Cougar Microbes

A few of these homages where spot on however. Top of my list (from the same production team that brought us Turtlenex) comes LA Confident featuring Slick Flair with their ‘Missing Michael‘ track. It says it all. I’ve also fished out Ben Gibbard‘s awesome take on ‘Thriller’.

R.I.P MJ

MP3′s:

LA Confident – Missing Michael (Featuring Slick Flair)

Ben Gibbard – Thriller

The music world lost one of the greatest performers of the modern age last night. Whilst his well documented off stage controversies dominated the latter part of Jacko‘s career, we hope he will be remembered too for his amazing (early) recordings, mesmarising live performances, innovation in the art of the music video, and of course the world famous crotch-grabbing yelp. Mr Jackson, please join Elvis, Norma Jeane, Jimbo and Kurt in the green room.

MP3′s:

Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’

Thank you to everyone who came down on Saturday night to ‘Hands Up Who Cares‘. I really enjoyed my DJ set and it seems most people enjoyed my picks(particularly you drunk guy shouting “brap/blur/brap” randomly).  Kick Up The Fire put on a great show showcasing some new material and got some bodies moving.  Next ‘Hands Up Who Cares’ is on the 11th of July, see you there?

Here is a sample of the tracks I played:

MP3’s:

The Rolling Stones – You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Soulwax Remix)

Q. How many record execs does it take to change a light bulb?

A. First of all, before we change anything, is the light bulb really burned out? Maybe we just need to breathe some life into it; repackage it, maybe the light bulb could do a duet with somebody in hopes of getting some crossover appeal, maybe it could be in beer commercial, and maybe we could get it out on the road with brighter light bulb. The other thing to think about is that this summer, Honda is rolling out $100 million campaign for a new car aimed at thirty-somethings who consider themselves adventurous/spontaneous but can’t really afford something like a luxury SUV and it might be a perfect campaign to tie this light bulb into, at least it would be the perfect demographic, I terms of age.

Also, and this is just an idea: what if we found out what video games are being released in the third quarter and maybe pitch the idea of having our light bulb make an appearance in the video game at some certain level of completion; like, you get to a dark cave ,let’s say, if it’s an adventure game, and if you have enough points, you can get the light bulb – and it would be OUR light bulb, obviously- and then it’s easier to see in the cave.

The other thing is this: worst-case scenario the light bulb is, in fact, burned out. Is that really the end of the world? I mean maybe that’s actually of more value to us in the long run. Picture this for voiceover: “The light bulb is dead…but the legend lives on…rereleased, remastered, revealed…..the light bulb…. in stores now.” It almost makes more sense than taking the time changing it, plus, if it’s dead we can sell it without dealing with it. You know what I mean? No demands from it, no hotels, no road expense, no delays in the project from its end, etc. But, like I said, I’m just thinking off the top of my head here, just brainstorming, and none of this is written in stone.

But the first thing we should do is figure out how we want to handle this, because the light bulb‘s manager is a total nightmare and we’re going to have to take a meeting and listen to him sooner or later, ad we should know what our plan is before we sit down with him. And let me tell you right now the first thing out of his mouth is going to be:

“this light bulb should be the brightest light bulb in the world, and it could be the brightest light bulb in the world, but you need to support the light bulb, you need to give the light bulb TV ads, you need to be more active in giving the light bulb tour support, we need to have some promotion from your end!”

…and on and on. And in that meeting, if you’re in it, the only answer from our side should be that we’re obviously very excited to be working with the light bulb, that we don’t think it needs to be changed, the only problem is people haven’t seen how bright the light bulb could be, and our plan is to do everything we can to make this light bulb happen

I’ll send out an e-mail to everyone before the meeting to remind people of our position on this, but the bottom line is we don’t have the budgets right now, and basically we need to see something happening with the light bulb before we go throwing good money after bad, but obviously we cant have the light bulb‘s manager hearing that. I can tell you al that I’m personally very excited to be working with the light bulb. I think it will light up very brightly, and were not going to stop working the light bulb, in whatever ways budgets will permit, until it does, in fact, light up very brightly…

The light bulb is a very big priority for us from the top of the company to the bottom. Period. We can talk more about this when I am back from Barbados next week, and I’m going to need everybody’s help on this. I know we can do it, but we need everybody working hard

- Excerpt from Rock On, a highly amusing look at the record industry, by Dan Kennedy.  You can check it out here

MP3:

Ugly Kid Joe – Mr Recordman

Come party your dick/tits off on June 20th at Hands Up Who Cares at Bunker Club in New Cross!!!! Three quid in! Bands till 12, DJ’s till 3! Cheap drinks, real, honest to goodness awesome people and good times. Come down, watch three (we promise you) GOOD bands and get drunk till three, we dares you…. Oh, we double dares you… We’ll be doing it… and we’re probably your mates, so wicked!

HOW TO GET THERE:
Get the 53 or 453 bus from central London, or the 47 from Shoreditch High Street, buy a beer, crack it open and sink the motherfucker on the back seat. Fuck you Boris…
Deptford Bridge DLR is about one minute walk away, Deptford and New Cross overground stations are about three minutes walk. Do it.

Live music from Youves, Venice Ahoy and Kick Up The Fire and an exclusive dj set from yours truly where I will be spinning some Cougar Microbes indie/dance favourites including:

MP3′s:

A.C. Newman- Miracle Drug

An interesting story is equally as important as a good recording when trying to understand musicians. This is certainly the case for French/Israeli duo Charlotte & Magon and their blend of electro-chillout grooves.  The two had been communicating for a few years via the internet and in march 2008 Charlotte flew over to Tel-Aviv for 12 days to finally meet Magon in the flesh.

The result of this rendezvous was majestic with the two artists discovering not just a musical affinity but, beyond their expectations, a blossoming romance. The aptly named ‘Love Happening‘ acts as a snapshot of their shared experiences during this period. Charlotte‘s voice floats over a backdrop of guitars, pianos, synths and other hidden gems bringing to mind Beth Gibbons‘ of Portishead in her full haunting quality. Musically the immediate reference point is the music of French legends Air. Indeed, some of the tracks could easily pass for bonus material to the illustrious duos 2007 release ‘Pocket Symphony‘.

‘Love Happening’ is the perfect score to document Charlotte & Magon‘s love.

MP3′s:

Charlotte & Magon – Nine Cloud

Four young Londoners have decided to combine their love for London and film by launching the London On Film Festival. Taking place at The Lexi Cinema from the 16th to the 21st of June, this is a chance to explore London‘s personality on film, looking deep into its dark underbelly and back into its gritty past, while at the same time celebrating its cultural diversity and unique atmosphere. We want to show that London on screen can be just as romantic as Paris, as beautiful as Rome, and as vibrant as New York.

The Lexi Cinema itself is a unique social enterprise that opened last year, combining old picture house charm with techno-wizardry to create a truly mesmerising cinematic experience and, best of all, it donates 100% of its profits to The Sustainability Institute charity in South Africa. Check out  www.londononfilmfestival.org.uk to find out more about the 2009 festival lineup.

MP3:

Easy Star All-Stars – Exit Music (For A Film)

A few years back I caught melodic hardcore band Million Dead play an intimate show at The Camden Underworld to a young crowd gathered to see what all the fuss was about. The band were making an impression on the British music press and receiving rave reviews for their live performances along the way. The show lived up to the hype as the band seemed to peak for this performance and this audience. I still remember that what impressed me most was the bands passionate frontman Frank Turner who was already developing a knack for heartfelt socially conscious vocals.

Following this show I felt strongly enough about one of his lyrics to drop the band an email explaining my frustration. To be honest, I was just getting some stuff of my chest but sure enough Frank wrote back within hours going into detail whilst being very cordial. Though I didn’t agree with his interpretation I respected the fact he took time out of his schedule to write back to a fan. Though Million Dead would disband in 2005 this episode has kept him on my radar ever since.

I was not entirely surprised by his next foray into acoustic singer-songwriter territory. Just like my heroes Jonah Matranga with his Onelinedrawing recordings and The Ghost‘s Brian Moss with his Hanlei project it seemed the “one man and his guitar” route was the preferred medium for former angry post-hardcore kids. When these guys were done shouting and kicking for some  attention they discovered similar results could be achieved through strong words and a willingness to play anywhere and any time.  The lyrics still sliced like a knife but like a top surgeon his wit was sharp enough to get inside the listener while leaving minimal scar tissue.

2006 saw the release of his Campfire Punkrock EP rapidly followed up with the full length ‘Sleep Is For The Week‘ a year later. Both Mix elements of folk, punk rock and country creating the perfect back drop for his expanding ideas. On the back of these two releases Frank took his songs on the road playing seemingly every bar, club house, or venue that would have him. This quick learning curve put the singer-songwriter in a good position when releasing his brilliant Love Ire and Song album in 2008. My personal culmination was an incredible show at Shepherds Bush Empire supporting The Gaslight Anthem. Instead of kicking the door down the singer discovered that with the right words he would be given the key.

I was naturally delighted to find out legendary punk indie label Epitaph were signing Frank to a worldwide deal and re-releasing Love Ire and Song in the US. Apparently Epitaph head honcho Brett Gurewitz took quite a shine to Frank describing his music as a “revelation“. This being 2009 it is not surprising that the news was first broken on Twitter and MySpace with Frank stating:

“It’s official: though I’m happily staying with Xtra Mile in the UK, l signed with Epitaph for the world. Fuck yes!!”

The benefits from this deal are already showing as Frank will be heading on the road with veterans and legends The Offspring in July. Plans are under way to release his third studio album, ‘Poetry of the Deed‘, in September. Do yourself a favour and get out to one of his live shows and buy his music. Frank Turner deserves your attention.

MP3:

Frank Turner – Thatcher Fucked The Kids