Fetch me a kangaroo in spandex! A coterie of bowls-playing grandmothers making scones. A phalanx of surfers atop waves made from pure glitter. Pyrotechnic displays that recall the burning cane fields of Broadwater, New South Wales. And a key change as big as the Australian Bight! Australia, yes Australia, Continue Reading
Music
Now this is music #44: Young Ejecta, Oh Wonder, Aurora, salute feat. Vanessa Elisha, Electric Wire Hustle
Life is a curiously complex thing. Euphorically up one moment, desperately down the next, and a confused hot mess in-between, it is never less than utterly unpredictable even when it feels like it’s stuck in some sort of bland sameness. These five artists, who hail from quite divergent parts Continue Reading
Now this is music 43: Nao, Totemo, Lade, Banff, Stax Osset
Another year beckons and with it an amazing selection of new songs and talented artists to provide with the soundtrack it will need. As has been the case with past years, the artists stepping forward to give us these songs are a diverse bunch but one thing remains clear Continue Reading
Re-play the music please maestro: The 10 songs I loved most in 2014
Henry Wordsworth Longfellow once observed that “Music is the universal language of mankind.” Never has that been truer than in the second decade of the 21st century where digital technology has allowed music artists across an ever-splintering multiplicity of genres, whether they be an emerging band in Brooklyn or Continue Reading
On the 10th day of Christmas … I listened to Idina Menzel’s Holiday Wishes
There’s no doubting the sheer awe-inspiring talent of the voice of Frozen, Tony Award-winning Broadway veteran Idina Menzel. She has a voice straight from the gods, one that combines fearsome power and delicate beauty, the sort of stage presence money cannot buy, and the kind of vibrant personality that has Continue Reading
Squeeze the cheese and poke the pony: Tonight Show Random Phrase Carols
It’s true. Even those of us among the Christmas junkie tribe – you know who you are and saying “Bah Humbug!” in that desultory fashion won’t disguise the fact for a second -will admit to getting a teensy-weensy itty-bitty little bit tired of singing the same old lyrics to Continue Reading
On the 4th day of Christmas … I listened to Seth MacFarlane’s Holiday For Swing
Seth MacFarlane is a delightful study in contrasts. Most well-known for his raunchy, highly intelligent comedies like the animation series The Family Guy and the Ted movies – Ted 2 is due for release in June 2015 – he is also a consummate showman, with a particular love for Continue Reading
On the 1st day of Christmas 2014 … I aurally orbited Pomplamoose’s Christmas in Space EP
Regardless of the time of year, Pomplamoose (real life couple Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn) are a lot of fun. Their music, which is released to fans via an innovative patronage system called Patreon, merrily skips from genre to genre, drawing in jazz, ’80s synth pop, big band sounds to Continue Reading
Sings some songs of Yuletide parody: Jimmy Fallon and Rashida Jones pay musical tribute to the holidays
Turducken for one, anyone? For sure, but only if you’ll “Drink with me/ ’cause I hate my family” … It seems like a fair swap, especially in the midst of the crazy frenetic, brain-melting busyness of the festive season when all the stresses of life seem to be distilled Continue Reading
Festive FUNX3: Jingle Bell Rocks! documentary, Kristen Bell’s “Text Me Merry Christmas” and Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever
I am a Christmas music junkie. Hell I am a Christmas junkie full stop. But one of the things I love most about the season, and which I appreciate many other people hate (especially those in retail who are listening to festive tunes from October onwards), are the Christmas Continue Reading