Ever since Zja, a friend in my writing group, a woman of expansive, adventurous and impeccable musical taste introduced me to the amazing talents of violinist Lindsey Stirling, I have been hooked. The music that this talented independent American artist (who is also a dancer, composer and performance artist Continue Reading
Music
In concert: P!NK – The Truth About Love tour, Sydney, Wednesday 7 August 2013
“Love is sunshine and puppies, flowers and nipple clamps” (Rubix Von Füchenhürtz aka P!NK’s concert host Jimmy Slonina) It’s a rare thing to turn up at a concert of one of your favourite music artists and feel like you really matter to the performer on stage. (Beyond, of course, Continue Reading
Cookie Monster? I love him! (And he loves Icona Pop … and cookies)
Cookie Monster is back, cookies naturally enough in hand! But this time he is willing to wait for his tasty treats … well longer than normal at least. As a prelude to their 44th season, which launches on 16 September, Sesame Street has unveiled its latest parody song, a Continue Reading
A round of “Applause” for Lady Gaga’s new single (+ album)
She has been uncharacteristically quite of late – a combination of lull between albums and time out for major hip surgery – with her only major appearance the singing of the US national anthem at a New York pride rally on 28 June this year, but all that is Continue Reading
Now this is music #11: 5 awesome songs – Kill Paris, Cape Lion, Janelle Monáe, Ralph Myerz, Goldroom
I am not a man of half measures. If I decide to take something on, it must be done as fully and completely as possible, or I don’t see the point in bothering at all. While this gung ho, take-no-prisoners does get lots done, it can also mean I Continue Reading
Yum! Imogen Heap is cooking up a deluxe treat for her new album
It is not many artists who use a slinky and a blender to herald the arrival of the deluxe version of their next album. But then not many artists are as delightfully out-of-the-box, and artistically-visionary as Imogen Heap. Via this series of tweets and the video featured below them, Continue Reading
Now this is music #10: My 5 favourite songs right now – Washed Out, Bat For Lashes/TOY, Midnight Juggernauts, MØ, CHVRCHES
“It All Feels Right” by Washed Out There is a wistful, folkish, almost otherworldly sound to the songs of Georgia (USA) native Ernest Greene who records under the rather world-weary-sounding moniker Washed Out. Rather aptly named “chill wave”, his music is a languorous excursion into lazy summer Continue Reading
Queens of the Stone Age and Fred Armisen of “Portlandia” unite!
I am a huge fan of Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live, Portlandia), a gifted comedian who is able to inhabit all sorts of guises with aplomb and bring characters to life with believability and a straight face (hard when they’re as funny as they usually are). One of those characters Continue Reading
My 5 favourite modern TV theme tunes
The untimely, enormously sad death of James Gandolfini a couple of weeks ago while on holiday in Italy, prompted me, by way of a tribute, to repeatedly play “Woke Up This Morning” by the Alabama 3, the devastatingly evocative, haunting theme song to the show that brought him fame Continue Reading
Answer the door! ABBA to release deluxe edition of “Ring Ring”
Happy news today! After wondering if Universal would ever get around to releasing a deluxe edition of ABBA’s debut album, Ring Ring, along comes news via the official ABBA website, abbasite.com, that just a version will be released on October 14 this year. It’s 40 years since the album Continue Reading