As the tributes for Amy Winehouse continue to pour in from all angles M.I.A. is (to my knowledge) the first “major” artist to post a track on the matter.
‘27‘ is said to be an unfinished demo from a relatively recent recording session and features the stinging lyrics “All rock stars go to heaven/ You said you’ll be dead at 27“.
I think this is a good time to repost Billy Bragg‘s tweet from last night which was one of the most powerful things I read over this sad weekend:
RT BillyBragg: It’s not age that Hendrix, Jones, Joplin, Morrison, Cobain & Amy have in common – it’s drug abuse, sadly #27club
It sometimes happens that you come to be affectionate a band for no evident reason; they may not have the guitar skills of Jimmy Page, the vocal capacity of Otis Redding or the charisma of James Brown… and they probably won’t be remembered twenty years from now, but you will always appreciate those moments spent in the company of their music.
For me, The Dø is one of those bands. This franco-finnish couple/ duo Olivia Merilahti and Dan Levy has never stopped amazing me since I first discovered them in 2008 with their track ‘On My Shoulders‘.
Seeing them live a few years back at King’s College Student Union was probably one of the biggest musical surprises of my life. Some skeptics may find that they too similar to other folk act in their record collection but I have rarely seen such a magistral performance from a band and was literally blown away by Merilahti‘s charisma.
Their first album ‘A Mouthful‘ has proven to be quite a success in their home countries, France and Finland, but never really managed to conquer the English speaking world. Shame.
New album ‘Both Ways Open Jaws‘ carries on from the same spot, and once again shows the couple’s kaleidoscope of sounds, atmospheres and vocals. From catchy pop ballads such as ’Too Insistent‘ and ‘ Was It A Dream‘ that would make any Lily Allens of this world jealous, to a M.I.A like haunting vibe on ‘Slippery Slope‘, or more electronic sounds on intro ‘B.W.O.J‘, the Dø have this incredible knack for eclecticism, partly made possible through Olivia‘s astonishing vocal capabilities.
Tune after tune this album is a little beauty full of sincerity, lyricism and a sample of what is best in current scandinavian music.
Some good people we know just launched a little blog called Dear Albion. It is mostly about pop music and is meant to be serious but doesn’t take itself too seriously… Bookmark them as ones to watch, I’m sure they are about to unearth some gems.
to feature an array of amazing releases and artists (past, present, old and new) with the goal of promoting them to anyone interested and anyone who stumbles across this site.
If you like any of the tracks, please go buy the albums and help finance the artists producing this great music.
If there are any issues with the tracks featured do not hesitate to contact: "team (AT) Cougar Microbes (DOT) com and we will happily oblige.
As the tributes for Amy Winehouse continue to pour in from all angles M.I.A. is (to my knowledge) the first “major” artist to post a track on the matter.
