How come I didn't know about this? I'm not sure where it came from, but there's a good chance he did it for BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. He teamed up with Daniel Merriweather to reimagine Klaxons' hit 'Golden Skans', with his usual signature touches, like, of course, horns. I did prefer his version to Kaiser Chiefs' one, though. With decent production value, this could as well be a nice bonus track or b-side. Plus it inspired me to revisit some old covers and I might even post a few for the weekend. Speaking of Daniel Merriweather, the shitty international version for 'Stop Me' video (the 'tears' one) slightly ruined the song for me. Before, I pictured Daniel as this senile, black soul singer (note to self: narrow-minded), but after viewing the video, I didn't know how to feel because it's good to see that he is not what I thought he was, but on the other side, his onscreen presence made he look so corny, like a boyband reject from the late '90s. I wish he had just remained faceless to me. Anyway, it seems that good things are lining up for both of them. Mark is MTV US's 'Discover & Download' for this month, and Daniel's already set to perform at the VMAs in September. And here I give you the funked-up version of 'Golden Skans':
I said it before and I say it again: Mark Ronson's one of the most talented, influential producers to be gracing the music scene in recent years. He can bridge the gap between old and new school, blend different styles and genres to create a signature sound of his own, and the tracks he produced can both maintain mass appeal and critics' approval. Apparently, he also has a knack for picking songs that seem random at first, and funking them up into something big-beat, horn-blasting, soulful, and torally listenable. His cover album 'Version' is about to drop in the UK in April 19, and it features a wide selection of songs, as well as a guest list to die for. So far from the tracks I've heard, it should be a great solid one. Here's some awesome tracks to whet your appetite.
Valerie (feat. Amy Winehouse): The Zutons cover. Not the Live Lounge version. It's very good. She keeps the same lyrics, which makes it so lesbo-friendly!
Apparently, this video was out about 2 weeks ago but I was just aware of its existence a few days ago. How embarassing. This time, The Pipettes go animated! Judging from the looks, I guess it was Flash-made, and the style is kinda Hanna-Barbera-ish. Somehow, their animated versions keep reminding me of, um, The Powerpuff Girls. Weird. Anyway, the girls just signed a deal with major label Interscope in US via their division Cherrytree Records (which is also home of The Feeling and Feist). Their album will get a stateside release in summer followed by a tour. So congrats! Let's hope their label figured out the marketing strategies right and spend some proper cash on promoting. If you're still not familiar with them, check out a tune right now! A, B, C, D, 1, 2, 3, X, Y, Z...
Video for his second single. He's still very flamboyant. Somehow this vid shares a lot of similarities with the following Arctic Monkeys one.
Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm
Yes, they're back. First, I'm never a fan. They're good at doing what they do, but their melodies/lyrics/riffs just don't stay. But this song, it was produced by James Ford, producer of Simian Mobile Disco and Klaxons. And on first listen, it doesn't sound that bad. Probably their danciest song to date. And their flashiest video too. The funny thing is, it's the monkeys that look out of place in this vid.
The after effects of OK Go's success. Now Ben's going for the homemade, viral video look, with help from his 82-year-old granny, hip-swivelling in a gym. This is the kind of thing that makes you either feel creepily entertained or makes you wanna gouge your eyes out. Somehow I can't help but think that this is Shakira and Beyoncé at their 80s getting together and remember the olden days! I heard this song last year and totally overlooked it. How wrong was I! Now it's stuck in my head all day. Great feel-good song. Must-hear! If The OC was still on, this would secure a spot on an episode, sigh...
Setting: in a supermarket in LA. A little cheesy, but fun and cute nonetheless. Fran's getting chubby. And there's a cameo from Ben Stiller. Lovely song, by the way. I'll find the Quicktime mov link and put it up tomorrow for download.You can download the vid now in good quality.
Manic Street Preachers feat. Nina Persson - Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
Simple performance piece. James has shaved his beard. And Nina still looks stunning after all these years, she doesn't seem to age at all. And the song's already one of the best of 2007 period.
Dolores O'Riordan - Ordinary Day
Dolores looks in shape for her age. The vid's nothing exciting to write about, I don't get the concept. But the park scene at the end's quite cool, anyway. I plan to listen to her solo debut this weekend, so more on that later.
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These I forgot about yesterday...
Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
Gloomy, and shot in black and white, but overall a little bit dull. The video treatment didn't work as it would sound on paper, so it's another case of could-have-been-better. Ace song, though. Love love her. She's been getting buzz in the blogosphere like crazy.
Mark Ronson - Stop Me
The story of a man and a crazy pair of white sneakers (not sure if they belong to lily Allen, though). A novelty idea for his version of The Smiths' song. Interesting enough, but I've got a feeling I've seen it all before. Deja vu, indeed.
Klaxons - Gravity's Rainbow
New version shot for the re-release of the single. A different approach. Art direction's quite neat.
Woohoo! (insert the chorus of Blur's 'Song 2') The return of Zeon! During my little break, I was able to find a handful of exciting new artists and I just can't wait to share all the awesome music to you guys! There's gonna be a shower of posts coming up in the next few days, so keep checking back! And what's a better way to start a comeback post than a Lily Allen track?
Mark Ronson + Lily Allen = hot sh1t! Them two always deliver! Here, 'Smile' gets a 'revisit' from Mark. Imagine an instrumental of any tracks from Amy Winehouse's sophomore album with the acapella of 'Smile' on top of it, and you pretty much have the basic idea of how it sounds like. Oh, and there are horns. A great remix for those who've grown tired of the original version. This alternative take is included as a bonus track in the US edition of 'Alright, Still', dropping Stateside on Jan 30. (I noticed how MTV US cut out the scene in the 'Smile' music video when she put the pills in her ex's drink, and probably the mug scene, too. And they air all those racy hip-hop videos everyday. Screw them.)
Speaking of Mark Ronson, he will also have a new album called 'Version' coming out soon consisting of his covers of songs like Coldplay's 'God Put A Smile Upon Your Face', Kaiser Chiefs' 'Oh My God' (with the vocal input of no other than Miss Lily), and this one, Britney Spears' 'Toxic'. I like how the cover doesn't take itself seriously. This got the trademark Ronson sound, with a hip-hop vibe, complete with some rap verses and some tongue-in-cheek vocals. It's fun to listen to, he did a good job reworking the song. It's probably the only good thing related to Britney coming out this year.
More tracks available for streaming at his MySpace. Enjoy!
