Halloween Top Ten

Here is my Halloween Top 10. These are some of my favourite Halloween related songs.

1) Scary Monsters and Super Creeps - David Bowie

2) Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus

3) Halloween - Siouxsie & The Banshees

4) Lullaby - The Cure

5) I Put A spell on You - Screaming J Hawkins 

6) Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon

7) Bones - The Editors

8) Soft Power - Ladytron

9) Death - White Lies

10) Grimly Fiendish - The Damned

I could also mention Thriller - Michael Jackson,                                                             Ghost in My House - The Fall,

Ghost Rider - Suicide and I was a Teenage Werewolf - The Cramps.

Gravity The Seducer - Ladytron

Ladytron have smoothed down the harsh totalitarian electro of their last album Volicifero to a more mellow and melodic sound. The vocals of Lead singer and keyboardist Helen Marnie are now more prominent. Recorded in Kent their fifth album Gravity The Seducer is produced by founder member Daniel Hunt with additional production by Barry Cortini and ex Nine Inch Nails member Alessandro Cortini. He also contributed to the last album. The excellent opening track White Elephant hooks you with the lyrics ’surrender with me, we’re walking in our sleep and won’t come around for you’.  This song  as well as the single Ace of HZ were already featured on the compilation Ladytron Best of 00-10. Both songs were also performed on their recent tour. The second track Mirage is another great song ‘holding hands with a mirage’. White Gold starts slowly then kicks off with the drums and in comes the keyboard melody. Ambulances grabs you with its drum machine and haunting refrain. For those wondering where second vocalist and keyboard player Mira Aroyo has gone then she appears for Moon Palace. The album closes with a reprisal of Ace of HZ for the instrumental Aces High. 


There are some great songs on here but you almost wish for another killer song like Destroy Everything you Touch. Ladytron have been criticised for never having commercial success but they still have a solid fan base. However, despite a few too many instrumentals, this could be their breakthrough album. 


Best songs White Elephant, Mirage, Ace of HZ, Ambulances.

Who the hell is Jessie J?

Jessie J said this week to the NME that she doesn't know who PJ Harvey is and she didn't know what a Mercury Prize was.  She said she lived in a bubble and vowed to check out PJ Harvey's back catalogue. She aims to record Oasis' Don't look back in anger (that's Oasis the nineties britop band not the drink). She was suffering from jet lag but Oh dear Pop Starts hey?

P J Harvey Mercury Prize Winner 2011

Polly Jean Harvey had done it again. It was ten years ago since she won the Mercury Music prize with 'Stories from the city, stories from the sea'. As she said on accepting her award, a lot has happened since she witnessed the tragic events of 9/11 from her hotel room. Now she has triumphed again with Let England Shake. There was some strong female competition from the likes of Adele, Katy B and Anna Calvi (who was produced by Rob Ellis who has collaborated previously with PJ Harvey). The judges made an excellent choice this year awarding the artist who has produced the best creative album, rather than the most commercial or obscure artist. Anyone remember Speech De Belle?

The first time I listened to this album PJ Harvey's voice sounded totally different from her previously deeper voice. She reminds me of David Bowie as she is a chameleon like artist, changing her image as well as her music with each album she makes over her 20 years of making some great records. She just improves with each album.

Let England Shake is like modern war poetry. It combines social commentary about England's role in war - particularly the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and echoey guitars and instruments like the autoharp and samples for example military like bugles (The words that maketh murder). Or calls to prayer amongst others. The words that maketh murder even managed to reference Eddie Cochran with the lines 'Why don't you take your problem to the united nation's'. Glorius Land describes the waste of life in England's wars:-

'How is our glorious country ploughed?
Not by iron ploughs
Our lands is ploughed by tanks and feet,
Feet Marching'

Last living Rose is a beautiful ironic song which manages to convey a love of England but also a feeling of loss or betrayal:-

'Let me walk through the stinking alleys
to the music of drunken beatings,
past the Thames River, glistening like gold
hastily sold for nothing'.

One of my favourite tracks is towards the end a reggaefied beautiful song called 'written on the forehead'. This references the Gulf War with burning oil and the recurring chorus Let it burn, let it burn'. This is a classic album of 2011 and a worthy winner of this years Mercury Music Prize. Go out and buy it or download these tracks:-
 

 'Let England Shake', 'Last Living Rose', Glorius Land'
and The Words that maketh murder'.
 

Anna Calvi Nominated For The Mercury Awards

It's been a good year for Anna Calvi. After being nominated in Radio Ones Top Five artists  to watch and releasing her self titled debut  she has now been nominated for the Mecury Awards.She discusses her year so far and he nomination in the Observer Interview and there is a special performance of blackout.

The 1980 Zigzag Readers Poll

Another readers poll from Zigzag. This time its 1980.

South Bank Mosiacs

Some recent Mosaics by the South Bank. These are from the southbankmosaics beach hut at the 60th Anniversary of the Festival of Britain that is currently on until September 2011. The Thames mosaic (top left) is constructed from various objects found from beach combing.

Front Cover of Clash Magazine - New Order

New Order Album covers reduced to nine pixels on Clash Magazine Front Cover. See article in Creative Review:


New Order Album Cover

Whats wrong with HMV?

I think it  was Malcolm MacLaren that said that records shops were becoming like libraries. Now HMV threatens to go the same way as local council run libraries with the news this week that they were calling in the accountants KPMG HMV Hires KPMG to help avoid breaching convenants HMV had already announced earlier this month that they planned to close 60 stores as they struggle in a market that has already seen the closure of Tower Records in 2006 and Zavvi in 2009 (formerly Virgin). They are also in competition with Amazon and the big supermarkets like Tesco and Asda who can cut prices on CDs and DVDs and video games. The typical shopping experience nowadays is a constant sale and sometimes there is a 'skip' sale selling old CDs and DVDs for silly prices.     

HMV does not seem to have caught up with changes in technology like MP3s and streaming of videos. This is not all HMV’s fault - the record companies and artists have decided that their money is to be made in live entertainment and merchandise as people no longer buy or listen to music like they used to. HMV has attempted to keep up with this by taking over live venues such as Brixton Academy and The Forum. The Ipod means that people do not listen to a whole album and skip tracks. You Tube and other streaming sites have meant people view film and TV in a whole new way. The games industry tend to be the main beneficiaries as people spend more money on new games compared to CD or DVD.

However the shops have not really changed. The listening posts that used to be throughout the shop are now restricted to one that is usually out of order. Compare this with the old Virgin listening posts where you could scan a CD and listen to tracks when you wanted to. Tablet pc’s are an emerging technology but HMV doesn’t seem to have developed any Apps for this market - unlike its competitor WH Smiths who have expanded into ebooks. Something needs  to change.

I still buy Cds as I like to have a hard copy  and like to have something more 'physical' rather but I do miss the artwork in the days of vinyl. Most people usually rip these to play on an MP3 player. It would be great to be able to unlock more enhanced content perhaps also making use of the new emerging Apps market. The customer loyalty card could also be improved so that points could be spent in store instead of  being restricted to awards online. HMV does seem to be good at doing tie ins for new game releases but perhaps they should be having exhibitions in store linked to new releases. HMV have also had a lot of in store performances  in the past and they should be doing more of this. Is it too late to change? Rough Trade and Fopp still continue to survive albeit with reduced stores but they provide a better experience for their customers. HMV need to adapt or they face a sudden death.

The Alternative Sounds of 2011

Disappointingly Radio One has been predictable and just gone for the most commercial artists in this years Top 5 Sounds of 2011. They could have gone for more cutting edge acts but have settled for Jessie J at   No 1. Perhaps I am being a professional cynic. Jessie J does have talent as a songwriter but  her track Do It Like A Dude was too much like Rhianna (probably as she originally wrote it for her). I am also getting fed up of videos of women in their underwear. Burlesque is so passée darling!

The top 5 Radio One list was far too pop and contrived. So in the spirit of John Peel here are my top five for 2011 selected from the acts they should have selected from their longlist.

1. Anna Calvi

2. Mona

3. Esben and the Witch

4. Naked and the Famous

5. Warpaint 

Anna Calvi

Everyone is naming Londoner Anna Calvi as a tip for 2011. She has been described by Radio One as being a Rockabilly, intense, broken hearted chanteuse. She has also been mentioned in the new music of 2011 in The Guardian Guide and tipped by XFM. She has a quite distinctive image strumming her Telecaster whilst channeling the voice of Edith Piaf. The sound could be from a spaghetti western or Quentin Tarintino movie, a mix of flamenco and fifties rockabilly.

Her influences are wide ranging from Maria Callas, Edith Piaf to Captain Beefheart, The Stones and Jeff Buckley. Messiaen, Ravel, and Debussy are the classical influences learned from her childhood violin lessons. She was encouraged by Brian Eno who was impressed by her stripped down performances the attic Sessions. One of the songs is a great version of David Bowie's Sound and Vision (see You Tube Attic Sessions). Nick Cave has also been a supporter.
 
Her music is quite organic using a minimum of instruments, Guitar, drums and harmonium. Mally Harpez provides the Guitar, percussion and harmonium and  Daniel Maiden Wood drums on her live shows. Her 8 track recorded demo is produced by Rob Elliss-producer of PJ Harvey and was recorded in London and France.  Her single Jezebel is a flamenco inspired song and Love Won't be Leaving continues the dark sound. Her self titled debut is released on 17th January.