Niki N. Phaser » british

Let’s Celebrate Marina’s 5th Single With ‘Shampain’

Niki N. Phaser — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:58:15 +0000

Marina & The Diamonds is about to release the fifth single from her debut album, Family Jewels. The track is called Shampain and it’s no wonder that it was selected for this particular honor, which places it near jewels like Hollywood or I Am Not a Robot. It was officially released on October 11.

It is the kind of retro-pop that sounds both fresh and like something you’ve been hearing since you were a kid, but never quite bought for your own collection. And by bought I mean… Marina’s debut album did not go unnoticed, but it should have been the revelation of 2010, considering the fine balance she reached between indie and catchy pop. However, it seems 2011 will bring the follow-up and there are plenty of bands who blossomed on their sophmore effort.

Feel Celestial HERE

Hot Chip Release New Album “One Life Stand”

Niki N. Phaser — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:04:58 +0000

Your favourite British pop-nerds, Hot Chip, are releasing their fourth studio effort, One Life Stand. Even before we hear the album, we have to give them a thumbs up for finding such a tongue-in-cheek title. It’s coming out this week and by judging the already released material, Chip fans have nothing to worry about. The oddball electro outfit, who are celebrating a decade of existence, have plenty of pop hooks and over-plugged beats in store for us. Ready for the Floor‘s title as the most recognizable Chip track might be in danger.

First official single, the title track, is a valid proof of this. It does sound like the little brother of a Depeche Mode track and Alexis Taylor like a Dave Gahan who hasn’t yet grown into his reverb, but One Life Stand has the merit of combining mystery with fun. It doesn’t happen too often. Still, I must declare that my first contact with this song was through the video, so maybe that’s why I’m seeing more green than black.

ONE CLICK STAND

Ladytron – International Dateline : L.S.G.I.T.W.

Niki N. Phaser — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:05:18 +0000

Ladytron are one of those bands that seem to engage in a world of their own, that have such a well-defined sound that it’s impossible for their music to ever be outdated. Sure, we can call them synthpop or new wave or synth punk or whatever, but we all (those familiar with the band) know that labeling them is nothing but a convention. Any of Ladytron’s albums could testify for that, but I have to admit that Witching Hour has something slightly more mythical to it, maybe because you can find the band’s best stuff on it. Destroy Everything You Touch is, of course, the first to come to mind, but you can’t leave out Beauty *2 or the eerie good mood of White Light Generator.

International Dateline has an unique sense of immediacy, while being as melancholic as lovers saying goodbye in the wintertime. The punkish beat will make you expect someone singing “Here comes Johnny, he’s gonna do another striptease”, but that’s just one of Ladytron’s area of expertise: raw energy administrated through delicate means. This track will make you think of endings, but endings you don’t want to end. Facing the silence at the end of these four minutes is always desolating.

LET’S END IT HERE

Sugababes Line-up Updated Again

Niki N. Phaser — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:01:33 +0000

After a few days ago it was reported that Amelle Berrabah left the British pop force, Sugababes, it is now officially confirmed that it’s actually the last original member, Keisha Buchanan, that is no longer a sugababe. The departure was obviously not as peaceful as these events are advertised to be in Pop La-La Land. Buchanan herself confessed on her twitter page that “Although it was not my choice to leave, it’s time to enter a new chapter in my life”. This is not the end of Sugababes (should it be?), as a new member was already being groomed in the person of Jade Ewen, singer, actress and Eurovision contestant. The new Sugababes album, Sweet 7 will come out on November 23rd, probably re-recorded with Ewen, even though the last single to feature Keisha Buchanan, Get Sexy, reached the second spot in the UK and represented a strong comeback for the band. Maybe the music woun’t be affected, considering that the girls weren’t always holding writing credits, but it’s always sad when a band becomes an institution where people come and go.

“I Really Love Breaking Your Heart”

Niki N. Phaser — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:49:57 +0000

After a batch of non-album singles, British electro-rock experimental duo, The Big Pink, are finally about to release a proper album. It’s entitled A Brief History of Love and will hit the (i)stores September 14. The album is consisting of some of the previously heard songs, like Velvet, Too Young To Love or Count Backwards from Ten, but also plenty of new material. And if you are still unsure about this new band, you should get in touch with their first official single from the album, one little wonder of a song by the name of Dominos. It makes the future of The Big Pink seem very interesting, as this song, which contains synths that sound like a maternal hum on a beat that sounds like a paternal call to battle, shows plenty of freshness. The video, directed by photographer/director Tim Saccenti completes the Dominos phenomenon quite well.

Dominos VIDEO

Bat For Lashes new single “Sleep Alone”

Niki N. Phaser — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:18:10 +0000

Bat for Lashes, or Natasha Khan if you prefer her non-stage name, has a new single for us. It’s called Sleep Alone and it will be released on September 7, though the video has already had its premiere. The 80′s feel of her previous videos, Daniel and Pearl’s Dream (from the successful album Two Suns), is ever so present in this new offering. Still, she’s not 80′s the way La Roux is 80′s, but more in the Kate Bush-influenced sense of the word. There is colour and weird narratives, but no disco here. Sleep Alone sounds more like a traditional tune, recorded professionally and Khan’s vocals really contributes to this.

These few retro elements in the music of Bat for Lashes seem more like sincere accidents, that is to say, genuine influence and not an attempt to cash in on a general trend in indie music. She seems very unaware of what is happening in popular music and in that lies a lot of her charm. Artists who have a world of their own are always cooler than those who rule the world.

If you got curious by now and are or have the chance to go to the States, you should know that Bat for Lashes is currently touring there and will be for the rest of August.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR Sleep Alone

Robbie Williams – The 80′s : The Autobiographical

Niki N. Phaser — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:43:56 +0000

Robbie Williams’ 2006 album, Rudebox, was the very definition of mixed reviews, as the pop idol went a bit too electro for what people expected of him. Once you overpass the controversy and the unlikely first single Rudebox, you find a nice collection of tracks sporting mixed styles, but all of them sounding quite catchy. The perfect example is this non-single, pop-hop tune, The 80′s. You should know from the start that if you have a problem with Robbie Williams’ rapping, you can still enjoy the great music and the hook of the chorus, one of those cases of upbeat nostalgia. It doesn’t happen too often. But The 80′s is also one of those cases when you can’t really choose which is your favourite, the music or the lyrics. Nostalgic and very funny, the lyrics make the song unfold like a movie in the listener’s mind, one of those coming of age drama-comedies. There is talk about football, family, Falklands and a lot about sex: “And it was but I couldn’t care less, I’d seen a girl’s part, made a mess on her dress, oh yes! You’re now rocking with the best, second person in my year that had seen a breast”. And in pure retro-fashion, you get a bunch of pop-culture references to the mentioned decade, stuff like The Beastie Boys, Wham, LL Cool J, Berlin (Take My Breath Away), Snap (Rhythm Is A Dancer). The song wasn’t released as a single, but there was a video contest, where directors all over the world could submit their video for this song.

SEE THE WINNER HERE

The Prodigy – Diesel Power : It Really Does Blow Ya Mind

Niki N. Phaser — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:15:53 +0000

We all know (or do we?) the story of The Prodigy’s The Fat of the Land album and how, because of it, the rave elders of the tribe ruled the world for about two years, before taking a long break. The three singles released from this album, Breathe, Firestarter and Smack My Bitch Up have all made history: the videos included in almost every countdown of controversial mv’s, the tracks covered and remixed by legions of dj’s, they haven’t missed from any live set of the band ever since. But an album does not achieve such success and notoriety on singles alone. Amongst non-single masterpieces like Funky Shit, Mindfields or Climbatize, we also encounter the first official collaboration between Liam Howlett and rapper Kool Keith of Ultramagnetic MCs fame. The hip-hop crew is one of Howlett’s favourite to sample, but this is the first time Kool was actually invited to do the vocals and the lyrics. Before being included on the album, the track used to be played live, known as Blow Ya Mind with Maxim doing some freestylin’ over the beat. The Kool version retained the chorus “Blows your mind drastically, fantastically” and most importantly, the sick d’n'b line, punctuated by a base hit that will test ya speakers and blow ya mind, all in one. It’s interesting that despite hip-hop being one of Howlett’s primal preferences, this is about the only Prodigy tune that would qualify in this genre. It is one of their most powerful tracks, displaying once again Howlett’s ability and pleasure of creating beats that no matter at what volume you play them, they still sound too loud for the neighbours.

LIVE PERFORMANCE OF Blow Ya Mind IN 1996

News On The Muse Front

Niki N. Phaser — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:45:13 +0000

Muse have fed some more news to their army of fans, all excited about the new album, The Resistance, coming out this fall. Through their official website they’ve announced that the first single from the new record, will be Uprising, the first track of the album. Another exciting piece of news is that they are confirmed to play at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, which will take place on the 13th of September in New York City. Muse have a memorable “prior” related to MTV awards: their legendary performace of Starlight at the 2006 EMA’s. And that’s not all. Muse too have embraced the one free song trend, but in their own original way. A global treasure hunt for six USB sticks, located in Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Moscow, Dubai and Hong Kong, will unlock parts of the new song, United States of Eurasia. When all six sticks are found and the puzzles they contain solved, the song will be available in its entirety. Great promo strategy.

Lily Allen Goes Pottymouth For New Single

Niki N. Phaser — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:11:52 +0000

Lily Allen has officially released her third single from It’s Not Me, It’s You on July 13. The track is called… Fuck You, even though it has gone through many name changes before finally getting this one. The lyrics, despite the title are very positive, as they are an attack on racism and homophobia and war and the theory that it’s about George W. Bush could be backed up by the lines “You want to be like your father, It’s approval your after, Well that’s not how you find it”. Still, the lyrics can’t save this song that is ruled by some very outdated irony: the chorus “Fuck you very much” and the piano-driven music that sounds like some Broadway musical (Annie, maybe?). It’s not really that funny anymore. Would have worked as some lame viral, but that’s about it. The video, which looks like Smack My Bitch Up in the daytime, seems to be some sort of commercial for Adobe After Effects. On the other hand, the British singer-songwriter has readied the video for 22, which will be her August single. This one is far better than Fuck You, as it shows some serious maturity. It’s a song about the ageing of beautiful girls, who will wake up one morning and find that they are not the latest version anymore. The video is also a keeper, simple and yet effective, with some decent acting from Allen. This one deserves to be in the charts.

LILY ALLEN – Fuck You VIDEO