Second up is Amy Winehouse! I love her newest cd, and to be honest, the real reason I am highlighting her is because the DJ’s in my area had no idea who she was. I found that a little sad.

“I didnt want to play the jazz thing up too much again she says now, sitting in the snug of her favourite Camden boozer. Id been listening to a lot of girl-groups from the fifties and sixties. I liked the simplicity of that stuff. It just gets to the point. You can hear it on the subtley Supremes-referencing intro of Back To Black. But her reach stretches further, Amy can break loose with Aretha-style vocal stylings on Just Friends or by turning the whole idea of drying out into a gospel spiritual on the stunning opener Rehab. Which other female British singer could turn the opening line on her album - try to make me go to rehab/I say no, no, no into a churchy stomp.”

Back to Black-

Rehab-

Acoustic “Valerie”

I know, I know - I have been really horrible about this. To make up for it - I’ll highlight two bands that I’ve been listening to recently!

First up is Muse. Three-man band out of the UK, and I personally love their big sound rock. Enjoy!

If Muse sound like a new band on ‘Black Holes and Revelations’ it’s because, after Glastonbury, they are: expanded of mind, settled of spirit and anything but sedentary of sound. ‘Absolution 2: Back To The Planets’, this most certainly is not. For continuity, in fact, we must look to the lyrical themes, where fans of the apocalyptic soundbite, the madcap conspiracy theory, the revolutionary rabble-rousing, the weird stuff about aliens inventing all earthly religions and other such classic Muse concerns will not be disappointed. But whereas ‘Absolution’ gazed on helplessly at the subjugation of humanity by corrupt world leaders and encroaching environmental or galactic disasters (and certainly, ‘Black Holes And Revelations’ has its fair share of climate change/oil crisis/global inflagration paranoia). “I think we’re approaching that time,” says Matt “If you look at those protests in France, the size and level of protest doesn’t really relate to what they’re protesting about. I think there’s something underneath that people are feeling, particularly the younger generation. We feel like we’ve been born into some pre-created situation where we don’t actually have any control over anything. We’ve got an aging population as well and that control factor grates a little bit. I feel, through this album, that I’m feeling pessimistic and frustrated about it all but at the same time I’m not against revolutionary moves and I wouldn’t be ashamed to have incited a small riot, if it’s for a good cause.”

My personal Fav:
City of Delusion-

Butterflies and Hurricanes-

Starlight-

Not a super high quality acoustic video after the cut! (more…)