There were a lot of synthpop masterpieces to choose from (like the obvious Vienna or maybe Reap the Wild Wind), but I finally settled on Lament, the title track  from their 1984 album, which spawned the aforementioned hit. Lament is basically just what the title promises — it’s a sad, deep and thoughtful ballad, but this is that good sadness, that you never get enough of. The memorable chorus synth hook can drift one’s thoughts in all sorts of directions (even after listening to the song on repeat for one entire week in 2006). Give it a listen, see if there are any ‘wounds’ in your life, which you don’t want healed.

Just to LAMENT again

Watching TV the other day and I saw this video for Alexandra Burke’s Bad Boys and I have to say that the plot as well as the coregraphy got my sick mind thinking about what could it all mean. You don’t have to watch too closely to realize that this video seems like a 4 minutes metaphor for a gang bang. The girl’s car breaks down in a shady neighbourhood at night and then she is slowly followed and surrounded by an army of thug looking fellows, who keep checking out her bod. They end up in a pool joint, where the guys make their move and she ends up dancing with all of them, while Flo Rida sits alone and sad outside contemplating “She so so addicted to them rougher fellas” or “get them more the merrier” and concluding “You’ll have them shawty don’t worry”. It all ends outside, where the bad boys circle the girl and one final face-off follows, leaving them big guys down on the ground. This is one faulty cautionary tale for girls walking alone at night…

WHAT D’YA THINK ?

And just so you wouldn’t think that I’m raging against The X Factor, because it’s the seasonal thing to do, I’ll focus my sick mind on a classic hit, a video which I actually saw the same day: Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl. The lyrics talk about, obviously, an uptown girl who is “getting tired of her high class toys” and I guess that because “she never had a back street guy”, she decides to look “for a downtown man”. In the video, the girl just so happens to have her chauffeur stop at a garage, where Billy and his gang of Merry Mechanics giver her the full treatment. As soon as she gets down from her car, the dancing starts. Two bikers and two breakdancers with weird tops join in and soon our uptown girl is dancing with 8 guys at once. Her chauffeur doesn’t interfere, which is very Once Upon a Time in America of him. This is a cautionary tale for all of you uptown boys, this is what happens when your girl gets tired of “living in her white bread world”.

Up WHAT Girl ?!

11. Morrissey – It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore

His recent albums are pretty far from the fresh outta The Smiths stuff. I’m talking about the music, because the lyrics have always been briliant – the guy just can’t be topped when it comes to editing ideas into the most simple and yet poetic words. It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore it’s one of the most powerful songs he wrote in years, talking about how politeness and hypocrisy have nothing to do with one’s expression of love: “All the gifts that they gave can’t compare in any way to the love I am now giving to you right here right now on the floor”. LISTEN

10. U2 – Moment of Surrender

Probably the only point where my little top here coincides with that of major music magazines, U2′s Moment of Surrender is by far the highlight of their latest album, No Line on the Horizon. Clocking in at almost seven minutes and a half, this ode to giving up, with plenty of gospel vibes, will make you crave to surrender in any possible way, just so that the song will fit your situation. Bono is not just singing on this, his playing a character. Top form. LISTEN

9. Depeche Mode – Jezebel

Martin Gore always keeps for his own (vocal) self the weirdest tracks on Depeche Mode albums, but then again, in Depeche world, ‘weird’ means unlike anything. It’s quite a cinematic piece of music, a portrait of a lady judged for her unconventional perspective of love: “Open their eyes to the beauty, Open their hearts to the fun, Open their minds to the idea that you don’t own someone”. If it wasn’t for the lyrics or Gore’s innocent voice, you might mistake Jezebel for a Sade piece, but that’s not a bad thing. Is it? LISTEN

8. Editors – The Big Exit

And speaking of Depeche Mode, this track by Editors sounds as if they were really inspired this one time, needed their guitars, but all they were given was an old synthesizer of Martin Gore’s. It might sound demeaning, but, believe me, it’s a compliment, because The Big Exit confirms the alternative band’s choice of a more electro sound as an inspired one. On an echoing big bass, Tom Smith sings about some kind of relationship, but he sounds more threatening than romantic — most likely, that’s the intention. LISTEN

7. The Prodigy – Stand Up

It’s a Prodigy tradition to do on each album stuff they haven’t done before. With Invaders Must Die‘s closer, Stand Up, Liam Howlett achieved what is probably The Prodigy’s only uplifting (‘non-menacing’) sounding beat. This is, in part, due to the Manfred Mann Chapter Three sample from One Way Glass. Of course, Howlett couldn’t have a full-on shinny happy tune in the band’s history, so he ‘patched’ the beat with plenty of dirty synths and insanely loud bass, so that your speakers would still fear it, just like the rest of The Prodigy’s discography. LISTEN

6. Manic Street Preachers – Marlon J.D.

It’s been more than half of year since this came out and I still can’t really explain what draws me so  mercilessly to Marlon J.D., why this punkish track with unintelligible riffs and drum machines is as moving as… Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, for example. The Manics are known for their memorable riffs, but with this one, the guitars sound as if they are voices which try everything that would sound good on the given rhythm. The vocals themselves make you believe that reality is a musical where the deepest pain can be expressed, in tune with the bassline. LISTEN

5. The Killers – A White Demon Love Song

You may or may not be a fan of the movie, but New Moon is one interesting compilation for your indie tastes of late 2000′s. The Killers wrote A White Demon Love Song for the movie, so you woun’t find it on any of their albums (so far). It sounds as if they had a lot of fun with this one, because, despite being about a demon, it has that country-growing-up-near-Mexico thing that Brandon Flowers and co. seem to sport as often as possible. Yet, it’s not a parody, but an ethereal ballad, which uses all means to conjure an unique love anthem. LISTEN 

4. Placebo – Speak in Tongues

Brian Molko stated on several occasions that this is his main pick from Battle for the Sun and, for what it’s worth, his opinion could be considered valid. The song has a slightly irregular structure, meaning that from a verse-chorus-verse-chorus thing it turns into this building epic. Lyrically, we hear the same strange metamorphosis from abstract lines like ”Kitty came home without a name” to the eco-slogan-sounding “We can build a new tomorrow today”. Some extra points for the choral part in the middle and the use of the word ‘blasé’… LISTEN

3. Tori Amos – Fire to Your Plain

Though not a perfect album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin adds some valuables to Tori Amos’ 20 years career, like this slick bluesy little thing about a love triangle (?): “I am low, Watching you,Watching her play this game”. We encounter the kind of subtly orchestrated chorus we heard on Girl, for example, from Tori’s first album, though in a different tone. This is also one of those special cases where Her vocals are just as sarcastic as the lyrics. It’s not a single, but it has been graced with a cool video. LISTEN & WATCH

2. Alice in Chains – Black Gives Way to Blue

Grunge idols made a significant return this year, with a new singer replacing the demised Layne Staley and, of course, they couldn’t make an album without carving their love for the ex-bandmate in the shape of a three minute ballad, that will have you contemplating whoever is missing from your life. With Elton John on the piano, this deploring of life resignation (“I Dont wanna feel no more, It’s easier to keep falling”) might be the best rock tearjerker of the year. It will slow you down and force a moment of reevaluation. LISTEN

1. Little Boots – No Brakes

It’s all about looking towards the future and this year’s crop of new artists is one for the books. As far as Little Boots is concerned, 2009 was practically just her debut, so 2010 can’t come fast enough. In the same manner of 80′s retro pop, but with a hot twist, which made New in Town a hit, No Brakes is one perfect pop song, with plenty of feel, as well as well-crafted metaphorical lyrics. Synth bass and bells, catchy hooks, this is the kind of music suited for everyone and everywhere (ok, that’s a bit too much, but you get the idea). LISTEN    

Disintegration,

              Of course, the new edition will come with additional gifts, meaning the new Deluxe Disintegration will be a 3 cd affair, even though, truth be told, the bonus material is really just for avid collectors. It includes a cd of rarities from the 88-89 period (intrumental demos, home demos, rough mixes, etc.) and a second cd of a remixed live performance at the Wembley Arena from 1989. Also, 2010 promises more remastered goodies from The Cure, including a Mixed Up 2 album. There is also a hint of a DVD with their In Orange gig, which was released as a VHS by PolyGram in 1988 and begins with a dramatic unveiling of Robert Smith’s trimmed haircut at the time. Classic.

Le Lac VIDEO and also try La Lettre de Metal and maybe also Republika

Say Anything… TRAILER

The 80′s The 90′s The 00′s

THE BREAKFAST CLUB TRAILER PRETTY IN PINK TRAILER HOME ALONE TRAILER

The soundtrack to Ridley Scott’s SF classic Blade Runner contains both of these types of songs and a lot in between. First of all, I will make it clear: this review is about the first official release from 1994, the one we all grew up with, even though the 2007 anniversary edition does contain some interesting new material, both from the movie and inspired by it (Vadavarot sounds quite intriguing). It is one of the most influential instrumental albums, actually creating the concept of Blade Runner sound, meaning dark and futuristic and very synthy. Liam Howlett quoted Blade Runner as an inspiration for the track Omen Reprise, Massive Attack did a reworking of the score with the help of the Heritage Orchestra, but this material is not available. Unfortunately. Linkin Park are talking about a Blade Runner influenced future album, as well as Editors and their upcoming In This Light and On This Evening.

The thing is you just can’t have the movie Blade Runner without all the sounds provided by Vangelis. He should have been credited for doing sound effects, too, not just the music. A track like Main Titles (though it doesn’t feature on the movie’s opening titles) offers so much more than just the massive oberheims and synth orchestra which create that image of something grand and yet very creepy. The constant layer of chimes and bells and engine effects give an ineffable contour to the dark world of Rick Deckard. Just as the loneliness of these strange characters is so beautifully infused by Love Theme (featuring sax by Dick Morrissey) or the Blade Runner Blues. In the same territory we find Memories of Green, which is the very definition of a haunting piece of music. Originally from a previous Vangelis album, See You Later (definitely try the epic Suffocation from this one), Memories of Green, besides being able to take the listener to every possible mood with simple piano keys, also features various sound effects that fit the movie like a glove. It’s one of those weird cases of musical premonition.

Vangelis also makes great use of some vocal samples from the film, lines that will bring a corner smile to every fan of the soundtrack when they are watching the movie. Blush Response and Wait for Me, both remarkable for their groundbreaking beats at the time, begin with conversations between Sean Young and Harrison Ford, while Tears in Rain contains what is probably Rutger Heuer’s best movie moment ever. Speaking of voices, you also get a little bit of Demis Roussos in there (Tales of the Future), Vangelis’ former bandmate from Aphrodite’s Child. This track and Damask Rose help enhance the multiculturalism feel of the dystopian 2019 Los Angeles.

But, there is no point in fooling ourselves, when it comes to voices on the Blade Runner soundtrack, Mary Hopkin’s melisma on Rachel’s Song is by far the best moment. It’s also one of Vangelis’ best two tracks. Constructed on some dripping sound, this song is one of those things that just can’t be put in a box. At least, not in an already existing one. It’s a world of its own. If someone would be crazy enough to claim that there is such a thing as the best song ever, Rachel’s Song would be a strong contender. Why it never made it on the film remains a mystery, but, in a way, it just adds more to the myth. And I’ll conclude, of course, with End Titles, the most influential track from the album, endlessly remixed by trance and house projects around the world, a song that has the sadness of Barber’s Adagio for Strings with the energy of The Prodigy. It’s also a good way of getting acquainted with the master. If you don’t already know Him…