David Rodigan is so freaking adorable I can barely handle it.
On Monday night, Red Bull Music Academy held an event at Shoreditch House in East London which featured a lecture with legendary reggae / dancehall DJ David Rodigan, followed by sets with Kool Clap, The Drop and one by the aforementioned legend himself.
So I’m back in my favorite city in the world, lovely London (sorry New York, I do love you and you are incredible, but I’m afraid London wins in my book) and what better way to start this week’s post than with two tracks from UK based Jamie Woon, a singer/songwriter whom I’m definitely digging. First up is “Night Air”, off last year’s EP (co-produced with Burial) and “Lady Luck” is the first single off his upcoming debut album Mirrorwriting; listen to both here. Also check out this video of Woon singing in a canoe in Cambodia; no bells, whistles or fancy camera work, just a simple video of Woon sitting in a canoe. In Cambodia. Singing. Awesome.
We’re New Here the (insanely awesome) Jamie xx remix album of Gil Scott Heron’s I’m New Here doesn’t come out until the 21st, but the folks over at The Guardian have provided us with a full album stream this week! *Happy panda paws in the air!* I. Love. This. Album. So much.
The visual for Cee-Lo Green’s “Bodies” is not merely a music video but “an animated short motion picture,” which is kind of pretentious but as it’s Cee-Lo (and I love him) he gets a pass. The “animated short motion picture” was directed by Mikael Colombu and features appearances by Kerry Washington, Janelle Monae and Karl Lagerfeld. Bam. It’s an… interesting piece for sure, though the song isn’t my favorite off the album. Check it out below.
Lady Gaga released her song “Born This Way” today and HOMEGIRL TOTES STOLE MY LINE: “…put your paws up.” I’ve been saying paws instead of hands for ages now (because “paws” is such an adorable word)! Feeling kind of “eh” about the song but I reckon it’ll grow on me; reminds me of something I would have loved when I was 16 – you know, the kind of song you blast in the car with your friends when you first get your license and you drive around listening to music as loud as you want just for the sake of driving around and listening to music? Good times…
There’s a ludicrous amount of snow here in the NYSheezy, so what better way to warm up from playing and making snowmen than to jump into this week’s magical music update?
There’s something quite wonderful about pure pop songs; tunes that force one to throw whatever musical pretentiousness one might have to the wind and just enjoy an upbeat song for what it is and nothing more. As someone who has a tendency to be over analytical and at times get far too into my own pandahead, pop songs are like a breath of fresh air. I have such respect for those who have the ability to create things that make people smile, to uplift moods. It’s far easier to get tears out of someone than it is to make them laugh. With that in mind, check out the latest from The Go! Team featuring Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino “Buy Nothing Day” and Peter Bjorn & John’s “Second Chance;” two infectious tracks that you can’t help but getting up and rocking out to (just a little bit).
Some awesome sauce happenings in the music world this week; one of those wonderful weeks where there was so much great stuff, it was hard to narrow down which ones to post. So, let’s get to it, eh?
I love, love, love She & Him (confession: I also have a total girl crush on Zooey Deschanel and kind of… sort of… okay totally want to be her BFF (clarification: NOT in a creepy Single White Female sort of way though). She’s absolutely gorgeous, makes awesome films (500 Days of Summer; Elf (don’t lie, you know you loved it); The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy) awesome retro-inspired music, wears the cutest clothes and just comes across as one of those people who’s just… cool, you know?). Anyway, so as I was saying, err, writing rather – I love She & Him. Miss Deschanel and M. Ward do some fine work indeed; there was a time in my life – what seems like many moons ago now – where I swear they wrote a particular song just for me. It literally depicted exactly how I felt at the time and ever since then I have completely loved these two. Check out their adorable, “retro-futuristic” video for the song “Don’t Look Back” directed by Jeremy Konner.
And how is everyone doing on this fine Friday? Doubtless even better now that you’re reading this gloriousness, no?
So the first single off Watch The Throne, the collaboration album between Jay-Z and Kanye West, “H.A.M.”, was released this week and it’s such a let down. The beat, produced by 19 year old Lex Luger, (I know, ridic.) is gorgeous but Kanye’s first verse doesn’t flow with it at all, Jay’s was good but nothing spectacular… I don’t know, I guess considering the immense talent these boys possess, I expected something better. Paws crossed the rest of Watch The Throne is far better. Check it out for yourself below.
As I mentioned briefly in my magical music post, I’m one week into my three-week stay in good ol’ London and finding myself falling even more in love with this city. I’m lucky enough to get over here several times a year but generally when I’m over I feel rushed to squeeze everything in – seeing friends, having quality time with the boy, smashing in my favorite foods (oh Amigos, you make the best chicken and bacon sandwich in the world) and bars, making runs to Boots and Topshop, being dragged to Forbidden Planet and whatnot. So it’s been completely wonderful to just relax and enjoy the city, putter about and explore.
I dipped into a number of galleries this week but the following are my favorites.
As ChinaShop’s assistant editor, 2010 has been quite an exciting year for me. I’ve had the privilege of seeing nearly every post that has come through our back end and onto your screen, each day discovering something new and exciting that I’d not known existed. The following are 5 post that blew me away and knocked my socks off in 2010.
The fire’s a blazing here at Boyd Manor and my whisky is a waiting, so let’s get right into this week’s magical music, shall we?
Iron & Wine are giving away “Tree By The River,” a track off their upcoming album Kiss Each Other Clean which you can grab here. It’s your standard Iron & Wine tune, by which I mean it’s completely gorgeous and I’m totally in love with it. Kiss Each Other Clean is out January 25th; really looking forward to checking out the rest of this sure-to-be gem.