Jimmy Jimmy Aaja!

I've been spinning this album a lot lately.

It's far from perfect, and I don't think that's the best M.I.A. can offer, but as a whole, it's one of the few truly exciting releases that I enjoy. Some of my favorite tracks are Paper Planes, XR2, Pickle Mango Down River, and the best of them all, Jimmy - my song of the month.

"Jimmy" is a rework of "Jimmy Jimmy Aaja", which she used to dance to as a child. It's originally from a 1982 Bollywood musical movie called "Disco Dancer". She co-produced it with Switch. If M.I.A. ever needs a mainstream breakthrough, this will be it.
"Jimmy" is just a very addictive, bombastic track. The Bollywood string sample is...just larger than life, I've been trying to get it off my head but it just won't let go, even when I go to sleep. I also love the synths, and the arcade game sound effects. What I like about M.I.A. is her music can be bouncy, and the lyrics may seem silly at first glimpse, but when you take the time to fully examine it, it turns out to be quite boldly political and thought-provoking. Even a fun dance-along song like Jimmy is no exception, with the opening lines: "
When you go Rwanda Congo/ Take me on a genocide tour." But after that, it's pure Indian-outer-space-disco heaven.

The video is also amazing, too, achieving that cheap '80s look. It's an improvement after that seizure-inducing video for 'Boyz'. Lovin' it.

"Jimmy" will be released as the second UK single off "Kala", and here's hoping it gets to the position it deserves, a number one! Robyn pulled it off, why can't M.I.A.? She must be doing so well in Japan.


M.I.A. - Jimmy

The music video:


And for your interest, here's the original song from the Bollywood '80s movie Disco Dancer, along with a video clip.

Disco Dancer - Jimmy Jimmy Aaja




Pre-order "Kala".
Her MySpace.

PS: If you happen to be my 200,000th visitor, give me a shout out, won't you? Also, I've got something special planned for tomorrow.

Go Urban...

I think one of the most significant progressions in my ways of listening to music over the years is that I've come to realize that chart positions and sales figures don't matter that much. They just indicate what is on high rotation at the moment, which is not necessarily all good. If I think a song is crap, its topping the chart doesn't change a thing. Of all of the hip-hop/rap/r&b stuff that currently reigns the single/album charts, most of which I'd never listen to again, or be bothered. That's not to say I'm ignorant of the genre, because there are still nicely-produced urban music out there pushing boundaries while still being respectably listenable. Here are some of the urban gems I've favored lately.

Amerie
Poor Amerie. '1 Thing' will always come back to haunt her. Her new album 'Because I Love It' is full of instantly inescapable funk stompers (if you can look pass the balladry clunkers stuck at the end of the record). One of the best r&b albums that I do care for this year. She also showed big improvement on her vocal skills. But you know things won't turn out well when your album is released in the UK & Japan months before its US official release date. So if you like the tracks below, then the album should be a proud purchase. 'Gotta Work' is her next UK single, a track I can't get enough of and is alarmingly amazing to bits. 'Crazy Wonderful' is a '80s-influenced track that just oozes sexiness.

Amerie - Crazy Wonderful
Amerie - Gotta Work

M.I.A.
I can't seem to find the words whenever I make an attempt at describing her music. It just makes people go...um, wild. I really like the new single Boyz, which she had shot a music video for (and in it she looked like a glammed-up Midwestern Gwen Stefani. Oh wait, she already opened tours for her). So far, little is known about her upcoming album 'Kala' except that her ex Diplo and Timbaland lent a hand with some tracks. Whatever, I would still anticipate it nonetheless.

M.I.A. - Boyz (Radio Edit)
M.I.A. - Sunshowers (from 'Arular')
M.I.A. - Everyday I Love You Less And Less (Kaiser Chiefs Cover)

Lil' Mama
Young talent. Spitting the rhymes with such ease at the age of 17, over little more than drums and two locker thumps. 'Lip Gloss' may be novelty, but it's fresh and powerful and carry a positive message. She already scored a spot on a remix of Avril's 'Girlfriend' (and she did it good). Let's hope she's not just another one hit wonder.

Lil' Mama - Lip Gloss
Avril Lavigne feat. Lil' Mama - Girlfriend (Remix)

Rihanna
I never thought I'd see this day. When Rihanna actually has a decent album where every song is good. That's the shocker of the year right there. So third time's a charm, they say. Second single 'Shut Up And Drive' borrows the verses from now-defunct New Order's 'Blue Monday', and it's a slice of mighty banging, metaphor-ridden electro r&b/pop.

Rihanna - Shut Up And Drive

Lauryn Hill
Apparently, for Lauryn, it's okay to have an enormous career-defining album and disappear into the night for ten years, only to come back with a soundtrack single for a kiddie CGI movie called 'Surf's Up'. Not that I'm complaining, 'Lose Myself' is a sweet upbeat summery song and you don't get soundtrack singles this good these days anymore (take note, Snow Patrol...)

Lauryn Hill - Lose Myself

Kanye West
First, Busta Rhymes ripped off Daft Punk. Now Kanye West sampled Daft Punk. What the hell is going on? Everybody thinks it's cool to go 'electro'. Anyway, the sample is taken from 'Harder, Faster, Better, Stronger' and he actually managed to make inventive use of it. Certainly not the best thing he's ever done, but good, and refreshing.

Kanye West - Stronger

Sights & Sounds #1

You know what, beside being a music geek, I also have a soft spot for ace music videos. Not so much for that kind of TRL flashy promo videos. But also for those experimental, lo-fi, obscure ones that you can only see thanks to the miracles of the internet since no music channels would give them airtime. So I decided to unleash more of that side here. Every week, you can 'tune in' here for 'Sights & Sounds', a new feature in which I share my raves and rants about recently released music videos. Most of them will have downloadable high quality Quicktime mov files if available, and sometimes I might throw in an mp3 or two. Okay, let's do this..thing!

Snow Patrol - Open Your Eyes (dir: Robert Hales)

The first ace music video of Snow Patrol since 'Chocolate'. It's an alt. version, and a 'homage' to a cult-classic short film made in Paris in 1976 called 'C'était un Rendezvous'. The concept is simple: a evening drive around the streets of Paris with the view from behind the windscreen, all shot beautifully in just one take. Sounds boring on paper, but actually it fits perfectly with the song, and I love how all the doves start to flap their wings off the ground as the song builds up to its climax. Unoriginally awesome.

Download the music video:Snow Patrol - Open Your Eyes (the links I provide will always be MOV)


The Bird And The Bee - Again & Again (dir: Autumn De Wilde)

The very first video from my new favorite group, directed by their photographer Autumn, who did Jenny Lewis' 'Rise Up With Fists' last year. It's quite adorable, sweet and chic, a suitable visual companion to the song, and it takes the song title quite literally. Plus I never notice that the song can be this upbeat before, and now it's stuck in my head all over again, and again, and again, and again...
I know I never really did a proper post about them, but seriously, I'm so head over heels in love with this duo (vocalist Inara George & producer Greg Kurstin, whose name you will see a lot this year), and their sugary '60s indie pop confection. Here, preview the song, highly recommended!

MP3:The Bird and the Bee - Again And Again

Camera Obscura - If Looks Could Kill

It's amazing what a good editor what can do with a bunch of random touring footages. Trippy video for a fantastic song. This is their third single off 'Let's Get Out Of This Country', and it's their most danceable one yet. Sigh, yes, you heard it before on 'Grey's Anatomy'...Traceyanne Campbell's still got that cute I-smell-poos look on her face. Love these Glaswegians.

MP3:Camera Obscura - If Looks Could Kill

M.I.A. - Bird Flu

Oh look! She must have gone back to Sri Lanka to film this! Look at those kids! In tie-dye t-shirts! Breaking it down to the beats! They look so healthy and well-fed! Could it get any happier than this?
Musically, it's such a collage of different cultures that it sounds ace despite being quite tuneless. M.I.A. said she called it 'Bird Flu' because 'this beat's gon' kill everyone!'. Oh.

Download the music video:M.I.A. - Bird Flu

Klaxons - Golden Skans (dir: Saam Faramand)

Shame on me. I've had the song for quite a while, but just watched this last week. And wow, it's so, uhm, visually newrave! So many lights! It's a step up, since the last vid I saw from them, 'Magick', totally grossed me out!

The Killers - Read My Mind (dir: Diane Martel)

The first likeable single from 'Sam's Town', and also the most immediate track on it. This time, The Killers go 'Lost In Translation'. They do all kinds of things foreigners would do in Tokyo, like throwing dead leaves at local children, getting their face powdered up and donning geisha kimonos, and sleeping with a 'kawaii' green dinosaur. And not shaving a moustache.

Robyn - Konichiwa Bitches (dir: Johan Sandberg, Fredrik Skogkvist, Henrik Timonen)

It's so cheesy it's great! The first song from Robyn that I actually like! The vid takes the lyrics literally, and by that, we 've got a whole lot of costumes with karaoke subtitles! It sounds and looks like a 'poor man' version of a Missy Elliott song/video. Ba da boom boom.
Took 16 months to make from first meeting to post-production.

MP3:Robyn - Konichiwa Bitches (fun Swedish pop, y'all)
MOV:Robyn - Konichiwa Bitches
Bonus:Photos of all the costumes here!

Scissor Sisters - She's My Man

Could be the next viral video sensation, whatever that means. The treatment is fun though it has nothing to do with the song (and that's a good thing, the song's terrible). It's supposed to let you see the tricks, and what the hell is Ana Matronic wearing?

Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around...Comes Around (dir: Samuel Bayer)

Yawn. 9 minutes. Boring dialogue. An average song. The only thing interesting here is, ahem, Scarlett Johansson's boobs. Here's the plot [spoiler!]:girl meets boy. girl cheats boy. boy knows. girl crashes her car. girl's dead.
See, that's the message, cheat Justin and you're way dead.

Hilary Duff - With Love (dir: Matthew Rolston)

Is it just me that finds this quite disturbing? So Duff's all grown up, she wants to get her sexy on now, I get it. She spent all those years proving how nice and clean-cut she is, criticizing her famous peers in interviews and now she ends up doing just the same to sell records? Yeah. I was hoping that maybe the lyrics still have some Disney values (since that's what she's best at), but after watching this, it's clear she's singing about getting boned! I really do like this new catchy, refreshing electropop sound of her, but come on, why do it if you're gonna look so awkward doing it? It's like her publicist aims for 'anorexic cheap whore'. You know what's even more shameful than that fake orgasmic face of her in the elevator? That this whole thing is obviously just a cross-promotion for her crappy perfume. End of rant.
Besides, who the hell thinks they will have a good video by booking Matthew Rolston these days?

*

Here are a few more cool videos that are not new, but deserve a download if you want more than just blurry YouTube clips:

Sophie Ellis Bextor - Catch You
Mika - Grace Kelly
Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape
Jarvis Cocker - Don't Let It Go To Waste
Muse - Knights Of Cydonia

Now applaud yourself for making it to the end of the post.