Bluey Robinson

Yes, that is his actual name..

Bluey Robinson is a lovely-new-young-RnB star in the making and excellently, homegrown in the UK. His style reminds me of a mix between the beats and backings of Lupe Fiasco with lyrics of Kanye and vocals of John Legend. A hearty school of talent i'm sure you'll agree.

His first major release is called 'I Know' and has been getting a lot of support by BBC 1xtra for the general reason that it's totally amazing. Can Bluey finally bridge the huge gap in quality between UK/US RnB? I reckon that with his quirky style and cracking tunes, it's a definate possibility. Infact, i'm so smitten that i'm considering changing my name from Ed to Bluey.... Anyone with me? Oh...

Mr Hudson - Supernova

I'm still finding the Kanye/Mr Hudson collaboration an odd one. How the hell did this happen? A superstar world renowned black rapper making music with a slightly eccentric Oxford graduate.

Anyway, below is the video for their first track together, 'Supernova'. It's getting a lot of radio play and shows a distinct change of direction for the band...a direction i'm not all too keen on.

Have a listen....

I'm still, I'm still an animal

So, the other day in the post I recieved a physical copy of Calvin Harris' new single (woo) and a business card with the below picture on it.

Being the inquisitive type that I am I searched online and found out that it is artwork for new band Miike Snow. Have a listen...

What do you think? I really like it for reasons I can't exactly work out - I just spent the last hour

listening to it on repeat and all I've deduced is that his voice sounds a bit like Phil Collins....

Raygun - 93 Feet East

Last night saw the end of Raygun's first headline tour as they played the hallowed turf of 93 Feet East on Brick Lane in London.

Ray bounded onto the stage in his usual manner, strutting his way around the space with the hip wiggles of Mick Jagger and dance moves of James Brown.

The crowd, consisting mostly of industry people (think hundreds of fake glasses and trilby's) seemed cold to Ray's advances for the first couple of numbers yet the ice was truly broken when the band gave a cracking performance of their 1st single 'Just Because' .

This jovial mood continued into the rest of their set as heads bopped to the addictive 'Rocket Blast', the extremely funky 'Waiting in Line', and monumental (deserves to be massive) 'Lord Forgive Me'.

For the first time, the guys also showed that they aren't all about disco by playing a slower track called 'Fools Rush In'. Heartfelt, desperate and ultimately beautiful. This track has 'music-festival-sing-along' written all over it.

Their first single 'Just Because' is due to hit national radio in the next week. Fingers crossed you'll be hearing a lot more from Raygun. We all deserve it.

Raygun's Myspace

Audacity of Huge

No, it's not the title to a dodgy new bond film, 'Audacity of Huge' is actually the latest single from Simian Mobile Disco....and huge, it just might be.

SMD have skirted around the mainstream since the release of their debut album 'Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release' in 2007 which featured some incredible tracks inlcuding 'Its The Beat' and 'I Believe' - but they've failed to connect with audiences in the same way that simliar acts like Basement Jaxx and The Chemical Brothers have.

Audacity of Huge is a much more chart bothering record with a strong lead vocal line, big chorus and accessible sound. If this is the way SMD are going - i'm following.

New Calvin Harris

So Mr Harris may well have done good with 'Im Not Alone' - full of soaring synths and a MASSIVE chorus but how do you follow that up? With this....



It's called 'Ready For The Weekend' and it's really rather good.

It's great to see that Calvin is really embracing vocals on his new tracks - it adds a new depth which will ultimately keep these singles alive for far longer than his previous efforts, but obviously with more vocals, how do these tracks work in a live environment?

It must be said that Calvin ain't no singer..... Check out this video of him performing 'I'm Not Alone' from the Isle Of Wight Festival a couple of weeks back.



I am lurking somewhere in the crowd - and despite the slight out of key vocals his live performance works perfectly and certainly got me and my mates dancing about.

Looking forward to him touring his new album... It's gonna be big.

Lily Allen - Fuck You

I was a bit surprised to hear that Parlophone had decided that Lily Allen's 'Fuck You' is worthy of single status. The song itself is ok but sounds very simliar to 'Alfie' from her first album 'Alright Still' and doesn't say much more to me than 'ooooh this song has lots of swearing in it and is abit controversial'.

Anyway, the video is pretty cool. Christ know's how this song is going to get radio play, but then, i'm sure Lily doesn't give a crap about that.

Not too bad is it? Whilst hunting out this vid I stumbled across this one

below made by a gay French website called 'Gay Clic' posted on the

International Day Against Homophobia.

Raygun - Finally

So I first blogged about Raygun bloody ages ago... (see a few posts below) and FINALLY a snippit from the video for their first single 'Just Because' has emerged.

It's directed by Joseph Kahn who is behind the videos for Toxic and Womanizer for Britney.

Have a look....



It's not totally finished but you can certainly tell that's it's going to be rather epic!

If this has wet your whistle, check out their Myspace and get yourself a free download below.

Raygun's Myspace

Daisy Dares You

I always walk towards new pop acts with trepidation and fear....you see, I secretly am a (huge) closet pop consumer. From Girls Aloud to McFly to Pink to The Saturdays - I love it all.

This obviously causes me some problems with my 'cool muso mates' when they ask what i'm listening too at the moment. My latest 'COOL' CD to drop into conversations to keep my street cred is 'Regina Spektor's new release despite the fact i've never heard it. It always gets nods of appreciation from my peers and means that we can be friends that little bit longer...

Well, it looks like finally my pop vs street cred fears have collided in the shape of Daisy Dares You. She makes the kind of credible pop that 'The Ting Tings' would kill for plus she looks like she could eat you alive in one foul swoop.

So the music - cute, fun, soulful and epic. A contradiction? Possibly, but have a listen for yourself below.

Daisy Dares You Myspace

Dasiy Dares You Free Track

I Did. You Can.

Currently, on every form of public transport I frequent is this advert to the left. It is for a meal/exercise supplement called 'Maximuscle' and features a beefed up wanker who thanks this product for pretty much revolutionising his life and changing the world for the better. He even cites, and I quote that Maximuscle 'spurred me on to start my own business'. Ah yes of course. All us non-muscular beings wouldn't know where to start....It's all about the muscles.

What a self satisfying twat. This advert does not make me want to buy the product but more punch this guy in the face for staring down at me with his ridiculous muscles and wanky haircut from every bus/train/tube I get on.

'I Did, You Can' - OK, FUCK OFF.

Kanye is cool

Despite looking a little bit like Mr T at the moment (see left), Kanye West is officially cool. FACT.

People did think he'd gone a little bit crazy on the release of '808's and Heartbreaks' (me included). Why stop rapping and replace it with out of tune, auto tuned singing which really doesn't work all that well recorded or live?

If i'm honest, I found it a very tough album to get into.... I'm not sure why I have to 'be honest' about this but for some reason, I feel like I will be shot down if I don't say I immediately loved it.

Anyway, enough rambling. He is cool in my eyes because of this... It is the video for his new release 'Welcome to Heartbreak' and it's incredible.


Welcome back Mr West.

Duffy

1. I am not a fan of Duffy

2. This, has not made me a fan of Duffy



3. How does cycling round a supermarket warbling something about being yourself represent Diet Coke...or do I need to be a single mum called Sharon from Dagenham to relate? Or am I missing the point? Is there a point?

Raygun

Looking to come from the leftfield and kick the UK music scene right up the arse are 'Raygun'.

The 4 piece hail from Brixton where their rocket ship apparently crash landed and they were forced to make sonic landscapes. In reality, two of the members come from other bands; lead guitarist Adj from the now defunct 'Kubb' and drummer Sam from '5 o'clock Heroes'. Lead singer Ray and bassist Ben have dabbled in the recording industry for the last few years.

The sound, think something along the lines of 'Scissor Sisters' meets 'Bowie' meets 'Sister Sledge' meets 'The Rolling Stones' and you're sort of heading in the right direction.

The guys are signed to RCA records and are about to embark on a European tour supporting P!nk....Now that's a pretty huge deal. I've actually seen the band live a few times in London and Brighton and have been hugely impressed, mainly with the lead singer (Ray) who has the swagger of Jagger and the funk of James Brown with dance moves and vocals to match. How this will work in 15,000 seater stadiums is anyone's guess but it's bound to be entertaining.

Album is out at some point this year, but in the meantime CLICK HERE to head to their myspace to download 'Rocketblast' which gives you a much better idea of the guys sound than I can describe. Let me know what you think....

Calvin Harris

Right, first up, I LIKE CALVIN HARRIS.

It's taken me a while to be ok with this fact but I think the time is right to come out in the open with it and get on with the rest of my life...PHEW.

'Dance Wiv Me' was one of the big tunes of last summer for me, who'd have thought that the odd pairing of an urban east london rapper with a pasty scottish chancer would work so well?

So what next from Mr Harris? This....

It's called 'I'm Not Alone', has been described as 'eurphoric' and I absolutly can't get enough of it. It's full of deep trancey synths and has a distinct taste of the orient.

If this is the direction Calvin is heading in, then i'm following. Thoughts?

UPDATE - Sony keep taking the track off youtube, so if you want to here it CLICK HERE

Shontelle. Please sit down.

Oh my god. Where the hell did they dust Shontelle off from...1999? Or maybe the 1940's.

Horrible, sickly, sexist, terrible and bound to be huge... urgh. 'With nothing but your t-shirt on' - for gods sake. She is the anti Independent Women and might as well chain herself to the kitchen sink whilst hoovering and cooking dinner. What is she trying to say!?

I hate. You?

Master Shortie

Right so all the other blogs are banging on about Florence and the Machine, Little Boots, White Lies blahblahblah etc etc etc as being BIG IN 09....

Yeah, not bad acts apart from White Lies (which I really do not understand at all - to me, Editors from 1989), but where is the excitement, where is the different?

I would like to divert your attention to one Master Shortie.

He comes from London, is an ex-Brit School student and is presenting UK hip hop in a totally different style. Gone are tracks about the struggle of life in East London (snore) and lyrics about 'murking' each other and in are funky guitar licks and a girls 'hotness' being compared to that of a somosa.

I like, I think you will too. Check out 'Dead End'

More of the same please

This is not at attack on anyone or anything, and I really want to push this point across, it is mearly something I have noticed which I find slightly stunted and dissapointing.

This something is the music consuming habits of the Great British public. Now, yes, obviously this is a vast sweeping statement and doesn't cover everyone but I have noticed some worrying trends that have effected my life and I want to write about them. Indulge me please...

1. Commercial Radio
Commercial radio playlists are afraid to take any sort of risks. Day in, day out, it is the same songs over and over played one after the other with such little audience interaction that the DJ could well be classed as a Jukebox.

But why is this so? Well, commercial stations know their audiences. Listeners want the same things on repeat until they are so amazingly familier with the tracks, they have seen the video, know all the words, have it on their iPods and can even do the dance. Some stations are so terrified of upsetting their audiences that when they do eventually add new tracks to their playlists (gasp) they edit out slightly 'different' sounding sections to make the audience comfortable. Audio valium? Audio pipe and slippers?

2. Covers band
As you may know, I play in a covers band in the sussex area. We played a gig last weekend at a venue we have played a fair few times before. We've been working hard on some new tracks recently and were really excited about busting them out. You see, we have the understanding that audiences want to hear new things, that if we just turned up, played the same set time and time again, got paid and left then we wouldn't continue to get further bookings. Who would want to see a covers band play the same set every few weeks? ..... Apparently lots of people.

One of the regulars at this particular venue came up to us after the gig and asked why we didn't play 'Brown Eyed Girl' or 'That one we do where you talk a bit', (I think she meant rapping.) I asked what she thought of the new tracks and she just looked at me and repeated the above sentence again. Sigh

I can understand the comforting aspect of the familiar in everyones lives, there's nothing like getting into your own bed or sitting on your own sofa (and it's good to have a constant in your life), but when it comes to entertainment why is this so?

I relish listening to new music, discovering new trends and can lose days on Hype Machine and Spotify just exploring new sounds. What is wrong with musical progress and why are people scared of it?

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