19 May
Add Scarlett Johansson to the list of actors/actresses that wanna be rock stars! Tomorrow (Tuesday May 20) her CD entitled “Anywhere I Lay My Head” drops. Mostly Tom Waits covers, it’s not terrible. Check out the MySpace page for clips and such, including “I imagined a sound that was very Deborah Harry; very Liz Fraser from the Cocteau Twins, very This Mortal Coil” and “the album should sound like ‘Tinkerbell on cough syrup’ “.
15 May
It’s no secret that Apple has great taste in music. Over the (4) years I’ve been making my indie rock compilations, Apple commercials have been the source of a number of discoveries. The Caesars’ “Jerk It Out”, Wolfmother’s “Love Train”, and Rhinocerose’s “Cubicle” all found their way onto compilations (numbers 3, 6, and 6, respectively, all here on the site, below….way below) after I heard them first on iPod commercials. More recently Yael Naim’s “New Soul” and MJB’s “Work That” got onto SXM 2008 the same way. Occasionally, I’ve been a bit ahead of Apple. Jet, The Vines, and Feist were on compilations before (maybe just days before) I ever heard them on a commercial.
The latest iPod commercial features The Ting Tings, which are featured on volume 11 with “Great DJ”, but Apple snagged the better song, “Shut Up And Let Me Go”
Katie White and Jules De Martino, who make up The Ting Tings, seem likely candidates for major US rotation when their CD breaks May 20th (MTV is currently streaming it free at The Leak, HERE). Is it rock, is it pop, is it dance? Who cares; just enjoy!
Some other faves from previous Apple ads:
Daft Punk – Technologic
Brendan Benson – What I’m Looking For
Propellerheads – Take California
13 May
Whenever I’m at a loss for subjects to blog about, Sidekick (in the Boston Globe) seems to come along with content. Today’s Sidekick mostly just validates some of my recent choices.
First up, Duffy….
Her “Mercy” was featured on volume 11 (post #51, HERE) and “I’m Scared” is on SXM 2008 (post #53, HERE). I’ve seen her Rockferry CD for $7.99 at Best Buy, which is a steal, as all her stuff is very listenable. Joan Anderman’s review, like most, references Lulu and Dusty Springfield, as well as Amy Winehouse. I agree, and I like that it’s reminiscent of the sixties without being too reverential. Sample tracks at her MySpace page, including the one Joan dubs essential, “Warwick Avenue”
Next up, Estelle:
I had included her “American Boy” (featuring Kanye West) on SXM2008 (again, post #53, HERE), and I wish I had access to more tracks at the time. Not much on her MySpace page, but check the Shine CD on Amazon HERE for listening samples. While Sarah Rodman exclaims “Move over, Duffy” in her review, there’s nothing retro here, just nice modern R&B-tinged pop. Her choices of duet partners – Kanye, Wyclef Jean, John Legend and Cee-Lo Green(of Gnarls Barkley) – is spot on, as they say in her native London.
Kate Nash, while not in today’s Globe, just got another profile on NPR.
I think I burned my wife out on Kate Nash, playing her non-stop (including some really raw demos) from November to February, but I still love her stuff; I just wish there was more of it. And a little djeddieo.com trivia: barely a day goes by that “Kate Nash” is not the most common search item leading traffic to this site. Even today (before this post appeared), of the 13 views that were the result of searches, 6 searched Kate or her CD, Made of Bricks. She’s down in posts #19, #14, and #11….just scroll down; maybe you’ll see something else you missed before!
And one more artist that was in Sidekick, Brooklyn’s Santogold:
While I can’t make any claims to having been aware of her before today’s Globe arrived, I wish I could. I would have put “Your Voice” on SXM 2008, and it’s a free download HERE. Not much on her MySpace page, but I like the free track, which was in Sidekick’s “Free Loading” column, and is straight-up, rub-a-dub stylee, breezy reggae. Again, let me direct you to Amazon.com, where you can preview tracks and/or buy the whole mp3 album – which covers a lot of ground: peppy, trippy, indie….you name it – for $7.99
djeddieo.com 