I was going to concentrate on new (to me) acts this week, and I will do that soon but I have been utterly distracted on my walk to work this morning by glorious new music from some old favourites. The first two have me absolutely kvelling with glee over the joyosity contained within the tunes and I could simply not delay writing about them. So here I am during my lunch hour, tuna sandwich in hand, beavering away on my clapped out keyboard :)
Pet Shop Boys - Christmas 2009 (EP):
I have to say the track I was most looking forward to from this new festive themed EP was their studio version of Viva La Vida mixed with Domino Dancing. And that is wonderful and i'll get to that in a minute. What I didn't expect was to be so very completely blown away by the amazing remix job done on the 12 year old It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas. I know this track back to front - it quickly became one of my favourite go-to festive tunes when I first heard it a few years back, so I wasn't entirely sure they could do anything to it that would make me love it anymore. I was wrong. The bass is beefier, the strings stringier and the heavenly choirs now proliferate the tune at carefully chosen key moments (including a very prominent second "BING CROSBY" during verse one). The remix keeps the song fresh and modern, yet keeps the charm and appeal of the original. The second chorus finishes with a seamless blend into a trumpeted version of Hark The Herald Angels Sing, which then slows down and allows for a cascade of strings and bells to launch into one of the most euphoric middle eights I've heard in a long time. It's got horns, chimes, beats, bells, joy and festivity baked right into it and is quite simply glorious. AND! As if that wasn't enough, you still get the wry "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" from the boys before an outro of Once In Royal David's City solemnly plays over chiming church bells. Win. Win. Win.
Viva la Vida-Domino Dancing is just what you would expect from the boys and a fine fine addition to their Yes output. Mixing the Coldplay song with instrumentation from Domino Dancing is clever enough, but they work in the DD refrain "watch them all fall down" which works lyrically with the Viva lyrics. It's all appropriately Pet Shop Boys and a little chunkier than the recent europop Darin version. Heavy bass and beats abound and it is perhaps more dance orientated than the more straightforward Darin cover, but no less delicious. It proves that after over a whopping 25 years in the business, Neil and Chris can still crank out music that is not only everything a good pop song should be whether it's their music or not, but also relevant within today's ever changing music scene. Viva la Vida indeed. (Also on the EP is a fine remix of my fave Yes track All Over The World which sounds occassionally Christmassy and their cover of My Girl which sounds quite Being Boring - ie, a bit melancholy and melody driven). Overall a brilliant release and one well worth purchasing...
Can't wait for: opinions from XO, Chartrigger, Vinny Vero and Poppostergirl...
William Young - If It Hadn't Been For Love (single):
I'm particularly disappointed today that William's excellent Hopes & Fears single (from his "The Hits" album) has charted somewhat outside the top 40 (at 65!!) It seems that if you want to launch a single at the moment, you have to be on the X Factor results show and Simon Cowell in his infinite wisdom has decided that William doesn't "fit" for whatever reason. Bah humbug to that I say. Still onwards and upwards, and the second new song on William's hits album has finally arrived and what a beautiful understated effort it is. Contrasting nicely with the more instant H&F, this is more on a par with songs like Stronger, All Time Love and Fine Line. It's both languid and hopeful, with spot on observations like "Romeo would still be breathing" and "we'd have nothing to believe in" all of course "if it hadn't been for love". It's sparse percussion creates an atmospheric track where Will's vocal is firmly centre stage and while it doesn't instantly grab you, it's beauty is such that you are drawn back for me each time the song finishes. Check out my views on Hopes and Fears here; with the second track William has created a collection of songs he can be proud of (though I wish the tv commercial for it would play some of the more uptempo tracks as well). Bring on stage 2 of his career...
A Fine Frenzy - Oh Blue Christmas (EP):
I was going to save my reviews of new Christmas music for a little later in November (ie, much later) but some of them (much like the PSB release) are so exquisite in their execution and delivery that waiting would be a crime against Santa Claus. Oh Blue Christmas is a far more low key affair than the bombasticity of the Pet Shop Boys release and rightly so - it focuses on the sadness that December can bring; how other people's joy and celebration can make heartache so much more unbearable. The three traditional covers on the EP showcase Alison Sudol's fine voice as well as her penchant for dripping the most traditional sounding tunes in melancholy and regret. Even Winter Wonderland and Christmas Time is Here (from Charlie Brown's Christmas) sound positively downbeat. Yet within that they are inherently seasonal and draw on universal themes such as loneliness and worry - things that seem magnified at this time of year when you may feel pressured to be outwardly cheerful; original composition Winter White is actually quite devastating - breaking up at Christmas must be on a par with being dumped on Valentines... Alison vocalises the emotions perfectly. It all sounds a bit gloomy doesn't it? Fear not - the music is beautifully produced; the lyrics on the new tunes intricately weaved into a seasonal outlook. It may be bittersweet but it's sometimes what you need to fully appreciate the true meaning of Christmas beneath the crass commercialism. Track this lovely release down at Target or on iTunes now. You won't regret it...
- Coming soon: The Fizzypop Chronicles December (non Christmas) edition
- Coming soon: New music megapost special - Ryan Ferrada! Elizabeth and The Catapult! Owl City! The Mary Onettes!
- Coming soon: More Christmas music reviews - Ronan Keating! Tori Amos!
I have to say the track I was most looking forward to from this new festive themed EP was their studio version of Viva La Vida mixed with Domino Dancing. And that is wonderful and i'll get to that in a minute. What I didn't expect was to be so very completely blown away by the amazing remix job done on the 12 year old It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas. I know this track back to front - it quickly became one of my favourite go-to festive tunes when I first heard it a few years back, so I wasn't entirely sure they could do anything to it that would make me love it anymore. I was wrong. The bass is beefier, the strings stringier and the heavenly choirs now proliferate the tune at carefully chosen key moments (including a very prominent second "BING CROSBY" during verse one). The remix keeps the song fresh and modern, yet keeps the charm and appeal of the original. The second chorus finishes with a seamless blend into a trumpeted version of Hark The Herald Angels Sing, which then slows down and allows for a cascade of strings and bells to launch into one of the most euphoric middle eights I've heard in a long time. It's got horns, chimes, beats, bells, joy and festivity baked right into it and is quite simply glorious. AND! As if that wasn't enough, you still get the wry "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" from the boys before an outro of Once In Royal David's City solemnly plays over chiming church bells. Win. Win. Win.
I'm particularly disappointed today that William's excellent Hopes & Fears single (from his "The Hits" album) has charted somewhat outside the top 40 (at 65!!) It seems that if you want to launch a single at the moment, you have to be on the X Factor results show and Simon Cowell in his infinite wisdom has decided that William doesn't "fit" for whatever reason. Bah humbug to that I say. Still onwards and upwards, and the second new song on William's hits album has finally arrived and what a beautiful understated effort it is. Contrasting nicely with the more instant H&F, this is more on a par with songs like Stronger, All Time Love and Fine Line. It's both languid and hopeful, with spot on observations like "Romeo would still be breathing" and "we'd have nothing to believe in" all of course "if it hadn't been for love". It's sparse percussion creates an atmospheric track where Will's vocal is firmly centre stage and while it doesn't instantly grab you, it's beauty is such that you are drawn back for me each time the song finishes. Check out my views on Hopes and Fears here; with the second track William has created a collection of songs he can be proud of (though I wish the tv commercial for it would play some of the more uptempo tracks as well). Bring on stage 2 of his career...
I was going to save my reviews of new Christmas music for a little later in November (ie, much later) but some of them (much like the PSB release) are so exquisite in their execution and delivery that waiting would be a crime against Santa Claus. Oh Blue Christmas is a far more low key affair than the bombasticity of the Pet Shop Boys release and rightly so - it focuses on the sadness that December can bring; how other people's joy and celebration can make heartache so much more unbearable. The three traditional covers on the EP showcase Alison Sudol's fine voice as well as her penchant for dripping the most traditional sounding tunes in melancholy and regret. Even Winter Wonderland and Christmas Time is Here (from Charlie Brown's Christmas) sound positively downbeat. Yet within that they are inherently seasonal and draw on universal themes such as loneliness and worry - things that seem magnified at this time of year when you may feel pressured to be outwardly cheerful; original composition Winter White is actually quite devastating - breaking up at Christmas must be on a par with being dumped on Valentines... Alison vocalises the emotions perfectly. It all sounds a bit gloomy doesn't it? Fear not - the music is beautifully produced; the lyrics on the new tunes intricately weaved into a seasonal outlook. It may be bittersweet but it's sometimes what you need to fully appreciate the true meaning of Christmas beneath the crass commercialism. Track this lovely release down at Target or on iTunes now. You won't regret it... 
