Sugar

"Kicking and Screaming" The Presets

Doesn’t the video make you want to see them live. Presets are one of the best performers in the world, especially since they are duo. Don’t sleep. If they are in your area go and see them live.

Ghosts

Versailles, a pretty good neighbourhood to come from. Even today, the current ROIS of that suburb are Phoenix. This is the second single from the album and is the best one they have done in ages.

Billionaires

Excalibur

I feel a bit iffy about posting this video. Not because the dude has no legs and is pretending to be a gangster. It’s just that I know the 310 area pretty well and I will get pangs of homesickness for the next three hours.

[spotted at videogum]

Happy Up Here

I have been a GLC fan since Drive Slow and Chi State of Mind (produced by A-Trak). On a sidenote has Kanye made 5 videos in the past 3 weeks? Two Keri Hilson’s , two of his own (Paranoid and Robocop) and 88 Keys.

The song is fine. Not a patch on this quote from drive slow.

"My Car's like a movie, My cars like a crib / I got more tv's in here than where i live"

My Heart has been Captured by a Breathless Beauty

Foals - Red Socks Pugie // A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

To celebrate the release of their album a year ago, here is a video of Foals performing in a park in Seattle. Sometimes that’s all I need to post a video. I could wax lyrical about a band whose début was a permanent fixture in my life last year. I will not. Enjoy the weather.

[spotted at blogotheque]

Cross The Tracks

No Kind Words from The Maccabees on Vimeo.

The blog has recently come across accusations of being too black. Well to be honest everything else is just boring. I’m pretty sure I have only posted one rock song and that was the record of the week on Zane Lowe (Tame Impala, beat him by about 2 months!). So here we go with the second one of the year. There are a few bands that everyone likes in the indie scene and the Maccabees is one of them. A band that cares about their craft and their fans. Three years to make a second album is almost unheard of in this day and age. The first single, No Kind Words, is available as a free download at their site, which might be a bit of a shame since it is brilliant.

The video is pretty special as well, it’s starring Matt “I’m on everything you see on tv at the moment” Horne.

Tahiti

Bat for Lashes aka Natasha Kahn aka a wonderful mix of Kate Bush and Bjork is about to release her second album. Her first, the lustful Fur and Gold, was the soundtrack to many of my aimless walks around Paris last year. The Brighton native has teamed up with Scott Walker and Yeasayer for her latest work.

Album released 6^th of April.

Feel The Love

I never understood why black and white makes things classy but it does.
Kid Cudi - Superboo
I do love this track, his sing song style fits perfectly with the eerie spacey synths.
This video is unofficial. But then again so was his Transformers video.

No Escapin This

Seriously Rick Ross is on another level:

The jockey with the members only jacket with R.R on it.
Especially when all the other horses have numbers.
The Ascots.
The Goons who didnt feel like dressing up.
John Legend not bothering to learn any other lines.
The fact that a thoroughbred is a male. (I learnt that from future international diplomat R. Carroll.)
And that this is the homeless (poor mans poor mans) version of B.I.G Sky's the limit.

EPK Tuesday

New feature here at Ldn. Each week i shall post an EPK (electronic press kit) of artists that i enjoy. This week Canadians Chromeo.

Chromeo Fancy Footwork EPK
Uploaded by Cooperative-Music

Tissues

I normally abhor the lynx commercials since they never use the good ones. Seriously check out how good the South American ones are compared to the english ones.
But they brought this gem to my attention.

The Day We Fell In Love

This upcoming week at ldnnez will resemble this. Nothing can change the fact that this is the best song of the album and within the overall goal of the album this is where he reaches his climax. Or she does if you know what i mean.

Kilometer Teaser
Uploaded by RECORDMAKERS

Feeling Better

The love hate relationship between myself and Tellier continues. DJ Medhi weighs in on the debate over at the cool kids blog.

Sebastien Tellier - Roche
Uploaded by RECORDMAKERS

I equate Tellier's attitude to dating a chick that thinks that she is great. As opposed to knowing that she is great.

The Pocket

Watchmen review : good. too faithful. will not grab new fans. dont watch tired as you fall asleep. 2hrs and 40 mins.

This year's PJANOO.

Run

Fuck being ghost. This Guy is King. The undefeated champion. The King of his throne.
Ghostface Friday!

Lionel Richie Awards - Taylor Swift Edition

For this to work we shall attempt this like all books written by two people, different shades. Dafna aka Dc's premiere tatsemaker and friend of the stars is in blue (and more coherent) and im in red (less coherent). Think of us as the modern day Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

So when Inie asked me to take part in this deconstruction project, I jumped at the chance to bash trashy videos trying to pass themselves off as “art.” Or something like that. Little did I know that the first video we worked on together (Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”) would be one that I had chosen. And good lord is it terrible. First off, for those of you with good enough musical taste to not know, here is a little background information about Taylor Swift. She is a country pop singer who was picked out of obscurity because she a) is barely legal and b) has a sound that is pleasant and wholesome enough, parents of the thirteen year olds listening to her don’t have to worry about whorish influence (coughcoughMileyCyruscoughcough). Miley Cyrus hasn't infected the UK yet, the media and people under 14 know who she is. But i make it a rule (i call it the R Kelly) to not hang out with 14 year olds. I do think that Taylor is channelling Hilary Swank by being neither attractive nor ugly. Exactly what any parent would want their child to idolise. As opposed to anyone with talent.

In her short yet illustrious career, Swift has already released two albums, a holiday EP, is going to be on an upcoming episode of CSI and (to the envy of many I’m sure) dated a Jonas Brother. Don’t ask me which one. I thought they were all the same person before I realized there were three of them. I do know, however, that they broke up via text message. Which is of course how the young people do these things, these days. Oh, she also has a bit of a wonky eye. Ahh the wonky eye once something that was once only attributed to black female r and b singers (Lisa Left Eye, Aaliyah and umm Gabrielle) has now gone country. I guess that adds to her urban reach. That is what comes next after a holiday EP right? Or is it the covers album? Who the fuck is a Jonas brother? Actually i lie my brother is a fan, he also spent part of xmas holidays trying to convince that Chris Brown has IT. We all know how that ended up.

To be honest, I’m probably most interested in the upcoming episode of CSI. Not so much for her, but more because of Larry Fishbourne. He's still alive? I thought he was chilling on matrix money.

Moving on…

The title “Love Story” basically gives away what the song is about. It’s about the kind of love only girls under the age of sixteen believe in. You know...the kind where the guy actually calls the next day. (Unlike the aforementioned Jonas Brother…who clearly did not call, but rather “texted”) So of course, what is better than beating the dead horse that is the Romeo and Juliet story one more time. I mean, Swift’s fans can bring her song up in their English classes when they read the play. Or the Cliffnotes. Has no one learned anything from Swingers? You wait two days to call. Or as someone suggested, text her that night, then call afterwards (two days still).

The video, which was directed by one Trey Fanjoy, tries to play off on that whole romance novel feeling. The video starts with Swift walking across her “college campus” and locking eyes with a young “stud” who is clearly old enough to buy her beer. Seeing how he is dark and brooding, he is probably an artist or a musician. Or perhaps a stoner. They ditch this idea fairly quickly, apparently in this day and age love can only be expressed by wearing corsets, cuffs, bodices, pleats and crin lining. No wonder this generation is doomed. I grew up learning about love throught The Roots. 10 years since Thing Fall Apart was released, just so you know.

Suddenly, we are transported to a castle in a field, where we find Taylor Swift in some sort of dress that wants to be Elizabethian but actually screams Victorian hooker. (Notice also, the side swept hair. This is to hide the wonk eye.) Then the screen flashes to a ball room and suddenly we are in some sort of Jane Austen story where Swift’s stoner love interest is now Mr. Darcy. They proceed to do some kind of period piece dance in which men and women circle each other while trying to appear stiff and rigid. He then must whisper something along the lines of “Meet me out in the woods next to that white horse” because that’s where this “story line” takes us next. I often like to take ladies that i have just met somewhere near a horse. I feel it crystalises the moment, plus girls always get squiffy and weak kneed near horses. It is natures true rohypnol.

Now, during this point in the video, Swift sings the lyrics “You were Romeo/I was a Scarlet Letter.” Clearly, she failed English Literature, because if I remember correctly, Romeo was not in the Scarlet Letter. And the Scarlet Letter was about adultery, was it not? Hester Prynne had a child with a man who was not her husband. Is that really the message Taylor Swift is trying to send here? Perhaps I was too complimentary when I said she was wholesome. Or perhaps she is trying to be witty by saying she IS a scarlet letter, so she is off limits? Or perhaps she has no idea what she is talking about. The scarlett letter, the bane of my junior year english class, was about adultery and the cross that Harriet had to bare. Maybe Taylor's promise ring is her own scarlett letter and it's her cross to bare. Or not to bare (skin), if you kow what i mean.

Anyway, back to the video, The two “star crossed lovers” have met in the woods where they walk and talk and laugh and be young. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, there is a white horse. Are horses symbols of virility and stamina? Not something I really think of when I think of virginal and pure. No comment.

And after a few more ridiculous “romance” scenes, we have now come to one of my favorite parts. There is a quick shot of Swift picking two cherries from a tree. This is amazing on so many levels. You have to ask yourself if it was not blatantly obvious to everyone involved in making this video what her plucking specifically cherries could mean. I mean really…was that even necessary? For me, the ridiculousness of this video can be boiled down to at time mark 2:36. This is nothing more than a song about waiting for marriage to do the nasty. Cause you know, everyone’s doing it: Swift, The Jonas Brothers, that Brazilian model who finally got married, that 105 year old virgin…I mean, everyone. I'm not doing it. The cherry picking scene is incredibly gratuitous and indicative of the whole scene. When you get Brett Ratner (Miley Cyrus 7 things) to direct your videos, you should not expect any type of nuance. Russell Brand pointed out, after the fiasco involving jokes he made at the abstinence crew (taylor, jordan and the jonae), that promoting not having sex as one of the images of the band is just as bad as promoting sex all the time. Creating extremes doesnt help anyone.

Overall, I’d say this music video made me more bitter about romance. It’s because of this crap that I feel insecure about actually being romantic. Because after watching this, romance seems nothing more than something Hollywood made up. Oh wait. That is what romance is. Damn it.
Romance dead as the dodo or the tamogotchi. In these times romance should just be: a monetary arrangement. I promise to split the bills, not take money out of the joint account without asking. Not to steal your money to buy Jonas Brother tickets.

This Call is from a Correctional Facility

From the sublime to the ridicularse. Newham Generals, Dizze Rascal Co Sign, zare releasing their long awaited debut album this month. This has been kicking around for a while but in honour of making this my weekend theme here it is.

Mes Mots

I have to a love/hate relationship with Peter, Bjorn and John. That's not to say that i hate peter and love the other two. Or any other combo. I just hated hearing Young Folks every 30 secs in any club i went to. A solid year of that whistling got me angry. This goes a long was to make amends.

New Feature: Lionel Richie Video Awards

Presenting a new feature here at the stakes is high. It's worst music video that was released this month. Named after the horrendous Richie video Hello (is it me you're looking for?). My girl Dafna and i have decided on this one. It isnt per se bad. It could be a lot worse, it is standard fair when it comes to Hip-hop videos but it is bland as those odd breads you get at fancy food places.

At this point Dafna would like to say that she likes the track. I find it middling.


Let's break it down.

1)It's filmed on a green screen in order to save some money. And boy is it annoying the crowd shots looks fake. Almost sims 2 worthy.
2)Lasers? What is this Blade 2? I understand that music videos are expensive these days but it's still supposed to be a reflection of the artist. Kevin, from this i guess you still believe that raving circa 1999 is cool. Did you just watch the film Go and think 'hey let's steal some of the props from the club scenes?'
3) There isn't much else to the video. Apart from clothes but im not a fashion writer. Although the Carlton Banks tee is quite good.
4)Wait a second isn't there a Linkin Park video just like this? (this is when i would put the link for faint here but thanks to Warner Bros ill advised move to remove all their videos from youtube i cant do anything. Interesting enough the first casualty of that policy will be Death Cab for Cutie.) By the way that song is faint and is a lot better than this crap.
5)This isn't rock, although Lil Wayne realised this and is about to undo all the good work that he did last year and release his rock album in April. Seriously this sint a joke.

Look major corporations if you are going to shove this down kids throats do it right. Give us something good.