by Mr Moth
This month we have fun discussing hookahs, hookers, wedding singers and cake-consumption conundrums.
Mostly Pop – July 2012
Category Archives: Music
Mostly Pop – June 2012
by Mr Moth
DJ Fresh & Dizzee Rascal – The Power
I’m fond of Dizzee Rascal (Bonkers was number one when my daughter was born, plus he’s dressed as a shark in the video), and I can’t say I’m not partial to a bit of DJ Fresh – Gold Dust was one of the best, most summery pieces of pop* in the last few years and even the omnipresent Louder didn’t grate after so many repeats. So this should be the hit of the summer, right? Well, yes and no.
Mostly Records, June 2012
By Jim Eaton-Terry
After a few months of listening mostly to old hacks returning to form, I’m deeply tempted to devote this whole entry to Kitty Pryde, who takes the recent trend of soft-focus hip-hop somewhere really new and rather wonderful, but as everything she’s recorded is available free here why not head over, listen to it all, then pop back?
Rock of Ages
By Viv Wilby
Maybe it would have been different if the band hadn’t been called Arsenal. It’s so jarring to British ears to hear things like, ‘Hey man, I saw Arsenal play in 79.’ Thoughts immediately jump to Alan Smith rather than Aerosmith, to van Persie rather than Van Halen.
Arsenal, in case it’s not clear, is the fictional band in Rock of Ages, the jukebox musical that has made the lightning leap from the LA fringe, to off-Broadway, to on-Broadway, to the West End, to the big screen. Continue reading Rock of Ages
Mostly Noise
Or, An Inquiry Into The Nature Of Divinity, Based On An Understanding Of Hip-Hop Lyrics From 2012, by KasperHauser
It’s been a big year for hip-hop. Recent events like the death of Adam Yauch and resurrection of Tupac are enough to make one ponder one’s own mortality and place in the universe. Given that the average Soulja Boy or Odd Future fan is unlikely to be watching Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins debates on YouTube, what messages are they receiving from their idols?
This Was One Of My Records Of The Week
By Ricky Young
Europe’s Best Website plunges into the world of telly only rarely, (as goodness knows every single show that goes out over the ether gets recapped up the wazoo these days, for good or bad) but for this correspondent, the very best thing on the box in the last twelve months has been the weekly 35-years-ago Top of the Pops repeats on BBC4. Pre-’76, the archive was swiss-cheese at best, with dozens and dozens of shows lost to the ages, but when we joined what looks like a considerable on-going project , the gaps were narrowing down to insignificance.
The ‘Pops gets a hard time from the Nostalgia Police, thanks to the gruesome later incarnations and Steve Wright’s voiceovers on the generally-emetic TOTP2. But there was a time when it was always there, always grinding out the chart on a Thursday and heralding the weekend in the best fashion possible. Back when its broadcast rules (highest climber, highest new entry, number one, non-movers only after four weeks, no fallers unless they rose again and beat the previous position etc) emanated from the old-school Light Entertainment honcho who had no agenda other than reflecting the pop singles of the day. Unfettered pop!
Mostly Pop – April 2012
by Mr Moth
Keane – Silenced by the Night.
Apparently, Keane have been releasing records fairly regularly since they stunk up the airwaves back in 2004 with Somewhere Only We Know. Amazing. A band who have risen without trace, they’ve had three number one albums. Seriously, what? Anyway, in a country where Adele’s 21 outsells Michael Jackson’s Bad, this will probably be another number one album. Which is a shame.
For one thing, I think – I think – we’ve already heard the Killers’ second album, which is what this song could be taken from. Not the video, though, because it’s, er. Actually, no, replace dish-faced Tom Chaplin with a scraggy-bearded Brandon Flowers and it is a video from the Killers’ second album. Which would be fine if the Killer’s second album was worth copying, which it clearly isn’t. Also, also, also, this video has my LEAST FAVOURITE video cliché, when the protagonists turn up where the band were, but – ooo-eee-ooo-eee – they’re not there! Just their instruments! Oh wow, spooky doo!
Anyway. I look forward to Keane turning up in a couple of years with big feathery shoulder pads.
Mostly Records – April 2012
by Jim Eaton-Terry
One of the few certainties with Mostly Records is that, whatever date we schedule it, something absolutely fascinating will be released either the day before or the day after. That’s my excuse for not having more than a cursory “sounds great, more next time” about Jack White’s solo debut. He’s the single best rock star working today, though, and if you’ve not heard Sixteen Saltines, it could be the single of the year:
First, though, because this is somehow the first MR of the year, I wanted to rattle through some of the records I’ve missed in the first quarter of the year.
Making music
by MrMoth
I saw a woman on the train with an iPod cover imitating a cassette. This is, I think, poor form. Like the chief of some ancient tribe wearing the head of a defeated tribe’s chief as a hat, it seems unnecessarily boastful of one’s victory. The mp3 player is, of course, smaller, more convenient, with better sound quality than the traditional Walkman. The boxy, (literally) clunky beast was limited to one album at a time, too, and if you wanted variety you needed to carry round a small satchel full of tapes. Or listen to a mixtape.
35 Nation Army
by theTramp
Earlier this month, Moth and Anise took a look at the latest pop releases, including Marcus Collins’ version of The White Stripes Seven Nation Army. Moth described it thusly: “Collins’s version is a thin streak of reggae-scented piss compared to the majestic White Stripes original”. Harsh words that got me a-thinkin’; I wonder who else has covered it?
Fired by curiosity and a love of cover versions I have listened my way through more than 20 covers of this song to provide you with five versions that I think are the most interesting and worth your time. If you have your own personal favourite that isn’t on this list please let us know what it is in the comments, or tweet your favourite @MostlyFilm.
MostlyFilm 