Unreality Shout - Music

Pearl And The Beard - Will Smith Medley

Gerard McGarry — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:36:42 +0000

How many Will Smith tunes can you fit into one medley? Well, nearly all of the hits, as colourful Brooklyn trio Pearl And The Beard prove in this video:

There's something unashamedly geeky about this group, and I love the outdoors performance in the video. A great bit of lighthearted entertainment for a Friday afternoon.

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New Music Showcase

Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA - Single review

Gerard McGarry — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:00:15 +0000

Miley Cyrus has just released a new single Party In The USA, an unashamed bubblegum pop anthem that is as infectious as swine flu, but apparently not quite as dangerous.

This time last year, you'd have been forgiven for believing that Miley was trying to leave behind the cutesy Disney universe for pastures a little more grown up. To be honest, there's little in this track that we haven't seen from Miley in the past - the celeb obsession of moving to Hollywood has echoes of Fly On The Wall, but she (and her songwriters) deserve full marks for a fun, hook-laden tune that just begs to be sung out loud.

The video's an all-American dream - drive-in movies, gyrating in front of an enormous US flag. Brilliant stuff. Beats me why it took so many months to get a release in the UK when it was released in the USA in the summer.

Well, it is a party in the USA...

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Radio 1 Top Ten Weekly

Adam Lambert's 2012-themed video 'Time For Miracles'

Gerard McGarry — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:42:04 +0000

Last year's American Idol runner-up, Adam Lambert, is generating far more buzz lately than whoever won it. And to be honest, I've already forgotten who the winner was.

The latest buzz about Lambert is that he's releasing a new single Time For Miracles from the new Roland Emmerich movie, 2012. Sci-Fi blog IO9 describes the video as a "ridiculous yet brilliant blend of marketing hype".

Its mostly Adam walking through disaster porn and waving his arms. Because nothing says love ballad like watching your family flung into the mouth of a volcano.

I have to declare that Lambert was my favourite Idol contestant of last year, and I'm fully backing him to be a musical megastar. The fact that he's come out with such a solid track as Time For Miracles is a total bonus and testament to the fact that losing the show may be better for your career than winning it.

Quick review?

Well, in the tradition of soundtrack songs like Chad Kroeger's Hero and Aerosmith's seminal Don't Want To Miss A Thing, Lambert's single is an epic rock power ballad. And you can't pull off those types of song without a little bit of charisma and some serious vocal power.

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American Idol Worshippers

Westlife - What About Now?

Gerard McGarry — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:54:34 +0000

Westlife have been out of the public eye for a little while now, and they've changed during their time away. It's as poetic as the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly, except Westlife don't do colourful wings, they do exquisitely tailored matching suits.

But seriously, Mark, Shane, Kian and the other blonde one went away and came back...as Take That. Yep, the boys went away, had a good hard think about their musical direction and decided to copy Gary Barlow's 'man band' template. In live performances of the song, they've even ditched their trademark sit-on-stools and stand-for-the-key-change approach.

In honour of Westlife successfully reinventing themselves as Take That, I've rewritten portions of the press release:

Produced by long term collaborator Steve Robson, ‘What About Now’ is the first taster of ~~the band’s brand new~~ Take That's sound. Although instantly recognisable as a ~~Westlife~~ Take That classic, complete with soaring melodies and rousing lyrics, the track injects an undeniably fresh production; bound to delight Westlife fans and pop enthusiasts alike. The single will be available to download on October 25th, with physical release following on October 26th.

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Radio 1 Top Ten Weekly

Neil Young - A Man Needs A Maid

Gerard McGarry — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:12:20 +0000

There's nothing topical about A Man Needs A Maid. In fact, it's an old Neil Young song from his Harvest album in 1972. But since when did we have to focus exclusively on chart acts?

I fell in love with the Harvest album during the summer, it's one of those timeless albums that just touches you deep down. Whether you're analysing the lyrics or just feeling the music, Harvest is an amazing collection of songs. I could pick out a ton of favourites from it - Old Man, The Needle And The Damage Done, Heart Of Gold.

I've chosen A Man Needs A Maid for today because it's a little bit bizarre, especially in our uber-politically correct age. Young could find himself lynched for the lyric:

I was thinking that
maybe I'd get a maid
Find a place nearby
for her to stay.
Just someone
to keep my house clean,
Fix my meals and go away.

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Forthcoming Single Releases (with analysis)

RandomEnigma — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:27:40 +0000

16th October 2009
*ARMAND VAN HELDEN & A-TRACK PRESENT DUCK SAUCE: ANYWAY
*ASH: JOY KICKS DARKNESS
*BIFFY CLYRO: THE CAPTAIN
*BUBBEL G: GET READY
*CHICANE: HIDING ALL THE STARS
*THE DEAD WEATHER: I CUT LIKE A BUFFALO
*DOLLY ROCKERS: BOYS WILL BE BOYS
*JAY SEAN FEATURING LIL WAYNE: DOWN
*JEM: I WANT TO...
*MARIAH CAREY: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS
*MILEY CYRUS: PARTY IN THE USA
*PITBULL: HOTEL ROOM SERVICE
*SCOOTER: J'ADORE HARDCORE
*TINCHY STRYDER: YOU'RE NOT ALONE
*VAGABOND: I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU
*WESTLIFE: WHAT ABOUT NOW

2nd November 2009:
*BEYONCÉ: BROKEN HEARTED GIRL
*BLACK EYED PEAS: MEET ME HALFWAY
*CALVIN HARRIS: FLASHBACK
*DANIEL MERRIWEATHER FEATURING ADELE: FLAME AND WATER
*DONNY AND MARIE OSMOND: VEGAS LOVE
*ERIK HASSLE: HURTFUL
*FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD: RELAX 2009
*THE HORRORS: WHOLE NEW WAY
*JAMIE CULLUM: I'M ALL OVER IT
*JAY-Z FEATURING ALICIA KEYS: EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
*JLS: EVERYBODY IN LOVE
*KRISTINIA DEBARGE: FUTURE LOVE
*LAURA WHITE: YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN
*N-DUBZ: I NEED YOU
*PAOLO NUTINI: PENCIL FULL OF LEAD
*P!NK: I DON'T BELIEVE YOU
*SNOW PATROL: JUST SAY YES
*SOFT TOY EMERGENCY: JUST SAY YES

9th November 2009:
*ASH: ARCADIA
*ATHLETE: BLACK SWAN SONG
*BEVERLEY KNIGHT FEATURING CHIPMUNK: IN YOUR SHOES
*BON JOVI: WE WER

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Forthcoming Album Releases

RandomEnigma — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:24:41 +0000

26th October 2009:
*CHERYL COLE: THREE WORDS
*DANIEL O'DONNELL: PEACE IN THE VALLEY
*ERASURE: THE INNOCENTS
*HARRY CONNICK JR.: YOUR SONGS
*JACK JOHNSON: EN CONCERT
*LMFAO: PARTY ROCK
*MICHAEL JACKSON: THE REMIX SUITE
*MICHAL JACKSON: THIS IS IT
*MIIKE SNOW: MIIKE SNOW
*MILEY CYRUS: HANNAH MONTANA: THE COLLECTION
*MORRISSEY: SWORDS
*RAYGUN: RAYGUN
*R.E.M.: LIVE AT THE OLYMPIA IN DUBLIN
*THE SAW DOCTORS: TO WIN JUST ONCE: THE BEST OF THE SAW DOCTORS
*TEGAN AND SARA: SAINTHOOD
*ULTRABEAT: THE WEEKEND HAS LANDED
*(VARIOUS ARTISTS): LIVE LOUNGE: VOLUME 4

2nd November 2009:
*AMERIE: IN LOVE & WAR
*BEE GEES: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION
*BON JOVI: THE CIRCLE
*BRAKES: ROCK IS DODELIJK
*ELECTRIC SIX: KILL
*FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS: I TOLD YOU I WAS FREAKY
*FOO FIGHTERS: FOO FIGHTERS: GREATEST HITS
*FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD: FRANKIE SAYS GREATEST
*JOSS STONE: COLOUR ME FREE
*THE KILLERS: LIVE FROM THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL
*NIRVANA: LIVE AT READING
*SLAYER: WORLD PAINTED BLOOD
*STING: IF ON A WINTER'S NIGHT
*WEEZER: RADITUDE
*WITHIN TEMPTATION: AN ACOUSTIC NIGHT AT THE THEATRE

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We review Rihanna's new single Russian Roulette

Gerard McGarry — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:30:26 +0000

I had to print the cover for Rihanna's latest single, Russian Roulette, in the biggest size the blog would take. Pretty sexy, eh? And is that a barbed wire bra she's wearing?

Anyway, enough about Rihanna's agressively airbrushed cover photo, let's talk about that single for a minute. Russian Roulette is Rihanna's return as a solo artist (discounting those cameos with Jay-Z and Kanye 'Ima gonna let you finish' West. And yes, it's her first solo single since that incident with Chris Brown.

So what's it like? Russian Roulette is very much a moody, brooding ballad. Written by Rihanna herself along with Ne-Yo, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a Ryan Tedder number. It's got that sparse beat, a little light instrumentation with all of the focus on the vocal performance. And it's perhaps the finest stab Rihanna's had at a ballad in ages.

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Radio 1 Top Ten Weekly

Jupiter One release 'Volcano'

Gerard McGarry — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:18:31 +0000

Possibly my favourite band of the year, Jupiter One have released the opening track from their Sunshower album, Volcano.

To put it simply, Volcano is an Indie-pop anthem and another great taster of an excellent band making fantastic music. Listen to them, become a fan and spread the word!

New Music Showcase

Tigers That Talked - new single - Artificial Clouds

Gerard McGarry — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:15:18 +0000

I wanted to share this one with our New Music Showcase group - it's the latest single by Leeds-based Indie foursome Tigers That Talked. I've had the video for Artificial Clouds playing in the background this evening, and the song is another one of those beautiful, delicate Indie-ballads that I'm growing fond of this season.

Jamie Williams of the band describes the song as

about the hope of breaking down borders between people and of rediscovering a connection. It evokes one lover's desperation to recover and retrace back from the point at which romance falls apart and is replaced by a sense of disconnection, longing & loss.

I won't go overboard pontificating about the song. It's simple, beautiful, the instrumentation soars and lulls and I think you'll like it.

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New Music Showcase