and a definite two-thumbs-up praise for the duo itself. Lyrical themes variate from personal hardships, through finding the meaning of life, to messing around on the battlefield called love. I have to say that I am bored to death to listen to love mishaps and broken hearts, but Elly Jackson with her distinctive quirky voice knows how to tell stories in a way that makes you stay till the end of the track.

Songs to hear: "In for the Kill", "Bulletproof", "Colourless Colour" and "Quicksand"

Rating: 8/10

Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!

2009-06-26T21:57:00.002+03:00

Michael Jackson

(29.09.1958 - 25.06.2009)

The King of Pop is dead! At the age of 50 just a few months before turning 51 Michael Joseph Jackson, known by fans and friends as Jacko, left this world once and for all. Born in Gary, Indiana, as the seventh child of nine Michael was destined for success, starting his singing career at the age of 5. He was part of the highly successful family bands The Jackson 5 and The Jackson, which were his trampoline to solo career and stardom. In 1982 Jacko released the album "Thriller", which will remain in history as the highest selling album by a solo male performer. The string of number one albums went with "Bad", "Dangrous" and "HIStory" and tens of number one chart breakers. The 80s and the early 90s were Jackson's peak when he was virtually the biggest name in pop music and a cultural phenomenon. He paved the way for hundreds of singers, inspired countless bands and was the King to millions of fans all over the globe.

Michael Jackson broke boundaries, set new standards, reached new horizons and decided trends. Despite being the idol of generations Jacko always remained that sweet little child in his heart that sang "ABC" and was afraid to be alone. Nothing scared him more than loneliness, which haunted him for his life. Deprived of his childhood Michael never really became a full-time grown-up, often called the Peter Pan of music. His immense love to children was the hatch which splintered his career. The allegations of child molestation, the trials and his non-stop presence in the media brought him down. Although he never really showed it Jacko was disappointed with the world, which so kindly put him on a pedestal only to throw him in the dirt.

Michale Jackson's life was a constant struggle and his part was eventually torn apart by the problems he faced, by the unkind roughness of the media and the wrong decision he made. Torn apart by trials, being a regular on tabloids and discussed by everyone Jackson never had a private life of his own. He never had the chance to be himself as attention was always breathing at his neck. Through his music he craved to be left alone, but he never managed to escape the spotlight. Jacko's life is the fine lesson for all parents who are way too ambitious about their kids, as he never had the chance to taste childhood and was a full-time pop star for his entire life.

Jacko didn't really die, he just went on his anticipated moonwalk, far from all the daze of fame, from ugly rumors and the physical pain. He went to a better place where he can always remain a child, who draw inspiration from Motown singers and just wanted to dance in front of the TV. A star alive now he is a whole constellation placed next to names like Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix. Music will never sound the same as she lost one of her most beloved children and the deep grief that tears her heart apart will leave an emptiness, which shall never be filled again. For all of us remains Michael Jackson's legacy to be passed by generations for our children and grandchildren to know that we have lived in the era of The King of Pop!

REST IN PEACE, MICHAEL!

Review: Gossip - Songs for Men

2009-06-24T23:49:00.001+03:00

Music for men sung by an open lesbian! Now that is how I like it! American band Gossip is still a hot gossip and this time they offer you more to be jealous of. Beth Ditto is no wussy and she likes being herself even if this means to be criticized for her attitude and be discussed about her quite eye-poking eccentricity and sexuality. Nevertheless, Ditto's media challenges have little to no effect on their music, which has improves with every next record.

"Music for Men" is not your lesbian-kick-ass album that diminishes masculinity or praises woman-to-woman love in the name of emancipation and personal liberation. Sorry to those who were awaiting Gossip with the axes ready to chop-off a few heads, but "Music for Men" happens to be an intelligent post-punk/alt rock exploration of personal battles, the emotionally challenging moments and the harsh truth behind the mundane course of life and the lies we tell on daily basis. Being strong, with the guard up and knowing the perks to survive in the concrete jungle is what makes everyone of us an essential part of the community. The rest is crap and Ditto knows that best.

Although "Standing in the Way of Control" was Gossip's breakthrough release their new album shows some visible changes for good or for bad. Just three years ago this Searsy, Arkansas based band had to face the hardships surrounding the whole overnight stardom and give a serious thought on their next material, which could put an end to their success and send them straight to the "kind" hands of critics. I guess, Ditto had a few top notch ideas hidden somewhere around her bellybutton and "Music for Men" proves that after a very strong "debut" on the big scene one could actually record an adequate follow-up. Of course, to those too much in love with their older material this album might come as a surprise or a big No-No, but after a few listens you'll tune into the beats of Ditto's dance-punk groove.

Songs to hear: "Heavy Cross", "Love Long Distance", "Men in Love" and "For Keeps"

Rating: 7/10

Review: Hande Yener - Hayrola?

2009-06-23T22:49:00.004+03:00

Everything alright? If feeling bored, lonely tonight or just not in the mood Hande Yener has something for you! You might not know even a single word in Turkish, but I can assure you that "Hayrola?" goes over any language barriers. Hande Yener is one of the biggest names in Turkish pop music and one of the few on the Balkans to develop in the electropop genre.

"Hayrola?" (in English "Everything alright") is all about the positive mood, about enjoying life the way it is and face every frustration with a strong smile. Yener knows good electronica and if you have doubts about the quality of Balkan music it's because you still haven't stumbled upon her stuff. Actually, Hande started as a regular pop singer, but luckily she changed course and gave electronic music a try, which made her success inevitable. "Hayrola?" is her fourth in a successful row electro album and her seventh proper studio release, which had the difficult task to surpass "Nasıl Delirdim?", which shot her straight to fame. Despite every effort "Hayrola?" is no match to Yener's breakthrough album, which was a passionately explosive combination between dance music and witty lyrics. This time the balance just went to hell and the structure is rather crude as if Hande was desperately trying to stay sober in the middle of a drunk party.

Still, if you are up for an intelligent electronic album with a good load of entertainment and rhythm "Hayrola?" may be your answer. Probably, right now, I should be writing a review about an intriguing Bulgarian album, but nationalism plays no importance when it comes to actual quality. For the rest, you have yourselves Morandi, Despina Vandi and similar, but I assure you that once Yener records her much anticipated English debut, once again you will turn your heads to the Balkans and the diverse music we have to offer you...after all we are not constantly in war, CNN!

Songs to hear: "Hayrola?", "Arsiz", "Narsist" and "Siz"

Rating: 7/10

Park Live Fest - обзор

2009-06-22T21:40:00.003+03:00

Фестивали! Бъдещето на музикалния бизнес е във фестивалите и в това няма грам съмнение. Продажбите на албуми с всяка година отчитат все по-ниски реализации, а хората, особено в криза, са все по-малко склонни да дават пари за нещо, което безплатно може да бъде източено от нета. В България, да речем, никога не е имало някакво особено музикално самосъзнание и тук пиратството винаги води с няколко гърди пред легалната музика. Спасението за драгите родни и чуждестранни музиканти са фестивали като Park Live Fest, който преди броени дни се проведе в София. Замисъл прекрасен, изпълнение леко вмирисано откъм главата. Предполагам, че трябва да му опростя всички грехове, защото е първото му издание. НО, оправданията щяха да подхождат, ако годината беше 1999 и фестивалната култура беше още в зародиш. Повече от десетилетие фестивалите царуват на световната музикална сцена и ми се струва, че за толкова време би трябва да сме повнесли малко ноу-хау от тук и там. Няма начин никой от организаторите на Парк Лайв никога да не е бил на чуждестранен фестивал и да не е почувствал цялостната концепция на едно такова събитие. В нашия случай като че ли са расли в саксия.

Изпълнителите. Да, изпълнителите. Приличен подбор, с голямата уговорка, че пилотните проекти са винаги най-трудни. Да приемем, че винаги може да бъде и по-зле. Евала, че хедлайнерите на феста бяха големи имена, а не на принципа "който се измами да дойде". Много хора бяха дошли да гледат точно определени изпълнения, което може само да ме радва, че чалгата все още не е промила всички мозъци в България. Успокоението до тук! Въпреки всички напъни на организаторите фестът си остана доста ъндърграунд като за мащаба на гост-изпълнителите. Смешно ми идва Lamb да свирят пред криво-ляво 2 хиляди човека, а някакви силиконови недоразумения да пеят на националния ни стадион. Липсата на реклама или апатията от страна на българските слушатели оставиха Колодрумът в Борисовата градина неприятно празен като по време Национална олимпиада по математика. Добре, че имаше чужденци дошли да гледат своите любимци, че ако изцяло разчитахме на местната фен база можеше и да се прехвърлим в някое по-голямо клубче.

Най-голямата недомислица се оказа пропускателният режим. Да ме извиняват, ама като ми се даде тази гривна и аз като си имам в наличност билетчето, не виждам какъв е проблемът да излизам и да влизам. Вместо да гледам как хора се забавляват, трябваше да ги слушам как се оплакваха точно от тази буквално олигофренска приумица; на всекиго може да му се случи да излезе по спешност, но изглежда на организаторите това им се е сторило нерелевантно. Усмихвам се и влизам, видяло се, че ще бъде и трите вечери закотвен в Колодрума. Вътре: шатри много, хора никакви. Надценка - нелепа, купуването - ограничено. Да ме извиняват всички, които смятат, че е нормално да пиеш "мухито" в чаша за сок срещу 5 лева. Бива, бива, капитализъм, ама да няма човек да пийне една Загорка, а да трябва да се налива с някаква вкисната бира за 4 лева ми дойде в повечко. Самият Колодрум, без съмнение, спомен от соца стоеше обрасал в треволяци, неугледен като отхвърлена комсолска пачавра, усмихнала се с накриво със студената си велописта.

Ден 1...вълнението си е голямо. Първо фестивално преживяване. Всичко ново. Още на входа цялата тръпка умря. Съжалявам...Парк Лайв, но май си беше мъртвороден. Малко хора, кофти място за провеждане, привкус на досада и псевдо себеизразителност (парцалки, стойка и маниерно говорене). Please, this is not Soho! Кръженето из обраслото поле имаше смисъл: Трики. Евала на музикантите, които не се замозабравят. Български "звИздички", моля, учете се! Българското присъствие заслужено си мина незабележимо, просто и предложената продукция беше на такова ниво. Шведите от Little Dragon - голямата изненада. Забележително представяне, оригинални по-танцувални аранжименти на иначе далеч по-бавните им студийни записи. Отново Трики, този път на сцената. Яко пиян и солидно надрусан. Скапано озвучаване, дразнещи дълги импровизации, клатене по сцената и неподходящ подбор от песни, разочарованието ми от Трики беше неизбежно. На него хич не му пукаше, ама и нас яко ни тресеше апатията. Изпратихме го по живо, по здраво, като лепкава безвкусна дъвка полетяла към най-близкия кош. Колко патетично!

Ден 2...скуката отвръща на удара. Хедлайнер - Руутс Манува, съпортът е осигурен от циганския орестър Карандила, диджея на Пъблик Енеми и Рут + групата й. Карандила, без съмнение, се раздадоха. Диджеят прилично разведряващ, докато не се появи недоразумението на Парк Лайв Фест: Ruth & Unlimited. Винаги съм имал съмнения за вокалните способности на прехвалената Рут Колева, но тази вечер се уверих, че някои живеят във въздушни кули. Събуди се, Рут! Изпълнението ви беше толкова скучно, че ако не вдигахте такава патърдия щях да заспя на огражденията. Отчаянието взе превес и Рут почна да ни се моли, но на крива ракета космосът й е виновен. Руутс Манува имаше нелеката цел да събуди заспалата публика. Напъна се, получи се химията, която след звездното му напускане на сцената и повторно връщане тотално се изгуби. Тук е мястото и да изкажа недоумението си от меко казано тъпото изпълнение от страна на организаторите, които изтеглиха програмата с почти два часа напред. Обяснения не получихме, но сред публиката се говореше за проблеми с органите на реда. А, полицията защо не ходи да лови мафиотите в Син Сити или наркотиците в Биад, а тръгнала да дига валянката на 2 хил. човека дошли да послушат нещо, което визуално не се изразява със силикон и перхидрол.

Ден 3...големият финал. Силни изпълнения, слаб интерес. Добре дошли в България. Crazy P определено са щури, весели и себераздаващи се. Plaid, сред големите имена на Warp, доста приятно ме изненадаха. Не си бях направил труда да ги преслушам, но определено им станах фен! Никога не ме беше валял дъжд по време на концерт, но усещането беше доста приятно...с уговорката, че си говорим за краткотраен валеж, защото нямаше да изтрая цяла вечер да седя пред сцената като мокро коте, жално чакащо Lamb да се появят. След известни технически неизправности и поредица от светкавици осветяващи розовото небе на сцената беше причината над два месеца да тръпна: Lamb! Иска ми се да изпиша един ферман за преживяването си, но честно казано думите няма да стигнат! Това е онзи тип събития, на които, ако не си присъствал, просто всичко ти звучи пресилено и пасторално стерилно. Всъщност, когато си усетил студеният дъжд, топлината на тълпата и дрезгавият глас на Лу Роудс, която ти пее за ангели, мечти и криле. Полетях, ревах и за около 90 минути бях извън този свят. Да, да, boys don't cry, дрън-дрън, музиката се чувства, съпреживява и осъзнава. Останалото е комерсиалщина, звездомания и чуплива пластмаса.

Общото ми задоволство от Park Live Fest е някъде в центъра на скалата, основно благодарение на Lamb и Little Dragon. За сетен път се уверих, че музиката в България е в окаяно състояние и не знам колко време още ще кара на глюкоза. Рут, сменяй групата или попрището! Въпреки всичката критика, типично по български, е редно да кажа едно голямо Браво на организаторите, че се постараха този фестивал да се проведе. Убеден съм, че са положили бая усилия, въпреки че нямаше да има нищо срамно, ако бяха ползвали мало външна помощ. Дано посещаемостта и реалният интерес не сломи организаторите и спонсорите и доживеем да видим второто издание на Park Live Fest. С още по-големи имена и още по-голям ентусиазъм. Догодина пак!

My concert experience: Lamb + Plaid

2009-06-21T22:51:00.021+03:00

Day 3! Blessed be this day! Park Live Fest reached its final, which was spectacular and put to sleep all my dissatisfaction with the previous two festival days. Despite all the preparation I was taken by surprise and enjoyed myself as never before. The final three acts blew our tops and on my way out of the venue I didn't want to come to terms with the sad reality - it was over. To me Lamb was the festival's culmination and the reason I bought the ticket at first place. Hats down for Tricky's achievements and the originality of Roots Manuva, but the Manchester duo of Lou Rhodes and Andy Barlow was my personal highlight!

Before I continue with the praise I should mention a few things about the other acts that I got to watch. I was quite late for evening number three and had missed out Gaz Cobain from Future Sound of London and the Bulgarians Phuture Shock, but the rest was to come. I admit I missed for most of their performance the Brits from Crazy P (the P stands for Penis), but manage to catch the last few songs and get a proper idea of their stage presence. Crazy P had already heated up the venue with some groovy dance tracks and the astonishing magnetism of their lead singer Danielle Moore. There was chemistry between the audience and Crazy P and and no doubt people actually wanted them to keep on rocking.

An act away from my "meeting" with Lamb the weather took an unpleasant turn and as soon as Plaid began their set heavy clouds were lazily making themselves comfortable above out heads. After a few tracks rain started pouring down, but this made us come together closer to the stage and give in to the rhythm of IDM. Shame on me, shame, shame! I made no effort to check Plaid's music beforehand and felt really dumb being there first row and shaking with all the guilt on my mind. The guys turned out to have plenty of cool stuff and the positive vibes were in the air despite the heavy cold drops and lightnings in the distance. The weather condition perfectly matched with the essence of Plaid's music and the constantly changing backdrops. I have never expected to enjoy that much something I heard for the first time in my life. Even if I never get to listen to them home they can count on my fan support. My first, and hopefully not last encounter face to face with Warp members (fingers crossed for Aphex Twin).

The moment of truth! One of the most influential trip-hop bands was just about to perform. I've awaited them since I've been interested in the whole scene, going back as further as the end of the 90s. Lamb is one of those bands that I fell in love with the first listen. Nothing could ruin the evening, neither the rain, nor the technical problems they experienced. For the record Lamb had the same sound-system problem as Tricky and Roots Manuva previously: blasting bass beats. Just a few moments before they were due to come on stage their bass broke, which meant additional twenty minutes of wait. The audience applauded every chance of the concert to begin, which after half an hour of clapping and cheering seemed like forever to take.

Darkness. Lou Rhodes, Andy Barlow and a support live member (I think they called him Jeff) covered us with the dark serenity of their music. "Darkness" was their opener! Followed immediately by my personal favourite "B Line", which came to my brains as a rush of warm blood. Despite all the technical difficulties they had with Live Park's equipment live Lamb were amazing! They topped my expectations with the perfect list of songs they chose to perform live, as well as with the fine harmony between Lou's distinctive voice and Andy's music renditions. Going back to the concert the setlist continued with a string of greatest hits among which "Heaven", "What Sound" and "Angelica". "Heaven" was the first song to be sung by the audience, which went nuts as soon as Lamb came to stage.

Andy Barlow was amazing! I have never expected him to be that energetic and jolly, with a wide smile on his face, jumping all around. He was so excited that he even jumped in the crowd, which could have easily torn him apart. Don't worry, we kept him alive just for the sake of other fans around the globe. Andy is the coolest dude I have seen in concert! Definitely! Lou Rhodes on the other hand held back a little, but her constant smile on the face and the cute way she was saying all the time "Thank you" in Bulgarian made the distance always invisible. I think that they were very pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome and the way we appreciated their music. I am not being judgmental but I had the feeling that they didn't expect Bulgaria to be best place to find such an excellent audience, which in fact was fond of the duo's music.

Lamb's highlight was the performance of their highly anticipated song "Gorecki", which was virtually sang the by everyone. But the big surprise came with "Gabriel", which I should admit made me cry. So touching and so real, the whole atmosphere just made the tears come out on their own. It was raining, one could feel the warmth of the crowd and with Lou heavenly singing
"I can fly
But I want his wings
I can shine even in the darkness
But I crave the light that he brings
Revel in the songs that he sings
My angel Gabriel"
create a whole that words fail to describe! My personal favourite!

Lamb had two encores, putting an end of their concert and the open-air part of Park Live Fest 2009 with "Stay". A poetic promise that this performance will always stay in their hearts and I can promise them that Lamb live in Sofia will be long remembered by everyone who spent the whole rainy evening with this amazing band! If you still haven't seen them live hurry up, cause you never know what will happen with them after the end of their tour.

"God bless", they shall return!

Video courtesy of YouTube user finmelchen:

Video courtesy of YouTube user iF0Pi:

Video courtesy of YouTube user opiuma:

My concert experience: Roots Manuva

2009-06-20T17:44:00.013+03:00

The second day of Park Live Fest in Sofia was definitely the lowest point in the whole program. First of all the line-up was less than intriguing. Another thing was that the audience was definitely less than for Tricky, the previous day. The headliner was the British-Jamaican rapper Roots Manuva, who mixes hip-hop with electronica, reggae, dub and even gospel. I admit that just a couple of weeks ago I knew him only by his moniker, but spent enough time getting to know his style. The mere fact that he mentions that many various styles and extensively concentrates on social issues made me attend his gig, drawn by the charm of a rapper who has something to say for real.

I guess, I should start from the very start which was given by the Gypsy orchestra Karandila, which as I was told had to play for over two hours. Don't worry about the poor guys, they are used to the prolonged performances and I assure you that Karandila could have been on stage all night long and beyond. The orchestra was followed by DJ Lord from Public Enemy, who had a few surprises on his turntable. His set was dominated by pop and rock tracks, which was kind of surprising as we expected him to bury us deep in the sands of black music. He made the audience boogie-woogie and still he showed more passion than we did...what a pity. DJ Lord and Karandila tried out to improvise together, which didn't end up as well as expected. Anyways, the last performance before Roots Manuva was of the band Ruth & Unlimited. In one word: L A M E! Their whole performance was absolutely annoying and nerve-racking. They sounded if they played together for the very first time: unorganized and distorted.

After being tortured to the maximum with Ruth's constant pleads to come closer to the scene and dance to the rhythm, and waiting some more twenty minutes for the main act to begin, finally Roots Manuva made his appearance. He was backed up by two DJs and a side singer, whose name I didn't get to hear (understand to be more precise). Honestly I felt wrong while watching Roots, because it turned out that the majority of the people there actually listened to him and they did know the songs. Still, this didn't ruin my fun and I got my groove on.

Due to problems with the police (I never got to find out exactly what) the program had to be rescheduled and pulled back with almost two hours, which after all ended up in no more than an hour suspension. It was announced that Roots will appear on stage at 21:00, which caused havoc among his fans as many of them expected him no sooner than 22:00 and they were rushed into the venue, although he didn't appear on stage earlier than 21:30. I am saying all of this, because the organizers had to push the rapper to shorten his performance and drop a few songs, which brought addition tension to the atmosphere, which was going down the spiral after the dubious warm-up performance by Bulgarian band Ruth & Unlimited. The rescheduling almost ruined Roots Manuva performance, but the management obviously managed to win extra 45 minutes.

Rodney Smith, Manuva's real name, played it safe and entirely backed his gig on his most prominent stuff, which was eagerly and passionately appreciated by hip-hop fans. Even I managed to distinguish at least a few of his songs, although they were slightly rendered. Talking of rearranged versions I should say that not the changes made it difficult for me to recognize them, but the horrible sound system the organizers had provided. The bass was so heavy that for most of the concert I couldn't hear any proper singing and at certain moments there was nothing but blasts and distortions. Among the performed songs were "Bashment Boogie", "Witness (1 Hope)", "Sinny Sin Sins and, "Dub Styles", at least those I managed to distinguish.

His back-up had parts on all of the songs, even those which on the albums were solo performed and he was more passionate than Manuva himself. There was chemistry between them and they proved to be a good combo, although we didn't really care about anyone else but Roots. At 22:00 they announced that the gig was over as they were forced to put an end to it. Umm, yeah, but we did already know its a hoax and nobody bought it. The more the concert neared its end the more annoyed I was feeling. It felt like forever until the last song. I don't know why, but the second part of the performance was blunt and tedious with an uncertain pace and lame improvisations. I have never been happier to hear "Thank you and goodbye". I couldn't stop clapping my hands as I was doing it to make sure this was the very end of Day 2. Indeed, it was.

The videos are courtesy of YouTube user superchiko

My concert experience: Tricky + Little Dragon

2009-06-19T23:51:00.009+03:00

Park Live Fest is the first festival of its kind in Bulgaria, bringing together names from the electronic scene and reviving the true trip-hop vibe. Introducing such a concept for the first time on the Balkan music scene definitely meant a lot of risk for the organizers and less to no impact. Luckily, there are still plenty of people fond of the good old 90s when MTV was the pedestal of diversity and music was not all about boobs and trunks.

Day 1 was highlighted by the essence of the Bristol scene and the subtlety of the Swedish improvisational expressionism. Tricky on the prowl with his distinctive half-singing half-rapping distinguishable singing and Little Dragon with their surprisingly original performance attitude, brought freshness to the rather stagnant Balkan alt fields. Nevertheless, I should mention that the two main acts were preceded by three other performances, but they did go rather unnoticed. Although Tricky, real name Adrian Thaws, was the one who we all expected I dare say that Little Dragon made the best impression for the whole evening.

Little Dragon began rather vaguely, carefully testing the crowd and after just a couple of songs Yukimi Nagano and company gained confidence and slowly began heating up the audience. They took me by surprise with more up-beat versions of their sole album's tracks, which were rearranged especially for a fast-paced mind-blowing performance, which was entirely based on improvisation. I guess they did realize that Tricky being after them puts the stakes quite high and still they did their best to reach the level of required quality. The audience definitely appreciated Nagano's intriguing voice and her stage presence, as well as the passion Little Dragon's music had in store. Perhaps, people who would rather stick to their genuine style weren't very happy with the significant changes, although this was no wrong move at all.

Tricky...one of the pioneers of the trip-hop genre, who paved the way for the mid to late 90s alt electronic wave, was the one who was expected to blast the scene and be the bad boy of the festival. Indeed, he spent the whole evening doing spliff and passionately gulping drinks, probably heating up for the grand show. So far, so good. Lights off, a sudden turmoil on stage and there you go - Tricky in flesh and bone, performing in front of some 3 thousand people.

The closest link to the godfathers of trip-hop Massive Attack was there for us ready to kick some ass. Hooray! Have I ever told you how much I hate musicians doing drugs and eliminating immense quantities of liquor? I do! Tricky reminded me why! I guess I should excuse him, as this probably is part of his performance, but it poked out my eyes...they were sore and bleeding. What could be more pathetic the singer stoned as a dumb ass or the audience aggravating the situation with their horrific passiveness. I'd go for number two, please. Tricky might have had to struggle through his artistic inadequacy, but the audience obviously needed to cheer up. Sadly chemistry was absent and the vital connection performer-audience was based just on Tricky's reputation. Definitely there were people who went bananas seeing him live on stage, but the majority was there standing coldblooded and clapping as if taking part in a senior fund-raising campaign.

What made things even worse was the apathy that Tricky demonstrated, which made the show look as if he was there for himself and the rest could just fuck off. I, personally, had difficulty swallowing his annoyingly endlessly improvisations, which brought the majority to the edge of patience. In the setlist, probably on purpose, were omitted a great deal of his most famous songs, which brought more tension and dissatisfaction with the audience. Although trying to compensate with several new song arrangement it all crashed and burnt when technical difficulties abruptly interrupted the show. Afterward, Tricky had lost interest and in no time the concert came to its end. His performance ended with Motörhead's "Ace of Spades" and fans invited on stage to rumble with him. Applause! No requests for an encore. We all went home.

Review: Vive La Fete - Disque d'Or

2009-06-18T17:17:00.002+03:00

One of the best Belgian electronic exports the duo Vive La Fete always a few pleasant surprises awaiting us in their albums. "Disque d'Or" makes no exception and no compromises, because Danny Mommens and Els Pynoo know good music. Famous for their high productivity, loyalty to the French language and playful humor Vive La Fete never grow tired of the subtle tricks of the electro sound.

"Disque d'Or" (in English "Golden disc") is placed just two years after last proper studio record, but it clearly shows a change in favor of a more electronic sound, putting aside their more guitar-based clashy style. Of course, once again they have mixed plenty of music inspirations coming up with an original diverse concept that includes genres like dance-punk, electro-rock, new rave and electroclash. Everything is mixed and massively mashed with witty lyrics and Pynoo and Mommens chasing through the tracks.

The album marks a slight return to their earliest material, although it bares its very own essence and originality. "Disque d'Or" most certainly makes no attempts to recreate the atmosphere of "Republique Populaire" for instance, but paves the road to new music experiences in the jolly company of Vive La Fete. Even the slow tracks are suitable for clubs just when you wanna chill-out a little or slowly boogie around the dancefloor networking with other party people.

Of course, "Disque d'Or" is not that perfect to be unreal and has a few weak points, such as fillers, unexplainable stylistic overflows, lack of a lyrical center in few songs and the repetition of several ideas from previous albums. A few annoying details don't really screw up the quality, let alone make the record impossible to listen. "Disque d'Or" might never get to the golden disc certificate or be an impeccable example for an electronic album and still it's a huge load of fun, Belgian artistry and sexy vocals.

Songs to hear: "Petit Colibri", "Everybody Hates Me", "Ce Que Tu Penses de Moi" and "Amour Physique"

Rating: 7/10

Review: Passion Pit - Manners

2009-06-17T22:20:00.004+03:00

If you've long missed a quality indie pop album on the prowl "Manners" by Passion Pit is out here to fill in a few cavities. Debuting just a couple of years ago the American band Passion Pit brought a fresh breeze in the lately rather stagnant electropop scene with some clever ideas and stylistic manners.

"Manners" has everything that should be expected from an indietronica album: brave experimenting, intriguing vocal-instrumental combinations, pushing a few boundaries further and sticking to their own kind of originality. This record may not be a groundbreaking detour from the straight electropop line, but definitely draws direct inspiration from other areas such as new wave, electro-rock and chamber pop, which add up to the diversity and saturation of the whole product. Lyrically Passion Pit show that words are a fine instrument to express emotions and they sound even better when accompanied by memorable tunes.

Nevertheless, I should warn you about the heavy falsetto that vocalist Michael Angelakos has, cause it may sound a bit too annoying at the very first listen (as happened with me). But after giving the album a second chance impressed by the sound quality I did start to enjoy his voice, which after the startle turns out to be a pleasant accompaniment to the instrumental arrangements. There is a track for almost every indie taste, from good old electronica to shaky dance-punk and soft alt-rock. The best thing is that despite the great variety "Manners" manages to stand its own ground with a stable structure and rhythmic change of pace and emotion.

Songs to hear: "The Reeling", "Make Light", "Moth's Wings" and "Folds in Your Hands"

Rating: 8/10

Review: Moby - Wait For Me

2009-06-16T19:44:00.002+03:00

Ambient sadness! Depressing harmony! Tunes straight from the heart! Moby never misses out and "Wait For Me" is the 100% proof that he can make virtually any kind of music. Going through various stylistic stages, dubious experiments and a string of successful albums Moby concentrates entirely on the taste of ambiance that was had a vibrant part in his previous records. What he left as B-sides before, now sums the whole concept of his newest album, with no over the top melodies, fancy lyrics or indigestible messages.

"Wait For Me" is for the sole delight. No commercial aiming, no pushed efforts to be radio-friendliness and no disposable resolutions. The album tries to avoid the overwhelming success of Moby, as well as being a pretentious self-centered project with high expectations. "Wait For Me" is the last call for oneself to get hold off themselves and move on despite all the pain and the lows...after all we all need someone to wait for us. With the release of this album on his own label Moby has given himself enough space to develop his devotion to ambient music. Actually "Wait For Me" is his top notch ambient project, which in no means tries to overshadow any of Moby's previous ambient attempts.

The vast majority of included tracks is entirely instrumental with only few exceptions, which is nothing new to Moby, who has released an immense amount of material without vocals. Of course, this may be seen as a major flaw to those used to Richard's popular songs and they are right to some extent. Despite all the visible efforts "Wait For Me" leaves me with the impression that it has never been really finalized and a few more vocal tracks would have done good.

Not that the whole idea for an instrumentally based album is bad, but we have to face the facts: it's the vocal tracks that brought Moby to prominence. I guess, that is the reason why the first official single from "Wait For Me" is the vocal track "Pale Horses". The songs carries a slight resemblance to songs like "Natural Blues" or "Extreme Ways", which is a wise choice for the promotion of a less commercial release. Anyways, if you are not really into the whole chill-out/lounge stuff and slow tunes "Wait For Me" may be a hard one to swallow or an easy one to be cast away as boring and unoriginal. For those who have long anticipated an entirely ambient Moby album 2009 is their year. As far as I am concerned I do appreciate the new album, but I hope Moby will keep on offering new and unexplored stuff. After all that is the whole charm of his music or?

Songs to hear: "Pale Horses", "Wait for Me", "A Seated Night", "Study Wars" and "jltf"

Rating: 7/10

Review: Regina Spektor - Far

2009-06-15T21:53:00.002+03:00

The Queen of anti-folk is back with a classy piano-driven elaborate album named just "Far", which is her fifth studio album and the along awaited continuation of her critically acclaimed record "Begin to Hope". With the soft touch of piano music and the distinctive sharpness of her voice Spektor demonstrates a talent, which is yet to reach its highest.

"Far" is a manifestation of Regina's desire to concentrate more on the validity of social values and on the impact of worldwide issues on the individual themselves and the changing prospects of success and failure. Despite not being as edgy or emotionally diverse as her previous album Spektor goes up the spiral with less commercial material, which may be seen as a step aside from her work up to now. I personally, cannot categorize "Far" as anti-folk due to the lack of the style's typical elements and it has more to do with the newest wave of the indie alt music movement that has taken the States overnight.

Regina Spektor has always been devoted to acoustic music and "Far" is no exception to the rule. Even more, it is an acoustic galore with plenty of tracks freed by any other instrument interference or technical tampering. The talented singer further explores the abilities of her vocal abilities, although if you are not very used to her singing style you might find it kind of annoying. This, of course, should be no obstacle to embracing "Far" to its fullest and spending some quality piano time.

Despite all the praise I should say that this album got just a little bit on my nerves with over the top yelling at certain points, repetitive piano parts and rather disappointing of the lyrical content of some of the songs. The emotional charge is quite chaotic and reaches extremes, which just don't fit in the same album tracklist. Regina knows piano music best, but maybe she should break the ice a little and give experimenting more field in her records. Her top competition Tori Amos may have released quite a disappointing album, but at least she did try a lot of things. As for Spektor, obviously she plays safe, keeping in a tight grasp her piano music. But for how long?

Songs to hear: "Man of a Thousand Faces", "Genius Next Door", "Laughing With", "Human of the Year" and "Dance Anthem of the 80s"

Personal rating: 7/10

Review: Riceboy Sleeps - Riceboy Sleeps

2009-06-14T23:11:00.003+03:00

Ambient galore! That is the first thing that comes to my mind after listening to Riceboy Sleeps' eponymous debut album. Truly emotional and inspiring this record is the proof that sometimes words are useless. Music can tell a thousand splendid stories, leaving unforgettable traces without even using a single word. Plus, all those who missed Sigur Ros' earliest stuff will be in ecstasy laying their hands on such a fine product.

Riceboy Sleeps is the collaborative project of Jón Þór Birgisson, Sigur Ros vocalist, and his boyfriend Alex Somers, visual arts. "Riceboy Sleeps" explores the emotional depths of life, goes beyond the horizon and reaches out for a dreamworld, where sleeping giants roam, happiness is to be found during the Indian summer and the howl of Daníell in the sea is to be heard. All things are possible, everything is soft and the heart sings along the cords of an acoustic guitar or trembles with every violin note. The Kópavogsdætur Choir adds up to the atmospheric endeavor through mind and space and brings the light to the rather gloomy and depressive tone to the whole album.

Despite all the efforts "Riceboy Sleeps" couldn't avoid the direct Sigur Ros influence and to some extent it may be considered as the elaborate continuation of the Icelandic band's first studio album "Von" with more emphasis on the string section and less experimentation and modulation. Shared experiences, empathy and self-acceptance, introvert going extrovert, kissing the Sun hello and backpacking on the graves of hatred and vanity, love recognizes no limits and Riceboy Sleeps seem to have more in store for those ready to come to terms with themselves. Although not lyrically expressed equality and the right to be yourself is the thin red line keeping the exquisite structure of this album together. There are plenty of messages and emotional landscapes to be found with every next listen and Birgisson has given his best to leave everything open to your own interpretation. If not, listen to "Riceboy Sleeps" at least once more!

Songs to hear: "Atlas Song", "Daníell in The Sea", "Indian Summer" and "Sleeping Giant"

Personal rating: 8/10

Vessy - Ring the Bells

2009-06-13T23:39:00.002+03:00

From time to time Bulgarian pop music manages to produce something worthy of listening more than once. Consider such beams as the desperate final attempts of Bulgarian pop to survive the harsh competition. I chose to show you this song at is one of the few pop songs right now that actually correspond to the whole idea of pop music, which on the Balkans often takes hideous forms. I am pretty sure you have listened to loads of similar songs and could hardly find any originality, a fact no one can deny.

Vessy is the stage name of Vessela Boneva, an aspiring promising young singer, who has gained moderate prominence in Bulgaria, but still no recognition outside. "Ring the Bells" lacks the actual potential of becoming a major hit and it still it proves to be quite fresh and it may ring a few bells.

Review: Asher Roth - Asleep in the Bread Aisle

2009-06-11T22:38:00.005+03:00

It's been a long time since I last listened to something as bad as Asher Roth's debut studio album "Asleep in the Bread Aisle". Excuse me for being that honest from the first sentence, but this album is a pure waste of time...and space. Pretentious rapping, dull lyrics and lack of originality make this debut absolutely obsolete.

Asher Roth is a fresh name in the hip-hop scene, but he makes a disastrous first impression. I wonder how did he actually got to sign a deal, having in mind the quality of his first record, which sounds as if college rock meets amateur rapping. I gave my best to understand his rapping style, but mumbling words without any real rhythm can't be passed as such. Roth is another fine example why the majority of white people are incapable of rapping and an album like "Asleep in the Bread Aisle" could hardly be taken as a serious music product.

Probably Mr. Roth surely has his fans among US college fraternities or is kind of suitable for some teen American drama series and still in Europe his approach to music will remain dubious and rather distasteful. Admirable is the honesty Roth demonstrates throughout the album, which could have been his ticket to major recognition. Sadly, for him, honesty is a vicious friend, who likes to stab you in the back while kindly smiling. Plus the lyrical content is annoyingly predictable: chicks, getting high, drinking till the very last memory is wiped out, promiscuity and parties combining all of the before mentioned. Really? Cause we had no idea what shaking the trunk and doing spliff mean and only gurus like Asher could make it clear for us.

Despite including a load of guest performances and desperately trying to sound like a whitey with a black rap soul Asher Roth demonstrates doubtful skills and rather crude final product, which may easily find its spot among the weakest albums of 2009. For those who expect nothing more than a college freak out party should get their hands on "Asleep in the Bread Aisle", and for the rest saving yourselves a few bucks is the best thing you can do.

Songs to hear: "She Don't Wanna Man", "Lion's Roar" and "His Dream"

Personal rating: 3 out of 10

Wall of Shame: Miles Away...from originality?

2009-06-10T22:56:00.003+03:00

Is Madonna out of money or out of original ideas? I doubt she's gone bankrupt, but it seems that the big cruiser with ideas has gone on a very long trip somewhere far from reach. Although Madonna has had weak videos from time to time, obviously she has decided on totally neglecting the visual part of her singles and focus on keeping the money coming straight to momma. I guess her work is going on a downward spiral, which effects on her music creativity and visualizations, which tend to sound like excerpts from a Rihanna album, than the product of the biggest icons in pop music. I wish I could pick up this song as the song of my day, but instead I listed in the wall of shame and I start to believe that Madonna has more trashy stuff coming on their way to us.

People, please, don't make the same mistake and never ever consider original anything like the following video.

Review: a-ha - Foot of the Mountain

2009-06-09T23:44:00.003+03:00

a-ha is on of the those bands that everyone has heard of, but few can really remember what music they actually played. And that is a pity, because their newest release "Foot of the Mountain" proves that new wave music is still live and kicking, despite all the heavy breathing and the gray hair. Although some people were not satisfied with the eponymous pilot single I still was convinced that this album deserved a full listen...and I am not sorry at all.

"Foot of the Mountain" is a-ha's ninth proper studio album and comes after four years of silence, but I guess it was all worth the waiting. Going back and forth between the new wave features, the dreampop influences and the electropop smooth beats, a-ha are anything but out of ideas. Even after almost three decades of bringing quality pop music to the world they still have a few tricks in the bag and without the whole Depeche Mode glamor and hysteria have recorded an exquisite electronic delight for late night emotional endeavors or a mid-day indulgence into the pastoral little world far there at the foot of the mountain.

Marking a return to their original synthpop sound after the successful more rock-orientated album "Analogue", "Foot of the Mountain" has a few fine surprises for a-ha true electronic fans, and still will be no total disappointment to their guitar-loving supporters. However, the album is milder, more mellow and self-introverted, exploring desires and regrets, reflecting the uncertainties of the future and the hardships of the past. There is a fine emotional structure that keeps all the tracks together and without being an actual concept album it does tell a story...but the rest I leave solely to you.

Songs to hear: "The Bandstand", "What There Is", "Nothing Is Keeping You Here" and "Mother Nature Goes To Heaven"

Personal rating: 8 out of 10

Review: Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up

2009-06-08T23:26:00.002+03:00

Paolo Nutini until just a few days ago was nothing more than a familiar name to me, but after being recommended to me a few times I decided to hear his new album "Sunny Side Up" to hear what's the whole fuss about. I can only say: Interesting! I didn't expect for a man of his age to have such a powerful voice with which he actually tells stories of here and there.

Getting back to the album itself, "Sunny Side Up" despite being in the folk-rock niche explores various styles, favoring blue-eyed soul, bluegrass and neo-folk. Nutini draws inspiration directly from his music upbringing in Scotland and to some extent demonstrates his fascination from American folk music, which has most certainly played a major role. Don't worry "Sunny Side Up" is no country album, released by a Scott dying to be out there on a rodeo. The record is more of a tribute to Americana with the strong fundamentals of the European neo-folk scene.

I just can't agree with the annoying comparison to James Morrison, who despite all the efforts is nothing more than a mere copycat of James Blunt. Gosh, are they brothers or what? "Sunny Side Up" is the final proof that the two don't share the same music bed! Back to Nutini, although his sophomore effort is seen by some as a disappointment and the singer himself blamed for losing track of his own style, "Sunny Side Up" is a melodic experiment curving in fresh wood with the final accomplishment visible only in your mind.

I personally don't see this album as anything close to failure or waste of talent, as it is a manifestation of diversity, emotional landscapes and stories of sadness and happiness, of the strive for a pastoral life deep in the bushes of love. Apart from the few flops here and there "Sunny Side Up" is easily a fine folk piece with hopes and despairs, with maturity and childishness, with Europe meeting America for a dance under the stars.

Songs to hear: "Ten Out of Ten", "Growing Up Beside You", "Tricks of the trade" and "Pencil Full of Lead"

Personal rating: 7 out of 9

Recommendation Weekly: VV Brown

2009-06-07T19:29:00.002+03:00

Ladies and gentleman, I give you one of the brand new and hottest names for the summer: VV Brown! The Northampton, UK, native with real name Vanessa Brown is a young and very promising singer-songwirter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, who has released three singles up to date and right now is cooking her debut "Travelling with the Light", which is going to hit stores on 20th July. Brown has been compared to Santigold, Ladyhawke and Lily Allen and stylistically she has been put in several niches among which indietronica, alternative pop and dance-punk. Vanessa has already been listed as one of the hottest breakthroughs of 2009, but I warn you, she has just began! So watch out for VV Brown playing on your TV/radio stations and crashing for a long time in your hearts.

Review: Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D

2009-06-06T23:50:00.003+03:00

Energy never dies they say? Hmmm, think again! Black Eyed Peas sound like this actually is The END (without the dots) and after a few listens I should agree with them shutting down business sooner or later. Don't worry, they are not breaking up...yet. Still, this is no explanation for the rather disappointing quality of "The E.N.D", which is their fifth studio effort.

"Boom Boom Pow" definitely was a hook-up with a more electronic sound and futuristic pre-taste dipped in dance beats. Sadly, the album contains too few hook-ups and after several listens the whole idea has gone to waste. Not that I really had high expectations for anything released by Black Eyed Peas, especially after the launch of Fergie' solo reach-out for extra cash and fame, but "The E.N.D" is cramped with tedious punch lines, boobies and trunks in jeans and (f)actually few good dance tracks. The worst thing is that they have tried out to include as many of their ideas as possible and it all turned out into a screwed up mess. Attempts have been made, but the majority of them have crashed and burnt.

You remember Destiny's Child? Yeah, Beyonce's trampoline to success...right! You do recall they used to say they were a band, although we all knew that the greedy B was taking most of the vocal credits. Now move it all to Black Eyed Peas, but instead of Beyonce place will.i.am. What do you see? Really? So did I! "The E.N.D" is another will.i.am and others project featuring from time to time the singing efforts of fellow band members. Fergie, of course, is second in charge of the singing parts, although she can't beat the presence of will.i.am throughout the album. Didn't he have a solo career where to share all of his music ideas and mambo-jumbo? Excuse me for being to pushy, but I really don't like bands openly dominated by a single member. If you doubt listen to "The E.N.D" and calculate the album-time that will.i.am takes up!

Anyway, the whole electropop spinal cord supporting the album structure doesn't really fit Black Eyed Peas. It actually reminds me of Kanye West and his "808s & Heartbreak" album, which was an intriguing combination of electronica and hip-hop. On the other hand "The E.N.D" sounds more like a super drunk party of genres, which ended with a furious fight and unexpected hook-ups.

Fergie is desperately trying to sound sexy and sleazy, tempting and provoking, but her improvement still hasn't seen the light. She should think of picking up a career as a screamo vocalist or finally hiring a vocal coach! Please, Stacy, stop whining instead of singing. Oh, yeah, and confessing that you like holding the bottle tight is no surprise to us...for real! The others demonstrate almost no creativity, their lyrics have lost even the last traces of wisdom, as well as bringing you to the verge of committing a suicide after dancing yourself to exhausting, figuratively saying. Truth is "The E.N.D" had an interesting dance concept, which was lost while trying to be exceedingly original and club-friendly. The END.

Songs to hear: "Boom Boom Pow", "Imma Be", "Out of My Head" and "Electric City"

Personal rating: 6 out of 10

Review: Little Boots - Hands

2009-06-05T19:03:00.004+03:00

I've already lost faith in pop music when I got to hear Little Boot's debut album "Hands", which is a splendid combination of various electronic manners and pop tunes. Victoria Hesketh who is behind the moniker Little Boots has done the pop album that I've been waiting six months already. Probably some of you would definitely disagree with time, but for me pop music has more to offer than Britney whining like a dog in pain or Mandy Moore, who just couldn't let go off the whole bubbly dingy.

"Hands" is an album that deserves a good load of praise, although it has its flaws, but they are less than a pain in the ass. Little Boots is part of the fast growing new electro movement and competition is definitely big, but playing with the right cards get you straight to the top of the ladder just a hand away from the crown. Hesketh's story could easily pass as a dream come true and her late success is the proof that even quality music can wide open doors. "Hands" is the sum up of all of her music experiments throughout the years going from jazz, electro, disco, experimental, indietronica, punk and power pop, thus the astonishing stylistic variety and the loads of elements used in the songs. That actually is a good reason why some of the tracks sound like they have been taken out of different releases.

Victoria has been given quite a lot of freedom as experiments flow from one into another, diversity spreads all over the album and extended list of music influences back up every single track. The mere fact that she is no new to the music business has given her the opportunity to spend enough time working on the style she wants to introduce and develop a lyrical concept, which has something to say and is not trying to be over the top. What I like about her attitude towards the whole fuzz surrounding her right now is the fact she is less than impressed and doesn't really give a damn about media attention just for her to promote herself.

"Hands", of course, is not lacking some flaws, like repetition of several lyrical ideas and the use of some annoying electronic elements, as well as a couple of songs could easily pass as fillers. This shouldn't keep you off from giving a full listen to one of the most promising pop releases of 2009 and soon to be big Victoria Hesketh aka Little Boots.

Songs to hear: "Stuck on Repeat", "Remedy", "Meddle", "New In Town", "No Brakes" and "Hearts Collide"

Personal rating: 9 out of 10

New albums to expect

2009-06-04T20:25:00.002+03:00

It's time for an update on the list of brand new albums to expect till the end of this year. Not many titles to be included, but as a whole summer is a weak season for album releases and most are left for the fall or even winter. Still you can enjoy those upcoming and congratulations to the winning fans.

June

Tina Turner - Beyond (19th June)
A-ha - Foot of the Mountain (19th June)

July

Cascada - Evacuate the Dancefloor (6th July)
VV Brown - Travelling Like the Light (20th July)
Jordin Sparks - Battlefield (21st July)
Billy Talent - Billy Talent III (14th July)

August

Behemoth - Evangelion (7th August)
Cassie Davis - Differently (14th August)
Sean Paul - Imperial Blazer (18th August)
Fun - Aim and Ignite (25th August)
Vader - Necropolis (21st August)
David Guetta - One Love (24th August)
Arctic Monkeys - TBA (24th August)
Sean Kingston - Tomorrow (25th August)
The 69 Eyes - Back in Blood (28th August)
Flyleaf - Memento Mori (August)
Dolores O'Riordan - No Baggage (August)

September

Insane Clown Posse - Bang!Pow!Boom! (1st September)
Fine Frenzy - Bomb In A Birdcage (8th September)
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson - Break Up (8th September)
Pearl Jam - Backspacer (22nd September)
Mark Knopfler - Get Lucky (14th September)
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee (September)
Muse - The Resistance (September)
Infected Mushroom - Legend of the Black Shawarma (September)
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic (September)

Others
Dragonette - Fixin to Thrill (August-September)
Epica - Design Your Universe (September-October)
Usher - Monster (Fall)
Slayer - World Painted Blood (Summer)

Review: Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

2009-06-03T13:21:00.003+03:00

Some groups are meant to be over the top, being the hype of the year, although they really don't deserve it, others tend to stay a little bit aside, but hold plenty of fine surprises for true music lovers. Such is the case with the American lo-fi/folk quartet Grizzly Bear, who demonstrate to the best how quality sound is actually supposed to be created with their third studio album "Veckatimest".

Veckatimest is the name of a small island in Dukes County, Massachusetts, and I dare say it is one of the most original album titles I have recently heard. At first I thought it is nonsense, but when you listen to the album you could actually visualize this picturesque little island nested in the warm grasp of a blue bay. The whole album is a spiritual endeavor to maturity, the coming to terms with reality and the fascination of emotional complexity. The album merely insists on lyrical perfection, missed out only be the repetition of a few topics, but the best is kept after a few listens when you actually sink into the depths of symbols and indulge into the structural coherence in the album.

After a few experiments, left mostly out of studio albums, Grizzly Bear have proved to be one of the fastest evolving neo-folk American bands, who manage to put the standard higher with every next release of theirs. Although not being one of the most profound pioneers of chamber pop, they have played quite an important role in its popularization, especially in the States where the scene grew in a fortnight. "Veckatimest" is swinging between genres and still preserves preserves the idea of an album both stylistically and lyrically inseparable. They have even tried at certain points to sound poppier and more accessible, which may be seen as a major flaw to fans, who support their relation to the folk scene, but I believe that Grizzly Bear have done it very swiftly and softly, leaving a little surprise for anyone open to less commercially orientated pop music.

"Veckatimest" is not your million-copy selling groundbreaking album and definitely not radios' newest favourite addition to their playlists, but is this year's one of the best alternative records and if you are up for some quality time with meaningful texts, emotionally enriched tunes and extraordinarily charming vocals than Grizzly Bear's third album would be the right choice.

Songs to hear: "Two Weeks", "All We Ask", "While You Wait For The Others" and "Cheerleader"

Personal rating: 8 out of 10

Review: Eminem - Relapse

2009-06-02T22:38:00.001+03:00

Sometimes silence is golden for real! Such is the case with Eminem and the newest add-up to his record history named "Relapse". After five years full of lows among which a pill-addiction, an eleven-week marriage to his two-time wife Kimberly Scott, the murder of his close friend the rapper Proof and producing career with a rather mild success, Eminem ended his hiatus giving a new flow to his solo music. "Relapse" is also expected to be followed by "Relapse 2", which is to be released some time this year.

"Relapse" is entirely based on the rapper's experience during his prescribed drugs addiction, as recordings started immediately after finishing his rehabilitation. This albums also marks the return of his well-known alter-ego Slim Shady, who eagerly demonstrates his indulgence into recreational drugs and craving for serial killing to some extent. Eminem sings about murdering Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan and makes fun of plenty of other famous persona. The rapper admits that apart from his own experience he has also drawn inspiration from documentaries on killers and movies dedicated to them, thus the more gruesome and darker lyrical content.

Dr. Dre is again the one standing behind the production part of this album, which is no surprise to anyone I guess. He can also be heard on two tracks: "Old Time's Sake" and "Crack a Bottle". The second one is a collaboration with 50 Cent, who is expected to release an album of his own later this year. "Relapse" is Eminem's album with the least guest performers on it for his entire career, allowing him to concentrate more on his own ideas and let them extensively develop.

Despite all the personal background that "Relapse" projects it does lack certain points of originality, sounds rather crude, distasteful and out of real emotions. Few new topics are introduced, but as a whole you have Eminem's usual dissatisfaction with the things in his private life, moaning and bitching around like violence is actually THE resolution. The mommy issue is present, as well as the love you-hate you situation with his ex-lovey-dovey wife, which have become less or more a burden in his last works. His lyrical killing spree provoked by Shady's uncontrollable drug addiction and the horror elements incorporated in several of the songs may be considered as a plus to his die-hard fans of brutality, but to the rest it may sound more of pushing things up in an unknown direction. Actually "Relapse" sounds to me as a desperate shout for help after a serious nervous breakdown and I tend to believe that Eminem is still not sure where the hell he is actually heading to.

Songs to hear: "3 a.m.", "Bagpipes from Baghdad", "We Made You", "Medicine Ball" and "Must Be the Ganja"

Personal rating: 5 out of 10

Review: Placebo - Battle for the Sun

2009-06-01T21:43:00.004+03:00

"Battle for the Sun" is Placebo's sixth proper studio album, a strong follow up of their rather poppy album "Meds", which was received by both fans and critics with mixed feelings. Their new album is a departure from the more electronic based sound and a fine return to the classical alt-rock style for which the bands has been numerously praised.

This is the first album to feature new drummer Steve Forrest, who took the place of Robert Schultzberg, and which some fans considered as a sign for an eminent change in Placebo's style. For good or for bad Forrest has really brought a change, which to me is quite positive. "Battle for the Sun" sounds as a whole, with clear structure, adequate emotional balance and almost no fillers. The album demonstrates a heavier sound with the prevail of loud and emotional drumming and the fast and determined guitar riffs back and forth.

Molko has done some improvements of himself demonstrating more complex lyrics with a clearer message in them. Of course, the puns and the riddles are present and nothing is ever to be understood to its fullest when Brian is the one responsible. The topics are various from substance abuse to emotional battles through personal doubts and search for new experiences. He has done quite a fine work with the writing and the majority of songs are thoughtful, clever and provoking with a pinch of wit and playfulness.

"Battle for the Sun" definitely surpasses "Meds" by quality and easily matches by diversity and complexity "Sleeping with Ghosts" and "Without You I'm Nothing". The chosen up to now singles "Battle for the Sun" (promotional) and "For What It's Worth" (official) are not the best pick-ups but demonstrate the exquisite variety offered by the 13-song track-list.

Songs to hear: "Kings of Medicine", "Ashtray Heart", "Breath Underwater", "Julien" and "For What It's Worth"

Personal rating: 8 out of 10

My concert experience: Guano Apes

2009-05-31T21:30:00.012+03:00

* click on the thumbnails for a better preview

It's great when your favourite bands reunite after a long split. It's even better when they embark on a tour and your country gets to be included. Four years after their official split up Guano Apes came back together announcing several gigs at prominent European festivals with the only exception of Bulgaria, where they held an indoor concert. Guano Apes proved to be in great shape and frontwoman Sandra Nasić to have improved her vocal skills.

The concert was due to begin at 20:00 and I was there at 19:15 and in a few minutes they started letting us in, which was very surprising as Bulgarian fans are used to waiting outside for hours before anyone shows any mercy on our at this occasion freezing souls. Here is the moment where I should compliment Most of Evil on their excellent organization this time, as the support band Fyeld came on stage at sharp 20:00. Of course, this doesn't mean that I've forgotten the long two hours spent outside the hall for the Pain concert last month, but today's issue are the Apes. Fyeld is a Bulgarian crossover band, which occasionally plays at various gigs. I cannot say much about them as I actually got to hear them for the first time last night. They are OK, but definitely not my scene.

A few minutes after 21:00 Sandra Nasić and company appeared in flesh and bones in front of the nearly 3,000 fans at Universiada Hall in Sofia. To many this was a dream come true, to the rest an iconic band in front of them ready to blow their tops. They started with "You Can't Stop Me", although no one actually wanted them to stop, even for a drink break. The audience was in ecstasy as we heard Nasić first words...Yep, one of the biggest alt-metal chicks was right there singing just for us and she sounded great. A friend of mine told me that she sucked live, but luckily it didn't prove right and Nasić did demonstrate that she could actually sing. Bang! We were nailed down from the very start! Guano Apes had more and more surprises to come..."Money & Milk", followed by "Quetly", "Open Your Eyes" and "Pretty In Scarlet". In between they played "Do It Again", which is from Sandra's solo album "The Signal". The gig was getting so hot that before singing "Open Your Eyes" Sandra encouraged all the guys to take off their shirts and to mix with the rest of sweaty bodies and burning skins.

When Sandra came on stage she was wearing a T-shirt saying "Ruf mir nie wider an", which in English means "Never call me again". In order to be persuasive enough as she asked us to lose some clothing in favor of some skin-trade and sweaty pogos, she took her shirt off, but she had another one under it...tricky, very tricky. The set-list continued with a straight line of some of their less known stuff, which toned down the audience as mostly fans knew them and the anticipation was not that passionate, which doesn't mean that there were no pogos or frantic singing along with Nasić. However, this could easily be considered as the major flaw of their whole performance as most people were there for their biggest hits and to a certain extent Guano Apes should have lived up to their expectations. After all, we can never be sure how long will this reunion last and will it crash and burn before even releasing new material.

The good news is that all of the songs were worth performing and listening to and there was something for everyone, from the die-hard fan to the girlfriend who came just to be with her bf/gf. The set-list definitely was not their best possible, but what was important Guano Apes to be playing at all. Still, I have no fine explanation why they included that many of their non-album tracks, although I believe they were trying to go beyond the expected, another thing is whether they managed to do it.

It was great that they made no difference between their performance in Braga, Portugal in front of over 15,000 spectators and in Sofia, Bulgaria with the modest amount of 3,000. Size doesn't matter after all, but some bands tend to believe that the bigger the crowd the better for their reputation. Probably right, but the Bulgarian crowd was perfect and I am pretty sure Guano Apes will have us in mind if they decide to embark on another tour some time in the future...as long as they haven't split up once again.

The second part of the concert was dominated by their hits "Break the Line", "Scratch the Pitch" and where to without "Big In Japan". The last made the audience go crazy, hundreds jumping on one place and pushing back and forth as a human wave. Most of us already knew the set list and we perfectly knew that Sandra was going to say Goodbye, just to return on stage in a few minutes. The "promised" encore was remarkable for the excellent performance of "Lords of the Boards", which is the epitome of their career and narrow relation with the culture of the boards. Sandra let the audience sing it as obviously we were really in an urge to shout it out loud. We all shouted as our lives depended on it and sadly this did put an end to the concert. All sweaty, exhausted and a little dizzy the people were making their way to the exits, taking a look back to the empty scene...filled with the fresh memories of a concert long to be talked about.

Stuck in my mind: Moby - Pale Horses

2009-05-30T16:05:00.003+03:00

Regularly checking my blog list I came across the newest video by Moby and his second official single from the upcoming album "Wait for Me" "Pale Horses". This is his first self-produced single and it will be released on 22th June, just a week before the album itself.

"Pale Horses" is a touching melancholic return to Moby's ambient sound filled with soothing female vocals. The song tells the story of loneliness, grief and to some extent even despair. Despite everything positivism like a beam rips apart the darkness that has the heart in a strong grip, as life is never just black or white, but with thousands of shades of gray. Vocalist is Moby's friend Amelia.

Смешен плач: Наградите на БГРадио

2009-05-29T21:36:00.003+03:00

Докато се вълнувам от нови албуми, летни хитове и предстоящи размазващи концерти, няма как да подмина наградите на единственото радио в страната посветено изцяло на българската музика, която все още не се е тотално изчалгарила. Потресен съм! Вече съжалявам, че изобщо се заинтересовах кои са номинираните тази година, то бива наглост, но такава безочливост не очаквах, че ще доживея...а изглежда съм бил прекалено голям оптимист относно съдбата на родната ни музика.

Чинно отварям сайта на БГРадио и бързо стигам до секцийката отредена за номинациите. Какво да видят черните ми очи? В изстраданите 9 категории има 25 отделни музиканти/музикални формации при общо 5 номинации на категория. Графа отново досажда с цели 5 номинации, а по някакви неясни стечения на обстоятелствата тандемът Калин Вельов и Нина Николина имат същия набор от предложения за награда, въпреки че песента им "Абсент" трудно може да мине за позната на аудиторията, а какво остава за хитова. Плътно следвани са от прото-чалга певецът Миро с 4 номинации, който след старта на соловата си кариера излишно много си повярва. Още по-несериозно звучат трите номинации за абсурдния напън на Дичо и Ъпсурт. Не по-озадачително е и присъствието на песни, които освен в ефира на БГРадио едва ли някъде другаде са кънтели и малцина са имали "щастието" да чуят. Хубаво е да се раздават награди, но още по-хубаво е те да бъдат реално заслужени, а не просто да се чешат егота и да се дефибрилират вече загниващи кариери.

Нещата щяха да свършат до тук, ако не бях решил по-обстойно да разгледам номинациите категория по категория и да се чудя защо бг-попът все още се държи на командно дишане. Второто пришествие ли чакаме или някои хора наистина много си вярват, но тазгодишните призове на БГРадио са поредното доказателство, че в милата ни татковина поп/рок музика сериозно от години не се прави. Мисля, че дори Майкъл Джексън би завидял на ежегодните номинации на Графа, който каквото и да направи е задължително абониран поне за една статуетка. Мадона също само може да си мечтае да стигне рекордът на Мария Илиева по-последователни номинации за Певица на годината. Човек, ако не знае каква е реалната ситуаци в България би си помислил, че нашите музиканти са адски продуктивни и просто всяка година изкарват поне по един открояващ се албум, докато се борят с безкрайната конкуренция. За съжаление, картинката е далеч по-едноцветна, а напоследък дори грозна: една дузина хора се събират на едно място да си раздават позлатени статуетки, ръкопляскат си един на друг, благодарят си един на друг и след това дружно се натоварвар по колите да идат да се почерпят за поредната успешна година. Двайсет години след края на соца, май в музиката ни той все още не е свършил. Сардонично се подсмихват щом се спомене "Златния Орфей", НО тогава поне наградите наистина са се раздавали за творчество и креативност, а не поради липсата на кандидати за тях.

Категория "Дебют" винаги има с какво искрено да ме разсмее и тази година не прави изключение. Трима от петте номинации са напънали се да бъдат Идоли на България, които имаха предостатъчно време да ни впечатлят с нещо, но минаха с някакви извинения за песни. Разбирам, че музика в България се прави трудно, но това не означава, че всяка боза, която се запише моментално трябва да се завърти в ефира. Другите две номинации са ми още по-мъгляви, имайки предвид, че проявявам достатъчно голям интерес спрямо нашенската музика, дори и да не я слушам активно. След обстойно прослушване само се затвърждава мнението ми, че тук под дебют се разбира просто първото пробутано нещо.

В категориите "Изпълнител" и "Изпълнителка" да се чудиш дали да се смееш или да плачеш. Номинациите са толкова вкиснати, че докато ги гледаш може да глътнеш някоя виненка. Благодарения на тези номинации аз и тези, които изобщо сме се заинтересовали, че БГРадио още имали награди, научаваме, че Орлин (екс-Каффе) и Любо (екс-Те) измъчили по нещо да се отчетат тази година. Подобна е ситуацията и при дамите, където от кумова срама са набутани Десислава Добрева (бивша певачка при Слави) и Мария Илиева. Последната е получила номинацията си за съвместната си песен с Графа, което е просто смехотворно, но видимо в България не е нужно да правиш соло неща, за да се обкичиш с някоя награда за самостоятелна дейност. За да не е хипер нагло, че е сложена два пъти в една и съща категория, Илиева се е разположила в цели две категории със съвместни проекти нищо, че и двете й песни са валидни само за категорията "Дует/Трио".

Кой купува албумите на БГ музикантите? Всички знаем отговорът, но това не пречи да си се награждават с изключително престижната награда за най-добър албум на годината. Чудно къде точно тези албуми са постигнали реални успехи в класации или просто това са единствените пет албума успели да видят бял свят тази година. Иска ми се да не е така, но ми намирисва на отчаяние. БГРадио до толкова нямат с какво да си пълнят категорийките, че са опряли до там да ръгат чушки в боба и да се надяват, че ние сме музикално вглупени и искрено вярваме, че това наистина са култовите албуми на изминалата година.

Категорията "Група" е като гробницата на Тутанкамон, стара и вмирисана откъм краката. Хубаво е да си спомни човек за групи като Мери Бойс Бенд или Акага, но само докато гледа ретро рубриката на телевизия ММ. Присъствието на Дичо е като два пищака на гол тумбак, което не оправдава милосърдните номинации за БТР и Те.

Без да отделям излишно пространство ще задам един реторичен въпрос: Нужно ли е радио да има награда за видеоклип? И докато се смеем през сълзи, спускайки бавно ковчега на българската поп музика, не бива да забравяме напевно да повтаряме: Бе-Ге музиката е мъртва, да живее Бе-Ге музиката! БГРадио и сие ще си я закопаят като съвестни гробари.

Stuck in my mind: Freemasons - Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)

2009-05-29T11:16:00.002+03:00

Freemasons definitely know how to make excellent dance tracks, avoiding the mediocrity of regular house music, and choosing the right vocals for most of their material. "Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)" is not an exception, immediately storming the radio and TV stations and for just two weeks gaining positive reviews from around the world. Vocalist this time is Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who is their most famous guest star for the time being. The video is no biggy, but Sophie looks spectacular as usual, and she perfectly adds up with her witty lyrics, which tell the story of a broken heart which will not give in to disappointment.

The video version of the song differs from the original edit; the breaks between verses are shorter, and the bridge towards the end of the song is quicker and is mixed differently.

Review: Flunk - This Is What You Get

2009-05-27T14:45:00.003+03:00

Flunk's newest album is what downtempo get this month as an excellent present from Norway. After establishing themselves as one of the best Scandinavian trip-hop bands for the last decade Flunk offers a new portion of music for the body and soul. "This Is What You Get" is their sixth proper studio album and a fine continuation of ther dreampop style with obvious influences of post-rock, shoegaze and blue-eyed soul.

Anja Oyen Vister's voice is as soothing and inspiring as well, exploring the depths of melody through composition and vocal. Despite not being as skillful as Sade Adu or Sarah Brightman, Anja does her best to create the relevant ambiance for a spiritual endeavor in the spectrum of emotions, memories and dreams. "This Is What I Get" most definitely is not the groundbreaking album of 2009, but still is a perfect addition to the an extensive electronic library. While listening to the record you might spot how softly the songs swift, the tempo reaches emotional peaks and there is no confrontation between lyrics and music. A pleasant surprise is the cover of "Karma Police" by Radiohead, which perfectly puts the final touch in the track-list. I really don't like Thom Yorke and company, but the cover is worth the listen and I do believe they've done it very well, preserving the common feeling from the original and still creating a different atmosphere when listening to it.

Even if you are not a true ambient fanatic or an actual fan of Flunk this album, as well as the rest of their material, "This Is What You Get" is actually everything you can really expect from a downtempo trip-hop driven record. Mild, soft and charming it takes all the problems away, teaching us to cherish life as it is and never take anything for granted, even the mere existence.

Songs to hear: "Common Sense", "Ride", "Stain" and "Karma Police"

Personal rating: 7 out of 10

Review: Bif Naked - The Promise

2009-05-26T20:55:00.004+03:00

After four years of silence Canadian rock singer Bif Naked gave a push to her career with her fifth in a row studio album "The Promise". The record is a return to her folk-rock roots and inspiring songwriting talent and poetic skills. Bif Naked once again proves as an accomplished lyricist and an excellent alt-rock singer. Although being criminally underrated she has managed to stay above surface and covet her own crown of Queen of the Canadian independent rock scene.

"The Promise" is not as promising as the title itself, but still has a few rubies hidden throughout the album. Beth Torbert has given the full freedom of her poetry, which gently flows and brings her emotions to a new level. After the tough battle with cancer Naked just couldn't let it all just pass by as it never came as a hurricane in her life and brought her to the edge of existence. The album is the promise to never give up and face problems with pride and faith in oneself.

Nevertheless, what kept "The Promise" away from commercial success is the obvious lack of memorable songs. Despite all the efforts Torbert has created more of passionate confession than an accessible record which raises empathy and understanding. After the poppier "Superbeautifulmonster" "The Promise" is a hard-pill to swallow if you are used to pop-rock ballads and fresh tunes. If you are prepared for some good alternative sound and poetic landscapes this Canadian export will suit you right. For the pop-lovers, expect Mandy Moore's newest effort.

Personal rating: 7 out of 10

Songs to hear: "Sick", "Bluejay", "Honeybee" and "King of Karma"

Discoveries: Little Dragon + Crazy P

2009-05-26T20:54:00.005+03:00

Awaiting the Park Live Fest in Sofia next month and listening to my beloved Lamb, I thoroughly checked the line-up and came upon two names, which after prelistening had to share with you.

Little Dragon

Little Dragon is a trip-hop/downtempo band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band is fronted by Yukimi Nagano, who has also worked with alt/folk singer Jose Gonzales. Nagano's father is Japanese and her mother is American, but she has spent her entire life in the Nordic country. She grew up listening to American folk, although she drew inspiration from R'n'B and New Wave as well. The other members are Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrick Källgren (bass), and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards). All of them come from various music backgrounds, thus their stylistically rich eponymous debut album from 2007.

Crazy P

Crazy P is an English house music project, which was started in 1996, when founding members James Baron and Chris Todd met. They shared the same passion for home-made music, which samples old records incorporating various electronic specialties. Soon they started playing in clubs and attracted the attention of the label Paper Recordings. In the following years the duo grew to the size of a band, adding vocalist Danielle Moore, guitarist Tim Davies and drum-player Matt Klose. With the new line-up Crazy P went beyond the boundaries of house music and started creating indietronica, funk and downtempo.

Review: N.A.S.A. - The Spirit of Apollo

2009-05-26T20:53:00.002+03:00

Some albums are meant to be groundbreaking, other groundbreakings are meant to be albums. N.A.S.A.'s album "The Spirit of Apollo" is somewhere in between, released as an album, which can hardly hold up its shaky structure and the spectacular 40-something guest performances. Yep, you've read it right! The album's 17-track list contains more than 40 appearances by other musicians. Although stylistically "The Spirit of Apollo" is placed in the hip-hop niché, it hardly fits any strict boundaries of genre.

N.A.S.A. which stands for North America / South America is a DJ collaborative project, consisting of Ze Gonazales (DJ Zegon) and Sam Spiegel (Squeak E. Clean), who started spent the last five years experimenting with music before they came up with the idea of recording an album, which will feature as many as possible favourite singers...thus "The Spirit of Apollo" was born. It all would have been great if the guest performances were not three or more in a single song. The whole album sounds so cramped that at a certain point you just can't decide whether a new song has started or it's just another guest on this very track.

Several of the collaborations are pretty bad, especially those featuring David Byrne from Talking Heads and Tom Waits...despite all the efforts the songs are waste of time and talent. Others manage to fit quite well, among which Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Lykke Li, although their presence is in no way compelling or adequate. The main thread throughout the album is the inadequacy of guest performances, the unusual combination of alternative with hip-hop, or the constant change of pace and beat. "The Spirit of Apollo" is more of a show-off of the extensive buddy list that N.A.S.A has than the mere act of creating an elaborate compilation of vocals and music coming from various backgrounds.

I should complement the electronic duo for the idea to bring M.I.A. and Santigold together in a song, although the final product can hardly pass for a proper collaboration between the two. The presence of Lovefoxxx from Cansei de Ser Sexy is more than mediocre, repeating a few words throughout the whole song. Similar is the performance of Karen O, who is given the chorus, which consists of maximum two sentences. After all when you have a gazillion of guests most of them get a rather lame part, narrowed down to mumbling several words. Definitely the stylistic core of "The Spirit of Apollo" is hip-hop music, but when you invite performers from other genres you have to find the acceptable balance. N.A.S.A. didn't get it right...this time.

Songs to hear: "Money", "Gifted", "Wachadoin?", "Strange Enough" and "Spacious Thoughts"

Personal rating: 5 out of 10

Steal me: Madonna vs Joanna Dark

2009-05-24T22:58:00.006+03:00

Drawing influence from other musicians has existed for centuries, due to great inspiration or similar way of expressing through sound. But when you start copying ideas things usually mess up, especially when you don't admit "the robbing". Such is the case with the Bulgarian wannabe-singer Joanna Dark, who also is the vocalist of the house act Deep Zone Project. Dark, who happens to be lacking singing abilities, stared her solo career just a couple of months ago. However, she decided to head straight to number one with the kind help of Madonna. With the little-itzy-bitzy detail that Madonna doesn't give a damn about Joanna, nor the gazillions of wannabes, and still it's ridiculous that obviously to steal from the Queen of Pop and deny it afterward. That is pretty lame, as well as the song itself. "Enjoy"

Unfortunately I couldn't find the English version of the song, but the video is absolutely the same. The Bulgarian title is translated as "Goodbye Kiss".

If you have problems watching the video and still couldn't figure out where Joanna has copied from watch "Love Profusion" ASAP!

Stuck in my mind: N.A.S.A. - Gifted

2009-05-23T20:03:00.003+03:00

N.A.S.A., which stands for North America/South America, is the dream-come-true for Sam Spiegel (Squeak E. Clean) and Ze Gonzales (DJ Zegon), who have teamed up to create music cramped with all their favourite and hyped singers, coming from various genres and backgrounds. I still haven't listened to their debut album "The Spirit of Apollo", but as soon as I get my hands on it a review is going to be posted. Today's post is dedicated to the single "Gifted", which has as guest stars Kanye West, Santigold and Lykke Li. "Gifted" happens to be their fourth single in a row. Although the song sounds a bit too crowded with the separate guest-stars I like the combination of Lykke Li's soft vocals with the rapping of West and the distinctive singing of Santi White. Probably not the most impressive track I have listened these days, but still worth listening.

Discoveries: FlyKKiller

2009-05-22T20:07:00.004+03:00

I really hated it when I overlook some great stuff and afterward have to shame myself with belated posts and praise, but one cannot hear absolutely everything, which is my excuse...I guess. Luckily the excellent music eventually always reaches my ears and befriends my soul. Such is the case with the Polish-English act FlyKKiller, which is formed by Pati Yang and Stephen Hilton (who are married as well). It was started as a electro-rock project, but it immediately started incorporating elements of trip-hop, dark-electro and alternative pop. Pati Yang is famous for her solo project being the pioneer of trip-hop music in Poland, making the way for loads of Polish alternative projects. The debut album "Experiments in Violent Light" on 1st October 2007 with mainly positive reception by both critics and fans. The duo has already announced their second studio release on its way this year.

Discoveries: Aural Vampire

2009-05-21T22:23:00.004+03:00

Not much could be said about today's choice: the Japanese dark-electro duo Aural Vampire. The band, which is pronounced as Oraru Vanpaia in their native country, consists of Exo-Chika (vocals/lyrics) and Raveman (music), who while being together in school decided to start their very own music project. In 2004 they independently released the album "Vampire Ecstasy", which in no time gained popularity in both Japan and Europe, allowing them to numerously tour the Old continent. In 2008 Aural Vampire signed with Avex Trax, one of the major record labels in Japan. They are expected to release a long awaited sophomore effort this year.

Recommendation Weekly: Familjen

2009-05-21T22:22:00.003+03:00

Familjen is the stage name of Swedish electronic musician Johan T Karlsson, who hails from Hässleholm, but now lives in Stockholm. His endeavor in the music-making started while he was living in his hometown visiting from time to time the music studio of a friend. Soon he became interested in the whole recording process and started experimenting on his own, creating short instrumental pieces.

Afterward the experiments became more complex encompassing himself with professional equipment and the desire to be a professional musician. His style is an intriguing mixture of indietronica with elements of the singer-songwriter genre with the lyrics being the main force in his music. Although Karlsson sings exclusively in Swedish this is not a real obstacle as he sounds good without even understanding a single word coming out of his mouth, which is another fine example that music recognizes no language barriers. A couple of years he has already been active in Sweden and gradually gaining fame in Scandinavia, but still awaiting for the big moment to break in Europe and beyond. Probably it will be no sooner than he starts singing in English, which to me would be spoil the whole charm in his music, but who knows. I am pretty sure more of him is on its way to our ears.

Review: Marilyn Manson - The High End Of Low

2009-05-20T21:37:00.003+03:00

Has Manson reached the high end of low of his career? Could this be the agonizing downfall of one of the most iconic names in the alternative music scene? Only time knows, but Marilyn Manson is slowly and surely changing uncertain directions, favoring a rather more rock-based style than his well-known industrial metal sound. If you didn't like "Eat Me, Drink Me" "The High End Of Low" is going to be a new disappointment to you. Despite the new release being compared to the ground-breaking "Antichrist Superstar" it lacks the power and genuine electro-industrial rhythm passed throughout the whole album.

After a series of personal lows and the rather negative way his last work was received by both fans and critics, Manson decided to go back to his roots, teaming up once again with Twiggy Ramirez, after parting company with Tim Skold, who decided to concentrate more on his work with KMFDM. However, no major differences are noticeable, especially if you manage to reach to the very end of the album.

I have never been very much into exceedingly long album and and the new release makes no exception. The impressive 72-minute length of "The High End Of Low" is no actual compensation for the rather mediocre quality of the whole product. More likely to be left with the impression that Manson decided to include absolutely everything recorded during the session period, probably as a generous gesture to the fans. Thanks, Marilyn, but it would have made a great gift for us if the album was worth listening from start to end. Don't get me wrong, Manson is a talented musician, but he has spent too much time self-pitying and whining about unsuccessful relationships, crying out ponds of black tears, while struggling to get out of his lovey-dovey depression and get back to the Valley of death.

Once holding the title of the Prince of shock, now Marilyn Manson could only shock you with the enormous amounts of sick depression he generates on an album-base. Although a few of the songs deal with his favourite political issues and the Antichrist crusade to the downfall of organized religion, they stand quite odd and alone in the whole tracklist and lyrics lack any distinguishable originality. Throughout the whole album Manson is trying to convince us and himself as well that he has come up with a brand new record, filled with anger, despair and black lust, but it turns out to be his career slowly town apart by the canny tricks of love.

Despite "The High End Of Low" being at least an idea ahead of "Eat Me, Drink Me" it is more of a desperate attempt to stay above the surface. In my opinion this is probably his most commercial release up to date striving to be radio-friendly and less based on actual shock values. Probably the 00s is just not Manson's decade...or just his high end of low.

Songs to hear: "We're from America", "Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon", "Leave a Scar", "Running to the Edge of the World" and "Four Rusted Horseman"

Personal rating: 6 out of 10

Review: Lady Sovereign - Jigsaw

2009-05-19T21:48:00.002+03:00

The biggest white midget in hip-hop found all the parts of a jigsaw and came back to life with a new album, which is a confusing mixture between electronica and grime. "Jigsaw" is Lady Sovereign's sophomore attempt in the music bizz, following a series of professional misfortunes in the last year, topped by being kicked out of Def Jam run by Jay-Z, but immediately went under the wing of EMI.

"Jigsaw" is your regular party album with plenty of dance tracks and good beats. You have Sovereign with her sarcastic lyrics, you have the spirit of grime, and still the whole product lacks distinctive originality. At several points it sounds so desperate for freshness that it virtually cries out for ideas. What surprises me is the fact that Sovereign did actually have troubles in the past few years and still nothing brought the light to this record. As soon as she released "Public Warning" critics started comparing her impeccable talent with The Streets, although she received a heavy support from the American hip-hop scene rather than England's.

Sovereign is more electronic than ever before, which could be a big plus if the whole electro stuff didn't sound out of place and order. Most of the tracks are a havoc of grime, electronica and rap beats, which would have been great if this was M.I.A. new release...but it's not and it just doesn't suit her. As a whole Louise, the rappers real name, has tried to sound more accessible and commercially acceptable, thus giving "Jigsaw" a lighter and cleaner structure. Big mistake! "Public Warning" was relatively positively met by the critics due to its satire, loads of sarcasm and witty texts, bringing a new light to the skills of female rappers. This time you have a less confident record, which explores too well-known thematic spheres like relationships, trust, entertainment and similar.

The major controversy in "Jigsaw" is caused by sampling of the song "Close To Me" by The Cure for the single "So Human". Underground MC Thomas Jules already had the rights to use the original version. The idea to use this song as a backing track was given to Sovereign by an Island Records execute after hearing Jule performing his version. Robert Smith, The Cure's frontman, has stated that he prefers Jules' song to Sovereign's track, despite the last being worldwide distributed.

Songs to hear: "So Human", "I Got You Dancing", "Bang Bang" and "Jigsaw"

Personal rating: 5 out of 10

Review: Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin

2009-05-18T21:56:00.003+03:00

Abnormally attracted to boredom! Tori Amos sent me to bed with her new album! Despite all the respect I have for Amos' work I find it hard being positive about her newest effort. Let's say that I don't feel disappointed and pissed off after listening to it, but I had higher expectation and they were not met...to some extent.

"Abnormally Attracted To Sin" is the tenth proper studio album released by Amos and it continues her traditionally lengthy records, which usually exceed 15 tracks in a single CD. Definitely a blessing for the fanatics and a tease for the regular listeners like me. Not that I don't like to hear more material by my favourite singers, but Tori just goes beyond the acceptable for me. With her 17 brand new tracks Tori has absolutely nothing for us. We have already heard all the whining, all the emancipation, all the ambiguity and the despair, all the lust and pride, and still could use a little change. The whole album would have sounded perfect if wasn't her tenth already. Come on, Tori, is that all you've got?

I personally liked a lot the idea with the various alter-egos in the previous album "American Doll Posse", which was a fresh breath after several years of pretended wisdom and exploited sensuality. Well, yeah, old boring Tori is back on track ready to sing a few more lines about women, sinning and power of the sexes...blah, blah, blah. I start to believe that she has had the same little red book with lyrics, which she finds so amazing that after a few changes they are ready to be used in the newest album. Is Amos out of ideas? Has the music prodigy become a victim of her own talent? The answers are kept deep inside of "Abnormally Attracted To Sin" and if you manage to thoroughly listen to it more than three time you might have them for yourselves. If not, feel excused if you have dozed off while being attracted to sins.

Unless you are a die-hard Tori Amos fan, the chances to be abnormally in love with it are less probable. Still the album has a charm of its own built up by tracks like "Give", "Welcome To England" and "Flavor", which are the strong beginning of the record, which gradually goes down the interest index. The second part of the album is quite monotonous and I really had to make a few break while listening to it as I could hardly concentrate when the songs started sounding alike. "Abnormally Attracted To Sin" will definitely find no place in Amos' top three best albums and is no crucial add to the singer-songwriter genre as a whole. What's more a singer like Bat for Lashes came up with a more quality album, which despite being genuinely inspired by Tori's work has much more variety to offer than Amos herself. Watch out Tori, you are abnormally attracted to repetition!

Tracks to hear: "Give", "Welcome To England", "Flavor", "Maybe California" and "Police Me"

Personal rating: 6 out of 10

Classic album covers (Part VII)

2009-05-17T18:57:00.026+03:00

This is the final, but not least, of the Classic album covers series and it is dedicated to the pop music scene. Honestly, I had no idea that most pop albums have such a boring artwork and it took me a few days in order to decide on what to include. The majority of covers are not very original, but have gained fame thanks to the cult status of the albums themselves.

Actually this is the first series based more on the impact the album had on the charts and the listeners than of the appeal the cover has. Although I found plenty of intriguing sleeves they were not included as they are far from the idea of classic, thus the rather blunt list. As you will see the majority of covers contain facial image of the band/singer, which I have never thought to be interesting, but, oh well, we are talking about pop music, aren't we? Most of the albums that made it in the list are from the last 30 years, although a few older examples of artwork can be seen.

I personally didn't enjoy making this list up, but do hope you will approve of the entries...and if you don't I dare you to try to come up with at least 10 original pop album covers from the past two decades. Feel warned, muhahaha!

Madonna - Ray Of Light

Michael Jackson - Dangerous

Britney Spears - Britney

Kylie Minogue - Impossible Princess

Nelly Furtado - Whoa, Nelly!

Christina Aguilera - Stripped

Texas - White On Blonde

'N Sync - No Strings Attached

Ace of Base - The Sign

Cher - Believe

Mylene Farmer - Innamoramento

Spice Girls - Spiceworld

Mariah Carey - Music Box

Celine Dion - Let's Talk About Love

Army Of Lovers - Massive Luxury Overdose

Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814

Roxette - Look Sharp

George Michael - Faith

Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual

Boney M. - Nightflight To Venus

Simply Red - Stars

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Carpenters - Close To You

ABBA - Super Troupers

Barbra Straisand - Je m'apelle Barbra

BeeGees - Spirits Having Flown

The Mamas & The Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears

Classic album covers (Part VI)

2009-05-16T12:30:00.020+03:00

Dark ambiance and complex spiritual endeavors are what unite today's list Classic album covers. The span of included styles is quite extensive, although the majority are either gothic or post-punk, with certain exception in favor of avantgarde and experimental. The sub-genres vary from rock, metal, classic, electronic, thus the presence of Paradise Lost, Blutengel and Dead Can Dance in the same list.

Dead Can Dance - Into The Labyrinth

Siouxsie and The Banshees - A Kiss In The Dreamhouse

Sisters of Mercy - Floodland

This Mortal Coil - It'll End In Tears

Christian Death - Only Theare Of Pain

London After Midnight - Selected Scenes From The End Of The World

Bauhaus - Burning From The Inside

Swans - The Great Annihilator

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

Cocteau Twins - Treasure

Sopor Aeternus - Songs From The Inverted Womb

Clan of Xymos - Hidden Faces

Black Tape For A Blue Girl - The Scavenger Bride

Lacrimosa - Stille

Cranes - Loved

Virgin Prunes - The Moon Looked Down and Laughed

Rasputina - How We Quit The Forest

Sex Gang Children - Song and Legend

Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses

Paradise Lost - One Second

Tiamat - A Deeper Kind of Slumber

Wolfsheim - Spectators

Alien Sex Fiend - Acid Bath

Switchblade Symphony - Serpentine Gallery

Blutengel - Seelenschmerz

Deine Lakaien - Dark Star

Einstürzende Neubauten - Tabula Rasa

Coil - Love's Secret Domain

Classic album covers (Part V)

2009-05-15T12:07:00.025+03:00

Definitely this is the most extensive list of albums belonging to various genres, but the leading idea this time is the music that relaxes you, that soothes the body and the soul. The included styles vary from new age, world, downtempo, through chill-out and ambient to post rock. Most of the styles are so complexly intertwined that you could hardly tell them one from another, which is the glue that keeps this collection together. Anyways, despite the lack of any visible relevance between most of the releases, do beat in mind that they are meant for the heart to sing, not for the mind to tease.

Telépopmusik - Angel Milk

Hooverphonic - The Magnificent Tree

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells

Sigur Rós - Von

Clannad - Banba

Enya - Watermark

Delerium - Karma

Zero 7 - Simple Things

Deep Forest - Boheme

Bonobo - Animal Magic

Boards of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children

Enigma - The Cross of Changes

Era - Era

Banco de Gaia - Big Men Cry

Loreena McKennitt - Elemental

Vangelis - Albedo 0.39

Lamb - Between Darkness and Wonder

Tricky - Blowback

Air - Moonsafari

Transglobal Underground - Yes Boss Food Corner

Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain

Emiliana Torrini - Lone In the Time of Science

Sarah Brightman - La Luna

Karunesh - Global Spirit

Morcheeba - Big Calm

Röyksopp - The Understanding