Something altogether unexpected happened to Western music charts in 2012 when Korean singer PSY‘s song “Gangnam Style”, a viral phenomenon on social media (he became the first Korean artist to top the iTunes Music Video Charts), shot to #1 in countries around the world, including most importantly the world’s Continue Reading
Music
Now this is music #38: The Knocks, Team Me, J Tropic, Fickle Friends, PROM
It doesn’t take much for life to get crazy busy does it? One extra project at work here, an unexpected errand there, and suddenly your calm and well-planned day goes spiralling out of control and with it your peace of mind and low blood pleasure. Which is why we’re lucky Continue Reading
Why LPs and books aren’t dead as a Dodo just yet
On April 19 this year, as on the third Saturday of every April since 2008, a strange thing happened outside record stores around the world. People lined up, often overnight and around the block, to buy vinyl records. Yes, vinyl records, which by the clearly incorrect reckoning of most of us had Continue Reading
Now this is music: What if Shakespeare wrote pop songs?
Think about this. What if Shakespeare had miraculously appeared smack bang in the middle of the modern day pop landscape and begun composing songs for the likes of Lorde, Carly Rae Jepsen, Beyonce Knowles, Icona Pop or even Idina Menzel? Or zipped back – or forward but not as far Continue Reading
Now this is music #37: Manfred Kidd, Lemonade, Nick Hakim, Fantastic Fantastic, Perfume Genius
More music to warm the heart, cheer the soul and keep summer alive and kicking no matter where you may be. With the artists hail from diverse parts of the globe – Australia, Sweden, UK and the USA – they all share one thing in common, which is an Continue Reading
Now this is music #36: Buchanan, Mansions on the Moon, Generationals, Salt Cathedral, Javelin
Whoosh! Was that another second, another hour, another frantically busy day of life screaming on by? Yes it was, and while it is energising and thrilling to a point, and gets the blood pumping and the juices flowing, there comes a time when you need to ramp things down, Continue Reading
Now this is music: 5 songs I discovered while travelling in USA in 1989
1989 was a big year in many ways. Emperor Hirohito died, the USSR left Afghanistan while the Polish Communist regime began talks with the dissident Solidarity organisation, Hungary dismantled 240km of barbed wire along its Iron Curtain border with Austria, President P. W. Both of South Africa met with Continue Reading
Rap like an Animal: The Muppets want to know “So What’cha Want”?
If The Muppets, in all their glorious sweet hearted hilarious lunacy have taught us anything, apart from the fact that a good aggro drum soul is de rigeur for any song (thank you Animal), it’s that there is nothing they cannot do. NOTHING. They have performed in an old Continue Reading
Now this is music #35: GEoRGiA, Vaults, Kwamie Liv, RDGLDGRN, HANAH
I hear ya – it’s been a grindingly long week with little to enjoy but a burrito for lunch and a wine at the bar on Wednesday night before heading home on a crowded train. It’s precisely why these five songs are what you need right now. They’re by Continue Reading
Happy 40th birthday ABBA: Live at Wembley Arena to release this September
If you thought that ABBA are done celebrating their milestone 40th year, think again. Along with the Waterloo Deluxe album release, and books ABBA the Official Photo Book and ABBA The Backstage Stories / The Treasures, and The Story of ABBA by one of the band members Björn Ulvaeus, the Continue Reading